Vehicle identification device, vehicle control system, vehicle identification method and storage medium

Abstract

The present invention provides a vehicle identification device, a vehicle control system, a vehicle identification method and a storage medium capable of suppressing the degradation of the performance of the automatic control of a vehicle due to the adhesion of dirt to a laser radar. The vehicle identification device comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires the value of a parameter related to the degree of dirt of a vehicle-mounted laser radar device, the vehicle-mounted laser radar device using light or electromagnetic waves close to light to detect an object; and a determination unit that determines the state of the vehicle-mounted laser radar device as an abnormal state when the value of the parameter continues to exceed a threshold value in a first period and the amount of change in the value of the parameter in a second period including a part or all of the first period is within a reference range.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a vehicle identification device, a vehicle control system, a vehicle identification method and a storage medium. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, research on technologies for automatically controlling vehicles has continued to advance. In the automatic control of vehicles, a laser radar (LIDAR: Light Detection and Ranging) installed on the vehicle is used to detect the distance from the vehicle to objects around the vehicle. The laser radar irradiates light (or electromagnetic waves close to the wavelength of light) and measures its scattered light, and measures the distance to the object based on the time from light emission to light reception. Therefore, when dirt adheres to the light irradiation part and the light receiving part of the scattered light, the measurement performance may decrease. The following is recorded in Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-104364 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 1): The cleaning mechanism is automatically controlled by detecting the signal of dirt attached to the camera and laser radar. Summary of the invention

[0003] However, Patent Document 1 does not disclose a specific method for detecting dirt attached to the laser radar, and therefore, it has been difficult to prevent the performance of the automatic control of the vehicle from being reduced due to the adhesion of dirt to the laser radar.

[0004] The scheme of the present invention is completed in consideration of such a situation, and one of its purposes is to provide a vehicle identification device, a vehicle control system, a vehicle identification method and a storage medium that can suppress the situation where the performance of the automatic control of the vehicle is reduced due to the adhesion of dirt to the laser radar.

[0005] In order to solve the above problems and achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following solutions.

[0006] (1): A vehicle identification device according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: an acquisition unit, which acquires the value of a parameter related to the degree of dirt of a vehicle-mounted laser radar device, wherein the vehicle-mounted laser radar device uses light or electromagnetic waves close to light to detect objects; and a determination unit, which determines that the state of the vehicle-mounted laser radar device is an abnormal state when the value of the parameter continues to exceed a threshold value during a first period and the amount of change in the value of the parameter during a second period including a part or all of the first period is within a reference range.

[0007] (2): Based on the scheme of (1) above, the determination unit may also make the determination when, after the driving speed of the vehicle equipped with the vehicle-mounted laser radar device exceeds a first speed, the period during which the driving speed of the vehicle is above a second speed exceeds a third period, and the second speed is a speed lower than the first speed.

[0008] (3): Based on the above-mentioned scheme (1) or (2), it may also be that the acquisition unit acquires the value of the parameter according to each of the multiple segments obtained by dividing the detection range of the vehicle-mounted laser radar device, and the judgment unit performs the judgment according to each of the multiple segments based on the threshold value set for each of the multiple segments.

[0009] (4): Based on the scheme of (3) above, the threshold value of the segment for detecting the frontal direction of the vehicle equipped with the vehicle-mounted laser radar device among the multiple segments may be set to a value lower than the threshold value of other segments.

[0010] (5): A vehicle identification device according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: an acquisition unit, which acquires the value of a parameter related to the degree of dirt of the vehicle-mounted laser radar device according to each of a plurality of segments obtained by dividing the detection range of the vehicle-mounted laser radar device, and the vehicle-mounted laser radar device uses light or electromagnetic waves close to light to detect objects; and a determination unit, which determines that the state of the vehicle-mounted laser radar device is an abnormal state when the period during which the value of the parameter in two or more of the plurality of segments is above a threshold value exceeds a first period.

[0011] (6): Based on the above scheme (5), the determination unit may perform the determination when the traveling speed of the vehicle equipped with the vehicle-mounted laser radar device exceeds a first speed.

[0012] (7): A vehicle control system of one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a vehicle identification device of any one of the above-mentioned embodiments (1) to (6); and a vehicle control device, which controls the automatic driving of a vehicle equipped with the vehicle-mounted laser radar device, wherein the vehicle control device changes the driving mode of the vehicle to a driving mode that assigns a heavier task to the driver when the vehicle identification device determines that the state of the vehicle-mounted laser radar device is an abnormal state.

[0013] (8): In a vehicle identification method of one embodiment of the present invention, a computer performs the following processing: obtaining the value of a parameter related to the degree of dirt of a vehicle-mounted laser radar device, wherein the vehicle-mounted laser radar device uses light or electromagnetic waves close to light to detect objects; and determining the state of the vehicle-mounted laser radar device to be an abnormal state when the value of the parameter continues to exceed a threshold value during a first period and the change in the value of the parameter during a second period including a part or all of the first period is within a reference range.

[0014] (9): In a vehicle identification method of one embodiment of the present invention, a computer performs the following processing: obtaining a value of a parameter related to the degree of dirt of the vehicle-mounted laser radar device according to each of a plurality of segments obtained by dividing the detection range of the vehicle-mounted laser radar device, wherein the vehicle-mounted laser radar device uses light or electromagnetic waves close to light to detect objects; and when the period during which the value of the parameter is above a threshold value in two or more of the plurality of segments exceeds a first period, determining the state of the vehicle-mounted laser radar device to be an abnormal state.

[0015] (10): A storage medium of one embodiment of the present invention stores a program, which causes a computer to perform the following processing: obtaining the value of a parameter related to the degree of dirt of a vehicle-mounted laser radar device, wherein the vehicle-mounted laser radar device uses light or electromagnetic waves close to light to detect objects; and determining that the state of the vehicle-mounted laser radar device is an abnormal state when the value of the parameter continues to exceed a threshold value during a first period and the change in the value of the parameter during a second period including a part or all of the first period is within a reference range.

[0016] (11): A storage medium of one embodiment of the present invention stores a program, which enables a computer to perform the following processing: obtaining the value of a parameter related to the degree of dirt of the vehicle-mounted laser radar device according to each of a plurality of segments obtained by dividing the detection range of the vehicle-mounted laser radar device, wherein the vehicle-mounted laser radar device uses light or electromagnetic waves close to light to detect objects; and when the period during which the value of the parameter in two or more of the plurality of segments is above a threshold value exceeds a first period, determining the state of the vehicle-mounted laser radar device to be an abnormal state.

[0017] According to the schemes (1) to (11) above, the value of a parameter related to the degree of dirt of a vehicle-mounted laser radar device is obtained, and the vehicle-mounted laser radar device uses light or electromagnetic waves close to light to detect objects. When the value of the parameter continues to exceed a threshold value in a first period and the change in the value of the parameter in a second period including a part or all of the first period is within a reference range, the state of the vehicle-mounted laser radar device is determined to be an abnormal state. Alternatively, the value of the parameter is obtained for each of a plurality of segments obtained by dividing the detection range of the vehicle-mounted laser radar device, and when the period during which the value of the parameter is above the threshold value in two or more of the plurality of segments exceeds the first period, the state of the vehicle-mounted laser radar device is determined to be an abnormal state. This can prevent the performance of the vehicle's automatic control from being reduced due to the adhesion of dirt to the laser radar. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1It is a configuration diagram of a vehicle system using the vehicle control device according to the embodiment.

[0019] Figure 2 This is a functional structure diagram of the first control unit and the second control unit.

[0020] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing an example of the correspondence relationship between the driving mode, the control state of the host vehicle, and the task.

[0021] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing an example of the detection range of a laser radar installed in a vehicle in the vehicle system of the embodiment.

[0022] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing an example of the detection range of a laser radar installed in a vehicle in the vehicle system of the embodiment.

[0023] Figure 6 This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the contamination determination process performed by the first determination method according to the embodiment.

[0024] Figure 7 This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the contamination determination process performed by the third determination method according to the embodiment.

[0025] Figure 8 This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the contamination determination process performed by the fifth determination method of the embodiment.

[0026] Fig. 9 This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the contamination determination process performed by the eighth determination method according to the embodiment.

[0027] Fig.10 It is a diagram showing the outline of the third to tenth determination methods according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] Hereinafter, embodiments of a vehicle identification device, a vehicle control system, a vehicle identification method, and a storage medium according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0029] [Overall structure]

[0030] Figure 1 1 is a structural diagram of a vehicle system 1 using a vehicle control device according to an embodiment. The vehicle equipped with the vehicle system 1 is, for example, a two-wheel, three-wheel, or four-wheel vehicle, and its driving source is an internal combustion engine such as a diesel engine or a gasoline engine, an electric motor, or a combination thereof. The electric motor operates using the power generated by a generator connected to the internal combustion engine, or the power discharged from a secondary battery or a fuel cell. The vehicle system 1 is an example of a "vehicle control system".

[0031] The vehicle system 1 includes, for example, a camera 10, a radar device 12, a laser radar (Light Detection and Ranging) 14, an object recognition device 16, a communication device 20, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 30, a vehicle sensor 40, a navigation device 50, an MPU (Map Positioning Unit) 60, a driver monitoring camera 70, a driving operation element 80, an automatic driving control device 100, a driving force output device 200, a brake device 210, and a steering device 220. These devices and equipment are connected to each other via a multi-channel communication line such as a CAN (Controller Area Network) communication line, a serial communication line, a wireless communication network, and the like. Figure 1 The structure shown is just an example, and part of the structure may be omitted or other structures may be further added.

[0032] The camera 10 is, for example, a digital camera using a solid-state imaging element such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor). The camera 10 is installed at any position of a vehicle (hereinafter referred to as the vehicle M) equipped with the vehicle system 1. When shooting the front, the camera 10 is installed on the upper part of the front windshield, the back of the rearview mirror in the vehicle, etc. The camera 10, for example, repeatedly and periodically shoots the surroundings of the vehicle M. The camera 10 may also be a stereo camera.

[0033] The radar device 12 radiates radio waves such as millimeter waves to the periphery of the vehicle M, and detects the radio waves (reflected waves) reflected by an object to detect at least the position (distance and direction) of the object. The radar device 12 is installed at any part of the vehicle M. The radar device 12 can also detect the position and speed of the object by FM-CW (Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave) method.

[0034] The laser radar 14 includes, for example, laser radars 14FL, 14FR, 14RR, 14RL, and 14RC. In the following, unless otherwise specified, the laser radar 14 is collectively referred to for explanation. The laser radar 14 irradiates light (or electromagnetic waves close to the wavelength of light) to the periphery of the vehicle to measure scattered light. For example, the laser radar 14 irradiates infrared light. The laser radar 14 detects the distance of an object based on the time from light emission to light reception. The irradiated light is, for example, a pulsed laser. The laser radar 14 is installed at any part of the vehicle. In the present embodiment, the laser radar 14FL is arranged on the front left side of the vehicle (for example, the left side of the front bumper), the laser radar 14FR is arranged on the front right side of the vehicle (for example, the right side of the front bumper), the laser radar 14RC is arranged at the rear center of the vehicle (for example, the center of the rear bumper), the laser radar 14RL is arranged on the rear left side of the vehicle (for example, the left side of the rear bumper), and the laser radar 14RR is arranged on the rear right side of the vehicle (for example, the right side of the rear bumper). The laser radar 14 is an example of a “vehicle-mounted laser radar device”.

[0035] In addition to the above-mentioned basic functions (hereinafter referred to as "laser radar functions"), the laser radar 14 in this embodiment may also have the function of detecting dirt attached to the light emitting part or the light receiving part (hereinafter referred to as "laser radar dirt") and the function of detecting the main cause of clutter (hereinafter referred to as "clutter main cause"). In order to realize these functions, the laser radar 14 in this embodiment is equipped with a dirt detection unit 15A and a clutter detection unit 15B. The dirt detection unit 15A and the clutter detection unit 15B both detect the generation of laser radar dirt and clutter main causes based on the detection results (light reflection points and reflection intensity) detected by the laser radar function.

[0036] Here, clutter refers to electromagnetic waves (including light) radiated from detection devices such as laser radar 14 and radar device 12, which are reflected by spatial scattering objects such as rain, snow, fog, and water droplets. Clutter is the main cause of noise in detection devices such as laser radar 14 and radar device 12. The main cause of clutter and laser radar dirt are the same in that they are detected as reflection points through the IDAR function, but can be classified by the difference in detection distance. Since laser radar dirt is an object attached to the laser radar 14, it can be classified as a reflection point detected within a range of 0.3m from the laser radar 14, for example. On the other hand, since the main cause of clutter is caused by the environment around the laser radar 14, it can be classified as a reflection point detected within a range of 5m from the laser radar 14, for example.

[0037] The dirt detection unit 15A and the clutter detection unit 15B are implemented, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program (software). The dirt detection unit 15A can also be implemented by hardware (including a circuit unit: circuitry) such as LSI (Large Scale Integration), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), etc., and can also be implemented by the coordination of software and hardware. The program can be pre-stored in a storage device such as an HDD, a flash memory, etc. of the laser radar 14 (a storage device having a non-temporary storage medium), and can also be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD, a CD-ROM, and installed in the HDD or flash memory of the laser radar 14 by assembling the storage medium (non-temporary storage medium) in a drive device.

[0038] Specifically, the dirt detection unit 15A calculates an index value indicating the degree of dirt on the laser radar (hereinafter referred to as the "dirt value") based on the detection result and reflection intensity detected by the laser radar function. The dirt value can be any value as long as it indicates the degree of dirt on the laser radar, and can be calculated by any method. The dirt value is an example of a "parameter". In the present embodiment, the dirt value can take a value in the range of 0% to 100%. For example, the dirt detection unit 15A calculates the dirt value based on the number of reflection points near the laser radar 14FL, the distance to the reflection point, and the reflection intensity. The dirt detection unit 15A calculates the dirt value for each area obtained by dividing the horizontal detection range of the laser radar 14 into a specified number. Hereinafter, each area obtained by dividing the detection range into the specified number of divisions is referred to as a segment. In the present embodiment, the case where the detection range of each laser radar 14 is divided into 10 segments is described. The dirt detection unit 15A outputs the calculated dirt value to the object recognition device 16.

[0039] The clutter detection unit 15B calculates the amount of space scattering objects such as rain, snow, fog, and water droplets that may be the main cause of clutter based on the detection results detected by the laser radar function and the reflection intensity, as an index value indicating the degree of the main cause of clutter (hereinafter referred to as "clutter value"). The clutter detection unit 15B calculates the clutter value for each section in the same way as the dirt detection unit 15A. The clutter detection unit 15B outputs the calculated clutter value to the object recognition device 16. Like the dirt value, in this embodiment, the clutter value can take a value in the range of 0% to 100%.

[0040] The object recognition device 16 performs sensor fusion processing on the detection results detected by part or all of the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the laser radar 14 to identify the position, type, speed, etc. of the object. The object recognition device 16 outputs the recognition result to the automatic driving control device 100. In addition to the above-mentioned basic functions (hereinafter referred to as "object recognition function"), the object recognition device 16 in this embodiment also has the function of determining the dirt state of each laser radar 14. In order to realize this function, for example, the object recognition device 16 has an acquisition unit 16A and a determination unit 16B, and stores conditional information 16C. The object recognition device 16 is an example of a "dirt determination device".

[0041] The acquisition unit 16A acquires, from each laser radar 14 , the contamination value and the clutter value detected by each laser radar 14 .

[0042] The determination unit 16B is implemented, for example, by executing a program (software) through a hardware processor such as a CPU. The determination unit 16B may also be implemented by hardware (including a circuit unit: circuitry) such as an LSI, an ASIC, an FPGA, a GPU, or the like, or may be implemented by the coordination of software and hardware. The program may be pre-stored in a storage device (a storage device having a non-temporary storage medium) such as a HDD or a flash memory of the object recognition device 16, or may be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD or a CD-ROM, and installed in the HDD or flash memory of the object recognition device 16 by assembling the storage medium (non-temporary storage medium) in a drive device.

[0043] Here, the condition information 16C is information indicating the conditions for determining the fouling state of each laser radar 14 (hereinafter referred to as "fouling determination conditions"), and is information including threshold values ​​for various state values ​​of the vehicle observed headed by the fouling value. The determination unit 16B determines the fouling determination conditions indicated by the condition information 16C based on the various state values ​​observed for the vehicle, thereby determining the fouling state of the laser radar 14 as either normal or abnormal. Hereinafter, this determination is referred to as "fouling determination". The determination unit 16B notifies the automatic driving control device 100 of the result of the fouling determination.

[0044] The communication device 20 communicates with other vehicles around the host vehicle M using, for example, a cellular network, Wi-Fi network, Bluetooth (registered trademark), DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication), or communicates with various server devices via a wireless base station.

[0045] HMI30 presents various information to the occupants of the vehicle M and accepts input operations performed by the occupants. HMI30 includes various display devices, speakers, buzzers, touch panels, switches, buttons, etc. For example, HMI30 may also perform an action of reporting that the dirt state of the laser radar 14 has become abnormal according to the instruction of the automatic driving control device 100 (hereinafter referred to as "abnormal reporting action").

[0046] The vehicle sensor 40 includes a vehicle speed sensor for detecting the speed of the host vehicle M, an acceleration sensor for detecting acceleration, a yaw rate sensor for detecting the angular velocity around a vertical axis, an azimuth sensor for detecting the orientation of the host vehicle M, and the like.

[0047] The navigation device 50 includes, for example, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 51, a navigation HMI 52, and a path determination unit 53. The navigation device 50 stores the first map information 54 in a storage device such as a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or a flash memory. The GNSS receiver 51 determines the position of the vehicle M based on the signal received from the GNSS satellite. The position of the vehicle M can also be determined or supplemented by an INS (Inertial Navigation System) using the output of the vehicle sensor 40. The navigation HMI 52 includes a display device, a speaker, a touch panel, a button, etc. The navigation HMI 52 can also be partially or completely shared with the aforementioned HMI 30. The path determination unit 53, for example, refers to the first map information 54 to determine the path (hereinafter referred to as the path on the map) from the position of the vehicle M determined by the GNSS receiver 51 (or an arbitrary position input) to the destination input by the occupant using the navigation HMI 52. The first map information 54 is information that represents the shape of the road by, for example, lines representing the road and nodes connected by the lines. The first map information 54 may also include the curvature of the road, POI (Point Of Interest) information, etc. The path on the map is output to the MPU 60. The navigation device 50 may also provide path guidance using the navigation HMI 52 based on the path on the map. The navigation device 50 may also be implemented by the function of a terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal held by the passenger. The navigation device 50 may also send the current position and destination to the navigation server via the communication device 20, and obtain a path equivalent to the path on the map from the navigation server.

[0048] The MPU 60 includes, for example, a recommended lane determination unit 61, and stores the second map information 62 in a storage device such as a HDD or a flash memory. The recommended lane determination unit 61 divides the path on the map provided by the navigation device 50 into a plurality of sections (for example, divided into 100 [m] sections in the vehicle's traveling direction), and determines a recommended lane for each section with reference to the second map information 62. The recommended lane determination unit 61 determines the lane on which the vehicle M should travel from the left. When there is a branch in the path on the map, the recommended lane determination unit 61 determines a recommended lane so that the vehicle M can travel on a reasonable path for traveling to the branch destination.

[0049] The second map information 62 is map information with higher accuracy than the first map information 54. The second map information 62 includes, for example, information about the center of a lane or information about a lane boundary. The second map information 62 may also include road information, traffic restriction information, address information (address, zip code), facility information, telephone number information, etc. The second map information 62 may be updated at any time by communicating with other devices through the communication device 20.

[0050] The driver monitoring camera 70 is, for example, a digital camera using a solid-state imaging element such as a CCD or a CMOS. The driver monitoring camera 70 is installed at any position in the vehicle M in a position and orientation that can capture the head of an occupant (hereinafter referred to as the driver) sitting in the driver's seat of the vehicle M from the front (the orientation in which the face is captured). For example, the driver monitoring camera 70 is installed above a display device provided in the center of the dashboard of the vehicle M.

[0051] The driving operating member 80 includes, for example, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a gear lever, and other operating members in addition to the steering wheel 82. A sensor for detecting the amount of operation or the presence or absence of operation is installed on the driving operating member 80, and the detection result is output to the automatic driving control device 100, or part or all of the driving drive force output device 200, the brake device 210, and the steering device 220. The steering wheel 82 is an example of an "operating member that receives the steering operation performed by the driver." The operating member does not have to be annular, and can also be in the form of a special-shaped steering wheel, a joystick, a button, etc. A steering grip sensor 84 is installed on the steering wheel 82. The steering grip sensor 84 is implemented by an electrostatic capacitance sensor or the like, and outputs a signal that can detect whether the driver is holding the steering wheel 82 (meaning contact in a state where force is applied) to the automatic driving control device 100.

[0052] The automatic driving control device 100 includes, for example, a first control unit 120 and a second control unit 160. The first control unit 120 and the second control unit 160 are respectively implemented by executing a program (software) by a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). Some or all of these components may also be implemented by hardware (including a circuit unit: circuitry) such as LSI (Large Scale Integration), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), etc., or may be implemented by the coordination of software and hardware. The program may be pre-stored in a storage device (a storage device having a non-temporary storage medium) such as an HDD or flash memory of the automatic driving control device 100, or may be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM, and may be installed in the HDD or flash memory of the automatic driving control device 100 by assembling the storage medium (non-temporary storage medium) in a drive device. The automatic driving control device 100 is an example of a “vehicle control device”, and the action plan generation unit 140 and the second control unit 160 are combined to form an example of a “driving control unit”.

[0053] Figure 2 It is a functional structure diagram of the first control unit 120 and the second control unit 160. The first control unit 120, for example, includes a recognition unit 130, an action plan generation unit 140, and a mode determination unit 150. The first control unit 120, for example, implements in parallel functions based on AI (Artificial Intelligence) and functions based on a pre-provided model. For example, the function of "identifying intersections" is implemented by executing in parallel the recognition of intersections based on deep learning and the like and the recognition based on pre-provided conditions (the presence of signals, road signs, etc. that can perform pattern matching), and comprehensively evaluating both by adding scores. In this way, the reliability of autonomous driving can be ensured.

[0054] The recognition unit 130 recognizes the position, velocity, acceleration and other states of objects in the vicinity of the vehicle M based on the information input from the camera 10, the radar device 12 and the laser radar 14 via the object recognition device 16. The position of the object is, for example, recognized as a position on an absolute coordinate with a representative point (center of gravity, drive shaft center, etc.) of the vehicle M as the origin, and is used for control. The position of the object can also be represented by representative points such as the center of gravity and corners of the object, or by an area. The "state" of an object can include the acceleration, jerk, or "action state" of the object (for example, whether a lane change is being made or whether a lane change is to be made).

[0055] The recognition unit 130, for example, recognizes the lane in which the vehicle M is traveling (driving lane). For example, the recognition unit 130 recognizes the driving lane by comparing the pattern of road dividing lines obtained from the second map information 62 (e.g., the arrangement of solid lines and dotted lines) with the pattern of road dividing lines around the vehicle M recognized based on the image captured by the camera 10. The recognition unit 130 is not limited to recognizing road dividing lines, but can also recognize the driving lane by recognizing the boundaries of the driving road (road boundaries) including road dividing lines, shoulders, curbs, central median strips, guardrails, etc. In this recognition, the position of the vehicle M obtained from the navigation device 50 and the processing results processed by the INS can also be added. The recognition unit 130 recognizes temporary stop lines, obstacles, red lights, toll booths, and other road matters.

[0056] When recognizing the driving lane, the recognition unit 130 recognizes the position and posture of the host vehicle M relative to the driving lane. For example, the recognition unit 130 may recognize the deviation of the reference point of the host vehicle M from the center of the lane and the angle formed by the traveling direction of the host vehicle M relative to the line connecting the centers of the lanes as the relative position and posture of the host vehicle M relative to the driving lane. Alternatively, the recognition unit 130 may recognize the position of the reference point of the host vehicle M relative to either side end (road dividing line or road boundary) of the driving lane as the relative position of the host vehicle M relative to the driving lane.

[0057] The action plan generation unit 140 generates a target trajectory for the vehicle M to automatically (independently of the driver's operation) travel in the future, so that in principle it can travel on the recommended lane determined by the recommended lane determination unit 61 and can cope with the surrounding conditions of the vehicle M. The target trajectory includes, for example, a speed element. For example, the target trajectory is represented by a trajectory in which the locations (track points) that the vehicle M should arrive at are arranged in sequence. The track point is a location that the vehicle M should arrive at every specified driving distance (for example, a few [m] or so) based on the distance along the way. Different from this, the target speed and target acceleration at every specified sampling time (for example, a few tenths [sec] or so) are generated as part of the target trajectory. The track point can also be the position that the vehicle M should arrive at at the sampling time at every specified sampling time. In this case, the information of the target speed and target acceleration is represented by the interval between the track points.

[0058] The action plan generation unit 140 may set an event for autonomous driving when generating a target trajectory. The events for autonomous driving include a constant speed driving event, a low speed following driving event, a lane change event, a branching event, a merging event, a takeover event, etc. The action plan generation unit 140 generates a target trajectory corresponding to the event to be started.

[0059] The mode determination unit 150 determines the driving mode of the host vehicle M to be any one of a plurality of driving modes in which different tasks are assigned to the driver. The mode determination unit 150 includes, for example, a driver state determination unit 152 and a mode change processing unit 154. The functions of these units will be described later.

[0060] Figure 3 : This is a diagram showing an example of the correspondence between the driving mode, the control state of the vehicle M, and the task. The driving mode of the vehicle M includes five modes, namely, mode A to mode E. The control state, that is, the degree of automation of the driving control of the vehicle M, is that mode A is the highest, followed by mode B, mode C, and mode D in order, and mode E is the lowest. Conversely, the task assigned to the driver is that mode A is the lightest, followed by mode B, mode C, and mode D in order, and mode E is the heaviest. In modes D and E, it becomes a control state that is not an automatic driving, so as an automatic driving control device 100, its responsibility is to end the control related to the automatic driving until it switches to driving assistance or manual driving. The following is an example of the content of each driving mode.

[0061] In mode A, the vehicle is in an automatic driving state, and neither the front monitoring nor the control of the steering wheel 82 (steering control in the figure) is assigned to the driver. However, even in mode A, the driver is required to be able to quickly switch to manual driving according to the requirements of the system centered on the automatic driving control device 100. The automatic driving mentioned here refers to a driving mode in which steering and acceleration and deceleration are controlled independently of the driver's operation. The front refers to the space in the direction of travel of the vehicle M that can be visually confirmed through the front windshield. Mode A is a driving mode that can be executed when the conditions such as the vehicle M is traveling on a motor vehicle-only road such as a highway at a specified speed (for example, about 50 [km / h]) or less and there is a preceding vehicle to be followed are met. It is sometimes called TJP (Traffic Jam Pilot). When this condition is no longer met, the mode determination unit 150 changes the driving mode of the vehicle M to mode B.

[0062] In mode B, it becomes a driving support state, and the driver is assigned the task of monitoring the front of the vehicle M (hereinafter referred to as front monitoring), but the task of holding the steering wheel 82 is not assigned. In mode C, it becomes a driving support state, and the driver is assigned the task of monitoring the front and the task of holding the steering wheel 82. Mode D is a driving mode that requires the driver to perform a certain degree of driving operation for at least one of the steering and acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle M. For example, in mode D, driving support such as ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) and LKAS (Lane Keeping Assist System) is performed. In mode E, it becomes a manual driving state in which the driver needs to perform driving operations for steering and acceleration and deceleration. In both mode D and mode E, of course, the driver is also assigned the task of monitoring the front of the vehicle M.

[0063] The automatic driving control device 100 (and the driving support device (not shown)) executes automatic lane changes according to the driving mode. In the automatic lane change, there are automatic lane changes based on system requirements (1) and automatic lane changes based on driver requirements (2). In the automatic lane change (1), there are automatic lane changes for overtaking when the speed of the leading vehicle is lower than the speed of the host vehicle by more than a reference, and automatic lane changes for traveling toward the destination (automatic lane changes achieved by changing the recommended lane). Automatic lane change (2) changes the lane of the host vehicle M in the operating direction when the driver operates the direction indicator when conditions related to speed, positional relationship with surrounding vehicles, etc. are met.

[0064] In mode A, the automatic driving control device 100 does not perform automatic lane change (1) or automatic lane change (2). In modes B and C, the automatic driving control device 100 performs both automatic lane change (1) and automatic lane change (2). In mode D, the driving support device (not shown) does not perform automatic lane change (1) but performs automatic lane change (2). In mode E, neither automatic lane change (1) nor (2) is performed.

[0065] The mode determination unit 150 changes the driving mode of the host vehicle M to a driving mode with heavier tasks when the driver is not performing tasks related to the determined driving mode (hereinafter referred to as the current driving mode).

[0066] For example, in mode A, when the driver is in a posture that is unable to switch to manual driving according to the request from the system (for example, when the driver continues to look to the side outside the allowed area, or when a sign of driving difficulty is detected), the mode determination unit 150 performs the following control: Use HMI30 to urge the driver to switch to manual driving. If the driver does not respond, the vehicle M is brought close to the shoulder of the road and slowly stops to stop the automatic driving. After the automatic driving is stopped, the vehicle is in the state of mode D or E, and the vehicle M can be started by manual operation of the driver. The following "stop automatic driving" is the same. In mode B, when the driver is not monitoring the front, the mode determination unit 150 performs the following control: Use HMI30 to urge the driver to monitor the front. If the driver does not respond, the vehicle M is brought close to the shoulder of the road and slowly stops to stop the automatic driving. When the driver does not monitor the front or does not hold the steering wheel 82 in mode C, the mode determination unit 150 performs the following control: uses HMI30 to urge the driver to monitor the front and / or hold the steering wheel 82. If the driver does not respond, the vehicle M is moved close to the shoulder of the road and slowly stops to stop the automatic driving.

[0067] The driver state determination unit 152 monitors the driver's state in order to perform the above-mentioned mode change, and determines whether the driver's state is in a state corresponding to the task. For example, the driver state determination unit 152 analyzes the image captured by the driver monitoring camera 70 to perform posture estimation processing to determine whether the driver is in a posture that cannot be changed to manual driving according to the request from the system. The driver state determination unit 152 analyzes the image captured by the driver monitoring camera 70 to perform line of sight estimation processing to determine whether the driver is monitoring the front.

[0068] The mode change processing unit 154 performs various processes for mode change. For example, the mode change processing unit 154 instructs the action plan generation unit 140 to generate a target trajectory for shoulder stop, instructs a driving support device (not shown) to operate, or controls the HMI 30 to urge the driver to take action.

[0069] The second control unit 160 controls the travel driving force output device 200 , the braking device 210 , and the steering device 220 so that the host vehicle M passes through the target track generated by the action plan generation unit 140 at a predetermined timing.

[0070] return Figure 2 , the second control unit 160, for example, includes an acquisition unit 162, a speed control unit 164, and a steering control unit 166. The acquisition unit 162 acquires the information of the target track (track point) generated by the action plan generation unit 140 and stores it in a memory (not shown). The speed control unit 164 controls the travel drive force output device 200 or the braking device 210 based on the speed element attached to the target track stored in the memory. The steering control unit 166 controls the steering device 220 according to the degree of curvature of the target track stored in the memory. The processing of the speed control unit 164 and the steering control unit 166 is implemented, for example, by a combination of feedforward control and feedback control. As an example, the steering control unit 166 performs a combination of feedforward control corresponding to the curvature of the road ahead of the vehicle M and feedback control based on the deviation from the target track.

[0071] The driving force output device 200 outputs the driving force (torque) for driving the vehicle to the driving wheels. The driving force output device 200 includes, for example, a combination of an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, and a transmission, and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) for controlling them. The ECU controls the above structure according to information input from the second control unit 160 or information input from the driving operation member 80.

[0072] The brake device 210 includes, for example, a brake caliper, a hydraulic cylinder that transmits hydraulic pressure to the brake caliper, an electric motor that generates hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic cylinder, and a brake ECU. The brake ECU controls the electric motor according to information input from the second control unit 160 or information input from the driving operating member 80, and outputs a brake torque corresponding to the brake operation to each wheel. The brake device 210 may also include a mechanism that transmits the hydraulic pressure generated by the operation of the brake pedal included in the driving operating member 80 to the hydraulic cylinder via the master hydraulic cylinder as a backup. The brake device 210 is not limited to the structure described above, and may also be an electronically controlled hydraulic brake device that controls the actuator according to information input from the second control unit 160 and transmits the hydraulic pressure of the master hydraulic cylinder to the hydraulic cylinder.

[0073] The steering device 220 includes, for example, a steering ECU and an electric motor. The electric motor, for example, applies force to a rack-and-pinion mechanism to change the direction of the steering wheel. The steering ECU drives the electric motor according to information input from the second control unit 160 or information input from the driving operating member 80 to change the direction of the steering wheel.

[0074] Figure 4 and Figure 5 This is a diagram showing an example of the detection range of the laser radar 14 mounted on the vehicle M in the vehicle system 1 of the present embodiment. Figure 4 The detection range of the laser radars 14FL and 14FR installed in front of the vehicle M is shown. Figure 5 14 shows the detection range of the laser radars 14RC, 14RL, and 14RR installed at the rear of the vehicle M. Figure 4 In the figure, the detection range DR-A represents the detection range of the laser radar 14FL, and the detection range DR-A is divided into segments SA-1 to SA-10. The detection range DR-B represents the detection range of the laser radar 14FR, and the detection range DR-B is divided into segments SB-1 to SB-10. For example, the detection range is a sector range covering a range of 145 degrees at a central angle in the horizontal direction, and the segment is a sector range obtained by dividing the detection range according to a central angle of 14.5 degrees.

[0075] exist Figure 5 In the figure, the detection range DR-C represents the detection range of the laser radar 14RC, and the detection range DR-C is divided into sections SC-1 to SC-10. The detection range DR-D represents the detection range of the laser radar 14RL, and the detection range DR-D is divided into sections SD-1 to SD-10. The detection range DR-E represents the detection range of the laser radar 14RR, and the detection range DR-E is divided into sections SE-1 to SE-10. Here, the numerical value [%] recorded in each section in the figure represents the threshold value of the dirt value calculated for each section. These thresholds are part of the dirt judgment conditions and are pre-stored in the object recognition device 16 as condition information 16C.

[0076] For simplicity, Figure 4 and Figure 5In order to facilitate the understanding of the detection range of each laser radar 14, each detection range is represented by a sector (partial circle), but these sectors are expressed to facilitate the understanding of the detection range in the horizontal direction, and do not represent the size of the detection range in the radial direction. It is assumed that the detection range of each laser radar 14 is the same in size even if there are differences in direction. The direction of the detection range of each laser radar 14 is only an example and can be set appropriately. As described above, in the vehicle system 1 of the present embodiment, the dirt value is calculated for each segment obtained by dividing the detection range of each laser radar 14 into 10 parts.

[0077] However, in the automatic driving control of the vehicle, usually, the distance detection in front of, behind, and to the left and right diagonally behind the vehicle M becomes important, and the distance detection in these directions requires a relatively high detection accuracy compared to other areas. Therefore, for the laser radar 14 used for detection in these directions, it is desirable to eliminate laser radar dirt when the degree of dirt is relatively light. Therefore, in the vehicle system 1 of the present embodiment, a threshold value of the dirt value is set for each section of each detection range, and the threshold value of the section for detecting the front front direction of the vehicle M is set to a value lower than the threshold value of other sections. For example, in Figure 4 In the example of , the threshold value of the segment near the center is set to a value lower than the threshold value of the segment near the end.

[0078] This makes it possible to detect local laser radar contamination, and, for sections with high priority, to detect that the contamination state has become abnormal at a relatively early stage.

[0079] Hereinafter, a method of determining the contamination state of each laser radar 14 based on the contamination value calculated for each segment will be described. The numerical values ​​exemplified in the following description are merely examples and can be appropriately changed within the scope of the present embodiment.

[0080] [1] First determination method (fouling determination method for the front laser radar 14)

[0081] Figure 6 This is a flowchart showing an example of the process of fouling determination processing performed by the first determination method. As an example, the first determination method is as follows: for the front laser radar 14, when each of the following conditions (1) is satisfied, the determination of each of the conditions (2) and (3) is performed, and when the conditions (2) and (3) are satisfied, the fouling state of the laser radar 14 is determined to be abnormal. Figure 6 The flowchart shows the flow of one contamination determination process, but in reality, the contamination determination process is repeated at a predetermined cycle. Figure 6As described above, since the contamination determination is performed for each laser radar 14, in the description of this process, the laser radar 14 that is the object of the contamination determination is referred to as the "object laser radar".

[0082] (1) After the running speed of the host vehicle M exceeds 40 km / h, it has been at least 20 km / h for 20 seconds (hereinafter, this condition is referred to as the “first vehicle speed condition”).

[0083] (2) The fouling value has always exceeded the threshold value in the past 300 seconds (hereinafter, this condition is referred to as the "fouling threshold condition").

[0084] (3) The difference between the maximum and minimum values ​​of the fouling value in the past 300 seconds is less than 10% (hereinafter, this condition is referred to as the "fouling value fluctuation condition"). Satisfying the fouling value fluctuation condition is an example of the amount of change in the fouling value being within the reference range.

[0085] The speed of 40 km / h in the first vehicle speed condition is an example of the "first speed", and the speed of 20 km / h in the first vehicle speed condition is an example of the "second speed". The 20 seconds in the first vehicle speed condition is an example of the "third period". The 300 seconds in the dirt threshold condition is an example of the "first period", and the 300 seconds in the dirt value fluctuation condition is an example of the "second period". The second period can be a period that includes part or all of the first period.

[0086] exist Figure 6 In the example, first, the determination unit 16B determines whether the vehicle satisfies the first vehicle speed condition (step S101). Here, when it is determined that the vehicle satisfies the first vehicle speed condition, the determination unit 16B determines whether there is a segment that satisfies the dirt threshold condition in the segment of the target laser radar (step S103). Here, when it is determined that there is a segment that satisfies the dirt threshold condition in the segment of the target laser radar, the determination unit 16B determines whether there is a segment that satisfies the dirt value fluctuation condition in the segment that satisfies the dirt threshold condition (step S104). Here, when it is determined that there is a segment that satisfies the dirt value fluctuation condition in the segment that satisfies the dirt threshold condition, the determination unit 16B determines the dirt state of the target laser radar as abnormal and ends the dirt determination process (step S105).

[0087] On the other hand, when it is determined in step S103 that there is no segment that satisfies the dirt threshold condition in the segments of the object laser radar, or when it is determined in step S104 that there is no segment that satisfies the dirt value fluctuation condition in the segments that satisfy the dirt threshold condition, the determination unit 16B determines that the dirt state of the object laser radar is normal and ends the dirt determination processing (step S106).

[0088] On the other hand, when it is determined in step S101 that the host vehicle does not satisfy the first vehicle speed condition, the determination unit 16B ends the contamination determination process without changing the contamination state of the target laser radar.

[0089] [2] Second determination method (fouling determination method for the rear laser radar 14)

[0090] The second determination method is basically a method for determining the contamination state of the rear laser radar 14 by the same method as the first determination method, but is different from the first determination method in that the vehicle body front section is not provided for the rear left and right laser radars 14RL and 14RR. The vehicle body front section is, for example, a section that mainly includes the field of view in the frontal direction of the vehicle. That is, in the second determination method, the determination unit 16B determines the contamination state of the rear center laser radar 14RC as abnormal when (1) the first vehicle speed condition is satisfied, and determines the contamination state as abnormal when (2) the contamination threshold condition and (3) the contamination value fluctuation condition are satisfied. For the rear left and right laser radars 14RL and 14RR, the determination unit 16B determines the contamination state as abnormal when (1) the first vehicle speed condition is satisfied, and determines the contamination state as abnormal when (2) the contamination threshold condition and (3) the contamination value fluctuation condition are satisfied.

[0091] In the second determination method, the vehicle body front section in the detection range DR-C of the rear center laser radar 14RC is a section that mainly includes the field of view in the rear front direction of the vehicle. Figure 5 In the example, among the segments SC-1 to SC-10 included in the detection range DR-C of the laser radar 14RC, segments SC-4 and SC-7 are the front segments of the vehicle body.

[0092] [3] Third determination method (fouling determination method for the laser radar 14FL on the left side of the front portion)

[0093] Figure 7 This method is a method of determining that the contamination state is abnormal when at least one of the contamination determination processes (4) and (6) performed by the third determination method is satisfied. Figure 6 The flowchart is similar, Figure 7 The flowchart also shows the process of the contamination determination process once, but in reality, it is repeatedly executed at a predetermined cycle. Figure 7 The process allows for continuous fouling determination.

[0094] (4) The running speed of the host vehicle is 50 km / h or higher (hereinafter, this condition is referred to as the “second vehicle speed condition”).

[0095] (5) In the left oblique front section, there are two or more sections with a contamination value of 50% or more for 50 seconds (hereinafter, this condition is referred to as the "first contamination continuation condition").

[0096] (6) In the left oblique front section and the vehicle body front section, there is one or more sections with a dirt value of 80% or more for 30 seconds (hereinafter, this condition is referred to as the "second dirt continuation condition").

[0097] Here, the left oblique front section is a section that mainly includes the field of view in the left oblique direction in front of the vehicle. Figure 4 In the example, among the segments SA-1 to SA-10 included in the detection range DR-A of the laser radar 14FL, the segments SA-7 to SA-10 are left oblique front segments. The left oblique front segment may partially overlap with the vehicle body front segment.

[0098] In this case, first, the determination unit 16B determines whether the vehicle satisfies the second vehicle speed condition (step S201). Here, in the case where it is determined that the vehicle satisfies the second vehicle speed condition, the determination unit 16B determines whether there is a segment that satisfies the first dirt persistence condition in the segment of the target laser radar (step S202). Here, in the case where it is determined that there is no segment that satisfies the first dirt persistence condition in the segment of the target laser radar, the determination unit 16B determines whether there is a segment that satisfies the second dirt persistence condition in the segment of the target laser radar (step S203). In the case where it is determined in step S202 that there is a segment that satisfies the first dirt persistence condition in the segment of the target laser radar, or in the case where it is determined in step S203 that there is a segment that satisfies the second dirt persistence condition in the segment of the target laser radar, the determination unit 16B determines that the dirt state of the target laser radar is abnormal and ends the dirt determination process (step S204).

[0099] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S203 that there is no segment satisfying the second contamination persistence condition in the segment of the target laser radar, the determination unit 16B determines that the contamination state of the target laser radar is normal and ends the contamination determination process (step S205). If it is determined in step S201 that the vehicle does not satisfy the second vehicle speed condition, the determination unit 16B ends the contamination determination process without changing the contamination state of the target laser radar.

[0100] [4] Fourth determination method (fouling determination method for the front right laser radar 14FR)

[0101] The fourth determination method is basically a method for determining the dirt state of the laser radar 14 on the front right side by the same method as the third determination method, but is different from the third determination method in that the right oblique front section is used as the determination object instead of the left oblique front section. That is, the fourth determination method performs determinations on (5) the first dirt continuation condition and (6) the second dirt continuation condition in the right oblique front section when (4) the second vehicle speed condition is satisfied, and determines the dirt state as abnormal when at least one of (5) the first dirt continuation condition and (6) the second dirt continuation condition is satisfied. The second vehicle speed condition in the fourth determination method is the same as the second vehicle speed condition in the third determination method.

[0102] Here, the right oblique front section is a section that mainly includes the field of view in the right oblique direction in front of the vehicle. Figure 4 In the example of FIG. 1 , among the segments SB-1 to SB-10 included in the detection range DR-B of the laser radar 14FR, the segments SB-1 to SB-4 are right oblique front segments. The right oblique front segment may partially overlap with the vehicle body front segment.

[0103] [5] Fifth determination method (fouling determination method for the laser radar 14RL on the rear left side)

[0104] Figure 8 : is a flowchart showing an example of the process of the dirt determination process performed by the fifth determination method. The fifth determination method is as follows: for the laser radar 14RL on the left side of the rear part, when the second vehicle speed condition (4) is satisfied, the following condition (7) is determined, and when the condition (7) is satisfied, the dirt state is determined to be abnormal. Figure 7 The flowchart is similar, Figure 8 The flowchart of FIG. 1 shows the flow of the contamination determination process once, but in reality, the contamination determination process is repeatedly performed at a predetermined cycle. Figure 8 The second vehicle speed condition in the fifth determination method is the same as the second vehicle speed condition in the fourth determination method.

[0105] (7) In the rear left side segment, there are two or more segments with a fouling value of 80% or more for 20 seconds (hereinafter, this condition is referred to as the "third fouling continuation condition").

[0106] Here, the rear left side section is a section mainly including the field of view of the left side direction observed from the rear left side of the vehicle. Figure 5 In the example of FIG. 1 , among the segments SD- 1 to SD- 10 included in the detection range DR-D of the laser radar 14RL, the segments SD- 1 to SD- 5 are the rear left side segments. The rear left side segment may partially overlap with the vehicle body front segment.

[0107] In this case, first, the determination unit 16B determines whether the vehicle satisfies the second vehicle speed condition (step S301). Here, if it is determined that the vehicle satisfies the second vehicle speed condition, the determination unit 16B determines whether there is a segment satisfying the third contamination persistence condition in the segment of the target laser radar (step S302). Here, if it is determined that there is a segment satisfying the third contamination persistence condition in the segment of the target laser radar, the determination unit 16B determines that the contamination state of the target laser radar is abnormal and ends the contamination determination process (step S303).

[0108] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S302 that there is no segment satisfying the third contamination persistence condition in the segment of the target laser radar, the determination unit 16B determines that the contamination state of the target laser radar is normal and ends the contamination determination process (step S304). If it is determined in step S301 that the vehicle does not satisfy the second vehicle speed condition, the determination unit 16B ends the contamination determination process without changing the contamination state of the target laser radar.

[0109] [6] Sixth determination method (fouling determination method for the rear right laser radar 14RR)

[0110] The sixth determination method is basically a method for determining the dirt state of the rear right laser radar 14RR by the same method as the fifth determination method, but is different from the fifth determination method in that the rear right side segment is used as the determination object instead of the rear left side segment. That is, the sixth determination method is a method as follows: in the rear right side segment, when the (4) second vehicle speed condition is satisfied, the (7) third dirt continuation condition is determined, and when the (7) third dirt continuation condition is satisfied, the dirt state is determined to be abnormal. The second vehicle speed condition in the sixth determination method is the same as the second vehicle speed condition in the fifth determination method.

[0111] Here, the rear right side section is a section mainly including the field of view of the right side direction observed from the rear right side of the vehicle. Figure 4 In the example of FIG. 1 , among the segments SE- 1 to SE- 10 included in the detection range DR-E of the laser radar 14RR, the segments SE- 6 to SE- 10 are the rear right side segments. The rear right side segment may partially overlap with the vehicle body front segment.

[0112] [7] Seventh determination method (fouling determination method for the rear center laser radar 14RC)

[0113] The seventh determination method is basically a method for determining the dirt state of the rear center laser radar 14RC by the same method as the sixth determination method, but is different from the sixth determination method in that the rear center segment is used as the determination object instead of the rear right side segment, and the fourth dirt continuation condition is used instead of the third dirt continuation condition. Specifically, the fourth dirt continuation condition is the following condition: (8) In the rear center segment, there is one or more segments with a dirt value of 60% or more that last for 20 seconds. The second vehicle speed condition in the seventh determination method is the same as the second vehicle speed condition in the sixth determination method.

[0114] Here, the rear center section is a section that mainly includes the field of view from the rear center of the vehicle to the front direction. The rear center section includes the front section of the vehicle body at the rear of the vehicle. Figure 4 In the example, segments SC-4 to SC-7 among segments SC-1 to SC-10 included in the detection range DR-C of the laser radar 14RC are rear center segments.

[0115] [8] Eighth determination method (fouling determination method for the laser radar 14RL on the left rear side)

[0116] Fig. 9 : is a flowchart showing an example of the process of the dirt determination process performed by the eighth determination method. The eighth determination method is as follows: for the laser radar 14RL on the left side of the rear part, when the second vehicle speed condition (4) is satisfied, the following condition (9) is determined, and when the condition (9) is satisfied, the dirt state is determined to be abnormal. Figure 8 The flowchart is similar, Fig. 9 The flowchart of FIG. 1 shows the flow of the contamination determination process once, but in reality, the contamination determination process is repeated at a predetermined cycle. Fig. 9 The second vehicle speed condition in the eighth determination method is the same as the second vehicle speed condition in the seventh determination method.

[0117] (9) In the rear left oblique section, there are two or more sections with a fouling value of 80% or more for 20 seconds (hereinafter, this condition is referred to as the "fifth fouling continuation condition").

[0118] Here, the rear left oblique section is a section that mainly includes a field of view that is closer to the center of the vehicle than the rear left side section. Figure 5 In the example of FIG. 1 , among the segments SD-1 to SD-10 included in the detection range DR-D of the laser radar 14RL, the segments SD-6 to SD-8 are rear left oblique segments. The rear left oblique segment may partially overlap with the rear left side segment.

[0119] In this case, first, the determination unit 16B determines whether the vehicle satisfies the second vehicle speed condition (step S401). Here, if it is determined that the vehicle satisfies the second vehicle speed condition, the determination unit 16B determines whether there is a segment satisfying the fifth contamination persistence condition in the segment of the target laser radar (step S402). Here, if it is determined that there is a segment satisfying the fifth contamination persistence condition in the segment of the target laser radar, the determination unit 16B determines that the contamination state of the target laser radar is abnormal and ends the contamination determination process (step S403).

[0120] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S402 that there is no segment satisfying the fifth contamination persistence condition in the segment of the target laser radar, the determination unit 16B determines that the contamination state of the target laser radar is normal and ends the contamination determination process (step S404). If it is determined in step S401 that the vehicle does not satisfy the second vehicle speed condition, the determination unit 16B ends the contamination determination process without changing the contamination state of the target laser radar.

[0121] [9] Ninth determination method (a method for determining dirt on the rear right laser radar 14RR)

[0122] The ninth determination method is basically a method for determining the dirt state of the rear right laser radar 14RR by the same method as the eighth determination method, but is different from the eighth determination method in that the rear right oblique section is used as the determination object instead of the rear left oblique section. That is, the ninth determination method performs determination of the fifth dirt continuation condition (9) in the rear right oblique section when the second vehicle speed condition (4) is satisfied, and determines the dirt state as abnormal when the fifth dirt continuation condition (9) is satisfied. The second vehicle speed condition in the ninth determination method is the same as the second vehicle speed condition in the seventh determination method.

[0123] Here, the rear right oblique section is a section that mainly includes a field of view that is closer to the center of the vehicle than the rear right side section. Figure 4 In the example, segments SE-3 to SE-5 of segments SE-1 to SE-10 included in the detection range DR-E of the laser radar 14RR are rear right oblique segments. The rear right oblique segment may also partially overlap with the rear right side segment.

[0124]

[10] Tenth determination method (fouling determination method for the rear center laser radar 14RC)

[0125] The tenth determination method is basically a method for determining the contamination state of the rear center laser radar 14RC by the same method as the ninth determination method, but is different from the ninth determination method in that the second rear center segment is used as the determination object instead of the rear left side segment, and the sixth contamination continuation condition is used instead of the fifth contamination continuation condition. Specifically, the sixth contamination continuation condition is as follows: (10) In the second rear center segment, there are two or more segments with a contamination value of 25% or more for 20 seconds.

[0126] The second vehicle speed condition in the tenth determination method is the same as the second vehicle speed condition in the ninth determination method.

[0127] Here, the second rear center section is a section included in the rear center section described in the seventh determination method (hereinafter referred to as the "first rear center section"). For example, the second rear center section can be a region where the first rear center section is narrowed toward the center of the vehicle body. Figure 5 In the example, segments SC-4 to SC-7 among segments SC-1 to SC-10 included in the detection range DR-C of the laser radar 14RC are the second rear center segments.

[0128] In the above, the third to tenth determination methods including the first to sixth contamination continuation conditions have been described. Fig.10 This table summarizes the contents of the third to tenth determination methods described above, and shows the correspondence between the laser radar type, the fouling determination method, the fouling duration condition, the target segment, the corresponding example, the threshold condition, the number of segments, and the duration. Here, the corresponding example indicates that the target segment is Figure 4 For example, the corresponding example "A:4-6, A:3,4" corresponding to the target segment "left oblique front segment and vehicle body front segment" indicates that the left oblique front segment is segments SA-4 to SA-6, and the vehicle body front segment is segments SA-3 to SA-4. However, these are examples and can be changed as appropriate.

[0129] In the vehicle system 1 of the embodiment thus constructed, the laser radar 14 that detects an object using light or electromagnetic waves close to light calculates a dirt value indicating the degree of dirt of the device according to each segment obtained by dividing the detection range of the object into a plurality of segments based on the detection result of the object, and the object recognition device 16 determines the dirt state of the laser radar 14 as either abnormal or normal based on the dirt value calculated according to each of the plurality of segments. By having such a structure, the vehicle system 1 of the embodiment can detect an abnormality of the laser radar 14 at an appropriate time corresponding to the priority of the segment. That is, according to the vehicle system 1 of the embodiment, it is possible to suppress the situation in which the performance of the automatic control of the vehicle is reduced due to the adhesion of dirt to the laser radar 14.

[0130] <Modification>

[0131] The object recognition device 16 may directly output the detection results of the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the laser radar 14 to the automatic driving control device 100. In this case, the automatic driving control device 100 may include a determination unit 16B and store condition information 16C instead of the object recognition device 16. In this case, the object recognition device 16 may be omitted from the vehicle system 1.

[0132] In the first control unit 120, the mode determination unit 150 may also change the driving mode based on the determination result of the dirt determination notified from the object recognition device 16. For example, the mode determination unit 150 may also change the current driving mode to a driving mode that assigns a heavier task to the driver when notified that the dirt state of the laser radar 14 has become abnormal. The first control unit 120 or the second control unit 160 may also display the notified dirt state on the HMI 30, and may also notify other devices such as the navigation device 50 and the MUP 60. The first control unit 120 or the second control unit 160 may also be configured to send an email to a user address or push a notification to a user terminal, thereby notifying the user of the dirt state of the laser radar 14.

[0133] The above-described embodiment can be expressed as follows.

[0134] A vehicle identification device is provided, comprising a storage device storing a program and a hardware processor.

[0135] The hardware processor executes the program to perform the following processing:

[0136] obtaining a value of a parameter related to the degree of dirtiness of an on-vehicle laser radar device that detects an object using light or electromagnetic waves close to light; and

[0137] When the value of the parameter continues to exceed the threshold value in a first period and the change in the value of the parameter in a second period including part or all of the first period is within a reference range, the state of the vehicle-mounted laser radar device is determined to be an abnormal state.

[0138] The above-described embodiment can be expressed as follows.

[0139] A vehicle identification device is provided, comprising a storage device storing a program and a hardware processor.

[0140] The hardware processor executes the program to perform the following processing:

[0141] Obtaining a value of a parameter related to the degree of dirtiness of a vehicle-mounted laser radar device according to each of a plurality of segments obtained by dividing a detection range of the vehicle-mounted laser radar device, the vehicle-mounted laser radar device using light or electromagnetic waves close to light to detect an object; and

[0142] When the period during which the value of the parameter in two or more of the multiple sections is greater than the threshold value exceeds the first period, the state of the vehicle-mounted laser radar device is determined to be an abnormal state.

[0143] As mentioned above, although the specific embodiment of the present invention is described using the embodiment, the present invention is not limited to such embodiment at all, and various modifications and substitutions can be added within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention.

Claims

1. A vehicle identification device, wherein: The vehicle identification device comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires a value of a parameter related to a degree of dirt of a vehicle-mounted laser radar device that detects an object using light or electromagnetic waves close to light; as well as a determination unit that determines the state of the vehicle-mounted laser radar device as an abnormal state when the value of the parameter continues to exceed a threshold value in a first period and the amount of change in the value of the parameter in a second period including a part or all of the first period is within a reference range, The determination unit makes the determination when, after the traveling speed of the vehicle equipped with the vehicle-mounted laser radar device exceeds the first speed, the period during which the traveling speed of the vehicle is at least the second speed exceeds a third period, The second speed is a speed lower than the first speed.

2. The vehicle identification device according to claim 1, wherein: The acquisition unit acquires the value of the parameter for each of a plurality of segments obtained by dividing the detection range of the vehicle-mounted laser radar device. The determination unit performs the determination for each of the plurality of segments based on the threshold value set for each of the plurality of segments.

3. The vehicle identification device according to claim 2, wherein: The threshold value of the section for detecting the front front direction of the vehicle equipped with the vehicle-mounted laser radar device among the multiple sections is set to a value lower than the threshold value of other sections.

4. A vehicle control system, wherein: The vehicle control system comprises: The vehicle identification device according to any one of claims 1 to 3; and A vehicle control device that controls the automatic driving of a vehicle equipped with the vehicle-mounted laser radar device, When the vehicle recognition device determines that the state of the vehicle-mounted laser radar device is an abnormal state, the vehicle control device changes the driving mode of the vehicle to a driving mode that assigns a heavier task to the driver.

5. A vehicle identification method, wherein: The computer performs the following processing: obtaining a value of a parameter related to the degree of dirtiness of an on-vehicle laser radar device that detects an object using light or electromagnetic waves close to light; and When the value of the parameter continues to exceed the threshold value in the first period and the change in the value of the parameter in the second period including a part or all of the first period is within the reference range, the state of the vehicle-mounted laser radar device is determined to be an abnormal state. The determination is made when the period during which the vehicle's traveling speed is higher than the second speed exceeds a third period after the vehicle's traveling speed exceeds the first speed. The second speed is a speed lower than the first speed.

6. A storage medium, wherein: The storage medium stores a program, and the program causes the computer to perform the following processing: obtaining a value of a parameter related to the degree of dirtiness of an on-vehicle laser radar device that detects an object using light or electromagnetic waves close to light; and When the value of the parameter continues to exceed the threshold value in the first period and the change in the value of the parameter in the second period including a part or all of the first period is within the reference range, the state of the vehicle-mounted laser radar device is determined to be an abnormal state. The determination is made when the period during which the vehicle's traveling speed is higher than the second speed exceeds a third period after the vehicle's traveling speed exceeds the first speed. The second speed is a speed lower than the first speed.

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