Vehicle control device, vehicle control method and storage medium

Abstract

A vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a storage medium capable of changing the control level of automatic driving under appropriate conditions are provided. The vehicle control device of the embodiment is a vehicle control device for controlling automatic driving of a vehicle, and comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires map information including lane information and reference information for determining the position of the vehicle; a lane determination unit that determines the lane in which the vehicle is traveling on the map information based on the acquired reference information; a lane candidate determination unit that determines the lane candidate in which the vehicle is traveling on the map information based on the reference information when the lane determination unit has not determined the driving lane; and a change processing unit that continues the current control level when an event requiring a change in the control level of automatic driving does not occur in any of the lane candidates, and lowers the control level when an event occurs in at least one of the lane candidates.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] In the past, the following technology is known (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Gazette No. 2019-207190): for the purpose of autonomous driving of the vehicle, the position of the vehicle on the map is estimated using image information obtained from the vehicle-mounted camera, position measurement information obtained from the satellite positioning system, etc. Summary of the invention

[0003] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0004] In the prior art, for example, when the position of the vehicle cannot be accurately estimated due to deterioration of radio wave conditions, the automatic driving is stopped or the control level of the automatic driving is reduced. Therefore, even when there is no problem even if the automatic driving is continued, the automatic driving is stopped immediately, which places an unnecessary driving burden on the occupants and impairs convenience.

[0005] The present invention has been completed in consideration of such a situation, and one of its objects is to provide a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a storage medium capable of changing the control level of automatic driving under appropriate conditions.

[0006] Solutions to Solve Problems

[0007] The vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and storage medium of the present invention adopt the following structures.

[0008] (1) A vehicle control device according to one embodiment of the present invention is a vehicle control device for controlling the automatic driving of a vehicle, and comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires map information including lane information and reference information for determining the position of the vehicle; a lane determination unit that determines the lane in which the vehicle is traveling on the map information based on the acquired reference information; a lane candidate determination unit that determines the lane candidate in which the vehicle is traveling on the map information based on the reference information when the lane determination unit has not determined the driving lane; and a change processing unit that continues the current control level when an event requiring a change in the control level of the automatic driving does not occur in any of the lane candidates, and reduces the control level when the event occurs in at least one of the lane candidates.

[0009] A means (2) is a vehicle control device according to the means (1) above, wherein the reference information is position measurement information of the vehicle obtained based on radio waves transmitted from an artificial satellite.

[0010] The scheme (3) is that in the vehicle control device of the scheme (1) or (2) above, the change processing unit lowers the control level when the event occurs in at least one of the lane candidates itself, or when the event occurs in other lanes connected to at least one of the lane candidates.

[0011] A fourth aspect is a vehicle control device according to any one of the above-mentioned aspects (1) to (3), wherein the change processing unit determines whether or not the event has occurred based on the map information.

[0012] According to a fifth aspect, in the vehicle control device according to any one of the above-mentioned aspects (1) to (4), the change processing unit continues the current control level when the distance between the current position of the vehicle on the lane candidate and the occurrence position of the event is greater than a predetermined value.

[0013] A sixth aspect is a vehicle control device according to any one of the above-mentioned aspects (1) to (5), wherein the change processing unit causes an output device to output information requesting a driving operation to a passenger of the vehicle when lowering the control level.

[0014] The scheme (7) is that in the vehicle control device of any one of the schemes (1) to (6) above, the lane candidate determination unit determines the lane candidate from among a plurality of lanes in which the vehicle is likely to be traveling, based on at least one of peripheral image information obtained by photographing the periphery of the vehicle, position measurement information of the vehicle obtained based on radio waves transmitted from an artificial satellite, and position measurement information obtained by dead reckoning.

[0015] According to an embodiment (8), in the vehicle control device according to the embodiment (7), the lane candidate determination unit determines the lane candidate based on information on the type of road dividing lines or information on an object capable of determining a lane position included in the peripheral image information.

[0016] The scheme (9) is that in the vehicle control device of any one of the schemes (1) to (8) above, the change processing unit stops the automatic driving when the position of the vehicle determined by the reference information is not on the lane, or when the position of the vehicle determined by the reference information changes by more than a specified distance within a unit time.

[0017] (10) In a vehicle control method of another embodiment of the present invention, a computer installed in a vehicle for controlling automatic driving executes the following processing: obtaining map information including lane information and reference information for determining the position of the vehicle, determining the lane in which the vehicle is traveling on the map information based on the reference information obtained, and if the driving lane is not determined, determining a lane candidate in which the vehicle is traveling on the map information based on the reference information, and if no event requiring a change in the control level of the automatic driving occurs in any of the lane candidates, continuing the current control level, and if the event occurs in at least one of the lane candidates, reducing the control level.

[0018] (11) A storage medium of another embodiment of the present invention stores a program that causes a computer installed in a vehicle for controlling automatic driving to execute the following processing: obtaining map information including lane information and reference information for determining the position of the vehicle, determining the lane in which the vehicle is traveling on the map information based on the reference information obtained, and if the driving lane is not determined, determining a lane candidate in which the vehicle is traveling on the map information based on the reference information, and if an event requiring a change in the control level of the automatic driving does not occur in any of the lane candidates, continuing the current control level, and if the event occurs in at least one of the lane candidates, reducing the control level.

[0019] Effects of the Invention

[0020] According to the schemes (1) to (11) above, the lane candidate in which the vehicle is traveling on the map information is determined. If no event requiring a change in the control level of the autonomous driving occurs in any of the lane candidates, the current control level is continued. If an event occurs in at least one of the lane candidates, the control level is lowered, thereby enabling the control level of the autonomous driving to be changed under appropriate conditions. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 It is a configuration diagram of a vehicle system using the vehicle control device according to the embodiment.

[0022] Figure 2 It is a functional configuration diagram of the first control unit and the second control unit in the embodiment.

[0023] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing an example of the correspondence relationship between the driving mode and the control state and task of the host vehicle according to the embodiment.

[0024] Figure 4This is a flowchart showing an example of a process of changing a driving mode of an automatic driving performed by the automatic driving control device according to the embodiment.

[0025] Figure 5A 1 is a diagram showing an example of a scenario in which no degradation event occurs in lane candidates.

[0026] Figure 5B 1 is a diagram showing an example of a scenario in which no degradation event occurs in lane candidates.

[0027] Fig. 6A 1 is a diagram showing an example of a scenario in which a degradation event occurs in a lane candidate.

[0028] Figure 6B 1 is a diagram showing an example of a scenario in which a degradation event occurs in a lane candidate.

[0029] Figure 7 FIG. 2 is a diagram showing another example of a scenario in which a degradation event occurs in a lane candidate.

[0030] Fig. 8A 1 is a diagram showing an example of lane candidate determination processing performed by the lane candidate determination unit according to the embodiment.

[0031] Figure 8B 1 is a diagram showing an example of lane candidate determination processing performed by the lane candidate determination unit according to the embodiment.

[0032] Fig. 9 1 is a diagram showing an example of lane candidate determination processing performed by the lane candidate determination unit according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] Hereinafter, embodiments of a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a storage medium according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0034] [Overall structure]

[0035] 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 generated power generated by a generator connected to the internal combustion engine or the discharged power of a secondary battery or a fuel cell.

[0036] The vehicle system 1 includes, for example, a camera 10, a radar device 12, a LIDAR (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 operating member 80, an automatic driving control device 100, a driving force output device 200, a braking device 210, and a steering device 220. These devices and equipment are connected to each other through multi-channel communication lines such as CAN (Controller Area Network) communication lines, serial communication lines, wireless communication networks, etc. It should be noted that Figure 1 The structure shown is just an example, and part of the structure may be omitted or other structures may be further added.

[0037] 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 part of the vehicle (hereinafter, 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.

[0038] The radar device 12 radiates radio waves such as millimeter waves to the periphery of the vehicle M, and detects 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.

[0039] The LIDAR 14 irradiates light (or electromagnetic waves of a wavelength close to that of light) to the periphery of the vehicle M and measures scattered light. The LIDAR 14 detects the distance to the object based on the time from light emission to light reception. The irradiated light is, for example, a pulsed laser. The LIDAR 14 is installed at any part of the vehicle M.

[0040] The object recognition device 16 performs sensor fusion processing on a part or all of the detection results of the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the LIDAR 14 to recognize the position, type, speed, etc. of the object. The object recognition device 16 outputs the recognition result to the automatic driving control device 100. The object recognition device 16 may also output the detection results of the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the LIDAR 14 directly to the automatic driving control device 100. The object recognition device 16 may also be omitted from the vehicle system 1.

[0041] 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.

[0042] The HMI 30 presents various information to the occupants of the vehicle M, and receives input operations from the occupants. The HMI 30 includes various display devices, speakers, buzzers, touch panels, switches, buttons, etc. The HMI 30 is an example of an "output device".

[0043] The vehicle sensor 40 includes a vehicle speed sensor that detects the speed of the host vehicle M, an acceleration sensor that detects acceleration, an azimuth sensor that detects the orientation of the host vehicle M, and the like.

[0044] The navigation device 50 includes, for example, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 51, a navigation HMI 52, and a route determination unit 53. The navigation device 50 stores first map information 54 in a storage device such as a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or a flash memory.

[0045] The GNSS receiver 51 determines the position of the vehicle M based on the signal received from the GNSS satellite (radio waves sent from an artificial satellite). The position of the vehicle M can also be determined or supplemented by an INS (Inertial Navigation System) that utilizes the output of the vehicle sensor 40. The navigation HMI 52 includes a display device, a speaker, a touch panel, buttons, etc. The navigation HMI 52 can also be partially or completely shared with the aforementioned HMI 30. The path determination unit 53 can also refer 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.

[0046] The first map information 54 is information that represents the shape of a road by, for example, representing road sections and nodes formed by connecting the road sections. 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, for example, 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.

[0047] The MPU 60 includes, for example, a recommended lane determination unit 61, and the second map information 62 is stored in a storage device such as a HDD or a flash memory. The recommended lane determination unit 61 is implemented by a hardware processor (computer) such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program (software). In addition, the recommended lane determination unit 61 can be implemented by hardware (including a circuit unit; circuitry) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or can be implemented by the cooperation of software and hardware. The program can be pre-stored in a storage device (a storage device having a non-temporary storage medium) of the MPU 60, or can be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD or a CD-ROM, and installed in the storage device of the MPU 60 by assembling the storage medium (non-temporary storage medium) in a drive device.

[0048] The recommended lane determination unit 61 divides the path on the map provided by the navigation device 50 into a plurality of blocks (for example, divided into blocks every 100 [m] in the vehicle traveling direction), and determines a recommended lane for each block with reference to the second map information 62. The recommended lane determination unit 61 determines the lane from the left to travel on. When there is a branch in the path on the map, the recommended lane determination unit 61 determines the recommended lane so that the host 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 on the center of the lane (road center line, center line) or information on the boundary of the lane (road dividing line, dividing line). In addition, the second map information 62 may also include road information, traffic restriction information, address information (address and postal code), facility information, telephone number information, information on prohibited sections where mode A or mode B is prohibited, and information on the presence or absence of degradation events. The second map information 62 may also 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 part of the vehicle M in such a position and orientation that the head of the occupant (hereinafter, the driver) sitting in the driver's seat of the vehicle M can be photographed from the front (in the orientation for photographing the face). For example, the driver monitoring camera 70 is installed on the upper part of a display device provided in the center of the dashboard of the vehicle M.

[0051] The driving operating parts 80 include, for example, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a shift lever, and other operating parts 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 parts 80. The detection result of the sensor is input to the automatic driving control device 100, or output to a part or all of the driving drive force output device 200, the braking device 210, and the steering device 220. The steering wheel 82 is not necessarily annular, and can also be in the form of a special-shaped steering wheel, a joystick, a button, etc. A steering wheel holding sensor 84 is installed on the steering wheel 82. The steering wheel holding sensor 84 is implemented by an electrostatic capacitance sensor, etc., and outputs a signal that can detect whether the driver is holding the steering wheel 82 (in contact with a force 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, for example, a hardware processor (computer) such as a CPU executing a program (software). In addition, some or all of these components can be implemented by hardware (including a circuit unit; circuitry) such as LSI, ASIC, FPGA, GPU, etc., or can be implemented by the coordination of software and hardware. The program can be pre-stored in a storage device such as an HDD, flash memory, etc. of the automatic driving control device 100 (a storage device having a non-temporary storage medium), or can be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD, CD-ROM, etc., and the storage medium (non-temporary storage medium) is assembled on the drive device and thus installed in the HDD, flash memory of the automatic driving control device 100.

[0053] Figure 2 1 is a functional configuration diagram of the first control unit 120 and the second control unit 160. The first control unit 120 includes, for example, a recognition unit 130, an action plan generation unit 140, and a mode determination unit 150. The automatic driving control device 100 is an example of a “vehicle control device”.

[0054] The first control unit 120 implements functions based on AI (Artificial Intelligence) and functions based on a pre-assigned model in parallel. For example, the function of "identifying intersections" can also perform identification of intersections based on deep learning and identification based on pre-assigned conditions (the presence of signals and road signs that can perform pattern matching) in parallel, and is implemented by comprehensively evaluating both by scoring. In this way, the reliability of autonomous driving can be ensured.

[0055] 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 LIDAR 14 via the object recognition device 16. The position of the object is recognized, for example, as a position on an absolute coordinate with a representative point (center of gravity, center of a drive shaft, etc.) of the vehicle M as the origin, and is used for control. The position of the object can be represented by a representative point such as the center of gravity or a corner of the object, or by an area. The so-called "state" of an object may also 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 being attempted).

[0056] In addition, the recognition unit 130 recognizes, for example, 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 the road dividing lines obtained from the second map information 62 (for example, the arrangement of solid lines and dotted lines) and the pattern of the road dividing lines around the vehicle M recognized from the image captured by the camera 10. It should be noted that the recognition unit 130 is not limited to the road dividing lines, and the driving lane can also be recognized by recognizing the road dividing lines, the driving road boundaries (road boundaries) including shoulders, curbs, central isolation strips, guardrails, etc. In this recognition, the position of the vehicle M obtained from the navigation device 50 and the processing results based on the INS can also be added. In addition, the recognition unit 130 recognizes temporary stop lines, obstacles, red lights, toll booths, and other road matters.

[0057] 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 with respect to the line connecting the centers of the lanes as the relative position and posture of the host vehicle M with respect to the driving lane. Alternatively, the recognition unit 130 may recognize the position of the reference point of the host vehicle M with respect to any side end (road dividing line or road boundary) of the driving lane as the relative position of the host vehicle M with respect to the driving lane.

[0058] The action plan generation unit 140 generates a target trajectory for the vehicle M to automatically (independent of the driver's operation) travel in the future in a manner that, in principle, travels 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 expressed as a form in which the locations (track points) that the vehicle M should arrive at are arranged in sequence. The track point is the location that the vehicle M should arrive at every specified driving distance (for example, a few [m] or so) along 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. In addition, the track point can also be the position that the vehicle M should arrive at at the sampling time every specified sampling time. In this case, the information on the target speed and target acceleration is expressed at intervals between track points.

[0059] The action plan generation unit 140 may also set an event of autonomous driving when generating the target trajectory. The events of 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 started event.

[0060] The mode determination unit 150 determines the driving mode of the vehicle M to be any one of a plurality of driving modes that have different tasks assigned to the driver. The mode determination unit 150 includes, for example, a driver state determination unit 151, a mode change processing unit 152, an acquisition unit 153, a lane determination unit 154, and a lane candidate determination unit 155. Their individual functions will be described later. The mode change processing unit 152 is an example of a "change processing unit". The acquisition unit 153 is an example of an "acquisition unit". The lane determination unit 154 is an example of a "lane determination unit". The lane candidate determination unit 155 is an example of a "lane candidate determination unit".

[0061] Figure 3: This is a diagram showing an example of the correspondence between the driving mode and the control state and task of the vehicle M. In the driving mode of the vehicle M, there are five modes, for example, from mode A to mode E. The control state, that is, the degree of automation (control level) of the driving control of the vehicle M is the highest in mode A, and then becomes lower in the order of mode B, mode C, and mode D, and mode E is the lowest. On the contrary, the task assigned to the driver is the lightest in mode A, and then becomes heavy in the order of mode B, mode C, and mode D, and mode E is the heaviest. It should be noted that in modes D and E, it becomes a control state that is not an automatic driving, so it is the responsibility of the automatic driving control device 100 to end the control related to the automatic driving until it is transferred to driving assistance or manual driving. The following is an example of the content of each driving mode.

[0062] In mode A, the vehicle is in an automatic driving state, and the driver is not required to monitor the front or hold the steering wheel 82 (steering wheel holding in the figure). However, in mode A, the driver is also required to be able to quickly switch to manual driving in accordance with the requirements of the system centered on the automatic driving control device 100. It should be noted that the so-called automatic driving mentioned here means that neither steering nor acceleration and deceleration is controlled independently of the driver's operation. The so-called front refers to the space in the direction of travel of the vehicle M that is visually recognized through the front windshield. Mode A is a driving mode that can be executed when the vehicle M is traveling at a specified speed (for example, about 50 [km / h]) or less on a motor vehicle-only road such as an expressway, and there is a leading vehicle to be followed. There is also a situation 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.

[0063] In mode B, it is a state of driving support, and the driver is assigned the task of monitoring the front of the vehicle M (hereinafter referred to as front monitoring), but is not assigned the task of holding the steering wheel 82. In mode C, it is a state of driving support, 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 a certain degree of driver's driving operation with respect to 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 is a state of manual driving that requires the driver's driving operation with respect to both steering and acceleration and deceleration. Both mode D and mode E require the driver to be assigned the task of monitoring the front of the vehicle M.

[0064] 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 own vehicle by more than a reference, and automatic lane changes for traveling toward the destination (automatic lane changes caused by the recommended lane being changed). In the automatic lane change (2), when the driver operates the direction indicator when conditions related to speed, positional relationship with surrounding vehicles, etc. are met, the own vehicle M changes lanes in the operated direction.

[0065] In mode A, the automatic driving control device 100 does not perform automatic lane change (1) and (2). In modes B and C, the automatic driving control device 100 performs both automatic lane change (1) and (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.

[0066] The mode determination unit 150 changes the driving mode of the host vehicle M to a driving mode with a heavier task when the driver is not performing the task related to the determined driving mode (hereinafter referred to as the current driving mode).

[0067] For example, in mode A, when the driver is in a body posture that cannot be switched to manual driving according to the request from the system (for example, when the driver continues to look around outside the allowed area, or when a sign of driving difficulty is detected), the following control is performed: the mode determination unit 150 uses 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 gradually stops, and the automatic driving is stopped. After the automatic driving is stopped, the vehicle returns to the state of mode D or E, and it becomes possible to start the vehicle M through manual operation of the driver. The same applies to "stopping automatic driving" below. In mode B, when the driver does not monitor the front, the mode determination unit 150 performs the following control: HMI30 is used 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 gradually stops, and the automatic driving is stopped. In mode C, when the driver does not monitor the situation ahead or does not hold the steering wheel 82, the mode determination unit 150 performs the following control: uses HMI30 to urge the driver to monitor the situation ahead and / or hold the steering wheel 82. If the driver does not respond, the vehicle M is brought close to the shoulder of the road and gradually stops, thereby stopping the automatic driving.

[0068] The driver state determination unit 151 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 151 analyzes the image captured by the driver monitoring camera 70 to perform posture estimation processing, and determines whether the driver is in a body posture that cannot be transferred to manual driving according to the request from the system. In addition, the driver state determination unit 151 analyzes the image captured by the driver monitoring camera 70 to perform line of sight estimation processing, and determines whether the driver is monitoring the front.

[0069] The mode change processing unit 152 performs various processes for mode change. For example, the mode change processing unit 152 instructs the action plan generation unit 140 to generate a target trajectory for shoulder stop, issues an operation instruction to the driving support device (not shown), and controls the HMI 30 to urge the driver to take action. In addition, the mode change processing unit 152 continues the current control level of automatic driving when no degradation event occurs in any lane of the lane candidate determined by the lane candidate determination unit 155 described later. On the other hand, the mode change processing unit 152 reduces the control level of automatic driving when a degradation event occurs in at least one lane of the lane candidate determined by the lane candidate determination unit 155. That is, the mode change processing unit 152 continues the current control level when no event that requires a change in the control level of automatic driving occurs in any of the lane candidates, and reduces the control level when an event occurs in at least one of the lane candidates. Details of the processing of the mode change processing unit 152 will be described later.

[0070] The acquisition unit 153 acquires the position information of the vehicle M output by the GNSS receiver 51 (hereinafter referred to as "the vehicle position information") and the map information output by the MPU 60 in which the recommended lanes on the path to the destination of the vehicle M are determined (hereinafter referred to as "recommended lane map information"). The recommended lane map information is high-precision map information in which the recommended lanes are determined on the second map information 62. That is, the acquisition unit 153 acquires map information including lane information and reference information for determining the position of the vehicle. The reference information is information on the position of the vehicle based on radio waves emitted from artificial satellites. The recommended lane map information is an example of "map information". The vehicle position information is an example of "reference information".

[0071] In addition, the acquisition unit 153 acquires the surrounding image obtained by photographing the surroundings of the host vehicle M output by the camera 10, the position information of the surrounding objects output by the radar device 12, the distance information to the surrounding objects output by the LIDAR 14, the identification information such as the position, type, and speed of the surrounding objects output by the object recognition device 16, and the position information of the host vehicle M calculated by the dead reckoning method based on the output value of the vehicle sensor 40 (hereinafter referred to as the "odometry method") o Odometry information is, for example, information on the travel distance per unit time of the vehicle M obtained by integrating the output of the wheel speed sensor included in the vehicle sensor 40, that is, the speed of the vehicle M. The odometry information may also be information that further considers the output of the yaw angular velocity sensor included in the vehicle sensor 40, that is, the information on the rotation angle.

[0072] In addition, the acquisition unit 153 acquires road information and the like outputted from the communication device 20 from the navigation server. The road information includes vehicle speed information, road attribute information, road traffic information, and the like. The vehicle speed information is information such as the speed limit (e.g., legal speed), average speed, and vehicle speed distribution in each section of the predetermined driving route. The average speed is the average of the speeds of multiple vehicles traveling in each section. The road attribute information is information such as the road type (highway or general road), road slope, and the number of lanes. The road traffic information is information such as congestion, traffic lights or temporary stops, and construction.

[0073] The lane determination unit 154 refers to the vehicle position information and the recommended lane map information acquired by the acquisition unit 153, and determines the driving lane in which the vehicle M is traveling on the recommended lane map information. For example, the lane determination unit 154 determines one driving lane in which the vehicle M is traveling on the recommended lane map information. That is, the lane determination unit 154 determines the driving lane in which the vehicle is traveling on the map information based on the acquired reference information. The details of the processing of the lane determination unit 154 will be described later.

[0074] The lane candidate determination unit 155 determines a candidate for a lane in which the vehicle M is traveling (hereinafter referred to as a "lane candidate") when the lane determination unit 154 has not determined the driving lane of the vehicle M. For example, the lane candidate determination unit 155 determines a plurality of lane candidates based on the recommended lane map information acquired by the acquisition unit 153 and at least one of the vehicle position information, the surrounding image, the position information of the surrounding objects, the distance information to the surrounding objects, the identification information of the surrounding objects, the odometry information, and the road information. That is, the lane candidate determination unit 155 determines a lane candidate in which the vehicle is traveling on the map information based on the reference information when the lane determination unit 154 has not determined the driving lane. In addition, the lane candidate determination unit 155 determines a lane candidate from among a plurality of lanes in which the vehicle is likely to be traveling based on at least one of the surrounding image information of the surroundings of the vehicle, the GNSS position measurement information of the vehicle, and the position measurement information based on the dead reckoning method. The details of the processing of the lane candidate determination unit 155 will be described later.

[0075] return Figure 2 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 generating unit 140 at a predetermined time.

[0076] The second control unit 160 includes, for example, an acquisition unit 162, a speed control unit 164, and a steering control unit 166. The acquisition unit 162 acquires 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 in front of the vehicle M and feedback control based on the deviation from the target track.

[0077] 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) that controls 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.

[0078] 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 a brake torque corresponding to the braking operation is output 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. It should be noted that 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 to transmit the hydraulic pressure of the master hydraulic cylinder to the hydraulic cylinder.

[0079] 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.

[0080] [Driving mode change processing]

[0081] Hereinafter, the process of changing the driving mode of the automatic driving will be described using a flowchart. Figure 4 This is a flowchart showing an example of a process of changing the driving mode of the automatic driving performed by the automatic driving control device 100 of the embodiment. In the following description, it is assumed that the vehicle M is traveling along the target track generated by the action plan generation unit 140 under the control of the automatic driving in the driving mode (for example, mode A or mode B) determined by the mode determination unit 150.

[0082] First, the acquisition unit 153 acquires the recommended lane map information output by the MPU 60 and the vehicle position information output by the GNSS receiver 51 (step S101 ).

[0083] Next, the lane determination unit 154 refers to the recommended lane map information and the host vehicle position information acquired by the acquisition unit 153 , and performs a process of determining the travel lane in which the host vehicle M is traveling based on the recommended lane map information (step S103 ).

[0084] Next, the lane determination unit 154 determines whether a driving lane has been successfully determined (step S105). For example, when the position of the host vehicle M determined by the GNSS receiver 51 changes discretely over time, the lane determination unit 154 determines that the driving lane of the host vehicle M cannot be determined. The so-called position of the host vehicle M changes discretely over time, for example, the position of the host vehicle M is in the first lane at a certain moment, but moves to a lane different from the first lane at the next moment. Such a situation where the driving lane cannot be determined can occur, for example, when the reception condition of the signal from the GNSS satellite deteriorates, when the GNSS position measurement fluctuates, when the reception of the signal from the GNSS satellite becomes intermittent, etc. It should be noted that when the lane determination unit 154 cannot determine a driving lane based on the recommended lane map information and the vehicle position information, it can also display a driving lane selection screen on the display device included in the HMI 30, and determine the driving lane based on the selection operation of the occupant on the selection screen.

[0085] When the lane determination unit 154 determines that the driving lane is determined (step S105: Yes), it is assumed that the automatic driving can be continued stably. In this case, the mode change processing unit 152 continues the current control level and maintains the current driving mode (here, mode A or mode B) (step S113).

[0086] On the other hand, when the lane determination unit 154 determines that the driving lane cannot be determined (step S105: "No"), it is assumed that it is uncertain whether to stably continue the automatic driving. In this case, further determination processing using lane candidates is performed as follows. That is, the lane candidate determination unit 155 performs lane candidate determination processing (step S107). For example, the lane candidate determination unit 155 performs lane candidate determination processing based on at least one of the recommended lane map information and the vehicle position information, the surrounding image, the position information of the surrounding objects, the distance information to the surrounding objects, the identification information of the surrounding objects, the odometry information, and the road information acquired by the acquisition unit 153.

[0087] Here, the vehicle position information output by the GNSS receiver 51 is information that cannot identify one driving lane. That is, the position of the vehicle M identified in such vehicle position information is changing discretely over time (as if the vehicle M is located in a plurality of lanes). When using such vehicle position information, the lane candidate determination unit 155 determines a plurality of driving lanes identified by the vehicle position information (a plurality of lanes in which the vehicle M may be traveling) as lane candidates.

[0088] In addition, when using the surrounding image output by the camera 10, the lane candidate determination unit 155 determines a plurality of lanes reflected in the surrounding image as lane candidates. In addition, when using the position information of the surrounding objects output by the radar device 12, the distance information to the surrounding objects output by the LIDAR 14, the identification information of the surrounding objects output by the object recognition device 16, etc., the lane candidate determination unit 155 compares the information of the surrounding objects with the information of the surrounding objects included in the recommended lane map information to estimate the lane candidates. In addition, when using the odometry information, the lane candidate determination unit 155 compares the position of the host vehicle M determined by the odometry information with the recommended lane map information to estimate the lane candidates. In addition, when using the road information, the lane candidate determination unit 155 determines the lanes included in the road information as lane candidates.

[0089] Next, the lane candidate determination unit 155 determines whether a lane candidate has been determined (step S109). If the lane candidate determination unit 155 determines that a lane candidate has been determined (step S109: Yes), it further determines whether a degradation event has occurred in a section of a predetermined distance ahead of the vehicle M in the traveling direction (step S111).

[0090] A so-called downgrade event (driving replacement event) refers to a matter in which a change from a light driving mode to a heavy driving mode is required for the task assigned to the driver of the vehicle (a matter in which the control level is required to be reduced). For example, a so-called downgrade event refers to a matter in which a change from driving mode A or B to driving mode C, D or E is required. For example, downgrade events include driving on a branch lane, driving on a lane connected to a branch lane (driving on a lane that can enter a branch lane), driving on a merging lane, driving on a lane connected to a merging lane (driving on a lane that can enter a merging lane, driving on a lane where an event of entering from a merging lane may occur), entering a general road from a highway, driving on a sharp turn lane, driving on a road with fewer lanes than the road currently being driven, driving in a construction section, etc. The information of the downgrade event is associated with each lane and stored in the recommended lane map information. It should be noted that the information on lane reduction and construction sections may also be based on road traffic information obtained from the Vehicle Information and Communication System Center (VICS (registered trademark)) via the communication device 20. A degradation event is an example of an "event". That is, a degradation event is a lane divergence or merging.

[0091] Figure 5A and Figure 5Bis a diagram showing an example of a scenario in which no degradation event occurs in lane candidates. Figure 5A In the example shown, in the above-mentioned steps S107 and S109, two lanes, the second lane L2 and the third lane L3, are determined as lane candidates EL1 among the three lanes (the first lane L1, the second lane L2, and the third lane L3) on the road where the host vehicle M is traveling, and the mode change processing unit 152 determines whether a degradation event occurs in the section of the predetermined distance D ahead of the traveling direction of the host vehicle M for each of the second lane L2 and the third lane L3. In this example, in the section of the predetermined distance D, both the second lane L2 and the third lane L3 become straight lanes, and no degradation event occurs. In this case, the mode change processing unit 152 determines that no degradation event occurs for the lane candidate EL1.

[0092] In addition, Figure 5B In the example shown, in the above steps S107 and S109, two lanes, the second lane L2 and the third lane L3, are determined as lane candidates EL1 in the three lanes (the first lane L1, the second lane L2, and the third lane L3) of the road on which the host vehicle M is traveling, and the mode change processing unit 152 determines whether a degradation event occurs in the section of the predetermined distance D ahead of the traveling direction of the host vehicle M for each of the second lane L2 and the third lane L3. In this example, in the section of the predetermined distance D, both the second lane L2 and the third lane L3 become straight lanes, and no degradation event occurs. In this case, the mode change processing unit 152 determines that no degradation event occurs for the lane candidate EL1.

[0093] Fig. 6A and Figure 6B is a diagram showing an example of a scenario in which a degradation event occurs in a lane candidate. Fig. 6A In the example shown, in the above steps S107 and S109, two lanes, the first lane L1 and the second lane L2, are determined as lane candidates EL2 among the three lanes (the first lane L1, the second lane L2, and the third lane L3) on the road where the vehicle M is traveling, and the mode change processing unit 152 determines whether a degradation event has occurred in the section of the predetermined distance D ahead of the vehicle M in the traveling direction for each of the first lane L1 and the second lane L2. In this example, in the section of the predetermined distance D, the second lane L2 becomes a straight lane, and no degradation event occurs. On the other hand, the first lane L1 becomes a branch lane branching from the second lane L2 and the third lane L3 (main line), and a degradation event occurs. That is, an event occurs in the first lane L1 itself in the section of the predetermined distance D. In this case, the mode change processing unit 152 determines that a degradation event has occurred for the lane candidate EL2.

[0094] In addition, Figure 6B In the example shown, in the above steps S107 and S109, two lanes, the first lane L1 and the second lane L2, are determined as lane candidates EL2 among the three lanes (the first lane L1, the second lane L2, and the third lane L3) on the road where the host vehicle M is traveling, and the mode change processing unit 152 determines whether a degradation event has occurred in the section of the predetermined distance D ahead of the traveling direction of the host vehicle M for each of the first lane L1 and the second lane L2. In this example, in the section of the predetermined distance D, the second lane L2 becomes a straight lane, and no degradation event occurs. On the other hand, the first lane L1 becomes a lane connected to the branch lane L4 (the first lane L1 becomes a lane adjacent to the branch lane L4), and a degradation event occurs. That is, in the section of the predetermined distance D, a degradation event occurs in the other lane (branch lane L4) connected to the first lane L1. In this case, the mode change processing unit 152 determines that a degradation event has occurred for the lane candidate EL2.

[0095] Figure 7 FIG. 2 is a diagram showing another example of a scenario in which a degradation event occurs in a lane candidate. Figure 7 In the example shown, in the above steps S107 and S109, two lanes, the fifth lane L5 and the sixth lane L6, are determined as lane candidates EL3, and the mode change processing unit 152 determines whether a degradation event has occurred in the section of the predetermined distance D ahead of the vehicle M in the traveling direction for each of the fifth lane L5 and the sixth lane L6. In this example, in the section of the predetermined distance D, the sixth lane L6 becomes a straight lane, and a degradation event does not occur. On the other hand, the fifth lane L5 becomes a merging lane, and a degradation event occurs. In this case, the mode change processing unit 152 determines that a degradation event has occurred for the lane candidate EL3.

[0096] The mode change processing unit 152 determines whether a downgrade event has occurred based on the information of the downgrade event stored in association with each lane in the recommended lane map information. That is, the mode change processing unit 152 determines whether an event has occurred based on the map information. It should be noted that the mode change processing unit 152 may also determine whether a downgrade event has occurred based on the surrounding image output by the camera 10. For example, when a branch lane, a merging lane, or a construction site is reflected in the surrounding image, the mode change processing unit 152 may also determine that a downgrade event has occurred.

[0097] return Figure 4, when the mode change processing unit 152 determines that no degradation event has occurred (step S111: "No"), it is assumed that the automatic driving can be continued stably. In this case, the mode change processing unit 152 continues the current control level and maintains the current driving mode (here, mode A or mode B) (step S113). It should be noted that in the example shown in FIG. 6, when the distance between the current position of the vehicle M on the first lane L1 and the branch point from the branch lane L4 is greater than the specified distance D, the mode change processing unit 152 determines that no degradation event has occurred for the lane candidate EL2, and continues the current control level. That is, when the distance between the current position of the vehicle on the lane candidate and the location where the event occurred is greater than the specified value, the mode change processing unit 152 continues the current control level.

[0098] On the other hand, when it is determined that a degradation event has occurred (step S111: "Yes"), the mode change processing unit 152 changes to a driving mode of automatic driving with a lower control level (step S115). For example, when the driving mode of the vehicle M is mode A or mode B, the mode change processing unit 152 changes to mode C, mode D, or mode E, which has a lower control level than mode B. In other words, when the driving mode of the vehicle M is mode A or mode B, the mode change processing unit 152 changes to mode C, mode D, or mode E, which has a heavier responsibility (task) for the occupant than mode B. In addition, when the mode change processing unit 152 lowers the control level, the HMI 30 (output device) outputs information on the driving operation required of the occupant of the vehicle.

[0099] That is, the mode change processing unit 152 lowers the control level when an event occurs in at least one lane among the lane candidates or when an event occurs in another lane connected to at least one lane among the lane candidates.

[0100] It should be noted that in Figure 6BWhen a downgrade event occurs in another lane (branch lane L4) connected to the lane (first lane L1) determined as a candidate for the lane in which the host vehicle M is traveling, as shown in the figure, the mode change processing unit 152 may cause the display device included in the HMI 30 to display a selection screen for whether to perform a downgrade event (i.e., whether to enter the branch lane L4), and change the driving mode of the automatic driving based on the selection operation of the occupant on the selection screen. In the selection screen, when an operation to perform a downgrade event (i.e., enter the branch lane L4) is received from the occupant, the mode change processing unit 152 may change to a driving mode of the automatic driving with a lower control level and request the occupant to hold the steering wheel. On the other hand, in the selection screen, when an operation to not perform a downgrade event (i.e., not enter the branch lane L4, but go straight in the first lane L1) is received from the occupant (i.e., when there is a request to continue the automatic driving), the mode change processing unit 152 may continue the current control level. It should be noted that in this selection screen, when the operation from the occupant cannot be detected (when the occupant does not perform any operation), the mode change processing unit 152 can also change to an automatic driving mode with a lower control level, requiring the occupant to hold the steering wheel.

[0101] Likewise, when the lane candidate determination unit 155 determines that the lane candidate cannot be determined (step S109 : No), the mode change processing unit 152 changes to the driving mode of the automatic driving with a lower control level (step S115 ).

[0102] It should be noted that the mode change processing unit 152 stops the automatic driving when the position of the vehicle determined by the vehicle position information (reference information) is uncertain. For example, the mode change processing unit 152 stops the automatic driving when the position of the vehicle determined by the vehicle position information is not in the lane or when the position of the vehicle determined by the vehicle position information changes by more than a prescribed distance per unit time. The so-called change by more than a prescribed distance per unit time means, for example, a situation where the position of the vehicle M is located in the left lane at a certain moment but is moving to the right lane away from the left lane by more than a prescribed distance at the next moment, or a situation where the performance of the vehicle M cannot achieve such a movement in a short time (for example, movement in the vehicle width direction of the vehicle M).

[0103] As described above, the modes A and B are modes in which the grip of the steering wheel 82 is not arranged as a responsibility for the occupant. In contrast, the modes C, D, and E are modes in which the grip of the steering wheel 82 is arranged as a responsibility for the occupant. Therefore, when the mode change processing unit 152 determines that a degradation event has occurred or that a lane candidate cannot be determined, it changes the driving mode of the host vehicle M to a mode in which the grip of the steering wheel 82 is arranged as a responsibility for the occupant. The processing of this flowchart is thus terminated.

[0104] [Lane candidate determination processing]

[0105] Next, the details of the lane candidate determination process performed by the lane candidate determination unit 155 will be described. The lane candidate determination unit 155 determines a lane candidate based on, for example, the recommended lane map information acquired by the acquisition unit 153 and the surrounding image. Fig. 8A , Figure 8B and Fig. 9 1 and 2 are diagrams showing an example of lane candidate determination processing performed by the lane candidate determination unit 155 of the embodiment. In these examples, lane candidates of the host vehicle M are estimated based on information on road dividing lines or objects reflected in the peripheral image output from the camera 10 .

[0106] exist Fig. 8A In the example shown, the lane candidate determination unit 155 identifies a yellow solid road dividing line (yellow solid line YSL) or an object S located on the left side of the traveling direction of the host vehicle M and a white dotted road dividing line (white dotted line WDL) located on the right side of the traveling direction of the host vehicle M based on the surrounding image. In this case, the lane candidate determination unit 155 determines the left lane of the road (first lane L1) as a lane candidate. For example, the lane candidate determination unit 155 determines the lane candidate by comparing the pattern (category information) of the road dividing line obtained from the recommended lane map information with the pattern (category information) of the road dividing line around the host vehicle M recognized from the surrounding image captured by the camera 10. In addition, the lane candidate determination unit 155 determines the lane candidate by comparing the information of the object obtained from the recommended lane map information with the information of the object S recognized from the surrounding image. The object S includes, for example, traffic lights, road signs, and travel path boundaries (road boundaries) including shoulders, curbs, medians, guardrails, etc. It should be noted that the lane candidate determination unit 155 can also determine lane candidates based on the position information of surrounding objects output by the radar device 12, the distance information to the surrounding objects output by the LIDAR 14, and the identification information such as the position, type, and speed of surrounding objects output by the object recognition device 16 in addition to the surrounding images.

[0107] exist Figure 8BIn the example shown, the lane candidate determination unit 155 recognizes, based on the surrounding image, a white solid road dividing line (white solid line WSL) located on the left side of the traveling direction of the host vehicle M and a white dotted road dividing line (white dotted line WDL) located on the right side of the traveling direction of the host vehicle M. In this case, the lane candidate determination unit 155 determines the left end lane of the road (the first lane L1) as a lane candidate.

[0108] exist Fig. 9 In the example shown, the lane candidate determination unit 155 recognizes, based on the surrounding image, a white dotted road dividing line (white dotted line WDL1) and a white solid road dividing line (white solid line WSL) located on the left side of the traveling direction of the host vehicle M in order from near to far from the near side of the host vehicle M, and a white dotted road dividing line (white dotted line WDL2) located on the right side of the traveling direction of the host vehicle M. In this case, the lane candidate determination unit 155 determines the second lane L2, which is the second lane from the left end of the road, as a lane candidate.

[0109] That is, the lane candidate determination unit 155 determines a lane candidate based on information on the type of road dividing lines or information on an object that can identify the position of a lane included in the surrounding image information.

[0110] According to the embodiment described above, there is provided: an acquisition unit (e.g., acquisition unit 153) that acquires map information including lane information (e.g., recommended lane map information) and reference information for determining the position of the host vehicle M (e.g., host vehicle position information); a lane determination unit (e.g., lane determination unit 154) that determines the lane in which the host vehicle M is traveling on the map information based on the acquired reference information; a lane candidate determination unit (e.g., lane candidate determination unit 155) that determines the lane candidate in which the host vehicle M is traveling on the map information based on the reference information when the lane determination unit has not determined the driving lane; and a change processing unit (e.g., mode change processing unit) that continues the current control level when an event requiring a change in the control level of the automatic driving does not occur in any of the lane candidates, and lowers the control level when an event occurs in at least one of the lane candidates, thereby being able to change the control level of the automatic driving under appropriate conditions.

[0111] The above-described embodiment can be expressed as follows.

[0112] A vehicle control device is a vehicle control device for controlling automatic driving of a vehicle, wherein:

[0113] A storage device storing a program and a hardware processor are provided,

[0114] The hardware processor executes the program to perform the following processing:

[0115] acquiring map information including lane information and reference information for determining the position of the vehicle, and determining the lane in which the vehicle is traveling on the map information based on the acquired reference information,

[0116] If the driving lane is not determined, determining a lane candidate in which the vehicle is traveling on the map information based on the reference information,

[0117] When an event requiring a change in the control level of the automatic driving does not occur in any of the lane candidates, the current control level is maintained, and when the event occurs in at least one of the lane candidates, the control level is lowered.

[0118] Although specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above using the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to such embodiments at all, and various modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

Claims

1. A vehicle control device for controlling automatic driving of a vehicle, wherein: The vehicle control device comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires map information including lane information and reference information for specifying a position of the vehicle; a lane determination unit that determines a lane in which the vehicle is traveling on the map information based on the acquired reference information; a lane candidate determination unit that determines a lane candidate in which the vehicle is traveling on the map information based on the reference information when the lane determination unit has not determined the traveling lane; as well as A change processing unit maintains the current control level when an event requiring a change in the control level of the automatic driving does not occur in any of the lane candidates, and lowers the control level when the event occurs in at least one of the lane candidates.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein: The reference information is information on the position of the vehicle obtained based on radio waves transmitted from an artificial satellite.

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The change processing unit lowers the control level when the event occurs in at least one lane of the lane candidate or when the event occurs in another lane connected to the at least one lane of the lane candidate.

4. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The change processing unit determines whether the event has occurred based on the map information.

5. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The change processing unit continues the current control level when the distance between the current position of the vehicle on the lane candidate and the occurrence position of the event is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

6. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The change processing unit causes an output device to output information requesting a driving operation to a passenger of the vehicle when lowering the control level.

7. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The lane candidate determination unit determines the lane candidate from among a plurality of lanes in which the vehicle is likely to be traveling, based on at least one of surrounding image information obtained by photographing the periphery of the vehicle, position measurement information of the vehicle obtained based on radio waves transmitted from an artificial satellite, and position measurement information obtained by dead reckoning.

8. The vehicle control device according to claim 7, wherein: The lane candidate determination unit determines the lane candidate based on information on the type of a road dividing line or information on an object capable of identifying a lane position included in the surrounding image information.

9. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein: The change processing unit stops the automatic driving when the position of the vehicle specified by the reference information is not on the lane or when the position of the vehicle specified by the reference information changes by more than a predetermined distance within a unit time.

10. A vehicle control method, wherein: The vehicle control method causes a computer mounted on the vehicle and performing automatic driving control to execute the following processing: obtaining map information including lane information and reference information for determining the position of the vehicle; determining, based on the acquired reference information, a driving lane in which the vehicle is traveling on the map information; If the driving lane has not been determined, determining a lane candidate in which the vehicle is traveling on the map information based on the reference information; as well as When an event requiring a change in the control level of the automatic driving does not occur in any of the lane candidates, the current control level is maintained, and when the event occurs in at least one of the lane candidates, the control level is lowered.

11. A storage medium storing a program, wherein: The program causes a computer mounted on a vehicle and performing automatic driving control to execute the following processing: obtaining map information including lane information and reference information for determining the position of the vehicle; determining, based on the acquired reference information, a driving lane in which the vehicle is traveling on the map information; If the driving lane has not been determined, determining a lane candidate in which the vehicle is traveling on the map information based on the reference information; as well as When an event requiring a change in the control level of the automatic driving does not occur in any of the lane candidates, the current control level is maintained, and when the event occurs in at least one of the lane candidates, the control level is lowered.

Images