Mobile object control device, mobile object control method, and storage medium

Abstract

A mobile object control device, a mobile object control method, and a storage medium are provided. The mobile object control device includes: an image acquisition unit that acquires an image captured of a space outside the mobile object; a first determination unit that determines, based on the image, whether the mobile object is in the merging lane that is closer to the merging lane of two merging lanes; a second determination unit that, if the first determination unit determines that the mobile object is in the closer merging lane, determines whether another mobile object is in front of the mobile object and in the merging lane that is farther from the merging lane; a merging position candidate setting unit that sets at least one or more merging position candidates, which are set as relative positions between mobile objects in the merging lane, that allow the mobile object to complete merging with the merging lane; and a merging position selection unit that selects, from the at least one or more merging position candidates, a merging position that allows the mobile object to complete merging with the merging lane.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] Technologies are known for assisting vehicles traveling in a merging lane in merging into the merging lane. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-192233 discloses a technology that predicts the behavior of multiple vehicles when merging into the merging lane based on a behavior prediction model and displays the merging position based on this prediction. Summary of the Invention

[0003] However, the technology described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-192233 does not specifically consider the case where the merging lane is a two-lane vehicle. As a result, there are cases where the merging position cannot be appropriately displayed when the merging lane is a two-lane vehicle.

[0004] The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and one object thereof is to provide a mobile object control device, a mobile object control method, and a storage medium capable of appropriately displaying a merging position when a merging lane consists of two lanes.

[0005] The mobile object control device of the present invention adopts the following structure.

[0006] (1): One embodiment of the present invention relates to a mobile body control device, wherein the mobile body control device comprises: an image acquisition unit that acquires an image obtained by photographing an external space of the mobile body; a first determination unit that determines, based on the image, whether the mobile body is present in a merging lane that is closer to the merging lane among two merging lanes; a second determination unit that determines whether there is another mobile body in front of the mobile body and in a merging lane that is farther from the merging lane, when the first determination unit determines that the mobile body is present in the merging lane that is closer; and a merging position candidate setting unit that sets a merging position. The merging position selection unit further comprises: a merging position selection unit, wherein the merging position selection unit selects a merging position for the mobile body to complete the merging into the merging lane from among the at least one merging position candidates, the merging position candidate being at least one merging position candidate for enabling the mobile body to complete the merging into the merging lane, and the merging position selection unit selects the merging position from among the at least one merging position candidates, excluding the merging position candidate that is the most forward position in the direction of travel of the mobile body, when the second determination unit determines that the other mobile body exists.

[0007] (2): Based on the scheme of (1) above, the second determination unit performs the following processing: in an imaginary plane when viewed from above, a perpendicular line drawn from the candidate merging position at the front position relative to the direction of travel of the moving body is set as an imaginary line, and a first distance between the moving body and the imaginary line is compared with a second distance between the other moving body and the imaginary line. When the second distance is smaller than the first distance, it is determined that the other moving body exists at a position ahead of the moving body.

[0008] (3): Based on the above-mentioned scheme (1) or (2), the mobile body control device further includes a third determination unit, which estimates the driving trajectory of the other mobile body and determines whether the other mobile body can merge with the merging position candidate at the front position based on the driving trajectory. When the third determination unit determines that the other mobile body cannot merge with the merging position candidate at the front position, the merging position selection unit selects the merging position from the at least one merging position candidate except the merging position candidate at the front position and the merging position candidate at the second front position in the direction of travel of the mobile body.

[0009] (4): Based on any one of the above schemes (1) to (3), the mobile body control device further includes a braking time estimating unit, which estimates the time until the occupant of the mobile body operates the braking device of the mobile body, and the merging position selecting unit does not exclude the merging position candidate at the front position in the direction of travel of the mobile body and selects the merging position from the at least one merging position candidate when the time estimated by the braking time estimating unit is less than a threshold value.

[0010] (5): Based on any one of the above schemes (1) to (4), after the merging position selection unit selects the merging position from the merging position candidates other than the merging position candidate at the front position, the merging position selection unit maintains the selection even if the other moving body decelerates.

[0011] (6) Based on any one of the above schemes (1) to (5), the mobile body control device further includes a driving control unit that generates a target trajectory of the mobile body that converges with the convergence position selected by the convergence position selection unit, and controls the steering and acceleration and deceleration of the mobile body independently of the operation of the driver of the mobile body so that the mobile body travels along the generated target trajectory.

[0012] (7): One embodiment of the present invention relates to a mobile body control method, wherein the mobile body control method causes a computer mounted on the mobile body to perform the following processing: obtain an image obtained by photographing the external space of the mobile body; based on the image, determine whether the mobile body is present in a merging lane that is closer to the merging lane among two merging lanes; if it is determined that the mobile body is present in the merging lane on the closer side, determine whether there is another mobile body in front of the mobile body and in the merging lane that is farther from the merging lane; set a merging position The method further comprises setting a merging position candidate, wherein the merging position candidate is at least one merging position candidate for enabling the mobile body to complete merging with the merged lane, and is set as a relative position between the mobile bodies existing in the merged lane; selecting a merging position for enabling the mobile body to complete merging with the merged lane from among the at least one merging position candidate; and selecting the merging position from among the at least one merging position candidate, excluding the merging position candidate that is the most forward position in the direction of travel of the mobile body, when it is determined that the other mobile body exists.

[0013] (8): One embodiment of the present invention relates to a storage medium storing a program, wherein the program causes a computer mounted on a mobile body to perform the following processing: obtaining an image obtained by photographing an external space of the mobile body; determining, based on the image, whether the mobile body is present in a merging lane that is closer to the merging lane among two merging lanes; if it is determined that the mobile body is present in the merging lane on the closer side, determining whether there is another mobile body in front of the mobile body and in the merging lane that is farther from the merging lane among the merging lanes; setting a merging position The method further comprises setting a merging position candidate, wherein the merging position candidate is at least one merging position candidate for enabling the mobile body to complete merging with the merged lane, and is set as a relative position between the mobile bodies existing in the merged lane; selecting a merging position for enabling the mobile body to complete merging with the merged lane from among the at least one merging position candidate; and selecting the merging position from among the at least one merging position candidate, excluding the merging position candidate that is the most forward position in the direction of travel of the mobile body, when it is determined that the other mobile body exists.

[0014] According to the solutions (1) to (8), when the merging lane consists of two lanes, the merging position can be appropriately indicated. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle system 1 using the mobile object control device according to the present embodiment.

[0016] Figure 2 This is a functional structure diagram of the first control unit and the second control unit.

[0017] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing an example of a scene in which the processing of the mobile object control device according to this embodiment is executed.

[0018] Figure 4 This diagram shows an example of a scenario in which the merging position selecting unit selects a merging position when the third determination unit determines that the other vehicle cannot merge at the merging position candidate located closest to the front.

[0019] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing an example of a scenario in which, after the merging position selection unit selects a merging position, the other vehicle decelerates, and as a result, the host vehicle M is located ahead of the other vehicle.

[0020] Figure 6 This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing of the mobile object control device according to this embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] Embodiments of the mobile object control device, mobile object control method, and storage medium of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The mobile object in the present invention is a four-wheeled vehicle, a two-wheeled vehicle, a micro-mobile object, a robot, or the like. In the following description, the mobile object is a four-wheeled vehicle.

[0022] [Overall structure]

[0023] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of a vehicle system 1 that utilizes the mobile object control device of this embodiment. The vehicle equipped with vehicle system 1 is, for example, a two-wheeled, three-wheeled, or four-wheeled vehicle, and its driving source is an internal combustion engine such as a diesel engine or gasoline engine, an electric motor, or a combination thereof. The electric motor operates using power generated by a generator connected to the internal combustion engine, or power discharged from a secondary battery or fuel cell.

[0024] The vehicle system 1 includes, for example, a camera 10, a radar device 12, a LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) device 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 driving operating element 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 interconnected by multiple communication lines such as CAN (Controller Area Network) communication lines, serial communication lines, and wireless communication networks. It should be noted that Figure 1 The structure shown is just an example, and part of the structure may be omitted or another structure may be added.

[0025] The camera 10 is, for example, a digital camera utilizing a solid-state imaging element such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor). The camera 10 is mounted anywhere on the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as the host vehicle M) equipped with the vehicle system 1. To capture images of the front, the camera 10 is mounted on the upper portion of the windshield, behind the rearview mirror, or elsewhere. For example, the camera 10 periodically and repeatedly captures images of the surroundings of the host vehicle M. The camera 10 may also be a stereo camera.

[0026] The radar device 12 radiates radio waves, such as millimeter waves, around the vehicle M and detects the radio waves (reflected waves) reflected by objects to detect at least the object's position (range and direction). The radar device 12 is mounted anywhere on the vehicle M. The radar device 12 can also detect the position and velocity of objects using the FM-CW (Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave) method.

[0027] LIDAR 14 irradiates light (or electromagnetic waves with a wavelength close to light) around the vehicle M and measures the scattered light. LIDAR 14 detects the distance to an object based on the time between light emission and light reception. The irradiated light is, for example, a pulsed laser. LIDAR 14 is mounted anywhere on the vehicle M.

[0028] The object recognition device 16 performs sensor fusion processing on the detection results from some or all of the camera 10, radar device 12, and LIDAR 14 to identify the position, type, speed, etc. of an object. The object recognition device 16 outputs the recognition results to the automatic driving control device 100. The object recognition device 16 can directly output the detection results from the camera 10, radar device 12, and LIDAR 14 to the automatic driving control device 100. In this embodiment, the object recognition device 16 includes an image acquisition unit 16A. The image acquisition unit 16A acquires an image of the space outside the vehicle captured by the camera 10 and outputs it to the automatic driving control device 100, which will be described later.

[0029] 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.

[0030] 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, keys, and the like.

[0031] The vehicle sensor 40 includes a vehicle speed sensor that detects the speed of the host vehicle M, an acceleration sensor that detects acceleration, a yaw rate sensor that detects angular velocity about a vertical axis, an azimuth sensor that detects the orientation of the host vehicle M, and the like.

[0032] 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 an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or a flash memory. The GNSS receiver 51 determines the position of the vehicle M based on signals received from GNSS satellites. 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, buttons, etc. The navigation HMI 52 can also be partially or entirely shared with the aforementioned HMI 30. The route determination unit 53, for example, refers to the first map information 54 to determine a route (hereinafter referred to as a route 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, representing road segments and nodes connected by the segments. The first map information 54 may also include road curvature, POI (Point of Interest) information, and the like. The route on the map is output to the MPU 60. The navigation device 50 may also provide route guidance using the navigation HMI 52 based on the route on the map. The navigation device 50 may also be implemented as a function of a terminal device such as a smartphone or tablet computer held by the passenger. The navigation device 50 may also transmit the current location and destination to a navigation server via the communication device 20 and obtain a route equivalent to the route on the map from the navigation server.

[0033] The MPU 60 includes, for example, a recommended lane determination unit 61, which stores second map information 62 in a storage device such as a HDD or flash memory. The recommended lane determination unit 61 divides the route on the map provided by the navigation device 50 into multiple blocks (e.g., every 100 meters in the vehicle's travel direction) and determines a recommended lane for each block by referring to the second map information 62. The recommended lane determination unit 61 determines the lane to travel in from the left. If the route on the map branches, the recommended lane determination unit 61 determines a recommended lane so that the vehicle M can travel on a reasonable route to the branch destination.

[0034] The second map information 62 is higher-precision map information than the first map information 54. The second map information 62 includes, for example, information about lane centers and lane boundaries. Furthermore, the second map information 62 may include road information, traffic restriction information, address information (address, postal code), facility information, and telephone number information. The second map information 62 can be updated at any time by communicating with other devices via the communication device 20.

[0035] Driving control elements 80 include, for example, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a shift lever, a steering wheel, a special-shaped steering wheel, a joystick, and other operating elements. Sensors are mounted on driving control elements 80 to detect the amount of operation or the presence or absence of an operation. These detection results are output to the automatic driving control device 100, or to some or all of the driving force output device 200, the braking device 210, and the steering device 220.

[0036] 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 each implemented by executing a program (software) on a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). Furthermore, some or all of these components may be implemented by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or may be implemented through the collaboration of software and hardware. The program may be pre-stored in a storage device (a storage device having a non-transitory 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 installed in the HDD or flash memory of the automatic driving control device 100 by attaching the storage medium (non-transitory storage medium) to a drive device. The object recognition device 16 and the automatic driving control device 100 are collectively an example of a “mobile body control device”, and the action plan generation unit 140 and the second control unit 160 are collectively an example of a “driving control unit”.

[0037] 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 an identification unit 130 and an action plan generation unit 140. The first control unit 120, for example, implements functions based on AI (Artificial Intelligence) and functions based on a pre-given model in parallel. For example, the function of "identifying intersections" can be achieved by "parallel execution of intersection recognition based on deep learning, etc., and recognition based on pre-given conditions (the presence of signals, road signs, etc. that can perform pattern matching), and scoring both parties for comprehensive evaluation." In this way, the reliability of autonomous driving is ensured.

[0038] The recognition unit 130 recognizes the position, velocity, acceleration, and other states of objects in the vicinity of the vehicle M based on 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 as, for example, 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 be represented by a representative point such as the center of gravity or a corner of the object, or by a displayed area. The "state" of the object can also include the acceleration, jerk, or "action state" of the object (for example, whether a lane change is being made or is about to be made).

[0039] Furthermore, the recognition unit 130 identifies, for example, the lane in which the vehicle M is traveling (driving lane). For example, the recognition unit 130 compares the pattern of road dividing lines obtained from the second map information 62 (e.g., an arrangement of solid and dashed lines) with the pattern of road dividing lines around the vehicle M identified from the image captured by the camera 10, thereby identifying the driving lane. It should be noted that the recognition unit 130 is not limited to identifying road dividing lines, but can also identify road dividing lines and driving road boundaries (road boundaries) including shoulders, curbs, central medians, guardrails, etc., thereby identifying the driving lane. This recognition may also incorporate the position of the vehicle M obtained from the navigation device 50 and the processing results of the INS. Furthermore, the recognition unit 130 identifies stop signs, obstacles, red lights, toll booths, and other road features.

[0040] When identifying a driving lane, the recognition unit 130 identifies the position and posture of the host vehicle M relative to the driving lane. For example, the recognition unit 130 may identify the deviation of the host vehicle M's reference point from the lane center and the angle formed by the vehicle M's travel direction with respect to a line connecting the lane centers as the relative position and posture of the host vehicle M relative to the driving lane. Alternatively, the recognition unit 130 may identify the position of the host vehicle M's reference point relative to either side of the driving lane (a road dividing line or a road boundary) as the relative position of the host vehicle M relative to the driving lane.

[0041] In this embodiment, the recognition unit 130 particularly includes a first determination unit 130A, a second determination unit 130B, a merging position candidate setting unit 130C, a third determination unit 130D, a merging position selection unit 130E, and a brake position estimating unit 130F. Details of their functions will be described later.

[0042] 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 represented by a trajectory in which the locations (track points) that the vehicle M should arrive at are arranged in sequence. Track points are locations that the vehicle M should arrive at at predetermined driving distances (for example, a few meters) along the way. Different from this, target speeds and target accelerations are generated as part of the target trajectory at predetermined sampling times (for example, a few tenths of a second). In addition, track points can also be positions that the vehicle M should arrive at at the sampling moment at predetermined sampling times. In this case, information on the target speed and target acceleration is represented by the intervals between track points.

[0043] When generating a target trajectory, the action plan generator 140 can set an autonomous driving event. These events include constant speed driving, low-speed following, lane change, diverging, merging, and takeover. The action plan generator 140 generates a target trajectory corresponding to the activated event.

[0044] The second control unit 160 controls the driving force output device 200 , the braking device 210 , and the steering device 220 so that the host vehicle M passes through the target trajectory generated by the action plan generation unit 140 at a predetermined timing.

[0045] return Figure 2 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 the information of the target track (track point) generated by the action plan generation unit 140, and causes the memory (not shown) to store the information. The speed control unit 164 controls the driving 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 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.

[0046] The driving force output device 200 outputs the driving force (torque) used to propel the vehicle to the drive wheels. The driving force output device 200 includes, for example, a combination of an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, and a transmission, as well as an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that controls these components. The ECU controls the aforementioned components based on information input from the second control unit 160 or from the driving control element 80.

[0047] The braking 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 element 80, so that a braking torque corresponding to the braking operation is output to each wheel. The braking device 210 may include a mechanism that transmits the hydraulic pressure generated by operating the brake pedal included in the driving operating element 80 to the hydraulic cylinder via the master hydraulic cylinder as a backup. It should be noted that the braking device 210 is not limited to the structure described above, and may also be an electronically controlled hydraulic braking 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.

[0048] The steering system 220 includes, for example, a steering ECU and an electric motor. The electric motor applies force to, for example, a rack-and-pinion mechanism to change the direction of the steered wheels. The steering ECU drives the electric motor based on information input from the second control unit 160 or from the driving operating element 80 to change the direction of the steered wheels.

[0049] [action]

[0050] Next, refer to Figures 3 to 5 , to illustrate the processing of the mobile object control device of this embodiment. Figure 3 : is a diagram showing an example of a scene in which the processing of the mobile object control device of this embodiment is executed. Figure 3 In the example, the host vehicle M is traveling in the merging lane L2, which is closer to the merging lane L3, of a merging lane ML consisting of two lanes L1 and L2. Another vehicle M1 is traveling in the merging lane L1, which is farther from the merging lane L3. Furthermore, another vehicle M2 and another vehicle M3 are traveling in the merging lane L3. The mobile body control device determines a merging position in the merging lane L3 so that the host vehicle M can enter the merging lane L3. However, the other vehicle M1 is also attempting to enter the merging lane L3. Therefore, the mobile body control device needs to consider the other vehicle M1's entry into the merging lane L3 when determining the merging position in the merging lane L3. The present invention is used to determine a merging position in such a situation and is useful for automated driving or driving support.

[0051] After acquiring the image of the external space of the host vehicle M captured by the camera 10 from the image acquisition unit 16A, the first determination unit 130A determines based on the image whether the host vehicle M is present in the merging lane L2 that is closer to the merging lane L3 among the two merging lanes ML (hereinafter, the merging lane that is closer to the merging lane L3 will be simply referred to as "merging lane L2"). Specifically, for example, when the second map information 62 indicates the merging lane L2, when the image of the external space of the host vehicle M indicates the merging lane L2, or when it indicates a dotted line shape unique to a merging road with two lanes, the first determination unit 130A determines that the host vehicle M is present in the merging lane L2. Figure 3 In the case of , the first determination unit 130A determines that the host vehicle M is present in the merging lane L2.

[0052] The second determination unit 130B determines whether there is another vehicle in front of the vehicle M and in the merging lane L1 on the side farther from the merging lane L3 in the merging lane ML (hereinafter, the merging lane farther from the merging lane L3 will be simply referred to as "merging lane L1") when the first determination unit 130A determines that the vehicle M is present in the merging lane L2. Specifically, for example, the second determination unit 130B uses the camera 10 to determine whether there is another vehicle in front of the vehicle M and in the merging lane L1. Here, "in front of the vehicle M" means, for example, that the front end of the other vehicle is in front of the front end of the vehicle M in the direction of travel of the vehicle M. Figure 3 In this case, the other vehicle M1 is present in the merging lane L1 with its front end in front of the front end of the host vehicle M. Therefore, the second determination unit 130B determines that the other vehicle is present in front of the host vehicle M and in the merging lane L1. Alternatively, "in front of the host vehicle M" may mean that the center of gravity of the other vehicle is in front of the center of gravity of the host vehicle M, or that the front end of the other vehicle is located in front of the rear end of the host vehicle.

[0053] The merging position candidate setting unit 130C sets a merging position candidate CP, which is at least one merging position candidate CP at which the host vehicle M completes the merging into the merged lane L3, and is set as a relative position between vehicles existing in the merged lane L3. Specifically, for example, the merging position candidate setting unit 130C determines a plurality of other vehicles existing in the merged lane L3 reflected in the image captured by the camera 10, and based on the relative distance and relative speed between the host vehicle M and the plurality of other vehicles, determines whether it is possible to enter the merged lane L3 under the premise of satisfying the constraints (upper limit and lower limit) related to the speed, acceleration and yaw angular velocity. If it is determined that entry is possible, the merging position candidate CP is extracted as a relative position between other vehicles existing in the front and rear positions of the enterable space. Figure 3In this case, the candidate merging position setting unit 130C sets a position CP1 between the other vehicle M2 and the other vehicle M3 and a position CP2 behind the other vehicle M3 as the candidate merging position CP.

[0054] The second determination unit 130B can utilize the merging position candidate CP set by the merging position candidate setting unit 130C to determine whether another vehicle exists in front of the host vehicle M. For example, Figure 3 In this case, the second judgment unit 130B sets a vertical line drawn from the merging position candidate CP1, which is the frontmost position in the traveling direction of the own vehicle M, relative to the traveling direction of the own vehicle M as an imaginary line VL in an imaginary plane when hypothetically observed from above, and compares the first distance D1 between the own vehicle M and the imaginary line VL with the second distance D2 between the other vehicle M1 and the imaginary line VL. When the second distance D2 is smaller than the first distance D1, it can be determined that the other vehicle M1 is present at a position ahead of the own vehicle M.

[0055] The third determination unit 130D estimates the travel trajectory of the other vehicle and determines whether the other vehicle can merge at the forward merging position candidate CP1 based on the estimated travel trajectory. Specifically, for example, the third determination unit 130D uses the camera 10, the radar device 12, or the LIDAR 14 to measure the velocity vector and the acceleration vector of the other vehicle and generates the trajectory of the other vehicle in a straight line or a curve based on the measured information. Figure 3 In the case of , the third determination unit 130D estimates the travel trajectory PT of the other vehicle M1 merging with the merging position candidate CP1 and therefore determines that the other vehicle M1 can merge with the merging position candidate CP1.

[0056] The merging position selection unit 130E selects a merging position at which the host vehicle M completes the merging into the merging lane L3 from at least one merging position candidate CP set by the merging position candidate setting unit 130C. At this time, when the second determination unit 130B determines that there is another vehicle in front of the host vehicle M and in the merging lane L1, the merging position selection unit 130E selects a merging position from the at least one merging position candidate CP, excluding the merging position candidate CP1 that is the most forward position in the traveling direction of the host vehicle M. Figure 3 In the case of , another vehicle M1 is traveling to the left front of the vehicle M. Therefore, the merging position selection unit 130E selects a merging position from the merging position candidate CPs other than the merging position candidate CP1. That is, the merging position selection unit 130E selects the merging position candidate CP2 as the merging position.

[0057] On the other hand, even if the second determination unit 130B determines that there is another vehicle ahead of the host vehicle M in the merging lane L1, there may be a case where the other vehicle cannot reach the merging position candidate CP1 if a travel trajectory cannot be established for the other vehicle to travel toward the forward-most candidate merging position CP1. In such a case, if the merging position selection unit 130E selects the candidate merging position CP2 as the merging position, the other vehicle cannot change lanes to the merging lane L3.

[0058] Therefore, when the third determination unit 130D determines that other vehicles cannot merge at the merging position candidate CP1 at the frontmost position, the merging position selection unit 130E selects a merging position from at least one merging position candidate CP, excluding the merging position candidate CP1 at the frontmost position in the traveling direction of the vehicle M and the merging position candidate CP2 at the second frontmost position. Figure 4 1 is a diagram showing an example of a scenario in which the merging position selection unit 130E selects a merging position when the third determination unit 130D determines that the other vehicle cannot merge at the merging position candidate CP1 that is located closest to the front. Figure 4 In the example, the third determination unit 130D determines that a travel trajectory from the other vehicle M1 to the candidate merging position CP1 cannot be established. Therefore, the merging position selection unit 130E selects the candidate merging position CP3 as the merging position from among the candidate merging position CPs, excluding the merging position CP1, which is the furthest forward in the direction of travel of the host vehicle M, and the merging position CP2, which is the second furthest forward. This allows a lane change to be performed in the bidirectional merging lane L3 for both the host vehicle M and the other vehicle M1.

[0059] Furthermore, after selecting a merging position from the merging position candidate CPs other than the frontmost merging position candidate CP1 , the merging position selecting unit 130E maintains the selection even when the other vehicle decelerates and the host vehicle M is located ahead of the other vehicle. Figure 5 : is a diagram showing an example of a scene in which other vehicles decelerate after the merging position selection unit 130E selects a merging position, and as a result, the host vehicle M is located in front of the other vehicles. Figure 5 In the example above, the merging position selection unit 130E selects candidate merging position CP2 as the merging position. Later, the other vehicle M1 decelerates, and the host vehicle M ends up ahead of the other vehicle M1. In this case, the merging position selection unit 130E maintains the selection of candidate merging position CP2 as the merging position. This prevents hunting in the merging position selection process and stabilizes the behavior of the host vehicle M.

[0060] Next, refer to Figure 6 The flow of processing performed by the mobile object control device according to this embodiment will be described. Figure 6 This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing by the mobile object control device of this embodiment. The processing in this flowchart is executed by the mobile object control device every predetermined control cycle (for example, 10 milliseconds).

[0061] First, the mobile control device uses the image acquisition unit 16A to acquire an image of the space outside the host vehicle M captured by the camera 10 (step S100). Next, the mobile control device uses the first determination unit 130A to determine, based on the image acquired from the image acquisition unit 16A, whether the host vehicle M is located in the merging lane L2, which is closer to the merging lane L3, of the two merging lanes ML (step S101). If the host vehicle M is determined not to be located in the merging lane L2, the mobile control device returns the process to step S100.

[0062] On the other hand, if it is determined that the host vehicle M is in the merging lane L2, the mobile body control device uses the merging position candidate setting unit 130C to set at least one merging position candidate CP that will enable the host vehicle M to complete the merging into the merging lane L3 (step S102). Next, the mobile body control device uses the second determination unit 130B to determine whether there is another vehicle in the merging lane L1 ahead of the host vehicle M and further from the merging lane L3 in the merging lane ML (step S103). If it is determined that there is no other vehicle in the merging lane L1 ahead of the host vehicle M, the mobile body control device uses the merging position selection unit 130E to select the forward-most merging position candidate CP1 from the at least one merging position candidate CP as the merging position (step S104).

[0063] On the other hand, if it is determined that there is another vehicle ahead of the host vehicle M and in the merging lane L1, the mobile body control device uses the third determination unit 130D to estimate the travel trajectory of the other vehicle and, based on the estimated travel trajectory, determines whether the other vehicle can merge at the forward merging position candidate CP1 (step S105). If it is determined that the other vehicle can merge at the merging position candidate CP1, the mobile body control device uses the merging position selection unit 130E to select a merging point position from among the at least one merging position candidate CP, excluding the forward merging position candidate CP1 (step S106).

[0064] On the other hand, if it is determined that the other vehicle cannot merge at the merging position candidate CP1, the mobile control device uses the merging position selection unit 130E to select a merging position candidate from among the at least one merging position candidate CPs, excluding the merging position candidate CP1 located furthest forward in the direction of travel of the host vehicle M and the merging position candidate CP2 located second furthest forward (step S107). The mobile control device then uses the action plan generation unit 140 to generate a target trajectory for the host vehicle M that will merge at the selected merging position. The processing of this flowchart thus ends.

[0065] It should be noted that the above flowchart describes a case where there is only one other vehicle ahead of the host vehicle M. However, the present invention is not limited to this situation. For example, if there are multiple other vehicles ahead of the host vehicle M, the merging position selection unit 130E may select a merging position based on the number of vehicles. Specifically, for example, if it is determined in step S105 that multiple other vehicles can merge at the merging position candidate CP1, the merging position selection unit 130E may select a merging position from among the merging position candidate CPs, excluding the same number of merging position candidate CPs starting from the front merging position candidate CP1.

[0066] <Modification>

[0067] The above embodiments describe an example in which the mobile control device of the present invention is applied to automated driving. However, the mobile control device of the present invention is not limited to this configuration and can also be applied to manual driving. In this case, the mobile control device of the present invention may further include a driving instruction unit, which, in place of the driving control unit, generates a target trajectory based on the selected merging position and provides at least one of a turn signal and an acceleration / deceleration signal to cause the occupants of the host vehicle M to drive along the generated target trajectory. The driving instruction unit can be implemented, for example, as part of the functions of the navigation device 50.

[0068] When the mobile control device of the present invention is adapted for manual driving, the mobile control device may further include a braking time estimating unit that estimates the time until the occupant of the host vehicle M operates the brake device 210, namely, TTD (Time To Brake). In this case, if the time estimated by the braking time estimating unit is less than a threshold, the merging position selecting unit 130E may determine that the occupant of the host vehicle M has no time to operate the brake device 210, and select a merging position from all merging position candidate CPs without excluding the merging position candidate CP1 that is the forwardmost position in the direction of travel of the host vehicle M. This allows for flexible selection of a merging position based on the situation of the occupant of the host vehicle M.

[0069] According to the present invention as described above, when the merging lane in which the host vehicle M is traveling is a two-lane vehicle, the mobile object control device determines whether there is another vehicle traveling ahead of the host vehicle in the merging lane farther from the lane being merged, and selects a merging position based on the determination result. This allows the merging position to be appropriately displayed when the merging lane is a two-lane vehicle.

[0070] The above-described embodiment can be expressed as follows.

[0071] A mobile body control device, wherein:

[0072] The mobile body control device comprises:

[0073] a storage device storing a program; and

[0074] Hardware processor,

[0075] The hardware processor executes the program stored in the storage device to perform the following processing:

[0076] Acquiring an image obtained by photographing the external space of the moving object;

[0077] determining, based on the image, whether the mobile object is located in a merging lane that is closer to a merging lane among two merging lanes;

[0078] If it is determined that the moving object is present in the near merging lane, determining whether there is another moving object ahead of the moving object and in a merging lane farther from the merging lane;

[0079] setting a merging position candidate, wherein the merging position candidate is at least one merging position candidate at which the moving object completes merging into the merging lane and is set as a relative position between moving objects existing in the merging lane;

[0080] selecting, from the at least one merging position candidate, a merging position at which the mobile body completes merging into the merging lane; and

[0081] When it is determined that the other moving body is present, the merging position is selected from the merging position candidates other than the merging position candidate at the front position in the traveling direction of the moving body among the at least one merging position candidates.

[0082] While specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments at all, and various modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Claims

1. A mobile body control device, wherein: The mobile body control device comprises: an image acquisition unit that acquires an image obtained by photographing a space outside the moving object; a first determination unit that determines, based on the image, whether the moving object is present in a merging lane that is closer to a merging lane among two merging lanes; a second determination unit that, when the first determination unit determines that the moving object is in the near merging lane, determines whether there is another moving object ahead of the moving object and in a merging lane farther from the merging lane in the merging lane; a merging position candidate setting unit configured to set a merging position candidate, wherein the merging position candidate is at least one merging position candidate at which the moving body completes merging into the merging lane and is set as a relative position between moving bodies existing in the merging lane; as well as a merging position selecting unit for selecting a merging position at which the moving body completes merging into the merging lane from among the at least one merging position candidate; The merging position selection unit selects the merging position from among the at least one merging position candidates excluding the merging position candidate that is located most forward in the direction of travel of the mobile body, when the second determination unit determines that the other mobile body is present. The mobile body control device further includes a third determination unit that estimates a travel trajectory of the other mobile body and determines whether the other mobile body can merge with the forward-most merging position candidate based on the travel trajectory. When the third determination unit determines that the other moving body cannot merge at the merging position candidate at the frontmost position, the merging position selection unit selects the merging position from among the at least one merging position candidates excluding the merging position candidate at the frontmost position in the direction of travel of the moving body and the merging position candidate at the second frontmost position.

2. A mobile body control device, wherein: The mobile body control device comprises: an image acquisition unit that acquires an image obtained by photographing a space outside the moving object; a first determination unit that determines, based on the image, whether the moving object is present in a merging lane that is closer to a merging lane among two merging lanes; a second determination unit that, when the first determination unit determines that the moving object is in the near merging lane, determines whether there is another moving object ahead of the moving object and in a merging lane farther from the merging lane in the merging lane; a merging position candidate setting unit configured to set a merging position candidate, wherein the merging position candidate is at least one merging position candidate at which the moving body completes merging into the merging lane and is set as a relative position between moving bodies existing in the merging lane; as well as a merging position selecting unit for selecting a merging position at which the moving body completes merging into the merging lane from among the at least one merging position candidate; The merging position selection unit selects the merging position from among the at least one merging position candidates excluding the merging position candidate that is located most forward in the direction of travel of the mobile body, when the second determination unit determines that the other mobile body is present. The mobile object control device further includes a braking time estimating unit that estimates the time until an occupant of the mobile object operates a braking device of the mobile object. The merging position selection unit selects the merging position from the at least one merging position candidate without excluding the merging position candidate at the frontmost position in the traveling direction of the moving body when the time estimated by the braking time estimation unit is less than a threshold value.

3. A mobile body control device, wherein: The mobile body control device comprises: an image acquisition unit that acquires an image obtained by photographing a space outside the moving object; a first determination unit that determines, based on the image, whether the moving object is present in a merging lane that is closer to a merging lane among two merging lanes; a second determination unit that, when the first determination unit determines that the moving object is in the near merging lane, determines whether there is another moving object ahead of the moving object and in a merging lane farther from the merging lane in the merging lane; a merging position candidate setting unit configured to set a merging position candidate, wherein the merging position candidate is at least one merging position candidate at which the moving body completes merging into the merging lane and is set as a relative position between moving bodies existing in the merging lane; as well as a merging position selecting unit for selecting a merging position at which the moving body completes merging into the merging lane from among the at least one merging position candidate; The merging position selection unit selects the merging position from among the at least one merging position candidates excluding the merging position candidate that is located most forward in the direction of travel of the mobile body, when the second determination unit determines that the other mobile body is present. After selecting the merging position from the merging position candidates excluding the frontmost merging position candidate, the merging position selecting unit maintains the selection even if the other moving object decelerates and the moving object ends up being located ahead of the other moving object.

4. The mobile body control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The second determination unit performs the following processing: In an imaginary plane hypothetically observed from above, a perpendicular line drawn from the forwardmost merging position candidate relative to the traveling direction of the moving body is set as an imaginary line, and a first distance between the moving body and the imaginary line is compared with a second distance between the other moving body and the imaginary line. When the second distance is smaller than the first distance, it is determined that the other moving body is present at a position ahead of the moving body.

5. The mobile body control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The mobile body control device further includes a driving control unit that generates a target trajectory of the mobile body for merging with the merging position selected by the merging position selection unit, and controls the steering and acceleration and deceleration of the mobile body independently of the operation of the driver of the mobile body so that the mobile body travels along the generated target trajectory.

6. A method for controlling a moving object, wherein: The mobile object control method causes a computer mounted on the mobile object to perform the following processing: Acquiring an image obtained by photographing the external space of the moving object; determining, based on the image, whether the mobile object is located in a merging lane that is closer to a merging lane among two merging lanes; If it is determined that the moving object is present in the near merging lane, determining whether there is another moving object ahead of the moving object and in a merging lane farther from the merging lane; setting a merging position candidate, wherein the merging position candidate is at least one merging position candidate at which the moving object completes merging into the merging lane and is set as a relative position between moving objects existing in the merging lane; selecting, from the at least one merging position candidate, a merging position at which the mobile body completes merging into the merging lane; When it is determined that the other moving body is present, the merging position is selected from the at least one merging position candidate except for the merging position candidate that is located most forward in the direction of travel of the moving body; estimating a travel trajectory of the other moving object, and determining whether the other moving object can merge with the forward-most merging position candidate based on the travel trajectory; as well as When it is determined that the other moving body cannot merge at the merging position candidate at the frontmost position, the merging position is selected from the merging position candidates among the at least one merging position candidates except the merging position candidate at the frontmost position in the direction of travel of the moving body and the merging position candidate at the second frontmost position.

7. A storage medium storing a program, wherein: The program causes the computer mounted on the mobile object to perform the following processing: Acquiring an image obtained by photographing the external space of the moving object; determining, based on the image, whether the mobile object is located in a merging lane that is closer to a merging lane among two merging lanes; If it is determined that the moving object is in the near merging lane, determining whether there is another moving object in front of the moving object and in a merging lane farther from the merging lane; setting a merging position candidate, wherein the merging position candidate is at least one merging position candidate at which the moving object completes merging into the merging lane and is set as a relative position between moving objects existing in the merging lane; selecting, from the at least one merging position candidate, a merging position at which the mobile body completes merging into the merging lane; When it is determined that the other moving body is present, the merging position is selected from the at least one merging position candidate except for the merging position candidate that is located most forward in the direction of travel of the moving body; estimating a travel trajectory of the other moving object, and determining whether the other moving object can merge with the forward-most merging position candidate based on the travel trajectory; as well as When it is determined that the other moving body cannot merge at the merging position candidate at the frontmost position, the merging position is selected from the merging position candidates among the at least one merging position candidates except the merging position candidate at the frontmost position in the direction of travel of the moving body and the merging position candidate at the second frontmost position.

8. A method for controlling a moving object, wherein: The mobile object control method causes a computer mounted on the mobile object to perform the following processing: Acquiring an image obtained by photographing the external space of the moving object; determining, based on the image, whether the mobile object is located in a merging lane that is closer to a merging lane among two merging lanes; If it is determined that the moving object is present in the near merging lane, determining whether there is another moving object ahead of the moving object and in a merging lane farther from the merging lane; setting a merging position candidate, wherein the merging position candidate is at least one merging position candidate at which the moving object completes merging into the merging lane and is set as a relative position between moving objects existing in the merging lane; selecting, from the at least one merging position candidate, a merging position at which the mobile body completes merging into the merging lane; When it is determined that the other moving body is present, the merging position is selected from the at least one merging position candidate except for the merging position candidate that is located most forward in the direction of travel of the moving body; estimating a time until an occupant of the mobile object operates a braking device of the mobile object; as well as When the estimated time is less than a threshold value, the merging position is selected from the at least one merging position candidate without excluding the merging position candidate at the front position in the traveling direction of the moving body.

9. A storage medium storing a program, wherein: The program causes the computer mounted on the mobile object to perform the following processing: Acquiring an image obtained by photographing the external space of the moving object; determining, based on the image, whether the mobile object is located in a merging lane that is closer to a merging lane among two merging lanes; If it is determined that the moving object is in the near merging lane, determining whether there is another moving object in front of the moving object and in a merging lane farther from the merging lane; setting a merging position candidate, wherein the merging position candidate is at least one merging position candidate at which the moving object completes merging into the merging lane and is set as a relative position between moving objects existing in the merging lane; selecting, from the at least one merging position candidate, a merging position at which the mobile body completes merging into the merging lane; When it is determined that the other moving body is present, the merging position is selected from the at least one merging position candidate except for the merging position candidate that is located most forward in the direction of travel of the moving body; estimating a time until an occupant of the mobile object operates a braking device of the mobile object; as well as When the estimated time is less than a threshold value, the merging position is selected from the at least one merging position candidate without excluding the merging position candidate at the front position in the traveling direction of the moving body.

10. A method for controlling a moving object, wherein: The mobile object control method causes a computer mounted on the mobile object to perform the following processing: Acquiring an image obtained by photographing the external space of the moving object; determining, based on the image, whether the mobile object is located in a merging lane that is closer to a merging lane among two merging lanes; If it is determined that the moving object is present in the near merging lane, determining whether there is another moving object ahead of the moving object and in a merging lane farther from the merging lane; setting a merging position candidate, wherein the merging position candidate is at least one merging position candidate at which the moving object completes merging into the merging lane and is set as a relative position between moving objects existing in the merging lane; selecting, from the at least one merging position candidate, a merging position at which the mobile body completes merging into the merging lane; selecting the merging position from among the at least one merging position candidates, excluding the merging position candidate that is located most forward in the traveling direction of the mobile body, when it is determined that the other mobile body is present; and After the merging position is selected from the merging position candidates other than the frontmost merging position candidate, the selection is maintained even if the other moving object decelerates and the moving object is positioned ahead of the other moving object.

11. A storage medium storing a program, wherein: The program causes the computer mounted on the mobile object to perform the following processing: Acquiring an image obtained by photographing the external space of the moving object; determining, based on the image, whether the mobile object is located in a merging lane that is closer to a merging lane among two merging lanes; If it is determined that the moving object is in the near merging lane, determining whether there is another moving object in front of the moving object and in a merging lane farther from the merging lane; setting a merging position candidate, wherein the merging position candidate is at least one merging position candidate at which the moving object completes merging into the merging lane and is set as a relative position between moving objects existing in the merging lane; selecting, from the at least one merging position candidate, a merging position at which the mobile body completes merging into the merging lane; selecting the merging position from among the at least one merging position candidates, excluding the merging position candidate that is located most forward in the traveling direction of the mobile body, when it is determined that the other mobile body is present; and After the merging position is selected from the merging position candidates other than the frontmost merging position candidate, the selection is maintained even if the other moving object decelerates and the moving object is positioned ahead of the other moving object.

Images