Vehicle control method and vehicle control device

Abstract

The controller (20) determines whether the current position of the vehicle (1) is within a high-precision map available area (Rav) where high-precision map information (13H) can be used. If it is determined that the current position of the vehicle is within the high-precision map available area (Rav), acceleration or deceleration control of the vehicle is performed based on designated speed information obtained by identifying a speed mark on a captured image or designated speed information obtained from the high-precision map information (13H) based on the current position of the vehicle, and the designated speed information is notified to the driver. If it is predicted that the vehicle will go outside the high-precision map available area (Rav), the acceleration or deceleration control based on the designated speed information is terminated in front of (Pc) a point (Po) where the vehicle goes outside the high-precision map available area (Rav), and the designated speed information is obtained from road map information (13N) with lower accuracy than the high-precision map information (13H) based on the current position of the vehicle and notified to the driver.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] When a road sign recognition device described in the following patent document 1 recognizes a road sign from an image taken by a camera unit, if the recognized road sign is consistent with the road sign in the map information, the reliability of the map information is set to "high", and the reliability is maintained until the next reliability determination. When the reliability is "high", the road sign in the map information is judged as a road sign corresponding to the current position.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-2121-88

[0006] Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] In recent years, high-precision map information has become widely known as a map suitable for autonomous driving. By using the information of the designated speed (such as the speed limit or the recommended speed) stored in the high-precision map information, the designated speed information can be obtained even if the state where the speed sign is not recognized from the captured image of the camera continues. As a result, the acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle can be controlled based on the appropriate designated speed information. However, the areas where high-precision map information can be used are limited. In areas where high-precision map information cannot be used, if the state where the speed sign is not recognized from the captured image continues and the designated speed information of the current position of the vehicle cannot be obtained, the acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle cannot be controlled based on the appropriate designated speed information. Summary of the invention

[0008] An object of the present invention is to avoid a situation in which the acceleration or deceleration of a host vehicle is controlled based on inappropriate designated speed information in an area where high-precision map information cannot be used.

[0009] In a vehicle control method of one embodiment of the present invention, a controller performs the following processing: a process of acquiring the current position of the vehicle; a process of acquiring a captured image representing the environment in front of the vehicle from a camera; a process of determining whether the current position of the vehicle is within a high-precision map available area where high-precision map information can be used; when it is determined that the current position of the vehicle is within the high-precision map available area, acceleration or deceleration control of the vehicle is performed based on designated speed information acquired by identifying a speed mark on the captured image or designated speed information acquired from high-precision map information based on the current position of the vehicle, and the designated speed information is notified to the driver; when it is predicted that the vehicle will drive out of the high-precision map available area, acceleration or deceleration control based on the designated speed information is terminated before the vehicle drives out of the high-precision map available area. The designated speed information is acquired from road map information with a lower accuracy than the high-precision map information based on the current position of the vehicle and the driver is notified.

[0010] Effects of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the acceleration or deceleration of the host vehicle is controlled based on inappropriate designated speed information in an area where high-precision map information cannot be used.

[0012] The objects and advantages of the present invention will be embodied and realized by utilizing the elements and combinations thereof shown in the scope of the claims.The above general description and the following detailed description are only illustrative and explanatory and should not be construed as limiting the present invention as the scope of the claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a vehicle equipped with the driving assistance device according to the embodiment.

[0014] Figure 2 Yes means Figure 1 A diagram of a portion of an input device.

[0015] Figure 3A is a schematic diagram illustrating the area where high-precision maps are available.

[0016] Figure 3B is a schematic diagram illustrating the area where high-precision maps are available.

[0017] Figure 4A Schematic diagram of an example of the first remaining distance and the second remaining distance.

[0018] Figure 4B Schematic diagram of an example of the first remaining distance and the second remaining distance.

[0019] Figure 5This is a flowchart of an example of a vehicle control method according to an embodiment.

[0020] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of an example of the end condition determination process.

[0021] Figure 7 This is a flowchart of an example of autonomous speed control. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] (structure)

[0023] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing an example of a schematic structure of a vehicle equipped with a driving assistance device of an embodiment. The driving assistance device 10 mounted on the vehicle 1 has: a sensor 11, a positioning device 12, a high-precision map database (high-precision map DB) 13H, a navigation map database (navigation map DB) 13N, an on-board device 14, a navigation system 15, a display device 16, a sound output device 17, an input device 18, a vehicle behavior control device 19 and a controller 20. In order to send and receive information to each other, these devices are connected through other on-board LANs such as CAN (Controller Area Network). In addition, the driving assistance device 10 is an example of a "vehicle control device" recorded in the scope of the claim.

[0024] The sensor 11 detects the driving state of the vehicle 1. For example, the sensor 11 includes cameras such as a front camera that captures the front of the vehicle 1, a rear camera that captures the rear of the vehicle 1, and a side camera that captures the left and right sides of the vehicle 1. In addition, the sensor 11 includes radars such as a front radar that detects obstacles in front of the vehicle 1, a rear radar that detects obstacles behind the vehicle 1, and a side radar that detects obstacles on the left and right sides of the vehicle 1. Furthermore, the sensor 11 includes a vehicle speed sensor that detects the speed of the vehicle 1, a touch sensor (electrostatic capacitance sensor) that detects the grip of the steering wheel by an occupant (e.g., a driver), and an in-vehicle camera that captures images of the occupants.

[0025] The positioning device 12 includes: a GPS unit, a gyro sensor, and a vehicle speed sensor. The positioning device 12 detects radio waves sent from multiple communication satellites through the GPS unit and periodically obtains the position information of the host vehicle 1. In addition, the positioning device 12 detects the current position of the host vehicle 1 based on the acquired position information of the host vehicle 1, the angle change information obtained from the gyro sensor, and the vehicle speed obtained from the vehicle speed sensor.

[0026] The high-precision map DB 13H is a memory that stores three-dimensional high-precision map information including location information of various facilities and specific locations and is accessible from the controller 20. The three-dimensional high-precision map information is three-dimensional map information based on the road shape detected when the vehicle for data acquisition travels on an actual road. The three-dimensional high-precision map information is map information that associates detailed and high-precision location information such as curved roads and the size of the curved roads (e.g., curvature or curvature radius), road confluence locations, branch locations, toll booths, and lane reduction locations with map information as three-dimensional information.

[0027] Since the three-dimensional high-precision map information has highly detailed shape information and highly accurate position information, it is possible to estimate the own position of the vehicle 1 on the map with high accuracy. In addition, the three-dimensional high-precision map information includes designated speed information indicating the designated speed (for example, speed limits and recommended speeds such as maximum speed and minimum speed) designated for each lane. The designated speed information may be, for example, information that specifies the designated speed of a corresponding road or lane corresponding to the road or lane, or information on the location of a speed mark and its designated speed.

[0028] The navigation map DB 13N is a memory that stores navigation map information used in the navigation system 15 described later and is accessible from the navigation system 15 and the controller 20. The navigation map information is map information with lower accuracy than the three-dimensional high-precision map information and is an example of "road map information" described in the scope of the claims.

[0029] The navigation map information includes information on road units. For example, as information on roads, the navigation map information includes information on road nodes indicating reference points on a road reference line and information on road links indicating the section form of roads between road nodes. The information on road nodes includes position coordinates, the number of connected road links, and identification numbers of connected road links. The information on road links includes road specifications, link length, number of lanes, road width, and designated speed information.

[0030] Compared with three-dimensional high-precision map information, the navigation map information has lower refinement of shape information and lower accuracy of position information. Therefore, the estimated accuracy of the own position of the vehicle 1 on the map is lower than that of the three-dimensional high-precision map information. In addition, the accuracy of the designated speed information of the navigation map information is sometimes lower than that of the high-precision map information. For example, the designated speed information of the navigation map information is stored in units of roads, so, for example, when different designated speed information is specified for each lane, it may be different from the designated speed information of the lane in which the vehicle 1 is traveling.

[0031] The vehicle-mounted devices 14 are various devices mounted on the vehicle 1 and are operated by the operation of the occupants. Examples of such vehicle-mounted devices include a steering wheel, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a direction indicator, a wiper, a light, a horn, and other specific switches.

[0032] The navigation system 15 obtains the current position information of the host vehicle 1 from the positioning device 12, and superimposes the position of the host vehicle 1 on the navigation map information and displays it on a display or the like. In addition, the navigation system 15 has a navigation function of setting a route to the destination on the map of the navigation map information when a destination is set, and guiding the set route to the passengers. The route set by the navigation system 15 is sometimes marked as a "scheduled driving route".

[0033] The navigation function displays the planned driving route on a map on the display and informs the occupants of the planned driving route by voice, etc. The planned driving route is also used in the route driving assistance function provided by the controller 20. The route driving assistance function is a function for autonomously driving the host vehicle 1 to the destination based on the planned driving route.

[0034] The display device 16 includes various displays such as a display provided in the navigation system 15 , a display mounted on a room mirror, a display mounted on an instrument panel, and a head-up display projected on a windshield. The display device 16 notifies the occupant of various presentation information under the control of the controller 20 .

[0035] The sound output device 17 is a device that outputs auditory information, such as a speaker included in the navigation system 15 , a speaker of an audio device, a buzzer, etc. The sound output device 17 notifies the occupant of various presentation information under the control of the controller 20 .

[0036] The input device 18 is, for example, a button switch that can be manually operated by the occupant, a touch panel arranged on the display screen, or a microphone that can be input by the occupant's voice. The occupant can input setting information for the prompt information presented by the display device 16 or the sound output device 17 by operating the input device 18.

[0037] Figure 2 1 is a diagram showing a part of the input device 18 of the present embodiment. The input device 18 may be, for example, a push button switch group arranged on the spoke portion of the steering wheel. The input device 18 is used to set the on / off state of the autonomous driving control function provided by the controller 20. The input device 18 includes a main switch 181, a recovery / acceleration switch 182, a setting / coasting switch 183, a cancel switch 184, a vehicle adjustment switch 185, and a lane change assist switch 186.

[0038] The main switch 181 is a switch for turning on / off the autonomous driving control function of the controller 20. The resume / acceleration switch 182 is a switch for setting to restart the autonomous driving control function at the set speed before disconnection after the autonomous driving control function is disconnected, or to increase the set speed. The setting / coasting switch 183 is a switch for starting the autonomous driving control function. In order to start the autonomous driving control function, for example, after the autonomous driving control function is turned on by the main switch 181, the setting / coasting switch 183 is pressed. In addition, the setting / coasting switch 183 is a switch for lowering the set speed. The cancel switch 184 is a switch for releasing the autonomous driving control function. The inter-vehicle adjustment switch 185 is a switch for setting the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle. The lane change assist switch 186 is a switch for instructing (accepting) the start of a lane change when the controller 20 confirms the start of a lane change to the occupant.

[0039] In addition, Figure 2 In addition to the button switch group shown, a direction indicator lever of a direction indicator or a switch of other vehicle-mounted equipment 14 may be used as the input device 18. For example, in a case where the controller 20 proposes whether to automatically change lanes, if the occupant operates the direction indicator lever, the lane change will be made in the direction in which the direction indicator lever is operated instead of the proposed lane change.

[0040] The vehicle behavior control device 19 controls the vehicle behavior of the vehicle 1. For example, when the vehicle 1 is traveling at a set speed by means of an autonomous driving control function, the vehicle behavior control device 19 controls the action of a drive mechanism for achieving acceleration and deceleration and a driving speed and the action of a brake so that the vehicle 1 reaches the set speed. In addition, when the vehicle 1 follows the preceding vehicle by means of an autonomous driving control function, the vehicle behavior control device 19 also controls the action of a drive mechanism and a brake. In addition, the action control of the drive mechanism includes the action of an internal combustion engine in an engine vehicle and includes the action of a driving motor in an electric vehicle system. In addition, in a hybrid vehicle, the torque distribution between the internal combustion engine and the driving motor is included.

[0041] In addition, when the vehicle behavior control device 19 performs the lane keeping control, lane change assist function, overtaking assist function or route driving assist function described later by the autonomous driving control function, in addition to the operation control of the drive mechanism and the brake, it also controls the operation of the steering actuator to perform the steering control of the vehicle 1.

[0042] The controller 20 is one or more electronic control units for controlling the driving of the vehicle 1, and includes peripheral components such as a processor 21 and a storage device 22. The processor 21 may be, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit). The storage device 22 may include a semiconductor storage device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, etc. The storage device 22 may include a register, a cache memory, a ROM (Read Only Memory) used as a main storage device, and a RAM (Random Access Memory).

[0043] The functions of the controller 20 described below are realized by causing the processor 21 to execute a computer program stored in the storage device 22 , for example.

[0044] In addition, the controller 20 may be formed by dedicated hardware for executing each information processing described below. For example, the controller 20 may have a functional logic circuit set in a general-purpose semiconductor integrated circuit. For example, the controller 20 may have a programmable logic device (PLD: Programmable Logic Device) such as a field programmable gate array (PGA: Field-Programmable Gate Array).

[0045] The controller 20 implements a driving information acquisition function of acquiring information related to the driving state of the vehicle 1, and an autonomous driving control function of autonomously controlling the driving speed and / or steering of the vehicle 1. The driving information acquisition function of the controller 20 is a function of acquiring driving information related to the driving state of the vehicle 1. For example, the controller 20 can acquire image information of the outside of the vehicle captured by the front camera, rear camera, and side camera of the sensor 11 as driving information. In addition, the controller 20 acquires the detection results of the front radar, rear radar, and side radar as driving information. Furthermore, the controller 20 also acquires the vehicle speed information of the vehicle 1 detected by the vehicle speed sensor of the sensor 11 and the image information of the occupant's face captured by the in-vehicle camera as driving information.

[0046] Furthermore, the controller 20 obtains the current position information of the vehicle 1 from the positioning device 12 as driving information. In addition, the controller 20 obtains the set destination and the planned driving route to the destination from the navigation system 15 as driving information. Furthermore, the controller 20 obtains the position information of the curve and its size (e.g., curvature or curvature radius), merging point, branch point, toll station, and lane reduction position from the high-precision map DB13H or the navigation map DB13N as driving information. In addition, the controller 20 obtains the occupant's operation information on the vehicle-mounted device 14 from the vehicle-mounted device 14 as driving information.

[0047] The autonomous driving control function of the controller 20 is a function of autonomously controlling the driving of the vehicle 1 without relying on the operation of the occupants. The autonomous driving control function of the controller 20 includes: an autonomous speed control function that autonomously controls the driving speed by controlling the acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle 1, and an autonomous steering control function that autonomously controls the steering of the vehicle 1. These autonomous controls are performed based on the high-precision map information of the high-precision map DB13H. Autonomous control of the driving speed based on the autonomous speed control function (hereinafter referred to as "autonomous speed control") is an example of "acceleration and deceleration control" recorded in the scope of the claim.

[0048] The autonomous speed control function and the autonomous steering control function of the present embodiment are described below. In the present invention, the autonomous driving control function only needs to include the autonomous speed control function, and the autonomous driving control function does not necessarily need to include the autonomous steering control function.

[0049] (Autonomous speed control function)

[0050] The autonomous speed control function is a function that, when the vehicle 1 is located in an area where high-precision map information can be used, i.e., a high-precision map available area Rav, the vehicle 1 controls the vehicle in front by maintaining a vehicle-to-vehicle distance corresponding to the vehicle speed, with the speed limit of the lane in which the vehicle 1 is traveling or the vehicle speed set by the occupant as the upper limit.

[0051] When the leading vehicle is not detected, the autonomous speed control function performs constant speed driving at the speed limit of the lane in which the host vehicle 1 is traveling or the speed set by the occupant. The former is also called inter-vehicle control, and the latter is also called constant speed control. In addition, when the recommended speed of the lane in which the host vehicle 1 is traveling is set, constant speed driving can also be performed at the recommended speed. In this way, the upper limit speed set when the leading vehicle is detected and the target speed for constant speed driving set when the leading vehicle is not detected are sometimes marked as "set speed".

[0052] Figure 3A and 3B: is a schematic diagram illustrating the high-precision map available area Rav. An example of the high-precision map available area Rav is a dedicated road for automobiles such as an expressway. For example, in addition to the main road Lm of the dedicated road for automobiles, the high-precision map available area Rav may also include a deceleration lane Ld from the main road Lm toward the exit Po at the intersection between the dedicated road for automobiles and the general road, and a ramp Lr between the deceleration lane Ld and the exit Po. In addition, for example, the high-precision map available area Rav may include a ramp Lr from the entrance Pi of the intersection toward the main road Lm, and an acceleration lane La between the ramp Lr and the main road Lm.

[0053] The following is a description of the high-precision map available area Rav. Figure 3A and Figure 3B The example shown is a dedicated road for automobiles, but the high-precision map available area Rav is not limited to dedicated roads for automobiles, and any area can be used as long as high-precision map information can be used.

[0054] After the autonomous driving control function is turned on by the main switch 181, if the set / coast switch 183 is pressed, the controller 20 determines whether the current position of the vehicle 1 measured by the positioning device 12 is within the high-precision map available area Rav.

[0055] When the current position of the vehicle 1 is within the high-precision map available area Rav, the controller 20 performs autonomous speed control. When the current position of the vehicle 1 is not within the high-precision map available area Rav, the controller 20 does not perform autonomous speed control. At the moment when the current position of the vehicle 1 changes from the outside of the high-precision map available area Rav to the inside, the controller 20 can start autonomous speed control.

[0056] In autonomous speed control, the controller 20 recognizes a speed mark from the image captured by the camera of the sensor 11 and obtains designated speed information of a designated speed (e.g., speed limit or recommended speed) specified for the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, or obtains designated speed information from high-precision map information of the high-precision map DB 13H, and sets the set vehicle speed based on the designated speed. The method for recognizing the designated speed will be described later.

[0057] When the front radar of the sensor 11 detects that there is no vehicle ahead in the lane, the constant speed control is performed. In the constant speed control, while the vehicle speed data of the vehicle speed sensor is fed back, the operation of the driving mechanism such as the engine and the brake is controlled by the vehicle behavior control device 19 to maintain the set vehicle speed.

[0058] When the front radar of the sensor 11 detects that there is a preceding vehicle in front of the lane, the inter-vehicle control is performed. In the inter-vehicle control, while feeding back the inter-vehicle distance data detected by the front radar, the vehicle behavior control device 19 controls the operation of the driving mechanism such as the engine and the brake to limit the vehicle speed to below the set vehicle speed and maintain the set inter-vehicle distance.

[0059] (Autonomous steering control function)

[0060] The autonomous steering control function is a function for controlling the operation of the steering actuator based on high-precision map information to perform steering control of the host vehicle 1. The autonomous steering control function includes, for example, a lane keeping function, a lane change assist function, an overtaking assist function, and a route driving assist function.

[0061] The lane keeping function is a function that controls the steering actuator to drive the vehicle near the center of the lane and assists the steering wheel operation of the occupant. For example, after the autonomous driving control function is turned on by the main switch 181, if the set / coast switch 183 is pressed, the controller 20 determines whether a predetermined autonomous driving control start condition is satisfied. If it is determined that the autonomous driving control start condition is satisfied, the controller 20 executes the lane keeping function of the autonomous steering control function.

[0062] (Lane Change Assist)

[0063] The lane change assist function lights up the direction indicator when the occupant operates the direction indicator lever, and starts a series of automatic lane change processes, namely the lane change operation, when the prescribed lane change start conditions are met. The lane change assist function determines whether the prescribed lane change start conditions are met based on various driving information obtained by the driving information acquisition function. The lane change assist function starts the lane change operation when the lane change start conditions are met. In the lane change operation, the vehicle 1 is moved laterally to the adjacent lane, and the direction indicator is turned off after the movement to the adjacent lane is completed, and the lane keeping function in the adjacent lane is started.

[0064] (Overtaking assistance function)

[0065] The overtaking assist function provides the occupant with overtaking information through the display device 16 when there is a preceding vehicle slower than the vehicle 1 in front of the vehicle 1 in the lane and the prescribed overtaking proposal condition is satisfied. Here, the overtaking information refers to information for proposing the occupant to overtake the preceding vehicle. When the occupant operates the lane change assist switch 186 of the input device 18 to accept the overtaking information, and when the preset overtaking start condition is satisfied, the overtaking assist function lights up the direction indicator and starts the lane change operation. The overtaking assist function determines whether the overtaking proposal condition and the overtaking start condition are satisfied based on various driving information acquired by the driving information acquisition function.

[0066] (Route driving assistance function)

[0067] The route driving assist function provides route driving information through the display device 16 and suggests a lane change to the driving direction change point when there is a driving direction change point such as a branch point, a merging point, an exit, or a toll booth on the scheduled driving route, and the distance to the driving direction change point is within a prescribed distance and the prescribed route driving suggestion conditions are met. In addition, the route driving assist function starts the lane change operation when a lane change suggestion is accepted by the operation of the lane change assist switch 186 and the prescribed route driving start conditions are met.

[0068] The route driving assist function determines whether a route driving suggestion condition and a route driving start condition are satisfied based on various driving information acquired by the driving information acquisition function.

[0069] (Specify the speed recognition method)

[0070] Next, the recognition method of the designated speed based on the controller 20 is described. The controller 20 obtains the information of the current position of the vehicle 1 measured by the positioning device 12 as driving information. In addition, a captured image representing the environment in front of the vehicle 1 is obtained from the camera of the sensor 11. The controller 20 determines whether the current position of the vehicle 1 is within the high-precision map available area Rav. For example, the controller 20 can determine that the current position of the vehicle 1 is within the high-precision map available area Rav when the high-precision map information of the current position of the vehicle 1 can be obtained from the high-precision map DB13H. In addition, the position information of the area for which the high-precision map information is prepared can also be stored in the high-precision map DB13H. Various methods can be used to determine whether the current position of the vehicle 1 is within the high-precision map available area Rav.

[0071] When the current position of the vehicle 1 is within the high-precision map available area Rav, the controller 20 identifies the speed mark on the image captured by the camera of the sensor 11 and obtains the designated speed information of the lane being driven. Alternatively, based on the current position of the vehicle 1, the controller 20 obtains the designated speed information of the lane being driven from the high-precision map information of the high-precision map DB13H.

[0072] For example, the controller 20 can obtain the speed specified by the speed sign as the designated speed information when the speed sign is recognized on the image captured by the camera. In the case where the speed sign is no longer recognized on the image captured by the camera, the designated speed information last obtained from the image captured by the camera can be used as the designated speed of the lane in which the vehicle is traveling until a specified time has passed since the speed sign is no longer recognized (or until the vehicle 1 has traveled a specified distance). When a specified time has passed since the speed sign is no longer recognized (or when the vehicle 1 has traveled a specified distance), the controller 20 can obtain the designated speed information of the lane in which the vehicle is traveling from the high-precision map information based on the current position of the vehicle 1.

[0073] As described above, when the current position of the host vehicle 1 is within the high-precision map available area Rav, the designated speed information obtained from the captured image of the camera or the high-precision map information is used as the set vehicle speed for the autonomous speed control of the controller 20. In addition, the controller 20 notifies the occupant of the acquired designated speed information. For example, the controller 20 can output the designated speed information through the display device 16 and the sound output device 17.

[0074] On the other hand, when the current position of the vehicle 1 is outside the high-precision map available area Rav (for example, when the vehicle 1 is traveling on a general road), the controller 20 obtains the designated speed information of the road being traveled from the navigation map information of the navigation map DB13N based on the current position of the vehicle 1. Alternatively, the designated speed information of the road being traveled is obtained by identifying the speed mark on the image captured by the camera of the sensor 11. The controller 20 informs the occupants of the acquired designated speed information. For example, the controller 20 can output the designated speed information through the display device 16 and the sound output device 17.

[0075] When the current position of the vehicle 1 moves out from the inside of the high-precision map available area Rav, the controller 20 switches the map information for obtaining the specified speed information from the high-precision map information of the high-precision map DB13H to the navigation map information of the navigation map DB13N, and ends the autonomous speed control.

[0076] At this time, if the vehicle 1 is at a location where it exits the high-precision map available area Rav (for example Figure 3AIf the autonomous speed control is terminated before the exit Po) at the destination or before that point, there is a possibility that inappropriate designated speed information will be set as the set speed and the autonomous speed control will be performed.

[0077] For example, while the host vehicle 1 is traveling on the ramp Lr on the way to the exit Po, the camera of the sensor 11 may be oriented in various directions, and thus may erroneously recognize a speed sign on a lane different from the driving lane of the host vehicle 1. In this case, as described above, the controller 20 uses the designated speed information recognized from the speed sign of the captured image as the designated speed until the prescribed time has passed (or until the host vehicle 1 has traveled a prescribed distance), and therefore, there is a possibility that autonomous speed control is performed based on the erroneous designated speed information until the prescribed time has passed (or until the host vehicle 1 has traveled a prescribed distance).

[0078] Furthermore, even when the designated speed information is acquired from the high-precision map information of the high-precision map DB 13H, there is a possibility that the same designated speed information as that of the main road Lm is erroneously stored as the designated speed information of the ramp Lr.

[0079] Therefore, when the controller 20 predicts that the vehicle 1 will go outside the high-precision map available area Rav, the controller 20 ends the autonomous speed control based on the designated speed information before the location where the vehicle 1 goes outside the high-precision map available area Rav. Then, the controller 20 starts the process of acquiring the designated speed information from the navigation map information with lower accuracy than the high-precision map information based on the current position of the vehicle 1 and notifying the driver. In the following, the location where the vehicle 1 goes outside the high-precision map available area Rav is sometimes marked as a "scheduled entry and exit location".

[0080] For example, when a planned driving route is set in the navigation system 15 (i.e., a destination is set), when the planned driving route exits the high-precision map available area Rav, the controller 20 can predict that the vehicle 1 will exit the high-precision map available area Rav, and determine the location where the planned driving route exits the high-precision map available area Rav as the planned entry and exit location.

[0081] In addition, for example, when a scheduled driving route is not set (i.e., when a destination is not set), the controller 20 can predict that the vehicle 1 will exit the high-precision map available area Rav when the driving lane currently traveled by the vehicle 1 exits the high-precision map available area Rav in front of the vehicle 1, and determine the location where the driving lane exits the high-precision map available area Rav as the scheduled entry and exit location.

[0082] For example, in Figure 3AIn the example, the controller 20 can predict whether the vehicle 1 will drive out of the high-precision map available area Rav by predicting whether the vehicle 1 will drive out from the exit Po of the dedicated road for automobiles, and determine the exit Po as the predetermined entry and exit point.

[0083] For example, when a predetermined driving route is set, the controller 20 can predict that the vehicle 1 will exit from the exit Po when the predetermined driving route is a path to exit from the exit Po of the dedicated road for automobiles. When a predetermined driving route is not set, the controller 20 can predict that the vehicle 1 will exit from the exit Po when the vehicle 1 is traveling on the deceleration lane Ld toward the exit Po, or on the ramp Lr between the deceleration lane Ld and the exit Po, or when changing lanes to the deceleration lane Ld.

[0084] In addition, even in an area where high-precision map information is stored in the high-precision map DB13H, if there is a prohibited area where the use of high-precision map information is prohibited due to engineering reasons, etc., when the planned driving route or the driving lane of the vehicle 1 passes through the prohibited area, it can be predicted that the vehicle 1 will drive out of the high-precision map available area Rav.

[0085] When it is predicted that the vehicle 1 will drive out of the high-precision map available area Rav, the controller 20 ends the autonomous speed control at a location Pc in front of the scheduled entry and exit location (i.e., a location closer to the current position of the vehicle 1 than the scheduled entry and exit location), and starts the process of informing the driver of the designated speed information obtained from the navigation map information. Hereinafter, the location Pc is expressed as a "switching location Pc". The switching location Pc may be, for example, a location that is a specified distance Dp in front of the location (scheduled entry and exit location) where the vehicle 1 drives out of the high-precision map available area Rav. The specified distance Dp may be set to, for example, a distance (e.g., 100 [m]) at which a speed mark can be recognized from an image captured by the camera of the sensor 11. In addition, for example, the switching location Pc may also be a location where the driving time of the vehicle 1 until the scheduled entry and exit location is a specified time.

[0086] When determining whether the vehicle 1 has reached the switching point Pc, the controller 20 of this embodiment calculates the distance that the vehicle 1 can travel without changing lanes, i.e., the first remaining distance D1, through the autonomous driving control function based on the high-precision map information. In addition, the controller 20 calculates the distance between the end point of the planned driving route on the high-precision map and the current position of the vehicle 1, i.e., the second remaining distance D2.

[0087] The controller 20 determines that the vehicle 1 has reached the switching point Pc when the difference between the first remaining distance D1 and the second remaining distance D2 is below the threshold value and the first remaining distance D1 or the second remaining distance D2 is below the prescribed distance Dp. The controller 20 may also determine that the vehicle 1 has reached the switching point Pc when both the first remaining distance D1 and the second remaining distance D2 are below the prescribed distance Dp.

[0088] Figure 4A and Figure 4B This is a schematic diagram of an example of the first remaining distance D1 and the second remaining distance D2 when the planned driving route is a path from the exit Po. The dashed line indicates the path that the vehicle 1 can travel without changing lanes through the autonomous driving control function based on high-precision map information. In addition, the double-dotted line indicates the path to the end point on the high-precision map of the planned driving route, that is, the path from the current position of the vehicle 1 to the exit Po.

[0089] like Figure 4A As shown, when the vehicle 1 is located on the main road Lm, the path that the vehicle 1 can travel without changing lanes is different from the path from the current position of the vehicle 1 to the exit Po through the autonomous driving control function based on high-precision map information. Therefore, the difference between the first remaining distance D1 and the second remaining distance D2 becomes larger.

[0090] On the other hand, Figure 4B As shown, when the vehicle 1 changes lanes to the deceleration lane Ld, the end point of the path that the vehicle 1 can travel without changing lanes becomes the exit Po through the autonomous driving control function based on high-precision map information. Therefore, the first remaining distance D1 and the second remaining distance D2 are approximately equal. Therefore, when the difference between the first remaining distance D1 and the second remaining distance D2 becomes less than the threshold, the controller 20 can correctly predict that the vehicle 1 will exit from the exit Po.

[0091] In this way, by comparing the first remaining distance D1 with the second remaining distance D2, it is possible to correctly determine whether the vehicle 1 has reached the predetermined entry and exit point (in the case of the vehicle 1 exiting the high-precision map available area Rav) outside. Figure 3A In the example, it is the switching point Pc before the exit Po).

[0092] For example, if it is determined that the vehicle 1 has arrived at the switching point Pc only based on whether the second remaining distance D2 becomes less than the specified distance Dp, then in the case where the destination of the planned driving route is set to a place such as a service area of ​​a dedicated road for automobiles, when the vehicle 1 enters the service area, the autonomous speed control based on the designated speed information will be released due to the erroneous determination that the vehicle 1 has arrived at the switching point Pc.

[0093] The controller 20 of the present embodiment is configured so that if the difference between the first remaining distance D1 and the second remaining distance D2 is not less than a threshold value, it is not determined that the switching point Pc has been reached. As described above, when the destination is set to a service area, since the calculation result of the first remaining distance D1 is different from the second remaining distance D2, it is possible to avoid erroneous determination that the switching point Pc has been reached.

[0094] On the contrary, when the current position of the host vehicle 1 changes from the outside of the high-precision map available area Rav to the inside, the controller 20 stops notifying the driver of the designated speed information obtained from the navigation map information of the navigation map DB13N and switches the map information for obtaining the designated speed information from the navigation map information to the high-precision map information of the high-precision map DB13H at the moment when the current position of the host vehicle 1 changes from the outside of the high-precision map available area Rav to the inside. Then, the autonomous speed control based on the designated speed information is started, and the processing of notifying the driver of the designated speed information obtained from the captured image of the camera or the high-precision map information is started.

[0095] (action)

[0096] Figure 5 This is a flowchart of an example of a vehicle control method according to an embodiment.

[0097] In step S1, the controller 20 acquires information on the current position of the host vehicle 1 from the positioning device 12. In step S2, the controller 20 acquires a captured image showing the environment in front of the host vehicle 1 from the camera of the sensor 11.

[0098] In step S3, the controller 20 determines whether the current position of the host vehicle 1 has entered the inner side from the outer side of the high-precision map available area Rav. If the current position of the host vehicle 1 has entered the inner side from the outer side of the high-precision map available area Rav (step S3: Yes), the process proceeds to step S7. If the current position of the host vehicle 1 is outside the high-precision map available area Rav (step S3: No), the process proceeds to step S4.

[0099] In step S4, the controller 20 acquires designated speed information from the navigation map information based on the current position of the host vehicle 1. In step S5, the controller 20 informs the occupant of the designated speed information acquired in step S4.

[0100] In step S6, the controller 20 determines whether the vehicle 1 has arrived at the destination. If the vehicle 1 has not arrived at the destination (step S6: No), the process returns to step S1. If the vehicle 1 has arrived at the destination (step S6: Yes), the process ends.

[0101] On the other hand, in step S7, the controller 20 executes a termination condition determination process for determining whether the termination condition of the autonomous speed control is satisfied. Figure 6 This is a flowchart of an example of the end condition determination process.

[0102] In step S20, the controller 20 calculates the first remaining distance D1. In step S21, the controller 20 calculates the second remaining distance D2.

[0103] In step S22, the controller 20 determines whether the difference |D2-D1| is less than a threshold value. If the difference |D2-D1| is less than the threshold value (step S22: Yes), the process proceeds to step S24. If the difference |D2-D1| is not less than the threshold value (step S22: No), the process proceeds to step S23.

[0104] In step S23, the controller 20 determines that the end condition is not satisfied. Thereafter, the end condition determination process ends.

[0105] In step S24, the controller 20 determines whether the first remaining distance D1 is less than the prescribed distance Dp. The controller 20 may also determine whether the second remaining distance D2 is less than the prescribed distance Dp. When the first remaining distance D1 is longer than the prescribed distance Dp or the second remaining distance D2 is longer than the prescribed distance Dp (step S24: No), the process proceeds to step S23. When the first remaining distance D1 is less than the prescribed distance Dp or the second remaining distance D2 is less than the prescribed distance Dp (step S24: Yes), the process proceeds to step S25.

[0106] In step S25, the controller 20 determines that the end condition is satisfied. Thereafter, the end condition determination process ends.

[0107] Reference Figure 5 If the termination condition is satisfied (step S8: Yes), the process proceeds to step S4. If the autonomous speed control has already started, the process proceeds to step S4 to terminate the autonomous speed control. If the termination condition is not satisfied (step S8: N), the process proceeds to step S9.

[0108] In step S9 , the controller 20 performs autonomous speed control.

[0109] Figure 7 This is a flowchart of an example of autonomous speed control.

[0110] In step S30, the controller 20 determines whether a speed mark is recognized from the captured image of the camera. If a speed mark is not recognized from the captured image (step S30: No), the process proceeds to step S32. If a speed mark is recognized from the captured image (step S30: Yes), the process proceeds to step S31.

[0111] In step S31, the controller 20 obtains the designated speed information of the lane in which the vehicle is traveling by recognizing the speed mark from the captured image. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S34.

[0112] In step S32, the controller 20 determines whether a specified time has passed since the last time the designated speed information was acquired from the captured image. Alternatively, the controller 20 may determine whether the host vehicle 1 has traveled a specified distance since the last time the designated speed information was acquired from the captured image. If the specified time has not passed (or the host vehicle 1 has not traveled the specified distance) (step S32: No), the process proceeds to step S34. In this case, the designated speed information acquired from the captured image last time continues to be used.

[0113] When the prescribed time has passed (or the vehicle 1 has traveled a prescribed distance), the process proceeds to step S33. In step S33, the controller 20 acquires designated speed information from the high-precision map information based on the current position of the vehicle 1. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S34.

[0114] In step S34, the controller 20 controls the acceleration or deceleration of the host vehicle 1 based on the designated speed information. Figure 5 Step S10.

[0115] Reference Figure 5 In step S10, the controller 20 notifies the occupant of the designated speed information acquired in the autonomous speed control in step S9. Thereafter, the process returns to step S7.

[0116] (Effects of Embodiments)

[0117] (1) The controller 20 performs the following processing: a process of acquiring the current position of the vehicle 1; a process of acquiring a captured image representing the environment in front of the vehicle 1 from a camera; a process of determining whether the current position of the vehicle 1 is within a high-precision map available area Rav for which high-precision map information can be used; a process of controlling the acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle 1 based on designated speed information acquired by identifying a speed mark on the captured image or designated speed information acquired from high-precision map information based on the current position of the vehicle 1, and informing the driver of the designated speed information; a process of terminating the acceleration or deceleration control based on the designated speed information before the location where the vehicle 1 is outside the high-precision map available area Rav, and acquiring the designated speed information from road map information having a lower accuracy than the high-precision map information based on the current position of the vehicle 1 and informing the driver of the designated speed information, when it is predicted that the vehicle 1 will drive out of the high-precision map available area Rav, and obtaining the designated speed information from the road map information having a lower accuracy than the high-precision map information based on the current position of the vehicle 1, and informing the driver of the designated speed information.

[0118] Thus, it is possible to avoid the situation where acceleration and deceleration control is performed based on inappropriate designated speed information in an area where high-precision map information cannot be used, such as outside the high-precision map available area Rav. For example, in an area where high-precision map information cannot be used, if the designated speed information of the current position of the vehicle cannot be obtained because the state where the speed mark is not recognized from the image captured by the camera continues, it is possible to avoid the situation where acceleration and deceleration control is performed based on the designated speed information.

[0119] (2) The controller 20 may also terminate the acceleration / deceleration control based on the designated speed information when the distance between the vehicle 1 and the location outside the high-precision map available area Rav decreases to a specified distance Dp, and inform the driver of the designated speed information obtained from the road map information.

[0120] This can prevent the vehicle 1 from becoming unstable before the acceleration / deceleration control is about to end due to the camera misidentifying the speed sign of a lane different from the lane in which the vehicle 1 is traveling just before exiting the high-precision map available area Rav.

[0121] (3) The predetermined distance Dp may be, for example, a distance at which a speed indicator can be recognized from an image captured by a camera. This can avoid obtaining designated speed information from speed indicators outside the high-precision map available area Rav.

[0122] (4) The controller 20 may also end the notification of the designated speed information obtained from the road map information and start the acceleration and deceleration control based on the designated speed information obtained from the high-precision map information or the captured image when the current position of the vehicle 1 changes from the outside of the high-precision map available area Rav to the inside.

[0123] As a result, when high-precision map information can be used, correct designated speed information can be acquired at an early stage and used for acceleration and deceleration control.

[0124] (5) When the current position of the vehicle 1 is within the high-precision map available area Rav, and the specified speed information cannot be obtained from the captured image, the controller 20 may continue to perform acceleration and deceleration control based on the specified speed information obtained from the captured image before a specified time from the time when the specified speed information cannot be obtained or during the period when the vehicle 1 travels a specified distance.

[0125] In this way, when the designated speed information obtained before is continued to be used until the specified time has passed or the vehicle 1 has traveled the specified distance, if erroneous designated speed information is obtained from the captured image, acceleration and deceleration control will continue based on the erroneous designated speed information until the specified time has passed or the vehicle 1 has traveled the specified distance.

[0126] By ending the acceleration and deceleration control based on the designated speed information at the location Pc before the vehicle 1 drives out of the high-precision map available area Rav, it is possible to avoid continuing the acceleration and deceleration control based on the designated speed information obtained by the camera identifying the speed sign of a lane different from the driving lane of the vehicle 1 before driving out of the high-precision map available area Rav.

[0127] All examples and conditional terms recorded herein are intended for teaching purposes to help readers understand the concepts given by the inventors for the development of the present invention and technology, and should be interpreted as not limiting the above examples and conditions specifically recorded, as well as the structures of the examples in this specification related to the superiority and inferiority of the present invention. Although the embodiments of the present invention are described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and modifications can be applied thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0128] Explanation of symbols

[0129] 1: This vehicle, 10: Driving assistance device, 11: Sensor, 12: Positioning device, 13H: High-precision map DB, 13N: Navigation map DB, 14: On-vehicle equipment, 15: Navigation system, 16: Display device, 17: Sound output device, 18: Input device, 19: Vehicle behavior control device, 20: Controller, 21: Processor, 22: Storage device.

Claims

1. A vehicle control method, characterized in that: Make the controller perform the following processing: Processing of obtaining the current position of the vehicle; A process of acquiring a captured image representing the environment in front of the host vehicle from a camera; Determining whether the current position of the vehicle is within a high-precision map available area where high-precision map information can be used; When it is determined that the current position of the host vehicle is within the high-precision map available area, based on the designated speed information obtained by recognizing the speed mark on the captured image or the designated speed information obtained from the high-precision map information based on the current position of the host vehicle, acceleration or deceleration control is performed to control the acceleration or deceleration of the host vehicle, and the designated speed information is notified to the driver; When it is predicted that the host vehicle will drive out of the high-precision map available area, the acceleration and deceleration control based on the designated speed information is terminated before the host vehicle drives out of the high-precision map available area, and before the host vehicle drives out of the high-precision map available area, the designated speed information is switched to designated speed information obtained from road map information with lower accuracy than the high-precision map information based on the current position of the vehicle, and the driver is informed of the processing.

2. The vehicle control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the distance between the vehicle and a location outside the high-precision map available area decreases to a specified distance, the controller ends the acceleration and deceleration control based on the designated speed information and informs the driver of the designated speed information obtained from the road map information.

3. The vehicle control method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The predetermined distance is a distance at which a speed indicator can be recognized from the image captured by the camera.

4. The vehicle control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the current position of the vehicle changes from the outside of the high-precision map available area to the inside, the controller ends the notification of the designated speed information obtained from the road map information, and starts the acceleration and deceleration control based on the designated speed information obtained from the high-precision map information or the captured image.

5. The vehicle control method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: When the current position of the vehicle is within the available area of ​​the high-precision map and the designated speed information cannot be obtained from the captured image, the acceleration and deceleration control based on the designated speed information obtained from the captured image before continues to be performed for a specified time after the designated speed information cannot be obtained or during the period when the vehicle travels a specified distance.

6. A vehicle control device, characterized in that: have: A camera that captures the environment in front of the vehicle; A controller that performs the following processing: a process of acquiring the current position of the host vehicle; a process of acquiring a captured image representing the environment in front of the host vehicle from the camera; a process of determining whether the current position of the host vehicle is within a high-precision map available area where high-precision map information can be used; when it is determined that the current position of the host vehicle is within the high-precision map available area, based on the designated speed information obtained by recognizing a speed mark on the captured image or the designated speed information obtained from the high-precision map information based on the current position of the host vehicle, an acceleration / deceleration control is performed to control the acceleration or deceleration of the host vehicle, and the designated speed information is notified to the driver; when it is predicted that the host vehicle will go out of the high-precision map available area, the acceleration / deceleration control based on the designated speed information is terminated before the host vehicle goes out of the high-precision map available area, and before the host vehicle goes out of the high-precision map available area, the designated speed information is switched to the designated speed information obtained from the road map information with lower accuracy than the high-precision map information based on the current position of the host vehicle, and the driver is notified.

Images