Autonomous traveling vehicle and control method thereof

Abstract

A method of controlling an autonomous driving vehicle includes sensing an object located in front of the autonomous driving vehicle using a first sensor while the autonomous driving vehicle is driving on a driving path using a dipped headlight of a headlight mounted on the autonomous driving vehicle. The method further includes the processor switching the dipped headlight to the high beam when a portion of the object is illuminated by the dipped headlight and additionally sensed by the second sensor.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an autonomous vehicle and a control method thereof. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to an autonomous vehicle and a control method thereof, which uses a front radar and a front camera to recognize pedestrians far ahead as early as possible on a dark road, and operates a warning and braking control of a forward collision avoidance assist (FCA) function at an appropriate time. Background Art

[0002] On a dark road (e.g., at night), there may be a situation where, even if there is a pedestrian in front of the vehicle, the front camera mounted on the vehicle cannot recognize the pedestrian until the pedestrian is exposed to light. Because the low beam of the vehicle may not be able to fully illuminate the pedestrian from a distance, and because it is stipulated that the angle of the headlight should be set below the horizontal, the low beam of the vehicle may only gradually illuminate the pedestrian from the lower body to the upper body of the pedestrian as the vehicle approaches the pedestrian, which may make it difficult for the front camera to recognize the pedestrian from a distance.

[0003] On the other hand, the forward collision avoidance assist (FCA) function using the front camera sensor may recognize a target only when the target is visible. Therefore, as the vehicle approaches a pedestrian in the distance, the pedestrian may be illuminated from the lower body to the upper body, and thus may be recognized by the FCA function relatively late. As a result, the warning and brake control of the FCA function may not be activated at an appropriate time, which may increase the risk of collision. Summary of the invention

[0004] Aspects of the present disclosure provide an autonomous vehicle and a control method thereof, which can use a front radar and a front camera to identify a pedestrian far ahead as early as possible when the vehicle is driving on a dark road (e.g., at night) using low beam lights. The autonomous vehicle and control method can then switch to high beam lights to illuminate the entire body of the pedestrian. This allows the front camera to identify the pedestrian. Therefore, the autonomous vehicle and control method can operate the warning and braking control of the forward collision avoidance assist (FCA) function at the appropriate time.

[0005] The technical objectives to be achieved by the present disclosure are not limited to the above objectives. A person skilled in the art can also clearly understand other technical objectives not described above from the following description.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method for controlling an autonomous vehicle is provided. The method includes: when the autonomous vehicle is traveling on a driving path using a low beam of a headlamp installed on the autonomous vehicle, sensing an object located in front of the autonomous vehicle using a first sensor. The method also includes: when a portion of the object is illuminated by the low beam and additionally sensed by the second sensor, switching the low beam to a high beam by a processor.

[0007] In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further includes: in response to switching to high beam, setting the object as a target by the processor. The method may also include: determining, by the processor, a braking distance between the autonomous vehicle and the target.

[0008] In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further includes: controlling, by the processor, a forward collision avoidance assist (FCA) system or steering of the vehicle based on the determined braking distance.

[0009] In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, controlling the FCA system or the steering includes: in response to the processor determining that the determined braking distance is greater than a preset safety distance, controlling the FCA system.

[0010] In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, controlling the FCA system or the steering includes: controlling the steering in response to the processor determining that the determined braking distance is less than a preset safety distance.

[0011] In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, switching the low beam to the high beam includes: gradually switching the low beam to the high beam.

[0012] In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further includes: predicting at least one of the movement of the object or the direction of the object when determining the braking distance.

[0013] In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further includes: re-determining the braking distance based on at least one of the movement of the object or the direction of the object.

[0014] In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further includes: controlling an FCA system or steering of the vehicle based on the re-determined braking distance.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-readable instructions is provided. When the computer-readable instructions are executed by a processor, the processor performs an operation. The operation includes: when the autonomous vehicle is traveling on a driving path using a low beam installed on the autonomous vehicle, using a first sensor to sense an object located in front of the autonomous vehicle. The operation also includes: when a portion of the object is illuminated by the low beam and additionally sensed by the second sensor, switching the low beam to a high beam.

[0016] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an autonomous vehicle is provided. The autonomous vehicle includes a headlamp, a first sensor, a second sensor, and a processor configured to control the headlamp. The processor is configured to sense an object located in front of the autonomous vehicle using the first sensor when the autonomous vehicle is traveling on a driving path using a low beam. The processor is also configured to switch the low beam to a high beam when a portion of the object is illuminated by the low beam and additionally sensed by the second sensor.

[0017] In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor is further configured to: in response to switching to high beam, set the object as a target. The processor may also be configured to: determine a braking distance between the autonomous vehicle and the target.

[0018] In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor is further configured to control a forward collision avoidance assist (FCA) system or steering based on the determined braking distance.

[0019] In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor is configured to: in response to determining that the determined braking distance is greater than a preset safety distance, control the FCA system.

[0020] In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor is configured to: control the steering in response to determining that the determined braking distance is less than a preset safety distance.

[0021] In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor is configured to control the autonomous vehicle to gradually switch the low beam to the high beam.

[0022] In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor is further configured to: predict at least one of the movement of the object or the direction of the object when determining the braking distance.

[0023] In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor is further configured to: re-determine the braking distance based on at least one of the movement of the object or the direction of the object.

[0024] In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor is configured to control the autonomous vehicle to control the FCA system or steering based on the re-determined braking distance.

[0025] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when a vehicle is traveling on a dark road (e.g., at night) and the low beam is turned on, the autonomous vehicle and the control method thereof can use the front radar and the front camera to identify pedestrians far ahead as early as possible. The autonomous vehicle and the control method can switch the low beam to the high beam to operate the high beam to illuminate the whole body of the pedestrian so that the front camera can identify the pedestrian. The autonomous vehicle and the control method can operate the warning and braking control of the FCA function at an appropriate time, thereby improving the driving stability of the autonomous vehicle.

[0026] In addition, the autonomous vehicle and the control method thereof can use a front radar that can sense objects (e.g., pedestrians) far ahead to allow the autonomous vehicle, which is driving on a dark road (e.g., at night) with low beam lights on, to normally identify pedestrians at an appropriate time. The autonomous vehicle and the control method thereof can use a front camera to identify the lower body of a pedestrian, thereby improving the recognition accuracy.

[0027] In addition, the autonomous vehicle and its control method can determine pedestrians in the distance on a dark road using an enhanced method, and can quickly identify pedestrians using a front camera by switching the headlights from low beam to high beam, thereby controlling the warning and braking of the FCA function at normal timing.

[0028] Furthermore, when a collision is predicted due to late recognition of a pedestrian and insufficient braking distance, the autonomous vehicle and its control method can switch to steering control instead of FCA braking control, thereby helping to avoid the pedestrian.

[0029] The effects that can be achieved by the present disclosure are not limited to the above effects. A person skilled in the art should more clearly understand other effects not described above from the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating an autonomous driving vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] Figure 2 is a diagram showing an autonomously traveling vehicle equipped with a first sensor and a second sensor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling an autonomous driving vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] Figure 4A and Figure 4B is a diagram illustrating a method of controlling a forward collision avoidance assist (FCA) system or steering according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] Figures 5A-5Cis a diagram illustrating the operation of a head lamp according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] Figures 6A-7B is a diagram illustrating a method of controlling an FCA system or steering according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, the same or similar elements are represented by the same reference numerals regardless of the reference symbols, and repeated descriptions thereof are omitted. In addition, when describing the embodiments, if it is determined that the detailed description of the related known technology may obscure the key points of the embodiments described herein, the detailed description thereof is omitted. The accompanying drawings are used to explain the various technical features of the embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the embodiments proposed herein are not limited by the accompanying drawings.

[0037] As used herein, the terms "include", "comprising", "having", etc. indicate the presence of the features, numbers, operations, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof. These terms do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, operations, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof. In addition, when describing the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals refer to the same components, and repeated descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0038] The terms "unit" and "control unit" included in names such as a vehicle control unit (VCU) may be terms widely used to name control devices or controllers configured to control specific functions of a vehicle. Such terms may not refer to general functional units. For example, each controller or control unit may include a communication device that communicates with other controllers or sensors to control corresponding functions, a memory that stores an operating system (OS) or logic commands and input / output information, and a processor that performs determinations, calculations, selections, etc. required to perform control functions.

[0039] When a component, device, element, etc. of the present disclosure is described as having a purpose or performing an operation, function, etc., the component, device or element should be considered herein as “configured to” satisfy the purpose or perform the operation or function.

[0040] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating an autonomous driving vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 is a diagram showing an autonomously traveling vehicle equipped with a first sensor and a second sensor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0041] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an autonomous driving vehicle 100 may include a processor 110 and a plurality of sensors 130 .

[0042] The sensor 130 may include a front detection sensor 130 disposed in front of the autonomous driving vehicle 100 or a different vehicle. For example, the sensor 130 may include a radar 131, a camera 132, and a laser radar (Lidar) 133. The radar 131 may also be referred to as a first sensor in this article, the camera 132 may also be referred to as a second sensor in this article, and the laser radar 133 may also be referred to as a third sensor in this article.

[0043] The radar 131 may be provided as at least one radar in the autonomous vehicle 100. The radar 131 may measure a relative speed and a relative distance with respect to an identified object together with a wheel speed sensor (not shown) provided in the autonomous vehicle 100. For example, the radar 131 may be provided in front of the autonomous vehicle 100 to identify an object in front.

[0044] The camera 132 may be provided as at least one camera in the autonomous vehicle 100. The camera 132 may capture images of objects existing around the autonomous vehicle 100 and images of the state of the objects, and output image data based on information associated with the captured images. For example, the camera 132 may be provided in the autonomous vehicle 100 to recognize a portion of an object in front. For example, the camera 132 may be provided in the autonomous vehicle 100 to recognize a portion of an object in front illuminated by a low beam or the lower body of a pedestrian in front.

[0045] The laser radar 133 may be provided as at least one laser radar in the autonomous vehicle 100. The laser radar 133 may emit laser pulses and measure the time it takes for the laser pulses reflected from an object present in the measurement range to return. The laser radar 133 may sense information such as the distance to an object, the direction of an object, the speed of an object, and may output laser radar data based on the sensed information. The term "object" used herein may be an obstacle, a person, a thing, etc. present outside the autonomous vehicle 100.

[0046] When the autonomous vehicle 100 is traveling on a dark driving path (e.g., at night) using a low beam light provided in the autonomous vehicle 100, the processor 110 may use the first sensor to sense an object existing in front of the autonomous vehicle 100. For example, the processor 110 may use the radar 131 to sense an object located in front of the autonomous vehicle 100 even in an area that the low beam light cannot reach.

[0047] When a portion of the object is exposed by the low beam and is additionally sensed by a second sensor different from the first sensor, the processor 110 may control the low beam to switch to the high beam. For example, when the portion of the object is exposed by the low beam, the processor 110 may use the camera 132 to identify the object that has been sensed by the radar 131. In this case, when the portion of the front object is identified, the processor 110 may switch the low beam to the high beam, thereby enabling better recognition of the front object.

[0048] In an embodiment, in response to switching to the high beam, the processor 110 may set an object additionally sensed by the camera 132 (which is a second sensor) as a target. Then, the processor 110 may determine the braking distance between the autonomous vehicle 100 and the object based on the setting result. For example, in response to switching to the high beam, the processor 110 may predict or estimate various data about the object sensed by the camera 132. For example, the processor 110 may analyze the sensed object to predict or estimate the movement of the object, the direction of the object, the speed of the object, the braking distance between the object and the autonomous vehicle 100, the relative speed between the object and the autonomous vehicle 100, etc.

[0049] The processor 110 may control a forward collision avoidance assist (FCA) system and / or steering based on the determined braking distance. This will be described in more detail below.

[0050] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling an autonomous driving vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 4A and Figure 4B is a diagram illustrating a method of controlling an FCA system or steering according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0051] Reference Figure 3 , a method for controlling an autonomous driving vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is as follows.

[0052] The autonomous vehicle 100 may travel on the vehicle travel path under the control of the processor 110. When the autonomous vehicle 100 is traveling on the vehicle travel path and it is determined in step or operation S11 that the vehicle is traveling at night, the autonomous vehicle 100 may activate or deactivate the low beam in step or operation S12 under the control of the processor 110. For example, when the low beam is activated, the downward light may be activated.

[0053] The low beam used herein may refer to a light located in front of the autonomous vehicle 100 for ensuring forward visibility for safety during nighttime driving. Although the low beam is used to ensure the driver's forward field of vision, it may light up or flash toward the bottom surface of the driving path instead of fully illuminating the front of the vehicle. Therefore, the downward light emitted by the low beam may light up or flash toward the bottom surface of the driving path.

[0054] The high beam lamp used herein may refer to a lamp located in front of the autonomous vehicle 100 for ensuring forward visibility for safety during nighttime driving. The high beam lamp may be fully lit or flashed toward the front of the autonomous vehicle 100 to ensure the driver's forward field of vision. Therefore, the upward light emitted by the high beam lamp may be lit or flashed toward the direction of the autonomous vehicle 100.

[0055] The headlamp may include a low beam and a high beam. The expression "low beam of the headlamp" used herein may also indicate that the downward light is activated. The expression "high beam of the headlamp" used herein may also indicate that the upward light is activated.

[0056] When the low beam is disabled, in step or operation S13, the autonomous vehicle 100 can, under the control of the processor 110, identify an object 200 located in front of the autonomous vehicle 100. The object 200 may include a pedestrian 200, a thing, or the like. For example, the situation where the low beam is disabled may indicate that the surrounding area of ​​the lane is brighter than the standard brightness, and therefore the dimming lamp or the fog lamp is activated. For example, when the autonomous vehicle 100 is traveling on the lane in automatic mode and the surrounding area of ​​the lane is brighter than the standard brightness, the low beam may be disabled. However, the examples are not limited to the aforementioned examples. For example, the situation where the low beam is disabled may indicate that the surrounding area of ​​the lane is darker than the standard darkness, and therefore the high beam is activated.

[0057] Subsequently, the autonomous vehicle 100 may, under the control of the processor 110 , identify the pedestrian 200 located in front of the autonomous vehicle 100 and determine it as a target.

[0058] When the identified pedestrian 200 is determined as a target, the autonomous vehicle 100 may determine a braking distance based on the pedestrian 200 under the control of the processor 110 .

[0059] In step or operation S14, the autonomous vehicle 100 may, under the control of the processor 110, activate the FCA system and warn of the risk of collision based on the determined braking distance, such as Figure 4A shown.

[0060] In step or operation S15 , the autonomous vehicle 100 may control collision risk braking after warning of the collision risk under the control of the processor 110 . Therefore, the autonomous vehicle 100 may prevent the collision with the object 200 .

[0061] For example, Figure 4A As shown, when the FCA system is activated, the autonomous vehicle 100 can compare and analyze the preset safety distance and the determined braking distance. In step or operation S14, the autonomous vehicle 100 can warn of the collision risk. In step or operation S15, the autonomous vehicle 100 can control the collision risk braking in sequence based on the comparison and analysis results under the control of the processor 110.

[0062] In step or operation S16 , when the parking brake control is completed, the autonomous driving vehicle 100 may deactivate the FCA system or cancel the operation under the control of the processor 110 .

[0063] When the low beam is activated, in step or operation S17, the autonomous vehicle 100 may sense an object 200 located in front of the autonomous vehicle 100 using the first sensor under the control of the processor 110. For example, the autonomous vehicle 100 may identify the object 200 in front using a radar or a front radar under the control of the processor 110. For example, the autonomous vehicle 100 may sense the object 200 located in front of the autonomous vehicle 100 using a radar under the control of the processor 110, until an area that the low beam cannot reach.

[0064] In step or operation S18, when a portion of the object 200 is illuminated by the low beam, the autonomous vehicle 100 may, under the control of the processor 110, use a second sensor different from the first sensor to identify the portion of the object 200. For example, in step or operation S18, when the low beam illuminates the lower body of the pedestrian 200, the autonomous vehicle 100 may, under the control of the processor 110, use a camera to identify the lower body of the pedestrian 200.

[0065] In step or operation S19, when the low beam illuminates the portion of the object 200, the autonomous vehicle 100 may switch the low beam to the high beam under the control of the processor 110. In step or operation S19, the autonomous vehicle 100 may switch the low beam of the headlight to the high beam of the headlight under the control of the processor 110.

[0066] For example, when the low beam illuminates the lower body of the pedestrian 200, the autonomous vehicle 100 can identify the pedestrian 200 sensed by the radar through the camera under the control of the processor 110. In this case, when the lower body of the pedestrian 200 in front is identified, the processor 110 can switch the low beam to the high beam to more accurately identify the pedestrian 200 in front.

[0067] In step or operation S20 , the autonomous vehicle 100 may, under the control of the processor 110 , determine the pedestrian 200 additionally sensed by the camera as a target after switching from the low beam to the high beam.

[0068] In step or operation S21, when the sensed pedestrian 200 is not determined as a target, the autonomous vehicle 100 may switch the high beam to the low beam under the control of the processor 110. For example, the autonomous vehicle 100 may switch the high beam of the headlight to the low beam of the headlight under the control of the processor 110.

[0069] In step or operation S22 , when the pedestrian 200 is determined or set as a target in step S20 , the autonomous vehicle 100 may determine a braking distance between the autonomous vehicle 100 and the pedestrian 200 based on the determined or set result under the control of the processor 110 .

[0070] The autonomous driving vehicle 100 may control the FCA system in step or operation S14 or control the steering in step or operation S23 based on the determined braking distance under the control of the processor 110 .

[0071] For example, when the determined braking distance is greater than the preset safety distance, the autonomous vehicle 100 may activate the FCA system under the control of the processor 110. For example, when the determined braking distance is greater than the preset safety distance, this may indicate that the autonomous vehicle 100 meets the braking distance under the control of the processor 110.

[0072] When the determined braking distance is met in step or operation S22, the autonomous vehicle 100 may, under the control of the processor 110, activate the FCA system in step or operation S14 and warn of the collision risk, such as Figure 4A shown.

[0073] Subsequently, after warning of the collision risk, the autonomous driving vehicle 100 may control collision risk braking in step or operation S15 under the control of the processor 110 to prevent a collision with the pedestrian 200 .

[0074] When the determined braking distance is less than the preset safety distance, in step or operation S23, the autonomous vehicle 100 may control the steering of the autonomous vehicle 100 under the control of the processor 110, such as Figure 4B Therefore, when the determined braking distance is not satisfied in step or operation S22, the autonomous vehicle 100 may avoid the pedestrian 200 by controlling the steering in step or operation S23 under the control of the processor 110.

[0075] However, the example is not limited to the above. For example, when the determined braking distance is not met in step or operation S22, although the autonomous vehicle 100 may activate the FCA system in step or operation S23 under the control of the processor 110, the steering may be controlled to avoid the pedestrian 200 first.

[0076] Subsequently, when the steering control is completed, the autonomous driving vehicle 100 may deactivate the FCA system and the steering in step or operation S16 under the control of the processor 110 , or may cancel the operation.

[0077] Figures 5A-5C is a diagram illustrating the operation of the head lamp according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0078] Reference Figures 5A-5C When an object 200 or a pedestrian 200 is identified in front, the autonomous vehicle 100 can switch the headlights under the control of the processor 110.

[0079] For example, when Figure 5A As shown, when the lower body of the pedestrian 200 is illuminated by the low beam, the autonomous vehicle 100 can use the camera to identify the lower body of the pedestrian 200 under the control of the processor 110.

[0080] Then, as Figure 5B As shown, when the low beam recognizes a part of the object 200, the autonomous vehicle 100 can switch the low beam to the high beam under the control of the processor 110. For example, the autonomous vehicle 100 can switch the low beam of the headlight to the high beam of the headlight under the control of the processor 110.

[0081] In an embodiment, when the low beam is switched to the high beam, the autonomous vehicle 100 may control the low beam to gradually switch to the high beam under the control of the processor 110, such as Figure 5C As shown, the autonomous vehicle 100 can gradually switch the low beam to the high beam under the control of the processor 110, thereby preventing possible safety accidents of pedestrians 200 or animals caused by the glare of the high beam.

[0082] In addition, in order to prevent such safety accidents, the autonomous vehicle 100 can gradually switch the low beam to the high beam, but when the pedestrian 200 is clearly identified, the light can be controlled under the control of the processor 110 so that the light illuminates the upper body of the pedestrian 200, excluding its face.

[0083] However, the examples are not limited to the above. For example, the autonomous vehicle 100 may gradually switch from low beam to high beam under the control of the processor 110, but reduce the brightness of the high beam to a level lower than that of the low beam, thereby preventing possible safety accidents of pedestrians 200 or animals due to the glare of the high beam.

[0084] Figures 6A-7B is a diagram illustrating a method of controlling an FCA system or steering according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0085] Reference Figures 6A-7B After switching to the high beam, the autonomous vehicle 100 may, under the control of the processor 110 , predict or estimate various data about the object 200 sensed by the camera.

[0086] Under the control of the processor 110 , the autonomous vehicle 100 may determine a braking distance between the autonomous vehicle 100 and the object 200 based on the result of setting the target, while predicting at least one of the movement or direction of the object 200 .

[0087] For example, under the control of the processor 110, the autonomous vehicle 100 can predict or estimate the movement of the object 200, the direction of the object 200, the speed of the object 200, the braking distance between the object 200 and the autonomous vehicle 100, the relative speed between the object 200 and the autonomous vehicle 100, etc. by analyzing the sensed object 200.

[0088] like Figures 6A-7B As shown, the autonomous vehicle 100 can collect at least one of the determined braking distance and the predicted movement or direction of the object 200 under the control of the processor 110, and can re-determine the braking distance between the autonomous vehicle 100 and the object 200 based on the collected results.

[0089] The autonomous vehicle 100 may control the FCA system or control steering based on the re-determined braking distance under the control of the processor 110 .

[0090] like Fig. 6A and 6BAs shown, when the object 200 moves along the longitudinal direction, the autonomous vehicle 100 can collect the determined braking distance and the longitudinal movement of the object 200 under the control of the processor 110, and can redetermine the braking distance between the autonomous vehicle 100 and the object 200 based on the collected results.

[0091] For example, Fig. 6A As shown, when the object 200 moves in the longitudinal direction, but moves toward the autonomous vehicle 100 in the longitudinal direction (a), the autonomous vehicle 100 can determine that the re-determined braking distance is not met, and can control the steering instead of the FCA system under the control of the processor 110 to avoid the object 200.

[0092] On the contrary, Figure 6B As shown, when the object 200 moves along the longitudinal direction but moves away from the autonomous vehicle 100 along the longitudinal direction (b), the autonomous vehicle 100 can, under the control of the processor 110, determine that the re-determined braking distance is met and activate the FCA system to brake to prevent a collision with the object 200.

[0093] In addition, if Fig. 7A and 7B As shown, when the object 200 moves in the lateral direction (c or d), the autonomous vehicle 100 can control the steering under the control of the processor 110 so that it turns to move in the direction opposite to the direction in which the object 200 moves, regardless of the re-determined braking distance, to avoid the object 200.

[0094] As described above, when the autonomous vehicle 100 is driven by a driver on a dark road at night using low beam lights, the autonomous vehicle (e.g., the autonomous vehicle 100) and the control method thereof can use the front radar and the front camera to recognize a pedestrian (e.g., the pedestrian 200) that exists far ahead as early as possible. Then, the autonomous vehicle 100 and the control method thereof can switch the low beam lights to high beam lights to operate the high beam lights to illuminate the whole body of the pedestrian 200 so that the front camera recognizes the pedestrian 200. Therefore, the autonomous vehicle 100 and the control method thereof can allow the FCA function warning and the braking control to be performed at an appropriate time, thereby improving the driving stability of the autonomous vehicle 100.

[0095] In addition, the autonomous vehicle (e.g., autonomous vehicle 100) and the control method thereof may use a front radar capable of sensing an object (e.g., pedestrian 200) far ahead, so as to allow the autonomous vehicle 100 traveling on a dark road at night to normally recognize pedestrian 200 under low beam. The autonomous vehicle 100 and the control method thereof may also use a front camera to recognize the lower body of pedestrian 200, thereby improving the recognition accuracy.

[0096] In addition, an autonomous vehicle (e.g., autonomous vehicle 100) and a control method thereof may use an enhanced method to determine a pedestrian 200 in the distance on a dark road, switch the headlights from low beam to high beam, allow the front camera to quickly identify the pedestrian 200 in front, and control the warning and braking of the FCA function with normal timing.

[0097] Furthermore, when a collision is expected because the pedestrian 200 is identified relatively late and the braking distance is insufficient, the autonomous vehicle (e.g., the autonomous vehicle 100) and the control method thereof may switch control to steering control instead of FAC braking control, thereby helping to avoid the pedestrian 200.

[0098] The embodiments of the present disclosure described herein may be implemented as computer-readable instructions on a computer-readable medium of a recording program. Computer-readable media may include various types of recording devices that store data to be read by a computer system. Computer-readable media may include, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid-state drive (SSD), a silicon disk drive (SDD), a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a compact disc ROM (CD-ROM), a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, an optical data storage device, etc.

[0099] The above detailed description should not be understood as limiting, but should be interpreted as illustrative in all aspects. The scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure should be determined by reasonable interpretation of the attached claims, and all changes and modifications within the equivalent scope of the present disclosure are included in the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an autonomous vehicle, the method comprising: When the autonomous vehicle is traveling on a driving path using a low beam of a headlamp mounted on the autonomous vehicle, sensing an object located in front of the autonomous vehicle using a first sensor; as well as When a portion of the object is illuminated by the low beam and is additionally sensed by the second sensor, the low beam is switched to the high beam by the processor.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: In response to switching to high beam, setting, by the processor, the object as a target; as well as A braking distance between the autonomous vehicle and the target is determined by the processor.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising: A forward collision avoidance assist (FCA) system or steering of the autonomous vehicle is controlled by the processor based on the determined braking distance.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: Controlling the FCA system or steering includes: In response to the processor determining that the determined braking distance is greater than a preset safety distance, the FCA system is controlled.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein: Control of the FCA system or steering includes: In response to the processor determining that the determined braking distance is less than a preset safety distance, steering is controlled.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Switching from low beam to high beam includes: The low beam lamp is gradually switched to the high beam lamp.

7. The method according to claim 2, further comprising: In determining the braking distance, at least one of a movement of the object or a direction of the object is predicted by the processor.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising: The braking distance is re-determined by the processor based on the at least one of the movement of the object or the direction of the object.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising: A forward collision avoidance assist (FCA) system or steering of the autonomous vehicle is controlled by the processor based on the re-determined braking distance.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to: When the autonomous vehicle is traveling on a driving path using a low beam lamp mounted on the autonomous vehicle, sensing an object located in front of the autonomous vehicle using a first sensor; and When a portion of the object is illuminated by the low beam and is additionally sensed by the second sensor, the low beam is switched to the high beam.

11. An autonomous vehicle, comprising: headlamp; First sensor; Second sensor; and a processor configured to control the headlamp, Wherein, the processor is configured to: When the autonomous vehicle is traveling on a driving path using a low beam headlight, sensing an object in front of the autonomous vehicle using a first sensor; as well as When a portion of the object is illuminated by the low beam and is additionally sensed by the second sensor, the low beam is switched to the high beam.

12. The autonomous vehicle according to claim 11, wherein: The processor is further configured to: In response to switching to high beam, setting the object as a target; and A braking distance between the autonomous vehicle and the target is determined.

13. The autonomous vehicle according to claim 12, wherein: The processor is further configured to: Based on the determined braking distance, a Forward Collision Avoidance Assist (FCA) system or steering is controlled.

14. The autonomous driving vehicle according to claim 13, wherein: The processor is configured to: In response to determining that the determined braking distance is greater than a preset safety distance, the FCA system is controlled.

15. The autonomous vehicle according to claim 13, wherein: The processor is configured to: In response to determining that the determined braking distance is less than a preset safety distance, steering is controlled.

16. The autonomous vehicle according to claim 11, wherein: The processor is configured to: The low beam lamp is gradually switched to the high beam lamp.

17. The autonomous vehicle according to claim 12, wherein: The processor is further configured to: In determining the braking distance, at least one of a movement of the object or a direction of the object is predicted.

18. The autonomous vehicle according to claim 17, wherein: The processor is further configured to: The braking distance is re-determined based on the at least one of the movement of the object or the direction of the object.

19. The autonomous vehicle according to claim 18, wherein: The processor is further configured to: Based on the re-determined braking distance, the Forward Collision Avoidance Assist (FCA) system or steering is controlled.

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