Vehicle control device and vehicle control method

Abstract

Provided is a vehicle control device provided with a function capable of appropriately setting a travel sequence in which travel is restarted after an avoidance action is performed by a host vehicle. A vehicle control device is provided with: an area candidate determination unit (12) that determines a passing area (601) through which a host vehicle (2) and an opposing vehicle (600) can pass on a road in which the host vehicle (2) and the opposing vehicle (600) in the vicinity of the host vehicle cannot pass; an action plan determination unit (13) that determines an action plan indicating the order of action steps (602, 605) of the host vehicle (2); a trajectory generation unit (14) that generates a travel trajectory of the host vehicle (2) in the passable region; an action plan updating unit (15) capable of updating an action plan on the basis of the position of the opposite vehicle (600) within the passable area (601) and the travel track of the host vehicle generated by the track generation unit (14); and a travel control unit (16) that performs travel control of the host vehicle (2) in accordance with the action plan.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control device and a vehicle control method, and in particular to a vehicle control device and a vehicle control method suitable for automatic driving. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, in order to achieve comfortable and safe driving assistance and automatic driving of vehicles, it is desired to realize the technology of coordinated driving in narrow road environments. In particular, when encountering an oncoming vehicle on a narrow road, a technology of coordinating with the oncoming vehicle while using the space that can be avoided has been proposed.

[0003] For example, Japanese Patent Gazette No. 2018-151177 (Patent Document 1) discloses a vehicle control device, which includes: a map generating unit, which generates map data of the surroundings of the vehicle and updates the map data in accordance with the movement of the vehicle; and an avoidance space detecting unit, which detects an avoidance space as a space that the vehicle can avoid based on the map data, and generates avoidance space information, which is information related to the detected avoidance space and is information for setting an avoidance path, and the avoidance path is used to enable the vehicle to avoid and pass an oncoming vehicle.

[0004] In addition, a vehicle control device is disclosed in Japanese Patent Gazette No. 2019-53646 (Patent Document 2), which includes: an identification unit for identifying a road environment including other vehicles existing around the vehicle and an avoidance space around the vehicle; a passing vehicle determination unit for determining whether there is a specific other vehicle to be offset on the road in the same lane as the vehicle among the other vehicles identified by the identification unit; and an avoidance necessity determination unit for determining whether it is necessary to move to the avoidance space of the vehicle or the specific other vehicle based on the road environment for the specific other vehicle determined to exist by the passing vehicle determination unit.

[0005] Prior art literature

[0006] Patent Literature

[0007] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-151177

[0008] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-53646 Summary of the invention

[0009] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0010] However, in the vehicle control device described in Patent Document 1, a wide avoidance space is found for passing an oncoming vehicle in a narrow road as a road environment, and the oncoming vehicle is alternately driven to pass the oncoming vehicle using the space. In addition, in the vehicle control device described in Patent Document 2, the driving action for which the host vehicle or the oncoming vehicle should wait is determined based on the driving speed of the oncoming vehicle and the relative position of the host vehicle.

[0011] However, in the vehicle control devices of Patent Documents 1 and 2, there is no description of a specific method for determining a driving action plan and updating a driving sequence after the vehicle performs an avoidance action. Therefore, an appropriate method is sought to update a driving sequence after the vehicle performs an avoidance action.

[0012] An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle control device and a vehicle control method having a function of appropriately setting a driving sequence from when a host vehicle executes an evasive action to when it resumes driving.

[0013] Means for solving problems

[0014] The present invention is characterized in that it comprises: an area candidate determination unit, which determines an area through which the vehicle and the moving body can pass, that is, a passable area, in a road where there is an area that the vehicle and the moving body around the vehicle cannot pass; an action plan determination unit, which determines an action plan representing the sequence of action steps of the vehicle; a track generation unit, which generates a driving track of the vehicle in the passable area; an action plan updating unit, which can update the action plan based on the position of the moving body in the passable area and the driving track of the vehicle generated by the track generation unit; and a driving control unit, which controls the driving of the vehicle according to the action plan.

[0015] In addition, the vehicle control device of the present invention is characterized in that, when setting the driving behavior of the vehicle when the vehicle is driving on a narrow road where the vehicle and the oncoming vehicle cannot travel together in opposite directions, the vehicle control device at least comprises: an area candidate determination unit, which determines an area on the narrow road where the vehicle and the oncoming vehicle can pass each other, that is, a passable area; an action plan determination unit, which sets the driving behavior of the vehicle and determines an action plan consisting of a plurality of action steps in which the execution order of the driving behavior is set; a driving trajectory generation unit, which generates a driving trajectory of the vehicle from the vehicle to the passable area and a driving trajectory of the vehicle starting from the passable area; an action plan updating unit, which updates the action steps to the passable area to the action steps starting from the passable area when the first condition that the oncoming vehicle exists in the passable area and the second condition that the driving trajectory of the vehicle starting from the passable area is generated are satisfied by executing the action steps; and a driving control unit, which implements the driving behavior of the vehicle according to the updated action steps.

[0016] Effects of the Invention

[0017] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle control device having a function capable of appropriately setting a driving sequence from the time when the host vehicle executes an evasive action to the time when the vehicle resumes driving. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 This is a functional block diagram showing the structure of a vehicle system to which the present invention is applied.

[0019] Figure 2 It is an explanatory diagram for explaining the relationship between the control functions of the vehicle control device in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 3a This is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of a coordinated action plan of an action plan data group.

[0021] Figure 3b This is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of the action plan of the vehicle in the action plan data group.

[0022] Figure 4a This is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example (1 location) of a region candidate data group.

[0023] Figure 4b This is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example (2 locations) of region candidate data groups.

[0024] Figure 5 Yes Description Figure 2 A flowchart showing the processing contents of the action plan updating unit is shown.

[0025] Figure 6a This is an explanatory diagram for explaining the first half of the action plan update process of the action plan update unit in the first operation example (general scenario).

[0026] Figure 6b This is an explanatory diagram for explaining the second half of the action plan update process of the action plan update unit in the first operation example (general scenario).

[0027] Figure 7 It is an explanatory diagram for explaining the action plan update processing of the action plan update unit in the second operation example (unexpected scenario).

[0028] Figure 8a This is an explanatory diagram for explaining the action plan updating process performed by the action plan updating unit in the first scenario where the action plan is not updated.

[0029] Figure 8b This is an explanatory diagram for explaining the action plan updating process performed by the action plan updating unit in the first scenario where the action plan is not updated.

[0030] Figure 9a This is an explanatory diagram for explaining the action plan update process of the action plan update unit in the first scenario where there are a plurality of passable area candidates.

[0031] Figure 9b This is an explanatory diagram for explaining the second half of the action plan update process of the action plan update unit in the second scenario where there are a plurality of passable area candidates. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail using the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and various modifications and application examples are included in the technical concept of the present invention.

[0033] [Description of the overall system structure]

[0034] Figure 1 It is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle system 1 including a vehicle control device 3 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] The vehicle system 1 is mounted on a vehicle 2 , and has a function of performing appropriate driving assistance and driving control based on the conditions of obstacles such as a road around the vehicle 2 and surrounding vehicles.

[0036] like Figure 1 As shown, the vehicle system 1 is configured to include a vehicle control device 3, an external sensor group 4, a vehicle sensor group 5, a map information management device 6, an actuator group 7, an HMI device group 8, and an external communication device 9. The vehicle control device 3, the external sensor group 4, the vehicle sensor group 5, the map information management device 6, the actuator group 7, the HMI device group 8, and the external communication device 9 are interconnected via an in-vehicle network N.

[0037] The external sensor group 4, vehicle sensor group 5, map information management device 6, actuator group 7, HMI device group 8, and external communication device 9 will be described later. In the following, the vehicle 2 may be referred to as "the vehicle" to distinguish it from other vehicles.

[0038] The vehicle control device 3 is mounted on the ECU (Electronic Control Unit) of the vehicle 2, and generates driving control information for driving assistance or automatic driving of the vehicle 2 based on various input information provided from the external sensor group 4, the vehicle sensor group 5, the map information management device 6, the external communication device 9, etc., and outputs it to the actuator group 7 and the HMI device group 8. The vehicle control device 3 has a processing unit 10, a storage unit 30, and a communication unit 40.

[0039] The processing unit 10 is configured to include, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) as a central processing unit. However, in addition to the CPU, it may be configured to include a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), etc., and may be configured by any of them.

[0040] The processing unit 10 has, as control functions, an information acquisition unit 11, a region candidate determination unit 12, an action plan determination unit 13, a track determination unit 14, an action plan update unit 15, a travel control unit 16, and an information output unit 17. The processing unit 10 can realize these functions by executing a predetermined control program stored in the storage unit 30.

[0041] The information acquisition unit 11 acquires various information from other devices connected to the vehicle control device 3 via the in-vehicle network N, and stores the information in the storage unit 30 .

[0042] For example, information related to the actions, states, etc. of the vehicle 2 detected by the vehicle sensor group 5 is obtained and stored in the storage unit 30 as a vehicle information data group 31. In addition, information related to the road environment on which the vehicle 2 is traveling is obtained from the map information management device 6, the external communication device 9, etc., and stored in the storage unit 30 as a road environment data group 32. In addition, information related to obstacles around the vehicle 2 detected by the external sensor group 4 and the detection area of ​​the external sensor group 4 is obtained and stored in the storage unit 30 as a sensor identification data group 33.

[0043] The area candidate determination unit 12 determines, based on the sensor recognition data group 33 obtained by the information acquisition unit 11, an area where the vehicle and a moving object (for example, another vehicle, hereinafter particularly marked as an oncoming vehicle) can pass through together in the opposite direction on the road where there is an area where the vehicle cannot pass through, that is, a passable area (equivalent to an avoidance space). In addition, the moving object is not limited to other vehicles, and there are various moving objects. For example, it is equivalent to a bicycle, a truck, etc.

[0044] The passable area is, for example, a road area having a width at least sufficient for the host vehicle and the oncoming vehicle to pass each other. In addition, since a plurality of passable areas may exist in the non-passable road, the area candidate determination unit 12 can determine a plurality of passable areas.

[0045] Furthermore, when the high-precision map information of the surrounding environment managed by the map information management device 6 includes avoidance information such as a passable area, the information of the passable area can also be acquired by referring to the high-precision map information.

[0046] Moreover, for example, in a narrow road where there is no oncoming vehicle, it is also possible to conceive of searching for a passable area, and storing the oncoming vehicle in advance when it is detected in the future. Furthermore, in the event that an oncoming vehicle that is a passing target appears in the future, the information of the passable area stored in advance can be referred to and determined as a candidate for the passable area. In this way, the calculation time can be shortened. The information of the passable area determined by the area candidate determination unit 12 is stored in the storage unit 30 as the area candidate data group 34.

[0047] The action plan determination unit 13 determines the oncoming vehicle to be the target of coordinated action around the vehicle based on the vehicle information data group 31, the road environment data group 32, the sensor identification data group 33 obtained by the information acquisition unit 11, and the area candidate data group 35 determined by the area candidate determination unit 12, and determines a driving action plan for executing driving actions coordinated with the oncoming vehicle.

[0048] For example, when a vehicle on the opposite side needs to pass each other on a narrow road, the opposite side vehicle is determined as the target vehicle for the coordinated driving action, and the coordinated driving action is planned based on the positional relationship between the position of the own vehicle, the position of the opposite side vehicle, and the position of the passable area included in the area candidate data set 35. In addition, the driving action plan can also be determined by referring to a database that predetermines several patterns of the positional relationship between the own vehicle, the opposite side vehicle, and the passable area. In this way, the "driving action plan" represents a driving action such as how the own vehicle drives in consideration of the driving of the own vehicle and the opposite side vehicle.

[0049] Here, the driving action plan is composed of a combination of multiple continuous "action steps". The action step represents the driving action to a specified location of the vehicle, or the driving action to a location where a specified event occurs. Therefore, by sequentially updating and executing the action steps, the overall driving action plan can be executed.

[0050] Furthermore, by designating an action step and executing a control program associated therewith, travel control is performed so that the vehicle travels along a travel trajectory calculated in advance.

[0051] In addition, the driving action plan is preferably composed of the planned driving action of the own vehicle and the predicted driving action of the oncoming vehicle. This is illustrated in FIG3. Moreover, by the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle respectively executing the driving actions planned by each other for each action step, it is possible to eliminate the event of a difficult driving situation such as intersecting in a narrow road. In addition, in this embodiment, it is related to the driving action plan in the own vehicle, so the following description is centered on the own vehicle.

[0052] Here, in particular, the vehicle needs to execute the action steps of the driving action plan in sequence to update the action steps. As the update condition of the action step, an action step end condition indicating that the action step being executed has been achieved can be set. For example, in order to achieve the action step, a specific place or a specific area that the vehicle needs to reach can be set. In this embodiment, the action step is updated by judging the end condition. In addition, the end condition of each action step of the driving action plan of the oncoming vehicle can also be predicted and set.

[0053] In addition, when a plurality of passable areas are stored in the area candidate data set 35, a single passable area can be determined based on the position of the own vehicle, the position of the oncoming vehicle, and the positions of the plurality of passable areas to formulate a driving action plan. The driving action plan planned by the action plan determination unit 13 is stored in the storage unit 30 as the action plan data set 35.

[0054] The trajectory determination unit 14 generates a travel trajectory for realizing the travel action plan of the host vehicle based on the vehicle information data group 31 acquired by the information acquisition unit 11 , the sensor recognition data group 33 , the area candidate data group 34 determined by the area candidate determination unit 12 , and the action plan data group 35 determined by the action plan determination unit 13 .

[0055] The driving trajectory is, for example, a driving trajectory planned so as not to collide with obstacles based on the moving body information included in the sensor recognition data group 33, the surrounding obstacle information represented by the OGM, etc. For example, a trajectory that reaches the destination of the end condition of each action step included in the driving action plan of the cost vehicle can also be generated. Therefore, by connecting the driving trajectories in each action step, the vehicle can be driven along the driving trajectory to perform automatic driving.

[0056] Here, the trajectory determination unit 14 always generates a driving trajectory for each action step of the driving action plan of the vehicle. For example, as shown in FIG3 , when the driving action plan of the vehicle consists of two action steps, a driving trajectory from the current position of the vehicle to the point where the end condition of the first action step is satisfied and a driving trajectory from the current position of the vehicle to the point where the end condition of the second action step is satisfied are generated.

[0057] This is to select a travel track that matches the updated action procedure and to make the vehicle follow the travel track when the action procedure being executed is updated midway. The track information generated by the track determination unit 14 is stored in the storage unit 30 as a track data group 36 .

[0058] The action plan updating unit 15 determines whether the currently executing action step in the driving action plan of the vehicle should be updated to another next action step based on the sensor identification information data group 33 obtained by the information acquisition unit 11, the area candidate data group 34 determined by the area candidate determination unit 12, the action plan data group 35 determined by the action plan determination unit 13, and the track data group 36 generated by the track determination unit 14. If it is determined that an update is required, the next action step is updated.

[0059] In this embodiment, the determination of whether to update is made based on the positional relationship information of the oncoming vehicle and the position of the passable area and the establishment of the driving trajectory information of the next action step of the own vehicle. Specifically,

[0060] (1) There are oncoming vehicles in the passable area, and

[0061] (2) The vehicle correctly generates a trajectory that matches an action step other than the one currently being executed (without colliding with oncoming vehicles or other obstacles).

[0062] When such a condition is satisfied, it is determined that the driving action plan should be updated so as to implement an action procedure that matches the creatable driving trajectory.

[0063] In addition, as described above, the update judgment does not depend on the action plan planned by the oncoming vehicle, so the action plan of the own vehicle is taken as the object in the following description. However, in the case where the driving intention of the oncoming vehicle can be predicted with high accuracy, for example, when the action plan of the oncoming vehicle is obtained through vehicle-to-vehicle communication, the prediction information can also be used to determine whether the driving action plan should be updated.

[0064] Moreover, in addition to the driving action plan currently being executed by the vehicle, the driving action plan can also be updated based on the positional relationship between the oncoming vehicle, the vehicle, and the passable area, without changing the driving action plan of the vehicle but only changing the passable area of ​​the action step.

[0065] If it is determined that the action plan needs to be updated, the action plan currently being executed by the vehicle is updated to a new action plan. The action plan information updated by the action plan updating unit 15 is overwritten and stored as the action plan data set 35 already in the storage unit 30 .

[0066] The travel control planning unit 16 determines the control command value of the actuator group 7 for controlling the travel of the host vehicle in a manner following the travel trajectory based on the action plan data group 35 planned by the action plan determination unit 13 and updated by the action plan update unit 15 and the trajectory data group 36 generated by the trajectory determination unit 14. The information of the planned trajectory determined by the travel control planning unit 16 and the control command value of the actuator group 7 is stored in the storage unit 30 as the travel control data group 37.

[0067] The information output unit 17 outputs various information to other devices connected to the vehicle control device 3 via the in-vehicle network N. For example, the control command value included in the travel control data group 37 is output to the actuator group 7 to control the travel of the host vehicle.

[0068] In addition, for example, the planned track and the like included in the sensor identification data group 33, the action plan data group 35, and the track data group 36 are output to the HMI device group 8 and are presented to the occupants of the vehicle. Thus, in the vehicle in automatic driving, the vehicle system 1 can interpret the surrounding driving environment (display of the sensor identification data group 33) and present to the occupants what kind of driving is planned (display of the action plan data group 35 and the track data group 36).

[0069] The storage unit 30 is configured to include, for example, a storage device such as a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a flash memory, a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory). The storage unit 30 stores programs processed by the processing unit 10 and data groups required for the processing. In addition, the storage unit 30 is used as a main storage when the processing unit 10 executes a program and is also used to temporarily store data required for the operation of the program.

[0070] In this embodiment, as information for realizing the functions of the vehicle control device 3, the vehicle information data group 31, the road environment data group 32, the sensor identification data group 33, the area candidate data group 34, the action plan data group 35, the track data group 36, the driving control data group 37, etc. are stored in the storage unit 30.

[0071] The vehicle information data group 31 is a collection of data related to the behavior of the vehicle detected by the vehicle sensor group 5, etc. The data related to the behavior of the vehicle is information indicating the action and state of the vehicle, and includes, for example, information such as the position, driving speed, steering angle, accelerator operation amount, brake operation amount, and driving path of the vehicle.

[0072] The road environment data group 32 is a collection of data related to the road environment around the host vehicle. The data related to the road environment refers to information related to the roads around the host vehicle including the road on which the host vehicle is traveling.

[0073] This includes, for example, information on the shape and attributes (travel direction, speed limit, driving restrictions, etc.) of lanes constituting the road around the vehicle, traffic information on signal information, the traffic conditions (average speed, etc.) of each road and lane, and statistical knowledge information based on past examples, etc. Static information such as the shape and attributes of roads and lanes is included in, for example, map information obtained from the map information management device 6, etc.

[0074] On the other hand, quasi-dynamic or dynamic information such as signal information, traffic information, and statistical knowledge information is acquired via the external communication device 9. The statistical knowledge information includes, for example, geographical locations with many incidents, time periods, and information related to the types of the incidents.

[0075] The sensor identification data group 33 refers to a collection of data related to the detection information or detection status of the external sensor group 4. The so-called detection information is, for example, information related to environmental elements such as obstacles, road markings, signs, and signals around the vehicle 2 determined by the external sensor group 4 based on the sensing information, and the sensing information itself around the vehicle based on the external sensor group 4 (point group information of Li DAR and RADAR, camera images, parallax images of stereo cameras, etc.). The detection status is information indicating the area detected by the sensor and its accuracy, such as a grid-like mapping such as OGM.

[0076] The area candidate data set 34 is a set of area candidates that the host vehicle and the moving body can pass through in the impassable road determined by the area candidate determination unit 12. The area candidate may include, for example, a space that the host vehicle, an oncoming vehicle, or both vehicles can avoid. The area candidate may be determined based on the characteristics of the surrounding environment detected by the external sensor group 4, or may be directly obtained when included in the high-precision map information.

[0077] In order to maintain the consistency between the characteristics of the surrounding environment as relative information and the map information as geographical coordinates, for example, the information may be stored in a relative coordinate system relative to the vehicle or in an absolute coordinate system such as geographical coordinates.

[0078] In addition, for example, when pre-storing passable area candidates and inheriting past driving experience information to determine the passable area like an experience value map, it is preferred to store them in a geographic coordinate system. The characteristics of the area at least include information such as the identifier, location information, depth, width, lateral width, and inclination of the area. The characteristics of the area may also include information such as the upper limit of the height, the corresponding lane identifier, etc.

[0079] The action plan data group 35 is action plan information including the driving action plan of the host vehicle determined by the action plan determination unit 13. The action plan information includes, for example, action steps and their sequence to be executed to avoid a difficult driving situation where the host vehicle and the oncoming vehicle are about to pass each other.

[0080] The driving action plan of the vehicle refers to the action steps included in the driving action plan that are only consistent with the vehicle. As described above, the action steps represent the driving actions of the vehicle that are included in the driving action plan, the action plan of the vehicle, etc. and are executed in sequence. The specific content of the data related to the action plan data is illustrated in FIG3.

[0081] The trajectory data set 36 is a collection of data related to travel trajectory information for controlling the travel of the host vehicle determined by the trajectory determination unit 14. The trajectory data set generates a travel trajectory for each action step of the travel action plan of the host vehicle and includes a plurality of trajectory information.

[0082] The driving control data group 37 is a data group determined by the trajectory determination unit 14 for following the driving trajectory of the action step currently being executed in the driving action plan of the host vehicle, and includes control command values ​​output to the actuator group 7 of the host vehicle, etc. Such information in the driving control data group 37 is generated and stored by the driving control unit 16.

[0083] The communication unit 40 has a communication function with other devices connected via the in-vehicle network N. The communication function of the communication unit 40 is used when the information acquisition unit 11 acquires various information from other devices via the in-vehicle network N and when the information output unit 17 outputs various information to other devices via the in-vehicle network N.

[0084] The communication unit 40 is configured to include a network card conforming to communication standards such as IEEE802.3 and CAN (Controller Area Network). The communication unit 40 transmits and receives data between the vehicle control device 3 and other devices in the vehicle system 1 based on various protocols.

[0085] In addition, in the present embodiment, the communication unit 40 and the processing unit 10 are described separately, but part of the processing of the communication unit 40 may be executed in the processing unit 10. For example, the hardware device in the communication processing may be present in the communication unit 40, and the device driver group, communication protocol processing, etc. other than the hardware device may be present in the processing unit 10.

[0086] The external sensor group 4 is a collection of devices that detect the state of the surroundings of the vehicle. The external sensor group 4 is equivalent to, for example, a camera device, a millimeter wave radar, a LiDAR, a sonar, etc. The external sensor group 4 detects environmental elements such as visible obstacles, road markings, signs, and signals within a specified range from the vehicle, and outputs these detection results to the vehicle control device 3 via the vehicle network N.

[0087] "Visible obstacles" refer to vehicles other than the vehicle, i.e., other vehicles, pedestrians, objects falling onto the road, road ends, etc. "Road markings" refer to white lines, pedestrian crossings, stop lines, etc. In addition, the external sensor group 4 outputs information related to the detection status to the vehicle control device 3 via the vehicle network N based on its own sensing range or its status.

[0088] The vehicle sensor group 5 is a collection of devices that detect various states of the vehicle. Each vehicle sensor detects, for example, position information, travel speed, steering angle, accelerator operation amount, brake operation amount, etc. of the vehicle 2 and outputs the information to the vehicle control device 3 via the vehicle network N.

[0089] The map information management device 6 is a device that manages and provides digital map information of the surrounding area of ​​the vehicle. The map information management device 6 is composed of, for example, a navigation device. The map information management device 6, for example, has digital road map data of a predetermined area including the surrounding area of ​​the vehicle, and determines the current position of the vehicle on the map, that is, the road and lane on which the vehicle is traveling, based on the position information of the vehicle output from the vehicle sensor group 5. In addition, the determined current position of the vehicle and the map data of its surrounding area are output to the vehicle control device 3 via the vehicle network N.

[0090] The actuator group 7 is a device group that controls the steering, brake, accelerator and other control elements that determine the behavior of the vehicle. The actuator group 7 controls the actions of the steering, brake, accelerator and other control elements based on the driver's operation information such as the steering wheel, brake pedal, accelerator pedal, etc. and the control command value output from the vehicle control device 3, thereby controlling the behavior of the vehicle to perform automatic driving.

[0091] The HMI device group 8 is a device group for inputting information from the driver or the passenger to the vehicle system 1 or notifying the driver or the passenger of information from the vehicle system 1. The HMI device group 8 includes a display, a speaker, a vibrator, a switch, and the like.

[0092] The external communication device 9 is a communication module that wirelessly communicates with the outside of the vehicle system 1. The external communication device 9 is configured to be able to communicate with, for example, a center system (not shown) that provides / distributes services to the vehicle system 1 or the Internet.

[0093] [Description of the Operation of the Vehicle System]

[0094] Next, use Figure 2 9 , the operation of the vehicle system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0095] The vehicle control device 3 determines the passable area and driving track for updating the driving action plan and action steps of the vehicle based on the information obtained from the external sensor group 4, and updates the current action steps of the vehicle as needed according to the result of the update judgment.

[0096] Then, using the travel trajectory of the currently executed action step, a control command value for performing travel control of the host vehicle is generated and output to the actuator group 7. The actuator group 7 controls each actuator of the host vehicle according to the control command value output by the vehicle control device 3. In this way, travel control of the host vehicle is realized.

[0097] Furthermore, when controlling the travel of the vehicle, the vehicle control device 3 generates HMI information as information to be notified to the driver and passengers, and outputs it to the HMI device group 8. This allows the driver and passengers to be notified of the state of the vehicle system 1 during automatic travel.

[0098] Figure 2 FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the correlation between functions implemented by the vehicle control device 3. The vehicle control device 3 is configured, for example, as follows: Figure 2 The order shown is executed Figure 1 The information acquisition unit 11, the area candidate determination unit 12, the action plan determination unit 13, the track determination unit 14, the action plan update unit 15, the travel control unit 16, and the information output unit 17 are shown to perform a series of processes periodically, for example, every 100 ms, by time interruption.

[0099] The information acquisition unit 11 acquires necessary information from other devices via the in-vehicle network N and stores it in the storage unit 30. Specifically, the information of the vehicle information data group 31 is acquired from the vehicle sensor group 5, the information of the road environment data group 32 is acquired from the map information management device 6 and the external communication device 9, and the information of the sensor identification data group 33 is acquired from the external sensor group 4, and these information are stored in the storage unit 30, and then handed over to the subsequent region candidate determination unit 12.

[0100] The area candidate determination unit 12 determines candidates for passable areas in narrow roads around the vehicle based on the information of the sensor recognition data set 33 and the road environment data set 32 ​​, stores the determined candidates in the storage unit 30 , and transmits the information of the passable areas to the action plan determination unit 15 .

[0101] The action plan determination unit 13 generates a driving action plan for eliminating difficult driving conditions such as the current passing vehicle based on the respective information of the vehicle information data group 31, the road environment data group 32, the sensor identification data group 33 and the area candidate data group 35, and stores it in the storage unit 30, and then hands it over to the track determination unit 14 together with the area candidate data group 34.

[0102] The trajectory determination unit 14 generates a trajectory for multiple action steps constituting the driving action plan of the vehicle based on the respective information of the vehicle information data group 31, the sensor identification data group 33, the area candidate data group 34, and the action plan data group 35, and stores it in the storage unit 30, and then hands it over to the action plan update unit 15 together with the area candidate data group 34 and the action plan data group 35.

[0103] The action plan updating unit 15 determines whether the action plan of the vehicle should be updated based on the information of the sensor identification information data set 33 , the area candidate data set 34 , the action plan data set 35 , and the track data set 36 , and updates the action plan data set 35 stored in the storage unit 30 .

[0104] The update is an update of the currently executed action step and the next executed action step, and the update is a process of terminating the currently executed action step and executing the next action step instead. In addition, at this time, the track data for the currently executed action step included in the action plan of the vehicle is handed over to the driving control unit.

[0105] The travel control unit 16 generates control command values ​​and the like for following the travel track of the host vehicle based on the information of the vehicle information data group 31, the road environment data group 32, the sensor identification data group 33, and the track data group 36. Then, the travel control data group 37 is generated based on the generated travel track of the host vehicle and the control command value, and is stored in the storage unit 30, and the travel control data group 37 is handed over to the information output unit 17.

[0106] The information output unit 17 outputs the control command value to the actuator group 7 based on the driving control data group 37. In addition, based on the information of the sensor recognition data group 33, the area candidate data group 34, the action plan data group 35, the track data group 36, and the driving control data group 37, the information for presenting the driving environment around the vehicle, the driving action plan being executed, the driving track, and other information to the occupants of the vehicle is output to the HMI device group 8.

[0107] [Description of the Action Plan Data Group]

[0108] Next, an example of the action plan data group 34 will be described. Figure 3a An example of an action plan data set 34 called a driving action plan including information about the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle is shown. In addition, the driving action plan also includes the driving action plan of the oncoming vehicle, thus becoming a coordinated driving action plan of the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle. Figure 3b Representation and Action Figure 3a An example of a driving action plan related to the vehicle as a part of the coordinated action plan shown.

[0109] In addition, Figure 3a The overall driving action plan shown includes the driving actions of the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle, but the processing of this embodiment (especially the update processing of the action plan update unit 15) does not depend on the driving action plan for the oncoming vehicle. Therefore, the following is a description of the driving action plan using Figure 3b The situation of the driving action plan of the own vehicle (own vehicle action plan) shown in FIG.

[0110] Figure 3a Each row of the action plan data set 34 represents an action step. As described above, the action step is the driving action performed by the vehicle or the oncoming vehicle, and the combination of these action steps constitutes the overall driving action plan. Moreover, by sequentially implementing all the action steps, it is possible to eliminate the situation where it is difficult to drive, such as passing the vehicle.

[0111] These action steps and their execution order may be determined based on an algorithm using the position relationship between the own vehicle's position, the position of the oncoming vehicle, and the passable area, for example, or may be determined by referring to a database that predetermines several patterns.

[0112] Driving action plan, for example Figure 3a As shown, it is composed of the following items:

[0113] (1) the overall action sequence 301 (indicated by 1 to 4) of the driving action that the vehicle and the oncoming vehicle should coordinate with each other,

[0114] (2) Vehicle ID 302 corresponding to each action step (indicated by 400 (oncoming vehicle), 2 (own vehicle)),

[0115] (3) The order 303 of the driving actions corresponding to each vehicle ID (indicated by 1, 2),

[0116] (4) a judgment condition 304 (expressed by the specific driving state of the vehicle) for judging that the execution of each action step has been completed,

[0117] (5) When there are multiple passable area candidates, the identifier 305 (indicated by A) of the object passable area used in the current driving action is used.

[0118] (6) For each action step, a mark 306 is used to indicate the action step currently being executed (displayed as yes or no / only for the action step of this vehicle, in the case of "yes", the control program for establishing the association is executed, and in the case of "no", the execution of the control program for establishing the association is stopped).

[0119] exist Figure 3a When the coordinated driving action plan shown is updated by the action plan updating unit 15 by judging that the condition 304 is satisfied, for example, the value of the object passable area 305 (data representing the area), the mark of the currently executed action step 306, etc., that is, the mark representing the currently executed action step, are updated to the value representing other object passable areas and the mark representing the next action step.

[0120] Figure 3b The action plan shown for this vehicle is Figure 3a The coordinated driving coordinated action plan shown extracts only the action steps corresponding to the own vehicle from the vehicle ID 302. The own vehicle action plan, for example, represents the entire action sequence 301 and the action plan data set 34 omitting the vehicle ID 302, and is used in the description of the embodiment of the present invention.

[0121] [Description of available areas]

[0122] Figure 4a , Figure 4b An example of a passable area included in the area candidate data set 34 is shown. Figure 4a In the example of a narrow road with a passable area, Figure 4b An example of a plurality of passable areas is shown in FIG. Figure 4b If there are multiple passable areas, select the appropriate area.

[0123] Figure 4aThe present invention shows a situation in which the host vehicle 2 is traveling on a narrow road 401 and the oncoming vehicle 400 is traveling on a narrow road 403, and the vehicles of the two vehicles are facing each other. There is a road area 402 between the host vehicle 2 and the oncoming vehicle 400, which has a width that allows both vehicles to pass through. In this area, a passable area candidate 404 including a place where the host vehicle 2 can avoid is set. Using this passable area candidate 404, the host vehicle 2 and the oncoming vehicle 400 can perform passing driving on the narrow road and drive each vehicle.

[0124] and Figure 4a same, Figure 4b The figure shows a situation where the vehicle 2 is traveling on a narrow road 405 and the oncoming vehicle 400 is traveling on a narrow road 409, and the two vehicles are facing each other. Figure 4b In FIG. 4 , there are two passable region candidates 406 and 408 having a width that both vehicles can pass between the host vehicle 2 and the oncoming vehicle 400 , and they are separated by a narrow road region 407 .

[0125] Therefore, in this case, the passable area candidate 404A and the passable area candidate 404B are set. Then, using either the passable area candidate 404A or the passable area candidate 404B, the host vehicle 2 and the oncoming vehicle 400 can perform passing driving on a narrow road and travel individually.

[0126] In addition, Figure 4a , Figure 4b In the example shown, the passable area is between the host vehicle 2 and the oncoming vehicle 400, but it may also be set behind the host vehicle 2 or behind the oncoming vehicle 400. In this case, by backing up to the passable area behind, each vehicle can perform passing driving on a narrow road.

[0127] [Description of the control flow of action plan update processing]

[0128] Next, based on Figure 5 , the updating process of the action steps performed by the action plan updating unit 15 of the vehicle control device 3 is described. Figure 3b Taking the update of the two action steps shown as an example, the case where the action order is "1" is taken as the first action step, and the case where the action order is "2" is taken as the second action step.

[0129] (Step S501)

[0130] In step S501, data required for the update process of the action plan update unit 15 is collected. The data required for the update process is the sensor identification information data group 33 acquired by the information acquisition unit 11, the region candidate data group 34 determined by the region candidate determination unit 12, the action plan data group 35 determined by the action plan determination unit 13, and the track data group 36 generated by the track determination unit 14. When the data collection is completed, the process moves to step S502.

[0131] (Step S502)

[0132] In step S502, the first action step of the action plan of the vehicle included in the action plan data group 35 is started. If the first step of the action plan sets an end condition such as "the vehicle stops in a passable area", the vehicle starts to act to achieve the condition, for example, it starts to drive toward a space that can be avoided in the passable area. When the first action step is started, the process moves to step S503.

[0133] (Step S503)

[0134] In step S503, it is confirmed by using an image of a camera or the like whether an oncoming vehicle exists in the passable area of ​​the object included in the action plan data group 35. Here, the presence of the oncoming vehicle in the matching passable area means that the oncoming vehicle and the host vehicle exist in a place with a width that allows them to pass together, and the first condition for the oncoming vehicle and the host vehicle to pass each other is satisfied.

[0135] If the oncoming vehicle is not present in the passable area that is the object of the driving action plan, the process returns to step S503 again, and the vehicle continues to monitor the above conditions while executing the current first action step. On the other hand, if the oncoming vehicle is present in the passable area that is the object of the driving action plan, the process proceeds to step S504.

[0136] (Step S504)

[0137] In step S504 , the generation state of the driving trajectory of the second action step executed after the first action step currently being executed by the host vehicle is confirmed in the driving trajectory point sequence included in the trajectory data group 36 .

[0138] Confirmation of the generated state of the travel trajectory for the second action step means that if the vehicle is executing the first action step, the travel trajectory for the second action step is confirmed, and whether the travel trajectory generated by the trajectory data set 36 is generated without colliding with surrounding obstacles, etc. Obstacles include, for example, stationary obstacles such as walls and curbs, and moving objects such as pedestrians, bicycles, and vehicles.

[0139] In step S504, for example, if the end condition of "passing through the passable area" is set, then on the basis of satisfying the condition in step S503 that the oncoming vehicle is in the passable area, it is confirmed whether the vehicle can travel through the passable area. This can be determined by whether the travel track can be generated.

[0140] Then, if the end condition of the next second action step cannot be met due to collision with an obstacle, the process returns to step S503 again. On the other hand, if the end condition of the next second action step can be met without collision with an obstacle, the process moves to step S505.

[0141] (Step S505)

[0142] In the last step S505, the action plan is updated in such a way that the vehicle executes the next second action step from the first action step currently being executed. Updating the action plan means updating Figure 3b The information included in the action plan data group 35 shown in FIG. 1 is overwritten and stored in the storage unit 30. Figure 5 In the case of the control flow shown, the updated information is Figure 3b The flag information of the action step 306 currently being executed.

[0143] exist Figure 3b In the state where the first action step is executed in step S502, the flag information of the first action step is "yes", and the flag information of the second action step is "no". On the other hand, in step S505, the flag information of the first action step is updated to "no", and the flag information of the second action step is updated to "yes". Therefore, the second action step is executed instead of the first action step.

[0144] In addition, for example, Figure 4b As shown, when the region candidate data set 34 includes multiple passable regions, the region candidate data set 34 may be updated in step S505 based on the change in the positional relationship between the host vehicle, the oncoming vehicle, and the passable region. Figure 3b The object shown may be accessed through information in area 305 .

[0145] [First Action Example: Description of Update of Action Plan in General Situation]

[0146] Next, use Figure 6 to Figure 5 The specific operation of the update processing of the action plan update unit 15 described in FIG. 6 is explained. Figure 3b The two action steps shown constitute, Figure 6a An example of performing a first action step 602 is shown, Figure 6bAn example is shown in which the second action step 605 is updated and executed. That is, the driving action of the host vehicle and the oncoming vehicle passing each other is shown.

[0147] exist Figure 6a In , the host vehicle 2 encounters the oncoming vehicle 600 on a narrow road. Figure 5 In step S501, information required for passing vehicles on a narrow road is collected. In addition, in step S502, the first action step 602 of avoiding the area where the vehicle 2 can pass through the area 601 is executed with the passable area 601 as the target. In addition, in the second action step 605, the flag information is "no", and the control corresponding to the second action step 605 is not executed.

[0148] Therefore, the first action step 602 is effective as the currently executed action step (“yes” flag information). Then, the host vehicle 2 avoids to the passable area 601 and generates a travel track 603 so that the host vehicle 2 leaves enough space for the oncoming vehicle 600.

[0149] The driving trajectory 603 may be generated, for example, in a manner that does not hinder the passing path of the oncoming vehicle 600 based on the prediction of the specific driving behavior and driving intention of the oncoming vehicle 600. In addition, if included in the map information, it may be generated in a manner that stops in the avoidance area by using the avoidance area information existing in the passable area.

[0150] Figure 6b This shows a situation where the host vehicle 2 executes the first action step 602 and reaches the target passable area 601 , and avoids the passable area 601 to allow the oncoming vehicle 600 to pass through.

[0151] During the execution of the first action step 602 by the vehicle 2, Figure 5 Under the judgment condition of step S503, it is judged whether the oncoming vehicle 600 exists in the passable area 601, and under the judgment condition of step S504, it is judged whether a driving track 604 can be generated for the host vehicle 2 to satisfy the next second action step 605. While continuously monitoring these two judgment conditions, the host vehicle 2 is caused to perform the driving action.

[0152] Then, as a result of the driving action, in Figure 6b The above two judgment conditions have been met, so it is transferred to Figure 5 Step S505 of the embodiment of the present invention makes the second action step 605 effective to update the action plan. Figure 6bIn the process, the flag information of the first action step 602 is updated to "yes"→"no", and the flag information of the second action step 605 is updated to "no"→"yes" (that is, the flag information of "yes" changes from the action step 602 to the action step 605 as shown by the arrow 606). Then, when the flag information of the second action step 605 becomes valid (yes), the host vehicle 2 starts to travel in a manner of following the travel track 604 that satisfies the second action step 605.

[0153] In addition, the update timing to the second action step 605 may be changed by adding the driving intention prediction information of the oncoming vehicle 600. Figure 6a In the situation shown, if it is predicted that the oncoming vehicle 600 will move backward and enter a parking space at the end of a narrow road, etc., it is not necessary to Figure 6b Instead of updating the action plan at the timing shown, the action plan is updated after the oncoming vehicle 600 enters the parking space, etc. In addition, in this case, blinking information such as a turn signal lamp can be used as the driving intention prediction information. In addition, the driving intention prediction information can also be obtained by communicating with the oncoming vehicle (vehicle-to-vehicle communication).

[0154] In this way, the vehicle control device 3 can also have a behavior estimation unit (driving intention prediction information estimation unit) for estimating the behavior (driving intention prediction information) of oncoming vehicles (sometimes also including bicycles, trucks, etc.), and the action plan update unit 15 can decide whether the action plan can be updated based on the estimation results of the behavior estimation unit.

[0155] Then, when the host vehicle 2 satisfies the end condition of the second action step 605 (determination of passing the passable area), the passing travel with the oncoming vehicle 600 is completed.

[0156] [Second Action Example: Description of Update of Action Plan in Unexpected Situations]

[0157] Next, use Figure 7 right Figure 5 Other specific operations of the update processing of the action plan update unit 15 described in hereinafter will be described. Figure 7 It is in progress Figure 6b This is an example of a situation where other unexpected situations occur in addition to the update processing described in .

[0158] Figure 7 This shows a situation in which, after the host vehicle 2 has avoided within the passable area 701 , a pedestrian 702 behind the host vehicle 2 crosses the narrow road when the oncoming vehicle 700 is about to pass through the passable area 701 .

[0159] Since the pedestrian 702 crosses in front of the oncoming vehicle 700, the oncoming vehicle 700 cannot drive in the passable area 701, and waits for the pedestrian 702 to cross the narrow road and then transfers to the driving action. In contrast, the update process of the driving action plan of the host vehicle 2 does not depend on the driving action of the oncoming vehicle 700, so according to Figure 5 The determination conditions of step S503 and step S504 are used to determine whether the update is possible, so the action steps of the host vehicle 2 can be updated. As a result, the host vehicle 2 can continue to travel smoothly.

[0160] exist Figure 7 In the example, the oncoming vehicle 700 exists in the area that can pass through the area 701, so Figure 5 The judgment condition of step S503 is further Figure 7 In the above process, the host vehicle 2 can generate the driving track 703 of the next second action step 706, and thus the judgment condition of step S504 is also satisfied. Since these two judgment conditions are satisfied, in the update process of step S505, the action step being executed from the first action step 705 to the second action step 706 is updated as shown by arrow 704. In addition, for example, the driving intention prediction information of the oncoming vehicle 700 can be obtained through inter-vehicle communication, etc., so as to delay the update timing of the action step.

[0161] exist Figure 7 , the situation in which the oncoming vehicle 700 cannot pass through the passable area due to the appearance of the pedestrian 702 is described, but the action steps may also be updated by other factors or intention prediction of the main cause thereof. For example, in the case where it is determined that a following vehicle suddenly appears behind the host vehicle 2 instead of the pedestrian 702 and the oncoming vehicle 700 cannot pass, the update of the action steps of the host vehicle 2 and the timing of the update may also be determined by considering the driving intention and position relationship of the following vehicle.

[0162] Specifically, the action procedure of the host vehicle 2 may be updated so that the host vehicle 2 and the oncoming vehicle 700 can be parked in parallel. In this case, the retreat space of the host vehicle 2 may be determined according to the shape of the passable area.

[0163] [Explanation of the case where the conditions for updating the action plan are not met]

[0164] Next, use Figure 8 to Figure 5 The other specific actions of the update process of the action plan update unit 15 described in the previous section will be described. Figure 5 This is an example of a case where the judgment conditions of step S503 and step S504 are met.

[0165] Figure 8aThis is a situation in which the vehicle 2 avoids to the passable area 801 during the execution of the first action step included in the driving action plan of the vehicle 2. Figure 8a In the example, the oncoming vehicle 800 is traveling on a narrow road, but cannot reach the area of ​​the passable area 801 and does not exist in the area of ​​the passable area 801. Therefore, Figure 5 The condition of step S503 is not updated.

[0166] In addition, although the processing of step S504 is not executed, if it is executed, a driving trajectory for the vehicle 2 to pass through the passable area 801 can be generated, so the condition of step S504 is satisfied. However, in order to update the action plan, both the judgment conditions of step S503 and step S504 must be satisfied, so the action step is not updated.

[0167] Figure 8b yes Figure 8a The subsequent state is that the oncoming vehicle 800 is moving in the passable area 801. In this state, the oncoming vehicle 800 is present in the passable area 801, and therefore the judgment condition of step S503 is satisfied. However, since the travel track 803 for the host vehicle 2 to pass through the passable area 801 interferes with the oncoming vehicle 800, it is not correctly generated, and the judgment condition of step S504 is not satisfied. As a result, the two conditions are not satisfied at the same time, and therefore the action plan is not updated.

[0168] [Explanation of the updated action plan when there are multiple passable area candidates]

[0169] Next, use Figure 9 to Figure 5 9 shows an example of a case where a plurality of passable areas exist around the host vehicle 2 and the target passable area is updated during driving.

[0170] exist Figure 9a For example, based on the positional relationship between the host vehicle 2 and the oncoming vehicle 900 and between the passable area 902A and the passable area 902B, the action plan determination unit 13 determines an action plan in which the host vehicle 2 avoids the passable area 902B.

[0171] Then, in Figure 5 In step S502, the first action step generates a travel track 901 for traveling to the passable area 902B, and the vehicle 2 starts traveling by following the travel track 901. However, in this state, a situation of being trapped in Figure 9b The situation shown.

[0172] That is, the host vehicle 2 and the corresponding vehicle 900 arrive at the exits of the two passable areas 902A and 902B. In this state, it may be impossible to pass each other.

[0173] Therefore, in Figure 9b For example, while the vehicle 2 is traveling along the driving track 901, it is determined that the oncoming vehicle 900 has passed through the passable area 902B based on the positional relationship between the oncoming vehicle 900 and the passable area 902B. In this case, the object of the action plan of the vehicle 2 is the passable area (refer to Figure 3b ) from "902B" to "902A".

[0174] As a result, the target passable area of ​​the first action step currently being executed by the host vehicle 2 is changed, and thus a "parking in the passable area" (see Figure 3b ) such a running track 903 of the end condition. In this case, for example, Figure 9b In this way, the vehicle travels backwards in a manner following the travel track 903 .

[0175] In addition, as described above, in order to meet the end conditions of the action step, for example, prediction information of oncoming vehicles can be used to determine the parking position and posture of the vehicle in a manner that does not hinder the travel of oncoming vehicles, and generate a driving trajectory for achieving the position and posture (for example, inclined parking).

[0176] In addition, the above-described embodiment is an example, and the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, various applications can be made in the present invention, and all embodiments are included in the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the passable area is a road area with a width that allows the vehicle and the oncoming vehicle to pass through, so depending on the situation, the passable area can also be determined by using a part of an intersection, a subordinate road, or a sidewalk.

[0177] For example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the end condition of the action step of the host vehicle may be a point represented by a geographical coordinate system, or an area represented by the relative coordinates of the host vehicle.

[0178] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the passable area may be always searched and stored during normal driving, and when encountering an oncoming vehicle in the future, the action plan may be updated and the trajectory may be generated using the pre-stored passable area.

[0179] For example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the external communication device 9 may communicate with the oncoming vehicle using wireless communication means, so as to understand the driving intention of the oncoming vehicle and notify the host vehicle of the avoidance intention.

[0180] For example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, when driving toward a passable area or exiting from a passable area, the driving intention of the vehicle may be notified to oncoming vehicles or surrounding oncoming vehicles by visual means such as turn indicators or auditory means such as sound.

[0181] For example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the above-mentioned driving intention, notification matters, etc. are also conveyed to the riding user, and therefore, drawings, characters, etc. may be output and conveyed via the HMI device group 8 .

[0182] In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned several embodiments, and includes various modified examples. The above-mentioned embodiments are described in detail in order to easily explain the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to having all the structures described. In addition, a part of the structure of a certain embodiment can be replaced with the structure of other embodiments, and the structure of other embodiments can be added to the structure of a certain embodiment. For the structure of each embodiment, other structures can also be added, deleted, or replaced.

[0183] Explanation of symbols

[0184] 1. Vehicle System

[0185] 2 Vehicles

[0186] 3. Vehicle Control Devices

[0187] 4 External sensor group

[0188] 5 Vehicle Sensor Group

[0189] 6Map information management device

[0190] 7 Actuator Group

[0191] 8HMI device group

[0192] 9 External communication device

[0193] 10. Processing Unit

[0194] 11Information Acquisition Department

[0195] 12 Regional Candidate Decision Department

[0196] 13Action Plan Decision Department

[0197] 14 Track Determination Department

[0198] 15 Action Plan Update Department

[0199] 16 Driving control unit

[0200] 17Information output unit

[0201] 30 Storage unit

[0202] 31 Vehicle information data group

[0203] 32 Road environment data set

[0204] 33 Sensor identification data set

[0205] 34 Region Candidate Data Group

[0206] 35 Action Plan Data Group

[0207] 36 track data set

[0208] 37 Driving control data set

[0209] 40 Ministry of Communications

[0210] NIn-vehicle network

Claims

1. A vehicle control device, characterized in that: have: An area candidate determining unit determines, on a road where there is an area in which the host vehicle and the mobile body around the host vehicle cannot pass, an area in which the host vehicle and the mobile body can pass, that is, a passable area; an action plan determination unit that determines an action plan indicating a sequence of action steps of the host vehicle; A track generation unit, generating a travel track of the host vehicle in the passable area; an action plan updating unit capable of updating the action plan based on the position of the moving object in the passable area and the travel track of the host vehicle generated by the track generating unit; as well as The travel control unit performs travel control of the host vehicle according to the action plan.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the moving object is present in the passable area and a travel trajectory of the host vehicle that exits the passable area can be generated, the action plan updating unit updates the action plan using the travel trajectory.

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The action plan updating unit updates the action plan in such a manner that an action step in which the host vehicle travels on the travel trajectory generated by the trajectory generating unit and exits the passable area is executed after the action step currently being executed.

4. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: When a plurality of the passable areas are determined by the area candidate determination unit, the action plan updating unit determines whether to update the action plan using a passable area in which the host vehicle and the moving object pass among the plurality of passable areas.

5. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vehicle further comprises a behavior estimation unit for estimating a behavior of at least one of the mobile object and the surrounding objects of the host vehicle. The action plan updating unit determines whether to update the action plan based on the estimation result of the behavior estimating unit.

6. A vehicle control device, characterized in that: A vehicle control device for setting a driving behavior of a host vehicle when the host vehicle is traveling on a narrow road where the host vehicle and an oncoming vehicle cannot travel together in opposite directions. The vehicle control device at least comprises: An area candidate determination unit determines an area existing on the narrow road where the host vehicle and the oncoming vehicle can pass each other, that is, a passable area; an action plan determination unit that sets the driving action of the host vehicle and determines an action plan consisting of a plurality of action steps that set an execution order of the driving action; a travel track generating unit configured to generate a travel track of the host vehicle from the host vehicle to the passable area and a travel track of the host vehicle starting from the passable area; an action plan updating unit that updates the action steps up to the passable area to the action steps starting from the passable area when the first condition that the oncoming vehicle is present in the passable area and the second condition that the travel trajectory of the host vehicle starting from the passable area are satisfied by executing the action steps; as well as The travel control unit executes the travel action of the host vehicle according to the updated action procedure.

7. A vehicle control method of a vehicle control device, characterized in that: A vehicle control method in a vehicle control device for setting a driving behavior of a host vehicle when the host vehicle is traveling on a narrow road where the host vehicle and an oncoming vehicle cannot travel together in opposite directions. The vehicle control method enables the vehicle control device to perform the following steps: A step of determining an area, i.e., a passable area, existing on the narrow road and where the host vehicle and the oncoming vehicle can pass each other; a step of setting the driving action of the host vehicle and determining an action plan composed of a plurality of action steps that set an execution order of the driving action; a step of generating a travel trajectory of the host vehicle from the host vehicle to the passable area and a travel trajectory of the host vehicle starting from the passable area; A step of updating the action steps up to the passable area to the action steps starting from the passable area when a first condition that the oncoming vehicle is present in the passable area and a second condition that the travel trajectory of the host vehicle starting from the passable area is generated are satisfied by executing the action steps; as well as A step of executing the driving action of the host vehicle according to the updated action steps.

Images