Method for controlling automatic driving and vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for controlling automatic driving and a vehicle. The method for controlling automatic driving includes: generating speed information for driving control of a vehicle at a roundabout based on driving setting information of a user related to the roundabout; generating driving control information based on the speed information; in a region including the location of the roundabout determined by the route of the vehicle, an operation indicator of the vehicle is controlled, and the driving of the vehicle at the roundabout is controlled according to the driving control information. The driving setting information is generated in response to a mode selected by a user from among a specified mode and a driving style mode.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority and benefit to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0124563, filed on September 12, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present invention relates to a method and vehicle for controlling autonomous driving, and more specifically, to a method and vehicle for controlling autonomous driving that controls autonomous driving at roundabouts by reflecting the user's driving style in order to avoid driving discomfort at roundabouts and improve stability. Background Technology

[0004] Recently, vehicles with autonomous driving capabilities have been commercialized to enhance driving convenience. Autonomous driving functions are under development to achieve fully autonomous driving, in which the vehicle has complete driving control under all circumstances without driver intervention. Prior to achieving fully autonomous driving, some functions of this technology have already been installed and used in commercially available vehicles.

[0005] Autonomous vehicles can detect the surrounding environment acquired by sensors, acquire various types of data from inside and outside the vehicle, identify the situation around the vehicle based on the detected surrounding environment and data, establish an autonomous driving strategy or control plan corresponding to the identified situation, and control the vehicle's actuators to drive the vehicle according to the above strategy.

[0006] In the field of autonomous driving, an operational design domain (ODD) needs to be set according to the driving level. The ODD defines the environmental scope and conditions for autonomous driving operation, execution, and application. ODDs at specific levels and above are applicable to city centers, and items related to roundabouts are included within the scope of autonomous driving control objectives. To cope with roundabouts, vehicles utilize pre-deceleration strategies to pass through them; however, because the deceleration amount is set to a fixed value, it is impossible to implement a deceleration strategy that takes into account the actual driving habits of drivers.

[0007] When using automated driving functions such as Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) at roundabouts, the automated driving system's behavior often doesn't match the user's actual driving style, leading to frequent instances where users deactivate the automated driving function. Specifically, users may frequently deactivate automated driving and switch back to manual driving due to anxiety caused by driving discomfort.

[0008] Furthermore, due to the characteristics of roundabouts, vehicles may enter from all directions, making it impossible to properly handle driving control at roundabouts using traditional speed-maintaining or deceleration strategies. Summary of the Invention

[0009] This invention aims to provide a method and vehicle for controlling autonomous driving. This method controls autonomous driving at roundabouts by reflecting the user's driving pattern, thereby avoiding driving discomfort at roundabouts and improving stability.

[0010] The purpose of this invention is not limited to the above-described purposes, and those skilled in the art will be able to clearly understand other purposes not described in the following description.

[0011] According to the present invention, a method for controlling autonomous driving is provided, the method comprising: generating speed information for driving control of a vehicle at a roundabout based on user driving setting information associated with a roundabout; generating driving control information based on the speed information; and controlling a vehicle operation indicator in an area including a location of the roundabout determined by the vehicle's route, controlling the vehicle's movement at the roundabout according to the driving control information. The driving setting information is generated in response to a mode selected by the user from a specified mode and a driving style mode.

[0012] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, in this method, in a specified mode, one of the user's desired speed at a roundabout and a first reduction level of the target speed on roads outside the roundabout can be set, and in a driving style mode, a speed determined based on the user's driving style information at the roundabout can be set.

[0013] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, in this method, driving style information can be provided based on driving data, which is based on the user's manual driving at one or more roundabouts, or on the user's past driving settings information; a base number or more of driving data can be accumulated, and driving data of driving at speeds below the speed limit at roundabouts is collected.

[0014] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, in this method, in a driving style mode, a second reduction level speed based on a target speed determined based on driving style information can be set, and the reduction ratio of the target speed in the second reduction level can be set differently from the reduction ratio of the target speed in the first reduction level.

[0015] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, in this method, the generation of speed information may include: in addition to driving setting information, generating speed information based on the vehicle's driving route information, the target speed of the driving road before entering the roundabout, and the speed limit of the roundabout.

[0016] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the method may further include: prior to the control of the operation indicator and the control of driving, when a vehicle arrives at an area including an entry point of a roundabout and another vehicle is detected driving in a section of the road of the roundabout within a predetermined distance from the entry point, performing yield control of the vehicle at the entry point.

[0017] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, in this method, the generation of driving control information may include: generating driving control information based on information of a vehicle ahead detected from a vehicle traveling ahead at a roundabout, in addition to speed information.

[0018] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, in this method, the operation indicator includes turn signals. Control of the vehicle's operation indicator includes: activating the turn signals before the entry point of a roundabout; and deactivating the turn signals in response to detecting that both rear wheels of the vehicle have entered the main road section of the roundabout.

[0019] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, in this method, the operation indicator includes turn signals. Control of the vehicle's operation indicator includes: activating the turn signals before the departure point at a roundabout; and deactivating the turn signals in response to detecting that both rear wheels of the vehicle have left the departure point.

[0020] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, in this method, the method may include: after controlling the operation indicator and controlling the driving, in response to the vehicle leaving the roundabout, controlling the driving of the vehicle based on a target speed applicable on a road subsequently connected to the roundabout.

[0021] According to another embodiment of the present invention, a vehicle is provided, the vehicle comprising: a sensor unit, a memory, and a processor, the sensor unit being configured to detect the vehicle's surrounding environment; the memory being configured to store at least one instruction for controlling the vehicle; and the processor being operatively connected to the sensor unit and the memory and configured to execute the at least one instruction stored in the memory. The processor is configured to: generate speed information for driving control of the vehicle at a roundabout based on user driving setting information associated with the roundabout; generate driving control information based on the speed information; and control a vehicle operation indicator in an area including the location of the roundabout determined by the vehicle's route, controlling the vehicle's driving at the roundabout according to the driving control information. The driving setting information is generated in response to a mode selected by the user from a specified mode and a driving style mode.

[0022] The features briefly summarized above are merely exemplary aspects of the invention as disclosed in the following detailed description and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0023] The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art from the detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a vehicle that communicates with other devices to send and receive data;

[0025] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the modules constituting a vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of a method for controlling autonomous driving according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram showing a roundabout where vehicles are traveling;

[0028] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the acquisition of driving style information of vehicle users;

[0029] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating the process of controlling the turn signals to turn on or off when entering a roundabout.

[0030] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating the process of controlling the turn signals to turn on or off when a vehicle leaves a roundabout. Detailed Implementation

[0031] In the following, exemplary embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can readily implement the invention. However, the invention can be implemented in various different ways and is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described herein.

[0032] In describing exemplary embodiments of the present invention, well-known functions or structures will not be described in detail, as they may unnecessarily obscure the understanding of the invention. The same constituent elements in the drawings are indicated by the same reference numerals, and repeated descriptions of the same elements will be omitted.

[0033] In this invention, when an element is simply referred to as being "connected to," "linked to," or "attached to" another element, this may mean that an element is "directly connected to," "directly linked to," or "directly linked to" another element, or is connected to, linked to, or linked to another element, with other elements interposed therebetween. Furthermore, when an element "comprises" or "has" another element, this means that, unless otherwise specifically stated, an element may further include another element without excluding another component.

[0034] In this invention, the terms first, second, etc., are used only to distinguish one element from another and do not limit the order or importance of the elements unless specifically mentioned. Therefore, without departing from the scope of this invention, a first element in an exemplary embodiment of the invention may be referred to as a second element in another embodiment, and similarly, a second element in an exemplary embodiment of the invention may be referred to as a first element in another embodiment.

[0035] In this invention, the distinguished elements are used to clearly describe each feature, but do not necessarily mean that these elements are separate. That is, multiple elements may be integrated into a single hardware or software unit, or a single element may be distributed and formed in multiple hardware or software units. Therefore, unless otherwise mentioned, such integrated or distributed implementations are included within the scope of this invention.

[0036] In this invention, the elements described in the various embodiments are not necessarily basic elements, and some may be optional elements. Therefore, exemplary embodiments of the invention comprising a subset of the elements described in the exemplary embodiments are also included within the scope of the invention. Furthermore, embodiments including elements other than those described in the various embodiments are also included within the scope of the invention.

[0037] The advantages and features of the invention, as well as the ways in which they are implemented, will become apparent from the exemplary embodiments described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to complete the invention and to fully convey its scope to those skilled in the art.

[0038] In this invention, each of the phrases such as “A or B”, “at least one of A and B”, “at least one of A or B”, “A, B or C”, “at least one of A, B and C”, “at least one of A, B or C”, and “at least one of A, B, C or a combination thereof” can include any one or all possible combinations of the items listed together in the corresponding phrase.

[0039] In this invention, for ease of explanation, the positional relationships expressed in this specification, such as "up," "down," "left," and "right," are used. Furthermore, if the accompanying drawings shown in this specification are reversed, the positional relationships described in the specification can be understood in reverse.

[0040] In the following description, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0041] In the following text, reference will be made to Figure 1 and Figure 2 Describe a vehicle that adaptively controls itself based on the user's request or intention, on the road type, and has at least some autonomous driving functions. Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a vehicle that communicates with other devices to send and receive data.

[0042] Reference Figure 1 Vehicle 100 can be driven by either electricity or fossil fuels. In the case of electricity, vehicle 100 can be, for example, a pure battery vehicle driven solely by a high-voltage battery, or it can use a gas-based fuel cell as its energy source. Furthermore, the fuel cell can utilize any form of gas capable of generating electricity, and the gas can be, for example, liquefied and charged into vehicle 100. Here, the gas can be, for example, hydrogen. However, the invention is not limited thereto, and any gas can be used. In the case of fossil fuels, vehicle 100 can be driven by fuels such as gasoline, diesel, or liquefied petroleum gas, and is equipped with an internal combustion engine that drives actuator 116 by burning fuel. From the perspective of providing the driving rotational force to the wheel drive unit 118, the engine can be included in the power source unit 114. As an exemplary embodiment of the invention, vehicle 100 can selectively utilize the energy of a fossil fuel-based internal combustion engine and a battery to drive actuator 116, and can be a hybrid vehicle.

[0043] Vehicle 100 can be a mobile device. Vehicle 100 is a ground vehicle that travels on the ground and can be a typical passenger car, commercial vehicle, or purpose-built vehicle (PBV). Vehicle 100 can be a four-wheeled vehicle (e.g., passenger car, SUV, minivan) or a vehicle with more than four wheels (e.g., bus, truck, container truck, heavy equipment vehicle, etc.). More broadly, vehicle 100 can be a robot, such as a transportation vehicle, which can move using wheels, tracks, or other mobile modules.

[0044] Vehicle 100 can operate under autonomous driving control, which can be implemented as semi-autonomous or fully autonomous driving. Fully autonomous driving can be provided as automatic movement where, even in uncertain driving conditions, the processor 122 of vehicle 100 has complete control without user intervention. Semi-autonomous driving can provide automatic driving where driver intervention is required depending on the specific driving situation. Semi-autonomous driving can be achieved by transferring control to the user after deactivating autonomous driving as needed, enabling the user to perform manual driving. According to the levels of autonomous driving defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), semi-autonomous driving corresponds to Levels 1, 2, 3, and 4, while fully autonomous driving corresponds to Level 5.

[0045] Simultaneously, vehicle 100 can communicate with other devices 200 and 300 or another vehicle 400. These other devices may include, for example, a server 200, an intelligent transportation system (ITS) device 300, various types of user devices, etc. The server 200 supports various controls, status management, and driving functions of vehicle 100, while the ITS device 300 receives information from the ITS. The server 200 may be, for example, an external device operated by the vehicle manufacturer or used to provide services for autonomous driving, and can receive connection data from vehicle 100 or send data required for autonomous driving. To support autonomous driving and various services of vehicle 100, the server 200 can respond to requests and data sent from vehicle 100 and user devices by sending various types of information and software modules to vehicle 100 for controlling vehicle 100.

[0046] The ITS device 300 is an external device, such as a roadside unit (RSU). The ITS device 300 can exchange vehicle detection data, driving control and status data, environmental data surrounding the vehicle, map data, etc., with vehicle 100 via vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) technology to assist user driving or support autonomous driving of vehicle 100. Vehicle 100 can exchange the data listed above with another vehicle 400 via vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) technology to support manual or autonomous driving.

[0047] Vehicle 100 can communicate with another vehicle or other device based on cellular communication, wireless access invehicular environment (WAVE) communication, dedicated short range communication (DSRC), short range communication, or another communication method.

[0048] For example, in order to communicate with server 200, ITS device 300, and another vehicle 400, vehicle 100 can use a communication network such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) or 5G, WiFi communication network, WAVE communication network, etc., as a cellular communication network. As an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, DSRC and the like used in vehicle 100 can be used for communication between vehicles. The communication methods between vehicle 100, server 200, ITS device 300, another vehicle 400, and user equipment are not limited to the above embodiments.

[0049] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a module constituting a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] The vehicle 100 may include: a sensor unit 102, a control unit 104, a display 106, a load device 108, and a transceiver unit 110.

[0051] Sensor unit 102 may include various types of detectors for detecting various states and conditions occurring in the external environment, internal systems, user operation, and passenger space of vehicle 100. Sensor unit 102 may be referred to as a sensor, which is a general term for the sensor modules disposed within sensor unit 102. Sensor unit 102 may include externally facing cameras, light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensors, radio detection and ranging (RADAR) sensors, etc., to detect dynamic and static objects present outside vehicle 100. Sensor unit 102 may include positioning sensors, wheel sensors, attitude sensors, etc., to determine its own position, speed, and driving posture. Therefore, sensor unit 102 may additionally include detection modules for detecting various conditions not listed.

[0052] The control unit 104 can be a module controlled by a user while driving. For example, the control unit 104 can be a steering wheel for manual driving, a turn indicator that notifies nearby objects of the turning direction, an automatic or manual shift actuator, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a transmission, etc. Here, nearby objects can be, for example, nearby vehicles or pedestrians. The turn indicator can be configured as hardware such as a lever or button, or arranged as a user interface such as soft keys.

[0053] Furthermore, the control unit 104 may include an interface for detailed functions of using, deactivating, and selecting user-requested autonomous driving modes, so that the user can use the autonomous driving functions. To receive various requests related to autonomous driving, the control unit 104 may consist of, for example, a hardware-type interface located at a predetermined location within the vehicle 100 or a soft-type interface that can be touched on the display 106.

[0054] Display 106 is configured as a user interface. Display 106 can output and display, via processor 122, the operating status and control status of vehicle 100, route / traffic information, remaining energy information (e.g., remaining power information such as remaining fuel and remaining battery power), and content requested by the driver. Furthermore, display 106 can be a touchscreen configured to detect driver input and can receive driver requests instructing processor 122.

[0055] The load device 108 can be installed on the vehicle 100 and can be a non-driving electric device other than a driving power system (such as wheel drive unit 118). The load device 108 is an auxiliary device for receiving power from the power source unit 114 and can be various devices, such as those provided in the air conditioning system, lighting system, seating system, and vehicle 100.

[0056] Transceiver unit 110 can support communication with server 200, ITS device 300, nearby vehicle 400, etc. Transceiver unit 110 may include modules for processing, for example, cellular communication, WAVE communication, DSRC communication, etc. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, transceiver unit 110 can send data generated or stored during driving to server 200 and receive data and software modules sent from server 200. Transceiver unit 110 can support communication with electronic devices carried by passengers within vehicle 100. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, vehicle 100 can send and receive data used in the method according to the exemplary embodiment of the invention with external devices via transceiver unit 110.

[0057] In addition, the vehicle 100 may include an operation indicator 112, a power supply unit 114, and an execution unit 116.

[0058] The operation indicator 112 may be a device for providing information on driving operation status or future driving behavior to nearby objects and / or users. Furthermore, the operation indicator 112 may be a device for informing nearby objects and / or users of the operation status performed by the user on the control unit 104 while driving.

[0059] The operation indicator 112 may include, for example, a brake light, for notifying nearby objects of the user’s operation of the brake pedal or the braking operation generated by the processor 122 that performs automatic braking.

[0060] Furthermore, the operation indicator 112 may include turn signals for notifying a left or right turn arranged by the user's operation of the turn indicator or by a processor performing automatic steering control. The turn signals may include external turn signals mounted on the exterior of the vehicle to notify nearby objects and internal turn signals positioned on the dashboard or display 106 for user identification. Internal turn signals may be implemented in hardware, such as a light source module, or in software, such as specific icons displayed on the display 106. The turn signals associated with exemplary embodiments of the invention may be external turn signals, and in exemplary embodiments of the invention, unless contradicted in the description, external turn signals may be used interchangeably with turn signals in the description.

[0061] Furthermore, the operation indicator 112 is exemplified as a brake light and a turn signal light in relation to the present invention, but is not limited thereto, and may include indicator devices with various functions.

[0062] Power unit 114 can be configured to generate and supply power and electricity used in the driving power system and non-driving electric system, such as execution unit 116. The non-driving power system can be, for example, sensor unit 102, control unit 104, display 106, load device 108, transceiver unit 110, and operation indicator 112. The non-driving power system is not limited to this and can include various components other than those directly involved in driving operation for realizing detection, interface, communication, and convenience functions. When vehicle 100 is driven by electric energy, power unit 114 can be, for example, a battery charged from an external source or a combination of a battery and a fuel cell that charges the battery. In the case of a battery and fuel cell combination, power unit 114 can include a tank storing materials (e.g., liquefied hydrogen) used to generate electricity for the fuel cell. When vehicle 100 is driven by fossil fuels, power unit 114 can be an internal combustion engine. Furthermore, when vehicle 100 is a hybrid vehicle, power unit 114 can be configured as a combination of an internal combustion engine and a battery.

[0063] The execution unit 116 may include at least one module for implementing driving operations and can perform at least one driving operation, including longitudinal control (e.g., acceleration and deceleration) and lateral control (e.g., steering), according to a user request from the control unit 104. To execute driving operations according to manual control by the user or instructions from the autonomous driving processor 122, the execution unit 116 may include a wheel drive unit 118 and mechanical components and electronic modules for implementing drive operations of the wheel drive unit 118. When the vehicle 100 operates on electric power, the vehicle 100 may include components for transmitting the requested drive operation to the wheel drive unit 118. When the vehicle 100 operates on fossil fuel power, the execution unit 116 may include a transmission and gear module for transmitting power from the internal combustion engine.

[0064] The wheel drive unit 118 may include: multiple wheels, a drive force generating module for generating and applying or transmitting driving force to the wheels, a braking module for decelerating the driving of the wheels, and a steering module for achieving lateral control of the wheels. When the vehicle 100 is driven by electric power, the drive force generating module may be a motor assembly for generating driving force based on electricity output from a battery. The braking module of the electric vehicle 100 may further include regenerative braking functionality.

[0065] In addition, vehicle 100 may include memory 120 and processor 122.

[0066] The memory 120 can store applications and various types of data for controlling the vehicle 100, and can load applications or read or write data according to requests from the processor 122. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the memory 120 can store applications and at least one instruction for controlling autonomous driving at a roundabout. Furthermore, the memory 120 can store or manage various types of information and data required by the applications and instructions.

[0067] For example, memory 120 can store map information and traffic information to create a route to a destination requested by the user via a navigation device set on display 106. Map information may include road type, road structure, road restrictions, traffic sign information, etc., and may be a low-precision map at the road level and / or a high-precision map at the lane level. Traffic information may include, for example, traffic conditions on the road, accident information, and weather information. Map information and traffic information can be stored in server 200, which can send the map information and traffic information related to the route requested by the user to vehicle 100 so that memory 120 can manage the relevant information, i.e., the map information and traffic information.

[0068] Furthermore, the memory 120 can manage vehicle data generated during driving. Vehicle data may include, for example, the longitudinal control state and lateral control state of the vehicle 100, driving data, ambient environmental data acquired by the sensor unit 102, and data related to autonomous driving control. The longitudinal control state may include, for example, driving speed and acceleration. The lateral control state may include, for example, the steering wheel rotation angle and steering wheel rotation angular velocity. The longitudinal and lateral control states may be acquired, for example, by utilizing or analyzing Controller Area Network (CAN) data, which is generated during driving by the electric power unit (EPU) that forms the sensor unit 102 and processor 122.

[0069] Driving data can be accumulated and stored, including longitudinal and lateral control states accumulated based on the user's manual driving. Data related to autonomous driving control can include, for example, speed information based on the user's driving settings associated with roundabouts and the user's target speed on roads outside roundabouts. When driving settings information is generated based on driving data and using driving style information that estimates the user's driving habits or intentions, data related to autonomous driving control can manage driving style information.

[0070] Processor 122 can perform overall control of vehicle 100. Processor 122 can be configured to execute application programs and instructions stored in memory 120.

[0071] Regarding the present invention, processor 122 can perform processing to generate speed information for vehicle driving control at a roundabout based on user driving setting information related to the roundabout. Processor 122 can perform processing to generate driving control information based on the speed information. Furthermore, processor 122 can implement processing for controlling vehicle operation indicators in an area including the location of the roundabout determined by the vehicle's route. Processor 122 can perform processing for controlling the driving of vehicle 100 at the roundabout based on the driving control information.

[0072] In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, processor 122 is shown as a single processing module configured to perform the processes described above. In another example, processor 122 may consist of multiple processing modules, and processing may be performed in a distributed manner across the multiple modules.

[0073] Reference Figures 3 to 7 The above processing by processor 122 is described in detail.

[0074] In the following text, reference will be made to Figures 3 to 7 A method for controlling autonomous driving according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is described. Figure 3 This is a flowchart of a method for controlling autonomous driving according to another embodiment of the present invention. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, an example of autonomous driving in which vehicle 100 adopts a driving style or intention that reflects the user at a roundabout will be described. The exemplary embodiment of the invention can be practically applied to specific types of roads other than highways and straight roads. Furthermore, for ease of description, the processor 122 that performs the method according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention can be used interchangeably with vehicle 100 for description.

[0075] First, the vehicle 100 can automatically drive along the route to the destination at the target speed requested by the user via the processor 122. The processor 122 can identify that the vehicle 100 has reached the vicinity of a roundabout on the route (S105).

[0076] The route can be, for example, a global route to a destination specified by the user via a navigation device set on display 106.

[0077] The target speed is the applicable speed for automated driving on the road leading into the roundabout, and it can be set by the user. For example, when a user requests constant speed automated driving, lane-keeping driving, or fully automated driving adapted to traffic conditions and road types, the user can set the target speed simultaneously with these requests. Even after setting it, the user can change the target speed by adjusting or resetting it.

[0078] The road associated with the target speed can be a regular road other than a specific type of road such as a roundabout, such as a straight road, a road including a curved section with a predetermined curvature, or a road extending from a regular intersection where vehicles can cross. Figure 4 The road to which the target speed applies is a road that includes multiple lanes and extends in a generally straight line. Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram showing a roundabout where vehicles are traveling.

[0079] Simultaneously, based on location data from positioning sensors, surrounding environment data acquired by cameras and LiDAR sensors, and map information, processor 122 can identify whether vehicle 100 has reached a location on the road near a roundabout. Processor 122 can detect the existence and location of roundabouts on the route and confirm whether vehicle 100 has reached a location on the road ahead of the roundabout. The location on the road can be, for example, a road area located at a predetermined distance from the roundabout, or an area with road signs associated with the roundabout. The location on the road can be identified using data acquired from the aforementioned sensors and map information. Furthermore, the determination of whether vehicle 100 has passed through or arrived at the location can be processed using data acquired from the aforementioned sensors.

[0080] When vehicle 100 arrives at a location on a road near a roundabout, processor 122 can be configured to generate speed information for driving control at the roundabout based on user driving settings information associated with the roundabout (S110).

[0081] Driving setting information can be detailed control information applied by the user or processor to autonomous driving. For example, the user can select options from the autonomous driving function settings set on the control unit 104 or display 106. Driving setting information can include detailed controls for autonomous driving specified for various driving environments and each road type. The user can request the vehicle 100 to perform autonomous driving (e.g., smart cruise control (SCC)) on ordinary roads other than roundabouts and set a target speed for the ordinary roads. This can be an example of the user entering driving setting information while activating the automatic function during driving. As an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the user can pre-set the driving setting information before activating the automatic function. Driving setting information for autonomous driving on specific types of roads (e.g., roundabouts) can be pre-set. Roundabouts can typically connect to ordinary roads. When the user activates the automatic function while driving along at least some routes to the destination, the ease of handling and driving stability may be reduced when the vehicle 100 requests driving setting information from the user while entering a roundabout from an ordinary road. However, when a vehicle is driving at or about to enter a roundabout, the driving settings information for the roundabout can be specified by the user's request or by the user's response to a query from the processor 122.

[0082] In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the content of the driving settings information is described as being related to a specific type of road, such as a roundabout, but the content can be similarly applied to other specific types of roads besides ordinary roads.

[0083] Driving settings information can be generated in response to the mode selected by the user from the specified mode and driving style mode.

[0084] First, in the specified mode, the user's requested speed 83 at a roundabout can be set. As an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a first reduction level of the target speed for roads other than roundabouts can be set in the specified mode. Here, the road can be a road of the ordinary road type listed above. The specified mode of this example can provide the user with multiple speed levels as the first reduction level below the target speed. The speed levels can include, for example, options categorized as low speed, medium speed, and high speed, and are not limited thereto, and can be constructed in various ways. For example, in order to make all speed levels of the above options lower than the target speed, the low speed level can be defined as a speed corresponding to a 30% reduction ratio of the target speed, the medium speed level can be defined as a speed corresponding to a 20% reduction ratio of the target speed, and the high speed level can be defined as a speed corresponding to a 10% reduction ratio of the target speed. This is not limited to the specific example above, and the reduction ratio of each level can be set in various ways, as long as the speed is lower than the target speed.

[0085] In driving style mode, a speed determined based on the user's driving style information at roundabouts can be set according to driving setting information. Driving style information can be provided based on the user's manual driving at one or more roundabouts or based on driving data from past driving settings. Driving data can be a single vehicle data entry or generated from detailed data constituting the vehicle data. Driving data can be accumulated and stored, including longitudinal and lateral control states accumulated based on the user's manual driving. Longitudinal control states can include, for example, driving speed and acceleration. Lateral control states can include, for example, steering wheel rotation angle and steering wheel rotation angular velocity. Longitudinal and lateral control states can be acquired, for example, by utilizing or analyzing CAN data, which is generated by the EPU constituting sensor unit 102 and processor 122 during driving.

[0086] In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, driving data may be exemplified as driving speed and acceleration associated with roundabouts previously driven by the user or driven using previously selected driving settings information. Depending on the data type required to generate the driving settings information, the driving data may employ various types of data listed in longitudinal and lateral control states. Driving data associated with roundabouts may be a series of data from a predetermined distance range before entering the roundabout to a predetermined distance range after leaving the roundabout.

[0087] like Figure 5 As shown, driving style information P, used to generate driving setting information, can be generated by utilizing a baseline number of driving data accumulated over the past at speeds below the speed limit at roundabouts. Driver-Habit . Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the acquisition of driving style information from a vehicle user. Regardless of the roundabouts on the current route, processor 122 can utilize driving data accumulated at one or more roundabouts already traversed by the user. Processor 122 can exclude driving data from the accumulated driving data showing manual driving at roundabouts exceeding the speed limit. (See reference...) Figure 5 The processor 122 can verify whether the driving datasets H1, H2, H3... or Hn of each roundabout the user has previously driven through are below the speed limit at each roundabout, and can also confirm whether the accumulated dataset size is above a baseline size. When the above conditions are met, the processor 122 can generate driving style information P, for example, through statistics or machine learning on multiple driving datasets. Driver-Habit .

[0088] In driving style mode, a second reduction level speed can be set based on a target speed determined by driving style information. The driving style mode in this example can provide multiple personalized speed levels as a second reduction level below the target speed. These personalized speed levels can be categorized, for example, as low, medium, and high speed, and are not limited to this, and can be constructed in various ways. Furthermore, the processor 122 can select one of the speed levels (low, medium, or high) that substantially matches the driving speed based on the driving style information, and can be configured to determine the selected speed level as the speed for the driving style mode.

[0089] The deceleration rate for the target speed applied to a personalized speed level in the second lowering level can be set differently from the deceleration rate for the target speed in the first lowering level. For example, when driving style information analysis indicates that a user is driving at a roundabout at a speed faster than the speed according to the first lowering level, the deceleration rate for the second lowering level can be set to be less than the deceleration rate for the first lowering level. For example, to ensure that all personalized speed levels are lower than the target speed, the low speed level could be defined as a speed corresponding to a 15% deceleration rate of the target speed, the medium speed level could be defined as a speed corresponding to a 10% deceleration rate of the target speed, and the high speed level could be defined as a speed corresponding to a 5% deceleration rate of the target speed. This is not limited to the specific examples above.

[0090] Return to reference Figure 3 The processor 122 can detect whether vehicle 100 has reached the area including the entry point of a roundabout, and whether another vehicle is traveling in the section of the roundabout within a predetermined distance from the entry point (S115).

[0091] Reference Figure 4The route of the autonomous vehicle 100 may include a roundabout, which includes an entry point 510, a main road segment 530, an exit point 550, a preceding road 520 connecting to the entry point 510, and a following road connecting to the exit point 550. The main road segment 530 may be a lane entering from the roundabout. More specifically, the main road segment 530 may be a segment of the road in which the vehicle 100 travels along a circular trajectory within the roundabout. More specifically, the main road segment 530 may refer to a segment of the road in which the vehicle 100, entering from the entry point 510, travels along a circular or curved trajectory before proceeding to the exit point 550. The area of ​​the roundabout including the entry point 510 is an area existing on the route, such as... Figure 4 As shown, the area may include a portion of the preceding road 520 connecting to the entry point 510, the entry point 510 itself, and at least a portion of the main vehicular road segment 530 near the entry point 510. For example, arrival at the area can be detected by a combination of ambient environmental data acquired from sensors of the vehicle 100, the vehicle 100's location data, and map information. The ambient environmental data may include at least one of camera image data and LiDAR data, and the processor 122 can detect arrival at the area based on lane line shapes, road signs / markings, etc., associated with the entry point 510 of the roundabout in relation to the ambient environmental data.

[0092] Processor 122 can be configured to determine whether another vehicle is traveling on a segment of a roundabout within a predetermined range of an entry point in the area. Here, as... Figure 4 As shown, this section of the roundabout can be the travel segment of another vehicle 100 that obstructs the entry of a vehicle into the roundabout. This section can be at least a portion of the main road segment starting from the entry point. Depending on the size of the roundabout, this section can be a part of the main road segment existing on both sides of the entry point, or it can be the entire main road segment. A portion of the main road segment can include a portion of the main road segment preceding the entry point 510 in the direction of travel rotation of the roundabout and a portion of the main road segment following the entry point 510 in the direction of travel rotation. Furthermore, the processor 122 can, for example, identify whether the other vehicle 100 is traveling on a section of the roundabout falling within a predetermined range, based on the behavior of the other vehicle 100 in the surrounding environment data and the behavior of the other vehicle 100 obtained from communications with the other vehicle 100 or external devices.

[0093] When another vehicle 100 is traveling on a section of the road within a predetermined roundabout (as in S115), the processor 122 can execute a procedure at the entry point such that it performs yield control for vehicle 100 (S120). Yield control can be performed to allow the vehicle to... Figure 4 Stop or slow down at the stop line or yield line shown.

[0094] In step S115, yield control can be performed until no vehicles are traveling on the roundabout section. For example, during deceleration for yield control, vehicle 100 can stop yield control when another vehicle ahead has passed through the roundabout.

[0095] When no vehicle 100 is traveling on the roundabout section within the aforementioned predetermined range ("No" in S115), the processor 122 of vehicle 100 can be configured to generate driving control information based on speed information and information about the vehicle ahead detected from the vehicle ahead traveling at the roundabout (S125).

[0096] Speed ​​information can be set in step S110. Simultaneously, processor 122 can identify another vehicle traveling in front of vehicle 100 on the main road segment based on surrounding environmental data and data obtained from communications with another vehicle 100 or external devices. When vehicle 100 is traveling on the main road segment, the other vehicle may be a dynamic object expected to travel in front of vehicle 100. When the presence of another vehicle ahead is anticipated, processor 122 can be configured to generate behavioral information related to the other vehicle ahead based on this data. The information about the vehicle ahead may include, for example, the distance to the other vehicle 100 on the main road segment, the speed of the other vehicle 100, and the trajectory of the other vehicle 100.

[0097] When it is anticipated that there is no other vehicle ahead and therefore no information about the vehicle ahead is generated, the processor 122 can be configured to generate driving control information for autonomous driving at a roundabout based on speed information. The driving control information may include driving control related to control plans for entering and leaving the roundabout, driving on the main road segment, and operating indicators.

[0098] When the presence of another vehicle ahead is anticipated, thus generating information about the vehicle ahead, the processor 122 can be configured to generate driving control information based on speed information and the information about the vehicle ahead. As described above, the basic driving speed at a roundabout can be determined by the speed information of the entry point and the main road segment. However, when the distance between vehicles is determined based on the behavior of the vehicle ahead confirmed from the information about the vehicle ahead—that is, when the speed required to maintain a safe distance from the vehicle ahead is lower than the speed information—the processor 122 can, for example, generate driving control information to follow the speed determined by distance control with respect to the vehicle ahead. Due to the driving control information, vehicle 100 can be controlled while maintaining a safe distance from the vehicle ahead during entry into a roundabout and travel on the main road segment.

[0099] Next, the processor 122 can be configured to control the turn signal lights for entering the roundabout to turn on, and control the vehicle 100 to automatically enter the roundabout according to the driving control information (S130).

[0100] Processor 122 can be configured to control operation indicator 112 in an area including a location of a roundabout determined by the route of vehicle 100. The area including the roundabout location can be an area associated with the entrance to the roundabout. As described in step S115, the area associated with the entrance can include a portion of a previous road connecting to the entrance point, the entrance point itself, and a portion of the main road segment near the entrance point. Figure 4 As shown, when processor 122 detects, based on at least one of the surrounding environment data, location information, and map information, that vehicle 100 is traveling on a previous road 520 connecting to entry point 510, processor 122 can be configured to control operation indicator 112 to notify entry into a roundabout. Hereinafter, operation indicator 112 is exemplified as a turn signal light and will be referred to... Figure 6 This describes the control of turning the turn signals on or off. However, the invention is not limited thereto; other modules of the operation indicator 112 can also implement operations related to entering a roundabout via the processor 122.

[0101] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating the process of controlling the turn signals to turn on or off when entering a roundabout.

[0102] First, such as Figure 6 As shown, the processor 122 can activate the turn signal before the entry point 510 of the roundabout (S205). Here, the time point before the entry point 510 can be the time point when the vehicle 100 is traveling on the previous road 520 connecting to the entry point 510.

[0103] Next, processor 122 can be configured to determine whether the behavior of vehicle 100 satisfies the entry completion condition of a roundabout (S210). For example, the entry completion condition can be satisfied by detecting that both rear wheels of vehicle 100 have entered the main road segment 530 of the roundabout. The position state of the rear wheels can be identified, for example, by at least one of the estimated position of the rear wheels obtained from the multi-camera sensors of vehicle 100, the lane near the entry point 510 detected by the camera sensors, and the estimated position of the rear wheels of vehicle 100 obtained by exchanging with another vehicle. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the entry completion condition is referred to as both rear wheels entering, but is not limited thereto and can be defined in various ways.

[0104] When both rear wheels of vehicle 100 are not on the main road section, thus the completion condition is not met, processor 122 may keep the turn signal light on (S215).

[0105] On the other hand, when both rear wheels have entered the lane and the entry completion condition is met, the processor 122 can turn off the turn signal and control the vehicle 100 to drive automatically on the main road section (S220).

[0106] Through steps S215 and S220, the turn signals can be activated until the entry into the roundabout is complete, regardless of user control of the turn signals or steering wheel torque. Therefore, since the turn signals are not deactivated by user control of the turn signals or steering wheel torque, the operational stability required for autonomous driving can be ensured.

[0107] Return to reference Figure 3 The processor 122 can be configured to, together with the control of turning signals on or off, control the vehicle 100 to automatically enter the main road segment 530 from the previous road 520 based on driving control information.

[0108] Next, the processor 122 can be configured to control the vehicle's autonomous driving on the main road segment of a roundabout based on driving control information (S135). The driving control information can be based on the information generated in step S125 and further includes longitudinal and lateral control that varies according to the behavior of another vehicle 100 on the main road segment and the trajectory of vehicle 100 to its departure point. Longitudinal control may include the vehicle 100's speed, acceleration, deceleration, etc., and lateral control may include steering control.

[0109] Next, the processor 122 can be configured to control the turn signal lights for leaving the roundabout to turn on, and control the vehicle 100 to automatically leave the roundabout according to the driving control information (S140).

[0110] Processor 122 can be configured to control operation indicator 112 in an area including a location (i.e., departure point) at a roundabout determined by the route of vehicle 100. As described in step S115, the area associated with the exit may include a preceding road segment 560 connecting to the departure point, the departure point 550, and a portion of a subsequent road connecting to the departure point, such as... Figure 4 As shown. When processor 122 detects, based on at least one of the surrounding environment data, location information, and map information, that vehicle 100 is traveling in a previous segment 560 of the main road segment, processor 122 may be configured to control operation indicator 112 to notify of departure from the roundabout. Hereinafter, operation indicator 112 is exemplified as a turn signal light and will be referred to... Figure 7This describes the control of turning the turn signals on or off. However, the invention is not limited thereto; other modules of the operation indicator 112 can also implement operations related to leaving the roundabout via the processor 122.

[0111] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating the process of controlling the turn signals to turn on or off when a vehicle leaves a roundabout.

[0112] First, such as Figure 4 As shown, the processor 122 can activate the turn signal (S305) before the departure point 550 of the roundabout. Here, the time point before the departure point 550 can be the time when the vehicle 100 is traveling on the previous road segment 560 of the main road segment connecting to the departure point 550.

[0113] Next, processor 122 can be configured to determine whether the behavior of vehicle 100 satisfies the departure completion condition of the roundabout (S310). For example, the departure completion condition can be satisfied by detecting that both rear wheels of vehicle 100 have left the departure point 550. The position state of the rear wheels can be compared with... Figure 6 Examples are identified in essentially the same way. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the departure completion condition is referred to as both rear wheels leaving, but it is not limited thereto and can be defined in various ways.

[0114] When both rear wheels of vehicle 100 have not left the departure point, thus the departure completion condition is not met, processor 122 may keep the turn signal light on (S315).

[0115] On the other hand, when both rear wheels have left the intersection and the departure completion condition is met, the processor 122 can turn off the turn signal and control the vehicle 100 to automatically drive from the roundabout to the subsequent road (S320).

[0116] Through steps S315 and S320, the turn signals can be activated until the departure completion point of the roundabout, regardless of the user's control of the turn signals and the steering wheel torque value. Therefore, since the turn signals are not turned off due to the user's control of the turn signals and the steering wheel torque, the operation and stability required for autonomous driving can be ensured.

[0117] Return to reference Figure 3 When vehicle 100 leaves the roundabout, processor 122 can be configured to control the vehicle's movement based on a target speed applicable on the road subsequently connected to the roundabout (S145).

[0118] This invention aims to provide a method and vehicle for controlling autonomous driving, so as to control the autonomous driving at roundabouts by reflecting the user's driving style, thereby avoiding driving discomfort at roundabouts and improving stability.

[0119] Furthermore, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, driving stability at roundabouts can be ensured by providing external notification of the driving operations required for driving at roundabouts and by taking into account the behavior of other vehicles.

[0120] The effects achievable by this invention are not limited to those described above. Those skilled in the art will be able to clearly understand other effects not described through the following description.

[0121] Although the exemplary method of the present invention described above is represented as a series of steps for clarity, it is not intended to limit the order in which the steps are performed, and these steps may be performed simultaneously or in different orders as needed. To implement the method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the described steps may further include other steps, may include the remaining steps in addition to some steps, or may include other additional steps in addition to some steps.

[0122] The various embodiments of the present invention are not a list of all possible combinations, and are intended to describe representative aspects of the invention. The matters described in the various embodiments may be applied independently or in combination of two or more.

[0123] Furthermore, various embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. When the present invention is implemented in hardware, it can be implemented using application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), general-purpose processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, etc.

[0124] The scope of this invention includes software or machine-executable instructions (e.g., operating systems, applications, firmware, programs, etc.) for enabling the steps of methods according to various embodiments to be executed on a device or computer, as well as non-volatile computer-readable media including such software or instructions stored thereon and executable on a device or computer.

Claims

1. A method for controlling autonomous driving, the method comprising: Based on the user's driving settings information related to the roundabout, the processor generates speed information for vehicle driving control at the roundabout; Based on the speed information, the processor generates driving control information; In an area including a roundabout determined by the vehicle's route, the processor controls the vehicle's operation indicator and controls the vehicle's movement at the roundabout based on the driving control information. The driving settings information is generated in response to the mode selected by the user from the specified mode and the driving style mode.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, In the specified mode, the user can set either the desired speed at a roundabout or the target speed on roads outside the roundabout, or the first reduction level. In the driving style mode, the user can set the speed based on their driving style information at the roundabout.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, Driving style information is provided based on driving data, which is based on the user's manual driving at one or more roundabouts, or on the user's past driving settings; driving data accumulated above a certain threshold, including driving at speeds below the speed limit at roundabouts, is collected.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein, In driving style mode, a second reduction level speed is set based on the target speed determined by driving style information. The reduction ratio of the target speed in the second reduction level is set differently from the reduction ratio of the target speed in the first reduction level.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The generation of the speed information includes, in addition to driving setting information, the generation of speed information based on the vehicle's driving route information, the target speed of the driving road before entering the roundabout, and the speed limit of the roundabout.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: Before the operation of the indicator and the control of driving. Based on the fact that a vehicle has arrived in an area including a roundabout and another vehicle is detected traveling in a section of road within a predetermined distance from the roundabout, yield control is performed at the entry point.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The generation of the driving control information includes, in addition to speed information, generating the driving control information based on information about the vehicle ahead detected from the vehicle ahead traveling at the roundabout.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The operating indicator includes turn signals; The control of the vehicle's operating indicators includes: Turn on your turn signals before entering the roundabout; In response to the detection that both rear wheels of a vehicle have entered the main lane of a roundabout, the turn signal is turned off, the main lane being the lane the vehicle enters at the roundabout.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The operating indicator includes turn signals; The control of the vehicle's operating indicators includes: Turn on your turn signals before leaving the roundabout; In response to the detection that both rear wheels of the vehicle have left the departure point, the turn signals are turned off.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising: Following the control of the operating indicator and the driving control In response to a vehicle leaving a roundabout, the vehicle's movement is controlled based on a target speed applicable on subsequent roads connecting to the roundabout.

11. A vehicle comprising: A sensor unit configured to detect the vehicle's surrounding environment; A memory configured to store at least one instruction for controlling the vehicle; as well as A processor operatively connected to the sensor unit and the memory, the processor being configured to execute the at least one instruction stored in the memory. The processor is configured as follows: Based on the user's driving settings information related to the roundabout, speed information is generated for vehicle driving control at the roundabout. Based on the speed information, driving control information is generated; In an area including a roundabout determined by the vehicle's route, a vehicle operation indicator controls the vehicle's movement at the roundabout based on the driving control information. The driving settings information is generated in response to the mode selected by the user from the specified mode and the driving style mode.

12. The vehicle according to claim 11, wherein, In the specified mode, the user can set either the desired speed at a roundabout or the target speed on roads outside the roundabout, or the first reduction level. In the driving style mode, the user can set the speed based on their driving style information at the roundabout.

13. The vehicle according to claim 12, wherein, Driving style information is provided based on driving data, which is based on the user's manual driving at one or more roundabouts, or on the user's past driving settings; driving data accumulated above a certain threshold, including driving at speeds below the speed limit at roundabouts, is collected.

14. The vehicle according to claim 12, wherein, In driving style mode, a second reduction level speed is set based on the target speed determined by driving style information. The reduction ratio of the target speed in the second reduction level is set differently from the reduction ratio of the target speed in the first reduction level.

15. The vehicle according to claim 11, wherein, The generation of the speed information includes, in addition to driving setting information, the generation of speed information based on the vehicle's driving route information, the target speed of the driving road before entering the roundabout, and the speed limit of the roundabout.

16. The vehicle according to claim 11, wherein, Prior to the operation indicator and driving control, the processor is further configured to: perform yield control of the vehicle at the entry point based on the vehicle arriving in an area including a roundabout and detecting another vehicle traveling in a section of road within a predetermined distance from the entry point of the roundabout.

17. The vehicle according to claim 11, wherein, The generation of the driving control information includes, in addition to speed information, generating the driving control information based on information about the vehicle ahead detected from the vehicle ahead traveling at the roundabout.

18. The vehicle according to claim 11, wherein, The operating indicator includes turn signals; The control of the vehicle's operating indicators includes: Turn on your turn signals before entering the roundabout; In response to the detection that both rear wheels of a vehicle have entered the main lane of a roundabout, the turn signal is turned off, the main lane being the lane the vehicle enters at the roundabout.

19. The vehicle according to claim 11, wherein, The operating indicator includes turn signals; The control of the vehicle's operating indicators includes: Turn on your turn signals before leaving the roundabout; In response to the detection that both rear wheels of the vehicle have left the departure point, the turn signals are turned off.

20. The vehicle according to claim 11, wherein, Following the operation of the indicator and control of driving, the processor is further configured to control the vehicle's driving based on a target speed applicable on the road subsequently connected to the roundabout, in response to the vehicle leaving the roundabout.

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