Vehicle controller, vehicle control method, and vehicle control program

Abstract

To provide a vehicle controller capable of executing appropriate control inside a parking lot.SOLUTION: There are provided a reliability degree determination part 503 that executes reliability degree determination for determining a reliability degree of a one's own vehicle position as a current position of one's own vehicle being in a parking lot, based on a detection result of a parking space around the one's own vehicle; and a one's own vehicle position determination part 504 for determining any of parking lot affirmative determination that means that the one's own vehicle position is in the parking lot, and parking lot negative determination that means that no one's own vehicle position is in the parking lot, using a reliability degree determination result. The one's own vehicle position determination part determines the parking lot affirmative determination regardless of the reliability degree with the reliability degree determination part, when a predetermined condition as being affirmative is established.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a vehicle control program. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, if a driver of a vehicle in a parking lot accidentally presses the accelerator pedal instead of the brake pedal, the vehicle will accelerate against the driver's intention. Therefore, in order to suppress sudden acceleration caused by such a mistaken press, it is sometimes necessary to determine whether the vehicle is in a parking lot. In the device described in Patent Document 1, if it is determined that the vehicle is in a parking lot, even if the amount of operation of the accelerator pedal suddenly increases, it is determined that the driver has erroneously operated the accelerator pedal, and acceleration suppression control is executed to suppress the acceleration of the vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6299179 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] As described above, there are situations in which it is desirable to execute control different from that when driving on a general road in a parking lot. However, in reality, control appropriate for a parking lot has not been executed. The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances. In other words, the present disclosure provides a technology that makes it possible to execute appropriate control in a parking lot. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present disclosure can be realized in the following forms.

[0006] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a vehicle control device is provided, which includes a reliability determination unit (503) that executes a reliability determination for determining a reliability of a vehicle position, which is a current position of a vehicle, being within a parking lot (PP) based on a detection result of a parking space (PS) around the vehicle (C), and a vehicle position determination unit (504) that uses a result of the reliability determination to determine either an in-parking lot positive determination that the vehicle position is within the parking lot, or an in-parking lot negative determination that the vehicle position is not within the parking lot, and when a predetermined positive condition is established, the vehicle position determination unit determines the in-parking lot positive determination regardless of the reliability determined by the reliability determination unit. According to this embodiment of the vehicle control device, in principle, the vehicle position determination unit uses the result of the reliability determination to determine whether the vehicle is in a parking lot positive or negative, but if a predetermined positive condition is met, the vehicle determines the vehicle is in a parking lot positive regardless of the reliability. This increases the chances of the vehicle being determined as being in a parking lot positive in a situation where the reliability is low and a negative determination would normally be made. In other words, it becomes possible to more appropriately determine whether the vehicle is in a parking lot. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a host vehicle equipped with an in-vehicle system including a vehicle control device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of an in-vehicle system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 3] 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic functional configuration realized by the vehicle control device shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 10 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the detected position of a parking space, the reliability, and the host vehicle position determination. FIG. [Diagram 5] 3 is a plan view showing an outline of the operation of the vehicle control device shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 6] 3 is a plan view showing an outline of the operation of the vehicle control device shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 7] 3 is a plan view showing an outline of the operation of the vehicle control device shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a plan view showing an outline of the operation of the vehicle control device in the second embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a schematic functional configuration realized by a vehicle control device in a fourth embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a plan view showing an outline of the operation of a vehicle control device in another embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the detected position of a parking space, the reliability, and the host vehicle position determination in another embodiment. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of a vehicle control device in another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Hereinafter, several embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. A. First embodiment: A1. Configuration of the in-vehicle system 10: The configuration of the first embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 7. An in-vehicle system 10 of the first embodiment is mounted on the host vehicle C. In this embodiment, the host vehicle C is a so-called four-wheeled automobile, and is equipped with a box-shaped vehicle body CB formed in a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view. The shape of each part of the host vehicle C in a "plan view" refers to the shape of that part when viewed from a line of sight in the same direction as the direction of gravity, with the host vehicle C stably placed on a horizontal surface so as to be able to run.

[0009] Hereinafter, a virtual straight line that passes through the center of the host vehicle C in the vehicle width direction and is parallel to the vehicle length direction of the host vehicle C in a plan view is referred to as a vehicle width center line CL. The vehicle width center line CL is also referred to as a vehicle center line. In the figure, the vehicle width center line CL is indicated by an arrow to indicate the traveling direction of the host vehicle C when the host vehicle C is traveling forward. The vehicle length direction is a direction perpendicular to the vehicle width direction and perpendicular to the vehicle height direction. The vehicle height direction is a direction that defines the vehicle height of the host vehicle C and is a direction parallel to the direction of gravity when the host vehicle C is stably placed on a horizontal surface so that it can travel. In addition, "front", "rear", "left", "right", and "up" are defined as shown by arrows in FIG. 1. That is, the vehicle length direction is synonymous with the front-rear direction. In addition, the vehicle width direction is synonymous with the left-right direction. Furthermore, the planned traveling route of the host vehicle C when the host vehicle C is traveling forward is indicated by a two-dot chain line in the figure as the host vehicle path CP.

[0010] The in-vehicle system 10 is configured to detect targets around the host vehicle C using the camera 20 and the obstacle sensor 30 (see FIG. 2), and to execute behavior control of the host vehicle C and information notification operation to the occupants based on the detection result of the target. More specifically, the in-vehicle system 10 is configured to be able to determine whether the host vehicle position is in a parking lot PP or not based on the detection result of a parking space PS or a parked vehicle PV around the host vehicle C based on the image capture result of the image around the host vehicle C by the camera 20. The behavior control refers to, for example, control set for each driving mode of the host vehicle C. Specifically, when it is determined that the host vehicle position is in the parking lot PP, the parking lot mode is set, and the acceleration suppression control described later is executed.

[0011] "Own vehicle position" is the current position of the own vehicle C. "Parking space PS" refers to a parking section PA for parking one normal vehicle, or a predetermined number (e.g., two) or more of parked vehicles PV parked in the same direction in such a parking section PA. Note that parking sections PA are not limited to those separated by white lines or other dividing lines on the road surface.

[0012] The in-vehicle system 10 is also configured to execute vehicle behavior control according to the determination result of whether the vehicle position is in a parking lot PP. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 2, the in-vehicle system 10 includes a camera 20, an obstacle sensor 30, a driving condition sensor 40, a vehicle control device 50, an HMI device 60, and a driving control device 70. HMI is an abbreviation for human machine interface.

[0013] The camera 20 is provided to capture images of the surroundings of the vehicle C. In this embodiment, the camera 20 is a so-called front camera, and is installed to have an imaging range in front and on the front sides of the vehicle C. The camera 20 is connected to the vehicle control device 50 via an in-vehicle communication line so as to be capable of communicating information or signals with the vehicle control device 50, so as to input image data, which is the imaging result, to the vehicle control device 50.

[0014] The obstacle sensor 30 is provided to detect obstacles present around the host vehicle C. Specifically, the host vehicle C is equipped with at least one of a radar sensor, a laser radar sensor, and an ultrasonic sensor as the obstacle sensor 30. The obstacle sensor 30 is connected to the vehicle control device 50 via an in-vehicle communication line so as to be capable of communicating information or signals with the vehicle control device 50, so as to input detection results of obstacles around the host vehicle C to the vehicle control device 50.

[0015] The driving condition sensor 40 is provided to detect various quantities related to the driving condition of the host vehicle C. The "various quantities related to the driving condition" include various quantities related to the driving operation state by the driver or the driving automation system, such as, for example, accelerator operation amount, brake operation amount, shift position, steering angle, etc. In addition, the "various quantities related to the driving condition" include physical quantities related to the behavior of the host vehicle C, such as, for example, vehicle speed, angular velocity, forward / rearward acceleration, and left / right acceleration.

[0016] That is, the driving condition sensor 40 is a collective term for well-known sensors necessary for vehicle driving control, such as an accelerator opening sensor, a steering angle sensor, a wheel speed sensor, an angular velocity sensor, an acceleration sensor, a yaw rate sensor, etc., for the sake of simplicity of illustration and explanation. The driving condition sensor 40 is connected to the vehicle control device 50 via an in-vehicle communication line so as to be capable of communicating information or signals with the vehicle control device 50, so as to input the detection results to the vehicle control device 50.

[0017] The vehicle control device 50 is housed inside the vehicle body CB. The vehicle control device 50 is configured to control the operation of each part of the host vehicle C, including the HMI device 60 and the driving control device 70, based on various information and signals acquired from the camera 20, the obstacle sensor 30, and the driving condition sensor 40. The driving control device 70 corresponds to an example of a "control unit."

[0018] In this embodiment, the vehicle control device 50 is configured as an in-vehicle computer including a processor 51 and a memory 52. ​​The processor 51 is configured by a CPU and an MPU. The memory 52 includes at least a ROM and a RAM among various non-transient substantial storage media such as a ROM, a RAM, and a non-volatile rewritable memory. The non-volatile rewritable memory is a storage device that can rewrite information while the power is on, but holds information in an unrewritable manner while the power is off, such as a flash ROM. The vehicle control device 50 is configured to control the overall operation of the in-vehicle system 10 by reading and executing a control program stored in the ROM or the non-volatile rewritable memory.

[0019] The HMI device 60 is configured with a display device, a speaker, and the like for presenting various information and warnings to the occupants of the host vehicle C. The cruise control device 70 is provided to execute longitudinal and / or lateral motion control of the host vehicle C. In other words, the cruise control device 70 is configured to be capable of executing at least a part of motion control of the host vehicle C, such as starting, acceleration / deceleration, braking, stopping, steering, and the like.

[0020] A2. Configuration of the vehicle control device 50: Fig. 3 shows a part of the functional configuration realized on the in-vehicle microcomputer by the processor 51 reading and executing the vehicle control program from the memory 52. ​​As shown in Fig. 3, the vehicle control device 50 includes, as functional configuration realized on the in-vehicle microcomputer, an image data acquisition unit 501, a parking space detection unit 502, a reliability determination unit 503, a host vehicle position determination unit 504, and a command signal output unit 505. Hereinafter, the configuration of the vehicle control device 50 will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 1 to 3.

[0021] The image data acquisition unit 501 is adapted to acquire image data from the camera 20. The parking space detection unit 502 is adapted to detect the parking space PS and the parked vehicle PV by a so-called well-known image recognition method based on the image data acquired by the image data acquisition unit 501. Hereinafter, when the parking space PA and the parked vehicle PV are collectively referred to without distinction, the expression "parking space PA, etc." will be used.

[0022] The reliability determination unit 503 determines the reliability of the host vehicle position being within the parking lot PP based on the detection result of the parking space PS around the host vehicle C based on the image data. The "reliability of the host vehicle position being within the parking lot PP" is hereinafter abbreviated as "host vehicle position reliability." Specifically, the reliability determination unit 503 determines the host vehicle position reliability based on the detection reliability of the detected parking space PS, which is determined based on the continuity of the parking spaces PA, the detection situation of the parking spaces PA, etc. However, the detection reliability is not essential and may or may not be used. The "continuity of the detected parking spaces PA, etc." includes, for example, whether or not the parking spaces PA and the parked vehicles PV are detected consecutively in the same direction at a distance of a predetermined number of vehicles or more.

[0023] The "detection status of the parking space PA, etc." includes, for example, the reliability of the recognition of the white lines on the road surface that constitutes the parking space PA. Note that the white lines may be recognized using, for example, a laser radar instead of the camera 20. In this embodiment, the reliability determination unit 503 determines the reliability of the host vehicle position based on the relative position of the detected parking space PS with respect to the host vehicle C. The "relative position" includes, for example, the distance from the host vehicle C and the positional relationship with the host vehicle C. The "positional relationship" includes, for example, whether the parking space PS is detected only on the right side of the host vehicle C, only on the left side of the host vehicle C, on both the left and right sides of the host vehicle C, in front of the host vehicle C, etc.

[0024] In this embodiment, the reliability determination unit 503 determines the vehicle position reliability in three or more stages. More specifically, the reliability determination unit 503 determines the vehicle position reliability as a three-stage numerical value of "0", "1", and "2" as shown in Table T1 in Fig. 4. The higher the "reliability" numerical value, the higher the vehicle position reliability, i.e., the higher the probability that the vehicle position is within the parking lot PP.

[0025] The "reliability 2" determined by the reliability determination unit 503 refers to a case where a parking space PS is detected with high reliability within a certain distance D1 on both the left and right sides or within a certain distance D1 in front. Note that the "high reliability" in "highly reliable detection of parking space PS" refers to the reliability of the detection of the parking space PS, and is a different concept from the reliability indicating the probability that the vehicle position is within the parking lot PP. Note that the certain distance D1 is set to, for example, about 10 m to 20 m. Note that although it is described above as "within a certain distance D1 on both the left and right sides or a certain distance D1 in front," the certain distance "D1" may be set to a different distance when detecting a parking space PS on the left and right sides and when detecting a parking space PS in front.

[0026] The detection reliability of the parking space PS is the reliability of the recognition of the white lines on the road surface and the detection of the target object, and can be determined based on, for example, the recognition state due to blurred white lines or weather, the shape and size of the area surrounded by the white lines, etc., as is well known. For example, when a large number of parking spaces PS are detected in succession, the reliability is high. On the other hand, when a parking space PS is detected but a small number of parking sections PA are spaced apart, the reliability is medium. In this embodiment, the reliability of the detection of the parking space PS is set to either "high" or "medium", but is not limited to such a two-stage form.

[0027] "Reliability 1" determined by the reliability determination unit 503 refers to a case where a parking space PS is detected with medium reliability within a certain distance D1 on both the left and right sides or within a certain distance D1 in front. For convenience, this case is hereinafter referred to as "Case 1A." "Reliability 1" also refers to a case where a parking space PS is detected with high to medium reliability within a certain distance D1 on only one side, either the left or right. For convenience, this case is hereinafter referred to as "Case 1B." "Reliability 0" refers to cases other than those mentioned above.

[0028] The vehicle position determination unit 504 basically determines whether the vehicle position is within the parking lot PP using the result of the determination of the reliability of the vehicle position by the reliability determination unit 503. However, when a predetermined positive condition is satisfied, the vehicle position is determined to be within the parking lot PP, i.e., a positive determination of the vehicle position within the parking lot, regardless of the result of the determination of the reliability of the vehicle position. Also, when a predetermined exceptional condition is satisfied, the vehicle position is determined to be not within the parking lot PP, i.e., a negative determination of the vehicle position within the parking lot, even if the above-mentioned positive condition is satisfied. In the following description of the first embodiment, a "positive determination" simply means a "positive determination of the vehicle position within the parking lot", and a "negative determination" simply means a "negative determination of the vehicle position within the parking lot".

[0029] Specifically, the vehicle position determination unit 504 executes a basic determination as follows. When the reliability is 2, it determines that the vehicle position is within the parking lot PP, that is, a positive determination is made. When the reliability is 1, a negative determination is basically made. However, in case 1B where a parking space PS is detected within a certain distance D1 on only one side with high to medium reliability, both a negative determination and a positive determination may be made. This is because the determination is made depending on whether the above-mentioned positive condition and exceptional condition are satisfied. The operation of the vehicle position determination will be described in detail later.

[0030] When the reliability is 0, a negative judgment is decided. However, when the reliability is 1 or 0, if the reliability drops from 2, a positive judgment may be maintained for a predetermined travel distance (e.g., several tens of meters) or travel time (e.g., about 10 seconds) from the drop.

[0031] The command signal output unit 505 generates a command signal for controlling the operation of the HMI device 60 and the driving control device 70 based on the judgment result in the vehicle position judgment unit 504, and outputs the command signal to the HMI device 60 and the driving control device 70. Specifically, when the judgment result in the vehicle position judgment unit 504 is a positive judgment, the command signal output unit 505 outputs a command signal corresponding to a parking mode. The HMI device 60 is provided to execute a display or voice guidance regarding whether or not the current position of the vehicle C is within the parking lot PP based on the command signal received from the command signal output unit 505. In addition, the driving control device 70 is provided to execute a motion control of the vehicle C according to whether or not the current position of the vehicle C is within the parking lot PP based on the command signal received from the command signal output unit 505.

[0032] A3. Operation of the in-vehicle system 10: Below, an overview of the operation of the vehicle control device 50 according to this embodiment and an overview of the execution of the vehicle control method and vehicle control program by the vehicle control device 50 will be described with reference to the drawings, along with the effects achieved by these. In the following description, the vehicle control device 50 according to this embodiment and the vehicle control method and vehicle control program executed by the vehicle control device 50 may be collectively referred to simply as "this embodiment." The operation of the in-vehicle system 10 described below is executed when the vehicle speed of the host vehicle C is less than a predetermined vehicle speed threshold (e.g., 15 km / h).

[0033] The image data acquisition unit 501 acquires image data, which is an image capturing result of an image around the vehicle C, from the camera 20. The parking space detection unit 502 detects the parking space PS by a so-called well-known image recognition method based on the image data acquired by the image data acquisition unit 501. The vehicle position determination unit 504 determines whether the vehicle position is within the parking lot PP based on the detection result of the parking space PS. The command signal output unit 505 generates a command signal for controlling the operation of the HMI device 60 and the driving control device 70 based on the determination result by the vehicle position determination unit 504, and outputs the command signal to the HMI device 60 and the driving control device 70.

[0034] As a result, when the vehicle C travels in a parking lot PP where the vehicle speed is limited, the travel mode of the vehicle C is set to a parking lot mode in which acceleration suppression control is executed to suppress the acceleration of the vehicle C. In this embodiment, the travel mode is set to the parking lot mode when a positive determination is made, which will be described later. By setting the mode to the parking lot mode, the acceleration suppression control is executed, so that sudden acceleration in the parking lot PP can be reliably restricted. For example, sudden acceleration in the parking lot PP when the driver of the vehicle C mistakes the accelerator pedal for the brake pedal can be suppressed. This acceleration suppression control can be switched depending on the determination result of the vehicle position determination unit 504. This will be described in more detail below.

[0035] In this embodiment, the vehicle position reliability is determined based on the detection result of the parking space PS around the vehicle C based on the image data. That is, in this embodiment, the vehicle position reliability is determined based on the relative position of the detected parking space PS with respect to the vehicle C. More specifically, in this embodiment, the vehicle position reliability is determined in multiple stages of three or more based on the continuity of the detected parking space PS, the detection situation, and the like.

[0036] Specifically, for example, in this embodiment, when a parking space PS is detected with high reliability within a predetermined distance on either the left or right side of the host vehicle C or within a predetermined distance in front of the host vehicle C, the host vehicle position reliability is determined to be reliability level 2. Also, in this embodiment, when a parking space PS is detected with medium reliability within a predetermined distance on either the left or right side of the host vehicle C or within a predetermined distance in front of the host vehicle C, the host vehicle position reliability is determined to be reliability level 1. Also, in this embodiment, when a parking space PS is detected with high to medium reliability within a certain distance D1 only on either the left or right side of the host vehicle C, the host vehicle position reliability is determined to be reliability level 1. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the host vehicle position reliability is determined to be reliability level 0 in other cases.

[0037] Then, the vehicle position determination unit 504 uses the result of the determination of the vehicle position reliability as described above to determine whether the vehicle position is within the parking lot PP. If the reliability is determined to be 2, the vehicle position determination unit 504 immediately determines a positive determination. If the reliability is determined to be 1 in the above case 1A, the vehicle position determination unit 504 determines a negative determination. If the reliability is determined to be 1 in the above case 1B, the vehicle position determination unit 504 determines either a positive determination or a negative determination.

[0038] In this embodiment, the positive condition for making a positive judgment in the above case 1B is that "the parking space PS is detected only on one side within a certain distance D1 of the vehicle path CP, and an obstacle is detected within a predetermined distance range from the vehicle position, in at least one of the detected parking space PS or the space between the detected parking space PS and the vehicle path CP." That is, in the case of case 1B, which is judged to be the reliability level 1, if an obstacle is detected within a predetermined distance range from the vehicle position, in at least one of the detected parking space PS or the space between the detected parking space PS and the vehicle path CP, the positive condition is met.

[0039] Therefore, even if the reliability determination unit 503 determines the reliability to be 1, a positive determination is made in the above case. The above positive condition corresponds to "Condition a." As described above, the obstacle can be detected by the obstacle sensor 30 or the camera 20.

[0040] In the case where "the parking space PS is detected only on one side within a certain distance D1 of the vehicle's path CP," it is possible to assume that the vehicle C is traveling in the parking lot PP, and that, for example, the parking lot PP is present only on the left side of the traveling path, and the vehicle C is traveling along a road along the parking lot PP. Therefore, from the viewpoint that it is preferable not to carelessly execute the acceleration suppression control on the road, that is, from the viewpoint that a positive determination that the vehicle is in the parking lot PP should be strictly performed, it is considered preferable to perform a negative determination at the reliability level 1 of case 1B. However, if a negative determination is prioritized in this way, there is a concern that a case will arise in which the acceleration suppression control is not performed even though the vehicle position is actually in the parking lot PP.

[0041] In addition to the requirements of Case 1B, the positive condition of this embodiment includes "an obstacle is detected in at least one of the detected parking space PS and the space between the detected parking space PS and the vehicle path CP within a predetermined distance from the vehicle position. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, a case is assumed in which a parked vehicle PV exists as an obstacle within a predetermined distance from the vehicle C.

[0042] FIG. 1 shows a state in which the vehicle C is about to enter a parking lot PP. As shown in FIG. 1, at least five parking sections PA are arranged continuously and parallel to each other along the vehicle path CP of the vehicle C on the left front side of the vehicle C moving straight ahead. "Within a predetermined distance" means an area within a predetermined distance between the vehicle C and the closest parked vehicle PVn to the vehicle C in both the forward distance D2 and the lateral distance D3. In this embodiment, the forward distance D2 is the distance from the front end of the vehicle C to a line extending the right side of the parked vehicle PVn. In this embodiment, the lateral distance D3 is the distance between the line extending the left side of the vehicle C in the forward direction and the right end of the detected parking space PS.

[0043] The travel direction distance D2 and the lateral distance D3 can be set appropriately. The travel direction distance D2 is set to, for example, several meters. The lateral distance D3 may be set to be shorter than the travel direction distance D2. This is because, when the vehicle is several meters or more away from the parking space PS in the lateral direction, there is little risk of collision even if the vehicle PV jumps out from the back of the parked vehicle PV, and therefore there is little point in performing the acceleration suppression control.

[0044] As described above, in case 1B, the vehicle C may not be in the parking lot PP or may not be about to enter the parking lot PP, but may be continuing to travel on the road. However, even if the vehicle C is actually traveling on the road, if there is a parking lot PP on one side of the driving path and a parked vehicle PV in the parking lot PP, there is a risk that a vehicle or a pedestrian may jump out from behind the parked vehicle PV, and in such a situation, the driver is unlikely to intentionally accelerate suddenly. For this reason, even if the vehicle is traveling on the road, it is preferable to perform the acceleration suppression control if the above-mentioned positive condition is satisfied. In other words, in an environment in which the positive condition as exemplified in FIG. 1 is satisfied, it is preferable to perform the acceleration suppression control whether the vehicle is in the parking lot PP or traveling on the road. When the vehicle C is near the parking space PS or in the parking lot PP and visibility is poor due to an obstacle, there is a risk that a vehicle or a pedestrian may jump out from behind the obstacle, so it is assumed that the acceleration suppression control is performed regardless of whether there is a risk of collision with the obstacle that is obstructing visibility.

[0045] In this embodiment, a positive judgment is made when the positive conditions are met, so that it is possible to minimize the occurrence of a false judgment that the vehicle is in the parking lot PP, and there is no disadvantage to performing acceleration suppression control even when the vehicle is traveling on a road, and it is possible to drive safely.

[0046] However, as described above, even if the positive condition is satisfied, a negative determination is made if the exceptional condition is satisfied. FIG. 5 shows a state after the vehicle C moves straight along the parking space PS on the left side from the state shown in FIG. 1. In this embodiment, the exceptional condition is that "after a positive determination that satisfies the above-mentioned positive condition is determined, the vehicle C passes a position that is a predetermined specified distance D4 before the parked vehicle PVf located at the innermost position in the parking space PS detected only on one side within a certain distance D1 of the vehicle path CP." The specified distance D4 is set to, for example, about 2 m to 4 m. The vehicle position determination unit determines whether the negative condition is satisfied as well as whether the positive condition is satisfied.

[0047] In this embodiment, when the exceptional condition is satisfied, a negative determination is made even if the positive condition is satisfied, so that the parking lot mode is cancelled when the host vehicle C passes a position a specified distance D4 before the innermost parked vehicle PVf from a state in which the host vehicle C is traveling beside one of the parking spaces PS. That is, the acceleration suppression control is cancelled before the host vehicle C passes by the side of the innermost parked vehicle PVf in the detected parking space PS. Therefore, the host vehicle C can accelerate quickly during the subsequent travel.

[0048] Next, another example in which the positive condition is satisfied will be described with reference to FIG. 6. In the example of FIG. 1, the obstacle is a stationary parked vehicle PV. However, as shown in FIG. 6, the obstacle may be a moving person M, and the person M may be present within a predetermined distance range between the detected parking space PS and the vehicle path CP. In this embodiment, the positive condition is also satisfied, so that a positive determination is made and the acceleration suppression control is executed. In addition, the lateral distance that determines the predetermined distance range may be based on the right edge line of the parking space PS as in the above example, or may be based on the lateral distance D5 based on the position of the person M closest to the vehicle C as shown in FIG. 7.

[0049] According to the first embodiment described above in detail, even in the scene of case 1B with reliability level 1, a positive determination is made by satisfying the positive condition, so that the acceleration suppression control can be executed when traveling in the parking lot PP. That is, the scenes in which the acceleration suppression control is applied are expanded, and the acceleration suppression control can be executed appropriately in the scene where the host vehicle C is in the parking lot PP and it is better to execute the acceleration suppression control.

[0050] Furthermore, even if the affirmative condition is satisfied, if the exceptional condition is satisfied, a negative determination is made, so that the acceleration suppression control can be released before the host vehicle C passes through the side of the parking space PS from a state in which the host vehicle C is traveling on the side of one of the parking spaces PS. Therefore, the host vehicle C can quickly accelerate when traveling after passing through the side of the parking space PS.

[0051] B. Second embodiment: Next, a vehicle control device 50 according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure, a vehicle control method by the vehicle control device 50, and execution of a vehicle control program will be described with reference to FIG. 8. In the following embodiments including the second embodiment, the configuration of the in-vehicle system 10 including the vehicle control device 50 is the same as that of the first embodiment, and therefore the description will be omitted. In the second embodiment, the exception conditions are different. The positive conditions are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0052] The exception condition in the second embodiment is that "a three-dimensional structure 4 is detected between a parking space PS detected only on one side within a certain distance D1 of the vehicle's path CP and the vehicle's path CP, and extends across the detected parking space PS in the direction of the vehicle's path CP."

[0053] As shown in FIG. 8, the three-dimensional structure 4 is, for example, a step, a ditch, a guardrail, a fence, etc. The three-dimensional structure 4 does not include a non-continuous three-dimensional structure such as a wheel stopper. In this way, the three-dimensional structure 4 that is continuous in the direction of the vehicle's path CP is highly likely to be a boundary between the road and the parking space PS. In other words, the parking space PS on one side of the detected driving path and the vehicle's path CP are separated by the three-dimensional structure 4, and it is considered that the vehicle C is more likely to be traveling on the road rather than traveling in the parking lot PP. In addition, if the vehicle C is traveling on a road separated by such continuous three-dimensional structures 4, the risk of jumping out of the parking space PS due to the presence of the three-dimensional structure 4 is low, and it is preferable not to execute the acceleration suppression control.

[0054] According to the second embodiment, even if the above-mentioned positive condition is satisfied, if the above-mentioned exceptional condition is satisfied, a negative determination is made. That is, the vehicle does not shift to the parking mode and the acceleration suppression control is not executed. Therefore, in a situation where the vehicle is traveling on a road or is likely to be traveling on a road within a few seconds, the acceleration suppression control is not executed carelessly.

[0055] C. Third embodiment: Next, a vehicle control device 50 according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure, and the execution of a vehicle control method and a vehicle control program by the vehicle control device 50 will be described. In the third embodiment, an additional requirement is added to the positive conditions of the above embodiments. The requirement is that "a predetermined number of vehicles or more have been detected within the detected parking space PS." Hereinafter, this requirement is also referred to as condition b.

[0056] That is, in the third embodiment, the positive condition is not satisfied by condition a alone, and is satisfied when condition b is also satisfied. In other words, even if the parking space PS is detected and a parked vehicle PV or a person is present ahead as an obstacle, if the number of parked vehicles PV or other vehicles attempting to park is not equal to or greater than a specified number, visibility ahead is secured to a certain degree and there is a low risk of a person jumping out, so that the acceleration suppression control is not executed.

[0057] D. Fourth embodiment: Next, a description will be given of a vehicle control device 500 according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure, a vehicle control method by the vehicle control device 500, and execution of a vehicle control program by the vehicle control device 500. As shown in Fig. 9, the vehicle control device 500 of the fourth embodiment does not have the host vehicle position determination unit 504 and the command signal output unit 505 in the first embodiment, and instead has a host vehicle behavior determination unit 506, which is different from the first embodiment.

[0058] The host vehicle behavior determination unit 506 uses the result of the reliability determination to determine whether to make an acceleration suppression positive determination to execute acceleration suppression control to suppress the acceleration of the host vehicle C, or an acceleration suppression negative determination to suppress acceleration suppression control to suppress the acceleration of the host vehicle position. Furthermore, when a predetermined positive condition is established, the host vehicle behavior determination unit 506 determines an acceleration suppression positive determination regardless of the reliability determined by the reliability determination unit 503.

[0059] When a predetermined exceptional condition is satisfied, the host vehicle behavior determination unit 506 determines the acceleration suppression negative determination even when the affirmative condition is satisfied. The affirmative condition and the exceptional condition can be the same conditions as those described in detail in the first to third embodiments.

[0060] In the vehicle control device 500 of the fourth embodiment, it is not determined whether the host vehicle C is in a parking lot PP. The host vehicle behavior determination unit 506 uses the result of the determination of the host vehicle position reliability by the reliability determination unit 503 to determine whether the host vehicle C should perform acceleration suppression control without the need to determine whether the host vehicle C is in a parking lot PP, and also considers whether the positive condition and the exceptional condition are satisfied. The host vehicle behavior determination unit 506 also plays a role in place of the command signal output unit 505. That is, when the host vehicle behavior determination unit 506 determines an acceleration suppression positive determination, it outputs a command signal corresponding to a parking lot mode.

[0061] According to the above fourth embodiment, by providing the vehicle behavior determination unit 506, it becomes possible to perform various controls such as executing or not executing acceleration suppression control based on the reliability of the vehicle position determined by the reliability determination unit 503 as being within the parking lot PP.

[0062] E. Other embodiments: (E1) In the above embodiments, the parking space PS exists only on the left side of the path CP of the vehicle C, but the parking space PS may exist only on the right side of the path. Also, the shape of the detected parking space PS has been exemplified as being for perpendicular parking, but it may be for parallel parking or for diagonal parallel parking.

[0063] (E2) In the above first embodiment, when a positive determination is made in a parking lot, the vehicle is set to the parking lot mode and the acceleration suppression control is executed, but the vehicle may be configured to continue the process until the positive determination is made in a parking lot. In this configuration, the acceleration suppression control may not be executed, and the result of the positive determination in a parking lot may simply be displayed on a display device provided in the vehicle.

[0064] (E3) In the second embodiment, the negative condition may include a condition that the height of the continuous three-dimensional structure 4 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. For example, if the three-dimensional structure 4 is a small groove or a step that the vehicle can easily overcome, the structure is not necessarily a boundary between the parking space PS and the road. In this case, since there is a high possibility that the vehicle is traveling in the parking lot PP, it is preferable to execute the acceleration suppression control. Therefore, by adding the condition that the height of the continuous three-dimensional structure 4 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value as a negative condition, it is possible to execute the acceleration suppression control more precisely.

[0065] (E4) In the third embodiment, as a modified example of condition b, "a predetermined number of people or more have been detected in the traveling direction" may be used. In this case, the specified number of people may be different from the specified number of vehicles. For example, since people are smaller than vehicles, the driver's forward visibility is not significantly impaired if there are only a few people, so the specified number of people may be set to a value larger than the specified number of vehicles. In addition, the specified number of vehicles may be changed depending on the arrangement of the vehicles, such as whether the vehicles are lined up consecutively or every other frame or two, so the threshold value of the specified number may be changed depending on the arrangement of the vehicles.

[0066] (E5) In the second embodiment described above, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, if it is determined that the vehicle C is traveling toward the detected parking space PS, it is highly likely that the vehicle is in a parking lot PP, and it is better to execute acceleration suppression control, so a positive determination may be determined. For example, if the distance between the vehicle C and the parking space PS or the parked vehicle PV is short, the need for intervention of acceleration suppression control increases. Furthermore, the closer the distance, the greater the need for intervention of acceleration suppression control. Therefore, when it is determined that the vehicle C is traveling toward the detected parking space PS, the vehicle control device 50 may execute acceleration suppression control as a further exception to the above-mentioned exceptional conditions.

[0067] In the acceleration suppression control, the mode of the acceleration suppression control may be changed according to the distance to the obstacle or a value obtained by converting the distance into time (for example, TTC). TTC stands for time to collision. Specifically, for example, the acceleration suppression control may be permitted or the acceleration suppression control amount may be changed according to the distance or a value obtained by converting the distance into time.

[0068] (E6) In each of the above embodiments, the camera 20 is not limited to a so-called front camera, but may be a full-surrounding camera. There is no particular limit to the number of cameras 20 mounted or their mounting positions.

[0069] (E7) In each of the above embodiments, the in-vehicle system 10 may have a configuration capable of realizing at least one of automatic driving, advanced driving assistance, automatic parking, parking assistance, and the like. That is, the vehicle control device 50 may have a configuration as an "ADAS ECU" that controls the ADAS operation of the host vehicle C. ADAS is an abbreviation for Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems. ECU is an abbreviation for Electronic Control Unit or Electric Control Unit. In this case, the vehicle control device 50 may be integrated, i.e., integrated, with the driving control device 70. In other words, the present disclosure is not limited to application to PMPD, that is, suppression of sudden acceleration due to pedal misapplication when the driver of the host vehicle C mistakes the accelerator pedal for the brake pedal in a parking lot PP. PMPD is an abbreviation for Pedal Misapplication Prevention Device.

[0070] (E8) In each of the above embodiments, all or part of the vehicle control device 50 may be configured to include a digital circuit configured to enable the above-described operations, such as an ASIC or FPGA. ASIC stands for Application Specific Integrated Circuit. FPGA stands for Field Programmable Gate Array. In other words, in the vehicle control device 50, an in-vehicle microcomputer portion and a digital circuit portion may coexist.

[0071] (E9) In each of the above embodiments, the program according to the present disclosure that enables the execution of various operations, procedures, or processes described in the above embodiments may be downloaded or upgraded via V2X communication. V2X is an abbreviation for Vehicle to X. Alternatively, such a program may be downloaded or upgraded via a terminal device provided in a manufacturing plant, a maintenance plant, a dealer, or the like of the vehicle C. Such a program may be stored on a memory card, an optical disk, a magnetic disk, or the like.

[0072] In this way, the above-mentioned functional configurations and processes are embodied by a computer program. A processor and memory programmed to perform one or more of the functions described herein. Alternatively, the implementation may be implemented by a special purpose computer provided by configuring Each of the above functional configurations and processes is programmed by one or more dedicated hardware logic circuits. Alternatively, the implementation may be implemented by a special purpose computer provided by configuring a processor. Alternatively, each of the above functional configurations and processes may be programmed to execute one or more functions. It consists of a programmed processor and memory and one or more hardware logic circuits. by one or more dedicated computers configured in combination with a processor The computer program may be implemented as an interface executed by a computer. instructions stored in a computer-readable non-transitory tangible storage medium That is, each of the above-mentioned functional configurations and processes may be implemented as a procedure for realizing the same. A computer program including the above, or a non-transitive material record storing the above program. It can also be expressed as a storage medium.

[0073] Therefore, the image data acquisition unit 501 and the like shown in FIG. 3 are merely examples of the contents of this disclosure. These are functional blocks that are set for convenience in order to aid in understanding. Even if the functional blocks are not actually implemented as subroutines or hardware within the vehicle control device 50, the requirements of the present disclosure can be satisfied as long as the specified functions or processing of the present disclosure are implemented.

[0074] (E10) In each of the above embodiments, the image data acquisition unit 501 and the parking space detection unit 502 may be provided in the driving control device 70 as a so-called ADAS ECU. That is, the vehicle control device 50 may be configured to acquire the detection results of the parking space PS and the parked vehicle PV from the driving control device 70.

[0075] (E11) In each of the above embodiments, the vehicle position reliability is not limited to three levels, high, medium, and low, but may be two levels, high and low, or may be four or more levels. Also, the reliability may be higher as the value of N in "reliability N" becomes smaller. Alternatively, the reliability may be indicated by a symbol including an alphabet, such as "reliability AAA", "reliability B+", or "reliability C-". Alternatively, the reliability may be indicated as a continuous numerical value within a predetermined range.

[0076] (E12) In each of the above embodiments, in the case of case 1B of reliability 1, if the positive condition is satisfied, a positive determination is made. Alternatively, for example, as shown in Table T2 of FIG. 11, in the case of case 1A of reliability 1, if the positive condition is satisfied, a positive determination may be made. In this configuration, the positive condition for making a positive determination in the above case 1A can be set as, for example, "a parking space PS with low reliability in parking space detection is detected on both sides or in front of the vehicle path CP within a certain distance D1, and an obstacle is detected in at least one of the detected parking space PS or the space between the detected parking space PS and the vehicle path CP within a predetermined distance range from the vehicle position." In other words, the detected parking space PS does not have to be on only one side. In the above positive condition, the "reliability in parking space detection" is a concept different from the reliability indicating the probability that the vehicle position is in the parking lot PP.

[0077] (E13) In each of the above embodiments, the reliability of the detection of the parking space PS ("high" or "medium") is used, but this need not be used. In this configuration, in principle, when a parking space PS is detected within a specified distance on either the left or right side of the host vehicle C or within a specified distance in front of the host vehicle C, the host vehicle position reliability is set to reliability 2. When a parking space PS is detected within a certain distance D1 only on either the left or right side of the host vehicle C, the host vehicle position reliability is set to reliability 1. However, in the case of "reliability 1," a negative judgment is basically made, but a positive judgment is made when a predetermined positive condition is established.

[0078] (E14) Furthermore, the present invention may be embodied as a vehicle control device that executes the processing procedure of the flowchart shown in Fig. 12. Hereinafter, the processing executed by the vehicle control device in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 12. As shown in Fig. 12, first, in S101, it is determined whether or not a parking space PS has been detected within a certain distance on either side of the vehicle C. Then, if the parking space PS has been detected within a certain distance on either side of the vehicle C (S101: Yes), it is considered that a positive determination that the vehicle is in a parking lot PP has been made, and the process proceeds to S102, where acceleration suppression control is permitted.

[0079] In S101, if the parking space PS is not detected within a certain distance on either the left or right side of the host vehicle C (S101: No), the process proceeds to S103, where it is determined whether the parking space PS is detected within a certain distance on either side of the host vehicle C. If the parking space PS is detected within a certain distance on either side of the host vehicle C (S103: Yes), the process proceeds to S104, where it is determined whether there is a transition from both-side detection. The transition from both-side detection means a state in which the parking space PS is detected within a certain distance on either the left or right side of the host vehicle C, that is, a transition from reliability level 2.

[0080] Then, in S104, if the transition is from both-side detection (S104: Yes), it is assumed that the vehicle is in the parking lot PP, so the process proceeds to S102 and permits acceleration suppression control. On the other hand, in S104, if the transition is not from both-side detection (S104: No), the process proceeds to S105, where it is determined whether an obstacle has been detected within a certain distance in the parking space PS. Note that the "certain distance" here may be a threshold value different from the "certain distance" in S101 and S103 above. The obstacle may be, for example, a parked vehicle PV or a person M.

[0081] Then, in S105, if an obstacle is detected on the parking space PS and within a certain distance (S105: Yes), the process proceeds to S106, where it is determined whether or not there is a three-dimensional structure 4 between the parking space PS and the vehicle's path CP. If the determination that there is a three-dimensional structure 4 between the parking space PS and the vehicle's path CP is established (S106: True), the process proceeds to S108, where the acceleration suppression control is not permitted. This is because there is a high possibility that the vehicle C is not traveling in the parking lot PP but is traveling on a road, and further, since the parking lot PP is separated by the three-dimensional structure 4, the risk of the vehicle C jumping out is low, and it is preferable not to execute the acceleration suppression control. On the other hand, if the determination that there is a three-dimensional structure 4 between the parking space PS and the vehicle's path CP is not established (S106: False), the process proceeds to S102, where the acceleration suppression control is permitted.

[0082] In S105, if an obstacle is not detected above the parking space PS within a certain distance (S105: No), the process proceeds to S107, where it is determined whether the host vehicle C is proceeding toward the parking space PS. If the host vehicle C is proceeding toward the parking space PS (S107: Yes), the process proceeds to S102, where the acceleration suppression control is permitted. If the host vehicle C is not proceeding toward the parking space PS (S107: No), the process proceeds to S108, where the acceleration suppression control is not permitted.

[0083] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and can be realized in various configurations without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. For example, the technical features in each embodiment corresponding to the technical features in the form described in the Summary of the Invention column can be appropriately replaced or combined in order to solve some or all of the above-mentioned problems or to achieve some or all of the above-mentioned effects. Furthermore, if the technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be appropriately deleted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0084] 4...three-dimensional structure, 10...vehicle-mounted system, 20...camera, 30...obstacle sensor, 40...driving condition sensor, 50...vehicle control device, 51...processor, 52...memory, 60...HMI device, 70...driving control device, 501...image data acquisition unit, 502...parking space detection unit, 503...reliability determination unit, 504...own vehicle position determination unit, 505...command signal output unit, 506...own vehicle behavior determination unit, C...own vehicle, CB...vehicle body, CL...vehicle width center line, CP...own vehicle path, PA...parking section, PP...parking lot, PS...parking space, PV...parked vehicle

Claims

1. A vehicle control device, a reliability determination unit (503) that executes a reliability determination for determining a reliability that a vehicle position, which is a current position of the vehicle, is within a parking space (PP) based on a detection result of a parking space (PS) around the vehicle (C); a vehicle position determination unit (504) that uses a result of the reliability determination to determine whether the vehicle position is within the parking lot (positive determination that the vehicle position is within the parking lot) or the vehicle position is not within the parking lot (negative determination that the vehicle position is not within the parking lot); Equipped with the vehicle position determination unit determines the vehicle position within the parking lot positive determination regardless of the reliability determined by the reliability determination unit when a predetermined positive condition is satisfied. Vehicle control device.

2. The positive condition is: (Condition a) The parking space is detected within a certain distance of the vehicle path (CP), and An obstacle is detected in at least one of the detected parking space and a space between the detected parking space and the vehicle path within a predetermined distance from the vehicle position; The vehicle control device according to claim 1 .

3. The positive condition is:

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 2, further comprising, in addition to the above (Condition a), a condition that a predetermined number or more of vehicles as the obstacles are detected within the detected parking space.

4. the vehicle position determination unit determines the negative determination that the vehicle is in a parking lot even if the positive condition is satisfied when a predetermined exceptional condition is satisfied, The exception condition is: After the positive determination that the vehicle is in the parking lot is determined to satisfy the condition (a), the vehicle passes a position that is a predetermined distance away from the obstacle (PVf) located at the innermost part of the parking space detected within the certain distance of the vehicle path. The vehicle control device according to claim 2 or 3, further comprising:

5. the vehicle position determination unit determines the negative determination that the vehicle is in a parking lot even if the positive condition is satisfied when a predetermined exceptional condition is satisfied, The exception condition is: After the positive determination that the vehicle is in the parking lot is made, a three-dimensional structure is detected between the parking space detected within the certain distance of the vehicle path (CP) and the vehicle path, the three-dimensional structure being continuous in the direction of the vehicle path across the detected parking space; The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

6. A vehicle control device, a reliability determination unit (503) that executes a reliability determination for determining a reliability that a vehicle position, which is a current position of the vehicle, is within a parking space (PP) based on a detection result of a parking space (PS) around the vehicle (C); a host vehicle behavior determination unit (506) that uses a result of the reliability determination to determine whether or not an acceleration suppression positive determination is made to execute an acceleration suppression control that suppresses the acceleration of the host vehicle, or an acceleration suppression negative determination is made to suppress an acceleration suppression control that suppresses the acceleration of the host vehicle position; Equipped with the host vehicle behavior determination unit determines the acceleration suppression positive determination regardless of the reliability determined by the reliability determination unit when a predetermined positive condition is satisfied. Vehicle control device.

7. The positive condition is: (Condition a) The parking space is detected within a certain distance of the vehicle path (CP), and An obstacle is detected in at least one of the detected parking space and a space between the detected parking space and the vehicle path within a predetermined distance from the vehicle position; The vehicle control device according to claim 6 .

8. The positive condition is:

8. The vehicle control device according to claim 7, further comprising, in addition to the above (Condition a), a predetermined number or more of vehicles as the obstacles have been detected within the detected parking space.

9. the host vehicle behavior determination unit determines the acceleration suppression negative determination when a predetermined exceptional condition is satisfied, even when the positive condition is satisfied; The exception condition is: After the acceleration suppression positive judgment that satisfies the (condition a) is determined, the host vehicle passes a position that is a predetermined distance away from the obstacle (PVf) located at the innermost part of the parking space detected within the certain distance of the host vehicle path. The vehicle control device according to claim 7 or 8, further comprising:

10. the host vehicle behavior determination unit determines the acceleration suppression negative determination when a predetermined exceptional condition is satisfied, even when the positive condition is satisfied; The exception condition is: After the acceleration suppression positive determination is made, A three-dimensional structure is detected between the parking space detected within the certain distance of the vehicle path (CP) and the vehicle path, the three-dimensional structure being continuous in the direction of the vehicle path across the detected parking space; The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 6 to 8,

11. A vehicle control method, comprising: Based on the detection result of the parking space (PS) around the vehicle (C), a reliability determination is performed to determine a reliability that the vehicle position, which is the current position of the vehicle, is within the parking space (PP); When using the result of the reliability determination to determine whether the vehicle position is within the parking lot, or the vehicle position is not within the parking lot, When a predetermined positive condition is satisfied, the positive determination that the vehicle is in a parking lot is determined regardless of the reliability. A vehicle control method.

12. A vehicle control program executed by a vehicle control device (50), A function of executing a reliability determination for determining a reliability that a vehicle position, which is a current position of the vehicle, is within a parking space (PP) based on a detection result of a parking space (PS) around the vehicle (C); a function of determining, using a result of the reliability determination, whether the vehicle position is determined to be within the parking lot (positive determination that the vehicle position is within the parking lot) or the vehicle position is determined to be not within the parking lot (negative determination that the vehicle position is not within the parking lot); moreover, a function of determining that the vehicle is in a parking lot regardless of the reliability when a predetermined positive condition is satisfied; A vehicle control program that enables a computer to achieve this.

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