Vehicle control device and vehicle control system

Abstract

To provide a vehicle control device which can determine whether a vehicle should perform a lane change to move to a target lane before or after a congestion section when there is a section that is difficult to drive through.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device includes: a first determination unit for determining whether or not there is a difficult traveling section between a lane change completion position and a present position of a vehicle; a calculation unit that calculates a first distance between an end portion in the traveling direction of the vehicle within the difficult traveling section and a lane change completion position when it is determined that there is the difficult traveling section; a second determination unit that determines whether the first distance is greater than or equal to a reference distance; and a deciding unit which decides to execute a lane change for the vehicle to move to a target lane after the vehicle has passed the difficult traveling section if the first distance is determined to be greater than or equal to the reference distance, and which decides to execute the lane change for the vehicle to move to the target lane before the vehicle reaches the difficult traveling section if the first distance is determined to be less than the reference distance.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control device and a vehicle control system. [Background technology]

[0002] When a vehicle exits from a travel road on which the vehicle is currently traveling to a branch road, the automatic control device of the vehicle sets a lane change completion position on a destination lane in the travel road adjacent to the lane of the branch road. The lane change completion position is a position on the destination lane where the vehicle completes moving to the lane of the branch road. If the vehicle is traveling on a lane other than the destination lane in the travel road, the vehicle moves to the destination lane and then moves to the lane of the branch road by the time the lane change completion position is reached.

[0003] On the other hand, if there is a congested section between the vehicle's current position and the lane change completion position, it may be difficult for the vehicle to move between lanes under automatic control while maintaining a safe distance between the vehicle and other vehicles within the congested section.

[0004] Therefore, when a vehicle moves to a destination lane, the vehicle may change lanes to move to the destination lane after the vehicle has passed the congested section, or the vehicle may change lanes to move to the destination lane before the vehicle reaches the congested section (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7123645 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] When a vehicle changes lanes to move to a destination lane after passing through a congested section, if the distance between the vehicle and the lane change completion position is short, there is a risk that the lane change will not be performed by automatic control.

[0007] Therefore, the present disclosure aims to provide a vehicle control device that can determine whether the vehicle will change lanes to move to the destination lane before or after the congested section when there is a difficult-to-drive section between the vehicle's current position and the lane change completion position. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] (1) According to one embodiment, a vehicle control device is provided, which includes a first determination unit that determines whether or not there is a difficult-to-travel section in which it is difficult for the vehicle to travel between a lane change completion position where the vehicle completes moving from the destination lane to another lane, which is set on a destination lane that is one lane of a road having multiple lanes, and a current position of the vehicle, a calculation unit that calculates a first distance between an end of the difficult-to-travel section in the traveling direction of the vehicle and the lane change completion position when the first determination unit determines that there is a difficult-to-travel section, a second determination unit that determines whether or not the first distance is equal to or greater than a reference distance, and a determination unit that determines to execute a lane change for the vehicle to move to the destination lane after the vehicle passes through the difficult-to-travel section when the second determination unit determines that the first distance is equal to or greater than the reference distance, and determines to execute a lane change for the vehicle to move to the destination lane before the vehicle arrives at the difficult-to-travel section when the second determination unit determines that the first distance is less than the reference distance.

[0009] (2) In the vehicle control device of (1), it is preferable to have a third judgment unit that judges whether or not the vehicle is located in the difficult-to-drive section when the decision unit decides that the vehicle will execute a lane change to move to a destination lane after passing through the difficult-to-drive section, a fourth judgment unit that judges whether or not the current position of the vehicle is located in the destination lane when the third judgment unit determines that the vehicle is located in the difficult-to-drive section, a fifth judgment unit that judges whether or not the first distance newly calculated by the calculation unit is less than a reference distance when the fourth judgment unit determines that the current position of the vehicle is not located in the destination lane, and a sixth judgment unit that judges whether or not the first distance is greater than or equal to a second distance at which the driver can manually control the vehicle to move to the destination lane when the fifth judgment unit determines that the first distance is less than the reference distance.

[0010] (3) In the vehicle control device of (2), it is preferable to have a notification control unit that, when the sixth judgment unit determines that the first distance is greater than or equal to the second distance, notifies the driver via the notification unit of a lane change request to move the vehicle to a destination lane by manual control.

[0011] (4) In any of the vehicle control devices of (1) to (3), a reference distance is set for each of a plurality of lanes of a road on which the vehicle is traveling, such that the reference distance becomes longer the farther away from the destination lane, and the calculation unit calculates a first distance between an end of the difficult-to-travel section in the vehicle's direction of travel and a lane change completion position for each of the plurality of lanes, and a second judgment unit judges whether the first distance is equal to or greater than the reference distance for each of the plurality of lanes, and if the second judgment unit judges that the first distance is equal to or greater than the reference distance for each of all of the plurality of lanes, the decision unit preferably decides to execute a lane change to move the vehicle to the destination lane after the vehicle has passed through the difficult-to-travel section.

[0012] (5) According to another embodiment, a vehicle control system is provided, which includes a first determination unit that determines whether or not there is a difficult-to-travel section in which it is difficult for the vehicle to travel between a lane change completion position where the vehicle completes moving from the destination lane to another lane, which is set on a destination lane that is one lane of a road having a plurality of lanes, and a current position of the vehicle, a calculation unit that calculates a first distance between an end of the difficult-to-travel section in the traveling direction of the vehicle and the lane change completion position when the first determination unit determines that there is a difficult-to-travel section, a second determination unit that determines whether or not the first distance is equal to or greater than a reference distance, and a determination unit that determines to execute a lane change for the vehicle to move to the destination lane after the vehicle passes through the difficult-to-travel section when the second determination unit determines that the first distance is equal to or greater than the reference distance, and determines to execute a lane change for the vehicle to move to the destination lane before the vehicle arrives at the difficult-to-travel section when the second determination unit determines that the first distance is less than the reference distance. It is characterized by: Effect of the Invention

[0013] The vehicle control device of the present invention can determine, when there is a difficult-to-drive section between the vehicle's current position and the lane change completion position, whether the vehicle will change lanes to move to the destination lane before or after the congested section, thereby achieving the effect of enabling the specified lane change to be performed by the time the lane change completion position is reached. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle control system in which a driving lane planning device is implemented. [Diagram 2] 1 is a diagram for explaining an outline of an operation of a driving lane planning device in a vehicle control system; [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram of a vehicle control process of the vehicle control system. [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle in which a driving lane planning device is implemented. [Diagram 5]4 is an example of an operational flowchart of a vehicle control process of the traffic lane planning device. [Figure 6] 13 is an example of another operational flowchart of the vehicle control process of the traffic lane planning device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle control system 1 in which a driving lane planning device 14 of this embodiment is implemented. The vehicle control system 1 of this embodiment includes at least one vehicle 10 and a server 30. A communication device 3 and a driving lane planning device 14 are implemented in the vehicle 10. The vehicle 10 is connected to the server 30 via the macrocell base station 70 and the communication network 40 by, for example, accessing a wireless base station 70 (hereinafter also referred to as a macrocell base station 70) that provides a macrocell that is connected to a communication network 40 to which the server 30 is connected via a gateway (not shown) or the like.

[0016] 1, only one vehicle 10 is shown, but the vehicle control system 1 may include a plurality of vehicles 10. Similarly, a plurality of macrocell base stations 70 may be connected to the communication network 40.

[0017] 2 is a diagram for explaining an outline of the operation of the driving lane planning device 14 in the vehicle control system 1. The driving lane planning device 14 selects lanes in a road along which the vehicle 10 will travel in the nearest driving section selected from the navigation route, and generates a driving lane plan that indicates the planned driving lanes along which the vehicle 10 will travel. The driving lane planning device 14 can communicate with the server 30 via the macrocell base station 70 and the communication network 40 using the communication device 3. The driving lane planning device 14 is an example of a vehicle control device.

[0018] The vehicle 10 is traveling on a road 50 and is scheduled to exit onto a road 60 at a branch point B in order to travel to a destination.

[0019] Road 50 has four lanes 51, 52, 53, and 54. Lanes 51 and 52 are separated by a lane dividing line 55, lanes 52 and 53 are separated by a lane dividing line 56, and lanes 53 and 54 are separated by a lane dividing line 57. At branch position B, lane 54 of road 50 and lane 61 of road 60 are connected between branch start position 62 and branch end position 63.

[0020] Currently, vehicle 10 is traveling on lane 51. In the travel lane plan, vehicle 10 is planned to make three lane changes to move from lane 51 to lane 54, and then move from lane 54 of road 50 to lane 61 of road 60. Lane 54 is an example of a destination lane.

[0021] The travel lane planning device 14 sets a lane change completion position P1 on the lane 54 where the vehicle 10 completes moving from the lane 54 to the lane 61. In the example shown in Fig. 1, the lane change completion position P1 coincides with a branch end position 63 in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10. The travel lane planning device 14 generates a lane change plan such that the vehicle 10 moves from the lane 54 to the lane 61 before reaching the lane change completion position P1.

[0022] 3 is a sequence diagram of the vehicle control process of the vehicle control system 1. First, the traffic lane planning device 14 transmits an information request for section information to the server 30 via the macrocell base station 70 and the communication network 40 using the communication device 3 (step S101).

[0023] The section information indicates the location of a difficult-to-travel section D where it is difficult for the vehicle 10 to travel. The difficult-to-travel section D includes, for example, a congested section, a section where the road surface is frozen, a construction section, and the like.

[0024] When the distance L2 between the current position P2 of the vehicle 10 and the lane change completion position P1 becomes a predetermined distance (e.g., 2 km), the driving lane planning device 14 transmits an information request to the server 30. The information request may include the current position of the vehicle 10, the navigation route of the vehicle 10, the lane change completion position, etc.

[0025] Next, the server 30 transmits section information based on the current position of the vehicle 10 and the like to the driving lane planning device 14 via the communication network 40 and the macrocell base station 70 (step S102).

[0026] 2, the difficult-to-drive section D, which is a congested section, is located between a start point D1 and an end point D2 in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10. The difficult-to-drive section D is located between a lane change completion position P1 and a current position P2 of the vehicle 10.

[0027] Next, the driving lane planning device 14 determines that a difficult-to-drive section D exists between the lane change completion position P1 and the current position P2 of the vehicle 10 (step S103).

[0028] Next, the driving lane planning device 14 calculates a remaining distance L1 between an end D2 in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10 in the difficult-to-travel section D and the lane change completion position P1 (step S104). The remaining distance L1 is a distance remaining for the vehicle 10 to the lane change completion position P1 after the vehicle 10 has passed through the difficult-to-travel section D. The remaining distance L1 is an example of a first distance.

[0029] Next, the travel lane planning device 14 determines that the remaining distance L1 is equal to or greater than a reference distance (step S105). The reference distance is determined based on the distance required for the vehicle 10 to change lanes under automatic control. The reference distance is determined based on the number of lane changes required for the vehicle 10 to move from the lane in which the vehicle 10 is traveling to the lane 54 (destination lane) in which the lane change completion position is located.

[0030] When the first distance L1 is equal to or greater than the reference distance, the driving lane planning device 14 determines to execute a lane change for the vehicle 10 to move to the lane 54 after the vehicle 10 passes through the difficult-to-drive section D (step S106). When the first distance L1 is equal to or greater than the reference distance, the distance between the lane change completion position P1 and the current position P2 of the vehicle 10 is sufficiently long even when the vehicle 10 passes through the difficult-to-drive section D, so it is considered that the vehicle 10 can move from the lane in which the vehicle 10 is traveling to the destination lane by automatic control.

[0031] On the other hand, if the remaining distance L1 is less than the reference distance, the driving lane planning device 14 determines to execute a lane change for the vehicle 10 to move to the destination lane before the vehicle 10 reaches the difficult-to-travel section D (step S106). If the remaining distance L1 is less than the reference distance, at the time when the vehicle 10 passes through the difficult-to-travel section D, the distance between the lane change completion position P1 and the current position P2 of the vehicle 10 is short, so it is considered difficult for the vehicle 10 to move to the destination lane by automatic control.

[0032] According to the vehicle control system 1 of the present embodiment described above, when there is a difficult-to-travel section D between the current position P2 of the vehicle 10 and the lane change completion position P1, it is determined whether the vehicle 10 should change lanes to move to the destination lane before or after the congested section. This allows the vehicle control system 1 to change lanes to the lane 61 by the time the lane change completion position P1 is reached.

[0033] The vehicle control system 1 may include a plurality of vehicles 10. However, since each vehicle has the same configuration and executes the same processes with respect to vehicle control processing, the following description will be given of one vehicle 10.

[0034] Next, the vehicle 10 in which the driving lane planning device 14 is implemented will be described below with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of the vehicle 10 in which the driving lane planning device 14 is implemented.

[0035] The vehicle 10 has a camera 2, a communication device 3, a positioning information receiver 4, a navigation device 5, a user interface (UI) 6, a map information storage device 11, a position estimation device 12, an object detection device 13, a driving lane planning device 14, a driving planning device 15, a vehicle control device 16, etc.

[0036] The camera 2, communication device 3, positioning information receiver 4, navigation device 5, UI 6, map information storage device 11, position estimation device 12, object detection device 13, driving lane planning device 14, driving planning device 15, and vehicle control device 16 are communicatively connected via an in-vehicle network 17 that complies with a standard such as a controller area network.

[0037] The camera 2 is attached to the vehicle 10 so as to face forward of the vehicle 10. The camera 2 acquires camera images showing the environment of a predetermined area ahead of the vehicle 10, for example at a predetermined period. The camera images may show the road included in the predetermined area ahead of the vehicle 10 and road features such as lane markings on the road surface. The camera images acquired by the camera 2 may show other vehicles located ahead of the vehicle 10.

[0038] The camera 2 has a two-dimensional detector configured with an array of photoelectric conversion elements sensitive to visible light, such as a CCD or C-MOS, and an imaging optical system that forms an image of an area to be acquired on the two-dimensional detector. The camera image is an example of environmental information that represents the environment ahead of the vehicle 10.

[0039] Every time the camera 2 captures a camera image, it outputs the camera image and the camera image capture time at which the camera image was captured to the position estimation device 12, the object detection device 13, etc., via the in-vehicle network 17. The camera image is used by the position estimation device 12 in a process of estimating the position of the vehicle 10. The camera image is also used by the object detection device 13 in a process of detecting other objects around the vehicle 10.

[0040] The communication device 3 is an example of an apparatus communication unit, and has an interface circuit for connecting the driving lane planning device 14 to the macrocell base station 70. The communication device 3 is configured to be able to communicate with the server 30 via the macrocell base station 70 and the communication network 40.

[0041] The positioning information receiver 4 outputs positioning information indicating the current position of the vehicle 10. For example, the positioning information receiver 4 may be a GNSS receiver. Every time the positioning information receiver 4 acquires positioning information at a predetermined reception cycle, the positioning information receiver 4 outputs the positioning information and the positioning information acquisition time when the positioning information was acquired to the navigation device 5, the map information storage device 11, etc.

[0042] The navigation device 5 generates a navigation route from the current position of the vehicle 10 to the destination position based on the navigation map information, the destination position of the vehicle 10 input from the UI 6, and the positioning information indicating the current position of the vehicle 10 input from the positioning information receiver 4. The navigation route includes information regarding the positions of right turns, left turns, merging, and branching. The navigation device 5 generates a new navigation route for the vehicle 10 when a new destination position is set or when the current position of the vehicle 10 deviates from the navigation route. Every time the navigation device 5 generates a navigation route, it outputs the navigation route to the position estimation device 12, the driving lane planning device 14, and the like via the in-vehicle network 17.

[0043] The UI 6 is an example of a notification unit. The UI 6 is controlled by the navigation device 5 and the driving lane planning device 14, etc., and notifies the driver of driving information of the vehicle 10, etc. The driving information of the vehicle 10 includes information on the current position of the vehicle, lane changes, and current and future routes of the vehicle, such as a navigation route. The UI 6 has a display device 6a such as a liquid crystal display or a touch panel to display the driving information, etc. The UI 6 may also have an audio output device (not shown) for notifying the driver of the driving information, etc. The UI 6 also generates an operation signal according to an operation from the driver to the vehicle 10. Examples of the operation information include a destination position, a waypoint, the speed of the vehicle, and other control information. The UI 6 has, for example, a touch panel or an operation button as an input device for inputting operation information from the driver to the vehicle 10. The UI 6 outputs the input operation information to the navigation device 5 and the driving lane planning device 14, etc., via the in-vehicle network 17.

[0044] The map information storage device 11 stores map information of a relatively wide area (for example, a range of 10 km x 10 km to 30 km x 30 km) including the current position of the vehicle 10. This map information has high-precision map information including three-dimensional information of the road surface, road speed limits, road curvature, road features such as lane markings on the road, and information indicating the types and positions of structures.

[0045] The map information storage device 11 receives wide-area map information from an external server via a macrocell base station 70 by wireless communication via a communication device 3 mounted on the vehicle 10 according to the current position of the vehicle 10, and stores the received map information in the storage device. Every time positioning information is input from the positioning information receiver 4, the map information storage device 11 refers to the stored wide-area map information, and outputs map information of a relatively small area (for example, a range of 100 m square to 10 km square) including the current position represented by the positioning information to the position estimation device 12, the object detection device 13, the driving lane planning device 14, the driving planning device 15, etc. via the in-vehicle network 17.

[0046] The position estimation device 12 estimates the position of the vehicle 10 at the time of capturing the camera image based on road features around the vehicle 10 shown in the camera image captured by the camera 2. For example, the position estimation device 12 compares lane markings identified in the camera image with lane markings shown in the map information input from the map information storage device 11 to obtain an estimated position and an estimated azimuth angle of the vehicle 10 at the time of capturing the camera image. The position estimation device 12 also estimates the driving lane on the road on which the vehicle 10 is located based on the lane markings shown in the map information and the estimated position and estimated azimuth angle of the vehicle 10. Every time the position estimation device 12 obtains the estimated position, estimated azimuth angle, and driving lane of the vehicle 10 at the time of capturing the camera image, it outputs the information to the object detection device 13, the driving lane planning device 14, the driving planner 15, etc.

[0047] The object detection device 13 detects objects and their types (e.g., vehicles) around the vehicle 10 based on camera images. The objects include other vehicles traveling around the vehicle 10. The object detection device 13 tracks the detected objects to obtain the trajectory and speed of the objects. The object detection device 13 identifies the driving lane in which the object is traveling based on the lane markings shown in the map information and the position of the object. In addition, the object detection device 13 outputs object detection information including information indicating the type of the detected object, information indicating its position and speed, and information indicating the driving lane to the driving lane planning device 14, the driving planner 15, etc.

[0048] The driving lane planning device 14 executes planning processing, judgment processing, calculation processing, decision processing, and control processing. To this end, the driving lane planning device 14 has a communication interface (IF) 21, a memory 22, and a processor 23. The communication interface 21, the memory 22, and the processor 23 are connected via a signal line 24. The communication interface 21 has an interface circuit for connecting the driving lane planning device 14 to the in-vehicle network 17.

[0049] The memory 22 is an example of a storage unit and includes, for example, a volatile semiconductor memory and a non-volatile semiconductor memory. The memory 22 stores computer programs of applications used in the information processing executed by the processor 23 and various data.

[0050] All or part of the functions of the travel lane planning device 14 are functional modules realized by a computer program running on the processor 23, for example. The processor 23 has a planning unit 231, a determining unit 232, a calculating unit 233, a deciding unit 234, and a control unit 235. Alternatively, the functional modules of the processor 23 may be dedicated arithmetic circuits provided in the processor 23. The processor 23 has one or more central processing units (CPUs) and their peripheral circuits. The processor 23 may further have other arithmetic circuits such as a logic arithmetic unit, a numerical arithmetic unit, or a graphic processing unit. The travel lane planning device 14 is, for example, an electronic control unit (ECU).

[0051] The planning unit 231 selects lanes in the road on which the vehicle 10 travels, based on the map information, the navigation route and surrounding environment information, and the current position of the vehicle 10, in the nearest driving section (for example, 10 km) selected from the navigation route at a driving lane plan generation time set at a predetermined cycle, and generates a driving lane plan representing the planned driving lane on which the vehicle 10 will travel. The surrounding environment information includes the positions and speeds of other vehicles traveling around the vehicle 10. The driving lane planning device 14 generates a driving lane plan so that the vehicle 10 travels in a lane other than an overtaking lane, for example. The driving lane planning device 14 outputs the driving lane plan to the driving planning device 15 every time it generates a driving lane plan.

[0052] In addition, the planning unit 231 determines whether or not a lane change is required in the nearest driving section selected from the navigation route based on the driving lane plan, map information, the navigation route, and the current position of the vehicle 10, and generates a lane change plan according to the determination result. Specifically, the planning unit 231 determines whether or not a lane change is required to move to a lane leading to the destination position of the vehicle 10 based on the navigation route and the current position of the vehicle 10. It determines whether or not the vehicle 10 will enter another road at a junction from the driving road on which the vehicle 10 is currently traveling (merging), and whether or not the vehicle 10 will exit from the driving road to another road at a junction (branching). At merging and branching, the vehicle moves from a lane of the driving road to a lane of another road, so a lane change is performed. The planning unit 231 may further use surrounding environment information or vehicle state information to determine whether or not a lane change is required. The vehicle state information includes the current position, vehicle speed, acceleration, and traveling direction of the vehicle 10. Furthermore, the driving lane planning device 14 may generate a lane change plan in response to a request by the driver to move between lanes.

[0053] When the planning unit 231 determines that a lane change is necessary, it determines the destination lane before the movement and the destination lane. In addition, the planning unit 231 sets a lane change completion position where the vehicle completes the movement from the destination lane to another lane on the destination lane. Then, the planning unit 231 generates a lane change plan including the movement of the vehicle 10 from the lane in which the vehicle 10 is currently traveling to the destination lane, and the movement of the vehicle 10 from the destination lane to another lane before the vehicle 10 reaches the lane change completion position. When the planning unit 231 generates a lane change plan, it outputs the driving lane plan to which the lane change plan has been added to the driving plan device 15.

[0054] The planning unit 231 transmits an information request to the server 30 when the distance between the current position of the vehicle 10 and the lane change completion position (see distance L2 in FIG. 2) reaches a predetermined distance (e.g., 2 km). This predetermined distance is preferably a distance that the vehicle 10 can move to the destination lane before the vehicle 10 reaches the start of the difficult-to-travel section. This predetermined distance is determined based on the distance required for the vehicle 10 to change lanes under automatic control. This predetermined distance is determined based on the number of lane changes required for the vehicle 10 to move from the lane in which the vehicle 10 is traveling to the lane in which the lane change completion position is located (destination lane).

[0055] Furthermore, the planning unit 231 may receive traffic information including the current position and speed of other vehicles from other vehicles located within a predetermined range from the vehicle 10 via the communication device 3. The planning unit 231 calculates the average speed and the average inter-vehicle distance for the road on which the vehicle 10 is traveling or for each lane of the road based on the traffic information. The planning unit 231 may determine, as a difficult-to-travel section, a section in which the average speed is equal to or lower than a reference speed or the average inter-vehicle distance is equal to the reference inter-vehicle distance. In this case, the travel lane planning device 14 may not receive section information from the server 30. Other operations of the travel lane planning device 14 will be described later.

[0056] The driving plan device 15 executes a driving plan process to generate a driving plan representing a planned driving trajectory of the vehicle 10 up to a predetermined time (e.g., 5 seconds) ahead based on a driving lane plan, map information, the current position of the vehicle 10, surrounding environment information, and vehicle state information at a driving plan generation time set at a predetermined cycle. The driving plan is expressed as a set of target positions of the vehicle 10 and target vehicle speeds at the target positions at each time from the current time to the predetermined time ahead. The driving plan device 15 generates a driving plan so that an interval of at least a predetermined distance can be maintained between the vehicle 10 and other vehicles. The driving plan device 15 outputs the driving plan to the vehicle control device 16 every time the driving plan is generated.

[0057] The vehicle control device 16 controls each part of the vehicle 10 based on the current position, the vehicle speed, the yaw rate, and the driving plan generated by the driving plan device 15. For example, the vehicle control device 16 obtains the steering angle, acceleration, and angular acceleration of the vehicle 10 according to the driving plan, the vehicle speed, and the yaw rate of the vehicle 10, and sets the steering amount, the accelerator opening, or the brake amount so as to obtain the steering angle, acceleration, and angular acceleration. Then, the vehicle control device 16 outputs a control signal corresponding to the set steering amount to an actuator (not shown) that controls the steered wheels of the vehicle 10 via the in-vehicle network 17. In addition, the vehicle control device 16 outputs a control signal corresponding to the set accelerator opening to a drive device (not shown) such as an engine or a motor of the vehicle 10 via the in-vehicle network 17. Alternatively, the vehicle control device 16 outputs a control signal corresponding to the set brake amount to a brake (not shown) of the vehicle 10 via the in-vehicle network 17.

[0058] In FIG. 4, the map information storage device 11, the position estimation device 12, the object detection device 13, the driving lane planning device 14, the driving planning device 15, and the vehicle control device 16 are described as separate devices, but all or some of these devices may be configured as a single device.

[0059] Next, the hardware configuration of the server 30 will be described below with reference to Fig. 1. The server 30 executes control processing. To that end, the server 30 has a communication interface (IF) 31, a storage device 32, a memory 33, and a processor 34. The communication IF 31, the storage device 32, and the memory 33 are connected to the processor 34 via a signal line 35. The server 30 may further have input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse, and a display device such as a liquid crystal display.

[0060] The communication IF 31 has an interface circuit for connecting the server 30 to the communication network 40. The communication IF 31 is configured to be able to communicate with the vehicle 10 via the communication network 40 and the macrocell base station 70. The communication IF 31 is an example of a server communication unit.

[0061] The storage device 32 includes, for example, a hard disk device or an optical recording medium and an access device therefor. The storage device 32 stores traffic information and the like received via the communication network 40. The storage device 32 may further store identification information for identifying the vehicle 10. Furthermore, the storage device 32 may store a computer program for executing the processing of the server 30 related to the vehicle control processing, which is executed on the processor 34. The storage device 32 may store map information including a map for navigation. The storage device 32 is an example of a storage unit.

[0062] The memory 33 includes, for example, a volatile semiconductor memory and a non-volatile semiconductor memory. The memory 33 stores computer programs of applications and various data used in the information processing executed by the processor 34. Traffic information and the like may be stored in the memory 33. The memory 33 is an example of a storage unit.

[0063] All or part of the functions of the server 30 are functional modules realized by, for example, a computer program running on the processor 34. The processor 34 has a control unit 341. Alternatively, the functional modules of the processor 34 may be dedicated arithmetic circuits provided in the processor 34. The processor 34 has one or more central processing units (CPUs) and their peripheral circuits. The processor 34 may further have other arithmetic circuits such as a logic arithmetic unit, a numerical arithmetic unit, or a graphic processing unit.

[0064] The control unit 341 determines the location of the difficult-to-travel section based on traffic information received via the communication network 40. Examples of the traffic information include the current location and speed of a vehicle received from a vehicle traveling on each road. The control unit 341 obtains the average speed and the average inter-vehicle distance for each road or each lane of the road based on the traffic information. The control unit 341 determines, as the difficult-to-travel section, a section in which the average speed is equal to or lower than a reference speed or the average inter-vehicle distance is the reference inter-vehicle distance. The difficult-to-travel section may be determined for each road or for each lane of the road. The difficult-to-travel section is represented by a section between a start point and an end point.

[0065] Moreover, the speed of vehicles detected by vehicle detection devices installed on each road may be used as the traffic information. Moreover, the location of sections of each road where construction is being carried out may be used as the traffic information. Furthermore, the location of frozen sections of each road may be used as the traffic information. The control unit 341 inputs these pieces of traffic information via the communication network 40.

[0066] Furthermore, the control unit 341 may determine a section that is estimated to be congested as a congested section based on map information. For example, in a case where there is another branch position before the branch position where the vehicle 10 exits on the navigation route of the vehicle 10, the control unit 341 may determine a difficult-to-travel section before this other branch position. For a road having multiple lanes, the difficult-to-travel section may be determined for the entire road. For a road having multiple lanes, the difficult-to-travel section may be determined for each of the multiple lanes.

[0067] When the control unit 341 receives an information request from the driving lane planning device 14, it refers to the navigation route of the vehicle 10, and if there is a difficult-to-travel section in the traveling direction from the current position of the vehicle 10, it transmits section information indicating the position of the difficult-to-travel section to the driving lane planning device 14. The section information includes, for example, the position of the difficult-to-travel section within a predetermined range of the navigation route from the current position of the vehicle 10.

[0068] FIG. 5 is an example of an operation flowchart of the vehicle control process of the driving lane planning device 14. Hereinafter, the vehicle control process of the driving lane planning device 14 will be described with reference to FIG. 5. When a lane change of the vehicle 10 is planned, the driving lane planning device 14 executes the vehicle control process according to the operation flowchart shown in FIG. 5 every time it receives section information indicating the position of a difficult-to-travel section. Note that, when the road on which the vehicle 10 is traveling has only one lane, the process shown in FIG. 5 does not have to be performed. Also, when the vehicle 10 is traveling in the target lane, the process shown in FIG. 5 does not have to be performed.

[0069] First, the determination unit 232 determines whether or not there is a difficult-to-travel section D in which it is difficult for the vehicle 10 to travel between the lane change completion position and the current position of the vehicle 10 (step S201). Specifically, the determination unit 232 acquires the start point of the difficult-to-travel section represented in the section information. If the start point of the difficult-to-travel section is between the lane change completion position and the current position of the vehicle 10, the determination unit 232 determines that there is a difficult-to-travel section between the lane change completion position and the current position of the vehicle 10.

[0070] If there is a difficult-to-travel section D between the lane change completion position and the current position of the vehicle 10 (step S201-Yes), the calculation unit 233 calculates the remaining distance between the end of the difficult-to-travel section and the lane change completion position (step S202). The remaining distance is the distance in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10.

[0071] Even if a road has multiple lanes, if the end of one difficult-to-drive section has been determined for the entire road, there will be only one end of the difficult-to-drive section. On the other hand, if the end of a difficult-to-drive section has been determined for each of multiple lanes, the end closest to the lane change completion position is used to calculate the remaining distance. The remaining distance is calculated as the distance along the traveling direction of the vehicle 10. Note that if the end of the difficult-to-drive section is located on the traveling direction side of the lane change completion position of the vehicle 10, the remaining distance will be zero.

[0072] 2, the end of the difficult-to-travel section is determined for each of the multiple lanes. The calculation unit 233 calculates the remaining distance for each of the multiple lanes between the end of the difficult-to-travel section in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10 and the lane change completion position P1.

[0073] The remaining distance of lane 51 is M1, the remaining distance of lane 52 is M2, the remaining distance of lane 53 is M3, and the remaining distance of lane 54 is M4.

[0074] Next, the determination unit 232 determines whether the remaining distance is equal to or greater than a reference distance (step S203). The reference distance is determined based on the distance required for the vehicle 10 to change lanes under automatic control. It is preferable that the reference distance is determined based on the number of lane changes required for the vehicle 10 to move from the lane in which the vehicle 10 is traveling to the destination lane. The reference distance is determined according to the lane in which the vehicle 10 is traveling.

[0075] 2, a difficult-to-travel section is determined for each of the multiple lanes 51 to 54. In addition, a reference distance is set for each of the multiple lanes 51 to 54 such that the reference distance increases as the distance from the lane 54 increases.

[0076] When vehicle 10 moves from lane 51 to lane 54, which is the destination lane, and then moves from lane 54 to lane 61, the total number of lane changes is four. The reference distance for lane 51 is the distance required for vehicle 10 to make four lane changes under automatic control. Similarly, the reference distance for lane 52 is the distance required for vehicle 10 to make three lane changes under automatic control. The reference distance for lane 53 is the distance required for vehicle 10 to make two lane changes under automatic control. The reference distance for lane 54 is the distance required for vehicle 10 to make one lane change under automatic control.

[0077] The reference distance may be the sum of a distance required for the vehicle 10 to change lanes under automatic control and a predetermined offset distance. The reference distance may be determined based on the distance between the current position of the vehicle 10 and the lane change completion position.

[0078] Since the reference distance is a distance used by the vehicle 10 to change lanes, it is preferable not to include a non-moving section in which movement between lanes is not possible in the reference distance. Examples of non-moving sections include a section in which movement between lanes is prohibited by law, a construction section, etc. In addition, a section in which the movement of the vehicle between lanes cannot be safely controlled by automatic control (e.g., a sharp curve), a merging section where other vehicles merge, a section in which lane changing is prohibited in advance by the driver, and a section in which movement between lanes is physically prohibited are also included in the non-moving section.

[0079] In addition, if the distance between one non-movement section and another non-movement section adjacent to this non-movement section is less than the distance required for vehicle 10 to change lanes under automatic control, it is preferable that this section be added to the non-movement sections.

[0080] The reference section is calculated as the sum of the distance required for the vehicle 10 to change lanes under automatic control and the non-moving section. In the example shown in Fig. 2, the reference distance is determined according to the current lane in which the vehicle 10 is traveling on the road. The determination unit 232 determines whether or not the remaining distance for each of the multiple lanes is equal to or greater than the reference distance for each lane.

[0081] If the remaining distance is equal to or greater than the reference distance (step S203-Yes), the decision unit 234 decides to execute a lane change for the vehicle 10 to move to the destination lane after the vehicle 10 passes through the difficult-to-travel section (step S204), and ends the series of processes. The planner 231 generates a driving lane plan based on the decision of the decision unit 234.

[0082] If the road has multiple lanes, the decision unit 234 makes the following determination: If it is determined that the remaining distance is equal to or greater than the reference distance for each of all the multiple lanes, the decision unit 234 determines that the vehicle 10 will execute a lane change to move to the destination lane after the vehicle 10 passes through the difficult-to-travel section.

[0083] On the other hand, if the remaining distance is less than the reference distance (step S203-No), the decision unit 234 decides to execute a lane change for the vehicle 10 to move to the destination lane before the vehicle 10 reaches the difficult-to-travel section (step S205), and ends the series of processes. The planner 231 generates a driving lane plan based on the decision of the decision unit 234.

[0084] When the road has multiple lanes, the decision unit 234 makes the following determination: When it is determined that the remaining distance is less than the reference distance for any of all the multiple lanes, the decision unit 234 determines that the vehicle 10 executes a lane change to move to the destination lane before the vehicle 10 reaches the difficult-to-travel section.

[0085] The control unit 235 may notify the driver using the UI 6 that the vehicle 10 plans to execute a lane change to move to a destination lane after the vehicle 10 passes through the difficult-to-drive section. The control unit 235 may also notify the driver using the UI 6 that changing lanes while the vehicle 10 is traveling through the difficult-to-drive section may cause further congestion. The control unit 235 may also notify the driver using the UI 6 that the driver can drive the vehicle 10 under manual control if the driver desires to change lanes of the vehicle 10 before the vehicle 10 passes through the difficult-to-drive section.

[0086] Moreover, if there is no difficult-to-drive section between the lane change completion position and the current position of the vehicle 10 (step S201-No), the series of processes ends. The control unit 235 may notify the driver, using the UI 6, that after the vehicle 10 passes through the difficult-to-drive section, the lane change to move the vehicle 10 to the destination lane by automatic control will not be performed.

[0087] In addition, when the driving lane planning device 14 determines the position of the difficult-to-drive section, the operation flowchart shown in Fig. 5 may be executed when a lane change is planned and the current position of the vehicle 10 and the start point of the difficult-to-drive section are a predetermined distance away (see distance L3 in Fig. 2). Here, the above-mentioned reference distance may be used as the predetermined distance. This allows the determination unit 232 to determine that there is a difficult-to-drive section between the lane change completion position and the current position of the vehicle 10.

[0088] A specific example of lane change by vehicle 10 will be described below with reference to FIG. 2. First, a case where it is determined that vehicle 10 should change lanes to move to lane 54 after vehicle 10 has passed through difficult-to-travel section D will be described below. Vehicle 10 travels along lane 51 and passes through difficult-to-travel section D. Since difficult-to-travel sections D are determined for each of a plurality of lanes 51 to 54 of road 50, vehicle 10 moves from lane 51 to lane 54, which is the destination lane, after vehicle 10 passes through the difficult-to-travel section of lane 51. Then, vehicle 10 moves from lane 54 to lane 61.

[0089] Suppose that vehicle 10 is traveling in lane 52 for which a difficult-to-travel section has been determined, and that lane 51 adjacent to lane 52 has no difficult-to-travel section determined. In this case, vehicle 10 moves from lane 52 to lane 51 and passes through the difficult-to-travel section of lane 51. Vehicle 10 may then start changing lanes to move from lane 51 to lane 61.

[0090] Next, a case will be described below in which it is determined that the vehicle 10 will change lanes to move to a destination lane before the vehicle 10 reaches the difficult-to-travel section D. The vehicle 10 moves from lane 51 to lane 54 before reaching the difficult-to-travel section D. The vehicle 10 travels on lane 54, passes through the difficult-to-travel section D, and then moves from lane 54 to lane 61.

[0091] However, the length of the difficult-to-travel section may change over time. For example, the length of the congested section changes over time. Therefore, even if it is determined that the vehicle 10 should change lanes to move to the destination lane after the vehicle 10 has passed through the difficult-to-travel section, the difficult-to-travel section may become longer while the vehicle 10 is traveling through the difficult-to-travel section, and the remaining distance may become shorter. In this case, the vehicle 10 may not be able to change lanes to the destination lane by automatic control. Therefore, the travel lane planning device 14 may check the remaining distance while the vehicle 10 is traveling through the difficult-to-travel section, as described below.

[0092] Fig. 6 is an example of another operation flowchart of the vehicle control process of the driving lane planning device. The vehicle control process shown in Fig. 6 is executed at a vehicle control time having a predetermined period when it is determined that the vehicle 10 executes a lane change to move to a destination lane after the vehicle 10 passes through a difficult-to-drive section. The vehicle control process shown in Fig. 6 may be executed, for example, until the vehicle 10 reaches a lane change completion position.

[0093] First, the determination unit 232 determines whether or not the vehicle 10 is located in the difficult-to-travel section based on the current position of the vehicle 10 and the position of the difficult-to-travel section (step S301).

[0094] If the vehicle 10 is located in a difficult-to-travel section (step S301-Yes), it is determined whether the current position of the vehicle 10 is located in the destination lane (step S302).

[0095] If the current position of the vehicle is not located in the destination lane (step S302-No), the determination unit 232 determines whether the remaining distance newly calculated by the calculation unit 233 is less than the reference distance (step S303). While the vehicle 10 is traveling through the difficult-to-travel section, the difficult-to-travel section may become longer and the remaining distance may become shorter. If the remaining distance is less than the reference distance, the vehicle 10 may not be able to move to the destination lane by automatic control after passing through the difficult-to-travel section. Therefore, the calculation unit 233 calculates the remaining distance between the end of the current difficult-to-travel section and the lane change completion position. The determination unit 232 determines the relationship between this newly calculated remaining distance and the reference distance.

[0096] If the remaining distance is less than the reference distance (step S303-Yes), the determination unit 232 determines whether the remaining distance is equal to or greater than the manual control distance that allows the driver to manually move the vehicle 10 to the destination lane (step S304). The manual control distance is determined based on the distance required for the vehicle 10 to change lanes by manual control. The manual control distance is determined based on the number of lane changes required for the vehicle 10 to move from the lane in which the vehicle 10 is traveling to the lane in which the lane change completion position is located (destination lane). The manual control distance is shorter than the distance required for the vehicle 10 to change lanes by automatic control. The manual control distance is an example of the second distance.

[0097] If the remaining distance is greater than or equal to the manual control distance (step S304-Yes), after the vehicle 10 passes through the difficult-to-drive section, it is decided that a lane change will be performed manually to move the vehicle 10 to the destination lane (step S305), and the process is terminated.

[0098] Then, when the vehicle 10 is traveling in the difficult-to-travel section, the control unit 235 notifies the driver via the UI 6 of a request to move the vehicle 10 to the destination lane by manual control after the vehicle 10 passes through the difficult-to-travel section. Then, the driver moves the vehicle 10 to the destination lane by manual control after the vehicle 10 passes through the difficult-to-travel section.

[0099] On the other hand, if the remaining distance is less than the manual control distance (step S304-No), it is determined that the vehicle 10 will start a lane change to move to the destination lane by manual control in the difficult-to-travel section, and the series of processes is terminated.

[0100] Then, the control unit 235 notifies the driver via the UI 6 of a request to start moving the vehicle 10 to the destination lane by manual control while the vehicle 10 is in the difficult-to-drive section. Then, the driver starts moving the vehicle 10 to the destination lane by manual control while the vehicle 10 is traveling in the difficult-to-drive section. The driver drives the vehicle 10 so that the vehicle 10 moves to the destination lane before the vehicle 10 reaches the lane change completion position.

[0101] If the vehicle 10 is not located in a difficult-to-drive section (step S301-No), if the vehicle's current position is located in the destination lane (step S302-Yes), or if the remaining distance is equal to or greater than the reference distance (step S303-No), the process ends.

[0102] According to the vehicle control system of the present embodiment described above, when there is a difficult-to-drive section between the current position of the vehicle and the lane change completion position, it is determined whether the vehicle should change lanes to move to the destination lane before or after the congestion section. This allows the vehicle control system to execute the predetermined lane change by the time the lane change completion position is reached.

[0103] In the present invention, the vehicle control device and the vehicle control system of the above-mentioned embodiments can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Furthermore, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to those embodiments, but extends to the inventions described in the claims and their equivalents.

[0104] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the server determines the difficult-to-drive sections, and the driving lane planning device performs other vehicle control processing, but the division of vehicle control processing performed by the server and the driving lane planning device is not limited to this.

[0105] The vehicle control system may include a first judgment unit that judges whether or not there is a difficult-to-drive section in which it is difficult for the vehicle to drive between a lane change completion position, which is set on a destination lane, which is one lane of a road having multiple lanes, where the vehicle completes moving from the destination lane to another lane, and the current position of the vehicle; a calculation unit that, when the first judgment unit judges that there is a difficult-to-drive section, calculates the remaining distance between an end point in the difficult-to-drive section in the vehicle's traveling direction and the lane change completion position; a second judgment unit that judges whether or not the remaining distance is equal to or greater than a reference distance; and a decision unit that, when the second judgment unit judges that the remaining distance is equal to or greater than the reference distance, decides to execute a lane change to move the vehicle to the destination lane after the vehicle has passed through the difficult-to-drive section, and, when the second judgment unit judges that the remaining distance is less than the reference distance, decides to execute a lane change to move the vehicle to the destination lane before the vehicle reaches the difficult-to-drive section.

[0106] Here, the server may determine the difficult-to-travel section and have a first judgment unit, a calculation unit, and a second judgment unit, and the driving lane planning device may have a determination unit. Also, the server may determine the difficult-to-travel section and have a first judgment unit and a calculation unit, and the driving lane planning device may have a second judgment unit and a determination unit. Furthermore, the server may have a first judgment unit, a calculation unit, and a second judgment unit, and the driving lane planning device may determine the difficult-to-travel section and have a determination unit.

[0107] For example, it is preferable that the server and the driving lane planning device execute the vehicle control process in cooperation with each other so as to reduce the amount of communication between the driving lane planning device and the server.

[0108] The server may determine the difficult-to-travel section based on topographical information such as road junctions, without receiving traffic information. When the server performs the first determination process, the server may receive the lane change completion position from the driving lane planning device, but may set the lane change completion position based on topographical information such as road junctions. The server may execute the calculation process and the second determination process using the lane change completion position that it has set.

[0109] Furthermore, in a case where the server executes the calculation process, the driving lane planning device may receive the remaining distance from the server and execute the second determination process.

[0110] In the above embodiment, the lane change completion position is set as a position where the vehicle exits from the road on which the vehicle is traveling to a branch road, but the lane change completion position is not limited to this. For example, when the driving lane on which the vehicle is traveling disappears, the lane change completion position may be set as a position for moving from this driving lane to an adjacent adjacent lane. Also, when the road on which the vehicle is traveling branches into two, the lane change completion position may be set on the driving lane in order to move to the lane of the branch road. [Explanation of symbols]

[0111] 1 Vehicle Control System 2 Camera 3. Communications equipment 4 Positioning information receiver 5. Navigation devices 6 User Interface 6a Display device 10 Vehicles 11 Map information storage device 12 Position estimation device 13 Object detection device 14 Traffic lane planning device 21 Communication Interface 22 Memory 23 Processors 231 Planning Department 232 Judgment section 233 Calculation Department 234 Decision Section 235 Control Unit 24 Signal Line 15 Operation planning device 16 Vehicle control device 17 In-vehicle network 30 Servers 31 Communication Interface 32 Storage Device 33 Memory 34 processors 341 Control Unit 35 Signal Line 40 Communication Network 70 Macrocell base station

Claims

1. a first determination unit that determines whether or not there is a difficult-to-travel section in which it is difficult for the vehicle to travel between a lane change completion position where the vehicle completes moving from the destination lane to another lane, the lane change completion position being set on a destination lane, which is one lane of a road having a plurality of lanes, and a current position of the vehicle; a calculation unit that calculates a first distance between an end of the difficult-to-travel section in a traveling direction of the vehicle and the lane change completion position when the first determination unit determines that the difficult-to-travel section exists; a second determination unit that determines whether the first distance is equal to or greater than a reference distance; a decision unit that, when the second determination unit determines that the first distance is equal to or greater than the reference distance, determines to execute a lane change so that the vehicle moves to the destination lane after the vehicle passes through the difficult-to-travel section, and, when the second determination unit determines that the first distance is less than the reference distance, determines to execute a lane change so that the vehicle moves to the destination lane before the vehicle reaches the difficult-to-travel section; having A vehicle control device comprising:

2. a third determination unit that, when it is determined by the determination unit that the vehicle will execute a lane change to move to the destination lane after the vehicle has passed through the difficult-to-travel section, determines whether the vehicle is located in the difficult-to-travel section; a fourth determination unit that, when it is determined by the third determination unit that the vehicle is located in the difficult-to-travel section, determines whether or not a current position of the vehicle is located in the target lane; a fifth determination unit that, when it is determined by the fourth determination unit that the current position of the vehicle is not located in the target lane, determines whether or not the first distance newly calculated by the calculation unit is shorter than a reference distance; a sixth determination unit that, when the fifth determination unit determines that the first distance is shorter than a reference distance, determines whether the first distance is equal to or longer than a second distance at which a driver can manually control the vehicle to move to the destination lane; The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

3. 3. The vehicle control device according to claim 2, further comprising a notification control unit that, when the sixth determination unit determines that the first distance is equal to or greater than the second distance, notifies the driver via a notification unit of a lane change request requesting that the vehicle be moved to the destination lane by manual control.

4. the reference distance is set for each of a plurality of lanes of a road on which the vehicle is traveling such that the reference distance becomes longer as the lane is farther away from the target lane, The calculation unit calculates, for each of a plurality of lanes, the first distance between an end of the difficult-to-travel section in a traveling direction of the vehicle and the lane change completion position; The second determination unit determines whether or not the first distance is equal to or greater than the reference distance for each of a plurality of lanes, 4. A vehicle control device as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein when the second judgment unit determines that the first distance is greater than or equal to the reference distance for each of all of a plurality of lanes, the decision unit decides to perform a lane change to move the vehicle to the destination lane after the vehicle passes through the difficult-to-drive section.

5. a first determination unit that determines whether or not there is a difficult-to-travel section in which it is difficult for the vehicle to travel between a lane change completion position where the vehicle completes moving from the destination lane to another lane, the lane change completion position being set on a destination lane, which is one lane of a road having a plurality of lanes, and a current position of the vehicle; a calculation unit that calculates a first distance between an end of the difficult-to-travel section in a traveling direction of the vehicle and the lane change completion position when the first determination unit determines that the difficult-to-travel section exists; a second determination unit that determines whether the first distance is equal to or greater than a reference distance; a decision unit that, when the second determination unit determines that the first distance is equal to or greater than the reference distance, determines to execute a lane change so that the vehicle moves to the destination lane after the vehicle passes through the difficult-to-travel section, and, when the second determination unit determines that the first distance is less than the reference distance, determines to execute a lane change so that the vehicle moves to the destination lane before the vehicle reaches the difficult-to-travel section; having A vehicle control system comprising:

Images