Vehicle control device

Abstract

To provide a vehicle control device which determines a mode of a lane change to enable a successful lane change after changing a starting timing.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device includes: a determination unit which determines whether to change the timing of a scheduled first lane change based on environmental information about a periphery of a vehicle; a planning unit which plans a second lane change based on environmental information about the vehicle periphery when the determination unit determines that the timing for initiating the first lane change should be changed; and a decision unit that determines a control mode for the second lane change based on the reason for intending to perform the first lane change or the environmental information of the vehicle periphery that caused the timing of the first lane change to change when the second lane change is planned by the planning unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control device. [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, and the vehicle may change lanes to move to the destination lane before the vehicle reaches the congested section.

[0005] For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a vehicle control device that, when there is a fork ahead in the vehicle's path that the vehicle must enter after changing lanes, and the level of congestion indicated by the congestion information is high, enables lane change control from a point earlier than the point at which lane change control would be possible if the level of congestion indicated by the congestion information was low. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-056616 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] As described above, the timing to start a lane change may be changed due to the presence of a difficult-to-drive section, such as a congested section, between the current position of the vehicle and the lane change completion position. A lane change with a changed start timing is expected to result in a more successful movement of the vehicle between lanes.

[0008] For example, it is possible to increase the probability of a vehicle successfully moving between lanes by determining the manner in which the lane change will occur after the initiation timing is changed based on the reason why the initiation timing of the initially planned lane change is changed.

[0009] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle control device that determines a lane change mode so as to ensure a successful lane change after changing the start timing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] (1) According to one embodiment, a vehicle control device is provided, which includes a determination unit that determines whether or not to change a timing to start a planned first lane change based on environmental information about the vehicle's surroundings, a planning unit that plans a second lane change based on the environmental information about the vehicle's surroundings when the determination unit determines to change the timing to start the first lane change, and a decision unit that determines a mode of control of the second lane change based on the reason for attempting to execute the first lane change or the environmental information about the vehicle's surroundings that led to the change in the timing to start the first lane change when the planning unit plans the second lane change.

[0011] (2) In the vehicle control device of (1), when the reason for attempting to execute the first lane change is to change lanes in order to reach the vehicle's destination position, or when environmental information around the vehicle indicates that the vehicle will not be able to reach the destination position, it is preferable that the decision unit determines the manner of control of the second lane change so as to increase the degree of driver involvement.

[0012] (3) In the vehicle control device of (2), when environmental information around the vehicle does not indicate that the vehicle will not be able to reach the destination position, it is preferable that the decision unit decides on a mode of control of the second lane change so as to reduce the degree of driver involvement.

[0013] (4) In any of the vehicle control devices of (1) to (3), it is preferable that the determination unit determines the control manner of the second lane change and also determines the control manner so as to increase the probability of successful lane change by automatic control.

[0014] (5) The determination unit determines the manner of control of the second lane change based on (A) the reason for attempting to execute the first lane change or (B) environmental information around the vehicle that has led to a change in the timing of initiating the first lane change, and further based on (C) the amount of difference between the timing of initiating the second lane change planned by the planning unit and the timing of initiating the first lane change. Effect of the Invention

[0015] The vehicle control device of the present invention determines the manner of the lane change after the start timing is changed based on the reason for attempting to execute the originally planned lane change or the reason for changing the timing for starting the lane change, thereby achieving the effect of increasing the probability of successful lane change after changing the start timing. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1]1A and 1B are diagrams for explaining an overview of the operation of the driving lane planning device of this embodiment, in which (A) shows the operation when there is no difficult-to-drive section, and (B) shows the operation when there is a difficult-to-drive section. [Diagram 2] 1 is a hardware configuration diagram of a vehicle in which a driving lane planning device is implemented. [Diagram 3] 4 is an example of an operational flowchart of a vehicle control process of the traffic lane planning device. [Figure 4] 13 is an example of an operational flowchart of a mode determination process of the traffic lane planning device. [Diagram 5] 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating another example of the operation of the mode determination process of the traffic lane planning device according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] 1(A) and 1(B) are diagrams for explaining an outline of the operation of the driving lane planning device 14 of this embodiment. Fig. 1(A) shows the operation when there is no difficult-to-drive section, and Fig. 1(B) shows the operation when there is a difficult-to-drive section.

[0018] The vehicle 10 is equipped with a communication device 3 and a driving lane planning device 14. 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 represents the planned driving lanes along which the vehicle 10 will travel. The driving lane planning device 14 is an example of a vehicle control device. The vehicle 10 may be an autonomous vehicle.

[0019] 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.

[0020] Road 50 has three lanes 51, 52, and 53. Lanes 51 and 52 are separated by a lane dividing line 55, and lanes 52 and 53 are separated by a lane dividing line 56. At branch position B, lane 53 of road 50 and lane 61 of road 60 are connected between branch start position 62 and branch end position 63.

[0021] Currently, vehicle 10 is traveling in lane 51. In the driving lane plan, vehicle 10 is planned to make two lane changes to move from lane 51 to lane 53, and then to move from lane 53 of road 50 to lane 61 of road 60.

[0022] The travel lane planning device 14 sets a lane change completion position P1 on the lane 53 where the vehicle 10 completes moving from the lane 53 to the lane 61. In the example shown in FIG. 1(A), the lane change completion position P1 coincides with the branch end position 63 in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10. The travel lane planning device 14 generates a lane change plan C1 so that the vehicle 10 moves from the lane 53 to the lane 61 before reaching the lane change completion position P1. The lane change plan C1 includes moving from the lane 51 to the lane 52 and moving from the lane 52 to the lane 53. The lane changes included in the lane change plan C1 are aimed at reaching the destination position of the vehicle 10.

[0023] The driving lane planning device 14 has an approval-less mode, a proposed approval mode, and a manual control mode as modes of lane change control. In the approval-less mode, the vehicle 10 performs a lane change that the driving lane planning device 14 determines is necessary without receiving approval from the driver. In the proposed approval mode, the vehicle 10 performs a lane change after the driver approves the lane change that the driving lane planning device 14 determines is necessary. In the manual control mode, the driver determines the necessity of a lane change. The manual control mode includes a case where the driver performs a lane change operation by manual driving and a case where the vehicle 10 performs a lane change operation by automatic driving.

[0024] The degree of driver involvement in lane changes increases in the order of approval-less mode, proposed approval mode, and manual control mode.

[0025] In the example shown in FIG. 1(A) and FIG. 1(B), the driving lane planning device 14 has made a lane change plan C1 in the approval-less mode.

[0026] The driving lane planning device 14 receives section information indicating the location of the difficult-to-drive section D where it is difficult for the vehicle 10 to drive from an external server (not shown) via the communication device 3. The section information includes the location of the difficult-to-drive section located within a predetermined range in the traveling direction from the current position of the vehicle 10 on the navigation route of the vehicle 10. The difficult-to-drive section includes, for example, a congested section, a section where the road surface is frozen, a construction section, etc. The location of the difficult-to-drive section is an example of environmental information around the vehicle.

[0027] In the example shown in FIG. 1(A), the section information does not include information indicating that a difficult-to-travel section exists between the current position of the vehicle 10 and the lane change completion position P1.

[0028] Based on the lane change plan C1, the vehicle 10 moves from the lane 51 to the lane 53, and then moves from the lane 53 to the lane 61 by the time it reaches the lane change completion position P1.

[0029] On the other hand, in the example shown in FIG. 1(B), the section information includes information that a difficult-to-travel section D exists between the current position of the vehicle 10 and the lane change completion position P1.

[0030] The driving lane planning device 14 changes the timing to start the scheduled lane change plan C1 because of the presence of the difficult-to-travel section D. The driving lane planning device 14 creates a new lane change plan C2 between the current position of the vehicle 10 and the difficult-to-travel section D.

[0031] The lane change plan C2 includes a shift from lane 51 to lane 52 and a shift from lane 52 to lane 53. The timing for executing the lane change plan C2 is earlier than that for the lane change plan C1.

[0032] The lane change plan C2 determines the manner of control of the lane change included in the lane change plan C2 based on the reason for the attempt to execute the lane change included in the lane change plan C1. Here, the environmental information around the vehicle is information that was not recognized when the lane change plan C1 was planned.

[0033] Since the reason for planning the lane change plan C1 was to allow the vehicle 10 to reach the destination position, the driving lane planning device 14 determines the manner of lane change control included in the lane change plan C2 so as to increase the degree of driver involvement.

[0034] Since the driving lane planning device 14 is in the approval-less mode, it determines the proposed approval mode or the manual control mode as the mode of control for the lane change included in the lane change plan C2.

[0035] If the vehicle 10 is not able to move to the lane 53 before reaching the lane change completion position P1, the vehicle 10 will not be able to exit from the road 50 to the road 60.

[0036] Therefore, by executing the lane change included in the lane change plan C2 in a manner that increases the degree of driver involvement, the probability of a successful lane change can be increased.

[0037] According to the driving lane planning device 14 of the present embodiment described above, the mode of the lane change after the start timing is changed is determined based on the reason for attempting to execute the initially planned lane change, so that the probability of successful lane change after the start timing is changed can be increased.

[0038] Next, the vehicle 10 in which the driving lane planning device 14 is implemented will be described below with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of the vehicle 10 in which the driving lane planning device 14 is implemented.

[0039] 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.

[0040] 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.

[0041] 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.

[0042] 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.

[0043] 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.

[0044] The communication device 3 is an example of a device communication unit, and has an interface circuit for connecting the driving lane planning device 14 to a macrocell base station (not shown). The communication device 3 is configured to be able to communicate with an external server (not shown) via the macrocell base station and a communication network (not shown).

[0045] 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.

[0046] 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.

[0047] 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, navigation routes, etc., on the current and future routes of the vehicle 10. 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.

[0048] The map information storage device 11 stores map information of a relatively wide area (for example, a range of 10 km x 10 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. This map information may also include the positions of sections where driving is difficult, such as congested sections, sections where the road surface is frozen, and construction sections.

[0049] The map information storage device 11 receives wide-area map information from an external server via a macrocell base station by wireless communication via the 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.

[0050] 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.

[0051] 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.

[0052] The driving lane planning device 14 executes planning processing, judgment 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.

[0053] 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.

[0054] 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 judgment unit 232, a decision unit 233, and a control unit 234. 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).

[0055] 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.

[0056] 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. The planning unit 231 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.

[0057] 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 is added to the driving plan device 15. In addition, the planning unit 231 notifies the determination unit 232 of the lane change plan.

[0058] In the example shown in FIG. 1(A), the planning unit 231 sets a first lane change completion position on the lane 51, sets a second lane change completion position on the lane 52, and sets a third lane change completion position P1 on the lane 53. The planning unit 231 plans to move from the lane 51 to the lane 52 before reaching the first lane change completion position on the lane 51. The planning unit 231 also plans to move from the lane 52 to the lane 53 before reaching the second lane change completion position on the lane 52. Furthermore, the planning unit 231 plans to move from the lane 53 to the lane 61 before reaching the third lane change completion position P1 on the lane 53.

[0059] The planning unit 231 transmits an information request for section information to an external server (not shown) at information acquisition times having a predetermined cycle. The section information includes the location of the difficult-to-travel section D where it is difficult for the vehicle 10 to travel. When the planning unit 231 receives the section information from the external server (not shown), it acquires the location of the difficult-to-travel section. The location of the difficult-to-travel section is used in the vehicle control process described later.

[0060] The planning unit 231 may also 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 does not need to receive section information from an external server. Other operations of the travel lane planning device 14 will be described later.

[0061] The driving plan device 15 generates 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.

[0062] 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.

[0063] In FIG. 2, 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.

[0064] Fig. 3 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. 3. The driving lane planning device 14 executes the vehicle control process according to the operation flowchart shown in Fig. 3 at a vehicle control time having a predetermined period.

[0065] First, the determination unit 232 determines whether or not a lane change of the vehicle 10 is scheduled based on the driving lane plan generated by the planner 231 (step S101). When the lane change plan is included in the driving lane plan, the determination unit 232 determines that a lane change of the vehicle 10 is scheduled.

[0066] If a lane change of the vehicle 10 is scheduled (step S101-Yes), the determination unit 232 determines whether or not to change the timing to start the scheduled lane change based on the environmental information around the vehicle (step S102). For example, the determination unit 232 determines whether or not a difficult-to-travel section is located between the current position of the vehicle 10 and the lane change completion position. The determination unit 232 determines whether or not a difficult-to-travel section is located between the current position of the vehicle 10 and the lane change completion position based on the section information or map information.

[0067] If a difficult-to-drive section is located between the current position of the vehicle 10 and the lane change completion position (step S102-Yes), the judgment unit 232 judges that the timing to start the planned lane change (first lane change) should be changed.

[0068] Next, the planning unit 231 plans a new lane change (second lane change) based on the position of the difficult-to-drive section (step S103). When the difficult-to-drive section is a congested section, the planning unit 231 plans to perform a lane change for the vehicle 10 to move to the destination lane before the vehicle 10 reaches the congested section, or to perform a lane change for the vehicle 10 to move to the destination lane after the vehicle 10 passes through the congested section. In the difficult-to-drive section, the vehicle 10 may not be able to safely move between lanes by automatic control.

[0069] In addition, if the difficult-to-drive section indicates that the lane in which the vehicle 10 is driving is closed due to construction or the like, the planning unit 231 plans to change lanes so that the vehicle 10 can move to the destination lane before the vehicle 10 reaches the congested section.

[0070] In addition, if the difficult-to-drive section indicates that the road surface is frozen, a plan is made for vehicle 10 to change lanes to move to the destination lane before vehicle 10 reaches the congested section, or for vehicle 10 to change lanes to move to the destination lane after vehicle 10 has passed through the congested section.

[0071] Next, the determination unit 233 determines the mode of control of the second lane change based on the reason for attempting to execute the first lane change or on the environmental information around the vehicle that has led to a change in the timing of starting the first lane change (step S104), and ends the series of processes. The process of determining the mode of control of the second lane change will be described later with reference to FIG.

[0072] The determination unit 233 notifies the planning unit 231 of the aspect of control of the second lane change. The planning unit 231 generates a driving lane plan having a lane change including the aspect of control of the second lane change.

[0073] On the other hand, if a lane change of the vehicle 10 is not planned (step S101-No), or if a difficult-to-travel section is not located (step S102-No), the series of processes ends.

[0074] Next, the mode determination process of the traffic lane planning device 14 will be described below with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is an example of an operational flowchart of the mode determination process of the traffic lane planning device.

[0075] First, the determination unit 233 determines whether the reason for attempting to perform the first lane change corresponds to a predetermined reason (step S201). The predetermined reason includes that the first lane change is for the purpose of reaching a destination position of the vehicle 10.

[0076] For example, such lane changes include exiting onto a branch road and merging onto another road in order to reach a destination. In addition, such lane changes include lane changes when the lane on which the vehicle 10 is traveling disappears. In addition, such lane changes include lane changes when the lane on which the vehicle 10 is traveling is closed due to construction or the like. If the vehicle 10 cannot travel on the lane on which it is traveling, the vehicle 10 cannot reach the destination.

[0077] On the other hand, there are lane changes that are not intended to reach the destination position of the vehicle 10. Examples of such lane changes include lane changes to avoid a merging section where other vehicles merge from other lanes, lane changes to avoid the vehicle 10 entering a ramp lane, and lane changes to avoid entering an HOV lane or the like. Another example of such lane changes is a lane change in which the vehicle 10 moves back to the original lane after overtaking a vehicle ahead. Another example of such lane changes is a lane change in which the vehicle 10 moves to a lane with a higher speed.

[0078] If the reason for attempting to perform the first lane change does not correspond to a predetermined reason (step S201-No), the decision unit 233 determines whether the environmental information around the vehicle that has led to a change in the timing of starting the first lane change corresponds to the first environmental information (step S202). This environmental information around the vehicle is information that was not recognized at the time the first lane change was planned.

[0079] The first environmental information includes an indication that the vehicle 10 will be unable to reach the destination position. The first environmental information may indicate that the lane on which the vehicle 10 is traveling has disappeared, or that the lane is closed due to construction or the like.

[0080] If the reason for attempting to execute the first lane change corresponds to a predetermined reason (step S201-Yes), or if the environmental information around the vehicle corresponds to the first environmental information (step S202-Yes), the decision unit 233 decides the manner of control of the second lane change so as to increase the degree of driver involvement (step S203), and ends the series of processes.

[0081] When the control mode of the first lane change is the approval-less mode, the determination unit 233 determines the control mode of the second lane change to be the proposed approval mode or the manual control mode. When the control mode of the first lane change is the proposed approval mode, the determination unit 233 determines the control mode of the second lane change to be the manual control mode. When the control mode of the first lane change is the manual control mode in which the vehicle 10 performs the lane change operation by automatic driving, the determination unit 233 determines the control mode of the second lane change to be the manual control mode in which the driver performs the lane change operation by manual driving. When the control mode of the first lane change is the manual control mode in which the driver performs the lane change by manual driving, there is no change in the control mode of the second lane change.

[0082] When the second lane change control mode is determined to be the manual control mode, the control unit 234 notifies the driver that the lane change will be changed to the manual control mode via the UI 6. In particular, when the second lane change control mode is determined to be a mode in which the driver performs the lane change by manual driving, the control unit 234 notifies the driver via the UI 6 that the driver should be careful when changing lanes. The control unit 234 can increase the degree of the driver's involvement by calling the driver's attention to driving.

[0083] In addition, when the control mode of the first lane change is a manual control mode in which the driver manually performs the lane change, the control unit 234 may notify the driver via the UI 6 that the purpose of this lane change is to reach the destination position of the vehicle 10.

[0084] In this specification, the approval-less mode refers to the vehicle 10 performing a lane change without obtaining approval from the driver each time the lane change is started. For example, the approval-less mode includes the vehicle receiving approval from the driver for the lane change overall, such as at the time of initial setup of the vehicle. On the other hand, the proposed approval mode requires approval from the driver each time the lane change is started.

[0085] In this way, by determining the manner of control of the second lane change so as to increase the degree of driver involvement, the probability that the vehicle 10 will be able to successfully change lanes to reach the destination position can be increased.

[0086] On the other hand, if the environmental information around the vehicle does not correspond to the first environmental information (step S202-No), the decision unit 233 determines that the environmental information around the vehicle corresponds to the second environmental information (step S204). The second environmental information includes information other than the inability of the vehicle 10 to reach the destination position.

[0087] For example, the second environmental information includes information that the difficult-to-travel section is a congested section, that the difficult-to-travel section has a frozen road surface, that the difficult-to-travel section is a merging section, that the difficult-to-travel section is under construction in a lane other than the lane in which the vehicle 10 is currently traveling, etc. In this case, although there may be a delay in the time when the vehicle 10 reaches the destination position, it is considered that the vehicle 10 can reach the destination position even if it is traveling in the current traveling lane.

[0088] Next, the determination unit 233 determines the manner of control of the second lane change so as to reduce the degree of driver involvement (step S205), and ends the series of processes. If the environment around the vehicle does not prevent the vehicle 10 from reaching the destination position, it is preferable to change lanes by automatic control in order not to increase the burden on the driver.

[0089] When the control mode of the first lane change is the manual control mode, the decision unit 233 decides that the control mode of the second lane change is the approval-less mode or the proposed approval mode. When the control mode of the first lane change is the proposed approval mode, the decision unit 233 decides that the control mode of the second lane change is the approval-less mode. When the control mode of the first lane change is the approval-less mode, the decision unit 233 does not change the control mode of the second lane change.

[0090] Next, the determination unit 233 determines control so as to increase the probability that the lane change by automatic control will be successful (step S206), and ends a series of processes.

[0091] Examples of control to increase the probability of successful lane changing by automatic control include the following: (1) increasing the wait time allowed from the time when a lane change plan is generated until the lane change is actually executed, (2) increasing the wait time allowed from the time when the execution of the lane change plan is suggested to the driver until the driver's approval is obtained, (3) more emphasizing the suggestion to the driver to execute the lane change plan in (2), and (4) relaxing the constraints on the control of the vehicle 10 when changing lanes.

[0092] (4) Relaxing the constraints on the control of the vehicle 10 when changing lanes includes, for example, the following: (a) increasing the limit on the lateral movement speed, (b) increasing the limit on the lateral acceleration, (c) increasing the limit on the yaw rate, and (d) lifting the restriction that lane changes are not permitted.

[0093] (d) Examples of lifting restrictions that do not permit lane changes include the following: lifting of sections where automatic control cannot safely control the movement of the vehicle between lanes (e.g., sharp curves), lifting of merging sections where other vehicles merge, lifting of sections where lane changes are prohibited in advance by the driver, and lifting of restrictions in sections where movement between lanes is physically prohibited. Note that step S206 may be omitted.

[0094] In addition, a plurality of control methods may be combined to increase the probability of successful lane changing by the above-mentioned automatic control. In addition, the relaxation of the constraints on the control of the vehicle 10 during lane changing may be combined with a plurality of relaxations.

[0095] It is preferable that the driving lane planning device 14 suggests to the driver via the UI 6 to change to the manual control mode if the second lane change is not successful after initiating the second lane change in the approval-less mode or the proposed approval mode.

[0096] As described above in detail, according to the driving lane planning device 14 of this embodiment, the mode of the lane change after the start timing is changed is determined based on the reason for attempting to execute the initially planned lane change or the reason for changing the timing for starting the lane change, thereby increasing the probability of successful lane change after the start timing is changed.

[0097] Next, another operation of the mode determination process of the traffic lane planning device 14 of the present embodiment will be described below with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining another operation example of the mode determination process of the traffic lane planning device 14 of the present embodiment.

[0098] The determination unit 233 may determine the manner of control of the second lane change based on the difference between the timing of starting the second lane change planned by the planning unit 231 and the timing of starting the first lane change, together with environmental information around the vehicle that has led to a change in the timing of starting the first lane change or the reason for attempting to perform the first lane change or the amount of difference between the timing of starting the second lane change planned by the planning unit 231 and the timing of starting the first lane change.

[0099] In the example shown in FIG. 5, similarly to FIG. 1(B), a difficult-to-travel section D exists between the current position of the vehicle 10 and the lane change completion position P1.

[0100] The planner 231 generates a new lane change plan C3 and a new lane change plan C4 between the current position of the vehicle 10 and the difficult-to-travel section D.

[0101] The timing at which the lane change in the lane change plan C3 starts is earlier than the timing at which the lane change in the lane change plan C4 starts.

[0102] The difference between the timing at which the lane change is started for the lane change plan C3 and the timing at which the lane change is started for the lane change plan C1 is greater than the difference between the timing at which the lane change is started for the lane change plan C4 and the timing at which the lane change is started for the lane change plan C1.

[0103] The determination unit 233 determines the control modes of the lane change plan C3 and the lane change plan C4 according to the mode determination process shown in Fig. 4. Here, it is assumed that the control modes for the lane change plan C3 and the lane change plan C4 are determined so that the degree of driver involvement is high. Also, it is assumed that the control mode of the lane change for the lane change plan C1 is the approval-less mode. In this case, the determination unit 233 may set the control mode of the lane change for the lane change plan C3 to the proposed approval mode, and the control mode of the lane change for the lane change plan C4 to the manual control mode.

[0104] Assume also that the control modes for the lane change plans C3 and C4 are determined so that the degree of driver involvement is low. Assume also that the control mode for the lane change for the lane change plan C1 is the manual control mode. In this case, the determination unit 233 may set the control mode for the lane change for the lane change plan C3 to the approval-less mode and the control mode for the lane change for the lane change plan C4 to the proposed approval mode.

[0105] The lane change execution position of lane change plan C3 is relatively far from lane change completion position P1, so the lane change is controlled with a reduced degree of driver involvement. On the other hand, the lane change execution position of lane change plan C4 is relatively far from lane change completion position P1, so the lane change is controlled with an increased degree of driver involvement.

[0106] This makes it possible to increase the probability of successfully changing lanes after changing the start timing, without increasing the burden on the driver.

[0107] In the present invention, the vehicle control device of the above-mentioned embodiment can be appropriately modified 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.

[0108] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the lane change control modes include the approval-less mode, the proposal approval mode, and the manual control mode, but the lane change control modes are not limited to these. For example, modes with different degrees of driver involvement may be used as the lane change control modes. Different degrees of driver involvement may be expressed as different degrees of automatic control involvement.

[0109] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the lane change plan includes multiple lane changes from the lane in which the vehicle is currently traveling, but the present invention is also applicable to cases in which the lane change plan includes a single lane change.

[0110] In the above embodiment, the timing to start a lane change is changed when there is a difficult-to-travel section between the current position of the vehicle and the lane change completion position, but the reason for changing the timing to start a lane change is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can also be applied to a case where the timing to start a planned lane change is changed because the distance between the vehicle and another object cannot be kept at a predetermined standard or more.

[0111] In the above-described embodiment, the driving lane planning device determines the mode of control of the second lane change based on the reason for attempting to execute the first lane change or on environmental information around the vehicle that has led to a change in the timing of starting the first lane change. The driving lane planning device may determine the mode of control of the second lane change based only on the reason for attempting to execute the first lane change. Also, the driving lane planning device may determine the mode of control of the second lane change based only on environmental information around the vehicle that has led to a change in the timing of starting the first lane change.

[0112] Furthermore, the method by which the driving lane planning device acquires the position of the difficult-to-travel section is not limited to that described in the above embodiment. The driving lane planning device may acquire the position of the difficult-to-travel section using another method. [Explanation of symbols]

[0113] 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 Decision Section 234 Control Unit 24 Signal Line 15 Operation planning device 16 Vehicle control device 17 In-vehicle network

Claims

1. a determination unit that determines whether or not to change a timing to start the planned first lane change based on environmental information about the surroundings of the vehicle; a planning unit that plans a second lane change based on the environmental information around the vehicle when the determination unit determines that the timing to start the first lane change is to be changed; and a determination unit that determines a manner of control of the second lane change based on the environmental information around the vehicle that indicates a reason for attempting to execute the first lane change or a timing for starting the first lane change when the second lane change is planned by the planning unit; and A vehicle control device comprising:

2. 2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines a manner of control of the second lane change so as to increase a degree of driver involvement when the reason for attempting to execute the first lane change is a lane change to reach a destination position of the vehicle, or when the environmental information around the vehicle indicates that the vehicle will not be able to reach the destination position.

3. 2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines a manner of control of the second lane change so as to reduce a degree of driver involvement when the environmental information around the vehicle does not indicate that the vehicle will be unable to reach a destination position.

4. The vehicle control device according to claim 3 , wherein the determination unit determines the manner of control for the second lane change so as to increase a probability of successful lane change by automatic control.

5. 2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines the manner of control of the second lane change based on (A) the reason why the first lane change was being attempted, or (B) the environmental information around the vehicle that has led to a change in the timing of starting the first lane change, and further based on (C) the amount of difference between the timing of starting the second lane change planned by the planning unit and the timing of starting the first lane change.

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