Vehicle traveling control device and vehicle traveling control method
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2023131831
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-08-14
- Publication Date
- 2025-02-27
Smart Images
Figure 2025027219000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
[Technical field]
[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle driving control device and a vehicle driving control method. [Background technology]
[0002] In recent years, autonomous driving systems for vehicles are becoming more and more common. However, it is necessary to consider the safety of the vehicle and the surrounding environment when an abnormality or breakdown occurs in the vehicle while it is being driven autonomously.
[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 listed below discloses a technique for providing an electronic control device that, when an abnormality occurs in a vehicle, changes a vehicle driving plan based on the cause of the abnormality and the situation around the vehicle at the time the abnormality occurs. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]
[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-008540 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0005] Depending on the cause of the abnormality and the conditions around the vehicle (e.g., road conditions, etc.), it may be possible to safely run the vehicle even if some driving conditions are restricted. However, the technology disclosed in the above Patent Document 1 cannot realize efficient operation of the vehicle because it stops the vehicle in a uniform manner.
[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle driving control device and a vehicle driving control method that allow the vehicle to continue autonomous driving as long as possible, depending on the cause of an abnormality that occurs in a vehicle while it is driving using an autonomous driving system and the conditions around the vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]
[0007] The present invention, which aims to solve the above problems, includes the following invention-specific matters and technical features.
[0008] The present invention according to one aspect is a control device for controlling autonomous driving of a vehicle. The control device includes an autonomous driving control unit that controls the autonomous driving of the vehicle along a predetermined driving route, an abnormality determination unit that determines whether an abnormality has occurred in a braking system of the vehicle, a driving mode selection unit that selects a predetermined driving mode when it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the braking system, and a driving route control unit that determines the predetermined driving route according to the predetermined driving mode. The driving mode selection unit selects the predetermined driving mode based on road attribute information of roads on the predetermined driving route along which the vehicle is traveling.
[0009] Another aspect of the present invention is a control method executed by a control device that controls autonomous driving of a vehicle along a predetermined driving route. The control method includes determining whether or not an abnormality has occurred in a braking system of the vehicle based on status information acquired from a status monitoring sensor mounted on the vehicle, selecting a predetermined driving mode when it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the braking system, and determining the predetermined driving route in accordance with the predetermined driving mode. Furthermore, selecting the predetermined driving mode includes selecting the predetermined driving mode based on road attribute information of roads in the predetermined driving route on which the vehicle is traveling.
[0010] In this specification, the term "means" does not simply mean physical means, but also includes cases where the functions of the means are realized by software. The functions of one means may be realized by two or more physical means, or the functions of two or more means may be realized by one physical means. Furthermore, the term "system" refers to a logical collection of multiple devices (or functional modules that realize specific functions), and it does not matter whether each device or functional module is contained within a single housing. Effect of the Invention
[0011] According to the present invention, the autonomous driving of a vehicle is continued as long as possible depending on the cause of an abnormality that occurs in the vehicle while it is being driven by an autonomous driving system and the situation around the vehicle.
[0012] Other technical features, objects, and operational effects or advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following embodiments described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The effects described in this specification are merely examples and are not limited thereto, and other effects may also be present. [Brief description of the drawings]
[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a vehicle dispatch management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration model of a vehicle dispatch control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a functional model of a control device mounted on a vehicle in a vehicle dispatch management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a driving mode when a vehicle has an abnormality in the vehicle dispatch management system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a process flow when an abnormality occurs in a vehicle in the vehicle dispatch management system according to one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiment described below is merely an example, and there is no intention to exclude various modifications and application of techniques not specified below. The present invention can be implemented by various modifications (for example, combining the respective embodiments) within the scope of the gist of the present invention. In addition, in the following description of the drawings, the same or similar parts are represented by the same or similar reference numerals. The drawings are schematic and do not necessarily correspond to actual dimensions, ratios, etc. The drawings may also include parts with different dimensional relationships and ratios.
[0015] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a vehicle dispatch management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the vehicle dispatch management system 1 includes a vehicle dispatch management device 10, a terminal device 20, and a vehicle V, which are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a communication network N. In addition, the vehicle dispatch management system 1 can be connected via the communication network N to a road traffic information management system 30 that provides various types of traffic information in real time.
[0016] The vehicle dispatch management system 1 of the present disclosure provides a vehicle dispatch service using a plurality of vehicles V, for example, for a certain area. The vehicle dispatch service may be an "on-demand" service or a "reservation" service. In the present disclosure, the vehicle V is assumed to be an unmanned vehicle.
[0017] The vehicle dispatch management device 10 is a computing device that comprehensively manages a vehicle dispatch service by a plurality of vehicles V in a target area. The vehicle dispatch management device 10 implements, for example, a vehicle dispatch management server program and executes the vehicle dispatch management server program under the control of a processor, thereby realizing the vehicle dispatch service of the present disclosure.
[0018] The vehicle dispatch management device 10 includes various databases 12 that accumulate and manage data necessary to realize such a vehicle dispatch service. The databases 12 may include, for example, a user information database 12a, a road map information database 12b, a vehicle information database 12c, a vehicle dispatch plan database 12d, and a driving history information database 12e (see FIG. 2). The databases 12 may be configured as a part of the vehicle dispatch management device 10, or all or a part of the databases 12 may be configured separately from the vehicle dispatch management device 10.
[0019] In general, the vehicle allocation management device 10 accepts an allocation request from a user who wishes to allocate a vehicle V for travel, creates an allocation plan for candidate vehicles V (candidate vehicles v) extracted from a plurality of vehicles V based on the allocation request, determines an allocation plan for an optimal vehicle V from the created allocation plans, and issues an allocation instruction to the vehicle V according to the determined allocation plan. The allocation plan is determined, for example, in response to the user's consent.
[0020] The vehicle dispatch plan includes a driving route that defines a route from a location where the vehicle V is waiting (a starting waiting location) to a final waiting location (not necessarily the same as the initial waiting location) via several points (boarding and disembarking points) along the way where the user gets on and off. If the vehicle V is waiting, the vehicle dispatch plan may be newly created based on a new dispatch request, and if the vehicle V is in operation, the vehicle dispatch plan may be updated based on a new dispatch request. In the present disclosure, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 may determine a change in the driving route in response to a reroute request from the vehicle V in which a specified abnormality has occurred, and instruct the vehicle V according to the new vehicle dispatch plan.
[0021] The vehicle V is a vehicle registered in a vehicle information database that is provided for use by a user. The vehicle V may be of any type (e.g., a sedan, a minivan, an SUV, etc.). The vehicle V may be an electric vehicle (EV) that uses an on-board battery as a power source. The vehicle V may also be an autonomous vehicle (unmanned vehicle) that is capable of completely autonomous driving using an autonomous driving system, and the so-called level of autonomous driving may be any level.
[0022] The vehicle V includes a control device 300 that controls the vehicle V itself or its on-board equipment according to instructions from the vehicle dispatch management device 10. Although not shown, the control device 300 includes a processor, a memory, and the like. The control device 300 acquires geographical position information (hereinafter referred to as "position information") of the vehicle V via, for example, a GPS system, transmits the information to the vehicle dispatch management device 10, and receives dispatch instructions from the vehicle dispatch management device 10 to control the operation of various devices or equipment of the vehicle V. The control device 300 includes an autonomous driving control function that controls the autonomous driving of the vehicle V, for example, taking into account actual road conditions based on the driving route of the dispatch plan. The control device 300 also monitors the operating status of various components or systems of the vehicle V (for example, the battery status and the braking system status, etc.).
[0023] In the present disclosure, when the control device 300 detects an abnormality, such as a decrease in the performance of the braking system, in the vehicle V traveling in a normal traveling mode, the control device 300 controls the vehicle V to continue autonomous traveling by switching to an appropriate traveling mode based on the current position, surrounding environment, and state of the vehicle V, as well as road attribute information on the traveling route. The abnormal traveling mode includes, for example, a first traveling mode in which the traveling route is changed to another traveling route with a lower maximum speed (speed limit) and the vehicle travels on the changed traveling route, and a second traveling mode in which the vehicle travels on the same traveling route but with a wider clearance.
[0024] The terminal device 20 is, for example, a computing device for a user who wishes to ride to make a vehicle dispatch request by operating a user interface. The terminal device 20 is, for example, a smartphone, a pad computer, a notebook personal computer, a desktop computer, etc., but is not limited to these. The terminal device 20 implements, for example, a vehicle dispatch management client program (so-called a vehicle dispatch application). The terminal device 20 executes the vehicle dispatch application under the control of the processor, thereby enabling the user to use the vehicle dispatch service of the vehicle dispatch management device 10. For example, the user can make a vehicle dispatch request from a vehicle dispatch request screen (not shown) on the user interface of the terminal device 20, and accept the vehicle dispatch plan created by the vehicle dispatch management device 10 in response to the request, thereby making a reservation for a ride in the vehicle V.
[0025] The road traffic information management system 30 is an information and communication system that provides road traffic information in real time. For example, the road traffic information management system 30 collects road traffic data from vehicle sensors and cameras installed on roads, and also collects travel data from a control device 300 mounted on the vehicle V, and manages road traffic information that is integrated, processed, and edited from the data. The edited road traffic information may include, for example, information on road closures and detour routes, and the time required between points via a specific route. The road traffic information management system 30 appropriately provides the road traffic information to the vehicle dispatch management device 10 and the vehicle V.
[0026] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration model of a vehicle dispatch management device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 is configured as a functional configuration model including functional components such as a front-end processing unit 110, a vehicle dispatch plan creation unit 120, and a vehicle communication unit 130. In addition, as described above, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 includes various databases 12. Such a functional model is realized by the vehicle dispatch management device 10 executing a vehicle dispatch management server program under the control of a processor and cooperating with various hardware resources. The functional configuration model shown here is an example, and all or part of the functions of a certain functional component may be realized by other functional components. In addition, in the figure, for convenience of explanation, a user's terminal device 20 and a control device 300 mounted on the vehicle V are also shown.
[0027] The user information database 12a stores information about users who use the vehicle dispatch service (hereinafter referred to as "user information"). The user information includes, for example, a user ID and password, personal attributes, and information about the service usage status.
[0028] The road map information database 12b stores information on road maps in the target area of the vehicle dispatch service (hereinafter referred to as "road map information"). The road map information may include information necessary for route search, such as road network information, road attribute information, feature information, and environmental information. The road attribute information includes, for example, traffic regulations such as speed limits, one-way streets, no right or left turns, no parking or stopping, and road closures, road types such as community roads and main roads (including lanes), and information on control of traffic lights at intersections. The feature information includes, for example, the situation between buildings and roads (for example, sidewalk width, the presence or absence of obstructions such as guardrails and shrubbery, the degree of visibility, etc.). The environmental information includes, for example, the situation of parked vehicles and pedestrians at each time of day at each location, the frequency of right and left turns at intersections, the frequency of parking and stopping, and the frequency of traffic accidents.
[0029] The vehicle information database 12c stores information (vehicle information) about the vehicle V that is provided for use by the user. The vehicle information includes, for example, information about the vehicle ID, vehicle attributes (vehicle registration number, vehicle model, maximum number of passengers / maximum load capacity, manned or unmanned driving type, etc.), vehicle performance, other specifications, a current vehicle dispatch plan, a current location, and a current status (service status, remaining battery capacity (travel distance), number of passengers, etc.). The current location and / or status of the vehicle V can be updated at any time based on the location information transmitted from the vehicle V.
[0030] The vehicle dispatch plan database 12d stores a vehicle dispatch plan for each vehicle V created by the vehicle dispatch management device 10 based on a vehicle dispatch request. The vehicle dispatch plan includes a driving route from a waiting location serving as a starting point to a waiting location serving as an end point via several boarding and disembarking points, an expected arrival time at each intermediate point, and the like.
[0031] The driving history information database 12e stores information (driving history information) on the past driving history of each vehicle V, for example. The driving history information includes various types of specification information such as the operation time (operation start time and end time), driving route, and driving distance for each vehicle V.
[0032] The front-end processing unit 110 performs various processes with the user's terminal device 20. As an example, the front-end processing unit 110 refers to the user information database 12a and performs login authentication processing in accordance with a login request from a vehicle dispatch application on the user's terminal device 20. The front-end processing unit 110 also receives a vehicle dispatch request from the vehicle dispatch application on the user's terminal device 20, passes it to the vehicle dispatch plan creation unit 120, and interacts with the terminal device 20 to receive the user's approval or disapproval of the vehicle dispatch plan created by the vehicle dispatch plan creation unit 120 in response to the request.
[0033] The vehicle allocation plan creation unit 120 extracts candidate vehicles from among the vehicles V in the target area based on the given vehicle allocation request, and creates a vehicle allocation plan for the vehicle. The vehicle allocation plan creation unit 120 also selects and confirms the vehicle V of the optimal vehicle allocation plan from the created vehicle allocation plans, and issues a vehicle allocation instruction to the vehicle V according to the confirmed vehicle allocation plan. The vehicle allocation plan creation unit 120 proposes the created vehicle allocation plan to the user, and confirms it upon receiving the user's consent. The vehicle allocation plan creation unit 120 stores the confirmed vehicle allocation plan in the vehicle allocation plan database 12d, and issues a vehicle allocation instruction to the corresponding vehicle V via the vehicle communication unit 130.
[0034] In the present disclosure, in response to a reroute request from the vehicle V, the vehicle allocation plan creation unit 120, for example, refers to the road map information database 12b to extract a driving route different from the current driving route, and notifies the vehicle V of the extracted route as reroute information. When the reroute of the vehicle V is confirmed, the vehicle allocation plan creation unit 120 updates the vehicle allocation plan of the vehicle V in the vehicle allocation plan database 12d.
[0035] The vehicle communication unit 130 exchanges various information with the vehicle V via the communication network N. For example, the vehicle communication unit 130 acquires vehicle information including the position information of the vehicle V and passes it to the vehicle allocation plan creation unit 120, and also transmits to the vehicle V operation instructions according to the vehicle allocation plan created by the vehicle allocation plan creation unit 120. In addition, the vehicle communication unit 130 accepts a reroute request from the vehicle V and transmits reroute information to the vehicle V.
[0036] 3 is a block diagram showing a functional model of a control device mounted on a vehicle in a vehicle dispatch management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the control device 300, for example, includes a position information acquisition unit 310, an environmental information acquisition unit 320, a navigation database 340, an autonomous driving control unit 350, and an abnormality determination unit 360, which includes a driving mode selection unit 370, a driving route control unit 380, and a communication unit 330.
[0037] The position information acquisition unit 310 acquires position information of the vehicle V from the GPS system. The position information acquisition unit 310 passes the position information acquired from the GPS system to the autonomous driving control unit 350, and also passes it to the communication unit 330 to transmit to the vehicle dispatch management device 10.
[0038] The environmental information acquisition unit 320 acquires environmental information about the surroundings of the vehicle V from various environmental sensors mounted on the vehicle V. For example, the environmental information acquisition unit 320 acquires speed information from a vehicle speed sensor that measures the speed of the vehicle V. The environmental information acquisition unit 320 also acquires distance information and information about parked vehicles from a distance measurement sensor that measures the distance between the vehicle V and other vehicles. The environmental information acquisition unit 320 passes the acquired various types of environmental information to the autonomous driving control unit 350.
[0039] The communication unit 330 is a communication interface for exchanging various information with the vehicle dispatch management device 10. As one example, the communication unit 330 receives a transmission request for vehicle information transmitted from the vehicle dispatch management device 10, and in response thereto, transmits vehicle information including position information to the vehicle dispatch management device 10. As another example, the communication unit 330 receives a dispatch instruction transmitted from the vehicle dispatch management device 10, and passes it over to the autonomous driving control unit 350.
[0040] The navigation database 340 stores navigation information for the autonomous driving of the vehicle V in the target area of the vehicle dispatch service. The navigation information typically includes road traffic information and driving history information. The navigation database 340 of the vehicle V is roughly the same as the above-mentioned road map information database in that it includes road map information, but differs from it in that the stored road map information and driving history information can be updated based on the actual autonomous driving of the vehicle V. The driving route control unit 380 updates the road map information and driving history information of the navigation database 340, for example, in conjunction with the autonomous driving according to the determined driving route. The road map information can be made more detailed by updating.
[0041] The autonomous driving control unit 350 controls the autonomous driving of the vehicle V according to the vehicle allocation plan. That is, the autonomous driving control unit 350 controls the driving operation including driving, braking, steering, etc. of the vehicle V based on the acquired position information and environmental information and state information acquired from various state monitoring sensors (not shown) so that the vehicle V travels along the travel route of the vehicle allocation plan according to a predetermined travel mode. By the control of the autonomous driving control unit 350, the vehicle V can travel autonomously, for example, on the travel route indicated by the vehicle allocation plan, while maintaining a specific vehicle lane (lane) and a constant inter-vehicle distance according to a predetermined inter-vehicle distance value. For example, in the second travel mode, when the road conditions are such that a large number of parked vehicles exist in the first lane among the multiple lanes, the autonomous driving control unit 350 controls the vehicle V to travel in a lane other than the first lane except when turning left at an intersection. The autonomous driving control unit 350 can determine the road conditions based on, for example, environmental information acquired from the environmental information acquisition unit 320 and road traffic information acquired from the road traffic information management system 30.
[0042] The abnormality determination unit 360 monitors whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the vehicle V based on status information acquired from various status monitoring sensors, and when it determines that an abnormality has occurred, it outputs a detection signal indicating that an abnormality has been detected. For example, when it determines that the performance of the braking system has fallen below a predetermined threshold, the abnormality determination unit 360 outputs a detection signal indicating an abnormality in the braking system (a decrease in performance of the braking system).
[0043] The performance of the braking system is indicated, for example, by the relationship of the braking distance to a predetermined braking amount (e.g., brake pressure). Thus, the abnormality determination unit 360 can detect a performance degradation of the braking system by comparing the relationship of the braking distance to the predetermined braking amount with a predetermined threshold value. The detection signal may include the amount of performance degradation of the braking system. The predetermined threshold value may be dynamically changed according to the road conditions on which the vehicle V is traveling. For example, when the vehicle V is traveling on a high-standard road such as a motorway, the abnormality determination unit 360 sets the predetermined threshold value lower than when the vehicle V is traveling on a general road. In other words, the higher the standard road, the more degradation of the performance of the braking system is tolerated. Thus, it is possible to detect a performance degradation of the braking system based on the conditions of the road on which the vehicle V is traveling, and it is possible to suppress switching to the driving mode during an abnormality more than necessary.
[0044] However, when the amount of performance degradation of the braking system falls below a lower threshold that is even lower than the predetermined threshold, the autonomous driving control unit 350 performs control so as to interrupt the autonomous driving and immediately stop the vehicle, or to decelerate and drive to a place where the vehicle can stop, and then stop. This makes it possible to prevent the vehicle from continuing to drive despite the performance degradation of the braking system.
[0045] When the abnormality determination unit 360 determines that the performance of the braking system has deteriorated, for example, the driving mode selection unit 370 selects a driving mode for when the abnormality occurs, based on the current position, surrounding environment and state of the vehicle V, and road attribute information on the driving route. The driving mode selection unit 370 acquires road attribute information of the road on which the vehicle is traveling, based on various road map information stored in the navigation database 340, for example. The driving mode selection unit 370 notifies the driving route control unit 380 of the selected driving mode.
[0046] As an example, the driving mode selection unit 370 may select a predetermined driving mode depending on the amount of performance degradation of the braking system. As described above, the driving modes that can be selected depending on the amount of performance degradation of the braking system include a first driving mode in which the vehicle travels on a different driving route with a lower speed limit instead of the current driving route, and a second driving mode in which the vehicle travels on the same driving route while ensuring a wider inter-vehicle distance.
[0047] For example, as shown in Fig. 4(a), assume that a vehicle V in which a user is riding is traveling on a trunk road on a travel route R_Current toward a destination D. The trunk road here is a road that has multiple lanes with a maximum speed set at 60 km (so-called multiple lanes on one side), but has no central divider and does not have or does not have a sufficient pedestrian / vehicle divider. In addition, assume that there is a road parallel to the trunk road between the current position of the vehicle V and the destination D, which is a one-way, single lane road with a maximum speed set at 40 km.
[0048] On the other hand, in FIG. 4(b), the main road on which the vehicle V in which the user is riding is traveling according to the driving route R_Current is assumed to be a road with multiple lanes with a central reservation MD, with a maximum speed set at 60 km, and with sufficient pedestrian / vehicle separation S (for example, a wide sidewalk and offset by vegetation).
[0049] In the situation shown in Fig. 1(a), when it is determined that the performance of the braking system of the vehicle V has deteriorated and an abnormality has occurred, the driving mode selection unit 370 refers to the navigation database 340 and determines that the main road on the current driving route R_Current from the current position of the vehicle V to the destination D indicated by the vehicle dispatch plan is a road without a median strip and with an insufficient pedestrian / vehicle separation strip, and therefore selects the first driving mode. As a result, the vehicle V travels on the road R_new, which is more considerate of safety than the road it is currently traveling on, and is therefore able to continue autonomous driving to the destination.
[0050] On the other hand, in the situation shown in FIG. 1B, when it is determined that the performance of the braking system of the vehicle V has deteriorated and an abnormality has occurred, the driving mode selection unit 370 refers to the navigation database 340 and determines that the main road on the current driving route R_Current is a two-lane road with a central median strip MD and a road with a sufficient pedestrian / vehicle separation strip S, and selects the second driving mode. In the second driving mode, when the road conditions are such that there are many parked vehicles in the first lane among the multiple lanes, the vehicle V is controlled by the autonomous driving control unit 350 to drive in lanes other than the first lane, except when the vehicle V is required to drive in the first lane, such as when turning left at an intersection. The road conditions are determined, for example, based on environmental information acquired from an environmental information sensor mounted on the vehicle V and road traffic information acquired from the road traffic information management system 30. As a result, the vehicle V can continue driving on a road with consideration for safety while taking a larger inter-vehicle distance, thereby performing autonomous driving with greater consideration for safety.
[0051] Returning to FIG. 3, the travel route control unit 380 determines an actual travel route based on various road map information stored in the navigation database 340 according to the dispatch plan provided from the dispatch management device 10. The travel route control unit 380 may also determine an actual travel route based on road traffic information acquired from the road traffic information management system 30. That is, in this example, the dispatch plan created by the dispatch management device 10 based on the dispatch request includes a reference travel route connecting each intermediate point (boarding point and disembarking point) and a required time, but the travel route according to the actual road traffic situation is left to the unmanned driving type vehicle V. For this reason, the travel route control unit 380 of the vehicle V refers to its own navigation database 340 and determines an actual travel route according to the dispatch plan. The autonomous driving control unit 350 controls the autonomous driving of the vehicle V according to the travel route determined by the travel route control unit 380. The travel route control unit 380 may also transmit travel data of the vehicle V to the dispatch management device 10 via the communication unit 330.
[0052] Furthermore, the driving route control unit 380 determines the actual driving route based on various road map information stored in the navigation database 340 according to the predetermined driving mode selected by the driving mode selection unit 370. That is, when the first driving mode is selected, the driving route control unit 380 changes the current driving route to another driving route in which the maximum speed is more restricted. Note that when the second driving mode is selected, the driving route control unit 380 does not change the current driving route and therefore does not update the driving route.
[0053] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a process flow when an abnormality occurs in a vehicle in a vehicle dispatch management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. For example, the control device 300 of the vehicle V executes a predetermined computer program under the control of a processor in cooperation with predetermined hardware resources to realize such a process.
[0054] As shown in the figure, the control device 300 periodically or irregularly acquires status information from various status monitoring sensors mounted on the vehicle V (S501). Next, the control device 300 determines whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the braking system of the vehicle V based on the acquired status information (S502).
[0055] When the control device 300 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the braking system of the vehicle V (Yes in S502), the control device 300 subsequently acquires the latest position information and environmental information (S503). Furthermore, the control device 300 refers to the navigation database 340 to acquire road map information (road attribute information) for the travel route (S504).
[0056] Next, the control device 300 selects a driving mode for when an abnormality occurs based on the acquired position information, environmental information, status information, and road map information (S505). In this example, the driving mode is either a first driving mode in which the driving route is changed to another driving route with a reduced maximum speed (speed limit) and the vehicle travels along the changed driving route, or a second driving mode in which the driving route remains the same and the vehicle travels with a wider inter-vehicle distance so as not to be affected by the speed limit.
[0057] In S506, when the control device 300 determines that the first driving mode has been selected, it changes the driving route to another driving route in which the maximum speed is lower than that of the current driving route (S507). This allows the vehicle V to travel on a road that takes safety into consideration more than the road on which it is currently traveling, and to continue autonomous driving to the destination. In this case, the control device 300 may make a reroute request to the vehicle allocation management device 10, obtain reroute information transmitted from the vehicle allocation management device 10 in response to the request, and change the driving route accordingly, instead of changing the driving route based only on the navigation database 340 of the vehicle itself.
[0058] On the other hand, when the control device 300 determines in S506 that the second driving mode has been selected, it does not change the driving route but changes the set value of the inter-vehicle distance so that a larger inter-vehicle distance is secured while driving (S508). This allows the vehicle V to continue driving on roads where safety is taken into consideration, while maintaining a larger inter-vehicle distance, enabling autonomous driving that takes safety into consideration even further.
[0059] In this way, the control device 300 continues autonomous driving so that the vehicle V reaches the destination, either according to the changed driving route (if the first driving mode is selected) or according to the same driving route (if the second driving mode is selected).
[0060] As described above, according to this embodiment, if an abnormality occurs in a vehicle traveling under the automatic driving system, the driving mode is switched to an abnormality driving mode, so that the autonomous driving of the vehicle V can be continued to reach the destination. In particular, according to this embodiment, if a performance degradation of the braking system of the vehicle V is detected, an appropriate driving mode is selected according to the road attribute information of the road on which the vehicle V is traveling, and the driving route is changed (rerouted) as necessary, so that the autonomous driving of the vehicle V can be continued to reach the destination.
[0061] The above-described embodiments are merely examples for explaining the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention to these embodiments. The present invention can be embodied in various forms without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
[0062] For example, in the above embodiment, the control device 300 mounted on the vehicle V selects a predetermined driving mode, but this is not limited thereto, and the vehicle dispatch management device 10 may select a predetermined driving mode based on position information, status information, and the like collected from the vehicle V. In this case, the vehicle dispatch management device 10 may determine a different driving route according to the selected predetermined driving mode and instruct the control device 300 of the vehicle V to follow this route.
[0063] In addition, in the methods disclosed herein, steps, operations, or functions may be performed in parallel or in a different order, unless the results are inconsistent. The steps, operations, and functions described are provided merely as examples, and some of the steps, operations, and functions may be omitted or combined into one, or other steps, operations, or functions may be added, without departing from the spirit of the invention.
[0064] In addition, although various embodiments are disclosed in this specification, specific features (technical matters) in one embodiment can be added to or replaced with specific features in other embodiments, with appropriate modifications, and such forms are also included in the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]
[0065] 1. Vehicle dispatch management system 10...Vehicle allocation management device 110...Front-end processing unit 120… Vehicle Allocation Planning Department 130…Vehicle communication unit 12. Database 12a…User information database 12b…Road map information database 12c…Vehicle information database 12d…Vehicle allocation plan database 12e…Driving history information database 20...Terminal device 30...Road Traffic Information Management System 300...Control device 310...Position information acquisition unit 320…Environmental information acquisition department 330…Communications Department 340…Navigation database 350…Autonomous driving control unit 360…Abnormality judgment unit 370…Driving mode selection section 380…Route control unit N: Communication network V…Vehicle
Claims
1. A control device for controlling autonomous driving of a vehicle, an autonomous driving control unit that controls the autonomous driving of the vehicle according to a predetermined driving route; an abnormality determination unit that determines whether an abnormality has occurred in a braking system of the vehicle; a driving mode selection unit that selects a predetermined driving mode when it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the braking system; a travel route control unit that determines the predetermined travel route in accordance with the predetermined travel mode, The driving mode selection unit selects the predetermined driving mode based on road attribute information of roads in the predetermined driving route on which the vehicle is traveling. Control device.
2. the driving mode selection unit selects at least one of a first driving mode in which a different driving route having a lower maximum speed is selected and a second driving mode in which a set value of a vehicle-to-vehicle distance is increased; The control device according to claim 1 .
3. the driving mode selection unit selects the second driving mode when the road on the driving route on which the vehicle is traveling includes a central reservation strip. The control device according to claim 2.
4. the driving mode selection unit selects the second driving mode when the road on the driving route on which the vehicle is traveling includes a pedestrian / vehicle divider. The control device according to claim 3.
5. When it is determined that the road on the driving route on which the vehicle is traveling has a plurality of lanes and a large number of parked vehicles are present in a first lane among the plurality of lanes, the autonomous driving control unit controls the autonomous driving of the vehicle to travel in a lane other than the first lane in the second driving mode. The control device according to claim 4.
6. the abnormality determination unit determines that the abnormality has occurred in the braking system when it is determined that an amount of performance degradation of the braking system has fallen below a predetermined threshold value; The amount of performance degradation is expressed by a relationship between a braking distance and a predetermined braking amount. The control device according to claim 1 .
7. The autonomous driving control unit controls the autonomous driving to be interrupted when the amount of performance degradation falls below a lower limit threshold that is lower than the predetermined threshold. The control device according to claim 6.
8. The abnormality determination unit dynamically changes the predetermined threshold value depending on the condition of the road on which the vehicle is traveling. The control device according to claim 6.
9. the abnormality determination unit sets the predetermined threshold value lower when the vehicle is traveling on a highway than when the vehicle is traveling on an ordinary road; The control device according to claim 8.
10. A control method executed by a control device that controls autonomous driving of a vehicle along a predetermined driving route, comprising: determining whether or not an abnormality has occurred in a braking system of the vehicle based on status information acquired from a status monitoring sensor mounted on the vehicle; selecting a predetermined driving mode when it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the braking system; determining the predetermined driving route according to the predetermined driving mode; Selecting the predetermined driving mode includes selecting the predetermined driving mode based on road attribute information of roads in the predetermined driving route on which the vehicle is traveling. Control methods.
Citation Information
Patent Citations
Electronic control unit
JP2019008540A