Vehicle movement amount detecting device, vehicle control device and program

Abstract

To enable movement amounts of an own vehicle to be calculated even when the own vehicle runs on an off-road.SOLUTION: A vehicle movement amount detecting device, which is mounted on an own vehicle 1 comprising an external sensor 11 that can detect a rut, while the own vehicle 1 drives off-road uses, as feature points, a rut included in a detected result by the external sensor 11 before the own vehicle 1 moves and a rut included in a detected result by the external sensor 11 after the own vehicle 1 moves, and calculates movement amounts of the own vehicle 1, by matching the detected result by the external sensor 11 before the own vehicle 1 moves with the detected result by the external sensor 11 after the own vehicle 1 moves.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a technology for calculating the position of a vehicle by searching for a portion where a first point group constituting a road marking extracted from a road surface image matches a first line segment extracted from map data, and by searching for a portion where a second point group constituting the road marking extracted from the road surface image matches a second line segment extracted from map data. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-096935 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, the technology described in Patent Document 1 is premised on the fact that the first and second point clouds constituting the road markings can be extracted from a road surface image. On the other hand, when the vehicle travels off-road (e.g., in the desert, etc.), the road surface image does not include the road markings even if the road surface is photographed from the vehicle. Therefore, the technology described in Patent Document 1 cannot calculate the position of the vehicle when the vehicle travels off-road, and therefore cannot calculate the amount of movement of the vehicle.

[0005] In view of the above, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle movement amount detection device, a vehicle control device, and a program that can calculate the movement amount of a vehicle even when the vehicle is traveling off-road. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] (1) One aspect of the present disclosure is a vehicle movement amount detection device that is provided on a host vehicle having an external sensor capable of detecting wheel tracks, and that, while the host vehicle is traveling off-road, uses the wheel tracks included in the detection result of the external sensor before the host vehicle moves and the wheel tracks included in the detection result of the external sensor after the host vehicle moves as feature points, and calculates the amount of movement of the host vehicle by matching the detection result of the external sensor before the host vehicle moves and the detection result of the external sensor after the host vehicle moves.

[0007] (2) The vehicle movement detection device of (1) may request control of the vehicle so that the shape of the ruts included in the detection results of the external sensor changes when the shape of the ruts included in the detection results of the external sensor does not change for a predetermined period of time or more.

[0008] (3) One aspect of the present disclosure is a vehicle control device including the vehicle movement detection device described in (1) and a vehicle motion control unit that controls the motion of the vehicle so that the shape of the wheel tracks included in the detection results of the external sensor changes when there is no operation corresponding to a predetermined vehicle control for a certain period of time.

[0009] (4) One aspect of the present disclosure is a vehicle control device provided in a host vehicle having an external sensor capable of detecting ruts, the vehicle control device including: a vehicle movement amount calculation unit that calculates an amount of movement of the host vehicle by using the ruts included in the detection result of the external sensor before the movement of the host vehicle and the ruts included in the detection result of the external sensor after the movement of the host vehicle as feature points while the host vehicle is traveling off-road, and matching the detection result of the external sensor before the movement of the host vehicle with the detection result of the external sensor after the movement of the host vehicle; and a vehicle motion control unit that controls the motion of the host vehicle so that the shape of the ruts included in the detection result of the external sensor changes when the shape of the ruts included in the detection result of the external sensor does not change for a predetermined period of time or more.

[0010] (5) One aspect of the present disclosure is a program for causing a processor provided in a host vehicle having an external sensor capable of detecting wheel tracks to execute a step of calculating an amount of movement of the host vehicle while the host vehicle is traveling off-road by using the wheel tracks included in the detection result of the external sensor before the host vehicle moves and the wheel tracks included in the detection result of the external sensor after the host vehicle moves as feature points and matching the detection result of the external sensor before the host vehicle moves with the detection result of the external sensor after the host vehicle moves. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present disclosure, the amount of movement of the host vehicle can be calculated even when the host vehicle is traveling off-road. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a host vehicle 1 equipped with a vehicle control device 13 of a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 10 is a diagram for conceptually explaining an example of a method in which a vehicle movement amount calculation unit 3C calculates the movement amount of the host vehicle 1. FIG. [Diagram 3] 2 is a diagram for conceptually explaining the detection results of the external sensor 11 when the host vehicle 1 is traveling off-road. FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing executed by a processor 133 of the vehicle control device 13 of the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing executed by a processor 133 of a vehicle control device 13 according to a second embodiment. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing executed by a processor 133 of a vehicle control device 13 according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of a vehicle movement amount detection device, a vehicle control device, and a program according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a host vehicle 1 equipped with a vehicle control device 13 according to the first embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the host vehicle 1 includes an external sensor 11, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 12, a vehicle control device 13, a steering actuator 14, a braking actuator 15, and a drive actuator 16. The external sensor 11 is, for example, a camera that captures an image of the rear of the vehicle 1, a LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging), etc. The external sensor 11 has a function of detecting ruts and transmits the detection result to the vehicle control device 13. The HMI 12 has a function of receiving various operations of the driver of the vehicle 1, and transmits a signal indicating the operation of the driver of the vehicle 1 to the vehicle control device 13.

[0015] The vehicle control device 13 is composed of a driving assistance ECU (Electronic Control Unit). The vehicle control device 13 controls the steering actuator 14, the braking actuator 15, and the drive actuator 16 based on the detection results transmitted from the external sensor 11, the signals indicating the operation of the driver of the host vehicle 1 transmitted from the HMI 12, and the like. The steering actuator 14 has a function of steering the host vehicle 1. The steering actuator 14 includes, for example, a power steering system, a steer-by-wire steering system, a rear wheel steering system, and the like. The braking actuator 15 has a function of decelerating the host vehicle 1. The braking actuator 15 includes, for example, a hydraulic brake, a power regenerative brake, and the like. The drive actuator 16 has a function of accelerating the host vehicle 1. The drive actuator 16 includes, for example, an engine, an EV (electric vehicle) system, a hybrid system, a fuel cell system, and the like.

[0016] The vehicle control device 13 is configured by a microcomputer including a communication interface (I / F) 131, a memory 132, and a processor 133. The communication interface 131 has an interface circuit for connecting the vehicle control device 13 to the external sensor 11, the HMI 12, the steering actuator 14, the braking actuator 15, the drive actuator 16, and the like. The memory 132 stores programs and various data used in the processing executed by the processor 133. The memory 132 also stores the detection results and the like transmitted from the external sensor 11. The processor 133 has a function as an acquisition unit 3A, a function as a vehicle control unit 3B, a function as a vehicle movement amount calculation unit 3C, a function as a first judgment unit 3D, a function as a second judgment unit 3E, a function as a third judgment unit 3F, and a function as a vehicle motion control unit 3G. The acquisition unit 3A acquires the detection results of the external sensor 11 (for example, a camera image showing ruts, etc., a LiDAR detection result showing ruts, etc.). The acquisition unit 3A also acquires a signal indicating an operation of the driver of the vehicle 1 (for example, an operation to turn on / off a driving assistance function (for example, ACC (adaptive cruise control)), a steering operation, a brake pedal operation, an accelerator pedal operation, etc.) accepted by the HMI 12.

[0017] The vehicle control unit 3B controls the steering actuator 14, the braking actuator 15, and the drive actuator 16 based on the detection results of the external sensor 11 acquired by the acquisition unit 3A, a signal indicating the operation of the driver of the vehicle 1, and the like. The vehicle movement amount calculation unit 3C calculates the amount of movement of the host vehicle 1 based on the detection result of the external sensor 11 acquired by the acquisition unit 3A, using a technique called visual odometry or LiDAR odometry.

[0018] Fig. 2 is a diagram for conceptually explaining an example of a method by which the vehicle movement amount calculation unit 3C calculates the movement amount of the host vehicle 1. In detail, Fig. 2(A) shows the detection result of the external sensor 11 at a first time, Fig. 2(B) shows the detection result of the external sensor 11 at a second time, and Fig. 2(C) shows a method for calculating the movement amount of the host vehicle 1. In the example shown in Figure 2, the vehicle movement amount calculation unit 3C uses three feature points included in the detection result of the external sensor 11 at the first time shown in Figure 2(A) and three feature points included in the detection result of the external sensor 11 at the second time shown in Figure 2(B) to calculate the movement amount of the vehicle 1 during the time period from the first time to the second time (see Figure 2(C)) by matching the detection result of the external sensor 11 at the first time with the detection result of the external sensor 11 at the second time, as shown in Figure 2(C).

[0019] As shown in the example of FIG. 2, when three feature points are included in the detection result of the external sensor 11, the vehicle movement amount calculation unit 3C can calculate the movement amount of the host vehicle 1 by using a technique called visual odometry or LiDAR odometry. On the other hand, when the host vehicle 1 is traveling off-road, characteristic landmarks that can be used as feature points are often not included in the detection result of the external sensor 11. When using a technique called visual odometry or LiDAR odometry, if the feature points are not included in the detection result of the external sensor 11, in principle, it is not possible to match the detection result of the external sensor 11 before the movement of the host vehicle 1 with the detection result of the external sensor 11 after the movement of the host vehicle 1, and it is not possible to calculate the movement amount before and after the movement of the host vehicle 1.

[0020] FIG. 3 is a diagram for conceptually explaining the detection result of the external sensor 11 when the host vehicle 1 travels off-road. In detail, FIG. 3(A) to FIG. 3(C) show an example (comparative example) in which the control described later is not performed so that the vehicle movement amount calculation unit 3C can calculate the movement amount of the host vehicle 1 when the host vehicle 1 travels off-road, and FIG. 3(D) to FIG. 3(E) show an example (embodiment) in which the control described later is performed so that the vehicle movement amount calculation unit 3C can calculate the movement amount of the host vehicle 1 when the host vehicle 1 travels off-road. FIG. 3(A) shows the detection result of the external sensor 11 at a first time in the comparative example, FIG. 3(B) shows the detection result of the external sensor 11 at a second time in the comparative example, and FIG. 3(C) shows the calculation result of the movement amount of the host vehicle 1 in the comparative example. FIG. 3(D) shows the detection result of the external sensor 11 at a first time in the embodiment, FIG. 3(E) shows the detection result of the external sensor 11 at a second time in the embodiment, and FIG. 3(F) shows the calculation result of the movement amount of the host vehicle 1 in the embodiment.

[0021] In the example (comparative example) shown in Fig. 3(A) to Fig. 3(C), the vehicle control unit 3B controls the steering actuator 14, the braking actuator 15, and the driving actuator 16 so that the vehicle 1 continues to travel straight (i.e., the ruts become straight) and the depth of the ruts is continuously constant. Therefore, the detection result of the external sensor 11 at the first time shown in Fig. 3(A) and the detection result of the external sensor 11 at the second time shown in Fig. 3(B) include only straight ruts. As a result, in the comparative example, the detection result of the external sensor 11 at the first time shown in Fig. 3(A) cannot be matched with the detection result of the external sensor 11 at the second time shown in Fig. 3(B), and the movement amount during the time period from the first time to the second time cannot be calculated. In view of this, the example shown in Fig. 1 has measures described below.

[0022] In the example shown in FIG. 1, a first determination unit 3D determines whether or not a driving support function (for example, ACC, etc.) is in an ON state. The second determination unit 3E determines whether or not the host vehicle 1 is traveling off-road based on, for example, the detection result of the external sensor 11 or the like. In a first example of the second determination unit 3E, the second determination unit 3E determines whether or not the lane in which the host vehicle 1 is traveling (or the dividing line that defines the lane) is included in the detection result of, for example, the external sensor 11. The second determination unit 3E determines that the host vehicle 1 is traveling off-road when the lane in which the host vehicle 1 is traveling (or the dividing line that defines the lane) is not included in the detection result of, for example, the external sensor 11 (i.e., the lane cannot be recognized).

[0023] In a second example of the second determination unit 3E, the second determination unit 3E determines whether the host vehicle 1 is traveling off-road based on the running resistance of the host vehicle 1 or the sinking amount of the host vehicle 1. In detail, the second determination unit 3E calculates the expected vehicle speed of the host vehicle 1 (the vehicle speed when the driving wheels are not slipping on the ground) based on the propulsive force of the host vehicle 1 obtained from the accelerator operation amount, the brake operation amount, the gear reduction ratio, etc., and the gradient of the host vehicle 1 and the ground. The second determination unit 3E also calculates the actual vehicle speed of the host vehicle 1 based on, for example, the rotation speed of the driven wheels of the host vehicle 1. Furthermore, when the difference between the expected vehicle speed of the host vehicle 1 and the actual vehicle speed of the host vehicle 1 is larger than a predetermined threshold, the second determination unit 3E determines that the running resistance is large and that the host vehicle 1 is traveling off-road. In addition, since the greater the amount of subsidence of the wheels of the host vehicle 1, the greater the running resistance of the host vehicle 1, the second judgment unit 3E judges that the host vehicle 1 is traveling off-road when the amount of subsidence of the wheels of the host vehicle 1 is greater than a predetermined threshold value.

[0024] In a third example of the second judgment unit 3E, the second judgment unit 3E uses a model obtained by learning using teacher data, which is a data set of detection results (e.g., camera images, LiDAR detection results, etc.) of a learning external sensor (not shown) and a label indicating whether the ground surface included in the detection results of the learning external sensor is off-road, to judge whether the host vehicle 1 is traveling off-road based on the detection results of the external sensor 11.

[0025] In the example shown in FIG. 1, the third determination unit 3F determines whether or not an operation corresponding to a predetermined vehicle control has not been performed for a certain period of time. The "certain time" is the time required for the host vehicle 1 to travel the maximum recognition distance of the host vehicle 11, which is determined from the angle of view of the camera as the external sensor 11 and the detection range of the LiDAR. For example, if the recognition distance of the external sensor 11 is 100 [m] and the vehicle speed of the host vehicle 1 is 60 [km / h], the "certain time" is 6 [seconds]. Specifically, the "predetermined vehicle control" is a control of the host vehicle 1 by the vehicle control unit 3B, which changes the shape of the wheel tracks included in the detection result of the external sensor 11. The "predetermined vehicle control" includes a steering operation having a change in steering angle equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. When the change in steering angle of the steering assist is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the third determination unit 3F determines that an operation corresponding to the predetermined vehicle control has occurred within a certain period of time. In addition, the "predetermined vehicle control" includes a brake operation having a deceleration change amount equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. When a brake operation having a deceleration change amount equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold is performed, the third determination unit 3F determines that an operation corresponding to the predetermined vehicle control is performed within a certain period of time. In another example, the "predetermined vehicle control" may include an accelerator operation having an amount of change in acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. In this example, when there is an accelerator operation having an amount of change in acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the third determination unit 3F determines that there is an operation corresponding to the predetermined vehicle control within a certain period of time.

[0026] In the example shown in FIG. 1, when there is no operation corresponding to the above-mentioned "predetermined vehicle control" for the above-mentioned "certain period of time," the vehicle motion control unit 3G executes a predetermined vehicle motion control (i.e., controls the motion of the vehicle 1) so that the shape of the wheel tracks included in the detection results of the external sensor 11 changes, without the HMI 12 needing to accept operations from the driver of the vehicle 1. Specifically, the "predetermined vehicle motion control" refers to control of the vehicle 1 by the vehicle motion control unit 3G, which (forcibly) changes the shape of the ruts contained in the detection results of the external sensor 11, without the need for the HMI 12 to accept operation by the driver of the vehicle 1.

[0027] The "predetermined vehicle motion control" includes a steering operation having a change in steering angle equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. When the driving assistance function is in an ON state, the vehicle motion control unit 3G executes a steering operation having a change in steering angle equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, so that the ruts having the characteristic points are included in the detection result of the external sensor 11. As a result, the vehicle movement amount calculation unit 3C uses the characteristic points of the ruts included in the detection result of the external sensor 11 at the first time and the characteristic points of the ruts included in the detection result of the external sensor 11 at the second time, and matches the detection result of the external sensor 11 at the first time (the trajectory of the ruts) with the detection result of the external sensor 11 at the second time, thereby being able to calculate the movement amount of the host vehicle 1 in the time period from the first time to the second time. Furthermore, the "predetermined vehicle motion control" includes a brake operation having a deceleration change amount equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. When the driving assistance function is in an ON state, the vehicle motion control unit 3G executes a brake operation having a deceleration change amount equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, so that a rut having a characteristic point (a rut whose depth varies) is included in the detection result of the external sensor 11. As a result, the vehicle movement amount calculation unit 3C uses the characteristic point of the rut included in the detection result of the external sensor 11 at the first time and the characteristic point of the rut included in the detection result of the external sensor 11 at the second time, and matches the detection result of the external sensor 11 at the first time with the detection result of the external sensor 11 at the second time, thereby being able to calculate the movement amount of the host vehicle 1 in the time period from the first time to the second time. In another example, the "predetermined vehicle motion control" may include an accelerator operation with an acceleration change amount equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. In this example, when the driving assistance function is ON, the vehicle motion control unit 3G executes an accelerator operation with an acceleration change amount equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, so that a track having a characteristic point (a track whose depth varies) is included in the detection result of the external environment sensor 11.

[0028] In the example (embodiment) shown in Figures 3(D) to 3(F), when the driving support function (e.g., ACC, etc.) is ON, the vehicle 1 is traveling off-road, and there is no operation corresponding to the above-mentioned "predetermined vehicle control" for the above-mentioned "certain period of time," the vehicle motion control unit 3G controls the steering actuator 14 so that the shape of the ruts included in the detection result of the external sensor 11 changes. Therefore, the detection result of the external sensor 11 at the first time shown in Figure 3(D) includes the characteristic points of the ruts, and the detection result of the external sensor 11 at the second time shown in Figure 3(E) also includes the characteristic points of the ruts. As a result, the vehicle movement amount calculation unit 3C can calculate the movement amount of the host vehicle 1 during the time period from the first time to the second time by using the characteristic points of the wheel tracks included in the detection result of the external sensor 11 at the first time shown in Figure 3(D) and the characteristic points of the wheel tracks included in the detection result of the external sensor 11 at the second time shown in Figure 3(E) and matching the detection result of the external sensor 11 at the first time with the detection result of the external sensor 11 at the second time as shown in Figure 3(F).

[0029] FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining an example of processing executed by the processor 133 of the vehicle control device 13 of the first embodiment. In the example shown in Fig. 4, in step S10, the first determination unit 3D determines whether or not the driving support function is in the ON state. If YES, the process proceeds to step S11, and if NO, the process shown in Fig. 4 ends. In step S11, the second determination unit 3E determines whether or not the host vehicle 1 is traveling off-road. If YES, the process proceeds to step S12, and if NO, the process shown in FIG. In step S12, the third determination unit 3F determines whether or not an operation corresponding to the above-mentioned "predetermined vehicle control" has been performed for the above-mentioned "certain period of time." If YES, the process proceeds to step S13, and if NO, the process shown in FIG. 4 is terminated. In step S13, the vehicle motion control section 3G executes the above-mentioned "predetermined vehicle motion control".

[0030] In the host vehicle 1 equipped with the vehicle control device 13 of the first embodiment, while the host vehicle 1 is traveling off-road, the vehicle movement amount calculation unit 3C functioning as a vehicle movement amount detection device uses, as feature points, the ruts included in the detection result of the external sensor 11 before the movement of the host vehicle 1 shown in, for example, Fig. 3(D) and the ruts included in the detection result of the external sensor 11 after the movement of the host vehicle 1 shown in, for example, Fig. 3(E), and calculates the movement amount of the host vehicle 1 by matching the detection result of the external sensor 11 before the movement of the host vehicle 1 with the detection result of the external sensor 11 after the movement of the host vehicle 1, as shown in, for example, Fig. 3(F). Therefore, in the host vehicle 1 equipped with the vehicle control device 13 of the first embodiment, the movement amount of the host vehicle 1 can be calculated even when the host vehicle 1 is traveling off-road.

[0031] <Second embodiment> The host vehicle 1 equipped with the vehicle control device 13 of the second embodiment is configured similarly to the host vehicle 1 equipped with the vehicle control device 13 of the above-described first embodiment, except for the points described below.

[0032] As described above, in the host vehicle 1 to which the vehicle control device 13 of the first embodiment is applied, the third determination unit 3F determines whether or not an operation corresponding to a predetermined vehicle control has not been performed for a certain period of time.

[0033] On the other hand, in the host vehicle 1 to which the vehicle control device 13 of the second embodiment is applied, the third judgment unit 3F judges whether or not the shape of the rut included in the detection result of the external sensor 11 does not change for a predetermined period or more. When the shape of the rut included in the detection result of the external sensor 11 does not change for a predetermined period or more, the vehicle motion control unit 3G executes a predetermined vehicle motion control (i.e., controls the motion of the host vehicle 1) so that the shape of the rut included in the detection result of the external sensor 11 changes, without the need for the HMI 12 to accept the operation of the driver of the host vehicle 1.

[0034] In detail, in a host vehicle 1 to which the vehicle control device 13 of the second embodiment is applied, if the shape of the ruts included in the detection results of the external sensor 11 does not change for a predetermined period of time or more, the vehicle movement amount calculation unit 3C functioning as a vehicle movement amount detection device is unable to calculate the movement amount of the host vehicle 1, and therefore requests the vehicle motion control unit 3G to control the host vehicle 1 so that the shape of the ruts included in the detection results of the external sensor 11 changes. The vehicle motion control unit 3G executes a predetermined vehicle motion control in response to a request from the vehicle movement amount calculation unit 3C so that the shape of the wheel track included in the detection result of the external sensor 11 changes.

[0035] FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining an example of processing executed by the processor 133 of the vehicle control device 13 of the first embodiment. In the example shown in Fig. 5, in step S20, the first determination unit 3D determines whether or not the driving support function is in the ON state. If YES, the process proceeds to step S21, and if NO, the process shown in Fig. 5 ends. In step S21, the second determination unit 3E determines whether or not the host vehicle 1 is traveling off-road. If YES, the process proceeds to step S22, and if NO, the process shown in FIG. In step S22, the third determination unit 3F determines whether or not the shape of the wheel track included in the detection result of the external sensor 11 has not changed for a predetermined period of time or more. If YES, the process proceeds to step S23, and if NO, the process shown in FIG. 5 is terminated. In step S23, the vehicle motion control section 3G executes a predetermined vehicle motion control.

[0036] <Third embodiment> The host vehicle 1 equipped with the vehicle control device 13 of the third embodiment is configured similarly to the host vehicle 1 equipped with the vehicle control device 13 of the above-described first embodiment, except for the points that will be described later.

[0037] As described above, in the host vehicle 1 to which the vehicle control device 13 of the first embodiment is applied, the vehicle control device 13 is configured by a driving assistance ECU. On the other hand, in the host vehicle 1 to which the vehicle control device 13 of the third embodiment is applied, the vehicle control device 13 is configured by an automatic driving ECU.

[0038] As described above, in the host vehicle 1 to which the vehicle control device 13 of the first embodiment is applied, the acquisition unit 3A acquires a signal indicating an operation to turn on / off the driving assistance function of the driver of the host vehicle 1, which is accepted by the HMI 12. On the other hand, in the host vehicle 1 to which the vehicle control device 13 of the third embodiment is applied, the acquisition unit 3A acquires a signal indicating an operation to turn on / off the autonomous driving function of the driver of the host vehicle 1, which is accepted by the HMI 12. When the autonomous driving function is in the ON state, the vehicle control unit 3B controls the steering actuator 14, the braking actuator 15, and the drive actuator 16 based on the position information of the host vehicle 1, the driving plan for autonomous driving, etc., without the need for the HMI 12 to accept an operation of the driver of the host vehicle 1.

[0039] As described above, in the host vehicle 1 to which the vehicle control device 13 of the first embodiment is applied, the first determination unit 3D determines whether or not the driving assistance function is in the ON state. On the other hand, in the host vehicle 1 to which the vehicle control device 13 of the third embodiment is applied, the first determination unit 3D determines whether or not the automatic driving function is in the ON state.

[0040] As described above, in the host vehicle 1 to which the vehicle control device 13 of the first embodiment is applied, the "predetermined vehicle control" includes a steering operation having a change in steering angle equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. On the other hand, in the host vehicle 1 to which the vehicle control device 13 of the third embodiment is applied, the "predetermined vehicle control" includes vehicle control based on a route plan for automatic driving in which the amount of change in curvature is equal to or greater than a certain value.

[0041] As described above, in the host vehicle 1 to which the vehicle control device 13 of the first embodiment is applied, the "predetermined vehicle control" includes a braking operation having a change in deceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. On the other hand, in the host vehicle 1 to which the vehicle control device 13 of the third embodiment is applied, the "predetermined vehicle control" includes vehicle control based on a speed plan for automatic driving in which the amount of change in deceleration is equal to or greater than a certain value.

[0042] As described above, in the host vehicle 1 to which the vehicle control device 13 of the first embodiment is applied, the "predetermined vehicle motion control" includes a steering operation having a change in steering angle equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. On the other hand, in the host vehicle 1 to which the vehicle control device 13 of the third embodiment is applied, the "predetermined vehicle motion control" includes setting a route plan for automatic driving in which the amount of change in curvature is equal to or greater than a certain value.

[0043] As described above, in the host vehicle 1 to which the vehicle control device 13 of the first embodiment is applied, the "predetermined vehicle motion control" includes a brake operation having a change in deceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. On the other hand, in the host vehicle 1 to which the vehicle control device 13 of the third embodiment is applied, the "predetermined vehicle motion control" includes setting a speed plan for automatic driving in which the amount of change in deceleration is equal to or greater than a certain value.

[0044] FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining an example of processing executed by the processor 133 of the vehicle control device 13 according to the third embodiment. In the example shown in Fig. 6, in step S30, the first determination unit 3D determines whether or not the autonomous driving function is ON. If YES, the process proceeds to step S31, and if NO, the process shown in Fig. 6 ends. In step S31, the second determination unit 3E determines whether or not the host vehicle 1 is traveling off-road. If YES, the process proceeds to step S32, and if NO, the process shown in FIG. In step S32, the third determination unit 3F determines whether or not an operation corresponding to a predetermined vehicle control has not been performed for a certain period of time. If YES, the process proceeds to step S33, and if NO, the process shown in FIG. 6 is terminated. In step S33, the vehicle motion control section 3G executes a predetermined vehicle motion control.

[0045] <Fourth embodiment> The host vehicle 1 equipped with the vehicle control device 13 of the fourth embodiment is configured similarly to the host vehicle 1 equipped with the vehicle control device 13 of the above-described third embodiment, except for the points that will be described later.

[0046] In the host vehicle 1 to which the vehicle control device 13 of the third embodiment is applied, a third determination unit 3F determines whether or not an operation corresponding to a predetermined vehicle control has not been performed for a certain period of time. On the other hand, in the host vehicle 1 to which the vehicle control device 13 of the fourth embodiment is applied, the third judgment unit 3F judges whether or not the shape of the rut included in the detection result of the external sensor 11 does not change for a predetermined period or more. If the shape of the rut included in the detection result of the external sensor 11 does not change for a predetermined period or more, the vehicle motion control unit 3G executes a predetermined vehicle motion control (setting of a route plan, a speed plan, etc.) so that the shape of the rut included in the detection result of the external sensor 11 changes, without the need for the HMI 12 to accept the operation of the driver of the host vehicle 1.

[0047] In detail, in a host vehicle 1 to which the vehicle control device 13 of the fourth embodiment is applied, if the shape of the ruts included in the detection results of the external sensor 11 does not change for a predetermined period of time or more, the vehicle movement amount calculation unit 3C functioning as a vehicle movement amount detection device is unable to calculate the movement amount of the host vehicle 1, and therefore requests the vehicle motion control unit 3G to control the host vehicle 1 so that the shape of the ruts included in the detection results of the external sensor 11 changes. In response to a request from the vehicle movement amount calculation unit 3C, the vehicle movement control unit 3G executes a predetermined vehicle movement control (setting of a route plan, a speed plan, etc.) so as to change the shape of the wheel ruts included in the detection results of the external sensor 11.

[0048] As described above, the vehicle movement amount detection device, the vehicle control device, and the program of the present disclosure have been described with reference to the drawings. However, the vehicle movement amount detection device, the vehicle control device, and the program of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and can be appropriately modified within the scope of the present disclosure. The configurations of the above-mentioned embodiments may be appropriately combined. In the above-mentioned embodiments, the processing performed in the vehicle control device 13 (driving assistance ECU or automatic driving ECU) has been described as software processing performed by executing a program, but the processing performed in the vehicle control device 13 may be processing performed by hardware. Alternatively, the processing performed in the vehicle control device 13 may be processing that combines both software and hardware. In addition, the program stored in the memory 132 of the vehicle control device 13 (the program that realizes the function of the processor 133 of the vehicle control device 13) may be recorded in a computer-readable storage medium such as a semiconductor memory, a magnetic recording medium, an optical recording medium, etc., and provided, distributed, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1... host vehicle, 11... external sensor, 12... HMI, 13... vehicle control device, 131... communication interface, 132... memory, 133... processor, 3A... acquisition unit, 3B... vehicle control unit, 3C... vehicle movement amount calculation unit, 3D... first judgment unit, 3E... second judgment unit, 3F... third judgment unit, 3G... vehicle motion control unit, 14... steering actuator, 15... braking actuator, 16... drive actuator

Claims

1. A vehicle movement amount detection device provided on a vehicle having an external sensor capable of detecting wheel tracks, A vehicle movement amount detection device that, while the vehicle is traveling off-road, uses wheel tracks included in the detection results of the external sensor before the movement of the vehicle and wheel tracks included in the detection results of the external sensor after the movement of the vehicle as feature points, and calculates the amount of movement of the vehicle by matching the detection results of the external sensor before the movement of the vehicle and the detection results of the external sensor after the movement of the vehicle.

2. 2. The vehicle movement amount detection device according to claim 1, wherein if the shape of the ruts included in the detection results of the external sensor does not change for a predetermined period of time or more, control of the host vehicle is requested so that the shape of the ruts included in the detection results of the external sensor changes.

3. The vehicle movement amount detection device according to claim 1 , A vehicle control device comprising: a vehicle motion control unit that controls the motion of the host vehicle so that the shape of the wheel tracks included in the detection results of the external sensor changes when there is no operation corresponding to a predetermined vehicle control for a certain period of time.

4. A vehicle control device provided in a vehicle having an external sensor capable of detecting a wheel track, a vehicle movement amount calculation unit that calculates a movement amount of the host vehicle by using, as feature points, the track included in the detection result of the external sensor before the movement of the host vehicle and the track included in the detection result of the external sensor after the movement of the host vehicle while the host vehicle is traveling off-road, and matching the detection result of the external sensor before the movement of the host vehicle with the detection result of the external sensor after the movement of the host vehicle; A vehicle control device comprising: a vehicle motion control unit that controls the motion of the vehicle so that the shape of the ruts included in the detection results of the external sensor changes when the shape of the ruts included in the detection results of the external sensor does not change for a predetermined period of time or more.

5. A processor is provided in a host vehicle having an external sensor capable of detecting a wheel track. A program for executing a step of calculating the amount of movement of the host vehicle while the host vehicle is traveling off-road, by using as feature points the track marks included in the detection results of the external sensor before the host vehicle moves and the track marks included in the detection results of the external sensor after the host vehicle moves, and matching the detection results of the external sensor before the host vehicle moves with the detection results of the external sensor after the host vehicle moves.

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