Vehicle control device

Abstract

To suppress an excessive approach of an own vehicle to a transport vehicle in a getting-on / getting-off state.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device determines whether or not a transport vehicle is stopped in a getting-on / getting-off area on a travel lane of an own vehicle in a travel direction of the own vehicle or in a getting-on / getting-off area on a lane adjacent to the travel lane in the travel direction of the own vehicle based on a detection result of an external sensor of the own vehicle, determines whether or not the transport vehicle indicates a stop sign in a case where it is determined that the transport vehicle is stopped in the getting-on / getting-off area, and reduces a speed of the own vehicle in a case where it is determined that the transport vehicle indicates the stop sign.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a technical document related to a vehicle control device, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-207954 is known. In this publication, in order to reduce the risk that a pedestrian jumps out from behind a stopped vehicle, when it is determined that the host vehicle is about to pass by the side of the stopped vehicle, the driving support device provides a warning to prompt the driver to pay attention and performs automatic deceleration control by driving the brakes.

Prior Art Document

Patent Document

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When passengers of a transport vehicle such as a bus or a tram are getting on and off in a boarding and alighting area on the road, the probability that pedestrians come and go around the boarding and alighting area increases. Therefore, it is required to perform vehicle control based on such a situation.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] A vehicle control device according to an aspect of the present invention determines whether a transport vehicle has stopped in a boarding and alighting area on the host vehicle's travel lane in the traveling direction of the host vehicle or in a boarding and alighting area on a lane adjacent to the travel lane in the traveling direction of the host vehicle based on a detection result of an external sensor of the host vehicle. When it is determined that a transport vehicle has stopped in the boarding and alighting area, it determines whether the transport vehicle is displaying a stop sign. When it is determined that the transport vehicle is displaying a stop sign, the host vehicle is decelerated.

Effects of the Invention

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, when the host vehicle decelerates, it becomes easier for the driver to notice a transportation vehicle in a boarding / alighting state, and it is possible to prevent the host vehicle from approaching the transportation vehicle in a boarding / alighting state too closely.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a vehicle control device 100 according to an embodiment. The vehicle control device 100 shown in FIG. 1 is mounted on a vehicle (host vehicle) such as a passenger car and controls the running of the host vehicle. The vehicle control device 100 has a function of controlling the running of the host vehicle.

[0010] [Configuration of Vehicle Control Device] Hereinafter, the configuration of the vehicle control device 100 will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle control device 100 includes an ECU [Electronic Control Unit] 10 that controls the running of the host vehicle. The ECU 10 is an electronic control unit composed of a CPU [Central Processing Unit], a ROM [Read Only Memory], a RAM [Random Access Memory], etc. In the ECU 10, a program stored in the ROM is loaded into the RAM and executed by the CPU to execute various vehicle controls. The ECU 10 may be composed of a plurality of electronic control units.

[0011] The ECU 10 is connected to the external sensor 1 and the vehicle actuator 2. The external sensor 1 is a detection device that detects the situation around the vehicle. The external sensor 1 includes at least one of a camera and a radar sensor.

[0012] The camera is an imaging device that images the external situation of the vehicle. The camera is provided, for example, on the back side of the front windshield of the vehicle and images the front of the vehicle. The camera transmits an imaging image regarding the external situation of the vehicle to the ECU 10. The radar sensor is a detection device that detects an object around the vehicle using radio waves (for example, millimeter waves) or light. The radar sensor includes, for example, a millimeter wave radar or a LiDAR [Light Detection and Ranging]. The radar sensor transmits information on the detected object to the ECU 10.

[0013] The vehicle actuator 2 is a device used for controlling the host vehicle. The vehicle actuator 2 includes at least a brake actuator. The brake actuator controls the brake system according to a control signal from the ECU 10 and controls the braking force applied to the wheels of the host vehicle. As the brake system, for example, a hydraulic brake system can be used. The vehicle actuator 2 may include a drive actuator and a steering actuator.

[0014] Next, the functional configuration of the ECU 10 will be described. The ECU 10 has a transport vehicle stop determination unit 11, a boarding / alighting state determination unit 12, and a vehicle control unit 13.

[0015] The transport vehicle stop determination unit 11 determines, based on the detection result of the external sensor 1, whether a transport vehicle has stopped in the boarding / alighting area on the driving lane of the host vehicle in the traveling direction of the host vehicle. The driving lane of the host vehicle is the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling.

[0016] A transport vehicle is a bus, a tram, a truck, etc. The tram includes the case where a subway vehicle runs on the ground. The transport vehicle also includes a German tram. A boarding and alighting area is an area set on the road for passengers to board and alight from the transport vehicle. The boarding and alighting area is generally provided so as to be adjacent to a sidewalk. The boarding and alighting area is drawn in a recognizable manner by a specific pattern display, mark, symbol, text, etc. on the road surface. The boarding and alighting area can be an area surrounded by a frame line.

[0017] The transport vehicle stop determination unit 11 recognizes the boarding and alighting area based on the detection result of the external sensor 1. The transport vehicle stop determination unit 11 recognizes the boarding and alighting area provided on the road, for example, by performing image recognition on a frame line indicating the boarding and alighting area, a pattern display, mark, symbol, text, etc. on the road surface. The transport vehicle stop determination unit 11 may recognize the boarding and alighting area by recognizing facilities such as a bus stop and signs provided together with the boarding and alighting area.

[0018] Note that the transport vehicle stop determination unit 11 may recognize the boarding and alighting area near the own vehicle using the GNSS [Global Navigation Satellite System] receiver of the own vehicle and map information instead of the detection result of the external sensor. The map information includes the position information of the boarding and alighting area.

[0019] In addition, the transport vehicle stop determination unit 11 may determine whether a transport vehicle has stopped in the boarding and alighting area adjacent to the driving lane in the traveling direction of the own vehicle. The lane adjacent to the driving lane may include not only the adjacent lane with the same traveling direction as the driving lane but also the oncoming lane.

[0020] Based on the detection result of the external sensor 1, when the transport vehicle stop determination unit 11 recognizes that the vehicle stopped in the boarding and alighting area is a transport vehicle, it determines that a transport vehicle has stopped in the boarding and alighting area. The transport vehicle stop determination unit 11 recognizes whether it is a transport vehicle by means of well-known processes such as pattern matching. The transport vehicle stop determination unit 11 recognizes that the transport vehicle has stopped based on the detection result of the radar sensor or the temporal change of the captured image of the camera.

[0021] When the boarding / alighting state determination unit 12 determines that a transport vehicle has stopped in the boarding / alighting area by the transport vehicle stop determination unit 11, it determines whether or not the transport vehicle is displaying a stop sign. A stop sign is a signaling device provided on a school bus or the like. A stop sign generally has a vertically long rectangular or octagonal shape, and characters or marks indicating that it is in the boarding / alighting state are displayed. The stop sign is configured to be deployable manually or electrically to the side of the transport vehicle by the bus driver when stopping. Instead of displaying the stop sign, lighting of the hazard lamp may be used.

[0022] The boarding / alighting state determination unit 12 determines whether or not the transport vehicle is displaying a stop sign based on the detection result of the external sensor 1. When the boarding / alighting state determination unit 12 determines that the transport vehicle is displaying a stop sign, it determines that the transport vehicle is in the boarding / alighting state. The boarding / alighting state is a state in which the transport vehicle accepts passengers getting on and off.

[0023] When the boarding / alighting state determination unit 12 determines that the transport vehicle is displaying a stop sign, the vehicle control unit 13 performs deceleration control of the own vehicle. Deceleration control is vehicle control that reduces the vehicle speed by decelerating the own vehicle. The vehicle control unit 13 performs deceleration control of the own vehicle by transmitting a control signal to the vehicle actuator 2. By performing deceleration control, the vehicle control unit 13 can give the driver of the own vehicle a chance to notice the presence of the transport vehicle C.

[0024] The vehicle control unit 13 may issue a warning to the driver together with the deceleration control. The vehicle control unit 13 may give a visual warning to the driver by means of an HUD, an IC display, an infotainment display, or the like. The vehicle control unit 13 may give an auditory warning to the driver by means of an alarm or voice.

[0025] Note that the vehicle control unit 13 may stop the host vehicle so that the distance between the host vehicle and the transport vehicle does not become less than a certain distance as deceleration control. When there is a driving space (space between the white line and the transport vehicle) of a certain width or more through which the host vehicle can pass on the side of the transport vehicle, the vehicle control unit 13 may not perform the operation until the host vehicle stops. The certain width can be set to a value larger than the width (threshold value) when the host vehicle overtakes another vehicle in an automatic driving system or a driving support system. Even when the boarding and alighting state determination unit 12 determines that the transport vehicle is displaying a stop sign, the vehicle control unit 13 may not perform the deceleration control of the host vehicle when the transport vehicle turns on the direction indicator and tries to leave the boarding and alighting area.

[0026] Here, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a case where the transport vehicle stops in the boarding and alighting area and is in the boarding and alighting state. In FIG. 2, the host vehicle M, the traveling lane R1 of the host vehicle M, the oncoming lane R2, the boarding and alighting area BA, the transport vehicle C, and the stop sign SP are shown. Also, the host vehicle M1 when traveling in the oncoming lane R2 is shown.

[0027] In the situation shown in FIG. 2, the transport vehicle stop determination unit 11 determines that the transport vehicle C has stopped in the boarding and alighting area BA on the traveling lane R1 of the host vehicle M in the traveling direction of the host vehicle M. Subsequently, the boarding and alighting state determination unit 12 determines that the transport vehicle C is displaying a stop sign. In this case, the vehicle control unit 13 executes deceleration control so that the host vehicle M does not approach the transport vehicle C too closely. The driver of the host vehicle notices the presence of the transport vehicle C due to the deceleration control.

[0028] In addition, as shown by the host vehicle M1 with a broken line in FIG. 2, the vehicle control device 100 may execute the deceleration control of the host vehicle M1 even when the boarding and alighting area BA exists in a lane different from the lane R2 in which the host vehicle M1 travels. This is because there is a risk that a pedestrian trying to board the transport vehicle C may cross the lane.

[0029] Note that when a transport vehicle C stopped in the boarding and alighting area BA existing in an adjacent lane displays a stop sign SP, the vehicle control device 100 does not necessarily need to perform deceleration control of the host vehicle M1. When there is a median strip between the travel lane and the oncoming lane, the vehicle control device 100 may be in a mode where it does not perform deceleration control of the host vehicle M1. The vehicle control device 100 may be in a mode where it performs deceleration control of the host vehicle M1 only in a country or region where rules or the like define that the host vehicle M1 stops or decelerates in the situation shown as the host vehicle M1 in FIG. 2.

[0030] [Control Method of Vehicle Control Device] Next, the control of the vehicle control device 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the control of the vehicle control device 100.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 3, the ECU 10 of the vehicle control device 100 determines, as S10, whether or not a transport vehicle C has stopped in the boarding and alighting area BA by the transport vehicle stop determination unit 11. The transport vehicle stop determination unit 11 determines, based on the detection result of the external sensor 1, whether or not a transport vehicle C has stopped in the boarding and alighting area BA on the travel lane R1 of the host vehicle M in the traveling direction of the host vehicle M (or the boarding and alighting area on the lane adjacent to the travel lane in the traveling direction of the host vehicle). When the ECU 10 determines that the transport vehicle C has stopped in the boarding and alighting area BA (S10: YES), it proceeds to S11. When the ECU 10 determines that the transport vehicle C has not stopped in the boarding and alighting area BA (S10: NO), the current control is terminated.

[0032] In S11, the ECU 10 determines, by the boarding state determination unit 12, whether or not the transport vehicle C is displaying a stop sign SP. When the ECU 10 determines that the transport vehicle C is displaying a stop sign SP (S11: YES), it proceeds to S12. When the ECU 10 determines that the transport vehicle C is not displaying a stop sign SP (S11: NO), the current control is terminated.

[0033] In S12, the ECU 10 performs deceleration control of the host vehicle M by the vehicle control unit 13. The vehicle control unit 13 performs deceleration control of the host vehicle by transmitting a control signal to the vehicle actuator 2. Thereafter, the ECU 10 ends the current control.

[0034] According to the vehicle control device 100 according to the present embodiment described above, the deceleration of the host vehicle M makes it easier for the driver to notice the transport vehicle C in the boarding and alighting state, and it is possible to suppress the host vehicle M from approaching the transport vehicle in the boarding and alighting state too closely.

[0035] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. The present invention can be implemented in various forms with various changes and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, including the above-described embodiments.

[0036] The boarding and alighting area may include the unloading area of the truck. When it is determined that the truck has stopped in the unloading area and is in the process of unloading, the vehicle control device 100 may perform deceleration control of the host vehicle. Whether it is in the process of unloading or not may be determined from the lighting state of a lighting device such as a hazard lamp, or may be determined from the fact that the loading platform of the truck is open.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0037] 1... External sensor, 2... Vehicle actuator, 10... ECU, 11... Transport vehicle stop determination unit, 12... Boarding and alighting state determination unit, 13... Vehicle control unit, 100... Vehicle control device, BA... Boarding and alighting area, C... Transport vehicle, M, M1... Host vehicle, R1... Driving lane, SP... Stop sign.

Claims

Claim 1 Based on the detection result of an external sensor of the host vehicle, it is determined whether a transport vehicle has stopped in a boarding and alighting area on the driving lane of the host vehicle in the traveling direction of the host vehicle or in a boarding and alighting area on a lane adjacent to the driving lane in the traveling direction of the host vehicle, when it is determined that a transport vehicle has stopped in the boarding and alighting area, it is determined whether the transport vehicle is displaying a stop sign, and when it is determined that the transport vehicle is displaying a stop sign, the vehicle control device decelerates the host vehicle.

Images