Vehicle system and program

Abstract

To quicken calculation of a determination result of a contact risk between a vehicle and an object.SOLUTION: In a vehicle system S comprising a server device 20 communicably connected with a vehicle 1, the server device comprises an arithmetic operation unit 21 which executes an arithmetic operation regarding travel of the vehicle, the arithmetic operation unit calculates a travel state including a future position relation between an object G and the vehicle on the basis of a detected value of the object existing around the vehicle and related to the travel of the vehicle and travel information related to the travel of the vehicle, determines a future contact risk with the object to occur in the vehicle on the basis of the travel state, and executes driving support to the vehicle when it is determined that the contact risk exceeds a predetermined reference.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle system and a program for reducing risks during vehicle travel.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a vehicle system that reduces the risk of contact between a vehicle and an object. According to the vehicle system described in Patent Document 1, based on the monitoring results around the vehicle, when the risk of contact between the vehicle and the object is equal to or greater than a predetermined level, an occupant protection device is operated, or avoidance control is executed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] According to the vehicle system described in Patent Document 1, since the risk of contact between the vehicle and the object is determined based on the monitoring results around the vehicle, when the risk of contact is extremely high, operating the occupant protection device may impose a burden on the occupant.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle system and a program capable of quickly calculating the determination result of the contact risk between a vehicle and an object.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is a vehicle system including a server device communicably connected to a vehicle. The server device includes an arithmetic unit that executes arithmetic operations related to the travel of the vehicle. The arithmetic unit calculates a travel state including a future positional relationship between the object and the vehicle based on a detection value of an object existing around the vehicle and related to the travel of the vehicle and travel information related to the travel of the vehicle, determines a future contact risk between the object and the vehicle based on the travel state, and when it is determined that the contact risk exceeds a predetermined standard, executes driving support for the vehicle.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to speed up the calculation of the determination result of the contact risk between the vehicle and the object.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle system S is composed of a vehicle 1 and a server device 20 communicably connected to the vehicle 1. The server device 20 executes arithmetic operations related to the travel of the vehicle 1 based on the data acquired from the vehicle 1 and transmits the arithmetic result to the vehicle 1. The vehicle 1 starts processing related to occupant protection and starts processing related to driving support based on the arithmetic result.

[0010] Vehicle 1 is equipped with a communication unit 4 that connects to the network W and communicates with the server device 20 via the communication unit 4. The communication unit 4 is, for example, a wireless communication interface. Vehicle 1 is equipped with a detection unit 2 composed of various sensors. The detection unit 2 acquires detection values related to the running of Vehicle 1. The detection unit 2 is, for example, equipped with a camera device that images the environment around Vehicle 1. The camera device is equipped with one or more camera sensors and acquires an imaging image of the environment around Vehicle 1. The imaging image includes videos and still images. The imaging image is stored in the storage unit 12 described later. The data of the imaging image may be updated periodically.

[0011] Vehicle 1 is equipped with a lidar device that detects objects existing around the vehicle. The lidar device acquires detection values regarding the relative distance, relative position, and shape to the objects existing around Vehicle 1 by transmitting and receiving laser waves. The detection values are stored in the storage unit 12. The detection unit 2 is equipped with a radar device that detects objects existing around Vehicle 1. The radar device acquires detection values regarding the relative distance and relative position to the objects existing around Vehicle 1 by transmitting and receiving radar waves. The detection values are stored in the storage unit 12.

[0012] The detection unit 2 is equipped with an acceleration sensor that detects the acceleration generated in Vehicle 1. The acceleration sensor detects, for example, detection values in six-axis directions including the acceleration generated in the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction of Vehicle 1 and the angular acceleration generated in the rotational directions of the roll angle, pitch angle, and yaw angle of Vehicle 1. The detection values are stored in the storage unit 12. The detection unit 2 is equipped with a position sensor that detects the current position of Vehicle 1.

[0013] The position sensor is composed of a sensor such as GPS (Global Positioning System), for example. The position sensor may be combined with an acceleration sensor to calculate the inertial driving trajectory of the vehicle 1 and configured to complement the position of the vehicle 1 in a place where a GPS signal cannot be received. The detection unit 2 may communicate with other vehicles via the communication unit 4 and acquire detection values such as the relative position between the vehicle 1 and other vehicles and the relative approaching speed of other vehicles with respect to the vehicle 1. Among the detection values, the traveling information related to the traveling of the vehicle 1 such as the position information of the vehicle 1 and the acceleration is stored in the storage unit 12.

[0014] The vehicle 1 is provided with a notification unit 3 that outputs notification contents to the occupant. The notification unit 3 is composed of, for example, a display unit 3A that outputs a display image generated based on characters or images. The display unit 3A is composed of, for example, a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display. The display unit 3A may be composed of a touch panel and may be configured as an input unit that receives operations related to the vehicle 1 based on the touch operations of the occupant. The notification unit 3 is composed of a speaker 3B that outputs sound. The speaker 3B outputs voice information related to the traveling of the vehicle 1 to the occupant.

[0015] The vehicle 1 is provided with an occupant protection device 8 for protecting the occupant. The occupant protection device 8 is composed of, for example, an airbag device that prevents contact between the occupant and the interior of the vehicle 1. When the acceleration generated in the vehicle 1 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the airbag device protects the body of the occupant by inflating the bag body. The occupant protection device 8 is composed of, for example, a pretensioner device that controls the tension state of the seat belt. When the acceleration generated in the vehicle 1 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the pretensioner device instantaneously increases the degree of tension of the seat belt, increases the degree of restraint of the occupant with respect to the seat, and protects the occupant.

[0016] Vehicle 1 is equipped with a driving assistance device that supports the driving of the occupant. The driving assistance device is composed of a traveling device related to the traveling of Vehicle 1 and a vehicle control device 10 that executes control related to the traveling of Vehicle 1. The traveling device includes, for example, a drive unit 5 that serves as a power source for the traveling of Vehicle 1. The drive unit 5 is composed of a power source such as an internal combustion engine or an electric motor. The traveling device is composed of a braking unit 6 that decelerates or stops Vehicle 1. The braking unit is composed of a braking device. When Vehicle 1 is an electric vehicle, the braking unit may be composed of the electric motor that constitutes the drive unit 5. The traveling device is composed of a steering unit 7 that controls the direction of Vehicle 1. The steering unit 7 is composed of a steering device. When Vehicle 1 is an electric vehicle, the steering unit 7 may be composed of the electric motor that constitutes the drive unit 5.

[0017] Based on the detection value detected by the detection unit 2, the vehicle control device 10 operates the occupant protection device 8 and the driving assistance device. The vehicle control device 10 may control the notification unit 3 based on the detection value detected by the detection unit 2 to configure a navigation device. When the vehicle control device 10 functions as a navigation device, based on the user's input operation, it calculates a travel plan including the travel route to the destination of Vehicle 1 and causes the display unit 3A to display the travel plan.

[0018] The vehicle control device 10 includes, for example, a control unit 11 that executes control related to the traveling of Vehicle 1 and control related to occupant protection, and a storage unit 12 in which data and programs related to the control are stored. The control unit 11 is composed of at least one hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The storage unit 12 is composed of a non-temporary storage medium such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD).

[0019] The control unit 11 determines the contact risk between the vehicle 1 and the object based on the detection value detected by the detection unit 2 and the driving information. When the contact risk between the vehicle 1 and the object exceeds the standard, the control unit 11 operates the occupant protection device 8 and the driving assistance device. The control unit 11 transmits the detection value detected by the detection unit 2 to the server device 20 at a predetermined timing.

[0020] In the server device 20, the calculation unit 21 acquires the detection value, driving information, and driving plan via the network W. The calculation unit 21 acquires information such as the position information, speed, route information to the destination, information on the lane in which the vehicle 1 is traveling, and information on the object of the vehicle 1. The calculation unit 21 acquires detailed map data of the road on which the vehicle 1 is traveling from the storage unit 22 based on the detection value.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, the calculation unit 21 calculates the driving state including the current positional relationship between the object G and the vehicle 1 in the road environment in which the vehicle 1 is traveling based on the detection value of the object G existing around the vehicle 1 and related to the driving of the vehicle and the position information of the vehicle 1. The calculation unit 21 calculates not only the current driving state of the vehicle 1 (see FIG. 2(A)) but also the future driving state of the vehicle 1 (see FIG. 2(B)). The calculation unit 21 may be configured to calculate the future driving state of the vehicle 1 by repeatedly executing machine learning based on deep learning using teacher data.

[0022] The object G includes, for example, other vehicles, pedestrians, objects, road structures, etc. existing around the vehicle 1 that affect the driving of the vehicle 1. In the illustrated example, the object G is another vehicle. The calculation unit 21 executes, for example, a calculation for simulating a virtual driving state of the vehicle 1 including the positional relationship between the object G and the vehicle 1 within a time range from the current time (T) to a future time (T + Δt) advanced by a predetermined time (Δt).

[0023] The calculation unit 21 calculates, for example, the first movement trajectory R1 of the vehicle 1 from the current time (T) to a future time (T+Δt), and calculates the relative positional relationship between the vehicle 1 and the object. When the object G is a moving body, the calculation unit 21 calculates the second movement trajectory R2 of the object, and calculates the change over time of the relative positional relationship between the vehicle 1 and the moving object G. When the object G does not move, the calculation unit 21 calculates the change over time of the relative positional relationship between the vehicle 1 and the non-moving object G.

[0024] Based on information related to the running of the vehicle 1 such as the change state of the current running trajectory of the vehicle 1, the change state of the user's operation content, the change state of the environment around the vehicle 1 such as signals, and the running plan of the vehicle 1, etc., within a future time range, the calculation unit 21 calculates a future running state accompanied by a state change of the vehicle 1. Based on information related to the running of the vehicle 1, the calculation unit 21 calculates future running states of the vehicle 1 such as acceleration, deceleration, stop, lane change of the vehicle 1, right or left turn, U-turn, etc.

[0025] Based on not only the vehicle 1 but also the change state of the running trajectory of the current object, the change state of the appearance such as the blinker and the steering wheel, the change state of the environment around the vehicle 1 such as signals, etc., within a future time range, the calculation unit 21 calculates a future running state accompanied by a state change of the object such as a lane change, right or left turn, U-turn, etc. of the object. When the calculation unit 21 can obtain information related to running from a communicable object such as another vehicle, it may calculate a future running state accompanied by a state change of the object based on the information obtained from the other vehicle. The calculation unit 21 outputs the simulation results at predetermined time intervals.

[0026] The calculation unit 21 outputs the simulation results and determines the contact risk with a future object that occurs in the vehicle. The calculation unit 21 determines the contact risk between the vehicle 1 and the object based on, for example, the relative positional relationship between the vehicle 1 and the object in the calculation result. Based on data such as the position information of the vehicle 1, the dimensions of the vehicle 1, the attitude of the vehicle 1, the shape of the object G, the dimensions of the object G, etc., the distance to the object is corrected, and the actual relative distance L between the vehicle 1 and the object G is calculated.

[0027] The calculation unit 21 calculates, for example, the Time-To-Collision (TTC) as a criterion for determining the contact risk. The collision margin time is the remaining time required until the vehicle 1 and the object collide when the vehicle 1 and the object maintain their current relative speeds. The calculation unit 21 calculates the TTC between the vehicle 1 and the object G based on the distance L and the relative speed between the vehicle 1 and the object G.

[0028] The calculation unit 21 may calculate one or more first movement trajectories R1. The calculation unit 21 may calculate one or more second movement trajectories R2. The calculation unit 21 may calculate a plurality of TTCs in a combination of one or more first movement trajectories R1 and one or more second movement trajectories R2. The calculation unit 21 may calculate a plurality of contact risks based on the plurality of TTCs.

[0029] The calculation unit 21 is set such that the contact risk increases as the TTC approaches a predetermined time that is a preset criterion, and the contact risk decreases as the TTC moves away from the predetermined time that is a preset criterion. When the TTC is equal to or less than the predetermined time that is a preset criterion, the calculation unit 21 determines that the contact risk exceeds a predetermined criterion. If the calculation unit 21 can calculate the contact risk between the vehicle 1 and the object, other calculation methods may be used in addition to the TTC. When the calculation unit 21 determines that the contact risk exceeds a predetermined criterion, it executes driving assistance for the vehicle 1. When the calculation unit 21 calculates a plurality of contact risks and determines that at least one contact risk exceeds a predetermined criterion, it may execute driving assistance for the vehicle 1.

[0030] In driving assistance, the calculation unit 21 generates a notification indicating that an object will approach the vehicle within a predetermined distance in the future. The calculation unit 21 transmits the generated notification to the vehicle 1 via the network W, and cooperates with the control unit 11 of the vehicle 1 to output the notification content to the notification unit 3. The control unit 11 outputs the notification content to the notification unit 3 according to the mode of the notification. The control unit 11 generates notification content based on an image and displays it on the display unit 3A, and generates notification content based on sound and outputs it from the speaker 3B. The calculation unit 21 outputs, for example, a notification indicating a route for reducing the contact risk to the vehicle 1 in driving assistance.

[0031] When the calculation unit 21 determines that the contact risk exceeds a predetermined standard, it may cause the vehicle 1 to start occupant protection control and driving assistance. The calculation unit 21, for example, cooperates with the control unit 11 to execute deceleration control and / or steering control on the vehicle 1 so as to reduce the contact risk in driving assistance. When the calculation unit 21 determines that at least one of the plurality of contact risks exceeds a predetermined standard, it may output to the vehicle 1 a notification for guiding the steering direction so as to reduce the contact risk or a notification for accelerating or decelerating. The calculation unit 21, for example, cooperates with the control unit 11 to control the drive unit 5, the braking unit 6, and the steering unit 7 to decelerate, avoid, and stop the vehicle 1.

[0032] The calculation unit 21 may cause the vehicle 1 to start occupant protection control and driving assistance at a second timing earlier than the first timing when the vehicle 1 starts occupant protection control and driving assistance by itself. Since the calculation unit 21 calculates the contact risk in advance based on the simulation result, it can cause the vehicle 1 to start occupant protection control and driving assistance at a second timing earlier than the first timing on the vehicle 1 side.

[0033] The calculation unit 21 calculates a plurality of contact risks, and when it determines that at least one of the contact risks exceeds a predetermined standard, it calculates a plurality of driving assistance patterns and may cause the vehicle 1 to start one driving assistance with the lowest contact risk. The calculation unit 21, for example, calculates a plurality of avoidance routes in driving assistance and may cause the vehicle 1 to travel along one route with the lowest contact risk.

[0034] Figure 3 shows the flow of processing of the vehicle control method executed in the vehicle system S. The vehicle control method is executed based on a first computer program installed in a computer mounted on the server device 20. The vehicle control method executes the processing of the entire vehicle system S in cooperation with the first computer program and a second computer program installed in a computer mounted on the vehicle control device 10.

[0035] In the vehicle control device 10, the control unit 11 calculates a travel plan including a route to the destination based on a user's input operation (step S100). The control unit 11 transmits the calculated travel plan to the server device 20 (step S102). The control unit 11 acquires a detection value of an object that exists around the vehicle and is related to the travel of the vehicle, which is detected by the detection unit 2, and travel information related to the travel of the vehicle 1 (step S104). The control unit 11 transmits the detection value and the travel information to the server device 20 (step S106).

[0036] In the server device 20, the calculation unit 21 calculates a travel state including a future positional relationship between the object and the vehicle based on the travel plan, the detection value, and the travel information, and determines a contact risk with a future object that occurs in the vehicle (step S200). When the calculation unit 21 determines that the contact risk exceeds a predetermined standard, it executes driving support for the vehicle (step S202).

[0037] In the vehicle 1, the control unit 11 outputs notification content to the notification unit 3, operates the occupant protection device 8, and controls the drive unit 5, the brake unit 6, and the steering unit 7 to execute deceleration control and / or steering control on the vehicle 1 so as to reduce the contact risk (step S108).

[0038] As described above, according to the vehicle system S, by executing a simulation regarding the future driving state of the vehicle 1 with respect to the object G in the server device 20, it is possible to speed up the calculation of the determination result of the contact risk between the vehicle and the object. According to the vehicle system S, by determining the future contact risk between the vehicle 1 and the object G, the driving support and the like executed in the vehicle 1 can be started at a second timing earlier than the first timing at which the driving support is started.

[0039] According to the vehicle system S, by determining the future contact risk between the vehicle 1 and the object G in the server device 20, the calculation load of the vehicle control device 10 on the vehicle 1 side can be dispersed. According to the vehicle system S, by calculating a plurality of contact risks, it is possible to execute driving support corresponding to the driving state of the vehicle 1 that changes every moment.

[0040] In the above-described embodiment, the computer program executed in each component of the vehicle system S may be provided in a form recorded on a computer-readable portable recording medium such as a semiconductor memory, a magnetic recording medium, or an optical recording medium. The vehicle 1 may be a manually driven vehicle or an autonomously driven vehicle. The vehicle system S may be applied to a manually driven vehicle or an autonomously driven vehicle.

Explanation of Signs

[0041] 1 Vehicle, 2 Detection unit, 3 Notification unit, 3A Display unit, 3B Speaker, 4 Communication unit, 5 Driving unit, 6 Braking unit, 7 Steering unit, 8 Occupant protection device, 10 Vehicle control device, 11 Control unit, 12 Storage unit, 20 Server device, 21 Calculation unit, 22 Storage unit, L Distance, R1 First movement trajectory, R2 Second movement trajectory, S Vehicle system

Claims

1. A vehicle system comprising a server device communicably connected to a vehicle, wherein the server device includes an arithmetic unit that executes calculations related to the running of the vehicle, and the arithmetic unit, based on detection values of objects existing around the vehicle and related to the running of the vehicle, and running information related to the running of the vehicle, calculates a running state including a future positional relationship between the object and the vehicle, judges a future contact risk between the object and the vehicle based on the running state, and when it is judged that the contact risk exceeds a predetermined standard, executes driving support for the vehicle. Vehicle system.

2. The arithmetic unit, in the driving support, causes the vehicle to output a notification indicating that the object will approach the vehicle within a predetermined distance in the future. The vehicle system according to claim 1.

3. The arithmetic unit, when it is judged that the contact risk exceeds a predetermined standard, causes the vehicle to start the occupant protection control and the driving support at a second timing earlier than a first timing at which the vehicle starts the occupant protection control and the driving support. The vehicle system according to claim 1.

4. The arithmetic unit, in the driving support, causes the vehicle to execute deceleration control and / or steering control so as to reduce the contact risk. The vehicle system according to claim 1.

5. A program for causing a computer applied to a vehicle system including a server device communicably connected to a vehicle to execute a process of causing the vehicle to perform driving support, the program causing the computer to acquire detection values of objects existing around the vehicle and related to the running of the vehicle and running information related to the running of the vehicle, calculating a running state including a future positional relationship between the object and the vehicle based on the detection values and the running information, judging a future contact risk between the object and the vehicle based on the running state, and when it is judged that the contact risk exceeds a predetermined standard, causing the vehicle to perform the driving support. Program.

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