Vehicle control device, vehicle control computer program, and vehicle control method

Abstract

To provide a vehicle control device capable of accurately determining, in a narrow road section, whether to give priority to the travel of the own vehicle on the basis of the response of a preceding vehicle to an oncoming vehicle.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device comprises: a first determination unit that determines whether or not a preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the own vehicle and an oncoming vehicle traveling opposite to the own vehicle are present within a predetermined range in the traveling direction of the own vehicle; a second determination unit that determines whether or not a narrow road section where it is difficult for the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle to pass each other is present between the preceding vehicle and the oncoming vehicle; a third determination unit that determines whether or not the own vehicle can enter the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle on the basis of the response of the preceding vehicle to the oncoming vehicle; and a decision unit that decides that the own vehicle enters the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle when the third determination unit determines that the own vehicle can enter the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle control device, a vehicle control computer program, and a vehicle control method.

Background Art

[0002] An automatic control device mounted on a vehicle drives the host vehicle so as to travel at a safe distance from other vehicles.

[0003] When there is an oncoming vehicle, the automatic control device detects the width of the road ahead of the host vehicle and controls the host vehicle so that the host vehicle and the oncoming vehicle can pass by at a safe distance (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0004] There is a terrain having a narrow road section where the width of the road is partially narrow. In the narrow road section, it is difficult for the host vehicle and the oncoming vehicle to pass by at a safe distance.

[0005] When there is a narrow road section ahead of the road on which the host vehicle is traveling, a situation occurs in which the host vehicle travels through the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle or yields the travel through the narrow road section to the oncoming vehicle.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] In the narrow road section, a determination as to whether to give priority to the travel of the host vehicle or the travel of the oncoming vehicle is also made in the oncoming vehicle. If each of the host vehicle and the oncoming vehicle determines to travel through the narrow road section first and both vehicles enter the narrow road section, a situation may occur in which one vehicle retreats to give priority to the travel of the other vehicle.

[0008] Here, when there is a preceding vehicle in front of the host vehicle, the response of the preceding vehicle to the oncoming vehicle can be referred to.

[0009] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle control device that can accurately determine whether to prioritize the travel of the host vehicle based on the response of the preceding vehicle to the oncoming vehicle in a narrow road section.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0010] (1) According to one embodiment, a vehicle control device is provided. This vehicle control device includes a first determination unit that determines whether there is a preceding vehicle traveling in front of the host vehicle and an oncoming vehicle traveling opposite the host vehicle within a predetermined range in the traveling direction of the host vehicle; a second determination unit that determines whether there is a narrow road section where it is difficult for the host vehicle and the oncoming vehicle to pass by each other between the preceding vehicle and the oncoming vehicle when it is determined by the first determination unit that there are the preceding vehicle and the oncoming vehicle; a third determination unit that determines whether the host vehicle can enter the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle based on the response of the preceding vehicle to the oncoming vehicle when it is determined by the second determination unit that there is a narrow road section; and a determination unit that determines that the host vehicle enters the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle when it is determined by the third determination unit that the host vehicle can enter the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle.

[0011] (2) In the vehicle control device of (1), the third determination unit determines whether the preceding vehicle reaches the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle and whether the host vehicle can enter the narrow road section before the preceding vehicle passes through the narrow road section. When it is determined by the third determination unit that the preceding vehicle reaches the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle and the host vehicle can enter the narrow road section before the preceding vehicle passes through the narrow road section, it is preferable that the determination unit determines that the host vehicle enters the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle.

[0012] (3) In the vehicle control device of (1), the third determination unit determines whether the host vehicle can enter the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle passes by the side of the oncoming vehicle after the leading vehicle reaches the narrow road section earlier than the oncoming vehicle and passes through the narrow road section. When the third determination unit determines that the host vehicle can enter the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle passes by the side of the oncoming vehicle after the leading vehicle reaches the narrow road section earlier than the oncoming vehicle and passes through the narrow road section, it is preferable that the determination unit determines that the host vehicle can enter the narrow road section earlier than the oncoming vehicle.

[0013] (4) In the vehicle control device of (1), the third determination unit determines whether the host vehicle can enter the narrow road section before the leading vehicle passes through the narrow road section and whether the distance between the leading vehicle and the host vehicle is shorter than a predetermined reference distance. When the third determination unit determines that the host vehicle can enter the narrow road section before the leading vehicle passes through the narrow road section and the distance between the leading vehicle and the host vehicle is shorter than a predetermined reference distance, it is preferable that the determination unit determines that the host vehicle can enter the narrow road section earlier than the oncoming vehicle.

[0014] (5) In any one of the vehicle control devices of (1) to (4), after the determination unit determines that the host vehicle can enter the narrow road section earlier than the oncoming vehicle, there is further provided a fourth determination unit that determines whether the leading vehicle decelerates by more than a predetermined reference speed amount, and a fifth determination unit that determines that the host vehicle cannot enter the narrow road section earlier than the oncoming vehicle when the fourth determination unit determines that the leading vehicle decelerates by more than a predetermined reference speed amount. When the fifth determination unit determines that the host vehicle cannot enter the narrow road section earlier than the oncoming vehicle, it is preferable that the determination unit cancels the determination that the host vehicle can enter the narrow road section earlier than the oncoming vehicle and determines that the host vehicle does not enter the narrow road section earlier than the oncoming vehicle.

[0015] In the vehicle control device of (6)(5), after it is determined by the determination unit that the host vehicle can enter the narrow road section earlier than the oncoming vehicle, when the preceding vehicle is traveling in the narrow road section, it is preferable for the fourth determination unit to determine whether the preceding vehicle has decelerated beyond a predetermined reference speed amount.

[0016] (7)According to another aspect, a vehicle control computer program is provided. This vehicle control computer program determines whether there is a preceding vehicle traveling in front of the host vehicle and an oncoming vehicle traveling opposite the host vehicle within a predetermined range in the traveling direction of the host vehicle. When it is determined that there are a preceding vehicle and an oncoming vehicle, it determines whether there is a narrow road section between the preceding vehicle and the oncoming vehicle where it is difficult for the host vehicle and the oncoming vehicle to pass each other while traveling. When it is determined that there is a narrow road section, based on the behavior of the preceding vehicle with respect to the oncoming vehicle, it determines whether the host vehicle can enter the narrow road section earlier than the oncoming vehicle. When it is determined that the host vehicle can enter the narrow road section earlier than the oncoming vehicle, it causes the processor to execute a process including determining that the host vehicle enters the narrow road section earlier than the oncoming vehicle.

[0017] (8)Also, according to another aspect, a vehicle control method is provided. In this vehicle control method, the vehicle control device determines whether there is a preceding vehicle traveling in front of the host vehicle and an oncoming vehicle traveling opposite the host vehicle within a predetermined range in the traveling direction of the host vehicle. When it is determined that there are a preceding vehicle and an oncoming vehicle, it determines whether there is a narrow road section between the preceding vehicle and the oncoming vehicle where it is difficult for the host vehicle and the oncoming vehicle to pass each other while traveling. When it is determined that there is a narrow road section, based on the behavior of the preceding vehicle with respect to the oncoming vehicle, it determines whether the host vehicle can enter the narrow road section earlier than the oncoming vehicle. When it is determined that the host vehicle can enter the narrow road section earlier than the oncoming vehicle, it determines that the host vehicle enters the narrow road section earlier than the oncoming vehicle.

Advantages of the Invention

[0018] The vehicle control device according to the present disclosure can accurately determine whether to prioritize the running of its own vehicle based on the behavior of the vehicle in front with respect to the oncoming vehicle in a narrow road section.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0020] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an outline of the operation of the determination device of the present embodiment. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 1, an outline of the operation regarding the determination process of the determination device 13 of the present embodiment disclosed in this specification will be described. The determination device 13 is an example of a vehicle control device.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 10 is traveling on the road 50. The road 50 has a lane 51. The lane 51 is demarcated by a lane demarcation line 52 and a lane demarcation line 53.

[0022] The road 50 has a narrow road section Z where the width is narrowed in part. In the narrow road section Z, the distance between the lane demarcation line 52 and the lane demarcation line 53 becomes narrow. In the narrow road section, it is difficult for two vehicles to pass by each other while traveling.

[0023] Vehicle 10 includes an object detection device 11, an automatic control device 12, and a determination device 13. The object detection device 11 generates object detection information representing objects such as vehicles within a predetermined range in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10 based on environmental information representing the environment around the vehicle 10, such as a camera image. Further, the object detection device 11 generates road information representing a road within a predetermined range in the traveling direction of the vehicle based on the environmental information.

[0024] The automatic control device 12 controls the vehicle 10 based on the object detection information, the road information, etc. The vehicle 10 may be an autonomous vehicle.

[0025] In the example shown in FIG. 1, the determination device 13 determines, based on the object detection information, that there is a preceding vehicle 60 traveling ahead of the vehicle 10 and an oncoming vehicle 70 traveling in the opposite direction to the vehicle 10 within a predetermined range in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10.

[0026] Further, the determination device 13 determines, based on the road information, etc., that there is a narrow road section Z between the preceding vehicle 60 and the oncoming vehicle 70 where it is difficult for the vehicle 10 and the oncoming vehicle 70 to pass by each other while traveling.

[0027] The determination device 13 determines whether the vehicle 10 can enter the narrow road section Z before the oncoming vehicle 70 based on the behavior of the preceding vehicle 60 with respect to the oncoming vehicle 70. If the oncoming vehicle 70 yields to the preceding vehicle 60 to travel through the narrow road section Z first, it can be expected that the oncoming vehicle 70 will also yield to the vehicle 10 to travel through the narrow road section Z first.

[0028] For example, if it is determined that the preceding vehicle 60 passes through the narrow road section Z before the oncoming vehicle 70 and the vehicle 10 can enter the narrow road section Z before the preceding vehicle 60 passes through the narrow road section Z, the determination device 13 decides that the vehicle 10 enters the narrow road section Z before the oncoming vehicle 70.

[0029] The determination device 13 notifies the automatic control device 12 that the vehicle 10 enters the narrow road section Z earlier than the oncoming vehicle 70. The automatic control device 12 controls the vehicle 10 to follow the preceding vehicle 60 and enter the narrow road section.

[0030] On the other hand, when it is determined that the preceding vehicle 60 passes through the narrow road section Z earlier than the oncoming vehicle 70 and the vehicle 10 cannot enter the narrow road section Z before the preceding vehicle 60 passes through the narrow road section Z, the determination device 13 determines that the vehicle 10 does not enter the narrow road section Z earlier than the oncoming vehicle 70.

[0031] As described above, the determination device 13 can accurately determine whether to prioritize the running of the vehicle 10 based on the response of the preceding vehicle 60 to the oncoming vehicle 70 in the narrow road section Z. Thereby, the determination device 13 can determine the order of traveling in the narrow road section Z between the oncoming vehicle 70 and the vehicle 10.

[0032] FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of the vehicle 10 in which the determination device 13 of the present embodiment is mounted. The vehicle 10 includes a front camera 2, a LiDAR sensor 3, a vehicle speed sensor 6, a user interface (UI) 7, an object detection device 11, an automatic control device 12, a determination device 13, and the like.

[0033] The front camera 2, the LiDAR sensor 3, the vehicle speed sensor 6, the UI 7, the object detection device 11, the automatic control device 12, and the determination device 13 are communicably connected via an in-vehicle network 14 compliant with a standard such as a controller area network.

[0034] The front camera 2 is an example of an imaging unit provided in the vehicle 10. The front camera 2 is attached to the vehicle 10 so as to face the front of the vehicle 10. The front camera 2 acquires a camera image representing the environment of an area within a predetermined field of view in front of the vehicle 10, for example, at a camera image acquisition time set at a predetermined cycle. The camera image may represent a road included in a predetermined area in front of the vehicle 10 and road features such as lane dividing lines on the road surface. The front camera 2 has a two-dimensional detector composed of an array of photoelectric conversion elements sensitive to visible light, such as a CCD or a C-MOS. Further, the front camera 2 has an imaging optical system that forms an image of an area to be photographed on the two-dimensional detector. The camera image is an example of environmental information. The field of view of the front camera 2 is an example of a predetermined range.

[0035] Each time the front camera 2 acquires a camera image, the front camera 2 outputs the camera image and the camera image acquisition time to the object detection device 11 etc. via the in-vehicle network 14. The camera image is used in the object detection device 11 for processing to detect objects and road features etc. around the vehicle 10.

[0036] The LiDAR sensor 3 is attached to, for example, the outer surface of the vehicle 10 so as to face the front of the vehicle 10. The LiDAR sensor 3 emits a laser so as to scan a predetermined field of view in front of the vehicle 10 at a reflection wave information acquisition time set at a predetermined cycle. Then, the LiDAR sensor 3 receives the reflected wave reflected by the reflecting object. The time required for the reflected wave to return has distance information between the vehicle 10 and another object located in the direction in which the laser was irradiated. The LiDAR sensor 3 outputs the reflected wave information, together with the reflection wave information acquisition time when the laser was emitted, to the object detection device 11 etc. via the in-vehicle network 14. The reflected wave information includes the irradiation direction of the laser and the time required for the reflected wave to return. The reflection wave information acquisition time represents the time when the laser was emitted. The reflected wave information is used in the object detection device 11 for processing to detect objects around the vehicle 10. It is preferable that the field of view of the LiDAR sensor 3 overlaps with the field of view of the front camera 2.

[0037] The vehicle speed sensor 6 detects speed information representing the speed of the vehicle 10. The vehicle speed sensor 6 has, for example, a measuring unit that measures the rotational speed of the tires of the vehicle 10. The vehicle speed sensor 6 outputs the speed information to the object detection device 11, the automatic control device 12, the determination device 13, etc. via the in-vehicle network 14. The speed information is used in the object detection device 11, the automatic control device 12, and the determination device 13 for processing to obtain the speed of the vehicle 10.

[0038] The UI 7 is an example of a notification unit. The UI 7 is controlled by the automatic control device 12, the determination device 13, etc., and notifies the driver of the driving information or warnings of the vehicle 10. The driving information of the vehicle 10 includes the current position of the vehicle, notifications to the driver, etc. The UI 7 has a display device 7a such as a liquid crystal display or a touch panel in order to display the driving information, etc. Further, the UI 7 may have an acoustic output device (not shown) for notifying the driver of the driving information, etc.

[0039] The object detection device 11 detects the objects around the vehicle 10 and their types based on the camera image. The objects include moving objects such as pedestrians or vehicles. Further, the object detection device 11 detects road features such as lane dividing lines based on the camera image. Further, the object detection device 11 may detect the road edge.

[0040] The object detection device 11 has, for example, an identifier that detects the objects and road features represented in the image by inputting the camera image. As the identifier, for example, a deep neural network (DNN) pre-trained to detect the objects and road features represented in the input image can be used. The object detection device 11 may use an identifier other than the DNN.

[0041] Further, the object detection device 11 may detect an object around the vehicle 10 based on the reflected wave information. Further, the object detection device 11 may obtain the orientation of the object with respect to the vehicle 10 based on the position of the object in the camera image, and obtain the distance between this object and the vehicle 10 based on this orientation and the reflected wave information. The position of the object represents a position (for example, the center of gravity) representing the object. The object detection device 11 estimates the position of the object, for example, represented in the vehicle coordinate system, based on the current position of the vehicle 10, the distance and orientation to the object with respect to the vehicle 10. Further, the object detection device 11 may track the object detected from the latest camera image by associating the object detected from the latest camera image with the object detected from the past image according to the tracking process based on the optical flow. The tracked object is assigned an object identification number. Then, the object detection device 11 may obtain the trajectory of the object being tracked based on the position of the object in the past image to the latest image. The object detection device 11 can estimate the speed of the object with respect to the vehicle 10 based on the change in the position of the object over time. Further, the object detection device 11 can estimate the acceleration of the object based on the change in the speed of the object over time. The object detection device 11 may obtain the position of the road feature in the same manner as described above. The position of the road feature is represented, for example, in the vehicle coordinate system.

[0042] The object detection device 11 notifies the automatic control device 12 or the like of object detection information including information representing the object and road feature information representing the road feature. The object detection information includes information indicating the type of the detected object, information indicating its position, information indicating speed, acceleration, and the driving lane. For the tracked object, the object detection information includes the object identification number. Further, the object detection device 11 outputs road information including the position of the lane dividing line representing the road to the determination device 13 via the in-vehicle network 14.

[0043] The automatic control device 12 controls the operation of the vehicle 10. The automatic control device 12 has an automatic driving mode in which the vehicle 10 is driven in an automatic driving manner, and a manual driving mode in which the operation of the vehicle 10 is controlled based on the driver's operation. In the automatic driving mode, the automatic control device 12 mainly drives the vehicle 10. In the automatic driving mode, the automatic control device 12 controls operations such as steering, driving, and braking based on information detected by the front camera 2 and the LiDAR sensor 3 mounted on the vehicle 10, etc.

[0044] The automatic control device 12 acquires the current position of the vehicle 10 based on positioning information such as GNSS information. The automatic control device 12 drives the vehicle 10 based on the current position of the vehicle 10, the destination position, and the navigation route generated based on the navigation map.

[0045] Also, in the manual driving mode, the driver mainly drives the vehicle 10. In the manual driving mode, the automatic control device 12 controls operations of the vehicle 10 such as steering, driving, and braking based on the driver's operation on the steering wheel, brake pedal, or accelerator pedal (not shown). The automatic control device 12 controls the operation of the vehicle 10 based on at least one of the steering wheel, brake pedal, or accelerator pedal operated by the driver in the manual driving mode.

[0046] The automatic control device 12 outputs a control signal for controlling steering to a steering device (not shown) via the in-vehicle network 14. The automatic control device 12 outputs a drive signal for controlling driving to a drive device (not shown) via the in-vehicle network 14. The automatic control device 12 outputs a brake signal for controlling braking to a brake device (not shown) via the in-vehicle network 14. The steering signal for controlling steering, the drive signal for controlling driving, and the brake signal for controlling braking are an example of information representing the operation of the vehicle.

[0047] The determination device 13 executes a determination process and a decision process. For this purpose, the determination device 13 includes a communication interface (IF) 21, a memory 22, and a processor 23. The communication interface 21, the memory 22, and the processor 23 are connected via a signal line 24. The communication interface 21 has an interface circuit for connecting the determination device 13 to the in-vehicle network 14.

[0048] The memory 22 is an example of a storage unit and includes, for example, a volatile semiconductor memory and a non-volatile semiconductor memory. The memory 22 stores a computer program of an application and various data used in information processing executed by the processor 23. The memory 22 stores the dimensions of the vehicle 10 such as the width and length of the vehicle.

[0049] All or part of the functions of the determination device 13 are functional modules realized by, for example, a computer program operating on the processor 23. The processor 23 includes a determination unit 231 and a decision unit 232. Alternatively, the functional module of the processor 23 may be a dedicated arithmetic circuit provided in the processor 23. The processor 23 includes one or more CPUs (Central Processing Units) and their peripheral circuits. The processor 23 may further include other arithmetic circuits such as a logical arithmetic unit, a numerical arithmetic unit, or a graphic processing unit.

[0050] FIG. 3 is an example of an operation flowchart regarding the vehicle control process of the determination device 13 of the present embodiment. With reference to FIG. 3, the vehicle control process of the determination device 13 will be described below. The determination device 13 executes a vehicle control process according to the operation flowchart shown in FIG. 3 at a vehicle control time having a predetermined period.

[0051] First, the determination unit 231 determines whether there is a preceding vehicle traveling in front of the vehicle 10 (step S101). The determination unit 231 determines whether there is a preceding vehicle based on the object detection information. The determination unit 231 determines that there is a preceding vehicle when there is another vehicle in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10 with respect to the current position of the vehicle 10.

[0052] The determination unit 231 determines that there is a preceding vehicle when there is another vehicle located in front of the vehicle 10 and moving in the same direction as the traveling direction of the vehicle 10. The determination unit 231 is an example of the first determination unit.

[0053] When there is a preceding vehicle (step S101-Yes), the determination unit 231 determines whether there is an oncoming vehicle traveling opposite to the vehicle 10 (step S102). The determination unit 231 determines whether there is an oncoming vehicle based on the object detection information. The determination unit 231 determines that there is an oncoming vehicle when there is another vehicle located in front of the vehicle 10 and moving in the direction opposite to the traveling direction of the vehicle 10. Note that the determination unit 231 may determine that there is an oncoming vehicle when the distance between the oncoming vehicle and the vehicle 10 is shorter than a predetermined reference distance. As the reference distance, for example, it can be set to 10 m to 50 m.

[0054] When there is a preceding vehicle (step S102-Yes), the determination unit 231 determines whether there is a narrow road section between the preceding vehicle and the oncoming vehicle where it is difficult for the vehicle 10 and the oncoming vehicle to pass by each other (step S103). The determination unit 231 is an example of the second determination unit.

[0055] The determination unit 231 detects a narrow road section within a predetermined range in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10 based on the road information. As the predetermined range, the field of view of the front camera 2 can be used. First, the determination unit 231 obtains the width of the road on which the vehicle 10 is traveling based on the road information. As the width of the road, the distance between the lane dividing line closest to one road edge and the lane dividing line closest to the other road edge can be used. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the distance between the lane dividing line 52 and the lane dividing line 53 is used as the width of the road. If the lane dividing line is not detected, the distance between the opposing road edges may be used as the width of the road. Further, when the determination unit 231 has a high-precision map of the road on which the vehicle 10 is traveling, the determination unit 231 may detect the narrow road section based on the current position of the vehicle 10 and the high-precision map.

[0056] The determination unit 231 detects a section where the width of the road is equal to or less than a predetermined reference width as a narrow road section. The reference width is the width of a road where it is difficult for two vehicles to pass each other. As the reference width, for example, it can be set to 4 m to 4.5 m. Further, the determination unit 231 may set the reference width based on the width of the vehicle 10 stored in the memory 22. In this case, the reference width may be 2.5 times the width of the vehicle 10.

[0057] When a narrow road section is detected, the determination unit 231 determines whether the position of the narrow road section is between the preceding vehicle and the oncoming vehicle based on the object detection information. When the position of the narrow road section is between the preceding vehicle and the oncoming vehicle, the determination unit 231 determines that there is a narrow road section between the preceding vehicle and the oncoming vehicle.

[0058] When there is a narrow road section between the preceding vehicle and the oncoming vehicle (step S103 - Yes), the determination unit 231 determines whether the vehicle 10 can enter the narrow road section ahead of the oncoming vehicle based on the response of the preceding vehicle to the oncoming vehicle (step S104). The determination unit 231 is an example of a third determination unit. The determination process of this step S104 will be described later with reference to FIG. 4.

[0059] When it is determined that the vehicle 10 can enter the narrow road section earlier than the oncoming vehicle (step S104 - Yes), the determination unit 232 determines that the vehicle 10 will enter the narrow road section earlier than the oncoming vehicle (step S105), and ends the series of processes. The determination unit 232 notifies the automatic control device 12 that the vehicle 10 will enter the narrow road section earlier than the oncoming vehicle. The automatic control device 12 controls the vehicle 10 to follow the vehicle ahead and enter the narrow road section.

[0060] On the other hand, when there is no vehicle ahead (step S101 - No), when there is no vehicle ahead (step S102 - No), or when there is no narrow road section between the vehicle ahead and the oncoming vehicle (step S103 - No), the determination unit 232 determines to control the vehicle 10 in the normal driving mode (step S106), and ends the series of processes. The determination unit 232 notifies the automatic control device 12 that the vehicle 10 will be controlled in the normal driving mode.

[0061] In the normal driving mode, the automatic control device 12 controls the vehicle 10 to maintain a safe distance from an object such as the vehicle ahead or the oncoming vehicle. When there is an oncoming vehicle and there is a narrow road section between the oncoming vehicle and the vehicle 10, the automatic control device 12 may control the vehicle 10 in the passing driving mode. In the passing driving mode, it is estimated which of the vehicle 10 and the oncoming vehicle will enter the narrow road section first, and the vehicle estimated to enter the narrow road section first travels through the narrow road section first.

[0062] When it is determined that the vehicle 10 cannot enter the narrow road section earlier than the oncoming vehicle (step S104 - No), the determination unit 232 determines to control the vehicle 10 in the passing driving mode (step S107), and ends the series of processes. The determination unit 232 notifies the automatic control device 12 that the vehicle 10 will be controlled in the passing driving mode.

[0063] In the passing driving mode, for example, when it is estimated that an oncoming vehicle enters a narrow road section first, the automatic control device 12 controls the vehicle 10 so that the vehicle 10 enters the narrow road section Z after the oncoming vehicle 70 passes through the narrow road section Z.

[0064] Next, with reference to FIG. 4, the determination process of step S104 described above will be described below. FIG. 4 is an example of an operation flowchart regarding the determination process of the determination device of the present embodiment. The determination device 13 executes the determination process according to the operation flowchart shown in FIG. 4.

[0065] First, the determination unit 231 determines whether the leading vehicle reaches the narrow road section earlier than the oncoming vehicle based on the speeds of the leading vehicle, the oncoming vehicle, and the vehicle 10 in a predetermined past period (step S201).

[0066] The determination unit 231 acquires the current position of the leading vehicle and the current position of the oncoming vehicle based on the object detection information. The determination unit 231 obtains the distance between the leading vehicle and the narrow road section. The determination unit 231 obtains the distance between the oncoming vehicle and the narrow road section.

[0067] The determination unit 231 obtains the time required for the leading vehicle to reach the narrow road section when the leading vehicle travels at the current speed. As the current speed of the leading vehicle, the average speed of the leading vehicle in the immediate past (for example, 5 seconds to 10 seconds) may be used.

[0068] Also, the determination unit 231 obtains the time required for the oncoming vehicle to reach the narrow road section when the oncoming vehicle travels at the current speed. As the current speed of the oncoming vehicle, the average speed of the oncoming vehicle in the immediate past (for example, 5 seconds) may be used.

[0069] When the time required for the leading vehicle to reach the narrow road section is shorter than the time required for the oncoming vehicle to reach the narrow road section, the determination unit 231 determines that the leading vehicle reaches the narrow road section earlier than the oncoming vehicle.

[0070] If the time required for the vehicle ahead to reach the narrow road section is equal to or longer than the time required for the oncoming vehicle to reach the narrow road section, the determination unit 231 determines that the vehicle ahead will not reach the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle.

[0071] If the vehicle ahead reaches the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle (step S201 - Yes), the determination unit 231 determines whether vehicle 10 can enter the narrow road section before the vehicle ahead passes through the narrow road section (step S202).

[0072] The determination unit 231 obtains a first time required for the vehicle ahead to pass through the narrow road section from the current position when the vehicle ahead travels at the current speed. As the current speed of the vehicle ahead, the average speed of the vehicle ahead in the immediate past (for example, within 5 seconds) may be used.

[0073] Further, the determination unit 231 obtains a second time required for vehicle 10 to reach the narrow road section from the current position when vehicle 10 travels at the current speed. As the current speed of vehicle 10, the average speed of vehicle 10 in the immediate past (for example, within 5 seconds) may be used.

[0074] If the second time is shorter than the first time, the determination unit 231 determines that vehicle 10 can enter the narrow road section before the vehicle ahead passes through the narrow road section. On the other hand, if the second time is equal to or longer than the first time, the determination unit 231 determines that vehicle 10 cannot enter the narrow road section before the vehicle ahead passes through the narrow road section.

[0075] If vehicle 10 can enter the narrow road section before the vehicle ahead passes through the narrow road section (step S202 - Yes), the determination unit 231 determines that vehicle 10 can enter the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle (step S203), and ends the series of processes.

[0076] On the other hand, if the leading vehicle cannot reach the narrow road section earlier than the oncoming vehicle (step S201 - No), or if vehicle 10 cannot enter the narrow road section until the leading vehicle passes through the narrow road section (step S202 - No), the determination unit 231 determines that vehicle 10 cannot enter the narrow road section earlier than the oncoming vehicle (step S204), and ends the series of processes.

[0077] Next, Modification Example 1 and Modification Example 2 of the above-described determination process will be described below. First, in Modification Example 1 of the determination process, in step S202 described above, the determination unit 231 determines whether vehicle 10 can enter the narrow road section until the leading vehicle that has passed through the narrow road section passes by the oncoming vehicle.

[0078] The determination unit 231 obtains a third time required for the leading vehicle to pass by the oncoming vehicle from the current position when the leading vehicle travels at the current speed. The oncoming vehicle is assumed to travel at the current speed of the oncoming vehicle until the narrow road section and stop in front of the narrow road section, and the third time is obtained. As the current speed of the oncoming vehicle, the average speed of the oncoming vehicle in the immediate past (for example, within 5 seconds) may be used. The third time represents, for example, the time required for the position (for example, the center of gravity) representing the leading vehicle 10 to pass through the position (for example, the center of gravity) representing the oncoming vehicle. Further, the determination unit 231 obtains a fourth time required for vehicle 10 to reach the narrow road section from the current position when vehicle 10 travels at the current speed.

[0079] If the fourth time is shorter than the third time, the determination unit 231 determines that vehicle 10 can enter the narrow road section until the leading vehicle that has passed through the narrow road section passes by the oncoming vehicle. On the other hand, if the fourth time is equal to or longer than the third time, the determination unit 231 determines that vehicle 10 cannot enter the narrow road section until the leading vehicle that has passed through the narrow road section passes by the oncoming vehicle.

[0080] The third time required for the vehicle ahead to pass by the oncoming vehicle from the current position may be longer than the first time required for the vehicle ahead to pass through the narrow road section from the current position. According to this modification example, the validity of the presumption that the oncoming vehicle will allow vehicle 10 to travel through the narrow road section first is enhanced.

[0081] Next, Modification Example 2 of the determination process will be described below with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is an example of an operation flowchart regarding Modification Example 2 of the determination process of the determination device of the present embodiment. In Modification Example 2 of the determination process, the process of step S303 is added, which is different from the operation flowchart of FIG. 4 described above. The processes of steps S301, S302, S304, and S305 are the same as steps S201 to S204 described above.

[0082] When vehicle 10 can enter the narrow road section before the vehicle ahead passes through the narrow road section (step S302 - Yes), the determination unit 231 determines whether the distance between the vehicle ahead and vehicle 10 is shorter than a predetermined reference distance (step S303). The determination unit 231 obtains the distance between the vehicle ahead and vehicle 10 based on the current position of vehicle 10 and the position of the vehicle ahead, and compares it with the reference distance. As the predetermined reference distance, for example, it can be set from 3 m to 10 m. If the distance between the vehicle ahead and vehicle 10 is long, the oncoming vehicle is more likely to enter the narrow road section before vehicle 10. On the other hand, if the distance between the vehicle ahead and vehicle 10 is short, the oncoming vehicle is more likely to allow vehicle 10 to enter the narrow road section first.

[0083] When the distance between the vehicle ahead and vehicle 10 is shorter than the reference distance (step S303 - Yes), the determination unit 231 determines that vehicle 10 can enter the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle (step S304), and ends a series of processes.

[0084] On the other hand, when the distance between the vehicle ahead and vehicle 10 is not shorter than the predetermined reference distance (step S303 - No), the determination unit 231 determines that vehicle 10 cannot enter the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle (step S305), and ends a series of processes.

[0085] As described in detail above, the determination device according to the present embodiment can accurately determine whether to give priority to the running of the host vehicle based on the response of the preceding vehicle to the oncoming vehicle in the narrow road section.

[0086] Next, a modified example of the determination device according to the present embodiment described above will be described below with reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is an example of an operation flowchart regarding the determination process of the modified example of the determination device according to the present embodiment.

[0087] In this modified example, after it is determined that the vehicle 10 enters the narrow road section earlier than the oncoming vehicle, the determination device 13 performs the determination process shown in FIG. 6. The determination device 13 performs the determination process according to the operation flowchart shown in FIG. 6 at the determination time having a predetermined period until the vehicle 10 enters the narrow road section.

[0088] First, the determination unit 231 determines whether the preceding vehicle has decelerated by exceeding a predetermined reference speed amount (step S401). As the reference speed amount, for example, it can be set to 5 km / h to 10 km / h. The determination unit 231 acquires the speed of the preceding vehicle based on the object detection information. The determination unit 231 determines whether the preceding vehicle has decelerated by exceeding the reference speed amount with respect to the speed of the preceding vehicle at the time when it is determined that the vehicle 10 can enter the narrow road section earlier than the oncoming vehicle. The determination unit 231 is an example of the fourth determination unit.

[0089] Here, the determination unit 231 may determine whether the preceding vehicle has decelerated by exceeding the reference speed amount when the preceding vehicle is traveling in the narrow road section.

[0090] When the preceding vehicle has decelerated by exceeding the reference speed amount (step S401 - Yes), the determination unit 231 determines that the vehicle 10 cannot enter the narrow road section earlier than the oncoming vehicle (step S402). The determination unit 231 is an example of the fifth determination unit.

[0091] Next, the determination unit 232 determines that the vehicle 10 does not enter the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle (step S403), and ends a series of processes. The determination unit 232 cancels the determination that the host vehicle can enter the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle. The determination unit 232 notifies the automatic control device 12 to control the vehicle 10 in the passing driving mode.

[0092] As a reason for the preceding vehicle to significantly reduce its speed, it is conceivable that the oncoming vehicle is about to enter the narrow road section. Therefore, when the preceding vehicle decelerates beyond the reference speed amount, the determination device 13 cancels the determination that the vehicle 10 can enter the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle. Thereby, the safety of the vehicle 10 can be achieved.

[0093] In the present disclosure, the vehicle control device, the vehicle control computer program, and the vehicle control method of the above-described embodiment can be appropriately changed as long as they do not deviate from the gist of the present disclosure. Further, the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to those embodiments, and extends to the invention described in the claims and its equivalents.

[0094] For example, in the above-described embodiment, one front camera is disposed in front of the vehicle, but front cameras may be disposed on the left and right sides in front of the vehicle, respectively. Thereby, vehicles and road features around the vehicle can be detected more accurately.

[0095] Similarly, in the above-described embodiment, one LiDAR sensor is disposed in front of the vehicle, but LiDAR sensors may be disposed on the left and right sides in front of the vehicle, respectively. Thereby, vehicles and road features around the vehicle can be detected more accurately.

[0096] In addition, in the above-described embodiments, the distance between the host vehicle and an object or the like was measured using a LiDAR sensor, but the distance between the host vehicle and an object or the like may be measured using a stereo camera. Further, the camera image acquired by the camera may be input to a discriminator trained to estimate the distance from the vehicle to an object in the image, and the distance from the vehicle to the object or the like may be calculated.

[0097] In addition, in the above-described embodiments, the operation of the determination device in the automatic driving mode has been described, but the determination device may be used in the manual driving mode. In the manual driving mode, what is determined by the determination unit may be notified to the driver via the user interface.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0098] 2 Front camera 3 LiDAR sensor 6 Vehicle speed sensor 7 User interface 7a Display device 10 Vehicle 11 Object detection device 12 Automatic control device 13 Determination device 21 Communication interface 22 Memory 23 Processor 231 Determination unit 232 Decision unit 14 In-vehicle network

Claims

1. A first determination unit that determines whether there is a preceding vehicle traveling in front of the host vehicle and an oncoming vehicle traveling in the opposite direction to the host vehicle within a predetermined range facing the traveling direction of the host vehicle; A second determination unit that determines whether there is a narrow road section where it is difficult for the host vehicle and the oncoming vehicle to pass by each other between the preceding vehicle and the oncoming vehicle when it is determined by the first determination unit that there are the preceding vehicle and the oncoming vehicle; A third determination unit that determines whether the host vehicle can enter the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle based on the response of the preceding vehicle to the oncoming vehicle when it is determined by the second determination unit that there is the narrow road section; A determination unit that determines that the host vehicle enters the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle when it is determined by the third determination unit that the host vehicle can enter the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle; A vehicle control device, characterized by comprising:

2. The third determination unit determines whether the host vehicle can enter the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle until the preceding vehicle reaches the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle and passes through the narrow road section; When it is determined by the third determination unit that the preceding vehicle reaches the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle and the host vehicle can enter the narrow road section until the preceding vehicle passes through the narrow road section, the determination unit determines that the host vehicle enters the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle. The vehicle control device according to Claim 1.

3. The third determination unit determines whether the host vehicle can enter the narrow road section until the preceding vehicle reaches the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle and passes through the narrow road section and until the preceding vehicle that has passed through the narrow road section passes by the side of the oncoming vehicle; When it is determined by the third determination unit that the preceding vehicle passes through the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle and the host vehicle can enter the narrow road section until the preceding vehicle that has passed through the narrow road section passes by the side of the oncoming vehicle, the determination unit determines that the host vehicle can enter the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle. The vehicle control device according to Claim 1.

4. The third determination unit determines whether the host vehicle can enter the narrow road section until the preceding vehicle reaches the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle and passes through the narrow road section, and whether the distance between the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle is shorter than a predetermined reference distance; When the third determination unit determines that the leading vehicle passes through the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle and the host vehicle can enter the narrow road section before the leading vehicle that has passed through the narrow road section passes by the side of the oncoming vehicle and the distance between the leading vehicle and the host vehicle is shorter than a predetermined reference distance, the determination unit determines that the host vehicle can enter the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle. The vehicle control device according to claim 1.

5. After the determination unit determines that the host vehicle can enter the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle, a fourth determination unit that determines whether the leading vehicle decelerates by more than a predetermined reference speed amount; When the fourth determination unit determines that the leading vehicle decelerates by more than a predetermined reference speed amount, a fifth determination unit that determines that the host vehicle cannot enter the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle; further comprising When the fifth determination unit determines that the host vehicle cannot enter the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle, the determination unit cancels the determination that the host vehicle can enter the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle and determines that the host vehicle does not enter the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. After the determination unit determines that the host vehicle can enter the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle, when the leading vehicle is traveling in the narrow road section, the fourth determination unit determines whether the leading vehicle decelerates by more than a predetermined reference speed amount. The vehicle control device according to claim 5.

7. Determine whether there is a leading vehicle traveling in front of the host vehicle and an oncoming vehicle traveling opposite to the host vehicle within a predetermined range in the traveling direction of the host vehicle, When it is determined that there are a leading vehicle and an oncoming vehicle, determine whether there is a narrow road section between the leading vehicle and the oncoming vehicle where it is difficult for the host vehicle and the oncoming vehicle to pass by each other, When it is determined that there is the narrow road section, determine whether the host vehicle can enter the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle based on the behavior of the leading vehicle with respect to the oncoming vehicle, When it is determined that the host vehicle can enter the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle, determine that the host vehicle enters the narrow road section before the oncoming vehicle, causing a processor to execute a process including this. A vehicle control computer program characterized by this.

8. The vehicle control device is Determine whether there is a preceding vehicle traveling in front of the host vehicle and an oncoming vehicle traveling in the opposite direction to the host vehicle within a predetermined range in the traveling direction of the host vehicle. When it is determined that there are a preceding vehicle and an oncoming vehicle, determine whether there is a narrow road section between the preceding vehicle and the oncoming vehicle where it is difficult for the host vehicle and the oncoming vehicle to pass by each other while traveling. When it is determined that there is the narrow road section, based on the response of the preceding vehicle to the oncoming vehicle, determine whether the host vehicle can enter the narrow road section ahead of the oncoming vehicle. When it is determined that the host vehicle can enter the narrow road section ahead of the oncoming vehicle, decide that the host vehicle enters the narrow road section ahead of the oncoming vehicle. A vehicle control method characterized by the above.

Images