Automatic travel management device

Abstract

To suppress dazzling of a person present in a predetermined area by irradiation light of a headlight while suppressing reduction in an unnecessary light amount of the headlight.SOLUTION: An automatic travel management device manages automatic travel of a vehicle in a predetermined area. The automatic travel management device comprises a communication device and one or more processors. The communication device communicates with the vehicle and with a recognition sensor installed in the predetermined area to recognize a situation in the predetermined area. The one or more processors are configured, when the vehicle is automatically traveling with the headlight turned on, to detect a first person present in an irradiation range of the headlight on the basis of person recognition information from the recognition sensor, and to execute a light amount reduction process in which an instruction to reduce the light amount of the headlight is transmitted to the vehicle in response to detection of the first person.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a technique for managing the automatic driving of a vehicle within a predetermined area.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an automatic parking server. The automatic parking server sets an illuminance suppression point, which is a position in a parking lot where the illuminance of the front lighting device of an automatically driving vehicle is suppressed, and instructs the automatically driving vehicle to suppress the illuminance at the illuminance suppression point. As an example of setting the illuminance suppression point, a position before entering the boarding area or a position within the boarding area is disclosed.

[0003] Further, Patent Document 2 discloses an electrical component control device that controls the operating state of at least one electrical component mounted on an automatically driving vehicle. When the electrical component control device receives a movement request to move the automatically driving vehicle in a state where the user is not aboard and is instructed to move the automatically driving vehicle, the electrical component control device is configured to suppress the operation of a plurality of target electrical components representing electrical components that act on the five senses of the user. Furthermore, Patent Document 3 discloses a vehicle control device that makes it easier for a driver to visually recognize a pedestrian located between the vehicle and an oncoming vehicle while ensuring the illuminance in front as much as possible when the headlights are on. When the illuminance in a predetermined light projection range where the light projection range of the headlights of the vehicle (own vehicle) overlaps with the light projection range of the headlights of the oncoming vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined value and a pedestrian is detected within the predetermined light projection range, the control device automatically reduces the illuminance of the headlights of the own vehicle in the predetermined light projection range.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The lighting of a lighting device such as a headlight is basically desirable because it can notify people around the vehicle (e.g., pedestrians and passengers in other vehicles) of the presence of the vehicle. However, if the vehicle turns on its headlights in a dark area such as a parking lot or an area inside a factory, it may dazzle the people present in the area. According to the technique described in Patent Document 1, when it is determined that an autonomous vehicle has reached an illuminance suppression point based on parking lot map information, the illuminance is suppressed. However, at the timing when the autonomous vehicle reaches the boarding area as an illuminance suppression point, a person such as a user does not necessarily exist in the boarding area. Therefore, according to the technique described in Patent Document 1, the illuminance of the headlight may be unnecessarily suppressed.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to suppress the reduction of an unnecessary amount of light of a headlight and to suppress dazzling a person present in a predetermined area by the irradiation light of the headlight.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The autonomous driving management device according to the present disclosure manages the autonomous driving of a vehicle within a predetermined area. The autonomous driving management device includes a communication device and one or more processors. The communication device communicates with each of the vehicle and a recognition sensor installed in the predetermined area to recognize the situation within the predetermined area. When the vehicle is autonomously driving while the headlight is on, the one or more processors detect a first person present in the irradiation range of the headlight based on the person recognition information from the recognition sensor, and in response to the detection of the first person, execute a light amount reduction process of transmitting an instruction to the vehicle to reduce the light amount of the headlight.

Effects of the Invention

[0008] According to the present disclosure, based on the person recognition information from a recognition sensor installed in a predetermined area, a person present in the irradiation range of the headlights of an autonomously driving vehicle is detected. Then, in response to the detection of the person, an instruction to reduce the light amount of the headlights is transmitted to the vehicle. For this reason, it is possible to suppress the unnecessary reduction (including turning off) of the light amount of the headlights and suppress dazzling a person present in the predetermined area by the irradiation light of the headlights.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0011] 1. Automatic Driving Management System FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the configuration of an automatic driving management system 100 according to an embodiment. The automatic driving management system 100 manages the automatic driving of the vehicle 10 within a "predetermined area". In the example shown in FIG. 1, the predetermined area is the parking lot 1. More specifically, in this example, the automatic driving management system 100 corresponds to an automatic valet parking management system that manages the automatic valet parking (AVP) of the vehicle 10 in the parking lot 1. Note that the predetermined area is not limited to the parking lot 1, and may be, for example, an area within a factory. The following description will be given by taking the parking lot 1 as an example of the predetermined area.

[0012] The vehicle 10 is a vehicle corresponding to AVP in the parking lot 1. The vehicle 10 can automatically travel at least within the parking lot 1 without depending on the driving operation by the driver. The vehicle 10 may be an autonomous vehicle that can also automatically travel outside the parking lot 1. The vehicle 10 is provided with a headlight (headlamp) 12 and a small light (side marker lamp) 14. Further, the vehicle 10 may be provided with a daytime light (daytime running light) 16.

[0013] The parking lot 1 includes a drop-off area 2, a pick-up area 3, a passage 4, and a plurality of parking spaces 5. The vehicle 10 entering the parking lot 1 stops at the drop-off area 2, where the user gets off the vehicle 10. On the other hand, the vehicle 10 exiting the parking lot 1 stops at the pick-up area 3, where the user gets on the vehicle 10. The drop-off area 2 can also be called an entrance area, and the pick-up area 3 can also be called an exit area. The passage 4 is an area where the vehicle 10 travels. The parking space 5 is a space where the vehicle 10 parks. For example, the parking space 5 is demarcated by partition lines. Note that the parking lot 1 may be a dedicated parking lot for AVP only for AVP vehicles 10, or may be a parking lot where AVP vehicles 10 that do not use the AVP function and vehicles that do not have the AVP function can also be used.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, the automatic driving management system 100 includes one or more infrastructure sensors 20 (hereinafter simply referred to as "infrastructure sensors 20") and an automatic driving management device (or simply a management device) 30.

[0015] The infrastructure sensor 20 is installed at various locations in the parking lot 1 and recognizes the situation of the parking lot 1. The infrastructure sensor 20 includes, for example, a camera. More specifically, the infrastructure sensor 20 recognizes the situation around the vehicle 10 in the parking lot 1 (for example, obstacles such as pedestrians and other vehicles). Further, the infrastructure sensor 20 recognizes the availability of the parking space 5. The information acquired by the infrastructure sensor 20 is transmitted to the automatic driving management device 30. Note that the infrastructure sensor 20 corresponds to an example of the "recognition sensor" according to the present disclosure.

[0016] The automatic driving management device 30 manages the automatic driving of the vehicle 10 within the parking lot 1 (predetermined area). The management device 30 is, for example, installed alongside the parking lot 1. Alternatively, the management device 30 may be, for example, a management server (cloud) that manages a plurality of parking lots 1. Alternatively, the management device 30 may be a combination of a local management device installed alongside the parking lot 1 and a management server.

[0017] The management device 30 includes a communication device 32, one or more processors 34 (hereinafter simply referred to as the processor 34), and one or more storage devices 36 (hereinafter simply referred to as the storage device 36). The communication device 32 communicates with each of the vehicle 10 and the infrastructure sensor 20 via a communication network.

[0018] The processor 34 executes various processes related to the management of the autonomous driving of the vehicle 10. Examples of the processor 34 include a CPU, a GPU, an ASIC, an FPGA, etc. The processor 34 can also be referred to as circuitry or processing circuitry. Circuitry is hardware programmed to realize the described functions, or hardware that executes functions. The storage device 36 stores various information. Examples of the storage device 36 include a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory, an HDD, an SSD, etc. The functions of the management device 30 may be realized by the cooperation of the processor 34 that executes the management program and the storage device 36. The management program is stored in the storage device 36. Alternatively, the management program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The management program may be provided via a network.

[0019] The management device 30 (processor 34) executes automatic driving control for automatically driving the vehicle 10 within the parking lot 1 based on the information from the infrastructure sensor 20. More specifically, in the example where the predetermined area is the parking lot 1, the control of the vehicle 10 for automatically parking the vehicle 10 in the parking space 5 assigned to the vehicle 10 corresponds to the automatic driving control described here.

[0020] In the automatic driving control, the management device 30 acquires from the infrastructure sensor 20 information indicating the situation around the vehicle 10 within the parking lot 1 (for example, obstacles such as pedestrians and other vehicles). This information includes the "person recognition information" described later. Also, the management device 30 specifies the position of the vehicle 10 within the parking lot 1 based on the information of the vehicle 10 recognized by the infrastructure sensor 20. The management device 30 generates a target driving route from the getting-off area (warehouse-in area) 2 to the parking space 5 assigned to the vehicle 10 based on this information. Then, the management device 30 communicates with the vehicle 10 and remotely controls the vehicle 10 to travel according to the generated target driving route.

[0021] 2. Lighting control within a predetermined area The automatic driving management device 30 (processor 34) controls the lights of the vehicle 10 that is automatically driving within a predetermined area as follows.

[0022] 2-1. First control example FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a first control example of the lights of the vehicle 10 within a predetermined area according to the embodiment.

[0023] FIG. 2 shows an example of the irradiation range A1 of the left and right headlamps 12 of the vehicle 10. The irradiation range A1 extends forward from the vehicle 10 along the irradiation direction DR1 in, for example, a substantially conical shape. In FIG. 2, the irradiation ranges A1 of the left and right headlamps 12 are shown as being of the same size as an example. However, the irradiation ranges A1 may be different between the left and right. Each irradiation range A1 may be two-dimensionally specified, for example, in a top view of the vehicle 10 as shown in FIG. 2. Alternatively, each irradiation range A1 may be a spatial range (irradiation space) specified three-dimensionally.

[0024] Prior to the start of the automatic driving control of the vehicle 10, the management device 30 communicates with the vehicle 10 and acquires "irradiation range information". The acquired irradiation range information is stored in the storage device 36. The irradiation range information includes, for example, the position of the headlamp 12 on the vehicle 10, as well as the irradiation angle and irradiation distance of the headlamp 12. The management device 30 can specify the irradiation range A1 of the headlamp 12 based on the irradiation range information.

[0025] When the vehicle 10 performs automatic driving within a dark predetermined area such as an indoor parking lot 1, etc., the management device 30 transmits an instruction to turn on the headlamp 12 with a normal light amount to the vehicle 10. The electronic control unit (ECU) of the vehicle 10 that has received the instruction turns on the headlamp 12 with a normal light amount as shown in FIG. 2 (A: Headlamp on).

[0026] The infra sensors 20 installed at various locations in the parking lot 1 are configured to execute a process of recognizing people in the parking lot 1 by photographing each part of the parking lot 1 and analyzing the photographed images. The people to be recognized include, for example, pedestrians and vehicle passengers. When a person is recognized, the infra sensor 20 transmits "person recognition information" to the management device 30. The person recognition information includes information on an image of the parking lot 1 in which the recognized person is included.

[0027] When the management device 30 receives the person recognition information while the vehicle 10 is performing autonomous driving with the headlights 12 turned on, it executes the following process. That is, the management device executes a process of detecting a person (the "first person" according to the present disclosure) existing in the irradiation range A1 of the headlights 12 of the vehicle 10 based on the person recognition information.

[0028] More specifically, the management device 30 identifies the position of the recognized person based on the person recognition information. Then, the management device 30 executes a process of detecting a person existing in the irradiation range A1 based on, for example, the position information of the person, the position information of the vehicle 10 identified based on the information from the infra sensor 20, and the irradiation range information. The irradiation range A1 used for detecting a person in this way is, for example, the total range of the irradiation ranges A1 of the left and right headlights 12. In addition, the detection of a person existing in the irradiation range A1 does not necessarily require that the entire person is within the irradiation range A1, and it is sufficient that at least a part of the person is within the irradiation range A1.

[0029] When a pedestrian 51, which is an example of a person existing in the irradiation range A1, is detected (B: person detection), the management device 30 executes "light quantity reduction processing" in response to the detection of the pedestrian 51. The light quantity reduction processing includes transmitting an instruction (light quantity reduction instruction) for reducing the light quantity of the headlight 12 to the vehicle 10. The light quantity reduction instruction may be an instruction to turn off the headlight 12. The vehicle 10 that has received the instruction to turn off the headlight 12 turns off the headlight 12 (C1: headlight turned off). Additionally, the management device 30 may transmit an instruction to the vehicle 10 to turn off the small light 14 in conjunction with the turning off of the headlight 12, or alternatively, may continue to turn on the small light 14.

[0030] Alternatively, the light quantity reduction instruction may be an instruction to reduce the light quantity without turning off the headlight 12. The vehicle 10 that has received this instruction reduces the light quantity of the headlight 12 according to the instruction (C2: headlight light quantity reduction). The irradiation range A2 corresponds to an example of the irradiation range of the headlight 12 when the light quantity is reduced in this way.

[0031] Additionally, when the light quantity reduction instruction is an instruction to reduce the light quantity, the management device 30 may transmit an instruction to the vehicle 10 to reduce the light quantity as the person such as the detected pedestrian 51 approaches the vehicle 10. Further, the instruction may ultimately include turning off the headlight 12.

[0032] When it is detected based on the person recognition information that the pedestrian 51 has moved out of the irradiation range A1 during the execution of the light quantity reduction processing, the management device 30 transmits an instruction to the vehicle 10 to return the light quantity of the headlight 12 to the light quantity before the reduction by the light quantity reduction processing. The vehicle 10 that has received this instruction returns the light quantity of the headlight 12 according to the instruction (D: return light quantity). Additionally, in the example where the headlight 12 has been turned off by the light quantity reduction processing, the vehicle 10 turns on the headlight 12 again.

[0033] As described above, according to the first control example, based on the person recognition information from the infrastructure sensor 20 (recognition sensor) installed in the parking lot 1 (predetermined area), a person present in the irradiation range A1 of the headlight 12 of the automatically traveling vehicle 10 is detected. Then, in response to the detection of the person, an instruction to reduce the light amount of the headlight 12 is transmitted to the vehicle 10. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the unnecessary reduction of the light amount of the headlight 12 (including turning off the light) and suppress dazzling the person present in the parking lot 1 with the irradiation light of the headlight 12.

[0034] Also, according to the first control example, when it is detected that a person such as the pedestrian 51 has moved out of the irradiation range A1, an instruction to return the light amount of the headlight 12 to the light amount before the reduction by the light amount reduction process is transmitted to the vehicle 10. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the unnecessary reduction of the light amount of the headlight 12 while realizing the function of suppressing dazzling the person present in the parking lot 1.

[0035] 2-2. Second control example The above-described first control example may be executed in accompaniment with the following second control example. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a second control example of the lighting of the vehicle 10 within a predetermined area according to the embodiment.

[0036] The second control example is premised on the fact that the instruction to reduce the light amount to the vehicle 10 by the light amount reduction process is an instruction to turn off the headlight 12. Therefore, in response to the detection of the pedestrian 52, which is an example of a person present in the irradiation range A1 of the headlight 12, the vehicle 10 turns off the headlight 12 and performs automatic driving (A: headlight off). Also, in this example, the vehicle 10 turns on the small light 14 while the headlight 12 is off. Thereafter, the pedestrian 52 moves, for example, along the crosswalk 6 and enters the traveling path (target traveling path) in front of the vehicle 10.

[0037] In the second control example, when the vehicle 10 is running while turning off the headlight 12 and not turning on the small light 14 in accordance with the light amount reduction process as described above, the management device 30 executes the following processes. That is, the management device 30 executes a process of detecting a person (the "second person" according to the present disclosure) existing on the traveling route in front of the vehicle 10 and within a predetermined distance Dth from the vehicle 10 based on the person recognition information. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the above-described pedestrian 52 is detected as a person satisfying this detection condition (B: Detection of a person on the traveling route).

[0038] In addition, the management device 30 communicates with the vehicle 10 in advance to obtain the vehicle width information of the vehicle 10 for detecting a person such as the pedestrian 52 or a passenger of another vehicle (the second person). The management device 30 can detect the presence of a person on the traveling route in front of the vehicle 10 based on, for example, the person recognition information from the infrared sensor 20, the position information of the vehicle 10, and the vehicle width information. The predetermined distance Dth is determined in advance and stored in the storage device 36. The management device 30 can detect the presence of a person within a predetermined distance Dth from the vehicle 10 in front of the vehicle 10 based on, for example, the person recognition information, the position information of the vehicle 10, and the predetermined distance Dth.

[0039] In response to detecting the pedestrian 52 existing on the traveling route and within the predetermined distance Dth, the management device 30 transmits an instruction to the vehicle 10 to turn off the small light 14 and stop the running of the vehicle 10 (temporarily stop). The vehicle 10 that has received the instruction turns off the small light 14 and stops the running of the vehicle 10 (C: Turning off the small light & Stopping the running). In addition, the management device 30 may transmit an instruction to the vehicle 10 to turn off the daytime running light 16 in conjunction with turning off the small light 14, or may continue to turn on the daytime running light 16.

[0040] While the vehicle 10 is stopped, the management device 30 executes a process of detecting, based on the human recognition information, that the pedestrian 52 has moved outside the travel route. In response to detecting the movement of the pedestrian 52 outside the travel route, the management device 30 transmits an instruction to turn on the headlight 12 and request the resumption of the vehicle 10's travel to the vehicle 10. Upon receiving the instruction, the vehicle 10 turns on the headlight 12 and resumes the travel of the vehicle 10 (D: Headlight on & Travel resumption). The instruction may include turning on the small light 14.

[0041] As described above, according to the second control example, when the vehicle 10 is traveling while turning off the headlight 12 and not turning on the small light 14 in accordance with the light amount reduction process, in response to detecting a person such as the pedestrian 52 existing within the travel route and within a predetermined distance Dth, an instruction to turn off the small light 14 and request the stop of the vehicle 10's travel is transmitted to the vehicle 10. As a result, by turning off the small light 14, the glare to the detected person can be further reduced. Also, by turning off the small light 14, it is possible to easily convey to the person that the vehicle 10 is in a stopped state.

[0042] Further, according to the second control example, in response to detecting, based on the human recognition information, the movement of a person such as the pedestrian 52 outside the travel route, an instruction to turn on the headlight and request the resumption of the vehicle 10's travel is transmitted to the vehicle 10. Thereby, while realizing a function of suppressing the dazzling of the people existing in the parking lot 1, it is possible to suppress an unnecessary reduction in the light amount of the headlight 12.

[0043] 2-3. Third control example The above-described first control example may be executed with the following third control example instead of or together with the second control example. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a third control example of the lighting of the vehicle 10 within a predetermined area according to the embodiment.

[0044] In the third control example, the "light quantity reduction process" is executed not only in response to the detection of a person existing within the irradiation range A1 but also in response to the detection of the following operation. That is, when the vehicle 10 is performing automatic driving while the headlight 12 is lit, the management device 30 executes a process of estimating the traveling direction DR2 (in other words, the predicted travel route) of a person (third person) moving within the parking lot 1 based on the person recognition information. For example, the management device 30 estimates (acquires) the traveling direction DR2 by analyzing the video captured by the infrared sensor 20.

[0045] When the estimated traveling direction DR2 indicates the approach of a person to the irradiation range A1 (for example, the pedestrian 53 in FIG. 4), the management device 30 executes a process of detecting the entry of the person into the determination range A3 based on the person recognition information. As shown in FIG. 4, the determination range A3 is a range larger than the irradiation range A1 and is determined in advance with reference to the irradiation range A1. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the pedestrian 53 is detected as a person who satisfies this detection condition (A: Detection of the entry of a person into the determination range A3).

[0046] In response to detecting the entry of the pedestrian 53 into the determination range A3 based on the person recognition information, the management device 30 transmits an instruction (light quantity reduction instruction) to reduce the light quantity of the headlight 12 to the vehicle 10. When the light quantity reduction instruction is an instruction to turn off the headlight 12, the vehicle 10 that has received the instruction turns off the headlight 12 (B1: Headlight turn-off). On the other hand, when the light quantity reduction instruction is an instruction to reduce the light quantity without turning off the headlight 12, the vehicle 10 that has received the instruction reduces the light quantity of the headlight 12 to the light quantity according to the instruction (B2: Headlight light quantity reduction).

[0047] Also, when the estimated traveling direction DR2 does not indicate the approach of a person to the irradiation range A1 (for example, the pedestrian 54 in FIG. 4), that is, when the face of the person is basically not facing the irradiation range A1, the management device 30 does not transmit an instruction to reduce the light quantity of the headlight 12 to the vehicle 10. As a result, even if the pedestrian 54 enters the determination range A3 as shown in FIG. 4, the reduction (including turning off) of the light quantity of the headlight 12 is not executed.

[0048] As described above, according to the third control example, when the estimated traveling direction DR2 indicates the approach of a person to the irradiation range A1, an instruction to reduce the light amount of the headlight 12 is transmitted to the vehicle 10 in response to detecting the entry of the person into the determination range A3 based on the person recognition information. Thereby, in consideration of the presence of a person who is likely to enter the irradiation range A1 where the irradiation light causes glare, it is possible to more surely suppress the person from feeling glare from the irradiation light of the vehicle 10, while suppressing an unnecessary reduction in the light amount of the headlight 12.

[0049] 2-4. Fourth control example The above-described first control example may be executed with the following fourth control example instead of the second and third control examples, or together with at least one of the second and third control examples.

[0050] A predetermined area such as a parking lot may have a plurality of floors. And a predetermined area having a plurality of floors may be provided with a slope for pedestrians to move between floors. FIG. 5 shows a scene in which the vehicle 10 passes near a place where the pedestrian 55 is standing on the slope 7. There is a height difference between the passage 4 on which the vehicle 10 is automatically traveling and the slope 7 on which the pedestrian 55 is standing.

[0051] When the slope 7 is lower than the passage 4, as shown in FIG. 5, when the pedestrian 55 enters the irradiation range A1 as viewed from above, the irradiation light of the headlight 12 may strongly illuminate the face of the pedestrian 55. As a result, compared with the case where there is no height difference between the vehicle 10 and the pedestrian 55, the irradiation light may cause glare to the pedestrian 55. Conversely, when the slope 7 is higher than the passage 4, even if the pedestrian 55 enters the irradiation range A1 as viewed from above, the irradiation light does not cause glare or is less likely to cause glare to the pedestrian 55.

[0052] Therefore, in the fourth control example, the management device 30 acquires the vertical position information of each of the person and the vehicle 10 by using, for example, the slope information of a predetermined area together with the person recognition information and the position information of the vehicle 10. Also, a three-dimensionally specified spatial range (irradiation space) is used as the irradiation range A1. Then, the management device 30 executes a process of three-dimensionally detecting a pedestrian 55 existing in the three-dimensionally specified irradiation range A1 based on the person recognition information and the vertical position information.

[0053] Furthermore, the management device 30 transmits an instruction (including turning off the light) to reduce the light amount of the headlight 12 to the vehicle 10 in response to the detection of the pedestrian 55 existing in the three-dimensionally specified irradiation range A1. More specifically, the vertical position information may include information on the face position of the pedestrian 55 obtained by analyzing an image captured by the infrared sensor 20. Then, the management device 30 may transmit an instruction (including turning off the light) to reduce the light amount of the headlight 12 to the vehicle 10 in response to the detection that the face position of the pedestrian 55 exists in the irradiation range A1.

[0054] As described above, according to the fourth control example, by considering the vertical position of a person such as the pedestrian 55 with respect to the irradiation light of the headlight 12, it becomes possible to more appropriately determine whether it is necessary to suppress the light amount of the headlight 12. As a result, compared with the case where there is no height difference between the vehicle 10 and the person, it is possible to suppress the irradiation light from dazzling the person and to suppress an unnecessary decrease in the light amount.

[0055] 2-5. Fifth Control Example The above-described first control example may be executed with the following fifth control example instead of, or together with, at least one of the second to fourth control examples.

[0056] FIG. 6 shows a scene where there is a person hidden behind the shield 8 as seen from the vehicle 10. In the autonomous driving management system 100, the infrared sensor 20 is used to recognize a person (for example, a pedestrian or a passenger in another vehicle). Therefore, it is possible to detect a person such as the pedestrian 56 hidden behind the shield 8 (for example, a pillar) that cannot be detected by a recognition sensor such as a camera mounted on the vehicle 10. On the other hand, when the pedestrian 56 is hidden behind the shield 8 as seen from the vehicle 10, the pedestrian 56 is not affected by or hardly affected by the irradiation light of the vehicle 10. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, even if the pedestrian 56 enters the irradiation range A1, it is not necessary to reduce the light amount of the headlight 12, or the necessity of reducing the light amount is low.

[0057] Therefore, in the fifth control example, even in a situation where a person is present in the irradiation range A1 if there is no shield 8 between the person such as the pedestrian 56 and the vehicle 10, when the shield 8 intervening between the person and the vehicle 10 is detected by the infrared sensor 20, the management device 30 does not transmit an instruction to reduce the light amount of the headlight 12 to the vehicle 10. Thereby, in the autonomous driving management system 100 that uses the infrared sensor 20 for lighting control within a predetermined area, an unnecessary decrease in the light amount of the headlight 12 can be suppressed. Note that information about each shield such as the shield 8 (for example, the position and shape of the shield) is stored in the storage device 36.

[0058] In addition, the fifth control example may be combined with the third control example as follows. That is, when the traveling direction DR2 of a person hiding behind the shield 8 indicates the approach of the vehicle 10 to the irradiation range A1, the management device 30 may transmit an instruction to reduce the light amount of the headlight 12 to the vehicle 10 in response to detecting the entry of the person into the determination range A3 based on the person recognition information. Different from the automatic driving management system 100, in an example where a recognition sensor such as a camera mounted on the vehicle 10 is used, the person cannot be recognized unless the person jumps out from the shield 8 to the side of the passage 4. For this reason, the timing for reducing the light amount of the headlight 12 is delayed. On the other hand, by using the infrared sensor 20, it becomes possible to reduce the light amount of the headlight 12 before the person jumps out from the shield 8.

[0059] 2-6. Other various control examples The above-described first control example may be executed with at least one of the following various control examples instead of the second to fifth control examples, or together with at least one of the second to fifth control examples.

[0060] When a person existing within the irradiation range A1 (more specifically, the total range of the respective irradiation ranges A1 of the left and right headlights 12) is detected based on the person recognition information, the management device 30 may determine on which side, the right front or the left front of the vehicle 10, the person is based on the person recognition information. Then, the management device 30 may transmit an instruction (including turning off the light) to reduce the light amount of only the headlight 12 on the side where the person is located among the right front and the left front to the vehicle 10. Alternatively, the management device 30 may transmit an instruction (including turning off the light) to reduce the light amount of the headlight 12 on the side where the person is located among the right front and the left front by a greater amount than the light amount of the headlight 12 on the side where the person is not located to the vehicle 10. According to this control example, it is possible to suppress the reduction of the light amount of the headlight 12 for reducing the glare of the person to the minimum necessary.

[0061] In addition, the irradiation range A1 of the headlight 12 used to detect a person may be specified for each of the left and right headlights 12. That is, the management device 30 may perform a process of detecting a person present in the irradiation range A1 for each of the left and right headlights 12. Then, the management device 30 may transmit an instruction (including turning off the light) to reduce the light amount of the headlight 12 corresponding to the irradiation range A1 in which a person is detected to the vehicle 10. That is, the reduction of the light amount of the headlight 12 in response to the detection of a person present in the irradiation range A1 may be individually executed for each of the left and right headlights 12. Also by this control example, it is possible to suppress the reduction of the light amount of the headlight 12 for reducing the glare of a person to the minimum necessary level.

Explanation of Signs

[0062] 1 Parking lot (predetermined area), 4 Passage, 6 Crosswalk, 7 Slope, 8 Shelter, 10 Vehicle, 12 Headlight, 14 Small light, 16 Daylight, 20 Infrared sensor, 30 Automatic driving management device, 32 Communication device, 34 Processor, 36 Storage device, 51 - 56 Pedestrians, 100 Automatic driving management system

Claims

1. An automatic driving management device that manages the automatic driving of a vehicle within a predetermined area, a communication device that communicates with each of the vehicle and a recognition sensor installed in the predetermined area to recognize the situation within the predetermined area, one or more processors, comprising: the one or more processors when the vehicle is performing the automatic driving while turning on the headlights, detect a first person present within the irradiation range of the headlights based on the person recognition information from the recognition sensor, execute a light quantity reduction process of transmitting an instruction to the vehicle to reduce the light quantity of the headlights in response to the detection of the first person configured as an automatic driving management device.

2. The automatic driving management device according to Claim 1, wherein when it is detected based on the person recognition information that the first person has moved out of the irradiation range, the one or more processors transmit an instruction to the vehicle to return the light quantity of the headlights to the light quantity before the reduction by the light quantity reduction process an automatic driving management device.

3. The automatic driving management device according to Claim 1, wherein the instruction by the light quantity reduction process is an instruction to turn off the headlights, when the vehicle is traveling while turning off the headlights and turning on the small lights according to the light quantity reduction process, the one or more processors, in response to detecting a second person present within a predetermined distance from the vehicle on the driving route ahead of the vehicle based on the person recognition information, transmit an instruction to the vehicle to turn off the small lights and request the vehicle to stop an automatic driving management device.

4. The automatic driving management device according to Claim 3, wherein the one or more processors transmit an instruction to the vehicle to turn on the headlights and resume driving in response to detecting, based on the person recognition information, that the second person has moved outside the driving route an automatic driving management device.

5. The automatic driving management device according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the light quantity reduction process estimates the traveling direction of a third person based on the person recognition information, when the estimated traveling direction indicates the approach of the third person to the irradiation range, in response to detecting, based on the person recognition information, that the third person has entered a determination range larger than the irradiation range, transmit an instruction to the vehicle to reduce the light quantity of the headlights, including an automatic driving management device.

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