Control system for vehicle, control method for vehicle, and program

Abstract

To improve accuracy in detecting a target when road surface drawing is performed.SOLUTION: A control system for a vehicle includes: target detection means for detecting a target in a predetermined detection cycle on the basis of a captured image acquired by image capturing means for capturing an image of a predetermined area in a travel direction of the vehicle; road surface drawing means for irradiating, with drawing light, a road surface in the predetermined area in the travel direction of the vehicle, thereby performing road surface drawing for drawing an indication of a specific pattern on the road surface; and control means for controlling the target detection means and the road surface drawing means. When the target detection means detects the target in a road surface drawing area that is an irradiation area with the drawing light while the road surface drawing is being performed, the control means switches irradiation with the drawing light by the road surface drawing means from a lighting state to a blinking state in a predetermined first cycle, and switches a detection cycle of the target detection means to a second cycle that is an integral multiple of the first cycle, thereby adjusting a target detection timing to a timing at which the drawing light is brought into a lighting-off state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for irradiating drawing light from an in-vehicle lamp onto the road surface in front of the vehicle and drawing a pattern display of a pattern having regularity on the road surface, so as to quickly make both the driver and pedestrians aware of the presence.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0004] A vehicle may be equipped with a camera for detecting an object existing around the vehicle. However, in a vehicle equipped with an in-vehicle lamp as described in Patent Document 1, when the road surface drawing and the object overlap, the camera may be unable to appropriately detect the object due to the influence of the drawing light, resulting in undetected or misdetected cases.

[0005] The technology of the present disclosure has been made in view of the above circumstances, and aims to effectively improve the detection accuracy of an object when performing road surface drawing.

[0006] The vehicle control system of the present disclosure is object detection means for detecting an object existing in the predetermined area at a predetermined detection cycle based on a captured image acquired by imaging means that captures a predetermined area in the traveling direction of the vehicle; road surface drawing means for executing road surface drawing for irradiating drawing light onto the road surface in a predetermined area in the traveling direction of the vehicle to draw a display of a specific pattern on the road surface; A vehicle control system comprising control means for controlling detection of the target by the target detection means and road surface drawing by the road surface drawing means, wherein the control means, when the target detection means detects the target within a road surface drawing area which is an irradiation area of the drawing light during execution of the road surface drawing by the road surface drawing means, switches the irradiation of the drawing light by the road surface drawing means from a lighting state to a blinking state in which the lighting state and the extinguishing state are repeated at a predetermined first period, and adjusts the detection timing of the target to the timing at which the drawing light is in the extinguishing state by switching the detection period of the target detection means to a second period which is an integral multiple of the first period. This is the gist of the invention.

[0007] A vehicle control method according to the present disclosure is a vehicle control method comprising target detection means for detecting a target existing in a predetermined area based on a captured image acquired by imaging means for imaging a predetermined area in the traveling direction of the vehicle at a predetermined detection period, road surface drawing means for executing road surface drawing for drawing a display of a specific pattern on the road surface by irradiating drawing light on the road surface in a predetermined area in the traveling direction of the vehicle, and control means for controlling detection of the target by the target detection means and road surface drawing by the road surface drawing means, wherein when the target detection means detects the target within a road surface drawing area which is an irradiation area of the drawing light during execution of the road surface drawing by the road surface drawing means, the irradiation of the drawing light by the road surface drawing means is switched from a lighting state to a blinking state in which the lighting state and the extinguishing state are repeated at a predetermined first period, and the detection period of the target detection means is switched to a second period which is an integral multiple of the first period, so that the detection timing of the target is adjusted to the timing at which the drawing light is in the extinguishing state. This is the gist of the invention.

[0008] A program according to the present disclosure is Based on a captured image obtained by imaging means for imaging a predetermined area in the traveling direction of the vehicle, target detection means for detecting a target existing in the predetermined area at a predetermined detection cycle, Road surface drawing means for performing road surface drawing to draw a display of a specific pattern on the road surface by irradiating the road surface in a predetermined area in the traveling direction of the vehicle with drawing light, Control means for controlling the detection of the target by the target detection means and the road surface drawing by the road surface drawing means, in a computer of a vehicle control system including the same, During the execution of the road surface drawing by the road surface drawing means, when the target detection means detects the target in a road surface drawing area which is an irradiation area of the drawing light, The road surface drawing means is caused to switch the irradiation of the drawing light from a lit state to a blinking state in which the lit state and the extinguished state are repeated at a predetermined first cycle, and By switching the detection cycle of the target detection means to a second cycle which is an integral multiple of the first cycle, a process is executed to match the detection timing of the target to the timing at which the drawing light is in the extinguished state. It is characterized by this.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, a vehicle control system, a vehicle control method, and a program according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] [Hardware Configuration] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the hardware configuration of a vehicle VH according to this embodiment.

[0012] The vehicle VH has an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 10. The ECU 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, an interface device 14, and the like. The CPU 11 is a processor that executes various programs stored in the ROM 12. The ROM 12 is a non-volatile memory that stores data and the like necessary for the CPU 11 to execute various programs. The RAM 13 is a volatile memory that provides a work area in which various programs are expanded when executed by the CPU 11. The interface device 14 is a communication device for communicating with an external device.

[0013] The ECU 10 is a central device that performs various controls of the vehicle VH. Therefore, a drive device 20, a steering device 21, a braking device 22, an in-vehicle sensor device 30, a camera 40, a road surface drawing device 50, and the like are communicably connected to the ECU 10.

[0014] The drive device 20 generates a driving force transmitted to the drive wheels of the vehicle VH. Examples of the drive device 20 include an electric motor and an engine. In this embodiment, the vehicle VH may be any of a hybrid vehicle (HEV), a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV), a fuel cell vehicle (FCEV), a battery electric vehicle (BEV), and an engine vehicle. The steering device 21 applies a steering force to the wheels of the vehicle VH. The braking device 22 applies a braking force to the wheels of the vehicle VH.

[0015] The in-vehicle sensor device 30 is sensors that acquire the state of the vehicle VH. Specifically, the in-vehicle sensor device 30 includes a vehicle speed sensor 31, a brake sensor 32, a steering angle sensor 33, a shift sensor 34, a turn signal switch sensor 35, and the like.

[0016] The vehicle speed sensor 31 detects the traveling speed (vehicle speed) of the vehicle VH. The brake sensor 32 detects the operation amount of a brake pedal (not shown) by the driver. The steering angle sensor 33 detects the rotation angle (steering angle) of a steering wheel or a steering shaft (not shown). The shift sensor 34 detects the shift position (parking P, drive D, reverse R, neutral N, etc.) of the vehicle VH. The turn signal switch sensor 35 detects the ON and OFF of the turn signal mounted on the vehicle VH. The in-vehicle sensor device 30 transmits the state of the vehicle VH detected by each of the sensors 31 to 35 to the ECU 10 at a predetermined cycle.

[0017] The camera 40 is the imaging means of the present disclosure and captures the surroundings of the vehicle VH. As the camera 40, for example, a digital camera having an image sensor such as a CMOS or a CCD can be used. The camera 40 transmits the captured image data to the ECU 10 at a predetermined cycle.

[0018] The road surface drawing device 50 includes a light source 51, a light deflection device 52, etc. The road surface drawing device 50 irradiates the drawing light from the light source 51 onto the road surface to draw a display such as a figure or character of a predetermined pattern on the road surface. As the light source 51, for example, a semiconductor light emitting element such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode), an LD (Laser Diode), or an EL (Electro Luminescence) element can be used. The light deflection device 52 irradiates the drawing light emitted from the light source 51 onto the road surface. As the light deflection device 52, for example, a DMD (Digital Mirror Device) or the like can be used. The light deflection device 52 includes, for example, a micromirror array in which a plurality of micro mirror elements are arranged in a matrix. The micromirror array can form displays such as figures and characters of various patterns by controlling the ON and OFF of each mirror element arranged in a matrix.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of a display drawn on the road surface by the road surface drawing device 50. As shown in FIG. 2A, when the vehicle VH starts moving forward, for example, the road surface drawing device 50 draws a notification display such as a figure composed of two dashed lines or straight lines on the forward road surface in the traveling direction of the vehicle VH. Further, as shown in FIG. 2B, when the vehicle VH starts moving backward, for example, the road surface drawing device 50 draws a notification display such as a figure composed of two dashed lines or straight lines on the rear road surface in the traveling direction of the vehicle VH. Further, as shown in FIG. 2C, when the vehicle VH makes a left turn, for example, the road surface drawing device 50 draws a notification display such as a figure composed of a dashed line or a straight line on the left front road surface in the traveling direction of the vehicle VH. When the vehicle VH makes a right turn, the road surface drawing device 50 draws the notification display in FIG. 2C with left - right inversion on the right front road surface of the vehicle VH. In this way, by drawing a notification display such as a figure indicating the starting direction and the left - right turn direction of the vehicle VH on the road surface, it becomes possible to effectively make pedestrians and the like around notice the presence and the route direction of the vehicle VH.

[0020] [Software Configuration] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the software configuration of the ECU 10 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the ECU 10 includes, as functional elements, a road surface drawing control unit 100, a target recognition unit 110, a switching control unit 120, and the like. These functional elements 100 to 120 are realized by the CPU 11 of the ECU 10 reading out the programs stored in the ROM 12 and executing them in the RAM 13. Note that all or part of these functional elements 100 to 120 can also be provided in another ECU separate from the ECU 10 or an information processing device of a facility (such as a management center) capable of communicating with the vehicle VH.

[0021] When a predetermined execution condition is satisfied, the road surface drawing control unit 100 transmits a drawing instruction signal (turns on the drawing instruction signal) to the road surface drawing device 50, and executes road surface drawing control for causing the road surface drawing device 50 to draw a notification display of a pattern according to the situation on the road surface in the traveling direction of the vehicle VH. Here, examples of the execution condition include when the vehicle VH starts moving forward, when the vehicle VH starts moving backward, and when the vehicle VH turns right or left.

[0022] When the vehicle VH starts moving forward, the road surface drawing control unit 100 causes the road surface drawing device 50 to draw a notification display of the pattern shown in FIG. 2A on the front road surface of the vehicle VH. Whether the vehicle VH starts moving forward can be determined based on the detection results of the shift sensor 34 and the brake sensor 32. Also, when the vehicle VH starts moving backward, the road surface drawing control unit 100 causes the road surface drawing device 50 to draw a notification display of the pattern shown in FIG. 2B on the rear road surface of the vehicle VH. Whether the vehicle VH starts moving backward can be determined based on the detection results of the shift sensor 34 and the brake sensor 32. Further, when the vehicle VH turns left, the road surface drawing control unit 100 causes the road surface drawing device 50 to draw a notification display of the pattern shown in FIG. 2C on the left front road surface of the vehicle VH. Whether the vehicle VH turns left can be determined based on the detection results of the direction indicator switch sensor 35, the steering angle sensor 33, the vehicle speed sensor 31, and the like. When the vehicle VH turns right, the road surface drawing control unit 100 causes the road surface drawing device 50 to draw the notification display shown in FIG. 2C with left - right inversion on the right front road surface of the vehicle VH.

[0023] The object recognition unit 110 recognizes object information, which is information about objects (surrounding vehicles, pedestrians, falling objects, etc.) existing around the vehicle VH, at a predetermined recognition cycle (hereinafter referred to as the reference recognition cycle) by processing the image data transmitted from the camera 40. The object information is information representing the type of the object detected around the vehicle VH, the relative distance between the vehicle VH and the object, the relative speed between the vehicle VH and the object, and the like. The type of the object may be recognized by machine learning such as pattern matching, for example. The object information recognized by the object recognition unit 110 is used for driving support control such as parking support brake (PKSB), rear camera detection (RCD), pre-crash safety (PCS), etc. The driving support control is a concept including automatic driving control.

[0024] By the way, when recognizing an object around the vehicle VH based on the image data captured by the camera 40, if the object overlaps with the notification display drawn on the road surface, it may cause undetected objects or misrecognition of the relative distance, etc. due to the influence of the drawing light. Performing various driving support controls based on such undetected or misrecognized situations will cause a decrease in the accuracy of the control.

[0025] When the object overlaps with the area of the notification display (hereinafter referred to as the road surface drawing area) where the object is drawn on the road surface during the execution of the road surface drawing control, the switching control unit 120 switches the road surface drawing to a blinking state in which it alternately switches between the lit state and the extinguished state at a predetermined blinking cycle (the first cycle of the present disclosure), and synchronizes the recognition cycle of the object based on the image data with the blinking cycle of the road surface drawing, thereby executing switching control to prevent undetected or misrecognized objects. Hereinafter, the details of the switching control process by the switching control unit 120 will be described.

[0026] FIG. 4 is a timing chart for explaining the flow of the switching control process. When the execution condition of the road surface drawing is satisfied at time t0, the road surface drawing control unit 100 starts the road surface drawing (that is, turns on the drawing instruction signal). Time t1 is the timing when the target existing in the shooting area of the camera 40 overlaps with the road surface drawing area, that is, the timing when the target enters the road surface drawing area. The road surface drawing control unit 100 keeps the light source 51 of the road surface drawing device 50 in the lit state (that is, keeps the drawing instruction signal ON) continuously during the period from time t0 to time t1. Also, during the period from before time t0 to time t1, the target recognition unit 110 recognizes the targets around the vehicle VH at the reference recognition cycle based on the image data captured by the camera 40.

[0027] At time t1, when the target overlaps with the road surface drawing area, the switching control unit 120 switches the light source 51 of the road surface drawing device 50 to the blinking state where it blinks at a predetermined blinking cycle. That is, the drawing instruction signal transmitted from the road surface drawing control unit 100 to the road surface drawing device 50 is repeatedly turned ON / OFF. Also, at time t1, when the target overlaps with the road surface drawing area, the switching control unit 120 switches the recognition cycle of the target by the target recognition unit 110 to a specific recognition cycle (the second cycle of the present disclosure) that is an integer multiple of the blinking cycle, so as to match the recognition timing of the target with the extinguishing timing of the road surface drawing. That is, the target can be recognized without being affected by the drawing light irradiated from the road surface drawing device 50. Thereby, it becomes possible to effectively prevent the undetected state of the target overlapping with the notification display drawn on the road surface and the misrecognition of the relative distance and the like.

[0028] At time t2, when the target no longer overlaps with the road surface drawing area, the switching control unit 120 ends the switching control. That is, the light source 51 of the road surface drawing device 50 is continuously turned on (the drawing instruction signal is continuously turned ON), and the recognition timing of the target is returned to the normal reference recognition cycle. After that, at time t3, when a predetermined end condition is satisfied, the road surface drawing control unit 100 ends the road surface drawing (that is, turns off the drawing instruction signal). The end condition is not particularly limited. For example, when the vehicle VH is moving backward, it may be satisfied at the timing when the shift sensor 34 detects a shift position other than reverse R. Also, when the vehicle VH is, for example, turning right or left, the end condition may be satisfied at the timing when the direction indicator switch sensor 35 detects OFF.

[0029] Next, based on FIG. 5, a routine of the processing of the road surface drawing control, the image recognition control, and the switching control by the CPU 11 of the ECU 10 will be described. This routine starts when the execution condition of the road surface drawing is satisfied and ends when the end condition of the road surface drawing is satisfied.

[0030] In step S100, the ECU 10 executes road surface drawing control to cause the road surface drawing device 50 to draw a notification display of a pattern according to the situation on the road surface in the traveling direction of the vehicle VH by turning on the drawing instruction signal. Next, in step S110, the ECU 10 determines whether or not a target existing in the imaging area of the camera 40 has entered the road surface drawing area. If the target has entered the road surface drawing area (Yes), the ECU 10 proceeds to the process of step S120. On the other hand, if the target has not entered the road surface drawing area (No), the ECU 10 returns to the process of step S100.

[0031] In step S120, the ECU 10 switches the light source 51 of the road surface drawing device 50 to a blinking state in which it blinks at a predetermined blinking cycle. Further, in step S130, the ECU 10 switches the recognition cycle of the target to a specific recognition cycle that is an integral multiple of the blinking cycle. Note that the processes of step S120 and step S130 may be performed in any order and may be performed simultaneously. Thereafter, until the end condition of road surface drawing is satisfied, the ECU 10 repeatedly executes the processes of steps S100 to S130 described above.

[0032] As described above, the vehicle control system, the vehicle control method, and the program according to the present embodiment have been described. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the object of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A target detection means for detecting a target existing in the predetermined area at a predetermined detection period based on a captured image obtained by a photographing means for photographing a predetermined area in the traveling direction of the vehicle; A road surface drawing means for performing a road surface drawing for drawing a display of a specific pattern on the road surface by irradiating the road surface in a predetermined area in the traveling direction of the vehicle with drawing light; A vehicle control system comprising: a control means for controlling the detection of the target by the target detection means and the road surface drawing by the road surface drawing means, wherein the control means when the target detection means detects the target within a road surface drawing area which is an irradiation area of the drawing light during the execution of the road surface drawing by the road surface drawing means, switches the irradiation of the drawing light by the road surface drawing means from a lighting state to a blinking state in which the lighting state and the extinguishing state are repeated at a predetermined first period, and switches the detection period of the target detection means to a second period which is an integral multiple of the first period, so as to match the detection timing of the target with the timing at which the drawing light is in the extinguishing state. A vehicle control system characterized by the above.

2. A target detection means for detecting a target existing in the predetermined area at a predetermined detection period based on a captured image obtained by a photographing means for photographing a predetermined area in the traveling direction of the vehicle; A road surface drawing means for performing a road surface drawing for drawing a display of a specific pattern on the road surface by irradiating the road surface in a predetermined area in the traveling direction of the vehicle with drawing light; A vehicle control method comprising: a control means for controlling the detection of the target by the target detection means and the road surface drawing by the road surface drawing means, wherein when the target detection means detects the target within a road surface drawing area which is an irradiation area of the drawing light during the execution of the road surface drawing by the road surface drawing means, the irradiation of the drawing light by the road surface drawing means is switched from a lighting state to a blinking state in which the lighting state and the extinguishing state are repeated at a predetermined first period, and the detection period of the target detection means is switched to a second period which is an integral multiple of the first period, so as to match the detection timing of the target with the timing at which the drawing light is in the extinguishing state. A vehicle control method characterized by the above.

3. A target detection means for detecting a target existing in the predetermined area at a predetermined detection period based on a captured image obtained by a photographing means for photographing a predetermined area in the traveling direction of the vehicle; Road surface drawing means for performing road surface drawing that draws a display of a specific pattern on the road surface by irradiating drawing light onto the road surface in a predetermined area in the traveling direction of the vehicle; In a computer of a vehicle control system including: detection means for detecting the target by the target detection means; and control means for controlling the road surface drawing by the road surface drawing means; During execution of the road surface drawing by the road surface drawing means, when the target detection means detects the target within a road surface drawing area that is an irradiation area of the drawing light; Switch the irradiation of the drawing light by the road surface drawing means from a lighting state to a blinking state in which the lighting state and the extinguishing state are repeated at a predetermined first period; and Execute a process of adjusting the detection timing of the target to the timing at which the drawing light is in the extinguishing state by switching the detection period of the target detection means to a second period that is an integral multiple of the first period. A program characterized by the above.

Images