Travel control device and travel control method

Abstract

To provide a technique that enables continuation of automatic driving control even when an end instruction of automatic driving control is erroneously output.SOLUTION: A travel control device 10 comprises: an abnormality detection unit 24 that detects an abnormality in a first automatic driving control unit 32 and a second automatic driving control unit 34; a first switching unit 26 that switches to automatic driving control by the other of the first automatic driving control unit 32 and the second automatic driving control unit 34; a permission unit 28 that instructs, when one of the first automatic driving control unit 32 and the second automatic driving control unit 34 during automatic driving control is detected as abnormal, the first automatic driving control unit 32 and the second automatic driving control unit 34 to end the automatic driving control; and a second switching unit 38 that switches between automatic driving control and manual driving control by receiving the instruction from the permission unit 28. The second switching unit 38, upon receiving the end instruction of the automatic driving control from the permission unit 28, waits for the end of the automatic driving control until a predetermined standby time elapses.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technology for executing automatic driving control that allows a vehicle to drive autonomously. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an autonomous driving system in which, if an abnormality occurs in one control system while autonomous driving control is being executed, the other control system continues the autonomous driving control. In this autonomous driving system, if an abnormality occurs in one control system while autonomous driving control is stopped, the autonomous driving control is not executed even if the other control system is normal. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-111866 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the technology described in Patent Document 1, if an instruction to terminate automatic driving control is mistakenly output during automatic driving control and the vehicle is switched to manual driving control, then even if an abnormality is detected in one of the control systems and the other control system attempts to execute automatic driving control, the automatic driving control cannot be executed.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a technology that allows automatic driving control to be continued even if an instruction to terminate automatic driving control is erroneously output. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, a driving control device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a first automatic driving control unit capable of performing automatic driving control to cause a vehicle to drive autonomously, a second automatic driving control unit also capable of performing automatic driving control to cause the vehicle to drive autonomously, an abnormality detection unit that detects abnormalities in the first automatic driving control unit and the second automatic driving control unit, a first switching unit that, when an abnormality is detected in one of the first automatic driving control unit and the second automatic driving control unit during automatic driving control, switches to automatic driving control by the other of the first automatic driving control unit and the second automatic driving control unit, a permitting unit that instructs the first automatic driving control unit and the second automatic driving control unit to terminate automatic driving control, and a second switching unit that switches between automatic driving control and manual driving control in response to an instruction from the permitting unit. When the second switching unit receives an instruction to terminate automatic driving control from the permitting unit, it waits until a predetermined waiting time has elapsed before terminating the automatic driving control.

[0007] Another aspect of the present invention is a driving control method that executes steps in a driving control device that includes a first automatic driving control unit and a second automatic driving control unit capable of performing automatic driving control to autonomously drive a vehicle, the method including the steps of detecting an abnormality in the first automatic driving control unit and the second automatic driving control unit, switching to automatic driving control by the other of the first automatic driving control unit and the second automatic driving control unit when an abnormality is detected in only one of the first automatic driving control unit and the second automatic driving control unit during automatic driving control, instructing the first automatic driving control unit and the second automatic driving control unit to terminate the automatic driving control, and waiting for the termination of the automatic driving control until a predetermined waiting time has elapsed when the instruction to terminate the automatic driving control is received. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technology that allows automatic driving control to be continued even if an instruction to terminate automatic driving control is erroneously output. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a cruise control system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining standby processing during automatic driving control. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart of a process for starting automatic driving control. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart of a process for ending automatic driving control. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] 1 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of a cruise control system 1 according to an embodiment. The cruise control system 1 executes automatic driving control that enables autonomous driving. In the automatic driving control, the cruise control system 1 executes following control to follow a preceding vehicle and cruise control to travel in a driving lane at a predetermined vehicle speed. The cruise control system 1 includes a cruise control device 10, an object detection sensor 12, an on-board sensor 14, and a driving device 16.

[0011] The object detection sensor 12 includes an on-board camera, millimeter wave radar, optical radar, and sonic wave sensor, and detects objects located around the vehicle. The object detection sensor 12 may transmit information indicating the positional relationship between the object and the host vehicle to the driving control device 10 as information related to the object, or may transmit simple sensor values ​​to the driving control device 10 as information related to the object.

[0012] The on-board sensors 14 include an input unit that accepts driver input, a driving condition detection sensor that detects the vehicle's driving condition, and a sensor that detects abnormalities in the first automatic driving control unit 32 and the second automatic driving control unit 34. The input unit may be at least one of a touchpad, a mechanical switch, and a microphone. The input unit accepts on / off of the automatic driving control and accepts destination information for the automatic driving control. The driving condition detection sensor includes a vehicle speed sensor, a steering angle sensor, an acceleration sensor, a brake pressure sensor, etc., and transmits the results of detecting the vehicle's driving condition to the cruise control device 10.

[0013] The sensors that detect abnormalities in the first automatic driving control unit 32 and the second automatic driving control unit 34 detect the operating states of the first automatic driving control unit 32 and the second automatic driving control unit 34, respectively, and transmit the detection results to the driving control device 10. The operating states of the first automatic driving control unit 32 and the second automatic driving control unit 34 indicate, for example, whether the first automatic driving control unit 32 and the second automatic driving control unit 34 are operating normally, and an abnormality is detected when, for example, a harness connected to the first automatic driving control unit 32 and / or the second automatic driving control unit 34 is broken.

[0014] The traveling device 16 has a driving means for applying a driving force to the wheels to rotate the wheels and move the vehicle forward, a steering means for steering the wheels, and a braking means for applying a braking force to the wheels. The driving means may be an engine, a motor, or a combination thereof. The traveling device 16 may be driven by the driver's operation or by automatic driving control.

[0015] The driving control device 10 includes an acquisition unit 20, a recognition processing unit 22, an abnormality detection unit 24, a first switching unit 26, a permission unit 28, a first automatic driving control unit 32, a second automatic driving control unit 34, a manual driving control unit 36, and a second switching unit 38.

[0016] The acquisition unit 20 acquires the detection results of the object detection sensor 12 and the driving condition detection sensor, and acquires the driver's operation results from the input unit. The acquisition unit 20 also acquires the detection results of the operation states of the first automatic driving control unit 32 and the second automatic driving control unit 34.

[0017] The recognition processing unit 22 recognizes information about the object, for example, position information about the object, based on the detection result of the object detection sensor 12. The recognition processing unit 22 may identify the object from the captured image using a neural network technique, for example, a deep learning technique.

[0018] The first automatic driving control unit 32 and the second automatic driving control unit 34 receive an instruction to start execution of automatic driving control from the on-board sensor 14 and execute automatic driving control, thereby causing the vehicle to travel autonomously. The first automatic driving control unit 32 and the second automatic driving control unit 34 may be separate microcontrollers that are connected to different power supplies and operate accordingly. Alternatively, the first automatic driving control unit 32 and the second automatic driving control unit 34 may be provided in a single microcontroller.

[0019] The first automatic driving control unit 32 and the second automatic driving control unit 34 generate command values ​​for executing automatic driving control. The command values ​​for executing automatic driving control include target vehicle speed, steering angle, deceleration, etc. The first automatic driving control unit 32 and the second automatic driving control unit 34 operate in parallel during automatic driving control.

[0020] The first automatic driving control unit 32 and the second automatic driving control unit 34 may each execute arithmetic processing for automatic driving control, or the arithmetic processing for automatic driving control may be executed by a common program. The arithmetic processing for automatic driving control is processing for calculating the target vehicle speed, target steering angle, and target deceleration used in automatic driving control based on the recognition results of the recognition processing unit 22. Because the first automatic driving control unit 32 and the second automatic driving control unit 34 operate in parallel, even if an abnormality occurs in one, it is easy to immediately switch to control by the other.

[0021] The manual driving control unit 36 ​​is a control mode in which driving is controlled by the driver's operation, and executes driving assistance control such as an automatic braking function and an anti-lock braking system. Either the first automatic driving control unit 32, the second automatic driving control unit 34, or the manual driving control unit 36 ​​transmits a command value to the driving device 16 for controlling the driving device 16 based on the detection results of the sensors. The driving device 16 drives the vehicle in accordance with the received command value.

[0022] The abnormality detection unit 24 detects an abnormality in the first automatic driving control unit 32 and the second automatic driving control unit 34, that is, whether they are in a state where they cannot operate normally. The abnormality detection unit 24 detects an abnormality in the first automatic driving control unit 32 and the second automatic driving control unit 34 not only when automatic driving control is being performed, but also when the on-board power is on.

[0023] The abnormality detection unit 24 finally determines that there is an abnormality when either the first automatic driving control unit 32 or the second automatic driving control unit 34 has a malfunction for a predetermined time or longer. The predetermined time is set to, for example, about 1 to 0.5 seconds, and within that predetermined time, the abnormality detection unit 24 determines whether there is a malfunction multiple times and determines that there is an abnormality.

[0024] The permission unit 28 receives an operation to turn the autonomous driving on / off from the driver, and determines and grants permission to start and end autonomous driving control using the detection results of the abnormality detection unit 24. Upon receiving a start instruction from the driver, the permission unit 28 permits the start of autonomous driving control based on the detection results of the abnormality detection unit 24. The permission unit 28 does not permit the start of autonomous driving control if it detects an abnormality in at least one of the first autonomous driving control unit and the second autonomous driving control unit, and permits the start of autonomous driving control if it detects that both the first automatic driving control unit and the second automatic driving control unit are normal. As a result, autonomous driving control starts only when both the first automatic driving control unit 32 and the second automatic driving control unit 34 are normal, so that autonomous driving control can continue if one of them becomes abnormal during autonomous driving control.

[0025] The first switching unit 26 switches whether the first automatic driving control unit 32 or the second automatic driving control unit 34 will execute automatic driving control, based on the detection result of the abnormality detection unit 24. When an abnormality is detected in either the first automatic driving control unit 32 or the second automatic driving control unit 34 during automatic driving control, the first switching unit 26 switches to automatic driving control by the other of the first automatic driving control unit 32 and the second automatic driving control unit 34. When switching between the first automatic driving control unit 32 and the second automatic driving control unit 34 is executed, information indicating continuation of automatic driving control is sent from the permission unit 28 to the second switching unit 38. The permission unit 28 may determine whether or not the first switching unit 26 should execute the switch.

[0026] The permission unit 28 instructs the first automatic driving control unit and the second automatic driving control unit to terminate automatic driving control. The permission unit 28 instructs the first automatic driving control unit and the second automatic driving control unit to terminate automatic driving control, that is, to switch from automatic driving control to manual driving control, based on the detection result of the abnormality detection unit 24. For example, if both the first automatic driving control unit 32 and the second automatic driving control unit 34 become abnormal during automatic driving control, the permission unit 28 instructs the second switching unit 38 to terminate automatic driving control.

[0027] The second switching unit 38 switches between automatic driving control and manual driving control in response to an instruction from the permission unit 28. When the second switching unit 38 determines to end the automatic driving control, it executes a switching process, notifies the driver of the end, and switches to manual driving control after checking the driver's hands on the steering wheel, the driver's line of sight, etc.

[0028] Incidentally, the permission unit 28 may erroneously send an instruction to end the autonomous driving control to the second switching unit 38. For example, the permission unit 28 may send an instruction to end the autonomous driving control to the second switching unit 38 when the abnormality detection unit 24 first detects that there is a malfunction, that is, before a predetermined time has passed and the abnormality is confirmed. In addition, the permission unit 28 may send an instruction to end the autonomous driving control for other reasons.

[0029] Therefore, when the second switching unit 38 receives an instruction to terminate the automatic driving control from the permission unit 28, it determines whether to terminate the automatic driving control based on the detection result of the abnormality detection unit 24 after a predetermined waiting time has elapsed. The predetermined waiting time is set to be equal to or longer than the predetermined time from when the abnormality detection unit 24 first detects a malfunction until the abnormality is confirmed. The second switching unit 38 may put the automatic driving control on hold for the predetermined waiting time. This makes it possible to prevent the automatic driving control from being terminated during the waiting time if the permission unit 28 erroneously sends an end instruction. This waiting process will be described with reference to new drawings.

[0030] Fig. 2 is a diagram for explaining standby processing during automatic driving control. In Fig. 2, an execution state 40 of the first automatic driving control unit 32, an abnormality determination state 42 of the first automatic driving control unit 32, an execution state 44 of the second automatic driving control unit 34, and an abnormality determination state 46 of the second automatic driving control unit 34 are shown in the same chronological order from time t0 to time t3.

[0031] At time t0, manual driving control is being executed. When the driver turns on automatic driving at time t1, the first automatic driving control unit 32 and the second automatic driving control unit 34 are both normal, so the first automatic driving control unit 32 is turned on and starts automatic driving control. The second automatic driving control unit 34 is also turned on and is operating redundantly, although it is not directly executing automatic driving control.

[0032] At time t2, a disconnection occurs between the first automatic driving control unit 32 and the power supply unit, turning off the first automatic driving control unit 32. At this time, the abnormality detection unit 24 cannot determine that an abnormality has occurred until a predetermined time has elapsed from time t2, so the first automatic driving control unit 32 remains normal at time t2 when the malfunction occurred.

[0033] At time t2, even if the permission unit 28 sends an instruction to end automatic driving control to the second switching unit 38, the second switching unit 38 does not immediately execute the process of switching to manual driving control, but continues automatic driving control by the first automatic driving control unit 32 until a predetermined waiting time has elapsed, which is set to 1 second or less.

[0034] At time t3 during standby, the abnormality detection unit 24 sends a detection result that determines that the first automatic driving control unit 32 is abnormal to the first switching unit 26. Because the first automatic driving control unit 32 is abnormal, the first switching unit 26 switches driving control from the first automatic driving control unit 32 to the second automatic driving control unit 34, and the permission unit 28 sends information indicating continuation of automatic driving control to the second switching unit 38. As a result, automatic driving control by the second automatic driving control unit 34 continues from time t3 onwards.

[0035] If the second switching unit 38 does not execute standby processing from time t2, switching processing to manual driving control is executed from time t2, and the system switches to manual driving control. If an abnormality in the first automatic driving control unit 32 is confirmed at time t3, even if the first switching unit 26 switches to automatic driving control, the permission unit 28 does not permit the start of automatic driving control, so manual driving control continues. In this way, if the second switching unit 38 does not execute standby processing and erroneously switches to manual driving control, automatic driving control on the redundant side cannot be executed.

[0036] When the second switching unit 38 receives an instruction to terminate automatic driving control from the permission unit 28 and, after a predetermined waiting time has elapsed, the detection result of the abnormality detection unit 24 indicates that one of the first automatic driving control unit 32 and the second automatic driving control unit 34 is abnormal, the second switching unit 38 does not terminate automatic driving control, and the first switching unit 26 switches to automatic driving control by the other of the first automatic driving control unit 32 and the second automatic driving control unit 34 in response to the detection result of the abnormality detection unit 24. As a result, the second switching unit 38 waits in automatic driving mode without switching to manual driving mode until the abnormality is confirmed and the switching control of the first switching unit 26 is executed, allowing the first switching unit 26 to continue automatic driving control on the redundant side without erroneously terminating automatic driving control. This prevents a sudden switch to manual driving when the vehicle is turning or when the driver does not have their hands on the steering wheel.

[0037] Returning to Figure 1, when the second switching unit 38 receives an instruction to end the automatic driving control from the permission unit 28, if the detection result of the abnormality detection unit 24 after a predetermined waiting time has elapsed indicates that the first automatic driving control unit 32 and the second automatic driving control unit 34 are normal, the second switching unit 38 ends the automatic driving control and starts a process to switch to manual driving control, thereby switching to manual driving control. This is because the permission unit 28 issues the end instruction based on the driver's operation, not the detection result of the abnormality detection unit 24, and switches to manual driving control.

[0038] When the second switching unit 38 receives an instruction to terminate automatic driving control from the permission unit 28, if the detection result of the abnormality detection unit 24 after a predetermined waiting time has elapsed indicates that both the first automatic driving control unit 32 and the second automatic driving control unit 34 are abnormal, the second switching unit 38 terminates automatic driving control and switches to manual driving control.

[0039] If a predetermined continuation condition is satisfied depending on the vehicle's driving state, first switching unit 26 may switch the automatic driving control without going through standby processing. For example, if the vehicle is turning and a malfunction is detected in one of first automatic driving control unit 32 and second automatic driving control unit 34, first switching unit 26 may switch to the other before a predetermined time has elapsed, i.e., before the abnormality is confirmed.

[0040] 3 is a flowchart of the process for starting automatic driving control. When manual driving control is being executed (S10), the driver requests automatic driving control (S12). The acquisition unit 20 acquires an input from the driver indicating that automatic driving is on, and sends the input to the permission unit 28. The permission unit 28 determines whether both the first automatic driving control unit 32 and the second automatic driving control unit 34 are normal (S14).

[0041] If both the first automatic driving control unit 32 and the second automatic driving control unit 34 are normal (Y in S14), the permission unit 28 permits the start of automatic driving control, the first automatic driving control unit 32 and the second automatic driving control unit 34 start automatic driving control, and the second switching unit 38 switches from manual driving control to automatic driving control (S16).

[0042] If at least one of the first automatic driving control unit 32 and the second automatic driving control unit 34 is abnormal (N in S14), the permission unit 28 does not permit the start of automatic driving control, and this process ends. This allows automatic driving control to continue on the redundant side even if one of the first automatic driving control unit 32 and the second automatic driving control unit 34 becomes abnormal.

[0043] 4 is a flowchart of the process for terminating automatic driving control. The first automatic driving control unit 32 or the second automatic driving control unit 34 is currently executing automatic driving control (S20). The permission unit 28 sends an instruction to terminate automatic driving control to the second switching unit 38 in response to an input from the driver or the detection result of the abnormality detection unit 24 (S22). Note that this instruction to terminate may have been sent in error.

[0044] The second switching unit 38 determines whether the first automatic driving control unit 32 or the second automatic driving control unit 34, which is executing the automatic driving control, is normal (S24). If the first automatic driving control unit 32 or the second automatic driving control unit 34, which is executing the automatic driving control, is normal (Y in S24), the second switching unit 38 determines whether a predetermined waiting time has elapsed since receiving the end instruction (S26).

[0045] If the predetermined waiting time has not elapsed (N in S26), the abnormality detection unit 24 repeats the abnormality detection (S24). If the first automatic driving control unit 32 and the second automatic driving control unit 34 are running normally and the predetermined waiting time has elapsed (Y in S26), the second switching unit 38 ends the automatic driving control and executes switching processing to switch to manual driving control (S28). Note that the second switching unit 38 may check the driver's line of sight and whether their hands are on the steering wheel before switching to manual driving control.

[0046] If the currently running first automatic driving control unit 32 or second automatic driving control unit 34 is not normal (N in S24), the first switching unit 26 switches to automatic driving control of the redundant first automatic driving control unit 32 or second automatic driving control unit 34 (S30).

[0047] The present disclosure has been described above based on examples. The present disclosure is not limited to the above examples, and various modifications such as design changes may be made based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1 Driving control system, 10 Driving control device, 12 Object detection sensor, 14 On-board sensor, 16 Driving device, 20 Acquisition unit, 22 Recognition processing unit, 24 Abnormality detection unit, 26 First switching unit, 28 Permission unit, 32 First automatic driving control unit, 34 Second automatic driving control unit, 36 Manual driving control unit, 38 Second switching unit.

Claims

1. a first automatic driving control unit capable of performing automatic driving control to cause a vehicle to travel autonomously; A second automatic driving control unit capable of automatic driving control for autonomously driving the vehicle; an abnormality detection unit that detects abnormalities in the first automatic driving control unit and the second automatic driving control unit; a first switching unit that switches to automatic driving control by the other of the first automatic driving control unit and the second automatic driving control unit when an abnormality is detected in either the first automatic driving control unit or the second automatic driving control unit during automatic driving control; a permission unit that instructs the first automatic driving control unit and the second automatic driving control unit to end the automatic driving control; a second switching unit that switches between automatic driving control and manual driving control in response to an instruction from the permission unit, The driving control device is characterized in that the second switching unit waits for a predetermined waiting time to elapse before terminating the automatic driving control when an instruction to terminate the automatic driving control is received from the permission unit.

2. The driving control device described in claim 1, characterized in that when an instruction to terminate automatic driving control is received from the permission unit, if the detection result of the abnormality detection unit after a predetermined waiting time has elapsed indicates that one of the first automatic driving control unit and the second automatic driving control unit is abnormal, the second switching unit does not terminate the automatic driving control, and the first switching unit switches to automatic driving control by the other of the first automatic driving control unit and the second automatic driving control unit.

3. A driving control device as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that when an instruction to terminate automatic driving control is received from the permission unit, if the detection result of the abnormality detection unit after a predetermined waiting time has elapsed indicates that both the first automatic driving control unit and the second automatic driving control unit are normal, the second switching unit terminates automatic driving control and switches to manual driving control.

4. The driving control device described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the permission unit does not allow the start of automatic driving control when at least one of the first automatic driving control unit and the second automatic driving control unit is detected to be abnormal, and allows the start of automatic driving control when both the first automatic driving control unit and the second automatic driving control unit are detected to be normal.

5. A driving control method for executing each step in a driving control device including a first automatic driving control unit and a second automatic driving control unit capable of performing automatic driving control to cause a vehicle to drive autonomously, Detecting an abnormality in the first automatic driving control unit and the second automatic driving control unit; When it is detected that only one of the first automatic driving control unit and the second automatic driving control unit is abnormal during automatic driving control, switching to automatic driving control by the other of the first automatic driving control unit and the second automatic driving control unit; instructing the first automatic driving control unit and the second automatic driving control unit to terminate automatic driving control; a step of waiting for the end of automatic driving control until a predetermined waiting time has elapsed when an instruction to end automatic driving control is received.

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