Control device, control system and control method

Abstract

To provide a technology that can reduce a communication capability required for data transmitted by a moving object.SOLUTION: A control device is a control device 110, which comprises: a receiving unit 114 which receives malfunction occurrence information for indicating occurrence of a malfunction in drive assistance of a moving object 10, and travel information relating to travelling of the moving object; and a control unit 116 that prevents transmission of malfunction information, including positional information of a malfunction point, from a transmission device 150 mounted on the moving object, where the malfunction has occurred when receiving the malfunction occurrence information, if the travel information satisfies a predetermined non-transmission condition, and that causes the transmission device to transmit the malfunction information if the travel information does not satisfy the non-transmission condition.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a control device, a control system, and a control method. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a technology for collecting data from a mobile body in order to generate or update a mobile body control model used for driving assistance of the mobile body. Patent Document 1 describes a technology for transmitting data to an external server when autonomous driving is canceled. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7271237 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] There has been a demand to reduce the amount of data transmitted by mobile devices in order to reduce communication charges and the power load on mobile devices. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and can be realized in the following forms.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a control device (110). The control device includes: a receiving unit (114) for receiving malfunction occurrence information indicating that a malfunction has occurred in driving assistance in a mobile object (10) and travel information related to travel of the mobile object; and a control unit (116) for, upon receiving the malfunction occurrence information, not causing a transmitting device (150) mounted on the mobile object to transmit malfunction information including location information of a malfunction point where the malfunction has occurred if the travel information satisfies a predetermined non-transmission condition, and causing the transmitting device to transmit the malfunction information if the travel information does not satisfy the non-transmission condition.

[0007] According to the control device of this aspect, the control unit prevents the transmitting device from transmitting malfunction information when the traveling information satisfies the non-transmission condition, thereby preventing the mobile object from sending excessive data. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a control system. [Figure 2] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a transmission process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] A. First embodiment: As shown in Fig. 1, a control system 500 in the first embodiment includes a moving object 10, a server 20, and a control device 110. The control device 110 is mounted on the moving object 10. In this embodiment, the moving object 10 is a vehicle that can travel with driving assistance. The driving assistance is autonomous driving of the moving object 10.

[0010] The server 20 receives malfunction information from the mobile body 10, including location information of a malfunction point, which is a point where a malfunction has occurred in the driving assistance of the mobile body 10. The server 20 is a computing device that collects the received malfunction information and generates and updates a mobile body control model used to control the driving assistance of the mobile body 10. For example, the server 20 generates a mobile body control model that terminates autonomous driving before the mobile body 10 reaches the malfunction point where a malfunction has occurred in the autonomous driving of the mobile body 10.

[0011] A mobile object 10 of this embodiment includes an automatic driving control system 100. In this embodiment, the automatic driving control system 100 executes automatic driving of the mobile object 10. In this embodiment, the automatic driving control system 100 includes a control device 110, a sensor unit 120, a mobile object position sensor 130, a map information storage unit 140, a transmission device 150, a driving control unit 210, a driving force control ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 220, a braking force control ECU 230, and a steering control ECU 240. The control device 110, the driving force control ECU 220, the braking force control ECU 230, and the steering control ECU 240 are connected via an in-vehicle network 250. Note that the mobile object 10 is not limited to being driven automatically, and may be driven manually by a driver.

[0012] The sensor unit 120 detects driving information related to the driving of the mobile object 10. The driving information includes, for example, environmental information indicating the driving environment of the mobile object 10 and driver information indicating the state of the driver of the mobile object 10. The driving environment includes, for example, weather and the degree of traffic congestion. The state of the driver includes, for example, whether the driver is awake or not, and whether the driver is irritated or not. In this embodiment, the sensor unit 120 includes a camera 121 and an object sensor 122.

[0013] The camera 121 captures images of the periphery of the moving body 10 and the inside of the moving body 10 to acquire video. The object sensor 122 measures the distance to an object in the periphery of the moving body 10. Examples of the object sensor 122 include a Lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) that uses reflected waves and a millimeter wave radar.

[0014] The mobile object position sensor 130 detects the current coordinate position of the mobile object 10. The mobile object position sensor 130 may be, for example, a Global Navigation Satellite System(s) (GNSS) such as a Global Positioning System (GPS).

[0015] The map information storage unit 140 stores map information. The map information includes, for example, three-dimensional information indicating the position of each feature and road using latitude and longitude, road information, and information indicating the update date and time when this information was updated. The road information includes information indicating whether the road is private or not, and information indicating traffic volume.

[0016] The transmitting device 150 transmits malfunction information including location information of a malfunction point where a malfunction has occurred in the driving assistance to the server 20 in accordance with a control signal output from the control device 110. In this embodiment, the transmitting device 150 acquires location information of the malfunction point from the moving body location sensor 130.

[0017] The control device 110 causes the transmitting device 150 to transmit malfunction information. The control device 110 includes an input / output interface 111, a storage unit 112, and a CPU 113. The input / output interface 111, the storage unit 112, and the CPU 113 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate bidirectionally. The storage unit 112 is configured by a ROM and a RAM.

[0018] CPU 113 executes a program pre-installed in storage unit 112 to implement the functions of receiving unit 114, determining unit 115, and control unit 116. However, some or all of the functions of these units may be implemented by hardware circuits.

[0019] The receiving unit 114 receives malfunction occurrence information indicating that a malfunction has occurred in the autonomous driving of the mobile object 10 and travel information related to the travel of the mobile object 10 via the input / output interface 111. In this embodiment, the receiving unit 114 receives the malfunction occurrence information from the driving control unit 210, which will be described later. The receiving unit 114 also receives environmental information and driver information from the sensor unit 120, receives location information of malfunction points from the mobile object location sensor 130, and receives map information including the malfunction points from the map information storage unit 140.

[0020] The determination unit 115 determines whether the traveling information satisfies a predetermined non-transmission condition. The non-transmission condition is a condition for determining whether malfunction information should not be transmitted to the server 20. More specifically, the non-transmission condition is a condition for determining whether the malfunction information does not need to be used for generating or updating a mobile body control model. Malfunction information that does not need to be used for generating or updating a mobile body control model is, for example, malfunction information when the cause of a malfunction in the autonomous driving of the mobile body 10 is likely not at the malfunction location, or malfunction information at a location where autonomous driving is unlikely to be performed. The non-transmission condition will be described in detail later.

[0021] The control unit 116 controls the transmission of malfunction information of the mobile object 10. More specifically, when the travel information satisfies the non-transmission condition, the control unit 116 controls the mobile object 10 not to transmit the malfunction information. Furthermore, when the travel information does not satisfy the non-transmission condition, the control unit 116 controls the mobile object 10 to transmit the malfunction information.

[0022] The driving control unit 210 is composed of a microcomputer configured with a central processing unit (BPU), RAM, and ROM, and realizes an automatic driving function by having the microcomputer execute a pre-installed program. The driving control unit 210 realizes the automatic driving function of traveling along a predetermined route by controlling the driving force control ECU 220, braking force control ECU 230, and steering control ECU 240. The driving control unit 210 controls, for example, the driving force control ECU 220 and braking force control ECU 230, and automatically changes lanes using the steering control ECU 240.

[0023] The driving control unit 210 transmits malfunction occurrence information to the control device 110 when a malfunction occurs in the driving assistance of the mobile object 10. The driving assistance malfunction is a malfunction in the generation of control commands or a malfunction in control caused by an external factor of the mobile object 10. The driving assistance malfunction is not directly caused by a malfunction of the mobile object 10, but is a malfunction in the generation of control commands or a malfunction in control that occurs, for example, when the position of a feature indicated by the map information stored in the map information storage unit 140 differs from the position of the feature acquired by the sensor unit 120, when the planned route cannot be traveled due to road construction or falling rocks, or when the accuracy of the coordinate position detected by the mobile object position sensor 130 is low due to being located in a congested urban area or inside a tunnel. In this embodiment, the driving control unit 210 transmits malfunction occurrence information to the control device 110 when a malfunction occurs in the generation of control commands that control the driving force control ECU 220, the braking force control ECU 230, and the steering control ECU 240.

[0024] The driving force control ECU 220 is an electronic control device that controls a power source, such as an engine, that generates driving force for the mobile object 10. When the driver drives manually, the driving force control ECU 220 controls the power source, such as the engine or electric motor, according to the amount of accelerator pedal operation. When autonomous driving is performed, the driving force control ECU 220 controls the power source according to the required driving force calculated by the driving control unit 210.

[0025] The braking force control ECU 230 is an electronic control device that controls a brake actuator that generates a braking force for the moving body 10. When the driver drives manually, the braking force control ECU 230 controls the brake actuator in accordance with the amount of operation of the brake pedal. When the moving body 10 is driven automatically, the braking force control ECU 230 controls the brake actuator in accordance with the required braking force calculated by the driving control unit 210.

[0026] The steering control ECU 240 is an electronic control device that controls a motor that generates a steering torque for the mobile body 10. When the driver drives manually, the steering control ECU 240 controls the motor in accordance with the operation of the steering wheel to generate an assist torque for the steering operation. This allows the driver to operate the steering wheel with a small amount of force, thereby realizing steering of the mobile body 10. When autonomous driving is performed, the steering control ECU 240 performs steering by controlling the motor in accordance with the required steering angle calculated by the driving control unit 210.

[0027] 2 is a process in which the control device 110 transmits malfunction information to the server 20. This process is, for example, a process that is repeatedly executed by the control device 110 while the moving object 10 is traveling, and is, for example, a process that is repeatedly executed every 100 ms.

[0028] In step S100, the control device 110 determines whether the receiving unit 114 has received malfunction occurrence information from the operation control unit 210. This step is also referred to as the "first receiving step." If the receiving unit 114 has received malfunction occurrence information, the process proceeds to step S110. On the other hand, if the receiving unit 114 has not received malfunction occurrence information, the transmission process ends.

[0029] In step S110, the receiving unit 114 receives driving information from the sensor unit 120, the moving object position sensor 130, and the map information storage unit 140. This step is also referred to as a "second receiving step." Note that the processing of steps S100 to S110 is not limited to this order and can be performed in any order, or may be performed in parallel.

[0030] In step S120, the determination unit 115 determines whether the travel information received by the reception unit 114 in step S110 satisfies the non-transmission condition.

[0031] In this embodiment, the determination unit 115 uses conditions 1 to 6, which will be described later, as non-transmission conditions, and determines that the non-transmission condition is met when any of these conditions 1 to 6 is met. Note that the non-transmission conditions can also be determined by appropriately combining conditions 1 to 6, which will be described later, and other conditions.

[0032] <Condition 1> The driving conditions are bad weather. <Condition 2> The update date and time when the map information corresponding to the road to which the malfunctioning point belongs is updated is after a predetermined threshold date and time. <Condition 3> The driver is not irritated. <Condition 4> The road on which the problem area is located is a private road or a dead end. <Condition 5> The traffic volume on the road where the malfunctioning point is located is below a predetermined threshold. <Condition 6> There is another road that meets predetermined conditions and runs parallel to the road where the malfunctioning point is located.

[0033] If the above condition 1 is met, for example, if the weather includes at least one of precipitation, fog, mist, and thunder, there is a high possibility that visibility is poor. Therefore, the cause of the malfunction of the autonomous driving is likely to be the weather, not the malfunctioning location.

[0034] If the above condition 2 is met, the map information has been updated recently, so it is highly likely that the autonomous driving control command has been generated in accordance with the actual road conditions. Therefore, it is highly likely that the cause of the autonomous driving malfunction is something other than the malfunction location. The threshold date and time in condition 2 is, for example, one month before the current time when the determination unit 115 makes the determination.

[0035] Regarding the above condition 3, the determination unit 115 determines that the driver is irritated if the driver makes negative sounds such as clicking their tongue or using abusive language. If this condition 3 is met, there is a high possibility that the behavior of the automated driving system is unstable. Therefore, there is a high possibility that the malfunction of the automated driving system is caused by the malfunctioning point.

[0036] If the above condition 4 is met, it is unlikely that automated driving will be performed on the road where the malfunctioning point is located.

[0037] The threshold value in the above condition 5 may always be set to the same value, or may be set to a different value depending on the date and time. When this condition 5 is met, there is a low possibility that automated driving will be performed on the road where the malfunction point belongs.

[0038] The other road in the above condition 6 is, for example, a road that was newly constructed later than the road to which the malfunction point belongs and is wider. When this condition 6 is met, it is unlikely that automated driving will be performed on the road to which the malfunction point belongs.

[0039] If the determination unit 115 determines that the transmission information satisfies the non-transmission condition, that is, if any of the above-mentioned conditions 1 to 6 is met, the process proceeds to step S130, where the control unit 116 controls the transmission device 150 not to transmit the malfunction information to the server 20. On the other hand, if the determination unit 115 determines that the transmission information does not satisfy the non-transmission condition, that is, if none of the above-mentioned conditions 1 to 5 is met, the process proceeds to step S135, where the control unit 116 controls the transmission device 150 to transmit the malfunction information to the server 20. The combined process of steps S120 to S130 and steps S120 to S135 is also referred to as the "determination process."

[0040] According to the control device 110 of the present embodiment described above, when the traveling information satisfies the non-transmission condition, the control unit 116 does not cause the transmitting device 150 to transmit the malfunction information. This makes it possible to prevent the moving object 10 from transmitting excessive data.

[0041] B. Other Embodiments: (B1) In the above-described embodiment, the receiving unit 114 receives the travel information from the automatic driving control system 100. However, this is not limiting, and the receiving unit 114 may receive the travel information from an external server of the moving object 10.

[0042] (B2) In the above-described embodiment, the receiving unit 114 may receive the driving information directly from the autonomous driving control system 100, or may extract the driving information from the information received from the autonomous driving control system 100. For example, the receiving unit 114 may receive environmental information analyzed by the sensor unit 120 from video captured by the camera 121, or may analyze video information received from the sensor unit 120 to receive environmental information.

[0043] (B3) In the above-described embodiment, the control device 110 includes the receiving unit 114 and the determining unit 115. The control device 110 only needs to include the control unit 116, and may not include the receiving unit 114 and the determining unit 115. In this case, the receiving unit 114 and the determining unit 115 are realized by, for example, a microcomputer or the like configured with a CPU, RAM, and ROM different from those of the control device 110 included in the control system 500.

[0044] (B4) In the above-described embodiment, the control device 110 is mounted on the mobile object 10. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the control device 110 may be mounted outside the mobile object 10. For example, the mobile object 10 receives an instruction from the control device 110 and transmits malfunction information to the server 20.

[0045] (B5) In the above-described embodiment, the control device 110 may include the transmission device 150. That is, the control device 110 may function as a transmission device that transmits malfunction information to the server 20.

[0046] (B6) In the above-described embodiment, the transmitting device 150 may transmit, as malfunction information, in addition to the location information of the malfunction point where the driving assistance in the moving body 10 malfunctions, driving information when the driving assistance malfunctions and video captured by the camera 121 at the malfunction point.

[0047] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be realized in various configurations without departing from the spirit thereof. For example, the technical features in the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each aspect described in the Summary of the Invention section can be appropriately replaced or combined to solve the above-described problems or achieve some or all of the above-described effects. Furthermore, if a technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be appropriately deleted.

[0048] The control device 110 and methods described herein may be implemented by a special-purpose computer configured with a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions embodied in a computer program. Alternatively, the control unit and methods described herein may be implemented by a special-purpose computer configured with a processor configured with one or more dedicated hardware logic circuits. Alternatively, the restriction unit and methods described herein may be implemented by one or more special-purpose computers configured with a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions in combination with a processor configured with one or more hardware logic circuits. Furthermore, the computer program may be stored as instructions executed by a computer on a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 10...mobile body, 20...server, 100...automatic driving control system, 110...control device, 111...input / output interface, 112...storage unit, 113...CPU, 114...receiving unit, 115...judgment unit, 116...control unit, 120...sensor unit, 121...camera, 122...object sensor, 130...mobile body position sensor, 140...map information storage unit, 150...transmitting device, 210...driving control unit, 220...driving force control ECU, 230...braking force control ECU, 240...steering control ECU, 250...in-vehicle network, 500...control system

Claims

1. A control device (110) comprising: a receiving unit (114) for receiving malfunction occurrence information indicating that a malfunction has occurred in the driving assistance in the moving body (10) and travel information regarding the travel of the moving body; When the malfunction occurrence information is received, When the travel information satisfies a predetermined non-transmission condition, the transmitting device (150) mounted on the moving body is not caused to transmit malfunction information including location information of the malfunction point, which is the point where the malfunction occurred; A control device comprising: a control unit (116) that causes the transmitting device to transmit the malfunction information when the driving information does not satisfy the non-transmission condition.

2. The control device according to claim 1, the travel information includes environmental information indicating a travel environment of the mobile object, The non-transmission condition includes that the driving environment at the malfunction point is bad weather.

3. The control device according to claim 1 or 2, the receiving unit receives map information related to a map used in the driving assistance; The travel information includes the position information of the malfunction point, The non-transmission condition includes that the update date and time when the map information corresponding to the location information was updated is after a predetermined threshold date and time.

4. The control device according to claim 1 or 2, The travel information includes road information regarding a road to which the malfunction point belongs, The non-transmission condition includes a low possibility that the driving assistance will be performed on the road.

5. The control device according to claim 1 or 2, the travel information includes driver information indicating the state of a driver of the mobile object, The non-transmission condition includes the driver not being irritated.

6. 1. A control system comprising: A moving object and a transmitting device that transmits malfunction information to a computing device, the malfunction information including location information of a malfunction point, which is a point where a malfunction has occurred in the driving assistance of the moving body; a receiving unit for receiving malfunction occurrence information indicating that the malfunction has occurred and travel information regarding travel of the mobile body; a determination unit (115) that determines whether the driving information satisfies a predetermined non-transmission condition when the malfunction occurrence information is received; A control system comprising: a control unit that does not cause the transmitting device to transmit the malfunction information when the determination unit determines that the driving information satisfies the non-transmission condition.

7. A control method comprising: a first receiving step of receiving malfunction occurrence information indicating that a malfunction has occurred in driving assistance in the moving object; a second receiving step of receiving travel information relating to travel of the moving object; a determination step of determining, when the malfunction occurrence information is received, whether to cause a transmitting device mounted on the moving object to transmit malfunction information including location information of the malfunction point, which is the point where the malfunction has occurred; The judgment process determines that the malfunction information should be transmitted if the driving information satisfies a predetermined non-transmission condition, and determines that the malfunction information should not be transmitted if the driving information does not satisfy the non-transmission condition.

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