Electronic control device and environment recognition method

Abstract

To provide an electronic control device which enables an own vehicle to safely travel while considering a vehicle state after vehicle control.SOLUTION: An electronic control device 2 comprises: an environment sensor information acquisition section 8 which acquires environment sensor information relating to an environment of an own vehicle; a determination setting information acquisition section 15 which acquires determination setting information in which a possibility of travel of a vehicle 1 is determined for each kind of an environment region which is grasped by the environment sensor information according to a vehicle state representing a state of the vehicle 1; and a travelable region generation section 12 which outputs a travelable region by generating for each of a plurality of vehicle states a travelable region which is a region where the vehicle 1 can travel on the basis of the environment sensor information and the determination setting information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic control unit and an environment recognition method. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, in order to realize comfortable and safe driving assistance and autonomous driving of vehicles, technologies have been proposed that detect fallen objects and the like on the road surface on which the vehicle is traveling and control the vehicle's traveling trajectory. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that generates a natural target trajectory according to the degree of traveling risk of the vehicle due to road surface obstacles that the vehicle can overcome on the road surface.

[0003] Patent document 1 states that "the system comprises an information acquisition unit that acquires information about environmental elements around the vehicle, including at least road surface obstacles that the vehicle can overcome on the road surface; a risk map generation unit that generates a risk map that expresses the degree of driving risk for the vehicle at each position around the vehicle based on the information; and a driving control planning unit that determines a driving trajectory for controlling the vehicle's driving based on the risk map, and the driving control planning unit determines the driving trajectory based on the degree of driving risk due to road surface obstacles on the risk map that the vehicle's wheel trajectory on the driving trajectory passes through." [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-83359 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The technology described in Patent Document 1 calculates the driving risk when a vehicle crosses or passes over a road surface obstacle, which is an obstacle that the vehicle can overcome, based on the current vehicle state, and selects a target driving trajectory according to the calculated degree of driving risk. However, in actual driving trajectory planning, the vehicle may not cross or pass over the road surface obstacle in the current vehicle state, but may cross or pass over the road surface obstacle by changing the vehicle state, such as by decelerating through vehicle control.

[0006] Therefore, the method of calculating the driving risk level based on the current vehicle state described in Patent Document 1 cannot calculate the driving risk in the vehicle state after control, taking vehicle control into consideration.As a result, the technology described in Patent Document 1 cannot plan a driving trajectory that takes vehicle control into consideration, which limits the options for driving trajectories and raises the risk of not being able to select a safe driving trajectory that takes vehicle control into consideration.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has an object to enable a host vehicle to travel safely in consideration of the vehicle state after vehicle control. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The electronic control device of the present invention includes an external environment information acquisition unit that acquires external environment information related to the external environment of the vehicle, a judgment setting information acquisition unit that acquires judgment setting information that determines whether the vehicle can be driven for each type of external environment area identified by the external environment information depending on the vehicle state that represents the state of the vehicle, and a drivable area generation unit that generates a drivable area, which is an area in which the vehicle can be driven, for each of a plurality of vehicle states based on the external environment information and the judgment setting information, and outputs the drivable area. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, a drivable area of ​​the host vehicle is generated based on the vehicle state after vehicle control and is output, so that the host vehicle can travel safely. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an example of an electronic control device according to an embodiment of the present invention and a hardware configuration related to the electronic control device; [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a connection configuration of an electronic control device, a group of external sensors, a group of vehicle sensors, and a vehicle control unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of a processing unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 4] 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of a determination setting information table according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 5] 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a travelable area generation condition determination unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a travelable area generation process according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a travel plan process according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a specific processing state of a processing unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of a processing unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of a processing unit according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of a future vehicle state estimation table according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of a vehicle state estimation parameter setting table according to the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a travelable area generation condition determination process according to a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a processing unit according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of a vehicle state estimation parameter setting table for each travel plan according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a travel plan process according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a travelable area generation condition determination process according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a processing unit according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 19] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a travelable area generation process according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 20] FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a processing unit according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 21] FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a processing unit according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and drawings, components having substantially the same functions or configurations are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted. The present invention is applicable to, for example, a computing device for vehicle control capable of communicating with an on-board ECU (Electronic Control Unit) for an Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) or Autonomous Driving (AD).

[0012] [First embodiment] First, an example of the configuration of an electronic control device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an electronic control device according to the first embodiment and hardware related to the electronic control device.

[0013] 1, a vehicle 1 includes an electronic control unit 2, an external sensor group 3, and a vehicle sensor group 4. In the following description, the vehicle 1 is an example of a host vehicle on which the electronic control unit 2 is mounted.

[0014] The electronic control unit 2 is an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that performs calculations for driving assistance and driving control of the vehicle 1. The electronic control unit 2 has the function of controlling various operations of the vehicle 1, including driving.

[0015] The external sensor group 3 includes external sensors such as radar and LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), and acquires external information related to the outside of the vehicle 1. An example of the external information acquired by the external sensor group 3 is called external sensor information. The external sensor information is also information that represents the environment in which the vehicle 1 is traveling. The vehicle sensor group 4 detects the vehicle state such as the speed of the vehicle 1 .

[0016] The electronic control unit 2, the group of external sensors 3, and the group of vehicle sensors 4 are connected to one another via a common bus 5. Therefore, the electronic control unit 2, the group of external sensors 3, and the group of vehicle sensors 4 can transmit information to one another via the common bus 5.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the connection configuration of the electronic control device 2, the external sensor group 3, the vehicle sensor group 4, and the vehicle control unit 20. The electronic control unit 2 generates vehicle control information for controlling the traveling of the vehicle 1 for driving assistance or automatic driving of the vehicle 1, based on various input information provided from the external sensor group 3 and the vehicle sensor group 4. The electronic control unit 2 includes a processing unit 6 and a memory unit 7.

[0018] The processing unit 6 is configured to include, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), which is a central processing unit. However, in addition to the CPU, the processing unit 6 may also include a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), etc., or may be configured with only one of them. The processing unit 6 recognizes the environment around the vehicle 1 using an environment recognition method shown in each flowchart described later, and causes the vehicle control unit 20 to perform vehicle control that allows the vehicle 1 to travel safely based on the recognized environment.

[0019] The storage unit 7 may be, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a flexible disk, an optical disk, or a non-volatile memory. The storage unit 7 stores an operating system (OS), various parameters, and programs for operating the electronic control unit 2. The storage unit 7 also stores programs and data necessary for the processing unit 6 to operate. In other words, the storage unit 7 is used as an example of a computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium that stores programs executed by the electronic control unit 2.

[0020] When the vehicle control unit 20 receives the vehicle control information from the processing unit 6, it outputs control signals to, for example, an actuator for controlling the running of the vehicle 1, a battery control unit, an engine control unit, a steering control unit, etc. In this way, the vehicle control unit 20 safely controls the vehicle 1.

[0021] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the processing unit 6 according to the first embodiment. The processing unit 6 has, as its functions, an external sensor information acquisition unit 8, a vehicle sensor information acquisition unit 9, a road obstacle recognition unit 10, a driveable area generation condition determination unit 11, a driveable area generation unit 12, and a drive plan unit 13.

[0022] The external sensor information acquisition unit 8 is used as an example of an external information acquisition unit that acquires external sensor information detected by the external sensor group 3 via the common bus 5 connected to the electronic control unit 2. The external sensors include, for example, one or more cameras that capture images of the front, rear, left, and right sides of the vehicle 1, radar that emits radio waves to measure the distance and direction to an object, and LiDAR that emits laser light to measure the distance and shape of an object.

[0023] The vehicle sensor information acquisition unit 9 acquires vehicle sensor information detected by the vehicle sensor group 4 via the common bus 5 connected to the electronic control unit 2. Since the vehicle sensor information is information that indicates the current vehicle state of the vehicle 1, the vehicle sensor information acquisition unit 9 is used as an example of a vehicle state acquisition unit. The vehicle sensor group 4 includes, for example, a speed sensor that detects the traveling speed of the vehicle 1, a steering angle sensor that measures the steering angle of the steering wheel, and the like.

[0024] The road obstacle recognition unit 10 outputs road obstacle information for recognizing road obstacles that the vehicle can overcome on the road surface and road obstacle recognition information representing road obstacles recognized based on external sensor information. For example, the road obstacle recognition unit 10 identifies the type, position, size, movement, etc. of the road obstacle based on the external sensor information acquired by the external sensor information acquisition unit 8 and the road obstacle information held within the road obstacle recognition unit 10, and recognizes the road obstacle. In this specification, among the environmental elements present around the vehicle 1, those that the vehicle 1 cannot cross or overcome are defined as "obstacles," and those that the vehicle 1 can cross and overcome are defined as "road obstacles." Information on road obstacles recognized by the road obstacle recognition unit 10 is referred to as "road obstacle recognition information."

[0025] Here, "straddle" means that an environmental element on the road surface passes under the body of vehicle 1 while vehicle 1 is traveling, causing vehicle 1 to pass over the environmental element. In other words, it is not necessary for the wheels of vehicle 1 to go over the environmental element; the environmental element may pass under the body of vehicle 1 by passing between the wheels of vehicle 1. Road surface obstacle information is information that links patterns of sensor information such as images and point clouds with the shape or characteristics of road obstacles, and is used to recognize road obstacles.

[0026] The driveable area generation condition determination unit 11 determines driveable area generation conditions that define the range of vehicle states when generating a driveable area. To this end, the driveable area generation condition determination unit 11 specifies the vehicle states of the vehicle 1 that are necessary for the driveable area generation process in the driveable area generation unit 12. The vehicle states are expressed by vehicle state types such as the driving speed and acceleration of the vehicle 1, the steering angle of the steering wheel, etc., and numerical values ​​that represent the magnitudes of these types.

[0027] The driveable area generation unit 12 generates a driveable area based on external sensor information, road obstacle recognition information, and driveable area generation conditions. At this time, the driveable area generation unit 12 generates a driveable area in which the vehicle can travel, for example, using a determination setting information table T1 (see FIG. 4 ) stored internally. Then, the driveable area generation unit 12 outputs the generated driveable area to the drive plan unit 13.

[0028] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the determination setting information table T1. The determination setting information table T1 has the following items: road obstacle type T1a, vehicle state type T1b, and driving enable condition T1c.

[0029] The road surface obstacle type T1a item stores types of road surface obstacles such as bumps, puddles, 10% uphill slopes, and frozen road surfaces. If the driver of vehicle 1 cannot see the road conditions ahead due to the road surface gradient, vehicle 1 can travel safely by reducing its speed. Such road surface gradients are also set as types of road surface obstacles.

[0030] The vehicle state type T1b field stores vehicle state types such as speed, speed (engine rotation speed), steering angle, and acceleration. The driving conditions T1c include a speed of 40 km / h or less, a steering angle of ±20 degrees or less, and an acceleration of ±0.5 m / s 2 The following driving conditions are stored:

[0031] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the driveable area generation condition determination unit 11 according to the first embodiment. The drivable area generation condition determination unit 11 statically determines one vehicle state to be stored internally and outputs it as a drivable area generation condition (S1). Here, neither external sensor information nor vehicle sensor information is input to the drivable area generation condition determination unit 11 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, the drivable area generation condition determination unit 11 determines one fixed vehicle state such as driving speed and acceleration. This method of determining a vehicle state is referred to as "statically determining a vehicle state." For example, the drivable area generation condition determination unit 11 always fixes the speed of the vehicle 1 to 40 km / h and determines the drivable area generation condition for 40 km / h.

[0032] Returning to Figure 3, the explanation continues. The drivable area generation process performed by the drivable area generation unit 12 uses external sensor information acquired by the external sensor information acquisition unit 8, road surface obstacle recognition information, vehicle state information determined by the drivable area generation condition determination unit 11, and a judgment setting information table T1 internally held by the drivable area generation unit 12.

[0033] 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the driveable area generation process, which is performed by the driveable area generation unit 12 according to the first embodiment. First, the driveable area generation unit 12 acquires external sensor information, road obstacle recognition information, and vehicle state information (S11). Next, the driveable area generation unit 12 compares the vehicle state and driveable conditions for the road obstacle recognition information based on the determination setting information table T1, and obtains a result of whether or not the vehicle can be driven in response to the road obstacle (S12).

[0034] For example, if the road obstacle type indicated in the road obstacle recognition information is a puddle and the vehicle state type is speed, the driving condition according to the judgment setting information table T1 is 60 km / h or less. From this, the driving possibility result is obtained such that if the vehicle 1 is traveling at a speed exceeding 60 km / h, it is not possible to drive, and if the vehicle 1 is traveling at a speed of 60 km / h or less, it is possible to drive.

[0035] Next, the drivable area generation unit 12 generates a drivable area based on the external sensor information, road surface obstacle recognition information, and the drivability result for each road surface obstacle (S13). For example, if the drivability result indicates drivability, the drivable area of ​​the vehicle 1 is generated in the direction of traveling straight along the current lane. Finally, the drivable area generation unit 12 outputs the generated drivable area to the driving plan unit 13 (S14). The driving plan unit 13 generates a driving plan for the vehicle 1 based on the current vehicle state of the vehicle 1 and the drivable area.

[0036] 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a driving plan process. This process is performed by the driving planner 13 according to the first embodiment. First, the driving planner 13 acquires vehicle sensor information from the vehicle sensor information acquirer 9, and acquires information on the driveable area from the driveable area generator 12 (S21). Next, the driving planner 13 generates a drive trajectory candidate (S22). At this time, any method for generating the drive trajectory candidate may be used. For example, a drive trajectory in which the vehicle 1 travels straight along the lane in which it is currently traveling, or a drive trajectory in which the vehicle 1 changes lanes, etc. may be generated as the drive trajectory candidate.

[0037] Next, the driving plan unit 13 refers to the drivable area and determines whether each driving trajectory candidate is feasible (S23). For example, a driving trajectory included in the drivable area is determined to be feasible, and a driving trajectory not included in the drivable area is determined to be infeasible.

[0038] Next, the driving planner 13 selects one driving trajectory from among the feasible driving trajectories in accordance with selection criteria such as safety (S24). For example, even if a driving trajectory is included in the drivable area, if it is predicted that a vehicle traveling parallel in another lane will enter the driving trajectory, the driving trajectory is not selected from the viewpoint of safety.

[0039] Next, the driving plan unit 13 generates vehicle control information based on the vehicle state (e.g., speed, steering angle, acceleration, etc.) specified by the driving area generation condition determination unit 11 in the driving area generation process shown in Figure 6 and the current vehicle state acquired from the vehicle sensor information (S25). For example, if the drivable area referenced by the driving plan unit 13 in step S23 is generated under a vehicle condition of 50 km / h, it is unclear whether the vehicle can be driven at speeds other than 50 km / h, so vehicle control information is generated to control the vehicle 1 to drive at a speed of 50 km / h or less.

[0040] Finally, the driving planner 13 outputs the generated vehicle control information to the vehicle controller 20 (S26). This vehicle control information is output information of the electronic control device 2. The vehicle control information is output to the vehicle controller 20 shown in FIG. 1. The vehicle controller 20 controls the driving of the vehicle 1 based on the input vehicle control information.

[0041] 8 is a diagram showing a specific processing state of the processing unit 6 according to the first embodiment. Currently, vehicle 1 is traveling at 80 km / h on a two-lane road, and vehicle 31 is traveling alongside in the adjacent lane, also at 80 km / h. Vehicles 1 and 31 are traveling in the direction indicated by the white arrow in the figure.

[0042] First, the road obstacle recognition unit 10 recognizes a puddle 32 ahead of the vehicle 1 based on external sensor information and road obstacle information. Next, the drivable area generation condition determination unit 11 outputs a static speed of 50 km / h as a drivable area generation condition, as a vehicle state stored internally.

[0043] Next, the drivable area generating unit 12 references the determination setting information table T1 shown in FIG. 4 and generates a drivable area taking into consideration that the vehicle 1 can travel through the puddle 32 at a speed of 50 km / h.

[0044] Next, the driving planner 13 generates the driving trajectories 33 and 34 as candidate driving trajectories for the vehicle 1. Then, the driving planner 13 determines that the vehicle 1 can travel on both the driving trajectories 33 and 34. For example, the driving planner 13 selects the driving trajectory 34 taking into consideration the risk of collision with the vehicle 31 when the vehicle 1 changes lanes. The driving planner 13 also outputs vehicle control information to satisfy the driving area generation condition of 50 km / h. As a result, the vehicle 1 can travel on the driving trajectory 34, which passes through the puddle 32.

[0045] If a vehicle 31 is not traveling close to the vehicle 1, a travel path 33 that avoids the puddle 32 can also be selected. In this case, the travel planning unit 13 determines the travel path in order of priority, namely, safety, ride comfort, and fuel efficiency. For example, if it is better for the vehicle 1 not to pass through the puddle 32 from the viewpoint of safety, the travel planner 13 selects a travel trajectory 33 that avoids the puddle 32 .

[0046] On the other hand, if safety is sufficiently ensured, staying in the lane is more comfortable than changing lanes, so the driving planner 13 selects a driving trajectory 34 that passes through puddles 32. Furthermore, if the riding comfort does not change, the driving planner 13 selects a driving trajectory that does not worsen fuel economy. Although not shown in this example, for example, since sudden acceleration generally increases fuel consumption and tends to worsen fuel economy, a driving trajectory that allows vehicle control to gradually accelerate is selected.

[0047] The configuration of the processing unit 6 according to the first embodiment described above makes it possible to calculate a drivable area for a vehicle trajectory different from the current trajectory. Therefore, the drivable area generation condition determination unit 11 can select a trajectory on which the vehicle can travel under specified vehicle state conditions. Furthermore, since the vehicle control targets are also determined using the vehicle state conditions specified by the drivable area generation condition determination unit 11, the driving planner 13 can execute a driving plan that takes vehicle control into consideration.

[0048] Conventionally, for example, a driving trajectory that avoids the puddle 32 shown in Fig. 8 has been determined in the driving plan. On the other hand, the processing unit 6 according to the first embodiment determines in the driving plan a driving trajectory that overcomes the puddle 32 if the vehicle 1 can overcome the puddle 32 by slowing down the speed of the vehicle 1. In particular, when there is another vehicle 31 traveling parallel to the vehicle 1, the vehicle 1 will not suddenly change lanes, and the vehicle 1 will be able to safely drive over the puddle 32.

[0049] [Second embodiment] Next, a configuration example of an electronic control device according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of a processing unit 6A according to the second embodiment. Note that the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1 to 8 denote similar parts, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0050] The processing unit 6A includes a road obstacle information acquisition unit 14 and a judgment setting information acquisition unit 15 in addition to the functional units of the processing unit 6 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. The road surface obstacle information acquisition unit 14 acquires the road surface obstacle information stored in the storage unit 7. The processing by the road surface obstacle information acquisition unit 14 is performed when a device (for example, a PC (Personal Computer)) provided outside the vehicle 1 updates the road surface obstacle information stored in the storage unit 7.

[0051] The road obstacle recognizing unit 10 according to the second embodiment acquires road obstacle information from the road obstacle information acquiring unit 14 and acquires external sensor information from the external sensor information acquiring unit 8. The determination setting information acquisition unit 15 acquires determination setting information that determines whether the vehicle 1 can travel for each type of external area grasped by external sensor information according to the vehicle state that indicates the state of the vehicle 1.

[0052] For example, the judgment setting information acquisition unit 15 acquires the judgment setting information of the judgment setting information table T1A stored in the storage unit 7. The judgment setting information table T1A is a table configured with the same items as the judgment setting information table T1 shown in Fig. 4. When a device provided outside the vehicle 1 updates the judgment setting information of the judgment setting information table T1A stored in the storage unit 7, the judgment setting information acquisition unit 15 performs a process of acquiring the judgment setting information from the judgment setting information table T1A.

[0053] The drivable area generation unit 12 according to the second embodiment generates a drivable area, which is an area in which the vehicle 1 can travel, for each of a plurality of vehicle states, based on external sensor information and judgment setting information. Then, the drivable area generation unit 12 outputs the drivable area to the driving plan unit 13. To this end, the drivable area generation unit 12 acquires the judgment setting information of the judgment setting information table T1A from the judgment setting information acquisition unit 15. The judgment setting information table T1 held internally by the drivable area generation unit 12 is updated by the judgment setting information of the judgment setting information table T1 acquired by the judgment setting information acquisition unit 15 from the storage unit 7.

[0054] According to the configuration of the processing unit 6A of the second embodiment described above, a device provided outside the vehicle 1 accesses the memory unit 7 via wired or wireless communication and updates at least one of the judgment setting information table T1A and the road surface obstacle information. Then, the drivable area generation unit 12 updates the judgment setting information table T1 using the judgment setting information in the updated judgment setting information table T1A. Also, the road obstacle recognition unit 10 updates the road obstacle information that it holds using the updated road obstacle information. To this end, the road obstacle recognition unit 10 compares the appearance sensor information with the updated road obstacle information and outputs the recognized road obstacle to the drivable area generation unit 12 as road obstacle recognition information.

[0055] The drivable area generating unit 12 generates the drivable area based on the updated judgment setting information table T1 and the road obstacle recognition information. Therefore, the drivable area is based on the road obstacles appropriately recognized by the road obstacle recognizing unit 10.

[0056] In addition, a device installed outside the vehicle 1 can easily update the road surface obstacle information held internally by the road surface obstacle recognition unit 10 and the judgment setting information table T1 held internally by the drivable area generation unit 12 via the memory unit 7.

[0057] [Third embodiment] Next, a configuration example of an electronic control device according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of a processing unit 6B according to the third embodiment. Note that the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1 to 9 denote similar parts, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0058] A processing unit 6B according to the third embodiment has the same configuration as the processing unit 6 shown in Fig. 3. However, a drivable area generation condition determination unit 11 receives input of vehicle sensor information from a vehicle sensor information acquisition unit 9.

[0059] Furthermore, the travelable area generation condition determination unit 11 according to the third embodiment holds a future vehicle state estimation table T2 (see FIG. 11) and a vehicle state estimation parameter setting table T3 (see FIG. 12). The drivable area generation condition determination unit 11 uses these tables to dynamically determine the drivable area generation conditions based on the current vehicle state obtained from vehicle sensor information. The drivable area generation condition determination unit 11 may store the future vehicle state estimation table T2 and the vehicle state estimation parameter setting table T3 itself, or may read out the values ​​of each table stored in the storage unit 7.

[0060] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the future vehicle state estimation table T2. The future vehicle state estimation table T2 has items for vehicle state type T2a and estimation formula T2b. In the item of vehicle state type T2a, vehicle state types such as speed, steering angle, and acceleration are stored. The item of the estimation formula T2b stores an estimated value of the future vehicle state for each vehicle state type. Various vehicle state estimation parameters (e.g., V1, θ1, A1, etc.) included in the estimation formula are all future vehicle state estimation parameters. The future vehicle state estimation parameters are set using a vehicle state estimation parameter setting table T3 (FIG. 12, which will be described later).

[0061] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the vehicle state estimation parameter setting table T3. The vehicle state estimation parameter setting table T3 has an item for vehicle state estimation parameters. The vehicle state estimation parameters store values ​​of the vehicle state estimation parameters included in the estimation formula of the future vehicle state estimation table T2. For example, the speed V1 is -10 km / h, and the speed V2 is 10 km / h. The steering angle θ1 is -5 degrees, and the steering angle θ2 is +5 degrees. The acceleration A1 is -5 m / s 2 and the acceleration A2 is 5m / s 2 is.

[0062] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a driveable area generation condition determination process according to the third embodiment. This process is performed by the driveable area generation condition determination unit 11 according to the third embodiment.

[0063] First, the drivable area generation condition determination unit 11 acquires vehicle sensor information from the vehicle sensor information acquisition unit 9 (S31). Next, the drivable area generation condition determination unit 11 calculates the current vehicle state based on the vehicle sensor information (S32).

[0064] Next, based on the calculated current vehicle state, the drivable area generation condition determination unit 11 refers to the future vehicle state estimation table T2 (see FIG. 11) and estimates possible vehicle states up to 10 seconds into the future (S33). In this estimation process, the vehicle state estimation parameters stored in the vehicle state estimation parameter setting table T3 are applied to the estimation formula stored in the future vehicle state estimation table T2, and the future vehicle state is estimated.

[0065] Finally, the driveable area generation condition determination unit 11 determines the vehicle state that is estimated to be most likely to occur, and outputs the vehicle state to the drive plan unit 13 (S34). The drive plan unit 13 generates a drive plan based on the vehicle sensor information and the vehicle state, and outputs vehicle control information to the vehicle control unit 20.

[0066] According to the configuration of the processing unit 6B according to the third embodiment described above, it is possible to estimate a possible future vehicle state based on the current vehicle state. Therefore, the processing unit 6B can dynamically generate a drivable area for a vehicle state that is considered to be important for a driving plan.

[0067] [Fourth embodiment] First, an example of the configuration of an electronic control device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a processing unit 6C according to the fourth embodiment. Note that the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1 to 12 denote similar parts, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0068] A processing unit 6C according to the fourth embodiment has the same configuration as the processing unit 6 shown in Fig. 3. However, the information that the travelable area generation condition determination unit 11 receives is different. The driving plan unit 13 according to the fourth embodiment outputs driving plan information to the driving area generation condition determination unit 11. The driving plan unit 13 also outputs vehicle control information to the vehicle control unit 20.

[0069] The drivable area generation condition determination unit 11 according to the fourth embodiment receives input of vehicle sensor information from the vehicle sensor information acquisition unit 9, and receives input of driving plan information from the driving plan unit 13. The drivable area generation condition determination unit 11 determines the driving area generation conditions that define the range of the vehicle state at the time of generating the driving area. That is, the drivable area generation condition determination unit 11 determines the driving area generation conditions based on the current vehicle state of the vehicle 1 and the driving plan for the vehicle 1 acquired from the driving plan unit 13.

[0070] For example, the drivable area generation condition determination unit 11 holds a future vehicle state estimation table T2 (see FIG. 11) and a vehicle state estimation parameter setting table T4 (see FIG. 15) for each driving plan. This allows the drivable area generation condition determination unit 11 to dynamically determine the drivable area generation conditions based on the current vehicle state obtained from vehicle sensor information and the future vehicle state estimation table T2. Furthermore, the driveable area generation condition determination unit 11 can dynamically determine the vehicle information estimation parameters based on the drive plan information and the drive plan-specific vehicle state estimation parameter setting table T4.

[0071] 15 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the vehicle state estimation parameter setting table T4 for each driving plan. The vehicle state estimation parameter setting table T4 for each driving plan holds the values ​​of the vehicle state estimation parameters included in the estimation formula of the future vehicle state estimation table T2 for each driving plan. The vehicle state estimation parameter setting table T4 for each driving plan has fields for driving plan T4a, speed T4b, steering angle T4c, and acceleration T4d.

[0072] The travel plan T4a item stores travel plans for the vehicle, such as going straight, decelerating, and turning right. Vehicle state estimation parameters are set for each of the travel plans T4a, speed T4b, steering angle T4c, and acceleration T4d. The contents of the vehicle state estimation parameters are the same as those described with reference to the vehicle state estimation parameter setting table T3 in FIG.

[0073] 16 is a flowchart showing an example of a driving plan process. This process is performed by the driving planner 13 according to the fourth embodiment. Note that steps S21 to S25 are the same as the processes performed by the driving planner 13 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 7, and therefore detailed explanations thereof will be omitted. After step S25, the driving planner 13 outputs the vehicle control information generated in step S25 to the vehicle controller 20, outputs the driving plan information to the driveable area generation condition determiner 11 (S26A), and ends this process.

[0074] 17 is a flowchart showing an example of the travelable area generation condition determination process, which is performed by the travelable area generation condition determination unit 11 according to the fourth embodiment. First, the drivable area generation condition determination unit 11 acquires vehicle sensor information from the vehicle sensor information acquisition unit 9, and acquires driving plan information from the driving plan unit 13 (S31A). Next, the drivable area generation condition determination unit 11 calculates the current vehicle state from the vehicle sensor information (S32).

[0075] Next, the drivable area generation condition determination unit 11 refers to the future vehicle state estimation table T2 and the vehicle state estimation parameter setting table T4 for each driving plan based on the current vehicle state and driving plan information, and estimates the vehicle state that can be assumed up to, for example, 10 seconds into the future (S33A).

[0076] Finally, the driveable area generation condition determination unit 11 determines the vehicle state that is estimated to be most likely to occur, and outputs the vehicle state to the drive plan unit 13 (S34). The drive plan unit 13 generates a drive plan based on the vehicle sensor information and the vehicle state, and outputs vehicle control information to the vehicle control unit 20.

[0077] According to the configuration of the processing unit 6C according to the fourth embodiment described above, the driveable area generation condition determination unit 11 estimates possible future vehicle states with high accuracy based on the driving plan in addition to the current vehicle state. This enables the driveable area generation unit 12 to dynamically generate a driveable area for vehicle states that are considered important for the driving plan.

[0078] [Fifth embodiment] Next, a configuration example of an electronic control device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a processing unit 6D according to the fifth embodiment. Note that the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1 to 19 denote similar parts, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0079] A processing unit 6D according to the fifth embodiment has the same configuration as the processing unit 6 shown in Fig. 3. However, the processing unit 6D differs from the processing unit 6 shown in Fig. 3 in that a driveable area generation condition determination unit 11 of the processing unit 6D determines a plurality of driveable area generation conditions and outputs them to a driveable area generation unit 12.

[0080] The driveable area generation condition determination unit 11 according to the fifth embodiment determines a plurality of driveable area generation conditions in consideration of, for example, safety, ride comfort, fuel efficiency, and the like, and outputs the conditions to the driveable area generation unit 12. The drivable area generation unit 12 generates a plurality of drivable areas for each of a plurality of drivable area generation conditions. For example, the drivable area generation unit 12 generates drivable areas at speeds of 20 km / h, 30 km / h, and 40 km / h. The drivable area generation unit 12 outputs the generated drivable areas for the plurality of drivable area generation conditions to the driving plan unit 13.

[0081] The driving planner 13 determines a driving plan based on external sensor information, road surface obstacle recognition information that recognizes road surface obstacles that the vehicle 1 can overcome on the road surface, and a plurality of driveable areas. For example, the driving planner 13 plans a trajectory along which the vehicle 1 should travel, based on the plurality of driveable areas input from the driveable area generator 12. The driving planner 13 also generates vehicle control information for the vehicle 1 for the planned trajectory, and outputs the vehicle control information to the vehicle control unit 20.

[0082] 19 is a flowchart showing an example of the driveable area generation process according to the fifth embodiment. This process is performed by the driveable area generation unit 12 according to the fifth embodiment. In this process, step S15 is added between steps S11 and S12. Furthermore, step S16 is added between steps S13 and S14A.

[0083] First, the driveable area generation unit 12 acquires external sensor information, road obstacle recognition information, and vehicle state information (S11). Next, the driveable area generation unit 12 selects one of the plurality of vehicle state information (S15).

[0084] Next, the drivable area generation unit 12 compares the drivable conditions with the vehicle state selected in step S15 based on the road surface obstacle recognition information, based on the judgment setting information table T1 (see Figure 4), and obtains a result of whether or not driving is possible for each road surface obstacle (S12). Next, the drivable area generating unit 12 generates a drivable area based on the external sensor information, the road surface obstacle recognition information, and the drivability results for each road surface obstacle (S13).

[0085] Next, the drivable area generation unit 12 checks whether or not a drivable area has been generated for all of the plurality of pieces of vehicle state information (S16). If the drivable area generation unit 12 has not generated a drivable area for all of the plurality of pieces of vehicle state information (NO in S16), the process returns to S15 and is repeated. For example, the drivable area generation unit 12 counts up the IDs assigned to the vehicle state information in order from ID=1, and repeats the process of selecting a vehicle state until it reaches the vehicle state information of the last ID.

[0086] On the other hand, if the driveable area generation unit 12 has generated a driveable area for all of the plurality of pieces of vehicle state information (YES in S16), the process proceeds to S14A. Finally, the driveable area generation unit 12 outputs all of the generated plurality of driveable areas to the drive plan unit 13 (S14A), and ends this process.

[0087] The driving planner 13 according to the fifth embodiment plans a path along which the vehicle 1 should travel, based on the plurality of driveable areas generated by the driveable area generator 12, and generates vehicle control information for the vehicle 1 for the path. The path along which the vehicle 1 should travel is selected taking into consideration safety, ride comfort, fuel efficiency, etc. Then, the driving planner 13 outputs the vehicle control information to the vehicle controller 20.

[0088] According to the configuration of the processing unit 6D according to the fifth embodiment described above, the driveable area generation condition determination unit 11 generates multiple vehicle states for one vehicle 1, and the driveable area generation unit 12 generates multiple driveable areas based on the multiple vehicle states. The drive planning unit 13 can create a drive plan that takes multiple vehicle controls into consideration based on the multiple driveable areas. This increases the number of drive trajectories that the drive planning unit 13 can select. Furthermore, when drive safety is considered as a criterion for selecting a drive trajectory, the drive planning unit 13 is more likely to select a safer drive trajectory.

[0089] [Sixth embodiment] Next, a configuration example of an electronic control device according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a processing unit 6E according to the sixth embodiment. Note that the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1 to 19 denote similar parts, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0090] A processing unit 6E according to the sixth embodiment includes a control result monitoring unit 16 in addition to the configuration of the processing unit 6 shown in FIG. The control result monitoring unit 16 monitors the control results of the vehicle 1 based on the external sensor information, the vehicle state, and the driving plan. For example, the control result monitoring unit 16 receives external sensor information from the external sensor information acquisition unit 8 and receives driving plan information from the driving plan unit 13.

[0091] At this time, the control result monitoring unit 16 also receives vehicle sensor information from the driving plan unit 13. Based on the received external sensor information, vehicle sensor information, and driving plan information, the control result monitoring unit 16 monitors the impact of the vehicle control results based on the driving plan on the vehicle 1 or the driver. In addition, the control result monitoring unit 16 outputs judgment setting information that reflects the monitoring results to the driving area generation unit 12.

[0092] The drivable area generating unit 12 updates the judgment setting information stored therein based on the control results of the vehicle 1. For example, when the vehicle 1 passes over a bump, which is a road obstacle, the control result monitoring unit 16 acquires vehicle sensor information including the results of measuring the vibration of the vehicle 1 by the vehicle sensor group 4. When the vibration of the vehicle 1 exceeds a predetermined vibration upper limit, the control result monitoring unit 16 updates the judgment setting information, such as lowering the speed threshold of the bump.

[0093] The update to lower the speed threshold for bumps is performed on the drivable condition items in the judgment setting information table T1 held by the drivable area generation unit 12. The drivable area generated by the drivable area generation unit 12, the driving plan generated by the driving plan unit 13, and the vehicle control information are all based on the updated judgment setting information table T1. As a result, the vehicle control unit 20 reduces the speed of the controlled vehicle 1 when passing over a bump.

[0094] According to the configuration of the processing unit 6E according to the sixth embodiment described above, the control result monitoring unit 16 can monitor the impact of the vehicle control results on the vehicle 1 or the driver, and can update the judgment setting information based on criteria such as safety and ride comfort. The drivable area generating unit 12 generates a drivable area based on the updated judgment setting information. The driving plan unit 13 can generate a driving plan optimized for the state of the driver or the vehicle 1 based on the updated judgment setting information.

[0095] Road surface obstacles to which the present invention can be applied include, in addition to the bumps mentioned above, puddles, frozen road surfaces, uphill slopes, the tops of uphill slopes, potholes, ruts, and the like.

[0096] In addition, vehicle conditions to which the present invention can be applied include vehicle position, driving speed, acceleration, steering wheel angle, yaw rate, roll angle, pitch angle, accelerator operation amount, brake operation amount, vehicle weight, vehicle shape, tire condition, etc.

[0097] [Seventh embodiment] Next, a configuration example of an electronic control device according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 21 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a processing unit 6F according to the seventh embodiment. Note that the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1 to 20 denote similar parts, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0098] A processing unit 6F according to the seventh embodiment includes a determination setting information acquisition unit 15 in addition to the configuration of the processing unit 6 shown in FIG. The determination setting information acquisition unit 15 acquires the determination setting information from the determination setting information table T1A configured in the storage unit 7, and outputs the determination setting information to the travelable area generation unit 12.

[0099] The control result monitoring unit 16 monitors the control results of the vehicle 1 based on the external sensor information and the vehicle state, and updates the judgment setting information in the storage unit based on the control results. For example, the control result monitoring unit 16 receives external sensor information acquired by the external sensor information acquisition unit 8 and vehicle sensor information acquired by the vehicle sensor information acquisition unit 9 as input, and monitors the control results of the vehicle 1 based on the external sensor information and the vehicle sensor information. In addition, the control result monitoring unit 16 updates the judgment setting information table T1A configured in the storage unit 7.

[0100] The judgment setting information acquisition unit 15 acquires the updated judgment setting information from the storage unit. The driveable area generation unit 12 updates the judgment setting information it holds based on the judgment setting information updated based on the control result. That is, the judgment setting information in the judgment setting information table T1 held by the driveable area generation unit 12 is updated by the judgment setting information in the judgment setting information table T1A acquired by the judgment setting information acquisition unit 15 from the storage unit 7.

[0101] For example, when the vehicle 1 travels over a bump at a speed of 40 km / h, the control result monitoring unit 16 acquires vibration information from the vehicle sensor group 4. If this vibration information exceeds a certain value determined in consideration of ride comfort, the travel planning unit 13 updates the travelable condition for the bump to 30 km / h.

[0102] According to the configuration of the processing unit 6F according to the seventh embodiment described above, the control result monitoring unit 16 monitors the control results of the vehicle 1 based on external sensor information and vehicle sensor information. This makes it possible to immediately determine whether the vehicle 1 is traveling stably. Furthermore, when the judgment setting information table T1A configured in the storage unit 7 is updated with control result information, the judgment setting information acquisition unit 15 acquires the updated judgment setting information and outputs the updated judgment setting information to the drivable area generation unit 12. This causes the drivable area generation unit 12 to update its own judgment setting information table T1 with the updated judgment setting information. As a result, the driving planner 13 can create a driving plan that is tailored to the environment in which the vehicle 1 is traveling.

[0103] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that various other applications and modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention as set forth in the claims. For example, the above-described embodiment has described the system configuration in detail and specifically to clearly explain the present invention, and is not necessarily limited to a system including all of the described configurations. Furthermore, it is also possible to add, delete, or replace part of the configuration of this embodiment with other configurations. In addition, the control lines and information lines shown are those that are considered necessary for the explanation, and do not necessarily show all the control lines and information lines in the product. In reality, it can be assumed that almost all components are interconnected. [Explanation of symbols]

[0104] 1...vehicle, 2...electronic control device, 3...group of external sensors, 4...group of vehicle sensors, 6-6F...processing unit, 7...storage unit, 8...external sensor information acquisition unit, 9...vehicle sensor information acquisition unit, 10...road surface obstacle recognition unit, 11...drivable area generation condition determination unit, 12...drivable area generation unit, 13...travel planning unit, 14...road surface obstacle information acquisition unit, 15...judgment setting information acquisition unit, 16...control result monitoring unit, 20...vehicle control unit, T1, T1A...judgment setting information table, T2...vehicle state estimation table, T3...vehicle state estimation parameter setting table, T4...vehicle state estimation parameter setting table for each travel plan

Claims

1. an external environment information acquisition unit that acquires external environment information relating to the external environment of the host vehicle; a determination setting information acquisition unit that acquires determination setting information that determines whether the host vehicle is allowed to travel for each type of external environment area identified by the external environment information in accordance with a vehicle state that represents a state of the host vehicle; a drivable area generating unit that generates a drivable area, which is an area in which the host vehicle can travel, for each of the plurality of vehicle states based on the external environment information and the determination setting information, and outputs the drivable area. Electronic control unit.

2. a driveable area generation condition determination unit that determines a driveable area generation condition that defines a range of the vehicle state when generating the driveable area; The travelable area generation unit generates the travelable area based on the external environment information, the determination setting information, and the travelable area generation condition. The electronic control device according to claim 1 .

3. a vehicle state acquisition unit that acquires a current vehicle state of the host vehicle; The drivable area generation condition determination unit determines the drivable area generation condition based on a current vehicle state of the host vehicle. The electronic control device according to claim 2 .

4. a road obstacle recognition unit that outputs road obstacle information for recognizing road obstacles that the host vehicle can overcome on a road surface, and road obstacle recognition information that represents the road obstacles recognized based on the external environment information; The driveable area generation unit generates the driveable area based on the external environment information, the road surface obstacle recognition information, and the driveable area generation condition. The electronic control device according to claim 2 .

5. a vehicle state acquisition unit that acquires a current vehicle state of the host vehicle; a driving plan unit that generates a driving plan for the vehicle based on a current vehicle state of the vehicle and the drivable area. The electronic control device according to claim 2 .

6. a drivable area generation condition determination unit that determines a drivable area generation condition that defines a range of the vehicle state at the time of generating the drivable area, The drivable area generation condition determination unit determines the drivable area generation condition based on a current vehicle state of the host vehicle and a driving plan of the host vehicle acquired from the driving plan unit. The electronic control device according to claim 5 .

7. the drivable area generation condition determination unit determines a plurality of the drivable area generation conditions; the travelable area generation unit generates a plurality of travelable areas for a plurality of the travelable area generation conditions, The travel planning unit determines the travel plan based on the external environment information, road surface obstacle recognition information that recognizes road surface obstacles that the host vehicle can overcome on a road surface, and a plurality of the drivable areas. The electronic control device according to claim 6.

8. a control result monitoring unit that monitors a control result of the host vehicle based on the external environment information, the vehicle state, and the driving plan; The travelable area generation unit updates the determination setting information based on the control result. The electronic control device according to claim 5 .

9. a control result monitoring unit that monitors a control result of the host vehicle based on the external environment information and the vehicle state, and updates determination setting information in a storage unit based on the control result; the determination setting information acquisition unit acquires the updated determination setting information from the storage unit, The travelable area generation unit updates the determination setting information that it holds based on the determination setting information updated based on the control result. The electronic control device according to claim 1 .

10. A computer-implemented method for environment recognition, comprising: acquiring external environment information relating to an external environment of the host vehicle; acquiring determination setting information that determines whether the host vehicle is allowed to travel for each type of external environment area identified by the external environment information in accordance with a vehicle state that represents a state of the host vehicle; generating a drivable area, which is an area in which the host vehicle can travel, for each of the plurality of vehicle states based on the external environment information and the determination setting information, and outputting the drivable area. Environmental recognition method.

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