Vehicle control device

Abstract

To control a vehicle such that a pedestrian can easily recognize that the vehicle has detected the presence of the pedestrian attempting to cross a road and decelerates, thereby preventing an increase in time required for the pedestrian to cross the road and for the vehicle to pass a crossing position.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device includes a camera (21) that images a front area of a vehicle (1), and a controller (10) configured to be capable of controlling a driving force source (31) and / or a brake (32) of the vehicle. The controller determines whether or not a pedestrian has an intention to cross a road at a crossing position on the basis of a position and a speed of the pedestrian, predicts a safety confirmation timing at which the pedestrian performs safety confirmation before crossing the road on the basis of the crossing position and the position and speed of the pedestrian when it is determined that the pedestrian has the intention to cross the road, and controls the driving force source and / or the brake so as to cause the vehicle to generate a yielding deceleration set such that the pedestrian can recognize that the vehicle prioritizes the pedestrian's crossing at the safety confirmation timing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control device. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, development of autonomous driving technology that allows vehicles to travel automatically has been progressing. For example, when there is a pedestrian or the like crossing or about to cross the road ahead of the vehicle at a crosswalk or the like, the vehicle needs to slow down or stop in front of the crosswalk or the like so as not to obstruct the pedestrian or the like. Therefore, conventional autonomous driving technology prioritizes deceleration control when a pedestrian or the like detected by a camera or radar begins to cross the road (see, for example, Patent Document 1). It has also been proposed to stop the vehicle in front of the crosswalk's stop line when it is detected that a pedestrian is moving toward the crosswalk at a predetermined speed or faster (see, for example, Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-169247 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2021-062768 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When a vehicle being manually driven approaches a crosswalk, pedestrians may check the driver's line of sight and the vehicle's behavior, and if they can determine that the driver has noticed the presence of pedestrians and is about to slow down or stop, they may cross the crosswalk without waiting for the vehicle to stop. However, when a vehicle being automatically driven using the conventional automated driving technology described above approaches a crosswalk, pedestrians may not be able to determine whether the vehicle has detected the presence of pedestrians and is about to slow down or stop, and may not begin crossing the road until the vehicle has stopped. As a result, pedestrians may not be able to cross the road immediately, and the time required for pedestrians to cross the road and for the vehicle to pass through a crosswalk may increase compared to when the vehicle is being manually driven.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and aims to provide a vehicle control device that can control a vehicle so that the vehicle detects the presence of a pedestrian attempting to cross a road at a crosswalk or the like and slows down so that the pedestrian can easily understand, and that can prevent an increase in the time required for a pedestrian to cross the road and for the vehicle to pass through the crossing point. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a vehicle control device comprising: a camera that photographs the area in front of the vehicle; and a controller configured to detect pedestrians in front of the vehicle based on images photographed by the camera and control the vehicle's driving force source and / or braking device based on the pedestrian's behavior. The controller is configured to: acquire road information for the road on which the vehicle is traveling based on the images photographed by the camera; acquire a crossing position in front of the vehicle where the pedestrian can cross the road based on the road information; acquire the pedestrian's position and speed based on the images photographed by the camera; determine whether the pedestrian intends to cross the road at the crossing position based on the pedestrian's position and speed; if it is determined that the pedestrian intends to cross the road, predict the safety confirmation timing for the pedestrian to check for safety before crossing the road based on the crossing position and the pedestrian's position and speed; and control the driving force source and / or braking device so that the vehicle applies a yielding deceleration that is set to allow the pedestrian to understand that the vehicle has priority to let the pedestrian cross at the safety confirmation timing.

[0007] According to the present invention configured as described above, when the controller determines that a pedestrian intends to cross the road at the crossing position, the controller applies a yielding deceleration to the vehicle that is set so that the pedestrian can recognize that the vehicle is giving the pedestrian priority to cross at the safety confirmation timing when the pedestrian performs a safety check before crossing the road. This makes it possible to control the vehicle so that the pedestrian can easily recognize that the vehicle has detected the presence of a pedestrian attempting to cross the road at the crossing position and is decelerating. In other words, when the pedestrian visually recognizes a vehicle decelerating at the yielding deceleration at the safety confirmation timing, the pedestrian can recognize that the vehicle is decelerating at a rate necessary to give the pedestrian priority to cross. This allows the pedestrian to cross the road without having to worry about whether to start crossing, and prevents an increase in the time required for the pedestrian to cross the road and for the vehicle to pass through the crossing position.

[0008] In the present invention, the safety confirmation timing is preferably a timing a predetermined time before the pedestrian reaches the crossing position.

[0009] According to the present invention configured as described above, it is possible to appropriately predict the safety confirmation timing at which a pedestrian will make a safety confirmation.

[0010] In the present invention, preferably, when the controller determines that a pedestrian intends to cross the road, it calculates the time Te from the safety confirmation timing until the pedestrian completes crossing the road based on the crossing position and the position and speed of the pedestrian, and is configured to set the yielding deceleration as a deceleration that will make the time Tp required for the vehicle to reach the crossing position if the yielding deceleration is maintained longer than the time Te plus a predetermined margin time, based on the vehicle's speed at the safety confirmation timing and the distance from the vehicle to the crossing position.

[0011] According to the present invention configured as described above, when a pedestrian visually recognizes a vehicle decelerating at a yielding deceleration rate at the safety confirmation timing, the vehicle can be controlled so that the pedestrian can easily understand that there is a certain amount of time between the pedestrian completing crossing the road and the vehicle reaching the crossing position. This allows the pedestrian to cross the road without having to worry about whether or not to start crossing, and it is possible to prevent an increase in the time required for the pedestrian to cross the road and for the vehicle to pass the crossing position. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the vehicle control device of the present invention, the vehicle can be controlled so that the pedestrian can easily understand that the vehicle is detecting the presence of a pedestrian attempting to cross the road at a crosswalk, etc., and slowing down, thereby preventing an increase in the time required for the pedestrian to cross the road and for the vehicle to pass through the crossing point. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle to which a vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied; [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 3 is a flowchart of a vehicle control process executed by a vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 4 is a time chart illustrating an example of changes over time in acceleration and speed of a vehicle when a vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention executes vehicle control processing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0015] <System configuration> First, the overall configuration of a vehicle to which a vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle to which a vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] As shown in Fig. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a vehicle to which a vehicle control device according to this embodiment is applied. This vehicle 1 has a driving force source 31 such as an engine or an electric motor that generates driving force, a brake 32 that brakes the vehicle 1, and an electric power steering 33. The vehicle 1 is also provided with a camera 21 that photographs the surroundings of the vehicle 1 and the interior of the vehicle, and a radar 22 that detects other vehicles and obstacles in the surroundings including behind the vehicle 1. The brake 32 corresponds to an example of a "braking device" in the present invention, and the electric power steering 33 corresponds to an example of a "steering device" in the present invention.

[0017] 2, vehicle 1 is further provided with a vehicle speed sensor 23 that detects the vehicle speed, an acceleration sensor 24 that detects the acceleration of vehicle 1, a yaw rate sensor 25 that detects the yaw rate of vehicle 1, a steering angle sensor 26 that detects the steering angle of vehicle 1, an accelerator sensor 27 that detects the operation of the accelerator pedal (e.g., the accelerator opening), a brake sensor 28 that detects the operation of the brake pedal (e.g., the amount of depression of the brake pedal), a positioning system 29 that detects the position of vehicle 1, and a navigation system 30. Image data captured by camera 21, position information of obstacles detected by radar 22, position information acquired by positioning system 29, information about roads including speed limits, the number of lanes, etc. acquired from navigation system 30, and detection data detected by each sensor are output to controller 10.

[0018] The camera 21 captures images of the surroundings of the vehicle 1 and the interior of the vehicle cabin, and outputs image data. Based on the image data of the surroundings of the vehicle 1 received from the camera 21, the controller 10 identifies objects (for example, road dividing lines (e.g., white lines and yellow lines including lane boundaries, outer roadway lines, and outermost lane lines), road edges (boundaries between the road and other objects, e.g., boundaries between pavement and soil, guardrails, curbs, etc.), other vehicles, pedestrians, traffic lights, signs, stop lines, crosswalks, intersections, obstacles, etc.). The controller 10 also detects the driver's posture and line of sight based on the image data of the interior of the vehicle cabin received from the camera 21.

[0019] The radar 22 is provided, for example, at the front of the vehicle 1 facing forward in the direction of travel, and at the rear of the vehicle 1 facing backward in the direction of travel. The radar 22 measures the position and speed of objects (other vehicles around the vehicle 1, road edges (boundaries between the road and other objects, for example, boundaries between pavement and soil, guardrails, curbs, etc.), pedestrians, obstacles, etc.). The radar 22 may be, for example, a millimeter-wave radar. The radar 22 transmits radio waves around the vehicle 1 and receives reflected waves generated when the transmitted waves are reflected by objects. Then, the radar 22 measures the direction and distance from the vehicle 1 to the object and the relative speed between the vehicle 1 and the object based on the transmitted waves and the received waves. Note that instead of such radar 22, a laser radar, an ultrasonic sensor, etc. may be used to measure the distance to the object and the relative speed.

[0020] The positioning system 29 detects the position of the vehicle 1 (current vehicle position information) using a GPS system and / or a gyro system. The navigation system 30 is a navigation system that stores map information internally. The controller 10 identifies roads, intersections, traffic signals, buildings, etc. that exist around the vehicle 1 (particularly in the direction of travel) based on the map information and the current vehicle position information. The map information may be stored in the controller 10.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, the controller 10 is configured to receive as input image data captured by the camera 21, position and speed information of an object detected by the radar 22, position information acquired by the positioning system 29, information about roads including speed limits and the number of lanes acquired from the navigation system 30, and detection data detected by each of the sensors 23 to 28.

[0022] The controller 10 is configured by a computer having one or more processors 10a (typically a CPU), various programs interpreted and executed on the processors (including basic control programs such as an OS and application programs that are launched on the OS and realize specific functions), and memory 10b such as a ROM or RAM for storing programs and various data.

[0023] The controller 10 mainly outputs control signals to the driving force source 31, the brake 32 and the electric power steering 33 to control them based on image data of the surroundings of the vehicle 1 captured by the camera 21, position information of obstacles detected by the radar 22, position information acquired by the positioning system 29, information on the position of emergency parking lanes etc. acquired from the navigation system 30, and detection data detected by each of the sensors 23 to 28.

[0024] For example, the controller 10 controls the driving force source 31 of the vehicle 1 to adjust the driving force of the vehicle 1. For example, the controller 10 controls the engine's spark plugs, fuel injection valves, throttle valves, variable valve mechanisms, transmissions, inverters that supply power to electric motors, etc. When it is necessary to accelerate or decelerate the vehicle 1, the controller 10 sends a control signal to the driving force source 31 to adjust the driving force.

[0025] Furthermore, the controller 10 controls the driving force source 31 and the brake 32 of the vehicle 1 to perform deceleration control and attitude control of the vehicle 1. For example, the controller 10 controls the hydraulic pump and valve unit of the brake 32. When it is necessary to perform deceleration control or attitude control of the vehicle 1, the controller 10 transmits a control signal to the brake 32 to generate a braking force.

[0026] The controller 10 also controls the electric power steering 33 of the vehicle 1. For example, when the vehicle 1 needs to be steered, the controller 10 transmits a control signal to the electric power steering 33 to adjust the torque of the electric motor that applies torque (steering force) to the steering shaft.

[0027] <Vehicle control processing> Next, the vehicle control process executed by the vehicle control device will be described with reference to Figures 3 and 4. Figure 3 is a flowchart of the vehicle control process executed by the vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 is a time chart illustrating an example of the change over time in the acceleration and speed of the vehicle when the vehicle control device according to the embodiment of the present invention executes the vehicle control process.

[0028] The vehicle control process in Fig. 3 is a process for controlling the vehicle 1 so that the pedestrian can easily understand that the vehicle 1 has detected the presence of a pedestrian attempting to cross the road at a crosswalk or the like and is decelerating. This vehicle control process is repeatedly executed by the controller 10 at a predetermined cycle (for example, every 0.05 to 0.2 seconds) when the controller 10 is executing automatic driving control of the vehicle 1 using known automatic driving control or when the controller 10 is executing driving assistance control that assists the driver in driving.

[0029] 3, when the vehicle control process is started, in step S1, the controller 10 acquires various information about the vehicle 1, including image data captured by the camera 21, position and speed information of objects detected by the radar 22, position information acquired by the positioning system 29, information about roads acquired from the navigation system 30, and information corresponding to detection data detected by the sensors 23 to 28. Acquisition of signals from the camera 21, radar 22, positioning system 29, navigation system 30, and sensors 23 to 28 is constantly performed in the background during the processes from step S1 onwards.

[0030] Next, in step S2, the controller 10 acquires information (corresponding to an example of "road information" in the present invention) about crosswalks, intersections, traffic signals, roadsides, etc. in the traveling direction of the road on which the vehicle 1 is traveling, based on image data acquired from the camera 21 and current vehicle position information and map information acquired from the positioning system 29 and the navigation system 30. Furthermore, based on the acquired road information, the controller 10 acquires crossing positions (typically crosswalks, but also including gaps in guardrails) ahead of the vehicle 1 where pedestrians can cross the road. If a crossing position is present within a predetermined distance (e.g., within 100 m) ahead of the vehicle 1, the controller 10 performs pre-deceleration to a predetermined vehicle speed (e.g., 35 km / h) so that the deceleration required to allow pedestrians to cross is kept below a predetermined allowable deceleration (e.g., 0.3 G). Note that FIG. 4 defines the time when the pre-deceleration in step S2 is completed as time 0, and shows the changes in the acceleration and speed of the vehicle 1 after that.

[0031] Next, in step S3, the controller 10 acquires the position and speed of a pedestrian present in front of the vehicle 1 based on the image data acquired from the camera 21.

[0032] Next, in step S4, the controller 10 estimates whether the pedestrian intends to cross the road at the crossing position ahead of the vehicle 1, based on the crossing position acquired in step S2 and the position and speed of the pedestrian acquired in step S3. For example, if the pedestrian is walking toward the crossing position at a speed equal to or greater than a predetermined value and the pedestrian's body is facing in the direction of the crossing position, the controller 10 estimates that the pedestrian intends to cross the road. Alternatively, the controller 10 may estimate the pedestrian's intention to cross the road at the crossing position using any other known method for estimating the pedestrian's intention to cross the road.

[0033] Next, in step S5, the controller 10 determines whether the pedestrian intends to cross the road at the crossing position based on the estimation result of step S4. If the result shows that the pedestrian does not intend to cross the road at the crossing position (step S5: NO), in step S6, the controller 10 controls the driving force source 31 to accelerate the speed of the vehicle 1 to the speed before the pre-deceleration (represented by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 4). Thereafter, the controller 10 ends the vehicle control process.

[0034] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S5 that the pedestrian has the intention to cross the road at the crossing position (step S5: YES), in step S7, the controller 10 acquires crossing parameters according to the attributes of the pedestrian who is estimated to have the intention to cross the road (step S7).

[0035] The attributes of a pedestrian are, for example, the pedestrian's age group (children: 6 to 12 years old, adults: 13 to 64 years old, elderly: 65 years old and over), and are estimated by analyzing the pedestrian's speed, height, stride length, gait, etc. using known methods from image data captured by camera 21. The crossing parameters are parameters related to road crossing that vary depending on the pedestrian's attributes, and can include, for example, (i) the number of seconds before a pedestrian checks for safety before starting to cross the road, (ii) the margin time T1 that should be secured between the pedestrian's completion of crossing and the vehicle's passage when a vehicle passes the crossing position after the pedestrian has crossed, and (iii) the margin time T2 that should be secured between the vehicle's passage and the pedestrian's start of crossing when a vehicle passes the crossing position before the pedestrian has crossed, and are set in advance for each pedestrian attribute and stored in a memory or the like.

[0036] Next, in step S8, the controller 10 determines whether the pedestrian can cross the road after the margin time T2 has elapsed since the vehicle 1 passed the crossing position, based on the crossing position acquired in step S2, the position and speed of the pedestrian acquired in step S3, the crossing parameters acquired in step S7, and the position and speed of the vehicle 1. As a result, if the pedestrian can cross the road after the margin time T2 has elapsed since the vehicle 1 passed the crossing position (step S8: YES), that is, if the vehicle 1 can safely pass the crossing position before the pedestrian starts crossing, the process proceeds to step S6, where the controller 10 controls the driving force source 31 to accelerate the speed of the vehicle 1 to the speed before the pre-deceleration (represented by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 4). Then, the controller 10 ends the vehicle control process.

[0037] On the other hand, in step S8, if the pedestrian is not able to cross the road after the margin time T2 has elapsed since the vehicle 1 passed the crossing position (step S8: NO), that is, if the situation is such that the pedestrian should have priority in crossing, in step S9, the controller 10 determines the safety confirmation timing T for the pedestrian to check for safety before crossing the road based on the crossing position acquired in step S2, the position and speed of the pedestrian acquired in step S3, and the crossing parameters acquired in step S7. S As described above, the crossing parameter specifies how many seconds before a pedestrian starts crossing a road a safety check should be performed, so the controller 10 predicts the time when the pedestrian will arrive at the crossing position, and calculates the time obtained by subtracting the time set in the crossing parameter (for example, 5 seconds) from that time as the safety check timing T S It is determined as follows.

[0038] Next, in step S10, the controller 10 determines whether the safety confirmation timing T S In this case, the driving force source 31 and / or the brake 32 are controlled so that the vehicle 1 generates a deceleration rate for yielding that is set so that the pedestrian can understand that the vehicle 1 has the right of way to let the pedestrian cross.

[0039] For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the controller 10 S Alternatively, the controller 10 may determine the safety confirmation timing T based on the crossing position, the position and speed of the pedestrian, and the width of the road identified from the road information acquired in step S2. S The time Te until the pedestrian completes crossing the road is calculated from S Based on the speed of vehicle 1 at the crossing point and the distance from vehicle 1 to the crossing point, the safety confirmation timing T S The deceleration for making the time Tp until the vehicle 1 reaches the crossing position if the yielding deceleration is maintained from the time Te is set to be longer than the time Te plus the margin time T1 of the crossing parameter acquired in step S7. S When a pedestrian sees vehicle 1 decelerating at the yielding deceleration rate thus set, the pedestrian can recognize that vehicle 1 is decelerating at the rate necessary to give priority to the pedestrian crossing.

[0040] Next, in step S11, the controller 10 determines whether or not a pedestrian has visually recognized the vehicle 1 decelerating at the yielding deceleration rate, based on image data acquired from the camera 21. For example, the controller 10 analyzes the image data acquired from the camera 21, and determines that a pedestrian has visually recognized the vehicle 1 decelerating at the yielding deceleration rate, if the pedestrian's face is facing the direction of the vehicle 1 decelerating at the yielding deceleration rate.

[0041] As a result, if it is determined that the pedestrian does not see the vehicle 1 decelerating at the yielding deceleration rate (step S11: NO), the pedestrian may not realize that the vehicle 1 is decelerating at the deceleration rate necessary to give the pedestrian priority to cross the road, and may hesitate to cross the road, delaying the timing of starting to cross. Therefore, in step S12, the controller 10 controls the driving force source 31 and / or the brake 32 to decelerate the vehicle 1 and stop it before the crossing position (for example, before the stop line of the pedestrian crossing) (shown by the dash-dot line in FIG. 4).

[0042] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S11 that the pedestrian has seen the vehicle 1 decelerating at the yielding deceleration rate (step S11: YES), the pedestrian is likely to recognize that the vehicle 1 is decelerating at the rate necessary to give priority to the pedestrian's crossing, and will then begin crossing the road.

[0043] Therefore, in step S13, the controller 10 determines, based on the crossing position acquired in step S2, the position and speed of the pedestrian acquired in step S3, the crossing parameters acquired in step S7, and the position and speed of the vehicle 1, whether the pedestrian can complete crossing at least the margin time T1 before the vehicle 1 passes the crossing position while maintaining its current speed.

[0044] As a result, if the pedestrian can complete crossing at least the margin time T1 before the vehicle 1 passes the crossing position while maintaining the current speed (step S13: YES), in step S14, the controller 10 ends the deceleration at the yielding deceleration rate and maintains the current vehicle speed (shown by the solid line in Figure 4).

[0045] On the other hand, if the pedestrian cannot complete crossing at least the margin time T1 before the vehicle 1 passes the crossing position while maintaining the current speed (step S13: NO), in step S15 the controller 10 controls the driving force source 31 and / or the brake 32 to decelerate the vehicle 1 to a speed that will allow the pedestrian to complete crossing at least the margin time T1 before the vehicle 1 passes the crossing position (shown by the dashed line in FIG. 4).Then, the process proceeds to step S14, where the controller 10 ends the deceleration and maintains the current vehicle speed.

[0046] After processing step S12 or S14, in step S16, the controller 10 determines whether the pedestrian has completed crossing the road based on the image data acquired from the camera 21, and if the pedestrian has completed crossing the road (step S16: YES), the controller 10 terminates the vehicle control processing.

[0047] [Action and effect] Next, the effects of the vehicle control device of the present embodiment will be described.

[0048] When the controller 10 determines that the pedestrian intends to cross the road at the crossing position, the controller 10 determines a safety confirmation timing T S In this case, the vehicle 1 is caused to decelerate at a rate set so that the pedestrian can understand that the vehicle 1 has given priority to the pedestrian crossing, so the vehicle 1 can be controlled so that the pedestrian can easily understand that the vehicle 1 has detected the presence of a pedestrian attempting to cross the road at the crossing position and is decelerating. S In this case, when a pedestrian sees vehicle 1 decelerating at a yielding deceleration rate, the pedestrian can recognize that vehicle 1 is decelerating at a rate necessary to give priority to the pedestrian crossing. Therefore, the pedestrian can cross the road without wondering whether or not to start crossing, and it is possible to prevent an increase in the time required for the pedestrian to cross the road and for vehicle 1 to pass the crossing point.

[0049] Also, safety confirmation timing T Sis a timing a predetermined time before the pedestrian reaches the crossing position, so it is possible to appropriately predict the safety confirmation timing at which the pedestrian will check for safety.

[0050] The controller 10 also determines the safety confirmation timing T S The time Te until the pedestrian completes crossing the road is calculated from S The deceleration for making the time Tp until the vehicle 1 reaches the crossing position when the yielding deceleration is maintained from the time Te to the time Te plus a predetermined margin time T1 is set as the yielding deceleration. S In this case, when a pedestrian sees vehicle 1 decelerating at a yielding deceleration rate, vehicle 1 can be controlled so that the pedestrian can easily understand that there is a certain amount of time between when the pedestrian finishes crossing the road and when vehicle 1 reaches the crossing position. Therefore, the pedestrian can cross the road without wondering whether or not to start crossing, and it is possible to prevent an increase in the time required for the pedestrian to cross the road and for vehicle 1 to pass the crossing position. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 1 vehicle 10 Controller 10a processor 10b memory 21 Camera 22 Radar 23 Vehicle speed sensor 24 Acceleration sensor 25 Yaw rate sensor 26 Steering angle sensor 27 Accelerator sensor 28 Brake sensor 29 Positioning System 30 Navigation System 31 Driving force source 32 Brake 33 Electric power steering

Claims

1. A camera that photographs the front of the vehicle; a controller configured to detect a pedestrian in front of the vehicle based on an image captured by the camera and to control a driving force source and / or a braking device of the vehicle based on the behavior of the pedestrian; and The controller acquiring road information about the road on which the vehicle is traveling based on the image captured by the camera; acquiring a crossing position in front of the vehicle at which the pedestrian can cross the road based on the road information; acquiring a position and a speed of the pedestrian based on an image captured by the camera, and determining whether the pedestrian has an intention to cross the road at the crossing position based on the position and the speed of the pedestrian; When it is determined that the pedestrian has an intention to cross the road, predicting a safety confirmation timing for the pedestrian to perform a safety confirmation before crossing the road based on the crossing position and the position and speed of the pedestrian; controlling, at the safety confirmation timing, the driving force source and / or the braking device so as to cause the vehicle to generate a yielding deceleration that is set so that the pedestrian can recognize that the vehicle has priority over the pedestrian when crossing; It is configured as follows: Vehicle control device.

2. The safety confirmation timing is a timing a predetermined time before the pedestrian reaches the crossing position. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 .

3. The controller If it is determined that the pedestrian intends to cross the road, a time Te from the safety confirmation timing to the time when the pedestrian completes crossing the road is calculated based on the crossing position and the position and speed of the pedestrian; based on the speed of the vehicle at the safety confirmation timing and the distance from the vehicle to the crossing position, a deceleration that will make a time Tp required for the vehicle to reach the crossing position if the yielding deceleration is maintained longer than a time obtained by adding a predetermined margin time to the time Te, is set as the yielding deceleration. It is configured as follows: The vehicle control device according to claim 1 or 2.

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