Monitoring system, monitoring device, monitoring method, and monitoring program

Abstract

To provide a monitoring system for securing monitoring accuracy to the driving environment of a vehicle.SOLUTION: The processor of the monitoring system for monitoring the driving environment of the host vehicle and the other vehicles determines a meandering vehicle of the other vehicles that is meandered, based on host sensing information Ih obtained by sensing from the host vehicle, and before the determination of the meandering vehicle of the other vehicles is confirmed, when a candidate vehicle of the meandering vehicle becomes out of sensing from the host vehicle due to the presence of a target vehicle of the other vehicles, the processor: Acquiring target sensing information It from the target vehicle by sensing the candidate vehicle, and integrating the target sensing information It acquired from the target vehicle with the host sensing information Ih before determining the meandering vehicle to determine the meandering vehicle for the candidate vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to monitoring techniques for monitoring the driving environment of a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 predicts the risk of other vehicles to the subject vehicle based on information indicating the state of the other vehicles detected from the subject vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6698945 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the driving environment of the subject vehicle and other vehicles, there is a concern that meandering due to, for example, drowsiness, drunk driving, or reckless driving may increase the risk of collision between the vehicles. However, with the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, status information of other vehicles whose past reckless driving has not been registered is only valid in driving situations in which the other vehicle can be detected from the subject vehicle. In other words, in driving situations in which an unregistered other vehicle currently being detected by the subject vehicle becomes undetectable due to the presence of another other vehicle, the reliability of the status information of the other vehicle itself used for risk prediction decreases. As a result, it becomes difficult to distinguish this from normal driving, for example, before and after a lane change.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a monitoring system that ensures monitoring accuracy for a vehicle's driving environment.Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a monitoring device that ensures monitoring accuracy for a vehicle's driving environment.A still further object of the present disclosure is to provide a monitoring method that ensures monitoring accuracy for a vehicle's driving environment.A still further object of the present disclosure is to provide a monitoring program that ensures monitoring accuracy for a vehicle's driving environment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The technical means of the present disclosure for solving the problems will be described below. Note that the claims and the reference characters in parentheses in this section indicate the correspondence with the specific means described in the embodiments described later in detail, and do not limit the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0007] A first aspect of the present disclosure is A monitoring system for monitoring a driving environment of a host vehicle (2) and other vehicles (3), the monitoring system having a processor (12), The processor determining a meandering vehicle (30) among the other vehicles that is being driven meandering based on host sensing information (Ih) obtained by sensing from a host vehicle; Before the determination of the meandering vehicle is finalized, when the candidate vehicle (300) of the meandering vehicle is out of sensing range from the host vehicle due to the presence of the target vehicle (31) among other vehicles, target sensing information (It) is acquired by sensing the candidate vehicle from the target vehicle; The system is configured to determine whether the candidate vehicle is a meandering vehicle by integrating target sensing information acquired from the target vehicle with host sensing information prior to the determination of the meandering vehicle.

[0008] A second aspect of the present disclosure is A monitoring device having a processor (12), configured to be mountable in a host vehicle (2), for monitoring the driving environment of the host vehicle and other vehicles (3), The processor determining a meandering vehicle (30) among the other vehicles that is being driven meandering based on host sensing information (Ih) obtained by sensing from a host vehicle; Before the determination of the meandering vehicle is finalized, when the candidate vehicle (300) of the meandering vehicle is out of sensing range from the host vehicle due to the presence of the target vehicle (31) among other vehicles, target sensing information (It) is acquired by sensing the candidate vehicle from the target vehicle; The system is configured to determine whether the candidate vehicle is a meandering vehicle by integrating target sensing information acquired from the target vehicle with host sensing information prior to the determination of the meandering vehicle.

[0009] A third aspect of the present disclosure is A monitoring method executed by a processor (12) for monitoring a driving environment of a host vehicle (2) and other vehicles (3), comprising: determining a meandering vehicle (30) among the other vehicles that is being driven meandering based on host sensing information (Ih) obtained by sensing from a host vehicle; Before the determination of the meandering vehicle is finalized, when the candidate vehicle (300) of the meandering vehicle is out of sensing range from the host vehicle due to the presence of the target vehicle (31) among other vehicles, target sensing information (It) is acquired by sensing the candidate vehicle from the target vehicle; The method includes determining whether the candidate vehicle is a meandering vehicle by integrating target sensing information obtained from the target vehicle with host sensing information prior to determining whether the candidate vehicle is a meandering vehicle.

[0010] A fourth aspect of the present disclosure is A monitoring program stored in a storage medium (10) for monitoring the driving environment of a host vehicle (2) and another vehicle (3), the monitoring program including instructions for causing a processor (12) to execute the monitoring, determining a meandering vehicle (30) among the other vehicles that is being driven meandering based on host sensing information (Ih) obtained by sensing from a host vehicle; Before the determination of the meandering vehicle is finalized, when the candidate vehicle (300) of the meandering vehicle is out of sensing range from the host vehicle due to the presence of the target vehicle (31) among other vehicles, target sensing information (It) is acquired by sensing the candidate vehicle from the target vehicle; The program includes instructions to execute the following: determining whether a candidate vehicle is a meandering vehicle by integrating target sensing information acquired from the target vehicle with host sensing information prior to the determination of the meandering vehicle.

[0011] In this way, in the first to fourth aspects, a meandering vehicle among other vehicles is determined based on host sensing information obtained by sensing from the host vehicle. However, according to the first to fourth aspects, before the determination of the meandering vehicle is confirmed, when a candidate vehicle among other vehicles for the meandering vehicle is excluded from the sensing of the host vehicle due to the presence of a target vehicle among other vehicles, target sensing information of the candidate vehicle is acquired by sensing from the target vehicle. Therefore, by integrating the target sensing information obtained from the target vehicle with the host sensing information before the determination of the meandering vehicle is confirmed, the determination of meandering driving for the candidate vehicle can be properly determined, distinguishing it from normal driving. Therefore, it is possible to ensure monitoring accuracy for meandering vehicles as other vehicles that are meandering, especially in driving environments where a host vehicle and other vehicles exist. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of an embodiment; [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a traveling environment of a host vehicle to which an embodiment is applied. [Figure 3] 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a monitoring system according to an embodiment; [Figure 4] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a monitoring flow according to one embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a monitoring flow according to an embodiment. [Figure 6]FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a monitoring flow according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a monitoring flow according to an embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a monitoring flow according to an embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a monitoring flow according to an embodiment. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a meandering determination subroutine of a monitoring flow according to one embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a monitoring flow according to an embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a monitoring flow according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] The monitoring system 1 of one embodiment shown in Fig. 1 performs a monitoring process to monitor the driving environment Ed of a host vehicle 2 and other vehicles 3 shown in Fig. 2. The host vehicle 2 and other vehicles 3 are at least one type of vehicle that can travel on a road with an occupant on board, such as an automobile, truck, or bus. From a viewpoint centered on the host vehicle 2, the host vehicle 2 can also be said to be an ego-vehicle.

[0015] The host vehicle 2 is provided with an autonomous driving mode that is divided into levels according to the degree of manual intervention by the occupant in the dynamic driving task. The autonomous driving mode may be realized by autonomous driving control, such as conditional driving automation, high driving automation, or full driving automation, in which the system performs all dynamic driving tasks when activated. The autonomous driving mode may also be realized by advanced driving assistance control, such as driving assistance or partial driving automation, in which the occupant performs some or all of the dynamic driving tasks. The autonomous driving mode may be realized by either autonomous driving control or advanced driving assistance control, or by a combination of these, or by switching between them.

[0016] The host vehicle 2 is equipped with a sensor system 5, a communication system 6, a map database 7, and an information presentation system 8 shown in Fig. 1, along with at least a part of the monitoring system 1. Specifically, the sensor system 5 acquires host sensing information Ih that can be used by the monitoring system 1 with respect to the external and internal worlds of the host vehicle 2. To this end, the sensor system 5 is configured to include an external sensor 50 and an internal sensor 52.

[0017] The external environment sensor 50 generates external environment information as host sensing information Ih from the external environment that is the driving environment Ed in which the host vehicle 2 is traveling. The external environment sensor 50 may be a target detection type that detects targets that exist in the external environment of the host vehicle 2. The target detection type external environment sensor 50 is at least one of, for example, a camera, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging / Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging), radar, sonar, etc.

[0018] The internal sensor 52 generates internal information as host sensing information Ih from the internal environment, which is the internal environment of the host vehicle 2. The internal sensor 52 may be a physical quantity detection type that detects a specific physical quantity of motion in the internal environment of the host vehicle 2. The physical quantity detection type internal sensor 52 is, for example, at least one of a driving speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, an inertial sensor, etc. The internal sensor 52 may be an occupant detection type that detects a specific state of an occupant in the internal environment of the host vehicle 2. The occupant detection type internal sensor 52 is, for example, at least one of a Driver Status Monitor (registered trademark), a biological sensor, a seating sensor, an actuator sensor, an in-vehicle equipment sensor, etc.

[0019] The communication system 6 acquires communication information usable by the monitoring system 1 via wireless communication. The communication system 6 may be a positioning type that receives positioning signals from GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) satellites present in the external world of the host vehicle 2. The positioning type communication system 6 is, for example, a GNSS receiver. The communication system 6 may be a V2X type that transmits and receives communication signals to and from a V2X system present in the external world of the host vehicle 2. The V2X type communication system 6 is, for example, at least one of a DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communications) communication device and a cellular V2X (C-V2X) communication device. The communication system 6 may be a terminal communication type that transmits and receives communication signals to and from a terminal present in the internal world of the host vehicle 2. The terminal communication type communication system 6 is, for example, at least one of a Bluetooth (registered trademark) device, a Wi-Fi (registered trademark) device, an infrared communication device, etc.

[0020] The map database 7 stores map information that can be used by the monitoring system 1. The map database 7 includes at least one type of non-transitory tangible storage medium, such as a semiconductor memory, a magnetic medium, or an optical medium. The map database 7 may be a database of a locator that estimates the host vehicle 2's own state quantities, including its own position. The map database 7 may be a database of a navigation unit that navigates the host vehicle 2's travel route. The map database 7 may be configured by combining multiple types of these databases.

[0021] The map database 7 acquires and stores the latest map information, for example, by communicating with an external center via a V2X type communication system 6. Here, the map information is converted into two-dimensional or three-dimensional data as information representing the driving environment Ed in which the host vehicle 2 is traveling. In particular, it is preferable to adopt high-precision digital map data as the three-dimensional map data. The map information may include road information representing at least one of the following: the position, shape, and road surface condition of the road itself. The map information may also include marking information representing at least one of the following: the position and shape of signs and lane markings attached to the road. The map information may also include structure information representing at least one of the following: the position and shape of buildings and traffic lights facing the road.

[0022] The map database 7 acquires and stores the latest map information, for example, by communication with an external center. Here, the map information is information representing the driving environment Ed in which the host vehicle 2 is traveling, and is converted into two-dimensional or three-dimensional data. In particular, it is preferable to adopt high-precision digital map data as the three-dimensional map data. The map information may include road information representing at least one of the following: the position, shape, and road surface condition of the road itself. The map information may also include marking information representing at least one of the following: the position and shape of signs and lane markings attached to the road. The map information may also include structure information representing at least one of the following: the position and shape of buildings and traffic lights facing the road.

[0023] The information presentation system 8 presents alarm information to the occupants of the host vehicle 2. The information presentation system 8 may be a visual stimulation type that stimulates the occupants' vision through a display. The visual stimulation type information presentation system 8 is, for example, at least one of a HUD (Head-Up Display), an MFD (Multi-Function Display), a combination meter, a navigation unit, etc. The information presentation system 8 may be an auditory stimulation type that stimulates the occupants' hearing through sound. The auditory stimulation type information presentation system 8 is, for example, at least one of a speaker, a buzzer, a vibration unit, etc.

[0024] The other vehicle 3 shown in Fig. 2 may be equipped with at least a sensor system 5 and a communication system 6 equivalent to those of the host vehicle 2, among the elements equipped on the host vehicle 2 shown in Fig. 1. In addition, the other vehicle 3 may be equipped with at least a part of the monitoring system 1, which will be described in detail below.

[0025] The monitoring system 1 shown in Fig. 1 is configured to include at least one dedicated computer. The monitoring system 1 is connected to a sensor system 5, a communication system 6, a map database 7, and an information presentation system 8 via at least one of, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) line, a wire harness, an internal bus, or a wireless communication line. When the monitoring system 1 is configured with multiple dedicated computers, the connections between these dedicated computers are similar.

[0026] The dedicated computer constituting the monitoring system 1 may be a driving control ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that controls the driving of the host vehicle 2. The dedicated computer constituting the monitoring system 1 may be a navigation ECU that navigates the driving route of the host vehicle 2. The dedicated computer constituting the monitoring system 1 may be a locator ECU that estimates the self-state quantity of the host vehicle 2. The dedicated computer constituting the monitoring system 1 may be an actuator ECU that controls the driving actuator of the host vehicle 2. The dedicated computer constituting the monitoring system 1 may be an HCU (Human Machine Interface Control Unit (HMI)) that controls the presentation of information in the host vehicle 2. The dedicated computer constituting the monitoring system 1 may be a computer other than the host vehicle 2 that constitutes an external center or mobile terminal that can communicate via, for example, a V2X type communication system 6.

[0027] The dedicated computer constituting the monitoring system 1 has at least one memory 10 and one processor 12. The memory 10 is at least one type of non-transitory tangible storage medium, such as a semiconductor memory, a magnetic medium, or an optical medium, that non-temporarily stores computer-readable programs, data, and the like. Here, "storage" may refer to accumulation in which data is retained even when the host vehicle 2 is powered off, or may refer to temporary storage in which data is erased when the host vehicle 2 is powered off. The processor 12 includes at least one type of core, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a reduced instruction set computer (RISC)-CPU, a data flow processor (DFP), or a graph streaming processor (GSP).

[0028] In the monitoring system 1, the processor 12 executes a plurality of instructions included in a monitoring program stored in the memory 10 in order to monitor the driving environment Ed of the host vehicle 2 and the other vehicles 3. In this way, the monitoring system 1 constructs a plurality of functional blocks for monitoring the driving environment Ed of the host vehicle 2 and the other vehicles 3. The plurality of functional blocks constructed in the monitoring system 1 include a host sensing block 100, a meandering determination block 110, a target sensing block 120, and a meandering warning block 130, as shown in FIG.

[0029] The monitoring method for the monitoring system 1 to monitor the driving environment Ed of the host vehicle 2 and other vehicles 3 by cooperation of these blocks 100, 110, 120, and 130 is executed according to the monitoring flow shown in Fig. 4. This monitoring flow is executed repeatedly while the host vehicle 2 is running. Note that each "S" in this monitoring flow represents each step executed by multiple commands included in the monitoring program.

[0030] In S10 of FIG. 4, the host sensing block 100 (see FIG. 3) acquires host sensing information Ih generated by sensing the driving environment Ed from the external sensor 50 in the host vehicle 2. At this time, the host sensing information Ih is generated so as to be able to recognize other vehicles 3 traveling in the same direction ahead of and behind the host vehicle 2 in the same lane as the lane in which the host vehicle 2 is traveling. The host sensing information Ih may also be generated so as to be able to recognize other vehicles 3 traveling in the same direction ahead of and behind the host vehicle 2 and to the sides of the host vehicle 2 in a lane different from the lane in which the host vehicle 2 is traveling.

[0031] In S20 following S10 in Fig. 4, the meandering determination block 110 (see Fig. 3) determines whether a determination start condition Cs for starting a meandering determination of the other vehicle 3 is met. At this time, the determination start condition Cs is met in a driving scene where the occurrence of meandering can be predicted and / or a driving scene where a warning against meandering is required. For example, the determination start condition Cs is met in a driving scene where the host vehicle 2 is traveling on at least one type of road among an expressway, a motorway, and a straight road with a curvature radius of 3,000 meters or more.

[0032] The determination of whether the determination start condition Cs is met in S20 may be based on the host sensing information Ih acquired in S10. The determination of whether the determination start condition Cs is met may also be based on at least one of communication information from the communication system 6 and map information in the map database 7, in addition to or instead of the host sensing information Ih. If the determination start condition Cs is not met, the monitoring flow ends. On the other hand, if the determination start condition Cs is met, the monitoring flow proceeds to S30.

[0033] In S30, the meandering determination block 110 (see FIG. 3) determines whether or not any of the other vehicles 3 are meandering (i.e., zigzag) vehicles 30 (see FIG. 9, described later) based on the host sensing information Ih. Specifically, in S30, the meandering determination block 110 recognizes the relative positional relationship of the other vehicle 3 in the width direction of the lane in which the other vehicle 3 is traveling, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 9, from the sensing results of the other vehicle 3 and the driving environment Ed included in the host sensing information Ih. At this time, the relative positional relationship is defined by the left-right relationship between the positions of lane markers Ml (e.g., white marking lines, etc.) on both sides that define the driving lane of the other vehicle 3 as the driving environment Ed, and the widthwise center position Pl between those markers Ml (i.e., the widthwise center position of the driving lane), and the widthwise center position Po of the other vehicle 3 (in this embodiment, the lateral and longitudinal center positions of the vehicle body).

[0034] Therefore, the meandering determination block 110 in S30 analyzes in real time the time transition of the relative positional relationship between the other vehicle 3 and the driving lane (i.e., the behavioral change of the other vehicle 3), and when it recognizes a candidate vehicle 300 (see FIGS. 5 to 9) for the meandering vehicle 30, it determines whether the candidate vehicle 300 is a meandering vehicle 30. To this end, the meandering determination block 110 in S30 executes a meandering determination subroutine shown in FIG. 10. Note that in S300 to S308 of the meandering determination subroutine described below, the same acquisition process as in S10 is performed in response to the execution of the corresponding process (described in detail later), thereby updating the host sensing information Ih.

[0035] In S300 of Fig. 10, the meandering determination block 110 determines whether a first condition C1 is met based on the host sensing information Ih. At this time, the first condition C1 is met when the center position Po of the other vehicle 3 enters a center range ΔP, which is, for example, 10% of the width between the markers Ml (i.e., the width of the travel lane), on either side of the center position Pl between the markers Ml from outside the center range ΔP, as shown in Fig. 5. If the first condition C1 is not met, it is determined that there is no candidate vehicle 300, and the monitoring flow of Fig. 4 ends along with the meandering determination subroutine of Fig. 10. On the other hand, if the first condition C1 is met, the other vehicle 3 is recognized as a candidate vehicle 300, and the meandering determination subroutine proceeds to S301 as shown in Fig. 10. When the first condition C1 is met, the candidate vehicle 300 is not yet determined to be a meandering vehicle 30 if a meandering driving pattern of less than one cycle (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 5) has been recognized.

[0036] In S301, the meandering determination block 110 determines, based on the host sensing information Ih, whether the candidate vehicle 300 has fallen outside the sensing range of the external environment sensor 50 of the host vehicle 2 due to the presence of a target vehicle 31 (see FIG. 11 ) other than the candidate vehicle 300 among the other vehicles 3. As shown in FIG. 11 , the target vehicle 31 is driven into the space between the host vehicle 2 and the candidate vehicle 300, which are in the same or different lanes, and the candidate vehicle 300 is partially or completely hidden in a blind spot formed by the target vehicle 31, resulting in the candidate vehicle 300 being determined to be outside the sensing range of the host vehicle 2. The driving of the target vehicle 31 into the space between the host vehicle 2 and the candidate vehicle 300 in the same lane may be, in particular, a driving of the candidate vehicle 300 cutting in between the host vehicle 2 and the candidate vehicle 300 in the same lane, ahead of or behind the host vehicle 2 (see FIG. 11 ). On the other hand, if the host vehicle 2 can continue to sense the candidate vehicle 300 using the external environment sensor 50, the meandering determination subroutine proceeds to S302 as shown in FIG. 10 .

[0037] In S302, the meandering determination block 110 determines whether the second condition C2 is met based on the host sensing information Ih. At this time, the second condition C2 is met when the center position Po of the candidate vehicle 300 moves out of one of the left and right center ranges ΔP from the center position Pl between the markers Ml, as shown in FIG. 6. If the second condition C2 is not met, it is determined that there is no candidate vehicle 300, and the meandering determination subroutine of FIG. 10 and the monitoring flow of FIG. 4 end. On the other hand, if the second condition C2 is met, the meandering determination subroutine proceeds to S303 as shown in FIG. 10. Note that, until the second condition C2 is met, the candidate vehicle 300 is not determined to be a meandering vehicle 300, as it has only been recognized to have a meandering driving pattern of less than one cycle (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 6).

[0038] In S303, similarly to S301, the meandering determination block 110 determines, based on the host sensing information Ih, whether or not the candidate vehicle 300 has been removed from the sensing range of the external sensor 50 of the host vehicle 2 due to the presence of the target vehicle 31. As a result, if the host vehicle 2 is able to continue sensing the candidate vehicle 300 from the external sensor 50, the meandering determination subroutine proceeds to S304 as shown in FIG.

[0039] In S304, the meandering determination block 110 determines whether the third condition C3 is met based on the host sensing information Ih. At this time, the third condition C3 is met when the center position Po of the candidate vehicle 300 again enters within the left-right center range ΔP from the center position Pl between the markers Ml, as shown in FIG. 7. If the third condition C3 is not met, it is determined that there is no candidate vehicle 300, and the meandering determination subroutine of FIG. 10 and the monitoring flow of FIG. 4 end. On the other hand, if the third condition C3 is met, the meandering determination subroutine proceeds to S305, as shown in FIG. 10. Note that, until the third condition C3 is met, the candidate vehicle 300 is only recognized as having a meandering driving pattern of less than one cycle (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 7), and thus the candidate vehicle 300 is not yet determined to be a meandering vehicle 30.

[0040] In S305, the meandering determination block 110, similar to S301, determines based on the host sensing information Ih whether the candidate vehicle 300 has been removed from the sensing range of the external sensor 50 of the host vehicle 2 due to the presence of the target vehicle 31. As a result, if the host vehicle 2 is able to continue sensing the candidate vehicle 300 from the external sensor 50, the meandering determination subroutine proceeds to S306 as shown in FIG.

[0041] In S306, the meandering determination block 110 determines whether the fourth condition C4 is met based on the host sensing information Ih. At this time, the fourth condition C4 is met when the center position Po of the candidate vehicle 300 escapes from the center position Pl between the markers Ml to the outside of the center range ΔP on the other side, which is the opposite of the one set in S302, from the center position Pl between the markers Ml, as shown in FIG. 8. If the fourth condition C4 is not met, it is determined that there is no candidate vehicle 300, and the meandering determination subroutine of FIG. 10 and the monitoring flow of FIG. 4 end. On the other hand, if the fourth condition C4 is met, the meandering determination subroutine proceeds to S307 as shown in FIG. 10. Note that, until the fourth condition C4 is met, the candidate vehicle 300 is not determined to be a meandering vehicle 300, as it has only been recognized as having a meandering driving pattern of less than one cycle (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 8).

[0042] In S307, the meandering determination block 110, similar to S301, determines based on the host sensing information Ih whether the candidate vehicle 300 has been removed from the sensing range of the external sensor 50 of the host vehicle 2 due to the presence of the target vehicle 31. As a result, if the host vehicle 2 is able to continue sensing the candidate vehicle 300 from the external sensor 50, the meandering determination subroutine proceeds to S308 as shown in FIG.

[0043] In S308, the meandering determination block 110 determines whether the fifth condition C5 is met based on the host sensing information Ih. At this time, the fifth condition C5 is met when the center position Po of the candidate vehicle 300 repeatedly enters within the left-right center range ΔP from the center position Pl between the markers Ml, as shown in FIG. 9. If the fifth condition C5 is not met, it is determined that there is no candidate vehicle 300, and the meandering determination subroutine of FIG. 10 and the monitoring flow of FIG. 4 end. On the other hand, if the fifth condition C5 is met, the meandering determination subroutine proceeds to S309, as shown in FIG. 10.

[0044] In S309, the meandering determination block 110 determines that the candidate vehicle 300, for which a meandering driving pattern (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 9) of at least one cycle is recognized, is a meandering vehicle 30 because all of the first to fifth conditions C1 to C5 in S300, S302, S304, S306, and S308 are satisfied. When all steps of the meandering determination subroutine in FIG. 10 are completed as described above, the monitoring flow in FIG. 4 proceeds to S60 as the determination is confirmed. On the other hand, in the meandering determination subroutine in FIG. 10, if it is determined in any of S301, S303, S305, and S307 that the candidate vehicle 300 is outside the sensing range of the host vehicle 2, the subroutine is temporarily terminated, and the monitoring flow in FIG. 4 proceeds to S40 as the determination is not confirmed.

[0045] In S40, the target sensing block 120 (see FIG. 3) acquires target sensing information It generated by sensing the driving environment Ed from the external sensor 50 of the target vehicle 31 that has entered between the host vehicle 2 and the candidate vehicle 300. At this time, the target sensing information It is generated so that the candidate vehicle 300 can be recognized among other vehicles 3 traveling in the driving environment Ed.

[0046] Therefore, in S40, communication information for identifying the candidate vehicle 300 is trigger-transmitted from the host vehicle 2 to the target vehicle 31 via the communication network established between the communication systems 6 of the vehicles 2, 31. At the same time, target sensing information It regarding the candidate vehicle 300 sensed by the external sensor 50 of the target vehicle 31 is returned as communication information from the target vehicle 31 to the host vehicle 2 via the communication network established between the communication systems 6 of the vehicles 2, 31.

[0047] To achieve these transmissions, in S40, the communication network established between the communication systems 6 of the vehicles 2 and 31 may be established directly between the communication systems 6 of, for example, a V2V type. The communication network established between the communication systems 6 of the vehicles 2 and 31 may also be established indirectly via an external center such as a cloud server. The communication network established between the communication systems 6 of the vehicles 2 and 31 may also be established via a mesh network formed between the communication systems 6 of the host vehicle 2 and other vehicles 3, including the target vehicle 31.

[0048] 4, the meandering determination block 110 (see FIG. 3) finalizes the determination of the meandering vehicle 30 for the candidate vehicle 300 by supplementing the missing portion of the host sensing information Ih with the target sensing information It. Specifically, in S50, the meandering determination block 110 recognizes the relative positional relationship between the other vehicle 300 and the driving lane from the sensing results of the candidate vehicle 300 and the driving environment Ed included in the target sensing information It, in the same way as in S30.

[0049] Therefore, the meandering determination block 110 in S50 analyzes the time transition of the relative positional relationship between the candidate vehicle 300 and the driving lane (i.e., the change in behavior of the candidate vehicle 300) to determine whether the candidate vehicle 300 is a meandering vehicle 30. To this end, the meandering determination block 110 in S50 executes processing based on the target sensing information It from the step subsequent to the final execution step based on the host sensing information Ih in S30 of the meandering determination subroutine in Fig. 11. Therefore, in S50, in the step subsequent to the final execution step based on the host sensing information Ih in S30, acquisition processing similar to that in S40 is also performed in response to the execution of the corresponding processing, thereby updating the target sensing information It.

[0050] However, in the meandering determination subroutine of S50, of S300 to S309 in the case of S30, at least S300 and S301 are skipped, and at least S308 is executed as shown in Figure 12. Furthermore, in the meandering determination subroutine of S50, if it is determined in any of S303, S305, and S307 that the candidate vehicle 300 is outside the sensing range of the target vehicle 31, rather than the host vehicle 2, then the candidate vehicle 300 is deemed to be absent, and the subroutine and the monitoring flow in Figure 4 end. Note that a driving scene in which the candidate vehicle 300 is outside the sensing range of the target vehicle 31 may occur due to an error in acquiring target sensing information It from the target vehicle 31, in addition to or instead of occurring due to another vehicle 3 entering between the candidate vehicle 300 and the target vehicle 31.

[0051] Here, from a continuous perspective spanning from the meandering determination subroutine of S30 to the meandering determination subroutine of S50, it appears that a meandering driving pattern of one or more cycles (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 12) can be recognized from the integrated host sensing information Ih and target sensing information It. In other words, by integrating the host sensing information Ih and the target sensing information It, S50 can make the determination up to S309. From the above, it can be said that the determination in S30 alone, which uses the host sensing information Ih alone, and the continuous determinations from S30 to S50, which use the host sensing information Ih and the target sensing information It in an integrated manner, are determined depending on the satisfaction of all of the common conditions C1 to C5.

[0052] In the meandering determination subroutine of S50, when the determination of a meandering vehicle 30 is finalized in S309, the monitoring flow of Fig. 4 proceeds to S60, as in the case of the meandering determination subroutine of S30. Therefore, whether the process proceeds from the meandering determination subroutine of S30 or S50, the meandering warning block 130 (see Fig. 3) in S60 outputs meandering warning information Iw to warn other vehicles 3 of the meandering vehicle 30 whose determination has been finalized. At this time, the meandering warning information Iw may be output to other vehicles 3 including at least one of the meandering vehicle 30 and the target vehicle 31. The meandering warning information Iw may also be output to other vehicles 3 other than the meandering vehicle 30 and the target vehicle 31.

[0053] The meandering warning information Iw in S60 is output from the host vehicle 2 to the target vehicle 31 as communication information transmitted via a communication network established between the communication systems 6 of the vehicles 2, 3. The meandering warning information Iw in S60 may be output to an external center by transmission via the communication system 6 of the host vehicle 2. The communication network for realizing these transmission outputs is the same as the above-mentioned communication network required for S40. Furthermore, the meandering warning information Iw in S60 may be output to the occupants of the host vehicle 2 as notification information in the form of a warning display and / or a warning sound from the information presentation system 8. When the execution of S60 is completed, the current monitoring flow ends.

[0054] (Action and effect) The effects of the present embodiment described above will be explained below.

[0055] In this embodiment, a meandering vehicle 30 among the other vehicles 3 that is driving in a meandering manner is determined based on host sensing information Ih obtained by sensing from the host vehicle 2. However, according to this embodiment, before the determination of the meandering vehicle 30 is finalized, a candidate vehicle 300 for the meandering vehicle 30 is excluded from sensing by the host vehicle 2 due to the presence of a target vehicle 31 among the other vehicles 3, and target sensing information It of the candidate vehicle 300 is acquired by sensing from the target vehicle 31. Therefore, by integrating the target sensing information It obtained from the target vehicle 31 with the host sensing information Ih before the determination of the meandering vehicle 30 is finalized, the determination of meandering driving of the candidate vehicle 300 can be properly determined, distinguishing it from normal driving. Therefore, it is possible to ensure monitoring accuracy, particularly for the meandering vehicle 30 as the other vehicle 3 that is driving in a meandering manner, in a driving environment Ed in which the host vehicle 2 and other vehicles 3 are present.

[0056] According to this embodiment, target sensing information It is acquired in response to the candidate vehicle 300 being out of the sensing range of the host vehicle 2 due to the target vehicle 31 driving in an inbound direction between the host vehicle 2 and the candidate vehicle 300. This allows the target sensing information It to be acquired from the target vehicle 31, which can sense the candidate vehicle 300 more accurately than the host vehicle 2 due to the inbound direction, and to be integrated with the host sensing information Ih before the determination is finalized. In particular, even in a driving scene in which the candidate vehicle 300 is likely to be out of the sensing range of the host vehicle 2 due to the target vehicle 31 cutting in between the host vehicle 2 and the candidate vehicle 300, the target sensing information It from the target vehicle 31 can be integrated with the host sensing information Ih before the determination is finalized. This makes it possible to supplement the insufficient amount of information from the host sensing information Ih alone and continue the determination process for the meandering vehicle 30, thereby ensuring high monitoring accuracy for the meandering vehicle 30.

[0057] According to this embodiment, in the case of a determination based solely on the host sensing information Ih and the case of a determination based on an integration of the host sensing information Ih and the target sensing information It, the determination of a meandering vehicle 30 is confirmed when all of the first to fifth conditions C1 to C5, which are common conditions, are satisfied. This allows a determination of meandering driving of the candidate vehicle 300 to be made based on the consistent conditions C1 to C5 regardless of the driving scene, thereby making it possible to increase the reliability of the effect of ensuring monitoring accuracy for the meandering vehicle 30.

[0058] According to this embodiment, when the first to fifth conditions C1 to C5, which are common conditions, are all satisfied, the candidate vehicle 300 that has been recognized to have one or more cycles of a meandering driving pattern is determined to be a meandering vehicle 30. This makes it possible to suppress erroneous determination of the meandering vehicle 30 that is caused by the temporary driving behavior of the candidate vehicle 300, thereby improving the robustness of the monitoring system 1 that ensures monitoring accuracy for the meandering vehicle 30.

[0059] According to this embodiment, meandering warning information Iw is output to warn other vehicles 3 of the determined meandering vehicle 30. This allows other vehicles 3 other than the meandering vehicle 30 to be alerted to the meandering vehicle 30 based on the meandering warning information Iw. Furthermore, when the meandering warning information Iw is output to the other vehicle 3 itself that has been determined to be a meandering vehicle 30, it becomes possible to review driving based on the meandering warning information Iw. This makes it possible to ensure safety in the total driving environment in which the host vehicle 2 and other vehicles 3 are present.

[0060] (Other embodiments) Although one embodiment has been described above, the present disclosure should not be construed as being limited to the embodiment described above, and can be applied to various embodiments within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present disclosure.

[0061] In a modified example, the dedicated computer constituting the monitoring system 1 may have at least one of a digital circuit and an analog circuit as a processor. Here, the digital circuit is at least one of the following: an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a system on a chip (SOC), a programmable gate array (PGA), and a complex programmable logic device (CPLD). Such a digital circuit may also have a memory that stores a program.

[0062] In the modified examples of S30 and S50, the execution of S307 and S308 may be omitted, and the candidate vehicle 300 recognized to be meandering for more than half a cycle and less than one cycle may be determined to be a meandering vehicle 30 in S309. In the modified example of S50, the determination of the meandering vehicle 30 may be determined in a step subsequent to the final execution step of S30 when a condition different from that in the case of execution in S30 is met. In the modified example of S60, the output of the meandering warning information Iw to the other vehicle 3 may be omitted, and instead, the execution of outputting the meandering warning information Iw to an external center may be required.

[0063] In a modified example, when the monitoring system 1 of the host vehicle 2 executes S50, the monitoring system 1 independently mounted on the target vehicle 31 may also execute S30 by functioning as the monitoring system 1 of another host vehicle 2. In this case, when the monitoring system 1 on the target vehicle 31 side determines that the candidate vehicle 300 is outside the sensing range due to the approaching operation of yet another vehicle 3, it may use the target sensing information It from the approaching vehicle 3 to execute S40 and S50.

[0064] In a modified example, when the monitoring system 1 of the host vehicle 2 determines in S50 that the candidate vehicle 300 is outside the sensing range due to the approaching operation of the target vehicle 31 and another vehicle 3, it may repeat S40 and S50 using the target sensing information It from the approaching operation of the other vehicle 3. In this case, it can be said that it is possible to identify the meandering vehicle 30 based on the recognition of the meandering driving pattern from the integrated host sensing information Ih and the target sensing information It from the multiple other vehicles 3.

[0065] In a modified example, the host vehicle 2 to which the monitoring system 1 is applied may be, for example, an autonomous robot capable of transporting luggage or collecting information by autonomous or remote driving. In addition to the forms described so far, the above-mentioned embodiments and modified examples may be implemented in the form of a processing circuit (e.g., a processing ECU, etc.) or a semiconductor device (e.g., a semiconductor chip, etc.) as a control device that is configured to be mountable on the host vehicle 2 and has at least one processor 12 and one memory 10. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 1: Monitoring system, 2: Host vehicle, 3: Other vehicles, 10: Memory, 12: Processor, 30: Serpentine vehicle, 31: Target vehicle, 300: Candidate vehicle, Ih: Host sensing information, It: Target sensing information, Iw: Serpentine warning information

Claims

1. A monitoring system for monitoring a driving environment of a host vehicle (2) and other vehicles (3), the monitoring system having a processor (12), The processor: determining a meandering vehicle (30) among the other vehicles that is being driven meandering based on host sensing information (Ih) obtained by sensing from the host vehicle; Before the determination of the meandering vehicle is finalized, when a candidate vehicle (300) of the meandering vehicle is out of sensing range from the host vehicle due to the presence of a target vehicle (31) among the other vehicles, acquiring target sensing information (It) by sensing the candidate vehicle from the target vehicle; A monitoring system configured to determine the snaking vehicle determination for the candidate vehicle by integrating the target sensing information obtained from the target vehicle with the host sensing information before the snaking vehicle determination is determined.

2. The acquisition of the target sensing information includes: The monitoring system of claim 1 further comprising acquiring the target sensing information (It) in response to the candidate vehicle being out of sensing range from the host vehicle due to the target vehicle driving between the host vehicle and the candidate vehicle.

3. The acquisition of the target sensing information includes: The monitoring system of claim 2, further comprising acquiring the target sensing information (It) in response to the candidate vehicle being out of sensing range of the host vehicle due to the target vehicle cutting in between the host vehicle and the candidate vehicle.

4. The determination of the meandering vehicle is made by: The monitoring system of claim 1 further includes determining whether the candidate vehicle is a meandering vehicle when a common condition is met when the candidate vehicle is determined based on the host sensing information alone and when the candidate vehicle is determined by integrating the host sensing information and the target sensing information.

5. The determination of the meandering vehicle is made by: The monitoring system according to claim 4 , further comprising determining that the candidate vehicle is a meandering vehicle for which the meandering driving has been recognized for one or more cycles in response to the establishment of the common condition.

6. The processor: The monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further configured to output snaking warning information (Iw) for warning other vehicles of the snaking vehicle whose judgment has been confirmed.

7. A monitoring device having a processor (12), configured to be mountable in a host vehicle (2), for monitoring the driving environment of the host vehicle and other vehicles (3), The processor: determining a meandering vehicle (30) among the other vehicles that is being driven meandering based on host sensing information (Ih) obtained by sensing from the host vehicle; Before the determination of the meandering vehicle is finalized, when a candidate vehicle (300) of the meandering vehicle is out of sensing range from the host vehicle due to the presence of a target vehicle (31) among the other vehicles, acquiring target sensing information (It) by sensing the candidate vehicle from the target vehicle; A monitoring device configured to determine whether the candidate vehicle is a meandering vehicle by integrating the target sensing information obtained from the target vehicle with the host sensing information before the determination of the meandering vehicle.

8. A monitoring method executed by a processor (12) for monitoring a driving environment of a host vehicle (2) and other vehicles (3), comprising: determining a meandering vehicle (30) among the other vehicles that is being driven meandering based on host sensing information (Ih) obtained by sensing from the host vehicle; Before the determination of the meandering vehicle is finalized, when a candidate vehicle (300) of the meandering vehicle is out of sensing range from the host vehicle due to the presence of a target vehicle (31) among the other vehicles, acquiring target sensing information (It) by sensing the candidate vehicle from the target vehicle; A monitoring method including: determining whether the candidate vehicle is a meandering vehicle by integrating the target sensing information acquired from the target vehicle with the host sensing information prior to determining whether the candidate vehicle is a meandering vehicle.

9. A monitoring program stored in a storage medium (10) for monitoring the driving environment of a host vehicle (2) and another vehicle (3), the monitoring program including instructions for causing a processor (12) to execute the monitoring, determining a meandering vehicle (30) among the other vehicles that is being driven meandering based on host sensing information (Ih) obtained by sensing from the host vehicle; Before the determination of the meandering vehicle is finalized, when a candidate vehicle (300) of the meandering vehicle is out of sensing range from the host vehicle due to the presence of a target vehicle (31) among the other vehicles, acquiring target sensing information (It) by sensing the candidate vehicle from the target vehicle; A monitoring program including the instructions for executing the following: determining whether the candidate vehicle is a meandering vehicle by integrating the target sensing information obtained from the target vehicle with the host sensing information before the determination of the meandering vehicle is confirmed.

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