External information processing device and external information processing method

Abstract

If a vehicle is unable to recognize a designated passing area, it becomes difficult to smoothly pass other vehicles. [Solution] The external information processing device 10 includes: an external information acquisition unit 13 that acquires external information about the surroundings of the vehicle based on the results recognized by the external recognition unit; a visible area acquisition unit 14 that acquires a visible area as a drivable area visible from the vehicle based on the external information; an oncoming vehicle state determination unit 15 that determines the state of the oncoming vehicle based on the visible area and information about the behavior of the oncoming vehicle; a blind spot area acquisition unit 16 that acquires a blind spot area which is a blind spot for the vehicle based on the state of the oncoming vehicle, the visible area and the position of the oncoming vehicle acquired based on the external information; and a virtual escape area acquisition unit 17 that acquires a virtual escape area for the vehicle and the oncoming vehicle to pass each other based on the visible area and the blind spot area.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an external information processing device and an external information processing method for processing information on the outside of a host vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a technique for assisting passing between a host vehicle and other vehicles on a narrow road has been proposed. For example, in Patent Document 1, based on map data, a parking space, which is a space where a vehicle can park, is detected, and parking space information, which is information on the detected parking space and is used for setting a parking route for retreating the vehicle to pass by an oncoming vehicle, is generated to control passing with the oncoming vehicle.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the conventional technology, when a parking area cannot be recognized, the host vehicle has moved backward to a pre - registered parking area. However, when the host vehicle does not move backward, even if there is a parking area in the traveling direction of the host vehicle, the parking area cannot be detected by sensing, resulting in a stalemate situation where both vehicles wait and cannot pass.

[0005] One method involves registering evacuation zones on a map if they exist on a road the vehicle has previously traveled on, allowing the vehicle to move into the evacuation zone. On the other hand, if evacuation zone information is not registered on the map, it is necessary to determine the presence of an evacuation zone through external environment recognition using distance measuring sensors or image recognition sensors. However, external environment recognition has a problem in that it may fail to recognize an evacuation zone even if one actually exists, due to the limited field of view (upper limit) of each sensor, the vehicle's current position, and blind spots caused by structures, leading to the conclusion that no evacuation zone exists.

[0006] Given the above situation, there was a need for a method to ensure smooth passing when one vehicle is unable to find a suitable passing area while the other vehicle is required to pass an oncoming vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To solve the above problems, an external information processing device according to one aspect of the present invention includes: an external information acquisition unit that acquires external information about the surroundings of the vehicle based on the results recognized by an external recognition unit; a visible area acquisition unit that acquires a visible area as a drivable area visible from the vehicle based on the external information; an oncoming vehicle state determination unit that determines the state of the oncoming vehicle based on the visible area and information about the behavior of the oncoming vehicle; a blind spot area acquisition unit that acquires a blind spot area which is a blind spot for the vehicle based on the state of the oncoming vehicle, the visible area and the position of the oncoming vehicle acquired based on the external information; and a virtual escape area acquisition unit that acquires a virtual escape area for the vehicle and the oncoming vehicle to pass each other based on the visible area and the blind spot area. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to at least one aspect of the present invention, in a situation where one vehicle and an oncoming vehicle are required to pass each other, if the vehicle is unable to find a passing area, the passing area can be estimated to reduce the stalemate and enable a smooth passing. Other issues, configurations, and effects not mentioned above will be clarified by the following description of the embodiments. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a vehicle control device equipped with an external information processing device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This block diagram shows an example of the hardware configuration of the control system for the external information processing device and the driving control planning device that constitute the vehicle control system. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of a scene where two vehicles pass each other. [Figure 4] This flowchart shows an example of the processing procedure of the external information processing device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This is a schematic diagram showing an example of a visible area map. [Figure 6] This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a scene where passing each other is impossible. [Figure 7] This flowchart shows an example of the processing procedure of the oncoming vehicle state determination unit of the external information processing device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example of a blind spot area acquired by the blind spot area acquisition unit of the external information processing device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] This is a schematic diagram showing an example of a virtual escape area map acquired by the virtual escape area acquisition unit of the external information processing device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] This is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a vehicle control device equipped with an external information processing device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] This figure shows an example in which the blind spot area acquisition unit of the external information processing device according to the second embodiment of the present invention acquires a blind spot area map based on the drivable area recognized by an oncoming vehicle. [Figure 12] This is a schematic diagram showing an example of a virtual escape area map acquired by the virtual escape area acquisition unit of the external information processing device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of how to handle the situation when the blind spot area acquisition unit of the external information processing device according to the third embodiment of the present invention fails to acquire a blind spot area. [Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention]

[0010] Hereinafter, examples of embodiments for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "embodiments") will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components or components having substantially the same functions, and redundant descriptions are omitted. Note that, as a premise, even in a system that can obtain map information such as a road guidance system (so-called navigation system), it is assumed that the map information does not include information on evacuation areas.

[0011] <First Embodiment> First, a vehicle control device including an external information processing device according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. [Configuration of Vehicle Control Device] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration example of a vehicle control device including an external information processing device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle control device 1 shown in FIG. 1 recognizes roads around the host vehicle and obstacles such as surrounding vehicles and pedestrians, and then performs appropriate driving support and travel control. The vehicle control device 1 includes an external sensor group 11, a vehicle sensor group 12, an external communication device 30, an external information processing device 10, and a travel control planning device 20.

[0012] (External Information Processing Device) The external information processing device 10 includes an external information acquisition unit 13, a visible area acquisition unit 14, an oncoming vehicle state determination unit 15, a blind spot area acquisition unit 16, and a virtual evacuation area acquisition unit 17.

[0013] The external information acquisition unit 13 acquires various types of information as information on the external environment of the host vehicle from the external sensor group 11. The external sensors (an example of an external recognition unit) are, for example, a monocular camera, a stereo camera, a multi-camera, or a radar device. The various types of information include, for example, information on surrounding vehicles such as the distance from the host vehicle to surrounding vehicles detected by the external sensor group 11, the speed of surrounding vehicles, and the width of surrounding vehicles, as well as lane information on the road. In addition to the external sensor group 11, the external information acquisition unit 13 may acquire information detected by other vehicles from those other vehicles through vehicle-to-vehicle communication (communication between the host vehicle and other vehicles) by wireless communication using the external communication device 30.

[0014] The visible area acquisition unit 14 generates (acquires) drivable area information (also referred to as a free space), blind spot area information on whether an area is a blind spot due to obstacles, etc., obstacle information on whether there are obstacles on the road, etc. based on the various types of information acquired by the external information acquisition unit 13. Then, the visible area acquisition unit 14 combines the drivable area information, blind spot area information, and obstacle information to generate information on the visible area. For example, the visible area information can be represented by a grid map and can be realized using, for example, an OGM (Occupancy Grid Map) as an example. Hereinafter, the information on the visible area shown in the grid map representation is referred to as a "visible area map".

[0015] The oncoming vehicle state determination unit 15 determines the state of an oncoming vehicle (a moving object) existing in front of (the traveling direction) the host vehicle based on the vehicle information (behavior) of the oncoming vehicle acquired by the external information acquisition unit 13, that is, whether the oncoming vehicle is waiting for a passing situation with the host vehicle. For example, information on the behavior of the oncoming vehicle can be acquired based on the external information obtained by the external information acquisition unit 13 from the external sensor group 11. Needless to say, the present invention is also applicable when the host vehicle travels backward (reverses) and passes by a vehicle existing in the traveling direction.

[0016] The blind spot area acquisition unit 16 estimates (acquires) the blind spot area in this embodiment, which expands the provisional visible area, based on the information on the oncoming vehicle status acquired by the oncoming vehicle status determination unit 15, the drivable area information, blind spot area information, and obstacle information acquired by the visible area acquisition unit 14, and the position of the oncoming vehicle acquired based on external information. It is desirable for the blind spot area acquisition unit 16 to generate a grid-like map representation of the blind spot area that is similar in size to the visible area map generated by the visible area acquisition unit 14. Matching the size simplifies the subsequent process of generating the virtual escape area. The blind spot area generated by the blind spot area acquisition unit 16 is the drivable area estimated from the behavior of the oncoming vehicle. In this case, the grid-like map representation contains at least blind spot area information. However, similar to the visible area described above, it may also include obstacle information such as whether there are obstacles on the road. Hereinafter, the information on the blind spot area shown in the grid-like map representation will be referred to as the "blind spot area map".

[0017] The virtual evacuation area acquisition unit 17 combines the current visible area acquired by the visible area acquisition unit 14 with the blind spot area estimated by the blind spot area acquisition unit 16, estimates (acquires) the area that was a blind spot in the visible area as a virtual evacuation area, which is an area that can be evacuated, and outputs the virtual evacuation area to the evacuation area search unit 23 of the driving control planning device 20. It is desirable that the virtual evacuation area acquisition unit 17 generates a grid-like map representation of the virtual evacuation area that is similar in size to the visible area map generated by the visible area acquisition unit 14. Hereinafter, the information of the virtual evacuation area shown in the grid-like map representation will be referred to as the "virtual evacuation area map".

[0018] (Travel control planning device) The driving control planning device 20 is a device that determines the vehicle's actions based on the driving environment, plans the driving control, and controls the vehicle's movement. The driving control planning device 20 has a function to update the map data around the vehicle in accordance with the vehicle's movement. As shown in Figure 1, the driving control planning device 20 is composed of an oncoming vehicle prediction path acquisition unit 21, a passing action determination unit 22, a evasive area search unit 23, a path planning unit 24, and a vehicle control unit 25. The driving control planning device 20 can be realized using well-known technologies.

[0019] The oncoming vehicle prediction path acquisition unit 21 predicts the oncoming vehicle's travel path (future oncoming vehicle trajectory) based on the oncoming vehicle information acquired from the external information acquisition unit 13. The passing behavior determination unit 22 determines whether the oncoming vehicle intends to pass the vehicle, based on the visible area map 106 acquired by the visible area acquisition unit 14 and the predicted trajectory of the oncoming vehicle acquired by the oncoming vehicle prediction path acquisition unit 21. In other words, if the oncoming vehicle intends to pass the vehicle, the passing behavior determination unit 22 determines that the vehicle needs to cooperate with the oncoming vehicle to pass it.

[0020] If the passing action determination unit 22 determines that the oncoming vehicle intends to pass, the evacuation area search unit 23 searches for and determines an area (evacuation area) where the vehicle will wait from the virtual evacuation area map generated by the virtual evacuation area acquisition unit 17. The route planning unit 24 plans the travel route (track) from the current position to the area where the vehicle will wait, as determined by the evacuation area search unit 23. The vehicle control unit 25 controls the vehicle's movement by outputting control commands to the vehicle's actuators (not shown) based on the route plan generated by the route planning unit 24.

[0021] [Control system hardware configuration] Next, the hardware configuration of the control system of the external information processing device 10 and the driving control planning device 20, which constitute the vehicle control device 1, will be explained with reference to Figure 2.

[0022] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the control systems for the external information processing device 10 and the driving control planning device 20. As shown in Figure 2, the external information processing device 10 and the driving control planning device 20 are composed of an electronic control unit 130. The electronic control unit 130 includes an input circuit 191, an A / D conversion unit 192, a central processing unit (CPU) 193, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 194, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 195, an output circuit 196, and a communication IF 1320. For example, the processing unit 1310 is composed of an A / D conversion unit 192, a CPU 193, a ROM 194, and a RAM 195.

[0023] The CPU 193 loads the program stored in the ROM 194 (an example of a memory unit) into the RAM 195 and executes it, thereby realizing the functions of the external information processing device 10 and the driving control planning device 20 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The CPU 193 is an example of a processor. Note that a processor such as an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit) may be used instead of the CPU 193.

[0024] The input circuit 191 receives signals output from the external sensor group 11 and the vehicle sensor group 12 as input signals 190. Vehicle sensors include, for example, intake air flow sensors, throttle sensors, water temperature sensors, steering angle sensors, crank angle sensors, attitude sensors (accelerometers, gyro sensors), intake cam angle sensors, and exhaust cam angle sensors. When the input signal 190 is an analog signal, the input circuit 191 removes noise components from the input signal 190 and outputs the noise-removed signal to the A / D conversion unit 192.

[0025] The A / D converter 192 converts the analog signal into a digital signal and outputs it to the CPU 193. The CPU 193 receives the digital signal output from the A / D converter 192 and executes various calculations and controls by running the control logic (program) stored in a storage medium such as the ROM 194.

[0026] The calculation results of the CPU 193 and the conversion results of the A / D conversion unit 192 are temporarily stored in the RAM 195. In this embodiment, a non-volatile memory such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory) whose contents can be rewritten may be used as the ROM 194. For example, a program describing algorithms for realizing each function according to the embodiment of the present invention may be stored in the ROM 194 or a non-volatile storage (not shown). Map data may be stored as an example of environmental information in the non-volatile storage (not shown), and the map data is used for planning and predicting the driving route. This non-volatile storage may be a storage medium that can be attached to and detached from the external information processing device 10 and the driving control planning device 20, such as a cassette-type SSD (Solid State Drive).

[0027] The calculation results of the CPU 193 are output as a control signal 197 from the output circuit 196 and used to control the actuators to be controlled. Examples of controlled components include intake valve drive units, exhaust valve drive units, fuel injection units, spark plugs, steering units, brake units, and power conversion circuits.

[0028] If the input signal 190 is a digital signal, the input signal 190 is sent directly from the input circuit 191 to the CPU 193 via the signal line 198, and the CPU 193 performs the necessary calculations and control operations.

[0029] The communication IF1320 consists of communication devices that control communication between other devices. For example, the communication IF1320 is a communication device that communicates with a wide-area network N (e.g., the Internet), or a communication device that communicates with other ECUs and sensors within the vehicle via CAN (Controller Area Network), etc. Vehicle-to-vehicle communication via the external communication device 30 is realized by the communication IF1320.

[0030] Although an example has been described in which the external information processing device 10 and the driving control planning device 20 each have an electronic control device 130, the vehicle control device 1 may also consist of a single electronic control device 130. That is, a single electronic control device 130 implements the respective functions of the external information processing device 10 and the driving control planning device 20 within the vehicle control device 1.

[0031] [Example of a scene where two vehicles pass each other] Next, an example of a passing driving scenario will be explained with reference to Figure 3. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a passing scenario, showing a situation where two vehicles are passing each other on a narrow, single-lane road. In Figure 3, vehicle 101 is in a situation where it wants to move forward on a single-lane road 100 that is too narrow for two vehicles to pass each other simultaneously and is surrounded by structures taller than itself (for example, roadside walls 103a, 103b, 104). On the other hand, there is an oncoming vehicle 102 ahead of vehicle 101, and the oncoming vehicle 102 also wants to move forward as shown by the predicted trajectory 105 indicated by the dashed line. By moving to the escape area 109 (area enclosed by the dashed line) between walls 103a and 103b and waiting, vehicle 101 can pass the oncoming vehicle 102.

[0032] [Processing by the external information processing device] Next, the processing of the external information processing device 10 will be explained with reference to Figure 4. Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing procedure of the external information processing device 10. First, in step S1, the external information acquisition unit 13 of the external information processing device 10 acquires information about objects around the vehicle 101 (for example, an oncoming vehicle 102) and surrounding environment information from the vehicle 101 (for example, free space).

[0033] Next, in step S2, the visible area acquisition unit 14 generates a visible area map 106 used for the vehicle 101 to travel, based on the surrounding environment information obtained from the external information acquisition unit 13. As an example of its representation, the visible area map 106 is represented as a grid map (also called a grid map) defined by an xy coordinate system centered on the current position of the vehicle 101.

[0034] [Example of a visible area map] Here, the visible area map 106 will be explained with reference to Figure 5. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a visible area map 106. The left side of Figure 5 is the same as Figure 3, with a dashed triangle representing the field of view of the external sensor added, and the right side of Figure 5 shows an example of a visible area map 106. However, in Figure 5, the oncoming vehicle 102 is moving forward and the distance between it and the vehicle 101 has slightly decreased. Note that the field of view angle (measurement range) of the external sensor represented by the triangle is just an example and is not limited to this example.

[0035] In the example on the right side of Figure 5, stationary objects such as the road boundary (e.g., walls 103a, 103b, 104), buildings 107a, 107b, 108, and the moving oncoming vehicle 102 are shown in dark gray as obstacles. Invisible areas that are blind spots from the vehicle 101 due to obstacles, i.e., areas that cannot be directly perceived by the vehicle 101, are shown in light gray. Areas where there are no obstacles (dark gray) and invisible areas (light gray) are shown in white as areas where the vehicle 101 can travel (free space).

[0036] Returning to the explanation of the flowchart in Figure 4, in step S3, the passing action determination unit 22 determines whether the oncoming vehicle 102 intends to pass the other vehicle based on the visible area map 106 and the state of the oncoming vehicle 102. Based on the results of the oncoming vehicle predicted path acquisition unit 21 predicting the oncoming vehicle 102's predicted trajectory 105, the passing action determination unit 22 determines that the oncoming vehicle 102 will move forward and that passing with the own vehicle 101 is necessary. If vehicle-to-vehicle communication is being performed with the oncoming vehicle 102 via the external communication device 30, the passing action determination unit 22 may receive information from the oncoming vehicle 102 indicating its intention to pass. Alternatively, the external information acquisition unit 13 may recognize a signal from the oncoming vehicle 102's headlights and determine that the oncoming vehicle 102 intends to pass.

[0037] Next, if the passing action determination unit 22 determines that the oncoming vehicle 102 has an intention to pass (YES determination in S3), in step S4, the evacuation area search unit 23 searches for an evacuation area for the vehicle 101 to pass the oncoming vehicle 102 and determines whether or not an evacuation area exists. If the oncoming vehicle 102 does not have an intention to pass (NO determination in S3), this process ends.

[0038] [Examples of scenes where passing each other is impossible] Here, an example of a driving scenario where passing is impossible will be explained with reference to Figure 6. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a scenario where passing is impossible. The evacuation position 110 is part of the evacuation area 109 in Figure 3, as viewed from the vehicle 101 shown on the left side of Figure 5. The vehicle 101 recognizes the evacuation position 110, which is part of this evacuation area 109, as a drivable area.

[0039] If the receding position for passing the oncoming vehicle 102 is the receding position 110 shown in Figure 6, the rear right side of the self-vehicle 101 will come into contact with the oncoming vehicle 102, making it impossible for the two vehicles to pass each other. In this situation, the receding area search unit 23 determines that it is impossible for the self-vehicle 101 and the oncoming vehicle 102 to pass each other, and that there is no receding area for the self-vehicle 101 (NO determination in S4). If there is a receding area for the self-vehicle 101 (YES determination in S4), this process is terminated.

[0040] Returning to the explanation of the flowchart in Figure 4, if the escape area search unit 23 determines that passing is impossible (NO determination in S4), in step S5, the oncoming vehicle state determination unit 15 determines, based on the oncoming vehicle information obtained from the external information acquisition unit 13, whether the oncoming vehicle 102 is in a waiting state for cooperative action (passing) with the vehicle 101.

[0041] [Processing by the oncoming vehicle status determination unit] Here, the processing (S5) of the oncoming vehicle status determination unit 15 will be explained using the flowchart in Figure 7. Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of the oncoming vehicle state determination unit 15. First, in step S11, the oncoming vehicle state determination unit 15 stores the vehicle information of the oncoming vehicle 102 and saves it as history information for a certain period of time. For example, the vehicle information of the oncoming vehicle 102 is information related to the behavior of the oncoming vehicle 102, such as the vehicle speed, position, and attitude of the oncoming vehicle 102. Based on the information related to the behavior of the oncoming vehicle 102, the oncoming vehicle state determination unit 15 can determine whether the state of the oncoming vehicle 102 is in a standby state or not, based on at least the history information of the speed of the oncoming vehicle 102 and the history information of the position of the oncoming vehicle 102. At least the standby state (stopped) of the oncoming vehicle 102 can be determined from the history information of the speed and position of the oncoming vehicle 102.

[0042] Next, in step S12, the oncoming vehicle state determination unit 15 determines whether the oncoming vehicle 102 is driving closer to the wall 104 side (left side) rather than driving in the center of the road between walls 103a, 103b and wall 104. Driving on the left side of the road is also called "keep left driving". Forms of keep left driving include driving in the first place, transitioning from driving in the center to keep left driving during driving, or driving in the left after the oncoming vehicle 102 recognizes the oncoming vehicle (i.e., its own vehicle 101). Based on the past relative position information included in the vehicle information of the oncoming vehicle 102 in step S11, the oncoming vehicle state determination unit 15 can determine that the oncoming vehicle 102 has changed from driving in the left direction to driving in the left direction. If the determination in step S12 is YES, the process proceeds to the determination process in step S13.

[0043] Furthermore, in step S13, the oncoming vehicle status determination unit 15 determines whether the oncoming vehicle 102 has changed its speed from "moving" to "stopped" based on the past speed information included in the vehicle information of the oncoming vehicle 102 in step S11.

[0044] In step S14, the oncoming vehicle status determination unit 15 determines that the oncoming vehicle 102 is in a standby state if it was determined in step S12 that the oncoming vehicle 102 is driving in the left lane (YES determination in S12), and if it was determined in step S13 that the speed of the oncoming vehicle 102 has changed from "driving" to "stopped" (YES determination in S13). Step S14 corresponds to the YES determination in step S5 in Figure 4.

[0045] Furthermore, in step S15, if the oncoming vehicle state determination unit 15 determines in step S12 that the oncoming vehicle 102 is not driving in the keep-left direction (NO determination in S12), or if it determines in step S13 that the speed of the oncoming vehicle 102 has not changed from "driving" to "stopped" (NO determination in S13), then the oncoming vehicle 102 is in a state other than standby. In this case, for example, the oncoming vehicle 102 can be determined to be turning right or left, or to be parked on the road. Step S15 corresponds to the NO determination in step S5 in Figure 4, and the processing of the external information processing device 10 shown in Figure 4 is terminated.

[0046] In step S6 of Figure 4, if the oncoming vehicle status determination unit 15 determines that the oncoming vehicle 102 is in a standby state (YES determination in S5), the blind spot area acquisition unit 16 generates a blind spot area estimated as a provisional visible area (a drivable area in which the own vehicle 101 can travel).

[0047] [Example of a blind spot] Here, the blind spot area generation process (S6) of the blind spot area acquisition unit 16 will be explained with reference to Figure 8. Figure 8 shows an example of a blind spot area acquired by the blind spot area acquisition unit 16. Figure 8 shows an example in which a blind spot area 120 (the trapezoidal area indicated by the dashed line) that cannot be directly recognized by the vehicle 101 is generated in the passing driving scene shown in Figure 5. In Figure 8, the area indicated by the dashed line is an area where the vehicle cannot travel due to walls 103a, 103b, 104 and buildings 107a, 107b, 108, etc.

[0048] The blind spot area acquisition unit 16 sets the vehicle's coordinates 111 in the visible area map 106 output from the visible area acquisition unit 14, with a point (for example, the center) of the vehicle 101 as the origin, and the front of the vehicle being x and the left direction of the vehicle being y. Then, the blind spot area acquisition unit 16 acquires the oncoming vehicle coordinates 112, which indicate the position of the oncoming vehicle 102, as well as the starting edge coordinates 113 and the ending edge coordinates 114, relative to the vehicle's coordinates 111 on the visible area map 106.

[0049] The starting edge coordinate 113 is located in the positive y-axis direction (left side in the figure) of the vehicle's coordinate 111, and is the edge or border of an obstacle close to the vehicle's coordinate 111 (wall 103b on the right side of Figure 5) and the blind spot area (light gray on the wall 103b side). In other words, the starting edge coordinate 113 is the coordinate of the boundary between the edge of the obstacle close to the vehicle's coordinate 111 (dark gray: wall 103b) and the blind spot area (light gray) (an example of a blind spot viewpoint position).

[0050] The endpoint edge coordinate 114 is located in the positive direction (left side in the figure) of the y-axis of the vehicle's coordinate 111 and is the edge or end of an obstacle (wall 103b on the right side of Figure 5) and blind spot area (light gray on the wall 103b side) that is close to the oncoming vehicle's coordinate 112. In other words, the endpoint edge coordinate 114 is the coordinate of the boundary between the edge of an obstacle (dark gray, wall 103a) that is further from the vehicle's coordinate 111 than the aforementioned obstacle (dark gray: wall 103b) and the blind spot area (light gray) (an example of a blind spot endpoint position).

[0051] Furthermore, the blind spot area acquisition unit 16 generates a starting point-oncoming vehicle line 115, an ending point-oncoming vehicle line 116, and a starting point-ending point line 117. The starting point-oncoming vehicle line 115 is a line passing through the oncoming vehicle coordinates 112 and the starting point edge coordinates 113. The ending point-oncoming vehicle line 116 is a line passing through the oncoming vehicle coordinates 112 and the ending point edge coordinates 114. The starting point-ending point line 117 is a line passing through the starting point edge coordinates 113 and the ending point edge coordinates 114.

[0052] Furthermore, the blind spot acquisition unit 16 calculates the start-end coordinates 118 and the end-end coordinates 119. The start-end coordinates 118 are the coordinates of the end of the grid-like map (corresponding to the visible area map 106) located on the start-oncoming vehicle straight line 115, in the positive y-axis direction (left side in the figure) from the start-end edge coordinates 113. The end-end coordinates 119 are the coordinates of the end of the grid-like map (corresponding to the visible area map 106) located on the end-oncoming vehicle straight line 116, in the positive y-axis direction (left side in the figure) from the end-end edge coordinates 114.

[0053] In this way, the blind spot area acquisition unit 16 connects the position of the oncoming vehicle 102 (oncoming vehicle coordinates 112) and the blind spot starting point position (starting point edge coordinates 113) with a straight line (starting point-oncoming vehicle straight line 115), and uses information from the blind spot starting point position to the end of the visible area (starting point end coordinates 118) on the opposite side of the oncoming vehicle position along this straight line, with the blind spot starting point in between. Furthermore, the blind spot area acquisition unit 16 connects the position of the oncoming vehicle 102 (oncoming vehicle coordinates 112) and the blind spot endpoint position (endpoint edge coordinates 114) with a straight line (endpoint-oncoming vehicle straight line 116), and uses information from the blind spot endpoint position to the end of the visible area (endpoint endpoint coordinates 119) on the opposite side of the oncoming vehicle's position along this straight line, with the blind spot endpoint position in between.

[0054] The blind spot area acquisition unit 16 defines the blind spot area (blind spot area 120) as the region formed by connecting the blind spot starting point position (starting edge coordinates 113), the blind spot ending point position (ending edge coordinates 114), the end of the visible area on the straight line (starting point-oncoming vehicle straight line 115) connecting the position of the oncoming vehicle 102 and the blind spot starting point position (starting point-oncoming vehicle straight line 118), and the end of the visible area on the straight line (ending point-oncoming vehicle straight line 116) connecting the position of the oncoming vehicle 102 and the blind spot ending point position (ending point-ending vehicle straight line 119) with a line segment.

[0055] In this way, the blind spot acquisition unit 16 generates a closed blind spot area 120 using the position of the oncoming vehicle 102, the blind spot start position which is the boundary between the edge of an obstacle closer to the vehicle 101 and the vehicle's blind spot within the visible area (visible area map 106), and the blind spot end position which is the boundary between the edge of an obstacle further from the vehicle and the vehicle's blind spot than the first obstacle, and can be used as a temporary visible area for the vehicle 101.

[0056] The blind spot area acquisition unit 16 then generates a blind spot area 120 by connecting the starting edge coordinates 113, the ending edge coordinates 114, the starting end coordinates 118, and the ending end coordinates 119. The blind spot area 120 is represented by a grid map defined in an xy coordinate system centered on the current position of the vehicle 101, similar to the visible area map 106 generated by the visible area acquisition unit 14.

[0057] Let's return to the explanation of the flowchart in Figure 4. In step S7, the virtual evacuation area acquisition unit 17 combines the blind spot area 120 generated by the blind spot area acquisition unit 16 with the visible area map 106 (drivable area) generated by the visible area acquisition unit 14 to generate a virtual evacuation area map.

[0058] [Virtual Evacuation Area Map] Here, the virtual backup area map generation process (S7) of the virtual backup area acquisition unit 17 will be explained with reference to Figure 9. Figure 9 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a virtual evacuation area map acquired by the virtual evacuation area acquisition unit 17. Figure 9 shows an example of a virtual evacuation area map 121, which is created by combining the visible area map 106 (right side of Figure 5) generated by the visible area acquisition unit 14 with the blind spot area 120 (Figure 8) generated by the blind spot area acquisition unit 16.

[0059] The virtual evacuation area map 121, like the visible area map 106 output from the visible area acquisition unit 14, is represented as a grid map defined by an xy coordinate system centered (origin) on the current position of the vehicle 101.

[0060] When combining grid maps, the dark gray area takes precedence over the invisible area (light gray) and the visible area (white). In other words, the dark gray area is not overwritten by the invisible area (light gray) or the visible area (white). Between the invisible area (light gray) and the visible area (white), the visible area (white) takes precedence. For example, when combining a blind spot area 120 (invisible area) with a visible area map 160, the dark gray area will remain in areas where the dark gray area overlaps with the invisible area (light gray) or the visible area (white). Also, the visible area (white) will remain in areas where the invisible area (light gray) overlaps with the visible area (white).

[0061] In this way, the virtual evacuation area acquisition unit (virtual evacuation area acquisition unit 17) overlays the visible area (visible area map 106) obtained from the visible area acquisition unit 14 and the blind spot area (blind spot area 120) obtained from the blind spot area acquisition unit 16, and generates a virtual evacuation area (virtual evacuation area map 121) by making the areas that were blind spots in the visible area visible areas (white) from the results of the blind spot area.

[0062] This process converts the blind spot area from the vehicle's perspective into a virtual escape area (a temporary visible area) where the vehicle can move out of the way, thereby expanding the visible area in which the vehicle can travel.

[0063] Returning to the explanation of the flowchart in Figure 4, in step S8, the external information processing device 10 transmits the virtual evacuation area map 121 generated in step S7 to the evacuation area search unit 23 of the travel control planning device 20 as information of the temporary visible area from the virtual evacuation area acquisition unit 17. After step S8 is completed, the external information processing device 10 terminates this process.

[0064] In the driving control planning device 20, when the oncoming vehicle 102 is in a standby state, the evacuation area search unit 23 acquires a virtual evacuation area map 121 from the virtual evacuation area acquisition unit 17 and searches for an evacuation area. The evacuation area search unit 23 detects the blind spot area 120 of the virtual evacuation area map 121 as an area that can be used for evacuation (evacuation area). Next, the route planning unit 24 plans a driving route from the current position of the vehicle 101 to the evacuation area detected by the evacuation area search unit 23. Then, the vehicle control unit 25 controls the driving of the vehicle 101 based on the planned driving route.

[0065] As described above, the external information processing device (external information processing device 10) according to this embodiment is configured to include: an external information acquisition unit (external information acquisition unit 13) that acquires external information about the surroundings of the vehicle based on the results recognized by the external recognition unit (external sensor group 11); a visible area acquisition unit (visible area acquisition unit 14) that acquires a visible area as a drivable area visible from the vehicle based on the external information; an oncoming vehicle state determination unit (oncoming vehicle state determination unit 15) that determines the state of the oncoming vehicle based on the visible area and information about the behavior of the oncoming vehicle; a blind spot area acquisition unit (blind spot area acquisition unit 16) that acquires a blind spot area that is a blind spot for the vehicle based on the state of the oncoming vehicle, the visible area and the position of the oncoming vehicle acquired based on the external information; and a virtual escape area acquisition unit (virtual escape area acquisition unit 17) that acquires a virtual escape area for the vehicle and the oncoming vehicle to pass each other based on the visible area and the blind spot area.

[0066] In the external information processing device according to this embodiment, configured as described above, when there is no area for the vehicle to move aside in a passing driving scene with an oncoming vehicle, the device detects that the oncoming vehicle is waiting and obtains information on the position of the oncoming vehicle and the edge of the visible area of ​​the obstacle to the left of the vehicle. This makes it possible to create an area from which the vehicle can move aside in its blind spot.

[0067] According to this embodiment, in a situation where one vehicle and an oncoming vehicle are required to pass each other, if the vehicle is unable to find a passing area, it is possible to estimate the passing area and smoothly carry out a passing maneuver without getting stuck in a stalemate with the oncoming vehicle.

[0068] In this embodiment, the blind spot area 120 and the virtual evasive area map 121 are generated when the oncoming vehicle status determination unit 15 is in a standby state. However, the blind spot area 120 and the virtual evasive area map 121 may be generated at all times. If the blind spot area 120 is not generated, it is synthesized as if the blind spot area 120 does not exist, and the virtual evasive area map 121 is generated, which is the same as the visible area map 106 and does not interfere with other functions.

[0069] Furthermore, in step S5 of this embodiment, if the oncoming vehicle 102 is parked on the road rather than waiting to pass, the vehicle 101 cannot proceed. For this reason, it is desirable for the vehicle 101 to either reverse and change its route, or to notify the driver of the vehicle 101 that it is impossible to proceed.

[0070] Furthermore, after generating the virtual escape area map 121, if the vehicle 101 detects that the escape area is not large enough when it approaches the blind spot area 120, the vehicle 101 may either reverse to change its driving path or request the oncoming vehicle 102 to reverse via vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

[0071] Furthermore, in this embodiment, we assumed that there is a pull-off area for the vehicle 101 on the left side of the road, but it is reasonable to assume that the pull-off area is on the side on which driving is mandated by the laws of the country that manages the road on which the vehicle is traveling. For example, in the above example, we explained an example where the pull-off area is on the left side of the road, assuming left-hand driving, but if the law mandates right-hand driving, the pull-off area will be searched for on the right side of the road.

[0072] <Second Embodiment> In the external information processing device 10 according to the first embodiment described above, a visible area map 106, a blind spot area 120, and a virtual evacuation area map 121 are generated from information from the external sensor group 11. In contrast, the second embodiment of the present invention describes an external information processing device that generates a blind spot area and a virtual evacuation area map from information obtained from the external communication device 30.

[0073] [Configuration of the vehicle control system (external information processing system)] Figure 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a vehicle control device equipped with an external information processing device according to the second embodiment. The vehicle control device 1A in the second embodiment is equipped with an external information processing device 10A in place of the external information processing device 10 in the vehicle control device 1 (Figure 1) of the first embodiment. The difference between the external information processing device 10A in this embodiment and the external information processing device 10 in the first embodiment is that the input to the blind spot area acquisition unit 16 is information from the oncoming vehicle state determination unit 15 and the external information acquisition unit 13, rather than information from the oncoming vehicle state determination unit 15 and the visible area acquisition unit 14.

[0074] As explained in the first embodiment, the external information acquisition unit 13 acquires information detected by other vehicles from other vehicles via wireless communication (communication between the vehicle itself and other vehicles) using the external communication device 30, in addition to the external sensor group 11.

[0075] [Processing by the vehicle control system] The processing of the vehicle control device 1A in this embodiment is similar to the flowchart shown in Figure 4. However, the processing of the external information acquisition unit 13 of the external information processing device 10A in step S1, the processing of the blind spot area acquisition unit 16 in step S6, and the processing of the virtual evacuation area acquisition unit 17 in step S7 are different. The processing of the vehicle control device 1A will be explained below assuming a passing driving scenario similar to that shown in Figure 5 of the first embodiment.

[0076] In step S1, the external information acquisition unit 13 acquires information about objects around the vehicle 101 (e.g., oncoming vehicle 102) and surrounding environment information from the vehicle 101 (e.g., free space). The external information acquisition unit 13 also acquires a visible area map 201 of the oncoming vehicle 102 (see Figure 11, described later) through vehicle-to-vehicle communication with the oncoming vehicle 102.

[0077] In this case, the visible and blind spots of the oncoming vehicle 102 are represented by a grid map defined in an xy coordinate system centered on the current position of the oncoming vehicle 102. Therefore, if the acquired visible and blind spots of the oncoming vehicle 102 are not a grid map defined in an xy coordinate system centered on the own vehicle 101, it is desirable to convert them to an xy coordinate system centered on the own vehicle 101.

[0078] Next, in steps S2 to S5, the vehicle control device 1A performs the same processing as in the first embodiment.

[0079] Next, in step S6, if the oncoming vehicle status determination unit 15 determines that the oncoming vehicle 102 is in a standby state (YES determination in S5), the blind spot area acquisition unit 16 acquires the visible area map 201 of the oncoming vehicle 102 from the external information acquisition unit 13.

[0080] [Processing of the blind spot acquisition unit] Figure 11 shows an example of how the blind spot area acquisition unit 16 of the external information processing device 10A acquires a blind spot area map based on the drivable area recognized by the oncoming vehicle. The left side of Figure 11 is an example of a visible area map 201 (grid map) acquired from the oncoming vehicle 102. The right side of Figure 11 is an example of an acquired blind spot area map 202.

[0081] Since the oncoming vehicle 102 perceives its surroundings from a different perspective than the vehicle 101, it can perceive a wider visible area 203 (left side of Figure 11), indicated by the dashed line in the visible area map 201, than the vehicle 101. Because the area in which the oncoming vehicle 102 can travel includes an area that is a blind spot from the perspective of the vehicle 101, the blind spot acquisition unit 16 converts the coordinates of the area 204 (right side of Figure 11) in which the oncoming vehicle 102 can travel from the front into a coordinate system with the vehicle 101 as the origin, and generates a blind spot map 202.

[0082] Next, in step S7 of Figure 4, the virtual evacuation area acquisition unit 17 combines the blind spot area map 202 generated by the blind spot area acquisition unit 16 with the visible area map 106 (drivable area) on the right side of Figure 5 generated by the visible area acquisition unit 14 to generate a virtual evacuation area map.

[0083] [Virtual Evacuation Area Map] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a virtual evacuation area map acquired by the virtual evacuation area acquisition unit 17 of the external information processing device 10A. Figure 12 shows an example of a virtual evacuation area map 205 obtained by combining the visible area map 106 (right side of Figure 5) generated by the visible area acquisition unit 14 with the blind spot area map 202 (right side of Figure 11) generated by the blind spot area acquisition unit 16. When combining the blind spot area map 202 with the visible area map 106, obstacles (dark gray) are not removed, as in the first embodiment.

[0084] Next, in step S8 of Figure 4, the external information processing device 10A transmits the virtual evacuation area map 205 generated in step S7 to the evacuation area search unit 23 of the driving control planning device 20 as information in the visible area from the virtual evacuation area acquisition unit 17. After step S8 is completed, this process by the external information processing device 10A is terminated.

[0085] As described above, in the external information processing device according to this embodiment, when determining a blind spot, the blind spot acquisition unit (blind spot acquisition unit 16) acquires the visible area (visible area map 201) of an oncoming vehicle from an external communication device (external communication device 30) mounted on the vehicle, and replaces the blind spot area of ​​the vehicle with the visible area (visible area 203) of the oncoming vehicle to generate a virtual escape area (virtual escape area map 205).

[0086] As described above, by combining the visible area information of an oncoming vehicle (visible area 203) with the visible area information of the own vehicle (visible area map 106), it is possible to convert the blind spot area (light gray) from the perspective of the own vehicle into a visible area (white).

[0087] <Third Embodiment> As a third embodiment of the present invention, an example will be described in which the vehicle is moved to expand the visible area when the area that can be moved away from the vehicle is difficult to see. The vehicle control device (external information processing device) according to this embodiment has the same configuration as the vehicle control device 1 according to the first embodiment or the vehicle control device 1A according to the second embodiment.

[0088] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram showing an example of how to handle the situation when the blind spot area acquisition unit 16 (Figures 1 and 10) of the external information processing device according to the third embodiment fails to acquire the blind spot area. The left side of Figure 13 shows an example of the visible area map 216 when the vehicle 101 is far from the escape area 109 (Figure 3) and the escape area 109 is difficult to see. The right side of Figure 13 shows an example of the visible area map 216a when the vehicle 101 moves and the visible area expands when an oncoming vehicle 102 is waiting.

[0089] If the blind spot area acquisition unit 16 of the external information processing device cannot acquire the blind spot area according to the first or second embodiment, it outputs a control command to the route planning unit 24 of the driving control planning device 20 to move the vehicle 101 so that the visible area expands. The route planning unit 24 receives the control command from the blind spot area acquisition unit 16 and instructs the vehicle control unit 25 to move the vehicle 101.

[0090] In the visible area map 216 on the left side of Figure 13, if the vehicle 101 is far from the escape area 109 and cannot see it, but an oncoming vehicle 102 is waiting, the vehicle 101 moves (for example, by moving forward while moving towards the center of the road) to expand the visible area. In the visible area map 216a on the right side of Figure 13, the visible area has expanded by the amount of the visible area 217 due to the forward movement of the vehicle 101. As an example, the blind spot acquisition unit 16 controls the vehicle 101 to move until it can confirm that there is a drivable area of ​​a size greater than necessary for escape in the part corresponding to the target blind spot area.

[0091] As described above, if the blind spot acquisition unit 16 cannot acquire a blind spot, it can reduce the blind spot area from the vehicle and expand the visible area by moving the vehicle toward the direction of the blind spot area.

[0092] <Variation> In the embodiments described above, an example was explained in which the visible area, blind spot area, and escape area are represented by a grid-like map. However, the representation of the blind spot area may be based on detection information that depends on the detection range of the external sensor group 11, such as angle and distance. The detection range of the external sensor group 11 may be defined by height in addition to angle and distance. Furthermore, depending on the type of external sensor, sensor results that detect electromagnetic wave reflectance, color, or blind spots are also conceivable.

[0093] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and of course, various other applications and modifications can be taken as long as they do not depart from the gist of the invention as described in the claims. For example, the embodiments described above are described in detail and specifically in order to explain the configuration of the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and are not necessarily limited to those comprising all the components described. In addition, it is possible to add, replace, or delete other components in the configuration of each embodiment.

[0094] Furthermore, some or all of the above configurations, functions, and processing units may be implemented in hardware, for example, by designing them as integrated circuits. Broadly defined processor devices such as FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays) and ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits) may be used as hardware.

[0095] Furthermore, in the embodiments described above, the control lines and information lines shown are those deemed necessary for explanatory purposes, and not all control lines and information lines are necessarily shown in the actual product. In practice, it can be assumed that almost all components are interconnected.

[0096] Furthermore, in this specification, processing steps describing chronological processing include not only processing performed chronologically in the order described, but also processing that is not necessarily performed chronologically but is executed in parallel or individually (for example, processing by objects). In addition, the processing order of processing steps describing chronological processing may be changed to the extent that it does not affect the processing result. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0097] 1,1A...Vehicle control device, 10,10A...External information processing device, 10A...External information processing device, 11...External sensor group, 12...Vehicle sensor group, 13...External information acquisition unit, 14...Visible area acquisition unit, 15...Opponent vehicle status determination unit, 16...Blind spot area acquisition unit, 17...Virtual evacuation area acquisition unit, 20...Driving control planning device, 30...External communication device, 101...Own vehicle, 102...Opponent vehicle, 106...Visible area map, 109...Evacuation area, 111...Own vehicle coordinates, 112...Opponent vehicle coordinates, 113...Starting point edge coordinates, 114...Ending point edge coordinates, 115...Starting point-Opponent vehicle straight line, 116...Ending point-Opponent vehicle straight line, 117...Starting point-Ending point straight line, 118...Starting point-Ending coordinates, 119...Ending point-Ending coordinates, 120...Blind spot area, 121...Virtual evacuation area map, 130...Electronic control unit

Claims

1. An external information acquisition unit acquires external information about the surroundings of the vehicle based on the results recognized by the external environment recognition unit, A visible area acquisition unit acquires a visible area as a drivable area that can be seen from the vehicle based on the external information, A blind spot area acquisition unit acquires a blind spot area that is a blind spot of the vehicle, based on the visible area and the position of an oncoming vehicle acquired based on the external information. The system includes a virtual avoidance area acquisition unit that acquires a virtual avoidance area for the vehicle to pass the oncoming vehicle based on the visible area and the blind spot area. External information processing device.

2. The blind spot acquisition unit, when determining the blind spot area, uses the position of the oncoming vehicle, the blind spot start position which is the boundary between the edge of an obstacle closer to the vehicle and the vehicle's blind spot within the visible area, and the blind spot end position which is the boundary between the edge of an obstacle further from the vehicle and the vehicle's blind spot. The external information processing device according to claim 1.

3. The blind spot acquisition unit draws a straight line connecting the position of the oncoming vehicle and the blind spot starting point, and uses information from the blind spot starting point to the end of the visible area on the opposite side of the blind spot starting point from the oncoming vehicle's position along the straight line. The external information processing device according to claim 2.

4. The blind spot acquisition unit draws a straight line connecting the position of the oncoming vehicle and the end point of the blind spot, and uses information from the end point of the blind spot to the end of the visible area on the opposite side of the oncoming vehicle's position along the straight line, with the end point of the blind spot in between. The external information processing device according to claim 2.

5. The blind spot area acquisition unit defines the blind spot area as the region formed by connecting the blind spot starting point, the blind spot ending point, the end of the visible area on the straight line connecting the position of the oncoming vehicle and the blind spot starting point, and the end of the visible area on the straight line connecting the position of the oncoming vehicle and the blind spot ending point with a line segment. The external information processing device according to claim 3 or 4.

6. The virtual evacuation area acquisition unit overlays the visible area obtained from the visible area acquisition unit with the blind spot area obtained from the blind spot area acquisition unit, and generates the virtual evacuation area by treating the area that was a blind spot in the visible area as a visible area based on the result of the blind spot area. The external information processing device according to claim 1.

7. The blind spot acquisition unit, when determining the blind spot, acquires the visible area of ​​the oncoming vehicle from the external communication device mounted on the vehicle itself, and replaces the blind spot area of ​​the vehicle itself with the visible area of ​​the oncoming vehicle to generate the virtual escape area. The external information processing device according to claim 1.

8. An external information processing method performed by an external information processing device mounted on the vehicle, The process involves acquiring external information about the vehicle's surroundings based on the results recognized by the external environment recognition unit, A process to acquire a visible area as a drivable area that can be seen from the vehicle based on the external information, A process to acquire a blind spot area that is a blind spot of the vehicle, based on the visible area and the position of an oncoming vehicle obtained based on the external information, The process includes acquiring a virtual evasive area for the vehicle to pass the oncoming vehicle, based on the visible area and the blind spot area. A method for processing external information.

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