MOBILE BODY CONTROL SYSTEM, MOBILE BODY CONTROL METHOD, AND PROGRAM

Abstract

To more accurately suppress a movable body in accordance with a peripheral situation.SOLUTION: A movable body control system comprises: a recognizing part that recognizes a situation around a movable body; and a control part that controls an action of the movable body on the basis of the surrounding situation recognized by the recognizing part. When there is a schedule for moving the movable body to an area interfering with a trajectory on which a first movable body is planned to move, the control part estimates characteristics of the action of the first movable body, sets caution areas with different sizes in accordance with the estimated characteristics on the movable body, and controls the movable body using the set caution areas.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a mobile object control system, a mobile object control method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, research into automatic control of a vehicle has been progressing. In this regard, a driving support device is known that includes an instruction means for instructing the start of automatic driving of the vehicle by the driver's operation, a setting means for setting a destination of the automatic driving, a determination means for determining an automatic driving mode based on whether the destination has been set when the driver operates the instruction means, and a control means for controlling vehicle travel based on the automatic driving mode determined by the determination means, and when the destination has not been set, the determination means determines the automatic driving mode to be automatic driving along the current driving route of the vehicle or automatic stopping (for example, see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2011 / 158347 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, with conventional technology, there are cases where it is not possible to accurately control the vehicle in accordance with the surrounding conditions.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and one of its objectives is to provide a mobile object control system, a mobile object control method, and a program that can more precisely control a mobile object in accordance with the surrounding conditions. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The mobile object control system, the mobile object control method, and the program according to the present invention employ the following configuration. (1): A mobile object control system according to one aspect of the present invention includes a recognition unit that recognizes a surrounding situation of a mobile object, and a control unit that controls a behavior of the mobile object based on the surrounding situation recognized by the recognition unit, the moving object travels on a second road intersecting a first road, the first road includes a first lane and a second lane adjacent to the first lane, the first lane is a lane located farther from the second road than the second lane, The control unit is The moving object is scheduled to move from the second road to the first lane of the first road, and in the first lane The moving body interferes with the trajectory on which the first moving body is scheduled to move. interference When there are plans to move it into the area, A determination is made as to whether the first moving body is in a first state or a second state, and when the first moving body is in the second state, an attention area is set by expanding the interference area in the first lane toward the second lane, the first state being a state in which the first moving body is not decelerating to a predetermined degree or more, and the second state being a state in which the first moving body is decelerating to a predetermined degree or more, and when the attention area is set, a determination is made as to whether the first moving body is in a third state or a fourth state when the moving body is caused to proceed into the attention area, the third state being a state in which a time required for the first moving body to reach a second moving body in front of the first moving body is equal to or less than a threshold, and the fourth state being a state in which the time is not equal to or less than the threshold, and when the first moving body is in the fourth state, the moving body is caused to enter between the first moving body and the second moving body. . (2): In the aspect (1) above, when the first moving body is in the first state, the control unit moves the moving body to the first lane after the first moving body has passed the first moving body. (3): In the above embodiment (1) or (2), The control unit is When the first moving body is in the third state, the moving body is moved to the first lane after the first moving body has passed the first moving body. (4): In any of the above aspects (1) to (3), the second road disappears when it connects to the first road, and the first road and the second road form a T-junction. (5): A mobile object control method according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a computer that recognizes a situation surrounding a mobile object, and controls the behavior of the mobile object based on the recognized situation surrounding the mobile object, the mobile object traveling on a second road intersecting a first road, the first road including a first lane and a second lane adjacent to the first lane, the first lane being a lane farther from the second road than the second lane, the mobile object is scheduled to proceed from the second road to the first lane of the first road, and when there is a plan to move the mobile object in the first lane into an interference area that interferes with a trajectory along which the first mobile object is scheduled to move, the first mobile object is controlled by a computer to control the behavior of the first mobile object based on the recognized situation surrounding the mobile object, the computer controls ... a first state or a second state; if the first moving body is in the second state, a warning area is set by expanding the interference area in the first lane toward the second lane, the first state being a state in which the first moving body is not decelerating to a predetermined degree or more, and the second state being a state in which the first moving body is decelerating to a predetermined degree or more; when the warning area is set, when the moving body is caused to proceed into the warning area, a determination is made as to whether the first moving body is in a third state or a fourth state, and the third state being a state in which the time it takes for the first moving body to reach a second moving body in front of the first moving body is equal to or less than a threshold; The fourth state is a state in which the time is not equal to or less than the threshold value, and when the fourth state is present, the moving body is caused to enter between the first moving body and the second moving body. . (6): A program according to one aspect of the present invention causes a computer to recognize a situation around a moving body, and controls the behavior of the moving body based on the recognized situation around the moving body, and when the moving body is traveling on a second road intersecting a first road, the first road includes a first lane and a second lane adjacent to the first lane, the first lane is a lane located farther from the second road than the second lane, the moving body is scheduled to proceed from the second road to the first lane of the first road, and there is a plan to move the moving body in the first lane into an interference area that interferes with a trajectory along which the first moving body is scheduled to move, the program causes a computer to determine whether the first moving body is in a first state or a second state, and when the first moving body is in the second state, In this case, an attention area is set by expanding the interference area in the first lane toward the second lane, the first state being a state in which the first moving body is not decelerating at a predetermined degree or more, and the second state being a state in which the first moving body is decelerating at a predetermined degree or more. When the attention area is set, it is determined whether the first moving body is in a third state or a fourth state when the moving body is caused to proceed into the attention area, and the third state is a state in which a time required for the first moving body to reach a second moving body in front of the first moving body is equal to or less than a threshold, and the fourth state is a state in which the time is not equal to or less than the threshold. When the moving body is in the fourth state, the moving body is caused to enter between the first moving body and the second moving body. . Effect of the Invention

[0017] According to (1)-(6), by controlling a moving object using a set attention area, the moving object can be controlled more precisely in accordance with the surrounding situation. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle system 1 that uses a vehicle control device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] 2 is a functional configuration diagram of a first control unit 120 and a second control unit 160. FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a diagram (part 1) for explaining the entry process. [Figure 4] 11 is a diagram showing an example of a first attention area AZ1 set in a first state. FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram (part 2) for explaining the entry process. [Figure 6] 13 is a diagram showing an example of a second attention area AAZ2 set in a second state. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 3 is a diagram (part 3) for explaining the entry process. [Figure 8]FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the entry process; [Figure 9] FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the entry process; [Figure 10] FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the entry process; [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is a transition diagram of an operation state. [Figure 12] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of processing executed by the automatic driving control device 100. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] Hereinafter, a mobile object control system, a mobile object control method, and a program according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, the mobile object is described as a vehicle, but the present invention may be applied to other mobile objects different from a vehicle.

[0021] First Embodiment [Overall configuration] 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle system 1 that uses a vehicle control device according to an embodiment. The vehicle on which the vehicle system 1 is mounted is, for example, a two-wheeled, three-wheeled, or four-wheeled vehicle, and its drive source is an internal combustion engine such as a diesel engine or a gasoline engine, an electric motor, or a combination of these. The electric motor operates using power generated by a generator connected to the internal combustion engine, or discharged power from a secondary battery or a fuel cell.

[0022] The vehicle system 1 includes, for example, a camera 10, a radar device 12, a finder 14, an object recognition device 16, a communication device 20, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 30, a vehicle sensor 40, a navigation device 50, an MPU (Map Positioning Unit) 60, a driving operator 80, an automatic driving control device 100, a driving force output device 200, a brake device 210, and a steering device 220. These devices and equipment are connected to each other by multiple communication lines such as a CAN (Controller Area Network) communication line, a serial communication line, a wireless communication network, etc. Note that the configuration shown in FIG. 1 is merely an example, and some of the configuration may be omitted, or other configuration may be added.

[0023] The camera 10 is, for example, a digital camera using a solid-state imaging element such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor). The camera 10 is attached to an arbitrary location of a vehicle (hereinafter, the vehicle M) in which the vehicle system 1 is mounted. When capturing an image of the front, the camera 10 is attached to the top of the front windshield, the back of the rearview mirror, or the like. The camera 10, for example, periodically and repeatedly captures images of the surroundings of the vehicle M. The camera 10 may be a stereo camera.

[0024] The radar device 12 emits radio waves such as millimeter waves around the vehicle M and detects radio waves reflected by an object (reflected waves) to detect at least the position (distance and direction) of the object. The radar device 12 is attached to an arbitrary location of the vehicle M. The radar device 12 may detect the position and speed of an object by an FM-CW (Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave) method.

[0025] The finder 14 is a LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). The finder 14 irradiates light around the vehicle M and measures the scattered light. The finder 14 detects the distance to the target based on the time from light emission to light reception. The irradiated light is, for example, a pulsed laser light. The finder 14 is attached to an arbitrary position of the vehicle M.

[0026] The object recognition device 16 performs sensor fusion processing on some or all of the detection results from the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the finder 14 to recognize the position, type, speed, etc. of the object. The object recognition device 16 outputs the recognition result to the autonomous driving control device 100. The object recognition device 16 may output the detection results from the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the finder 14 directly to the autonomous driving control device 100. The object recognition device 16 may be omitted from the vehicle system 1.

[0027] The communication device 20 communicates with other vehicles in the vicinity of the vehicle M, for example, using a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, Bluetooth (registered trademark), DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication), etc., or communicates with various server devices via a wireless base station.

[0028] The HMI 30 presents various information to an occupant of the vehicle M and accepts input operations by the occupant. The HMI 30 includes various display devices, a speaker, a buzzer, a touch panel, switches, keys, and the like.

[0029] The vehicle sensor 40 includes a vehicle speed sensor that detects the speed of the host vehicle M, an acceleration sensor that detects acceleration, a yaw rate sensor that detects the angular velocity around a vertical axis, a direction sensor that detects the direction of the host vehicle M, and the like.

[0030] The navigation device 50 includes, for example, a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver 51, a navigation HMI 52, and a route determination unit 53. The navigation device 50 holds first map information 54 in a storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a flash memory. The GNSS receiver 51 identifies the position of the vehicle M based on a signal received from a GNSS satellite. The position of the vehicle M may be identified or complemented by an inertial navigation system (INS) using the output of the vehicle sensor 40. The navigation HMI 52 includes a display device, a speaker, a touch panel, keys, and the like. The navigation HMI 52 may be partially or entirely shared with the HMI 30 described above. The route determination unit 53, for example, determines a route (hereinafter, a route on a map) from the position of the vehicle M identified by the GNSS receiver 51 (or an arbitrary input position) to a destination input by a driver using the navigation HMI 52, with reference to the first map information 54. The first map information 54 is, for example, information in which road shapes are expressed by links indicating roads and nodes connected by the links. The first map information 54 may include road curvature and POI (Point Of Interest) information. The route on the map is output to the MPU 60. The navigation device 50 may perform route guidance using the navigation HMI 52 based on the route on the map. The navigation device 50 may be realized by, for example, a function of a terminal device such as a smartphone or tablet terminal owned by a passenger. The navigation device 50 may transmit a current position and a destination to a navigation server via the communication device 20, and obtain a route equivalent to the route on the map from the navigation server.

[0031] The MPU 60 includes, for example, a recommended lane determination unit 61, and holds second map information 62 in a storage device such as an HDD or a flash memory. The recommended lane determination unit 61 divides the route on the map provided by the navigation device 50 into a plurality of blocks (for example, by dividing it into 100 m intervals in the vehicle travel direction), and determines a recommended lane for each block by referring to the second map information 62. The recommended lane determination unit 61 determines which lane from the left the vehicle should travel in. When a branch point is present on the route on the map, the recommended lane determination unit 61 determines a recommended lane so that the host vehicle M can travel along a reasonable route to proceed to the branch point.

[0032] The second map information 62 is map information with higher accuracy than the first map information 54. The second map information 62 includes, for example, information on the center of lanes or information on boundaries of lanes. The second map information 62 may also include road information, traffic regulation information, address information (address and zip code), facility information, telephone number information, and the like. The second map information 62 may be updated as needed by the communication device 20 communicating with another device.

[0033] The driving operators 80 include, for example, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a shift lever, a steering wheel, a special steering wheel, a joystick, and other operators. The driving operators 80 are fitted with sensors that detect the amount of operation or the presence or absence of operation, and the detection results are output to the automatic driving control device 100, or some or all of the driving force output device 200, the brake device 210, and the steering device 220.

[0034] The automatic driving control device 100 includes, for example, a first control unit 120 and a second control unit 160. The first control unit 120 and the second control unit 160 are each realized by, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program (software). In addition, some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or may be realized by cooperation between software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device (storage device having a non-transient storage medium) such as an HDD or flash memory of the automatic driving control device 100, or may be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM, and installed in the HDD or flash memory of the automatic driving control device 100 by mounting the storage medium (non-transient storage medium) in a drive device.

[0035] FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of the first control unit 120 and the second control unit 160. The first control unit 120 includes, for example, a recognition unit 130 and an action plan generation unit 140. The first control unit 120 realizes, for example, a function by AI (Artificial Intelligence) and a function by a pre-given model in parallel. For example, the function of "recognizing an intersection" may be realized by executing in parallel the recognition of an intersection by deep learning or the like and the recognition based on a pre-given condition (such as a signal or road marking that can be pattern matched), and by scoring both and evaluating them comprehensively. This ensures the reliability of the automatic driving. Some of the functional units included in the first control unit 120 or the second control unit 160 may be included in a device different from the automatic driving control device 100.

[0036] The recognition unit 130 recognizes the position, speed, acceleration, and other states of objects around the vehicle M based on information input from the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the finder 14 via the object recognition device 16. The position of the object is recognized as a position on an absolute coordinate system with a representative point of the vehicle M (such as the center of gravity or the center of the drive shaft) as the origin, and is used for control. The position of the object may be represented by a representative point such as the center of gravity or a corner of the object, or may be represented by a represented area. The "state" of the object may include the acceleration or jerk of the object, or the "behavioral state" (for example, whether or not the object is changing lanes or is about to change lanes).

[0037] The recognition unit 130 also recognizes, for example, the lane in which the vehicle M is traveling (driving lane). For example, the recognition unit 130 recognizes the driving lane by comparing a pattern of road dividing lines (for example, an arrangement of solid lines and dashed lines) obtained from the second map information 62 with a pattern of road dividing lines around the vehicle M recognized from an image captured by the camera 10. The recognition unit 130 may recognize the driving lane by recognizing road boundaries (road boundaries) including not only road dividing lines but also road dividing lines, shoulders, curbs, median strips, guard rails, etc. In this recognition, the position of the vehicle M obtained from the navigation device 50 and the processing results by the INS may be taken into consideration. The recognition unit 130 also recognizes stop lines, obstacles, red lights, toll booths, and other road phenomena.

[0038] When recognizing the driving lane, the recognition unit 130 recognizes the position and attitude of the host vehicle M with respect to the driving lane. For example, the recognition unit 130 may recognize the deviation of the reference point of the host vehicle M from the center of the lane and the angle with respect to a line connecting the centers of the lanes in the traveling direction of the host vehicle M as the relative position and attitude of the host vehicle M with respect to the driving lane. Alternatively, the recognition unit 130 may recognize the position of the reference point of the host vehicle M with respect to either side end of the driving lane (a road dividing line or a road boundary) as the relative position of the host vehicle M with respect to the driving lane.

[0039] The action plan generating unit 140 generates a target trajectory along which the host vehicle M will travel in the future automatically (without relying on the driver's operation) so that the host vehicle M will travel in the recommended lane determined by the recommended lane determining unit 61 in principle and can further respond to the surrounding conditions of the host vehicle M. The target trajectory includes, for example, a speed element. For example, the target trajectory is expressed as a sequence of points (trajectory points) to be reached by the host vehicle M. The trajectory points are points to be reached by the host vehicle M at each predetermined travel distance (for example, about several [m]) along the road, and separately, the target speed and target acceleration for each predetermined sampling time (for example, about a few tenths [sec]) are generated as part of the target trajectory. The trajectory points may also be positions to be reached by the host vehicle M at each sampling time for each predetermined sampling time. In this case, the information on the target speed and target acceleration is expressed as the interval between the trajectory points.

[0040] The behavior plan generating unit 140 may set an event of autonomous driving when generating the target trajectory. The autonomous driving events include a constant speed driving event, a low speed following driving event, a lane change event, a branching event, a merging event, a takeover event, etc. The behavior plan generating unit 140 generates a target trajectory according to the activated event.

[0041] The behavior plan generating unit 140 also includes, for example, an estimation unit 142 and a region setting unit 144. The behavior plan generating unit 140 executes an "entry process" to be described later. These will be described in detail later.

[0042] The second control unit 160 controls the traveling driving force output device 200, the braking device 210, and the steering device 220 so that the host vehicle M passes the target trajectory generated by the action plan generating unit 140 at the scheduled time.

[0043] Returning to FIG. 2, the second control unit 160 includes, for example, an acquisition unit 162, a speed control unit 164, and a steering control unit 166. The acquisition unit 162 acquires information on the target trajectory (trajectory points) generated by the action plan generation unit 140, and stores it in a memory (not shown). The speed control unit 164 controls the traveling driving force output device 200 or the brake device 210 based on a speed element associated with the target trajectory stored in the memory. The steering control unit 166 controls the steering device 220 according to the curvature of the target trajectory stored in the memory. The processing of the speed control unit 164 and the steering control unit 166 is realized, for example, by a combination of feedforward control and feedback control. As an example, the steering control unit 166 executes a combination of feedforward control according to the curvature of the road ahead of the host vehicle M and feedback control based on the deviation from the target trajectory.

[0044] The driving force output device 200 outputs a driving force (torque) for the vehicle to travel to the driving wheels. The driving force output device 200 includes, for example, a combination of an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, a transmission, and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that controls these. The ECU controls the above components according to information input from the second control unit 160 or information input from the driving operation device 80.

[0045] The brake device 210 includes, for example, a brake caliper, a cylinder that transmits hydraulic pressure to the brake caliper, an electric motor that generates hydraulic pressure in the cylinder, and a brake ECU. The brake ECU controls the electric motor according to information input from the second control unit 160 or information input from the driving operation element 80, so that a brake torque corresponding to a braking operation is output to each wheel. The brake device 210 may include a backup mechanism that transmits hydraulic pressure generated by operation of a brake pedal included in the driving operation element 80 to the cylinder via a master cylinder. Note that the brake device 210 is not limited to the configuration described above, and may be an electronically controlled hydraulic brake device that controls an actuator according to information input from the second control unit 160 to transmit hydraulic pressure in the master cylinder to the cylinder.

[0046] The steering device 220 includes, for example, a steering ECU and an electric motor. The electric motor changes the direction of the steered wheels by applying a force to, for example, a rack and pinion mechanism. The steering ECU drives the electric motor in accordance with information input from the second control unit 160 or information input from the driving operator 80 to change the direction of the steered wheels.

[0047] [Entry processing] FIG. 3 is a diagram (part 1) for explaining the entry process. In FIG. 3, a T-junction is formed by roads R1 and R2. Road R2 is a road that intersects with road R1 and disappears. Road R1 includes lanes LA and LB. Lane LA is a road on which vehicles traveling in the plus X direction run. Lane LB is a road on which vehicles traveling in the minus X direction opposite to the plus X direction run. Lane LB is a lane between road R2 and lane LA. Another vehicle m1 and another vehicle m2 exist in lane LA, and another vehicle m1 exists behind another vehicle m2. Another vehicle m1 and another vehicle m2 are separated by a predetermined distance. Another vehicle m1 is located in the minus X direction with respect to road R2 in the X direction, and another vehicle m1 is located in the plus X direction with respect to road R2 in the X direction.

[0048] The host vehicle M has a plan to proceed from the road R2 to the lane LA. When the host vehicle M reaches a position P or the vicinity of the position P where the roads R1 and R2 are connected, the estimation unit 142 estimates the driving state of the other vehicle m1. The region setting unit 144 sets an attention region for the other vehicle m1 according to the estimated state. The driving state is, in other words, a characteristic of the vehicle's behavior. The action plan generation unit 140 controls the host vehicle M using the set attention region.

[0049] [Driving Status] The driving states include a first state (inattentive) in which the degree of attention is low, a second state (attentive) in which the degree of attention is higher than in the first state, a third state (aggressive) in which the driver tends to move the other vehicle m1 so as not to leave a large distance between the other vehicle m2 in front, and a fourth state (friendly) in which the driver tends to make the other vehicle m1 behave in a friendly manner toward the vehicle M. The first state, the second state, the third state, and the fourth state are examples of the "first characteristic," the "second characteristic," the "third characteristic," and the "fourth characteristic," respectively.

[0050] For example, when the other vehicle m1 is not behaving in a manner that increases the distance between the other vehicle m2 ahead of the other vehicle m1 (or is behaving in a manner that decreases the distance), the estimation unit 142 determines that the driving state of the other vehicle m1 is in the first state or the third state. For example, when the other vehicle m1 is not decelerating or accelerating and is not behaving in a manner that increases the distance between the other vehicle m2, the driving state is in the first state or the third state.

[0051] When the other vehicle m1 behaves in such a way as to increase the distance between the other vehicle m2 ahead of the other vehicle m1, the estimation unit 142 determines that the driving state is in the second state or the fourth state. For example, when the other vehicle m1 decelerates or does not accelerate, and does not behave in such a way as to decrease the distance between the other vehicle m2, the driving state is in the second state or the fourth state.

[0052] More specifically, the first state to the fourth state are as follows. First state (inattentive): A state in which the other vehicle m1 is behaving normally (a state in which the behavior is unchanged from the previous behavior, such as the change in speed or acceleration being the same as that of a predetermined time ago), a state in which the other vehicle m1 is following the other vehicle m2 using a predetermined model, etc. The predetermined model is, for example, a model for controlling the behavior of other vehicles, such as an IDM (Intelligent Driver Model) or an ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control), a model for deriving the behavior of a vehicle generated by a learning algorithm, a model using a neural network, etc.

[0053] For example, the IDM is a model that calculates the acceleration at the next time from the current following state value at every predetermined time. The IDM is a model that uses, for example, the speed difference with respect to the vehicle ahead, the vehicle distance to be maintained, the desired speed, the maximum acceleration or maximum deceleration, etc. as parameters. For example, the estimation unit 142 may determine whether the driving state of the other vehicle m1 is in the first state based on the behavior of the other vehicle m1 at a predetermined time. For example, the estimation unit 142 determines whether the other vehicle m1 is behaving according to a predetermined model based on the behavior of the other vehicle m1 at a predetermined time.

[0054] The second state is (attentive); the other vehicle m1 is decelerating and adjusting its speed, or keeping a distance from the other vehicle m2 and then following the other vehicle m2 using a predetermined model (e.g., IDM).

[0055] Third state (aggressive): A state in which the time (Headway Time) until the other vehicle m1 approaches a position at a predetermined distance from the other vehicle m2 is equal to or less than a threshold, and the other vehicle m2 accelerates. The predetermined distance is, for example, a distance that should be maintained by the IDM, a predetermined inter-vehicle distance, etc. The threshold is, for example, a threshold according to the IDM model, such as 0.5 seconds, or a preset threshold. The preset threshold may be a threshold according to a speed statistically obtained from the speed of vehicles traveling in the lane.

[0056] 4th state (friendly): A state that does not satisfy the conditions of the 3rd state, for example, a state in which the time it takes for the other vehicle m1 to approach a position at a predetermined distance from the other vehicle m2 exceeds a threshold, or the other vehicle m2 is not accelerating.

[0057] As described above, whether or not the vehicle is in the first or second state is determined by a rough criterion, and whether or not the vehicle is in the third or fourth state is determined by a more specific criterion than the first or second state. For example, whether or not the vehicle is in the first or second state is determined based on the degree of acceleration or deceleration of the other vehicle m1, and whether or not the vehicle is in the third or fourth state is determined based on the time it takes the other vehicle m1 to approach a reference position set for the other vehicle m2. For example, the determination of whether or not the vehicle is in the third or fourth state imposes a higher processing load on the automatic driving control device 100 than the determination of whether or not the vehicle is in the first or second state. For example, the determination of whether or not the vehicle is in the first or second state imposes a smaller processing load on the automatic driving control device 100 than the determination of whether or not the vehicle is in the third or fourth state.

[0058] When the driving state is the second state or the fourth state, the region setting unit 144 sets a larger attention region for the other vehicle m1 than when the driving state is the first state or the third state. The attention region is a region where the other vehicle m1 (the driver of the other vehicle m1) is estimated to be paying attention (taking into consideration or paying attention) to when driving. For example, the other vehicle m1 is estimated to take into consideration objects (e.g., the vehicle M) included in the attention region, but not objects (e.g., the vehicle M) outside the attention region.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 3, the estimation unit 142 estimates whether the driving state of the other vehicle m1 is in a first state or a second state.

[0060] [Setting the first attention area] 4 is a diagram showing an example of a first attention area AZ1 set in a first state. At time T+1, when the driving state of the other vehicle m1 is in the first state, the area setting unit 144 sets the first attention area AZ1 in front of the other vehicle m1. The first attention area AZ1 is set in the area between the other vehicle m1 and the other vehicle m2 in the lane LA.

[0061] FIG. 5 is a diagram (part 2) for explaining the entry process. The behavior plan generating unit 140 determines whether the host vehicle M has entered the first attention area AZ1, and when the host vehicle M has not entered the first attention area AZ1, for example, the behavior plan generating unit 140 causes the host vehicle M to proceed into the lane LA after the other vehicle m1 passes in front of the host vehicle M (at time T+2), or causes the host vehicle M to proceed into the lane LA after the other vehicle m1 changes from the second state to the first state. When the driving state of the other vehicle m1 changes to the second state midway, the behavior plan generating unit 140 may cause the host vehicle M to proceed ahead of the other vehicle m1. When the host vehicle M has entered the first attention area AZ1, for example, the behavior plan generating unit 140 may cause the host vehicle M to enter ahead of the other vehicle m1 based on the behavior of the other vehicle m1 and the position of the host vehicle M. For example, when a predetermined degree or more of the vehicle body of the host vehicle M has entered the lane LA, the host vehicle M may enter the lane LA. Note that "entering" may mean that a part of the target (host vehicle M) has entered the area, or that the target has entered the area by a predetermined degree or more.

[0062] [Setting the second attention area] 6 is a diagram showing an example of the second attention area AZ2 set in the second state. At time T+1, when the driving state of the other vehicle m1 is the second state, the area setting unit 144 sets the second attention area AZ2 in front of the other vehicle m1 and in the lateral direction on the host vehicle M side of the other vehicle m1 in front. The second attention area AZ2 is set in the area between the other vehicle m1 and the other vehicle m2 in the X direction on the lanes LA and LB.

[0063] FIG. 7 is a diagram (part 3) for explaining the entry process. At time T+2, the behavior plan generating unit 140 judges whether the host vehicle M has entered the second attention area AZ2. When the host vehicle M has entered the second attention area AZ2, the estimating unit 142 judges whether the driving state of the other vehicle m1 is the third state or the fourth state. For example, when the other vehicle m1 accelerates so as to approach the other vehicle m2, the estimating unit 142 estimates that the other vehicle m1 is in the third state. In this case, the behavior plan generating unit 140, for example, causes the host vehicle M to proceed into the lane LA after the other vehicle m1 has passed in front of the host vehicle M, or causes the host vehicle M to proceed into the lane LA after the other vehicle m1 has changed from the third state to the fourth state (or from the first state to the second state).

[0064] As described above, the behavior plan generating unit 140 can perform control according to the behavior characteristics or intention of the other vehicle m1.

[0065] FIG. 8 is a diagram (part 4) for explaining the entry process. At time T+2, when the host vehicle M enters the second attention area AZ2 and the driving state of the other vehicle m1 is the fourth state, the action plan generating unit 140 controls the host vehicle M to enter in front of the other vehicle m1, for example. When the action plan generating unit 140 causes the host vehicle M to proceed ahead of the other vehicle m1 (when the host vehicle M exists in the second attention area AZ2), the estimation unit 142 repeats the process of estimating the driving state of the other vehicle m1, and when it is estimated that the other vehicle m1 accelerates and the driving state is the third state, for example, the action plan generating unit 140 stops causing the host vehicle M to proceed ahead of the other vehicle m1 (time T+3). Then, the action plan generating unit 140 causes the host vehicle M to proceed into the lane LA after passing in front of the host vehicle M, or causes the host vehicle M to proceed into the lane LA after the other vehicle m1 changes from the third state to the fourth state.

[0066] As described above, the behavior plan generating unit 140 can perform control according to the behavior characteristics or intention of the other vehicle m1.

[0067] As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, when the state of the other vehicle m1 changes to the third state and the host vehicle M enters the second attention area AZ2, the estimation unit 142 may estimate that the driving state is the first state. In this case, the area setting unit 144 sets the first attention area AZ1. As a result, when the host vehicle M is present in the lane LB at the timing of the next process, the host vehicle M is outside the first attention area AZ1, so the action plan generating unit 140 does not determine whether the host vehicle M is in the third state or the fourth state, but determines whether the host vehicle M is in the first state or the second state. As a result, the action plan generating unit 140 can reduce the processing load and appropriately control the host vehicle M according to the state of the other vehicle m1.

[0068] 9 is a diagram (part 5) for explaining the entry process. It is assumed that the host vehicle M enters the second attention area AZ2 and the driving state of the other vehicle m1 is the fourth state. At this time, if the host vehicle M, for example, does not move and remains in place, causing the driving state of the other vehicle m1 to change from the fourth state to the third state, the action plan generating unit 140, for example, stops the control of the host vehicle M to enter in front of the other vehicle m1.

[0069] As described above, the behavior plan generating unit 140 can perform control according to changes in the behavior characteristics or intentions of the other vehicle m1.

[0070] 10 is a diagram (part 6) for explaining the entry process. When the host vehicle M enters the second attention area AZ2 at time T+2, and the driving state of the other vehicle m1 is the fourth state, and the fourth state continues even after time T+2, the action plan generating unit 140 controls the host vehicle M to enter in front of the other vehicle m1, for example.

[0071] As described above, the behavior plan generating unit 140 can perform control according to the behavior characteristics or intention of the other vehicle m1.

[0072] As described above, the action plan generating unit 140 sets the attention area according to the position of the host vehicle M and the driving state of the other vehicle m1, and further controls the host vehicle M based on the attention area, the position and the driving state of the host vehicle M. This allows the host vehicle M to respect the driving state of the other vehicle m1 and proceed into the lane LA without interfering with the other vehicle m1.

[0073] For example, when the host vehicle advances into the lane LA without performing the method of setting an attention area or estimating a driving state as in the present embodiment, the criteria and guidelines for advancing the host vehicle into the lane LA may become unclear, and the host vehicle M may not be appropriately controlled. For example, the host vehicle M may not be able to advance smoothly into the lane LA, or the host vehicle M may wait for the other vehicle m1 to pass even if the other vehicle m1 allows the host vehicle M to advance ahead.

[0074] In contrast, the automatic driving control device 100 of this embodiment uses the driving state, the attention area, and the position of the host vehicle M relative to the attention area as references and guidelines as described above, thereby allowing the host vehicle M to proceed more smoothly into the lane LA while reducing the load on the other vehicle m1 and the host vehicle M. In other words, the automatic driving control device 100 of this embodiment can more accurately control the vehicle in accordance with the surrounding situation.

[0075] [State transition diagram] 11 is a transition diagram of driving states. (1) First, the estimation unit 142 estimates whether the driving state of the other vehicle m1 is in the second state. (2) If it is estimated that the driving state of the other vehicle m1 is not in the second state, the estimation unit 142 estimates that the driving state of the other vehicle m1 is in the first state. In this case, a first attention area is set.

[0076] (3) When the driving state of the other vehicle m1 is estimated to be the second state, the estimation unit 142 estimates whether the driving state of the other vehicle m1 is the third state. When the driving state of the other vehicle m1 is estimated to be the second state, the second attention area is set.

[0077] (4) When the driving state of the other vehicle m1 is estimated to be the third state and the host vehicle M is included in the second attention area, the estimation unit 142 estimates that the driving state of the other vehicle m1 is the first state. When it is estimated to be the first state, the first attention area is set.

[0078] (5) If the driving state of the other vehicle m1 is estimated to be in the fourth state and the behavior of the host vehicle M to enter in front of the other vehicle m1 is delayed, the estimation unit 142 estimates that the driving state of the other vehicle m1 is in the third state.

[0079] As described above, the estimation unit 142 estimates the driving state of the other vehicle m1 based on the current driving state of the other vehicle m1 and the behavior of the other vehicle m1. This allows the action plan generation unit 140 to appropriately set the attention area used for controlling the host vehicle M.

[0080] [flowchart] 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed by the automatic driving control device 100. First, the action plan generating unit 140 determines whether or not the host vehicle M is scheduled to enter the lane LA (step S100). If the host vehicle M is scheduled to enter the lane LA, the estimation unit 142 determines whether or not the driving state of the other vehicle m1 is in a second state (step S102).

[0081] If it is estimated that the driving state of the other vehicle m1 is not the second state (is the first state), the region setting unit 144 sets a first attention region (step S104). Then, a predetermined process is performed (step S114). The predetermined process is, for example, a process in which the action plan generating unit 140 moves the host vehicle M closer to the lane LA or waits at that position based on the first attention region and the position of the host vehicle M.

[0082] When it is estimated that the driving state of the other vehicle m1 is in the second state, the region setting unit 144 sets a second attention region (step S106). Next, the behavior plan generating unit 140 judges whether the host vehicle M is in the second attention region (step S108). When the host vehicle M is not in the second attention region, the behavior plan generating unit 140, for example, moves the host vehicle M closer to the lane LA or waits at that position (step S114). That is, a predetermined process is performed.

[0083] When the host vehicle M is in the second attention area, the estimation unit 142 estimates whether the driving state of the other vehicle m1 is in the third state or not (step S110). When it is estimated that the driving state of the other vehicle m1 is not in the third state (when the driving state of the other vehicle m1 is in the fourth state), the action plan generation unit 140 causes the host vehicle M to enter in front of the other vehicle m1 (step S112). When it is estimated that the driving state of the other vehicle m1 is in the third state, the action plan generation unit 140, for example, causes the host vehicle M to approach the lane LA or wait at that position (step S114). That is, a predetermined process is performed. This ends the process of one routine of this flowchart.

[0084] As described above, the automatic driving control device 100 estimates the driving state of the other vehicle m1 and sets an attention area according to the estimated state. Then, the automatic driving control device 100 controls the behavior of the host vehicle M based on the position of the host vehicle M relative to the attention area, thereby enabling the host vehicle M to be controlled more appropriately.

[0085] In this embodiment, the control in the case where the vehicle M enters the lane LA at a T-junction has been described, but instead (or in addition) of this, the control may be applied to a specific road without traffic lights. For example, the process of this embodiment may be applied at an intersection, or may be applied when the vehicle M changes lanes to the lane LA while traveling on the lane LB.

[0086] According to the embodiment described above, when there is a plan to move the vehicle M into an area where it will interfere with the trajectory along which another vehicle is scheduled to move, the autonomous driving control device 100 estimates the characteristics of the behavior of the other vehicle, sets an attention area for the other vehicle m1 according to the estimated characteristics, and controls the other vehicle using the set attention area, thereby enabling more precise control of the moving body according to the surrounding circumstances.

[0087] The above-described embodiment can be expressed as follows. A storage device storing a program; a hardware processor; The hardware processor executes the program stored in the storage device, Recognize the situation around the moving object, Controlling the behavior of the moving object based on the recognized surrounding situation; When there is a plan to move the moving object to an area that interferes with the trajectory on which the first moving object is scheduled to move, Estimating a characteristic of a behavior of the first moving object; setting an attention area for the first moving body according to the estimated characteristics; controlling the moving object using the set attention area; A vehicle control device configured to:

[0088] The above describes the form for carrying out the present invention using an embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and various modifications and substitutions can be made within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0089] 1... vehicle system, 100... automatic driving control device, 120... first control unit, 140... action plan generation unit, 142... estimation unit, 144... area setting unit, 160... second control unit

Claims

1. A recognition unit that recognizes the surrounding situation of the moving object; a control unit that controls the behavior of the moving object based on the surrounding situation recognized by the recognition unit, the moving object travels on a second road intersecting the first road; the first road includes a first lane and a second lane adjacent to the first lane, the first lane is a lane located farther from the second road than the second lane, The control unit is When the moving object is scheduled to move from the second road to the first lane of the first road, and there is a plan to move the moving object in the first lane to an interference area that interferes with the trajectory along which the first moving object is scheduled to move, determining whether the first moving object is in a first state or a second state; When the first moving body is in the second state, a caution area is set by expanding the interference area in the first lane toward the second lane; the first state is a state in which the first moving body is not decelerating at a predetermined rate or more, the second state is a state in which the first moving body is decelerating at a predetermined rate or more, determining whether the first moving object is in a third state or a fourth state when the first moving object is caused to proceed into the attention area in a case where the attention area is set; the third state is a state in which a time required for the first moving object to reach a second moving object in front of the first moving object is equal to or shorter than a threshold; the fourth state is a state in which the time is not equal to or less than the threshold value, When the movable body is in the fourth state, the movable body is inserted between the first movable body and the second movable body. Mobile control system.

2. The control unit: When the first moving object is in the first state, the first moving object is moved to the first lane after the first moving object has passed the first moving object. The vehicle control system according to claim 1 .

3. The control unit is When the first moving object is in the third state, the first moving object is moved to the first lane after the first moving object has passed the first moving object.

3. A vehicle control system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The second road disappears by connecting to the first road, The first road and the second road form a T-junction. A mobile object control system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The computer Recognize the situation around the moving object, Controlling the behavior of the moving object based on the recognized surrounding situation; the moving object travels on a second road intersecting the first road; the first road includes a first lane and a second lane adjacent to the first lane, the first lane is a lane located farther from the second road than the second lane, When the moving object is scheduled to move from the second road to the first lane of the first road, and there is a plan to move the moving object in the first lane to an interference area that interferes with the trajectory along which the first moving object is scheduled to move, determining whether the first moving object is in a first state or a second state; When the first moving body is in the second state, a caution area is set by expanding the interference area in the first lane toward the second lane; the first state is a state in which the first moving body is not decelerating at a predetermined rate or more, the second state is a state in which the first moving body is decelerating at a predetermined rate or more, determining whether the first moving object is in a third state or a fourth state when the first moving object is caused to proceed into the attention area in a case where the attention area is set; the third state is a state in which a time required for the first moving object to reach a second moving object in front of the first moving object is equal to or shorter than a threshold; the fourth state is a state in which the time is not equal to or less than the threshold value, When the movable body is in the fourth state, the movable body is inserted between the first movable body and the second movable body. A method for controlling a moving object.

6. On the computer, It allows the vehicle to recognize the surroundings, Controlling the behavior of the moving object based on the recognized surrounding situation; the moving object travels on a second road intersecting the first road; the first road includes a first lane and a second lane adjacent to the first lane, the first lane is a lane located farther from the second road than the second lane, When the moving object is scheduled to move from the second road to the first lane of the first road, and there is a plan to move the moving object in the first lane to an interference area that interferes with the trajectory along which the first moving object is scheduled to move, determining whether the first moving object is in a first state or a second state; When the first moving body is in the second state, a caution area is set by expanding the interference area in the first lane toward the second lane; the first state is a state in which the first moving body is not decelerating at a predetermined rate or more, the second state is a state in which the first moving body is decelerating at a predetermined rate or more, when the attention area is set, when the moving object is caused to proceed into the attention area, it is determined whether the first moving object is in a third state or a fourth state; the third state is a state in which a time required for the first moving object to reach a second moving object in front of the first moving object is equal to or shorter than a threshold; the fourth state is a state in which the time is not equal to or less than the threshold value, When the movable body is in the fourth state, the movable body is inserted between the first movable body and the second movable body. program.

Images