Autonomous Vehicles

Abstract

To provide an automatic operation vehicle which can safely and securely stop when any error occurs in creation, correction or tracking of a travel route.SOLUTION: An automatic operation vehicle 10 comprises: a drive control part 14 which controls drive of a travel part 12 and a steering part 13; a detection part 20 which detects a travel state; and a travel control part 15 which controls the drive control part on the basis of a detection signal from the detection part; and a storage part 16. The detection part includes: a position sensor 22 which detects a position of the automatic operation vehicle 10; an attitude detection sensor 24 which detects an attitude thereof; a circumference sensor 25 which detects circumferential other vehicles and obstacles; and a sign sensor 21 which detects travel road signs. The travel control part performs automatic operation on the basis of the position and the attitude which have been detected on the basis of the detection signal of the detection part, and a self-position which is estimated from the circumferential other vehicles, obstacles and signs. The storage part comprises operation area map data 17 and verification map data 18 separate from the map data, and stops the automatic operation vehicle when a travel route protrudes from a travel possible area 18 on the verification map data during automatic operation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an autonomous vehicle that automatically travels along a preset travel route while successively referencing its own position and correcting the travel route. [Background technology]

[0002] In general, in an autonomous vehicle, the driving control unit controls the drive control unit based on detection signals from a detection unit consisting of a position sensor, a vehicle speed sensor, an attitude detection sensor that detects the driving state, surrounding sensors that detect other vehicles and obstacles, and sign sensors that detect signs such as white lines on the road along which the vehicle is traveling.The drive control unit then drives and controls the driving unit and steering unit to perform autonomous driving.

[0003] In this case, the driving control unit sets a driving route in advance using map data of the autonomous vehicle's operating range, and while driving, estimates the autonomous vehicle's own position based on detection signals from a detection unit including a position sensor and an attitude detection sensor, corrects the driving route so that this estimated own position falls within the driving route, and the drive control unit drives and controls the driving unit and steering unit in accordance with the corrected driving route, thereby causing the autonomous vehicle to drive along the driving route. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, before autonomous driving, a driving route from a departure point to a destination may be created by referring to a reference route included in map data, that is, vector data as a reference path. Vector data indicates data having length and direction, and having information on the position in the X direction and Y direction from a reference point to indicate points, lines, and surfaces. Alternatively, during autonomous driving, an autonomous vehicle may be driven while creating a driving route based on its own position acquired by a position sensor. In such a case, the autonomous vehicle may deviate from the driving route if the driving route goes out of the operating range set in advance due to a calculation error during the creation of the driving route or an error in the map data, or if the driving route is not a smooth curve from the own position that serves as a reference path, but a sharp curve that makes it difficult for the autonomous vehicle to steer.

[0005] Therefore, when creating a driving route in advance and when correcting the driving route based on the vehicle's own position during autonomous driving, it is necessary to monitor that the created driving route does not become an abnormal route that deviates significantly from the reference path. Also, when an autonomous vehicle is driving autonomously along a driving route, the driving route itself may deviate from the drivable area due to an error in calculation or map data, etc. In such a case, it is also necessary to monitor the self-position of the autonomous vehicle so that it does not deviate significantly from the drivable area.

[0006] In view of the above, the present invention aims to provide an autonomous vehicle that has a simple configuration, creates and modifies a driving route and monitors the tracking of the driving route so that the driving route does not stray from a drivable area, and stops the autonomous vehicle if an error occurs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention provides an autonomous vehicle control system that includes a driving unit and a steering unit, a drive control unit that drives and controls the driving unit and the steering unit, a detection unit that detects a driving state, a driving control unit that controls the drive control unit based on a detection signal from the detection unit, and a memory unit, wherein the detection unit includes a position sensor that detects the position of the autonomous vehicle, an attitude detection sensor that detects the attitude of the autonomous vehicle, a surrounding sensor that detects other vehicles and obstacles located around the autonomous vehicle, and a sign sensor that detects signs provided along the driving path as an indication of the driving position, and the driving control unit creates a driving route from a departure point to a destination in advance, and controls the position and attitude of the autonomous vehicle detected based on the detection signals from each sensor of the detection unit, and stores the position and attitude of the autonomous vehicle and the driving control unit in the memory unit. In this autonomous vehicle, the self-position of the autonomous vehicle is estimated from other vehicles, obstacles, and signs located around the autonomous vehicle, and the drive control unit drives and controls the driving unit and steering unit based on the estimated self-position, thereby automatically driving the autonomous vehicle along a driving route.The memory unit is provided with map data of the operating range of the autonomous vehicle and verification map data that is separate from the map data, and if the driving route during autonomous driving of the autonomous vehicle goes outside the drivable area on the verification map data, the driving control unit determines that an error has occurred and generates a stop signal, and the drive control unit that receives the stop signal drives and controls the driving unit and steering unit to stop the autonomous vehicle.

[0008] The traveling control unit preferably includes: Operation range Refer to the map data Luck A driving route is created as a planned path within the range of travel. The driving control unit preferably corrects the driving route so as to return from the vehicle's own position to the driving route while avoiding objects such as people, other vehicles, and obstacles based on a detection signal from the detection unit during automatic driving of the automatic driving vehicle, and when the corrected driving route goes outside the drivable area on the map data for verification, the driving control unit determines that an error has occurred and controls the driving unit and steering unit by the drive control unit to stop the automatic driving vehicle.

[0009] Operation rangeThe map data preferably includes vector data as a reference path for the operating range of the autonomous vehicle, and when the driving control unit creates or modifies a driving route as a planned path, it creates a driving route so that it continues from the starting position or the vehicle's own position to a reference path that can be traveled by steering the steering unit.

[0010] The driving control unit preferably calculates the distance between the vehicle's own position and the driving route at every predetermined time t, and if this distance exceeds a predetermined distance, determines that an error has occurred and uses the drive control unit to drive and control the driving unit and steering unit to stop the autonomous vehicle. Effect of the Invention

[0011] In this way, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an autonomous vehicle that is capable of stopping safely and reliably with a simple configuration when an error occurs such as the driving route going outside the drivable area. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of an autonomous driving vehicle according to the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2A, 2B, and 2C show the arrangement of various sensors and the like in the autonomous vehicle of FIG. 1, in which (A) is a schematic plan view, (B) is a schematic side view, and (C) is a schematic front view. [Diagram 3] 11 is a flowchart illustrating a comparison between a self-position and a driving route in a driving route following verification. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing an operation at the start of automatic driving. [Diagram 5] 10 is a flowchart showing an operation when correcting a driving route during automatic driving. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a verification operation when creating or correcting a travel route. [Figure 7] 11 is a flowchart showing a verification operation of route following during automatic driving. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of route tracking verification. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on the embodiments shown in the drawings. 1 and 2 show the overall configuration and the arrangement of each sensor of one embodiment of an autonomous vehicle according to the present invention. The autonomous vehicle 10 is an autonomous vehicle of known configuration, and is composed of a driving unit 12 provided under a vehicle body 11, a steering unit 13, a drive control unit 14 that drives and controls the driving unit 12 and the steering unit 13, a driving control unit 15, a memory unit 16, and a detection unit 20.

[0014] The vehicle body 11 is configured as a known automobile, including a driving section 12, a steering section 13, a drive control section 14, and other devices 11a required for driving. A driver can get in the vehicle body 11 and drive it in the same way as a normal automobile.

[0015] The running unit 12 is composed of, for example, four wheels 12a and a drive source 12b that drives the front and / or rear wheels as drive wheels. The drive source 12b has a known configuration and is composed of an engine such as a gasoline engine or a diesel engine, or a drive motor.

[0016] The steering unit 13 has a known configuration, and can, for example, swing the front wheels as steering wheels left and right to make the autonomous vehicle 10 go straight, go backward, or turn left or right. The drive wheels and the steering wheels may be the same wheels. The drive source 12b of the traveling unit 12 and the steering unit 13 are each driven and controlled by the drive control unit 14, so that the drive wheels among the wheels 12a are driven to rotate, and the steering wheels are swung left and right to make the autonomous vehicle 10 go forward, go backward, or turn left or right to travel in a predetermined direction.

[0017] The drive control unit 14 drives and controls the drive source 12b and steering unit 13 of the traveling unit 12 based on a traveling signal 15b from the traveling control unit 15, and drives the wheels 12a, which are corresponding driving wheels, to perform traveling or stopping at the vehicle speed, forward, backward, turning left or right, etc., set by the traveling signal 15b. Furthermore, the drive control unit 14 operates or controls various devices 11a of the vehicle body 11 to ensure that the vehicle body 11 travels.

[0018] When stop signal 15c is input from driving control unit 15, drive control unit 14 interrupts drive control of driving unit 12 and steering unit 13 based on driving signal 15b, and drives and controls driving unit 12 and steering unit 13 to stop autonomous vehicle 10. Note that when a driver aboard autonomous vehicle 10 starts driving manually by operating an operation unit (not shown) of vehicle body 11, drive control unit 14 interrupts autonomous driving based on driving signal 15b.

[0019] The driving control unit 15 creates or modifies a driving route 15a based on driving commands (not shown) that are input directly or set in advance and stored in the memory unit 16, or input from the outside, and creates a driving signal 15b for driving along the created or modified driving route 15a and sends it to the drive control unit 14. The driving signal 15b includes a driving program. Here, the driving command input from the outside is input, for example, via a network from a management center (not shown) that monitors the autonomous vehicle 10 from the outside. The driving signal 15b is created to set the driving speed, steering angle, acceleration, and deceleration when the autonomous vehicle 10 travels along a driving route from the starting point to the destination, in particular by calculating the steering angle to travel along the driving route, and the drive control unit 14 drives and controls the driving unit 12 and the steering unit 13 in accordance with the driving signal 15b, so that the autonomous vehicle 10 can travel at a specified driving speed along the driving route from the starting point to the destination.

[0020] The memory unit 16 sequentially stores the driving route 15a input by the driving control unit 15 or input from the outside, and the detection signals S1 to S5 from the detection unit 20. The driving route 15a input from the outside is input, for example, via a network from a management center (not shown) that monitors the autonomously driven vehicle 10 from the outside, similar to the driving command described above. Furthermore, the memory unit 16 stores map data 17 related to the driving range of the autonomously driven vehicle 10, which have been created in advance, and map data 18 for verification. The map data 17 includes vector data as reference paths for a drivable area 18a within the operating range of the autonomous vehicle 10. As a result, when creating the driving route 15a, the driving control unit 15 can quickly and smoothly create the driving route 15a as a planned path by selecting and combining appropriate reference paths with reference to the reference paths in the map data 17 so that the created driving route is, for example, a straight line or a smooth curve.

[0021] According to the above configuration, when the driving control unit 15 creates or modifies the driving route 15a, the driving control unit 15 can easily create or modify the driving route 15a by referring to the vector data included in the map data 17 and selecting the optimal vector data.

[0022] The verification map data 18 includes data on a drivable area 18a in which a driving route can be created within the operating range of the autonomous vehicle 10. This allows the driving control unit 15 to refer to the verification map data 18 for the created or corrected driving route 15a, and thereby determine whether the autonomous vehicle 10 can actually drive along the driving route 15a.

[0023] Furthermore, the driving control unit 15 registers various detection signals S1 to S5, which will be described later, input from the detection unit 20 in the memory unit 16, and creates a driving route 15a by referring to these detection signals S1 to S5.The driving control unit 15 also creates or modifies a driving signal 15b for driving along this driving route 15a and sends it to the drive control unit 14.

[0024] When creating a new driving route 15a based on a driving command in advance before automatic driving, and when modifying the driving route 15a by referring to a detection signal from the detection unit 20 during automatic driving, the driving control unit 15 creates or modifies the driving route 15a as follows.

[0025] In other words, when the driving control unit 15 creates a new driving route 15a in advance before automatic driving, it geometrically calculates a driving route 15a consisting of straight lines and smooth curves that can be traveled by steering the steering unit 13 from the starting point included in the driving command to the destination, and generates the driving route 15a as a planned path by referring to the reference paths in the map data 17 and selecting and combining appropriate reference paths so that this driving route 15a consisting of straight lines and curves smoothly continues to the reference paths.

[0026] The driving control unit 15 reads out verification map data 18 from the memory unit 16 for the created driving route 15a, and determines whether the driving route 15a as the planned path does not extend beyond the drivable area 18a, which is the range within which a driving route can be created in the verification map data 18.If the driving route does extend beyond the drivable area 18a, it determines that an abnormality has occurred in the driving route creation, does not create the driving signal 15b, and creates the driving route again.

[0027] In addition, during automatic driving, the driving control unit 15 corrects the driving route 15a as the planned path based on the detection signal from the detection unit 20, for example, to avoid obstacles, pedestrians, other vehicles, etc., or if there is a deviation from the driving route 15a as the planned path due to an error in automatic driving.In this case, the driving control unit 15 corrects the driving route 15a as the planned path by selecting and combining appropriate reference paths with reference to the reference paths in the map data 17 so that the driving route 15a as the planned path is connected in a straight line or a smooth curve from the self-position obtained from the detection signal from the detection unit 20.

[0028] The driving control unit 15 reads out the verification map data 18 for the corrected driving route 15a from the memory unit 16, and determines whether the corrected driving route 15a falls within the drivable area 18a of the verification map data 18. If the corrected driving route 15a falls within the drivable area 18a of the verification map data 18, it determines that an abnormality has occurred in the driving route correction, and creates a stop signal 15c instead of a driving signal 15b and sends it to the drive control unit 14.

[0029] In the illustrated example, the detection unit 20 is made up of a sign sensor 21 , a position sensor 22 , a vehicle speed sensor 23 , a posture detection sensor 24 , and a surroundings sensor 25 .

[0030] The sign sensor 21 may be a monocular camera, a binocular camera, a stereo camera, or the like, but in the illustrated case, it is a monocular camera provided on the upper part of the windshield, which captures an image of the area ahead of the autonomous vehicle 10 in the traveling direction, and sends the captured image signal to the driving control unit 15 as a detection signal S1. Based on the detection signal S1, the driving control unit 15 recognizes the situation ahead of the autonomous vehicle 10, particularly the white lines and guardrails indicating both sides of the road ahead, to grasp the current position within the road, compares it with the map data 17 to estimate the self-position, corrects the driving signal 15b so as to maintain the course within the road, and sends it to the drive control unit 14. In this way, the drive control unit 14 can control the steering unit 13 to reliably drive the autonomous vehicle 10 within the road without straying from the road.

[0031] The position sensor 22 detects longitude and latitude using a sensor for a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), for example, a GPS sensor. Thus, the position sensor 22 detects geodetic data of the autonomous vehicle 10 at each predetermined time, for example, and sends it to the driving control unit 15 as a detection signal S2. The driving control unit 15 compares the detection signal S2 with map data 17 read from the storage unit 16 to obtain the driving position of the autonomous vehicle 10 within the driving path, corrects the driving signal 15b so as to maintain the course within the driving path, and sends it to the drive control unit 14.

[0032] The vehicle speed sensor 23 detects, for example, the number of rotations of the wheels 12a, and sends the number of rotations as a detection signal S3 to the driving control unit 15. The attitude detection sensor 24 is a so-called gyro that detects the three-dimensional attitude of the autonomously driven vehicle 10 based on the acceleration in three axial directions of the vehicle body 11, and sends the detection signal S4 to the driving control unit 15. The attitude detection sensor 24 can be a three-axis acceleration sensor that can detect positions in the x, y, and z directions, or a six-axis sensor that can measure positions in the x, y, and z directions and the angular velocities of yaw, pitch, and roll.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 2, the surrounding sensor 25 is composed of three LIDARs 25a provided near the front and rear bumpers of the vehicle body 11. Instead of or in addition to the LIDARs 25a, cameras 26 attached to the front, rear, left and right sides of the vehicle body 11 or a LIDAR 27 attached to the roof of the vehicle body 11 may be used. Here, the above-mentioned LIDARs 25a and 27 are also called laser radars, and perform light detection and ranging or laser image detection and ranging. Two-dimensional LIDARs or three-dimensional LIDARs may be used as the LIDARs 25a and 27. The three-dimensional LIDAR can perform, for example, laser image detection of a curved road that is the travel path and distance measurement to the detected object. The camera 26 can be a monocular camera, a binocular camera, a stereo camera, or the like.

[0034] The surrounding sensor 25 can detect objects on the road around the autonomous vehicle 10, such as obstacles on the front, rear, left and right sides, and other vehicles. When the surrounding sensor 25 detects an object on the road, it sends a detection signal S5 including the direction and distance of the object to the driving control unit 15.

[0035] In this way, the driving control unit 15 grasps the driving state such as the driving position, driving speed, and attitude of the autonomous vehicle 10, as well as the positions and distances of objects in the forward area, such as obstacles and other driving vehicles, based on the detection signals S1 to S5 from the sign sensor 21, the position sensor 22, the vehicle speed sensor 23, the attitude detection sensor 24, and the surroundings sensor 25, estimates the self-position on the driving route, and determines the progress of the driving signal 15b at that time. In the following, the self-position will be explained as being calculated from x, y, and yaw indicating the direction of the xy plane, as an example.

[0036] During autonomous driving, the driving control unit 15 estimates its own position based on the detection signal from the detection unit 20, and compares it with the driving route 15a as the planned path to verify that the vehicle is traveling within the travelable area 18a, i.e., that the vehicle is following the route. This verification of route following is performed as follows, with reference to FIG. 3. First, in step A1, the driving control unit 15 creates a driving route 15a as a planned path based on a driving command. Next, in step A2, the driving control unit 15 creates a driving signal 15b based on the driving route 15a and sends it to the drive control circuit 14. In response to this, in step A3, the drive control circuit 14 drives and controls the driving unit 12 and the steering unit 13 based on the driving signal 15b. As a result, in step A4, the driving unit 12 and the steering unit 13 operate at a predetermined speed and a predetermined steering angle, and the autonomous vehicle 10 automatically drives.

[0037] As the autonomous vehicle 10 travels autonomously, the driving control unit 15 grasps the driving state and the surrounding environment of the autonomous vehicle 10 based on the detection signals S1-S5 from the sensors 21-25 of the detection unit 20 in step A5, and estimates the self-position of the autonomous vehicle 10. As a result, the driving control unit 15 calculates the distance d between the driving route 15a as the planned path and the self-position of the autonomous vehicle 10 in step A6. In this way, the driving control unit 15 calculates the distance d every predetermined time t during the autonomous driving of the autonomous vehicle as described later, and continues the autonomous driving while verifying that the distance d is equal to or less than a predetermined distance D.

[0038] The autonomous vehicle 10 of the embodiment of the present invention is configured as described above, and its operation will be described below with reference to the flowcharts of Figures 4, 5 and 7 and the explanatory diagrams of Figures 6 and 8 relating to the correction of the driving path 15a.

[0039] Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation at the start of autonomous driving of autonomous vehicle 10 in an embodiment of the present invention. In the flowchart of Fig. 4, before autonomous driving, driving control unit 15 of autonomous vehicle 10 reads map data 17 from storage unit 16 in step B1, and geometrically calculates straight lines and smooth curves that can be traveled by steering steering unit 13 from the departure point included in the driving command to the destination while referring to a reference path in map data 17 based on a driving command in step B2, and creates driving route 15a as a planned path by selecting and combining appropriate reference paths so that the curves are smoothly continuous with the reference paths.

[0040] Next, in step B3, the driving control unit 15 reads out the verification map data 18 from the memory unit 16 and determines whether the driving route 15a created in step B4 falls within the drivable area 18a of the verification map data 18. If it does fall outside the drivable area, in step B5, an abnormality has occurred in the creation of the driving route due to a calculation error in the creation of the driving route or a data error in the map data 17, and the process returns to step B1 without creating the driving signal 15b.

[0041] On the other hand, if the driving route 15a does not go outside the drivable area 18a of the verification map data 18 in step B4, the driving control unit 15 determines in step B6 that the driving route 15a is normal, registers the driving route 15a in the storage unit 16, and creates a driving signal 15b based on the driving route 15a and sends it to the drive control unit 14. In response to this, in step B7, the drive control unit 14 drives and controls the driving unit 12 and the steering unit 13 based on the driving signal 15b. In this way, in step B8, the autonomous vehicle 10 starts autonomous driving along the driving route 15a. This completes route verification at the start of autonomous driving.

[0042] 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the autonomous vehicle 10 during autonomous driving in the embodiment of the present invention. First, in step C1, during autonomous driving of the autonomous vehicle 10, when the autonomous vehicle 10 deviates from the driving route 15a as the planned path due to, for example, avoiding people, obstacles, or other vehicles, or due to an error in autonomous driving, based on a detection signal from the detection unit 20 in step C2, the driving control unit 15 estimates its own position from the detection signal S2 from the position sensor 22 among the detection signals from the detection unit 20 in step C3. Then, in step C4, the driving control unit 15 selects and combines appropriate reference paths with reference to the reference paths in the map data 17 so that the autonomous vehicle 10 returns continuously from its own position at that time to the driving route 15a up to that point in a straight line or a smooth curve, thereby correcting the driving route 15a.

[0043] Next, in step C5, the driving control unit 15 reads out the verification map data 18 from the storage unit 16, and in step C6, determines whether the corrected driving route 15a does not go outside the drivable area 18a of the verification map data 18. If it does go outside the drivable area, in step C7, it determines that an abnormality has occurred in the creation of the driving route due to a calculation error in the creation of the driving route or a data error in the map data 17, and in step C8, it creates a stop signal 15c instead of the driving signal 15b and sends it to the drive control unit 14. In response to this, in step C9, the drive control unit 14 drives and controls the driving unit 12 and the steering unit 13 based on the stop signal 15c, so that the autonomous vehicle 10 stops in step C10, and the autonomous driving of the autonomous vehicle 10 ends.

[0044] On the other hand, if the driving route 15a does not go outside the drivable area 18a of the verification map data 18 in step C6, the driving control unit 15 determines that the driving route 15a corrected in step C11 is normal, registers the new driving route 15a in the storage unit 16, and creates a driving signal 15b based on this driving route 15a and sends it to the drive control unit 14. In response to this, the drive control unit 14 drives and controls the driving unit 12 and the steering unit 13 based on the driving signal 15b in step C12. As a result, the autonomous vehicle 10 continues autonomous driving along the driving route 15a in step C13. In this manner, route verification during autonomous driving is performed.

[0045] The above-mentioned verification of route generation when correcting the travel route 15a will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. Fig. 6(A) shows a case where the autonomous vehicle 10 is positioned offset from the original driving path 15a as the planned path. The driving control unit 15 geometrically calculates the original driving path 15a so that it is a smooth curve, in the illustrated case, i.e., a curve with a curvature that allows driving by the steering angle of the steering unit 13, and continuously returns to the original driving path 15a, and creates a corrected driving path 15a' or 15a" by referring to the reference path in the map data 17 and selecting and combining appropriate reference paths. The corrected driving path 15a' or 15a" may include straight lines.

[0046] The driving control unit 15 compares the created corrected driving route 15a' or 15a" with the verification map data 18 read out from the memory unit 16, as shown in Figure 6 (B). Here, since the corrected driving route 15a' falls within the drivable area 18a of the verification map data 18, the driving control unit 15 determines that the corrected driving route 15a' is normal and continues the operation for automatic driving. In contrast, since the corrected driving route 15a" falls outside the drivable area 18a of the verification map data 18, the driving control unit 15 determines that the corrected driving route 15a" is abnormal, creates a stop signal 15c instead of the driving signal 15b, and sends it to the drive control unit 14 to stop the automatically driven vehicle 10 and end the automatic driving.

[0047] According to the above-described automatic traveling, when the autonomous vehicle 10 intentionally deviates from the traveling route 15a to avoid an object or the like during the autonomous traveling, the traveling control unit 15 corrects the traveling route 15a so that the autonomous vehicle 10 continues from its own position to the traveling route 15a in a straight line or a smooth curve based on a detection signal from the detection unit 20. This allows the autonomous vehicle 10 to travel smoothly along a straight line or a smooth curve by steering the steering unit 13 when correcting the traveling route 15a.

[0048] Next, the operation of route following during automatic driving will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In step D1, the driving control unit 15 estimates the self-position of the autonomous vehicle 10 based on the detection signal S2 from the position sensor 22 of the detection unit 20 in step D2 during autonomous driving of the autonomous vehicle 10. In step D3, the driving control unit 15 calculates a distance d from the self-position to the driving route 15a based on the estimated self-position and the driving route 15a as the planned path, and in step D4, the driving control unit 15 compares this distance d with a predetermined distance D set in advance. Here, if d≦D, in step D5, the driving control unit 15 determines that the self-position is on the driving route 15a and that route following is normal, and in step D6, the process returns to step D2 after a predetermined time t has elapsed. On the other hand, if d>D in step D4, the driving control unit 15 determines in step D7 that an error has occurred in the path following, and generates a stop signal 15c instead of the driving signal 15b in step D8 and sends it to the drive control unit 14. As a result, the drive control unit 14 controls the drive of the driving unit 12 and the steering unit 13 based on the stop signal 15c in step D9. Therefore, the autonomous vehicle 10 stops in step D10, and autonomous driving ends.

[0049] In this way, the driving control unit 15 performs automatic driving by the drive control unit 14 based on the driving signal 15b while estimating its own position, and calculates the distance d between its own position and the driving route 15a.When the distance d exceeds a predetermined distance, it determines that the self-position has deviated from the driving route 15a, and quickly stops the automatically-driving vehicle 10, thereby enabling the automatically-driving vehicle 10 to drive safely and reliably.

[0050] The above-mentioned verification of route following for the travel route 15a during autonomous driving will be specifically described with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 shows a case where the autonomous vehicle 10 is positioned at a distance d away from the travel route 15a as the planned path. During autonomous driving of the autonomous vehicle 10, the travel control unit 15 estimates the self-position of the autonomous vehicle 10 based on the detection signal S2 from the position sensor 22 of the detection unit 20 at every predetermined time t, and calculates the distance d between the autonomous vehicle 10 and the travel route 15a. On the other hand, when distance d exceeds predetermined distance D, driving control unit 15 determines that an error has occurred in following driving path 15a, generates stop signal 15c instead of driving signal 15b, and sends it to drive control unit 14. Predetermined distance D is, for example, 0.5 m to 1 m. As a result, drive control unit 14 drives and controls traveling unit 12 and steering unit 13 based on stop signal 15c to stop autonomous vehicle 10, and autonomous driving of autonomous vehicle 10 ends.

[0051] According to the above configuration, by checking the distance between the autonomous vehicle's own position and the driving route 15a at every predetermined time t, the autonomous vehicle 10 can be stopped quickly and safely if this distance exceeds a predetermined distance D.

[0052] When a driver is in the driver's seat of the autonomous vehicle 10 and manually operates the operation unit of the autonomous vehicle 10, the driving control unit 15 detects the manual operation by the driver and interrupts the autonomous driving based on the driving signal 15b. This allows the driver to drive the autonomous vehicle 10 in the same way as a normal automobile.

[0053] In this way, the autonomous vehicle 10 can perform autonomous driving along the driving route 15a while constantly estimating its own position based on the predetermined driving route 15a. If an error occurs in creating the driving route 15a, the driving route 15a is created again. If an error occurs in correcting the driving route 15a or in following the route of the driving route 15a, the occurrence of the error is detected, the autonomous driving is interrupted, and the autonomous vehicle 10 is stopped, thereby enabling safe and reliable autonomous driving.

[0054] As described above, according to the autonomous vehicle 10 of the present invention, the driving control unit 15 controls the drive control unit 14 to drive along the driving route 15a based on the detection signal from the detection unit 20, and the drive control unit 14 drives and controls the driving unit 12 and the steering unit 13, so that the autonomous vehicle 10 can drive along the driving route 15a. As a result, the driving control unit 15 estimates the self-position of the autonomous vehicle 10 based on the detection signals from the sensors 21 to 25 of the detection unit 20 of the autonomous vehicle 10 from the detected position and attitude of the autonomous vehicle 10 and other vehicles, obstacles, and signs located around the autonomous vehicle 10, and also recognizes other vehicles located around the autonomous vehicle 10 more quickly using the surrounding sensor 25 to avoid contact with the other vehicles.

[0055] Here, when creating a travel route 15a as a planned path from a departure point to a destination before the autonomous vehicle 10 automatically travels, the travel control unit 15 creates or modifies the travel route 15a so that the travel route 15a continues along a straight line or a smooth curve with reference to the map data 17. Furthermore, when the self-position estimated based on the detection signal from the detection unit 20 deviates from the travel route 15a as the planned path during the autonomous travel of the autonomous vehicle 10, the travel control unit 15 modifies the travel route 15a so that the self-position continues along the travel route 15a along a straight line or a smooth curve. This allows the autonomous vehicle 10 to travel smoothly along a straight line or a smooth curve by steering the steering unit 13 when creating or modifying the travel route 15a.

[0056] Furthermore, when the planned path strays from the drivable area 18a of the verification map data 18 during the autonomous driving of the autonomous vehicle 10, the driving control unit 15 determines that an error such as a miscalculation has occurred during the creation or correction of the driving route 15a as the planned path, and causes the drive control unit 14 to drive and control the driving unit 12 and the steering unit 13 to stop the autonomous vehicle 10. This prevents the autonomous vehicle 10 from straying from the drivable area 18a in the operating range, and allows the autonomous vehicle 10 to be stopped safely and reliably.

[0057] The present invention can be embodied in various forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, the autonomous vehicle 10 may be equipped with a travel means other than wheels, such as caterpillar tracks.

[0058] Instead of the above-described embodiment, the vehicle may be an unmanned vehicle that does not have a driver's seat and does not have a driver on board. [Explanation of symbols]

[0059] 10 Self-driving vehicles 11 Vehicle body 12 Running part 12a wheels 12b Driving source 13 Steering section 14 Drive control unit 15 Driving control unit 15a Route 15a',15a” corrected route 15b Traffic signal 15c stop signal 16 Memory section 17 Map Data 18 Map data for verification 18a Rideable area 20 Detection unit 21 Sign Sensor 22 Position Sensor 23 Vehicle speed sensor 24 Attitude detection sensor 25 Ambient Sensor 25a Rider 26 Camera 27 Rider S1~S5 detection signal

Claims

1. A vehicle control system including a driving unit and a steering unit, a drive control unit that drives and controls the driving unit and the steering unit, a detection unit that detects a driving state, a driving control unit that controls the drive control unit based on a detection signal from the detection unit, and a memory unit, the detection unit includes a position sensor that detects the position of the autonomous vehicle, an attitude detection sensor that detects the attitude of the autonomous vehicle, a surroundings sensor that detects other vehicles and obstacles located around the autonomous vehicle, and a sign sensor that detects signs provided along a roadway that serve as an indication of the vehicle's driving position; The driving control unit creates a driving route from a departure point to a destination in advance, estimates a self-position of the autonomous vehicle from the position and attitude of the autonomous vehicle detected based on detection signals from each sensor of the detection unit, other vehicles and obstacles located around the autonomous vehicle, and the signs, and the drive control unit drives and controls the driving unit and steering unit based on the estimated self-position, thereby automatically driving the autonomous vehicle along the driving route, the storage unit includes map data of a driving range of the autonomous vehicle and verification map data separate from the map data, An autonomous vehicle, wherein if, during autonomous driving of the autonomous vehicle, the driving route goes outside the drivable area on the verification map data, the driving control unit determines that an error has occurred and generates a stop signal, and upon receiving the stop signal, the drive control unit drives and controls the driving unit and steering unit to stop the autonomous vehicle.

2. The autonomous vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the driving control unit creates the driving route as a planned path within the driving range by referring to map data of the driving range.

3. The driving control unit corrects the driving route so as to return to the planned path from the self-position while avoiding objects such as people, other vehicles, and obstacles based on the detection signal from the detection unit during automatic driving of the automatic driving vehicle, and 3. The autonomous vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the driving control unit determines that an error has occurred if the corrected driving route falls outside the drivable area on the verification map data, and controls the driving unit and steering unit using the drive control unit to stop the autonomous vehicle.

4. The map data of the driving range includes vector data as a reference path of the driving range of the autonomous driving vehicle, An autonomous vehicle as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein when the driving control unit creates or modifies the driving route as a planned path, the driving route is created so as to continue from the starting position or the vehicle's own position to a reference path that can be traveled by steering the steering unit.

5. 5. An autonomous vehicle as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the driving control unit calculates the distance between the vehicle's own position and the driving route at every predetermined time t, and determines that an error has occurred if this distance exceeds a predetermined distance, and causes the drive control unit to drive and control the driving unit and steering unit to stop the autonomous vehicle.

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