Vehicle control device

Abstract

To improve convenience when changing lanes in automatic operation or operation support.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device comprises: generation means (1b) for generating a path (A) for lane change of an own vehicle (V1); control means (1d) for controlling the own vehicle so as for the own vehicle to change lanes along the generated path for lane change; and determination means (1c) for determining whether or not at least either of a relative distance and a relative speed between the own vehicle and a preceding vehicle (V2) changes beyond a predetermined reference while a lane change is performed along the path for lane change. The generation means, when it is determined that the change occurs, regenerates a path (B) for lane change to bring timing of the lane change forward.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of vehicle control devices for performing automatic driving or driving assistance for a host vehicle by generating a lane-changing path ahead of the host vehicle and changing lanes along the path. [Background technology]

[0002] As an example of this type of device, a technique has been proposed in which, before changing lanes, a lane-changing path is generated taking into consideration the position and speed of a preceding vehicle, and then the vehicle actually changes lanes along this path (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-114431 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, according to the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, when the situation of the preceding vehicle that was the source of the generation of the lane-changing path changes, for example, the preceding vehicle suddenly decelerates while changing lanes along the generated lane-changing path, it becomes necessary to suddenly stop the control and for the driver to suddenly take over the driving operation manually, or to suddenly stop the vehicle. As a result, there is a technical problem that the convenience is extremely deteriorated.

[0005] The present invention has been developed in consideration of, for example, the technical problems described above, and has an objective of providing a vehicle control device that can reduce the opportunities for the occupants to take over automatic driving or to suddenly stop the vehicle even when the situation regarding the preceding vehicle suddenly changes after a lane change path has been generated, thereby improving convenience. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, one aspect of the vehicle control device according to the present invention comprises a detection means for detecting a position and a vehicle speed of a preceding vehicle ahead of the host vehicle, a generation means for generating a lane-change path for the host vehicle based on the detected position and vehicle speed, a control means for controlling the host vehicle to change lanes along the generated lane-change path, and a determination means for determining whether or not at least one of a relative distance and a relative speed between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle has changed beyond a predetermined standard while the host vehicle is changing lanes along the generated lane-change path, wherein, when it is determined that the change has occurred, the generation means regenerates a lane-change path that advances the timing of the lane change compared to the generated lane-change path, and when it is determined that the change has occurred, the control means controls the host vehicle to change lanes along the regenerated lane-change plan instead of the generated lane-change path. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to one aspect of the vehicle control device of the present invention, while changing lanes along a lane-changing path generated based on the position and vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle, the determination means determines whether or not the situation of the preceding vehicle that was the basis for generating the lane-changing path has changed, such as a sudden deceleration of the preceding vehicle. If it is determined that the situation has changed, the generation means first regenerates a new lane-changing path that makes the timing of the lane-changing earlier than the previously generated lane-changing path. Then, the control means controls the host vehicle to change lanes along the new regenerated lane-changing plan. As a result, convenience can be improved when the situation of the preceding vehicle suddenly changes during a lane change.

[0008] Such advantageous effects of the present invention will become more apparent from the embodiments of the invention described below. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1]1 is a block diagram showing an example of an overall configuration including a vehicle control device according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow related to lane change control according to the embodiment. [Figure 3A] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view illustrating an example of lane change control according to the embodiment. [Figure 3B] 3B is a schematic plan view following FIG. 3A in time. [Figure 3C] 3B is a schematic plan view following FIG. 3B in time. [Figure 4A] FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view illustrating an example of lane change control as a comparative example. [Figure 4B] 4B is a schematic plan view following FIG. 4A in time. [Figure 4C] 4B is a schematic plan view following FIG. 4B in time. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same or corresponding elements are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicated description will be omitted.

[0011] First, the overall configuration of the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a conceptual configuration of a vehicle V equipped with a vehicle control device 1 according to the embodiment. The vehicle control device 1 is mounted on the vehicle V, such as a passenger car or a commercial vehicle. The behavior of the vehicle V may be controlled by automatic driving control (a concept including automobile speed control and automatic steering control) by the vehicle control device 1. Below, a case where the vehicle V changes lanes by automatic driving control will be described. Note that the automatic driving control in the vehicle V may be executed only when changing lanes, for example, as a driving assistance function for lane change.

[0012] The vehicle V includes various sensors 2 and various actuators 3 in addition to the vehicle control device 1. The vehicle control device 1 is connected to the various sensors 2 and the various actuators 3 so that they can communicate with each other. The various sensors 2 output detection information from each sensor to the vehicle control device 1. The various sensors 2 may include, for example, a vehicle speed sensor (or a wheel speed sensor) for measuring the vehicle speed and an external sensor for detecting information on the external situation required for automatic driving control. The various sensors 2 may include a multi-axis acceleration sensor capable of detecting lateral acceleration. The information on the external situation is, for example, a relative distance and relative speed between the vehicle V and an object. Note that the object is a tangible object, and may include, for example, a preceding vehicle, a pedestrian, and a stationary object (such as a guardrail). The information on the external situation may include information on the vehicle speed and position of the preceding vehicle. The external sensor may include, for example, a LIDAR (Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging) and a camera for capturing an image of the surroundings of the vehicle V.

[0013] Each actuator of the various actuators 3 is connected to a corresponding operating mechanism, and operates the corresponding operating mechanism according to control information output from the vehicle control device 1. The various actuators 3 include, for example, an engine actuator and a brake actuator related to automobile speed control, and a steering actuator related to automatic steering control.

[0014] The vehicle control device 1 is an electronic control unit that is configured as a driving control ECU (Electronic Control Unit) and includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and storage areas such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory) required for the operation of the CPU. The vehicle control device 1 executes, for example, a computer program stored in the ROM or other storage areas (including storage areas outside the vehicle V). As a result, a logical function block for controlling the behavior of the vehicle V is realized in the vehicle control device 1. FIG. 1 shows an example of a logical function block realized in the vehicle control device 1 to execute lane change automatic driving control (hereinafter referred to as "lane change control"). As shown in FIG. 1, a detection unit 1a, a generation unit 1b, a determination unit 1c, and a driving control unit 1d are realized in the vehicle control device 1. The operation of each unit 1a to 1d will be described later.

[0015] An example of lane change control in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3A to FIG. 3C. FIG. 3A to FIG. 3C show a case where a host vehicle V1 traveling in the first lane L1 (traveling from bottom to top in the drawing) changes lanes to the second lane L2 on a road with two lanes on each side, a first lane L1 and a second lane L2. The host vehicle V1 has the above-mentioned overall configuration as the above-mentioned vehicle V. In the example shown in FIG. 3A, a leading vehicle V2 travels ahead of the host vehicle V1 in the first lane L1, and other vehicles V3 and V4 travel ahead of the leading vehicle V2. The other vehicles V3 and V4 travel at a lower speed than the leading vehicle V2 (for example, at the end of a traffic jam). The process as an example of lane change control shown in FIG. 2 is performed by the vehicle control device 1 of the host vehicle V1.

[0016] First, in the state of FIG. 3A, the vehicle control device 1 generates an initial LC (Lane Change) plan A as an initial lane change path, and starts traveling along the LC plan A (step S101). That is, the host vehicle V1 starts changing lanes along the LC plan A. An example of the LC plan A is shown by dotted lines in FIG. 3A to FIG. 3C. For example, the detection unit 1a of the host vehicle V1 detects the position and vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle V2 based on the detection information output from the various sensors 2. The generation unit 1b of the host vehicle V1 generates the LC plan A based on the detected position and vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle V2, and the traveling control unit 1d of the host vehicle V1 performs traveling control so that the host vehicle V1 changes lanes along the LC plan A. For example, the traveling control unit 1d of the host vehicle V1 may perform lane changes along the LC plan A by controlling the vehicle speed and steering of the host vehicle V1 according to the vehicle speed and position of the preceding vehicle V2. This allows the acceleration system and steering system to be constructed to realize traveling according to the path plan.

[0017] Next, the vehicle control device 1 judges whether or not the relative situation between the host vehicle V1 and the preceding vehicle V2 has changed during the lane change according to the LC plan A (step S102). The relative situation includes the relative distance and the relative speed between the host vehicle V1 and the preceding vehicle V2. For example, the judgment unit 1c of the host vehicle V1 may judge that the relative situation has changed when at least one of the inter-vehicle distance and the relative speed between the host vehicle V1 and the preceding vehicle V2 has changed beyond a predetermined standard (the inter-vehicle distance has decreased, and the relative speed has increased) based on the position and the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle V2 detected by the detection unit 1a. A specific case in which the relative situation changes may be, for example, as shown in FIG. 3B, when the preceding vehicle V2 decelerates due to the presence of another vehicle V3 traveling at a low speed, and therefore the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle V1 and the preceding vehicle V2 has decreased, and the host vehicle V1 also needs to decelerate. When it is judged that the relative situation has changed (step S102: Yes), the vehicle control device 1 proceeds to step S103. On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step S102 (step S102: No), the vehicle control device 1 may continue the driving control according to the LC plan A (step S104).

[0018] In step S103, the vehicle control device 1 judges whether or not a problem will occur if the vehicle continues to travel according to the LC plan A. In other words, the vehicle control device 1 judges whether or not it is difficult to change lanes according to the LC plan A. For example, when the judgment unit 1c of the vehicle V1 judges that the vehicle V1 may stop or may contact the preceding vehicle V2 based on a simulation of the change in the relative position and relative speed with respect to the preceding vehicle V2 in the LC plan A, the judgment unit 1c may judge that the problem will occur (i.e., it is difficult to change lanes according to the LC plan A). If it is judged that a problem will occur (step S103: Yes), the vehicle control device 1 proceeds to step S105. On the other hand, if a negative judgment is made in step S103 (step S103: No), the vehicle control device 1 may continue the travel control according to the LC plan A (step S106).

[0019] In step S105, the vehicle control device 1 judges whether or not there is a margin in the allowable lateral acceleration at the current vehicle speed. For example, when the judgment unit 1c of the host vehicle V1 judges that drift-out can be avoided even if a steering angle larger than the steering angle according to the LC plan A is made at the current vehicle speed, the judgment unit 1c judges that there is a margin in the allowable lateral acceleration. If a negative judgment is made in step S105 (step S105: No), the vehicle control device 1 may, for example, perform emergency response processing (step S108). In the emergency response processing, the vehicle control device 1 may, for example, switch the host vehicle V1 to a state in which it is manually operable so that the above problem can be avoided. Alternatively, the vehicle control device 1 may stop the host vehicle V1 so that the above problem can be avoided. If such an emergency response processing is executed even in the case of the LC plan A, the vehicle control device 1 may continue the driving control according to the LC plan A.

[0020] If a positive determination is made in step S105 (step S105: Yes), the vehicle control device 1 recalculates a path plan for lane change to avoid the above problem (for example, to overtake the decelerated preceding vehicle V2) and generates an LC plan B, which is a new lane change path. That is, the LC plan B is a regenerated lane change path. As with the LC plan A, for example, the detection unit 1a of the host vehicle V1 may detect the position and vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle V2 based on the detection information output from the various sensors 2, and the generation unit 1b of the host vehicle V1 may generate the LC plan B based on the detected position and vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle V2.

[0021] An example of the LC plan B is shown by a thick dashed line in FIG. 3C. As shown in FIG. 3C, the generation unit 1b of the host vehicle V1 may generate an LC plan B in which the steering is larger than that of the LC plan A (i.e., the steering angle is larger) so that the timing of the lane change is earlier than that of the LC plan A. Then, in step S107, the driving control unit 1d of the host vehicle V1 may switch the lane change plan from the LC plan A to the LC plan B, that is, instead of driving control according to the LC plan A, perform driving control so that the host vehicle V1 changes lanes along the LC plan B, which is the regenerated lane change path. This allows the host vehicle V1 to change lanes while avoiding sudden stops during lane change and contact with the preceding vehicle V2. The calculations from step S102 to the generation of the new LC plan B are performed while the host vehicle V1 is traveling along the LC plan A.

[0022] 4A to 4C are shown as comparative examples of cases where a new lane-changing path is not generated and driving control according to LC plan A is maintained even if a positive determination is made in step S105. FIG. 4A is a diagram with the same purpose as FIG. 3A, and FIG. 4B is a diagram with the same purpose as FIG. 3B. If LC plan B is not generated, the host vehicle V1 attempts to change lanes according to LC plan A. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4C, the host vehicle V1 may suddenly stop in a tilted state (or straddle a lane), or may come into contact with the preceding vehicle V2 if it is unable to decelerate sufficiently.

[0023] As described in detail above, according to this embodiment, even if the situation regarding the vehicle ahead suddenly changes during a lane change, the opportunities for the occupant to take over automatic driving or to suddenly stop the vehicle can be reduced, thereby significantly improving the convenience of autonomous vehicles.

[0024] Additional Notes The following supplementary notes are further disclosed regarding the above-described embodiment.

[0025] [Appendix 1] The vehicle control device described in Supplementary Note 1 of the present invention includes a detection means for detecting a position and a vehicle speed of a preceding vehicle ahead of the host vehicle, a generation means for generating a lane-change path for the host vehicle based on the detected position and vehicle speed, a control means for controlling the host vehicle to change lanes along the generated lane-change path, and a determination means for determining whether or not at least one of a relative distance and a relative speed between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle has changed beyond a predetermined standard while the host vehicle is changing lanes along the generated lane-change path, and when it is determined that the change has occurred, the generation means regenerates a lane-change path that advances the timing of the lane change compared to the generated lane-change path, and when it is determined that the change has occurred, the control means controls the host vehicle to change lanes along the regenerated lane-change plan instead of the generated lane-change path.

[0026] According to the vehicle control device described in Supplementary Note 1, while changing lanes along the lane change path generated based on the position and vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle, the determination means determines whether or not the situation of the preceding vehicle that was the source of the generation of the lane change path, such as a sudden deceleration of the preceding vehicle, has changed. The determination here is performed by determining whether at least one of the relative distance and relative speed between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle has changed beyond a predetermined standard. For example, when the preceding vehicle suddenly decelerates or stops, the relative distance (in other words, the distance between the vehicles) suddenly becomes shorter or the relative speed suddenly increases, so that it can be determined that there has been a change by comparing with a predetermined threshold. Note that the "predetermined threshold" may be a value that corresponds to a situation in which the lane change path should be changed in the vehicle control device empirically, experimentally, or by simulation, and this value may be modified ex post (for example, modified by machine learning). In addition, it is also possible to incorporate parameters or elements other than the relative distance and the relative speed into the determination of whether the situation of the preceding vehicle has changed. When the determination by such a determination means determines that the lane change has "changed," first, a new lane change path that makes the timing of the lane change earlier than the previously generated lane change path is regenerated by the generation means. That is, the lane change path is recalculated or modified so that the timing of the lane change is earlier. Then, the control means controls the vehicle to change lanes according to the new regenerated lane change plan. That is, the need to suddenly stop control and have the occupant suddenly take over the driving operation by manual driving or to suddenly stop the vehicle during a lane change can be reduced or avoided. As a result, convenience can be significantly improved when the situation regarding the preceding vehicle suddenly changes during a lane change.

[0027] The present invention can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the claims and the entire specification without departing from the gist or concept of the invention, and vehicle control devices involving such modifications are also included in the technical concept of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0028] Vehicle V1(V) Leading vehicle: V2 Detection unit (detection means) 1a Generation unit (generation means)...1b Judgment unit (judgment means)...1c Travel control unit (control means) 1d LC Plan (Lane Change Path) ··· A, B

Claims

[Claim 1] A detection means for detecting a position and a vehicle speed of a preceding vehicle preceding the host vehicle; A generating means for generating a lane change path for the host vehicle based on the detected position and vehicle speed; A control means for controlling the host vehicle so as to change lanes along the generated lane change path; a determination means for determining whether or not at least one of a relative distance and a relative speed between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle has changed beyond a predetermined standard while the host vehicle is changing lanes along the generated lane change path, and if it is determined that the change has occurred, further determining whether or not a problem will occur if the host vehicle continues traveling along the generated lane change path; Equipped with A vehicle control device characterized in that, when it is determined that the problem will not occur, the control means continues control along the generated lane change path, and when it is determined that the problem will occur, the generation means regenerates a lane change path that advances the timing of the lane change more quickly than the generated lane change path, and the control means controls the vehicle to change lanes along the regenerated lane change path instead of the generated lane change path.

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