Vehicle control device

Abstract

To obtain a vehicle control device enabling an own vehicle to be guided to a narrow range by low-speed automatic operation by quick and precise positioning of the own vehicle, and enabling the own vehicle to be guided to a stop position which is not clear in detail by specification for each stopping frame by a beacon.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device 101 of the present invention comprises : a radio receiving unit 121 which receives radio waves transmitted from a plurality of beacons 201 from a plurality of antennas 102 mounted on the own vehicle 100; a position information acquisition unit 122 which obtains the position information on the beacon using the azimuth information on the radio waves received by a radio reception unit; and a guidance area estimation unit 124 which sets a diagonal line 301 of a rectangular area 302 from the position information and estimates a guidance area 312 from a diagonal line.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control device that performs automatic low-speed driving control of an automobile, for example. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, low-speed automatic driving control for automobiles uses on-board cameras and sonar to determine the vehicle's position and avoid contact with surrounding obstacles. When guiding a vehicle to a narrow space using low-speed automatic driving control, on-board cameras have weaknesses in distance accuracy and blind spots. Furthermore, sonar has a narrow measurement range, so in order to generate a precise map for low-speed automatic driving, it is necessary to repeatedly measure approaching and leaving the target stopping position multiple times. In addition, sonar has difficulty recognizing shapes such as fences, making it difficult to use for generating precise maps.

[0003] Patent Document 1 proposes a method of transmitting highly accurate map information to a stopping area (frame) to approaching automobiles for guidance. However, there is an error in the location of the vehicle on the map information, and passing through an obstacle when there is no margin of error is not taken into consideration. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-80142 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] For example, in urban areas or on private land, it is necessary to use low-speed automatic driving control to allow a vehicle to enter a narrow area surrounded by gateposts or obstacles and stop or pass through it. In such a situation, there is a need for a means to quickly and accurately recognize the area where the vehicle can enter. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The vehicle control device of the present invention, which solves the above-mentioned problems, is characterized by comprising a wireless receiving unit that receives radio waves transmitted from a plurality of wireless transmitters from a plurality of wireless receiving antennas mounted on a vehicle, a position information acquisition unit that obtains position information of the wireless transmitters using azimuth information of the radio waves received by the wireless receiving unit, and a guidance area estimation unit that sets a diagonal of a rectangular area from the position information and estimates a guidance area from the diagonal. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to guide a vehicle to a narrow area by low-speed automatic driving by rapid and precise positioning of the vehicle, and to guide a vehicle to a stopping position of unknown details by specifying each stopping frame by a beacon. Further features related to the present invention will become clear from the description of this specification and the attached drawings. In addition, problems, configurations and effects other than those described above will become clear from the description of the following embodiments. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle control device according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a vehicle control device. [Diagram 3] 5A to 5C are diagrams for explaining a method for estimating a guidance region by a guidance region estimation unit. [Figure 4] 5A to 5C are diagrams for explaining a method for estimating a guidance region by a guidance region estimation unit. [Diagram 5] 13 is a diagram showing an example in which an approach-permitted side and an approach-prohibited side are set in a guidance area; [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a guidance region. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a guidance region. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the principle of a method for determining the position of a wireless transmitter using multiple antennas. [Figure 9] FIG. [Figure 10] 4 is a flowchart illustrating a vehicle control method. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of the present embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] The vehicle control device of this embodiment controls, for example, an automobile to automatically travel at a low speed and to enter narrow areas such as urban areas or private land and to stop or pass through them.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle control device according to an embodiment. The vehicle control device 101 is mounted on a vehicle (own vehicle) 100. In this embodiment, the vehicle control device 101 is an ECU (Electronic Control Unit). ECU is an abbreviation for electronic control unit, and is an electronic control circuit having a microcomputer as a component. The vehicle control device 101 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 111, a memory 112, a non-volatile memory 113, an interface 114, and the like.

[0011] The CPU 111 includes at least one processor and / or circuit. The memory 112 includes, for example, a RAM (Random access memory). The non-volatile memory 113 includes, for example, a flash memory and a ROM (Read Only Memory). The CPU 111 uses the memory 112 as a work memory to execute program codes (instructions) stored in the non-volatile memory 113. This enables the CPU 111 to execute the processes described below.

[0012] The vehicle 100 has a plurality of antennas (radio receiving antennas) 102 for receiving radio signals from a radio transmitter, various sensors 103 for recognizing the outside world such as a sonar and a camera, and an actuator 127 for performing low-speed automatic driving. For example, the plurality of antennas 102 are attached to a total of three locations, namely, the front and rear of the vehicle body and a middle position between them, the sonars are attached to both the left and right sides of the front and rear of the vehicle body, and the cameras are attached so as to be able to capture images of the front through the windshield. The actuator 127 includes a driving actuator for adjusting the driving speed of the vehicle 100, a braking actuator for adjusting the braking force of the brakes, and a steering actuator for operating the steering wheels, and is configured to control the driving speed, braking force, and steering wheels in response to instructions from the vehicle control device 101.

[0013] (Configuration of vehicle control device) FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the vehicle control device. The vehicle control device 101 receives radio waves from the beacons 201 by using multiple antennas 102, creates high-precision map information, and controls the vehicle 100 to automatically travel at a low speed based on the high-precision map information. The beacons 201 are wireless transmitters that transmit radio waves including identification information (ID information), such as BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) beacons. In the case of a BLE beacon, the Bluetooth Direction Finding function of the Bluetooth standard 5.1 may be used.

[0014] The vehicle control device 101 performs various internal functions by the CPU 111 executing software programs stored in the non-volatile memory 113. The vehicle control device 101 has, as its internal functions, a wireless receiver 121, a position information acquisition unit 122, a target fusion unit 123, a guidance area estimation unit 124, a course estimation unit 125, and a control unit 126. The wireless receiver 121 receives radio waves including azimuth information from the multiple antennas 102.

[0015] The position information acquisition unit 122 obtains angle information from the phase difference between the antennas 102, and obtains information on the relative position (position information) of the beacon 201. The position information acquisition unit 122 can obtain coordinate position information of the beacon 201 by receiving radio waves from the beacon 201 at the antennas 102. The position information acquisition unit 122 can detect the direction of the beacon 201 with respect to the antennas 102 by receiving radio waves at each antenna 102.

[0016] The location information acquisition unit 122 can use trigonometry to obtain the distance from each antenna 102 to the beacon 201 and the narrow angle between the antennas 102 with the beacon 201 in between, using the distance between the two antennas 102 and the directions from each antenna 102 to one beacon 201. The beacon 201 is installed on a fixed object such as the ground or a curb. At least two beacons 201 are arranged in pairs at diagonal positions of a preset rectangular area.

[0017] The target fusion unit 123 integrates the position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit 122 and the environmental information obtained from the signals of the various sensors 103 to generate high-precision map information.

[0018] The guidance area estimation unit 124 estimates a guidance area to which the vehicle 100 is guided, based on the ID information acquired from each of the multiple beacons 201 and the coordinate positions of each beacon 201. A method for estimating the guidance area will be described later. Note that, in this embodiment, a configuration example in which high-precision map information is generated by the target fusion unit 123 is described, but the target fusion unit 123 may be omitted, and the position information acquisition unit 122 may generate high-precision map information using only the position information.

[0019] The path estimation unit 125 estimates the path of the host vehicle 100 according to the constraints of the estimated guidance area. The control unit 126 obtains actuator control amounts for driving the host vehicle 100 along the path estimated by the path estimation unit 125. The actuators respectively drive, for example, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, and a steering wheel, and the actuator control amounts include the control amounts of each actuator.

[0020] 3 and 4 are diagrams for explaining a method for estimating the guidance region by the guidance region estimation unit. The guidance area 312 is a rectangular area larger than the vehicle 100, and is a narrow area into which the vehicle 100 can enter at a low speed and stop or pass. The guidance area 312 has a shape obtained by enlarging the rectangular area 302 in a similar shape, for example, and the rectangular area 302 is set at a position that is a predetermined distance inward from each of the front, rear, left, and right sides. In the guidance area 312, the first beacon 201a and the second beacon 201b are installed at both ends of a diagonal 301 of the rectangular area 302. The coordinates of the diagonal 301 of the rectangular area 302 can be obtained from the coordinates of the first beacon 201a and the second beacon 201b, and the guidance area 312 can be obtained from the rectangular area 302.

[0021] When two first beacons 201a that output the same ID signal are arranged, two types of rectangular regions 302 are estimated as shown in Fig. 4(a) by only defining the diagonal line, so in this embodiment, the first beacon 201a and the second beacon 201b that output different ID signals are arranged. For example, the first beacon 201a is defined as a rectangle with the short side on the right side of the diagonal line when looking at the first beacon 201a from the second beacon 201b, and the orientation of the rectangle can be uniquely determined.

[0022] The guidance region estimation unit 124 sets a diagonal 301 of the rectangular region 302 based on ID information included in the signals output from the first beacon 201a and the second beacon 201b, and sets a guidance region 312 from the diagonal 301. The ID information of the first beacon 201a includes information for setting the rectangular region 302, such that, of the two sides sandwiching the diagonal 301 from the first beacon 201a, the right side of the diagonal 301 is a long side 302a with a radius Rb, and the left side is a short side 302b with a radius Ra. Similarly, the ID information of the second beacon 201b includes information that, of the two sides sandwiching the diagonal from the second beacon 201b, the right side of the diagonal 301 is a long side 302c, and the left side of the diagonal is a short side 302d. If information on the lengths of the long sides 302a, 302c and the short sides 302b, 302d can be obtained, the position of the other corner P1 can be obtained, and the orientation of the rectangular area 302 can be uniquely determined. The ID information of the beacon 201 can be input to the beacons 201a, 201b by a terminal device such as a smartphone.

[0023] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example in which approach-permitted sides and approach-prohibited sides are set in a guidance area. For example, when the guidance area is a virtual stopping frame, the ID information of the first beacon 201a and the second beacon 201b can include information on an entry permitted side A where the vehicle 100 can enter the guidance area 312 and an entry prohibited side B where the vehicle 100 cannot enter. The radio waves transmitted from each beacon 201 include ID information that specifies the entry permitted side A where the vehicle 100 can enter the guidance area 312 and the entry prohibited side B where the vehicle 100 cannot enter, for the four sides that define the guidance area 312.

[0024] In the example shown in Fig. 5(a), the long side 312c and the short side 312d are set as the approach-permitted side A, and the long side 312a and the short side 312b are set as the non-approachable side B. In the example shown in Fig. 5(b), the short side 312b and the short side 312d are set as the approach-permitted side A, in the example shown in Fig. 5(c), only the short side 312d is set as the approach-permitted side A, and in the example shown in Fig. 5(d), the short side 312b, the long side 312c, and the short side 312d are set as the approach-permitted side A. Although not shown, all of the long sides 312a, 312c, the short sides 312b, and 312d may be set as the approach-permitted side A.

[0025] The information on the entry-permitted side A and the non-enterable side B is input to the path estimation unit 125 as a constraint condition of the estimated guidance area, and is used for estimating a path in the path estimation unit 125. The path estimation unit 125 uses the information to estimate a path for the host vehicle 100 to enter the guidance area 312 by passing only the entry-permitted side A without crossing the non-enterable side B.

[0026] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a guidance area, in which the host vehicle passes through an area surrounded by gate pillars, where a precise host vehicle position needs to be acquired.

[0027] A pair of gateposts 402 attached to the fence 401 are slightly larger than the width of the host vehicle 100, and have a narrow gap between them such that the host vehicle 100 cannot pass through unless the left and right door mirrors of the host vehicle 100 are folded. A pair of beacons 201a, 201b are fixed to the road surface, and a guidance area 312 for the host vehicle 100 to pass between the pair of gateposts 402 is set. The signals of the beacons 201a, 201b include coordinate information indicating the positions of the beacons 201a, 201b, and ID information that defines sides 312d, 312b along the passage width direction between the pair of gateposts 402 as entry-permitted sides A and sides 312a, 312c along the traveling direction as non-entry sides B.

[0028] The vehicle control device 101 estimates the guidance area 312 based on the signals of the beacons 201a and 201b, and obtains a precise vehicle position relative to the guidance area 312. Then, the vehicle control device 101 estimates a course for the vehicle 100 to pass through the entry-permitted side A without contacting the entry-prohibited side B, enter the guidance area 312, and pass between the gateposts 402. Then, the vehicle control device 101 controls the vehicle 100 to automatically travel at a low speed along the estimated course.

[0029] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a guidance area, and shows an example of stopping the vehicle in an empty space. An empty space 412 adjacent to a building 411 is so large that the vehicle 100 cannot stop unless the left and right door mirrors of the vehicle 100 are folded. A pair of beacons 201a and 201b are fixed to the ground of the empty space 412, and a guidance area 312 for the vehicle 100 to enter and stop in the empty space 412 is set. The signals of the beacons 201a and 201b include coordinate information indicating the positions of the beacons 201a and 201b, and ID information that defines the outer sides 312c and 312d along the length and width directions of the empty space 412 as permitted entry sides A and the building side sides 312a and 312b as prohibited entry sides B.

[0030] The vehicle control device 101 estimates the guidance area 312 based on the signals of the beacons 201a and 201b, and acquires a precise position of the vehicle relative to the guidance area 312. Then, the vehicle control device 101 estimates a course for passing through the entry permitted side A without coming into contact with the entry prohibited side B, entering the guidance area 312, and stopping the vehicle 100 in the guidance area 312. Then, the vehicle control device 101 performs control for automatically traveling the vehicle 100 at a low speed along the estimated course. Therefore, even in a narrow space such as the empty space 412, it is possible to precisely recognize the relative position with the vehicle 100 and automatically stop the vehicle 100.

[0031] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the principle of a method for determining the position of a wireless transmitter from multiple antennas. A plurality of antennas 102 are installed on the vehicle 100. The plurality of antennas 102 are separately arranged at the front, rear, and intermediate positions of the vehicle 100, as shown in Fig. 8(a), for example. As shown in Fig. 8(b), the antennas are provided at different heights.

[0032] Radio waves from the beacon 201 are received by each antenna 102, and the angle with respect to the vehicle reference axis is calculated from the phase difference of the radio waves for each antenna 102, and the relative position of the beacon 201 can be calculated with high accuracy using trigonometry. In other words, since the mutual separation distances of the antennas 102 in the vehicle 100 are known, for example, the accurate relative position of the beacon 201 can be calculated by detecting the direction of the beacon 201 with respect to the vehicle center line 100a and the vehicle horizon 100b, which are the vehicle reference axes, with each antenna 102.

[0033] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a modified example. In the above embodiment, a planar guiding area is set by two beacons 201a and 201b. In this modification, a method of setting a three-dimensional non-guiding area by using a beacon 201c having area height information in its ID information will be described.

[0034] For example, as shown in FIG. 9(a), if there is an area where a beam 423 protrudes downward from a ceiling 422 and the height h1 from the ground to the beam 423 is lower than the vehicle height h2 of the vehicle 100, the vehicle 100 cannot pass under the beam 423. Two or more beacons 201a, 201c are installed in such an area to define it as a non-guiding area 313, and the vehicle is prevented from being guided through the area. The ID information transmitted from the beacon 201c includes information on the height h1 from the road surface 421 to the beam 423. The non-guiding area 313 forms a virtual cube having a rectangular surface along the road surface 421 and four rectangular surfaces rising vertically from each side.

[0035] The position information acquisition unit 122 of the vehicle control device 101 acquires the position information of the beacons 201a and 201c. Then, high-precision map information is generated based on ID information including height information of the beacon 201c. The guidance area estimation unit 124 sets a three-dimensional non-guidance area 313 into which a vehicle cannot enter, using ID information on the area heights of the beacons 201a and 201c. The path estimation unit 125 estimates a route L for traveling while avoiding the non-guidance area 313. In this way, in the modified example, an area is designated for a place where passage is problematic depending on the type of vehicle, such as a beam 423, and height information is added to the information transmitted from the beacon 201, making it possible to designate a three-dimensional area.

[0036] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating the vehicle control method. This flowchart shows an example of control when traveling near a rectangular area during low-speed automatic traveling. During low-speed automatic traveling, the vehicle 100 periodically switches the antenna 102 and monitors radio waves from the beacon 201 with the wireless receiver 121. The start of S501 is executed in a preset program cycle, thereby performing periodic monitoring operations. In S502, the presence or absence of a signal from the first beacon 201a is checked, and if no signal is received, the process proceeds to S510 and ends.

[0037] If a signal is received from the first beacon 201a, the process proceeds to S503, where a check is made to see if a signal is received from the second beacon 201b. If a signal is received from the second beacon 201b, the process acquires the coordinates of each of the beacons 201a and 201b based on their ID information in S504, and determines the rectangular area 302 and the guidance area 312. If there is no signal from the second beacon 201b, the process returns to S502.

[0038] In S505, information on the permitted entry side A and the forbidden entry side B of the guidance area 312 is obtained from the ID information of each beacon 201a, 201b. In S506, a route for automatic driving of the vehicle 100 is estimated, and in S507, it is checked whether the route allows the vehicle 100 to enter and exit the guidance area 312 without coming into contact with the forbidden entry side B.

[0039] If the vehicle 100 is to come into contact with the no-entry side B, the process returns to S506 and route estimation is performed again. If it is determined that the estimated route will not result in contact with the no-entry side B, the process continues automatic driving in accordance with instructions from the control unit 126 in S508. The process ends in S510. Note that, because reception checks of signals from the beacons are periodically performed, the coordinates of the guidance area 312 from the vehicle 100 are updated and corrected even during automatic driving.

[0040] Position information of the beacon 201 is adjusted by the input of various sensors 103 and the target fusion unit 123, and a rectangular area 302 indicated by the beacon 201 is obtained by a guidance area estimation unit 124. Then, according to the constraints (entry permitted side A, no-entry side B) of a guidance area 312 obtained from the rectangular area 302, a path estimation unit 125 determines a path for entering the guidance area 312, and a control signal is sent from a control unit 126 to an actuator 127 so as to follow the path, and the host vehicle 100 is steered.

[0041] Fig. 11 is a diagram showing another example of this embodiment. Fig. 11 shows an example in which a plurality of stopping frames H-1 to H-9 are arranged side by side and the host vehicle 100 travels along a route L.

[0042] In the above embodiment, passage through and stopping in narrow guidance areas was described. In the example shown in FIG. 11, however, wireless beacons 201a, 201b are installed at each of the stop frames H-1 to H-9, and an identification number is assigned to each stop frame so that each individual stop frame can be identified. The identification number information is stored in the ID information of the beacons 201a, 201b.

[0043] The guidance area estimation unit 124 identifies each individual stop frame based on the unique identification number assigned to each stop frame H-1 to H-9 contained in the radio waves of the beacons 201a and 201b. The path estimation unit 125 can create a path for stopping the vehicle 100 at the specified stop frame. Therefore, it becomes possible to specify each stop frame by the beacons 201a and 201b, and to guide the vehicle to a stop position whose details are unknown.

[0044] FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the prior art, and is an image diagram for explaining a method for stopping a vehicle at a specified position using an ultrasonic sensor. The ultrasonic sensors are installed at the four corners of the vehicle 100A. The ultrasonic sensors have a narrow detection range S1, and in order to create a high-precision map for guiding the vehicle 100A to the guidance area 442, it is necessary to obtain position information of the obstacle by moving the vehicle 100A toward and away from the obstacle multiple times. The ultrasonic sensor has a shape that is difficult to recognize, such as a fence, and as shown in FIG. 12(b), the heights h3 and h4 of a bay window 432 and a flower bed 433 of a house 431 do not match the height of the detection range S1 of the ultrasonic sensor, and the ultrasonic sensor may not be able to detect the obstacle.

[0045] The vehicle control device 101 of this embodiment receives the direction of radio waves transmitted from the beacon 201 with multiple antennas 102, calculates the relative position by trigonometry, and defines a rectangle by arranging two different types of beacons 201 on a diagonal 301 of a rectangular area 302. Then, it defines a guidance area 312 by expanding the rectangular area outward by a specified value, and specifies an entry permission side A of the guidance area 312 based on the ID information of the beacon 201. This makes it possible to quickly and accurately recognize the guidance area of ​​the vehicle, and allows the vehicle to enter a narrow area surrounded by a gatepost or an obstacle and stop or pass through it by low-speed automatic driving control.

[0046] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above in detail, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various design changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention described in the claims. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to those having all of the configurations described. In addition, it is possible to replace a part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. Furthermore, it is possible to add, delete, or replace a part of the configuration of each embodiment with another configuration. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 100... host vehicle, 101... vehicle control device, 102... antenna (wireless receiving antenna), 103... various sensors, 121... wireless receiver (wireless receiving unit), 122... position information acquisition unit, 123... target fusion unit, 124... guidance area estimation unit, 125... course estimation unit, 126... control unit, 127... actuator, 201... beacon (wireless transmitter), 201a... first beacon, 201b... second beacon, 301... diagonal line, 302... rectangular area, 312... guidance area

Claims

1. a wireless receiving unit that receives radio waves transmitted from a plurality of wireless transmitters through a plurality of wireless receiving antennas mounted on the vehicle; a location information acquisition unit that obtains location information of the wireless transmitter using directional information of the radio wave received by the wireless receiving unit; a guidance area estimation unit that sets a diagonal of a rectangular area based on the position information and estimates a guidance area from the diagonal; Equipped with The vehicle control device is characterized in that the guidance area estimation unit uses ID information of the radio waves to set an entry-permission edge through which the vehicle can enter the guidance area from among the four edges that define the guidance area.

2. a wireless receiving unit that receives radio waves transmitted from a plurality of wireless transmitters through a plurality of wireless receiving antennas mounted on the vehicle; a location information acquisition unit that obtains location information of the wireless transmitter using directional information of the radio wave received by the wireless receiving unit; a guidance area estimation unit that sets a diagonal of a rectangular area based on the position information and estimates a guidance area from the diagonal; Equipped with The vehicle control device is characterized in that the guidance area estimation unit sets a three-dimensional non-guidance area into which the vehicle cannot enter, using ID information regarding the area height of the radio waves from the wireless transmitter.

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