Vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and vehicle control system

Abstract

To provide a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a vehicle control system that are able to improve riding comfort and comfortableness in a vehicle.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a vehicle control system according to the present invention, acquire, as a first travel region, a target travel region in front of a vehicle, which is instructed by a recognition determination unit that recognizes and determines a surrounding situation of the vehicle; obtain a target speed and a target travel trajectory such that a magnitude of a lateral acceleration or a lateral jerk on a curved road becomes smaller than a predetermined value in the first travel region; acquire, as a second travel region, a target travel region in front of a vehicle, which is instructed by the recognition determination unit and has a region partially overlapping the first travel region, while the vehicle is traveling in the first travel region; and obtain a target speed and a target travel trajectory such that a magnitude of a lateral acceleration or a lateral jerk on a curved road is smaller than a predetermined value in the second travel region.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a vehicle control system. [Background technology]

[0002] The vehicle steering control device disclosed in Patent Document 1 sets a forward gaze point distance according to lane information and the driving state of the vehicle, calculates a first feedback gain for causing the vehicle to follow the driving lane based on this forward gaze point distance and the driving state of the vehicle, calculates a second feedback gain for correcting the lateral displacement of the vehicle at the current point based on the first feedback gain and a stability parameter, calculates a target yaw rate using the first feedback gain, the second feedback gain, the forward gaze point lateral displacement, and the current point lateral displacement, and calculates a steering angle of the vehicle based on this target yaw rate. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-107658 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in a system in which a recognition and judgment unit, which recognizes and judges the situation around the vehicle, generates a target driving trajectory based on the results of recognition and judgment, and a vehicle control unit, which controls the movement of the vehicle, controls the movement of the vehicle so that the vehicle drives along the target driving trajectory, there was a risk that the ride quality and comfort of the vehicle would be impaired depending on the target driving trajectory.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the conventional situation, and an object of the present invention is to improve the ride quality and comfort of a vehicle. Moreover, it is possible to indicate an appropriate driving area that reflects changes in the situation. The present invention provides a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a vehicle control system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, a target travel area in front of the vehicle in which the vehicle travels is instructed by a recognition and judgment unit that recognizes and judges a surrounding situation of the vehicle, and is acquired as a first travel area; and acquiring information on a minimum speed of the vehicle, a maximum speed of the vehicle, a maximum lateral acceleration, and a maximum lateral jerk of the vehicle at a predetermined position of the first traveling area instructed by the recognition judgment unit, together with information on the first traveling area; A lateral acceleration of the vehicle on a curved road in the first driving region. Or Magnitude of lateral jerk as small as possible within the ranges of the minimum speed of the vehicle, the maximum speed of the vehicle, the maximum lateral acceleration, and the maximum lateral jerk at a predetermined position in the first traveling area instructed by the recognition judgment unit. obtain a target speed and a target running trajectory of the vehicle, and output a control command for causing the vehicle to follow the target speed and the target running trajectory to an actuator unit that drives the vehicle; while the vehicle is running in the first running area, obtain a target running area in front of the vehicle instructed by the recognition and judgment unit, the target running area having an area partially overlapping with the first running area in front of the vehicle, as a second running area; and acquiring information on a minimum speed of the vehicle, a maximum speed of the vehicle, a maximum lateral acceleration, and a maximum lateral jerk of the vehicle at a predetermined position in the second traveling area instructed by the recognition judgment unit, together with information on the second traveling area; Within the second driving region, the lateral acceleration of the vehicle on a curved road Or Magnitude of lateral jerk as small as possible within the ranges of the minimum speed of the vehicle, the maximum speed of the vehicle, the maximum lateral acceleration, and the maximum lateral jerk at a predetermined position in the second traveling area instructed by the recognition judgment unit. A target speed and a target running trajectory of the vehicle are obtained, and a control command for causing the vehicle to follow the target speed and the target running trajectory is output to the actuator unit. and acquiring the second driving area after the vehicle has traveled in the first driving area for a predetermined time, and acquiring the second driving area without waiting for the predetermined time of travel when the recognition and judgment unit acquires information on a predetermined situation change in road surface information or object information ahead of the vehicle while the vehicle is traveling in the first driving area. . Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the ride quality and comfort of a vehicle. Moreover, it is possible to indicate an appropriate driving area that reflects changes in the situation. do. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a vehicle control system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a trajectory tracking control unit. [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of a target command. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of a target command. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the state of track machining within a target traveling area. [Figure 6] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating an example of setting a target driving trajectory and a target vehicle speed according to road surface information. [Figure 7] 11 is a diagram showing the difference between a driving trajectory based on a target driving area and a trajectory with respect to the center of a lane. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a difference in curvature due to a running trajectory. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a difference in yaw rate depending on a running trajectory. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a difference in lateral acceleration depending on a running trajectory. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a difference in lateral jerk depending on a running trajectory. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a process of updating a target traveling area. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a basic setting of a target traveling area. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the correlation between an object area and a target traveling area. [Figure 15] 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating update of a target traveling area due to a change in the state of an object. [Figure 16] 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating an update of a target traveling area after a change in the state of an object. [Figure 17] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which a target driving area is set beyond a lane. [Figure 18] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the correlation between a collision risk area (specifically, a jump-out warning area) and a target traveling area. [Figure 19] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the correlation between a collision risk area (specifically, an object on a road shoulder) and a target driving area. [Figure 20] 13 is a diagram showing how a travel trajectory is set when a plurality of objects exist within a target travel area. FIG. [Figure 21] 13 is a diagram showing how a driving trajectory is set when an object and a road surface offset exist within a target driving area. FIG. [Figure 22] 13 is a diagram showing how a driving trajectory is set when an object and a low μ road surface are present within a target driving area. FIG. [Diagram 23]13 is a diagram showing a case where a recommended trajectory instructed by a recognition and determination unit is set as a travel trajectory. FIG. [Figure 24] 13 is a diagram showing a traveling trajectory in a case where an object is present on a recommended trajectory instructed by a recognition determination unit; FIG. [Diagram 25] 13 is a diagram showing a driving trajectory when a deterioration factor regarding ride comfort, etc. is present on a recommended trajectory instructed by a recognition and judgment unit. FIG. [Figure 26] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a target driving trajectory as an area including the possibility of a vehicle driving. [Figure 27] FIG. 27 is a diagram showing the setting state of the travelability at point I in FIG. 26. [Figure 28] FIG. 27 is a diagram showing the setting state of the travelability at point II in FIG. 26. [Figure 29] FIG. 27 is a diagram showing the setting state of the travelability at point III in FIG. 26. [Diagram 30] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle control system having one control unit equipped with two microcomputers. [Diagram 31] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle control system in which a first logic as a recognition and judgment unit and a second logic as a control unit are mounted on one microcomputer. [Diagram 32] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a vehicle control system showing one embodiment of functional allocation to two microcomputers. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a vehicle control system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of a vehicle control system 200. The vehicle control system 200 is a system that is mounted on a vehicle 100, such as a four-wheeled automobile, and controls the movement of the vehicle 100.

[0010] The vehicle control system 200 includes an external environment recognition unit 300, a vehicle motion detection unit 400, an automatic driving control unit 500, a vehicle motion control unit 600, and an actuator unit 700. As described below, the autonomous driving control unit 500 is a higher-level unit that provides target commands to the vehicle motion control unit 600, and the vehicle motion control unit 600 is a lower-level unit that receives target commands from the autonomous driving control unit 500.

[0011] The external environment recognition unit 300 is a device for acquiring external environment information of the vehicle 100. The external environment recognition unit 300 includes, for example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiving unit 310, a map database 320, a road-to-vehicle communication device 330, a camera 340, a radar 350, and a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging, Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging) 360.

[0012] The GPS receiver 310 measures the latitude and longitude of the position of the vehicle 100 by receiving signals from GPS satellites. The map database 320 is formed in a storage device installed in the vehicle 100 . The map information in the map database 320 includes information on road positions, road shapes, intersection positions, and the like.

[0013] The road-to-vehicle communication device 330 transmits information about the vehicle 100 to a roadside unit, and receives road traffic information such as curves and intersections from the roadside unit. The external environment recognition unit 300 may include a communication device that acquires road traffic information, behavior information of other vehicles, and the like from other vehicles.

[0014] The camera 340 may be a stereo camera, a monocular camera, a full-surrounding camera, or the like, and captures images of the surroundings of the vehicle 100 to obtain image information of the surroundings of the vehicle 100. The radar 350 and the LiDAR 360 detect objects around the vehicle 100 and output information about the detected objects.

[0015] The vehicle motion detection unit 400 includes a wheel speed sensor 410, an acceleration sensor 420, and the like. The wheel speed sensor 410 is a sensor that detects the rotation speed of each wheel of the vehicle 100 , and the detection result of the wheel speed sensor 410 is used in the calculation of the estimated speed of the vehicle 100 .

[0016] It should be noted that instead of the wheel speed sensor 410 or together with the wheel speed sensor 410, a vehicle speed sensor that detects the speed of the vehicle 100 may be provided. Further, the acceleration sensor 420 detects the longitudinal acceleration, lateral acceleration (in other words, left and right acceleration), vertical acceleration, yaw rate, pitch rate, roll rate, lateral jerk, and the like of the vehicle 100.

[0017] The autonomous driving control unit 500 is an electronic control device mainly composed of a microcomputer 540 that performs calculations based on input information and outputs the calculation results. The microcomputer 540 is equipped with an MPU (Microprocessor Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc., which are not shown in the figure. The microcomputer 540 of the autonomous driving control unit 500 acquires external environment recognition signals such as position information of the vehicle 100, road shape information, road surface information, and object information from the external environment recognition unit 300, and also acquires vehicle motion detection signals (in other words, vehicle behavior detection signals) such as speed and acceleration from the vehicle motion detection unit 400. Then, the microcomputer 540 of the automatic driving control unit 500 calculates a target command based on the acquired information, and outputs the calculated target command to the vehicle motion control unit 600.

[0018] The microcomputer 540 of the autonomous driving control unit 500 has the functions of a surrounding situation recognition unit 510, an action planning unit 520, and a goal generation unit 530 as software. The surrounding situation recognition unit 510 recognizes the situation around the host vehicle based on the external environment recognition signal from the external environment recognition unit 300 and the vehicle motion detection signal from the vehicle motion detection unit 400.

[0019] The conditions around the vehicle recognized by the surrounding condition recognition unit 510 include information such as the curvature of the road, the road surface cant, the road surface gradient, the friction coefficient μ of the road surface, the positions of the left and right lane markers, the positions of the left and right road edges, moving objects, and stationary objects. The above-mentioned moving objects include, for example, pedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles, other vehicles, etc., and the above-mentioned stationary objects include, for example, fallen objects on the road, traffic lights, guard rails, curbs, road signs, trees, billboards, etc.

[0020] The behavior planning unit 520 acquires the recognition result from the surrounding situation recognition unit 510, and creates a behavior plan for the vehicle 100, including the selection of a driving lane and a traveling direction at intersections and branching points. Then, the goal generating unit 530 determines a goal command to be output to the vehicle motion control unit 600 based on the situation around the host vehicle recognized and determined by the surrounding situation recognizing unit 510 and the action plan created by the action planning unit 520.

[0021] Here, the target command that the target generator 530 issues to the vehicle motion control unit 600 includes a command for specifying the driving area ahead of the vehicle 100 . In other words, the microcomputer 540 of the autonomous driving control unit 500 corresponds to a recognition and judgment unit that recognizes and judges the situation around the vehicle based on the external environment information of the vehicle 100 acquired by the external environment recognition unit 300, and outputs driving area instruction information as a target command.

[0022] Similar to the autonomous driving control unit 500, the vehicle motion control unit 600 is an electronic control device mainly composed of a microcomputer 630 which performs calculations based on input information and outputs the calculation results, and the microcomputer 630 is equipped with an MPU, ROM, RAM, etc., which are not shown in the figure. The microcomputer 630 of the vehicle motion control unit 600 is a vehicle control device having a function as a control section.

[0023] The control section receives a target command including driving area instruction information from the autonomous driving control unit 500, and outputs a control command to the actuator section 700 for driving the vehicle 100 at a speed and on a driving trajectory based on the specifications related to the driving of the vehicle 100. Here, the specifications related to the vehicle running are physical quantities that minimize the lateral acceleration or lateral jerk generated in the vehicle 100.

[0024] The microcomputer 630 of the vehicle motion control unit 600 has the functions of a trajectory processing section 610 and a trajectory following control section 620 as software. The trajectory processing unit 610 generates a target driving trajectory for the vehicle within a driving area instructed by the automatic driving control unit 500, and also sets a target vehicle speed.

[0025] Here, the trajectory processing unit 610 sets a target driving trajectory and a target vehicle speed as driving trajectory and vehicle speed that make the lateral acceleration or lateral jerk as small as possible (in other words, minimize the lateral acceleration or lateral jerk) within the driving area instructed by the autonomous driving control unit 500, for example. Furthermore, when an object is present within the driving area instructed by the autonomous driving control unit 500, the trajectory processing unit 610 determines a route along which the vehicle 100 will travel while avoiding the object as a target driving trajectory.

[0026] The trajectory tracking control unit 620 calculates control commands, i.e., steering commands, acceleration or deceleration commands, for causing the vehicle 100 to follow the target driving trajectory and target vehicle speed set by the trajectory processing unit 610, and outputs the calculated control commands to the actuator unit 700. The actuator section 700 includes an internal combustion engine 710 and a motor 720 that generate the driving force for the vehicle 100, a braking device 730 that applies braking force to the vehicle 100, an electronically controlled power steering device 740 for changing the direction of travel of the vehicle 100, and an electronically controlled suspension 750 that can adjust the damping force and vehicle height.

[0027] It should be noted that the motor 720 can be operated as a generator to apply a braking force (in other words, a regenerative braking force) to the vehicle 100. The actuator section 700 generates a driving force, a braking force, a steering force, etc. in response to a control command from the trajectory tracking control section 620 .

[0028] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the details of the trajectory tracking control unit 620. As shown in FIG. The trajectory tracking control unit 620 includes a self-position estimating unit 621 , a curvature calculating unit 622 , a closest point calculating unit 623 , an attitude angle calculating unit 624 , a relative position calculating unit 625 , and an actuator command unit 626 .

[0029] The self-position estimation unit 621 estimates the position of the vehicle 100 by so-called dead reckoning based on the integral values ​​of the wheel speed, yaw rate, longitudinal acceleration, lateral acceleration, and the like obtained from the vehicle motion detection unit 400, for example. The curvature calculation unit 622 calculates the curvature and the curvature change of the target traveling trajectory set by the trajectory processing unit 610.

[0030] The closest point calculation unit 623 finds the closest point, which is the point on the target travel trajectory that is closest to the position of the vehicle 100 . Based on the curvature and curvature change of the target driving trajectory calculated by the curvature calculation unit 622, the attitude angle calculation unit 624 calculates the attitude angle of the vehicle 100 required to align the traveling direction of the vehicle 100 at the closest point calculated by the closest point calculation unit 623 with the yaw angle of the closest point, i.e., the tangent direction of the target trajectory. The attitude angle is the angle between the traveling direction of the vehicle 100 and the longitudinal axis direction of the vehicle 100.

[0031] The relative position calculation unit 625 calculates the relative position of the closest point calculated by the closest point calculation unit 623 with respect to the position of the host vehicle estimated by the self-position estimation unit 621 . Then, the actuator command unit 626 corrects the yaw angle of the closest point based on the attitude angle calculated by the attitude angle calculation unit 624, generates a steering command and an acceleration or deceleration command for passing through the closest point at the target vehicle speed and the corrected yaw angle, and outputs the generated commands to the actuator unit 700. The steering command output by the actuator command unit 626 includes, for example, a yaw rate command, a left / right position command, and a yaw angle command.

[0032] The autonomous driving control unit 500 can instruct the vehicle motion control unit 600 to specify the driving area as between the left and right lane markers (in other words, white lines) on the road, or between the left and right road edges on the road. In other words, the autonomous driving control unit 500 can set the area within the lane, which is recognized, for example, between lane markers, as the basic driving area.

[0033] Furthermore, if there is an object in the lane recognized between the lane markers, for example, the autonomous driving control unit 500 can indicate the driving area as an area excluding the object. The above-mentioned objects include, for example, stopped vehicles, preceding vehicles, oncoming vehicles, fallen objects, installed objects, trees, utility poles, pedestrians, and signs.

[0034] In addition, the autonomous driving control unit 500 can, for example, be on the alert for an object suddenly appearing from behind the object, set the shadow of the object as a collision risk area, and specify the driving area as an area excluding such collision risk area. Furthermore, when there is an area ahead of the vehicle 100 that could not be recognized, the autonomous driving control unit 500 can indicate the driving area as an area excluding that area.

[0035] Furthermore, the autonomous driving control unit 500 can include road surface information, object information, and the like in the target command that it outputs to the vehicle motion control unit 600. Here, the road surface information refers to information such as the road surface friction coefficient μ, road surface cant, road surface inclination, road surface undulation, road surface unevenness, speed bumps, and potholes. Moreover, the object information is information about objects located within the driving area, such as other vehicles, pedestrians, obstacles, fallen objects, and signs.

[0036] Furthermore, the autonomous driving control unit 500 can include information on maximum or minimum values ​​of the vehicle speed, lateral acceleration, lateral jerk, etc. at a predetermined position in the driving area in the target command output to the vehicle motion control unit 600. In this case, the vehicle motion control unit 600 determines a target driving trajectory that allows the vehicle 100 to travel within the driving area instructed by the autonomous driving control unit 500 with the lateral acceleration and lateral jerk instructed by the autonomous driving control unit 500.

[0037] FIG. 3 shows an example of the contents of a target command that the autonomous driving control unit 500 outputs to the vehicle motion control unit 600. In the target command illustrated in FIG. 3, the travel area is specified by specifying a combination of position information of the left and right ends of the travel area at positions a predetermined distance away from the current position of the vehicle 100.

[0038] Here, the autonomous driving control unit 500 indicates combinations of position information of the left and right ends of the driving area as points at the minimum interval or the minimum time interval, whichever is longer, and the total number of combinations of position information of the left and right ends of the driving area is determined as a predetermined number, a number corresponding to a predetermined distance, or a number corresponding to a predetermined time. In addition, in the example shown in FIG. 3, road surface information such as the road surface cant, road surface inclination, and road surface friction coefficient μ at the point represented by the position information is added to each piece of position information of the left and right ends indicating the driving area.

[0039] However, the driving area is not limited to being indicated by position information of the left and right ends at the same position, but the left end position information and the right end position information are given individually as information at different points. In other words, the driving area indication information can be information that is not synchronized with the left end position information and the right end position information. FIG. 4 shows the contents of a target command in a case where the left end position information and the right end position information of the travel area are information on different points.

[0040] Here, the target command shown in FIG. 4 includes information such as maximum speed, minimum speed, maximum lateral acceleration, and maximum lateral jerk for each predetermined point. For example, the maximum speed is the legal maximum speed, and the minimum speed is the legal minimum speed or a predetermined minimum speed to avoid disrupting the flow of traffic. Also, for example, the maximum lateral acceleration of vehicle 100 is a value set based on the ride comfort of vehicle 100 and the maximum lateral acceleration permitted in autonomous driving, and the maximum lateral jerk of vehicle 100 is a value set based on the ride comfort of vehicle 100, etc.

[0041] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a driving area instructed by the automatic driving control unit 500 and a target driving trajectory set by the vehicle motion control unit 600 on a curved road. In Figure 5, the shaded area is the driving area specified by the autonomous driving control unit 500, which specifies the driving area as an area within the lane excluding the area of ​​object OB, indicated by a triangle in the figure, and avoiding oncoming vehicles 180.

[0042] Here, the vehicle motion control unit 600 causes the vehicle 100 to travel within the designated travel area at a vehicle speed and on a trajectory based on the specifications related to the travel of the vehicle 100. Therefore, the vehicle motion control unit 600 can appropriately select a speed and trajectory that can maintain safety based on the object information and provide a comfortable ride by suppressing the maximum lateral jerk, etc.

[0043] FIG. 6 also illustrates an example of a target vehicle speed and a target driving trajectory set by the vehicle motion control unit 600 when the information on the driving area instructed by the autonomous driving control unit 500 includes road surface information. FIG. 6 illustrates an example of the result of vehicle behavior control by vehicle motion control unit 600 when there are potholes, speed bumps, and undulations in the driving area ahead of vehicle 100 on a straight road, and the relevant road surface information is provided to vehicle motion control unit 600 from autonomous driving control unit 500 together with an indication of the driving area.

[0044] In the example shown in FIG. 6, the vehicle motion control unit 600 sets a target driving trajectory that avoids potholes, and also sets a target vehicle speed so as to decelerate the vehicle 100 before speed bumps and before swells, and controls the actuator section 700 in accordance with the set target driving trajectory and target vehicle speed. If the vehicle 100 travels according to the above-mentioned target travel trajectory and target vehicle speed, the occurrence of large vertical acceleration (in other words, vertical vibration) when passing over potholes, speed bumps, and undulations can be suppressed, improving the ride comfort of the vehicle 100.

[0045] It should be noted that the vehicle motion control unit 600 can set a target vehicle speed for accelerating the vehicle 100 in front of the pothole, instead of setting a trajectory that goes around the pothole. By accelerating the vehicle 100 in front of the pothole, it is possible to prevent the tires of the vehicle 100 from falling into the pothole, and to suppress the occurrence of vertical acceleration of the vehicle 100.

[0046] FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a driving trajectory on a curved road when the vehicle motion control unit 600 drives the vehicle 100 at a vehicle speed and trajectory that minimizes the lateral acceleration or lateral jerk within a driving area instructed by the autonomous driving control unit 500. 8 to 11 are diagrams showing the differences in the curvature, yaw rate, lateral acceleration, and lateral jerk of the driving trajectory, that is, the differences in the behavior of the vehicle 100, when the vehicle 100 is driven along a target driving trajectory that traces the center of the lane and when the vehicle 100 is driven along a target driving trajectory that minimizes the lateral jerk.

[0047] In order to reduce the lateral jerk when the vehicle 100 travels on a curved road, it is necessary to reduce the curvature of the travel path of the vehicle 100. For this reason, when the vehicle motion control unit 600 sets a target driving trajectory that minimizes the lateral jerk within the driving area instructed by the autonomous driving control unit 500, the vehicle motion control unit 600 sets the target driving trajectory so that the curvature of the driving trajectory within the instructed driving area is as small as possible, in other words, so that the vehicle 100 drives along a line that is as close to a straight line as possible.

[0048] Specifically, in the case of the left curve shown in FIG. 7, the vehicle motion control unit 600 sets the target driving trajectory so that the vehicle 100 enters the curve from the right side of the driving area, then aims for the inside of the curve, and at the exit of the curve again drives on the right side of the driving area, in other words, an out-in-out driving line. By setting such a target driving trajectory, the curvature of the driving trajectory of the vehicle 100 (specifically, the maximum value of the curvature) becomes smaller than when the vehicle 100 travels on a target driving trajectory that traces the center of the lane as shown in FIG.

[0049] If the curvature of the driving trajectory becomes smaller, the yaw rate generated when the vehicle 100 is driving on a curved road becomes smaller, as shown in FIG. 9, and the lateral acceleration generated when the vehicle 100 is driving on a curved road becomes smaller, as shown in FIG. 10, and further, the lateral jerk generated when the vehicle 100 is driving on a curved road becomes smaller, as shown in FIG. 11. Therefore, when a target driving trajectory is set that minimizes the lateral acceleration or lateral jerk within the specified driving area, the ride quality and comfort of the vehicle 100 can be improved compared to when the center of the lane is set as the target driving trajectory.

[0050] FIG. 12 shows a method of instructing a driving area from the automatic driving control unit 500 to the vehicle motion control unit 600, in other words, a method of transferring information on the driving area. The autonomous driving control unit 500 instructs the vehicle motion control unit 600 of a driving area (in other words, the first driving area) at time t1, and then instructs the vehicle motion control unit 600 of the next driving area (in other words, the second driving area) before the vehicle 100 passes through the instructed driving area, in other words, at time t2 while the vehicle 100 is driving through the previously instructed driving area.

[0051] Therefore, the driving area instructed by the autonomous driving control unit 500 at time t2 will have an area that partially overlaps with the driving area instructed at the previous time t1. Furthermore, after designating a driving area at time t2, the autonomous driving control unit 500 designates the next driving area at time t3, and thereafter periodically repeats designating driving areas in the same manner. Then, the vehicle motion control unit 600 sequentially acquires information on the driving area from the autonomous driving control unit 500, sets a target driving trajectory that minimizes the lateral acceleration or lateral jerk, and outputs a control command to the actuator unit 700 to drive the vehicle 100 along the target driving trajectory.

[0052] Here, the automatic driving control unit 500 instructs the vehicle motion control unit 600 of the next driving area after the vehicle 100 has driven the previously instructed driving area for a predetermined period of time. In other words, after the vehicle 100 has traveled in the previously instructed traveling area for a predetermined period of time, the vehicle motion control unit 600 acquires a traveling area that has an area that partially overlaps with the previously instructed traveling area.

[0053] The autonomous driving control unit 500 can instruct the vehicle motion control unit 600 on the next driving area after the vehicle 100 has traveled a predetermined distance in the previously instructed driving area. In addition, the autonomous driving control unit 500 calculates the timing for indicating a driving area based on time and the timing for indicating a driving area based on a driving distance, and can, for example, indicate a new driving area to the vehicle motion control unit 600 at the earlier of the two timings.

[0054] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a method for creating a basic driving area by the automatic driving control unit 500. The autonomous driving control unit 500 sets the area between the left and right lane markers RL and RR on the road ahead of the vehicle 100, or between the left and right road edges on the road ahead of the vehicle 100, as a driving area, as shown in FIG.

[0055] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a method for creating a driving area by the autonomous driving control unit 500 when some object is present within a standard driving area set as the left and right lane markers RL and RR. When an object is present within the standard driving area, the autonomous driving control unit 500 designates an area that does not include the object, that is, an area obtained by excluding the area of ​​the object from the standard driving area, as the driving area.

[0056] The example shown in FIG. 14 is a case where another vehicle 110 enters from a side road into the lane in which the vehicle 100 ahead of the vehicle 100 is traveling (in other words, into a standard driving area). At this time, the automatic driving control unit 500 instructs the vehicle motion control unit 600 as the driving area the area obtained by excluding the area in which the other vehicle 110 exists (that is, the object area) from the standard driving area. Then, the vehicle motion control unit 600 sets a target driving trajectory within the driving area instructed by the automatic driving control unit 500, thereby causing the host vehicle to travel on a trajectory that avoids other vehicles 110.

[0057] When an object is moving, the autonomous driving control unit 500 can change the size of the area to be excluded from the standard driving area depending on the direction and speed of movement. In addition, when an object is present within the standard driving area, the autonomous driving control unit 500 can instruct the vehicle motion control unit 600 on information about the area excluding the object area from the standard driving area, and can also instruct the vehicle motion control unit 600 on information about the standard driving area and information about the object area (in other words, information about the area to be excluded from the standard driving area).

[0058] 15 and 16 are diagrams showing a method for creating and indicating a driving area by the autonomous driving control unit 500 when a predetermined situation change occurs regarding object information. As shown in FIG. 13, it is assumed that there is no object within the standard driving area, and the autonomous driving control unit 500 instructs the vehicle motion control unit 600 to use the standard driving area as the final target driving area, and then, as shown in FIG. 15, another vehicle 110 jumps out from a side road into the lane in which the vehicle 100 is driving.

[0059] At this time, as shown in FIG. 15, the autonomous driving control unit 500 promptly instructs the vehicle motion control unit 600 of a new driving area, that is, a driving area excluding the object area in which other vehicles 110 exist from the lane in which the vehicle 100 is driving, without waiting for the timing of instructing the reference driving area, to set a target driving trajectory that avoids the other vehicles 110. When the autonomous driving control unit 500 instructs the vehicle motion control unit 600 to specify a new driving area based on the sudden change in circumstances as described above, the autonomous driving control unit 500 can instruct the vehicle motion control unit 600 to specify a driving area that is shorter than the standard area.

[0060] Then, the autonomous driving control unit 500 instructs the vehicle motion control unit 600 to specify a new driving area before the vehicle 100 passes through the specified driving area, as shown in FIG. 16, after instructing the vehicle 100 to specify a driving area that is shorter than the standard driving area based on a sudden change in the situation. The examples shown in Figures 15 and 16 are cases where a situation change occurs in object information, but even if a situation change occurs regarding road surface information that is not reflected in the previously specified driving area, the autonomous driving control unit 500 can specify a new driving area that reflects the situation change regardless of the time elapsed (or distance traveled) since the previous driving area was specified.

[0061] FIG. 17 illustrates an example in which a traveling area including areas extending beyond the standard traveling area on both the left and right sides is specified. The example shown in FIG. 17 is a case where another vehicle 110 enters the lane in which the vehicle 100 is traveling, making it difficult for the vehicle 100 to travel while avoiding the other vehicle 110 in the same lane.

[0062] At this time, in order to drive the vehicle while avoiding other vehicles 110, the autonomous driving control unit 500 instructs the vehicle 100 to go beyond the lane in which the vehicle 100 is driving and to specify a driving area that includes adjacent lanes (more specifically, an overtaking lane, an oncoming lane, etc.). In other words, when an object such as another vehicle 110 is present in the own lane and it is difficult to drive the vehicle 100 while avoiding the object within the own lane, the autonomous driving control unit 500 instructs the vehicle motion control unit 600 of the driving area that extends beyond the own lane into the adjacent lane if conditions are met, such as there being no vehicles driving in the adjacent lane.

[0063] Then, the vehicle motion control unit 600 sets a target driving trajectory within the driving area instructed by the autonomous driving control unit 500, thereby causing the vehicle 100 to travel on a driving trajectory that avoids objects present in the vehicle's own lane. In addition, when the autonomous driving control unit 500 is unable to indicate a driving area that extends into the adjacent lane, for example when there is no adjacent lane or when another vehicle is driving in the adjacent lane, the autonomous driving control unit 500 outputs a braking command to the vehicle motion control unit 600 to stop the vehicle 100 in front of an object present in the lane.

[0064] FIG. 18 shows a case where a warning area for sudden obstacles is set as a collision risk area as one mode of a case where a driving area obtained by excluding a collision risk area from a standard driving area is specified. The example shown in Figure 18 is a situation in which a signboard 120 is erected on the left side of the standard driving area (in other words, the vehicle's lane), and there is concern that pedestrians may jump out into the vehicle's lane from behind the signboard 120, which is a blind spot.

[0065] At this time, the autonomous driving control unit 500 sets a collision risk area (in other words, a warning area for sudden emergence) from the rear side of the signboard 120, which is in the blind spot, toward the vehicle's lane, and instructs the vehicle motion control unit 600 to determine the driving area as the area obtained by excluding the collision risk area from the standard driving area. As a result, the vehicle motion control unit 600 causes the host vehicle to travel on a trajectory that avoids collision risk areas (specifically, obstacle warning areas) in advance, and the traveling safety of the vehicle 100 is improved.

[0066] FIG. 19 shows a case where an area near an object present on the road shoulder is set as a collision risk area as one example of a case where a driving area obtained by excluding a collision risk area from a standard driving area is specified. The example shown in FIG. 19 is a case where a high wall 130 stands on the right side of the road shoulder, but this wall 130 does not directly impede driving.

[0067] Here, the autonomous driving control unit 500 can set the area near the wall 130 as a collision risk area so that the vehicle 100 does not drive near the wall 130, and instruct the vehicle motion control unit 600 on a driving area that avoids the area near the wall 130. As a result, the vehicle motion control unit 600 drives the vehicle along a path that avoids passing near objects such as the wall 130.

[0068] 20-22 illustrate examples where the target command that the autonomous driving control unit 500 issues to the vehicle motion control unit 600 includes road surface information and / or object information ahead of the vehicle 100 in addition to a command for the driving area. FIG. 20 illustrates an example in which a plurality of objects exist within the travel area, and a signboard 120 and a stopped vehicle 140 exist within the travel area ahead of the vehicle 100. In FIG.

[0069] In such a situation, the automatic driving control unit 500 instructs the vehicle motion control unit 600 on the driving area, and also instructs the vehicle motion control unit 600 on the position and size of the signboard 120 and the position and size of the stopped vehicle 140 as object information. The vehicle motion control unit 600, which has been instructed to specify the object information along with the driving area, sets a target driving trajectory that is within the instructed driving area and avoids objects such as a signboard 120 or a stopped vehicle 140 that exist within the driving area.

[0070] FIG. 21 illustrates a case where a signboard 120 exists as an object within the travel area, and a road surface cant 150 exists partially within the travel area. The road surface cant 150 is the inclination of the road surface in the left-right direction. In this case, the autonomous driving control unit 500 instructs the vehicle motion control unit 600 on the driving area, and also instructs the vehicle motion control unit 600 on information such as the position and size of the signboard 120 as object information, and further instructs the vehicle motion control unit 600 on information such as the area, inclination angle, and inclination direction of the road surface cant 150 as road surface information.

[0071] The vehicle motion control unit 600, which has been instructed to provide the object information and road surface information along with the driving area, sets a target driving trajectory within the instructed driving area, taking into consideration the object information and the road surface information. Here, the vehicle motion control unit 600 sets a target driving trajectory so as to avoid the signboard 120 within the driving area. Furthermore, if it is possible to drive while avoiding the road surface cant 150, the vehicle motion control unit 600 sets a target driving trajectory that avoids the area of ​​the road surface cant 150, and if it is difficult to drive while avoiding the road surface cant 150, the vehicle motion control unit 600 selects as the target driving trajectory a trajectory that passes through the road surface cant 150 and provides the best possible ride comfort.

[0072] FIG. 22 illustrates a case where a signboard 120 exists as an object within the travel area, and a road surface 160 with a low coefficient of friction μ (hereinafter referred to as a low μ road surface 160) exists partially within the travel area. The low μ road surface 160 is a road surface on which puddles, ice, snow accumulation or compacted snow has occurred, and further, a road surface on which sand or fallen leaves have been blown.

[0073] In this case, the autonomous driving control unit 500 instructs the vehicle motion control unit 600 on the driving area, and also instructs the vehicle motion control unit 600 on information such as the position and size of the signboard 120 as object information, and further instructs the vehicle motion control unit 600 on information such as the area of ​​the low μ road surface 160 as road surface information. The vehicle motion control unit 600, which has been instructed to provide the object information and road surface information along with the driving area, sets a target driving trajectory within the instructed driving area, taking into consideration the object information and the road surface information.

[0074] Here, the vehicle motion control unit 600 sets a target driving trajectory so as to avoid the signboard 120 within the driving area. Furthermore, if it is possible to drive while avoiding the low μ road surface 160, the vehicle motion control unit 600 sets a target driving trajectory that avoids areas of the low μ road surface 160, and if it is difficult to drive while avoiding the low μ road surface 160, the vehicle motion control unit 600 selects as the target driving trajectory a trajectory that passes through the low μ road surface 160 and provides the best possible ride comfort.

[0075] Incidentally, the autonomous driving control unit 500 can instruct the vehicle motion control unit 600 on the driving area (and road surface information and object information) and can also instruct the vehicle motion control unit 600 on a recommended trajectory, which is a driving trajectory recommended within the driving area. Then, when the vehicle motion control unit 600 determines that it is possible to run the vehicle 100 along the instructed recommended trajectory and that the recommended trajectory does not pose any deteriorating factors related to ride quality, comfort, car sickness, etc., it outputs a control command to run the vehicle 100 along the recommended trajectory.

[0076] On the other hand, if the vehicle motion control unit 600 determines that it is not possible to drive the vehicle 100 along the recommended trajectory instructed, and / or if it determines that the recommended trajectory contains factors that may deteriorate ride quality, comfort, car sickness, etc., then the vehicle motion control unit 600 independently determines a target driving trajectory that is different from the recommended trajectory. In other words, if the vehicle motion control unit 600 determines that it is not possible to cause the vehicle 100 to travel along the recommended trajectory instructed by the autonomous driving control unit 500, it determines a new target traveling trajectory that the vehicle 100 can follow in place of the recommended trajectory.

[0077] In addition, when the vehicle motion control unit 600 determines that there is a driving trajectory that can improve the ride comfort, etc., more than the recommended trajectory instructed by the automatic driving control unit 500, it finds a target driving trajectory that has better ride comfort, etc., instead of the recommended trajectory. Then, the vehicle motion control unit 600 outputs a control command for causing the vehicle 100 to travel along the independently determined target travel trajectory.

[0078] 23 to 25 show setting of a target driving trajectory in the vehicle motion control unit 600 when the autonomous driving control unit 500 instructs a recommended trajectory. FIG. 23 shows a recommended trajectory and a target driving trajectory in a case where driving on the recommended trajectory instructed by the autonomous driving control unit 500 is possible and there are no factors that deteriorate the ride comfort or the like on the recommended trajectory. In this case, the vehicle motion control unit 600 sets the recommended trajectory as the target driving trajectory as is, and outputs a control command to the actuator section 700 for causing the vehicle 100 to travel along the target driving trajectory.

[0079] FIG. 24 shows a recommended trajectory and an actual driving trajectory when an object such as a fallen object is present on the recommended trajectory instructed by the autonomous driving control unit 500 and the vehicle 100 cannot be driven along the recommended trajectory. At this time, the vehicle motion control unit 600 determines that an object exists on the recommended trajectory based on the driving area, recommended trajectory, and object information instructed by the autonomous driving control unit 500, and sets a target driving trajectory, instead of the recommended trajectory, that will allow the vehicle 100 to travel within the instructed driving area while avoiding the object.

[0080] FIG. 25 shows a case where the recommended trajectory instructed by the autonomous driving control unit 500 includes factors that deteriorate the ride comfort, etc. At this time, the vehicle motion control unit 600 estimates the lateral acceleration and lateral jerk that would occur if the vehicle 100 were to run along the recommended trajectory, and sets the target running trajectory as a trajectory that can reduce the lateral acceleration or lateral jerk that occurs in the vehicle 100 compared to when the vehicle 100 is run along the recommended trajectory.

[0081] Meanwhile, the vehicle motion control unit 600 can determine a driving trajectory as a line within the driving area instructed by the autonomous driving control unit 500, and can also set a driving trajectory as an area including the possibility that the vehicle 100 will drive, and output a control command to the actuator section 700 so that the vehicle 100 passes through an area where the possibility is set as high as possible, in other words, so that the vehicle 100 passes through a position as close as possible to the position where the possibility is at its extreme value. 26 to 29 are diagrams for explaining the setting of a target driving trajectory as an area including the possibility of the vehicle 100 traveling.

[0082] FIG. 26 shows an example of the driving area instructed by the automatic driving control unit 500, the track that the vehicle 100 has actually traveled, and the area where the vehicle 100 is likely to travel. In addition, Figures 27-29 show the setting state of the driving possibility in the left and right directions at points I, II, and III (see Figure 26) that are different distances from the current position of the vehicle 100 in the driving area instructed by the autonomous driving control unit 500.

[0083] The vehicle motion control unit 600 sets the drivability based on the driving area instructed by the automatic driving control unit 500, while taking into consideration the ride quality, comfort, car sickness, etc. of the vehicle 100. 27 to 29, the fore-aft direction of vehicle 100 at the current position of vehicle 100 is set as a reference line SL, and the left-right position at each point I, II, III is represented by the distance from the reference line SL to the left and right ends of the driving area.

[0084] As shown in Figure 26, the distance from the reference line SL to the left end of the driving area at point I is distance A, the distance from the reference line SL to the left end of the driving area at point II is distance C, and the distance from the reference line SL to the left end of the driving area at point III is distance D. Here, in the example shown in Figure 26, distance C < distance A < distance D, and the distance from the reference line SL to the right end of the driving area is distance B at each of points I, II, and III, and further, distance A = distance B.

[0085] Since distance A=distance B, at point I, the reference line SL is located in the center of the travel area. Therefore, the vehicle motion control unit 600 sets the driving possibility of the vehicle 100 to be at an extreme value at the position of the reference line SL (i.e., the center of the driving area) so that the vehicle 100 passes through a position as close as possible to the position of the reference line SL at point I, as shown in Figure 27.

[0086] On the other hand, at point II, it is preferable that the distance C from the reference line SL to the left end of the driving area is shorter than the distance B from the reference line SL to the right end of the driving area, and that the vehicle 100 passes along a course to the right of the reference line SL. Therefore, the vehicle motion control unit 600 sets the driving probability of the vehicle 100 to an extreme value to the right of the reference line SL at point II, so that the vehicle 100 passes through a course to the right of the reference line SL, as shown in Figure 28.

[0087] Furthermore, at point III, it is preferable that the distance D from the reference line SL to the left end of the driving area is longer than the distance B from the reference line SL to the left end of the driving area, and that the vehicle 100 passes along a course to the left of the reference line SL. Therefore, the vehicle motion control unit 600 sets the driving possibility of the vehicle 100 to an extreme value to the left of the reference line SL at point III, as shown in Figure 29, so that the vehicle 100 will pass through a course to the left of the reference line SL. In addition, the vehicle motion control unit 600 basically sets the probability so that the vehicle 100 will travel near the center of the driving area, but also sets a position that makes the probability an extreme value, taking into account the ride comfort of the vehicle 100, etc.

[0088] However, the vehicle control system 200 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 1, that is, a configuration consisting of an autonomous driving control unit 500 having a function as a recognition judgment unit, and a vehicle motion control unit 600 having a function as a control unit that outputs a control command to an actuator unit 700 based on instruction information of the driving area. For example, the vehicle control system 200 may be provided with an integrated control unit that combines the functions of a recognition and judgment unit and a control unit, instead of the autonomous driving control unit 500 and the vehicle motion control unit 600 shown in FIG.

[0089] The vehicle control system 200 shown in FIG. 30 includes, instead of the automatic driving control unit 500 and the vehicle motion control unit 600, an integrated control unit 800 that has a function as a recognition and judgment unit and a function as a control unit. In FIG. 30, the same elements as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0090] The integrated control unit 800 is configured by mounting two microcomputers 810 and 820 in the same housing. The first microcomputer 810 has a function as a recognition and judgment unit as software, and the second microcomputer 820 has a function as a control unit that outputs a control command to the actuator unit 700 based on the driving area instruction information instructed by the first microcomputer 810.

[0091] Here, the first microcomputer 810 has the functions of the surrounding situation recognition unit 510, the action planning unit 520, and the goal generation unit 530 shown in FIG. 1, that is, the functions of a cognition and judgment unit, as software. The second microcomputer 820 also has the functions of the trajectory processing unit 610 and the trajectory tracking control unit 620 shown in FIG. 1, that is, the functions of a control unit, as software.

[0092] Then, the first microcomputer 810 sets a driving area by recognition and judgment based on information from the external environment recognition unit 300, and indicates the driving area to the second microcomputer 820. On the other hand, the second microcomputer 820 outputs a control command to the actuator section 700 for causing the vehicle 100 to travel at a speed and on a travel trajectory based on the specifications related to the travel of the vehicle 100 in the travel area obtained from the first microcomputer 810.

[0093] FIG. 31 shows a vehicle control system in which one microcomputer is mounted in an integrated control unit. In FIG. 31, the same elements as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0094] The vehicle control system 200 shown in FIG. 31 includes an integrated control unit 850 that has the functions of a recognition judgment unit and a control unit, and the integrated control unit 850 includes a single microcomputer 860 that has the functions of the recognition judgment unit and the control unit as software. In other words, the microcomputer 860 is equipped with a first logic 861 (in other words, higher-level unit logic or recognition and judgment logic) that embodies the surrounding situation recognition unit 510, the action planning unit 520, and the goal generation unit 530, and is also equipped with a second logic 862 (in other words, lower-level unit logic or control logic) that embodies the trajectory processing unit 610 and the trajectory tracking control unit 620.

[0095] Then, the first logic 861 sets a driving area based on information from the external environment recognition unit 300, and instructs the second logic 862 on the information on the driving area. The second logic 862 calculates a control command for causing the vehicle 100 to travel at a speed and on a travel trajectory based on the specifications related to the travel of the vehicle 100 in the travel area indicated by the first logic 861, and outputs the calculated control command to the actuator section 700.

[0096] In addition, as shown in FIG. 30, in an integrated control unit in which the first microcomputer and the second microcomputer are mounted, the allocation of the arithmetic functions of each microcomputer is not limited to the allocation shown in FIG. Fig. 32 shows a vehicle control system 200 in which the allocation of the calculation functions of each microcomputer is changed. In Fig. 32, the same elements as those in Fig. 1 are given the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0097] The integrated control unit 870 shown in FIG. The first microcomputer 880 has the functions of a surrounding situation recognition unit 510 as software, and the second microcomputer 890 has the functions of a behavior planning unit 520, a goal generation unit 530, a trajectory processing unit 610, and a trajectory tracking control unit 620 as software.

[0098] That is, the first microcomputer 880 is equipped with a part of the functions as the cognition and judgment section, and the second microcomputer 890 is equipped with the remaining functions as the cognition and judgment section and the functions as a control section. It is possible for the first microcomputer 880 to be equipped with the functions of the recognition and determination unit and part of the functions of the control unit, and for the second microcomputer 890 to be equipped with the remaining functions of the control unit.

[0099] The technical ideas described in the above embodiments can be used in any suitable combination as long as no contradiction occurs. Furthermore, although the contents of the present invention have been specifically described with reference to preferred embodiments, it is obvious that a person skilled in the art can adopt various modified embodiments based on the basic technical concept and teachings of the present invention.

[0100] For example, when a sudden change in the situation occurs, the recognition and judgment unit of the vehicle control system 200 can instruct the control unit on road surface information and object information related to the change in situation, instead of instructing the control unit on a new driving area that corresponds to the change in situation. In addition, the recognition and judgment unit of the vehicle control system 200 can change the length of the driving area in the vehicle travel direction and / or the indication period of the driving area that is instructed to the control unit depending on conditions such as the speed of the vehicle 100, the time interval to the preceding vehicle, and the presence or absence of a preceding vehicle.

[0101] Furthermore, the recognition and determination unit of the vehicle control system 200 can obtain meteorological information (wind direction, wind speed, amount of precipitation, amount of snowfall, etc.) around the vehicle 100, and change the indication of the driving area based on this meteorological information. For example, when indicating a driving area, when there is a strong crosswind or when there is a possibility of being exposed to a crosswind due to the approach of a large vehicle, the recognition and judgment unit of the vehicle control system 200 can indicate a driving area that is narrower in width in the left-right direction than when the effect of the crosswind is small, or can indicate a driving area that is closer to upwind than the center of the lane.

[0102] In addition, the control unit can control the electronically controlled suspension 750 to adjust the damping force and vehicle height based on road surface information such as undulations and potholes obtained from the recognition and judgment unit. Furthermore, when instructing the control unit on a recommended trajectory, the recognition and determination unit of the vehicle control system 200 can obtain a route that avoids objects as the recommended trajectory.

[0103] In addition, the vehicle control system 200 can be configured so that the priority of ride comfort (specifically, the maximum allowable lateral acceleration or the maximum allowable lateral jerk) can be selected arbitrarily by an occupant of the vehicle 100 by operating a mode setting switch or the like. In addition, the recognition and judgment unit may be provided outside the vehicle 100, and a control unit mounted on the vehicle 100 may wirelessly receive target commands including the driving area from the outside using a road-to-vehicle communication device 330 or the like.

[0104] In addition, when setting a driving area based on a collision risk area, information on the degree of risk can be included in the information on the collision risk area, so that the target vehicle speed and / or target driving trajectory can be changed based on the degree of risk. For example, when the risk level is lower than a predetermined level, the target vehicle speed may be reduced while allowing the setting of a travel trajectory that passes through the collision risk area. [Explanation of symbols]

[0105] 100...vehicle, 200...vehicle control system, 300...external environment recognition unit, 400...vehicle motion detection unit, 500...automatic driving control unit (first control unit), 510...surrounding situation recognition unit, 520...action planning unit, 530...goal generation unit, 540...microcomputer (cognition and judgment unit), 600...vehicle motion control unit (second control unit, vehicle control device), 610...trajectory processing unit, 620...trajectory tracking control unit, 630...microcomputer (control unit), 700...actuator unit

Claims

1. A vehicle control device including a control unit that performs a calculation based on input information and outputs a calculation result, The control unit includes: A target travel area in front of the vehicle in which the vehicle is to travel, which is instructed by a recognition and judgment unit that recognizes and judges the surrounding conditions of the vehicle, is acquired as a first travel area, and information on a minimum speed of the vehicle, a maximum speed of the vehicle, a maximum lateral acceleration, and a maximum lateral jerk at a predetermined position in the first travel area instructed by the recognition and judgment unit is acquired together with information on the first travel area; a target speed and a target running trajectory of the vehicle are obtained so as to reduce the magnitude of the lateral acceleration or lateral jerk of the vehicle on a curved road within the first running area as much as possible within a range of a minimum value of the speed of the vehicle, a maximum value of the speed of the vehicle, a maximum value of the lateral acceleration, and a maximum value of the lateral jerk at a predetermined position in the first running area instructed by the recognition and judgment unit, and a control command for making the vehicle follow the target speed and the target running trajectory is output to an actuator unit that drives the vehicle; While the vehicle is traveling in the first traveling area, a target traveling area in front of the vehicle in which the vehicle is traveling and which has an area in front of the vehicle that partially overlaps with the first traveling area is acquired as a second traveling area, and information on a minimum speed of the vehicle, a maximum speed of the vehicle, a maximum lateral acceleration, and a maximum lateral jerk at a predetermined position in the second traveling area instructed by the recognition judgment unit is acquired together with information on the second traveling area; A target speed and a target running trajectory of the vehicle are obtained so that the magnitude of the lateral acceleration or lateral jerk of the vehicle on a curved road in the second running area is as small as possible within a range of a minimum value of the speed of the vehicle, a maximum value of the speed of the vehicle, a maximum value of the lateral acceleration, and a maximum value of the lateral jerk at a predetermined position in the second running area instructed by the recognition and judgment unit, and a control command for making the vehicle follow the target speed and the target running trajectory is output to the actuator unit; After the vehicle has traveled in the first travel area for a predetermined time, the second travel area is acquired. When the vehicle is traveling in the first traveling area and information regarding a predetermined situation change is acquired from the recognition judgment unit in road surface information or object information in front of the vehicle, the second traveling area is acquired without waiting for the predetermined time of traveling. Vehicle control device.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, When the recognition judgment unit instructs the second traveling area based on the predetermined situation change, the recognition judgment unit instructs the second traveling area as an area shorter than a standard area. Vehicle control device.

3. A vehicle control method executed by a control unit included in a vehicle control device mounted on a vehicle, comprising: A target travel area in front of the vehicle in which the vehicle travels is acquired as a first travel area, which is instructed by a recognition and judgment unit that recognizes and judges the surrounding conditions of the vehicle, and information on a minimum speed of the vehicle, a maximum speed of the vehicle, a maximum lateral acceleration, and a maximum lateral jerk at a predetermined position in the first travel area instructed by the recognition and judgment unit is acquired together with information on the first travel area; a target speed and a target running trajectory of the vehicle are obtained so as to reduce the magnitude of the lateral acceleration or lateral jerk of the vehicle on a curved road within the first running area as much as possible within a range of a minimum value of the speed of the vehicle, a maximum value of the speed of the vehicle, a maximum value of the lateral acceleration, and a maximum value of the lateral jerk at a predetermined position in the first running area instructed by the recognition and judgment unit, and a control command for making the vehicle follow the target speed and the target running trajectory is output to an actuator unit that drives the vehicle; While the vehicle is traveling in the first traveling area, a target traveling area in front of the vehicle in which the vehicle is traveling and which has an area in front of the vehicle that partially overlaps with the first traveling area is acquired as a second traveling area, and information on a minimum speed of the vehicle, a maximum speed of the vehicle, a maximum lateral acceleration, and a maximum lateral jerk at a predetermined position in the second traveling area instructed by the recognition judgment unit is acquired together with information on the second traveling area; A target speed and a target running trajectory of the vehicle are obtained so that the magnitude of the lateral acceleration or lateral jerk of the vehicle on a curved road in the second running area is as small as possible within a range of a minimum value of the speed of the vehicle, a maximum value of the speed of the vehicle, a maximum value of the lateral acceleration, and a maximum value of the lateral jerk at a predetermined position in the second running area instructed by the recognition and judgment unit, and a control command for making the vehicle follow the target speed and the target running trajectory is output to the actuator unit; After the vehicle has traveled in the first travel area for a predetermined time, the second travel area is acquired. When the vehicle is traveling in the first traveling area and information regarding a predetermined situation change is acquired from the recognition judgment unit in road surface information or object information in front of the vehicle, the second traveling area is acquired without waiting for the predetermined traveling time. A vehicle control method.

4. A recognition and judgment unit that recognizes and judges the surrounding situation of the vehicle; A control unit, A target travel area in front of the vehicle instructed by the recognition judgment unit is acquired as a first travel area, and information on a minimum speed of the vehicle, a maximum speed of the vehicle, a maximum lateral acceleration, and a maximum lateral jerk at a predetermined position in the first travel area instructed by the recognition judgment unit is acquired together with information on the first travel area; a target speed and a target running trajectory of the vehicle are determined so as to reduce the magnitude of the lateral acceleration or lateral jerk of the vehicle on a curved road within the first running area as much as possible within a range of a minimum value of the speed of the vehicle, a maximum value of the speed of the vehicle, a maximum value of the lateral acceleration, and a maximum value of the lateral jerk at a predetermined position in the first running area instructed by the recognition and judgment unit, and a control command is output for making the vehicle follow the target speed and the target running trajectory; While the vehicle is traveling in the first traveling area, a target traveling area in front of the vehicle in which the vehicle is traveling and which has an area in front of the vehicle that partially overlaps with the first traveling area is acquired as a second traveling area, and information on a minimum speed of the vehicle, a maximum speed of the vehicle, a maximum lateral acceleration, and a maximum lateral jerk at a predetermined position in the second traveling area instructed by the recognition judgment unit is acquired together with information on the second traveling area; a target speed and a target running trajectory of the vehicle are determined so as to reduce the magnitude of the lateral acceleration or lateral jerk of the vehicle on a curved road within the second running area as much as possible within a range of a minimum value of the speed of the vehicle, a maximum value of the speed of the vehicle, a maximum value of the lateral acceleration, and a maximum value of the lateral jerk at a predetermined position of the second running area instructed by the recognition and judgment unit, and a control command is outputted for making the vehicle follow the target speed and the target running trajectory; After the vehicle has traveled in the first travel area for a predetermined time, the second travel area is acquired. When the vehicle is traveling in the first traveling area and information regarding a predetermined situation change is acquired from the recognition judgment unit in road surface information or object information in front of the vehicle, the second traveling area is acquired without waiting for the predetermined time of traveling. The control unit; an actuator unit that acquires the control command output from the control unit and drives the vehicle; A vehicle control system comprising:

Images