Driving support device and driving support method

Abstract

Provided is a travel assistance device comprising: a detection result storage unit that stores a detection result from an external sensor installed on a vehicle; a moving object recognition unit that recognizes a nearby moving object on the basis of a detection result from the external sensor; a path storage unit that stores a path on which the vehicle has moved on the basis of vehicle information acquired by a vehicle sensor installed on the vehicle; a stop initial position determination unit that determines an initial position at which the vehicle has stopped before starting on the basis of the detection result stored in the detection result storage unit; and a vehicle control unit that stops the vehicle on the basis of a recognition result from the moving object recognition unit after the vehicle starts from the initial position. The detection result storage unit stores the detection result at least at the initial position and on the path. The vehicle control unit controls movement on the path from a stop position at which the vehicle has stopped to the initial position on the basis of a detection result from the external sensor at the current position of the vehicle and the detection result from the external sensor stored in the detection result storage unit.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a driving assistance device and a driving assistance method that use the sensing results of an external sensor to assist the driving of a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Known vehicle control technologies such as ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control), AEBS (Advanced Emergency Braking System), and LKAS (Lane Keeping Assist System) are technical elements of driving assistance systems and autonomous driving systems that use the sensing results of external sensors. When using these vehicle control technologies, the environment around the vehicle is constantly analyzed and monitored based on the detection results of external sensors, allowing the vehicle to follow the vehicle ahead, activate emergency brakes, and control steering to prevent the vehicle from straying from its lane.

[0003] As another type of vehicle control technology using the sensing results of an external sensor, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle control technology that returns the vehicle to the vehicle position at a specified time by tracing back accumulated trajectory information. For example, the abstract of Patent Document 1 states that "While the vehicle is being driven, trajectory information indicating the trajectory is accumulated in the trajectory information storage unit 20a. When the driver performs a return operation, the vehicle is controlled to move back to the position at the specified time by tracing back the recorded trajectory information. The driver can perform manual driving again from that position." Also, paragraph 0022 of the same document states that "The return switch 931 is a switch for requesting or instructing return. When the driver presses it, the control unit 2 returns the vehicle to the state at a predetermined time, a specified time, or a selected time. The state to which the vehicle is returned may be determined in advance, for example, or may be selected by the driver each time the vehicle is operated. For example, a plurality of return switches may be provided, and the selection may be made according to the switch operated, or may be determined according to the operation time." [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-75655 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When exiting a parking lot or entering an intersection, if the driver applies the brakes or the AEBS activates, causing the vehicle to stop in the path of an approaching vehicle, the vehicle will obstruct the path of the approaching vehicle.

[0006] In such a case, if the technology of Patent Document 1 is applied, it is possible to autonomously move the vehicle to a position that does not interfere with the driving of other vehicles, but as explained in paragraph 0035 of Patent Document 1 that "Note that the procedure in FIG. 4, particularly S401 and after, is controlled by automatic driving, during this time, various sensors such as radar, lidar, camera, and sonar continue to monitor the external environment, and if it is determined that there is a risk of collision, the procedure in FIG. 3 is interrupted and the vehicle is stopped," if the technology of the same document is used, it is necessary to continue to determine whether or not there is a risk of collision using the sensing results of various sensors while the vehicle is autonomously moved to a position that does not interfere with the driving of other vehicles. In other words, if the technology of Patent Document 1 is used, there is a problem that the vehicle control system for autonomously moving the vehicle stopped on the path of other vehicles to a predetermined position becomes complicated.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a driving assistance device and a driving assistance method that can safely and autonomously move a vehicle from a position that would hinder the progress of another moving body to a position where it would not hinder the progress of another moving body, based on a simpler judgment than judging the possibility of a collision. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the driving assistance device of the present invention has a detection result memory unit that stores detection results of an external sensor installed in the host vehicle, a moving object recognition unit that recognizes surrounding moving objects based on the detection results of the external sensor, a route memory unit that stores a route traveled by the host vehicle based on vehicle information acquired by a vehicle sensor installed in the host vehicle, a stop initial position determination unit that determines an initial position where the host vehicle was stopped before starting based on the detection results stored in the detection result memory unit, and a vehicle control unit that stops the host vehicle based on the recognition result of the moving object recognition unit after the host vehicle starts from the initial position, wherein the detection result memory unit stores at least the detection results at the initial position and the route, and the vehicle control unit controls movement on the route from the stopping position where the host vehicle was stopped to the initial position based on the detection results of the external sensor at the current position of the host vehicle and the detection results of the external sensor stored in the detection result memory unit. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the driving assistance device and driving assistance method of the present invention, the vehicle can be safely and autonomously moved from a position that would hinder the progress of another moving body to a position where it will not hinder the progress of another moving body, based on a judgment that is simpler than judging the possibility of a collision. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a driving assistance system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a use case of the first embodiment (when an ultrasonic sensor is used). [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a use case of the first embodiment (when a radar sensor is used). [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a use case of the first embodiment (when a camera sensor is used). [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a use case of the first embodiment (when autonomous movement control is interrupted). [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 7 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of step S13 in FIG. 6. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a use case of the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the driving support device of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same number is assigned to an object representing the same component, and duplicated explanations will be omitted. Note that, although each embodiment will be described as an example of application to a driving support system, it is also possible to apply it to an automated driving system, and similar effects can be obtained. EXAMPLES

[0012] First, a driving support device 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0013] 1 is a functional block diagram showing an overall configuration of a driving support system 100 including a driving support device 10 of this embodiment. As shown in the diagram, an external sensor 21, a steering angle sensor 22, a wheel speed sensor 23, and a shift sensor 24 are arranged on the input side of the driving support device 10, and a meter ECU 30, a brake ECU 40, a steering ECU 50, and a shift ECU 60 are arranged on the output side.

[0014] The driving support device 10 is a device for controlling the vehicle 1 by storing the output results of the external sensor 21 necessary for the vehicle 1 to realize driving support and storing the driving route based on the output results of the steering angle sensor 22 and the wheel speed sensor 23, and includes a detection result processing unit 11, a detection result storage unit 12, a vehicle stop initial position determination unit 13, a moving object recognition unit 14, a route storage unit 15, a vehicle control unit 16, and a shift change control unit 17. The driving support device 10 is specifically a computer including a calculation unit such as a CPU, a storage device such as a semiconductor memory, and hardware such as a communication device. The calculation unit executes a predetermined program to realize each functional unit such as the detection result processing unit 11 described above, but the following description will be given while omitting such well-known techniques as appropriate.

[0015] The external sensor 21 is a sensor necessary for the driving assistance device 10 to recognize moving objects (moving vehicles, cyclists, pedestrians, etc.) and stationary objects (stopped vehicles, walls, utility poles, etc.) around the vehicle, and specifically, is a camera sensor such as an ultrasonic sensor using sound waves, a radar sensor using millimeter waves or laser, or a monocular camera or stereo camera using an imaging element.

[0016] The steering angle sensor 22, the wheel speed sensor 23, and the shift sensor 24 are sensors that generate information on the steering angle, the wheel speed, and the shift, and in this embodiment, are used when calculating the traveling trajectory of the host vehicle 1 and when the host vehicle 1 moves autonomously to its initial position.

[0017] The meter ECU 30 is a device that controls the display device 31 and the speaker 32 in accordance with a voice output request or a meter display request obtained from the vehicle control unit 16, and issues a warning to the user or prompts the user to execute a control.

[0018] The brake ECU 40 is a device that controls the brake actuator 41 in accordance with a brake braking request obtained from the vehicle control unit 16 and hydraulic pressure information obtained from the MC pressure 42, thereby stopping the vehicle.

[0019] The steering ECU 50 is a device that controls the steering actuator 51 in accordance with a steering operation request received from the vehicle control unit 16, and causes the host vehicle 1 to turn.

[0020] The shift ECU 60 is a device that controls the shift actuator 61 in accordance with a shift change request received from the shift change control unit 17 to automatically perform a shift change.

[0021] <Driving support device 10> Next, each component of the driving support device 10 of this embodiment will be outlined.

[0022] The detection result processing unit 11 analyzes the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1 based on information on the surrounding environment (information on moving objects (moving vehicles, cyclists, pedestrians, etc.) and stationary objects (stopped vehicles, walls, utility poles, etc.)) obtained from the external sensor 21 mounted on the vehicle 1.

[0023] The detection result memory unit 12 cumulatively stores the surrounding environment information obtained from the external sensor 21 until a predetermined time (e.g., 5 minutes) has elapsed since the host vehicle 1 started moving, or until the manual brake or automatic brake is activated from the host vehicle 1 started moving.

[0024] The vehicle stop initial position determination unit 13 determines whether autonomous movement control to the original position by the driving support described later has been completed, based on the surrounding environment information before the host vehicle 1 starts moving.

[0025] The moving object recognition unit 14 recognizes moving objects (vehicles, cyclists, pedestrians) approaching the vehicle 1 based on information that the vehicle 1 can recognize obtained from the detection result processing unit 11, and also recognizes whether the vehicle 1 is remaining in the path of the approaching moving object.

[0026] The route memory unit 15 cumulatively stores sensor information (steering operation) obtained from the steering angle sensor 22, sensor information (vehicle speed) obtained from the wheel speed sensor 23, and sensor information (vehicle traveling direction) obtained from the shift sensor 24. From the various information stored in the route memory unit 15, it is possible to calculate the route of the vehicle 1 from the initial position to the current position, so that by tracing the route determined from the stored sensor information in the reverse direction, it can be used as a route for autonomous movement from a stopped position to the initial position.

[0027] When the moving object recognition unit 14 recognizes a moving object, the vehicle control unit 16 appropriately activates the automatic brakes and then controls various ECUs to follow the route obtained from the route memory unit 15 until the stop initial position judgment unit 13 judges that the movement to the initial position has been completed.

[0028] If a certain difference (e.g., an error of 10% or more) occurs between the cumulative storage in the detection result storage unit 12 and the output of the external sensor 21 acquired during movement to the initial position, the vehicle control unit 16 determines that there has been a change in the route to the initial position and that it is unsafe, and interrupts the autonomous movement control, causing the vehicle 1 to stop on the spot. Details of this control will be described with reference to Figs. 5, 7, etc.

[0029] The shift change control unit 17 automatically switches the direction of travel by shift-by-wire or the like, since the movement to the initial position is opposite to the current direction of travel (for example, R range if D range, or D range if R range) based on the traveling direction information obtained from the shift sensor 24. When the movement of the vehicle to the initial stop position is completed or interrupted, the shift of the host vehicle 1 is put into neutral or parking to make it safe.

[0030] <Specific use cases> Next, the control by the driving assistance device 10 will be explained for each type of external sensor 21 using an example of a situation in which, after the host vehicle 1 starts moving, the host vehicle 1 stops to avoid a collision with a moving object 2 approaching the host vehicle 1, and the host vehicle 1 moves autonomously from the stopped position to the initial position.

[0031] <<When the external sensor 21 is an ultrasonic sensor>> FIG. 2 shows an example of driving assistance when an ultrasonic sensor is used as the external sensor 21. The upper left diagram in FIG. 2 shows a situation in which the host vehicle 1 is leaving the parking lot while backing up along the route (outbound) indicated by the arrow A1, and the position where the host vehicle was stopped before leaving the parking lot is defined as the initial position. The moving object 2 is a traveling vehicle approaching the host vehicle 1 from the left rear, and the stationary object 3 is a stopped vehicle parked to the right of the host vehicle 1. Note that while FIG. 2 shows a traveling vehicle as an example of the moving object 2, the moving object 2 may also be a cyclist, a pedestrian, etc., and the stationary object 3 is not limited to a stopped vehicle but may also be a wall or an (unridden) bicycle, etc.

[0032] At this time, when the vehicle 1 detects the moving object 2 approaching from the side by the external sensor 21 (ultrasonic sensor) or the driver recognizes it, and determines that there is a risk of collision, the automatic brake or manual brake is activated. As a result of activating the brake, the vehicle 1 stops at the position shown in the upper left diagram of Fig. 2, that is, on the path of the moving object 2, so the driving support device 10 controls the vehicle 1 to autonomously move to the initial position on the path (return route) shown by the arrow A2 in the upper right diagram of Fig. 2.

[0033] During the autonomous movement on the return route, the driving assistance device 10 executes vehicle control to autonomously move to the initial position based on stored information of the output results of the external sensor 21 from the initial position to the timing when the brakes are activated, and stored information of the output results of the steering angle sensor 22 and the wheel speed sensor 23.

[0034] 2, when the host vehicle 1 leaves the parking lot in reverse, it is the output of the external sensor 21 in front of the host vehicle 1, and when the host vehicle leaves the parking lot in forward (not shown), it is the output of the external sensor 21 behind the host vehicle 1. These outputs are used to determine whether a difference has occurred in the surrounding environment of the initial position.

[0035] Furthermore, the vehicle 1 can be autonomously moved to the initial position by tracing the output results of the steering angle sensor 22 and the wheel speed sensor 23 stored in the route memory unit 15 backwards from the timing when the brakes were applied to the timing when the vehicle was at the initial position. The route memory unit 15 may also include a traveling direction associated with time and events in addition to the information from the steering angle sensor 22 and the wheel speed sensor 23. When transitioning to movement control, guidance is provided by sound and meter display, and the driver may select whether to manually move to the initial stopping position, or the vehicle may automatically return to the initial stopping position after stopping.

[0036] 2, when autonomous movement control (see arrow A2) for the return path from the stop position to the initial position starts, the vehicle control unit 16 controls the brake ECU 40, the steering ECU 50, and the shift ECU 60 so as to move from the stop position to the initial position based on the sensor output (corresponding to the path of arrow A1) recorded in the path storage unit 15. During the autonomous movement, if the error between the output result of the external sensor 21 (i.e., the current environment around the initial position) and the output result of the external sensor 21 at the time of departure stored in the detection result storage unit 12 (i.e., the environment around the initial position at the time of departure) is within a certain range (e.g., an error of less than 10%), the vehicle control unit 16 considers that there is no significant change in the environment around the initial position, and continues the autonomous movement control until the vehicle moves to the initial position.

[0037] Graph (a) at the bottom left of Fig. 2 shows distance information to the front wall detected by an ultrasonic sensor (external sensor 21) installed in front of the host vehicle 1 during travel on the outward path (arrow A1) from the initial position to when the brakes are applied. As shown here, while the host vehicle 1 is in the initial position, the distance to the front wall is short, but as the host vehicle 1 starts to move backward, the distance to the front wall gradually increases, and at the point when the host vehicle 1 stops to avoid a collision with the moving object 2, the distance to the front wall becomes constant.

[0038] On the other hand, graph (b) in the lower right of Fig. 2 is distance information detected by an ultrasonic sensor (external sensor 21) installed in front of the vehicle 1 during autonomous movement on the return path (arrow A2) from the stopped position to the initial position after braking. When the vehicle 1 autonomously moves on the return path (arrow A2) retracing the outward path (arrow A1), if the surrounding environment has not changed, the detection result of the ultrasonic sensor (external sensor 21) should change as shown in graph (b) where the time axis of graph (a) detected on the outward path (arrow A1) is reversed left to right.

[0039] Therefore, when the vehicle control unit 16 autonomously moves to the initial position based on information obtained from the route memory unit 15, if the vehicle control unit 16 obtains a detection result that is the opposite of the outbound route (in the example of Figure 2, graph (b), which is the detection result obtained by flipping graph (a) horizontally), it can determine that the surrounding environment of the initial position has not changed, and it becomes possible to autonomously move the vehicle 1 to the initial position while confirming safety.

[0040] Thereafter, when the vehicle control unit 16 determines that the movement to the initial position has been completed, it controls each ECU to stop the vehicle at the initial stop position and change the transmission to neutral or parking state. The vehicle control unit 16 also erases the information stored in the route memory unit 15 and the detection result memory unit 12. As a result, when the vehicle 1 leaves the garage again, new information is stored in the route memory unit 15 and the detection result memory unit 12, and if the vehicle 1 needs to move autonomously to the initial position again, the newly stored information is used to perform autonomous movement control to the initial position.

[0041] <<When the external sensor 21 is a radar sensor>> FIG. 3 shows an example of driving assistance when a radar sensor is used as the external sensor 21. The control method of the vehicle 1 is the same as that described in FIG. 2, but in the case of a radar sensor, the RF signal is converted into an IF signal, and the IF signal is Fourier transformed to detect the distance to the target object. The waveform after the Fourier transform for detecting the distance is used to determine whether there is a difference in the surrounding environment. The advantage of using the waveform after the Fourier transform is that it can be incorporated into the system in a simple manner in the present invention, which determines changes in the surrounding environment only from changes in the waveform after the Fourier transform, and there is no need to analyze in detail the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1 to determine the possibility of a collision.

[0042] Graph (a) in the lower left of Fig. 3 is the distance detected by the radar sensor (external sensor 21) when the brakes are applied, and graph (b) in the lower right of Fig. 3 is the distance detected by the radar sensor at the initial position. Therefore, the driving support device 10 compares the transition in which graph (b) changes to graph (a) on the outbound route (arrow A1) with the transition in which graph (a) changes to graph (b) on the return route (arrow A2), and if the two are in a substantially opposite relationship, it is deemed that there has been no significant change in the environment around the initial position, and continues autonomous movement control until the vehicle moves to the initial position.

[0043] <<When the external sensor 21 is a camera sensor>> Figure 4 shows an example of driving assistance when a camera sensor is used as the external sensor 21. The vehicle control method is the same as that explained in Figures 2 and 3, but in the case of a camera sensor, data is stored for each frame and the difference is detected. As with the advantage of a radar sensor, by using the raw data output from the camera sensor, detailed analysis is not required and the system can be incorporated in a simple manner. The difference can be detected for each frame or by feature amount.

[0044] Image (a) in the lower left of Figure 4 is one frame of an image of the surrounding environment detected by the camera sensor (external sensor 21) on the outbound journey (arrow A1), and image (b) in the lower right of Figure 4 is one frame of an image of the surrounding environment detected by the camera sensor on the return journey (arrow A2).

[0045] In this case, too, if the surrounding environment has not changed, the change in the difference in the detected image on the outbound path (arrow A1) and the change in the difference in the detected image on the return path (arrow A2) have an inverse relationship, so by comparing the change in the difference, it is possible to safely move the vehicle 1 to the initial position. After the vehicle stops at the initial position, the information in the route storage unit 15 and the detection result storage unit 12 is erased.

[0046] <<When to interrupt autonomous movement to the initial position>> Next, the operation of the driving support device 10 will be described when the detection result of the external sensor 21 on the outbound path (arrow A1) and the detection result of the external sensor 21 on the return path (arrow A2) are not in a normal relationship as illustrated in Figures 2 to 4, and it is considered that there has been a change in the surrounding environment of the initial position. Note that, although a case where the external sensor 21 is an ultrasonic sensor (see Figure 2) is illustrated here, similar processing can be performed when the external sensor 21 is a radar sensor (see Figure 3) or a camera sensor (see Figure 4).

[0047] An example of a case where the driving assistance of the vehicle according to the present embodiment using an ultrasonic sensor is interrupted is shown in Fig. 5. As shown in Fig. 5, the process is the same as that in Fig. 2 up to the point where the vehicle 1 attempts to back out of a parking lot from a stopped state and applies the brakes in response to a moving object 2 approaching from the side.

[0048] When the brake is applied, as shown in the upper right diagram of Fig. 5, the host vehicle 1 performs movement control to the initial stopping position, but in this example, since a moving object 2a suddenly appears (for example, a person gets off from a stationary object 3), a large difference appears between the distance information in the surrounding environment detected by the ultrasonic sensor on the outbound path (arrow A1) shown in the graph (a) at the lower left of Fig. 5 and the distance information in the surrounding environment detected by the ultrasonic sensor on the return path (arrow A2) shown in the graph (b) at the lower right of Fig. 5. Therefore, regardless of whether there is a collision with the moving object 2a or not, the autonomous movement control of the host vehicle 1 is interrupted and the vehicle is stopped at the timing when the difference appears. After stopping, the host vehicle 1 is shifted into neutral or parking to make it safe, and the information in the route memory unit 15 and the detection result memory unit 12 is erased.

[0049] In this manner, in this embodiment, the vehicle 1 is stopped when a change in the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1 is detected by comparing the past output with the current output of the external sensor 21, so that the vehicle 1 can be stopped safely without making advanced judgments such as determining whether there is a possibility of a collision between the vehicle 1 and the moving body 2a.

[0050] <Flowchart> Next, the control procedures used in the use cases of FIGS. 2 to 5 will be explained with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

[0051] First, in step S1 in Fig. 6, the host vehicle 1 parked at an initial position starts moving. The starting may be performed by manual control or automatic control.

[0052] In step S2, the route storage unit 15 stores the route of the vehicle (outbound route) after starting. Note that the route of the vehicle stored here is actually the output of the steering angle sensor 22, the wheel speed sensor 23, and the shift sensor 24.

[0053] In step S3, the detection result storage unit 12 stores the detection result of the external recognition sensor 21 during the forward movement (arrow A1).

[0054] In step S4, the moving object recognition unit 14 determines whether or not there is a moving object crossing behind or in front of the vehicle 1, based on the information obtained from the detection result of the external recognition sensor 21. If there is no crossing moving object, the process proceeds to step S5, and if there is a crossing moving object, the process proceeds to step S8.

[0055] If there is no moving object crossing the road, in step S5, the detection result storage is terminated. In addition, in step S6, the route storage is also terminated. Then, in step S7, the driving support is terminated as it is determined that the start has been completed normally. Note that the start may be determined to be completed when the range is changed from R to D when reversing out of the garage, or when, for example, five minutes have passed since the start of the start. When determining based on time, it is necessary to consider the amount of data that can be stored.

[0056] On the other hand, if there is a moving object crossing, in step S8, the vehicle control unit 16 determines whether or not a manual brake operation has been performed based on the output of the brake ECU 40. If a manual brake operation has been performed, the process proceeds to step S11, and if a manual brake operation has not been performed, the process proceeds to step S9.

[0057] When a manual brake operation is performed, in step S11, the vehicle control unit 16 and the meter ECU 30 issue a buzzer or display on the meter a notification for switching to manual control, and prompt the driver to decide whether to move to the initial stop position.

[0058] On the other hand, if a manual brake operation has not been performed, in step S9, the vehicle control unit 16 determines whether the moving object 2 is approaching so close that automatic braking is required. If automatic braking is required, the process proceeds to step S10, and if automatic braking is not required, the process proceeds to step S5.

[0059] If the crossing moving object 2 is at a distance where automatic braking is not required, there is no need to control the moving to the initial stopping position, so in step S5, it is considered that the starting is completed and the memory of the recognition result and the memory of the route are erased. After that, the driving support is terminated.

[0060] On the other hand, if the crossing moving object 2 approaches close enough to require automatic braking, in step S10, the vehicle control unit 16 and the brake ECU 40 activate the automatic braking. After that, in step S11, the vehicle control unit 16 and the meter ECU 30 sound a buzzer or display a message on the meter to notify the driver to switch to manual control, and prompt the driver to decide whether to move to the initial stop position.

[0061] In step S12, the vehicle control unit 16 determines whether or not the control has been switched to manual control. If the control has been switched to manual control, the process proceeds to step S5, and if the control has not been switched to manual control, that is, if the vehicle needs to return to the initial position by following the forward path (arrow A1), the process proceeds to step S13, which will be described later.

[0062] If the driver selects to switch to manual control, control to move to the initial stopping position is not performed, so the recognition result memory and route memory are erased. After that, the driving support is terminated as the start is completed.

[0063] On the other hand, if the driver does not want to switch to manual control, in step S13, the vehicle control unit 16 performs autonomous movement control to the initial position.

[0064] <Movement control to initial stopping position> The flowchart in FIG. 7 shows the details of the process in step S13 in FIG.

[0065] First, in steps S13a and S13b, the vehicle control unit 16 acquires information stored in the detection result storage unit 12 and the route storage unit 15 while the host vehicle 1 moves on the outbound route (arrow A1) from the initial position to the stop position.

[0066] Next, in step S13c, the vehicle control unit 16 controls the brake ECU 40, steering ECU 50, and shift ECU 60 to follow the route information (arrow A1) stored in the route memory unit 15, thereby causing the vehicle 1 to start traveling on the return route (arrow A2).

[0067] In step S13d, the vehicle control unit 16 acquires the sensing result detected by the external sensor 21 during traveling on the return journey.

[0068] In step S13e, the vehicle control unit 16 compares the sensing result on the return path (arrow A2) acquired in step S13d with the sensing result detected by the external sensor 21 during traveling on the outward path (arrow A1) stored in the detection result storage unit 12, and determines whether there is a change in the surrounding situation of a certain level or more (for example, 10% or more). If there is a change of a certain level or more, the process proceeds to step S13i, and if there is no change of a certain level or more, the process proceeds to step S13f.

[0069] If there is a certain level of environmental change after the host vehicle 1 starts (for example, as in the case shown in the upper right diagram of FIG. 5), it is determined that safe autonomous movement is difficult, and so in step S13i, the vehicle control unit 16 stops the autonomous driving control. Then, after stopping the autonomous driving control, in steps S13j and S13k, the storage of the detection results and the storage of the route that are not necessary for future control are erased. In this case, the driver will manually control the traveling of the host vehicle 1 in response to the environmental changes.

[0070] On the other hand, if the environmental change after the host vehicle 1 starts moving is within a certain level, in step S13f, the vehicle control unit 16 determines that a safe surrounding environment is maintained and continues autonomous driving control until the host vehicle 1 reaches the initial position.

[0071] In step S13g, the vehicle stop initial position determination unit 13 determines whether the current position of the vehicle 1 is the vehicle stop initial position (starting point of the outbound route). If the current position of the vehicle 1 is the vehicle stop initial position, the process proceeds to step S13h, and if the vehicle 1 has not reached the vehicle stop initial position, the process returns to step S13d.

[0072] If it is determined that the current position of the vehicle 1 is the initial stopping position, in step S13h, the vehicle control unit 16 determines that the autonomous driving control for returning the homeward route has been completed, and transmits the necessary information to each of the meter ECU 30, the brake ECU 40, the steering ECU 50, and the shift ECU 60.

[0073] After the host vehicle 1 stops, the above steps S13j and S13k are carried out, so that the host vehicle 1 can wait in a safe position for the moving object 2 to pass by.

[0074] When the autonomous driving control is interrupted in step S13i, or when the autonomous driving control is completed in step S13h, the vehicle 1 is shifted into neutral or parking to be put into a safe state.

[0075] According to the present embodiment described above, the vehicle can be safely and autonomously moved from a position that would hinder the progress of another moving body to a position where it will not be an impediment, based on a simpler judgment than that of the possibility of a collision. EXAMPLES

[0076] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Note that a duplicated description of points common to the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0077] In the first embodiment, the vehicle 1 recognizes a moving object 2 while leaving the parking lot, applies the brakes, and then autonomously travels back to the initial position (arrow A2). In contrast, in the present embodiment, the vehicle 1 enters an intersection or a T-junction, applies the brakes to the moving object 2 that crosses, and then autonomously travels back to the initial position.

[0078] The driving support device at intersections and T-junctions will be described with reference to Fig. 8. The present invention can be applied not only to intersections and T-junctions as shown in Fig. 8, but also to cases where there are large sidewalks or bicycle lanes between the road and the intersection.

[0079] The upper left diagram in Fig. 8 shows a situation in which the host vehicle 1, which has stopped just before the stop line, is about to enter an intersection while moving slowly, and the position where the host vehicle stopped before starting is defined as the initial position. A moving object 2 is a vehicle approaching the host vehicle 1 from the right while traveling on a priority road, and a stationary object 3 is a stopped vehicle that has temporarily stopped behind the host vehicle 1. The moving object 2 may be a cyclist or a pedestrian. In addition, the host vehicle 1 is shown starting when attempting to turn right, but the present invention also applies to cases in which the host vehicle 1 moves straight or turns left.

[0080] As shown in the upper left diagram of Figure 8, when the vehicle 1 recognizes a moving object 2 approaching from the right direction by the external sensor 21 or the driver and activates the automatic brake or manual brake, causing the vehicle 1 to stop in the path of the moving object 2, the vehicle 1 must back up to a position where it does not obstruct the passage of the moving object 2 traveling on the priority road.

[0081] Therefore, vehicle control is executed to autonomously move the host vehicle 1, which has advanced forward along the path of arrow A1, to the initial position along the path of arrow A2. Control to move to the initial position is executed based on stored information of the output results of the external sensor 21 and the output results of the steering angle sensor 22 and the wheel speed sensor 23 from the initial position to the timing when the brakes are applied. That is, even in the situation of FIG. 8, appropriate control can be executed according to the procedure of the flowcharts of FIG. 6 and FIG. 7.

[0082] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiment has been described in detail in order to clearly explain the present invention. The present invention is not limited to the above-described configurations. The configuration, functions, processing units, processing means, etc. may be designed in part or in whole as an integrated circuit, for example. The above configurations, functions, etc. may be realized in hardware by having a processor interpret and execute a program that realizes each function. Information such as the program, table, file, etc. that realizes each function can be stored in a memory, a hard disk, a solid state drive (SSD), or a recording medium such as an IC card, an SD card, or a DVD. [Explanation of symbols]

[0083] 1... host vehicle, 2, 2a... moving object, 3... stationary object, 10... driving support device, 11... detection result processing unit, 12... detection result storage unit, 13... vehicle stop initial position determination unit, 14... moving object recognition unit, 15... route storage unit, 16... vehicle control unit, 17... shift change control unit, 21... external sensor, 22... steering angle sensor, 23... wheel speed sensor, 24... shift sensor, 30... meter ECU, 31... display device, 32... speaker, 40... brake ECU, 41... brake actuator, 42... MC pressure, 50... steering ECU, 51... steering actuator, 60... shift ECU, 61... shift actuator

Claims

1. a detection result storage unit that stores detection results of an external sensor installed in the vehicle; A moving object recognition unit that recognizes a moving object in the vicinity based on a detection result of the external sensor; a route storage unit that stores a route traveled by the vehicle based on vehicle information acquired by a vehicle sensor installed in the vehicle; a vehicle initial position determination unit that determines an initial position where the host vehicle was stopped before starting based on the detection result stored in the detection result storage unit; a vehicle control unit that automatically stops the host vehicle based on a recognition result of the moving object recognition unit after the host vehicle starts from the initial position by automatic control, the detection result storage unit stores the detection results at least at the initial position and the route; the vehicle control unit, when a manual brake operation is performed before the host vehicle is automatically stopped, issues a notification to prompt a driver to switch from automatic control by the host vehicle to manual control by the driver, and, when the driver has not switched to manual control, controls autonomous movement on the route from a stopping position where the host vehicle was manually stopped to the initial position based on a detection result of the external sensor at a current position of the host vehicle and the detection result of the external sensor stored in the detection result storage unit.

2. The driving support device according to claim 1, the vehicle control unit continues moving the vehicle along the route from the stopping position where the vehicle was stopped to the initial position when a degree of match between the detection result of the external sensor at the current position of the vehicle and the detection result of the external sensor stored in the detection result storage unit exceeds a threshold value.

3. The driving support device according to claim 1, when a degree of coincidence between the detection result of the external sensor at the current position of the vehicle and the detection result of the external sensor stored in the detection result storage unit falls below a threshold, the vehicle control unit stops movement of the vehicle on the route from the stopping position where the vehicle was stopped to the initial position.

4. (a) recognizing a surrounding moving object based on a detection result of an external sensor installed in the vehicle; (b) storing the detection result of the external sensor; (c) storing a route traveled by the vehicle based on vehicle information acquired by a vehicle sensor installed in the vehicle; (d) determining an initial position where the vehicle was stopped before starting based on the stored detection result; and (e) automatically stopping the vehicle based on the recognition result in the step (a) after the vehicle starts from the initial position by automatic control, In the step (b), the detection results at least in the initial position and the route are stored; In the step (e), if a manual brake operation is performed before the host vehicle is automatically stopped, a notification is issued to prompt a driver to switch from automatic control by the host vehicle to manual control by the driver, and if the driver does not switch to manual control, autonomous movement on the route from a stopping position where the host vehicle was manually stopped to the initial position is controlled based on a detection result of the external sensor at a current position of the host vehicle and the stored detection result of the external sensor.

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