Vehicle control device and method

Abstract

To provide a vehicle control device and method capable of controlling a vehicle in a desired direction on a branch road.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device can include: a sensor device for detecting a branch road guide line marked on a road surface of a driving lane; a route guidance device configured to generate a target route to a destination and provide information on the target route; a lane-keeping control module configured to perform lane-keeping control; and a controller configured to, in response to a plurality of branch road guide lines being detected in the driving lane, control the lane-keeping control module based on a position of at least one of the branch road guide lines and positions of left and right lane markings of the driving lane depending on the presence or absence of a target route set by the route guidance device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control device and method, and more particularly, to a vehicle control device and method that enable lane keeping control on a branch road.

Background Art

[0002] An electric power steering device of a vehicle generates an assist steering current proportional to a steering torque corresponding to an operation of a driver's steering wheel and rotates an electric motor. That is, it performs a basic operation of assisting the driver's steering force.

[0003] However, in recent years, in response to the development of a driving assistance system (DAS) and requirements such as autonomous driving, in addition to the basic function of simply assisting the driver's steering force, autonomous steering control or active steering control that automatically operates an electric power steering (EPS) system regardless of the driver's intention has been developed.

[0004] In response to such autonomous steering control or active steering control, there are various steering-related control systems that affect the electric power steering system of the vehicle.

[0005] As an example of such a vehicle steering-related control system, after detecting a lane boundary line, it controls to drive in a specified lane, and when there is a risk of lane departure, it operates the steering system regardless of the driver's operation to control to maintain the lane. There is a lane keeping assistance system (LKAS).

[0006] Another example of a steering-related control system is a lane departure warning system (LDWS) that warns of a lane departure state when the vehicle deviates from a certain range near the lane after detecting the lane and the current position of the vehicle.

[0007] Of course, the aforementioned Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS) and Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS) can be integrated and implemented as one system. Such an integrated lane control system can simultaneously warn of the possibility of lane departure and actively control the steering system to maintain the lane.

[0008] On the other hand, in recent vehicles, when a driver inputs a destination, a navigation device that generates a target route from the current position to the destination and guides the generated target route is widely used.

[0009] In addition, with the recent technological developments, fully autonomous driving technology or semi-autonomous driving technology that automatically performs steering control, braking control, and engine control (speed control) so that the vehicle travels along the target route by the navigation device has been developed.

[0010] On the other hand, when there are one or more branch roads on a highway or an expressway, a branch road guide line having a certain color or pattern is displayed on the road to guide the vehicle to each branch road.

[0011] Such a branch road guide line can start from the current driving road and extend to a part of each branch road.

[0012] Also, when there are two or more branch roads within a certain section, the branch road guide lines for each branch road can be distinguished by having different colors or patterns.

[0013] Thus, when a vehicle travels on a road with two or more branch road guide lines in one lane, it is necessary to precisely perform autonomous driving control or lane keeping control of the vehicle according to the presence or absence of the target route by the navigation device. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION

[0014] Against such a background, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle control device and method capable of controlling a vehicle in a desired direction at a branch road.

[0015] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle control device and method that appropriately perform autonomous driving control or lane keeping control within a lane according to the presence or absence of a preset target route when a vehicle travels in a lane where two or more branch road guiding lines are displayed.

[0016] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle control device and method that enable a vehicle to follow one of two or more branch road guiding lines according to the presence or absence of a target route by a navigation device.

[0017] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle control device and method that enable autonomous driving of a vehicle on a road where two or more branch road guiding lines are displayed.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0018] In order to achieve the above object, in one aspect of the present disclosure, a sensor device that senses branch road guiding lines displayed on the road surface of a driving lane, a route guidance device that generates a target route to a destination and provides information regarding the target route, a lane keeping control module that performs lane keeping control, and when a plurality of branch road guiding lines are sensed in the driving lane, a control unit that controls the lane keeping control module based on the positions of one or more of the plurality of branch road guiding lines and the positions of the left and right lane boundary lines of the driving lane according to the presence or absence of a target route set by the route guidance device. A vehicle control device can be provided.

[0019] As an example, when the target route is set, the control unit can control the lane keeping control module so that the vehicle travels along the branch road guiding line corresponding to the target route among the plurality of branch road guiding lines.

[0020] More specifically, when the target route is set, the control unit can control the lane keeping control module so that the outer line of the vehicle is located at the midpoint between one side position of the branch route guiding line corresponding to the target route among the plurality of branch route guiding lines and one side position of the left or right lane boundary line of the driving lane.

[0021] On the other hand, when the target route is not set, the control unit can control the lane keeping control module so that the vehicle travels along the branch route guiding line corresponding to the road that branches later among the plurality of branch route guiding lines.

[0022] As another example, when the target route is not set, the control unit can control the lane keeping control module so that the vehicle travels along one or more of the branch route guiding lines with a larger radius of curvature, the branch route guiding line indicated by the direction indicator, and the branch route guiding line on the side of the driver's line of sight among the plurality of branch route guiding lines.

[0023] The plurality of branch route guiding lines can be distinguished by different colors or patterns respectively.

[0024] Further, the plurality of branch route guiding lines can include a first branch route guiding line corresponding to a first branch route that branches first and a second branch route guiding line corresponding to a second branch route that branches later.

[0025] In this case, each of the first branch route guiding line and the second branch route guiding line may be a line having the same width, and the first branch route guiding line and the second branch route guiding line can be arranged left and right at a distance of a first distance within the driving lane.

[0026] The route guidance device may be a navigation device built in the vehicle or a driver's portable terminal installed outside the vehicle, and the control unit can receive information about the target route from the route guidance device.

[0027] The sensor device can identify each of the plurality of branching lane guiding lines based on the width, color, or pattern of the branching lane guiding lines displayed within the driving lane.

[0028] Moreover, the sensor device of the vehicle control device according to the present embodiment can further detect a branching guide lane displayed within the driving lane where the plurality of branching lane guiding lines are displayed.

[0029] At this time, the control unit can control the lane keeping control module to ignore the branching guide lane detected within the driving lane.

[0030] In another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a vehicle control device including a steering device for controlling the traveling direction of a vehicle and an autonomous driving control unit for controlling autonomous driving of the vehicle without driver intervention by controlling the steering device. The autonomous driving control unit identifies a plurality of branching lane guiding lines displayed on the road surface of one driving lane on which the vehicle travels based on information obtained from an image sensor mounted on the vehicle, and automatically controls the steering device based on one or more of the plurality of branching lane guiding lines according to the presence or absence of a target route set for autonomous driving of the vehicle to adjust the lateral position of the vehicle within the one driving lane.

[0031] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a vehicle control method including the steps of detecting branching lane guiding lines displayed on the road surface of one driving lane, generating a target route to a destination and providing information on the target route, and when a plurality of branching lane guiding lines are detected in the one driving lane, adjusting the lateral position within the one driving lane based on the position of one or more of the plurality of branching lane guiding lines and the positions of the left and right lane boundary lines of the driving lane according to the presence or absence of the setting of the target route.

Advantages of the Invention

[0032] As described below, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in an environment where there are a plurality of branch roads, the driving of a vehicle can be controlled in a desired direction.

[0033] Also, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when a vehicle travels in a lane where two or more branch road guiding lines are displayed, autonomous driving control or lane keeping control within the driving lane can be appropriately performed according to the presence or absence of a preset target route.

[0034] Also, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, according to the presence or absence of a target route by a navigation device, a vehicle can appropriately follow one of two or more branch road guiding lines.

[0035] Also, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, vehicle autonomous driving is possible in a road environment where two or more branch road guiding lines are displayed within one driving lane.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0036]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0037] Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to exemplary drawings. When attaching reference numerals to the components of each drawing, for the same components, even if they are shown in other drawings, they can have the same reference numerals as much as possible. Also, in describing this embodiment, when it is determined that a detailed description of a related known configuration or function will obscure the gist of the present technical idea, the detailed description can be omitted. When terms such as "including", "having", "constituting", etc. referred to in this specification are used, unless "only" is used, other parts can be added. When a component is expressed in the singular, unless there is a particularly explicit description, it can include the case of including a plurality.

[0038] Also, when describing the components of the present disclosure, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. can be used. Such terms are for distinguishing the components from other components, and the essence, order, sequence, or number of the components are not limited by such terms.

[0039] In the description of the positional relationship of components, when it is described that two or more components are "connected", "coupled" or "joined", etc., it should be understood that the two or more components can be directly "connected", "coupled" or "joined", but it is also possible that another component is "interposed" between the two or more components and they are "connected", "coupled" or "joined". Here, the other component may be included in one or more of the two or more components that are "connected", "coupled" or "joined" to each other.

[0040] In the description of the temporal flow relationship regarding components, operation methods, manufacturing methods, etc., for example, when the temporal precedence relationship or sequential precedence relationship is described by "after ~", "subsequent to ~", "next to ~", "before ~", etc., it may include cases where it is not continuous, unless "immediately" or "directly" is used.

[0041] On the other hand, when a numerical value for a component or its corresponding information (e.g., level, etc.) is mentioned, even without a separate explicit description, the numerical value or its corresponding information can be interpreted as including the error range that can be caused by various factors (e.g., process factors, internal or external shocks, noise, etc.).

[0042] Hereinafter, this embodiment will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

[0043] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] A vehicle control device 100 according to an embodiment may include a sensor device 110, a route guidance device 120, a lane keeping control module 130, and a control unit 140.

[0045] The sensor device 110 can detect one or more branch road guiding lines displayed on the road surface of the driving lane on which the vehicle is traveling.

[0046] The sensor device 110 may be an image sensor such as a camera, or may be a laser distance sensor such as a LiDAR.

[0047] However, the sensor device 110 according to the embodiments of the present disclosure needs to have a function of further identifying a separate branch road guiding line displayed between the left and right lane boundary lines in addition to the general lane boundary lines by recognizing the color and / or pattern of the marks displayed on the road surface of the driving lane.

[0048] The sensor device 110 may be an image sensor such as a camera mounted on the vehicle.

[0049] Such an image sensor may be a front camera provided behind the vehicle windshield or the like, and may capture an image of the view in front of the vehicle, and may include imaging means in any form such as CCD, MOSFET type, etc.

[0050] In addition to a simple image capturing function, such an image sensor may include an image module that processes the captured image and outputs information such as the position, type, and distance of the objects in the image.

[0051] Also, the sensor device 110 can identify the lane boundary lines existing on the driving road and the branch road guiding lines arranged between the left and right lane boundary lines using the output information of the image sensor.

[0052] In this specification, the sensor device 110 will be described as performing both an image acquisition function and a function of sensing lane boundary lines and branch road guiding lines based on image processing.

[0053] However, it is not limited thereto, and an image processing processor module having a function of identifying / sensing lane boundary lines and branch road guiding lines based on the image data acquired by the image sensor may be provided separately from the sensor device 110.

[0054] As an example, the sensor device 110 removes obstacles from an image based on distance data acquired by a distance sensor such as a radar device, sets a region where the obstacles are removed as a free space, and can detect the edge of the image within the free space.

[0055] The sensor device 110 can use a certain edge detection algorithm for edge detection. For example, the sensor device 110 can use a Sobel filter, which is more effective for detecting diagonal edges than vertical or horizontal edges, but is not limited thereto.

[0056] The sensor device 110 can detect the edges (such as horizontal edges, vertical edges, diagonal edges, etc.) of the objects included in the image, and can detect the straight line components from the edge information using the Hough Transform algorithm.

[0057] After that, the sensor device 110 can set at least one region of interest (ROI) necessary for recognizing the lane boundary line and the branch road guiding line based on the detection result of the straight line components within the free space.

[0058] The region of interest necessary for recognizing the lane boundary line and the branch road guiding line includes the regions corresponding to the lane boundary line and the branch road guiding line, and can be set so as to minimize the video search range for recognizing the lane boundary line.

[0059] For example, since the lane boundary line and the branch road guiding line are located at the lower part of the image, the region of interest can be set in a part of the lower region of the acquired image.

[0060] Also, since the lane boundary line and the branch road guiding line appear smaller as they are farther away, the size of the region of interest can be set to become smaller as the lane boundary line becomes smaller.

[0061] Further, the region of interest can be set separately for each of the left and right lane boundary lines of the driving road, and the branch road guiding lines arranged between the left and right lane boundary lines.

[0062] When a region of interest for recognizing lane boundary lines is set, the sensor device 110 extracts the lane boundary lines and the branch road guiding lines from the set region of interest, and when the lane boundary lines are extracted from the region of interest, the sensor device 110 can detect the vanishing point of the lane boundary lines.

[0063] The sensor device 110 can estimate the heading angle of the vehicle by comparing the position of the detected vanishing point with the position of the center point of the image.

[0064] That is, when the vanishing points of the left and right lane boundary lines of the driving road coincide with the center point of the camera-captured image, the heading angle of the vehicle is 0, indicating that the vehicle is traveling in the same direction as the traveling direction of the road. Also, the heading angle of the vehicle indicating the angle between the traveling direction of the vehicle and the traveling direction of the lane boundary line can be estimated from the offset between the vanishing point and the center point of the image.

[0065] In this way, the heading angle of the vehicle estimated by the sensor device 110 can be used as a parameter when controlling the steering of the vehicle with respect to the branch road guiding line depending on the presence or absence of the target route, as will be described below.

[0066] Further, the sensor device 110 according to an embodiment can identify branch road guiding lines having specific patterns and / or colors displayed on the road surface between the left and right lane boundary lines in addition to the left and right lane boundary lines of the driving lane.

[0067] For this purpose, the sensor device 110 can sense the color of the branch road guiding line using a deep learning model for classifying lane boundary lines.

[0068] As an example, the sensor device 110 can identify a first mark having a color other than white displayed on a lane, and can identify the color of the first mark by determining the most dominant chromaticity diagram among red (R), green (G), and blue (B) that the first mark has.

[0069] Also, the sensor device 110 can identify the shape of the mark displayed on the lane or the pattern inside the mark.

[0070] For example, the sensor device 110 can identify a general lane boundary line in which white straight segments are intermittently arranged.

[0071] Also, the sensor device 110 can identify a center line that is a yellow straight extension line.

[0072] Also, the sensor device 110 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure can identify a branch road guiding line that is a solid line of pink or green.

[0073] As an example, the branch road guiding line is a guiding line having different colors and can further include a specific pattern inside.

[0074] In Korea, the branch road guiding line is displayed as a solid line of pink or green for the lane boundary line, and can further include an arrow pattern arranged at regular intervals inside the branch road guiding line.

[0075] The branch road guiding line generally has a larger width than a general lane boundary line or a center line and may be a solid line that can be distinguished by a certain color.

[0076] Also, when a plurality of branch road guiding lines are displayed on one lane or adjacent lanes, the plurality of branch road guiding lines can be distinguished by different colors or patterns.

[0077] The plurality of branch path guiding lines can include a first branch path guiding line corresponding to a first branch path that branches first, and a second branch path guiding line corresponding to a second branch path that branches later.

[0078] At this time, each of the first branch path guiding line and the second branch path guiding line may be a solid line of a unique color having the same width, and the first branch path guiding line and the second branch path guiding line may be arranged on the left and right in the driving lane separated by a first distance.

[0079] For example, when two or more branch path guiding lines are displayed in one lane, the first branch path guiding line arranged on the left side may be a solid green line having a width of 45 to 50 cm, and the second branch path guiding line arranged on the right side may be separated from the first branch path guiding line by about 40 cm and may be a solid pink line having a width of 45 to 50 cm.

[0080] Inside the first branch path guiding line and the second branch path guiding line, a special white pattern such as an arrow may be further included.

[0081] Therefore, the sensor device 110 can identify each branch path guiding line based on the size (45 to 50 cm) of the width, color (green or pink), internal pattern, etc. of the branch path guiding line shown on the road surface between the left and right lane boundary lines of the lane.

[0082] Also, the sensor device 110 used in this embodiment can include a front camera module.

[0083] Such a front camera module can calculate and output the edge shape of the lane boundary line or mark displayed on the road and the position information (coordinates, etc.) of the edge based on the image information captured around the vehicle.

[0084] Also, since such a front camera module is provided at the center in front of the vehicle, it can output the position information (coordinates, etc.) of the lateral center, which is the center between the left line and the right line of the vehicle.

[0085] In addition, the front camera module can calculate and output a heading angle, which is the angle formed by one of the lane boundary lines of the driving lane and the traveling direction of the vehicle.

[0086] The front camera module can recognize the lane boundary lines of the driving lane and output information such as the curvature or radius of curvature of the lane boundary lines and the traveling direction information of the lane boundary lines.

[0087] On the other hand, as will be described later, since the vehicle control device 100 according to the present disclosure operates on a branch road, after detecting a "disappearance" state of a lane boundary line that suddenly becomes unrecognized while one of the left and right lane boundary lines of the traveling road is being recognized, it can include a function of detecting a long-distance lane boundary line existing in the disappearing direction.

[0088] For this purpose, the sensor device 110 can be provided with a function of expanding the region of interest in the disappearing direction when one of the left and right lane boundary lines of the traveling road disappears.

[0089] That is, the sensor device 110 sets regions of interest of the same size on both sides of the traveling road in a general driving state, but when one of the left and right lane boundary lines of the traveling road disappears, it expands the region of interest in the disappearing direction more, so as to recognize a disappearing-side long-distance lane boundary line existing at a long distance or a lane boundary line of a branch road.

[0090] Of course, as will be described later, when traveling along a road that branches in a road branching region, it may be necessary to expand the region of interest in the non-disappearing direction more. Therefore, when one of the left and right lane boundary lines of the traveling road disappears, the sensor device 110 according to the present invention can expand and re-set the regions of interest to both the disappearing side and the non-disappearing side.

[0091] In addition, the sensor device 110 can calculate the distance to the lane boundary line and the position information of the lane boundary line included in the captured video frame in consideration of the focal length, magnification ratio, etc. of the camera.

[0092] The route guidance device 120 included in the vehicle control device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure can generate a target route to a destination and provide information regarding the target route.

[0093] Such a route guidance device 120 may be a navigation device built into the vehicle, or a portable terminal of a vehicle passenger or driver.

[0094] Also, the vehicle driver can operate the route guidance device 120 to input a desired destination, and the route guidance device 120 can set a target route that is the optimal route to the destination and display it.

[0095] Also, the route guidance device 120 can output information regarding the target route to a control unit 140 as described later.

[0096] The route guidance device 120 may be a navigation device, and the navigation device can include map information.

[0097] After the navigation device senses the current position of the vehicle using a positioning means such as GPS, it can display the current position information and driving-related information of the vehicle together with the map information.

[0098] Such a navigation device may be in a form incorporated into the vehicle or in a form attached to the vehicle as a separate device, and in the present disclosure, all such forms of navigation devices can be used.

[0099] However, the navigation device applicable to the present invention includes map information inside and can transmit information regarding the target route used in this embodiment to the control unit 140 or the autonomous driving control unit using certain information transmission and reception means (wireless communication module, wired communication cable).

[0100] More specifically, the information regarding the target route output by the navigation device according to the present disclosure can include the number of lane boundary lines of the driving road, information on intersection areas existing on the driving road, information on crosswalk areas, information on toll gates or highway areas, information on road merges, information on road bifurcations, and the like.

[0101] In particular, since the vehicle control device 100 according to the present disclosure controls vehicle driving on a bifurcated road, the information regarding the target route can further include information on one or more bifurcated roads.

[0102] Also, the information regarding the target route can further include information on one or more bifurcation guiding lines.

[0103] The lane keeping control module 130 included in the vehicle control device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure can control the lateral position of the vehicle within the lane by automatically controlling the steering of the vehicle under the control of the control unit 140.

[0104] Such a lane keeping control module 130 can include a Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS) module.

[0105] The lane keeping control module 130 can control the lateral position of the vehicle such that the outer line of the vehicle is located at the midpoint between one side position of one of the two bifurcation guiding lines within the driving lane and one side position of the left or right lane boundary line of the driving lane. At this time, the outer line of the vehicle can be defined as the coordinate of the left end position or the right end position of the vehicle body. The outer line of the vehicle, that is, the coordinate of the left end or the right end position of the vehicle body, can be determined based on the lateral center position of the vehicle and the vehicle width information.

[0106] Specifically, the lane keeping control module 130, under the control of the control unit 140, uses parameters such as the vehicle's heading angle, the vehicle's width information, the positions of the left and right lane boundary lines or the branch road guiding lines, and the curvature (radius) of the road to drive the vehicle's steering device and adjust the lateral position of the vehicle within the driving lane, thereby enabling the vehicle to be controlled to travel along one of the two branch road guiding lines within the driving lane.

[0107] As an example, the lane keeping control module 130 uses parameters such as the vehicle's heading angle, the vehicle's width information, the positions of the left and right lane boundary lines or the branch road guiding lines, and the curvature (radius) of the road to control the outer line of the vehicle to be located at the midpoint between one side position of one of the two branch road guiding lines within the driving lane and one side position of the left or right lane boundary line of the driving lane.

[0108] Such a lane keeping control module 130 can be represented as a lane following assist (LFA) control module.

[0109] The detailed configuration of the lateral position control of the vehicle via the lane keeping control module 130 will be described in more detail below based on FIG. 8.

[0110] When a plurality of branch road guiding lines are sensed within the driving lane of the vehicle, the control unit 140 included in the vehicle control device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure can control the lane keeping control module 130 based on the presence or absence of a target route set by the route guidance device 120 and based on the positions of one or more of the plurality of branch road guiding lines.

[0111] Specifically, the control unit 140 can execute the following functions: i) a first function of determining whether there are a plurality of branch road guiding lines in the driving lane based on the data from the sensor device 110; ii) a second function of determining whether there is a target route set by the driver; and iii) a third function of adjusting the lateral position of the vehicle in the lane based on the branch road guiding lines according to the presence or absence of the target route when there are a plurality of branch road guiding lines in the driving lane.

[0112] The control unit 140 or the sensor device 110 can execute the first function by analyzing the video of the driving lane and checking whether there are two or more solid lines with a certain line width and color within a certain range in a certain area within the left and right lane boundary lines of the driving lane.

[0113] For example, when the control unit 140 detects a solid line with a width of 40 to 50 cm and a color of green, light green or pink in the driving lane based on the results sensed or output by the sensor device 110, the control unit 140 can recognize the corresponding solid line as a branch road guiding line.

[0114] As an example, when the target route is set, the control unit 140 can control the lane keeping control module 130 so that the vehicle travels along the branch road guiding line corresponding to the target route among the plurality of branch road guiding lines.

[0115] More specifically, when the target route is set, the control unit 140 can control the lane keeping control module 130 so that the outer line of the vehicle is located at the midpoint between one side position of the branch road guiding line corresponding to the target route among the plurality of branch road guiding lines and one side position of the left or right lane boundary line of the driving lane.

[0116] Such examples will be described in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

[0117] As another example, when no target route is set, the control unit 140 can control the lane maintenance control module 130 such that the vehicle travels along a branch route guiding line corresponding to a road that will branch later among the plurality of branch route guiding lines.

[0118] More specifically, when no target route is set, the control unit 140 can control the lane maintenance control module 130 such that the vehicle travels along a branch route guiding line having a larger radius of curvature among the plurality of branch route guiding lines.

[0119] Alternatively, when no target route is set and the direction indicator lamp of the vehicle is lit, the control unit 140 can control the lane maintenance control module 130 such that the vehicle travels along a branch route guiding line in the direction of the lit direction indicator lamp among the plurality of branch route guiding lines.

[0120] Alternatively, when no target route is set, the control unit 140 can control the lane maintenance control module 130 such that the vehicle travels along a branch route guiding line in the direction of the driver's line of sight among the plurality of branch route guiding lines.

[0121] For this purpose, the sensor device 110 can further include an internal camera sensor attached inside the vehicle to photograph the pupils of the driver.

[0122] The internal camera sensor can photograph the pupils of the vehicle driver, sense the direction (left or right side of the vehicle) in which the driver's line of sight is directed for a predetermined reference time or more, and output the information.

[0123] Such examples will be described in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

[0124] On the other hand, the plurality of branch route guiding lines displayed on one driving lane can include a first branch route guiding line corresponding to a first branch route that branches first and a second branch route guiding line corresponding to a second branch route that branches later.

[0125] In this case, each of the first branch road guiding line and the second branch road guiding line may be a solid line having the same width, and the first branch road guiding line and the second branch road guiding line may be arranged side by side with a separation of a first distance.

[0126] Further, the sensor device 110 of the vehicle control device 100 according to the present embodiment can further detect a branching guide lane displayed within a driving lane in which the plurality of branch road guiding lines are displayed.

[0127] Such a branching guide lane may be a white dotted line that starts from one of the left and right lanes of the driving road and extends to one of the left and right lane boundary lines of the branching road.

[0128] On the other hand, the control unit 140 can control the lane maintenance control module 130 to ignore the branching guide lane detected within the driving lane.

[0129] That is, even when a branching guide lane is further detected within a driving lane in which a plurality of branch road guiding lines are displayed, the vehicle control device 100 according to the present disclosure can control the steering of the vehicle based on the branch road guiding lines while ignoring the branching guide lane.

[0130] When the vehicle control device 100 according to the present embodiment as described above is used, the running of the vehicle can be controlled in a desired direction in a road area where a plurality of branch roads exist.

[0131] Specifically, according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, when the vehicle travels in a lane in which two or more branch road guiding lines are displayed, autonomous driving control or lane maintenance control within the driving lane can be appropriately performed according to the presence or absence of a preset target route.

[0132] Therefore, safe and comfortable autonomous driving of the vehicle is enabled on a road where two or more branch road guiding lines are displayed.

[0133] Figure 2 illustrates the road environment to which the embodiments of the present disclosure are applied.

[0134] Referring to FIG. 2, the road on which vehicle control is performed according to the present disclosure is a two-lane road on one side, and there are two driving lanes L1 and L2 on the right side with respect to the center line CL on the left side.

[0135] The vehicle 10 is traveling in L2, which is the outer lane of the two lanes. That is, L2 is the driving lane.

[0136] On the other hand, in front of the driving lane L2, there are two branch roads BL1 and BL2 that branch and lead to two different paths.

[0137] When there is only one branch road ahead, it is not difficult to enter the branch road, and there is no great difficulty in guiding the vehicle in the direction of the branch road.

[0138] However, when there are two or more branch roads with different paths in close proximity as shown in FIG. 2, it is difficult for the driver to recognize the desired path.

[0139] Also, in the case of an autonomous driving vehicle, it may be difficult to select one of two or more branch roads and control the driving.

[0140] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a lane in which a plurality of branch road guiding lines are displayed on the road surface.

[0141] Referring to FIG. 3, in the road environment as shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of branch road guiding lines may be displayed in one driving lane for guiding the driving of the vehicle.

[0142] Two branch road guiding lines BIL1 and BIL2 may be displayed in L2, which is the driving lane.

[0143] The first branch road guiding line BIL1 is a solid line that first branches from the lane L2 and extends to the center of the first branch road BL1 having the first path.

[0144] The second branch road guiding line BIL2 is a solid line that branches off from the lane L2 and extends to the center of the second branch road BL2 having the second path.

[0145] That is, in the lane L2 where there are two branch roads branching forward, the first branch road guiding line BIL1 and the second branch road guiding line BIL2, which are two branch road guiding lines, are simultaneously displayed at a point a certain distance away from the branch point.

[0146] According to Korean standards, the first branch road guiding line BIL1 and the second branch road guiding line BIL2 can be color solid lines having a certain line width and the first color (pink or green) and the second color (green or pink), respectively, but are not limited thereto.

[0147] When two or more branch road guiding lines are displayed in one lane, the driver can drive along the branch road guiding line along the desired driving route.

[0148] In addition, the autonomous vehicle can select and follow one of the two branch road guiding lines displayed in the driving lane.

[0149] On the other hand, in a road environment as shown in FIG. 3, a branch guiding line BGL for guiding two further branching branch roads BL1 and BL2 can be displayed.

[0150] The branch guiding line BGL can start from the left lane boundary line of the driving lane L2 and extend between the two branch roads BL1 and BL2, and can be a dotted white lane boundary line like a general lane.

[0151] Such a branch guiding line BGL is for guiding to a branch road on the driving road, but may be unnecessary information in the vehicle control device 100 according to the present disclosure.

[0152] That is, in the vehicle control device 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, since the lateral position of the vehicle is controlled based only on the branch road guiding line and one side lane boundary line of the driving lane, the branch guiding line BGL additionally displayed in the driving lane is information that is not necessary for control.

[0153] Therefore, in the vehicle control device 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, even if the branch guiding line BGL in the driving lane is further identified, it can be ignored and the lateral position of the vehicle can be controlled based only on the branch road guiding line and one side lane boundary line of the driving lane.

[0154] The vehicle control device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure can operate in a road environment where two or more branch road guiding lines are displayed in one driving lane as shown in FIG. 3.

[0155] Thus, when two or more branch road guiding lines are displayed in one driving lane, a problem occurs in that existing lane keeping control and lane following control systems cannot be applied as they are.

[0156] Also, when the existing lane following control system is applied as it is and controlled to travel in the center of the driving lane, sudden steering may be performed at the branch point of the two branch roads, and the driving stability may decrease.

[0157] For example, when trying to drive on the first branch road BL1 in a road environment as shown in FIG. 3, it is preferable to drive at a position closer to the first branch road BL1 than the center of the driving lane even before reaching the branch point.

[0158] Therefore, in a road environment where two or more branch road guiding lines are displayed in one driving lane, the lane control device 100 according to an embodiment can be controlled to safely follow one of the plurality of branch road guiding lines according to the presence or absence of a set target route.

[0159] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of the operation of the vehicle control device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure when a target route is set.

[0160] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control unit 140 of the vehicle control device 100 executes: i) a first function of determining whether there are a plurality of branch road guiding lines in the driving lane based on the data from the sensor device 110; and ii) a second function of determining whether there is a target route set by the driver.

[0161] As a result of executing the first function and the second function, if it is determined that there are a plurality of branch road guiding lines in the currently traveled driving lane and a target route is set by a navigation device or the like, the control unit 140 can control the steering of the vehicle to travel along the branch road guiding line corresponding to the target route among the plurality of branch road guiding lines.

[0162] As an example, the control unit 140 can control the lane keeping control module 130 so that the outer line of the vehicle is located at the midpoint between one side position of the branch road guiding line corresponding to the target route among the plurality of branch road guiding lines and one side position of the left lane boundary line or the right lane boundary line of the driving lane.

[0163] FIG. 4 illustrates a case where the target route includes the first branch road BL1.

[0164] As shown in FIG. 4, the vehicle 10 is traveling in the driving lane L2, and the driving lane L2 displays, on the left and right, a first branch road guiding line BIL1 extending to the first branch road BL1 that first branches off, and a second branch road guiding line BIL2 extending to the second branch road BL2 that branches off later.

[0165] In this state, it is assumed that the target route set for the vehicle 10 includes the first branch road BL1.

[0166] When it is set to proceed from L2 where the target route is the driving lane DL to the first branch road BL1 as shown in FIG. 4, the vehicle control device 100 according to the present embodiment can control the lane keeping control module 130 so that the right outer line of the vehicle 10 is located at the midpoint between the right side position of the first branch road guiding line BIL1 corresponding to the target route among the plurality of branch road guiding lines and one side position of the right lane of the driving lane L2.

[0167] Specifically, as shown in the lower right part of FIG. 4, the vehicle control device 100 can control the lane keeping control module 130 so that the right outer line OL_R of the vehicle 10 is located at the midpoint ML which is separated from the left end point of the right lane boundary line RL of the driving lane L2 by the same distance D as the right side position of the first branch road guiding line BIL1.

[0168] For this purpose, the control unit 140 can use the vehicle width W (see FIG. 8) information of the vehicle already stored, the lateral center position information of the vehicle acquired by the sensor device 110, the position information of one side end point of the branch road guiding line, the position information of the end point of one side lane boundary line of the driving lane, the heading angle information of the vehicle, the road curvature (radius) information, and the like.

[0169] The detailed configuration in which such a control unit 140 controls the lateral position of the vehicle in the driving lane using the information will be described in more detail below with reference to FIG. 8.

[0170] Through the above control, the vehicle 10 can be safely guided to the first branch road BL1 corresponding to the target route.

[0171] In this way, when the target route includes the first branch road BL1, the vehicle control device 100 according to the present embodiment does not perform lane following control based on the left and right lane boundary lines of the driving lane L2, but can perform lane following control or lane keeping control based on the positions of the first branch road guiding line BIL1 and the right lane boundary line of the driving lane L2.

[0172] Accordingly, even before the vehicle 10 reaches the branch point, it can travel at a lateral position closer to the first branch road BL1 within the driving lane rather than at the center of the driving lane.

[0173] Therefore, the change in the steering angle or the rate of change of the steering angle during the process of branching into the first branch road BL1 can be minimized, and the deterioration of the steering feeling or driving stability due to branching can be minimized.

[0174] FIG. 5 illustrates another example of the operation of the vehicle control device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure when a target route is set.

[0175] FIG. 5 illustrates a case where a plurality of branch road guiding lines BIL1 and BIL2 are displayed in the driving lane and the target route includes the second branch road BL2.

[0176] As shown in FIG. 5, the vehicle 10 is traveling in the lane L2, and the first branch road guiding line BIL1 extending to the first branch road BL1 that first branches off and the second branch road guiding line BIL2 extending to the second branch road BL2 that branches off later are displayed on the left and right in the driving lane L2.

[0177] FIG. 5 illustrates a case where the target route set for the vehicle 10 includes the second branch road BL2.

[0178] As shown in FIG. 5, when the target route is set to proceed from the driving lane DL, which is L2, to the second branch road BL2, the vehicle control device 100 according to the present embodiment can control the lane keeping control module 130 so that the left outer line of the vehicle 10 is located at the midpoint between the left side position of the second branch road guiding line BIL2 corresponding to the target route among the plurality of branch road guiding lines and the right end point of the left side lane boundary line of the driving lane L2.

[0179] Specifically, as shown in the lower right part of FIG. 5, the vehicle control device 100 controls the lane keeping control module 130 so that the left outer line OL_L of the vehicle 10 is located at the midpoint ML that is separated from the right end point of the left lane boundary line LL of the driving lane L2 by the same distance D as the left side position of the second branch road guiding line BIL2.

[0180] By the above control, the vehicle 10 can be safely guided to the second branch road BL2 corresponding to the target route.

[0181] In this way, when the target route includes the second branch road BL2, even before the vehicle 10 reaches the branch point, it can travel along the left side point closer to the second branch road BL2 than the center of the driving lane within the driving lane.

[0182] Therefore, the change in the steering angle or the rate of change of the steering angle of the vehicle can be minimized within the driving road until it branches into the second branch road BL2, and the deterioration of the steering feeling or driving stability due to the branch can be minimized.

[0183] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of the operation of the vehicle control device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure when no target route is set.

[0184] The control unit 140 of the vehicle control device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure executes: i) a first function of determining whether there are a plurality of branch road guiding lines in the driving lane based on the data from the sensor device 110; and ii) a second function of determining whether there is a target route set by the driver.

[0185] When it is determined based on the execution results of the first function and the second function that there are a plurality of branch road guiding lines in the currently traveling driving lane and no target route is set by a navigation device or the like, the control unit 140 can control the steering of the vehicle to travel along the branch road guiding line corresponding to the branch road that branches later among the plurality of branch road guiding lines.

[0186] As an example, the control unit 140 can control the lane maintenance control module 130 such that the left outer line of the vehicle is located at the midpoint between one side position of the left branch road guiding line corresponding to the branch road that branches later among a plurality of branch road guiding lines and one side position of the left lane boundary line of the driving lane.

[0187] As shown in FIG. 6, the vehicle 10 is traveling in the lane L2. In the driving lane L2, a first branch road guiding line BIL1 extending to a first branch road BL1 that branches first and a second branch road guiding line BIL2 extending to a second branch road BL2 that branches later are displayed on the left and right.

[0188] In this state, when there is no target route set for the vehicle 10, the vehicle control device 100 according to the present embodiment can control the lane maintenance control module 130 such that the left outer line of the vehicle 10 is located at the midpoint between the left side position of the second branch road guiding line BIL2 corresponding to the second branch road BL2 that branches later among a plurality of branch road guiding lines and the right end point of the left lane boundary line of the driving lane L2.

[0189] Specifically, as shown in the lower right part of FIG. 6, the vehicle control device 100 can control the lane maintenance control module 130 such that the left outer line OL_L of the vehicle 10 is located at the midpoint ML that is separated from the right end point of the left lane boundary line LL of the driving lane L2 by the same distance D as the left side position of the second branch road guiding line BIL2.

[0190] By the above control, the vehicle 10 can be guided to continue traveling along the second branch road BL2 that branches later or the current driving road L2.

[0191] Alternatively, when a plurality of branch road guiding lines exist within the current driving lane and it is determined that no target route is set by a navigation device or the like, the control unit 140 can control the lateral position of the vehicle to follow the branch road guiding line with the larger radius of curvature among the plurality of branch road guiding lines.

[0192] That is, in FIG. 6, the curvature radius R2 of the second branch road guiding line BIL2 disposed on the left side of the traveling road at a specific position is larger than the curvature radius R1 of the first branch road guiding line BIL1 disposed on the right side.

[0193] Therefore, when it is determined that the target route is not set by a navigation device or the like, the control unit 140 can perform lane keeping control of the vehicle based on the second branch road guiding line BIL2, which is the branch road guiding line with the larger curvature radius (that is, the branch road guiding line with the smaller curvature change) among the first branch road guiding line BIL1 and the second branch road guiding line BIL2.

[0194] As another example, when a plurality of branch road guiding lines exist in the current traveling lane and it is determined that the target route is not set by a navigation device or the like, the vehicle control device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure can control the vehicle to travel along the branch road guiding line indicated by the direction indicator light.

[0195] When the vehicle is traveling in a traveling lane where a plurality of branch road guiding lines exist and the target route is not set by a navigation device or the like, the control unit 140 can check whether the direction indicator light is on.

[0196] When the target route is not set and the direction indicator light of the vehicle is on, the control unit 140 can control the lane keeping control module 130 so that the vehicle travels along the branch road guiding line in the direction of the lit direction indicator light among the plurality of branch road guiding lines.

[0197] Specifically, in a road environment as shown in FIG. 6, when the target route is not set and the right direction indicator light of the vehicle is on, the control unit 140 can control the lateral position of the vehicle based on the first branch road guiding line BIL1 corresponding to the first branch road BL1 that branches first.

[0198] Of course, when the direction indicator is not lit or when the left turn indicator is lit, as described above, the control unit 140 can control the lateral position of the vehicle based on the second branch road guiding line BIL2 corresponding to the second branch road BL2 that branches off later or the second branch road guiding line BIL2 with a large radius of curvature.

[0199] As another example, when no target route is set, the control unit 140 can control the lane keeping control module 130 so that the vehicle travels along the branch road guiding line in the direction of the driver's line of sight among the plurality of branch road guiding lines.

[0200] The internal camera sensor included in the sensor device 110 can capture the driver's face orientation and / or eyes to confirm the position of the pupils. The sensor device 110 can determine whether the driver's line of sight is directed to the left or right side in front of the vehicle based on the sensed face orientation and pupil position.

[0201] More specifically, the internal camera sensor can capture the face orientation or pupils of the vehicle driver, and based on this, sense the direction (left or right side of the vehicle) to which the driver's line of sight is directed for a predetermined reference time or more, and output the information.

[0202] When the vehicle travels in a driving lane where a plurality of branch road guiding lines exist and no target route is set by a navigation device or the like, the control unit 140 can control the lane keeping control module 130 based on the branch road guiding line on the side of the driver's line of sight direction output from the internal camera sensor.

[0203] For example, in the environment of FIG. 6, when the driver's line of sight is directed to the right, the control unit 140 can control the lateral position of the vehicle so that the right outer line OL_R of the vehicle is located at the midpoint between the right end position of the first branch road guiding line BIL1 corresponding to the first branch road BL1 that branches off first and the left end position of the right lane boundary line of the driving lane.

[0204] Thus, when no target route is set, the vehicle control device 100 according to one embodiment can control the vehicle to travel along a branchless road or a branch road that will branch later, or along a branch guide line corresponding to the driver's line of sight or the lit direction indicator.

[0205] Thereby, when no target route is set, the running direction of the vehicle can be optimally maintained by causing the vehicle to continue running on a non-branching road or by causing the vehicle to run along a branching road that will branch later.

[0206] FIG. 7 illustrates another example of the operation of the vehicle control device 100 when no target route is set.

[0207] FIG. 7 illustrates the environment of a plane intersection.

[0208] That is, in the intersection area, a first branch road BL1 that suddenly proceeds to the left from the running lane L2 which is the first lane, a second branch road BL2 that gently proceeds to the left from the running lane L2, and a third branch road BL3 that proceeds to the right from the adjacent lane L1 which is the second lane are arranged.

[0209] In this case, on the running lane L2 corresponding to the left-turn lane, a first branch road guide line BIL1 that guides the branch to the first branch road L1 (or a sharp left turn) and a second branch road guide line BIL2 that guides the branch to the second branch road L2 (or a gentle left turn) can be simultaneously displayed.

[0210] Of course, on the adjacent lane L1 corresponding to the right-turn lane, a single third branch road guide line BIL3 for guiding to the third branch road BL3 may be displayed.

[0211] The state as shown in FIG. 7 can occur not only at intersections but also in cases where lanes branch to the center or left on a highway and then merge again.

[0212] As shown in FIG. 7, the "branching road" in this specification may be a concept that includes not only the branching to the left / right side of the driving road but also the left / right turning roads in the intersection area.

[0213] In a road environment as shown in FIG. 7, when the vehicle is traveling in the driving lane L2 and the target route by the route guidance device 120 is not set, the vehicle control device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure can control the lateral position of the vehicle to follow the branching road guiding line with a large radius of curvature among a plurality of branching road guiding lines.

[0214] That is, in FIG. 7, in the intersection area, the radius of curvature R2 of the second branching road guiding line BIL2 arranged on the right side of the radius of curvature R1 of the first branching road guiding line BIL1 is larger.

[0215] Therefore, when it is determined that the target route is not set by a navigation device or the like, the control unit 140 can perform lane keeping control of the vehicle based on the second branching road guiding line BIL2, which is the branching road guiding line with the larger radius of curvature (that is, the branching road guiding line with a small curvature change) among the first branching road guiding line BIL1 and the second branching road guiding line BIL2.

[0216] That is, in the embodiment of FIG. 7, the control unit 140 can control the lateral position of the vehicle so that the right outer line of the vehicle is arranged at the midpoint position between the second branching road guiding line BIL2 to be followed and the right lane boundary line of the driving lane L2 and the left turn guiding line extending therefrom.

[0217] In this way, when the target route is not set, the traveling direction of the vehicle can be optimally maintained by the vehicle traveling along the branching road with a large radius of curvature or the left / right turning branching road.

[0218] FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a method for following a branching road guiding line of the vehicle control device 100 according to an embodiment.

[0219] The vehicle control device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure stores in advance information regarding the vehicle width W of the vehicle.

[0220] Furthermore, the sensor device 110 such as a front camera module can calculate and output the edges of lane boundary lines or branch road guidance lines displayed in the driving lane, as well as position information (coordinates, etc.) of the edges.

[0221] In addition, since the front camera module is installed at the center of the front of the vehicle, it can output position information (coordinates, etc.) of the left-right center or lateral center of the vehicle, and can calculate and output the vehicle heading angle, which is the angle between the lane boundary line on one side of the driving lane or the branch road guide line and the vehicle's direction of travel.

[0222] In addition, the front camera module can recognize the lane boundary lines of the driving lane and output information such as the curvature or curvature radius of the lane boundary lines and the traveling direction information of the lane boundary lines.

[0223] That is, referring to FIG. 8, the vehicle control device 100 can obtain the coordinates (xc, yc) of the lateral center of the vehicle, the coordinates (x1, y1) of the left end point of the branch road guide line BIL, the coordinates (x2, y2) of the end point of the left outer line of the vehicle, and the coordinates (x3, y3) of the right position of the left lane boundary line LL of the driving lane based on the information already stored and the information sensed by the sensor device 110.

[0224] For ease of calculation, the direction of travel of the vehicle is assumed to be the y-axis, and the lateral direction perpendicular to it is assumed to be the x-axis.

[0225] That is, it is assumed that the horizontal distance between multiple points is determined only by the difference in x coordinates.

[0226] In this case, the vehicle control device 100 according to this embodiment can control the lane keeping control module 130 so that the outer line of the vehicle is positioned at the midpoint between one side position of the branch road guidance line to be followed and one side position of the left lane boundary line or the right lane boundary line of the driving lane.

[0227] Explaining again based on FIG. 8, the vehicle control device 100 determines the position x2 of the end point of the outer line on the left side of the vehicle from the lateral midpoint xc of the vehicle and the vehicle width information W.

[0228] Based on the signal transmitted from the sensor device 110, the position x1 on the left side of the branch road guiding line BIL and the position x3 on the right side of the left lane boundary line LL of the driving lane can also be determined.

[0229] The control unit 140 of the vehicle control device 100 monitors in real time the position of x3 - x1, which is the midpoint between the position x2 of the end point of the outer line on the left side of the vehicle, the left position x1 of the branch road guiding line BIL, and the right position x3 of the left lane boundary line of the driving lane during vehicle travel, and can control the steering device of the vehicle so that the error of that position converges to 0.

[0230] For example, when the distance x3 - xc from the vehicle center xc to the right position x3 of the left lane boundary line LL of the driving lane is 1.5 m and the distance x1 - xc between the vehicle center xc and the left position x1 of the branch road guiding line BIL is 0.7 m, the end point x2 of the left outer line of the vehicle may be (xc + W / 2).

[0231] Therefore, the control unit 140 controls the lateral position of the vehicle in the driving road so that the end point x2 of the left outer line OL_L of the vehicle is in the middle between the left position x1 of the branch road guiding line and the right position x3 of the left lane boundary line of the driving lane, that is, at the midpoint position 0.4 m away from the left position x1 of the branch road guiding line and the right position x3 of the left lane boundary line of the driving lane by the same distance.

[0232] Specifically, the control unit 140 of the vehicle control device 100 continuously monitors the distance error Δd defined by the difference value between the position x2 of the end point of the left outer line of the vehicle determined from the current position of the vehicle and the position of the midpoint x3 - x1 between the left position x1 of the branch road guiding line BIL determined through video analysis and the right position x3 of the left lane boundary line LL of the driving lane.

[0233] When such a distance error Δd exceeds a certain threshold value, the control unit 140 controls to reduce the distance error Δd by changing the steering angle of the vehicle via the lane keeping control module 130.

[0234] In conclusion, the control unit 140 of the vehicle control device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure can continuously change the steering angle of the vehicle via the lane keeping control module 130 so that the distance error Δd becomes 0.

[0235] On the other hand, even if the position of the outside line of the vehicle is at the position described above, correct lane following control may not be performed if there is an error in the traveling direction of the vehicle.

[0236] Therefore, the control unit 140 of the vehicle control device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure can further control the lane keeping control module 130 based on the heading angle of the vehicle.

[0237] Specifically, the control unit 140 can control the lane keeping control module 130 so that the vehicle heading angle θh defined as the relative angle of the traveling direction of the vehicle with respect to the direction vector θr of the traveling lane or the branch road guiding line converges to 0.

[0238] That is, the control unit 140 continuously monitors the vehicle heading angle θh output from the sensor device 110, and can continuously change the steering angle of the vehicle via the lane keeping control module 130 so that the vehicle heading angle θh becomes 0.

[0239] In conclusion, the control unit 140 enables following of the branch road guiding line according to an embodiment of the present disclosure by continuously controlling the steering direction of the vehicle so that the aforementioned distance error Δd and the vehicle heading angle θh converge to 0.

[0240] FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a vehicle control method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0241] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a vehicle control method includes step S910 of detecting a branch road guiding line, step S920 of generating a target route to a destination and providing information regarding the target route, and when a plurality of branch road guiding lines are detected on the single driving lane, step S930 of adjusting a lateral position of the vehicle within the single driving lane based on one or more positions of the plurality of branch road guiding lines and positions of left and right lane boundary lines of the driving lane according to whether the target route is set.

[0242] In step S930, when the target route is set, the lateral position of the vehicle can be adjusted so that the vehicle travels along the branch road guiding line corresponding to the target route among the plurality of branch road guiding lines.

[0243] More specifically, when the target route is set, the lateral position of the vehicle can be adjusted so that the outer line of the vehicle is located at the midpoint between one side position of the branch road guiding line corresponding to the target route among the plurality of branch road guiding lines and one side position of the left or right lane boundary line of the driving lane.

[0244] Also, in step S930, when the target route is not set, the lateral position of the vehicle can be adjusted so that the vehicle travels along the branch road guiding line corresponding to the road that branches later or the branch road guiding line with a larger radius of curvature among the plurality of branch road guiding lines.

[0245] As another example, in step S930, when the target route is not set, the lateral position of the vehicle can be adjusted so that the vehicle travels along the branch road guiding line indicated by the direction indicator or the branch road guiding line on the side of the driver's line of sight.

[0246] In addition, the vehicle control method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may further include a step of identifying a branching guide lane in a driving lane in which a plurality of branch route guiding lines are displayed. At this time, in step S930, the branching guide lane identified in the driving lane may be ignored, and the lateral position of the vehicle may be controlled.

[0247] The vehicle control method as shown in FIG. 9 can be executed by the vehicle control device 100 described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 8, and thus detailed descriptions of the configurations of each step are omitted.

[0248] FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle control device 200 for autonomous driving according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0249] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a vehicle control device 200 for autonomous driving can be provided.

[0250] The vehicle control device 100 according to FIGS. 2 to 8 is provided in a general vehicle equipped with a driving assistance system (DAS), and can perform follow-up control of a branch route guiding line as one of lane keeping control or lane following control functions.

[0251] On the other hand, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the vehicle control device 200 can be used as a control device for fully autonomous driving.

[0252] Specifically, the vehicle control device 200 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure may include a steering device 210 that controls the traveling direction of the vehicle and an autonomous driving control unit 220 that controls the steering device 210 to control the autonomous driving of the vehicle without driver intervention.

[0253] At this time, the autonomous driving control unit 220 identifies a plurality of branch road guiding lines displayed on the road surface of a single driving lane on which the vehicle travels based on the information acquired from the image sensor 230 mounted on the vehicle, and automatically controls the steering device 210 based on one or more of the plurality of branch road guiding lines according to the presence or absence of a target route set for the autonomous driving of the vehicle, and can adjust the lateral position of the vehicle within the single driving lane.

[0254] Specifically, the autonomous driving control unit 220 can execute: i) a first function of identifying a plurality of branch road guiding lines displayed on the road surface of a single driving lane on which the vehicle travels based on the information of the image sensor 230 mounted on the vehicle; ii) a second function of determining whether there is a target route set in the route guidance device 120 or the like for the autonomous driving of the vehicle; and iii) a third function of automatically controlling the steering device 210 based on one or more of the plurality of branch road guiding lines based on the presence or absence of the target route, and adjusting the lateral position of the vehicle within the single driving lane.

[0255] When the target route is set, the autonomous driving control unit 220 can control the steering device 210 of the vehicle so that the vehicle travels along the branch road guiding line corresponding to the target route among the plurality of branch road guiding lines.

[0256] Specifically, when a target route for autonomous driving is set, the autonomous driving control unit 220 can control the steering device 210 so that the outer line of the vehicle is located at the midpoint between one side position of the branch road guiding line corresponding to the target route among the plurality of branch road guiding lines and one side position of the left or right lane boundary line of the single driving lane.

[0257] On the other hand, when no target route for autonomous driving is set, the autonomous driving control unit 220 can control the steering device 210 so that the vehicle travels along the branch road guiding line corresponding to the branch road that branches later or the branch road guiding line with a larger radius of curvature among the plurality of branch road guiding lines.

[0258] Alternatively, when no target route for autonomous driving is set, the autonomous driving control unit 220 can control the steering device 210 so that the vehicle travels along the branch road guiding line on the side indicated by the direction indicator or the branch road guiding line on the side of the driver's line of sight.

[0259] The autonomous driving control unit 220 of the vehicle control device 200 illustrated in FIG. 10 can have the same configuration as the sensor device 110, the route guidance device 120, the lane keeping control module 130, and the control unit 140 of the vehicle control device 100 described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 8, and thus detailed description of the configuration is omitted.

[0260] FIG. 11 illustrates an example of the hardware configuration of the vehicle control devices 100 and 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0261] Referring to FIG. 11, the vehicle control devices 100 and 200 according to the present embodiment described in detail above, and the route guidance device 120, the lane keeping control module 130, the control unit 140, the autonomous driving control unit 220, etc. included therein can be implemented by certain hardware or software embodied within a computer system.

[0262] That is, the aforementioned vehicle control devices 100 and 200, and the route guidance device 120, the lane keeping control module 130, the control unit 140, the autonomous driving control unit 220, etc. included therein can be implemented by a computer device having hardware as shown in FIG. 11.

[0263] As shown in FIG. 11, a computer system 1100, which is an embodiment of the vehicle control devices 100 and 200 according to this embodiment and includes a route guidance device 120, a lane keeping control module 130, a control unit 140, an autonomous driving control unit 220, etc. included therein, can include at least one or more elements of one or more processors 1110, a memory 1120, a storage unit 1130, a user interface input unit 1140, and a user interface output unit 1150, and they can communicate with each other via a bus 1160.

[0264] Furthermore, the computer system 1100 can also include a network interface 1170 for connecting to a network. The processor 1110 can be a CPU or a semiconductor element that executes processing instructions stored in the memory 1120 and / or the storage unit 1130. The memory 1120 and the storage unit 1130 can include various types of volatile / non-volatile storage media. For example, the memory can include a ROM 1124 and a RAM 1125.

[0265] Also, in the computer system 1100 used in this embodiment, software modules for executing functions such as the route guidance device 120, the lane keeping control module 130, the control unit 140, and the autonomous driving control unit 220 that constitute the vehicle control devices 100 and 200 according to this embodiment can be provided.

[0266] Specifically, a software module for setting a target route, a software module for lane keeping control that is controlled by the control unit 140 to control the lateral position of the vehicle, a software module for controlling the lateral position of the vehicle in the driving lane based on the position of the branch road guiding line and the position of one side lane boundary line of the driving lane according to the presence or absence of the target route, etc. can be provided in the computer system 1100.

[0267] The processor (MCU; 1110) of the radar device according to this embodiment can execute the aforementioned software modules stored in the storage unit 1130 or the memory 1120 to execute the corresponding functions.

[0268] When using the vehicle control devices 100 and 200 according to the present embodiment as described above, when the vehicle travels in a lane where two or more branch road guiding lines are displayed, autonomous driving control or lane keeping control within the lane can be appropriately performed according to the presence or absence of a preset target route.

[0269] Specifically, when using the vehicle control devices 100 and 200 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide safe and comfortable autonomous driving or lane keeping control in a driving lane where two or more branch road guiding lines are displayed.

[0270] In the above, although all the components constituting the embodiments of the present disclosure are described as being combined into one or combined and operating, the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to such embodiments. That is, within the scope of the object of the present disclosure, all of its components can be selectively combined and operate in one or more. Also, all of its components can be embodied by each as an independent piece of hardware, but a part or all of each component can be selectively combined to have a computer program having program modules that perform part or all of the functions combined in one or more pieces of hardware. The code and code segments constituting the computer program can be easily inferred by those skilled in the technical field of the present disclosure. Such a computer program is stored in a computer-readable medium and can be read and executed by a computer to embody the embodiments of the present disclosure. Examples of the storage medium for the computer program include magnetic storage media, optical storage media, portable storage media, and the like.

[0271] Also, terms such as "including", "comprising", or "having" described above shall, unless otherwise stated to the contrary, mean that the component can be inherent, so it should be interpreted that other components can be further included rather than excluding other components. All terms, including technical or scientific terms, shall have the same meaning as generally understood by those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which this disclosure pertains, unless otherwise defined. Commonly used terms like pre-defined terms shall be interpreted to be consistent with their meaning in the context of the related art, and shall not be interpreted as an ideal or overly formal meaning unless clearly defined in this disclosure.

[0272] The above description merely exemplarily explains the technical idea of this disclosure. Those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which this disclosure pertains can make various modifications and variations without departing from the essential characteristics of this disclosure. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in this disclosure are for the purpose of explanation rather than for limiting the technical idea of this disclosure, and the scope of the technical idea of this disclosure is not limited by such embodiments. The protection scope of this disclosure should be interpreted according to the following claims, and all technical ideas within the equivalent scope should be interpreted as being included in the scope of rights of this disclosure.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0273] 100: Vehicle control device 110: Sensor device 120: Route guidance device 130: Lane keeping control module 140: Control unit 200: Vehicle control device 210: Steering device 220: Autonomous driving control unit

Claims

1. A branch road guiding line (Branch road guide line) displayed on the road surface of a driving lane, from a position between the left and right lane boundary lines in the driving lane to a position between the left and right lane boundary lines in the branched driving lane. A sensor device for sensing the extending branch road guiding line, A route guidance device that generates a target route to a destination and provides information regarding the target route, A lane maintenance control module that performs lane maintenance control, When a plurality of branch road guiding lines are sensed in the driving lane, depending on the presence or absence of the target route set by the route guidance device, at least one of the plurality of branch road guiding lines Based on the position of the position and the left and right lane boundary lines of the driving lane, a control unit for controlling the lane maintenance control module, a vehicle control device.

2. The control unit controls the lane maintenance control module so that the vehicle travels along the branch road guiding line corresponding to the target route among the plurality of branch road guiding lines when the target route is set. The vehicle control device according to claim 1.

3. The control unit, when the target route is set, the midpoint position between the one-side position of the branch road guiding line corresponding to the target route among the plurality of branch road guiding lines and the one-side position of the left or right lane boundary line of the driving lane. The vehicle control device according to claim 2, wherein the outer line of the vehicle is positioned to control the lane maintenance control module.

4. The control unit controls the lane maintenance control module so that the vehicle travels along the branch road guiding line corresponding to the road that branches later among the plurality of branch road guiding lines when the target route is not set. The vehicle control device according to claim 1.

5. The control unit, when the target route is not set, among the plurality of branch road guiding lines, the branch road guiding line with the larger radius of curvature, the branch road guiding line indicated by the direction indicator, and the driver's line of sight direction. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the lane maintenance control module is controlled so that the vehicle travels along one or more of the side branch road guiding lines.

6. The plurality of branch road guiding lines are each divided by a different color or pattern. The vehicle control device according to claim 1.

7. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of branch route guiding lines include a first branch route guiding line corresponding to a first branch route that branches first, and a second branch route guiding line corresponding to a second branch route that branches later.

8. Each of the first branch route guiding line and the second branch route guiding line is a line having the same width, and the first branch route guiding line and the second branch route guiding line are arranged side by side with a separation of a first distance within the driving lane. The vehicle control device according to claim 7.

9. The route guidance device is a navigation device built in the vehicle or a driver's portable terminal provided outside the vehicle, and the control unit receives information regarding the target route from the route guidance device. The vehicle control device according to claim 1.

10. The sensor device identifies each of the plurality of branch route guiding lines based on the width, color, or pattern of the branch route guiding lines displayed in the driving lane. The vehicle control device according to claim 1.

11. The sensor device further senses a branching guide line (Branching guide lane) displayed in the driving lane in which the plurality of branch route guiding lines are displayed. The branching guide line is a line extending from one of the left and right lane boundary lines of the driving lane to one of the left and right lane boundary lines of the branched driving lane. The control unit controls the lane keeping control module to ignore the branching guide line sensed in the driving lane. The vehicle control device according to claim 1.

12. A steering device for controlling the traveling direction of the vehicle; An autonomous driving control unit that controls the steering device to control the autonomous driving of the vehicle without driver intervention, The autonomous driving control unit identifies a plurality of branch route guiding lines displayed on the road surface of one driving lane on which the vehicle travels based on information obtained from an image sensor mounted on the vehicle. According to the presence or absence of a target route set for the autonomous driving of the vehicle, the steering device is automatically controlled based on one or more of the plurality of branch route guiding lines, and the lateral position of the vehicle within the one driving lane is adjusted. Each of the plurality of branch route guiding lines is a line extending from a position between the left and right lane boundary lines of the one driving lane to a position between the left and right lane boundary lines of the branched driving lane. A vehicle control device.

13. The vehicle control device according to claim 12, wherein when the target route is set, the autonomous driving control unit controls the steering device so that the vehicle travels along the branch route guiding line corresponding to the target route among the plurality of branch route guiding lines.

14. The vehicle control device according to claim 12, wherein when the target route is set, the autonomous driving control unit controls the steering device so that the outer line of the vehicle is located at the midpoint between one side position of the branch route guiding line corresponding to the target route among the plurality of branch route guiding lines and one side position of the left or right lane boundary line of the one driving lane.

15. The vehicle control device according to claim 12, wherein when the target route is not set, the autonomous driving control unit controls the steering device so that the vehicle travels along the branch route guiding line corresponding to the road that branches later among the plurality of branch route guiding lines.

16. The vehicle control device according to claim 12, wherein when the target route is not set, the autonomous driving control unit controls the steering device so that the vehicle travels along one or more of the branch route guiding lines with a larger radius of curvature, the branch route guiding line indicated by the direction indicator, and the branch route guiding line on the side of the driver's line of sight among the plurality of branch route guiding lines.

17. A step of sensing a branch route guiding line displayed on the road surface within one driving lane, the branch route guiding line extending from a position between the left and right lane boundary lines of the driving lane to a position between the left and right lane boundary lines of the branching driving lane; A step of generating a target route to a destination and providing information regarding the target route; When a plurality of branch route guiding lines are sensed within the one driving lane, adjusting the lateral position of the vehicle within the one driving lane based on the position of at least one of the plurality of branch route guiding lines and the position of the left or right lane boundary line of the driving lane according to whether the target route is set; A vehicle control method including the above steps.

18. The step of adjusting the position includes, when the target route is set, a step of adjusting the lateral position of the vehicle so that the vehicle travels along the branch route guiding line corresponding to the target route among the plurality of branch route guiding lines, according to the vehicle control method of claim 17.

19. The step of adjusting the position includes, when the target path is set, adjusting the lateral position of the vehicle such that the outer line of the vehicle is located at the midpoint between one side position of the branch path guiding line corresponding to the target path among the plurality of branch path guiding lines and one side position of the left lane boundary line or the right lane boundary line of the driving lane. The vehicle control method according to claim 17.

20. The step of adjusting the position includes, when the target path is not set, adjusting the lateral position of the vehicle such that the vehicle travels along the branch path guiding line corresponding to the road that branches later among the plurality of branch path guiding lines. The vehicle control method according to claim 17.

21. The step of adjusting the position includes, when the target path is not set, adjusting the lateral position of the vehicle such that the vehicle travels along one or more of the branch path guiding lines with a larger radius of curvature, the branch path guiding line indicated by the direction indicator, and the branch path guiding line on the side of the driver's line of sight among the plurality of branch path guiding lines. The vehicle control method according to claim 17.

22. The plurality of branch path guiding lines includes a first branch path guiding line corresponding to a first branch path that branches first and a second branch path guiding line corresponding to a second branch path that branches later. The vehicle control method according to claim 17.

23. Furthermore, it includes the step of identifying a branch guiding line displayed within the driving lane where the plurality of branch path guiding lines are displayed. The branch guiding line is a line extending from one of the left and right lane boundary lines of the driving lane to one of the left and right lane boundary lines of the branched driving lane. The step of adjusting the position includes ignoring the branch guiding line identified within the driving lane and controlling the lateral position of the vehicle. The vehicle control method according to claim 17.

Images