Vehicle control device and vehicle control method

Abstract

To provide a technique of reducing the power consumption of a sensor mounted on a vehicle.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device includes: an acquisition part which acquires a detection result from a first monitoring sensor 20 which monitors at least one of the front side and rear side of a vehicle and a second monitoring sensor 22 which monitors the lateral side of the vehicle; a recognition processing part which recognizes a moving body located in the vicinity of the vehicle on the basis of the detection results of the first monitoring sensor 20 and the second monitoring sensor 22; an area setting part which sets a prescribed monitoring area around the vehicle; and a decision part which decides to stop monitoring with the second monitoring sensor 22 while continuing monitoring with the first monitoring sensor 20 when the moving body does not exist in the monitoring area.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control device and a vehicle control method that use the detection results of a monitoring sensor that monitors the sides of a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a camera monitor system that includes a side camera that captures images of the exterior of a vehicle, a side monitor that displays the captured images, detection means for detecting the state of the engine switch, the state of the engine, the state of the gearshift, the open / closed state of the doors, and the seating state of the driver, and control means for controlling the power consumption of the side camera and side monitor based on the detection output of the detection means. This camera monitor system dims the side monitor a predetermined time after the gearshift is set to park, and puts the side monitor into standby mode a predetermined time after the door is closed when the engine is stopped. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-46424 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Since many sensors are used to monitor the surroundings of a vehicle, the total power consumption of these sensors can be large, so it is desirable to reduce the total power consumption of sensors installed in the vehicle.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a technique for reducing the total power consumption of sensors mounted on a vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, a vehicle control device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an acquisition unit that acquires detection results from a first monitoring sensor that monitors at least one of the front and rear of the vehicle and a second monitoring sensor that monitors the side of the vehicle, a recognition processing unit that recognizes moving objects located around the vehicle based on the detection results of the first monitoring sensor and the second monitoring sensor, and an area setting unit that sets a monitoring area surrounding the vehicle; and a decision unit that decides to stop monitoring by the second monitoring sensor while continuing monitoring by the first monitoring sensor when no moving object is present in a monitoring area surrounding the vehicle. The area setting unit sets the size of the monitoring area individually to the distance in front of, behind, and to the sides of the vehicle according to the position and type of the moving object recognized by the recognition processing unit.

[0007] Another aspect of the present invention is a vehicle control method, each step of which is executed by a computer, comprising the steps of: acquiring detection results from a first monitoring sensor that monitors at least one of the front and rear of the vehicle and a second monitoring sensor that monitors the left and right directions of the vehicle; and recognizing moving objects located around the vehicle based on the detection results of the first and second monitoring sensors. establishing a surveillance area surrounding the vehicle; and a step of deciding to stop monitoring by the second monitoring sensor while continuing monitoring by the first monitoring sensor when no moving object is present within a monitoring area surrounding the vehicle. In the setting step, the size of the monitoring area is set individually for the distance in front of the vehicle, the distance behind the vehicle, and the distance on each side of the vehicle, depending on the position and type of the recognized moving body. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technique for reducing the total power consumption of sensors mounted on a vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 3A and 3B are diagrams for explaining the operation of periphery monitoring executed in the vehicle of the embodiment; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a vehicle control device. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a monitoring area set around a vehicle in the embodiment. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart of a process for stopping the second monitoring sensor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] 1 is a diagram for explaining the operation of periphery monitoring executed by a vehicle 10 of the embodiment. The vehicle 10 can execute automatic driving control for autonomous driving, for example, control for driving while maintaining a lane and control for following a preceding vehicle.

[0011] The vehicle 10 is provided with a first monitoring sensor 20 that monitors the front or rear, and a second monitoring sensor 22 that monitors the side. The side is perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle 10 and may be the left-to-right direction of the vehicle 10.

[0012] The first monitoring sensor 20 and the second monitoring sensor 22 may be at least one of an on-board camera, a millimeter-wave radar, an optical laser sensor, and an acoustic wave sensor, and detect objects located around the vehicle. The objects include moving objects such as other vehicles and pedestrians. The first monitoring sensor 20 and the second monitoring sensor 22 may each include multiple sensors. The second monitoring sensor 22 may include at least an optical laser sensor such as LiDAR. The first monitoring sensor 20 and the second monitoring sensor 22 may be the same type of sensor or different types of sensors.

[0013] The first monitoring sensor 20 measures an object in a first measurement range 24. The second monitoring sensor 22 measures an object in a second measurement range 26. The first measurement range 24 is formed in a fan shape from the center of the front or rear of the vehicle 10. The second measurement range 26 is formed in a fan shape from the side of the vehicle 10. The first measurement range 24 and the second measurement range 26 may partially overlap. The second monitoring sensor 22 mainly measures the side, as shown in the second measurement range 26. For example, a monitoring sensor that measures the diagonally front right of the vehicle 10 and monitors from the front right to the lateral right is included in the first monitoring sensor 20. The second monitoring sensor 22 may be limited to a sensor of the same type that is also provided in the first monitoring sensor 20, and may be provided for side monitoring separately from front and rear monitoring.

[0014] The presence of moving objects such as another vehicle 12 and a pedestrian 14 is detected based on the detection results of the first monitoring sensor 20 and the second monitoring sensor 22. The vehicle 10 is traveling in the left lane, and the other vehicle 12 is traveling in the right lane behind the vehicle 10, following the vehicle 10. The pedestrian 14 is located in front of the vehicle 10 on the right, and is traveling leftward so as to approach the direction of travel of the vehicle 10. Under automatic driving control, the vehicle 10 recognizes nearby moving objects and drives in a manner that does not collide with the moving objects.

[0015] During autonomous driving control, many sensors of the vehicle 10 are activated, which can increase the total power consumption. Therefore, when the vehicle control device of the vehicle 10 of the embodiment determines that a sufficient distance is maintained between the vehicle and a nearby moving object, it stops monitoring using the second monitoring sensor 22 and monitors the surroundings using only the first monitoring sensor 20. This reduces the total power consumption during autonomous driving control.

[0016] 2 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the vehicle control device 30. In terms of hardware, each function of the vehicle control device 30 can be configured using circuit blocks, memory, and other LSIs, and in terms of software, it is realized by system software, application programs, etc. loaded into memory. Therefore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that each function of the vehicle control device 30 can be realized in various forms using only hardware, only software, or a combination thereof, and is not limited to any one of them.

[0017] The vehicle 10 is provided with a first monitoring sensor 20, a second monitoring sensor 22, a vehicle control device 30, an on-board sensor 32, and a driving device 34. The first monitoring sensor 20 and the second monitoring sensor 22 transmit the results of detection of the periphery of the vehicle 10 to the vehicle control device 30. The first monitoring sensor 20 and the second monitoring sensor 22 may transmit information indicating the positional relationship between an object and the vehicle 10 to the vehicle control device 30 as information about the object, or may transmit simple sensor values ​​to the vehicle control device 30 as information about the object.

[0018] The on-board sensors 32 include a driving condition detection sensor that detects the driving condition of the vehicle 10 and an input sensor that accepts operational inputs from the driver. The driving condition detection sensor includes a vehicle speed sensor, a steering angle sensor, an acceleration sensor, a brake pressure sensor, etc., and transmits information about the driving condition of the vehicle to the vehicle control device 30. The input sensor may be at least one of a touchpad, a mechanical switch, and a microphone, and accepts on / off of the autonomous driving control and destination information under the autonomous driving control.

[0019] The traveling device 34 has a driving means for applying a driving force to the wheels to rotate the wheels and move the vehicle forward, a steering means for steering the wheels, and a braking means for applying a braking force to the wheels. The driving means may be an engine, a motor, or a combination thereof. The traveling device 34 may be driven by the driver's operation or by automatic driving control.

[0020] The vehicle control device 30 includes an acquisition unit 40, a recognition processing unit 42, a driving processing unit 44, a driving control unit 46, an area setting unit 48, a determination unit 50, and a stop execution unit 52. The acquisition unit 40 acquires detection results from a first monitoring sensor 20 that monitors at least one of the front and rear of the vehicle and a second monitoring sensor 22 that monitors the side of the vehicle, and acquires the detection results of the on-board sensor 32 as driving state information.

[0021] The recognition processing unit 42 recognizes the position and type of the object based on the detection results of the first monitoring sensor 20 and the second monitoring sensor 22. The types of object include automobiles, pedestrians, traffic signs, roadside objects, etc. The recognition processing unit 42 calculates the distance between the object and the vehicle 10 and the direction from the vehicle 10 to the object as position information of the object.

[0022] The recognition processing unit 42 analyzes the image captured by the vehicle-mounted camera to identify the type of object. The recognition processing unit 42 may identify the type of object from the captured image using a neural network technique or, for example, a deep learning technique.

[0023] The recognition processing unit 42 tracks each object by assigning identification information to it. The recognition processing unit 42 identifies moving objects among the objects based on the tracking results of the object positions. The recognition processing unit 42 may calculate the relative speed between the object and the vehicle 10 and determine whether the object is a moving object based on the relative speed. In other words, the recognition processing unit 42 recognizes moving objects located around the vehicle 10 based on the detection results of the first monitoring sensor 20 and the second monitoring sensor 22.

[0024] The driving processing unit 44 receives an instruction from the driver to start automatic driving control and executes processing to autonomously drive the vehicle 10. The driving processing unit 44 calculates a target vehicle speed, a target steering angle, and a target braking force based on the detection results of the on-board sensors 32 and the recognition results of the recognition processing unit 42. For example, the driving processing unit 44 calculates a target vehicle speed so as to follow a preceding vehicle, or calculates a predetermined target vehicle speed if there is no preceding vehicle.

[0025] The driving control unit 46 controls the traveling device 34 in accordance with the target vehicle speed, target steering angle, and target braking force calculated by the driving processing unit 44. The traveling device 34 is driven in accordance with the control of the driving control unit 46. This allows the vehicle control device 30 to cause the vehicle 10 to travel autonomously.

[0026] The area setting unit 48 sets a predetermined monitoring area formed so as to surround the vehicle 10. This monitoring area will be described with reference to a new drawing.

[0027] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a monitoring area 28 set around the vehicle 10 of the embodiment. The monitoring area 28 is shown in the area surrounded by a dotted line in FIG. 3. Although the monitoring area 28 is set to have a rectangular shape in FIG. 3, it may also have a trapezoidal shape. The monitoring area 28 may have a predetermined size and shape.

[0028] The monitoring area 28 extends a distance D1 in front of the vehicle 10, a distance D2 behind the vehicle 10, and a distance D3 to the side of the vehicle 10. The monitoring area 28 is set variably depending on the driving conditions and the surrounding environment. The distance D1 in front of the vehicle 10 is set longer than the distance D2 behind the vehicle 10 and the distance D3 to the side, and may be set to be several times longer or more. The distance D2 behind the vehicle 10 and the distance D3 to the side may be approximately the same.

[0029] The area setting unit 48 sets the size of the monitoring area 28 based on driving condition information detected by the on-board sensor 32. The driving condition information is, for example, the speed of the vehicle 10. The monitoring area 28 may be set to be larger as the speed of the vehicle 10 increases. The monitoring area 28 may be set to be larger in stages according to the speed of the vehicle 10. The driving condition information may also include the braking performance of the vehicle 10. In this way, the monitoring area 28 is set appropriately according to the driving condition. The area setting unit 48 may set the size of the monitoring area 28 according to the weather and / or the time of day.

[0030] The area setting unit 48 may set the size of the monitoring area 28 according to the type of moving object recognized by the recognition processing unit 42. For example, when the only type of moving object present around the vehicle 10 is a vehicle, the monitoring area 28 is set to be larger than when a pedestrian is present. This is because pedestrians have lower acceleration than vehicles and are therefore less likely to suddenly enter the monitoring area 28. The area setting unit 48 may individually set the distance D1 in front of the vehicle 10, the distance D2 behind the vehicle 10, and the distance D3 to the side of the vehicle 10 according to the position and type of the moving object.

[0031] Returning to FIG. 2, when a moving object is not present within the monitoring area 28, the decision unit 50 determines to stop monitoring by the second monitoring sensor 22 while continuing monitoring by the first monitoring sensor 20. Stopping monitoring by the second monitoring sensor 22 may be done by either stopping the recognition process or by shutting down the power supply. When a moving object is not present within the monitoring area 28, the decision unit 50 determines to stop monitoring by both the left and right second monitoring sensors 22 as shown in FIG. 3. Note that when a moving object is not present on either the left or right side of the vehicle, the decision unit 50 may decide to stop the second monitoring sensor 22 on the side where no moving object is present.

[0032] The stop execution unit 52 receives the determination result of the determination unit 50 and instructs the second monitoring sensor 22 to stop monitoring. The stop execution unit 52 instructs the recognition processing unit 42 not to recognize the detection result of the second monitoring sensor 22. This reduces the processing load on the recognition processing unit 42 and makes it possible to reduce power consumption.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 3, the decision unit 50 decides to turn off the power supply to the second monitoring sensor 22 when a moving object is not present within the predetermined monitoring area 28. The stop execution unit 52 instructs the second monitoring sensor 22 to turn off the power supply. This reduces power consumption during autonomous driving. It also extends the service life of the second monitoring sensor 22. When the second monitoring sensor 22 is an optical laser sensor, extending the service life of an expensive sensor is useful.

[0034] In the case where the second monitoring sensor 22 includes a plurality of monitoring sensors, the decision unit 50 may decide to turn off the power of all the second monitoring sensors 22 when no moving object is present within the monitoring area .

[0035] When a moving object is present within the monitoring area 28, the decision unit 50 continues monitoring with the first monitoring sensor 20 and the second monitoring sensor 22.

[0036] If the decision unit 50 determines that a moving object is entering the monitoring area 28 within a predetermined time period when no moving object is present within the monitoring area 28, the decision unit 50 may continue monitoring using the first monitoring sensor 20 and the second monitoring sensor 22. The predetermined time period is set to, for example, several seconds. The decision unit 50 first determines whether a moving object is present within the monitoring area 28. If the decision unit 50 determines that no moving object is present within the monitoring area 28 and that no moving object is entering the monitoring area 28 within several seconds, the decision unit 50 decides to continue monitoring using the first monitoring sensor 20 while stopping monitoring using the second monitoring sensor 22. The decision unit 50 determines whether a moving object is entering the monitoring area 28 within a predetermined time period based on the relative speed between the moving object and the vehicle 10. This allows the vehicle control device 30 to stop the second monitoring sensor 22 while also taking into account the predicted entry of the moving object.

[0037] When the second monitoring sensor 22 is stopped and a moving object enters the monitoring area 28, the decision unit 50 decides to resume monitoring by the second monitoring sensor 22. The stop execution unit 52 receives the decision result of the decision unit 50 and turns on the power of the second monitoring sensor 22. Furthermore, when the decision unit 50 determines that the moving object will enter the monitoring area 28 within a predetermined time, the decision unit 50 may decide to resume monitoring by the second monitoring sensor 22. The entry of the moving object into the monitoring area 28 within the predetermined time is determined based on the relative speed between the moving object and the vehicle 10.

[0038] 4 is a flowchart of the process of stopping the second monitoring sensor 22. The process shown in FIG. 4 is repeated periodically. The vehicle control device 30 starts automatic driving control in response to an operational input from the driver (S10). The acquisition unit 40 acquires the detection results of the first monitoring sensor 20 and the second monitoring sensor 22 (S12). Note that if the power supply of the second monitoring sensor 22 is turned off, the acquisition unit 40 acquires only the detection result of the first monitoring sensor 20.

[0039] The recognition processing unit 42 executes recognition processing based on the detection results of the first monitoring sensor 20 and the second monitoring sensor 22, and recognizes moving objects located around the vehicle 10 (S14). The area setting unit 48 sets a monitoring area 28 around the vehicle 10 (S16).

[0040] The determination unit 50 determines whether a moving object is present within the monitoring area 28 (S18). If a moving object is not present within the monitoring area 28 (N in S18), the determination unit 50 determines to stop monitoring by the second monitoring sensor 22 while continuing monitoring by the first monitoring sensor 20, and the stop execution unit 52 stops the second monitoring sensor 22 (S24), and this process ends. Note that stopping the second monitoring sensor 22 involves either stopping the recognition process or stopping the power supply.

[0041] If a moving object is present in the monitoring area 28 (Y in S18), the decision unit 50 determines whether the second monitoring sensor 22 is stopped (S20). If the second monitoring sensor 22 is not stopped (N in S20), monitoring by the first monitoring sensor 20 and the second monitoring sensor 22 continues, and this process ends.

[0042] If the second monitoring sensor 22 is stopped (Y in S20), the decision unit 50 decides to resume monitoring by the second monitoring sensor 22, and the stop execution unit 52 activates the second monitoring sensor 22 (S22), and this process ends.

[0043] The present disclosure has been described above based on examples. The present disclosure is not limited to the above examples, and various modifications such as design changes may be made based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0044] In the embodiment, the vehicle 10 is shown as being capable of being driven by a driver, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the vehicle 10 may be capable of running only under automatic driving control, and may not have a passenger. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 10 vehicle, 12 other vehicle, 14 pedestrian, 20 first monitoring sensor, 22 second monitoring sensor, 24 first measurement range, 26 second measurement range, 28 monitoring area, 30 vehicle control device, 32 on-board sensor, 34 running device, 40 acquisition unit, 42 recognition processing unit, 44 driving processing unit, 46 driving control unit, 48 area setting unit, 50 determination unit, 52 stop execution unit.

Claims

1. an acquisition unit that acquires detection results from a first monitoring sensor that monitors at least one of the front and rear of the vehicle and a second monitoring sensor that monitors a side of the vehicle; a recognition processing unit that recognizes moving objects located around the vehicle based on detection results of the first monitoring sensor and the second monitoring sensor; an area setting unit that sets a monitoring area surrounding the vehicle; a decision unit that decides to stop monitoring by the second monitoring sensor while continuing monitoring by the first monitoring sensor when the moving object is not present in the monitoring area surrounding the vehicle, A vehicle control device characterized in that the area setting unit individually sets the distance in front of, behind, and to the sides of the vehicle as the size of the monitoring area depending on the position and type of the moving body recognized by the recognition processing unit.

2. the second monitoring sensor is an optical laser sensor, 2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the decision unit decides to turn off the power supply to the second monitoring sensor when the moving object is not present within the monitoring area during automatic driving control.

3. A vehicle control method, wherein each step is executed by a computer, acquiring detection results from a first monitoring sensor that monitors at least one of the front and rear of the vehicle and a second monitoring sensor that monitors the left and right directions of the vehicle; recognizing a moving object located around the vehicle based on detection results of the first monitoring sensor and the second monitoring sensor; establishing a surveillance area surrounding the vehicle; and when the moving object is not present in the monitoring area surrounding the vehicle, determining to stop monitoring by the second monitoring sensor while continuing monitoring by the first monitoring sensor, A vehicle control method characterized in that, in the setting step, the size of the monitoring area is individually set to a distance in front of, a distance behind, and a distance to the sides of the vehicle depending on the position and type of the recognized moving body.

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