Vehicle control device

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of generating a lane change trajectory that enables an own vehicle to safely and smoothly change a lane in accordance with situations of surrounding vehicles.SOLUTION: A technique is provided which shifts a point that intersects with a lane in a lane change trajectory to either one of front and rear sides of a traveling direction of an own vehicle on the basis of positional relations between surrounding vehicles detected by a detecting unit and the own vehicle without changing a start point and an end point of a lane change set in advance from a position of the own vehicle, and calculates a new lane change trajectory that takes a long distance between the own vehicle and the surrounding vehicles.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to technologies related to automatic driving of vehicles and automatic driving assistance, and in particular to a vehicle control device related to technology for safely and smoothly changing lanes. [Background technology]

[0002] Currently, autonomous driving technologies and autonomous driving assistance technologies for vehicles are being developed. In these technologies, autonomous driving is performed using data input from sensors such as cameras, radar sensors, and LiDAR (light detection and ranging), map information, and vehicle position information obtained using GPS (Global Positioning System). Patent Document 1 has been proposed as one technology related to lane changes during autonomous driving.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a driving assistance device that, when changing lanes, recalculates a target trajectory in such a way that the final destination point of the target trajectory moves away from the rear vehicle, depending on the time required for the rear vehicle to catch up with the vehicle, thereby increasing the distance between the vehicle and the rear vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-61792 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in Patent Document 1, when the target trajectory is recalculated, the final destination point moves, so for example, if the vehicle is near an intersection, the final destination point for lane change may be calculated within the intersection where the vehicle wants to turn, and the vehicle may not be able to turn right or left at the intersection. For this reason, in Patent Document 1, there is a risk that the vehicle will not be able to change lanes smoothly at the point where the vehicle wants to turn right or left.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a technology for generating a lane change trajectory that enables a vehicle to change lanes safely and smoothly in accordance with the situation of surrounding vehicles.

[0007] Other objects and novel features will become apparent from the description of this specification and the accompanying drawings. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A brief summary of the representative aspects of the present invention is as follows.

[0009] According to one embodiment, the start and end points of the lane change, which are set in advance from the position of the vehicle, are not changed, and the lane change trajectory is determined based on the positional relationship between the vehicle and surrounding vehicles detected by the detection unit. Border and shift the point of intersection either forward or backward in the traveling direction of the host vehicle, thereby calculating a new lane change trajectory that increases the distance between the host vehicle and surrounding vehicles. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the above embodiment, the target lane trajectory calculation unit shifts the lane change trajectory either forward or backward in the direction of travel of the vehicle based on the positions of the vehicle and surrounding vehicles, thereby enabling safe and smooth lane changes to be made in accordance with the situation of surrounding vehicles. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a functional block diagram of a vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] 4 is a flowchart of a first example of an operation performed by a vehicle in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a risk map diagram for a first operation example in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 1 is an explanatory diagram of a case in which the point of intersection of a lane change trajectory with a lane boundary line is shifted forward in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10 in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart of a second example of an operation performed by a vehicle in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a risk map diagram for a second operation example in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a case where the point of intersection of a lane change trajectory with a lane boundary line is shifted rearward in the vehicle's traveling direction in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating control points according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a vehicle control device of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, in the following description, the same components are given the same reference numerals and repeated description may be omitted. Note that the drawings may be more schematic than the actual embodiment to make the description clearer, but this is merely an example and does not limit the interpretation of the present invention.

[0013] 1 shows a schematic configuration of a vehicle 10 in this embodiment. The vehicle 10 includes automobiles powered by an internal combustion engine such as a diesel engine or a gasoline engine in a drive unit 9, electric vehicles powered by an electric motor, hybrid vehicles, etc. Electric vehicles are driven by electricity discharged from batteries such as secondary batteries, hydrogen fuel cells, metal fuel cells, and alcohol fuel cells.

[0014] 1, a vehicle 10 is preferably equipped with a vehicle control device 1 that controls autonomous driving or automatic driving assistance functions, cameras 2 (2-1 to 2-5) that acquire information about the surroundings of the vehicle, which are external environment recognition devices, radar sensors 3 (3-1 to 3-6), LiDAR 4 (4-1 to 4-6), a map distribution device 11 that acquires high-precision map information, and a GPS sensor 5 that acquires vehicle position information. The vehicle (also referred to as the host vehicle) 10 is also equipped with a brake control device 8 that operates in response to control commands from the vehicle control device 1, brakes 6 (6-1 to 6-4), and a steering device 7.

[0015] Furthermore, it is desirable that the vehicle 10 is equipped with an autonomous driving or automatic driving assistance function. That is, the autonomous driving or automatic driving assistance is performed according to the calculations of a vehicle control device 1 that controls the autonomous driving or automatic driving assistance function of the vehicle 10. This vehicle control device 1 can be realized by a so-called ECU (Electronic Control Unit, Engine Control Unit). Details of the vehicle control device 1 will be described later.

[0016] The vehicle control device 1 is also connected to other devices via an in-vehicle communication line. First, the in-vehicle communication line is connected to an external environment recognition device. The external environment recognition device can be realized by cameras 2 (2-1 to 2-5), radar sensors 3 (3-1 to 3-6), LiDARs 4 (4-1 to 4-6), etc., and recognizes targets and obstacles. Recognition targets include pedestrians and other vehicles (surrounding vehicles, vehicles running parallel to each other, vehicles ahead, etc.). The external environment recognition devices (2, 3, 4) are detection units that detect surrounding vehicles present around the vehicle 10 and notify the vehicle control device 1 of the recognized information. Note that these in-vehicle communication lines can be realized by CAN (Controller Area Network) and Ethernet communication. Furthermore, it is desirable that the external environment recognition devices (2, 3, 4) be installed facing in all directions of the vehicle 10, i.e., in the front-rear, left-right, and right-left directions.

[0017] The in-vehicle communication line is also connected to a brake control device 8 that acquires vehicle body information indicating the driving conditions and behavior of the vehicle 10. The brake control device 8 is then connected to each of the brakes 6-1 to 6-4. Therefore, the brake control device 8 outputs braking commands to each of the brakes 6-1 to 6-4 in accordance with control commands from the vehicle control device 1. The brake control device 8 may also have a function of outputting control commands in accordance with operation of the brake pedal. As a result, braking force is applied to each tire (not shown), causing the vehicle 10 to slow down or stop.

[0018] The in-vehicle communication line is also connected to the steering device 7. The steering device 7 steers the front wheels in accordance with a control command from the vehicle control device 1. The steering device 7 may have a function to output a control command in accordance with a steering operation.

[0019] The in-vehicle communication line is also connected to the notification device 12. The notification device 12 can be realized by a so-called in-vehicle device, that is, an in-vehicle infotainment device or a car navigation device. The notification device receives notifications from the vehicle control device 1 and outputs control commands and driving-related alerts. The output of the notification device 12 can be in the form of images and text on a display screen, as well as sound output from a speaker.

[0020] Next, the configuration of the vehicle control device 1 will be described using Fig. 2. First, Fig. 2 is a functional block diagram of the vehicle control device 1. As described above, the vehicle control device 1 receives vehicle sensor information from the cameras 2-1 to 2-5, radar sensors 3-1 to 3-6, and LiDARs 4-1 to 4-6 of the external environment recognition device and the brake control device 8, the GPS sensor 5 that acquires host vehicle position information, and high-precision map information from the map distribution device 11.

[0021] Furthermore, the vehicle control device 1 outputs various information and commands to the brake control device 8, the steering device 7, the drive device 9, and the notification device 12.

[0022] Here, the vehicle control device 1 has the functional blocks shown in the figure and calculates the target lane trajectory. Here, an overview of the processing executed by each functional block will be explained, and details will be described later using Figs. 3 to 6.

[0023] First, the vehicle position confirmation unit 101 receives high-precision map information from the GPS sensor 5 that acquires vehicle position information and the map distribution device 11, and confirms the vehicle position of the vehicle 10 on the map. The driving plan unit 102 is like a checkpoint arranged along the route that the vehicle 10 is scheduled to take to the destination, and includes information on intersections, crosswalks, etc., and acquires the driving lane center point and left and right boundary points from the results of decision-making at intersections and lane changes and the information on the high-precision map information from the map distribution device 11 in the driving plan lane information acquisition unit 104, and transmits these to the driving target position extraction unit 105.

[0024] In addition, the driving target position extraction unit 105 extracts the driving target position based on the vehicle position information of the vehicle 10 from the vehicle position confirmation unit 101, information on intersections, crosswalks, etc. that are checkpoints placed along the route along which the vehicle 10 is scheduled to travel to the destination from the driving planning unit 102, and the center point and left and right boundary points of the driving lane from the driving plan lane information acquisition unit 104.

[0025] Furthermore, when a lane change event occurs in the driving target position extraction unit 105, the target trajectory calculation unit 106 calculates and outputs a lane change target trajectory based on the relative distance and relative speed information of the vehicle 10's own position and surrounding vehicles from the relative distance / speed detection unit 103. The target trajectory calculation unit 106 can also be called a target lane change calculation unit. Based on the position of the surrounding vehicle (20) detected by the detection units (2, 3, 4), the target trajectory calculation unit 106 calculates a target lane change trajectory that shifts (or moves) the point of the target lane change trajectory that intersects with the lane either forward or backward in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10.

[0026] Furthermore, the target longitudinal lateral acceleration calculation unit 107 uses the calculation result of the lane change target trajectory by the target trajectory calculation unit 106 to send control commands to the steering device 7, the brake control device 8, and the drive device 9 to control the vehicle 10 so that the vehicle 10 follows the lane change target trajectory. The target longitudinal lateral acceleration calculation unit 107 can also be called a driving control device. The target longitudinal lateral acceleration calculation unit 107 controls at least one of acceleration / deceleration and steering of the host vehicle 10 based on the lane change target trajectory (lane change trajectory).

[0027] The above processing enables automatic driving and automatic driving assistance for the vehicle 10. Furthermore, even if the vehicle 10 is not equipped with automatic driving or automatic driving assistance, the calculation result of the lane change target trajectory can be presented to the driver via the notification device 12.

[0028] In the present invention, the vehicle control device 1 utilizes the detection results of the detection units (2, 3, 4) that detect surrounding vehicles (20) of the host vehicle 10 when the host vehicle 10 is about to change lanes from a first lane to a second lane adjacent to the first lane. The vehicle control device 1 determines the lane of the target lane change trajectory based on the positional relationship between the surrounding vehicles (20) detected by the detection units (2, 3, 4) and the host vehicle 10. Border The vehicle is provided with a target lane change calculation unit (target trajectory calculation unit 106) that calculates a target lane change trajectory that shifts (or moves) the point of intersection with LA either forward or backward in the traveling direction of the host vehicle 10. In the following description, vehicles other than the host vehicle (host vehicle) 10 will be described as a peripheral vehicle 20, a vehicle running parallel to the host vehicle among the peripheral vehicles 20 as 21, and a preceding vehicle among the peripheral vehicles 20 as 22. Based on the positional relationship between the host vehicle 10 and the peripheral vehicles 20 detected by the detection units (2, 3, 4), the peripheral vehicle 20 is detected as the parallel vehicle 21 or the preceding vehicle 22.

[0029] Next, the processing of this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figures 3 to 6. In the following, the subject of each processing in the vehicle control device 1 will be described as each functional block shown in Figure 2.

[0030] Next, the flow of a first operation example performed by the vehicle 10 of this embodiment (first operation example related to lane change to the second lane L2 when the vehicle 10 is in the first lane 1L, which is the driving lane, and there is a vehicle 21 traveling parallel to the vehicle 10 in the second lane L2) will be described using FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of the first operation example performed by the vehicle of this embodiment. FIG. 4 is a risk map diagram for the first operation example in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a risk map diagram for the lane change trajectory in one embodiment of the present invention. Border and is shifted forward in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing control points P1 to P4 in an embodiment of the present invention. The flowchart in Fig. 3 is executed by the target trajectory calculation unit 106.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 3, first, when the target driving position, which is the calculation result of the target trajectory calculation unit 106, is determined from the calculation results up to the driving target position extraction unit 105 in FIG. 2, the coordinates (x1, y1) of the start point P1 and the coordinates (x4, y4) of the end point P4 for the lane change are set (step S111, see FIG. 9).

[0032] Following step S111, the relative distance and relative speed of the surrounding vehicle 20 to the vehicle 10 are calculated from the relative distance / speed detection unit 103 to the parallel running vehicle 21 in FIG. 2 (step S112).

[0033] Following the operations of steps S111 and S112, if the parallel running vehicle 21 is within a predetermined threshold range th0 (e.g., a distance from the front end of vehicle 10 to twice the length forward) or less than th1 (e.g., a distance from the rear end of vehicle 10 to half the length rearward of vehicle 10) of the risk map shown in FIG. 4, it is determined whether the parallel running vehicle 21 is in a Danger Zone (step S113). If it is determined that the parallel running vehicle 21 is in a Danger Zone (S113: Yes), it is estimated that there is a possibility of contact when changing lanes, depending on the relative speed. Therefore, it is determined whether the relative speed of the parallel running vehicle 21 with respect to vehicle 10 is equal to or greater than 0 and the relative distance from the rear end of vehicle 10 is within a predetermined threshold th1 (step S114). Note that if the relative speed is a positive value, the parallel running vehicle 21 is considered to be moving away from vehicle 10, and if the relative speed is a negative value, the parallel running vehicle 21 is considered to be approaching vehicle 10.

[0034] If it is determined in step S114 that the relative speed of the parallel running vehicle 21 with respect to the vehicle 10 is equal to or greater than 0 and the relative distance is equal to the predetermined threshold value th1 (S114: Yes), it is estimated that there is a low possibility that the vehicle 10 will come into contact with the parallel running vehicle 21 during the lane change. Therefore, the coordinates (x2, y2) of the control point P2 and the coordinates (x3, y3) of the control point P3 for changing the target trajectory accompanying the lane change are calculated and set (step S115) using the following (Equations 1) to (Equations 4), and the lane change trajectory is determined using the control points P2 and P3 (see FIG. 9) as shown in FIG. Border The point AP intersecting with LA is shifted to a point BP ahead in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10, and a trajectory for a safe and smooth lane change is generated by the calculation of the following (Equation 5) to (Equation 6) (step S116). That is, by changing the X-direction values ​​of the control points P2 and P3 shown in FIG. 9, the lane Border The point AP intersecting with LA is moved to a point BP ahead in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10. BorderLA is assumed to be provided between the first lane 1L and the second lane 2L adjacent to and parallel to the first lane 1L. If it is determined that the relative speed of the parallel running vehicle 21 with respect to the vehicle 10 is equal to or greater than 0 and the relative distance is not equal to the predetermined threshold value th1 (S114: No), the process proceeds to step S117.

[0035] Control point 1: P2(x2,y2) coordinate calculation formula x2 = (x4 - x1) × P2 movement rate (Equation 1) *P2 movement rate is an arbitrary constant (initial value: 0.5) y2=(y(t0)+y(t1)+y(t2)+y(t3)+y(t4)) / 5 (Number 2) *t0=0, t1=0.01, t2=0.02, t3=0.03, t4=0.04 Control point 2: P3(x3,y3) coordinate calculation formula x3 = (x4 - x1) × P3 movement rate (Equation 3) *P3 movement rate is an arbitrary constant (initial value: 0.5) y3=(y(t n )+y(t n-1 )+y(t n-2 )+y(t n-3 )+y(t n-4 )) / 5 (number 4) ※t n =1, t n-1 =0.99, t n-2 =0.98, t n-3 =0.97, t n-4 =0.96 The formula for calculating the trajectory from the control points P2 (x2, y2) and P3 (x3, y3) is the starting point coordinate P1 (x1, y1) and the end point coordinate P4 (x4, y4). x(t)=at 3 +bt 2 +ct+d (number 5) y(t)=et 3 +ft 2 +gt+h (number 6) 0≦t≦1 a=-x1+3x2-3x3+x4, b=3x1-6x2+3x3, c=-3x1+3x2, d=x1 e=-y1+3y2-3y3+y4, f=3y1-6y2+3y3, g=-3y1+3y2, h=y1 If it is determined in step S113 that the parallel running vehicle 21 is not in the Danger Zone (S113: No), the possibility of contact when changing lanes varies depending on the relative distance and relative speed of the parallel running vehicle 21 to the vehicle 10.

[0036] Next, it is determined whether the parallel traveling vehicle 21 has been within a predetermined threshold value th1 to th2, which is the Warning Zone shown in Fig. 4, for a predetermined time or more (step S118). From the viewpoint of realizing safe and smooth driving, the Warning Zone is a range of a predetermined threshold value th1 (for example, a distance from the rear end of the vehicle 10 that is half the length of the host vehicle 10) or more and less than th2 (for example, a distance from the rear end of the vehicle 10 that is half the length behind the host vehicle 10 to a distance two vehicle lengths behind the host vehicle 10). The predetermined time is, for example, 1 second.

[0037] If it is determined in step S118 that the parallel running vehicle 21 has been in the Warning Zone for a predetermined time or longer (S118: Yes), the possibility of contact during a lane change depends on the relative speed between the vehicle 10 and the parallel running vehicle 21. Therefore, it is determined whether the relative speed between the vehicle 10 and the parallel running vehicle 21 is 0 or greater (step S119). If it is determined that the parallel running vehicle 21 has not been in the Warning Zone for a predetermined time or longer (S118: No), the process proceeds to S120.

[0038] If it is determined in step S119 that the relative speed between vehicle 10 and vehicle 21 traveling parallel is equal to or greater than 0 (S119: Yes), it is estimated that vehicle 21 traveling parallel is moving away from vehicle 10, and therefore the possibility of contact during a lane change is low. Therefore, the coordinates (x2, y2) of control point P2 and the coordinates (x3, y3) of control point P3 are calculated using equations (Equation 1) to (Equation 4). However, initial values ​​are input for the movement rates in equations (Equation 1) and (Equation 3), and the results of the calculations are set (step S120). Using these control points P2 and P3, a trajectory for a safe and smooth lane change is generated by the calculations of equations (Equation 5) to (Equation 6) (step S116).

[0039] If it is determined in step S119 that the relative speed between vehicle 10 and parallel running vehicle 21 is less than 0 (S119: No), parallel running vehicle 21 is approaching vehicle 10, and there is a possibility that vehicle 10 and parallel running vehicle 21 will come into contact. Therefore, if the relative speed can be made equal to or greater than 0 within a range that does not exceed the legal speed, it is possible to reduce the possibility of collision between vehicle 10 and parallel running vehicle 21. Therefore, it is determined whether the relative speed can be made equal to or greater than 0 within a range that does not exceed the legal speed (step S121).

[0040] If it is determined in step S121 that the relative speed between vehicle 10 and parallel running vehicle 21 can be made equal to or greater than 0 without exceeding the legal speed (S121: Yes), parallel running vehicle 21 will move away from vehicle 10, and it is estimated that there is little possibility of contact during a lane change. Therefore, the coordinates (x2, y2) of control point P2 and the coordinates (x3, y3) of control point P3 are calculated using the arithmetic expressions (Equation 1) to (Equation 4). However, initial values ​​are input for the movement rates in Equation 1 and Equation 3, and the calculated results are set (step S120), and a trajectory for a safe and smooth lane change is generated using control points P2 and P3 (step S116).

[0041] If the result of the determination in step S121 is that the relative speed between vehicle 10 and parallel running vehicle 21 cannot be made equal to or greater than 0 without exceeding the legal speed (S121: No), it is estimated that vehicle 10 may come into contact with parallel running vehicle 21 during the lane change. Therefore, the coordinates (x1, y1) of start point P1 and the coordinates (x4, y4) of end point P4 set for the lane change are deleted (step S117). Thereafter, calculations are started from setting the coordinates (x1, y1) of start point P1 and the coordinates (x4, y4) of end point P4 for the lane change (step S111).

[0042] Next, the flow of a second operation example (a second operation example related to lane changing to the second lane 2L when the first lane 1L, which is the driving lane, is congested and there is a preceding vehicle 22, for example, an overtaking operation, etc.) performed by the vehicle of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of the second operation example performed by the vehicle of this embodiment. Fig. 7 is a risk map diagram for the second operation example in one embodiment of the present invention. The flowchart of Fig. 6 is executed by the target trajectory calculation unit 106.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 6, first, when the target driving position, which is the calculation result of the target trajectory calculation unit 106, is determined from the calculation results up to the driving target position extraction unit 105 in FIG. 2, the coordinates (x1, y1) of the start point P1 and the coordinates (x4, y4) of the end point P4 for the lane change are set (step S131).

[0044] Following step S131, the relative distance and relative speed of the surrounding vehicle 20 to the host vehicle 10 is calculated from the relative distance / speed detection unit 103 to the preceding vehicle 22 in FIG. 2 (step S132).

[0045] Following the operations of steps S131 and S132, it is determined whether the leading vehicle 22 is in the Danger Zone shown in Fig. 7 (step S133). From the viewpoint of realizing safe and smooth driving, the Danger Zone is a range equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value th0 (for example, the leading edge of the host vehicle 10) and less than th1 (for example, the distance from the leading edge of the host vehicle 10 to a distance two times the length of the host vehicle 10 ahead).

[0046] If it is determined in step S133 that the leading vehicle 22 is in the Danger Zone (S133: Yes), it is estimated that there is a possibility of contact when changing lanes, depending on the relative speed.

[0047] Therefore, it is determined whether the relative speed of the preceding vehicle 22 with respect to the vehicle 10 is greater than or less than 0 (step S134). If the relative speed is a positive value, it is determined that the preceding vehicle 22 is moving away from the host vehicle 10, and if the relative speed is a negative value, it is determined that the preceding vehicle 22 is approaching the host vehicle 10.

[0048] If the result of the determination in step S134 is that the relative speed of the preceding vehicle 22 with respect to the vehicle 10 is less than 0 (S134: Yes), it is estimated that there is a possibility that the vehicle 10 will come into contact with the preceding vehicle 22 during the lane change. Therefore, the coordinates (x1, y1) of the start point P1 and the coordinates (x4, y4) of the end point P4 set for the lane change are deleted (step S135). Thereafter, the calculation is started from setting the coordinates (x1, y1) of the start point P1 and the coordinates (x4, y4) of the end point P4 for the lane change (step S131).

[0049] If the result of the determination in step S134 is that the relative speed of the leading vehicle 22 with respect to the vehicle 10 exceeds 0 (S134: No), it is estimated that there is a low possibility of collision between the vehicle 10 and the leading vehicle 22 when changing lanes. Therefore, it can be determined that a safe and smooth lane change can be performed depending on the relative distance between the vehicle 10 and the leading vehicle 22. Therefore, it is determined whether the relative distance between the vehicle 10 and the leading vehicle 22 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value th4 (for example, the distance of one vehicle 10) (step S136).

[0050] As a result of the determination in step S136, if it is determined that the relative distance between the vehicle 10 and the preceding vehicle 22 exceeds the predetermined threshold th4 (S136: Yes), the coordinates (x2, y2) and (x3, y3) of the control points P2 and P3 for changing the target trajectory accompanying the lane change are calculated using the arithmetic expressions (Equation 1) to (Equation 4) (step S137), and the lane change trajectory is determined by using the control points P2 and P3 (see FIG. 9) as shown in FIG. BorderThe point CP intersecting with LA is shifted to a point DP behind the vehicle 10 in the traveling direction, and a trajectory for safe and faster acceleration is generated by the calculations of (Equation 5) to (Equation 6) (step S138). That is, by changing the X-direction values ​​of the control points P2 and P3 shown in FIG. 9, the lane trajectory is changed as shown in FIG. Border The point CP where the intersection with LA is moved to a point DP behind the vehicle 10 in the traveling direction.

[0051] If the result of the determination in step S136 is that the relative distance between the vehicle 10 and the preceding vehicle 22 is determined to be equal to or less than the predetermined threshold th4 (S136: No), it is estimated that there is a possibility that the vehicle 10 and the preceding vehicle 22 may come into contact when changing lanes. Therefore, the start point P1 and end point P4 set for the lane change are deleted (step S135). Thereafter, calculations are started from setting the coordinates (x1, y1) of the start point P1 and the coordinates (x4, y4) of the end point P4 for the lane change (step S131).

[0052] If it is determined in step S133 that the preceding vehicle 22 is not in the Danger Zone (S133: No), the possibility of contact when changing lanes varies depending on the relative distance and relative speed of the preceding vehicle 22 to the vehicle 10.

[0053] Next, it is determined whether the preceding vehicle 22 has been within a Warning Zone between predetermined thresholds th1 and th2 for a predetermined time or more, or whether the relative speed is decreasing (step S139). From the viewpoint of realizing safe and smooth driving, the Warning Zone is a range of predetermined thresholds equal to or greater than th1 (for example, a distance equivalent to two vehicle lengths from the front of the vehicle 10) and less than th2 (for example, a distance equivalent to four vehicle lengths from the front of the vehicle 10). The predetermined time is, for example, 1 second.

[0054] If the result of the determination in step S139 is that the preceding vehicle 22 has been in the Warning Zone for a predetermined time or longer or that the relative speed is decreasing (S139: Yes), it is estimated that there is a low possibility of contact between the vehicle 10 and the preceding vehicle 22 when changing lanes. Therefore, the coordinates (x2, y2) and coordinates (x3, y3) of control points P2 for changing the target trajectory accompanying the lane change are calculated using the arithmetic expressions (Equation 1) to (Equation 4) (step S137), and the lane change trajectory is determined using the control points P2 and P3 as shown in FIG. Border The point CP intersecting with LA is shifted to a point DP behind the traveling direction of the vehicle 10, and a trajectory for safe and faster acceleration is generated by the calculations of (Equation 5) to (Equation 6) (step S138).

[0055] If the determination result in step S139 indicates that the preceding vehicle 22 has not been in the Warning Zone for a predetermined time or longer and that the relative speed has not decreased (S139: No), it is estimated that the vehicle 10 is unlikely to come into contact with the preceding vehicle 22 while changing lanes. Therefore, the coordinates (x2, y2) of control point P2 and the coordinates (x3, y3) of control point P3 are calculated using the arithmetic expressions (Equation 1) to (Equation 4). However, the movement rates in Equation 1 and Equation 3 are set to the calculated results by inputting initial values ​​(step S140), and a trajectory for a safe and smooth lane change is generated using the control points P2 and P3 (step S138).

[0056] As described above, in this embodiment, by shifting the point on the lane change trajectory that intersects with the lane either forward or backward in the vehicle's direction of travel when changing lanes and calculating a new lane change trajectory, it is possible to generate a lane change trajectory that allows for smooth lane changes while ensuring safety.

[0057] The invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described above based on the embodiments, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be modified in various ways. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 1: Vehicle control device 2: Camera 3: Radar sensor 4: LiDAR 10: Vehicle (own vehicle) 20: Surrounding vehicles 21: Parallel vehicles 22: Leading vehicle 106:Target trajectory calculation section 107: Target longitudinal lateral acceleration calculation unit (driving control device)

Claims

1. a target trajectory calculation unit that calculates a lane change trajectory from the position of the host vehicle and the positions of a start point and an end point of the lane change that are set in advance; a driving control device that controls acceleration / deceleration and steering of the host vehicle based on the lane change trajectory, the target trajectory calculation unit does not change the start point and the end point of the lane change, and when the detection unit detects that the positional relationship between the surrounding vehicle detected by the detection unit and the host vehicle is a vehicle running parallel to the host vehicle, the target trajectory calculation unit shifts a point on the calculated lane change trajectory that intersects with a lane boundary line forward in the direction of travel of the host vehicle, thereby calculating a new lane change trajectory.

2. A target trajectory calculation unit that calculates a lane change trajectory from the position of the vehicle's own vehicle's start point and end point, which are preset in advance; a driving control device that controls acceleration / deceleration and steering of the host vehicle based on the lane change trajectory, the target trajectory calculation unit does not change the start point and the end point of the lane change, and when the positional relationship between the surrounding vehicles detected by the detection unit and the host vehicle is detected by the detection unit as a vehicle preceding the host vehicle, the target trajectory calculation unit shifts a point on the calculated lane change trajectory that intersects with a lane boundary line backward in the direction of travel of the host vehicle, thereby calculating a new lane change trajectory.

Images