Vehicle control device

Abstract

To provide a vehicle control device capable of suppressing deterioration of attention of an occupant due to excessive warning and notification.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device 15 for controlling operation of a vehicle 1 includes an object detection section 152, an interruption detection section 153, a storage section 154, a similarity calculation section 155, and an operation determination section 156. The object detection section 152 detects an object based on an output of an environment sensor 11 mounted on the vehicle 1. The interruption detection section 153 detects interruption of the object with respect to a route of the vehicle 1. The storage section 154 records interruption information including a trajectory of the object whose interruption is detected. The similarity calculation section 155 calculates similarity between history information on the interruption information recorded in the storage section 154 and latest interruption information detected by the interruption detection section 153. The operation determination section 156 determines operation of the vehicle 1 according to the similarity.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle control device. [Background technology]

[0002] Inventions relating to vehicle control systems have been known for some time. For example, the vehicle control system described in Patent Document 1 below includes a recognition unit, an identification unit, and a driving control unit (paragraph 6, claim 1, abstract, and Figure 1). The recognition unit recognizes one or more surrounding vehicles that are in a second lane different from a first lane in which the host vehicle is located.

[0003] The identification unit derives an index value for the surrounding vehicles recognized by the recognition unit based on the probability that the surrounding vehicles will cut in ahead of the host vehicle, and identifies the surrounding vehicles whose derived index value is equal to or greater than a threshold as cutting-in vehicles. The traveling control unit decelerates the host vehicle in response to the presence of the cutting-in vehicle identified by the identification unit. When decelerating the host vehicle, the traveling control unit determines the degree of change in deceleration of the host vehicle based on the index value of the target cutting-in vehicle.

[0004] According to this conventional vehicle control system, a nearby vehicle having an index value equal to or greater than a threshold, which is based on the probability of cutting in ahead of the vehicle, is identified as a cutting-in vehicle. When decelerating the vehicle in response to the presence of a cutting-in vehicle, the degree of change in the deceleration of the vehicle is determined based on the index value of the target cutting-in vehicle. This allows for appropriate speed control in response to the cutting-in of a nearby vehicle (Patent Document 1, paragraph 0015). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2018 / 158875 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] For example, when a cutting-in vehicle is identified or when the vehicle is to be decelerated, as in the above-described conventional vehicle control system, a warning or notification is usually given to the vehicle occupants by voice or display via the vehicle's user interface. Therefore, in a situation where cutting-in occurs frequently, such as in a traffic jam, the frequent issuance of warnings or notifications may distract the occupants of the vehicle, which may result in a decrease in safety.

[0007] The present disclosure provides a vehicle control device that can prevent a decrease in occupant attention due to excessive warnings and notifications. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] One aspect of the present disclosure is a vehicle control device that controls the operation of a vehicle, comprising: an object detection unit that detects an object based on the output of an external sensor mounted on the vehicle; an interruption detection unit that detects the object interrupting the vehicle's path; a memory unit that records interruption information including the trajectory of the object whose interruption was detected; a similarity calculation unit that calculates the similarity between historical information of the interruption information recorded in the memory unit and the most recent interruption information detected by the interruption detection unit; and an operation determination unit that determines the operation of the vehicle based on the similarity. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present disclosure, a vehicle control device can be provided that can suppress a decrease in occupant attention due to excessive warnings and notifications. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a vehicle control device according to the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 2 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the vehicle control device shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] 2 is a plan view illustrating an object cutting into the path of the vehicle shown in FIG. 1; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a vehicle control device according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a vehicle control device according to the present disclosure. The vehicle control device 15 of this embodiment is, for example, an electronic control unit (ECU) mounted on a vehicle 1 and controlling the operation of each part of the vehicle 1. The vehicle 1 includes, for example, an external sensor 11, a vehicle sensor 12, an actuator 13, a user interface 14, and the vehicle control device 15.

[0013] The external sensor 11 includes, for example, an imaging device. The imaging device includes, for example, at least one of a monocular camera and a stereo camera. The external sensor 11 may also include, for example, at least one of a LiDAR (laser radar), a millimeter-wave radar, an ultrasonic sensor, or an infrared sensor. The external sensor 11 detects, for example, objects around the vehicle 1 and outputs the detection results to the vehicle control device 15 as external sensor information.

[0014] The vehicle sensors 12 include, for example, a position sensor, a speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, a yaw rate sensor, an engine rotation sensor, a steering angle sensor, a gear position sensor, and a pedal stroke sensor. The position sensor includes, for example, a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver. The speed sensor includes, for example, a wheel speed sensor. The vehicle sensors 12 detect vehicle information including, for example, the position, speed, acceleration, etc. of the vehicle 1, and output the detection results to the vehicle control device 15 as vehicle sensor information.

[0015] The actuator 13 includes various actuators that operate various parts of the vehicle 1, such as opening and closing a throttle valve, operating a brake, operating a transmission, or operating a steering wheel. The actuator 13 operates various parts of the vehicle 1 based on control signals input from the vehicle control device 15, for example.

[0016] The user interface 14 includes, for example, an audio output device and a display device. The audio output device includes, for example, a speaker or a buzzer. The display device includes, for example, at least one of a head-up display, a liquid crystal display device, an organic electroluminescence (EL) display device, an instrument panel, or an indicator lamp. The user interface 14 may also include, for example, a vibration motor built into the seat or steering wheel.

[0017] The vehicle control device 15 includes, for example, one or more microcontrollers (MCUs), a central processing unit (CPU), memories such as RAM and ROM, a timer, and input / output units. The vehicle control device 15 may also include, for example, a storage device such as a hard disk. The vehicle control device 15 controls each part of the vehicle 1, including at least one of the actuators 13 and the user interface 14 of the vehicle 1, based on, for example, the output of at least one of the external sensors 11 and the vehicle sensors 12.

[0018] 1, the vehicle control device 15 includes, for example, a sensor information acquisition unit 151, an object detection unit 152, an interrupt detection unit 153, a storage unit 154, a similarity calculation unit 155, an operation determination unit 156, and a control signal generation unit 157. Each of these units of the vehicle control device 15 represents a function of the vehicle control device 15 that is realized by, for example, a CPU executing a program stored in the memory or storage device of the vehicle control device 15. Note that, for example, one or more parts of the vehicle control device 15 may be configured by a single device, or one part may be configured by multiple devices.

[0019] The operation of the vehicle control device 15 of this embodiment will be described below with reference to Fig. 2 and Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating the operation of the vehicle control device 15 shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view illustrating an object cutting in on the path of the vehicle 1 shown in Fig. 1.

[0020] 2, the vehicle control device 15 first executes a process P1 for determining whether or not an object has cut in on the path of the vehicle 1. Here, the object includes, for example, a moving body such as a vehicle, such as a car, bus, or truck, a motorcycle, a bicycle, a cart, a pedestrian, or an animal that is entering the path of the host vehicle 1.

[0021] In this process P1, the sensor information acquisition unit 151 of the vehicle control device 15 acquires, for example, external sensor information that is the output of the external sensor 11 mounted on the vehicle 1. More specifically, the sensor information acquisition unit 151 acquires, for example, an image as the external sensor information from a monocular camera or a stereo camera included in the external sensor 11, and adjusts the image characteristics for further processing.

[0022] This image characteristic adjustment process includes, for example, an image resolution adjustment process that downscales or upscales an image and changes the size of the resulting image, and an image region of interest selection process that crops a predetermined region of the input image. Parameters used in these processes can be changed as appropriate depending on, for example, the driving environment, speed, turning speed, etc. of the vehicle 1. The sensor information acquisition unit 151 outputs external sensor information including the processed image that has been subjected to these processes to the object detection unit 152.

[0023] Furthermore, the sensor information acquisition unit 151 acquires, for example, vehicle sensor information that is the output of the vehicle sensor 12. The sensor information acquisition unit 151 outputs, for example, sensor information including the external sensor information and the vehicle sensor information acquired from the external sensor 11 and the vehicle sensor 12 to the object detection unit 152 and the operation determination unit 156.

[0024] Furthermore, in this process P1, the object detection unit 152 detects objects based on the external sensor information input from the sensor information acquisition unit 151. More specifically, the object detection unit 152 detects objects including vehicles using a pre-trained classifier, for example, using a processed image included in the external sensor information input from the sensor information acquisition unit 151. The classifier includes, for example, a convolutional neural network, pattern matching, a decision tree, etc.

[0025] The object detection unit 152 outputs, among the detected objects, objects classified as vehicles, such as automobiles, trucks, buses, and motorcycles, together with feature amounts related to the objects to the interrupt detection unit 153. Here, the feature amounts related to the objects include, for example, the position and speed of the object, but may also include the trajectory and type of the object. In this embodiment, detecting an object means, for example, a process of calculating at least the position of the object, the type of the object, the distance from the vehicle 1 to the object in three-dimensional space, and the speed of the object. Furthermore, the object detection unit 152 outputs, for example, information about objects around the vehicle 1 detected based on the output of the external sensor 11 to the operation determination unit 156.

[0026] Furthermore, in this process P1, the cutting-in detection unit 153 detects an object cutting in on the path of the vehicle 1. As shown in Fig. 2, if the cutting-in detection unit 153 does not determine that an object has cut in on the path of the vehicle 1 in process P1 (NO), the vehicle control device 15 ends the process flow shown in Fig. 2. The vehicle control device 15, for example, repeatedly executes the process flow shown in Fig. 2 at a predetermined cycle. Thereafter, as shown in Fig. 3, it is assumed that at time T=T1, a cutting-in vehicle Vc1 cuts in on the path of the vehicle 1 between the vehicle 1 and the preceding vehicle Va1 from a lane adjacent to the lane in which the vehicle 1 is traveling.

[0027] The cutting-in detection unit 153 determines that the cutting-in vehicle Vc1 has cut in, for example, when the lateral speed included in the feature amount of the cutting-in vehicle Vc1 input from the object detection unit 152 exceeds a predetermined threshold for a predetermined time in a predetermined section of the path of the vehicle 1. The threshold for determining the cutting-in of the cutting-in vehicle Vc1 is set, for example, depending on the traveling state of the vehicle 1 and the type of the cutting-in vehicle Vc1. Then, for example, in process P1 executed at time T=T1, when the cutting-in detection unit 153 determines that the cutting-in vehicle Vc1 has cut in (YES), the vehicle control device 15 executes process P2 to record the cutting-in information.

[0028] In process P2, the storage unit 154 records, for example, cut-in information including the trajectory of the object whose cut-in was detected. More specifically, in process P2, the cut-in detection unit 153 calculates the trajectory of the cut-in vehicle Vc1 using, for example, feature amounts including the position and speed of the object input from the object detection unit 152 and a trajectory generation method such as curve fitting. The cut-in detection unit 153 outputs the calculated trajectory of the cut-in vehicle Vc1 to the storage unit 154 together with the time T=T1 when the cut-in was detected.

[0029] The storage unit 154 records the object interruption information, including, for example, the trajectory of the cutting-in vehicle Vc1 input from the cutting-in detection unit 153 and the time T=T1. Note that the object interruption information recorded in the storage unit 154 may also include information other than the trajectory of the object, such as the position, speed, moving direction, and type of the object. The storage unit 154 deletes the interruption information recorded in the memory or storage device after a predetermined period of time has elapsed. The predetermined period for deleting the interruption information is set, for example, based on the expiration date of a timestamp, which varies depending on the driving conditions of the vehicle 1.

[0030] Thereafter, the vehicle control device 15 executes a process P3 for determining whether or not there is a history of interrupt information, as shown in Fig. 2. In this process P3, the similarity calculation unit 155 determines, for example, whether or not there is history information of interrupt information recorded in the storage unit 154. For example, as described above, if past interrupt information is not recorded in the storage unit 154 in addition to the interrupt information recorded at the most recent time T = T1, the similarity calculation unit 155 determines, in process P3, that there is no history information of interrupt information (NO). In this case, the similarity calculation unit 155 sets the similarity between the new interrupt information and the history information of the past interrupt information to zero, and outputs the set similarity to the operation determination unit 156.

[0031] Thereafter, the operation determination unit 156 executes a process P4 in which a priority is assigned to the cut-in information of the cut-in vehicle Vc1 at the most recent time T=T1, based on the similarity input from the similarity calculation unit 155. Here, in the previous process P3, there was no history information of past cut-in information similar to the cut-in information of the cut-in vehicle Vc1 at the time T=T1, and the similarity was set to zero. Therefore, the operation determination unit 156 assigns a high priority to the cut-in information of the cut-in vehicle Vc1 at the most recent time T=T1, in accordance with the low similarity to the history information of past cut-in information.

[0032] Thereafter, the operation determination unit 156 executes a process P5 for determining the operation of each part of the vehicle 1 based on the priority assigned to the cut-in information of the cut-in vehicle Vc1 at the most recent time T=T1, for example. In this process P5, the operation determination unit 156 determines the operation of each part of the vehicle, including the actuator 13 and the user interface 14, based on the high priority assigned to the most recent cut-in information.

[0033] More specifically, the operation determination unit 156 determines, for example, an operation to generate a first warning sound at a normal sound pressure from an audio output device of the user interface 14. The operation determination unit 156 also determines, for example, an operation to display a warning on a display device of the user interface 14. The operation determination unit 156 may also determine, for example, an operation of the actuator 13 to decelerate the vehicle 1 or an operation to vibrate a vibration motor built into the seat or steering wheel. The operation determination unit 156 outputs the determined operation to the control signal generation unit 157.

[0034] Thereafter, the control signal generating unit 157 executes a process P6 in which it generates a control signal based on the operation input from the operation determining unit 156 and outputs the control signal to each unit of the vehicle 1. More specifically, the control signal generating unit 157 generates a control signal for causing the audio output device of the user interface 14 to emit a first warning sound of normal sound pressure, for example, and outputs the control signal to the audio output device of the user interface 14.

[0035] Furthermore, the control signal generating unit 157 generates, for example, a control signal for causing a warning to be displayed on the display device of the user interface 14, and outputs the control signal to the display device of the user interface 14. Furthermore, the control signal generating unit 157 generates, for example, a control signal for causing the actuator 13 to decelerate the vehicle 1, and outputs the control signal to the actuator 13. Furthermore, the control signal generating unit 157 generates, for example, a control signal for causing a vibration motor built into a seat or a steering wheel to vibrate, and outputs the control signal to the vibration motor.

[0036] As a result, in response to the cut-in of the cutting-in vehicle Vc1 at time T=T1 shown in Fig. 3, for example, a first warning sound with normal sound pressure is emitted from the audio output device of the user interface 14 of the vehicle 1, and a warning is displayed on the display device of the user interface 14. Also, for example, the actuator 13 of the vehicle 1 is operated to decelerate the vehicle 1, and vibration motors built into the steering wheel and the seat vibrate. In this way, the vehicle control device 15 issues a normal warning or notification to attract the attention of the occupants of the vehicle 1 in response to a cut-in that is not similar to the history information of past cut-in information.

[0037] 2 ends and starts again. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, at time T=T2, a cutting-in vehicle Vc2 cuts in on the path of vehicle 1 between vehicle 1 and preceding vehicle Va2. In this case, similar to the processing flow at time T=T1, in processing P1, the cutting-in detection unit 153 determines that a cutting-in has occurred (YES), and in processing P2, the cutting-in information of the cutting-in vehicle Vc2 is recorded in the storage unit 154.

[0038] Thereafter, in process P3, since the storage unit 154 stores history information of interrupt information at time T=T1, the similarity calculation unit 155 determines that there is a history of interrupt information (YES), and executes process P7 to determine whether the number of pieces of history information is greater than a threshold. Here, for example, if the threshold for the number of pieces of history information is 1, the similarity calculation unit 155 determines in process P7 that the number of pieces of history information is equal to or less than the threshold (NO), since only one piece of history information of past interrupt information at time T=T1 is recorded in the storage unit 154.

[0039] In this case, because the number of pieces of history information of past cut-in information to be compared is insufficient, the similarity calculation unit 155 sets the similarity between the cut-in information of the cut-in vehicle Vc2 at the most recent time T=T2 and the past history information to zero, as in the case of the cut-in of the cut-in vehicle Vc1 at time T=T1 described above. The similarity calculation unit 155 outputs the set similarity to the operation determination unit 156. Thereafter, as in the processing flow at time T=T1 described above, in process P4, the operation determination unit 156 assigns a high priority to the cut-in information of the cut-in vehicle Vc2 at the most recent time T=T2 in accordance with the low similarity between the cut-in information and the history information of the past cut-in information input from the similarity calculation unit 155.

[0040] As a result, similar to the processing flow at time T=T1 described above, after processing P5 and P6, in response to the cut-in of the cutting-in vehicle Vc2 at time T=T2 shown in Fig. 3, for example, a first warning sound with normal sound pressure is emitted from the audio output device of the user interface 14 of the vehicle 1. In addition, a warning is displayed on the display device of the user interface 14, the actuator 13 of the vehicle 1 is operated to decelerate the vehicle 1, and the vibration motors built into the seat and steering wheel vibrate. In this way, when the number of historical information pieces of past cut-in information is insufficient, the vehicle control device 15 issues a normal warning or notification in response to the cut-in of the nearest object to attract the attention of the occupants of the vehicle 1.

[0041] 2 ends and starts again. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, assume that a cutting-in vehicle Vc3 cuts in on the path of vehicle 1 between vehicle 1 and preceding vehicle Va3 at time T=T3. In this case, in process P1, the cutting-in detection unit 153 determines that a cutting-in has occurred (YES), and in process P2, the cutting-in information of the cutting-in vehicle Vc3 is recorded in the storage unit 154.

[0042] Thereafter, in process P3, the similarity calculation unit 155 determines that there is a history of interrupt information (YES) because history information of two pieces of interrupt information at times T=T1 and T2 is stored in the storage unit 154, and executes process P7 to determine whether the number of pieces of history information is greater than a threshold. Here, history information of two pieces of interrupt information at past times T=T1 and T2 is recorded in the storage unit 154. Therefore, in process P7, for example, if the threshold for the number of pieces of history information is 1, the similarity calculation unit 155 determines that the number of pieces of history information is greater than the threshold (YES).

[0043] Thereafter, the similarity calculation unit 155 executes a process P8 of calculating the similarity between the history information of past interrupt information recorded in the storage unit 154 and the most recent interrupt information detected by the interrupt detection unit 153. In this process P8, the similarity calculation unit 155 calculates the loss of similarity using the following formula (1) based on the Euclidean distance between the trajectory included in the most recent interrupt information and the trajectory included in the history information of past interrupt information, for example.

[0044] Loss = Σ(weight × comparison result) (1)

[0045] The weight in the above formula (1) is assigned to each piece of history information of past interrupt information, and for example, the shorter the time elapsed since the interrupt occurred, the larger the weight, and the longer the time elapsed since the interrupt occurred, the smaller the weight. Also, the comparison result of the above formula (1) is, for example, 0 if the Euclidean distance between the trajectory of the most recent interrupt information and the trajectory of past interrupt information is smaller than a threshold, and 1 if the Euclidean distance is equal to or greater than the threshold. The similarity calculation unit 155, for example, calculates the loss of similarity for the history information of all past interrupt information.

[0046] For example, if the loss of similarity between the most recent interrupt information and past interrupt information is smaller than a predetermined similarity constant, the similarity calculation unit 155 assigns a high similarity to the most recent interrupt information. Furthermore, if the loss of similarity between the most recent interrupt information and past interrupt information is equal to or greater than a predetermined similarity constant, the similarity calculation unit 155 assigns a low similarity to the interrupt information. The similarity calculation unit 155 outputs the similarity assigned to the most recent interrupt information to the operation determination unit 156.

[0047] Thereafter, the operation determination unit 156 executes a process P9 in which it determines whether the similarity between the most recent cut-in information input from the similarity calculation unit 155 and the history information of past cut-in information is higher than a threshold value. Here, as shown in Fig. 3, the cut-in information of the cut-in vehicles Vc1 and Vc2 at past times T = T1 and T2 is similar to the cut-in information of the cut-in vehicle Vc3 at the most recent time T3, and a high similarity is assigned to the most recent cut-in information. In this case, the operation determination unit 156 determines in process P9 that the similarity is higher than the threshold value (YES).

[0048] Thereafter, the operation determination unit 156 executes a process P10 in which the most recent interrupt information is assigned a low priority in accordance with a high similarity with past interrupt information. Thereafter, the operation determination unit 156 executes a process P5 in which the operation of each part of the vehicle 1 is determined based on the priority assigned to the interrupt information at the most recent time T=T3. In this process P5, the operation determination unit 156 determines the operation of each part of the vehicle 1, including the actuator 13 and the user interface 14, based on the low priority assigned to the interrupt information.

[0049] More specifically, the operation determination unit 156 determines an operation to emit a second warning sound having a sound pressure lower than the first warning sound having a normal sound pressure from the audio output device of the user interface 14, for example. Alternatively, the operation determination unit 156 may determine an operation to display a warning on the display device of the user interface 14 without emitting a warning sound from the audio output device of the user interface 14. Furthermore, the operation determination unit 156 may determine an operation to not decelerate the vehicle 1 by the actuator 13 and not vibrate vibration motors built into the seat and steering wheel. The operation determination unit 156 outputs the determined operation to the control signal generation unit 157.

[0050] Thereafter, the control signal generating unit 157 executes a process P6 in which it generates a control signal based on the operation input from the operation determining unit 156 and outputs the control signal to each unit of the vehicle 1. More specifically, the control signal generating unit 157 generates a control signal that causes the audio output device of the user interface 14 to emit a second warning sound with a sound pressure that is lower than the first warning sound with a normal sound pressure, and outputs the control signal to the audio output device of the user interface 14. Alternatively, the control signal generating unit 157 generates a control signal that causes the audio output device of the user interface 14 not to emit a warning sound, and displays a warning on the display device of the user interface 14, and outputs the control signal to the actuator 13. Furthermore, the control signal generating unit 157 does not output a control signal that causes the actuator 13 to decelerate the vehicle 1, or to vibrate the vibration motor, for example.

[0051] As a result, in response to the cut-in of the cutting-in vehicle Vc3 at time T=T3 shown in FIG. 3 , for example, a second warning sound having a sound pressure lower than the normal sound pressure of the first warning sound is emitted from the audio output device of the user interface 14 of the vehicle 1. Alternatively, for example, no warning sound is emitted from the audio output device of the user interface 14 of the vehicle 1, and a warning is displayed on the display device of the user interface 14. In addition, the vehicle 1 does not decelerate, and the vibration motor does not vibrate. In this way, the vehicle control device 15 issues a warning or notification that is more subdued than the normal warning or notification in response to the cut-in of the most recent cutting-in vehicle Vc3, which has a high similarity to the history information of past cutting-in information, thereby preventing the occupants of the vehicle 1 from losing attention due to excessive warnings or notifications.

[0052] 2 ends and starts again. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, assume that a cutting-in vehicle Vc4 cuts in on the path of vehicle 1 between vehicle 1 and preceding vehicle Va4 at time T=T4. In this case, in process P1, the cutting-in detection unit 153 determines that a cutting-in has occurred (YES), and in process P2, the cutting-in information of the cutting-in vehicle Vc4 is recorded in the storage unit 154.

[0053] Thereafter, in process P3, the similarity calculation unit 155 determines that there is a history of interrupt information (YES) because the storage unit 154 stores history information of interrupt information at times T=T1, T2, and T3, and executes process P7 to determine whether the number of pieces of history information is greater than a threshold. Here, the storage unit 154 stores three pieces of history information of past interrupt information at times T=T1, T2, and T3. Therefore, for example, if the threshold for the number of pieces of history information is 1, the similarity calculation unit 155 determines in process P7 that the number of pieces of history information is greater than the threshold (YES).

[0054] Thereafter, the similarity calculation unit 155 executes a process P8 to calculate the similarity between the history information of past cut-in information recorded in the storage unit 154 and the most recent cut-in information detected by the cut-in detection unit 153. The cut-in direction of the cut-in vehicle Vc4 at time T=T4 shown in Fig. 3 is different from the cut-in directions of the cut-in vehicles Vc1, Vc2, and Vc3 at past times T1, T2, and T3. Therefore, the similarity calculation unit 155 assigns a low similarity to the cut-in information at the most recent time T=T4.

[0055] As a result, in process P9, the operation determination unit 156 determines, for example, that the similarity input from the similarity calculation unit 155 is lower than the threshold (NO). Thereafter, in process P4, the operation determination unit 156 assigns a high priority to the most recent cutting-in information in accordance with the similarity lower than the threshold of the cutting-in information of the cutting-in vehicle Vc4 at the most recent time T=T4.

[0056] As a result, after processes P5 and P6, in response to the cut-in of cutting-in vehicle Vc4 at time T=T4 shown in FIG. 3 , for example, a first warning sound with normal sound pressure is emitted from the audio output device of the user interface 14 of vehicle 1, and a warning is displayed on the display device of the user interface 14. Also, the actuator 13 of vehicle 1 is operated to decelerate the vehicle 1, and vibration motors built into the seat and steering wheel vibrate. In this way, when the similarity between the history information of past cut-in information and the most recent cut-in information is low, the vehicle control device 15 issues a normal warning or notification in response to the cut-in of the most recent object to attract the attention of the occupants of vehicle 1.

[0057] The operation of the vehicle control device 15 of this embodiment will be described below.

[0058] As described above, the vehicle control device 15 of this embodiment is a device that controls the operation of the vehicle 1, and includes an object detection unit 152, an interruption detection unit 153, a memory unit 154, a similarity calculation unit 155, and an operation determination unit 156. The object detection unit 152 detects an object based on the output of the external sensor 11 mounted on the vehicle 1. The interruption detection unit 153 detects an object interrupting the path of the vehicle 1. The memory unit 154 records interruption information including a trajectory of the object whose interruption is detected. The similarity calculation unit 155 calculates the similarity between the history information of the interruption information recorded in the memory unit 154 and the most recent interruption information detected by the interruption detection unit 153. The operation determination unit 156 determines the operation of the vehicle 1 based on the similarity.

[0059] With this configuration, the vehicle control device 15 of this embodiment can accumulate history information of past cut-in information of objects that have cut into the path of the vehicle 1, and determine the operation of the vehicle 1 based on the similarity between the history information of the past cut-in information and the most recent cut-in information. As a result, even in a situation where cut-ins occur frequently, such as a traffic jam, if the similarity between the most recent cut-in information and the history information of the past cut-in information is high, warnings and notifications can be suppressed compared to when the similarity is low. Therefore, the vehicle control device 15 of this embodiment can suppress a decrease in the attention of the occupants of the vehicle 1 due to excessive warnings and notifications, thereby improving the safety of the vehicle 1.

[0060] Furthermore, in the vehicle control device 15 of this embodiment, the operation determination unit 156 determines the operation of the user interface 14 mounted on the vehicle 1 in accordance with the similarity. With this configuration, the vehicle control device 15 of this embodiment can perform audio output or display by the user interface 14 accordingly when the similarity is low, and can perform audio output or display by the user interface 14 accordingly when the similarity is high. Therefore, the vehicle control device 15 of this embodiment can suppress a decrease in the attention of the occupants of the vehicle 1 due to excessive warnings and notifications, thereby improving the safety of the vehicle 1.

[0061] Furthermore, in the vehicle control device 15 of this embodiment, the operation determination unit 156 restricts the operation of the user interface 14 when the similarity is higher than a threshold value, compared to when the similarity is equal to or lower than the threshold value. As a result, when the similarity between the history information of past cut-in information and the most recent cut-in information is higher than the threshold value, warnings and notifications by the user interface 14 can be suppressed compared to when the similarity is equal to or lower than the threshold value. Therefore, the vehicle control device 15 of this embodiment can suppress a decrease in the attention of the occupants of the vehicle 1 due to excessive warnings and notifications, thereby improving the safety of the vehicle 1.

[0062] Furthermore, in the vehicle control device 15 of this embodiment, the user interface 14 includes an audio output device capable of performing a first operation of generating a first warning sound and a second operation of generating a second warning sound having a lower sound pressure than the first warning sound, as described above. Furthermore, the operation determination unit 156 determines the first operation to be performed by the audio output device when the similarity is lower than the threshold, and determines the second operation to be performed by the audio output device when the similarity is equal to or higher than the threshold.

[0063] As a result, when the similarity is equal to or greater than a threshold value, the vehicle control device 15 of this embodiment can generate a second warning sound, which has a lower sound pressure than the first warning sound generated when the similarity is lower than the threshold value, by the audio output device of the user interface 14. Therefore, according to the vehicle control device 15 of this embodiment, when the similarity is equal to or greater than a threshold value, the sound pressure of the warning sound generated by the audio output device can be suppressed, thereby suppressing a decrease in the attention of the occupants of the vehicle 1 due to excessive warnings and notifications, and improving the safety of the vehicle 1.

[0064] In the vehicle control device 15 of this embodiment, the user interface 14 includes an audio output device and a display device, as described above. Also, as described above, the operation determination unit 156 determines whether the audio output device should generate a warning sound when the similarity is lower than a threshold, and whether the display device should display a warning when the similarity is equal to or higher than the threshold.

[0065] As a result, when the similarity is equal to or greater than a threshold, the vehicle control device 15 of this embodiment can display a warning on the display device without generating a warning sound from the audio output device of the user interface 14. Therefore, according to the vehicle control device 15 of this embodiment, when the similarity is equal to or greater than a threshold, the generation of a warning sound from the audio output device is restricted, thereby preventing a decrease in the attention of the occupants of the vehicle 1 due to excessive warnings and notifications, and improving the safety of the vehicle 1.

[0066] The above has described in detail an embodiment of a vehicle control device according to the present disclosure using the drawings, but the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and even if there are design changes, etc., within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present disclosure, they are included in the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 1 vehicle 11 External Sensors 14 User Interface 15 Vehicle control device 152 Object detection unit 153 Interrupt detection unit 154 Storage section 155 Similarity calculation part Vc1 Cut-in vehicle (object) Vc2 Cut-in vehicle (object) Vc3 Cut-in vehicle (object) Vc4 Cut-in vehicle (object)

Claims

1. A vehicle control device for controlling the operation of a vehicle, an object detection unit that detects an object based on an output of an external sensor mounted on the vehicle; an interruption detection unit that detects an interruption of the object into the path of the vehicle; a storage unit that records interruption information including a trajectory of the object whose interruption has been detected; a similarity calculation unit that calculates a similarity between history information of the interrupt information recorded in the storage unit and the most recent interrupt information detected by the interrupt detection unit; an operation determination unit that determines an operation of a user interface mounted on the vehicle in accordance with the degree of similarity; Equipped with the user interface includes an audio output device capable of performing a first operation of generating a first warning sound and a second operation of generating a second warning sound having a sound pressure lower than that of the first warning sound; The operation determination unit restricting operation of the user interface when the degree of similarity is higher than a threshold compared to when the degree of similarity is equal to or lower than the threshold; determining the first action to be performed by the audio output device when the degree of similarity is lower than the threshold; When the degree of similarity is equal to or higher than the threshold, the second action to be taken by the audio output device is determined. A vehicle control device characterized by:

2. A vehicle control device for controlling the operation of a vehicle, an object detection unit that detects an object based on an output of an external sensor mounted on the vehicle; and an interruption detection unit that detects an interruption of the object into the path of the vehicle. a storage unit that records interruption information including a trajectory of the object whose interruption has been detected; a similarity calculation unit that calculates a similarity between history information of the interrupt information recorded in the storage unit and the most recent interrupt information detected by the interrupt detection unit; an operation determination unit that determines an operation of a user interface mounted on the vehicle in accordance with the degree of similarity; Equipped with the user interface includes an audio output device and a display device; The vehicle control device is characterized in that the operation decision unit decides to emit a warning sound by the audio output device when the similarity is lower than a threshold value, and decides to display a warning by the display device when the similarity is equal to or higher than the threshold value.

Images