Driving assistance device, driving assistance method, and program

Abstract

To enable an avoidance amount by avoidance steering control to be an avoidance amount that matches the senses of an occupant, when assisting the occupant in driving by the avoidance steering control.SOLUTION: A driver assistance device according to the present disclosure performs, when a target object exists in front of an own vehicle, avoidance steering control for controlling a steering mechanism of the own vehicle so that the own vehicle avoids the target. When the occupant inputs a steering torque equal to or higher than a threshold value to the steering mechanism during execution of the avoidance steering control, the driver assistance device cancels the avoidance steering control. Then, in accordance with a frequency of cancellation of the avoidance steering control, the driver assistance device changes an avoidance amount by the avoidance steering control.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an apparatus, a method, and a program for assisting vehicle driving. [Background technology]

[0002] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2019-028951 discloses a vehicle control device that prevents a collision with a pedestrian in front of the vehicle. When a pedestrian is present in a predetermined assistance area in front of the vehicle, the vehicle control device performs avoidance steering control to move the vehicle away from the pedestrian.

[0003] When a driver steers a vehicle to avoid a pedestrian, the distance from the pedestrian at which the driver feels safe varies from driver to driver. Even when the vehicle's system automatically performs avoidance steering control, if the distance from the pedestrian during avoidance is closer than the driver expects, the driver will feel uneasy. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-028951 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems. One object of the present disclosure is to enable the amount of avoidance achieved by avoidance steering control to be adjusted to suit the occupant's perception when the occupant is driving using avoidance steering control. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present disclosure provides an apparatus for achieving the above object. The apparatus of the present disclosure is a driving assistance apparatus that assists driving of a vehicle. The apparatus of the present disclosure includes at least one processor and at least one memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor and having a plurality of instructions stored therein. The plurality of instructions are configured to cause the at least one processor to execute the following first to third processes. The first process is to perform avoidance steering control, which controls the steering mechanism of the vehicle so that the vehicle avoids an object ahead of the vehicle, when an object is present ahead of the vehicle. The second process is to cancel the avoidance steering control if an occupant inputs a steering torque equal to or greater than a threshold to the steering mechanism while the avoidance steering control is being executed. And the third process is to change the amount of avoidance achieved by the avoidance steering control depending on the frequency of cancellation of the avoidance steering control.

[0007] The present disclosure also provides a program for achieving the above object. The program of the present disclosure is a program for causing a computer to assist in vehicle driving, and is configured to cause the computer to execute the above-described first to third processes. The program of the present disclosure is also a program that can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium.

[0008] The present disclosure further provides a method for achieving the above object. The method of the present disclosure is a driving assistance method that uses a computer to assist in driving a vehicle. The method of the present disclosure includes the following first to third steps. The first step is a step of performing avoidance steering control to control the steering mechanism of the vehicle so that the vehicle avoids the target when an object is present ahead of the vehicle. The second step is a step of canceling the avoidance steering control if the occupant inputs a steering torque equal to or greater than a threshold to the steering mechanism while the avoidance steering control is being executed. And the third step is a step of changing the amount of avoidance achieved by the avoidance steering control depending on the frequency of cancellation of the avoidance steering control. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] If the occupant inputs steering torque to the steering mechanism while the avoidance steering control is being executed and the avoidance steering control is frequently canceled, it is estimated that this is because the amount of avoidance achieved by the avoidance steering control does not match the driver's sense. According to the device, method, and program disclosed herein, the amount of avoidance achieved by the avoidance steering control is changed depending on the frequency of cancellation of the avoidance steering control, so that the amount of avoidance achieved by the avoidance steering control can be brought closer to the amount of avoidance that matches the occupant's sense. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of driving assistance control according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of driving assistance control according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of driving assistance control according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure of driving assistance control according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a driving assistance device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] 1. Overview of driver assistance control 1 to 3 are conceptual diagrams for explaining driving assistance control according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The driving assistance control is vehicle control performed by a driving assistance device 100 mounted on the vehicle 10 to avoid a collision between the vehicle 10 and a forward object. The vehicle 10 may be an autonomous vehicle that can entrust at least the steering control, among the steering control, acceleration control, and deceleration control, to the driving assistance device 100. Hereinafter, the vehicle 10 mounted with the driving assistance device 100 will be referred to as the host vehicle, and an overview of the driving assistance control will be described, focusing on the relationship between the host vehicle 10 and surrounding objects.

[0012] 1 illustrates a state in which a vehicle 10 is traveling in a driving lane 2 defined by two dividing lines 4 and 6. Four scenes showing different positions and attitudes of the vehicle 10 in the driving lane 2 are, from left to right, scenes at times t11, t12, t13, and t14, and are arranged in chronological order. In other words, FIG. 1 illustrates the changes in the position and attitude of the vehicle 10 in the order of times t11, t12, t13, and t14.

[0013] In the example shown in FIG. 1 , the road on which the host vehicle 10 is traveling is a left-hand traffic road. The dividing line 4 on the left side is a shoulder strip, and the dividing line 6 on the right side is a lane boundary. A pedestrian 8 is present near the dividing line 4 ahead of the host vehicle 10. Whether the pedestrian 8 is standing still or moving, there is a non-zero possibility that the pedestrian 8 will suddenly jump into the traveling lane 2. Therefore, the pedestrian 8 poses a risk to the host vehicle 10 that could cause a collision. When a target that could pose such a risk is recognized, the driving assistance control by the driving assistance device 100 is performed, which is avoidance steering control that controls the steering mechanism of the host vehicle 10 so as to avoid the target. Hereinafter, a target that is the target of the avoidance steering control is referred to as a target.

[0014] The middle part of Fig. 1 shows a time chart illustrating the transition over time between the on state and the off state of the evasive steering control. In the example shown in Fig. 1, the evasive steering control is started at time t11. With the start of the evasive steering control, a target trajectory 11 is generated that is offset toward the lane marking 6 so as to avoid a pedestrian 8, which is an object of interest. The amount of avoidance of the pedestrian 8 by the evasive steering control, i.e., the lateral distance X1 from the pedestrian 8 to the target trajectory 11, is defined, for example, as a function of the vehicle speed of the host vehicle 10. As shown by the position and attitude of the host vehicle 10 at time t12, the driving assistance device 100 controls the steering mechanism to make the host vehicle 10 travel along the target trajectory 11.

[0015] However, the lateral distance that each occupant, especially each driver, feels is safe varies from driver to driver. For this reason, when the vehicle 10 travels along the target trajectory 11, some drivers may feel uneasy about the movement of the vehicle 10 relative to the pedestrian 8. To enable such drivers to operate the steering themselves, the driving assistance device 100 has a function to cancel the avoidance steering control in response to a request from the driver.

[0016] The lower part of FIG. 1 shows a time chart illustrating the transition of the steering torque input by the driver to the steering mechanism of the host vehicle 10. In avoidance steering control, the steering mechanism is automatically controlled by the driving assistance device 100. Therefore, the driver does not need to operate the steering mechanism himself. Therefore, if the driver leaves the steering control to the driving assistance device 100, no steering torque is generated. However, if the driver attempts to intervene in the steering control, a steering torque is generated to move the steering mechanism controlled by the driving assistance device 100. For example, at time t13, if the driver wants to steer the host vehicle 10 toward a trajectory 20 that is outside the target trajectory 11, the driver attempts to turn the steering wheel to the right, which generates a rightward steering torque.

[0017] When the steering torque increases and reaches the threshold value TH1, the driving assistance device 100 cancels the avoidance steering control and returns from automatic steering control to manual steering control by the driver. With the steering control being returned to manual, once the steering torque reaches the threshold value TH1, the host vehicle 10 is steered by the steering torque input by the driver to the steering mechanism. As a result, as shown in the position and attitude of the host vehicle 10 at time t14, it becomes possible to make the host vehicle 10 travel along a trajectory 20 that is farther away from the pedestrian 8 than the target trajectory 11. In this way, by making the lateral distance to the pedestrian 8 greater than the lateral distance X1 set by the driving assistance device 100, the driver can feel more secure when passing beside the pedestrian 8.

[0018] The function of the driving assistance device 100 that can cancel the evasive steering control can provide a sense of security to a driver for whom the movement of the vehicle 10 when avoiding an object does not match his or her own sense. However, if the evasive steering control must be canceled frequently, the driver will find it annoying. Furthermore, frequent cancellation of the evasive steering control is thought to be caused by a discrepancy between the evasive steering control settings and the driver's sense. Therefore, when the evasive steering control is frequently canceled, the driving assistance device 100 changes the settings of the evasive steering control as described below.

[0019] There are at least two parameters whose settings can be changed in the avoidance steering control. The first parameter is the steering torque threshold at which the avoidance steering control is canceled. The second parameter is the amount of avoidance for the target object, that is, the lateral distance from the target object to the target trajectory. The effects of changing the threshold will be explained using FIG. 2, and the effects of changing the amount of avoidance will be explained using FIG. 3.

[0020] 2 shows, in the order of times t21, t22, t23, and t24, changes in the position and attitude of the host vehicle 10 after the avoidance steering control is turned on in a case where only the threshold setting is changed from the example shown in FIG. 1. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the lateral distance from the pedestrian 8 to the target trajectory 11 due to the avoidance steering control is the same lateral distance X1 as in the example shown in FIG. 1. Therefore, the driver's anxiety about the movement of the host vehicle 10 relative to the pedestrian 8 is also the same as in the example shown in FIG. 1. Due to this anxiety, at time t23, the driver intervenes in the steering control to steer the host vehicle 10 toward a trajectory 20 that is outside the target trajectory 11.

[0021] The driver's intervention in the steering control increases the steering torque. However, in the example shown in FIG. 2, the steering torque threshold value TH2 at which the avoidance steering control is canceled is changed to a value lower than the threshold value TH1 set in the example shown in FIG. 1. By lowering the threshold value, the reaction force received from the steering wheel when the driver intervenes in the steering control decreases. This allows the driver to easily switch to manual steering if he or she feels uneasy about the movement of the vehicle 10 due to the avoidance steering control.

[0022] When the avoidance steering control is being executed, even if the driver simply places his / her hands on the steering wheel, some steering torque is generated. To prevent the avoidance steering control from being canceled by this noise-like steering torque, a lower limit is set in advance for the steering torque threshold at which the avoidance steering control is canceled. The threshold TH2 can be set arbitrarily as long as it does not fall below the lower limit. The threshold can also be changed in stages depending on the frequency at which the avoidance steering control is canceled, provided that the threshold does not fall below the lower limit.

[0023] 3 shows, in the order of times t31, t32, t33, and t34, changes in the position and attitude of the host vehicle 10 after the evasive steering control is turned on when only the setting of the evasive amount is changed from the example shown in FIG. 1. In the example shown in FIG. 3, when the evasive steering control is started, a target trajectory 12 is generated so as to avoid the pedestrian 8, which is the target object. The target trajectory 12 is offset further toward the lane marking 6 than the target trajectory 11 in the example shown in FIG. 1. Therefore, the lateral distance X2 from the pedestrian 8 to the target trajectory 11 due to the evasive steering control is greater than the lateral distance X1 in the example shown in FIG. 1.

[0024] By increasing the lateral distance, the driver's anxiety about the movement of the host vehicle 10 relative to the pedestrian 8 is reduced or eliminated. As a result, in the example shown in FIG. 3, after the avoidance steering control is initiated, the driver does not intervene in the steering control, and at least no steering torque that would cancel the avoidance steering control is generated. In this case, the host vehicle 10 travels along the target trajectory 12 and passes a position that is lateral distance X2 away from the pedestrian 8. This means that the changed lateral distance X2 from the pedestrian 8 matches the driver's perception.

[0025] If the cancellation of the avoidance steering control continues even after the lateral distance from the pedestrian 8 is changed to lateral distance X2, this means that there is still a discrepancy with the driver's sense. In this case, the lateral distance from the pedestrian 8 is further increased from lateral distance X2 depending on the frequency of cancellation. However, there is an upper limit to the lateral distance that can be set in the avoidance steering control. The upper limit is set under the constraint that the host vehicle 10 does not stray into the oncoming lane. The lateral distance can also be changed in stages depending on the frequency at which the avoidance steering control is canceled, provided that the lateral distance does not exceed the upper limit.

[0026] 2. Driving assistance control procedures The driving assistance device 100 performs driving assistance control according to the procedure shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the procedure of driving assistance control performed by the driving assistance device 100 in this embodiment, and is also a flowchart showing a driving assistance method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. This flowchart is executed when the presence of a target object ahead of the host vehicle is recognized.

[0027] In step S01 of the flowchart shown in Fig. 4, avoidance steering control for the target object is started. When the avoidance steering control is started, a target trajectory for avoiding the target object is generated based on the currently set avoidance amount (lateral distance from the target object). In step S02, which is executed next, it is determined whether or not avoidance steering control is being executed, that is, whether or not the avoidance steering control has ended. If the avoidance steering control has ended, this procedure ends.

[0028] If it is determined in step S02 that avoidance steering control is being executed, the procedure proceeds to step S03. In step S03, it is determined whether the avoidance steering control has been canceled due to intervention in steering control by the driver. Note that intervention in steering control here refers to intervention by steering in a direction that moves the host vehicle away from the target. Avoidance steering control is also canceled by steering in a direction that moves the host vehicle closer to the target, but such steering is not included in the intervention in steering control here. If avoidance steering control has not been canceled due to intervention in steering control, the procedure ends.

[0029] If it is determined in step S03 that the avoidance steering control has been canceled due to an intervention in the steering control, the procedure proceeds to step S04. In step S04, it is determined whether the cancellation frequency of the avoidance steering control is greater than a reference value F1. The cancellation frequency can be defined, for example, as the ratio of the number of cancellations to the cumulative number of times the avoidance steering control has been operated. As a specific example, if the avoidance steering control has been operated a cumulative 100 times so far and the avoidance steering control has been canceled during the current operation of the avoidance steering control, bringing the cumulative number of cancellations to 50, the cancellation frequency is 50 / 100, or 0.5.

[0030] Furthermore, in calculating the cancellation frequency, a lower limit sample count is set for the cumulative number of times the avoidance steering control is operated. If the cumulative number of times is equal to or greater than the lower limit sample count, the cancellation frequency calculated from the cumulative number of times is treated as a valid value. However, if the cumulative number of times is less than the lower limit sample count, the cancellation frequency calculated from the cumulative number of times is treated as an invalid value due to insufficient accuracy caused by insufficient samples.

[0031] Two reference values ​​F1 and F2 of different magnitudes are set in advance as reference values ​​for the cancellation frequency. As will be described later, the reference value F2 is a reference value for setting a threshold value for the steering torque. The reference values ​​F1 and F2 can be set arbitrarily, but the reference value F1 is greater than the reference value F2. For example, the reference value F1 may be 0.5 and the reference value F2 may be 0.3. Therefore, the cancellation frequency of the avoidance steering control first exceeds the reference value F2 and then exceeds the reference value F1. Therefore, at a stage where the cancellation frequency has not exceeded the reference value F2, the cancellation frequency is always equal to or less than the reference value F1, and the determination result in step S04 is negative.

[0032] If the determination result in step S04 is negative, the procedure proceeds to step S05. In step S05, it is determined whether the cancellation frequency of the evasive steering control is greater than a reference value F2. If the cancellation frequency is equal to or less than the reference value F2, it can be determined that the driver does not frequently cancel the evasive steering control. In other words, it can be determined that the driver does not feel particularly uneasy about the movement of the host vehicle due to the evasive steering control. In this case, there is no need to change the settings of the evasive steering control, and the procedure ends. The procedure also ends if the calculated cancellation frequency is treated as an invalid value due to an insufficient cumulative number of times the evasive steering control has been operated.

[0033] If it is determined in step S05 that the cancellation frequency is greater than the reference value F2, the procedure proceeds to step S06. In step S06, the steering torque threshold for canceling the avoidance steering control is lowered. Lowering the steering torque threshold makes it easier for the driver to switch to manual steering, and reduces the stress felt by the driver when switching to manual steering.

[0034] If it is determined in step S04 that the cancellation frequency is greater than the reference value F1, the procedure proceeds to step S07. In step S07, the amount of avoidance of the avoidance steering control is increased. By increasing the amount of avoidance of the avoidance steering control, it is possible to bring the amount of avoidance closer to what the driver feels, and it is possible to eliminate or reduce the anxiety that the driver feels when avoiding the target object.

[0035] By carrying out the driving assist control according to the above procedure, the two parameters set in the avoidance steering control can be brought closer to values ​​that suit the driver's sense. Note that the reference values ​​F1 and F2 for the cancellation frequency can be set to the same value, or the reference value F2 can be set to a value greater than the reference value F1.

[0036] It should be noted that when the amount of avoidance of the avoidance steering control is increased, the frequency with which the avoidance steering control is cancelled decreases. Because the driver's sense changes as they become accustomed to the control, the amount of avoidance may be slightly reduced after a predetermined time has elapsed since the amount of avoidance was increased, and the situation may be observed. If the frequency of cancellation of the avoidance steering control increases again as a result, the amount of avoidance may be returned to its original value, and if not, the amount of avoidance may be further reduced slightly.

[0037] 3. Configuration of driving assistance device Finally, the configuration of the driving assistance device 100 for executing the above-mentioned driving assistance control will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example configuration of the driving assistance device 100 and a vehicle 10 to which the driving assistance device 100 is applied. The vehicle 10 includes a control device 110 that controls the vehicle 10, a sensor group 120 that inputs information to the control device 110, and a vehicle actuator 130 that operates in response to a signal output from the control device 110. The control device 110, the sensor group 120, and the vehicle actuator 130 are connected via an in-vehicle network. The driving assistance device 100 includes at least the control device 110. However, the driving assistance device 100 may include the sensor group 120 in addition to the control device 110. The driving assistance device 100 may also include the vehicle actuator 130.

[0038] The sensor group 120 includes an autonomous sensor 121, a vehicle state sensor 122, and a position sensor 123. The autonomous sensor 121 is a sensor that acquires information about the surrounding conditions of the vehicle 10, including the area ahead of the vehicle 10. The autonomous sensor 121 includes at least one of a camera, a millimeter-wave radar, and a LiDAR. Based on the information acquired by the autonomous sensor 121, processing such as detection of objects present around the vehicle 10, measurement of the relative position and relative speed of the detected objects with respect to the vehicle 10, and recognition of the shape of the detected objects is performed. Target objects present ahead of the vehicle 10 are detected by the autonomous sensor 121.

[0039] The vehicle state sensor 122 is a sensor that acquires information related to the movement of the vehicle 10. The vehicle state sensor 122 includes, for example, at least one of a wheel speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, a yaw rate sensor, and a steering angle sensor. The position sensor 123 is used to acquire information related to the current position of the vehicle 10. An example of the position sensor 123 is a GPS receiver. When the driving assistance device 100 has high-precision map information, it can recognize obstacles that exist around the vehicle 10 based on the current position of the vehicle 10 acquired by the position sensor 123 and the high-precision map information.

[0040] The vehicle actuator 130 is an actuator that controls the movement of the vehicle 10. The vehicle actuator 130 includes a steering actuator 131 that steers the vehicle 10, a drive actuator 132 that drives the vehicle 10, and a braking actuator 133 that brakes the vehicle 10. The steering mechanism constitutes at least a part of the steering actuator 131.

[0041] The control device 110 is an on-board computer such as an ECU (Electronic Control Unit). The control device 110 includes at least one processor 111 and at least one memory 112 communicatively coupled to the processor 111. The processor 111 may be, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit), or other processing unit. The processor 111 may also be a combination of two or more of the CPU, FPGA, ASIC, or other processing unit.

[0042] The memory 112 stores a driving assistance program 113 consisting of a plurality of executable instructions 114. The driving assistance program 113 is a program for causing the processor 111 to execute the driving assistance control shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4. The driving assistance program 113 can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The memory 112 also stores control data 115 for the driving assistance control. The control data 115 includes an avoidance amount 116 achieved by the avoidance steering control and a steering torque threshold (cancellation threshold) 117 at which the avoidance steering control is cancelled. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 2 driving lane, 8 pedestrian (target object), 10 host vehicle, 100 driving assistance device, 110 control device, 111 processor, 112 memory, 113 driving assistance program

Claims

1. A driving assistance device that assists driving of a vehicle, at least one processor; at least one memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor and having a plurality of instructions stored thereon; The plurality of instructions may include instructions to the at least one processor: When an object exists ahead of the vehicle, performing avoidance steering control to control a steering mechanism of the vehicle so that the vehicle avoids the object; canceling the avoidance steering control when an occupant inputs a steering torque equal to or greater than a threshold value to the steering mechanism while the avoidance steering control is being executed; and changing the amount of avoidance by the avoidance steering control in accordance with the frequency of cancellation of the avoidance steering control, Changing the avoidance amount includes increasing the avoidance amount as the frequency of canceling the avoidance steering control due to input of a steering torque in a direction that moves the vehicle away from the target object increases. A driving assistance device characterized by:

2. In the driving assistance device according to claim 1, The instructions are further configured to cause the at least one processor to change the threshold value depending on a frequency of cancellation of the avoidance steering control. A driving assistance device characterized by:

3. A driving assistance device that assists driving of a vehicle, at least one processor; at least one memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor and having a plurality of instructions stored thereon; The plurality of instructions may include instructions to the at least one processor: When an object exists ahead of the vehicle, performing avoidance steering control to control a steering mechanism of the vehicle so that the vehicle avoids the object; canceling the avoidance steering control when an occupant inputs a steering torque equal to or greater than a threshold value to the steering mechanism while the avoidance steering control is being executed; and changing the amount of avoidance by the avoidance steering control in accordance with the frequency of cancellation of the avoidance steering control, The instructions are further configured to cause the at least one processor to change the threshold value depending on a frequency of cancellation of the avoidance steering control. A driving assistance device characterized by:

4. A driving assistance method for assisting vehicle driving by a computer, comprising: When an object exists ahead of the vehicle, performing avoidance steering control to control a steering mechanism of the vehicle so that the vehicle avoids the object; canceling the avoidance steering control when an occupant inputs a steering torque equal to or greater than a threshold value to the steering mechanism while the avoidance steering control is being executed; changing an amount of avoidance by the avoidance steering control in accordance with a frequency of cancellation of the avoidance steering control, Changing the avoidance amount includes increasing the avoidance amount as the frequency of canceling the avoidance steering control due to input of a steering torque in a direction that moves the vehicle away from the target object increases. A driving assistance method comprising:

5. A program for causing a computer to assist in driving a vehicle, When an object exists ahead of the vehicle, performing avoidance steering control to control a steering mechanism of the vehicle so that the vehicle avoids the object; canceling the avoidance steering control when an occupant inputs a steering torque equal to or greater than a threshold value to the steering mechanism while the avoidance steering control is being executed; changing an amount of avoidance by the avoidance steering control in accordance with a frequency of cancellation of the avoidance steering control, Changing the avoidance amount includes increasing the avoidance amount as the frequency of canceling the avoidance steering control due to input of a steering torque in a direction that moves the vehicle away from the target object increases. A program characterized by:

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