Vehicle control device

Abstract

To provide a vehicle control device which can suppress reduction in communication stability of image data.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device includes: a drive support ECU; an automatic drive ECU; and an image data transmission unit which transmits image data to the drive support ECU when a vehicle is located in a manual driving area and transmits image data to the automatic drive ECU when the vehicle is located in an automatic driving area. The automatic drive ECU is provided as a separate body from the drive support ECU. The automatic drive ECU determines whether a first switching condition to the automatic drive control is satisfied on the basis of the image data in the time of entry of the vehicle to the automatic driving area Z2 and executes the automatic drive control when the first switching condition is satisfied. The image data transmission unit transmits the image data to the drive support ECU in addition to the automatic drive ECU in the time of entry of the vehicle to the automatic driving area Z2 and stops transmission of the image data to the drive support ECU when the first switching condition is satisfied.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-17214 is known as a technical document relating to a conventional vehicle control device. Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-17214 discloses a technology in which driving assistance control is executed when the vehicle is located in a manual driving area (a prohibited area where autonomous driving is prohibited), and autonomous driving control is executed when the vehicle is located in an autonomous driving area. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-17214 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-described technology, image data from an imaging device mounted on a vehicle may be used for both driving assistance control and autonomous driving control. However, if the image data is continuously transmitted to both the driving assistance ECU that executes driving assistance control and the autonomous driving ECU that executes autonomous driving control, there is a concern that communication stability may be reduced due to noise interference.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle control device that can suppress a decrease in communication stability of image data. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The vehicle control device disclosed herein is a vehicle control device that controls the vehicle using image data from an imaging device mounted on the vehicle that captures at least an image of the area in front of the vehicle, and includes: a driving assistance ECU that performs driving assistance control using the image data; an autonomous driving ECU that is provided separately from the driving assistance ECU and performs autonomous driving control using the image data; and an image data transmission unit that, when the automatic start function of the autonomous driving control is on, causes the image data to be sent to the driving assistance ECU when the vehicle is located in a predetermined manual driving area, and causes the image data to be sent to the autonomous driving ECU when the vehicle is located in a predetermined autonomous driving area, wherein the autonomous driving ECU determines whether a first switching condition to autonomous driving control is met based on the image data when the vehicle enters the autonomous driving area, and executes autonomous driving control if the first switching condition is met, and the image data transmission unit sends image data to the driving assistance ECU in addition to the autonomous driving ECU when the vehicle enters the autonomous driving area, and stops sending image data to the driving assistance ECU when the first switching condition is met. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a vehicle control device that can suppress a decrease in communication stability of image data. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the vehicle control device according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a driving state when the vehicle is located in a manual driving area or an automatic driving area. [Figure 3] 2 is a flowchart showing a process performed by the vehicle control device shown in FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is a flowchart showing a process performed by the vehicle control device shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle control device according to an embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle control device 1 includes an imaging device 2, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) signal receiving unit 3, a map database 4, a display 5, an actuator 6, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 10, and an ECU 20. The vehicle control device 1 controls the vehicle using image data from the imaging device 2 mounted on the vehicle.

[0011] The imaging device 2 captures images of the external environment of the vehicle. The imaging device 2 has multiple cameras that capture images of the front, sides, and rear of the vehicle. Each camera may be a monocular camera or a stereo camera. The imaging device 2 transmits image data to at least one of a driving assistance control unit 11 and an autonomous driving control unit 22, which will be described later, in response to a control signal from an image data transmission unit 23, which will be described later.

[0012] The GNSS signal receiving unit 3 receives signals from positioning satellites to measure the position of the vehicle (for example, the latitude and longitude of the vehicle). The GNSS signal receiving unit 3 transmits the vehicle position information to the ECU 20.

[0013] The map database 4 stores map information. The map information includes, for example, information about roads and intersections. The map information includes information about manual driving areas and automatic driving areas. The map database 4 is formed on a server that can communicate with the vehicle. The map database 4 may be formed in a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) installed in the vehicle.

[0014] The display 5 is provided, for example, on the instrument panel of the vehicle. The display 5 has a display screen for displaying images. The display 5 displays images on the display screen based on a control signal from the ECU 10. The display 5 may be a HUD (Head Up Display) that projects and displays images onto the windshield or a projection screen of the vehicle.

[0015] The actuators 6 include a drive actuator, a brake actuator, a steering actuator, etc. The drive actuator controls the drive force of the vehicle in response to a control signal from the ECU 20. Specifically, the drive actuator controls the amount of air supplied to the engine (throttle opening) to control the drive force of the vehicle. If the vehicle is a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV: Hybrid Electric Vehicle), in addition to the amount of air supplied to the engine, a control signal from the ECU 20 is input to a motor serving as a power source to control the drive force. If the vehicle is an electric vehicle (BEV: Battery Electric Vehicle), a control signal from the ECU 20 is input to a motor serving as a power source to control the drive force. In these cases, the motor serving as a power source constitutes a drive actuator.

[0016] The brake actuator controls the braking force of the vehicle in response to a control signal from the ECU 20. Specifically, the brake actuator controls a brake system in response to a control signal from the ECU 20, and controls the braking force applied to the wheels of the vehicle. As the brake system, for example, a hydraulic brake system can be used.

[0017] The steering actuator controls the steering torque or steering angle of the vehicle in response to a control signal from the ECU 20. Specifically, the steering actuator controls the drive of an assist motor in the electric power steering system, which controls the steering torque or steering angle, in response to a control signal from the ECU 20.

[0018] The ECU (driving assistance ECU) 10 is an electronic control unit having a central processing unit (CPU) and a storage unit such as a read-only memory (ROM) or a random access memory (RAM). The ECU 10 realizes various functions by, for example, executing programs stored in the storage unit by the CPU. The ECU 10 is installed in, for example, a vehicle.

[0019] The ECU 10 has a driving assistance control unit 11 as a functional configuration. The driving assistance control unit 11 executes driving assistance control for the vehicle using image data from the imaging device 2. Manual driving is a driving state in which the driving operation is mainly performed by a person (driver). When the vehicle is in a manual driving state, the driver's driving operation may be supported by a driving assistance function such as ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) or LKA (Lane Keeping Assist). Manual driving is, for example, a driving state of Level 2 or lower (Level 0 to Level 2) defined in SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) J3016. In this embodiment, manual driving is a driving state of Level 1.

[0020] The driving assistance control unit 11, for example, combines images captured by the multiple cameras of the imaging device 2. The driving assistance control unit 11 displays the combined captured images as a panoramic image on the display 5. The driver of the vehicle understands the situation around the vehicle based on the image displayed on the display 5.

[0021] The ECU (autonomous driving ECU) 20 is an electronic control unit having a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a storage unit such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a RAM (Random Access Memory). In the ECU 20, various functions are realized, for example, by the CPU executing programs stored in the storage unit. The ECU 20 may be provided in a vehicle or in a server or the like that can communicate with the vehicle. The ECU 20 is provided separately from the ECU 10. The ECU 10 and the ECU 20 are physically different pieces of hardware.

[0022] The ECU 20 has, as its functional configuration, a position determination unit 21, an automatic driving control unit 22, and an image data transmission unit 23. The position determination unit 21 determines the position of the vehicle based on the vehicle position information transmitted from the GNSS signal receiving unit 3 and the map database 4. The position determination unit 21 determines whether the vehicle is located in a preset manual driving area. The position determination unit 21 determines whether the vehicle is located in a preset automatic driving area.

[0023] The autonomous driving control unit 22 executes autonomous driving control for the vehicle using image data from the imaging device 2. Autonomous driving is a driving state in which the driving operation by the system is the main driver. Autonomous driving is vehicle control in which the vehicle automatically travels toward a predetermined destination. In autonomous driving, the route and vehicle speed of the vehicle are planned in advance. Autonomous driving is, for example, a driving state of level 3 or higher (level 3 to level 6) defined in SAE [Society of Automotive Engineers] J3016. In this embodiment, autonomous driving is a driving state of level 3 or level 4.

[0024] The autonomous driving control unit 22 determines whether a first switching condition to autonomous driving control and a second switching condition to driving assistance control are satisfied based on image data from the imaging device 2. Specifically, the autonomous driving control unit 22 determines, for example, whether an obstacle exists around the vehicle based on image data from the imaging device 2. The autonomous driving control unit 22 determines, for example, whether an obstacle exists in an area around the vehicle that is difficult for the driver to see (a blind spot for the driver). The obstacle may be, for example, a child or a bicycle. If no obstacle exists around the vehicle, the autonomous driving control unit 22 determines that the first switching condition or the second switching condition is satisfied. If an obstacle exists around the vehicle, the autonomous driving control unit 22 determines that the first switching condition or the second switching condition is not satisfied.

[0025] When the automatic driving control unit 22 starts determining whether the first switching condition or the second switching condition is met, it may notify an occupant of the vehicle that the determination of the first switching condition or the second switching condition is in progress, for example, via a notification unit, etc. When the automatic driving control unit 22 finishes determining whether the first switching condition or the second switching condition is met, it may notify an occupant of the vehicle of the determination result of the first switching condition or the second switching condition, for example, via a notification unit, etc.

[0026] When the automatic start function of the automatic driving control is in an on state, the image data transmission unit 23 controls the output switch of the imaging device 2 to transmit image data of the imaging device 2 to at least one of the driving assistance control unit 11 (ECU 10) and the automatic driving control unit 22 (ECU 20). When the vehicle is located in a manual driving area, the image data transmission unit 23 transmits image data of the imaging device 2 to at least the driving assistance control unit 11. When the vehicle is located in an automatic driving area, the image data transmission unit 23 transmits image data of the imaging device 2 to at least the automatic driving control unit 22.

[0027] 2 is a diagram showing the driving state when the vehicle is located in a manual driving area or an automatic driving area. As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle sequentially travels through, for example, a manual driving area Z1, an automatic driving area Z2, and a manual driving area Z3.

[0028] When the vehicle is located in the manual driving area Z1, the image data transmission unit 23 causes the image data of the imaging device 2 to be transmitted to the driving assistance control unit 11 as described above, and the driving assistance control unit 11 executes driving assistance control for the vehicle as described above. When the vehicle is located in the manual driving area Z1, the image data transmission unit 23 does not cause the image data of the imaging device 2 to be transmitted to the automatic driving control unit 22.

[0029] When the vehicle is located in autonomous driving area Z2, the image data transmission unit 23 causes the image data of the imaging device 2 to be transmitted to the autonomous driving control unit 22 as described above. The image data transmission unit 23 causes the image data of the imaging device 2 to be transmitted to the driving assistance control unit 11 in addition to the autonomous driving control unit 22 during a first period calculated from the time the vehicle enters autonomous driving area Z2. The length of the first period is determined based on various conditions in the manual driving area Z1 or the autonomous driving area Z2. During the first period, the vehicle is located in a first area Z21 of the autonomous driving area Z2 that is adjacent to the manual driving area Z1.

[0030] When the vehicle enters a second period before escaping from the autonomous driving area Z2 while autonomous driving control is being executed, the image data transmission unit 23 transmits image data from the imaging device 2 to the driving assistance control unit 11 in addition to the autonomous driving control unit 22. When autonomous driving control is being executed, the vehicle speed is planned in advance, so if the length of the second period is set, the timing of the start of the second period is determined. In other words, when the vehicle is located in the autonomous driving area Z2, the timing of the start of transmission of image data to the driving assistance control unit 11 is determined. The length of the second period is determined based on various conditions in the autonomous driving area Z2 or the manual driving area Z3. Note that, during the second period, the vehicle is located in a second area Z22 of the autonomous driving area Z2 that is adjacent to the manual driving area Z3. Furthermore, there is a predetermined period between the first period and the second period. The first period and the second period do not overlap each other. A third area Z23 exists between the first area Z21 and the second area Z22.

[0031] When the vehicle enters the autonomous driving area Z2, the autonomous driving control unit 22 determines whether a first switching condition to autonomous driving control is satisfied based on the image data from the imaging device 2. The autonomous driving control unit 22 repeatedly determines whether the first switching condition is satisfied during a first period. The autonomous driving control unit 22 executes autonomous driving control when the first switching condition is satisfied during the first period. When the first switching condition is satisfied during the first period, the driving assistance control unit 11 terminates driving assistance control after the autonomous driving control unit 22 executes autonomous driving control. In other words, when the first switching condition is satisfied, the driving state of the vehicle switches from manual driving to autonomous driving.

[0032] When the first switching condition is satisfied in the first period, the image data transmission unit 23 stops transmitting image data to the driving assistance control unit 11. In other words, when the first switching condition is satisfied in the first period, the image data transmission unit 23 transmits image data only to the automatic driving control unit 22 out of the driving assistance control unit 11 and the automatic driving control unit 22.

[0033] The automatic driving control unit 22 does not execute automatic driving control if the first switching condition is not satisfied in the first period. The driving assistance control unit 11 continues to execute driving assistance control if the first switching condition is not satisfied in the first period. In other words, if the first switching condition is not satisfied, the driving state of the vehicle is maintained in manual driving.

[0034] If the first switching condition is not satisfied in the first period, the image data transmission unit 23 stops transmitting image data to the automatic driving control unit 22. In other words, if the first switching condition is not satisfied in the first period, the image data transmission unit 23 causes the image data to be transmitted only to the driving assistance control unit 11 out of the driving assistance control unit 11 and the automatic driving control unit 22.

[0035] When the vehicle enters the second period, the autonomous driving control unit 22 determines whether a second switching condition to driving assistance control is satisfied based on the image data from the imaging device 2. The autonomous driving control unit 22 repeatedly determines whether the second switching condition is satisfied during the second period. When the second switching condition is satisfied during the second period, the driving assistance control unit 11 executes driving assistance control when the vehicle exits the autonomous driving area Z2. When the second switching condition is satisfied during the second period, the autonomous driving control unit 22 terminates the autonomous driving control after the driving assistance control is executed by the driving assistance control unit 11. In other words, when the second switching condition is satisfied, the driving state of the vehicle switches from autonomous driving to manual driving.

[0036] If the second switching condition is satisfied during the second period, the image data transmission unit 23 stops transmitting image data to the autonomous driving control unit 22 when the vehicle exits the autonomous driving area Z2. In other words, if the second switching condition is satisfied during the second period, the image data transmission unit 23 transmits image data only to the driving assistance control unit 11 out of the driving assistance control unit 11 and the autonomous driving control unit 22.

[0037] The driving assistance control unit 11 does not execute driving assistance control if the second switching condition is not satisfied in the second period. The automatic driving control unit 22 continues to execute automatic driving control if the second switching condition is not satisfied in the second period. In other words, if the second switching condition is not satisfied, the driving state of the vehicle is maintained in automatic driving.

[0038] If the second switching condition is not satisfied in the second period, the image data transmission unit 23 stops transmitting image data to the driving assistance control unit 11. In other words, if the second switching condition is not satisfied in the second period, the image data transmission unit 23 transmits image data only to the automatic driving control unit 22 out of the driving assistance control unit 11 and the automatic driving control unit 22.

[0039] Next, the processing of the vehicle control device 1 will be described. Figures 3 and 4 are flowcharts showing the processing by the vehicle control device 1. Figure 3 is a flowchart when a vehicle enters the autonomous driving area Z2. Figure 4 is a flowchart when a vehicle exits the autonomous driving area Z2.

[0040] 3, in step S11, the vehicle control device 1 determines whether or not it is currently within a first period that starts when the vehicle enters the autonomous driving area Z2. If it is currently within the first period (step S11: YES), the vehicle control device 1 transmits image data to both ECU 20 (autonomous driving ECU) and ECU 10 (driving assistance ECU) in step S12. If it is not currently within the first period (step S11: NO), the vehicle control device 1 ends the current processing.

[0041] In step S13, the vehicle control device 1 determines whether a first switching condition to automatic driving control is satisfied in the first period. If the first switching condition is satisfied (step S13: YES), the vehicle control device 1 executes automatic driving control in step S14. In step S15, the vehicle control device 1 stops transmitting image data to the ECU 10. If the first switching condition is not satisfied (step S13: NO), the vehicle control device 1 continues to execute driving assistance control in step S16. In step S17, the vehicle control device 1 stops transmitting image data to the ECU 20.

[0042] 4, in step S21, the vehicle control device 1 determines whether the vehicle has entered a second period before escaping from the autonomous driving area Z2. If the vehicle has entered the second period (step S21: YES), the vehicle control device 1 transmits image data to both ECU 20 (autonomous driving ECU) and ECU 10 (driving assistance ECU) in step S22. If the vehicle has not entered the second period (step S21: NO), the vehicle control device 1 ends the current processing.

[0043] In step S23, the vehicle control device 1 determines whether a second switching condition to driving assistance control is satisfied in the second period. If the second switching condition is satisfied (step S23: YES), in step S24, the vehicle control device 1 executes driving assistance control when the vehicle exits the autonomous driving area Z2. In step S25, the vehicle control device 1 stops transmitting image data to the ECU 20 when the vehicle exits the autonomous driving area Z2. If the second switching condition is not satisfied (step S23: NO), the vehicle control device 1 continues to execute autonomous driving control in step S26. In step S27, the vehicle control device 1 stops transmitting image data to the ECU 10.

[0044] As described above, the image data transmission unit 23 transmits image data to both the ECU 20 and the ECU 10 when the vehicle enters the autonomous driving area Z2. The ECU 20 determines whether a first switching condition to autonomous driving control is satisfied based on the image data when the vehicle enters the autonomous driving area Z2, and executes autonomous driving control if the first switching condition is satisfied. Furthermore, the image data transmission unit 23 stops transmitting image data to the ECU 10 when the first switching condition is satisfied. This reduces the degradation of communication stability due to noise interference, for example, compared to when image data is continuously transmitted to both the ECU 20 and the ECU 10. Therefore, the vehicle control device 1 reduces the degradation of image data communication stability. Furthermore, compared to when image data is continuously transmitted to both the ECU 20 and the ECU 10, for example, power consumption is reduced, and a decrease in the processing speed (e.g., image recognition speed or display image generation speed) of the ECUs 10 and 20 is suppressed. Furthermore, the shared imaging device 2 reduces costs and the vehicle's weight and space.

[0045] If the first switching condition is not satisfied during a first period calculated from the time the vehicle enters the autonomous driving area Z2, the image data transmission unit 23 stops transmitting image data to the ECU 20. If the first switching condition is not satisfied during the first period, the ECU 20 does not execute autonomous driving control. This reduces the deterioration of communication stability due to noise interference compared to, for example, a case where image data is continuously transmitted to both the ECU 20 and the ECU 10.

[0046] When the vehicle is executing autonomous driving control and enters a second period before escaping from autonomous driving area Z2, image data transmission unit 23 transmits image data to ECU 10 in addition to ECU 20. When the vehicle enters the second period, ECU 20 determines whether a second switching condition to driving assistance control is satisfied based on the image data, and if the second switching condition is satisfied, ends the autonomous driving control after executing driving assistance control. When the second switching condition is satisfied, ECU 10 executes driving assistance control when the vehicle exits autonomous driving area Z2. When the second switching condition is satisfied, image data transmission unit 23 stops transmitting image data to ECU 20 when the vehicle exits autonomous driving area Z2. This suppresses a decrease in communication stability due to noise interference compared to, for example, a case in which image data is continuously transmitted to both ECU 20 and ECU 10.

[0047] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. The present disclosure can be implemented in various forms including the above-described embodiments and various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0048] The position determination unit 21 may determine whether the vehicle is located in a manual driving area or an autonomous driving area from the recognition result of the signboard or road marking based on the image data of the imaging device 2. Specifically, the position determination unit 21 recognizes the signboard or road marking by well-known image processing methods such as edge extraction, noise removal, pattern matching, deep learning, etc. In such a case, the vehicle control device 1 does not need to include the GNSS signal receiving unit 3 and the map database 4.

[0049] The imaging device 2 may have at least a camera that captures an image of the area ahead of the vehicle.

[0050] If the first switching condition is not satisfied in the first period, the image data transmission unit 23 may continue to transmit the image data to the ECU 20 even after the first period has elapsed.

[0051] The image data transmission unit 23 may not transmit image data of the imaging device 2 to the ECU 10 even when the vehicle enters the second period. The ECU 20 may not determine whether the second switching condition is satisfied even when the vehicle enters the second period. The ECU 20 may terminate the autonomous driving control when the vehicle exits the autonomous driving area Z2, regardless of whether the second switching condition is satisfied. The ECU 10 may execute driving assistance control when the vehicle exits the autonomous driving area Z2, regardless of whether the second switching condition is satisfied. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 1...vehicle control device, 2...imaging device, 11...driving assistance control unit, 22...automatic driving control unit, Z1...manual driving area, Z2...automatic driving area, 23...image data transmission unit.

Claims

1. A vehicle control device that controls a vehicle using image data from an imaging device that is mounted on the vehicle and captures an image of at least a front of the vehicle, a driving assistance ECU that executes driving assistance control using the image data; an autonomous driving ECU that is provided separately from the driving assistance ECU and that executes autonomous driving control using the image data; an image data transmission unit that, when an automatic start function of the automatic driving control is in an on state, causes the image data to be transmitted to the driving assistance ECU when the vehicle is located in a predetermined manual driving area, and causes the image data to be transmitted to the automatic driving ECU when the vehicle is located in a predetermined automatic driving area, the autonomous driving ECU determines whether a first switching condition to the autonomous driving control is satisfied based on the image data when the vehicle enters the autonomous driving area, and executes the autonomous driving control if the first switching condition is satisfied; The image data transmission unit transmits the image data to the driving assistance ECU in addition to the autonomous driving ECU when the vehicle enters the autonomous driving area, and stops transmitting the image data to the driving assistance ECU when the first switching condition is satisfied.

2. the image data transmission unit stops transmitting the image data to the autonomous driving ECU if the first switching condition is not satisfied during a first period calculated from the time the vehicle enters the autonomous driving area; The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein the automatic driving ECU does not execute the automatic driving control if the first switching condition is not satisfied in the first period.

3. the image data transmission unit transmits the image data to the driving assistance ECU in addition to the autonomous driving ECU when the autonomous driving control is being executed and the vehicle enters a second period before escaping from the autonomous driving area; When the vehicle enters the second period, the autonomous driving ECU determines whether a second switching condition to the driving assistance control is satisfied based on the image data, and when the second switching condition is satisfied, terminates the autonomous driving control after executing the driving assistance control; the driving assistance ECU executes the driving assistance control when the vehicle exits the automated driving area if the second switching condition is satisfied; 3. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the image data transmission unit stops transmitting the image data to the autonomous driving ECU when the vehicle exits the autonomous driving area if the second switching condition is satisfied.

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