Driving control device, driving control method, and driving control computer program

Abstract

To provide a travel control device capable of appropriately controlling travel of a vehicle in a section without a wall.SOLUTION: A travel control device comprises: a travel control section which automatically controls at least acceleration / deceleration and steering of a vehicle; a detection section which detects a deviation prevention object preventing a vehicle from deviating from a road at an edge of the road from surrounding data generated with a surrounding sensor mounted on the vehicle to represent a situation surrounding the vehicle; a determination section which determines a possibility that the vehicle reaches the edge of the road based on a lateral moving amount of the vehicle estimated until the vehicle stops from a current speed of the vehicle and a distance between the vehicle and the edge of the road when the deviation prevention object is not detected; and a notification section which notifies a driver of a drive turn-taking request for requesting drive turn-taking from automatic control to manual control of the acceleration / deceleration and steering of the vehicle based on driving operation of the driver of the vehicle when there is the possibility that the vehicle reaches the edge of the road, and does not notify the driver of the drive turn-taking request when there is no possibility that the vehicle reaches the edge of the road.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a driving control device for controlling the driving of a vehicle, a driving control method, and a driving control computer program. [Background technology]

[0002] There are known cruise control devices that automatically control the acceleration / deceleration or steering of a vehicle using information representing the vehicle's surrounding conditions output from sensors such as cameras mounted on the vehicle.The cruise control device automatically controls the vehicle's driving when the surrounding terrain, surrounding objects, driver status, etc. satisfy predetermined conditions.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a driving assistance device that assists in switching vehicle driving control from automatic driving control to manual driving control. When a manual switching condition for switching from automatic driving control to manual driving control is not met, the driving assistance device described in Patent Document 1 notifies the driver of the reason why the manual switching condition is not met. In the driving assistance device described in Patent Document 1, the manual switching condition includes the vehicle's driving state satisfying a predetermined vehicle driving condition. In the driving assistance device described in Patent Document 1, the vehicle driving conditions correspond to the vehicle being driven at a speed less than a predetermined vehicle speed, the vehicle being driven at a steering angle less than a predetermined steering angle, and no obstacles being present within a predetermined distance around the vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-133488 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In road sections where there are no deviation prevention devices such as walls or guardrails at the roadside (wall-less sections), a vehicle may deviate from the roadside due to steering. When a vehicle traveling under automatic control by a cruise control device reaches a section without a wall, it is preferable for the vehicle control device to request the driver to switch from automatic control to manual control through driver operation in order to reliably prevent deviation from the road. However, if a driver change is requested in all sections without walls, the time during which the vehicle can travel under automatic control by the cruise control device will decrease, thereby reducing the convenience provided to the driver by the cruise control device.

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a driving control device that can appropriately control vehicle driving in a wall-free section. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The driving control device disclosed herein includes a driving control unit that automatically controls at least one of the acceleration / deceleration and steering of the vehicle; a detection unit that detects, through automatic control, a departure prevention object at the edge of the road on which the vehicle is traveling that prevents the vehicle from departure from the road, from surrounding data that represents the situation around the vehicle and is generated by a surrounding sensor mounted on the vehicle; a judgment unit that, if a departure prevention object is not detected, determines whether or not the vehicle is likely to reach the edge of the road based on the amount of lateral movement of the vehicle expected from its current speed until it stops and the distance from the vehicle to the edge of the road; and a notification unit that, if there is a possibility that the vehicle will reach the edge of the road, notifies the driver of a driving change request that requests a change of driving from automatic control to manual control of the acceleration / deceleration and steering of the vehicle based on the driving operation of the driver of the vehicle, and does not notify the driver of the driving change request if there is no possibility that the vehicle will reach the edge of the road.

[0008] In the driving control device according to the present disclosure, it is preferable that the determination unit calculates, as the lateral movement amount, the maximum lateral movement amount of the vehicle that is expected when the vehicle is decelerated at a predetermined acceleration while steering at a steering angle amount that is equal to or less than a steering angle amount threshold from the current speed of the vehicle until it stops.

[0009] In the driving control device according to the present disclosure, it is preferable that the detection unit further detects lane markings that separate one or more lanes included in the road from the surrounding data, and further includes a stop control unit that controls the acceleration / deceleration and steering of the vehicle so that the vehicle stops on a shoulder included in the road when there is a possibility that the vehicle will reach the edge of the road and no lane markings are detected from the surrounding data.

[0010] In the driving control device according to the present disclosure, it is preferable that the stop control unit terminates the stop control when a lane marking is detected after starting the stop control.

[0011] The driving control method disclosed herein includes automatically controlling at least one of acceleration / deceleration and steering of the vehicle, detecting, by automatic control, from surrounding data representing the conditions around the vehicle generated by surrounding sensors mounted on the vehicle, a departure prevention object at the edge of the road on which the vehicle is traveling that prevents the vehicle from departure from the road, and if no departure prevention object is detected, determining whether or not there is a possibility that the vehicle will reach the edge of the road based on the amount of lateral movement of the vehicle expected from the current speed of the vehicle until it stops and the distance from the vehicle to the edge of the road, and if there is a possibility that the vehicle will reach the edge of the road, notifying the driver of a driving change request that requests a change of control from automatic control to manual control of acceleration / deceleration and steering of the vehicle based on driving operation by the driver of the vehicle, and if there is no possibility that the vehicle will reach the edge of the road, notifying the driver of the driving change request.

[0012] The computer program for driving control according to the present disclosure automatically controls at least one of the acceleration / deceleration and steering of the vehicle, and automatically detects, from surrounding data representing the conditions around the vehicle generated by surrounding sensors mounted on the vehicle, a departure prevention object at the edge of the road on which the vehicle is traveling that prevents the vehicle from departure from the road, and if no departure prevention object is detected, determines whether or not the vehicle is likely to reach the edge of the road based on the amount of lateral movement of the vehicle expected from its current speed until it stops and the distance from the vehicle to the edge of the road, and if there is a possibility that the vehicle will reach the edge of the road, notifies the driver of a driving change request requesting a change of control from automatic control to manual control of the acceleration / deceleration and steering of the vehicle based on the driving operation of the driver of the vehicle, and if there is no possibility that the vehicle will reach the edge of the road, causes a processor mounted on the vehicle to execute the following.

[0013] According to the travel control device of the present disclosure, it is possible to appropriately control the travel of a vehicle in a wall-free section. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle in which a driving control device is implemented; [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a hardware schematic diagram of an ECU. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a processor included in the ECU. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of driving control. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a first example of a peripheral image. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a second example of a peripheral image. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a third example of a peripheral image. [Figure 8] 4 is a flowchart of a driving control process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] A cruise control device capable of appropriately controlling vehicle travel in a wall-free section will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The cruise control device automatically controls at least one of the vehicle's acceleration / deceleration and steering. The cruise control device automatically detects a departure prevention object at the edge of the road on which the vehicle is traveling, preventing the vehicle from departing from the road, from a surrounding image representing the situation around the vehicle, generated by a surrounding image capturing unit mounted on the vehicle. If no departure prevention object is detected, the cruise control device determines whether the vehicle is likely to reach the edge of the road based on the estimated lateral movement of the vehicle from its current speed until it stops and the distance from the vehicle to the edge of the road. If the vehicle is likely to reach the edge of the road, the cruise control device notifies the driver of a driving change request, which requests a change of driving control from automatic control to manual control of the vehicle's acceleration / deceleration and steering based on the driver's driving operation. If the vehicle is not likely to reach the edge of the road, the cruise control device does not notify the driver of the driving change request.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle in which a driving control device is implemented.

[0017] The vehicle 1 includes a peripheral camera 2, a meter display 3, a GNSS receiver 4, a storage device 5, and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 6. The ECU 6 is an example of a driving control device. The peripheral camera 2, the meter display 3, the GNSS receiver 4, and the storage device 5 are communicably connected to the ECU 6 via an in-vehicle network that complies with a standard such as a controller area network.

[0018] The periphery camera 2 is an example of a periphery sensor for generating periphery data according to the surrounding conditions of the vehicle 1. The periphery camera 2 has a two-dimensional detector configured with an array of photoelectric conversion elements, such as a CCD or C-MOS, that are sensitive to visible light, and an imaging optical system that forms an image of the area to be photographed on the two-dimensional detector. The periphery camera 2 has a front periphery camera 2-1 and a rear periphery camera 2-2. The front periphery camera 2-1 is disposed, for example, at the front upper part of the vehicle interior, facing forward, and the rear periphery camera 2-2 is disposed, for example, at the rear upper part of the vehicle interior, facing backward. The periphery camera 2 photographs the surrounding conditions of the vehicle 1 through the windshield or rear windshield at a predetermined photographing period (for example, 1 / 30 to 1 / 10 seconds), and outputs a periphery image representing the surrounding conditions as periphery data.

[0019] The meter display 3 is an example of an output device, and includes, for example, a liquid crystal display. The meter display 3 displays a message indicating a request for switching driving from automatic control to manual control in a manner that is visible to the driver using light in accordance with a signal received from the ECU 6 via the in-vehicle network. The vehicle 1 may also include, as an output device, a speaker (not shown) that can output an audible message to the driver by emitting a voice, or a seat vibrator (not shown) that can output a tactile message to the driver by vibrating the seat.

[0020] The GNSS receiver 4 receives GNSS signals from GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) satellites at predetermined intervals, and determines the own position of the vehicle 1 based on the received GNSS signals. The GNSS receiver 4 outputs, at predetermined intervals, a positioning signal representing the positioning result of the own position of the vehicle 1 based on the GNSS signals to the ECU 6 via the in-vehicle network.

[0021] The storage device 5 is an example of a storage unit, and includes, for example, a hard disk drive or a non-volatile semiconductor memory. The storage device 5 stores map data including information about features such as lane markings in association with positions.

[0022] The ECU 6 automatically controls the driving of the vehicle 1 based on the positions and speeds of other vehicles driving around the vehicle 1, which are shown in the peripheral image generated by the peripheral camera 2. The ECU 6 detects deviation prevention objects from the peripheral image, and if no deviation prevention object is detected, notifies the driver of a driving change request depending on the possibility that the vehicle 1 will reach the edge of the road.

[0023] 2 is a hardware schematic diagram of the ECU 6. The ECU 6 includes a communication interface 61, a memory 62, and a processor 63.

[0024] The communication interface 61 is an example of a communication unit, and includes a communication interface circuit for connecting the ECU 6 to an in-vehicle network. The communication interface 61 supplies received data to the processor 63. The communication interface 61 also outputs data supplied from the processor 63 to the outside.

[0025] The memory 62 is another example of a storage unit and includes a volatile semiconductor memory and a non-volatile semiconductor memory. The memory 62 stores various data used in processing by the processor 63, such as parameters of a neural network used as a classifier to identify departure prevention objects, lane markings, and other vehicles from a surrounding image, and a driving change request message sent to the driver to request a change of driving. The memory 62 also stores various application programs, such as a driving control program that executes driving control processing.

[0026] The processor 63 is an example of a control unit and includes one or more processors and their peripheral circuits. The processor 63 may further include other arithmetic circuits such as a logic unit, a numerical calculation unit, or a graphics processing unit.

[0027] FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the processor 63 included in the ECU 6. As shown in FIG.

[0028] The processor 63 of the ECU 6 has, as functional blocks, a driving control unit 631, a detection unit 632, a determination unit 633, a notification unit 634, and a stop control unit 635. Each of these units in the processor 63 is a functional module implemented by a computer program stored in the memory 62 and executed on the processor 63. A computer program that realizes the functions of each unit in the processor 63 may be provided in a form recorded on a computer-readable portable recording medium such as a semiconductor memory, a magnetic recording medium, or an optical recording medium. Alternatively, each of these units in the processor 63 may be implemented in the ECU 6 as an independent integrated circuit, a microprocessor, or firmware.

[0029] The driving control unit 631 automatically controls at least one of the acceleration / deceleration and steering of the vehicle using map information.

[0030] The driving control unit 631 acquires map information from the storage device 5, which represents topography such as lanes around the current position of the vehicle 1, which is determined by the positioning signal received from the GNSS receiver 4. The driving control unit 631 also detects moving objects around the vehicle 1 by inputting surrounding images generated by the surrounding camera 2 mounted on the vehicle 1 to a classifier that has been trained in advance to detect moving objects such as surrounding vehicles from images. The classifier may be, for example, a convolutional neural network (CNN) having multiple convolution layers connected in series from the input side to the output side. Images including moving objects such as vehicles are used as training data, and the CNN is trained in advance according to a predetermined learning method such as backpropagation, so that the CNN operates as a classifier that detects moving objects from surrounding images.

[0031] The driving control unit 631 creates a driving route along the lanes shown on the terrain around the vehicle 1, so that the distance between the vehicle 1 and moving objects around the vehicle 1 is at least a certain distance. Then, the driving control unit 631 outputs a control signal to a driving mechanism (not shown) of the vehicle 1 so that the vehicle 1 drives along the driving route. The driving mechanism includes, for example, an engine or motor that accelerates the vehicle 1, a brake that decelerates the vehicle 1, and a steering mechanism that steers the vehicle 1.

[0032] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of driving control.

[0033] 4 shows vehicles 11, 12, and 13, each having a similar configuration to vehicle 1, traveling on road R1 under automatic control. Vehicles 11, 12, and 13 may be different vehicles, or may be the same vehicle at different times.

[0034] Roads R1 and R2 are parallel roads with different travel directions that are located between surrounding environments SE11 and SE12 and surrounding environments SE21 and SE22, with a central reservation strip M between them. Figure 4 shows the situation in an area where traffic regulations stipulate keeping to the left, but by flipping Figure 4 left and right, the situation in an area where traffic regulations stipulate keeping to the right can be shown.

[0035] Road R1 has a shoulder RS1 and lanes L11 and L12. Shoulder RS1 and lane L11 are separated by lane marking LL1. Lanes L11 and L12 are separated by lane marking LL2. Road R1 and central reservation M are separated by lane marking LL3.

[0036] Surrounding environment SE11 is the environment around road R1, and is an environment where there is a relatively high possibility of a serious accident occurring if a vehicle enters due to the presence of steep slopes, buildings, etc. At the end of road shoulder RS1 facing surrounding environment SE11, a departure prevention device DP1 (guardrail) is placed to prevent vehicles from entering surrounding environment SE11.

[0037] Surrounding environment SE12 is the environment around road R1, and is an environment where the possibility of a serious accident occurring if a vehicle enters is relatively low because it is flat and has no buildings. No deviation prevention devices are installed at the end of road shoulder RS1 facing surrounding environment SE12.

[0038] The central reservation strip M is an area of ​​a predetermined width that is placed to separate roads R1 and R2. If a vehicle traveling on road R1 enters the central reservation strip M that faces road R2, which is on the opposite side of road R1, there is a relatively high possibility of a serious accident occurring. For this reason, a departure prevention device DP2 (guardrail) is placed at the end of the central reservation strip M that faces road R1.

[0039] Road R2 is the same as road R1 except for the direction of travel, so explanations of the lanes L21, L22, shoulder RS2, lane markings LL4, LL5, LL6, surrounding environment SE21, SE22, and departure prevention devices DP3, DP4 on road R2 will be omitted.

[0040] The detection unit 632 detects departure prevention objects at the edge of the road on which the vehicle 1 is traveling by automatic control from a surrounding image showing the situation around the vehicle 1, which is generated by the surrounding camera 2 mounted on the vehicle 1.

[0041] The following describes the driving control process in each functional block of the processor 63 of the ECU 6 provided in each of the vehicles 11, 12, and 13 shown in Fig. 4. The processor 63 of the ECU 6 detects a departure prevention object placed at the edge of the road from the peripheral image generated by the peripheral camera 2. If no departure prevention object is detected, the processor 63 of the ECU 6 determines whether or not there is a possibility that the vehicle 1 will reach the edge of the road. If there is a possibility that the vehicle 1 will reach the edge of the road, the processor 63 of the ECU 6 notifies the driver of the vehicle 1 of a request to take over driving.

[0042] The detection unit 632 detects deviation prevention objects located at the edge of the road by inputting peripheral images generated by the peripheral camera 2 mounted on the vehicle 1 into a classifier that has been trained in advance to detect road edges and deviation prevention objects from images. The classifier can be, for example, a CNN trained to detect deviation prevention objects from input images. Furthermore, the detection of moving objects by the driving control unit 631 and the detection of deviation prevention objects by the detection unit 632 may be performed simultaneously using a CNN trained to detect moving objects and deviation prevention objects from input images as a classifier.

[0043] In addition, the classifier used by the detection unit 632 to detect road edges and departure prevention objects from the peripheral image may further detect lane markings that separate one or more lanes included in the road from the peripheral image.

[0044] The determination unit 633 determines whether or not a departure prevention object is detected from the peripheral image. If a serious malfunction occurs in the automatic control by the driving control unit 631, or if the driver does not comply with a request to switch from automatic control to manual control based on the driver's operation, the ECU 6 performs stop control (described later) to stop the vehicle 1 on the shoulder of the road. Therefore, if a departure prevention object is not detected from the peripheral image, the determination unit 633 determines whether or not stop control can be appropriately executed. That is, the determination unit 633 calculates the estimated lateral movement amount of the vehicle from the current speed of the vehicle until it stops when stop control is performed. Then, the determination unit 633 determines whether or not there is a possibility that the vehicle will reach the edge of the road based on the estimated lateral movement amount of the vehicle and the distance from the vehicle to the edge of the road.

[0045] The determination unit 633 reads out from the memory 62 the amount of lateral movement associated with the category that includes the current speed of the vehicle, from the amount of lateral movement stored in the memory 62 in association with the vehicle speed category. The faster the vehicle speed, the larger the amount of lateral movement stored in the memory 62 in association with the vehicle speed.

[0046] Furthermore, the determination unit 633 identifies the position within the road of the lane on which the vehicle 1 is currently traveling from the peripheral image. The determination unit identifies the number of lanes included in the road surrounding the current location from map information of the area surrounding the current location acquired from the storage device 5. The determination unit 633 detects the number of lane markings to the left of the vehicle 1 in the peripheral image. The lane markings to the left of the vehicle 1 are lane markings approaching the vanishing point from the lower left of the vanishing point. The vanishing point can be found as the intersection of straight lines formed using edges detected from the peripheral image. The determination unit 633 can identify that the vehicle 1 is traveling in the lane that is (the number of lane markings on the left) from the left of the identified number of lanes.

[0047] Then, the determination unit 633 calculates the distance from the vehicle to the edge of the road by adding half the width of the current lane indicated by the map information around the current location obtained from the storage device 5, the width of the lane between the current lane and the shoulder, and the width of the shoulder.

[0048] If the amount of lateral movement is greater than the distance from the vehicle to the edge of the road, the determining unit 633 determines that there is a possibility that the vehicle will reach the edge of the road.

[0049] The determination unit 633 may calculate, as the amount of lateral movement, the maximum amount of lateral movement of the vehicle that is expected when the vehicle is decelerated at a predetermined acceleration (e.g., 0.35 G) stored in the memory 62 while steering at a steering angle equal to or less than the steering angle threshold stored in the memory 62. The steering angle threshold represents the maximum amount of steering angle when operating the steering device (steering wheel) of the vehicle. By setting the steering angle threshold to, for example, ±90 degrees, it is possible to prevent the driver's arms from being caught in the operation of the steering device even when the driver is holding the steering device. Furthermore, the steering angle threshold may be stored in the memory 62 in association with a vehicle speed category. The faster the vehicle speed, the smaller the steering angle threshold stored in the memory 62.

[0050] Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a first example of a peripheral image. The peripheral image P11 shown in Fig. 5 is generated by a front peripheral camera 2-1 mounted on a vehicle 11 traveling on lane L11 of road R1. The vehicle 11 is traveling in a position on lane L11 where a departure prevention device DP1 is placed at the edge of road shoulder RS1.

[0051] The surrounding image P11 shows a road shoulder RS1 defined by lane markings LL1, LL2, and LL3, a road R1 having lanes L11 and L12, and the surrounding environment SE11. Note that the central reservation M including departure prevention object DP2 and the road R2 are omitted from the surrounding image P11 for simplicity of explanation. The same applies to the second and third examples of surrounding images described below.

[0052] The detection unit 632 detects a departure prevention object DP1 at the edge of the road shoulder RS1 from the peripheral image. In this case, the determination unit 633 does not determine whether there is a possibility that the vehicle will reach the edge of the road.

[0053] Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a second example of a peripheral image. The peripheral image P12 shown in Fig. 6 is generated by a front peripheral camera 2-1 mounted on a vehicle 12 traveling on lane L11 of road R1. The vehicle 12 is traveling in a position on road R1 where no departure prevention object DP1 is placed at the end of road shoulder RS1 (a wall-less section).

[0054] The surrounding image P12 shows a road shoulder RS1 defined by lane markings LL1, LL2, and LL3, a road R1 having lanes L11 and L12, and the surrounding environment SE12.

[0055] The detection unit 632 does not detect any departure prevention object at the edge of the road shoulder RS1 from the peripheral image. In this case, the determination unit 633 determines whether or not there is a possibility that the vehicle will reach the edge of the road.

[0056] In the second example of the surrounding image, the current speed V of the vehicle 12 11The estimated lateral movement amount TM12 of the vehicle 12 from the moment the vehicle 12 starts moving to the moment the vehicle 12 stops is greater than the distance D12 from the vehicle 12 to the edge of the road R1. Therefore, the determination unit 633 determines that there is a possibility that the vehicle 12 will reach the edge of the road R1.

[0057] Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a third example of a peripheral image. The peripheral image P13 shown in Fig. 7 is generated by a front peripheral camera 2-1 mounted on a vehicle 13 traveling on lane L12 of road R1. The vehicle 13 is traveling in a position on road R1 where no departure prevention object DP1 is placed at the end of road shoulder RS1 (a wall-less section).

[0058] The surrounding image P13 shows a road shoulder RS1 defined by lane markings LL1, LL2, and LL3, a road R1 having lanes L11 and L12, and the surrounding environment SE12.

[0059] The detection unit 632 does not detect any departure prevention object at the edge of the road shoulder RS1. In this case, the determination unit 633 determines whether or not there is a possibility that the vehicle will reach the edge of the road.

[0060] In the third example of the surrounding image, the current speed V of the vehicle 13 12 The estimated lateral movement amount TM13 of the vehicle 13 from the moment the vehicle 13 starts moving to the moment the vehicle 13 stops is smaller than the distance D13 from the vehicle 13 to the edge of the road R1. Therefore, the determination unit 633 determines that there is no possibility that the vehicle 13 will reach the edge of the road R1.

[0061] If it is determined that there is a possibility that vehicle 1 will reach the edge of the road, the notification unit 634 will not be able to properly execute stop control, and therefore notifies the driver of a driving change request, which requests a change of driving from automatic control to manual control of acceleration / deceleration and steering of vehicle 1 based on the driving operation of the driver of vehicle 1. Furthermore, if it is determined that there is no possibility that vehicle 1 will reach the edge of the road, the notification unit 634 will not notify the driver of the driving change request, as it can properly execute stop control. That is, in the situation of vehicle 12 in FIG. 4, the driver is notified of a driving change request, but in the situation of vehicle 13, the driver is not notified of a driving change request.

[0062] The notification unit 634 notifies the driver of the vehicle 1 of the driver change request, for example, by displaying a driver change request image stored in the memory 62 on the meter display 3. The driver change request image includes text such as "Automatic control of driving will end. Please change driving." The driver change request image may be an image requesting the driver of the vehicle 1 to perform an action required of the driver to change driving (for example, holding the steering wheel). The notification unit 634 may also notify the driver of the driver change request by playing a driver change request audio stored in the memory 62 through a speaker. The notification unit 634 may also notify the driver of the driver change request by vibrating a seat vibrator with a driver change request vibration pattern stored in the memory 62.

[0063] When there is a possibility that the vehicle 1 will reach the edge of the road and no lane markings are detected from the surrounding image, the stop control unit 635 controls the acceleration / deceleration and steering of the vehicle to stop it on the shoulder of the road.

[0064] The stop control unit 635 acquires from the determination unit 633 whether or not there is a possibility that the vehicle 1 will reach the edge of the road. The stop control unit 635 also acquires from the detection unit 632 whether or not lane markings are detected from the peripheral image. If there is a possibility that the vehicle 1 will reach the edge of the road and no lane markings are detected from the peripheral image, the stop control unit 635 performs stop control by outputting a control signal to the driving mechanism of the vehicle 1 to stop the vehicle on the shoulder of the road, thereby minimizing the risk of an accident occurring.

[0065] If a lane marking is detected again from the peripheral image after the start of the stop control, the stop control unit 635 may end the stop control. In this case, the traveling of the vehicle 1 is automatically controlled by the traveling control unit 631.

[0066] The stop control unit 635 may start or end the stop control on the condition of whether or not a lane marking that divides the lane on which the vehicle 1 is traveling is detected from among the lane markings.

[0067] 6 is a flowchart of the driving control process. The ECU 6 repeatedly executes the driving control process at predetermined time intervals (for example, every 1 / 10 seconds) while the driving control unit 631 automatically controls the driving of the vehicle 1.

[0068] First, the detection unit 632 of the processor 63 of the ECU 6 detects, from the surrounding image, a departure prevention object placed at the edge of the road on which the vehicle 1 is traveling (step S1).

[0069] Next, the determination unit 633 determines whether or not a departure prevention object is detected at the edge of the road on which the vehicle 1 is traveling (step S2).

[0070] If a departure prevention object is detected (step S2: Y), the ECU 6 ends the driving control process. At this time, the automatic control of the driving of the vehicle 1 by the driving control unit 631 of the ECU 6 continues.

[0071] If no departure prevention object is detected (step S2: N), the determination unit 633 determines whether or not there is a possibility that the vehicle 1 will reach the edge of the road (step S3).

[0072] If it is determined that there is no possibility that the vehicle 1 will reach the edge of the road (step S3: N), the ECU 6 ends the driving control process. At this time, the automatic control of the driving of the vehicle 1 by the driving control unit 631 of the ECU 6 continues.

[0073] If it is determined that there is a possibility that the vehicle 1 will reach the edge of the road (step S3: Y), the notification unit 634 notifies the driver of the vehicle 1 of a driver change request (step S4) and ends the driving control process. At this time, the automatic control of the driving of the vehicle 1 by the driving control unit 631 of the ECU 6 continues, but if the driver responds to the driver change request, the ECU 6 ends the automatic control and starts manual control. Furthermore, if the driver does not respond to the driver change request within a predetermined time, the stop control unit 635 of the ECU 6 performs stop control.

[0074] By executing the driving control process in this manner, the ECU 6 can avoid a reduction in the driving time under automatic control due to uniformly switching drivers in sections without walls, and can appropriately control the driving of the vehicle 1.

[0075] The vehicle 1 may have a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensor or a RADAR (Radio Detection and Ranging) sensor as a surrounding sensor. The LIDAR sensor or RADAR sensor outputs, as surrounding data, a distance image in which each pixel has a value corresponding to the distance to the object represented by that pixel, based on the surrounding conditions of the vehicle 1.

[0076] It should be understood that those skilled in the art can make various changes, substitutions and alterations thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0077] 1 vehicle 6 ECU 631 Driving control unit 632 Detector 633 Judgment section 634 Notification Department 635 Stop control section

Claims

1. a travel control unit that automatically controls at least one of acceleration / deceleration and steering of the vehicle; a detection unit that detects a deviation prevention object at an edge of a road on which the vehicle is traveling by the automatic control, the deviation prevention object preventing the vehicle from deviating from the road, from surrounding data that represents the situation around the vehicle and that is generated by a surrounding sensor mounted on the vehicle; a determination unit that, when the departure prevention object is not detected, determines whether or not there is a possibility that the vehicle will reach the edge of the road based on an estimated lateral movement amount of the vehicle from its current speed until it stops and a distance from the vehicle to the edge of the road; a notification unit that, when there is a possibility that the vehicle will reach the edge of the road, notifies the driver of a driving change request to request a change of driving from the automatic control to manual control of acceleration / deceleration and steering of the vehicle based on a driving operation of the driver of the vehicle, and does not notify the driver of the driving change request when there is no possibility that the vehicle will reach the edge of the road; A driving control device comprising:

2. 2. The driving control device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit calculates, as the lateral movement amount, a maximum lateral movement amount of the vehicle that is expected when the vehicle is decelerated at a predetermined acceleration while steering at a steering angle amount that is equal to or less than a steering angle amount threshold from a current speed of the vehicle until the vehicle stops.

3. The detection unit further detects lane markings that separate one or more lanes included in the road from the surrounding data, 3. The driving control device according to claim 1, further comprising a stop control unit that performs stop control of acceleration / deceleration and steering of the vehicle so that the vehicle stops on a shoulder included in the road when there is a possibility that the vehicle will reach the edge of the road and the lane marking is not detected from the surrounding data.

4. The driving control device according to claim 3 , wherein the stop control unit terminates the stop control when the lane marking is detected after starting the stop control.

5. Automatically controlling at least one of vehicle acceleration / deceleration and steering, detecting a deviation prevention object at an edge of a road on which the vehicle is traveling by the automatic control from surrounding data representing the situation around the vehicle, the deviation prevention object preventing the vehicle from deviating from the road; If the departure prevention object is not detected, determine whether or not there is a possibility that the vehicle will reach the edge of the road based on an estimated lateral movement amount of the vehicle from its current speed until it stops and a distance from the vehicle to the edge of the road; When there is a possibility that the vehicle will reach the edge of the road, notify the driver of a driving change request to request a change of driving from the automatic control to manual control of acceleration / deceleration and steering of the vehicle based on the driving operation of the driver of the vehicle, and when there is no possibility that the vehicle will reach the edge of the road, notify the driver of the driving change request. A driving control method comprising:

6. Automatically controlling at least one of vehicle acceleration / deceleration and steering, detecting a deviation prevention object at an edge of a road on which the vehicle is traveling by the automatic control from surrounding data representing the situation around the vehicle, the deviation prevention object preventing the vehicle from deviating from the road; If the departure prevention object is not detected, determine whether or not there is a possibility that the vehicle will reach the edge of the road based on an estimated lateral movement amount of the vehicle from its current speed until it stops and a distance from the vehicle to the edge of the road; When there is a possibility that the vehicle will reach the edge of the road, notify the driver of a driving change request to request a change of driving from the automatic control to manual control of acceleration / deceleration and steering of the vehicle based on the driving operation of the driver of the vehicle, and when there is no possibility that the vehicle will reach the edge of the road, notify the driver of the driving change request. A computer program for driving control that causes a processor mounted on the vehicle to execute the above.

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