Automatic driving control device

Abstract

To enable a mobile body to appropriately travel even after automatic operation control is switched.SOLUTION: An automatic operation control device 1 comprises: an operation control section 15 which can execute first automatic operation and second automatic operation for higher travel performance than the first automatic control; a parameter changing section 16 which changes at least a portion of a control parameter for automatic control to a control parameter to execute the second automatic operation while the first automatic operation is in execution; and a performance determination section 17 which determines whether or not travel performance of an automatic operation vehicle V meets the travel performance required for the second automatic operation after the control parameter is changed. The operation control section 15 switches to the second automatic operation when the travel performance is determined to meet the travel performance required for the second automatic operation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an automatic driving control device that controls automatic driving of a moving body. [Background technology]

[0002] There is an automatic driving control device that can switch between two automatic driving modes (automatic driving modes) with different driving performances as a control for automatic driving of a moving body. As an example of such an automatic driving control device, for example, Patent Document 1 describes switching between automatic driving that requires monitoring by a driver and automatic driving that does not require monitoring by a driver. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-67962 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Here, the automatic driving control device may switch the automatic driving control of the moving object from the first automatic driving mode to the second automatic driving mode, which has higher driving performance than the first automatic driving mode. In this case, after the automatic driving mode is switched, it is possible that the moving object may not be able to satisfy the driving performance required for the second automatic driving mode due to various factors such as a sensor abnormality, and the moving object may not be able to drive appropriately.

[0005] For this reason, the present disclosure describes an automatic driving control device that can properly drive a moving body even when automatic driving control is switched. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure is an autonomous driving control device that controls the autonomous driving of a moving body, and includes: a driving control unit that is capable of executing a first autonomous driving and a second autonomous driving that has higher driving performance than the first autonomous driving as autonomous driving control; a parameter change unit that, while the driving control unit is executing the first autonomous driving, changes at least some of the control parameters for executing the autonomous driving to control parameters for executing high-level autonomous driving that has higher driving performance than the first autonomous driving; and a performance determination unit that, after the control parameters are changed, determines whether the driving performance of the moving body corresponding to the changed control parameters satisfies the driving performance required for high-level autonomous driving, and the driving control unit switches control of the autonomous driving from the first autonomous driving to the second autonomous driving when the performance determination unit determines, while executing the first autonomous driving, that the driving performance of the moving body satisfies the driving performance required for high-level autonomous driving.

[0007] In the above-described automatic driving control device, the parameter change unit may change, as the control parameters to be changed, parameters for causing the moving body to follow a target route and a target speed of the moving body.

[0008] In the above-mentioned automatic driving control device, the performance judgment unit may judge the driving performance using at least one of the following: the deviation of the actual speed of the moving body from the target speed; the deviation of the actual acceleration of the moving body from the target acceleration; the deviation of the actual lateral position or yaw angle of the moving body from the target path of the moving body; the stability of the path following control when controlling the path of the moving body to match the target path of the moving body; and the stability of the speed following control when controlling the speed of the moving body to match the target speed of the moving body. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, even when the control of the autonomous driving is switched, the moving body can be made to travel appropriately after the switch. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of an automatic driving control device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of a switching process in which the automatic driving control device switches the control of automatic driving from the first automatic driving to the second automatic driving. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing changes in each part (value) when switching the control of the automatic driving. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of an automatic driving control device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of a switching process in which the automatic driving control device switches the control of automatic driving from the first automatic driving to the second automatic driving. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same or corresponding elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0012] (First embodiment) First, a first embodiment of an automatic driving control device will be described. As shown in Fig. 1, an automatic driving control device 1 according to this embodiment controls automatic driving of an automatically driving vehicle (mobile body) V. As the control of automatic driving, the automatic driving control device 1 can execute a first automatic driving mode and a second automatic driving mode that has higher driving performance than the first automatic driving mode. High driving performance can be defined as high tracking performance with respect to a target control value.

[0013] As an example, the first automated driving may be a mode of driving that requires monitoring by the driver. As an example, the first automated driving may require driving operation by the driver as necessary. In other words, the first automated driving may be a mode in which the driver can intervene in the driving operation of the automated driving vehicle V using the accelerator / brake pedals and the steering wheel.

[0014] As an example, the second automatic driving may be a form of driving that does not require monitoring by the driver. As an example, in the second automatic driving, driving operations by the automatic driving control device 1 take priority, and even if the driver performs driving operations, they may not be reflected in the movement of the automatically driven vehicle V. In other words, the second automatic driving may be a form in which intervention by the driver and passengers in driving operations of the automatically driven vehicle V is not expected. Because the second automatic driving has higher driving performance than the first automatic driving, it can be said, for example, that intervention by the driver and passengers in driving operations is not required (or may be minimal).

[0015] The following description focuses on the control of the automatic driving control device 1 for switching the automatic driving control of the automatic driving vehicle V from the first automatic driving to the second automatic driving. The automatic driving control device 1 includes an internal sensor 2, an external sensor 3, a map storage unit 4, and an automatic driving ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 5.

[0016] The internal sensor 2 is an on-board sensor that detects the driving state of the autonomously driven vehicle V. The internal sensor 2 may include, for example, a vehicle speed sensor that detects the speed of the autonomously driven vehicle V, an acceleration sensor that detects the acceleration of the autonomously driven vehicle V, and a yaw rate sensor that detects the yaw rate of the autonomously driven vehicle V. The external sensor 3 is an on-board sensor that detects the external environment of the autonomously driven vehicle V. The external sensor 3 may include, for example, at least one of a camera, a millimeter-wave radar, and a LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). The map memory unit 4 is a database that stores map information. The map information includes road position information, road shape information, and position information of fixed obstacles such as utility poles. The map memory unit 4 may be provided in a computer in a facility such as an information processing center that can communicate with the autonomously driven vehicle V.

[0017] The autonomous driving ECU 5 is an electronic control unit having a central processing unit (CPU), read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), etc. The autonomous driving ECU 5, for example, loads programs recorded in the ROM into the RAM and executes the programs loaded into the RAM with the CPU, thereby realizing various functions. The autonomous driving ECU 5 may be composed of multiple electronic units. Functionally, the autonomous driving ECU 5 includes a vehicle state recognition unit 11, a vehicle position recognition unit 12, a driving area determination unit 13, an operation plan generation unit 14, a driving control unit 15, a parameter change unit 16, and a performance determination unit 17.

[0018] Vehicle state recognition unit 11 recognizes the traveling state of autonomously driven vehicle V, such as the speed and direction of autonomously driven vehicle V, based on the detection results of internal sensor 2. Vehicle position recognition unit 12 recognizes the position of autonomously driven vehicle V on a map. For example, vehicle position recognition unit 12 can recognize the position of autonomously driven vehicle V on a map based on position information received by the GPS receiver and map information stored in map storage unit 4. Vehicle position recognition unit 12 may also recognize the position of autonomously driven vehicle V using existing SLAM technology, using position information of fixed obstacles such as utility poles included in the map information in map storage unit 4 and the detection results of external sensor 3.

[0019] The driving area determination unit 13 determines whether the autonomous vehicle V has entered a second driving area in which it can drive under the second autonomous driving mode, from a first driving area in which it can drive under the first autonomous driving mode. The first and second driving areas are determined in advance. In the second driving area, driving under the second autonomous driving mode is permitted in addition to the first autonomous driving mode. For example, information about the first and second driving areas may be included in the map information stored in the map storage unit 4. In this case, the driving area determination unit 13 can determine whether the autonomous vehicle V has entered the second driving area from the first driving area, based on the position information of the autonomous vehicle V recognized by the vehicle position recognition unit 12 and the map information stored in the map storage unit 4. The driver (occupant) may also instruct the autonomous driving control device 1 as to whether it has entered the second driving area. In this case, the driving area determination unit 13 may determine whether the autonomous vehicle V has entered the second driving area from the first driving area, based on an input instruction from the driver (occupant) of the autonomous vehicle V.

[0020] The operation plan generation unit 14 generates an operation plan for the autonomously driven vehicle V based on the position of the autonomously driven vehicle V recognized by the vehicle position recognition unit 12 and the external environment of the autonomously driven vehicle V detected by the external sensor 3. This operation plan is a plan for automatically driving the autonomously driven vehicle V from the current position of the autonomously driven vehicle V to a predetermined destination. The operation plan includes a target trajectory for the autonomously driven vehicle V according to the position of the autonomously driven vehicle V on the target route. This target trajectory includes a target route for the autonomously driven vehicle V and a target speed at each position on the target route.

[0021] Note that driving under the second automatic driving mode is also permitted in the second operation area. Therefore, as an example, the operation plan generation unit 14 may generate an operation plan for performing the first automatic driving mode and an operation plan for performing the second automatic driving mode when the automatically driven vehicle V enters the second operation area and while the automatically driven vehicle V is traveling therein.

[0022] The driving control unit 15 controls the autonomous driving of the autonomously driven vehicle V so as to follow the operation plan based on the operation plan generated by the operation plan generation unit 14. Here, the driving control unit 15 causes the autonomously driven vehicle V to travel automatically by sending control signals to various actuators for performing driving operations on the autonomously driven vehicle V.

[0023] The driving control unit 15 can switch between the first automatic driving and the second automatic driving, and perform either the first automatic driving or the second automatic driving. When performing the second automatic driving, the driving control unit 15 controls the automatic driving of the automatically driven vehicle V so that the driving performance is higher than when performing the first automatic driving. The driving control unit 15 performs the first automatic driving in the first operating area. When the automatically driven vehicle V enters the second operating area from the first operating area, the driving control unit 15 performs the second automatic driving based on the determination result of the performance determination unit 17. Details of switching to the second automatic driving based on the determination result of the performance determination unit 17 will be described later.

[0024] The parameter change unit 16 changes at least some of the control parameters for the driving control unit 15 to execute the automatic driving while the driving control unit 15 is executing the first automatic driving. Note that the parameter change unit 16 may change only some of the control parameters for the driving control unit 15 to execute the automatic driving, rather than all of them.

[0025] Here, the parameter change unit 16 changes the control parameters to those for performing high-level autonomous driving, which has better driving performance than the first autonomous driving. In this embodiment, the high-level autonomous driving is the second autonomous driving. That is, in this embodiment, the parameter change unit 16 changes at least some of the control parameters used by the driving control unit 15 to perform autonomous driving to control parameters for performing the second autonomous driving while the first autonomous driving is being performed.

[0026] The parameter change unit 16 changes the control parameters to be changed, which are parameters for causing the autonomously driven vehicle V to follow a target route and a target speed of the autonomously driven vehicle V. Various parameters used for controlling the autonomously driven vehicle V to follow a target route and a target speed may be used as these control parameters. As an example, the control parameter to be changed may be a feedback gain for a deviation of the actual speed of the autonomously driven vehicle V from a target speed. As an example, the control parameter to be changed may be a feedback gain for a deviation of the actual acceleration of the autonomously driven vehicle V from a target acceleration. As an example, the control parameter to be changed may be a feedback gain for a deviation of the actual lateral position or yaw angle of the autonomously driven vehicle V from the target route.

[0027] As another example, the control parameter to be changed may be a weighting coefficient for the deviation of the actual speed of the autonomously driven vehicle V from a target speed, which is used when the driving control unit 15 controls the speed of the autonomously driven vehicle V to a target speed through optimization calculations. As another example, the control parameter to be changed may be a weighting coefficient for the deviation of the actual acceleration of the autonomously driven vehicle V from a target acceleration, which is used when the driving control unit 15 controls the acceleration of the autonomously driven vehicle V to a target acceleration through optimization calculations. As another example, the control parameter to be changed may be a weighting coefficient for the deviation of the actual lateral position or yaw angle of the autonomously driven vehicle V from a target route, which is used when the driving control unit 15 controls the lateral position or yaw angle of the autonomously driven vehicle V to align with the target route through optimization calculations.

[0028] As an example, the control parameter to be changed may be a control range allowed for a target trajectory of the autonomously driven vehicle V. In other words, the control range here includes an allowable range for deviation of the position of the autonomously driven vehicle V from a target route included in the target trajectory, and an allowable range for deviation of the speed of the autonomously driven vehicle V from a target speed included in the target trajectory. As an example, the parameter change unit 16 can change at least one of the various control parameters described above.

[0029] The second automatic driving mode has higher driving performance than the first automatic driving mode. That is, the second automatic driving mode needs to follow the target control values ​​(target speed, target route, etc.) with higher accuracy. Therefore, the parameter change unit 16 changes the feedback gain and weighting coefficient as in the above example to improve the followability to the target control values.

[0030] The parameter change unit 16 changes the control parameters when the driving area determination unit 13 determines that the autonomously driven vehicle V has entered the second driving area from the first driving area. Here, the parameter change unit 16 gradually (stepwise) changes the values ​​of the control parameters.

[0031] After the control parameters are changed by the parameter change unit 16, the performance determination unit 17 determines whether the driving performance of the autonomously driven vehicle V corresponding to the changed control parameters satisfies the driving performance required for high-level autonomous driving. The high-level autonomous driving here refers to the second autonomous driving, as described above. The driving performance of the autonomously driven vehicle V corresponding to the changed control parameters refers to the driving state that changes in relation to the change in the control parameters. For example, if a control parameter related to speed is changed, the driving performance of the autonomously driven vehicle V corresponding to the changed control parameters can be the speed of the autonomously driven vehicle V.

[0032] As an example, the driving performance used in the determination may be the deviation of the actual speed of the autonomously driven vehicle V from a target speed. As an example, the driving performance used in the determination may be the deviation of the actual acceleration of the autonomously driven vehicle V from a target acceleration. As an example, the driving performance used in the determination may be the deviation of the actual lateral position or yaw angle of the autonomously driven vehicle V from a target route. As an example, the driving performance used in the determination may be the stability of path following control when controlling the route of the autonomously driven vehicle V so that it becomes a target route included in the target trajectory of the autonomously driven vehicle V. As an example, the driving performance used in the determination may be the stability of speed following control when controlling the speed of the autonomously driven vehicle V so that it becomes a target speed included in the target trajectory of the autonomously driven vehicle V. As an example, the performance determination unit 17 can make the determination using at least one of the various driving performances described above.

[0033] The various deviations described as driving performance are physical values ​​obtained based on target control values ​​and actual observed values. Furthermore, the stability of the path tracking performance described as driving performance may be measured using observed physical values ​​such as the convergence time and overshoot amount of the deviation of the actual lateral position from the target lateral position (lateral deviation). The stability of the speed tracking performance described as driving performance may be measured using observed physical values ​​such as the convergence time and overshoot amount of the deviation of the actual speed from the target speed (speed deviation). Alternatively, the stability of the path tracking performance and the speed tracking performance may be measured using values ​​obtained by calculating stability indexes such as a gain margin and a phase margin, reflecting constantly changing parameters (e.g., road surface μ, vehicle weight, values ​​of control parameters to be changed, etc.) for a vehicle model preset in performance determination unit 17.

[0034] The performance determination unit 17 determines the driving performance described above within the section from when the driving area determination unit 13 determines that the autonomous vehicle V has entered the second driving area from the first driving area until the autonomous vehicle V has driven a predetermined distance. Here, the section from when the autonomous vehicle V enters the second driving area from the first driving area until the autonomous vehicle V has driven a predetermined distance is referred to as the "driving performance determination section." The performance determination unit 17 determines the driving performance when the autonomous vehicle V is driving in the driving performance determination section.

[0035] Furthermore, if the driving performance of autonomous vehicle V corresponding to the changed control parameters satisfies the driving performance required for the second autonomous driving for a predetermined time threshold or longer, performance determination unit 17 determines that the driving performance of autonomous vehicle V satisfies the driving performance required for the second autonomous driving. In other words, performance determination unit 17 does not determine that the driving performance required for the second autonomous driving is satisfied even if the driving performance required for the second autonomous driving is satisfied for only an instant. Performance determination unit 17 determines that the driving performance required for the second autonomous driving is satisfied if the driving performance required for the second autonomous driving is satisfied continuously for a predetermined time threshold or longer.

[0036] When the performance determination unit 17 determines that the driving performance of the autonomous vehicle V satisfies the driving performance required for the second autonomous driving for a predetermined time threshold or longer, the driving control unit 15 switches the control of the autonomous driving from the first autonomous driving to the second autonomous driving. On the other hand, even if the autonomous vehicle V enters the second operating area, the driving control unit 15 continues the first autonomous driving if the performance determination unit 17 does not determine that the driving performance is satisfied.

[0037] Next, the flow of the switching process in which the automatic driving control device 1 switches the automatic driving control from the first automatic driving to the second automatic driving will be explained. The flowchart shown in Fig. 2 is executed when the first automatic driving is being executed. Furthermore, when the process shown in Fig. 2 reaches the end, the process will be restarted from the start after a predetermined time.

[0038] The performance determination unit 17 determines whether the autonomously driven vehicle V has entered the second operation area from the first operation area and is traveling through the driving performance determination section (S101). If the autonomously driven vehicle V has not traveled through the driving performance determination section (S101: NO), the processing restarts from the start after a predetermined time. If the autonomously driven vehicle V has entered the second operation area from the first operation area and is traveling through the driving performance determination section (S101: YES), the parameter change unit 16 changes at least some of the control parameters to control parameters for performing the second autonomous driving (S102).

[0039] The performance determination unit 17 determines whether the driving performance of the autonomously driven vehicle V corresponding to the changed control parameters satisfies the driving performance required for the second autonomous driving for a predetermined time threshold or more (S103). If this condition is not met (S103: NO), the process restarts from the start after a predetermined time. On the other hand, if this condition is met (S103: YES), the driving control unit 15 switches the autonomous driving control from the first autonomous driving to the second autonomous driving (S104).

[0040] Next, we will explain the changes in each part (value) when autonomous driving control is switched from the first autonomous driving mode to the second autonomous driving mode. Here, we will explain using as an example the deviation of the lateral position (lateral deviation) of the autonomous driving vehicle V from the target trajectory (target route). In Figure 3, the horizontal axis is the travel distance of the autonomous driving vehicle V. Here, it is assumed that the autonomous driving vehicle V enters the second operating area from the first operating area at a point of distance L1. Furthermore, the section between distance L1 and distance L2 is the driving performance judgment section. Furthermore, the upper graph in Figure 3 shows the change in feedback gain with respect to lateral deviation. The lower graph in Figure 3 shows the change in the absolute value of lateral deviation.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 3, when autonomously driven vehicle V reaches a point at distance L1, it enters the second operation area from the first operation area. In other words, autonomously driven vehicle V enters the driving performance assessment section. As a result, parameter change unit 16 changes the feedback gain of lateral deviation to a feedback gain of lateral deviation for performing the second autonomous driving. Here, parameter change unit 16 gradually increases the feedback gain of lateral deviation, as shown in the upper graph of FIG. 3. This change in the feedback gain of lateral deviation gradually reduces the lateral deviation (absolute value), as shown in the lower graph of FIG. 3.

[0042] Assume that the lateral deviation becomes smaller than the lateral deviation required for the second automatic driving at a point of distance A. At a point of distance B where the state in which the lateral deviation is smaller than the lateral deviation required for the second automatic driving continues for a predetermined time threshold or longer, the performance determination unit 17 determines that the driving performance (lateral deviation) required for the second automatic driving has been satisfied. As a result, the driving control unit 15 switches the automatic driving control from the first automatic driving to the second automatic driving at the point of distance B.

[0043] As described above, the automatic driving control device 1 changes the control parameters and determines whether the driving performance required for the second automatic driving is satisfied. If the driving performance required for the second automatic driving is satisfied, the automatic driving control device 1 switches the automatic driving control from the first automatic driving to the second automatic driving. As a result, even when the automatic driving control is switched, the automatic driving control device 1 can cause the automatically driven vehicle V to drive appropriately after the switch.

[0044] Furthermore, when changing the control parameters, the automatic driving control device 1 gradually changes the values ​​of the control parameters. This allows the automatic driving control device 1 to prevent a sudden change in the behavior of the automatic driving vehicle V due to the change in the control parameters. The automatic driving control device 1 determines that the driving performance of the automatic driving vehicle V has satisfied the driving performance required for the second automatic driving when the driving performance of the automatic driving vehicle V corresponding to the changed control parameters satisfies the driving performance required for the second automatic driving for a predetermined time threshold or longer. This allows the automatic driving control device 1 to prevent determining that the driving performance required for the second automatic driving has been satisfied when the driving performance is satisfied only momentarily. Therefore, the automatic driving control device 1 can more accurately determine the driving performance.

[0045] (Variation) In the above-described automatic driving control device 1, the driving control unit 15 may further switch the automatic driving control from the first automatic driving to the second automatic driving based on a driver's instruction. In this case, when the performance determination unit 17 determines that the driving performance required for the second automatic driving is satisfied, the automatic driving control device 1 requests permission to switch the automatic driving control from the driver by displaying on the screen, speaking, or the like. When the driver determines that the automatic driving vehicle V is traveling on the road with driving performance appropriate for the surrounding environment, the driver inputs an instruction to permit switching to the second automatic driving using an operation switch or the like. When the driver inputs an instruction to permit switching, the driving control unit 15 switches to the second automatic driving. When the driver does not input an instruction to permit switching, the driving control unit 15 continues the first automatic driving without switching to the second automatic driving. The automatic driving control device 1 can perform this driver inquiry process and instruction reception process between steps S103 and S104 in FIG. 2. This allows the automatic driving control device 1 to more appropriately switch the automatic driving control.

[0046] Note that the example described here is a case where the driver of the autonomously driven vehicle V makes the decision to permit switching and inputs instructions. However, this is not limited to this, and for example, a remote operator who remotely operates the autonomously driven vehicle V from outside the vehicle may make the decision and input instructions. In this case, the remote operator can make the decision based on images from a camera mounted on the autonomously driven vehicle V that captures the interior of the vehicle and images from a camera that captures the exterior of the vehicle.

[0047] (Second embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the automatic driving control device will be described. The following description will focus on the differences from the automatic driving control device 1 according to the first embodiment. The automatic driving control device 1A according to the second embodiment shown in FIG. 4 includes an automatic driving ECU 5A with a different functional configuration, instead of the automatic driving ECU 5 according to the first embodiment. Functionally, the automatic driving ECU 5A differs from the automatic driving ECU 5 according to the first embodiment in that it includes a driving control unit 15A and an accuracy determination unit 18.

[0048] The accuracy determination unit 18 determines whether the recognition accuracy of the external environment based on the external sensor 3 and the recognition accuracy of the position of the autonomously driven vehicle V recognized by the vehicle position recognition unit 12 are equal to or higher than a predetermined recognition accuracy. As an example, when determining the recognition accuracy of the external environment, the accuracy determination unit 18 makes a determination based on the recognition results of existing targets set within the path of the autonomously driven vehicle V. Here, the accuracy determination unit 18 determines the recognition accuracy by setting expected values ​​for characteristics such as position, size, and shape of the existing targets and comparing them with the recognition results of the existing targets using the external sensor 3. For example, if the external sensor 3 is malfunctioning or if fog is present, the existing targets may only be detected in positions near the targets, or results may be obtained showing different sizes or shapes, resulting in incorrect recognition. In this case, the accuracy determination unit 18 determines that the recognition accuracy of the external environment is low.

[0049] As an example, when determining the position recognition accuracy of the autonomous vehicle V, the accuracy determination unit 18 determines whether the same position can be continuously recognized for existing targets whose positions are known in advance. For example, if the autonomous vehicle V approaches an existing target with high position recognition accuracy, the recognition results will be concentrated in a narrow range over a certain time period, and the position recognition accuracy will be determined to be high. An expected range value may be set for each existing target according to the required vehicle position recognition accuracy. Here, for example, vehicle position recognition is performed by calculating the movement trajectory of the autonomous vehicle V by performing integration processing using the speed, acceleration, yaw rate, etc. of the autonomous vehicle V. Furthermore, the movement trajectory may be corrected based on the results by detecting features whose positions are known using an external sensor 3. However, the accuracy of the determination of existing targets is improved by using recognized targets that are expected to have higher recognition accuracy compared to the existing targets. Recognition of existing targets may be performed using an external sensor 3 of a different type than that used for feature detection.

[0050] In addition to the judgment result of the performance judgment unit 17, if the accuracy judgment unit 18 judges that the recognition accuracy of the external environment and the recognition accuracy of the position are each equal to or higher than a predetermined accuracy, the driving control unit 15A switches the control of the automatic driving from the first automatic driving to the second automatic driving.

[0051] Next, the flow of the switching process in which the automatic driving control device 1A switches the automatic driving control from the first automatic driving to the second automatic driving will be described. The flowchart shown in Fig. 5 is executed when the first automatic driving is being executed. Furthermore, when the process shown in Fig. 5 reaches the end, the process will be restarted from the start after a predetermined time. Note that the processes of steps S201 to S204 and S206 shown in Fig. 5 are similar to the processes of steps S101 to S103 and S104 shown in Fig. 2, respectively, and therefore detailed description will be omitted.

[0052] In the processing of step S203, if it is determined that the driving performance of the autonomously driven vehicle V corresponding to the changed control parameters has satisfied the driving performance required for the second autonomous driving for a predetermined time threshold or more (S203: YES), the accuracy determination unit 18 determines whether the recognition accuracy of the external environment is equal to or greater than the predetermined accuracy (S204). If the recognition accuracy of the external environment is not equal to or greater than the predetermined accuracy (S204: NO), the processing is restarted from the start after a predetermined time. In other words, the driving control unit 15A does not switch the control of the autonomous driving to the second autonomous driving, but maintains the first autonomous driving.

[0053] If the recognition accuracy of the external environment is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (S204: YES), the accuracy determination unit 18 determines whether the recognition accuracy of the position of the autonomously driven vehicle V is equal to or greater than the predetermined accuracy (S205). If the recognition accuracy of the position of the autonomously driven vehicle V is not equal to or greater than the predetermined accuracy (S205: NO), the processing is restarted from the start after a predetermined time. In other words, the driving control unit 15A does not switch the control of the autonomous driving to the second autonomous driving, but maintains the first autonomous driving.

[0054] If the recognition accuracy of the position of the autonomously driven vehicle V is equal to or higher than a predetermined accuracy (S205: YES), the driving control unit 15A switches the autonomous driving control from the first autonomous driving to the second autonomous driving (S206). Note that the determination processes of the above-mentioned steps S203, S204, and S205 are not limited to being executed in this order. For example, the determination process of the driving performance (S203) may be executed after the determination process of the recognition accuracy (S204 and S205).

[0055] As described above, the automatic driving control device 1A switches the automatic driving control taking into consideration not only the driving performance after the control parameters are changed, but also the recognition accuracy of the external environment and the recognition accuracy of the position of the automatically driving vehicle V. This allows the automatic driving control device 1A to more appropriately switch the automatic driving control taking into consideration these recognition accuracies.

[0056] Although various embodiments and modifications of the present disclosure have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and modifications. For example, when determining driving performance, the performance determination unit 17 may make a determination by having a virtual pedestrian appear in the system instead of an actual pedestrian. Then, the performance determination unit 17 may determine that the driving performance is satisfied if the behavior of the autonomous vehicle V calculated when the virtual pedestrian appears matches a predetermined specified behavior (speed, stopping distance, etc.).

[0057] In the above-described embodiments, the performance determination unit 17 determines the driving performance based on whether the driving performance required for the second automatic driving is satisfied. The performance determination unit 17 may change the threshold value used for this determination based on external conditions. The performance determination unit 17 may use, as the external conditions, for example, the time of day (night, day), weather (sunny, rainy, etc.), road conditions (snowy road, icy road, etc.), and traffic volume. In the above-described embodiments, the performance determination unit 17 determines the driving performance based on whether the driving performance required for the second automatic driving is satisfied for a predetermined time threshold or more. The performance determination unit 17 may also change this "predetermined time threshold" based on the above-described external conditions.

[0058] The parameter modification unit 16 may change the types and values ​​of the control parameters to be modified based on the external conditions described above. Furthermore, the parameter modification unit 16 may change the types and values ​​of the control parameters to be modified according to the driving conditions. For example, the driving conditions may include the shape of the road on which the autonomous vehicle V is traveling (straight road, curved road, etc.), the speed of the autonomous vehicle V, and the distance to surrounding obstacles (other vehicles, etc.). For example, when the driving conditions are such that a change in the control parameters has little effect on the behavior of the autonomous vehicle V (for example, when the autonomous vehicle V is traveling at a constant speed on a straight road), the parameter modification unit 16 may increase the number of control parameters to be modified and / or the amount of change compared to other driving conditions. Furthermore, when the distance to surrounding obstacles is equal to or greater than a certain distance, the parameter modification unit 16 may increase the number of control parameters to be modified and / or the amount of change compared to other driving conditions. The process of determining the number of control parameters to be modified and the amount of change according to the driving conditions may be performed between step S101 and step S102 of FIG. 2.

[0059] In addition, in the above-described embodiments, the high-level autonomous driving has been described as an example of the second autonomous driving, which has higher driving performance than the first autonomous driving. However, the high-level autonomous driving is not limited to this, and may be any autonomous driving that has higher driving performance than at least the first autonomous driving.

[0060] In the above embodiments, the driving performance has been described as an example of the ability to track a target control value. However, the driving performance is not limited to this, and may also include the ride comfort of the autonomously driven vehicle V. In this case, high driving performance can be interpreted as a good ride comfort of the autonomously driven vehicle V. The ride comfort performance can be expressed using various ride comfort indexes.

[0061] In the above-described embodiments, the automatic driving control devices 1 and 1A are described as examples of controlling the automatic driving of an automatically driving vehicle V. However, this is not limited to this, and the automatic driving control devices 1 and 1A may also control a moving body other than an automatically driving vehicle V that is capable of traveling automatically (capable of automatic driving). [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 1, 1A...Automatic driving control device, 15, 15A...Driving control unit, 16...Parameter change unit, 17...Performance determination unit, V...Automatic driving vehicle (moving body).

Claims

1. An automatic driving control device that controls automatic driving of a moving body, a driving control unit that can execute a first automatic driving and a second automatic driving having higher driving performance than the first automatic driving as control of the automatic driving; a parameter change unit that gradually changes the values ​​of at least some of the control parameters for executing the automatic driving to the values ​​of the control parameters for executing the second automatic driving while the driving control unit is executing the first automatic driving; and a performance determination unit that, after the value of the control parameter is changed, determines whether the driving performance of the moving object corresponding to the changed value of the control parameter satisfies the driving performance required for the second automatic driving; Equipped with The high driving performance means a high tracking performance with respect to the target control value of the automatic driving, The driving control unit switches control of the automatic driving from the first automatic driving to the second automatic driving when the performance determination unit determines that the driving performance of the moving body satisfies the driving performance required for the second automatic driving while the first automatic driving is being performed.

2. The automatic driving control device according to claim 1 , wherein the parameter change unit changes the value of the control parameter to be changed so that the moving body follows a target route and a target speed of the moving body.

3. An automatic driving control device that controls automatic driving of a moving body, a driving control unit that can execute a first automatic driving and a second automatic driving having higher driving performance than the first automatic driving as control of the automatic driving; a parameter change unit that changes the values ​​of at least some of the control parameters for executing the automatic driving to the values ​​of the control parameters for executing the second automatic driving while the driving control unit is executing the first automatic driving; a performance determination unit that, after the value of the control parameter is changed, determines whether the driving performance of the moving object corresponding to the changed value of the control parameter satisfies the driving performance required for the second automatic driving; Equipped with The high driving performance means a high tracking performance with respect to the target control value of the automatic driving, The performance determination unit determines the driving performance as the deviation of the actual speed of the moving body from the target speed; a deviation of the actual acceleration of the moving body from the target acceleration; The deviation of the actual lateral position or yaw angle of the moving body from the target path; stability of path tracking control when controlling the path of the moving body so that it matches the target path of the moving body; and stability of velocity tracking control when controlling the velocity of the moving body so that it becomes a target velocity of the moving body. The determination is made using at least one of the following: The driving control unit switches control of the automatic driving from the first automatic driving to the second automatic driving when the performance determination unit determines that the driving performance of the moving body satisfies the driving performance required for the second automatic driving while the first automatic driving is being performed.

4. The automatic driving control device described in claim 1 or 3, wherein the performance determination unit determines that the driving performance of the moving body satisfies the driving performance required for the second automatic driving if the driving performance of the moving body corresponding to the changed value of the control parameter satisfies the driving performance required for the second automatic driving for a predetermined time threshold or more.

5. An automatic driving control device as described in claim 1 or 3, wherein the parameter modification unit increases the number of control parameters to be modified or increases the range of value modification when the distance between the moving body and an obstacle around the moving body is a certain distance or more, compared to when the distance is less than the certain distance.

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