Vehicle control device

Abstract

To provide a vehicle control device for generating a space required for collision avoidance of a collision avoidance main body when a plurality of vehicles travel, so as to support the collision avoidance of the other vehicles..SOLUTION: A vehicle control device includes: a virtual vehicle setting section 204 for setting a virtual vehicle at a position of a future travel state of another vehicle traveling in parallel with an own vehicle (position on a travel lane of the own vehicle or on the own vehicle) between a plurality of other vehicles assumed by an assumed state setting section 203; and a following distance calculation section 205 for calculating an overlap degree or a relative distance concerning the own vehicle and the virtual vehicle based on a position of the virtual vehicle set by the virtual vehicle setting section 204 and a current position of the own vehicle, discriminating whether the own vehicle is to be separated to a front side of or a rear side of the virtual vehicle in response to the overlap degree or the relative distance, and determining a target following distance of the own vehicle with respect to the virtual vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Toward reducing traffic accidents, one of the social issues, active efforts are being made to improve the functionality of autonomous driving and advanced driver assistance systems. Technologies for preventing collisions between vehicles include automatic adjustment of the distance between the vehicle and the vehicle ahead, avoidance by decelerating the vehicle, and avoidance by steering. Furthermore, Patent Document 1 discloses technology for preventing a collision between the vehicle and an adjacent vehicle that is changing lanes. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6838479 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The above-mentioned existing technologies avoid collisions by having the collision avoidance subject deviate from the trajectory of the collision avoidance target. However, when multiple vehicles are traveling together, i.e., when vehicles other than the collision avoidance target are traveling around the collision avoidance subject, the collision avoidance subject may not be able to avoid the collision because the other vehicle is on the trajectory required for collision avoidance. For example, the conventional technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 does not take into account a situation in which the adjacent vehicle cannot change lanes when the distance between the subject vehicle and the adjacent vehicle is close.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a vehicle control device that can create the space necessary for a collision avoidance entity to avoid a collision when multiple vehicles are traveling, and can assist other vehicles in avoiding collisions with each other. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, the vehicle control device of the present invention is characterized by comprising: a driving situation recognition unit that recognizes the driving situation of the host vehicle and multiple other vehicles; an assumed situation setting unit that assumes future driving situations based on the driving situation recognized by the driving situation recognition unit; a virtual vehicle setting unit that sets a virtual vehicle at the position of the future driving situation of another vehicle that is driving parallel to the host vehicle among the multiple other vehicles assumed by the assumed situation setting unit; a following distance calculation unit that calculates the degree of overlap or relative distance between the host vehicle and the virtual vehicle based on the position of the virtual vehicle set by the virtual vehicle setting unit and the current position of the host vehicle, and determines whether the host vehicle will depart in front of or behind the virtual vehicle depending on the degree of overlap or relative distance, and determines a target following distance of the host vehicle from the virtual vehicle; and a control value calculation unit that calculates an acceleration / deceleration control command value for the host vehicle depending on the target following distance. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, when multiple vehicles are traveling, the collision avoidance main body can create the space necessary for collision avoidance, thereby assisting other vehicles in avoiding collisions.

[0008] Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become clear from the following description of the embodiments. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle control device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a method for setting a virtual vehicle. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a method for controlling a host vehicle relative to a virtual vehicle. [Figure 4A] 10 is a diagram showing an example of a bird's-eye view display on a display unit. [Figure 4B] This is an example of a first-person perspective display on a display unit. [Figure 5] 3 is a flowchart illustrating an overall processing procedure of the vehicle control device. [Figure 6]FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle control device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. [Figure 9] This is an explanatory diagram of weather. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of vehicle information. [Figure 11] This is an example of an application scenario extracted using a near-miss incident log. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a change in steering area according to the speed difference between the host vehicle and a vehicle traveling alongside. [Figure 13] 10A and 10B are explanatory diagrams illustrating changes in steering area for each speed difference and acceleration difference between the host vehicle and a vehicle traveling parallel to the host vehicle. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a control method in the third embodiment, in which both a virtual vehicle and a real vehicle are present on the own lane, taking into consideration both the virtual vehicle and the real vehicle. [Figure 15] 13A and 13B are explanatory diagrams of a process for suppressing switching between forward follow-up and backward follow-up when calculating a follow-up target distance in the fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] [First embodiment] A first embodiment of a vehicle control device of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 5. In this embodiment, a virtual vehicle is assumed according to the actual driving situation, and the vehicle is controlled relative to the virtual vehicle, thereby improving the safety of the vehicle and surrounding moving objects.

[0012] One of the expected applications of this embodiment is a vehicle control device that controls a vehicle while preventing collisions with surrounding moving objects. By applying this technology, even in a situation where other moving objects are present around the host vehicle, the host vehicle controls itself with respect to a virtual vehicle, and autonomously creates the space necessary for the surrounding moving objects to avoid a collision, thereby improving the safety and operating efficiency of the host vehicle and the surrounding moving objects.

[0013] 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle control device 1 according to the first embodiment. The vehicle control device 1 includes an information transmission device 100, a processing device 200, a display unit 300, and a CAN 400.

[0014] First, a brief overview of the processing of the vehicle control device 1 will be explained. The vehicle control device 1 acquires information necessary for controlling the host vehicle using the information transmission device 100. Next, the processing device 200 sets a virtual vehicle based on the actual driving situation and the assumed driving situation, and calculates a control command value for the host vehicle for the virtual vehicle. The actual driving situation, the assumed driving situation, and control information for the virtual vehicle are then displayed on the display unit 300, and if control is necessary, a control command value is output and the host vehicle is controlled via the CAN 400.

[0015] Below, each component in the block diagram shown in FIG. 1 will be specifically described.

[0016] The information transmission device 100 has a function of transmitting information necessary for controlling the vehicle, and is composed of a sensor 110 that acquires information about the surroundings including the vehicle, and a communication device 121.

[0017] The sensor 110 includes a camera 111, a radar 112, and a locator 113. The camera 111 is a monocular camera and / or a stereo camera, and acquires color images and range images of the surroundings of the vehicle. The radar 112 is a millimeter wave radar and / or a quasi-millimeter wave radar, and acquires the distance and direction to objects in front of and to the sides of the vehicle, or to the front of, to the sides, and behind the vehicle. The locator 113 is a GPS sensor and / or an inertial sensor, and acquires the position and acceleration of the vehicle.

[0018] The communication device 121 is a wireless communication device, and includes vehicle-to-vehicle communication with other vehicles, road-to-vehicle communication with road infrastructure, communication with a control center, and communication with passengers of the vehicle, pedestrians around the vehicle, or the mobile phones of passengers. Through these communications, the communication device 121 receives information necessary for controlling the vehicle, such as the position and speed of other vehicles including those in blind spots of the vehicle, the shape of the vehicle, the volume of traffic on the road and whether or not there is a road closure, the timing of switching traffic lights, and the position information and owner information of the mobile phone, and transmits the position of the vehicle and vehicle control information.

[0019] The processing device 200 has a function of calculating a control command value for the vehicle based on information obtained from the information transmission device 100 and outputting a control command, and includes a data management unit 201, a driving situation recognition unit 202, an assumed situation setting unit 203, a virtual vehicle setting unit 204, a following distance calculation unit 205, a control value calculation unit 206, and a control management unit 207.

[0020] The data management unit 201 has a function of transmitting appropriate information, among the information acquired from each block, to an appropriate block at an appropriate frequency. The data management unit 201 outputs information about the surroundings, including the vehicle itself, received from the sensor 110 and the communication device 121 to the driving situation recognition unit 202, the assumed situation setting unit 203, and the display unit 300. The data management unit 201 also outputs the recognition result of the driving situation generated by the driving situation recognition unit 202 to the display unit 300. The recognition result of the driving situation will be described later. The data management unit 201 can also transmit control information acquired from the control management unit 207 to surrounding vehicles, etc., from the communication device 121.

[0021] Based on the images and point clouds around the vehicle, sensor signal values ​​and communication information acquired from the data management unit 201, the driving situation recognition unit 202 outputs the object position, speed, object type, drivable area, etc. as driving situation recognition results to the data management unit 201, the assumed situation setting unit 203, the following distance calculation unit 205 and the control value calculation unit 206.

[0022] The assumed situation setting unit 203 assumes a specific (future) driving situation from the actual (current) driving situation output from the data management unit 201 and the driving situation recognition unit 202, and outputs the assumed situation to the virtual vehicle setting unit 204 and the display unit 300. The assumed driving situation is, for example, the deceleration of a vehicle (a preceding vehicle) driving in front of another vehicle, or a pedestrian running out into the road.

[0023] The virtual vehicle setting unit 204 sets the position, speed, and angle of the virtual vehicle based on the driving situation assumed by the assumed situation setting unit 203. The virtual vehicle is set, for example, to the future position of another vehicle, of multiple assumed vehicles, that will be traveling alongside the host vehicle for a certain period of time or more. The setting values ​​of the assumed situation and the virtual vehicle can be adjusted so that the host vehicle can drive more safely, and may be adjusted using the display unit 300.

[0024] The following distance calculation unit 205 determines a target following distance of the host vehicle relative to the virtual vehicle from the position and speed of the virtual vehicle set by the virtual vehicle setting unit 204 and the current position and speed of the host vehicle. One method of calculating the target following distance is to determine the distance required for the host vehicle to leave the virtual vehicle. The following distance calculation unit 205 also determines an appropriate value from a plurality of target following distance candidates, such as when the host vehicle leaves in front of the virtual vehicle (for example, when accelerating) and when the host vehicle leaves behind the virtual vehicle (for example, when decelerating). In other words, the following distance calculation unit 205 determines whether the host vehicle will leave in front of or behind the virtual vehicle, and determines an appropriate target following distance.

[0025] The control value calculation unit 206 calculates a control command value for the vehicle according to the driving situation. The control value calculation unit 206 acquires actual driving situations such as the positions and speeds of the subject vehicle and other vehicles from the driving situation recognition unit 202, and acquires information about the virtual vehicle such as the position and speed of the virtual vehicle from the virtual vehicle setting unit 204. The control value calculation unit 206 calculates a control command value for accelerating and decelerating the subject vehicle to achieve the target following distance acquired from the following distance calculation unit 205 based on these driving situations.

[0026] The control management unit 207 manages whether to actually activate vehicle control for the control target based on the driving conditions obtained from the data management unit 201, the passenger's permission to implement control obtained from the display unit 300, and the control command value obtained from the control value calculation unit 206.

[0027] The control method for the virtual vehicle, which is a feature of the present invention, will be described below with reference to FIGS.

[0028] First, a method for setting a virtual vehicle will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The virtual vehicle is set by the assumed situation setting unit 203 and the virtual vehicle setting unit 204. C in FIG. 2 is the actual driving situation around the host vehicle, where Ve is the host vehicle, Vi are vehicles around the host vehicle, and Vj are other vehicles that may collide with Vi. For example, Vi is a vehicle running parallel to the host vehicle (parallel vehicle), and Vj is a vehicle ahead of the vehicle running parallel to the host vehicle (forward vehicle). In this actual driving situation C, the host vehicle Ve is assumed to be in a certain driving situation Cs. The assumed driving situation Cs is, for example, a situation in which Vi needs to avoid a collision due to deceleration of Vj. In this assumed driving situation Cs, the host vehicle Ve is assumed to be a virtual vehicle Vs.

[0029] The virtual vehicle Vs is set assuming that the parallel running vehicle Vi is avoiding a collision with the vehicle Vj ahead of the parallel running vehicle Vi. At this time, the position x of the virtual vehicle Vs in the relative coordinate system U with the position of the host vehicle Ve as the base point is s is calculated using Equation 1. [Number 1] TIFF0007802636000001.tif791

[0030] However, v e (t), v i (t) is the velocity of the host vehicle Ve and the parallel vehicle Vi at time t, and x i is the position of the parallel vehicle Vi in the relative coordinate system U, and T is the time when the parallel vehicle Vi completes the lane change. Here, the host vehicle Ve moves at a constant velocity v e , the parallel vehicle Vi decelerates at a constant speed b s , v i -T*b s>0, the position x of the virtual vehicle Vs s is calculated using (Equation 2). [Number 2] TIFF0007802636000002.tif6105

[0031] In this way, a hypothetical driving situation Cs is set for the actual driving situation C, and the position x of the virtual vehicle Vs is calculated. s The time T for completing the lane change may be changed using the reaction time of the driver operating the vehicle Vi or the steering performance of the vehicle Vi.

[0032] Next, a control method for the host vehicle Ve relative to the virtual vehicle Vs will be explained in comparison with existing methods using Fig. 3. Fig. 3(a) and (b) respectively show the situation in which the host vehicle Ve leaves behind (Fig. 3(a)) and in front (Fig. 3(b)) the virtual vehicle Vs.

[0033] In general tracking control, the relative distance d and relative vehicle speed v between the host vehicle Ve and the virtual vehicle Vs are calculated as shown in (Equation 3). s-e , the acceleration control command value a for the host vehicle Ve cmd Calculate the following: * is the target tracking distance, and K1 and K2 are control gains with specific values ​​entered. [Number 3] TIFF0007802636000003.tif678

[0034] In (Equation 3), in the existing tracking control, the host vehicle Ve is assumed to follow a real vehicle, so the relative distance d between the host vehicle Ve and the target vehicle is always a positive value.

[0035] On the other hand, in this embodiment, since the vehicle is controlled to follow the virtual vehicle, the relative distance d between the host vehicle Ve and the virtual vehicle Vs may be d≦0, i.e., the vehicles may overlap. In this embodiment, the target following distance d is set according to the degree of overlap d between the host vehicle Ve and the virtual vehicle Vs. * By switching between the front and rear of the host vehicle, the host vehicle can appropriately escape from overlap with the virtual vehicle Vs.

[0036] Below, this target tracking distance d * The method of calculating the following distance will be described. s and the front end position x of the vehicle Ve e The overlapping degree d is calculated as shown in (Equation 4) from the rear end position x s and front end position x e The values ​​of the rear and front ends of the virtual vehicle and the host vehicle in the traveling direction are assumed, but the angle θ between the virtual vehicle Vs and the host vehicle Ve s ,θ e Alternatively, the values ​​of the rear end and the front end in the vehicle-centered coordinate system U may be used. [Number 4] TIFF0007802636000004.tif658

[0037] Furthermore, the following distance calculation unit 205 calculates the front end position x of the host vehicle Ve. e and vehicle length e , the rear end position x of the virtual vehicle Vs s and vehicle length s From (Equation 5), the distance d required for backward separation is * b and the distance d required for forward separation in (Equation 6) * f Calculate the following: TTC The vehicle occupant or vehicle manager of the vehicle sets a set value TTC1 for the time until collision with the virtual vehicle in advance, and the time until collision is calculated by multiplying the set value TTC1 by the current relative vehicle speed between the virtual vehicle and the vehicle. [Number 5] TIFF0007802636000005.tif6117[number 6] TIFF0007802636000006.tif6145

[0038] Distance d required for backward departure * b and the distance d required for forward separation * f Since the following distance calculation unit 205 calculates the target following distance d appropriate for the situation, *Switch between target tracking distance d * is calculated by switching to the shorter moving distance, for example, as in (Equation 7). * b ≦d * f The value is 1 when d * b >d * f It is a binary variable that takes the value 0 when [Number 7] TIFF0007802636000007.tif778

[0039] In this way, the following distance calculation unit 205 calculates the target following distance d * After calculating the acceleration control command value a, the control value calculation unit 206 calculates the acceleration control command value a from (Equation 3). cmd Calculate.

[0040] In order to further improve safety, the vehicle occupant or the vehicle manager of the vehicle may specify a limit value a of acceleration in advance. l and deceleration limit value b l Using this, the acceleration control command value a is calculated as shown in (Equation 8). cmd does not exceed the limit value of acceleration and deceleration. min is a function to obtain the smaller value, and β' is a cmd When ≦0, it takes the value of 1, and when cmd It is a binary variable that takes the value 0 when >0. [Number 8] TIFF0007802636000008.tif6130

[0041] Also, the current vehicle speed v e is the speed limit v specified in advance by the vehicle occupant or vehicle manager of the vehicle. l If it has reached the target value, the acceleration control command value a cmd is set to 0 or less. If there is a speed limit on the road, the speed limit value v l will be updated to be below the road's speed limit before use. [Number 9] TIFF0007802636000009.tif794

[0042] In this way, the vehicle control command value a cmd After calculating the acceleration control command value a, before actually carrying out the control, the control management unit 207 displays the contents of the vehicle control on the display unit 300 in advance so as not to cause discomfort to the vehicle occupants or the vehicle operator of the vehicle. cmd The control unit 204 manages whether to actually perform vehicle control based on the driving conditions acquired from the data management unit 201 and the control execution permission of the vehicle occupants or vehicle operator acquired from the display unit 300.

[0043] 4A and 4B are examples of displays on the display unit 300. The display screen O1 of the display unit 300 in FIG. 4A and the display screen O2 of the display unit 300 in FIG. 4B respectively display the host vehicle Ve, the host vehicle Ve* at the target position, the parallel vehicle Vi, the forward vehicle Vj, and the virtual vehicle Vs, distinguished from one another, from a bird's-eye view (FIG. 4A) and a first-person view (FIG. 4B). The vehicle occupant or vehicle operator of the host vehicle notifies the control management unit 207 whether to implement control based on the contents displayed on the display unit 300. Note that in cases such as autonomous driving, when there is no vehicle occupant or vehicle operator, control is implemented only if permission is given by the vehicle manager and the control command value satisfies a safety value.

[0044] If vehicle control is permitted, the acceleration control command value a cmd is transmitted to the CAN 400, and the host vehicle is controlled by the vehicle control value a. The vehicle control value a(t) at a certain time t is the control command value a for acceleration at a certain time t. cmd Taking into account the response delay s, (t) is calculated using (Equation 10). [Number 10] TIFF0007802636000010.tif681

[0045] The overall processing procedure of the vehicle control device of this embodiment will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0046] First, in step S101, sensor values ​​and the like around the vehicle are acquired by the sensor 110 and the communication device 121. The sensor values ​​are passed through the data management unit 201 and converted into driving conditions such as the vehicle position, speed, and the presence or absence of obstacles by the driving condition recognition unit 202.

[0047] In step S102, it is determined whether to set an assumed driving situation based on the actual driving situation. Examples of cases in which an assumed driving situation is not set include when there are no vehicles or obstacles around the vehicle and it is absolutely safe to continue driving at a constant speed in a straight line, or when the driver has set the driving situation not to be assumed.

[0048] If it is necessary to assume a driving situation, a virtual vehicle is set in step S103. The assumed situation setting unit 203 acquires the actual driving situation from the driving situation recognition unit 202 and the data management unit 201, and assumes a specific driving situation that is assumed from the actual driving situation. Then, the virtual vehicle setting unit 204 sets a virtual vehicle. The position of the virtual vehicle can be calculated using (Equation 1) and (Equation 2) as described above, in an example assuming steering to avoid a parallel vehicle. In addition to this, a virtual vehicle may be set assuming a pedestrian running out into the road, or a virtual vehicle traveling a specific route in an external simulation may be received by the communication device 121 and set as a virtual vehicle, and a virtual vehicle may be set based on any assumption.

[0049] Next, in step S104, a target following distance of the host vehicle is calculated for the set virtual vehicle. A feature of this embodiment is that the target following distance is calculated in following distance calculation unit 205 according to the degree of overlap between the virtual vehicle and the host vehicle, and the target following distance can be calculated using (Equation 4) to (Equation 7).

[0050] In step S105, the control value calculation unit 206 calculates a control command value for acceleration / deceleration of the host vehicle based on the target following distance. The control command value is calculated using (Equation 3), (Equation 8), and (Equation 9).

[0051] In step S106, the control management unit 207 determines whether vehicle control is necessary. Specifically, as described above, the current position and target position of the host vehicle and the position of the virtual vehicle are displayed on the display unit 300, and permission to implement vehicle control is obtained from the vehicle occupant or vehicle operator of the host vehicle. After obtaining permission to implement vehicle control from the vehicle occupant or vehicle operator of the host vehicle, the control management unit 207 transmits a control command value to the CAN 400.

[0052] Thereafter, in step S107, vehicle control is performed through the CAN 400. The vehicle control value is calculated by adding a response delay to the control command value, as shown in (Equation 10).

[0053] The first embodiment of the present invention has been described above. A problem with existing methods is that the host vehicle is on the collision avoidance path of another vehicle, limiting the collision avoidance options of the other vehicle. In response to this problem, this embodiment proposes a control method for the host vehicle that supports collision avoidance between other vehicles by creating the space necessary for the other vehicle to avoid a collision through preventive driving of the host vehicle.

[0054] With the objective of creating the space necessary to avoid collisions between other vehicles, the technical challenge with existing control methods is that the host vehicle cannot be controlled relative to vehicles that are not currently in the same location. Therefore, in this embodiment, a control method for the host vehicle is proposed that utilizes existing control algorithms by setting a virtual vehicle. In particular, a method for calculating control command values ​​according to the overlap of vehicles, which is unique to virtual vehicles, is proposed. According to this embodiment, the host vehicle follows the virtual vehicle, thereby enabling a safe vehicle arrangement to be formed when traveling with multiple vehicles.

[0055] In the following description, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and only the differences will be described. Points that are not specifically described are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0056] [Second embodiment] A second embodiment of a vehicle control device of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 6 to 13. In the first embodiment, only essential aspects of the control of the host vehicle relative to a virtual vehicle, which is a feature of the present invention, were described. In the second embodiment, methods for safely implementing vehicle control of this embodiment will be described, such as a method for determining the departure direction based on safety when the host vehicle overlaps with a virtual vehicle, narrowing down the conditions for implementing preventive driving, and expanding the range of assumed cases.

[0057] FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle control device 2 according to the second embodiment.

[0058] In the vehicle control device 2, D100 is a storage device, D200 is a map, D300 is a driving log, D400 is weather, and D500 is vehicle information. The information in the storage device D100 is recorded on an external server, and the data management unit 501 acquires it via the communication device 121. Note that the information in the storage device D100 may be obtained by extracting information on necessary sections in advance and storing it inside the vehicle, and then the data management unit 501 may read it out directly.

[0059] FIG. 7 shows a map D200, FIG. 8 shows a driving log D300, FIG. 9 shows weather D400, and FIG. 10 shows vehicle information D500.

[0060] The data management unit 501 reads out necessary information from the storage device D100 based on the current position of the vehicle, and outputs the information to the driving situation recognition unit 202, the assumed situation setting unit 503, the control management unit 507, and the HMI control unit 601 of the notification unit 600. The position of the vehicle may be determined using the GPS of the passenger's mobile phone via the communication device 121 in addition to the vehicle sensor 110.

[0061] The assumed situation setting unit 503 narrows down the assumed driving situation of the vehicle not only from information acquired from the sensor 110 but also from data on the map D200, driving log D300, and weather D400. This allows the unit to operate only when it is truly necessary to set up a virtual vehicle.

[0062] A sudden deceleration of a preceding vehicle Vj will be described as an example of a hypothetical driving situation. The host vehicle Ve acquires the time-series positions and speeds of Vj and Vi from the sensor 110 or the communication device 121, and determines whether the driving situation requires preventive driving.

[0063] The conditions for implementing preventive driving are limited to when the host vehicle Ve is in a constant speed control state, and when the host vehicle Ve, a vehicle Vi surrounding the host vehicle Ve, and a preceding vehicle Vj relative to the vehicle Vi are traveling side by side for a certain period of time or longer with a relative distance within a threshold value and a speed difference (relative vehicle speed) below a threshold value. This allows preventive driving to be implemented only when necessary (the processing of the assumed situation setting unit 503 is started). Also, preventive driving is implemented only when the host vehicle is under automatic control, such as an advanced driver assistance system or automatic driving. When the host vehicle is in a constant speed control state under automatic control, it transitions to a vehicle distance control state through preventive driving. The vehicle speed limit value for vehicle distance control is set to a value different from the vehicle speed setting value for constant speed control. These vehicle speed settings for automatic control are set by the vehicle occupant, vehicle operator, or vehicle manager of the host vehicle. Alternatively, the vehicle speed limit may be set by referring to a map.

[0064] In addition to the above conditions, the conditions for performing preventive driving of the host vehicle are further narrowed down to only when the preceding vehicle Vj is likely to suddenly decelerate. Whether the preceding vehicle Vj is likely to suddenly decelerate can be determined, for example, by whether the speed transition of the preceding vehicle Vj is similar to the near-miss log. FIG. 11 shows an example of an application scenario extracted using the near-miss log. The near-miss log is data stored based on the driving log D300, linking the location and time of a sudden deceleration or traffic accident to the vehicle behavior of the host vehicle immediately before that. The vehicle behavior may be, for example, a vehicle speed transition. The similarity between the current driving situation and the near-miss log can be calculated using a dynamic time warping method or the like using the time-series vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle Vj and the time-series vehicle speed of the near-miss. If the current driving situation has a low similarity to the near-miss log, the situation is determined to be safe, and the assumed situation setting unit 503 does not anticipate a sudden deceleration of the preceding vehicle Vj. If the current driving situation is highly similar to the near-miss incident log, the sudden deceleration value of the corresponding near-miss incident log is used to set the assumed driving situation for preventive driving. As a result, the sudden deceleration value b in (Equation 2) used to calculate the position of the virtual vehicle is s It is possible to estimate the degree of similarity between the actual driving situation and the past near-miss incident log, not only by calculating the vehicle speed transition, but also by linking information on vehicles that were driving in the vicinity at the same time, maps, and weather. The linking of these data can be performed based on the time and coordinates of the driving log D300.

[0065] Furthermore, as an example of determining whether to set a hypothetical situation, a method of determining whether the current driving situation is similar to the near-miss log has been described. However, information 100 meters ahead on the path of the host vehicle may also be used. For example, at an intersection with poor visibility, information indicating that another vehicle not on the road the host vehicle is traveling on is approaching the intersection without slowing down may be acquired from the communication device 121, and the deceleration of the preceding vehicle Vj may be assumed. Alternatively, the number of lanes and road width of the road on which the host vehicle is traveling may be acquired from map information. If there are lanes other than those on which the host vehicle Ve and the parallel vehicle Vi are traveling and there are no vehicles in those lanes, the parallel vehicle Vi may not need to move into the host vehicle's lane. Furthermore, road data may be used to narrow down the implementation conditions based on whether a location has previously experienced an accident. Furthermore, the implementation conditions may be narrowed down based on the presence or absence of sidewalks around the host vehicle, communication with nearby pedestrians' mobile phones, and communication with road infrastructure to determine whether pedestrians are present. The type of driver of the surrounding vehicles may also be used. That is, the assumed situation setting unit 503 may narrow down the cases for starting the process using a map, the speed of other vehicles, and the like.

[0066] As an example of narrowing down the implementation conditions, a method of reading out a near-miss log similar to the current driving situation has been described. However, a learning device that has previously learned a near-miss log may also be installed. The learning device may, for example, input the time-series positions and vehicle speeds of surrounding vehicles including the subject vehicle, a map, etc. as the current driving situation, and output an expected situation. The expected situation may include determining whether the preceding vehicle Vj is drowsy at the wheel, estimating the deceleration value of the preceding vehicle Vj, or estimating whether a pedestrian has run into the road. The learning device may, for example, use a decision tree or deep learning to make predictions, or use clustering to determine whether the current driving situation can be classified as abnormal.

[0067] Also, a flag may be set when it is determined that there is a high possibility that the preceding vehicle Vj will suddenly decelerate, and the time required for the determination may be reduced by using the flag.

[0068] Next, the setting of an assumed driving situation by the assumed situation setting unit 503 in the second embodiment will be described. When a lane change by a parallel running vehicle is assumed in the assumed situation, the position of the virtual vehicle Vs varies depending on the relative acceleration between the host vehicle Ve and the parallel running vehicle Vi, as shown in FIG. 12. Furthermore, when the relative acceleration and relative vehicle speed are taken into consideration, multiple lane change routes are possible depending on the conditions, as shown in FIG. 13. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the purpose is to create an avoidance area so that a vehicle Vi can be saved if a surrounding vehicle Vi is damaged by another vehicle Vj. Therefore, the assumed situation is considered not as an acceleration of the surrounding vehicle Vi, but as a relative deceleration or acceleration of the surrounding vehicle Vi with respect to the host vehicle Ve.

[0069] In the first embodiment, when the virtual vehicle setting unit 204 sets the virtual vehicle Vs, a fixed steering path for the vehicle Vi is assumed (more specifically, an avoidance path (steering avoidance) is calculated based on the position, speed, vehicle performance, etc. of the other vehicle, and the virtual vehicle is set on that avoidance path (steering avoidance)). However, in this embodiment, the virtual vehicle setting unit 504 calculates the steering path as an area, and narrows down the position of the virtual vehicle from within that area. As a specific example, since the steering path changes depending on the reaction time until the vehicle Vi starts avoidance and the steering angle at the time of avoidance, a path when a collision is avoided just in time and a path when a collision is avoided with ample time to spare are set as steering areas, and are set as setting candidates for the position of the virtual vehicle. In other words, based on the relative distance and relative speed between the other vehicles, the vehicle performance of the other vehicles, and the reaction time until the start of avoidance, an area between the upper and lower limits of a path along which the other vehicle may steer is calculated as a steering area, and is set as a setting candidate for the position of the virtual vehicle. Then, the position of the virtual vehicle is narrowed down from the set candidates (steering areas) based on the positions, vehicle speeds, accelerations, etc. of the vehicle Vi and the surrounding vehicles Vj. The position of the virtual vehicle may be determined by using the upper and lower ends of each steering area, or by weighting each route.

[0070] The virtual vehicle setting unit 504 updates the position of the virtual vehicle even after it has been set. The virtual vehicle is updated at each time step or when a trigger occurs, based on the driving conditions or assumed conditions at that time.

[0071] Next, a control method for a virtual vehicle will be described. In the first embodiment, when determining (discriminating) whether the host vehicle will leave the virtual vehicle in the front or rear direction, the target following distance d is calculated from (Equation 7) based on the moving distance required for the departure (the distance required for the host vehicle to move from the current host vehicle position to a position that satisfies the target following distance). * In the second embodiment, the cost calculation unit 508 calculates a movement cost that takes into consideration whether it is safer to leave ahead or leave behind, in addition to the movement distance, and the following distance calculation unit 505 determines the target following distance d * Determine.

[0072] This travel cost is, for example, a preset value v of the vehicle speed of the vehicle set by the vehicle occupant or the vehicle manager. l While satisfying the following, the rear departure distance d * b , forward departure distance d * f The movement cost of this rear departure is the time it takes for the vehicle to reach the target distance (the time it takes for the vehicle to move from its current position to a position that satisfies the target following distance). * b and the movement cost when leaving forward, c * f Based on this, β in (Equation 7) is changed to c * b ≦c * f The value is 1 when c * b >c * f The target tracking distance d is a binary variable that takes the value 0 when * can be calculated.

[0073] In addition to the travel cost, which represents the time or distance required for the host vehicle to move from its current position to a position that satisfies the target following distance, a safety cost, which represents the risk of collision with another vehicle while the host vehicle moves from its current position to a position that satisfies the target following distance, may be calculated by taking into account the braking distance, road gradient, road surface resistance, and vehicle performance, or by taking into account poor visibility due to rain or snow and wind speed. Another travel cost may be the cost of a control switch required to transition from the current control state of the host vehicle to a control state required to move to the target following distance. Here, the control state refers to whether the host vehicle is currently under constant speed control or deceleration control. The cost of the control switch is calculated based on the safety and time required for the switch, since if acceleration control is required to separate from the vehicle, and the host vehicle is currently under deceleration control, a switch from deceleration to acceleration is required. Furthermore, the travel direction may be changed by taking into account the amount of power consumed during acceleration and deceleration.

[0074] Thereafter, the control value calculation unit 206 calculates the target following distance d * Then, the control command value for vehicle control is calculated using (Equation 3), (Equation 8), and (Equation 9), and the control command value is output to the control management unit 507.

[0075] The HMI control unit 601 of the notification unit 600 receives from the control management unit 507 whether or not there is overlap with the virtual vehicle and the control command value, and depending on the strength of the value, notifies the occupant of the host vehicle Ve (visually) on a monitor 602 or the like. It is conceivable that the control command value and the movement distance up to the target following distance may be conveyed (audio) by a speaker 603, or that if control above a certain value is required, the haptic device 604 may be used to convey (sensibly) this.

[0076] [Third embodiment] In the first and second embodiments, a method for controlling a host vehicle relative to a virtual vehicle was described assuming that there are no vehicles ahead or behind the host vehicle's lane. In the third embodiment, a control method that takes into account both the virtual vehicle and the real vehicle when there are vehicles ahead or behind the host vehicle's lane will be described with reference to FIG. 14. The calculation of the position of the virtual vehicle and the moving distance d required to leave the virtual vehicle are performed.* b ,d * f The calculation of is as described in the first and second embodiments.

[0077] If a real vehicle exists, the safe distance d from the real vehicle is calculated by multiplying the relative speed between the real vehicle Vk on the own lane and the own vehicle Ve by the set value (threshold) TTC2 of the time until collision that can ensure safety set in advance by the vehicle occupant or vehicle manager. TTC2 Then, as shown in (Equation 11) and (Equation 12), for the forward departure (FIG. 14(b)) and the backward departure (FIG. 14(a)), the position of the host vehicle Ve* after departure is calculated as the safe distance d from the actual vehicle Vk. TTC2 Check that the following conditions are met. [Number 11] TIFF0007802636000011.tif770[number 12] TIFF0007802636000012.tif770

[0078] If both (Equation 11) and (Equation 12) are satisfied, the position with the lowest movement cost and safety cost calculated by the cost calculation unit 508 is set as the target following distance.

[0079] If either (Equation 11) or (Equation 12) is not satisfied, the position where the other is satisfied is set as the target tracking distance.

[0080] If neither (Equation 11) nor (Equation 12) is satisfied, the vehicle does not move to the position of the host vehicle Ve* at once, but moves to the relative target position x * e_b First, the vehicle gradually moves backward toward the safe distance d TTC2 Then, as the real vehicle Vk moves further backward in accordance with the deceleration of the host vehicle Ve, the host vehicle Ve can move further backward. By repeating this process, even if the real vehicle Vk is in the direction of departure from the virtual vehicle Vs, the host vehicle Ve can maintain the safe distance d TTC2 While maintaining the relative target position x* e_b You can move towards.

[0081] That is, when calculating the target following distance required for the host vehicle to separate from the virtual vehicle, the following distance calculation unit calculates the safe distance d TTC2 The target following distance that the vehicle will move to is calculated so as to maintain the safe distance d TTC2 is calculated based on the relative speed between the host vehicle and the other vehicle and the threshold value of the time until collision between the host vehicle and the other vehicle (TTC2).

[0082] When controlling the host vehicle Ve, a warning sound or a warning display, or both, is issued to vehicles around the host vehicle Ve before acceleration / deceleration control of the host vehicle Ve is carried out safely so that the actual vehicle Vk and surrounding vehicles Vi can understand.

[0083] [Fourth embodiment] In existing tracking control, the vehicle always follows the target vehicle backward, but in this embodiment, the vehicle can select either forward following or backward following for the target vehicle depending on the degree of overlap between the vehicle and the virtual vehicle, allowing the vehicle to safely escape from the overlap with the virtual vehicle. While forward departure or backward departure can be switched at each time, if the costs of forward departure and backward departure are similar, frequent switching between forward following and backward following may occur. Therefore, in the fourth embodiment, a method will be described in which switching of the following direction is suppressed when calculating the following distance at each time, and switching between forward following and backward following is only done when necessary.

[0084] Figure 15 shows the process of suppressing switching between forward and backward tracking. * Using this, the target tracking distance d * Moving average of d * m is taken as the horizontal axis, and the moving average d * m The target tracking distance d is calculated only when the absolute value of the logistic function g applied to exceeds the threshold ρ. * Switch the sign of (t), where t is the current time and t is the time interval. w Moving average d* m and moving average d * m The logistic function g is calculated using (Equation 13) and (Equation 14), respectively. [Number 13] TIFF0007802636000013.tif6116[number 14] TIFF0007802636000014.tif972

[0085] As a result, the following distance calculation unit uses the time-series target following distance to prevent frequent switching of acceleration and deceleration, and switches the target following distance only when necessary.

[0086] [Summary of the first to fourth embodiments] As described above, the vehicle control device 1 of this embodiment includes: a driving situation recognition unit 202 that recognizes the (current) driving situation of the host vehicle and a plurality of other vehicles; an assumed situation setting unit 203 that assumes a future driving situation based on the (current) driving situation recognized by the driving situation recognition unit 202; a virtual vehicle setting unit 204 that sets a virtual vehicle at the position of the future driving situation of another vehicle (a position on the driving lane of the host vehicle or on the host lane) that is driving parallel to the host vehicle among the plurality of other vehicles assumed by the assumed situation setting unit 203; a following distance calculation unit 205 that calculates the degree of overlap or relative distance between the host vehicle and the virtual vehicle based on the position of the virtual vehicle set by the virtual vehicle setting unit 204 and the current position of the host vehicle, and determines whether the host vehicle will depart in front of or behind the virtual vehicle depending on the degree of overlap or the relative distance, and determines a target following distance of the host vehicle relative to the virtual vehicle; and a control value calculation unit 206 that calculates an acceleration / deceleration control command value for the host vehicle depending on the target following distance.

[0087] The vehicle also includes a cost calculation unit 508 that calculates a cost including a movement cost that indicates the time or distance required for the host vehicle to move from its current position to a position that satisfies the target following distance, or a safety cost, such as a braking distance, that indicates the degree of risk of collision with the other vehicle until the host vehicle moves from its current position to a position that satisfies the target following distance, or both, and the following distance calculation unit 505 determines the target following distance based on the cost calculated by the cost calculation unit 508.

[0088] In addition, the following distance calculation unit 505 calculates target following distances when the host vehicle departs in front of the virtual vehicle (for example, by accelerating) and when the host vehicle departs behind the virtual vehicle (for example, by decelerating), based on the current position and vehicle length of the host vehicle and the position and vehicle length of the virtual vehicle, and determines the target following distance with the lowest cost calculated by the cost calculation unit 508.

[0089] In addition, when calculating the target following distance required for the host vehicle to separate from the virtual vehicle, the following distance calculation unit calculates the target following distance by which the host vehicle will move so as to maintain a safe distance from the other vehicle, which is calculated based on the relative speed between the host vehicle and the other vehicle and a threshold value (TTC2) of the time until collision between the host vehicle and the other vehicle.

[0090] Furthermore, the following distance calculation unit uses the time-series target following distance to switch the target following distance only when necessary, thereby suppressing frequent switching of acceleration and deceleration.

[0091] This embodiment is a preventive driving method from the viewpoint of a vehicle traveling around a collision avoidance entity so as to prevent the situation described in the above problem from occurring. Specifically, this is a vehicle control method in which the subject vehicle performs preventive driving in anticipation of collision avoidance between other vehicles, thereby creating the space necessary for the collision avoidance entity to avoid the collision, thereby supporting the avoidance of collision between other vehicles.

[0092] Existing technologies cannot control a vehicle relative to a vehicle that is not currently in the current location. Therefore, in this embodiment, a vehicle (virtual vehicle) that mimics the shape and performance of a real vehicle is installed in a simulation, and the situation of the virtual vehicle is changed according to the actual driving situation, and then the vehicle is controlled relative to the virtual vehicle, thereby enabling vehicle control that meets expectations. Furthermore, this embodiment proposes a method for calculating control command values ​​according to the degree of overlap between vehicles, which is unique to virtual vehicles. This allows for safer and more efficient transition to an ideal vehicle arrangement when traveling with multiple vehicles.

[0093] According to this embodiment, when multiple vehicles are traveling, the collision avoidance entity can create the space necessary for collision avoidance, and can assist other vehicles in avoiding collisions.

[0094] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those including all of the described configurations. Furthermore, it is possible to replace part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, or to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. Furthermore, it is possible to add, delete, or replace part of the configuration of each embodiment with other configurations.

[0095] Furthermore, the above-described configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, etc. may be partially or entirely implemented in hardware, for example, by designing them as integrated circuits. The above-described configurations, functions, etc. may also be implemented in software, with a processor interpreting and executing a program that implements each function. Information such as the programs, tables, and files that implement each function can be stored in a memory, a storage device such as a hard disk or SSD (Solid State Drive), or a recording medium such as an IC card, SD card, or DVD.

[0096] In addition, the control lines and information lines shown are those that are considered necessary for the explanation, and do not necessarily show all the control lines and information lines in the product. In reality, it can be assumed that almost all components are interconnected. [Explanation of symbols]

[0097] 1 Vehicle control device (first embodiment) 2 Vehicle control device (second embodiment) 100 Information transmission device 110 Sensors 121 Communication Device 200 Processing Equipment 201 Data Management Department 202 Driving situation recognition unit 203 Assumed situation setting section 204 Virtual vehicle setting section 205 Following distance calculation unit 206 Control value calculation unit 207 Control Management Department 300 Display 400 CAN 501 Data Management Department 503 Assumed situation setting section 504 Virtual vehicle setting section 505 Following distance calculation unit 507 Control Management Department 508 Cost Calculation Department 600 Notification Department Ve Vehicle Vs Virtual Vehicle

Claims

1. a driving situation recognition unit that recognizes driving situations of the subject vehicle and a plurality of other vehicles; an assumed situation setting unit that assumes a future driving situation based on the driving situation recognized by the driving situation recognition unit; a virtual vehicle setting unit that sets a virtual vehicle as the position of the future traveling situation of another vehicle running parallel to the host vehicle among the plurality of other vehicles assumed by the assumed situation setting unit, at a time when the parallel traveling vehicle running parallel to the host vehicle changes lanes into the traveling lane of the host vehicle and completes the lane change in order to avoid a collision with a preceding vehicle ahead of the parallel traveling vehicle or a pedestrian running in front of the parallel traveling vehicle; a following distance calculation unit that calculates the degree of overlap or relative distance between the host vehicle and the virtual vehicle based on the position of the virtual vehicle set by the virtual vehicle setting unit and the current position of the host vehicle, determines whether the host vehicle will depart in front of or behind the virtual vehicle according to the degree of overlap or the relative distance, and determines a target relative distance of the host vehicle to the virtual vehicle when the host vehicle departs in front of or behind the virtual vehicle; a control value calculation unit that calculates an acceleration / deceleration control command value for the host vehicle in accordance with the target relative distance.

2. 2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, a cost calculation unit that calculates a cost including a movement cost that indicates a time or distance required for the host vehicle to move from its current position to a position that satisfies the target relative distance, or a safety cost that indicates a level of risk of collision with the other vehicle until the host vehicle moves from its current position to a position that satisfies the target relative distance, The vehicle control device is characterized in that the following distance calculation unit determines the target relative distance based on the cost calculated by the cost calculation unit.

3. 3. The vehicle control device according to claim 2, the following distance calculation unit calculates target relative distances for when the host vehicle departs in front of the virtual vehicle and when the host vehicle departs behind the virtual vehicle based on the current position and vehicle length of the host vehicle and the position and vehicle length of the virtual vehicle, and determines the target relative distance with the lowest cost calculated by the cost calculation unit.

4. 2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, a vehicle control device characterized in that, when calculating the target relative distance required for the host vehicle to separate from the virtual vehicle, the following distance calculation unit calculates the target relative distance at which the host vehicle moves so as to maintain a safe distance from the other vehicle, the safe distance being calculated based on a relative speed between the host vehicle and the other vehicle and a threshold value for the time until a collision between the host vehicle and the other vehicle.

5. 2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, The vehicle control device is characterized in that the following distance calculation unit uses a time-series target relative distance to switch the target relative distance only when necessary, thereby suppressing frequent switching of acceleration and deceleration.

6. 2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, The vehicle control device is characterized in that the virtual vehicle setting unit calculates an avoidance route based on the position, speed and vehicle performance of the other vehicle, and sets the virtual vehicle on the avoidance route.

7. 2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, the virtual vehicle setting unit calculates, as a steering area, an area between an upper limit and a lower limit of a route along which the other vehicle may steer, based on the relative distance and relative speed between the other vehicles, the vehicle performance of the other vehicle, and the reaction time until the start of avoidance, and narrows down the position of the virtual vehicle from within the steering area based on the positions, vehicle speeds, and accelerations of the other vehicle and surrounding vehicles.

8. 2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, A vehicle control device characterized in that, even after the virtual vehicle has been set once, the virtual vehicle setting unit updates the position of the virtual vehicle at certain time steps or when a certain trigger occurs, based on the driving conditions or assumed conditions at that time.

9. 2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, The vehicle control device is characterized in that the assumed situation setting unit starts processing when the vehicle is under constant speed control and the other vehicle is traveling with the vehicle at a relative speed below a threshold and at a relative distance below a threshold for a certain period of time or more.

10. 2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, The vehicle control device is characterized in that the assumed situation setting unit narrows down cases for starting processing using a map or the vehicle speed of the other vehicle.

11. 2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, The vehicle control device is characterized in that the control value calculation unit starts acceleration / deceleration control after obtaining permission from a vehicle occupant or a vehicle operator of the host vehicle.

12. 2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, A vehicle control device characterized in that the vehicle speed setting value for constant speed control and the vehicle speed setting value for inter-vehicle distance control are set to different values ​​by a vehicle occupant or vehicle operator of the vehicle, or are set by referring to a speed limit from a map.

13. 2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, A vehicle control device characterized in that, before acceleration / deceleration control of the host vehicle, a warning sound or a warning display, or both, is issued to vehicles surrounding the host vehicle.

14. 2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, The vehicle control device is characterized in that the assumed situation setting unit calculates steering avoidance for the other vehicle by assuming a sudden deceleration of a vehicle in front of the other vehicle or a pedestrian running out into the other vehicle.

15. 2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, A vehicle control device comprising a display unit that displays the host vehicle, the other vehicle, and the virtual vehicle in a distinguishable manner.

Images