Vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and program

Abstract

To continue appropriate travelling control of one's own vehicle even when the trajectory of a preceding vehicle is deviated from that of the own vehicle.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device comprises: a recognition part that recognizes a lane boundary line and another vehicle present in a travel direction of one's own vehicle; a determination part that determines whether or not the recognized lane boundary line is deviated from a map lane boundary line based on map information stored in a storage part within a monitoring range; and a travel control part, when the deviation is determined to have occurred and the other vehicle is present within the monitoring range, selects either the lane boundary line or the map lane boundary line according to a traveling state of the other vehicle, and performs travel control of the vehicle according to the selected lane boundary line or map lane boundary line. The determination part sets reduction of the monitoring range when determining that the deviation, in which the lane width of the lane boundary line or the map lane boundary line increases, has occurred.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, efforts to provide access to sustainable transportation systems that take into consideration vulnerable transport participants have become more active. To achieve this, we are focusing on research and development into autonomous driving technology to further improve traffic safety and convenience.

[0003] Incidentally, in autonomous driving technology, there are cases where a preceding vehicle present in the traveling direction of the host vehicle is detected and the host vehicle is controlled to follow the detected preceding vehicle. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which, when lateral movement of the preceding vehicle is detected, it is determined whether following the preceding vehicle will result in a dangerous state, and if it is determined that following the preceding vehicle will not result in a dangerous state, the host vehicle is permitted to follow the preceding vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-49595 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] On the other hand, for example, if the lane width (e.g., the number of lanes) of the lane on which the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle are traveling widens, the lane in which the host vehicle should be traveling may differ from the lane in which the preceding vehicle is traveling. In this case, with conventional technology, when the host vehicle refers to the trajectory of the preceding vehicle to be followed, the road dividing line recognized by the camera may be pulled toward the lane in which the preceding vehicle is traveling, causing a deviation from the road dividing line recognized by map information. As a result, the host vehicle may deviate from the lane in which it should be traveling, or the level of autonomous driving may be unintentionally reduced.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a program that can continue to appropriately control the traveling of a vehicle even when the trajectory of a preceding vehicle deviates from that of the vehicle, thereby contributing to the development of a sustainable transportation system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The vehicle control device according to the present invention employs the following configuration. (1): A vehicle control device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a recognition unit that recognizes road dividing lines and other vehicles present in the direction of travel of the vehicle; a judgment unit that judges whether the recognized road dividing line and a map road dividing line based on map information stored in a memory unit have diverged within a monitoring range; and a driving control unit that, when it is judged that the divergence has occurred and the other vehicle is present in the monitoring range, selects the road dividing line or the map road dividing line in accordance with the driving state of the other vehicle and controls the driving of the vehicle in accordance with the selected road dividing line or the map road dividing line, and when it is judged that the divergence has occurred such that the lane width of the road dividing line or the map road dividing line has widened, sets the monitoring range to a smaller size.

[0008] (2): In the above aspect (1), the deviation in which the lane width of the road dividing line or the map road dividing line widens is a deviation that gradually widens from the near side of the vehicle to the far side in the direction of travel of the vehicle.

[0009] (3): In the above aspect (1), the judgment unit sets the monitoring range to be smaller when one of the left and right road dividing lines deviates from the corresponding map road dividing line in such a way that it widens in the direction of travel of the vehicle.

[0010] (4) In the above aspect (1), the determination unit changes the monitoring range in accordance with the speed of the vehicle.

[0011] (5): In the above aspect (4), when the judgment unit determines that a deviation has occurred that widens the lane width of the road dividing line or the map road dividing line, it sets the vertical distance of the monitoring range to a value smaller than the inter-vehicle distance set when the other vehicle is following the other vehicle.

[0012] (6): In the above aspect (5), when the judgment unit judges that a deviation has occurred that widens the lane width of the road dividing line or the map road dividing line, and when the vehicle speed is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the judgment unit sets the vertical distance of the monitoring range to a constant value.

[0013] (7): In the above aspect (1), the judgment unit judges whether the vehicle is located on a branch road or not, and if it judges that the vehicle is located on a branch road, it does not set the monitoring range to a small size even if it judges that a deviation has occurred such that the lane width of the road dividing line or the map road dividing line has widened.

[0014] (8): In another aspect of the present invention, a vehicle control method is provided in which a computer mounted on a vehicle recognizes road dividing lines and other vehicles present in the direction of travel of the vehicle, determines whether the recognized road dividing lines and map road dividing lines based on map information stored in a memory unit have diverged within a monitoring range, and if it is determined that a divergence has occurred and the other vehicle is present within the monitoring range, selects the road dividing line or the map road dividing line according to the driving state of the other vehicle, performs driving control of the vehicle according to the selected road dividing line or the map road dividing line, and, if it is determined that a divergence has occurred that would widen the lane width of the road dividing line or the map road dividing line, reduces the monitoring range.

[0015] (9): Another aspect of the present invention provides a program that causes a computer mounted on a vehicle to recognize road dividing lines and other vehicles in the direction of travel of the vehicle, determine whether the recognized road dividing lines and map road dividing lines based on map information stored in a memory unit have diverged within a monitoring range, and if it is determined that a divergence has occurred and the other vehicle is present within the monitoring range, select the road dividing line or the map road dividing line according to the driving state of the other vehicle, control the vehicle's driving according to the selected road dividing line or the map road dividing line, and, if it is determined that a divergence has occurred that would widen the lane width of the road dividing line or the map road dividing line, reduce the monitoring range. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to the above aspects (1) or (2), when the lane width of the road on which the vehicle is traveling widens, it is possible to prevent the road dividing line that follows the lane change movement of the preceding vehicle from being mistakenly recognized as correct.

[0017] According to the above aspect (3), when the number of lanes on the road on which the vehicle is traveling increases, it is possible to prevent the road dividing line that follows the lane change movement of the preceding vehicle from being mistakenly recognized as correct.

[0018] According to the above aspect (4), it is possible to appropriately set the range for determining the deviation between the camera road-dividing lines and the map road-dividing lines, which is required for driving control.

[0019] According to the above aspect (5), it is possible to prevent other vehicles from adversely affecting the driving control of the host vehicle during following travel.

[0020] According to the above aspect (6), it is possible to appropriately set the range of judgment for the deviation between the camera road dividing line and the map road dividing line required for driving control, while preventing other vehicles from adversely affecting the driving control of the vehicle during following driving.

[0021] According to the above aspects (1) to (8), even if the trajectory of the leading vehicle deviates from the host vehicle, it is possible to continue to appropriately control the traveling of the host vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle system using a vehicle control device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of a first control unit and a second control unit. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a correspondence relationship between a driving mode, a control state of a host vehicle, and a task. [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram for explaining a problem with the conventional technology that occurs when another vehicle changes lanes into another lane when the lane width increases; [Figure 5] 10 is a diagram showing an example of a monitoring range MR_2 obtained by changing the setting by the determining unit 132. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of travel control when a monitoring range MR_2 is set. [Figure 7] 10 is an example of a graph showing the relationship between the inter-vehicle distance of the ACC and the longitudinal distance of the monitoring range MR_2. [Figure 8] 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed by the automatic driving control device 100. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] Hereinafter, embodiments of a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a program according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0024] [Overall configuration] 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle system 1 that uses a vehicle control device according to an embodiment. The vehicle on which the vehicle system 1 is mounted may be, for example, a two-wheeled, three-wheeled, or four-wheeled vehicle, and its drive source may be an internal combustion engine such as a diesel engine or a gasoline engine, an electric motor, or a combination of these. The electric motor operates using power generated by a generator connected to the internal combustion engine, or discharged power from a secondary battery or a fuel cell.

[0025] The vehicle system 1 includes, for example, a camera 10, a radar device 12, a LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) 14, an object recognition device 16, a communication device 20, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 30, vehicle sensors 40, a navigation device 50, an MPU (Map Positioning Unit) 60, a driver monitor camera 70, a driving operator 80, an automatic driving control device 100, a driving force output device 200, a braking device 210, and a steering device 220. These devices and equipment are connected to each other via multiplexed communication lines such as a CAN (Controller Area Network) communication line, serial communication lines, a wireless communication network, etc. Note that the configuration shown in FIG. 1 is merely an example, and some of the configuration may be omitted, or other configurations may be added.

[0026] The camera 10 is, for example, a digital camera using a solid-state imaging element such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor). The camera 10 is attached to any location of a vehicle (hereinafter referred to as the host vehicle M) in which the vehicle system 1 is installed. When capturing an image of the front, the camera 10 is attached to the top of the front windshield, the back of the rearview mirror, or the like. The camera 10, for example, periodically and repeatedly captures images of the surroundings of the host vehicle M. The camera 10 may be a stereo camera.

[0027] The radar device 12 emits radio waves such as millimeter waves around the vehicle M and detects radio waves reflected by an object (reflected waves) to detect at least the position (distance and direction) of the object. The radar device 12 is attached to any location on the vehicle M. The radar device 12 may detect the position and speed of an object using an FM-CW (Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave) method.

[0028] The LIDAR 14 irradiates the surroundings of the vehicle M with light (or electromagnetic waves with wavelengths similar to light) and measures the scattered light. The LIDAR 14 detects the distance to the target based on the time between light emission and light reception. The irradiated light is, for example, pulsed laser light. The LIDAR 14 is attached to any location on the vehicle M.

[0029] The object recognition device 16 performs sensor fusion processing on the detection results from some or all of the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the LIDAR 14 to recognize the position, type, speed, etc. of the object. The object recognition device 16 outputs the recognition results to the automatic driving control device 100. The object recognition device 16 may output the detection results from the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the LIDAR 14 directly to the automatic driving control device 100. The object recognition device 16 may be omitted from the vehicle system 1.

[0030] The communication device 20 communicates with other vehicles in the vicinity of the vehicle M, for example, using a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, Bluetooth (registered trademark), DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication), etc., or communicates with various server devices via a wireless base station.

[0031] The HMI 30 presents various information to the occupants of the vehicle M and accepts input operations by the occupants. The HMI 30 includes various display devices, a speaker, a buzzer, a touch panel, switches, keys, and the like.

[0032] The vehicle sensor 40 includes a vehicle speed sensor that detects the speed of the host vehicle M, an acceleration sensor that detects acceleration, a yaw rate sensor that detects angular velocity around a vertical axis, a direction sensor that detects the direction of the host vehicle M, and the like.

[0033] The navigation device 50 includes, for example, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 51, a navigation HMI 52, and a route determination unit 53. The navigation device 50 stores first map information 54 in a storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or flash memory. The GNSS receiver 51 identifies the position of the vehicle M based on signals received from GNSS satellites. The position of the vehicle M may be identified or supplemented by an inertial navigation system (INS) that uses the output of the vehicle sensors 40. The navigation HMI 52 includes a display device, a speaker, a touch panel, keys, etc. The navigation HMI 52 may share some or all of the components with the HMI 30 described above. The route determination unit 53 determines, for example, a route (hereinafter, a map route) from the position of the vehicle M identified by the GNSS receiver 51 (or any input position) to a destination input by the occupant using the navigation HMI 52, with reference to the first map information 54. The first map information 54 is information that represents road shapes using, for example, links indicating roads and nodes connected by the links. The first map information 54 may also include information such as road curvature and POI (Point of Interest) information. The route on the map is output to the MPU 60. The navigation device 50 may provide route guidance using the navigation HMI 52 based on the route on the map. The navigation device 50 may be realized, for example, by the functions of a terminal device such as a smartphone or tablet device owned by the occupant. The navigation device 50 may transmit the current position and destination to a navigation server via the communication device 20 and obtain a route equivalent to the route on the map from the navigation server.

[0034] The MPU 60 includes, for example, a recommended lane determination unit 61, and stores second map information 62 in a storage device such as an HDD or flash memory. The recommended lane determination unit 61 divides the route on the map provided by the navigation device 50 into a plurality of blocks (for example, by dividing it into 100 m intervals in the vehicle travel direction), and determines a recommended lane for each block by referring to the second map information 62. The recommended lane determination unit 61 determines, for example, which lane from the left the vehicle should travel in. When there is a branch point on the route on the map, the recommended lane determination unit 61 determines a recommended lane so that the vehicle M can travel on a reasonable route to the branch point.

[0035] The second map information 62 is map information with higher accuracy than the first map information 54. The second map information 62 includes, for example, information on the centers of lanes or information on lane boundaries. The second map information 62 may also include road information, traffic regulation information, address information (address and postal code), facility information, telephone number information, information on prohibited sections where mode A or mode B, described below, is prohibited, and the like. The second map information 62 may be updated as needed by the communication device 20 communicating with another device.

[0036] The driver monitor camera 70 is, for example, a digital camera that uses a solid-state imaging element such as a CCD or CMOS. The driver monitor camera 70 is attached to any location on the vehicle M in a position and orientation that allows it to capture an image of the head of an occupant (hereinafter, driver) seated in the driver's seat of the vehicle M from the front (in an orientation that captures an image of the face). For example, the driver monitor camera 70 is attached to the top of a display device provided in the center of the instrument panel of the vehicle M.

[0037] The driving operators 80 include, for example, a steering wheel 82, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a shift lever, and other operators. The driving operators 80 are equipped with sensors that detect the amount of operation or the presence or absence of operation, and the detection results are output to the automatic driving control device 100 or some or all of the driving force output device 200, the brake device 210, and the steering device 220. The steering wheel 82 is an example of an "operator that accepts steering operation by the driver." The operator does not necessarily have to be annular and may be in the form of an irregular steering wheel, a joystick, a button, or the like. A steering grip sensor 84 is attached to the steering wheel 82. The steering grip sensor 84 is realized by a capacitance sensor or the like, and outputs a signal to the automatic driving control device 100 that can detect whether the driver is gripping the steering wheel 82 (meaning that the driver is in contact with the steering wheel in a state where force can be applied).

[0038] The automatic driving control device 100 includes, for example, a first control unit 120 and a second control unit 160. The first control unit 120 and the second control unit 160 are each realized by, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or an SOC (System On Chip), or may be realized by a combination of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device (a storage device having a non-transitory storage medium) such as a HDD or flash memory of the automatic driving control device 100, or may be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM, and installed in the HDD or flash memory of the automatic driving control device 100 by inserting the storage medium (non-transitory storage medium) into a drive device. The automatic driving control device 100 including the determination unit 132 and the correction unit 134 described below is an example of a "vehicle control device."

[0039] FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of the first control unit 120 and the second control unit 160. The first control unit 120 includes, for example, a recognition unit 130, a determination unit 132, an action plan generation unit 140, and a mode determination unit 150. The first control unit 120, for example, implements functions based on AI (Artificial Intelligence) and functions based on a predefined model in parallel. For example, the function of "recognizing intersections" may be implemented by executing intersection recognition using deep learning or the like and recognition based on predefined conditions (such as traffic lights and road markings that can be pattern-matched) in parallel, and then scoring and comprehensively evaluating both. This ensures the reliability of autonomous driving.

[0040] The recognition unit 130 recognizes the position, speed, acceleration, and other states of objects around the vehicle M based on information input from the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the LIDAR 14 via the object recognition device 16. The position of an object is recognized as a position on an absolute coordinate system with a representative point of the vehicle M (such as the center of gravity or the center of the drive shaft) as the origin, and is used for control. The position of an object may be represented by a representative point such as the center of gravity or a corner of the object, or may be represented by an area. The "state" of an object may include the acceleration or jerk of the object, or the "behavioral state" (for example, whether the object is changing lanes or is about to change lanes).

[0041] The recognition unit 130 also recognizes, for example, the lane in which the host vehicle M is traveling (driving lane). For example, the recognition unit 130 recognizes the driving lane by comparing, within a monitoring range (comparison range), a pattern of road dividing lines obtained from the second map information 62 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "map road dividing lines") with a pattern of road dividing lines around the host vehicle M recognized from an image captured by the camera 10 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "camera road dividing lines"). Here, the monitoring range may be the detection limit range of the recognition unit 130 or a portion of the detection limit range. If another vehicle is traveling within the monitoring range ahead of the host vehicle M, the recognition unit 130 may determine a camera road dividing line to compare with the map road dividing line by referring to the trajectory of the other vehicle. For example, the recognition unit 130 may determine, from among multiple dividing lines that are candidates for the camera road dividing line, a dividing line that is aligned in the trajectory (speed) direction of the other vehicle as the camera road dividing line.

[0042] The determination unit 132 of the recognition unit 130, for example, calculates the deviation between the camera-captured road lane markings and the map-captured road lane markings within the monitoring range, and if it determines that the calculated deviation is equal to or less than a predetermined value (i.e., if it determines that they match), it recognizes at least one of the map-captured road lane markings and the camera-captured road lane markings (or their midline, etc.) as a road lane marking that constitutes a driving lane. Here, the deviation may be, for example, the angle between the map-captured road lane markings and the camera-captured road lane markings, or the distance between the map-captured road lane markings and the camera-captured road lane markings. When calculating the distance between the map-captured road lane markings and the camera-captured road lane markings, for example, one or more representative points may be extracted from each of the map-captured road lane markings and the camera-captured road lane markings within the monitoring range, and the distance between these representative points may be used as the deviation. In this way, since the monitoring range is set for recognition processing required for executing autonomous driving or driving assistance, the determination unit 132 sets the monitoring range (particularly, the monitoring distance ahead in the direction of travel of the vehicle M) according to the speed of the vehicle M. More specifically, when the speed of the host vehicle M is high, the determination unit 132 sets a large monitoring range, whereas when the speed of the host vehicle M is low, the determination unit 132 sets a small monitoring range. Note that the recognition unit 130 may recognize the driving lane by recognizing road boundaries (road boundaries) including not only road dividing lines but also road dividing lines, shoulders, curbs, medians, guardrails, etc. This recognition may take into account the position of the host vehicle M acquired from the navigation device 50 and the processing results by the INS. In addition, the recognition unit 130 recognizes stop lines, obstacles, red lights, toll booths, and other road phenomena.

[0043] When recognizing the driving lane, the recognition unit 130 recognizes the position and attitude of the host vehicle M with respect to the driving lane. For example, the recognition unit 130 may recognize the deviation of the reference point of the host vehicle M from the center of the lane and the angle it forms with a line connecting the centers of the lanes in the traveling direction of the host vehicle M as the relative position and attitude of the host vehicle M with respect to the driving lane. Alternatively, the recognition unit 130 may recognize the position of the reference point of the host vehicle M with respect to either side edge of the driving lane (a road dividing line or a road boundary) as the relative position of the host vehicle M with respect to the driving lane.

[0044] The behavior plan generation unit 140 automatically (without driver input) generates a target trajectory for the host vehicle M to travel in the recommended lane determined by the recommended lane determination unit 61, and to avoid approaching any objects recognized by the recognition unit 130 (excluding objects that can be overcome, such as road dividing lines, road markings, and manholes). For example, the recognition unit 130 sets a risk area centered on the object whose status has been output, and within the risk area, the recognition unit 130 sets a risk as an index value indicating the degree to which the host vehicle M should not approach. The behavior plan generation unit 140 generates a target trajectory for the host vehicle M to avoid passing through points where the risk is equal to or greater than a predetermined value and to travel within the recognized travel lane. Because some objects are moving, the risk distribution is not one per control cycle, but is set for multiple future time points, taking into account the future position of the object predicted based on the object's speed. For example, the target trajectory is expressed as a sequential list of points (trajectory points) to be reached by the host vehicle M. The trajectory points are points that the host vehicle M should reach at every predetermined travel distance (for example, about several meters) along the road, and separately, the target speed and target acceleration are generated as part of the target trajectory at every predetermined sampling time (for example, about a few tenths of a second). The trajectory points may also be positions that the host vehicle M should reach at every predetermined sampling time. In this case, the information on the target speed and target acceleration is expressed as the interval between the trajectory points.

[0045] In this embodiment, when the determination unit 132 determines that the map road dividing line and the camera road dividing line match on at least one side, the behavior plan generation unit 140 generates a target trajectory for the host vehicle M to travel along (at least taking into consideration) the matched map road dividing line and camera road dividing line. As an example, the behavior plan generation unit 140 generates a target trajectory for traveling to a point shifted a predetermined distance from the matched map road dividing line and camera road dividing line. Also, for example, when the behavior plan generation unit 140 determines that the map road dividing line and the camera road dividing line match on both sides, the behavior plan generation unit 140 generates a target trajectory based on the midline of the map road dividing line or camera road dividing line on both sides.

[0046] Furthermore, in this embodiment, if the determination unit 132 determines that a deviation has occurred between the camera-captured road lane markings and the map-captured road lane markings (this includes both cases where a mismatch has been determined and cases where a deviation has occurred even though a mismatch has not been determined), the behavior plan generation unit 140 selects either the camera-captured road lane markings or the map-captured road lane markings and generates a target trajectory so that the host vehicle M travels along (at least taking into consideration) the selected camera-captured road lane markings or the map-captured road lane markings. For example, if a deviation has occurred between the camera-captured road lane markings and the map-captured road lane markings on one side and another vehicle is traveling in the monitoring range ahead of the host vehicle M, the behavior plan generation unit 140 selects either the camera-captured road lane markings or the map-captured road lane markings depending on the traveling state (trajectory, speed, etc.) of the other vehicle. As an example, the behavior plan generation unit 140 calculates the angle difference between the trajectory (speed) of the other vehicle and the camera-captured road lane markings and the map-captured road lane markings, selects the lane marking with the smaller angle difference, and uses it to generate the target trajectory.

[0047] The behavior plan generation unit 140 may set an autonomous driving event when generating the target trajectory. The autonomous driving events include a constant speed driving event, a low-speed following driving event, a lane change event, a branching event, a merging event, a takeover event, etc. The behavior plan generation unit 140 generates a target trajectory according to the activated event.

[0048] The mode determination unit 150 determines the driving mode of the host vehicle M to be one of a plurality of driving modes that assign different tasks to the driver. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the correspondence between the driving modes, the control state of the host vehicle M, and the tasks. The driving modes of the host vehicle M include, for example, five modes, Mode A to Mode E. The control state, i.e., the degree of automation of the driving control of the host vehicle M, is Mode A, which is the highest, followed by Mode B, Mode C, and Mode D, with Mode E being the lowest. Conversely, the tasks assigned to the driver are Mode A, which is the lightest, followed by Mode B, Mode C, and Mode D, with Mode E being the most severe. Note that Modes D and E are non-autonomous driving control states, and therefore the autonomous driving control device 100 is responsible for terminating control related to autonomous driving and transitioning to driving assistance or manual driving. The contents of each driving mode are exemplified below.

[0049] In Mode A, the vehicle is in an autonomous driving state, and the driver is not required to monitor the road ahead or grip the steering wheel 82 (in the figure, gripping the steering wheel). However, even in Mode A, the driver is required to be in a position where he or she can quickly switch to manual driving in response to a request from a system centered on the automatic driving control device 100. Note that, as used herein, "automatic driving" refers to control of both steering and acceleration / deceleration without driver input. "Ahead" refers to the space in the direction of travel of the host vehicle M, as viewed through the front windshield. Mode A is a driving mode that can be implemented, for example, on a motorway such as an expressway, when certain conditions are met, such as the host vehicle M traveling at a predetermined speed (e.g., approximately 50 km / h) or less and there is a vehicle ahead to be followed, and is sometimes referred to as TJP (Traffic Jam Pilot). If these conditions are no longer met, the mode determination unit 150 changes the driving mode of the host vehicle M to Mode B.

[0050] In mode B, the vehicle is in a driving assistance state, and the driver is tasked with monitoring the area ahead of the vehicle M (hereinafter referred to as forward monitoring), but is not tasked with holding the steering wheel 82. In mode C, the vehicle is in a driving assistance state, and the driver is tasked with monitoring the area ahead and holding the steering wheel 82. Mode D is a driving mode that requires some degree of driver operation for at least one of steering and acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle M. For example, in mode D, driving assistance such as ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) and LKAS (Lane Keeping Assist System) is provided. Mode E is a manual driving state in which the driver must perform both steering and acceleration / deceleration operations. In both mode D and mode E, the driver is naturally tasked with monitoring the area ahead of the vehicle M.

[0051] The driving modes are not limited to those illustrated in FIG. 3 and may be defined by other definitions. For example, among driving modes that require both forward monitoring and gripping the steering wheel, there may be driving modes with lenient thresholds for determining that the steering wheel is being gripped and driving modes with stricter thresholds. More specifically, driving modes may be defined such that in one driving mode, it is sufficient for the driver to have either the left or right hand touching the steering wheel 82, while in another driving mode that imposes a heavier task on the driver, the driver must grip the steering wheel 82 with both hands with a strength equal to or greater than a threshold. Driving modes that differ in the severity of the tasks imposed on the driver may be defined in any other way.

[0052] The automatic driving control device 100 (and the driving assistance device (not shown)) executes an automated lane change according to the driving mode. There are two types of automated lane changes: a system-requested automated lane change (1) and a driver-requested automated lane change (2). The automated lane change (1) is an automated lane change for overtaking, which is performed when the speed of the vehicle ahead is slower than the speed of the vehicle itself by a standard or more, and an automated lane change for proceeding toward the destination (an automated lane change due to a change in the recommended lane). The automated lane change (2) is a lane change in which, when conditions related to the speed and the positional relationship with surrounding vehicles are met and the driver operates the turn signal, the vehicle M changes lanes in the direction of the operation.

[0053] In mode A, the automatic driving control device 100 does not perform either automated lane change (1) or (2). In modes B and C, the automatic driving control device 100 performs either automated lane change (1) or (2). In mode D, the driving assistance device (not shown) does not perform automated lane change (1), but performs automated lane change (2). In mode E, neither automated lane change (1) nor (2) is performed.

[0054] When the driver does not perform a task related to the determined driving mode (hereinafter, the current driving mode), the mode determination unit 150 changes the driving mode of the vehicle M to a driving mode with a more severe task.

[0055] For example, in mode A, if the driver is in a position where he or she cannot switch to manual driving in response to a request from the system (for example, if the driver continues to look away from the road outside the allowable area or if a sign of driving difficulty is detected), the mode determination unit 150 uses the HMI 30 to prompt the driver to switch to manual driving, and if the driver does not comply, the mode determination unit 150 performs control such as pulling the host vehicle M to the shoulder of the road and gradually stopping it, and stopping the automatic driving. After the automatic driving is stopped, the host vehicle enters a state of mode D or E, and the host vehicle M can be started by manual operation by the driver. The same applies below to "stopping automatic driving." In mode B, if the driver is not monitoring the road ahead, the mode determination unit 150 performs control such as prompting the driver to monitor the road ahead using the HMI 30, and if the driver does not comply, pulling the host vehicle M to the shoulder of the road and gradually stopping it, and stopping the automatic driving. In mode C, if the driver is not monitoring the road ahead or is not gripping the steering wheel 82, the mode determination unit 150 uses the HMI 30 to prompt the driver to monitor the road ahead and / or grip the steering wheel 82, and if the driver does not comply, the mode determination unit 150 controls the vehicle M to move to the shoulder of the road and gradually stop, thereby terminating automatic driving.

[0056] The mode determination unit 150 further monitors the driver's state for the above-mentioned mode change and determines whether the driver's state is appropriate for the task. For example, the mode determination unit 150 analyzes the image captured by the driver monitor camera 70 and performs posture estimation processing to determine whether the driver is in a position that prevents them from switching to manual driving in response to a request from the system. In addition, the driver state determination unit 152 analyzes the image captured by the driver monitor camera 70 and performs line-of-sight estimation processing to determine whether the driver is monitoring the road ahead.

[0057] Furthermore, in this embodiment, if the determination unit 132 determines that the map road dividing lines and the camera road dividing lines do not match, the mode determination unit 150 changes the driving mode of the host vehicle M to a driving mode with a more difficult task. For example, if the mode determination unit 150 determines that the map road dividing lines and the camera road dividing lines do not match on both sides while the host vehicle M is traveling in a driving mode (mode A or mode B) that does not require gripping the steering wheel, the mode determination unit 150 changes the driving mode to mode C or lower. If the determination unit 132 determines that the map road dividing lines and the camera road dividing lines do not match on only one side, the mode determination unit 150 may downgrade the driving mode or may continue the current driving mode based on the matched map road dividing lines and camera road dividing lines.

[0058] The mode determination unit 150 further performs various processes for changing the mode. For example, the mode determination unit 150 instructs the action plan generation unit 140 to generate a target trajectory for stopping on the shoulder of the road, instructs a driving assistance device (not shown) to operate, and controls the HMI 30 to prompt the driver to take action.

[0059] The second control unit 160 controls the traveling driving force output device 200, the braking device 210, and the steering device 220 so that the host vehicle M passes through the target trajectory generated by the action plan generation unit 140 at the scheduled time.

[0060] Returning to FIG. 2, the second control unit 160 includes, for example, an acquisition unit 162, a speed control unit 164, and a steering control unit 166. The acquisition unit 162 acquires information on the target trajectory (trajectory points) generated by the action plan generation unit 140 and stores it in a memory (not shown). The speed control unit 164 controls the driving force output device 200 or the brake device 210 based on a speed element associated with the target trajectory stored in the memory. The steering control unit 166 controls the steering device 220 according to the curvature of the target trajectory stored in the memory. The processing of the speed control unit 164 and the steering control unit 166 is realized by, for example, a combination of feedforward control and feedback control. As an example, the steering control unit 166 executes a combination of feedforward control according to the curvature of the road ahead of the host vehicle M and feedback control based on the deviation from the target trajectory.

[0061] The driving force output device 200 outputs a driving force (torque) for the vehicle to travel to the drive wheels. The driving force output device 200 includes, for example, a combination of an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, a transmission, etc., and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that controls these. The ECU controls the above components according to information input from the second control unit 160 or information input from the driving operator 80.

[0062] Braking device 210 may include, for example, a brake caliper, a cylinder that transmits hydraulic pressure to the brake caliper, an electric motor that generates hydraulic pressure in the cylinder, and a brake ECU. The brake ECU controls the electric motor according to information input from second control unit 160 or information input from driving operation device 80, so that a brake torque corresponding to the braking operation is output to each wheel. Braking device 210 may include a backup mechanism that transmits hydraulic pressure generated by operation of a brake pedal included in driving operation device 80 to the cylinder via a master cylinder. Note that braking device 210 is not limited to the configuration described above, and may also be an electronically controlled hydraulic brake device that controls an actuator according to information input from second control unit 160 to transmit hydraulic pressure from a master cylinder to the cylinder.

[0063] The steering device 220 includes, for example, a steering ECU and an electric motor. The electric motor applies a force to a rack and pinion mechanism to change the direction of the steered wheels. The steering ECU drives the electric motor in accordance with information input from the second control unit 160 or information input from the driving operator 80 to change the direction of the steered wheels.

[0064] [Processing when lane width increases] As described above, the determination unit 132 compares the map road dividing lines with the camera road dividing lines within the monitoring range, and if it determines that the map road dividing lines and the camera road dividing lines do not match, the mode determination unit 150 changes the driving mode of the host vehicle M to a driving mode with a more difficult task. However, in the prior art, as an example, when the number of lanes on the road on which the host vehicle M is traveling increases and another vehicle traveling ahead of the host vehicle M changes lanes to one of the lanes on the increased side, the recognition unit 130 may refer to the traveling state (trajectory, speed, etc.) of the other vehicle and mistakenly recognize the road dividing lines of the increased lane as the camera road dividing lines of the host vehicle's lane, and use them for comparison with the map road dividing lines.

[0065] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating a problem with the conventional technology that occurs when another vehicle changes lanes into another lane when the lane width increases. In Figure 4, the symbol CL represents the camera road dividing line, the symbol ML represents the map road dividing line, the symbol AL represents the actual road dividing line, the symbol MR represents the monitoring range of the camera road dividing line CL and the map road dividing line ML, the symbols L1 and L2 represent lanes, and the symbol M1 represents another vehicle traveling ahead of the host vehicle M. Figure 4 illustrates a situation in which another vehicle M1 traveling in lane L1 changes lanes from lane L1 to lane L2 as the number of lanes increases.

[0066] As shown in FIG. 4, when another vehicle M1 changes lanes from lane L1 to lane L2, the trajectory (speed) of the other vehicle M1 is directed toward the real road dividing line AL_2 of lane L2 rather than the real road dividing line AL_1 of lane L1. In other words, the angle difference between the trajectory (speed) of the other vehicle M1 and the real road dividing line AL_2 of lane L2 is smaller than the angle difference between the trajectory (speed) of the other vehicle M1 and the real road dividing line AL_1 of lane L1. As another example, when a lane change generally occurs, the real road dividing line AL_1 of the source lane may become less clear (depicted as a dotted line in FIG. 4) than the real road dividing line AL_2 of the destination lane. Therefore, the recognition unit 130 may refer to the trajectory of the other vehicle M1 and recognize the real road dividing line AL_2 of lane L2 as the camera road dividing line, rather than the real road dividing line AL_1 of lane L1, which should actually be recognized as the camera road dividing line. In response, the determination unit 132 calculates the angle difference α between the recognized camera road dividing line CL and the map road dividing line ML as a deviation and determines that the camera road dividing line CL and the map road dividing line ML do not match. If the determination unit 132 determines that the camera road dividing line CL and the map road dividing line ML do not match, the mode determination unit 150 changes the driving mode of the host vehicle M to a driving mode with a more severe task, or, even if the driving mode of the host vehicle M is maintained, the behavior plan generation unit 140 may generate a target trajectory based on the camera road dividing line CL that is closer to the trajectory (speed) of the other vehicle M1 out of the camera road dividing line CL and the map road dividing line ML where the deviation occurred. As a result, for example, a driving mode that does not require gripping the steering wheel (mode A or mode B) may be downgraded to a driving mode that requires gripping the steering wheel (mode C or lower), or the behavior of the host vehicle M may deviate from the straight path AL_S that the host vehicle should have selected, causing discomfort to the occupants.

[0067] Based on the above circumstances, when the determination unit 132 determines that a deviation has occurred between the camera road lane line CL and the map road lane line ML in the monitoring range MR, it determines whether the deviation is a deviation such that the lane width of the camera road lane line CL or the map road lane line ML widens. As an example, the determination unit 132 determines whether, with respect to the traveling direction of the host vehicle M, a deviation has occurred in which the lane width of the camera road lane line CL or the map road lane line ML gradually widens from the near side toward the far side. Here, "gradually widens" means, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, that the recognized camera road lane line CL continuously widens outward. As another example, the determination unit 132 determines whether, with respect to the traveling direction of the host vehicle M, the camera road lane line CL (the right road lane line in FIG. 4) deviates so as to widen outward from the map road lane line ML. As yet another example, the determination unit 132 may refer to the second map information 62 and determine whether the current location is a location where the lane width increases.

[0068] When the determination unit 132 determines that the deviation is a deviation such that the lane width of the camera road lane line CL or the map road lane line ML widens, it obtains the monitoring range MR_2 after the setting change by changing the setting so that the monitoring range MR becomes smaller. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the monitoring range MR_2 obtained by the setting change by the determination unit 132. As shown in FIG. 5, the determination unit 132 sets the monitoring range MR_2 to be smaller than the monitoring range MR with respect to the traveling direction of the host vehicle M. As described above, since the determination unit 132 sets the monitoring range MR_2 according to the speed of the host vehicle M, for example, the determination unit 132 sets the vertical distance of the monitoring range MR_2 from the distance corresponding to the front X seconds to the distance corresponding to the front Y seconds (where Y < X).

[0069] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of driving control when a monitoring range MR_2 is set. FIG. 6 illustrates driving control of the host vehicle M after the determination unit 132 sets the monitoring range MR_2 in FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 5, the other vehicle M1 is excluded from the monitoring range MR_2. Therefore, the recognition unit 130 recognizes the actual road dividing line AL_1 of the lane L1 without referring to the driving state of the other vehicle M1 traveling ahead of the host vehicle M. Therefore, the determination unit 132 determines that the camera road dividing line CL and the map road dividing line ML match on both sides, and the mode determination unit 150 continues the current driving mode. For example, if the host vehicle M is traveling in a driving mode (mode A or mode B) that does not require steering, the mode determination unit 150 continues the driving mode. This allows the host vehicle M to continue appropriate driving control even if the trajectory of the leading vehicle deviates from the host vehicle.

[0070] 4 to 6, an increase in lane width is expressed as an increase in the number of lanes from one lane to two lanes, as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and an increase in lane width may be an increase in the number of lanes from multiple lanes to multiple lanes, or an increase in the width of a single lane.

[0071] [Processing when ACC is executed] When the autonomous driving or driving assistance of the driving modes A to D described above is applied, the ACC described above may be executed in the host vehicle M. The ACC is a driving control in which the host vehicle M follows another vehicle M1 while maintaining a fixed inter-vehicle distance from the other vehicle M1. Therefore, in order to enable a change in the setting of the monitoring range MR even when the ACC is being executed, the determination unit 132 sets the longitudinal distance of the monitoring range MR_2 to a value smaller than the inter-vehicle distance defined in the ACC.

[0072] FIG. 7 is an example of a graph showing the relationship between the inter-vehicle distance of the ACC and the longitudinal distance of the monitoring range MR_2. In FIG. 7, the vertical axis represents distance [m], and the horizontal axis represents speed [kph]. As shown in FIG. 7, when the speed of the host vehicle M is equal to or greater than v1, the determination unit 132 sets the longitudinal distance of the monitoring range MR_2 to a value smaller than the inter-vehicle distance of the ACC. The longitudinal distance of the monitoring range MR_2 is set to a constant value d1 when the speed of the host vehicle M is equal to or less than v2. This is because setting the longitudinal distance of the monitoring range MR_2 smaller than the constant value adversely affects the accuracy of comparison between the camera road-dividing line CL and the map road-dividing line ML, which is required for autonomous driving or driving assistance. Therefore, when the speed of the host vehicle M is less than v1, the longitudinal distance of the monitoring range MR_2 is set to a value greater than the ACC inter-vehicle distance. However, since the speed of the host vehicle M is low at this time, even if the camera road dividing line CL is misrecognized due to the influence of a preceding vehicle and the host vehicle M is steered in a direction different from the intended direction, the driver can easily resolve the problem, for example, by steering the vehicle himself.

[0073] [Conflict with branching process] In this way, when the determination unit 132 determines that a deviation that increases the lane width has occurred, it resets the monitoring range, but when the host vehicle M travels on a branching road, although the branching road includes an increase in lane width at its starting point, it applies control different from the logic according to the present invention. Therefore, even when the determination unit 132 determines that a deviation that increases the lane width has occurred, it determines whether the current location is located on a branching road, for example, by referring to the second map information 62, and if it determines that the current location is located on a branching road, it does not reset the monitoring range.

[0074] Next, the flow of processing executed by the automatic driving control device 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed by the automatic driving control device 100. The processing of the flowchart shown in Fig. 8 is repeatedly executed while the host vehicle M is traveling in any one of the driving modes A to D described above, for example.

[0075] First, the recognition unit 130 recognizes the camera road dividing line present in the traveling direction of the host vehicle M (step S100). Next, the determination unit 132 determines whether or not a deviation has occurred between the recognized camera road dividing line and the map road dividing line (step S102). If it is determined that no deviation has occurred between the recognized camera road dividing line and the map road dividing line, the determination unit 132 returns the process to step S100. On the other hand, if it is determined that a deviation has occurred between the recognized camera road dividing line and the map road dividing line, the determination unit 132 determines whether or not the deviation is expanding from the near side to the far side in the traveling direction of the host vehicle M (step S104).

[0076] If it is determined that the deviation that has occurred is not expanding from the short distance side to the long distance side in the traveling direction of the host vehicle M, the determination unit 132 returns the process to step S100. On the other hand, if it is determined that the deviation that has occurred is expanding from the short distance side to the long distance side in the traveling direction of the host vehicle M, the determination unit 132 determines whether or not the current position is located on a branch road (step S106). If it is determined that the current position is located on a branch road, the determination unit 132 returns the process to step S100. On the other hand, if it is determined that the current position is not located on a branch road, the determination unit 132 sets the monitoring range MR to be smaller (step S108). This ends the process of this flowchart.

[0077] In the above flowchart, the order of steps S104 and S106 may be reversed, and the processes of steps S102 and S104 may be executed simultaneously.

[0078] According to the present embodiment described above, if a deviation occurs in the monitoring range such that the lane width of the camera road-dividing line or the map road-dividing line widens, the monitoring range is set to be smaller. This allows appropriate driving control of the host vehicle to continue even if the trajectory of the leading vehicle deviates from the host vehicle.

[0079] The above-described embodiment can be expressed as follows. a storage medium for storing computer-readable instructions; a processor connected to the storage medium; The processor executes the computer-readable instructions to: Recognize road markings and other vehicles in the direction of travel of the vehicle. determining whether or not the recognized road dividing line and the map road dividing line based on the map information stored in the storage unit have deviated within the monitoring range; When it is determined that the deviation has occurred and the other vehicle is present in the monitoring range, the road dividing line or the map road dividing line is selected in accordance with the traveling state of the other vehicle, and traveling control of the vehicle is performed in accordance with the selected road dividing line or the map road dividing line. When it is determined that the deviation has occurred such that the lane width of the road dividing line or the map road dividing line has widened, the monitoring range is set to be smaller. Vehicle control device.

[0080] The above describes the form for carrying out the present invention using an embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and various modifications and substitutions can be made within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0081] 10 Camera 12 Radar equipment 14 LIDAR 16 Object recognition device 100 Automatic driving control device 120 First Control Section 130 Recognition part 132 Judgment section 140 Action Plan Generation Unit 150 Mode determination unit 160 Second Control Section

Claims

1. a recognition unit that recognizes road dividing lines and other vehicles present in the traveling direction of the vehicle; a determination unit that determines whether or not the recognized road dividing line and a map road dividing line based on map information stored in a storage unit have deviated within a monitoring range; a driving control unit that, when it is determined that the deviation has occurred and the other vehicle is present in the monitoring range, selects the road dividing line or the map road dividing line in accordance with the driving state of the other vehicle, and controls driving of the vehicle in accordance with the selected road dividing line or the map road dividing line, the determination unit sets the monitoring range to a smaller size when it determines that the deviation has occurred such that only one of the lane widths of the road dividing line and the map road dividing line has widened. Vehicle control device.

2. The deviation in which only one of the lane widths of the road dividing line or the map road dividing line increases is a deviation that gradually increases from a closer side to a farther side in the traveling direction of the vehicle. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 .

3. the determination unit sets the monitoring range to be small when one of the left and right road dividing lines deviates from the corresponding map road dividing line so as to widen in the traveling direction of the vehicle; The vehicle control device according to claim 1 .

4. The determination unit changes the monitoring range in accordance with the vehicle speed. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 .

5. When it is determined that the deviation has occurred such that only one of the lane widths of the road dividing line or the map road dividing line has widened, the determination unit sets the longitudinal distance of the monitoring range to a value smaller than the inter-vehicle distance set when the other vehicle is following the other vehicle. The vehicle control device according to claim 4.

6. the determination unit determines that the deviation has occurred such that only one of the lane widths of the road dividing line or the map road dividing line has widened, and when the vehicle speed of the vehicle is equal to or less than a predetermined value, sets the longitudinal distance of the monitoring range to a constant value. The vehicle control device according to claim 5.

7. the determination unit determines whether the vehicle is located on a branching road, and when it determines that the vehicle is located on a branching road, does not set the monitoring range to a small value even when it determines that a deviation has occurred such that only one of the lane widths of the road dividing line or the map road dividing line has widened. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 .

8. The vehicle's on-board computer Recognize road markings and other vehicles in the direction of travel of the vehicle. determining whether or not the recognized road dividing line and the map road dividing line based on the map information stored in the storage unit have deviated within the monitoring range; When it is determined that the deviation has occurred and the other vehicle is present in the monitoring range, the road dividing line or the map road dividing line is selected in accordance with the traveling state of the other vehicle, and traveling control of the vehicle is performed in accordance with the selected road dividing line or the map road dividing line. When it is determined that the deviation has occurred such that only one of the lane widths of the road dividing line or the map road dividing line is widening, the monitoring range is set to be small. Vehicle control method.

9. The vehicle's onboard computer Recognize road markings and other vehicles in the vehicle's direction of travel, determining whether or not the recognized road dividing line and a map road dividing line based on map information stored in a storage unit have deviated within a monitoring range; When it is determined that the deviation has occurred and the other vehicle is present in the monitoring range, the road dividing line or the map road dividing line is selected in accordance with the traveling state of the other vehicle, and driving control of the vehicle is performed in accordance with the selected road dividing line or the map road dividing line; When it is determined that the deviation has occurred such that only one of the lane widths of the road dividing line and the map road dividing line has widened, the monitoring range is set to be smaller. program.

Images