Vehicle control system

Abstract

To control travel of an own vehicle by predicting deceleration of a forward vehicle more appropriately when an interrupting vehicle interrupts in front of the forward vehicle which travels in front of the own vehicle.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device 1 comprises an interrupting detection part 12 which detects an interrupting vehicle VA which interrupts in front of a forward vehicle VG, a deceleration prediction part 13 which predicts whether or not deceleration generates in the forward vehicle VG, and a travel control part 14 which performs acceleration suppression control or deceleration control of the own vehicle V if it is predicted that the deceleration generates. The deceleration prediction part 13 predicts that the deceleration generates on the forward vehicle VG if speed difference subtracting speed of the interrupting vehicle VA from speed of the forward vehicle VG is prescribed interrupting speed threshold value or more and moreover vehicular gap between the interrupting vehicle VA and the forward vehicle VG is prescribed interrupting distance threshold value or less.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle control device that controls the travel of a host vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] A vehicle may cut into the lane on which the host vehicle is traveling from an adjacent lane. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a device that performs deceleration control of the host vehicle when a vehicle that cuts in between the leading vehicle immediately in front of the host vehicle and the host vehicle is detected.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Here, for example, a vehicle may cut in front of a leading vehicle traveling ahead of the host vehicle on the host vehicle lane. Due to this cut-in, the leading vehicle may decelerate, and the host vehicle may also need to decelerate. However, the device described in Patent Document 1 mentioned above is configured to perform control based on a vehicle that cuts in between the host vehicle and the leading vehicle. Therefore, it is difficult for this device to handle a vehicle that cuts in front of the leading vehicle.

[0005] Therefore, the present disclosure will describe a vehicle control device that can more appropriately predict the deceleration of a leading vehicle and control the travel of the host vehicle when an interrupting vehicle cuts in front of the leading vehicle traveling ahead of the host vehicle.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure is a vehicle control device that controls the driving of a vehicle based on a vehicle cutting in from an adjacent lane into the vehicle's lane, comprising: a forward vehicle recognition unit that recognizes a vehicle in front of the vehicle; an interruption detection unit that detects a vehicle cutting in from an adjacent lane in front of a vehicle traveling in front of the vehicle on the vehicle's lane based on the recognition result of the forward vehicle recognition unit; a deceleration prediction unit that predicts whether or not deceleration will occur in the vehicle in front based on the speed difference and distance between the vehicle in front and the interruption vehicle detected by the interruption detection unit; and a driving control unit that performs acceleration suppression control or deceleration control of the vehicle when the deceleration prediction unit predicts that deceleration will occur, wherein the deceleration prediction unit predicts that deceleration will occur in the vehicle in front if the speed difference obtained by subtracting the speed of the interruption vehicle from the speed of the vehicle in front is greater than or equal to a predetermined interruption speed threshold, and the distance between the interruption vehicle and the vehicle in front is less than or equal to a predetermined interruption distance threshold.

[0007] In the above-described vehicle control device, the vehicle ahead is composed of multiple vehicles traveling in a line along the direction of extension of the own lane, and the deceleration prediction unit may reduce the interrupt speed threshold or increase the interrupt distance threshold when there are many vehicles making up the vehicle ahead compared to when there are few vehicles. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to one aspect of this disclosure, when a vehicle cuts in front of a vehicle traveling ahead of the vehicle itself, it is possible to more appropriately predict the deceleration of the vehicle ahead and control the driving of the vehicle itself. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a vehicle control device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating how a vehicle cuts in front of the vehicle ahead. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of interrupt control processing performed in response to an interrupting vehicle. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The following describes exemplary embodiments with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, identical or equivalent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations are omitted.

[0011] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the vehicle control device 1 controls the driving of its own vehicle V based on an interrupting vehicle VA that cuts in from an adjacent lane L2 onto the vehicle's own lane L1. The vehicle V can automatically drive by following the vehicle in front. The vehicle V may be an autonomous driving vehicle capable of driving automatically.

[0012] Here, in the vehicle's own lane L1, a preceding vehicle VG is traveling in front of the vehicle V. In this embodiment, the preceding vehicle VG is composed of a first preceding vehicle V1, a second preceding vehicle V2, and a third preceding vehicle V3, which are traveling side by side along the extending direction of the vehicle's own lane L1. The first preceding vehicle V1 is traveling directly in front of the vehicle V. The second preceding vehicle V2 is traveling directly in front of the first preceding vehicle V1. The third preceding vehicle V3 is traveling directly in front of the second preceding vehicle V2. The cutting vehicle VA cuts in front of the preceding vehicle VG from the adjacent lane L2, for example, to overtake a vehicle VB traveling on the adjacent lane L2.

[0013] In this embodiment, the example will be given where the front vehicle VG consists of three vehicles. However, the number of vehicles constituting the front vehicle VG is not limited to three. The front vehicle VG may consist of only one vehicle. When the front vehicle VG consists of only one vehicle, that vehicle becomes both the leading vehicle and the trailing vehicle of the front vehicle VG.

[0014] The vehicle control device 1 comprises an external sensor 2, an actuator 3, and an ECU 4 (Electronic Control Unit). The external sensor 2 is a detector that detects targets around the vehicle V. The external sensor 2 may include, for example, at least one of a camera, millimeter-wave radar, or lidar (light detection and ranging). The actuator 3 is a controller for controlling the speed of the vehicle V. The actuator 3 may include, for example, an actuator that controls the output of an engine or motor, or a brake actuator.

[0015] The ECU4 is an electronic control unit having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The ECU4 performs various functions, for example, by loading a program recorded in ROM into RAM and executing the program loaded into RAM with the CPU. The ECU4 may be composed of multiple electronic units. Functionally, the ECU4 includes a forward vehicle recognition unit 11, an interrupt detection unit 12, a deceleration prediction unit 13, and a driving control unit 14.

[0016] The forward vehicle recognition unit 11 recognizes vehicles ahead of the vehicle V. In this embodiment, the forward vehicle recognition unit 11 recognizes vehicles traveling in the vehicle's own lane L1 and adjacent lane L2 ahead of the vehicle V based on the detection results of the external sensor 2. In the example shown in Figure 2, the forward vehicle recognition unit 11 recognizes at least the forward vehicle VG (first preceding vehicle V1, second preceding vehicle V2, and third preceding vehicle V3) and the interrupting vehicle VA. The forward vehicle recognition unit 11 is not limited to recognizing vehicles ahead based on the detection results of the external sensor 2. For example, the forward vehicle recognition unit 11 may recognize vehicles ahead by performing vehicle-to-vehicle communication with surrounding vehicles.

[0017] In addition, the front vehicle recognition unit 11 recognizes the vehicle type of the recognized vehicle. Here, the front vehicle recognition unit 11 recognizes at least the vehicle type of the cut-in vehicle VA traveling on the adjacent lane L2.

[0018] Based on the recognition result of the front vehicle recognition unit 11, the cut-in detection unit 12 detects a cut-in vehicle that cuts in from the adjacent lane L2 in front of the front vehicle traveling in front of the host vehicle V on the host lane L1. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the cut-in detection unit 12 detects the cut-in vehicle VA that cuts in front of the front vehicle VG. For example, the cut-in detection unit 12 can determine whether a vehicle cuts in based on a well-known technique. For example, the cut-in detection unit 12 may perform the cut-in determination based on the recognition result of the vehicle traveling on the adjacent lane L2 and the recognition result of the white line. For example, the cut-in detection unit 12 may perform the cut-in determination using the recognition result of the vehicle traveling on the adjacent lane L2 and the map information.

[0019] When the cut-in vehicle VA cuts in front of the front vehicle VG, the deceleration prediction unit 13 predicts whether deceleration will occur in the front vehicle VG. Here, the greater the speed difference between the cut-in vehicle VA and the leading vehicle (the third leading vehicle V3) of the front vehicle VG and the shorter the inter-vehicle distance, the higher the possibility that the trailing vehicle (the first leading vehicle V1) of the front vehicle VG will decelerate. Therefore, the deceleration prediction unit 13 predicts whether deceleration will occur in the front vehicle VG based on the speed difference and the inter-vehicle distance between the front vehicle VG traveling in front of the host vehicle V on the host lane L1 and the cut-in vehicle VA detected by the cut-in detection unit 12.

[0020] More specifically, when the following conditions (1) and (2) are satisfied, the deceleration prediction unit 13 predicts that deceleration will occur in the front vehicle VG. Condition (1): The speed difference obtained by subtracting the speed of the cut-in vehicle VA from the speed of the front vehicle VG is equal to or greater than a predetermined cut-in speed threshold. Condition (2): The inter-vehicle distance between the cut-in vehicle VA and the front vehicle VG is equal to or less than a predetermined cut-in distance threshold.

[0021] In condition (1), the speed of the leading vehicle VG compared with the speed of the interrupting vehicle VA is the speed of the leading vehicle (the third leading vehicle V3) of the leading vehicle VG. Also, in condition (2), the inter-vehicle distance between the interrupting vehicle VA and the leading vehicle VG is the distance along the extending direction of the own lane L1 between the interrupting vehicle VA and the leading vehicle (the third leading vehicle V3) of the leading vehicle VG. The deceleration prediction unit 13 can obtain the speeds of the interrupting vehicle VA and the leading vehicle VG by a well-known method based on the recognition result of the leading vehicle recognition unit 11. Also, the deceleration prediction unit 13 can obtain the inter-vehicle distance between the interrupting vehicle VA and the leading vehicle VG by a well-known method based on the recognition result of the leading vehicle recognition unit 11.

[0022] Here, there may be a case where the inter-vehicle distance between the rearmost vehicle (the first leading vehicle V1) of the leading vehicle VG and the own vehicle V is long. In this case, even if the rearmost vehicle decelerates rapidly, the own vehicle V may not need to decelerate, or the deceleration may be such that the occupant (such as the driver) of the own vehicle V does not feel it as a rapid deceleration.

[0023] For this reason, in addition to the above conditions (1) and (2), the deceleration prediction unit 13 can further predict whether deceleration occurs in the leading vehicle VG in consideration of the following condition (3). That is, the deceleration prediction unit 13 can predict that deceleration occurs in the leading vehicle VG when all of the above conditions (1) and (2) and the following condition (3) are satisfied. Condition (3): The inter-vehicle distance between the leading vehicle VG and the own vehicle V is less than or equal to a predetermined forward distance threshold.

[0024] In condition (3), the inter-vehicle distance between the leading vehicle VG and the own vehicle V is the distance along the extending direction of the own lane L1 between the rearmost vehicle (the first leading vehicle V1) of the leading vehicle VG and the own vehicle V. The deceleration prediction unit 13 can obtain the inter-vehicle distance between the leading vehicle VG and the own vehicle V by a well-known method based on the recognition result of the leading vehicle recognition unit 11.

[0025] The deceleration prediction unit 13 may also predict whether or not deceleration will occur in the preceding vehicle VG by using the TTC [Time-To-Collision] between the preceding vehicle VG and the intercepting vehicle VA. Here, by using TTC, the above condition (1) regarding speed and the above condition (2) regarding distance can be combined and expressed as the following condition (4). In other words, the above conditions (1) and (2) and the following condition (4) have the same meaning. Condition (4): The TTC between the preceding vehicle VG and the cutting vehicle VA is below a predetermined TTC threshold.

[0026] Note that the TTC between the leading vehicle VG and the intercepting vehicle VA is the TTC between the leading vehicle of the leading vehicle VG (third preceding vehicle V3) and the intercepting vehicle VA. The deceleration prediction unit 13 predicts that deceleration will occur in the leading vehicle VG if the above condition (4) is met instead of the above conditions (1) and (2). In addition, the deceleration prediction unit 13 may also consider the above condition (3) in addition to the above condition (4) to predict whether or not deceleration will occur in the leading vehicle VG.

[0027] Furthermore, if the interrupting vehicle VA is a large vehicle, the interruption process takes longer, making it more likely that the preceding vehicle VG will decelerate. For this reason, the deceleration prediction unit 13 can change the threshold values ​​of each of the above conditions so that when the interrupting vehicle VA is large, it is more likely to predict that deceleration will occur in the preceding vehicle VG compared to when the vehicle is small.

[0028] Here, the deceleration prediction unit 13 reduces the interrupt speed threshold in condition (1) above, increases the interrupt distance threshold in condition (2) above, and increases the forward distance threshold in condition (3) above, compared to the case where the vehicle class of the vehicle ahead VG is large, when the vehicle class is large. In addition, when using condition (4) above, the deceleration prediction unit 13 increases the TTC threshold. Here, the deceleration prediction unit 13 may set each threshold according to whether the vehicle class of the interrupting vehicle VA is a large vehicle or a regular vehicle that is smaller than a large vehicle.

[0029] Furthermore, for example, within the preceding vehicle VG, the further back a vehicle is, the slower its reaction becomes to deceleration caused by an intervening vehicle VA in the leading vehicle. This becomes more pronounced the larger the number of vehicles in the preceding vehicle VG. Therefore, the deceleration prediction unit 13 can change the threshold values ​​of each of the above conditions so that when the number of vehicles constituting the preceding vehicle VG is large, it is easier to predict that deceleration will occur in the preceding vehicle VG compared to when the number of vehicles is small.

[0030] Here, the deceleration prediction unit 13, when there are many vehicles constituting the preceding vehicle VG, reduces the interrupt speed threshold in condition (1) above, increases the interrupt distance threshold in condition (2) above, and increases the forward distance threshold in condition (3) above, compared to when there are few vehicles. In addition, when using condition (4) above, the deceleration prediction unit 13 increases the TTC threshold.

[0031] The driving control unit 14 performs acceleration suppression control or deceleration control of the vehicle V when the deceleration prediction unit 13 predicts that deceleration will occur. As acceleration suppression control, the driving control unit 14 prohibits the acceleration of the vehicle V. As deceleration control, the driving control unit 14 decelerates the vehicle V. For example, the driving control unit 14 can perform acceleration suppression control or deceleration control by transmitting a control signal to the actuator 3.

[0032] For example, the driving control unit 14 may perform deceleration control such that the deceleration ratio increases as the speed difference between the preceding vehicle VG and the interrupting vehicle VA in condition (1) above increases. For example, the driving control unit 14 may perform deceleration control such that the deceleration ratio increases as the distance between the interrupting vehicle VA and the preceding vehicle VG in condition (2) above decreases. For example, the driving control unit 14 may perform deceleration control such that the deceleration ratio increases as the distance between the preceding vehicle VG and the vehicle V in condition (3) above decreases.

[0033] Next, the flow of the interrupt control process performed by the vehicle control device 1 when an interrupting vehicle VA interrupts the preceding vehicle VG will be explained using the flowchart in Figure 3. In the process shown in Figure 3, once the process reaches its end, the process will start again from the beginning after a predetermined time. It is assumed that the preceding vehicle VG is located in front of the vehicle V. Also, for the example shown here, it is assumed that the vehicle V is automatically following the vehicle traveling directly in front of it (the first preceding vehicle V1 in the example shown in Figure 2).

[0034] As shown in Figure 3, the forward vehicle recognition unit 11 recognizes the vehicle in front of its own vehicle V (S101). The interruption detection unit 12 detects whether there is an interrupting vehicle VA that will cut in from the adjacent lane L2 in front of the forward vehicle VG (S102). If there is no interrupting vehicle VA (S102: NO), the vehicle control device 1 starts processing from the start after a predetermined time. If there is an interrupting vehicle VA (S102: YES), the deceleration prediction unit 13 performs processing to predict whether or not deceleration will occur in the forward vehicle VG based on the above conditions (S103). The deceleration prediction unit 13 determines whether or not deceleration is predicted to occur (S104). If deceleration is not predicted to occur (S104: NO), the vehicle control device 1 starts processing from the start after a predetermined time.

[0035] If deceleration is predicted to occur (S104: YES), the driving control unit 14 executes acceleration suppression control or deceleration control (S105). The driving control unit 14 then determines whether the control termination condition has been met (S106). The control termination condition here can be defined as the last vehicle of the preceding vehicle VG (first preceding vehicle V1) not decelerating within a predetermined time after the interruption of the interrupting vehicle VA occurs, or the last vehicle of the preceding vehicle VG (first preceding vehicle V1) starting to accelerate.

[0036] If the control termination condition is not met (S106: NO), the driving control unit 14 executes the process in S105 until the control termination condition is met. When the control termination condition is met (S106: YES), the driving control unit 14 terminates the acceleration suppression control or deceleration control. As a result, the vehicle V resumes automatic driving control that follows the vehicle driving directly in front of it. After that, the vehicle control device 1 starts processing from the start after a predetermined time.

[0037] As described above, the vehicle control device 1 detects the interruption of an interrupting vehicle VA that cuts in front of the preceding vehicle VG traveling ahead of its own vehicle V, and performs acceleration suppression control or deceleration control of its own vehicle V. At that time, the deceleration prediction unit 13 predicts the occurrence of deceleration of the preceding vehicle VG based on the speed difference between the preceding vehicle VG and the interrupting vehicle VA and the distance between the interrupting vehicle VA and the preceding vehicle VG, as described in conditions (1) and (2) above. As a result, when an interrupting vehicle VA cuts in front of the preceding vehicle VG, the vehicle control device 1 can more appropriately predict the deceleration of the preceding vehicle VG and control the driving of its own vehicle V.

[0038] Furthermore, the deceleration prediction unit 13 also takes into account the distance between the vehicle ahead VG (first preceding vehicle V1) and the vehicle itself V, as described in condition (3) above, to predict when the vehicle ahead VG will decelerate. Here, if the distance between the vehicle ahead VG (first preceding vehicle V1) and the vehicle itself V is long, it is possible that the vehicle itself does not need to decelerate. For this reason, the vehicle control device 1 can more appropriately predict when the vehicle ahead VG will decelerate by using the distance between the vehicle ahead VG and the vehicle itself V.

[0039] The deceleration prediction unit 13 modifies the threshold values ​​for each of the above conditions so that when the intercepting vehicle VA is large in size, it is more likely to predict that deceleration will occur in the preceding vehicle VG compared to when the vehicle size is small. As a result, the deceleration prediction unit 13 can more appropriately predict the occurrence of deceleration in the preceding vehicle VG by taking into account the likelihood of deceleration occurring in the preceding vehicle VG depending on the size of the intercepting vehicle VA.

[0040] The deceleration prediction unit 13 modifies the threshold values ​​for each of the above conditions when there are many vehicles ahead (VG) compared to when there are few vehicles ahead, so that it is easier to predict that deceleration will occur in the vehicles ahead (VG). As a result, the deceleration prediction unit 13 can more appropriately predict the occurrence of deceleration in the vehicles ahead (first preceding vehicle V1) by taking into account that the reaction of vehicles further back in the VG ahead to the deceleration performed by the leading vehicle becomes slower. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0041] 1...Vehicle control device, 11...Forward vehicle recognition unit, 12...Interruption detection unit, 13...Deceleration prediction unit, 14...Driving control unit, L1...Own lane, L2...Adjacent lane, V...Own vehicle, VA...Interrupting vehicle, VG...Forward vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle control device that controls the movement of the vehicle in response to a vehicle cutting in from an adjacent lane into the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, The aforementioned forward vehicle recognition unit recognizes a vehicle in front of the vehicle, Based on the recognition results of the forward vehicle recognition unit, an interruption detection unit detects an interrupting vehicle that is cutting in from an adjacent lane in front of a vehicle traveling ahead of the vehicle in its own lane, A deceleration prediction unit predicts whether or not deceleration will occur in the vehicle ahead, based on the speed difference and distance between the vehicle ahead and the vehicle cutting in, and the distance between the vehicle ahead and the vehicle itself. When the deceleration prediction unit predicts that deceleration will occur, the driving control unit performs acceleration suppression control or deceleration control of the vehicle, Equipped with, The deceleration prediction unit predicts that deceleration will occur in the preceding vehicle if the speed difference obtained by subtracting the speed of the cutting vehicle from the speed of the leading vehicle of the preceding vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined cutting speed threshold, the distance between the cutting vehicle and the leading vehicle of the preceding vehicle is equal to or less than a predetermined cutting distance threshold, and the distance between the last vehicle of the preceding vehicle and the vehicle itself is equal to or less than a predetermined forward distance threshold. The deceleration prediction unit is a vehicle control device that reduces the interrupt speed threshold or increases the interrupt distance threshold as the number of vehicles constituting the preceding vehicle increases.

2. The aforementioned forward vehicle recognition unit recognizes the vehicle class of the vehicle that cut in, The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the deceleration prediction unit reduces the interruption speed threshold or increases the interruption distance threshold as the vehicle class of the interrupting vehicle increases.

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the driving control unit performs the deceleration control such that the degree of deceleration increases as the speed difference between the leading vehicle of the preceding vehicle and the intercepting vehicle increases.

4. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the driving control unit performs the deceleration control such that the degree of deceleration increases as the distance between the interrupting vehicle and the leading vehicle of the preceding vehicle decreases.

5. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the driving control unit performs the deceleration control such that the degree of deceleration increases as the distance between the last vehicle of the preceding vehicle and the vehicle itself decreases.

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