Control device, control method

Abstract

To provide a control device of a vehicle that executes control for making the vehicle perform lane change and executes processing with high feasibility of the lane change.SOLUTION: A control device is configured to perform: processing of determining whether or not a space necessary for lane change of a vehicle to an adjacent lane is secured in response to a request for the lane change of the vehicle to the adjacent lane; processing for operating a direction indicator of the vehicle when no necessary space is secured; and processing for starting the lane change of the vehicle to the adjacent lane by automatic drive when the necessary space is secured.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This disclosure relates to vehicle control, and more particularly to control for changing lanes. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, various technologies have been proposed for controlling vehicle lane changes as part of autonomous driving and driver assistance functions.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle control device that performs the following: a process of determining whether or not a lane change is possible based on the recognition result of an external environment recognition means; a process of generating a straight lane change path from the current driving lane to the destination lane at an angle corresponding to the vehicle's speed; a process of executing a lane change of the vehicle along the generated lane change path if it is determined that a lane change is possible; and a process of determining whether or not to continue the lane change at the timing when the vehicle has moved a predetermined distance laterally from its position before the lane change was started.

[0004] In addition, the following Patent Document 2 is a document that demonstrates the level of technology in this field. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-123151 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-039688 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] As disclosed in Patent Document 1, in control systems for changing vehicle lanes, the feasibility of a lane change is determined based on the recognition of the current surrounding environment. Conventionally, if it is determined that a lane change is impossible, the execution of the lane change is interrupted.

[0007] Interrupting a lane change would contradict the autonomous driving system's or the driver's desire to perform a lane change. Therefore, if there is a high probability that a lane change will be interrupted in response to a lane change request, it could lead to a decrease in autonomous driving functionality and usability.

[0008] One of the purposes of this disclosure is, in light of the above-mentioned challenges, to provide a technology that offers a high probability of successfully changing lanes for vehicle lane changes. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The first aspect of this disclosure relates to a control device for controlling a vehicle.

[0010] The control device according to this disclosure is configured to perform the following actions upon receiving a request for a vehicle to change lanes to an adjacent lane: determining whether or not the necessary space for the lane change can be secured in the adjacent lane; activating the vehicle's turn signal if the necessary space cannot be secured; and starting the vehicle's lane change to the adjacent lane by automated driving when the necessary space can be secured.

[0011] The second aspect of this disclosure relates to a control method for controlling a vehicle.

[0012] The control method according to the present disclosure includes, upon receiving a request for a vehicle to change lanes to an adjacent lane, determining whether a space necessary for the lane change can be secured in the adjacent lane; when the necessary space cannot be secured, operating a direction indicator of the vehicle; and when the necessary space can be secured, starting a lane change of the vehicle to the adjacent lane by automatic driving.

Effects of the Invention

[0013] According to the present disclosure, when a space necessary for a lane change cannot be secured in an adjacent lane that is the target of the lane change, the direction indicator of the vehicle operates, and the intention to start a lane change is notified to a following vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane. As a result, it can be expected that the following vehicle will travel so as to secure the necessary space. Then, when the necessary space can be secured, the lane change is started. Thus, according to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide control with a high possibility of executing a lane change.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014] [Figure 1] It is a diagram for explaining the configuration of a control device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 2] It is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a lane change process executed by a control device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 3] It is a diagram for explaining the conditions for executing a process of notifying the intention to start a lane change. [Figure 4] It is a diagram showing an example of a process executed by a processor according to the present embodiment. [Figure 5] It is a diagram showing an example of an embodiment of the present embodiment.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0016] 1. Configuration Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the control device 100 according to this embodiment. The control device 100 is a computer that performs processing related to vehicle control. For example, the control device 100 is composed of one or more ECUs (Electronic Control Units) installed in the vehicle. However, the control device 100 may be an external device of the vehicle, a computer that controls the vehicle through communication. Hereinafter, the vehicle that is the target of control by the control device 100 will be referred to as "the vehicle itself".

[0017] The control device 100 is connected to communicate with the surrounding environment detection sensor 210, the driving state detection sensor 220, the communication device 300, the driving operation device 400, the HMI device 500, and the actuator 600. For example, the control device 100 is connected to these devices via an in-vehicle network consisting of CAN (Control Area Network) or the like.

[0018] The surrounding environment detection sensor 210 detects the surrounding environment of the vehicle (surrounding vehicles, pedestrians, lanes, etc.) and outputs information about the detected object. Examples of the surrounding environment detection sensor 210 include a camera, millimeter-wave radar, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), etc. In this embodiment, the surrounding environment detection sensor 210 includes sensors arranged to detect vehicles traveling in adjacent lanes. For example, the surrounding environment detection sensor 210 includes a plurality of LiDARs arranged on the front side and rear side of the vehicle.

[0019] The driving state detection sensor 220 detects and outputs the driving state of the vehicle (vehicle speed, acceleration, yaw rate, etc.). Examples of the driving state detection sensor 220 include a wheel speed sensor and an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit).

[0020] The communication device 300 communicates with devices outside the vehicle to send and receive information. Examples of the communication device 300 include devices that communicate with servers on the Internet via a mobile communication network, devices that communicate with infrastructure or surrounding vehicles, and GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receivers. Examples of information that the communication device 300 receives include map information, road traffic information, and GNSS location information.

[0021] The driving control device 400 is a device that receives driving input from the driver of the vehicle. Examples of the driving control device 400 include a gas pedal, brake pedal, steering wheel, etc.

[0022] The HMI device 500 provides Human-Machine Interface (HMI) functionality. Examples of HMI 500 include displays, speakers, switches, indicators, etc.

[0023] The actuator 600 operates according to a control signal received from the control device 100. Examples of actuators 600 include actuators involved in the operation of a power unit (internal combustion engine, electric motor, etc.), actuators involved in the operation of a braking mechanism, actuators involved in the operation of a steering mechanism, and so on. In this embodiment, the actuator 600 also includes an actuator involved in the operation of the vehicle's turn signals (for example, a relay switch).

[0024] The control device 100 includes one or more processors 110 (hereinafter simply referred to as processor 110) and one or more storage devices 120 (hereinafter simply referred to as storage devices 120). The processor 110 executes various processes and generates control signals. The processor 110 can be configured as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) including, for example, an arithmetic unit and registers. The storage device 120 is coupled with the processor 110 and stores various information necessary for the execution of the processor 110's processes. The storage device 120 can be configured as a recording medium such as ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), etc.

[0025] The storage device 120 stores a computer program 121, surrounding environment information 123, and vehicle driving status information 124.

[0026] The computer program 121 consists of multiple instructions 122 and is stored on a computer-readable recording medium. The processor 110 operates according to the multiple instructions 122, thereby enabling the execution of various processes by the processor 110.

[0027] The surrounding environment information 123 is information acquired from the surrounding environment detection sensor 210. Furthermore, the surrounding environment information 123 may also include information acquired from the communication device 300. The vehicle driving status information 124 is information acquired from the driving status detection sensor 220.

[0028] 2. Processing The control device 100 (more specifically, the processor 110) according to this embodiment is configured to receive a request to change lanes to an adjacent lane (hereinafter simply referred to as a "lane change request") and execute a process (hereinafter simply referred to as a "lane change process") to change its own vehicle to an adjacent lane through autonomous driving. The control device 100 may be configured to execute the lane change process as part of the autonomous driving function, or it may be configured to execute the lane change process as a driver assistance function. When the lane change process is executed as part of the autonomous driving function, the control device 100 is configured to acquire the lane change request as a driving decision related to autonomous driving, for example. When the lane change process is executed as a driver assistance function, the control device 100 is configured to acquire the lane change request when the driver performs a predetermined operation of the HMI device 500, for example.

[0029] The lane change process performed by the control device 100 will be described below.

[0030] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the lane change process executed by the control device 100. In Figure 2, the lane change process consists of a surrounding environment recognition process P100, an LC control decision process P200, and a control process P300.

[0031] In the surrounding environment recognition process P100, the control device 100 recognizes the surrounding environment of its own vehicle based on the surrounding environment information 123. For example, the control device 100 recognizes the driving lane and adjacent lanes, recognizes the position of its own vehicle relative to the driving lane and adjacent lanes, recognizes vehicles traveling in adjacent lanes, etc. In particular, in the surrounding environment recognition process P100, the control device 100 acquires the driving status of vehicles traveling in adjacent lanes. For example, the control device 100 recognizes vehicles traveling in adjacent lanes and acquires the distance between vehicles and relative speed for each recognized vehicle.

[0032] In the LC control decision process P200, the control device 100 makes a decision on whether to control the lane change request based on the vehicle's driving state information 124 and the recognition results from the surrounding environment recognition process P100. Then, in the control process P300, the control device 100 executes processing according to the decision result from the LC decision process P200 and generates a control signal.

[0033] More specifically, the control device 100 makes a control decision in the LC decision process P200 and executes the process in the control process P300 as follows.

[0034] First, the control device 100 determines whether the space necessary for the lane change (hereinafter referred to as "necessary space") can be secured in the adjacent lane to which the lane change will take place. The necessary space can be determined, for example, by the distance between the preceding vehicle at the lane change destination (hereinafter simply referred to as "preceding vehicle") and the following vehicle at the lane change destination (hereinafter simply referred to as "following vehicle"). In this case, the distance used to determine the necessary space may be variable depending on the speed of the vehicle itself or the line of vehicles at the lane change destination. Alternatively, the necessary space can also be determined by the TTC (Time to Collision) between the vehicle itself, the following vehicle, and the preceding vehicle.

[0035] If sufficient space is available, the control device 100 determines the start of a lane change in the LC determination process P200. At this time, in the control process P300, the control device 100 executes the LC execution process P310. By executing the LC execution process P310, the control device 100 generates and outputs a control signal to change its own vehicle to an adjacent lane. For example, the control device 100 performs a process to generate a driving path related to the lane change, and a process to calculate control amounts related to acceleration, braking, and steering so that the vehicle drives along the generated driving path. The LC execution process P310 may employ preferred known technologies. By operating the actuator 600 according to the control signal generated in the LC execution process P310, the vehicle's lane change to an adjacent lane by automated driving is realized.

[0036] On the other hand, if the necessary space cannot be secured, in the LC determination process P200, the control device 100 decides to execute a notification to the following vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane that indicates the intention to start a lane change. At this time, in the control process P300, the control device 100 executes the LC intention notification process P320. In this embodiment, the notification is made by activating the turn signal of the vehicle itself. That is, by executing the LC intention notification process P320, the control device 100 generates and outputs a control signal that activates the turn signal in the direction of the adjacent lane to which the lane change will be taken. By executing the notification in this way, it is possible to prompt the following vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane to secure the necessary space. As a result, it can be expected that the following vehicle will drive in a way that secures the necessary space (for example, by slowing down).

[0037] Furthermore, in the LC intention notification process P320, the control device 100 may be configured to control the vehicle to move towards the adjacent lane in the driving lane, either simultaneously with the operation of the turn signal or after a certain period of time has elapsed. By moving the vehicle towards the adjacent lane to which the lane change is to be initiated, in addition to the operation of the turn signal, the intention to start a lane change can be communicated more strongly to the following vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane.

[0038] Even while the LC intention notification process P320 is being executed, the control device 100 may be configured to determine at predetermined intervals whether the necessary space has been secured. When the necessary space has been secured, the control device 100 executes the LC execution process 310. In this way, according to this embodiment, the feasibility of performing a lane change can be increased by executing the LC intention notification process P320.

[0039] Furthermore, the control device 100 may be configured to execute the LC intention notification process P320 on condition that the inter-vehicle distance and the relative speed between the host vehicle, the following vehicle, and the preceding vehicle are within a predetermined value range. Here, the predetermined value range is given so that it can be expected that the necessary space can be secured smoothly by the execution of the LC intention notification process P320.

[0040] FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the range of predetermined values. (A) of FIG. 3 shows an example of the range of predetermined values related to the following vehicle 21, and (B) of FIG. 3 shows an example of the range of predetermined values related to the preceding vehicle 22.

[0041] As shown in (A) of FIG. 3, the range of predetermined values related to the following vehicle 21 is defined by the inter-vehicle distance d b being greater than a predetermined value ΔD bmn , the relative speed v b -v h being less than a predetermined value ΔV bmx , and the TTC being greater than a predetermined value T blm . The inter-vehicle distance d b being greater than a predetermined value ΔD bmn ensures that the notification by the execution of the LC intention notification process P320 functions effectively. For example, ΔD bmn is the lower limit of the inter-vehicle distance d b at which the driver of the following vehicle 21 can confirm the operation of the direction indicator of the host vehicle 10. The relative speed v b -v h being less than a predetermined value ΔV bmx and the TTC being greater than a predetermined value T blm ensure that the driver of the following vehicle 21 is not burdened or anxious with excessive driving operations.

[0042] As shown in (B) of FIG. 3, the range of predetermined values related to the preceding vehicle 22 is defined by the inter-vehicle distance d f being greater than a predetermined value ΔD fmn , the relative speed v f -v h being greater than a predetermined value ΔV fmn , and the TTC being greater than a predetermined value T flmIt is defined as being greater than d. Following distance d f is a predetermined value ΔD fmn Being larger ensures that there is sufficient space between the vehicle 10 and the preceding vehicle 22. Relative speed v f ―v h is a predetermined value ΔV fmn It is greater than and TTC is a predetermined value T flm Being larger ensures sufficient time for the following vehicle 21 to take action and secure the necessary space. Ultimately, this ensures that the driver of the vehicle 10 is not subjected to excessive anxiety.

[0043] Note that in Figure 3, the predetermined value is ΔD bmn ΔD fmn , ΔV bmx , ΔV fmn , T blm , and T flm This may be provided as suitable depending on the environment in which this embodiment is applied.

[0044] In this way, by setting the execution of the LC intent notification process P320 as a condition that the distance and relative speed between the vehicle itself and the following vehicle 21 and the preceding vehicle 22 fall within a predetermined range, it is possible to prevent the execution of the LC intent notification process P320 even when it is not possible to smoothly secure the necessary space. Consequently, the safety of the lay-change process can be ensured.

[0045] Furthermore, in the LC intent notification process P320, the control device 100 may be configured to control the movement of its own vehicle 10 so that the necessary space is secured smoothly. For example, the control device 100 generates a control signal to accelerate or brake its own vehicle 10 so that the distance and relative speed between its own vehicle and the following vehicle 21 and the preceding vehicle 22 fall within a predetermined range.

[0046] Refer to Figure 2 again. In LC judgment processing P200, if the period during which the necessary space cannot be secured exceeds a predetermined time, the control device 100 decides to transition to a manual lane change. At this time, in control processing P300, the control device 100 executes manual LC transition processing P330. By executing manual LC transition processing P330, the control device 100 requests the driver of the vehicle 10 to perform a lane change operation. For example, the control device 100 accepts steering of the vehicle 10 by operation of the driving control device 400. Also, in manual LC transition processing P330, the control device 100 may generate and output a control signal to the HMI device 500 in order to notify the driver of the vehicle 10 of the transition to a manual lane change. In this case, the HMI device 500 operates according to the generated control signal, thereby realizing notification of the transition to a manual lane change (display on the display, sound from the speaker, etc.).

[0047] In this way, when the manual LC transition process P330 is executed, if the LC intention notification process P320 determines that it is not possible to smoothly secure the necessary space, or if it is not possible to secure the necessary space for a long period of time, the decision to change lanes can be entrusted to the driver of the vehicle 10. As a result, if the driver determines that a lane change is possible based on their driving judgment, the lane change process can be continued. Ultimately, this increases the feasibility of performing a lane change.

[0048] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing performed by the processor 110 during lane change processing. The flowchart shown in Figure 4 starts, for example, when the control device 100 receives a lane change request.

[0049] In step S100, the processor 110 performs the surrounding environment recognition process P100 to recognize the surrounding environment of the vehicle 10.

[0050] In step S200, the processor 110 determines, based on the recognition result in step S100, whether or not the necessary space is available in the adjacent lane to which the lane change will take place. If the necessary space is available (step S200; Yes), the processor 110 executes the LC execution process P310 and starts the lane change by automated driving (step S300). If the necessary space is not available (step S200; No), the process proceeds to step S400.

[0051] In step S400, the processor 110 determines whether the period during which it was determined in step S200 that the necessary space has not been secured exceeds a predetermined time. If it exceeds the predetermined time (step S400; Yes), the processor 110 executes the manual LC transition process P330 and accepts a lane change by manual operation (step S500). If it does not exceed the predetermined time (step S400; No), the process proceeds to step S600.

[0052] In step S600, the processor 110 determines whether the distance and relative speed between the vehicle 100 and the following vehicle 21 and the preceding vehicle 22 fall within a predetermined range. If the distance and relative speed between the vehicle 100 and the following vehicle 21 and the preceding vehicle 22 fall within a predetermined range (step S600; Yes), the processor 110 executes the LC intention notification process P320, which performs control to activate the vehicle's turn signal and control to move the vehicle closer to the adjacent lane (step S700). The processor 110 may be configured to perform the control to move the vehicle closer to the adjacent lane after a certain period of time has elapsed since activating the vehicle's turn signal. After that, the process returns to step S100 and is repeated. On the other hand, if the distance between the vehicle 100 and the following vehicle 21 and the preceding vehicle 22 and the relative speed do not fall within a predetermined range (step S600; No), the processor 110 returns to step S100 without executing the LC intention notification process P320 and repeats the process.

[0053] In this way, the processor 110 executes the processing during the lane change operation. Furthermore, the vehicle control method according to this embodiment is realized by the processor 110 executing the processing in this manner. Additionally, the control program according to this embodiment is realized by configuring the computer program 121 that causes the processor 110 to execute the processing in this manner.

[0054] 3. Examples Figure 5 shows an example of the lane change process performed by the control device 100 according to this embodiment. In Figure 5, the example of the lane change process performed by the control device 100 is shown in four stages in chronological order.

[0055] In the first stage, the control device 100 receives a lane change request. The control device 100 then determines whether the necessary space can be secured in the adjacent lane to which the vehicle will change lanes. In the embodiment shown in Figure 5, the necessary space cannot be secured at this stage. If the necessary space can be secured at this stage, the control device 100 performs an automated lane change of its own vehicle 10.

[0056] In the second stage, because the necessary space is not secured, the control device 100 activates the turn signal of the vehicle 10. The control device 100 also moves the vehicle 10 closer to the adjacent lane. This is expected to cause the following vehicle 21 to slow down, thereby securing the necessary space.

[0057] Next, in the third stage, the control device 100 confirms that the necessary space has been secured. If, after the second stage, the period during which the necessary space has not been secured exceeds a predetermined time, the control device 100 may accept a lane change by manual operation.

[0058] In the fourth stage, once the necessary space has been secured, the control device 100 performs a lane change of its own vehicle 10 through autonomous driving.

[0059] Thus, the control device 100 according to this embodiment can perform lane change processing that has a high probability of being feasible. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0060] 10 Vehicle, 21 Following vehicle, 22 Leading vehicle, 100 Control device, 110 Processor, 120 Storage device, 121 Computer program

Claims

1. A control device for controlling a vehicle, In response to a request for the vehicle to change lanes to an adjacent lane, the process involves determining whether or not the necessary space for the lane change is available in the adjacent lane. When the necessary space mentioned above cannot be secured, the process of activating the vehicle's turn signal is performed. When the necessary space is secured, the process of starting the lane change of the vehicle to the adjacent lane by autonomous driving is initiated. It is configured to perform, The aforementioned required space is the space determined by the distance between the preceding vehicle and the following vehicle at the lane change destination, or the space determined by the TTC between the vehicle, the following vehicle and the preceding vehicle. The process of activating the turn signal of the vehicle includes activating the turn signal on the condition that the distance and relative speed between the vehicle and the following vehicle fall within a first predetermined range, and the distance and relative speed between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle fall within a second predetermined range. A control device characterized by the following features.

2. A control device according to claim 1, The system is configured to perform a process of moving the vehicle towards the adjacent lane in the driving lane, simultaneously with or after the operation of the turn signal. A control device characterized by the following features.

3. A control device according to claim 1 or claim 2, If the period during which the necessary space cannot be secured exceeds a predetermined time, the system is configured to further execute a process that accepts a lane change by manual operation. A control device characterized by the following features.

4. A control method for controlling a vehicle, In response to a request for the vehicle to change lanes to an adjacent lane, it is determined whether or not sufficient space for the lane change is available in the adjacent lane. When the necessary space mentioned above cannot be secured, the vehicle's turn signal is activated, When the necessary space is secured, the vehicle will begin changing lanes to the adjacent lane using autonomous driving. Includes, The aforementioned required space is the space determined by the distance between the preceding vehicle and the following vehicle at the lane change destination, or the space determined by the TTC between the vehicle, the following vehicle and the preceding vehicle. Activating the turn signal of the vehicle includes activating the turn signal on the condition that the distance and relative speed between the vehicle and the following vehicle fall within a first predetermined range, and the distance and relative speed between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle fall within a second predetermined range. A control method characterized by the following:

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