Vehicle capable of travel by autonomous self-driving

Abstract

[Problem] To improve vehicles capable of travel by autonomous self-driving. [Solution] Provided is a vehicle comprising: a travel control device that controls the travel of the vehicle according to a self-determined course; an extravehicular sensor that observes the direction of travel of the vehicle; and a vehicle travel surface information generation device that generates information concerning the travel surface in the direction of travel of the vehicle. The travel surface information generation device generates elevation map data by generating information on the unevenness of the travel surface in the direction of travel for individual subsections on the basis of information from the extravehicular sensor or map data, determines whether or not the vehicle can travel over the travel surface in each of the subsections by using information on the specifications of the vehicle or information on the state of travel, and generates driving travelability map data in which the information of the elevation map data is replaced with the determination results regarding travelability.

Description

Autonomous self-driving vehicles

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle capable of autonomous driving.

[0002] Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose a method for detecting obstacles in the vehicle's traveling direction based on an overhead image captured from the vehicle, and obtaining a route to avoid the obstacles. Patent Document 3 discloses a method for displaying a wire frame showing the unevenness of the road surface superimposed on a three-dimensional model image captured from an image of the unevenness of the road surface.

[0003] JP 2006-099409 A JP 2022-104791 A JP 2018-056953 A

[0004] Meanwhile, developments are underway for vehicles such as automobiles to assist drivers and to enable autonomous driving without the driver's control.Technical developments are also underway to enable vehicles to drive within lanes on designated, well-maintained roads.

[0005] However, the vehicle does not only travel on lanes on well-maintained roads as in Patent Documents 1 and 2. For example, the vehicle may also travel on unmaintained roads with uneven surfaces as in Patent Document 3.

[0006] Furthermore, on a given well-maintained road, a vehicle does not simply travel along the road's lanes. For example, a vehicle may travel from a lane of a well-maintained road toward a parking lot of a store next to the road. A curb may be located between the road or lane the vehicle is traveling on and the parking lot. In this case, depending on the height of the curb, it may be difficult for the vehicle to pass through the curb toward the parking lot.

[0007] Furthermore, when an emergency occurs, it is desirable for a moving vehicle to pull over to the shoulder of the road and stop there. In this case, the vehicle needs to stop on a safe, smooth shoulder.

[0008] For vehicles capable of autonomous driving in this way, improvements are needed to determine the vehicle's course after ensuring that the vehicle itself maintains a stable posture while in motion.

[0009] A vehicle capable of traveling by autonomous automatic driving according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a traveling control device that determines a route to travel by autonomous automatic driving and controls the traveling of the vehicle according to the determined route, and an external sensor provided on the vehicle that observes the traveling direction of the vehicle, and a traveling surface information generation device for the vehicle that generates information about the traveling surface in the traveling direction of the vehicle using information from the external sensor or information from map data that the vehicle can acquire, and the traveling surface information generation device performs an acquisition process to acquire information from the external sensor or information from the map data, and generates unevenness information of the traveling surface in the traveling direction for each micro-division based on the information acquired by the acquisition process, and generates elevation map data from the generated unevenness information of the traveling surface including unevenness information for each micro-division about the traveling surface in the traveling direction. The device executes a map generation process, a judgment process for judging whether the vehicle can drive on the driving surface for which the elevation map generation process generates driving surface unevenness information for each micro-division contained in the elevation map data using at least one of the vehicle's specifications information and driving condition information, and a driving possibility map generation process for generating driving possibility map data in which the unevenness information for each micro-division in the elevation map data is replaced with the driving possibility judgment result for each micro-division based on the judgment result of the judgment process, and the driving control device determines a route for driving on the driving surface in the direction of travel so that the micro-divisions that are designated as driveable in the driving possibility map data are driven on before the micro-divisions that are designated as not driveable in the driving possibility map data, and controls the driving of the vehicle according to the determined route.

[0010] The present invention includes a driving control device capable of controlling vehicle driving and a vehicle driving surface information generating device for generating information about the driving surface in the vehicle's direction of travel. This eliminates the need for the driving control device to generate information about the driving surface. Instead, the driving control device determines the vehicle's route based on the latest information at each point in time at very short intervals to adapt to the vehicle's driving environment, which changes from moment to moment as the vehicle travels, and allows the vehicle to travel along the determined route. Furthermore, the driving surface information generating device of the present invention acquires at least one of information from an external sensor and map data obtainable by the vehicle, and generates elevation map data based on the acquired information. In this elevation map generation process, the driving surface information generating device generates unevenness information for each micro-section in the direction of travel, and generates elevation map data including unevenness information for each micro-section about the driving surface in the direction of travel from the generated unevenness information. Furthermore, the driving surface information generating device determines whether the vehicle is permitted to travel on the driving surface using at least one of vehicle specification information and driving condition information for the unevenness information for each micro-section included in the elevation map data generated by the elevation map generation process. Furthermore, the driving surface information generating device generates drivability map data in which the unevenness information for each micro-section in the elevation map data is replaced with the drivability determination result for each micro-section based on the determination result of the determination process. As a result, the driving control device can acquire drivability map data including the results of a pre-determined drivability determination for the vehicle's current driving, etc., and determine a route for driving on the driving surface in the direction of travel. By selecting a route such that micro-sections that are drivable in the drivability map data are given priority over micro-sections that are not drivable in the drivability map data, the driving control device can determine a route for driving on a drivable route through a simple and time-saving process.

[0011] Moreover, to generate the drivability map data, the traveling surface information generating device first divides the vehicle's traveling surface, including the road surface on which the vehicle actually travels, into small sections and generates elevation map data including unevenness information for each small section. The traveling surface information generating device is able to generate elevation map data including unevenness information covering the entire traveling surface in a short time through a finite process that quantizes the traveling surface into small sections. The traveling surface information generating device also determines whether the vehicle is drivable for each small section in the elevation map data. The traveling surface information generating device then generates drivability map data in which the unevenness information for each small section in the elevation map data is replaced with the drivability determination result for each small section. The traveling surface information generating device is also able to generate the drivability map data in a short time. In this way, the traveling surface information generating device generates the drivability map data and continuously updates the drivability map data through a series of processes that can be completed in a short time. The traveling surface information generating device is able to continuously update the drivability map data so as to correspond to the control cycle of the traveling control device. In contrast, if the elevation map data were not quantized for each minute section, the road surface information generating device and the driving control device would determine whether or not the selected route is navigable. If the selected route is not navigable, the road surface information generating device and the driving control device would select a new route and repeat the process. In this type of loop process, it is unclear how long it will take to finally determine a route that can be used for driving control. If it is assumed that driving control needs to be performed at short intervals, there is a possibility that the series of controls will not be established and will fail.

[0012] As a result, in the present invention, the road surface information generating device determines in advance whether the vehicle can travel on the uneven road surface, and the vehicle's travel control device determines the route based on the determination result of whether the vehicle can travel. The vehicle of the present invention can determine the route to travel so as to deal with, for example, an unmaintained road with an uneven surface, unevenness caused by a curb on the road while traveling, or stopping on a safe shoulder without any unevenness. In this way, the present invention can improve the vehicle traffic control system so that the vehicle's route is determined while ensuring a stable posture of the host vehicle while traveling.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an autonomously driven automobile according to a first embodiment of the present invention traveling along a lane on a well-maintained paved road. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the automobile of FIG. 1 traveling on a road with an uneven, unmaintained surface. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of limit characteristics regarding the roll inclination of the automobile. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the main configuration of a control system for the automobile of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of an example of main functions implemented in the road surface information generating device of FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of elevation map data for the road with an uneven, unmaintained surface of FIG. 2. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the contact state with the road surface for the automobile of FIG. 1. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of multiple virtual paths according to this embodiment. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of the traveling state of the automobile when steering to the left while traveling. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the G-G characteristics of the automobile of FIG. 1. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of drivability map data for the road with an uneven, unmaintained surface of FIG. 2. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of drivability map data for the well-maintained paved road of FIG. 1. FIG. 13 is a flowchart of driving surface information generation control by the driving surface information generating device of FIGS. 4 and 5 . FIG. 14 is a flowchart of vehicle driving control by the driving control device of FIG. 4 . FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of multiple virtual paths in a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram of an example of rollover determination in a small section based on the virtual path of FIG. 15 . FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram of driving feasibility map data generated based on determining that driving is not permitted only when driving is not permitted on both the left and right sides, as in this embodiment. FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram of driving feasibility map data of a comparative example generated based on determining that driving is not permitted only when driving is not permitted on either the left or right sides, as in this embodiment ...

[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0015] [First Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an autonomously driven automobile 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention traveling along a lane on a well-maintained paved road 2. The automobile 1 is an example of a vehicle. In FIG. 1, the automobile 1 travels along a lane 3 of the paved road 2, which has one lane in each direction, from left to right in the drawing. In this case, the automobile 1 may continue traveling straight along the lane 3, or may travel toward parking spaces P1 and P2 of a store 7 located next to the paved road 2. In addition to the lane 3, the paved road 2 also has an oncoming lane 4 and a sidewalk 5. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the automobile 1 of FIG. 1 traveling along a road 10 with an unmaintained, uneven surface. In this case, the automobile 1 may continue traveling straight along the road 10, or may travel to stop in a parking space 15 located next to the road. When these driving operations are performed by autonomous automatic driving, the control system 20 of the automobile 1 must repeatedly determine the route along which the automobile 1 will travel in the direction of travel at very short intervals, and must control the traveling of the automobile 1 so that the automobile 1 travels along the determined route in each interval. By determining the route at a very short interval, the automobile 1 can travel in accordance with the constantly changing conditions of the traveling surface. It is believed that an automobile 1 capable of traveling by autonomous automatic driving can, for example, travel in a manner that avoids stones 13 on the road surface shown in FIG. 2. Note that, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in this embodiment, the traveling direction of the automobile 1 is defined as the X-axis, the direction perpendicular to the X-axis on the traveling surface is defined as the Y-axis, and the direction perpendicular to the traveling surface is defined as the Z-axis.

[0016] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the limit characteristics for the roll inclination of the automobile 1. The horizontal axis of FIG. 3 is the vehicle speed, which is the speed of the automobile 1. The vertical axis is the roll angle, which indicates the roll inclination of the automobile 1 in the vehicle width direction. FIG. 3 also shows a roll limit characteristic curve for the automobile 1. The automobile 1 has a roll limit angle for the roll angle in the vehicle width direction, as shown in the roll limit characteristic curve of FIG. 3, depending on its driving performance. If the automobile 1 rolls beyond the roll limit angle, the automobile 1 will roll over and overturn. Furthermore, the roll limit angle of the automobile 1 changes depending on the vehicle speed. When the vehicle speed is low, the roll limit angle becomes large. When the vehicle speed is high, the roll limit angle becomes small. For an automobile 1 capable of autonomous driving, it is necessary to control the driving of the automobile 1 so that it does not drive in a way that exceeds the roll limit angle.

[0017] For example, as shown in FIG. 1 , automobile 1 does not only travel on a well-maintained paved road 2. As shown in FIG. 2 , automobile 1 may also travel on an unmaintained road 10 with an uneven surface. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1 , automobile 1 may travel from lane 3 of well-maintained paved road 2 toward parking spaces P1, P2 of a store 7 next to the paved road 2. In FIG. 1 , a curb 6 is provided between lane 3 on which automobile 1 is traveling and sidewalk 5 of paved road 2. Depending on the height of curb 6, it may be difficult for automobile 1 to pass through curb 6 toward parking spaces P1, P2. In this case, automobile 1 capable of autonomous driving needs to travel toward second parking space P2, not first parking space P1, to avoid running over the high curb 6. Furthermore, when automobile 1 is traveling autonomously and automatically, if an emergency occurs, automobile 1 is desired to pull over to the shoulder of the road and stop there. In this case, the automobile 1 needs to drive so as to stop in a flat parking space 15 that is free of standing trees 14, etc., within a space 12 beside the road, as shown in Figure 2. For an automobile 1 that can drive autonomously in this way, it is desirable to improve the way the vehicle determines its course after ensuring a stable posture of the vehicle itself while driving.

[0018] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the main configuration of the control system 20 of the automobile 1 of FIG. 1. The control system 20 of the automobile 1 of FIG. 4 includes a vehicle network 29 and multiple control devices connected thereto. In FIG. 4, examples of the multiple control devices include a sensor control device 21, a cruise control device 23, a road surface information generating device 22 separate from the cruise control device 23, a drive control device 24, a steering control device 25, and a braking control device 26. Note that other control devices, such as an operation control device and an external vehicle communication device, may be connected to the vehicle network 29 in addition to those shown in FIG. 4. Operational members, such as a steering wheel and pedals, operated by the occupant during manual driving may be connected to the operation control device. Furthermore, the various control devices shown in FIG. 4 may be connected to the vehicle network 29 as multiple separate devices, or may be connected to the vehicle network 29 as an integrated whole.

[0019] The vehicle network 29 may be a vehicle-specific network such as a Controller Area Network (CAN) or a Local Interconnect Network (LIN). The vehicle network 29 may also be a network conforming to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.3 standard or a derivative thereof. Multiple control devices provided in the automobile 1 can exchange information with each other through the vehicle network 29.

[0020] The sensor control device 21 is connected to various vehicle sensors provided in the automobile 1. The sensor control device 21 controls the operation of the vehicle sensors and outputs information on detection values ​​of the vehicle sensors or information obtained by processing the detection values ​​to other control devices via the vehicle network 29. FIG. 4 shows, as examples of vehicle sensors connected to the sensor control device 21, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 30, an outside vehicle camera 31, a LiDAR 32, an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) sensor 33, an odometry sensor 34, and a vehicle speed sensor 35. In addition to these, a steering sensor (not shown) that detects the steering angle of the steering wheel of the automobile 1 may also be connected to the sensor control device 21.

[0021] The GNSS receiver 30 receives radio waves from GNSS satellites and generates information on the position and time of the automobile 1 .

[0022] The exterior camera 31 captures images of the surroundings of the vehicle 1, including the area ahead of the vehicle 1 as it travels on a road or the like. The exterior camera 31 may be a monocular camera, a compound eye camera, or a 360-degree camera. The sensor control device 21 may generate relative distance and direction information about other moving objects, structures such as the curbstone 6, vegetation such as the standing trees 14, and the like, around the vehicle, based on the images captured by the exterior camera 31. The images captured by the exterior camera 31 may include, as image components, the curbstone 6 in FIG. 1 , the stone 13 and the standing trees 14 in FIG. 2 , the unevenness of the driving surface, and the like.

[0023] The LiDAR 32 uses a laser to scan the area ahead of the automobile 1 traveling on a road or the like, and generates three-dimensional spatial information about the traveling direction of the automobile 1. If there are other moving objects, structures such as curbs 6, or vegetation such as standing trees 14 around the vehicle, the laser is reflected by these. The curbs 6 in FIG. 1, the stones 13 and standing trees 14 in FIG. 2, and unevenness in the traveling surface may reflect the laser. The LiDAR 32 may generate three-dimensional spatial information about the traveling direction of the automobile 1 based on the reflected waves, based on the presence or absence of reflected laser waves, TOF (Time Of Flight), etc. The exterior camera 31 and the LiDAR 32 are exterior sensors provided on the automobile 1 that observe the traveling direction of the automobile 1.

[0024] The IMU sensor 33 basically uses an acceleration sensor and a gyro sensor to detect translational and rotational movements in three orthogonal axial directions of the automobile 1. The IMU sensor 33 can detect angular velocities and angles of the automobile 1 in the roll, pitch, and yaw directions.

[0025] The odometry sensor 34 detects the distance traveled by the automobile 1 and its position after travel based on the rotation angle of the wheels of the automobile 1 .

[0026] The vehicle speed sensor 35 detects the speed of the automobile 1. The vehicle speed sensor 35 may detect the speed of the automobile 1 in the longitudinal direction, the width direction, and the vertical direction.

[0027] The road surface information generating device 22 generates information about the road surface in the traveling direction of the automobile 1. The information about the road surface in the traveling direction of the automobile 1 may include not only the road surface of the lane or road on which the automobile 1 is traveling, but also information about the surfaces surrounding the lane or road. The road surface information generating device 22 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) (not shown) and a memory (not shown). As shown in FIG. 4 , the memory may store a program along with high-precision map data 36, ​​three-dimensional road surface unevenness data 37, elevation map data 38, drivability map data 39, automobile 1 specification information 40, and multiple virtual paths 49. The CPU reads and executes the program from the memory. The CPU thereby functions as a control unit of the road surface information generating device 22. The three-dimensional road surface unevenness data 37, elevation map data 38, and drivability map data 39 are information generated by the CPU of the road surface information generating device 22 during the road surface information generation process.

[0028] The high-precision map data 36 mainly includes road data on paved roads 2. The high-precision map data 36 basically includes information on each road, such as whether the road has a sidewalk, the road shape, the center lines of each lane, road connections and intersections, traffic lights, and stop lines. The high-precision map data 36 may also include information on the unevenness of structures on the road surface, such as curbs 6 separating lanes from sidewalks. In addition to road data, the high-precision map data 36 may also include information on stores 7 located next to the road and the locations of parking spaces P1 and P2 for the stores 7. By using such high-precision map data 36, ​​the automobile 1 capable of autonomous driving can, for example, drive autonomously from a lane toward parking spaces P1 and P2 for the stores 7.

[0029] The specification information 40 of the automobile 1 includes, for example, information about the size and weight of the automobile 1. The specification information 40 may also include, for example, information about the number, size, and position of the wheels of the automobile 1.

[0030] The three-dimensional driving surface unevenness data 37 includes unevenness information for the driving surface, including the road surface in the traveling direction of the automobile 1. For example, when the CPU of the driving surface information generating device 22 acquires information about the curb 6 of the driving surface from the high-precision map data 36, ​​the CPU maps the unevenness information due to the curb 6 onto the driving surface based on the position information of the high-precision map data 36. Furthermore, when an image captured by an external sensor, such as the external camera 31, includes other moving objects, structures such as the curb 6, or vegetation such as standing trees 14, the CPU of the driving surface information generating device 22 maps the unevenness information onto the driving surface based on information about the relative distance and direction from the vehicle. As a result, the three-dimensional driving surface unevenness data 37 includes unevenness information for the driving surface in the traveling direction of the automobile 1.

[0031] The elevation map data 38 includes unevenness information for a predetermined range of the traveling surface in the traveling direction of the three-dimensional traveling surface unevenness data 37. As shown in FIG. 6 (described later), the elevation map data 38 divides the traveling surface in a predetermined range 50 in the traveling direction into a plurality of micro-divisions 51, and includes unevenness information for each micro-division 51. The unevenness information for the traveling direction of the traveling surface is quantized for each micro-division 51 in the elevation map data 38, and can have a finite amount of information. The CPU of the traveling surface information generating device 22 may use the largest unevenness value in each micro-division 51 as the unevenness information for that micro-division 51. As a result, the unevenness information for a micro-division 51 that includes a curb 6, for example, can be the protruding height of the curb 6 from the traveling surface.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 11 or 12 (described later), the travelability map data 39 replaces the unevenness information in the elevation map data 38 with a travelability determination result for each micro-division 51. The CPU of the travelability map information generating device 22 determines whether there is a possibility of overturning, for example, when the vehicle 1 travels through each micro-division 51 in the elevation map data 38. If there is a possibility of overturning, the CPU of the travelability map information generating device 22 determines that the micro-division 51 is not travelable and replaces the unevenness information of the micro-division 51 with information that the micro-division 51 is not travelable. As a result, the travelability map data 39 includes information on the travelability determination result for a predetermined range 60 within the travelability surface in the direction of travel. If there is no possibility of overturning, the CPU of the travelability map information generating device 22 determines that the micro-division 51 is travelable and replaces the unevenness information of the micro-division 51 with information that the micro-division 51 is travelable. In FIGS. 11 and 12, the non-travelable micro-divisions 61 are hatched. In contrast, the minute sections 62 that are passable are not hatched.

[0033] The plurality of virtual paths 49 are a plurality of paths that are a combination of traveling through a plurality of minute sections 51 of the elevation map data 38, as will be described later.

[0034] The drive control device 24 is connected to drive system components provided in the automobile 1, such as an engine that generates drive power using, for example, gasoline or hydrogen as fuel, a motor that generates drive power using electricity, a transmission, etc. The drive control device 24 controls the operation of these drive system components using control values ​​obtained via the vehicle network 29.

[0035] The steering control device 25 is connected to, for example, a steering device provided in the automobile 1. The steering control device 25 controls the operation of the steering device using control values ​​acquired through the vehicle network 29.

[0036] The braking control device 26 is connected to a braking device provided in the automobile 1. The braking control device 26 controls the operation of the braking device based on a control value acquired via the vehicle network 29.

[0037] The cruise control device 23 may basically determine a route for autonomous automatic driving and control the driving of the automobile 1 according to the determined route. The cruise control device 23 may be capable of switching the cruise control of the automobile 1 between manual operation by the driver of the automobile 1, autonomous automatic driving without manual operation, or controlled automatic driving under the control of a server device. In the case of autonomous automatic driving, the cruise control device 23 acquires information on the driving state of the automobile and information on the surroundings of the automobile from the road surface information generating device 22 and the sensor control device 21, generates control values ​​according to the information, and outputs the control values ​​to the drive control device 24, steering control device 25, and braking control device 26. In the case of controlled automatic driving, the cruise control device 23 generates control values ​​according to the latest individual control information received from the server device and outputs the control values ​​to the drive control device 24, steering control device 25, and braking control device 26. In the case of manual driving, the cruise control device 23 acquires information from an operation control device (not shown) and information about the surroundings of the vehicle, generates control values ​​according to the information, and outputs them to the drive control device 24, steering control device 25, and braking control device 26. This allows the automobile 1 to travel by autonomous automatic driving or the like under the control of the cruise control device 23.

[0038] Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram of an example of the main functions realized in the road surface information generating device 22 of Fig. 4. In the road surface information generating device 22 of Fig. 5, a depth coordinate measuring unit 41, a vehicle speed / acceleration / steering angle acquiring unit 42, a horizontal angle estimating unit 43, a road shape / type acquiring unit 44, and a drivability determining unit 45 are realized as main functions of a CPU serving as a control unit.

[0039] The depth coordinate measurement unit 41 measures the unevenness and height of the driving surface in a bird's-eye view (XY plane), the position, range, and height of unevenness caused by dynamic / static obstacles, etc., based on the detection results of on-board sensors provided on the automobile 1, such as the LiDAR 32 or the exterior camera 31. Here, the bird's-eye view may include truncated information such as point cloud data or a grid map.

[0040] The vehicle speed / acceleration / steering angle acquisition unit 42 acquires information about the running state of the automobile 1, such as the current speed / acceleration / steering angle of the automobile 1, from, for example, the odometry sensor 34 or the IMU sensor 33 of the host vehicle.

[0041] The horizontal angle estimation unit 43 estimates, for example, the pitch angle and roll angle of the stable vehicle 1 that serve as a reference for the vehicle 1. In this case, the horizontal angle estimation unit 43 may estimate the pitch angle and roll angle of the vehicle 1 based on the detection values ​​of an inclination sensor or IMU sensor 33 (not shown). Alternatively, the horizontal angle estimation unit 43 may acquire the cant angle of the driving surface of the roads 2 and 10 on which the vehicle 1 is traveling, which is included in the high-precision map data 36, ​​and estimate the pitch angle and roll angle of the vehicle 1 based on that information.

[0042] The road shape / type acquisition unit 44 acquires information on traffic regulations, such as information on permitted / prohibited areas and information on upper speed limits, from the high-precision map data 36. In this case, the road shape / type acquisition unit 44 may acquire, for example, information on upper speed limits in the form of a bird's-eye view as viewed from the vehicle coordinate system, and acquire this information as traffic regulation mapping data.

[0043] The drivability determination unit 45 determines, for example, based on the size, shape, speed, and steering angle of the automobile 1, an area of ​​the driving surface within the predetermined range 50 of the elevation map data 38 where the automobile 1 can stably drive. The drivability determination unit 45 calculates, for example, the attitude of the automobile 1 when the automobile 1 drives on the driving surface within the predetermined range 50 of the elevation map data 38 along a virtual course up to X seconds in the future that is generated based on the current speed and steering angle of the automobile 1. Note that a certain margin may be provided for the current speed and steering angle. The drivability determination unit 45 may also determine that the automobile 1 is not drivable, for example, if the attitude of the automobile 1 on the virtual course exceeds the dynamic rollover limit angle or static rollover limit angle of the automobile 1, or if the acceleration of the automobile 1 on the virtual course exceeds the lateral rollover limit acceleration of the automobile 1.

[0044] FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of elevation map data 38 for the road 10 shown in FIG. 2 , which has an unmaintained, uneven road surface. The road surface information generating device 22 first maps the unevenness of the road surface, such as unevenness due to obstacles, obtained by processing as the depth coordinate measurement unit 41, and the unevenness of the road surface obtained from the high-precision map data 36, ​​into three-dimensional road surface unevenness data 37. Information on the unevenness of the road surface, such as unevenness due to obstacles, may be mapped directly into the three-dimensional road surface unevenness data 37. Next, the road surface information generating device 22 associates multiple micro-divisions 51 with a predetermined range 50 of the road surface in the three-dimensional road surface unevenness data 37, as shown in FIG. 6, to generate elevation map data 38 including unevenness information for each micro-division 51. Here, the elevation map data 38 corresponds to the predetermined range 50 of the road surface in the traveling direction of the automobile 1, as shown in FIG. 6. The traveling surface information generating device 22 sets the predetermined range 50 on the traveling direction side of the latest position of the automobile 1, using the latest position and traveling direction of the automobile 1 as references, so that the latest position of the automobile 1 is at the center of one side of the predetermined range 50. In this way, the predetermined range 50 can be set on the traveling direction side of the traveling surface of the three-dimensional traveling surface unevenness data 37.

[0045] The generated elevation map data 38 divides a predetermined range 50 of the travel surface into a plurality of micro-divisions 51 and includes information on the unevenness of each of the micro-divisions 51. The travel surface information generating device 22 may select the maximum value of the unevenness magnitude of each micro-division 51 in the three-dimensional travel surface unevenness data 37 and use this maximum value as the unevenness information for the micro-division 51. For example, in the case of FIG. 6 , for a micro-division 51 that includes a road stone 13, the height of the stone 13 is the maximum value of the unevenness magnitude of the micro-division 51. In this case, the travel surface information generating device 22 may use the height of the stone 13 as the unevenness information for the micro-division 51. Furthermore, for a micro-division 51 that includes a standing tree 14 in FIG. 6 , the height of the standing tree 14 is the maximum value of the unevenness magnitude of the micro-division 51. In this case, the travel surface information generating device 22 may use the height of the standing tree 14 as the unevenness information for the micro-division 51. 6, the height of the unevenness of the travel surface itself of the space is the maximum value of the unevenness of the minute section 51. In this case, the travel surface information generating device 22 may use the height of the unevenness of the travel surface itself as the unevenness information of the minute section 51. In this way, the travel surface information generating device 22 generates unevenness information of the travel surface in the direction of travel for each minute section 51. Furthermore, the travel surface information generating device 22 generates elevation map data 38 including unevenness information for each minute section 51 about the travel surface in the direction of travel from the generated travel surface unevenness information.

[0046] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the contact state of the automobile 1 of FIG. 1 with the road surface. FIG. 7 shows the body 8 of the automobile 1 and four wheels 9 (front, rear, left, and right) of the body 8. The automobile 1 contacts the road surface at the four wheels 9. In this embodiment, multiple micro-zones 51 overlapping each wheel 9 are shown. The micro-zones 51 are preferably rectangular, with sides S measuring several tens of centimeters, so that they are larger than the size of the wheels 9 or the road surface of the wheels 9. This allows the combination of heights of the multiple micro-zones 51 on which the four wheels 9 of the automobile 1 rest to be used to calculate the posture of the automobile 1. However, if the size of the micro-zones 51 were, for example, rectangular with sides measuring several meters, different from that shown in FIG. 7 , it would be difficult to calculate the posture of the automobile 1 based on the unevenness information of the micro-zones 51. Furthermore, the size of the micro-zones 51 should be at least smaller than the size obtained by dividing the body 8 of the automobile 1 by the number of wheels 9 of the automobile 1. In the case of Figure 7, the minute sections 51 should be smaller than the size of the vehicle body 8 divided into four sections, front, back, left and right. This allows only one wheel 9 of the automobile 1 to be present in each minute section 51. The posture of the automobile 1 can be calculated based on the unevenness information of the multiple minute sections 51 on which the multiple wheels 9 of the automobile 1 are placed.

[0047] FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of multiple virtual paths 49 in this embodiment. In FIG. 8, the road 10, which has an unmaintained, uneven surface, of the road in FIG. 2, is drawn overlaid. The traveling surface information generating device 22 uses multiple virtual paths 49 for traveling on the traveling surface included in the elevation map data 38 to determine whether the automobile 1 can travel on the traveling surface indicated by the elevation map data 38. The multiple virtual paths 49 may be recorded in the traveling surface information generating device 22. The multiple virtual paths 49 in FIG. 8 are composed of a virtual straight traveling path 81 in which the automobile 1 travels straight along the path and multiple virtual steering paths 82 in which the automobile 1 is steered to the left or right from the virtual straight traveling path 81. In this case, the traveling surface information generating device 22 may first generate the virtual straight traveling path 81 in which the automobile 1 travels straight along the path while maintaining the traveling state, based on the traveling state of the automobile 1. Next, the driving surface information generating device 22 may generate a plurality of virtual steering paths 82 for steering left from the virtual straight path 81 and a plurality of virtual steering paths 82 for steering right from the virtual straight path 81 .

[0048] The multiple virtual paths 49 do not need to strictly match the paths that the vehicle 1 can travel based on its performance. Therefore, each virtual path may be generated, for example, using the latest driving state of the vehicle 1 as an initial value, and running from that initial value with constant steering without slippage, or running with constant acceleration and deceleration without slippage. Each virtual steering path 82 may be a path that turns at a constant curvature. The multiple virtual paths 49 in FIG. 8 are basically a combination of paths that travel through all of the multiple micro-divisions 51 in the elevation map data 38 in FIG. 6. The multiple virtual paths 49 may also travel through almost all of the multiple micro-divisions 51 in the elevation map data 38.

[0049] FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of the traveling state of the automobile 1 when steering to the left while traveling. In FIG. 9, the automobile 1 is represented by a straight line indicating the vehicle body 8 and the front and rear wheels 9. When the automobile 1 is steered to the left while traveling along the X-axis from position A on the left side of FIG. 9, the position of the automobile 1 changes to position B shown on the right side of the figure. At position B, the front wheels of the automobile 1 are steered at a steering angle φ relative to the vehicle body 8. As a result, the vehicle body 8 of the automobile 1 is oriented at an angle θ relative to the X-axis. The traveling surface information generating device 22 can generate the attitude and acceleration of the vehicle body 8 at the position of each infinitesimal section 51 under each virtual steering path 82 by calculations such as those shown in the example of FIG. 9 using the vehicle speed, acceleration, steering angle, etc. of the automobile 1. The traveling surface information generating device 22 can calculate the attitude and acceleration of the vehicle body 8 at the position of each infinitesimal section 51 under each virtual steering path 82 based on the dynamic relationships shown in the example of FIG. 9. For example, by assuming that the virtual course turns with a constant radius of curvature without skidding in accordance with the steering angle, the road surface information generating device 22 can calculate the attitude and acceleration of the vehicle body 8 at position B in Figure 9 in accordance with the vehicle speed and steering angle of the vehicle 1. In addition, the road surface information generating device 22 can calculate the roll angle, acceleration in the vehicle width direction, acceleration in the longitudinal direction, etc. of the vehicle 1 in the micro-section 51 that overlaps with position B in Figure 9.

[0050] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the G-G characteristic of the automobile 1 of FIG. 1. The G-G characteristic shows the relationship between the acceleration a(y) in the vehicle width direction, which is the left-right direction of the automobile 1, and the acceleration a(x) in the front-rear direction of the automobile 1. The horizontal axis of FIG. 10 represents the acceleration a(x) in the front-rear direction. The vertical axis represents the acceleration a(y) in the vehicle width direction. FIG. 10 also illustrates a G-G characteristic line 71 of the four-wheel drive automobile 1 and a G-G characteristic line 72 of the front-wheel drive automobile 1. The G-G characteristic line 71 of the four-wheel drive automobile 1 has a larger area than the G-G characteristic line 72 of the front-wheel drive automobile 1. In other words, the four-wheel drive automobile 1 is less prone to skidding than the front-wheel drive automobile 1 and is able to travel by tracing a path corresponding to steering. The four-wheel drive automobile 1 has a higher limit characteristic for traveling by tracing a path compared to the front-wheel drive automobile 1. The driving surface information generating device 22 can determine whether the vehicle body 8 will skid in each micro-division 51 under each virtual steering path 82 using the longitudinal acceleration of the automobile 1, the lateral acceleration, and the G-G characteristic line in Figure 10.

[0051] Figure 11 is an explanatory diagram of drivability map data 39 for the road 10 with an unmaintained, uneven surface in Figure 2. Figure 12 is an explanatory diagram of drivability map data 39 for the maintained, paved road 2 in Figure 1. Each micro-division in the drivability map data 39 in Figures 11 and 12 contains information on whether it is drivable or not. The hatched micro-divisions 61 in the figures contain information on whether it is drivable or not. The unhatched micro-divisions 62 in the figures contain information on whether it is drivable or not. Based on the determination result of whether each micro-division 51 is drivable or not under each virtual steering path 82, the driving surface information generating device 22 generates drivability map data 39 that is equivalent to the information for each micro-division 51 in which the unevenness information has been replaced with information on the determination result of whether it is drivable or not.

[0052] On the road surface shown in FIG. 11 , minute sections 61 on both the left and right sides near the automobile 1 are included in the range of travel on a hypothetical route involving large steering maneuvers at the latest vehicle speed, and there is a possibility that the automobile 1 may roll over or skid. For this reason, the minute sections 61 on both the left and right sides near the automobile 1 contain information indicating that travel is not permitted and are hatched. Furthermore, the minute sections 61 overlapping with stones 13 on the road surface represent the possibility that the automobile 1 may run over the stones 13 and overturn, such as by rolling over. For this reason, the minute sections 61 overlapping with the stones 13 on the road surface represent the possibility of travel being not permitted and are hatched. Furthermore, the minute sections 61 overlapping with standing trees 14 beside the road 10 with an uneven road surface represent the possibility that the automobile 1 may interfere with the trees 14. For this reason, the minute sections 61 overlapping with the standing trees 14 represent the possibility of travel being not permitted and are hatched. The other minute sections 62 represent the possibility of travel being permitted and are not hatched.

[0053] Furthermore, on the driving surface of the maintained paved road 2 in Figure 12, minute sections 61 on both the left and right sides near the automobile 1 are included in the range of travel based on a hypothetical route involving large steering maneuvers at the latest vehicle speed, and there is a possibility that the automobile 1 may roll over or skid. For this reason, the minute sections 61 on both the left and right sides near the automobile 1 contain information indicating that travel is not permitted and are hatched. Furthermore, the minute sections 61 that overlap with the curb 6 of the driving surface contain information indicating that travel is not permitted and are hatched. The other minute sections 62 contain information indicating that travel is permitted and are not hatched, as there is no possibility of rollover or other overturning.

[0054] Figure 13 is a flowchart of the travel surface information generation control by the travel surface information generation device 22 of Figures 4 and 5. The travel surface information generation device 22 repeatedly executes the travel surface information generation control of Figure 13 using a CPU. The travel surface information generation device 22 may repeatedly execute the travel surface information generation control of Figure 13 at the same cycle as the travel control device 23 so as to be synchronized with the very short cycle of the travel control device 23.

[0055] In step ST1, the road surface information generating device 22 acquires information relating to the current position and direction of travel of the automobile 1, the latest driving environment of the vehicle used to generate the road surface information, the latest driving state, and specification information 40 of the automobile 1 from each part of the control system 20 in Figure 2. The road surface information generating device 22 may record the acquired information in advance in memory and acquire the latest information from the memory. The information used to generate the road surface information may include the information described above in Figures 6 to 10.

[0056] In step ST2, the traveling surface information generating device 22 generates three-dimensional traveling surface unevenness data 37 for the traveling surface based on the information acquired in step ST1. In the three-dimensional traveling surface unevenness data 37, for example, unevenness due to the traveling surface unevenness and obstacles obtained by processing as the depth coordinate measurement unit 41, and unevenness of the traveling surface obtained from the high-precision map data 36 are mapped to their respective positions and ranges. In the three-dimensional traveling surface unevenness data 37, for example, unevenness due to curbs 6, stones 13, standing trees 14, etc., and unevenness of the traveling surface itself may be mapped as the height of each piece of information. Furthermore, when information on the shape, width, or drivable area of ​​roads and lanes in the traveling direction of the automobile 1 is obtained from the road information included in the high-precision map data 36, ​​the traveling surface information generating device 22 may map such boundary information into the three-dimensional traveling surface unevenness data 37. Specifically, for example, when an inclination angle such as a cant angle of the road can be obtained from the road information included in the high-precision map data 36, ​​the traveling surface information generating device 22 may incline the traveling surface of the three-dimensional traveling surface unevenness data 37 by the inclination angle. When the traveling surface information generating device 22 can acquire road and surrounding unevenness information regarding the road median, road shoulder, unevenness of the road and shoulder, structures such as roadside walls and fences, steps between the side of the lane and the shoulder due to curbs 6, vegetation, entrances and exits of stores 7, etc. from the road information included in the high-precision map data 36, ​​the traveling surface information generating device 22 may map the unevenness information of the traveling surface to the three-dimensional traveling surface unevenness data 37. When the uneven shape, width, or drivable range of the traveling surface in the traveling direction of the automobile 1 can be obtained based on detection information in the traveling direction by an external vehicle sensor, LiDAR 32, etc., the traveling surface information generating device 22 may map the information to the three-dimensional traveling surface unevenness data 37. When an inclination angle such as the cant angle of the driving surface is obtained based on detection information of the direction of travel from an external vehicle sensor or LiDAR 32, the driving surface information generating device 22 may incline the driving surface of the three-dimensional driving surface unevenness data 37 by the inclination angle.When the traveling surface information generating device 22 can acquire unevenness information of the traveling surface and surroundings, such as the road median, road shoulder, unevenness of the road or road shoulder, fallen objects such as fallen rocks, structures such as roadside walls and fences, steps between the lane and the road shoulder due to curbs 6 and the like, vegetation, and entrances and exits of stores 7, based on detection information in the traveling direction from an external vehicle sensor, LiDAR 32, etc., the traveling surface information generating device 22 may map the unevenness information of the traveling surface to three-dimensional traveling surface unevenness data 37. In this way, the traveling surface information generating device 22 generates three-dimensional traveling surface unevenness data 37 in which unevenness information of the traveling surface including the traveling direction of the automobile 1 is mapped. The traveling surface information generating device 22 records the generated three-dimensional traveling surface unevenness data 37 in memory.

[0057] In steps ST3 to ST6, the travel surface information generating device 22 starts the elevation map generation process. In step ST3, the travel surface information generating device 22 first associates multiple micro-divisions 51 with the three-dimensional travel surface unevenness data 37 in which unevenness information of the travel surface is mapped, and selects one unprocessed micro-division 51 from among the micro-divisions 51.

[0058] In step ST4, the traveling surface information generating device 22 selects the maximum elevation value of the micro-division 51 selected in step ST3. The traveling surface information generating device 22 may select the maximum absolute value of the unevenness information for the traveling surface in the three-dimensional traveling surface unevenness data 37 on which the micro-division 51 overlaps as the maximum elevation value. The traveling surface information generating device 22 selects the unevenness information based on the high-precision map data 36 and the unevenness information based on the external vehicle sensor or LiDAR 32, etc., that has the largest absolute value as the unevenness information for the micro-division 51. The maximum elevation value selected in this manner may be the height of, for example, curbs 6 or stones 13 protruding above the traveling surface, the height of a bulge on the traveling surface, or the depth of a depression in the traveling surface.

[0059] In step ST5, the traveling surface information generating device 22 determines whether or not selection has been completed for all of the multiple micro-divisions 51 associated with the three-dimensional traveling surface unevenness data 37. If selection has not been completed for all of the multiple micro-divisions 51, i.e., if unprocessed micro-divisions 51 remain, the traveling surface information generating device 22 returns the process to step ST3. The traveling surface information generating device 22 repeats the processes of steps ST3 to ST5 until selection has been completed for all of the multiple micro-divisions 51. Once selection has been completed for all of the multiple micro-divisions 51, the traveling surface information generating device 22 proceeds to step ST6.

[0060] In step ST6, the traveling surface information generating device 22 generates elevation map data 38 including the maximum elevation value for each micro-division 51 selected in step ST4 as unevenness information for each micro-division 51. In this way, the traveling surface information generating device 22 generates three-dimensional unevenness information of the traveling surface in association with each micro-division 51, thereby generating elevation map data 38 including unevenness information for each micro-division 51 for the traveling surface in the direction of travel. The traveling surface information generating device 22 records the generated elevation map data 38 in memory.

[0061] In steps ST7 to ST14, the travel surface information generating device 22 starts the process of determining whether travel is permitted for the multiple micro-divisions 51. In step ST7, the travel surface information generating device 22 first selects one unprocessed micro-division 51 from the multiple micro-divisions 51 included in the elevation map data 38.

[0062] In step ST8, the running surface information generating device 22 selects a virtual path for virtually traveling through the micro-division 51 selected in step ST7 from among multiple virtual paths 49. The running surface information generating device 22 generates multiple virtual paths 49 shown in FIG. 8 for a predetermined range of running surface. In this case, the running surface information generating device 22 may select a virtual path that overlaps with the micro-division 51 selected in step ST7 from among the multiple virtual paths 49 shown in FIG. 8. Alternatively, for example, when the vehicle 1 travels so that the wheels 9 overlap the micro-division 51 selected in step ST7 as shown in FIG. 7, the running surface information generating device 22 may select a virtual path that overlaps with the micro-division 51 that overlaps the center of gravity position 92 of the vehicle 1. Note that multiple virtual paths may overlap one micro-division 51. In this case, the running surface information generating device 22 may select, for example, one virtual path with the largest curvature from among the multiple virtual paths that overlap with the micro-division 51.

[0063] In step ST9, the road surface information generating device 22 calculates the attitude of the automobile 1 when traveling along the virtual path through the micro-section 51 selected in step ST7. The road surface information generating device 22 calculates the attitude of the automobile 1 traveling along the virtual path while traveling on the micro-section 51. In this case, the road surface information generating device 22 acquires the traveling conditions of the automobile 1, such as the latest position, speed, acceleration, and steering angle of the automobile 1, as traveling reference information, and calculates the attitude of the automobile 1 when traveling along the virtual path based on the traveling reference information. Here, the road surface information generating device 22 may calculate the attitude of the automobile 1 when one of the four wheels 9 of the automobile 1 is on the micro-section 51, as shown in FIG. 7, for example. In this case, the other wheel 9 is on another micro-section 51. The running surface information generating device 22 may select four micro-sections 51 on which the four wheels 9 of the automobile 1 are placed based on the fact that the automobile 1 is traveling along the virtual path, and may calculate the inclination angles in each of the pitch, roll, and yaw directions of the automobile 1 as the attitude of the automobile 1 based on the difference in elevation information of the four micro-sections 51. In this way, the running surface information generating device 22 can calculate the attitude of the automobile 1 using at least one of the automobile 1 specification information 40 and traveling condition information for the unevenness information of the running surface for each micro-section 51 included in the elevation map data 38. The running surface information generating device 22 can also calculate the attitudes of the automobile 1, such as roll, pitch, and yaw, in each micro-section 51 when traveling along each virtual path.

[0064] In step ST10, the traveling surface information generating device 22 further calculates the acceleration in the vehicle width direction and the acceleration in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 1. The traveling surface information generating device 22 may calculate the acceleration in the vehicle width direction and the acceleration in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 1 based on the fact that the vehicle 1 is traveling along the virtual path under the conditions for which the attitude was calculated in step ST9. The traveling surface information generating device 22 may calculate the acceleration in the vehicle width direction and the acceleration in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle 1, for example, assuming that the vehicle 1 is traveling at position B on the traveling surface in Figure 9.

[0065] In step ST11, the road surface information generating device 22 determines, for each micro-section 51, whether the vehicle 1 can travel through the micro-section 51, using the attitude and acceleration of the vehicle 1 calculated in steps ST9 and ST10. Here, the road surface information generating device 22 may determine whether the vehicle 1 can travel through the micro-section 51 based on the possibility of the vehicle 1 rolling over, skidding, or bottoming out (the bottom of the vehicle body 8 hitting the road surface, etc.). For example, if the roll angle, which represents the attitude of the vehicle 1, exceeds the roll limit angle included in the specification information 40 of the vehicle 1, the road surface information generating device 22 determines that there is a possibility of the vehicle 1 rolling over. On the other hand, if the roll angle is equal to or smaller than the roll limit angle, the road surface information generating device 22 determines that there is no possibility of the vehicle 1 rolling over. Here, the roll limit angle may be calculated by adding a predetermined margin to the roll limit angle included in the specification information 40 of the vehicle 1. Furthermore, using the longitudinal acceleration of the automobile 1, the road surface information generating device 22 obtains the transverse critical acceleration of the automobile 1 based on the G-G characteristics of FIG. 10 , which is the specification information 40 of the automobile 1. In FIG. 10 , the transverse critical acceleration corresponding to the longitudinal acceleration ax is set to aymax. The road surface information generating device 22 compares the transverse acceleration of the automobile 1 with the critical acceleration. If the transverse acceleration of the automobile 1 exceeds the critical acceleration, the road surface information generating device 22 determines that the automobile 1 will skid. On the other hand, if the transverse acceleration of the automobile 1 is equal to or less than the critical acceleration, the road surface information generating device 22 determines that the automobile 1 can travel along the virtual path without skidding. Here, the critical acceleration to be compared with the transverse acceleration of the automobile 1 may be the critical acceleration aymax obtained from FIG. 10 with a predetermined margin added. Furthermore, the traveling surface information generating device 22 uses the information on the posture of the automobile 1 and the unevenness information of the plurality of minute sections 51 below the automobile 1 to determine whether or not the unevenness below the body 8 of the automobile 1 will come into contact with the body 8 of the automobile 1. If the unevenness below the body 8 of the automobile 1 comes into contact with the body 8 of the automobile 1, the traveling surface information generating device 22 determines that the automobile 1 will bottom out.On the other hand, if the unevenness under the body 8 of the automobile 1 does not come into contact with the body 8 of the automobile 1, the running surface information generating device 22 determines that bottoming out will not occur. If it is determined that there is a possibility of any one of rollover, skidding, and bottoming out, the running surface information generating device 22 determines that the micro-section 51 selected in step ST7 is not passable. In this case, the running surface information generating device 22 proceeds to step ST13. On the other hand, if it is not determined that there is a possibility of all of rollover, skidding, and bottoming out, the running surface information generating device 22 determines that the micro-section 51 selected in step ST7 is passable. In this case, the running surface information generating device 22 proceeds to step ST12. As a result, the driving surface information generating device 22 can determine that the vehicle 1 will not overturn in each micro-section 51 in a first case where the attitudes of the vehicle 1, such as roll, pitch, and yaw, in each micro-section 51 when traveling along the virtual straight path 81 and each of the multiple virtual steering paths 82 based on the driving reference information are below the rollover limit of the vehicle 1, and in a second case where the lateral acceleration of the vehicle 1 in each micro-section 51 when traveling along each virtual path based on the driving reference information is below the acceleration of the turning limit at which skidding does not occur in the vehicle 1. Furthermore, the driving surface information generating device 22 can determine that the vehicle 1 will overturn in each micro-section 51 when either the first case or the second case does not hold.

[0066] In step ST12, the travel surface information generating device 22 sets travelable information for the micro-section 51 selected in step ST7. Thereafter, the travel surface information generating device 22 advances the process to step ST14.

[0067] In step ST13, the travel surface information generating device 22 sets information indicating that travel is not permitted for the micro-section 51 selected in step ST7. Thereafter, the travel surface information generating device 22 advances the process to step ST14.

[0068] In step ST14, the traveling surface information generating device 22 determines whether selection has been completed for all of the multiple micro-divisions 51 in the elevation map data 38. If selection has not been completed for all of the multiple micro-divisions 51, i.e., if there are unprocessed micro-divisions 51 remaining, the traveling surface information generating device 22 returns the process to step ST7. The traveling surface information generating device 22 repeats the processes from step ST7 to step ST14 until selection has been completed for all of the multiple micro-divisions 51. Once selection has been completed for all of the multiple micro-divisions 51, the traveling surface information generating device 22 proceeds to step ST15.

[0069] In step ST15, the driving surface information generating device 22 generates drivability map data 39 by replacing the unevenness information for each micro-division 51 in the elevation map data 38 with the drivability judgment result for each micro-division 51 based on the judgment result of the judgment process. This allows the driving surface information generating device 22 to generate drivability map data 39 through the drivability map generation process. This drivability map data 39 is made up of multiple micro-divisions 51 similar to those in the elevation map data 38. Each micro-division 51 has information indicating that it is drivable if the automobile 1 is likely to overturn, bottom out, or skid. In contrast, a micro-division 51 in which the automobile 1 is likely to overturn, bottom out, or skid has information indicating that it is drivable. The driving surface information generating device 22 records the generated drivability map data 39 in memory and outputs it to the driving control device 23.

[0070] Fig. 14 is a flowchart of the driving control of the automobile 1 by the driving control device 23 of Fig. 4. The driving control device 23 repeatedly executes the driving control of Fig. 14. Basically, the driving control device 23 preferably repeatedly executes the driving control of Fig. 14 at very short intervals.

[0071] In step ST21, the driving control device 23 acquires information from each part of the control system 20 of the automobile 1. In this embodiment, the driving control device 23 acquires drivability map data 39 from the driving surface information generation device 22 in addition to information such as detection information from the exterior camera 31 and high-precision map data 36.

[0072] In step ST22, the cruise control device 23 determines a route to be used for the current cruise control. The cruise control device 23 basically determines a route based on the latest detection information from the exterior camera 31 or the like so as to correspond to the latest state of the host vehicle and the situation outside the vehicle. In this embodiment, the cruise control device 23 also determines a route using the travel feasibility map data 39. In this case, the cruise control device 23 determines a route for traveling on a travel surface in the direction of travel so that minute sections 51 designated as travel feasible in the travel feasibility map data 39 are given priority over minute sections 51 designated as non-travel feasible in the travel feasibility map data 39. The cruise control device 23 determines a route 65 that falls within a predetermined range 60, as shown in FIG. 11 or 12, for example.

[0073] In step ST23, the cruise control device 23 controls the driving of the automobile 1 so that the automobile 1 drives along the route determined in step ST22. For autonomous automatic driving, the cruise control device 23 generates control values ​​according to the route determined in step ST22 and outputs them to the drive control device 24, the steering control device 25, and the braking control device 26. This allows the automobile 1 to drive by autonomous automatic driving under the control of the cruise control device 23.

[0074] For example, for the well-maintained paved road 2 shown in FIG. 1 , the travel surface information generating device 22 generates the travel-prohibition map data 39 shown in FIG. 12 . Within the predetermined range 60 of the travel surface in the travel-prohibition map data 39 shown in FIG. 12 , minute sections 61 on both the left and right sides near the vehicle 1 and a minute section 61 overlapping the curb 6 are marked as travel-prohibited. In this case, the travel control device 23 sequentially determines, for example, multiple routes 65 for heading toward the second parking space P2, as shown in FIG. 12 , for each control cycle. As a result, the vehicle 1 can travel along the lane 3 of the well-maintained paved road 2, as shown in FIG. 12 , and then head toward the second parking space P2 for the store 7 located next to the paved road 2. The vehicle 1 can travel toward the second parking space P2 without running over the high curb 6.

[0075] For the road 10 with an unmaintained, uneven surface shown in FIG. 2 , the travel surface information generating device 22 generates the travel-prohibition map data 39 shown in FIG. 11 . Within the predetermined range 60 of the travel surface in the travel-prohibition map data 39 shown in FIG. 11 , the following are marked as travel-prohibited: minute compartments 61 on both the left and right sides of the vehicle 1, a minute compartment 51 overlapping a stone 13, and a minute compartment 61 overlapping a standing tree 14. In this case, the travel control device 23 sequentially determines, for each control cycle, multiple routes 65 for traveling toward a flat parking space 15 with no standing trees 14 or the like within a space 12 beside the road, as shown in FIG. 11 . As a result, after traveling along the unmaintained, uneven road 10 as shown in FIG. 11 , the vehicle 1 can travel toward the parking space 15 next to the uneven road 10. The vehicle 1 can travel toward the parking space 15 without interfering with the stones 13 or standing trees 14 on the travel surface and safely stop in the parking space 15. When an emergency situation occurs in the vehicle 1 while the vehicle 1 is traveling autonomously, the vehicle 1 can pull over to the shoulder of the road and stop there.

[0076] As described above, this embodiment includes a driving control device 23 capable of controlling the driving of the automobile 1, and a driving surface information generating device 22 for the automobile 1 that generates information about driving surfaces, such as the road surface and road shoulders, in the direction of travel of the automobile 1. As a result, the driving control device 23 does not need to execute a process for generating information about the driving surface, and can determine the path of the automobile 1 based on the latest information at each point in time at very short intervals to adapt to the driving environment of the automobile 1, which changes from moment to moment as the automobile 1 travels, and can cause the automobile 1 to travel along the determined path. Furthermore, the driving surface information generating device 22 of this embodiment acquires at least one of information from an external sensor and information from high-precision map data 36 that the automobile 1 can acquire, and generates elevation map data 38 based on the acquired information. In this elevation map generation process, the driving surface information generating device 22 generates unevenness information about the driving surface in the direction of travel for each micro-division 51, and generates elevation map data 38 including unevenness information for each micro-division 51 about the driving surface in the direction of travel from the generated driving surface unevenness information. Furthermore, the driving surface information generating device 22 determines whether the vehicle 1 can drive on the driving surface for each micro-division 51 using at least one of the vehicle 1 specification information 40 and driving condition information for the driving surface unevenness information for each micro-division 51 included in the elevation map data 38 generated by the elevation map generation process. Furthermore, the driving surface information generating device 22 generates driving possibility map data 39 in which the unevenness information for each micro-division 51 in the elevation map data 38 is replaced with the driving possibility determination result for each micro-division 51 based on the determination result of the determination process. As a result, the driving control device 23 can obtain the driving possibility map data 39 including the result of a prior driving possibility determination for the current driving of the vehicle 1, and determine a route for driving on the driving surface in the direction of travel. The driving control device 23 selects a route so that minute sections 62 that are drivable in the drivable / undrivable map data 39 are driven on in preference to minute sections 61 that are drivable in the drivable / undrivable map data 39, thereby making it possible to determine a route 65 for driving on a drivable route through a simple and time-saving process.

[0077] Furthermore, in order to generate the drivability map data 39, the traveling surface information generating device 22 first divides the traveling surface, including the road surface on which the automobile 1 actually travels, into minute compartments 51, and generates elevation map data 38 including unevenness information for each minute compartment 51. The traveling surface information generating device 22 is able to generate elevation map data 38 including unevenness information that covers the entire traveling surface in a short time by performing finite processing that quantizes the traveling surface into each minute compartment 51. The traveling surface information generating device 22 also determines whether the automobile 1 is drivable for each minute compartment 51 in the elevation map data 38. The traveling surface information generating device 22 then replaces the unevenness information for each minute compartment 51 in the elevation map data 38 with the determination result of whether each minute compartment 51 is drivable, thereby generating the drivability map data 39. The traveling surface information generating device 22 is also able to generate the drivability map data 39 in a short time. In this way, the road surface information generating device 22 generates the drivability map data 39 and continuously updates the drivability map data 39 through a series of processes that can be completed in a short time. The road surface information generating device 22 can continuously update the drivability map data 39 to correspond to the control cycle of the driving control device 23. In contrast, if the elevation map data 38 were not quantized for each micro-division 51, the road surface information generating device 22 and the driving control device 23 would determine whether the selected route is drivable. If the selected route is not drivable, the road surface information generating device 22 and the driving control device 23 would select a new route and repeat the process. In this type of loop processing, the time required to finally determine a route that can be used for driving control is unknown. If driving control must be performed at short intervals, the series of controls may not be established and may fail.

[0078] In this embodiment, the driving surface information generating device 22 generates multiple virtual paths 49 for traveling on the driving surface included in the elevation map data 38 in the determination process. The driving surface information generating device 22 also calculates the roll, pitch, yaw, and other attitudes of the vehicle 1 in each micro-section 51 when traveling along each virtual path. The driving surface information generating device 22 then determines whether the roll, pitch, yaw, and other attitudes of the vehicle 1 when traveling through each micro-section 51 will result in overturning, bottoming out, or skidding. This allows the driving surface information generating device 22 to generate drivability map data 39 that defines micro-sections 51 that will not overturn even when the vehicle 1 travels as drivable micro-sections 62. Therefore, the driving control device 23 determines a path that will not overturn due to unevenness in the road surface, by prioritizing driving through micro-sections 62 that are drivable in the drivability map data 39 over micro-sections 61 that are drivable. It is expected that the automobile 1 will travel under the control of the driving control device 23 without overturning due to unevenness in the road surface, etc.

[0079] Moreover, in this embodiment, the traveling surface information generating device 22 determines whether or not a plurality of virtual paths 49 are drivable. In this case, the plurality of virtual paths 49 may be a combination that comprehensively travels through all of the plurality of micro-divisions 51 included in the elevation map data 38. The traveling surface information generating device 22 may determine whether or not a finite number of virtual paths 49 corresponding to the micro-divisions 51 are drivable. In contrast, for example, the traveling surface information generating device 22 and the traveling control device 23 determine whether or not a route is drivable one by one. If the selected route is not drivable, the traveling surface information generating device 22 and the traveling control device 23 select a new route and repeat the process. In this type of loop processing, the time required to finally determine a drivable route that can be used for traveling control is unknown. If it is assumed that traveling control needs to be performed at short intervals, the series of controls may not be established and may fail.

[0080] As a result, in this embodiment, the driving surface information generating device 22 determines in advance whether the vehicle 1 can travel on an uneven driving surface, and the driving control device 23 of the vehicle 1 can determine a route based on the result of the determination of whether the vehicle can travel. The vehicle 1 of this embodiment can determine a route to travel in response to, for example, an unmaintained uneven road 10, unevenness caused by a curb 6 on the road 2 while the vehicle is traveling, stopping on a safe shoulder of the road that is smooth, etc. This embodiment can be improved so that the vehicle's route is determined after the host vehicle, which is a traveling vehicle, ensures a stable posture.

[0081] Second Embodiment Next, a description will be given of a vehicle 1 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the road surface information generating device 22 of the vehicle 1 generates elevation map data 38 based solely on information from various external sensors installed on the vehicle, without using high-precision map data 36. The following mainly describes differences from the above-described embodiment.

[0082] In this case, in step ST2 of FIG. 13 , the traveling surface information generating device 22 maps the unevenness of the traveling surface and the unevenness due to obstacles, etc., obtained by processing as the depth coordinate measurement unit 41, to the respective positions and ranges. The three-dimensional traveling surface unevenness data 37 may map the unevenness due to curbs 6, stones 13, standing trees 14, etc., and the unevenness of the traveling surface itself, as the height of each piece of information. When the traveling surface information generating device 22 obtains the uneven shape, width, or drivable range of the traveling surface in the traveling direction of the automobile 1 based on the traveling direction detection information obtained by the external sensor, LiDAR 32, etc., it maps this information into the three-dimensional traveling surface unevenness data 37. When the traveling surface information generating device 22 obtains an inclination angle, such as the cant angle of the traveling surface, based on the traveling direction detection information obtained by the external sensor, LiDAR 32, etc., it inclins the traveling surface in the three-dimensional traveling surface unevenness data 37 by the inclination angle. When the traveling surface information generating device 22 can acquire unevenness information about the traveling surface and surroundings, such as the road median, road shoulder, unevenness of the road or road shoulder, fallen objects such as fallen rocks, structures such as roadside walls and fences, steps between the lane and the road shoulder due to curbs 6 and the like, vegetation, and entrances and exits of stores 7, based on detection information in the traveling direction from external sensors, LiDAR 32, etc., the traveling surface information generating device 22 maps the unevenness information about the traveling surface to three-dimensional traveling surface unevenness data 37. This allows the traveling surface information generating device 22 to generate elevation map data 38 in step ST6 based only on information from the various external sensors provided on the vehicle, without using high-precision map data 36.

[0083] As described above, in this embodiment as well, the driving surface information generating device 22 of the automobile 1 determines in advance whether the automobile 1 can travel on the uneven driving surface, and the driving control device 23 can determine a route based on the result of the determination of whether the automobile 1 can travel on. The automobile 1 of this embodiment can determine a route and travel in accordance with, for example, an unmaintained uneven road 10, unevenness caused by a curb 6 on the road 2 while the automobile is traveling, stopping on a safe shoulder of the road that is smooth, etc.

[0084] [Third embodiment] Next, a description will be given of an automobile 1 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the travel surface information generating device 22 of the automobile 1 determines whether or not each micro-division 51 is travelable in order to generate travelable / non-travelable map data 39 from the elevation map data 38, which is different from the above-described embodiment. The following mainly describes the differences from the above-described embodiment.

[0085] Figure 15 is an explanatory diagram of multiple virtual paths 49 in the third embodiment of the present invention. In Figure 15, the road 10, which has an unmaintained, uneven surface, of the road in Figure 2, is drawn superimposed thereon. In this embodiment, in step ST8 of Figure 13, the traveling surface information generating device 22 selects from the multiple virtual straight paths 83 shown in Figure 15 those that overlap with the infinitesimal section 51 selected in step ST7. Here, the multiple virtual straight paths 83 are combined so as to overlap with all of the multiple infinitesimal sections 51 for the traveling surface indicated by the elevation map data 38.

[0086] Figure 16 is an explanatory diagram of an example of rollover determination in the minute section 51 based on the virtual path of Figure 15. The running surface information generating device 22 may calculate the attitude in the state of the example of Figure 16 in step ST9 of Figure 13. In Figure 16, the running surface is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane (XY plane).

[0087] In this case, in step ST9 of the judgment processing, the traveling surface information generating device 22 calculates the attitude of the automobile 1 when the right wheel 9 of the automobile 1 is on the minute compartment 51, as shown by the solid line in Figure 16, and the attitude of the automobile 1 when the left wheel 9 of the automobile 1 is on the minute compartment 51, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 16. Here, the traveling surface information generating device 22 first selects a virtual straight path 83 for traveling through the selected minute compartment 51 from the multiple virtual paths 49. Next, the traveling surface information generating device 22 calculates the attitude of the automobile 1 traveling along the selected virtual straight path 83 while traveling on the minute compartment 51. At this time, the traveling surface information generating device 22 may acquire the traveling conditions of the automobile 1, such as the latest position, speed, acceleration, and steering angle of the automobile 1, as traveling reference information, and calculate the attitude of the automobile 1 when traveling along the virtual straight path 83 based on the traveling reference information. The running surface information generating device 22 may also calculate the posture of the vehicle 1 when one of the four wheels 9 of the vehicle 1 is on a micro-section 51, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 16 . In this case, the other wheels 9 are on a different micro-section 51. The running surface information generating device 22 may select four micro-sections 51 on which the four wheels 9 of the vehicle 1 are on, based on the fact that the vehicle 1 is traveling along a virtual straight path 83, and may calculate the inclination angles in the pitch, roll, and yaw directions of the vehicle 1 as the posture of the vehicle 1 based on the difference in elevation information of the four micro-sections 51. In FIG. 16 , the vehicle 1 is tilted to the right at a roll angle θr. The running surface information generating device 22 may also calculate the posture of the vehicle 1 when one of the four wheels 9 of the vehicle 1 is on a micro-section 51, as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 16 . In this case, the other wheels 9 are on a different micro-section 51. The driving surface information generating device 22 may select four micro-divisions 51 on which the four wheels 9 of the automobile 1 are placed, based on the fact that the automobile 1 is traveling along the virtual straight path 83, and may calculate the tilt angles in each of the pitch, roll, and yaw directions of the automobile 1 as the attitude of the automobile 1, based on the difference in elevation information of the four micro-divisions 51. In Figure 16, the automobile 1 is tilted to the right at a roll angle θl.As a result, the running surface information generating device 22 can calculate the attitude of the vehicle 1 using at least one of the vehicle 1 specification information 40 and driving state information for the unevenness information of the running surface for each micro-division 51 included in the elevation map data 38. The running surface information generating device 22 can also calculate the attitudes of the vehicle 1, such as roll, pitch, and yaw, in each micro-division 51 when traveling along each virtual straight path 83.

[0088] Then, in step ST11, the running surface information generating device 22 determines the possibility of the vehicle 1 rolling over and over for the posture in a first case where the right wheel 9 of the vehicle 1 is running through the minute compartment 51, as shown by the solid line in Fig. 16, and the posture in a second case where the left wheel 9 of the vehicle 1 is running through the minute compartment 51, as shown by the dashed line in Fig. 16. The running surface information generating device 22 determines the possibility of the vehicle 1 rolling over and over based on whether the roll angle of each posture exceeds the roll limit angle, which is the roll angle rollover limit, included in the specification information 40 of the vehicle 1. For example, the running surface information generating device 22 determines whether the two roll angles θr and θl in Fig. 16 exceed the roll limit angle.

[0089] Furthermore, if the running surface information generating device 22 determines that the vehicle 1 is not below the roll angle rollover limit in both the attitude in the first case and the attitude in the second case, it determines that the vehicle 1 will roll over in the micro-section 51. In this case, the running surface information generating device 22 determines that the micro-section 51 selected in step ST7 is not drivable. In this case, the running surface information generating device 22 proceeds to step ST13. On the other hand, if the running surface information generating device 22 does not determine that the vehicle 1 is not below the roll angle rollover limit in at least one of the first case and the second case, it determines that the vehicle 1 will not roll over in each micro-section 51. In this case, the running surface information generating device 22 proceeds to step ST12.

[0090] FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram of drivability map data 60 generated based on the present embodiment, in which wheel position is used as a reference and a determination is made that a road is drivable only when drivability is not possible on both the left and right sides. In this case, a determination is made that a road is drivable when drivability is not possible on either the left or right side, or when drivability is possible on both the left and right sides. In the case of FIG. 17 , as shown in the upper part of FIG. 17 , the automobile 1 is traveling on a road with a protruding curb 6 between the lane 3 and the sidewalk 5 of a paved road. In this case, when drivability is not possible on both the left and right sides, the micro-division is designated as a non-drivable micro-division 61. Therefore, in the drivability map data 60 shown in the lower part of FIG. 17 , the micro-division including the curb 6 is designated as a non-drivable micro-division 61 by the travel surface information generating device 22. Furthermore, all micro-divisions not including the curb 6 are designated as drivable micro-divisions 61. Therefore, the automobile 1 traveling on the lane 3 cannot travel over the non-drivable micro-division. As a result, the cruise control device 23 of the automobile 1 no longer controls the travel of the automobile 1 to go over the curb 6.

[0091] FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram of comparative example drivability map data generated based on a system that, unlike the present embodiment, determines that a vehicle is drivable when either the left or right side is drivable based on the wheel position. In this case, a determination is made that a vehicle is drivable when both the left and right sides are drivable. In the case of FIG. 18 , similar to FIG. 17 , the automobile 1 is traveling on a road with a protruding curb 6 between the lane 3 and the sidewalk 5 of a paved road. In this case, a determination is made that a vehicle is drivable when either the left or right side is drivable. Therefore, in the drivability map data 60 shown at the bottom of FIG. 18 , unlike FIG. 17 , the driving surface information generating device 22 not only classifies micro-divisions including the curb 6 as drivable micro-divisions 61, but also micro-divisions separated from the curb 6 by the width of the vehicle body 8 in the lateral direction. Note that all other micro-divisions are considered drivable micro-divisions 61. In this way, if a determination is made that a vehicle is drivable when either the left or right side is drivable, not only the micro-divisions that are drivable are considered drivable micro-divisions 61, but also the micro-divisions that are actually drivable are considered drivable micro-divisions 61.

[0092] FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram of drivability map data of another comparative example, which is generated based on the lateral center of the vehicle body as a reference point and determining that drivability is not permitted on either the left or right side, unlike the present embodiment. In this case, drivability is determined when drivability is permitted on both the left and right sides. In the case of FIG. 19 , as in FIG. 17 , the automobile 1 is traveling on a road with a protruding curb 6 between the paved road lane 3 and the sidewalk 5. In this case, the lateral center of the vehicle body is used as a reference point. Therefore, unlike not only FIG. 17 but also FIG. 18 , the traveling surface information generating device 22 determines a micro-zone 61 that is half the lateral length of the vehicle body 8 away from a micro-zone containing the curb 6 as a non-drivable micro-zone 61. Furthermore, all other micro-zones, including the micro-zone containing the curb 6, are determined to be drivable micro-zones 61. Non-drivable micro-zones that contain the curb 6 are not determined to be non-drivable micro-zones 61. Drivable micro-zones that do not contain the curb 6 are determined to be non-drivable micro-zones 61.

[0093] FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram of drivability map data generated based on the wheel position as a reference, determining that drivability is not permitted only when drivability is not permitted on both the left and right sides, as in this embodiment. In this case, drivability is determined when drivability is not permitted on either the left or right side, or when drivability is permitted on both the left and right sides. In the case of FIG. 20 , as shown in the upper part of FIG. 20 , the automobile 1 is traveling on a road with a paved lane 3 and a sidewalk 5 that is higher than the lane 3. In this case, unlike FIG. 17 , the travel surface information generating device 22 determines all micro-sections including the step between the lane 3 and the sidewalk 5 as drivable micro-sections 61, just like the other micro-sections. As a result, the travel control device 23 of the automobile 1 can control the travel of the automobile 1 traveling on the lane 3 so that the automobile 1 overcomes the step between the lane 3 and the sidewalk 5. For example, the travel control device 23 can control the travel of the automobile 1 so that the automobile 1 overcomes the step between the lane 3 and the sidewalk 5 from the lane 3 toward the second parking space P2 in FIG. 1 .

[0094] As described above, in this embodiment as well, the driving surface information generating device 22 of the automobile 1 determines in advance whether the automobile 1 can travel on the uneven driving surface, and the driving control device 23 can determine the route according to the result of the determination of whether the automobile 1 can travel on. The automobile 1 of the present invention can determine the route and travel in accordance with, for example, an unmaintained uneven road 10, unevenness caused by a curb 6 on the road 2 while the automobile is traveling, stopping on a safe shoulder of the road that is smooth, etc.

[0095] The above-described embodiment is an example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this and various modifications and changes are possible.

[0096] In the above-described embodiment, the road surface information generating device 22 and the driving control device 23 are provided as separate control devices in the control system 20 of Fig. 4 and are separately connected to the vehicle network 29. Alternatively, for example, the road surface information generating device 22 and the driving control device 23 may be provided in the control system 20 as a single control device.

[0097] 1...Automobile (vehicle), 2...Paved road, 3...Lane, 4...Oncoming lane, 5...Sidewalk, 6...Curb, 7...Store, 8...Vehicle body, 9...Wheel, 10...Unmaintained road, 12...Space beside the road, 13...Stone, 14...Standing tree, 15...Parking space, 20...Control system, 21...Sensor control device, 22...Road surface information generation device, 23...Driving control device, 24...Drive control device, 25...Steering control device, 26...Braking control device, 29...Vehicle network, 30...GNSS receiver, 31...External camera, 32...LiDAR, 33...IMU sensor, 34...Odometry sensor, 35...Vehicle speed sensor, 36...High-precision map data , 37...Three-dimensional driving surface unevenness data, 38...Elevation map data, 39...Driving possibility map data, 40...Specification information, 41...Depth coordinate measurement unit, 42...Steering angle acquisition unit, 43...Horizontal angle estimation unit, 44...Type acquisition unit, 45...Driving possibility determination unit, 49...Virtual course, 50...Predetermined range of elevation map data, 51...Micro-section, 60...Predetermined range of driving possibility map data, 61...Non-driveable micro-section, 62...Drivable micro-section, 65...Crawl control device course, 71, 72...G-G characteristic line, 81...Virtual straight course, 82...Virtual steering course, 83...Virtual straight course, P1...First parking space, P2...Second parking space

Claims

1. A driving control device capable of controlling the driving of a vehicle by determining a driving route by autonomous automatic driving and controlling the driving of the vehicle according to the determined route; an external sensor provided on the vehicle for observing the traveling direction of the vehicle; and a driving surface information generation device for the vehicle that generates information about the driving surface in the traveling direction of the vehicle using at least one of information from the external sensor and information from map data that the vehicle can acquire, wherein the driving surface information generation device comprises: an acquisition process for acquiring information from the external sensor or information from the map data; an elevation map generation process for generating unevenness information of the driving surface in the traveling direction for each micro-section based on the information acquired by the acquisition process, and generating elevation map data including unevenness information for each micro-section for the driving surface in the traveling direction from the generated unevenness information of the driving surface; and a judgment process for judging whether the vehicle is allowed to drive on the driving surface for which the elevation map generation process has generated unevenness information for each micro-section, using at least one of information from the vehicle's specifications information and driving state information for the unevenness information for each micro-section included in the elevation map data. a drivability map generation process that generates drivability map data in which the unevenness information for each of the micro-divisions of the elevation map data is replaced with a judgment result of whether each of the micro-divisions is drivable based on the judgment result of the judgment process, and the driving control device determines a route for traveling on the driving surface in the direction of travel so that the micro-divisions that are drivable in the drivability map data are given priority over the micro-divisions that are not drivable in the drivability map data, and controls the driving of the vehicle according to the determined route.

2. A vehicle capable of autonomous driving as described in claim 1, wherein, in the judgment process, the driving surface information generating device selects a virtual route for traveling through each of the micro-plots from a plurality of virtual routes for traveling through the micro-plots included in the elevation map data, calculates the attitude of the vehicle when traveling through the micro-plot on the selected virtual route, and judges whether the attitude of the vehicle will overturn when traveling through each of the micro-plots; and, in the driving surface information generating process, the driving possibility map generating device generates the driving possibility map data so as to render the micro-plots where the vehicle will overturn undrivable and to render the micro-plots where the vehicle will not overturn drivable.

3. A vehicle capable of autonomous driving as described in claim 2, wherein the micro-division is smaller than the size of the vehicle divided by the number of wheels of the vehicle and larger than the contact surface of the wheels.

4. A vehicle capable of autonomous driving as described in claim 3, wherein the multiple virtual paths are a virtual straight path in which the vehicle travels straight along a path and multiple virtual steering paths in which the vehicle turns left or right from the virtual straight path, and the driving surface information generating device, in the judgment process, acquires the driving state of the vehicle as driving reference information, calculates the attitude of the vehicle with the wheels of the vehicle on each of the small sections when traveling on the virtual straight path and each of the multiple virtual steering paths based on the driving reference information, and judges whether the attitude of the vehicle is such that it will overturn.

5. A vehicle capable of autonomous driving as described in claim 4, wherein in the judgment process, the driving surface information generating device judges that each of the micro sections is drivable in a first case where the attitude of the vehicle with the wheels of the vehicle on each of the micro sections when traveling along the virtual straight path and each of the plurality of virtual steering paths in traveling based on the driving reference information is below the rollover limit of the vehicle, and in a second case where the acceleration of the vehicle in each of the micro sections when traveling along each of the virtual paths in traveling based on the driving reference information is below the turning limit of the vehicle, and judges that each of the micro sections is drivable when either the first case or the second case does not hold.

6. A vehicle capable of autonomous driving as described in claim 3, wherein the multiple virtual paths are multiple virtual straight-line paths along which the vehicle travels along the arrangement direction of the multiple tiny sections in the elevation map data, and the driving surface information generating device, in the judgment process, acquires the driving state of the vehicle as driving reference information, and judges whether the vehicle will overturn in each of the tiny sections based on the attitude of the vehicle with its wheels resting on each of the tiny sections when traveling through each of the tiny sections while traveling according to the driving reference information.

7. A vehicle capable of autonomous driving as described in claim 6, wherein, in the judgment process, the driving surface information generating device calculates the attitude of the vehicle in a first case in which the right wheels of the vehicle are driving through each of the micro-sections, and the attitude of the vehicle in a second case in which the left wheels of the vehicle are driving through each of the micro-sections, and if it is determined that the vehicle is not below the rollover limit in both the first case and the second case, it judges that each of the micro-sections is drivable, and if it is determined that the vehicle is not below the rollover limit in at least one of the first case and the second case, it judges that each of the micro-sections is drivable.

8. A vehicle capable of autonomous driving as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein in the elevation map generation process, the driving surface information generating device obtains from the map data the shape, width or driving range of the road in the direction of travel, as well as the inclination angle of the road or unevenness information regarding the road and its surroundings, and generates three-dimensional unevenness information of the driving surface based on the obtained information in correspondence with each of the micro-divisions, thereby generating the elevation map data including unevenness information for each of the micro-divisions regarding the driving surface in the direction of travel.

9. A vehicle capable of autonomous driving as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein in the elevation map generation process, the driving surface information generating device generates three-dimensional unevenness information of the driving surface including the shape, width, or drivable range of the driving surface in the traveling direction of the vehicle, as well as the inclination angle of the driving surface, or unevenness information regarding the driving surface and its surroundings, based on detection information in the traveling direction by the external sensor, and generates the elevation map data including unevenness information for each of the micro-divisions about the driving surface in the traveling direction by correlating the three-dimensional unevenness information of the driving surface with each of the micro-divisions.

Images