Vehicle control device and vehicle control method

Abstract

The present invention realizes a vehicle control device capable of highly accurately recognizing a wide range of traveling environments, including situations of other traffic participants and a road structure, and performing autonomous driving control that smoothly and safely gives priority to the traveling of another vehicle. A vehicle control device 1A comprises: a peripheral environment information acquisition unit 4 that recognizes a position and a movement speed of an object around a host vehicle 10; a target vehicle identification unit 11 that identifies another vehicle 27 being a target that is likely to pull in front of or behind the host vehicle 10; a traffic influence degree identification unit 12 that calculates, from the position and the movement speed of the object recognized by the peripheral environment information acquisition unit 4, a first influence degree on a traffic participant which is caused by the other vehicle 27 being a target and a second influence degree on the traffic participant which is caused when the host vehicle 10 gives way to the other vehicle 27 being a target; and an action determination unit 13 that determines, from the first influence degree and the second influence degree calculated by the traffic influence degree identification unit 12, whether or not to take action to give priority to the other vehicle 27 being a target.

Description

Vehicle control device and vehicle control method

[0001] The present invention relates to an on-vehicle control device and a vehicle control method.

[0002] In recent years, in the field of vehicle control technology, as autonomous driving systems of Level 3 or higher are expanded to public roads, vehicles are required not only to follow traffic rules but also to drive in a manner that takes into consideration road manners such as yielding to others, just like when driven by a human.

[0003] Patent document 1 describes that a situation in which the direction of travel of the vehicle itself and the direction of travel of a target vehicle overlap is predicted, and when predetermined conditions for handover are met, a handover signal (flashing headlights) is sent to the target vehicle indicating that the target vehicle should have priority over the vehicle itself.

[0004] Patent No. 7014103

[0005] In order to expand automated driving systems of Level 3 or above to public roads, specific technical solutions are required that take into account not only the target vehicle but also other vehicles and numerous traffic participants, including pedestrians, and cover all complex traffic situations.

[0006] However, in the technology described in Patent Document 1, although it is possible to control the vehicle driving based on the driving handover conditions for the target vehicle, it does not disclose any specific technical solution that covers complex traffic situations by taking into account not only the target vehicle but also other vehicles and a large number of traffic participants, including pedestrians.

[0007] The object of the present invention is to realize a vehicle control device and a vehicle control method that can accurately recognize a wide range of driving environments, including the status of other traffic participants and road structure, and perform automatic driving control that gives priority to the smooth and safe driving of other vehicles.

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured as follows.

[0009] The vehicle control device includes a surrounding environment information acquisition unit that recognizes the positions and movement speeds of targets around the host vehicle; a target vehicle identification unit that identifies target vehicles that may be approaching in front of or behind the host vehicle; a traffic impact degree identification unit that calculates, from the positions and movement speeds of the targets recognized by the surrounding environment information acquisition unit, a first impact degree on traffic participants caused by the target vehicles and a second impact degree on the traffic participants that will occur if the host vehicle gives priority to the target vehicles; and a behavior determination unit that determines whether to take an action that gives priority to the target vehicles based on the first impact degree and the second impact degree calculated by the traffic impact degree identification unit.

[0010] In addition, the vehicle control method recognizes the position and movement speed of targets around the vehicle, identifies target vehicles that may be approaching in front of or behind the vehicle, calculates a first degree of impact on traffic participants caused by the target vehicles and a second degree of impact on the traffic participants that will occur if the vehicle gives priority to the target vehicles, and determines whether to take action to give priority to the target vehicles based on the calculated first degree of impact and second degree of impact.

[0011] It is possible to realize a vehicle control device and vehicle control method that can accurately recognize a wide range of driving environments, including the status of other traffic participants and road structure, and perform automatic driving control that gives priority to the smooth and safe driving of other vehicles.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a vehicle control device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of an on-board camera on a vehicle. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of an image capture area captured by an on-board camera. FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of an on-board camera system. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a typical example 1 of vehicle yielding. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a typical example 2 of vehicle yielding. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a typical example 3 of vehicle yielding. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a typical example 4 of vehicle yielding. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a display unit disposed in front of a vehicle. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display unit disposed behind a vehicle. FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram of a vehicle control device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of a determination criterion for identifying a potential risk area. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a determination criterion for identifying a potential risk area. FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining the definition of risk level 1. FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining the definition of risk level 2.

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] First Embodiment An example of the sensor configuration of an external sensing system to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIG.

[0015] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a vehicle control device 1A according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] In FIG. 1 , the vehicle control device 1A includes a surrounding environment information acquisition unit 4 , a target vehicle identification unit 11 , a traffic influence degree calculation unit 12 , and a behavior determination unit 13 .

[0017] The surrounding environment information acquisition unit 4 recognizes the positions and movement speeds of targets around the vehicle 10 detected by the in-vehicle camera system 2 (CR, CF, CRF, CRR, CLF, CLR) mounted on the vehicle 10 shown in Fig. 2. In other words, the surrounding environment information acquisition unit 4 acquires the positions and movement speeds of traffic participants (vehicles, pedestrians, bicycles, etc.) around the vehicle 10 using the in-vehicle camera system 2. Sensors other than the in-vehicle camera system 2 may also be used.

[0018] The target vehicle identification unit 11 identifies other target vehicles (27, 27A, 27B, 27C shown in Figure 5, etc.) that may be approaching in front of or behind the vehicle 10 using the in-vehicle camera system 2 based on the turn signals and vehicle direction of the other vehicles (27, 27A, 27B, 27C).

[0019] The traffic impact degree calculation unit 12 calculates an impact degree 1 (first impact degree) on traffic participants caused by the target vehicle identified by the target vehicle identification unit 11, and an impact degree 2 (second impact degree) on traffic participants caused when the host vehicle 10 gives priority to the target vehicle, based on the positions and movement speeds of targets around the host vehicle 10 recognized by the surrounding environment information acquisition unit 4. For example, the traffic impact degree identification unit 12 determines the impact degree 1 to be high when there are no vehicles in front of the target vehicle and there is congestion behind it. In addition, the traffic impact degree identification unit 12 also determines the impact degree 2 to be high when, for example, there are multiple vehicles behind the host vehicle 10 and the host vehicle 10 must stop to give priority to the target vehicles.

[0020] The behavior determination unit 13 determines whether or not the vehicle will behave in a way that prioritizes other target vehicles, based on the results calculated by the traffic influence degree identification unit 12 .

[0021] Information on the behavior determined by the behavior determination unit 113 is sent to the operation control unit 3 that controls the operation of the engine, brakes, etc. of the vehicle 10.

[0022] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of the vehicle-mounted camera system 2 (CR, CF, CRF, CRR, CLF, CLR) on the vehicle 10.

[0023] The basic concept of placing the onboard cameras 2 (CR, CF, CRF, CRR, CLF, CLR) on the vehicle 10 is, first, to mount the multiple camera systems 2 (CR, CF, CRF, CRR, CLF, CLR) on the periphery of the vehicle 10 where the vehicle body is least likely to be reflected, as shown in (a), (b), (c), and (d) of Figures 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D.

[0024] In this case, the camera system 2 (CR, CF, CRF, CRR, CLF, CLR) is a monocular camera consisting of a lens and one image sensor, or a camera consisting of a curved mirror such as a spherical, hyperbolic, conical, or parabolic mirror and one image sensor, and the peripheral part can be either inside or outside the vehicle. However, it is preferable to place the camera in a position where the reflection of the vehicle body is minimal.

[0025] Second, as shown in Figure 3, multiple monocular cameras C are combined to form a panoramic stereo field, and the surrounding environment is recognized in 3D. Each camera is positioned to cover the entire stereo field so that there are no gaps larger than the width of the vehicle. In other words, the edges of each stereo field are aligned so that they meet or intersect, as shown in Figure 3.

[0026] As shown in Figure 3, two front cameras CF secure a 120-degree stereo area REF in the front (right side of Figure 3), and a combination of a left front camera CLF and a left rear camera CLR, and a right front camera CRF and a right rear camera CRR secure 90-degree stereo areas RER and REL to the left and right sides. Furthermore, a combination of a rear camera CR and a left rear camera CLR and a right rear camera CRR secures a 60-degree (30 degrees and 30 degrees) stereo area REB behind the vehicle 10.

[0027] The stereo areas (REF, RER, REL, REB) around the entire periphery shown in FIG. 3 are arranged so that the ends of each stereo area abut or intersect, so there is no gap of a size equivalent to the vehicle width of the vehicle 10. In other words, a seamless stereo area is formed all around the vehicle 10. In further other words, the camera system can be described as including: a first camera group arranged so as to be able to capture an image of the surrounding external world that is continuous all around the vehicle 10 in at least one direction (for example, the horizontal direction); a second camera group consisting of multiple cameras having an imaging area that at least overlaps with the imaging area of ​​the first camera group; and a parallax calculation unit that performs stereo matching processing using images captured by the first camera group and images captured by the second camera group to determine parallax information.

[0028] 3, it is possible to reduce the vertically obscured area caused by the reflection of the vehicle body when another vehicle changes lanes from an adjacent lane to the vehicle 10 into the lane the vehicle 10 is traveling in. Furthermore, the camera system configuration shown in FIG. 3 has the effect of being able to obtain distance information from all around the vehicle 10 in the horizontal direction, and has the effect of providing high accuracy in measuring distances at long distances because it is not necessary to use an ultra-wide-angle lens such as a fisheye lens.

[0029] FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of the vehicle-mounted camera system 2.

[0030] The vehicle-mounted camera system 2 obtains object recognition information from parallax information obtained from images captured by the multiple cameras C and outputs the information to the vehicle control device 1A. Note that the arrangement of the multiple cameras C is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG.

[0031] Images captured by a plurality of on-board cameras C are input in time series to a camera image acquisition unit 21 in the on-board camera system 2. These images are processed in a calibration execution unit 22 to calculate internal parameters such as the lens focal length, external parameters representing the camera position and orientation, and lens distortion coefficients, and to correct the images.

[0032] The camera parameter acquisition unit 26 acquires in advance the parameters of the multiple cameras C. The parameters include, for example, the image sensor resolution, pixel size, pixel pitch, lens focal length, lens distortion parameters, and camera installation angle. The stereo matching processing unit 23 searches for corresponding points in two images captured at the same time from different viewpoints and calculates parallax. This makes it possible to obtain distance information to an object (target) that appears in the two images capturing a common portion.

[0033] The parallax information integration unit 24 calculates the distance to all or some of the objects in the captured image. The object recognition unit 25 recognizes whether the captured object is an object that should be monitored during vehicle travel or not, and outputs information on the object that should be monitored and the distance to the object to the vehicle control device 1A.

[0034] A typical example of the subject vehicle 10 giving priority to the other vehicle 27 will be described.

[0035] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a typical example 1 of vehicle yielding.

[0036] 5 is an example of a state in which another vehicle 27 in the oncoming lane of the host vehicle 10 is blinking its turn signal 39 and waiting to turn right, as shown in the predicted path 29. In this state, the host vehicle 10 needs to determine whether the other vehicle 27's right turn along the predicted path 29 should take priority over the host vehicle 10's own travel.

[0037] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a typical example 2 of vehicle yielding.

[0038] 6 is an example of a state in which another vehicle 27A or 27B is about to turn left or right from a roadside facility such as a store with its blinker 39 flashing. In this state, the host vehicle 10 needs to determine whether the other vehicle 27's left or right turn along the predicted path 29 should take priority over the host vehicle 10's own travel.

[0039] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a typical example 3 of vehicle yielding.

[0040] 7 is an example of a state in which another vehicle 27A or 27B is blinking its turn signal 39 and is about to turn right or left from an adjacent lane to the host vehicle 10 to merge into the lane in which the host vehicle 10 is traveling. In this state, the host vehicle 10 needs to determine whether or not the right or left turn of the other vehicle 27A or 27B along the predicted path 29 should be given priority over the traveling of the host vehicle 10.

[0041] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a typical example 4 of vehicle yielding.

[0042] Representative example 4 shown in Figure 8 is an example of a state in which another vehicle 27 approaches the host vehicle 10 from behind the host vehicle 10. In this state, the host vehicle 10 needs to determine whether to move from the current lane to an adjacent lane and give priority to the other vehicle 27.

[0043] In the situations shown in Figures 5 to 8, the surrounding environment information acquisition unit 4 of the vehicle control device 1A acquires the positions and movement speeds of traffic participants (other vehicles 27, pedestrians, bicycles, etc.) all around the vehicle 10 using the in-vehicle camera system 2.

[0044] The target vehicle identification unit 11 identifies another vehicle 27 that may be approaching in front of or behind the vehicle 10. That is, the target vehicle is identified by the in-vehicle camera system 2 based on the turn signals 39, the direction of the other vehicle 27, etc.

[0045] The traffic impact determination unit 12 calculates, from the surrounding environment information acquisition unit 4, the impact level 1 (first impact level) on the traffic participants caused by the target other vehicle 27 and the impact level 2 (second impact level) on the traffic participants that occurs when the vehicle 10 gives priority to the target other vehicle 27.

[0046] For example, if there is no vehicle ahead of the target other vehicle 27 and there is congestion behind the target other vehicle 27, the influence level 1 is large.

[0047] Also, for example, if there are multiple other vehicles 27 behind the own vehicle 10 and the own vehicle has to stop to give priority to the target other vehicles 27, the influence level 2 becomes large.

[0048] The behavior determination unit 13 determines whether or not to take a behavior that prioritizes the target other vehicle 27 based on the result calculated by the traffic influence degree identification unit 12 .

[0049] If the influence level 1 is equal to or greater than the influence level 2, the target other vehicle 27 is given priority and the vehicle 10 is allowed to travel. On the other hand, if the influence level 1 is less than the influence level 2, the vehicle 10 is not allowed to travel to the target other vehicle 27.

[0050] FIG. 9A is a diagram showing an example of a display unit 38F disposed in front of the vehicle 10. As shown in FIG.

[0051] In FIG. 9A, the display unit 38F displays a message to the other vehicle 27 to which the right of way is being given (for example, "Temporarily stopped" or "Please go ahead") informing the other vehicle 27 that the right of way is being given.

[0052] In addition, the display unit 38F displays a countdown (for example, seconds or an indicator) of the time that the vehicle 10 is stopped to allow traffic to pass.

[0053] The display unit 38F also displays a message (e.g., "Starting") when the vehicle 10 starts moving from a stopped state to yield. The display unit 38F also displays a warning message when the risk level 1 (described later) is within a predetermined value range or when there is a possibility that another traffic participant will cross the predicted path of the target vehicle 27 (when a pedestrian, bicycle, etc. is detected by an on-board sensor such as a multi-camera). For example, the message may be "Watch out for pedestrians and bicycles" or "There is a pedestrian / motorcycle ahead / behind." The display unit 38F can also display a countdown (e.g., in seconds or as an indicator) of the time the vehicle is stopped to yield. Furthermore, a message (e.g., "Starting") when the vehicle starts moving from a stopped state to yield may also be displayed. FIG. 9B is a diagram showing an example of a display unit 38B disposed at the rear of the vehicle 10, in which a message for other traffic participants, such as a following vehicle, is displayed on the display unit 38B. For example, a message informing the target vehicle that the target vehicle is yielding to the target vehicle, such as "Currently slowing down or stopped to yield to an oncoming vehicle," is displayed on display unit 38B. Furthermore, if there is a possibility that another traffic participant will cross the target vehicle's predicted path (for example, if a pedestrian, bicycle, or the like is recognized by an on-board sensor such as a multi-camera), a warning message, such as "Watch out for a vehicle entering from the right," is displayed on display unit 38B. Furthermore, display unit 38B displays a countdown (e.g., number of seconds or an indicator) of the time the target vehicle 10 is stopped to yield to the target vehicle. Furthermore, display unit 38B displays a message (e.g., "Starting") when the target vehicle 10 starts from a state where the target vehicle 10 is stopped to yield to the target vehicle. The display units 38F and 38B display the type of display to be displayed according to the determination of the behavior determination unit 13.

[0054] Since the first embodiment of the present invention is configured as described above, it is possible to realize a vehicle control device and a vehicle control method that can recognize a wide range of driving environments, including the status of other traffic participants and road structures, with high accuracy, and perform automatic driving control that gives priority to the smooth and safe driving of other vehicles.

[0055] Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0056] FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram of a vehicle control device 1B according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0057] The vehicle control device 1B according to the second embodiment is configured by adding a risk level identifying unit 14 and a potential risk area identifying unit 15 to the vehicle control device 1A shown in FIG.

[0058] The potential risk area identification unit 15 identifies a blind spot area from the host vehicle 10 and a blind spot area from the target other vehicle 27 based on the position and movement speed of the target recognized by the surrounding environment information acquisition unit 4, and identifies a potential risk area. Here, the blind spot area from the host vehicle 10 is defined as a blind spot area of ​​the host vehicle that cannot be recognized by the host vehicle 10 and is an area that cannot be seen by the in-vehicle camera system 2 of the host vehicle 10. Furthermore, the blind spot area from the target other vehicle 27 is defined as a blind spot area of ​​the other vehicle that cannot be recognized by the target other vehicle 27 and is an area that cannot be seen from the viewpoint of the driver of the target other vehicle 27.

[0059] The risk identification unit 14 calculates risk level 1 (first risk level) when the path of the target vehicle 27 is prioritized and risk level 2 (second risk level) when the path of the target vehicle 27 is not prioritized, based on the information obtained by the surrounding environment information acquisition unit 4 (position and movement speed of the target object) and the potential risk area identified by the potential risk area identification unit 15.

[0060] For example, if a pedestrian or a motorcycle crosses the predicted path of the target vehicle 27, or if the size of the potential risk area is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the risk level becomes 1. Furthermore, if the vehicle is in a location where the road width narrows, where lanes merge, or is being tailgated by the target vehicle 27 from behind, the risk level becomes 2.

[0061] The behavior determination unit 13 determines whether or not to take an action that prioritizes the target other vehicle 27 based on the first impact level and second impact level calculated by the traffic impact level identification unit 12 and the first risk level and second risk level calculated by the risk level identification unit 14.

[0062] The conditions for the behavior determination unit 13 to give priority (yield) to the target other vehicle 27 are, for example, when the impact level 1 is greater than or equal to the impact level 2 and the risk level 1 is less than or equal to the risk level 2 (details will be described later).

[0063] In addition, the conditions for determining whether the behavior determination unit 13 will give priority to the target other vehicle 27 (will not yield) are, for example, when the impact level 1 is less than the impact level 2 and the risk level 1 is greater than the risk level 2 (details will be described later).

[0064] 11, 12 and 13 are explanatory diagrams of the criteria for identifying potential risk areas.

[0065] The criteria for identifying potential risk areas and how to set the size of the areas will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12.

[0066] Potential risk areas 32A, 32B, 32C are circular areas with a radius equal to the distance from points P1, P2, P3 at which the predicted path of travel 29 of target vehicle 27B in blind spot areas 33A, 33B, 33C from vehicle 10 is shortest to other vehicle 27A, vehicle 10, and other vehicle 27C, respectively, multiplied by the TTC (Time to Collision) (for example, 2 seconds (the time required for a person to sense danger and avoid a collision)) and the margin of safety (%) (a value that takes into account prediction error and safety factor).

[0067] For example, if the relative speed between the traffic participant and the target vehicle 27B is 30 km / h (approximately 8.3 m / s) and the margin of safety is 20%, the radius of the potential risk area is 16.7 m x 1.2 ≈ 20 m.

[0068] The method for determining the relative velocity will now be explained.

[0069] Regarding the speed of traffic participants, since it is not possible to directly measure the moving speed of traffic participants who may be in blind spots, data is stored as a default value. The fastest speed among traffic participants that may be passing is selected according to the surrounding road environment. For example, if it is a sidewalk, a bicycle (maximum speed 20 km / h) is selected, and if it is a roadway, a motorcycle (maximum speed is the legal speed on that road) is selected.

[0070] The maximum speed of the subject vehicle is set to 5 km / h when the vehicle is assumed to be stopped or creeping.

[0071] The predicted course of the target vehicle is generated based on the moving speed of the target vehicle, whether the blinker 39 is flashing or not, and the surrounding road environment.

[0072] The moving speed of the target vehicle and whether the blinker 39 is flashing or not are determined using the recognition results of the external recognition sensor (recognition results from any one of the multi-camera C, millimeter wave radar, LiDAR, etc., or a combination thereof). The surrounding road environment is recognized using the map database, the vehicle's position (GPS), or recognition results from the multi-camera C, or a combination thereof.

[0073] The blind spot areas 33A, 33B, and 33C from the host vehicle 10 will be described.

[0074] Areas that cannot be seen by sensors such as the multi-camera C of the vehicle 10 and areas where pedestrians or motorcycles may be present are set as potential risk areas 32A.

[0075] If the potential risk area 32A intersects with the predicted path 29 of the target vehicle 27B, the risk level 1 is increased.

[0076] The blind spots 35A and 35B from the target vehicle 27B will be described.

[0077] A potential risk area 32B is set for an area that cannot be seen from the driver's viewpoint of the target other vehicle 27B.

[0078] The host vehicle 10 is controlled (decelerated, stopped) so that the potential risk area 32B does not intersect with the predicted path 29 of the target vehicle 27B. If control is not possible, the risk level 1 is increased.

[0079] The definition of risk level 1 will be explained.

[0080] As shown in FIG. 13A, when the overlap rate between the predicted path 29 and the potential risk area 32 is -20%, the risk level 1 is defined as -20.

[0081] As shown in FIG. 13B, when the overlap rate between the predicted path 29 and the potential risk area 32 is 0%, the risk level 1 is defined as 0.

[0082] As shown in FIG. 13C, when the overlap rate between the predicted path 29 and the potential risk area 32 is 20%, the risk level 1 is defined as 20.

[0083] As shown in FIG. 13D, when the overlap rate between the predicted path 29 and the potential risk area 32 is 50%, the risk level 1 is defined as 50.

[0084] If the risk level 1 is positive, it is determined that there is a possibility of an accident when the target vehicle 27B is given priority over the host vehicle 10. If the risk level 1 is negative, it is determined that there is a low possibility of an accident when the target vehicle 27B is given priority over the host vehicle 10.

[0085] The definition of risk level 2 will be explained.

[0086] FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining the definition of the risk level 2.

[0087] 14 , a narrowing of road width 37 (recognized by the surrounding environment information acquisition unit 4) and the blinker 39 of the target vehicle 27 allow prediction that the target vehicle 27 will change lanes to the right (change to the driving path of the host vehicle 10). For example, the predicted path 29 of the target vehicle 27 is generated based on the moving speed of the target vehicle 27, whether the blinker 39 is blinking, and the surrounding road environment. The moving speed of the target vehicle 27 and whether the blinker 39 is blinking are determined using the recognition results of the in-vehicle camera system 2 (recognition results from any one of the multi-camera C, millimeter-wave radar, LiDAR, etc., or a combination thereof).

[0088] The surrounding road environment is recognized using a map database, the vehicle's own position (GPS), or the recognition results from the multi-camera C, or a combination of these results.

[0089] The center position PE of the subject vehicle 10 after T seconds (for example, T = 2 seconds) is defined as the center position PT of the target other vehicle 27 after T seconds based on the predicted course 29 of the target vehicle. The subject vehicle area AE at point PE is defined as the width and length of the subject vehicle 10 multiplied by a margin (%) (a value set as a predicted error or safety factor, for example, 50%), and the target vehicle area AP at point PT is defined as the width and length of the target vehicle 27 multiplied by the margin (%).

[0090] Risk level 2 is defined by the overlap rate between AE and AP.

[0091] As shown in FIG. 15A, when the overlap rate between the subject vehicle area AE and the target vehicle area AP is -20%, the risk level 2 is defined as -20.

[0092] As shown in FIG. 15B, when the overlap rate between the subject vehicle area AE and the target vehicle area AP is 0%, the risk level 2 is defined as 0.

[0093] As shown in FIG. 15C, when the overlap rate between the subject vehicle area AE and the target vehicle area AP is 20%, the risk level 2 is defined as 20.

[0094] As shown in FIG. 15D, when the overlap rate between the subject vehicle area AE and the target vehicle area AP is 50%, the risk level 2 is defined as 50.

[0095] If the risk level 2 is a positive value, there is a possibility of an accident if the right of way is not given to the target other vehicle 27. On the other hand, if the risk level 2 is a negative value, it can be determined that there is a low possibility of an accident even if the right of way is not given to the target other vehicle 27.

[0096] The behavior determination unit 13 determines whether or not to take an action that prioritizes the target other vehicle 27 based on the result calculated by the risk level identification unit 14 as follows.

[0097] (1) Examples of determination conditions for when the subject vehicle 10 gives priority to the target vehicle 27 and yields to it are shown below.

[0098] The impact level 1 is equal to or greater than impact level 2, and the risk level 1 is equal to or less than risk level 2. Alternatively, the impact level 1 is equal to or greater than impact level 2, the risk level 1 is equal to or less than a first predetermined value 1 (e.g., 0), and the risk level 2 is equal to or greater than a second predetermined value (e.g., 0). This is because, if the risk level 1 is equal to or less than the first predetermined value 1 (e.g., 0), the risk of an accident with a traffic participant is low if the host vehicle 10 yields to the target other vehicle 27. Also, if the risk level 2 is equal to or greater than the second predetermined value (e.g., 0), the risk of an accident with a traffic participant is high if the host vehicle 10 does not yield to the target other vehicle 27.

[0099] (2) Examples of determination conditions when the subject vehicle 10 does not give priority to the target other vehicle 27 and does not yield to it are shown below.

[0100] The case where impact level 1 is less than impact level 2 and risk level 1 is greater than risk level 2. Alternatively, the case where impact level 1 is less than impact level 2, risk level 1 is greater than a first predetermined value 1 (e.g., 0), and risk level 2 is less than a second predetermined value (e.g., 0). This is because when risk level 1 is greater than the first predetermined value 1 (e.g., 0), the risk of an accident with a traffic participant is high if the host vehicle 10 yields to the target other vehicle 27. Also, when risk level 2 is less than the second predetermined value (e.g., 0), the risk of an accident with the host vehicle 10 is low even if the host vehicle 10 does not yield to the target other vehicle 27.

[0101] In the second embodiment as well, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, messages such as "yield to the vehicle" or "continue the current driving" can be displayed on the display units 38F and 38B.

[0102] In Example 2, in addition to being able to obtain the same effects as Example 1, it is possible to identify potential risk areas and identify the risk level, and therefore it is possible to realize a vehicle control device and a vehicle control method that are capable of automatic driving control that prioritizes the driving of other vehicles more smoothly and safely. Note that, although impact level 1, impact level 2, risk level 1, risk level 2, overlap rate, etc. have been defined above, these definitions are merely examples, and various definitions can be used within the scope of the meaning.

[0103] 1A, 1B... Vehicle control device, 2 (CR, CF, CRF, CRR, CLF, CLR)... In-vehicle camera system, 3... Operation control unit, 4... Surrounding environment information acquisition unit, 10... Own vehicle, 11... Target vehicle identification unit, 12... Traffic impact level identification unit, 13... Behavior determination unit, 14... Risk level identification and acquisition unit, 15... Potential risk area identification unit, 21... Camera image acquisition unit, 22... Calibration execution unit, 23... Stereo matching processing unit, 24... Parallax information integrating unit, 25... Object recognition unit, 26... Camera parameter acquisition unit, 27, 27A, 27B, 27C... Other vehicles Vehicles, 29...Predicted path, 30...Pedestrian, 31...Bicycle, 32, 32A, 32B, 32C...Potential risk area, 33A, 33B, 33C...Blind spot area from own vehicle, 34...Motorcycle, 35A, 35B...Blind spot area from target other vehicle, 36...Predicted path of own vehicle, 37...Narrowing road width line, 38F...Front display, 38B...Rear display, 39...Blinker, AE...Own vehicle area, AP...Target other vehicle area, C...Multi-camera, P1, P2, P3, PN...Shortest point, PE...Center position of own vehicle, PT...Center position of target other vehicle

Claims

1. A vehicle control device comprising: a surrounding environment information acquisition unit that recognizes the positions and movement speeds of targets around the vehicle; a target vehicle identification unit that identifies target vehicles that may be approaching in front of or behind the vehicle; a traffic impact degree identification unit that calculates a first degree of impact on traffic participants caused by the target vehicles from the positions and movement speeds of the targets recognized by the surrounding environment information acquisition unit, and a second degree of impact on the traffic participants that will occur if the vehicle gives priority to the target vehicles; and a behavior determination unit that determines whether to take an action that gives priority to the target vehicles from the first degree of impact and the second degree of impact calculated by the traffic impact degree identification unit.

2. A vehicle control device according to claim 1, further comprising an on-board camera system, wherein the surrounding environment information acquisition unit acquires the positions and movement speeds of traffic participants around the vehicle detected by the on-board camera system.

3. A vehicle control device according to claim 2, characterized in that the behavior determination unit determines to prioritize the target other vehicle when the first influence degree is equal to or greater than the second influence degree, and to act in a manner that does not prioritize the target other vehicle when the first influence degree is less than the second influence degree.

4. A vehicle control device as described in claim 1, comprising: a potential risk area identification unit that identifies a blind spot area of ​​the subject vehicle, which is an area that the subject vehicle cannot recognize, and a blind spot area of ​​the other vehicle, which the target other vehicle cannot recognize, based on the position and moving speed of the target recognized by the surrounding environment information acquisition unit, and identifies a potential risk area; and a risk level identification unit that calculates a first risk level in a case where the path of the target other vehicle is given priority and a second risk level in a case where the path of the target other vehicle is not given priority, based on the position and moving speed of the target recognized by the surrounding environment information acquisition unit and the potential risk area identified by the potential risk area identification unit, wherein the behavior determination unit determines whether or not to take an action that gives priority to the target other vehicle, based on the first impact level and the second impact level calculated by the traffic impact level identification unit and the first risk level and the second risk level calculated by the risk level identification unit.

5. A vehicle control device as described in claim 4, wherein the behavior determination unit determines to act in a manner that prioritizes the target other vehicle when the first impact degree is equal to or greater than the second impact degree and the first risk degree is equal to or less than the second risk degree; determines to act in a manner that prioritizes the target other vehicle when the first impact degree is equal to or greater than the second impact degree and the first risk degree is equal to or less than a first predetermined value and the second risk degree is equal to or greater than a second predetermined value; determines to act in a manner that does not prioritize the target other vehicle when the first impact degree is less than the second impact degree and the first risk degree is greater than the second predetermined value; and determines to act in a manner that does not prioritize the target other vehicle when the first impact degree is less than the second impact degree and the first risk degree is greater than the first predetermined value and the second risk degree is less than the second predetermined value.

6. A vehicle control device according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit disposed in the subject vehicle for displaying that the subject vehicle is about to yield to the target other vehicle.

7. A vehicle control device as described in claim 6, wherein the display units are arranged in front and behind the host vehicle, and the display units, according to the judgment results of the behavior judgment unit, display a message calling for caution when there is a possibility that another traffic participant will cross the predicted path of the target other vehicle, and when the host vehicle starts moving after having given way to the target other vehicle 27, display that the host vehicle is starting moving.

8. A vehicle control method comprising: recognizing the position and movement speed of targets around the vehicle; identifying target vehicles that may be approaching in front of or behind the vehicle; calculating, from the recognized position and movement speed of the targets, a first degree of impact on traffic participants caused by the target vehicles and a second degree of impact on the traffic participants that will occur if the vehicle gives priority to the target vehicles; and determining, from the calculated first degree of impact and second degree of impact, whether to take action to give priority to the target vehicles.

9. A vehicle control method as described in claim 8, characterized in that: from the recognized position and moving speed of the target object, a blind spot area of ​​the subject vehicle, which is an area that the subject vehicle cannot recognize, and a blind spot area of ​​the other vehicle, which the target other vehicle cannot recognize, are identified, and potential risk areas are identified; from the recognized position and moving speed of the target object and the identified potential risk areas, a first degree of danger in the case where the path of the target other vehicle is given priority and a second degree of danger in the case where the path of the target other vehicle is not given priority; and from the calculated first impact degree and second impact degree and the calculated first risk degree and second risk degree, a determination is made as to whether or not to take action that gives priority to the target other vehicle.

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