Vehicle control device and vehicle control method

Abstract

This vehicle control device comprises: an environment recognition unit that recognizes a target position and a drivable region of a host vehicle on the basis of environmental information obtained by an external environment sensor; a virtual route calculating unit that obtains a plurality of virtual routes for the host vehicle with the target position as a start point; a candidate position setting unit that sets a plurality of candidate positions on the plurality of virtual routes; a connecting route calculating unit that obtains connecting routes that can reach the candidate positions; a travel mode switching region setting unit that generates a travel mode switching region by integrating the plurality of candidate positions; and a vehicle control unit that, when the host vehicle reaches the travel mode switching region, switches the travel mode to another travel mode and controls the host vehicle.

Description

Vehicle control device and vehicle control method

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

[0002] In recent years, various technologies for automatically controlling vehicles such as automobiles have been developed, and among them, vehicles equipped with an automatic parking system that automatically parks the vehicle in a parking space have also been developed. In a conventional automatic parking system, for example, the vehicle needs to be once stopped near the target parking space, and then the driver has to perform operations such as setting the parking position on the in-vehicle display.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes an automatic parking technology that calculates a range where a position that is a contact point between a path from the initial position of the host vehicle and a path from the target position exists, and uses the position selected within that range as a turning position to calculate a parking path that reaches the target position via the turning position from the initial position.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-18074

[0005] In the automatic parking technology described in Patent Document 1, in order to execute processing for parking control from the initial position, it is necessary to once stop at an initial position near the parking position and set the parking position and the like, which requires rather complicated operations for the user who is the driver. Also, in the technology described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to predetermine the angle for changing the posture of the vehicle at the turning position, and there is also a problem that it cannot cope with cases where multiple turnings are required.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle control device and a vehicle control method that can simplify the operation by the user and automatically run to the target position, and can cope with various scenes such as cases where multiple turnings are required.

[0007] To solve the above problems, for example, the configuration described in the claims is adopted. The present invention includes multiple means for solving the above problems, but to give one example, the vehicle control device includes: an environment recognition unit that recognizes the target position and drivable area of ​​the vehicle based on environmental information acquired by external sensors mounted on the vehicle; a virtual path calculation unit that finds multiple virtual paths for the vehicle starting from the target position in the drivable area; a candidate position setting unit that sets multiple candidate positions on the multiple virtual paths; a connection path calculation unit that finds connection paths that can reach the candidate positions from the current position of the vehicle; a driving mode switching area setting unit that generates a driving mode switching area by integrating the multiple candidate positions for which connection paths have been set; and a vehicle control unit that, when the vehicle reaches the driving mode switching area, switches the driving mode of the vehicle from a first driving mode to a second driving mode and controls the vehicle on the path from the driving mode switching area to the target position.

[0008] According to the present invention, the driver can easily reach the area indicated by the system, reducing the hassle of operation, and can smoothly transition to the target position through automatic control. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will be clarified by the following description of embodiments.

[0009] This is a configuration diagram showing an example of a system for an entire vehicle equipped with a vehicle control device according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a vehicle control device according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a flowchart showing an example of control processing performed by a vehicle control device according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a flowchart showing an example of idle processing performed by a vehicle control device according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a flowchart showing an example of spatial search guidance processing performed by a vehicle control device according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a flowchart showing an example of automatic control processing performed by a vehicle control device according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a flowchart showing an example of reverse processing performed by a vehicle control device according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a flowchart showing a stop response processing performed by a vehicle control device according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram showing an example of the control state of the vehicle according to a vehicle control device according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram showing an example of notification by the human-machine interface management unit of a vehicle control device according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram showing an example of processing (1) of the virtual path calculation unit and candidate position setting unit of a vehicle control device according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram showing an example of processing (2) of the virtual path calculation unit and candidate position setting unit of a vehicle control device according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a diagram showing an example of reachable candidate positions and unreachable candidate positions according to one embodiment of the present invention (Example 1). This is a diagram showing an example of reachable candidate positions and unreachable candidate positions according to one embodiment of the present invention (Example 2). This figure shows an example of scoring reachable candidate positions according to one embodiment of the present invention. This figure shows an example of selection based on the scoring of reachable candidate positions according to one embodiment of the present invention. This figure shows an example of learning processing in the driving mode switching area setting unit of a vehicle control device according to one embodiment of the present invention, where Figure 17A shows an example before learning, Figure 17B shows an example after learning, and Figure 17C shows an example of selecting a candidate position from the learned data. This figure shows an example of notification by the human-machine interface management unit of a vehicle control device according to one embodiment of the present invention (Example 1). This figure shows an example of notification by the human-machine interface management unit of a vehicle control device according to one embodiment of the present invention (Example 2).This figure shows an example of notification by the human-machine interface management unit of a vehicle control device according to one embodiment of the present invention (Example 3). This figure shows an example of notification by the human-machine interface management unit of a vehicle control device according to one embodiment of the present invention (Example 4). This figure shows an example of notification by the human-machine interface management unit of a vehicle control device according to one embodiment of the present invention (Example 5). This figure shows an example of processing by the driving mode switching area setting unit of a vehicle control device according to one embodiment of the present invention (Modified Example 1). This figure shows an example of processing by the driving mode switching area setting unit of a vehicle control device according to one embodiment of the present invention (Modified Example 1). This figure shows an example of applying control by a vehicle control device according to one embodiment of the present invention to parallel forward parking. This figure shows an example of applying control by a vehicle control device according to one embodiment of the present invention to parallel parking. This figure shows an example of applying control by a vehicle control device according to one embodiment of the present invention when entering a narrow alley.

[0010] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, a vehicle control device and a vehicle control method according to one embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "this example") will be described.

[0011] [Overall System Configuration] Figure 1 shows an example of the overall system configuration equipped with the vehicle control device 100 of this example. The vehicle control device 100 of this example performs control to automatically drive a vehicle (automobile) traveling on a road to a target location such as a parking space adjacent to the road. The target location being a parking space is just one example; the vehicle may be driven to other target locations as will be explained in the modified examples described later. However, here we will explain the case where the vehicle is driven to a parking space.

[0012] The vehicle control device 100 is connected to an external environment recognition device 101, an automatic control execution button 102, an assistance start button 103, a vehicle status information acquisition unit 104, a steering device 111, a drive device 112, a braking device 113, a transmission device 114, a sound generator 115, and a display device 116.

[0013] The external environment recognition device 101 is an external sensor mounted on the vehicle, consisting of a camera, a LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) device, etc., which recognizes the environment around the vehicle, such as objects and people. The automatic control execution button 102 and the support start button 103 are buttons operated by the vehicle driver. These buttons 102 and 103 may be physical buttons installed on the vehicle, or they may be touch operation buttons on the screen by incorporating a touch panel into the display device 116. In this case, the touch operation buttons displayed by the display device 116 will be displayed on the screen when the respective button operation is possible.

[0014] The vehicle status information acquisition unit 104 acquires information such as the vehicle speed (vehicle speed), the steering angle (vehicle steering angle), and the current shift position of the transmission 114 from sensors that detect these values.

[0015] The steering device 111 is, for example, a steering device that changes the direction of the vehicle's front wheels. When the driver is operating the vehicle, it changes the direction of the front wheels based on the rotation of the steering wheel. On the other hand, the steering device 111 can also change the direction of the front wheels in response to instructions from the vehicle control device 100 when the vehicle control device 100 is performing automatic driving control or auxiliary driving control. The vehicle control device 100 has information such as the minimum turning radius of the vehicle driven by the steering device 111 pre-registered.

[0016] The drive unit 112 generates a driving force that propels the vehicle using the engine, motor, or both, based on the driver's operation of the accelerator pedal. The vehicle control unit 100 also instructs the drive unit 112 to generate a driving force when performing automatic driving control. The braking unit 113 generates a braking force that decelerates or stops the vehicle based on the driver's operation of the brake pedal. The vehicle control unit 100 also instructs the braking unit 113 to generate a braking force when performing automatic driving control.

[0017] The transmission 114 rotates the axle with the appropriate torque and performs the gear shifting process when transmitting the driving force from the drive unit 112 to the axle. The transmission 114 also performs the process of switching the direction of travel of the vehicle by shifting gears. In addition, when the vehicle control device 100 performs automatic driving control, the vehicle control device 100 may instruct the transmission 114 to shift gears or shift gears.

[0018] The sound generator 115 provides notification to the driver via voice or warning sounds, based on instructions from the HMI (Human-Machine Interface) management unit 6 of the vehicle control device 100. The display device 116 provides notification to the driver via images or text, based on instructions from the HMI management unit 6 of the vehicle control device 100. Furthermore, the notification processing performed under the control of the HMI management unit 6 may also be performed for occupants other than the driver who are riding in the vehicle.

[0019] Next, the configuration of the vehicle control device 100 shown in Figure 1 will be described. Figure 1 is a functional block diagram from the perspective of the processes executed by the vehicle control device 100, but in reality, the vehicle control device 100 is composed of a computer as described later in Figure 2. As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle control device 100 includes an environment recognition unit 1, a virtual route calculation unit 2, a candidate position setting unit 3, a connection route calculation unit 4, a driving mode switching area setting unit 5, an HMI management unit 6, a vehicle position estimation unit 7, a control route calculation unit 8, and a vehicle control unit 9.

[0020] The environmental recognition unit 1 acquires environmental information about the vehicle's surroundings from the external environment recognition device 101 and external sensors, and recognizes the vehicle's target position and drivable area based on the acquired environmental information. In addition to the environmental information about the vehicle's surroundings obtained from the external environment recognition device 101, the environmental recognition unit 1 may also acquire map information of the vehicle's current position. The virtual route calculation unit 2 calculates multiple virtual routes for the vehicle, starting from the target position, within the target position and drivable area recognized by the environmental recognition unit 1. The information of the multiple virtual routes calculated by the virtual route calculation unit 2 is supplied to the candidate position setting unit 3.

[0021] The candidate position setting unit 3 performs candidate position setting processing to set multiple candidate positions on the obtained multiple virtual paths. The information of the set candidate positions is supplied to the connection path calculation unit 4 and the driving mode switching area setting unit 5. The connection path calculation unit 4 uses the surrounding environment information obtained from the environment recognition unit 1 and the candidate position information obtained from the candidate position setting unit 3 to perform connection path calculation processing to calculate a connection path that can reach the candidate positions from the vehicle's current position.

[0022] The driving mode switching area setting unit 5 acquires connection path information obtained by the connection path calculation unit 4 and generates a driving mode switching area by integrating multiple candidate locations for which connection paths have been set. The HMI management unit 6 performs processing to inform the occupants of the information obtained by the driving mode switching area setting unit 5. An example of what the HMI management unit 6 informs the occupants will be described later.

[0023] The vehicle position estimation unit 7 calculates the vehicle position using information such as the vehicle speed, wheel speed, steering angle, and yaw rate, employing vehicle position estimation methods such as odometry and dead reckoning. The vehicle position estimation method used here calculates the amount of vehicle movement (travel distance, driving path, etc.) by calculating the amount of vehicle movement and angle change of the vehicle over a small time period, and accumulating these to calculate the vehicle position relative to an arbitrary point. Alternatively, the vehicle position may be estimated based on information obtained from a satellite positioning system or navigation system (not shown). The control path calculation unit 8 calculates a control path for automatically driving the vehicle based on the environment recognized by the environment recognition unit 1 and the current position, and may have the same functions as the virtual path calculation unit 2 and the connection path calculation unit 4. The vehicle control unit 9 acquires the vehicle position estimated by the vehicle position estimation unit 7, the control path calculated by the control path calculation unit 8, and the driving mode switching area set by the driving mode switching area setting unit 5, and executes processing to control the vehicle.

[0024] The vehicle control processing in the vehicle control device 100 includes, for example, the vehicle control unit 9 switching the vehicle's driving mode from a first driving mode to a second driving mode when the vehicle reaches a driving mode switching area, and controlling the vehicle along the path from the driving mode switching area to the target position. Here, the first driving mode is, for example, a driving mode in which the driver manually operates the vehicle, and the second driving mode is a mode in which the vehicle control unit 9 automatically drives the vehicle to the target position (parking position). Alternatively, the driving mode in which the vehicle automatically drives on the road may be considered the first driving mode. As will be described later, if a reversing process is required when driving to the parking position, the reversing position is also included in the target position. The vehicle control unit 9 sends control commands to the steering device 111, the drive device 112, the braking device 113, and the transmission device 114 in order to control the vehicle.

[0025] [Hardware Configuration of Vehicle Control Device] Figure 2 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the computer that constitutes the vehicle control device 100. The vehicle control device 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 100a, memory 100b, storage 100c, input unit 100d, control information output unit 100e, and sound / display information output unit 100f, each of which is connected to the others via a bus line to enable data transfer.

[0026] The CPU 100a executes a program stored in the memory 100b or storage 100c, thereby configuring the arithmetic processing unit in the memory 100b. Specifically, the memory 100b contains the environment recognition unit 1 and the vehicle control unit 9, as explained in Figure 1. The storage 100c stores programs for functioning as the vehicle control device 100 and data for executing control processing.

[0027] The input unit 100d is supplied with information from the external environment recognition device 101, the automatic control execution button 102, the support start button 103, and the vehicle status information acquisition unit 104. Button operation inputs are also supplied to the input unit 100d, and the obtained information and button operation inputs are transmitted to the arithmetic processing unit configured in the memory 100b.

[0028] The control information output unit 100e outputs information for automatically controlling the vehicle to the steering device 111, the drive device 112, the braking device 113, and the transmission 114. The sound and display information output unit 100f outputs sound information such as voices and warning sounds to the sound generator 115, and also outputs display information to the display device 116.

[0029] [Processing in Automatic Control Mode] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the processes that the vehicle control device 100 executes when changing the automatic control mode. In the flowchart described below, the user refers to the occupants of the vehicle, such as the driver. First, the vehicle control device 100 changes its processing based on the current automatic control mode. That is, the vehicle control device 100 determines whether the current automatic control mode is idle, spatial search guidance, or automatic control (step S11). If the automatic control mode is idle, the vehicle control device 100 proceeds to the idle processing in step S12; if it is spatial search guidance, it proceeds to the spatial search guidance processing in step S13; and if it is automatic control, it proceeds to the automatic control processing in step S14.

[0030] Figure 4 is a flowchart of the idle process in step S12 of the flowchart in Figure 3. First, the vehicle control device 100 determines whether or not the support start button 103 has been pressed (step S21). The idle process is the process of confirming in step S21 whether or not the support start button has been pressed by the user. If it is determined in step S21 that the support start button 103 has not been pressed (NO in step S21), the idle process ends.

[0031] Then, if it is determined in step S21 that the support start button 103 has been pressed (YES in step S21), the vehicle control device 100 changes the automatic control mode to "Spatial Search Guidance in Progress" (step S22). At this point, the HMI management unit 6 of the vehicle control device 100 causes the sound generator 115 or display device 116 to execute a notification process to the user that "Spatial Search Guidance in Progress" is in progress (step S23).

[0032] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the spatial search guidance process in step S13 of the flowchart in Figure 3. First, the environment recognition unit 1 of the vehicle control device 100 performs the process of acquiring external environment recognition results (step S31), and then performs the process of recognizing the surrounding environment of the vehicle from the acquired external environment recognition results (step S32). Then, in the surrounding environment recognition process in step S32, it is determined whether or not a target position that will be the parking position (target position) has been detected (step S33). The target position here is detected, for example, by recognizing a position where parking is possible automatically from the external environment recognition results using image analysis or the like. Previously, the use of ultrasonic sensors with short detection distances or cameras that capture images at close range was the mainstream, making it difficult to recognize the parking position unless one was very close to the side of the parking position. However, in recent years, with the development of high-resolution cameras and machine learning, it has become possible to recognize the parking position from a distance.

[0033] If no target position is detected in step S33 (NO in step S33), the vehicle control device 100 terminates the spatial search guidance process. If a target position is detected in step S33 (YES in step S33), the virtual path calculation unit 2 performs a virtual path calculation process to calculate multiple virtual paths for the vehicle starting from the target position within the drivable area, and the candidate position setting unit 3 sets multiple candidate positions on the multiple virtual paths (step S34). The virtual path calculated here is the exit path from the parking position if the target position is a parking position. Once multiple candidate positions are set in step S34, the connection path calculation unit 4 calculates connection paths that can reach the candidate positions from the vehicle's current position (step S35). Furthermore, the driving mode switching area setting unit 5 generates a driving mode switching area by integrating the multiple candidate positions for which connection paths have been set (step S36).

[0034] Subsequently, the vehicle control unit 9 determines whether the setting of the driving mode switching area was properly performed in the process up to step S36 (step S37). If the setting of the driving mode switching area was not properly performed in step S37 (NO in step S37), the vehicle control device 100 terminates the spatial search guidance process. If the setting of the driving mode switching area was properly performed in step S37 (YES in step S37), the HMI management unit 6 of the vehicle control device 100 notifies the user that the target location has been found using the sound generator 115 or the display device 116. That is, the HMI management unit 6 displays the found area on the display device 116 to notify the user of the area such as the target location (step S38). An example of the display at this time will be described later.

[0035] Subsequently, the vehicle control unit 9 determines whether or not the vehicle has reached the driving mode switching area (step S39). If the vehicle has not reached the driving mode switching area in step S39 (NO in step S39), the vehicle control device 100 terminates the spatial search guidance process. If the vehicle has reached the driving mode switching area in step S39 (YES in step S39), the control path calculation unit 8 of the vehicle control device 100 performs control path calculation processing (step S40).

[0036] Subsequently, the vehicle control unit 9 determines whether the control path calculation was successful in the process of step S40 (step S41). If the control path calculation was successful in step S41 (YES in step S41), the vehicle control device 100 determines whether the automatic control execution button 102 was pressed by the driver (step S42). If it is determined in step S42 that the automatic control execution button 102 was pressed (YES in step S42), the vehicle control device 100 changes the automatic control mode to the "automatic control in progress" mode (step 43).

[0037] Furthermore, if the control path calculation cannot be performed in step S41 (NO in step S41), and if it cannot be determined in step S42 that the automatic control execution button 102 has been pressed (NO in step S42), the vehicle control device 100 terminates the spatial search guidance process.

[0038] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the automatic control process in step S14 of the flowchart in Figure 3. First, the environment recognition unit 1 of the vehicle control device 100 performs the process of acquiring external environment recognition results (step S51), and then performs the environment recognition process around the vehicle based on the acquired external environment recognition results (step S52). Then, the vehicle control unit 9 performs the collision prediction process between the vehicle and surrounding objects based on the environment recognition results around the vehicle from the environment recognition unit 1 and the control path calculated by the control path calculation unit 8 (step S53). Here, the vehicle control unit 9 calculates whether or not there is a possibility of collision with surrounding objects when the vehicle moves along the control path.

[0039] Next, the vehicle control unit 9 calculates the target steering angle and target speed based on the control path and collision prediction results (step S54). Then, based on the target steering angle and target speed information calculated in step S54, the vehicle control unit 9 calculates control parameters for automatically controlling the vehicle (step S55). Finally, the vehicle control unit 9 outputs vehicle control signals based on the calculated control parameters to the steering device 111, drive device 112, etc., to execute automatic control of the vehicle (step S56).

[0040] Next, the vehicle control unit 9 determines whether the vehicle has reached the target position (step S57). If it determines in step S57 that the vehicle has reached the target position (YES in step S57), the vehicle control unit 9 determines whether the target position is a target position such as a parking position (step S58). If it determines in step S58 that the vehicle has reached a target position which is a target position (YES in step S58), the vehicle control unit 9 changes the automatic control mode to "idling" (step S59). At this time, the HMI management unit 6 notifies the user that automatic control is complete using the sound generator 115 or the display device 116 (step S60).

[0041] Also, when it is determined in step S57 that the host vehicle has not reached the target position (NO in step S57), the vehicle control unit 9 determines whether or not the host vehicle has stopped before reaching the target position (step S61). When it is determined in step S61 that the host vehicle has stopped before reaching the target position (YES in step S61), the vehicle control unit 9 executes a parking-time corresponding process (step S62). The parking-time corresponding process will be described later with reference to FIG. 8.

[0042] When it is determined in step S61 that the host vehicle has not stopped before reaching the target position (NO in step S61), automatic control is continued. Also, when it is determined in step S58 that the target position reached by the host vehicle is not the target position (NO in step S58), the vehicle control unit 9 proceeds to a switching process (step S63).

[0043] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing control processing during the switching process. First, the vehicle control unit 9 executes an automatic control continuation determination process based on the current external recognition situation and the like (step S71). In this automatic control continuation determination process, the vehicle control unit 9 determines whether or not it is possible to continue traveling along the set route (step S72). When it is determined in step S72 that it is possible to continue traveling along the route (YES in step S72), the vehicle control unit 9 sends an instruction to the transmission 114 and executes a shift switching process for switching the traveling direction of the host vehicle (step S73). Then, the HMI management unit 6 notifies the user that the shift switching process is being executed by the sound generator 115 or the display device 116 (step S74).

[0044] When it is determined in step S72 that it is impossible to continue traveling along the route (NO in step S72), the vehicle control unit 9 causes the control route calculation unit 8 to perform a recalculation process of the control route (step S75). Then, the vehicle control unit 9 determines whether or not the control route has been calculated (step S76). When it is determined in step S76 that the control route has been calculated (YES in step S76), the vehicle control unit 9 performs the shift switching process of step S73 and also executes the user notification process of step S74.

[0045] Also, when it is determined in step S76 that the control path cannot be calculated (NO in step S76), the vehicle control unit 9 changes the automatic control mode to "idling" (step S77). At this time, the HMI management unit 6 notifies the user by the sound generator 115 or the display device 116 that the automatic control is stopped (step S78).

[0046] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the parking-time corresponding process executed in step S62 of FIG. 6. When the host vehicle stops, the vehicle control unit 9 causes the control path calculation unit 8 to perform a recalculation process of the control path (step 81). Then, the vehicle control unit 9 determines whether a control path can be generated by the calculation of the control path calculation unit 8 (step S82). When it is determined in step S82 that the control path can be calculated (YES in step S82), the vehicle control unit 9 executes a shift switching process of sending an instruction to the transmission 114 to switch the traveling direction of the host vehicle (step S83). Then, the HMI management unit 6 notifies the user by the sound generator 115 or the display device 116 that the shift switching process is executed (step S84).

[0047] Also, when it is determined in step S82 that the control path cannot be generated, that is, when it is determined that traveling along the path is impossible to continue (NO in step S82), the vehicle control unit 9 changes the automatic control mode to "idling" (step S85). At this time, the HMI management unit 6 notifies the user by the sound generator 115 or the display device 116 that the automatic control is stopped (step S86).

[0048] [Example of Traveling to a Target Position in Automatic Control Mode] Next, a control example of causing the host vehicle to travel to a target position by the vehicle control device 100 of this example will be described. FIG. 9 shows an example of performing so-called parallel parking in which a vehicle traveling on a road (initial position M1) is automatically parked at a target position TG1 which is a parking position substantially orthogonal to the road. In the example of FIG. 9, an example of causing the vehicle to reverse to the target position TG1 and performing parallel parking is shown.

[0049] In the example shown in Figure 9, when the support start button 103 is pressed during idle processing (Figure 4), spatial search guidance processing (Figure 5) is executed and the target position TG1 is detected. The vehicle control device 100 then calculates multiple candidate connection positions on the exit route from the target position TG and sets a region A1 by integrating the surrounding connectable candidate positions based on the candidate position that is easiest to connect to from the current position. The vehicle control device 100 then displays the set region A1 on the display device 116 and guides the user to proceed to region A1. Region A1 is a driving mode switching region, and the driving mode is switched within this region, and in the case of parallel parking, it is the position where the vehicle reverses.

[0050] When the vehicle travels along route R1 and reaches the driving mode switching area A1, the user presses the automatic control execution button 102. The vehicle control device 100 then enters automatic control mode, and through automatic control, the vehicle can be driven backward from the turning position M2 in area A1 to the target position TG1. Therefore, in this example, there is no need to temporarily stop the vehicle next to the parking position (parking space) TG1.

[0051] Figure 10 shows the display screen 116a of the in-vehicle display device 116 when the vehicle is stopped at position M2 within the driving mode switching area A1. When the support start button 103 is pressed and the vehicle reaches the driving mode switching area A1 and calculations such as the control path are completed, the vehicle control device 100 displays an image from the rear camera installed in the vehicle on the display screen 116a. This rear camera image shows a parking target a1 indicating the target position TG1, and a path display r2 corresponding to the driving path R2 to the parking target a1.

[0052] Furthermore, the display screen 116a shows a text notification stating, "Press the button and release the brake to start automatic control." Note that the display screen 116a shown in Figure 10 is an example of the display when the vehicle has reached the driving mode switching region A1. When the vehicle is traveling along the path R1 from the initial position M1 to the turning position M2 in the first driving mode, the display screen 116a shows region A1 and the target position TG1, but examples of these displays will be explained in Figure 18 and later.

[0053] In the examples shown in Figures 9 and 10, the turning point M2 is set approximately in the center of the driving mode switching area A1. However, the turning point M2 can be any position within the driving mode switching area A1. Therefore, once the vehicle is driven to any point within the driving mode switching area A1 by the user (driver), automatic control driving becomes possible thereafter. In this case, it is preferable to set a wide area for the driving mode switching area A1 based on candidate connection positions that are easily reachable by the driver on the exit route from the target position TG1.

[0054] Figures 11 and 12 show specific examples of the virtual route calculation process in the virtual route calculation unit 2 and the candidate position setting process in the candidate position setting unit 3. When calculating a virtual route, which is the exit route from the target position TG1, as shown in Figure 11, the virtual route calculation unit 2 determines the exit route from parallel parking by gradually advancing the position at predetermined conditions such as predetermined distances or predetermined angles from the target position TG1, and the candidate position setting unit 3 determines a candidate route Ra. As shown in Figure 11, the position of the vehicle as it is gradually advanced is the candidate connection position.

[0055] When determining an exit route using virtual path calculation processing, the virtual path calculation unit 2 can calculate multiple virtual paths by changing the initial straight-line distance from the target position TG1 and the radius of the arc section. Furthermore, the virtual path calculation unit 2 can also calculate multiple virtual paths as an exit route by setting the angle (e.g., 90 degrees) to which the vehicle will turn from the target position TG1, and setting transition sections before and after the arc section. For example, a clothoid curve can be applied as the transition section. Through these processes, the virtual path calculation unit 2 can increase the number of candidate positions.

[0056] Figure 12 shows an example where there is a wall W as an obstacle opposite the target position TG1, which is a parallel parking position. In the example in Figure 12, the distance between the target position TG1 and the wall W is narrow, and multiple maneuvers are required at the maneuvering positions Ma, Mb, and Mc as part of the exit route. The virtual path calculation process in the virtual path calculation unit 2 and the candidate position setting process in the candidate position setting unit 3 can also perform calculations that require multiple maneuvers as shown in Figure 12. The number of maneuvers required to exit can be calculated from the minimum turning radius information of the vehicle, which is pre-set in the vehicle control device 100, and the distance between the target position TG1 and the wall W, which is recognized from external sensors, etc.

[0057] In the example shown in Figure 12, a wall W is assumed to be an obstacle. However, if the target position TG1, which is a parallel parking position, is directly adjacent to the road and the road has multiple lanes, the boundary line between the lane adjacent to the target position TG1 and the adjacent lane may be treated in the same way as the wall W. This allows the vehicle to be parked at the target position by making multiple maneuvers to avoid encroaching on the adjacent lane or the oncoming lane.

[0058] Figures 13 and 14 show examples of changing the size of the driving mode switching area according to the distance from the vehicle's current position to the driving mode switching area or target position. When setting the driving mode switching area, it is preferable for the driving mode switching area setting unit 5 to set the driving mode switching area to be narrower as the distance between the set driving mode switching area or target position and the vehicle's current position decreases.

[0059] For example, as shown in Figure 13, when a vehicle traveling from the initial position M1-1 reaches a position relatively far from the target position TG1, the driving mode switching area setting unit 5 sets the driving mode switching area A11 to a relatively wide area. The driving mode switching area A11 shown in Figure 13 is a candidate position reachable from the initial position M1-1, but the candidate position B11 that is not reachable among the candidate exit routes from the target position TG1 is excluded from the driving mode switching area A11.

[0060] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 14, when a vehicle traveling from the initial position M1-2 reaches a position relatively close to the target position TG1, the driving mode switching area setting unit 5 sets the driving mode switching area A12 to a relatively narrow area. The driving mode switching area A12 shown in Figure 14 is also a candidate position reachable from the initial position M1-2, but the candidate position B12 that is unreachable among the candidate exit routes from the target position TG1 is excluded from the driving mode switching area A12. The reachable candidate positions and unreachable candidate positions shown in Figures 13 and 14 are calculated by the connection route calculation unit 4. The greater the distance between the vehicle and the candidate positions, the easier it is to calculate the connection route, and consequently, the number of reachable candidate positions will be greater than the number of unreachable candidate positions, allowing the driving mode switching area to be set wider.

[0061] Figures 15 and 16 show examples of how the driving mode switching area setting unit 5 appropriately selects a driving mode switching area. The driving mode switching area setting unit 5 assigns higher scores to multiple candidate positions determined to be reachable by the connection path calculation unit 4, based on conditions such as fewer turns required for the vehicle to reach the target position from the candidate position and a shorter connection path distance. It is preferable to superimpose multiple candidate positions with a predetermined score or higher and designate the overlapping area as the driving mode switching area. In other words, the driving mode switching area setting unit 5 assigns points to multiple candidate positions based on the evaluation results of multiple candidate positions determined to be reachable by the connection path calculation unit 4, and generates a driving mode switching area by integrating multiple candidate positions according to their scores.

[0062] For example, Figure 15 shows a case where points from 1 to 10 are assigned to each candidate position within the driving mode switching area from the initial position M1, based on factors such as the distance from the vehicle's position and the target position, and the number of turns required. In this example in Figure 15, although each candidate position requires only one turn, positions with a short connection path from the vehicle's current position and an appropriate turning angle receive higher scores. It is not necessary to assign points to all candidate positions; for example, as shown in Figure 15, points may not be assigned to the unreachable candidate position B21, and points may only be assigned to the reachable candidate position A21.

[0063] The example in Figure 16 shows an example of setting a driving mode switching area after assigning points to each candidate position in Figure 15. In the example in Figure 16, candidate positions with 4 points or more are set as the driving mode switching area A31, and positions that are too far from the vehicle's position or the target position are excluded. In this example in Figure 16 as well, the unreachable candidate position B31 is a candidate position that cannot be reached from the vehicle's position in one turn, and is not included in the driving mode switching area A31. Also, areas with 3 points or less are excluded from the driving mode switching area A31.

[0064] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 17, the driving mode switching area setting unit 5 may assign higher scores to candidate positions that are closer to the candidate positions learned during manual driving by the driver, for each of the multiple candidate positions determined to be reachable by the connection path calculation unit 4. In this case as well, the driving mode switching area setting unit 5 superimposes multiple candidate positions with a predetermined number of points or more, and designates the overlapping area as the driving mode switching area.

[0065] In other words, as shown in Figure 17A, the candidate positions set by the driving mode switching area setting unit 5 before learning are assigned higher scores to candidate positions that are relatively close to the target position TG1. Here, if the driving mode switching area setting unit 5 learns the actual driving by the driver (driving from the initial position M1 during parallel parking to the first turning position) and determines that there are many cases where the driver stops and turns around at a position relatively far from the target position TG1, then, as shown in Figure 17B, it assigns higher scores to candidate positions that are farther from the target position TG1 compared to the upper left. In other words, candidate positions that are closer to the learned position of candidate positions during the driver's driving are assigned higher scores. When such learning is performed, as shown in Figure 17C, the driving mode switching area setting unit 5 superimposes multiple candidate positions with a predetermined number of points or more (in this case, 4 points or more), and sets the overlapping area as the driving mode switching area.

[0066] Next, examples of images that the HMI management unit 6 notifies the user of via the display device 116 will be explained with reference to Figures 18 to 22. Figure 18 shows an example of the display on the display screen 116a when the vehicle is traveling in the first driving mode along the route from the initial position M1 to the driving mode switching area A51. As shown in Figure 18, the display screen 116a displays an image from the front camera mounted on the vehicle at a relatively wide angle. That is, the display screen 116a displays the guidance range a51 corresponding to the driving mode switching area A51 and the parking location tg1 corresponding to the target position TG1. However, as the vehicle approaches the guidance range a51, the parking location tg1 will be outside the display range.

[0067] Regarding parking location tg1, it is displayed on the display screen 116a in step S38 of the flowchart in Figure 5, and its location has already been set as the target location (parking location). As for the display of the guidance range a51 corresponding to the driving mode switching area A51, for example, the location where the most preferable action for switching the driving mode is performed is displayed in green, and the intensity of the green color is gradually reduced as the distance from that location increases, creating a stepped display (gradient display). The range where the green color is displayed most intensely is, for example, the location with the highest score (most appropriate location) as explained in Figure 15, and the color is gradually reduced as the distance from that location decreases. Changing the intensity of the color is just one example; the color itself may also be changed. In other words, the HMI management unit 6 can notify the occupant by gradually changing the display color or tone of the driving mode switching area A51, starting from the candidate location with the highest score (the score set by the driving mode switching area setting unit 5). Furthermore, the display screen 116a will show text such as "Please stop in the green area" to guide the driver to the green area whenever possible.

[0068] Figure 19 shows a display example different from the gradient display in Figure 18. In this example, when the display screen 116a displays the guidance range a61 corresponding to the driving mode switching area A61, the recommended position display a62, which is the most recommended position, is indicated by a dashed line or the like. The recommended position display a62 is, for example, the candidate position with the highest score (the most appropriate candidate position) as explained in Figure 15. The guidance range a61 itself is displayed, for example, with a uniform density of green. In other words, the HMI management unit 6 can superimpose the area with the highest score (the score set by the driving mode switching area setting unit 5) for the candidate position onto the driving mode switching area A51 and notify the occupant. Alternatively, the recommended position display shown in Figure 19 may be combined with the gradient display shown in Figure 18. In the display example of Figure 19, the display screen 116a also displays text, for example, "Please stop in the green area."

[0069] Figure 20 shows an example where the display screen 116a displays the guidance range a71 (green area) corresponding to the driving mode switching area A71, and simultaneously displays an arrow a72 indicating the recommended stopping position of the vehicle. In this example of Figure 20, the arrow a72 is shown as an arrow within the guidance range a71. The display of this arrow a72 may be combined with the gradient display shown in Figure 18 or the recommended position display shown in Figure 19. Preferably, the arrow a72 is information about the connection route to the candidate position that has been assigned the highest score by the driving mode switching area setting unit 5. In other words, the HMI management unit 6 can inform the occupant of the direction information of the candidate position that has been assigned the highest score by the driving mode switching area setting unit 5 as the recommended direction. In the display example of Figure 20, the display screen 116a also displays text such as "Please stop in the green area."

[0070] Figure 21 shows an example where, when the display screen 116a displays the guidance range a81 (green area) corresponding to the driving mode switching area A81, a route display r81 is shown using dashed arrows corresponding to the connection route R81 from the vehicle's current position (initial position M1). In other words, the driving mode switching area setting unit 5 obtains driving support information to assist driving from the vehicle's current position (M1) to the driving mode switching area A81, and the HMI management unit 6 can inform the occupants of the driving support information and the driving mode switching area A81. Figure 22 shows an example where, when the display screen 116a displays the guidance range a91 (green area) corresponding to the driving mode switching area A91, a route display r91 is shown using two dashed lines corresponding to the innermost and outermost connection routes R91. The driver will perform an operation to drive between these two route displays r91. In other words, in this example, a route display is shown to assist driving the route from the vehicle's current position to the driving mode switching area A91. The two route indicators r91 shown here virtually calculate and display the routes to the left and right edges of the vehicle. In the display examples in Figures 21 and 22, the display screen 116a also displays text such as "Please stop in the green area." In Figures 18 to 22, the HMI management unit 6 was explained using an example where it displays an image from the front camera on the display screen 116a, but it may also display an overhead image acquired by a camera that captures the entire surroundings of the vehicle, or it may generate and display a pseudo-image or an animated image instead of an actual image.

[0071] As explained above, with the vehicle control device 100 in this example, the driver can easily reach the area indicated (displayed) by the vehicle control device 100, reducing driver inconvenience and enabling a smooth transition to automatic parking control. Furthermore, as explained in Figures 13 and 14, the driving mode switching area setting unit 5 narrows the driving mode switching area as the distance between the set driving mode switching area or target position and the current position decreases, thereby suppressing azimuth deviation at the turning position and enabling a smooth transition to parking control.

[0072] Furthermore, as explained in Figures 15 and 16, the driving mode switching area setting unit 5 scores each candidate position and selects the position with the highest score as the area, thereby enabling smooth maneuvering and presenting an area that is a typical maneuvering position for drivers. In addition, as explained in Figure 17, the driving mode switching area setting unit 5 learns the driver's driving style and selects an area, making it possible to present an area that reduces driver discomfort.

[0073] Furthermore, by providing an HMI management unit 6 that notifies the occupants of the driving mode switching area, the driver and other occupants can accurately determine the driving mode switching area. In this case, as explained in Figure 18, the most efficient position can be clearly presented to the driver by displaying the driving mode switching area in stages. Also, as explained in Figure 19, the most efficient position can be clearly presented to the driver by displaying the recommended position within the driving mode switching area.

[0074] Furthermore, as explained in Figure 20, displaying the recommended direction towards the driving mode switching area suppresses azimuth deviations at the turning point, enabling a smooth transition to parking control. Additionally, as explained in Figures 21 and 22, displaying support information such as the route to the driving mode switching area and the routes to the left and right edges of the vehicle also suppresses azimuth deviations at the turning point, enabling a smooth transition to parking control.

[0075] Furthermore, the vehicle control device 100 includes a vehicle position estimation unit 7 that estimates the position of the vehicle itself and a control path calculation unit 8 that calculates the path to the target position, enabling the vehicle to reach the target position appropriately through automatic control.

[0076] [Another example of region setting processing by the driving mode switching region setting unit (modification 1)] Next, modification 1 of the driving mode switching region setting processing by the driving mode switching region setting unit 5 will be explained with reference to Figures 23 and 24. To explain the process of modification 1 shown in Figures 23 and 24, first the driving mode switching region setting unit 5 searches for candidate positions that can be connected in order of proximity to the current position of the vehicle, and detects the candidate position C101a that it first determines can be connected.

[0077] The driving mode switching area setting unit 5 then sets a provisional setting range A103 of a specific size that includes the candidate position C101a. This provisional setting range A103 is, for example, set to have a width of [vehicle width × 3] and a depth of [vehicle length × 3]. Here, since the candidate position C101a is closest to the target position TG1, both the width and depth are set to move away from the target position TG1. The provisional setting range A103 may be set in advance according to the size of the vehicle, or it may be determined based on the settings received by the HMI management unit 6 after the HMI management unit 6 receives settings regarding the size of the driving mode switching area 5 from the occupant. By determining the provisional setting range A103 based on the settings received by the HMI management unit 6, the driving mode switching area 5 can be set according to the occupant's preference.

[0078] As shown in Figure 23, after setting a provisional setting range A103, the driving mode switching area setting unit 5 performs a process to determine whether or not a candidate position within the provisional setting range A103 is a candidate position that can be connected to from the vehicle's current position (M1). That is, the driving mode switching area setting unit 5 assigns the attribute of "unconfirmed candidate position A101" to candidate positions for which it has not determined whether or not a connection is possible from the vehicle's current position (M1). Next, it determines whether or not a connection is possible from the vehicle's current position (M1) to the candidate positions included in the provisional setting range A103. The driving mode switching area setting unit 5 assigns the attribute of "connectable candidate position C101" to candidate positions for which it has determined that a connection is possible from the vehicle's current position (M1). Furthermore, the driving mode switching area setting unit 5 assigns the attribute of "unconnectable candidate position B101" to candidate positions for which it has determined that a connection is impossible from the vehicle's current position (M1). Note that the candidate position C101a, which was initially determined to be connectable, is included in "connectable candidate position C101". Furthermore, whether a candidate position is within the provisional setting range A103 can be determined, for example, by checking whether the rear axle center position of the candidate position is within the provisional setting range A103. Then, as shown in Figure 24, the driving mode switching area setting unit 5 sets the driving mode switching area A102 based on the connectable candidate positions C101 within the provisional setting range A103. Here, in Figure 24, the ability to connect from the vehicle's current position (M1) is not determined for candidate positions not included in the provisional setting range A103, so the attributes of the unconfirmed candidate positions A101 are maintained. In other words, the driving mode switching area setting unit 5 can change the attributes by determining the ability to connect from the vehicle's current position (M1) only for candidate positions included in the provisional setting range A103 among the unconfirmed candidate positions A101, and can choose not to determine the ability to connect from the vehicle's current position (M1) for candidate positions not included in the provisional setting range A103. In other words, the driving mode switching area setting unit 5 can select candidate positions to determine whether or not a connection is possible from the vehicle's current position (M1), based on a predetermined provisional setting range A103 determined by settings received from the occupant by the HMI management unit 6.

[0079] As shown in Figures 23 and 24, when setting the driving mode switching region, the amount of processing required for candidate positions within the vehicle control device 100 is reduced, thereby reducing the use of hardware resources and improving processing speed. In other words, while scoring each candidate position as described in Figure 16 requires evaluation processing for all candidate positions, determining whether or not a connection is possible for candidate positions included in the provisional setting range A103 narrows the range of connectable candidate positions, thereby reducing the amount of calculation processing required.

[0080] [Example applied to parallel forward parking] Up to this point, the explanation has described the case of parallel parking by reversing as the control of the vehicle to the target position (parking position), but it may also be applied to parallel parking by moving forward. Figure 25 shows an example of control when parallel parking is performed by moving forward. As shown in Figure 25, when the target position TG201 for parallel forward parking is detected at the initial position M201 of the vehicle, the virtual path calculation unit 2 determines a plurality of paths R201-1, R201-2, ... to be traveled from the target position TG201 in the direction of the initial position M201 by reversing. The candidate position setting unit 3 then sets a plurality of candidate positions on the plurality of paths R201-1, R201-2, ...

[0081] Next, the connection path calculation unit 4 determines whether it is possible to connect from the vehicle's initial position (M201) to multiple candidate positions, and the driving mode switching area setting unit 5 sets the driving mode switching area A201 based on the connectable candidate positions. Then, when the vehicle enters the driving mode switching area A201, the vehicle control unit 9 changes the driving mode from the first driving mode (manual operation mode) to the second driving mode (automatic driving mode) and parks the vehicle at the target position TG201 while keeping the direction of travel forward. In the case of parallel forward parking, the process for obtaining candidate areas for parallel reverse parking can be directly applied as the process for obtaining candidate areas for setting the driving mode switching area. However, in the case of parallel forward parking, the driving mode switching area A201 is set in front of the target position TG201 when viewed from the vehicle's initial position M201.

[0082] Because this can also be applied to parallel forward parking, the automatic control process in this example can park the vehicle at the target position regardless of the direction of travel.

[0083] [Example applied to parallel parking] This method can also be applied to parallel parking as a way to control the vehicle to a target position (parking position). Figure 26 shows an example of control when parallel parking on the left side of the road. Note that when parallel parking on the right side of the road, the control example will be the same as the example in Figure 26, but with the left and right sides reversed. As shown in Figure 26, when the target position TG301 for parallel parking is detected at the initial position M301 of the vehicle, the virtual path calculation unit 2 calculates multiple paths R302-1, R302-2, ... for exiting the target position TG301 onto the road. In this case, there are other parked vehicles X1 and X2 before and after the target position TG301, and parking at the target position TG301 is possible by reversing from the front right.

[0084] In the example shown in Figure 26, each of the paths R302-1, R302-2, ... is a route in which the vehicle is moved backward from the target position TG301, within a range that does not cause contact with the following vehicle X2, and then travels forward to the right. Therefore, the candidate position setting unit 3 sets multiple candidate positions on the paths R302-1, R302-2, ... which are to the right and forward of the target position TG301. The connection path calculation unit 4 then determines whether the multiple candidate positions can be connected, and the driving mode switching area setting unit 5 sets the driving mode switching area setting A301 based on the connectable candidate positions.

[0085] When the vehicle enters the driving mode switching area A301, the driver can switch from the first driving mode to the second driving mode, and the vehicle control unit 9 will then perform automatic driving along one of the routes R302-1, R302-2, ... In this automatic driving, the vehicle will first drive in reverse, and finally drive slightly forward.

[0086] Furthermore, if the distance between the target position TG301 and the parked vehicle X1 in front is sufficiently large, the vehicle may be parked at the target position TG301 by only reversing from the driving mode switching area setting A301. Alternatively, if the distance between the target position TG301 and the parked vehicle X2 behind is sufficiently large, the driving mode switching area setting A301 may be set to the right front of the target position TG301, and the vehicle may be parked at the target position TG301 by driving forward or a combination of driving forward and reversing. In this way, the automatic control process of this example can be applied to parallel parking as well as parallel parking.

[0087] [Example of a target location other than parking] Figure 27 shows the case where the target location is the entrance to a narrow alley. That is, as shown in Figure 27, the entrance to a narrow alley 902 that intersects the relatively wide road 901 currently being driven on at almost a right angle is set as the target location TG401. From the initial position M401 of the vehicle, the target location TG401 is located to the left and in front.

[0088] At this time, the virtual path calculation unit 2 determines multiple paths R402-1, R402-2, ... for exiting the target position TG401 onto the road 901. The candidate position setting unit 3 then sets multiple candidate positions on the multiple paths R401-1, R401-2, ... Next, the connection path calculation unit 4 determines whether it is possible to connect from the vehicle's initial position (M401) to the multiple candidate positions, and the driving mode switching area setting unit 5 sets the driving mode switching area A401 based on the candidate positions that are determined to be connectable. Then, the vehicle is driven from the initial position M401 to the driving mode switching area A401 along path R401, and when the driving mode is switched in the driving mode switching area A401, the vehicle control unit 9 automatically drives the vehicle to the target position TG401 by driving forward along one of the paths R402-1, R402-2, ... Thus, the automatic control process in this example has the effect of being able to handle automatic driving to various target positions, such as narrow alleys, as well as parking.

[0089] [Other Modifications] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and includes various modifications. For example, the embodiments described above are explained in detail to make the present invention easier to understand, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described.

[0090] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the first driving mode was a driving mode operated manually by the driver, and the second driving mode was an automatic driving mode. However, the first driving mode may be a mode in which the vehicle drives automatically on the road, and the second driving mode may be a mode in which the vehicle automatically stops at a target location such as a parking spot. The first driving mode, which is a mode in which the vehicle drives automatically on the road, also includes so-called driver assistance modes that perform lane departure control and collision avoidance control.

[0091] Furthermore, the HMI management unit 6 may also accept settings from the occupant (driver) regarding the size of the driving mode switching area. In this case, the driving mode switching area setting unit 5 sets the driving mode switching area based on the setting regarding the size received by the HMI management unit 6. This allows the driver to pre-set their driving preferences.

[0092] Furthermore, the driving mode switching area setting unit 5 may automatically set the size of the area based on the driver's driving skill. For example, the driving mode switching area setting unit 5 calculates the degree of variation in the driving trajectory to the candidate position learned during the driver's manual driving and / or to that candidate position. The driving mode switching area setting unit 5 then estimates that the driver's driving skill is higher the smaller the calculated degree of variation, and sets the driving mode switching area narrower the higher the driver's driving skill is estimated to be. In other words, the driving mode switching area setting unit 5 can calculate the degree of variation in the driving trajectory to the candidate position learned during the driver's manual driving and / or to that candidate position, and set the driving mode switching area narrower the smaller the degree of variation. This allows for automatic setting of appropriate values ​​for each individual driver.

[0093] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, an automatic control execution button 102 and an assistance start button 103 are provided, and automatic control is executed or assistance is started by operating these buttons 102 and 103. Alternatively, the execution of automatic control may be instructed by voice command from an occupant such as a driver. Or, the operation of the automatic control execution button 102 may be changed to the same automatic control state as when the automatic control execution button 102 is operated, upon detection of some trigger operation during driving. For example, the operation may be changed to the same automatic control state as when the automatic control execution button 102 is operated upon detection of an operation such as shifting gears or releasing the brakes by the driver.

[0094] Furthermore, in the configuration diagrams shown in Figures 1 and 2, only control lines and information lines deemed necessary for explanation are shown, and not all control lines and information lines are necessarily shown in the actual product. In reality, it can be assumed that almost all components are interconnected. Also, the flowcharts shown in Figures 3 to 8 are examples, and some processing orders may be changed or multiple processes may be executed simultaneously as long as the processing result is the same. In addition, the vehicle control device shown in the above-described embodiment example can be configured as a single device as shown in Figure 3, or each processing unit and memory unit may be configured as a separate device and connected via a network to form a system configuration.

[0095] Furthermore, since the vehicle control device is configured as a computer as described in Figure 2, an existing vehicle control device may be made to function as the vehicle control device 100 shown in Figure 1 by implementing a program that executes the processing method described in the embodiment of the present invention. In this case, the program may be stored on an external recording medium such as memory, an IC card, an SD card, or an optical disc and transferred to the computer that will function as the vehicle control device.

[0096] 1...Environmental Recognition Unit, 2...Virtual Path Calculation Unit, 3...Candidate Position Setting Unit, 4...Connection Path Calculation Unit, 5...Driving Mode Switching Area Setting Unit, 6...Human-Machine Interface Management Unit (HMI Management Unit), 7...Vehicle Position Estimation Unit, 8...Control Path Calculation Unit, 9...Vehicle Control Unit, 100...Vehicle Control Device, 100a...CPU, 100b...Memory, 100c...Storage, 100d...Input Unit, 100e...Control Information Output Unit, 100f...Sound / Display Information Output Unit, 101...External Environment Recognition Device, 102...Automatic Control Execution Button, 103...Support Start Button, 104...Vehicle Status Information Acquisition Unit, 111...Steering Device, 112...Drive Device, 113...Braking Device, 114...Transmission Device, 115...Sound Generator, 116...Display Device, 116a...Display Screen

Claims

1. A vehicle control device comprising: an environment recognition unit that recognizes the target position and drivable area of ​​the vehicle based on environmental information acquired by external sensors mounted on the vehicle; a virtual path calculation unit that determines a plurality of virtual paths for the vehicle starting from the target position within the drivable area; a candidate position setting unit that sets a plurality of candidate positions on the plurality of virtual paths; a connection path calculation unit that determines a connection path that can reach the candidate positions from the current position of the vehicle; a driving mode switching area setting unit that generates a driving mode switching area by integrating the plurality of candidate positions for which the connection paths have been set; and a vehicle control unit that, when the vehicle reaches the driving mode switching area, switches the driving mode of the vehicle from a first driving mode to a second driving mode and controls the vehicle on the path from the driving mode switching area to the target position.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the driving mode switching area setting unit sets the driving mode switching area to be narrower as the distance between the set driving mode switching area or the target position and the current position of the vehicle decreases.

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the driving mode switching area setting unit assigns points to a plurality of candidate positions based on the evaluation results of a plurality of candidate positions determined to be reachable by the connection path calculation unit, and generates a driving mode switching area by integrating the plurality of candidate positions according to the points.

4. The vehicle control device according to claim 3, wherein the driving mode switching area setting unit assigns higher scores to a plurality of candidate positions determined to be reachable by the connection path calculation unit, the fewer the number of turns the vehicle has to make to reach the target position from the candidate position and the shorter the distance of the connection path, and superimposes a plurality of candidate positions with a predetermined number of scores or more, and sets the overlapping area as the driving mode switching area.

5. The vehicle control device according to claim 3, wherein the driving mode switching area setting unit assigns higher scores to a plurality of candidate positions determined to be reachable by the connection path calculation unit, the closer they are to positions learned during manual driving by the driver, and superimposes a plurality of candidate positions with a predetermined score or higher, and sets the overlapping area as the driving mode switching area.

6. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, further comprising a human-machine interface management unit for notifying the occupants of the driving mode switching area.

7. The vehicle control device according to claim 6, wherein the driving mode switching area setting unit assigns points to a plurality of candidate positions based on the evaluation results of a plurality of candidate positions determined to be reachable by the connection path calculation unit, and the human-machine interface management unit notifies the occupant by gradually changing the display color or tone of the driving mode switching area from the candidate position with the highest score.

8. The vehicle control device according to claim 6, wherein the driving mode switching area setting unit assigns points to a plurality of candidate positions based on the evaluation results of a plurality of candidate positions determined to be reachable by the connection path calculation unit, and the human-machine interface management unit superimposes the area with the highest score of the candidate positions onto the driving mode switching area and notifies the occupant.

9. The vehicle control device according to claim 6, wherein the driving mode switching area setting unit assigns points to a plurality of candidate positions based on the evaluation results of a plurality of candidate positions determined to be reachable by the connection path calculation unit, and the human-machine interface management unit notifies the occupant of the directional information of the candidate position to which the driving mode switching area setting unit has been assigned the highest point as the recommended direction.

10. The vehicle control device according to claim 6, wherein the driving mode switching area setting unit obtains driving support information to assist in driving the route from the current position of the vehicle to the driving mode switching area, and the human-machine interface management unit notifies the occupant of the driving support information and the driving mode switching area.

11. The vehicle control device according to claim 10, wherein the driving mode switching area setting unit assigns points to a plurality of candidate positions based on the evaluation results of a plurality of candidate positions determined to be reachable by the connection path calculation unit, and the driving support information is information on the connection path to the candidate position to which the driving mode switching area setting unit has been assigned the highest score, or information obtained by virtually determining the path to the left and right ends of the driving mode switching area on the side of the vehicle.

12. The vehicle control device according to claim 6, wherein the human-machine interface management unit receives a setting from the occupant regarding the size of the driving mode switching area, and the driving mode switching area setting unit sets the driving mode switching area based on the setting regarding the size received by the human-machine interface management unit.

13. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the driving mode switching area setting unit calculates the degree of variation in the driving trajectory to the position learned as a candidate position during manual driving by the driver and / or to the candidate position, and sets the driving mode switching area to be narrower the smaller the degree of variation.

14. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, further comprising: a vehicle position estimation unit for estimating the position of the vehicle itself; and a control path calculation unit for calculating a path from the position of the vehicle itself to the target position, wherein the vehicle control unit controls the vehicle itself to follow the control path calculated by the control path calculation unit based on the position of the vehicle itself estimated by the vehicle position estimation unit.

15. A vehicle control method performed by a computer, comprising: an environment recognition process that recognizes a target position and a drivable area of ​​the vehicle based on environmental information acquired by external sensors mounted on the vehicle; a virtual path calculation process that determines a plurality of virtual paths of the vehicle starting from the target position in the drivable area; a candidate position setting process that sets a plurality of candidate positions on the plurality of virtual paths; a connection path calculation process that determines a connection path that can reach the candidate positions from the current position of the vehicle; a driving mode switching area setting process that generates a driving mode switching area by integrating the plurality of candidate positions on which the connection paths are set; and a vehicle control process that, when the vehicle reaches the driving mode switching area, switches the driving mode of the vehicle from a first driving mode to a second driving mode and controls the vehicle on a path from the driving mode switching area to the target position.

Images