Vehicle control device
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-02-10
- Publication Date
- 2026-08-13
Smart Images
Figure JP2025004422_13082026_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
Vehicle control device
[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control device mounted on a vehicle.
[0002] Conventionally, there has been proposed a vehicle control device that performs passing avoidance processing when there is a forward obstacle inside the travel lane from one end in the width direction of the travel lane in front of the travel lane in which the vehicle is traveling (for example, Patent Document 1).
[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-073741
[0004] By the way, when performing control such as passing of the vehicle with respect to a three-dimensional object in front of the vehicle, it is required to perform the control by a simpler method.
[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to easily perform control with respect to a three-dimensional object in front of the vehicle.
[0006] A vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes one or more control circuits and a storage medium storing a program executed by the control circuit. When there is a three-dimensional object in a passing determination area generated in front of the host vehicle based on the traveling path of the host vehicle, the control circuit calculates a safety level for the host vehicle to avoid the three-dimensional object based on the distance from the host vehicle to the three-dimensional object, and controls the host vehicle according to the calculated safety level.
[0007] According to the present invention, control with respect to a three-dimensional object in front of the vehicle can be easily performed.
[0008] It is a diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle control device. It is a diagram showing the functional configuration of a control circuit. It is a diagram explaining the distance to a three-dimensional object. It is a diagram explaining a passing determination area. It is a diagram explaining the distance to a three-dimensional object and a passing determination area during traveling on a curve. It is a diagram explaining the determination of operation contents when a priority three-dimensional object exists in a deceleration passing area. It is a diagram explaining the determination of operation contents when there are multiple in-area three-dimensional objects. It is a flowchart showing the flow of passing control processing.
[0009] <1. Configuration of Vehicle Control Device 1> Figure 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle control device 1. As shown in Figure 1, the vehicle 100 is equipped with the vehicle control device 1. The vehicle control device 1 is mounted on the vehicle 100 and controls the vehicle 100. In the following explanation, the vehicle 100 will be described using an engine-powered vehicle equipped only with an engine 12 as a drive source as an example, but it may also be a hybrid vehicle equipped with an engine 12 in addition to a motor as a drive source, or an electric vehicle equipped only with a motor as a drive source.
[0010] The vehicle control device 1 includes an imaging device 2, an image processing device 3, a memory 4, a driving assistance control device 5, a display control device 6, an engine control device 7, a transmission control device 8, a brake control device 9, a steering control device 10, a display 11, an engine 12, a transmission 13, brakes 14, a steering mechanism 15, a sensor 16, a bus 17, and a communication device 18.
[0011] The driver assistance control device 5, display control device 6, engine control device 7, transmission control device 8, brake control device 9, and steering control device 10 are all configured including an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) and each includes a control circuit and a storage medium. The storage medium is configured to include one of the following: ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), or non-volatile memory. The storage medium stores the program executed by the control circuit and the data necessary for executing the program.
[0012] The driver assistance control device 5, display control device 6, engine control device 7, transmission control device 8, brake control device 9, and steering control device 10 are interconnected via the bus 17.
[0013] The driver assistance control device 5, display control device 6, engine control device 7, transmission control device 8, brake control device 9, and steering control device 10 may be composed of multiple ECUs. Alternatively, one ECU may function as two or more of the driver assistance control device 5, display control device 6, engine control device 7, transmission control device 8, brake control device 9, and steering control device 10.
[0014] The imaging device 2 consists of, for example, a stereo camera, and is equipped with two cameras that capture images in approximately the same direction. Each camera is positioned in front of the vehicle 100 so that distance measurement using the so-called stereo imaging method is possible.
[0015] Each camera is equipped with a camera optical system and an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor). In each camera, an image of the subject is formed on the imaging surface of the image sensor via the camera optical system, and an electrical signal corresponding to the amount of light received is obtained at each pixel of the image sensor. The electrical signals obtained by each camera are then subjected to A / D conversion and predetermined correction processing, and supplied to the image processing device 3 as a digital image signal (image data) representing a brightness value with predetermined gradations on a pixel-by-pixel basis.
[0016] The imaging device 2 may consist of a single camera equipped with a distance-measuring image sensor. Furthermore, the imaging device 2 may include cameras for imaging the area in front of the vehicle 100, cameras for imaging the area behind the vehicle 100, and cameras for imaging the area to the sides of the vehicle 100.
[0017] The image processing device 3 performs predetermined image processing related to the recognition of the external environment of the vehicle based on the image data obtained by the imaging device 2. The image processing by the image processing device 3 is performed using a memory 4, such as a non-volatile memory.
[0018] The image processing device 3 performs various image processing operations based on image data obtained by stereo imaging to recognize three-dimensional objects and lane markings (such as center lines and lane boundaries) in front of the vehicle 100. The image processing device 3 also recognizes the driving lane (lane) in which the vehicle 100 is traveling based on the recognized three-dimensional objects. Furthermore, the image processing device 3 recognizes the preceding vehicle to be followed based on the recognized three-dimensional objects.
[0019] Specifically, the image processing device 3 generates pixel-by-pixel distance information from the corresponding positional displacement (parallax) of a pair of captured images as image data, using the principle of triangulation. The image processing device 3 then performs a well-known grouping process on the distance information and compares the grouped distance information with pre-stored three-dimensional road shape data, three-dimensional object data, etc. Through this, the image processing device 3 recognizes road markings, guardrails, curbs and other side walls, three-dimensional objects such as vehicles, stop lines, traffic signals, railway crossings, pedestrian crossings, driving lanes, etc.
[0020] In this way, the image processing device 3 can recognize surrounding objects based on image data and also recognize their behavior. For example, the image processing device 3 can recognize the curvature of the lane markings adjacent to the lane in which the vehicle 100 is traveling (hereinafter referred to as adjacent lane markings), the lateral position of the vehicle 100 relative to the adjacent lane markings, the lateral speed of the vehicle 100 relative to the adjacent lane markings (hereinafter referred to as lateral speed), and the orientation of the vehicle 100 relative to the adjacent lane markings. Furthermore, based on this information, the image processing device 3 can recognize a reference line 32 (see Figure 3) that indicates the path (route) along which the vehicle 100 is traveling. The reference line 32 is recognized to pass through the center of the vehicle 100 in the lateral direction (width direction). Here, the lateral direction is the direction perpendicular to the vehicle 100's forward / backward direction and vertical direction, and is also called the left-right direction or width direction.
[0021] Furthermore, the image processing device 3 can recognize the distance to three-dimensional objects located in front of the vehicle 100. The distance to three-dimensional objects in front of the vehicle is the distance from the front of the vehicle 100 to a three-dimensional object along the direction of travel, and the distance to a three-dimensional object in a direction perpendicular to the reference line 32. Since known methods can be used for these recognition methods, a detailed explanation will be omitted.
[0022] The image processing device 3 recognizes various external environmental information as external environmental information for each frame of the image data, and sequentially stores (retains) the recognized external environmental information in the memory 4. In addition to the results of image processing by the image processing device 3, the memory 4 may also store map data containing road gradient information, etc.
[0023] The driver assistance control device 5 performs various driver assistance controls based on the results of image processing by the image processing device 3 stored in the memory 4, detection signals obtained from the sensor 16, operation input information, and communication information from the communication device 18. The driver assistance control device 5 issues instructions to the necessary control devices among the display control device 6, engine control device 7, transmission control device 8, brake control device 9, and steering control device 10 to perform operations related to driver assistance.
[0024] Examples of driver assistance control systems that can be implemented by the driver assistance control device 5 include lane departure prevention control (lane keeping control), collision damage mitigation braking control (AEB: Autonomous Emergency Braking), adaptive cruise control (ACC: Adaptive Cruise Control), and steering control to follow the preceding vehicle. Since these controls can be implemented using known methods, their explanation will be omitted.
[0025] The display control device 6 controls the display operation of the display 11 based on detection signals from the sensor 16, operation input information from the control element, and instructions from the driver assistance control device 5. For example, the display control device 6 can display a predetermined warning message on the display 11 as part of driver assistance based on instructions from the driver assistance control device 5.
[0026] The display 11 comprehensively represents various meters such as the speedometer and tachometer, as well as the MFD (Multi-Functional Display) and other display devices for presenting information to the driver, which are located within the instrument panel in front of the driver. The MFD can simultaneously or in a switching manner display various information such as the vehicle's total mileage, outside temperature, and instantaneous fuel consumption.
[0027] The engine control device 7 controls the engine 12 based on detection signals from the sensor 16, operation input information from the control element, and instructions from the driver assistance control device 5. For example, the engine control device 7 controls the starting and stopping of the engine 12 in response to the operation of the READY-ON switch. The engine control device 7 also controls the fuel injection timing, fuel injection amount, throttle opening, etc., based on detection signals from predetermined sensors such as the engine speed sensor 16c and accelerator pedal position sensor 16d, which will be described later.
[0028] The transmission control device 8 controls the transmission 13 based on detection signals from the sensor 16, operation input information from the control element, and instructions from the driver assistance control device 5. For example, the transmission control device 8 performs gear shift control by outputting a predetermined gear shift signal to the transmission 13.
[0029] The brake control device 9 controls the brake 14 based on detection signals from the sensor 16, operation input information from the control element, and instructions from the driver assistance control device 5. For example, the brake control device 9 controls the hydraulic pressure of the brake 14 to brake the vehicle 100 based on instruction information output from the driver assistance control device 5. The brake control device 9 also calculates the wheel slip ratio based on detection signals from predetermined sensors (for example, the axle rotation speed sensor or the vehicle speed sensor 16a) and adjusts the hydraulic pressure of the brake 14 according to the slip ratio, thereby realizing so-called ABS (Antilock Brake System) control.
[0030] The steering control device 10 controls the steering mechanism 15 based on detection signals from the sensor 16, operation input information from the control element, and instructions from the driver assistance control device 5. For example, the steering control device 10 steers the steering wheels by controlling the steering mechanism 15 based on the steering angle detected by the steering angle sensor 16f, which will be described later. The steering control device 10 also achieves automatic steering by controlling the steering mechanism 15 based on instruction information provided by the driver assistance control device 5.
[0031] Sensor 16 comprehensively represents various sensors installed on the vehicle 100. Sensors 16 include a vehicle speed sensor 16a, a wheel speed sensor 16b, an engine speed sensor 16c, an accelerator pedal position sensor 16d, a brake sensor 16e, a steering angle sensor 16f, a yaw rate sensor 16g, a G sensor 16h, a millimeter-wave radar 16i, and a position information receiver 16j. Note that these are merely examples, and various other sensors may also be installed.
[0032] The vehicle speed sensor 16a detects the speed (vehicle speed) of the vehicle 100. The wheel speed sensor 16b detects the rotational speed of the wheels. The engine speed sensor 16c detects the rotational speed of the engine 12. The accelerator pedal position sensor 16d detects the accelerator pedal position from the amount the accelerator pedal is pressed. The brake sensor 16e detects the amount of brake operation from the amount the brake pedal is pressed. The steering angle sensor 16f detects the steering angle of the steering wheel. The yaw rate sensor 16g detects the yaw rate applied to the vehicle 100. The G sensor 16h detects the acceleration acting on the vehicle 100 in the direction of travel, lateral direction (vehicle width direction), and vertical direction. The millimeter-wave radar 16i detects the surrounding conditions by irradiating millimeter waves outwards and performing sensing. The position information receiver 16j is, for example, a receiver for the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) or a receiver that receives information from roadside units, and acquires current position information.
[0033] Various detection signals from the sensor 16 are supplied to the necessary parts of the image processing device 3, driving assistance control device 5, display control device 6, engine control device 7, transmission control device 8, brake control device 9, and steering control device 10.
[0034] The communication device 18 performs vehicle-to-vehicle communication and network communication. The driver assistance control device 5 can acquire information about other vehicles received by the communication device 18. The communication device 18 can also acquire various types of information, such as information about the surrounding environment of the current location and road information, through network communication such as the Internet.
[0035] <2. Slip-Through Control> The slip-through control in this embodiment will now be explained. In the slip-through control, when there is a three-dimensional object in the slip-through feasibility determination area 33 that is generated in front of the vehicle 100 based on the vehicle's path (reference line 32), the safety level for the vehicle 100 to avoid the three-dimensional object is calculated based on the distance from the vehicle 100 to the three-dimensional object, and the operation related to driving assistance of the vehicle 100 is controlled according to the calculated safety level. In this embodiment, the slip-through control assumes that the three-dimensional object is a stationary vehicle, a pedestrian (person), or a bicycle. Hereafter, when "three-dimensional object" is written, it will mean one of a stationary vehicle, a pedestrian (person), or a bicycle. However, the three-dimensional object may also include two-wheeled vehicles such as motorcycles, obstacles such as fallen trees, etc.
[0036] Figure 2 shows the functional configuration of the control circuit 5a. The driver assistance control device 5 comprises the control circuit 5a and a storage medium 5b. The control circuit 5a executes a program for lane-passing control stored in the storage medium 5b. At this time, the control circuit 5a functions as a safety level calculation unit 21, a priority object determination unit 22, an operation determination unit 23, and a driving control unit 24.
[0037] The safety level calculation unit 21 calculates the safety level of a three-dimensional object located in front of the vehicle 100 based on the distance from the vehicle 100 to the object. The safety level is a numerical representation of how safe the three-dimensional object is relative to the vehicle 100. A higher level indicates a higher probability that the object is safe relative to the vehicle 100, while a lower level indicates a higher probability that the object is dangerous relative to the vehicle 100.
[0038] The priority object determination unit 22 determines which of the one or more objects located in front of the vehicle 100 should be prioritized as the control target for the vehicle 100, based on the safety level of each object. The action determination unit 23 determines what kind of driving assistance action the vehicle 100 should perform with respect to the target object determined by the priority object determination unit 22. The driving control unit 24 executes the control of the action content determined by the action determination unit 23. The following describes in detail the processes performed by the safety level calculation unit 21, the priority object determination unit 22, the action determination unit 23, and the driving control unit 24.
[0039] Figure 3 illustrates the distance to the three-dimensional object 101. Figure 4 illustrates the passability determination area 33. Figure 5 illustrates the distance to the three-dimensional object 101 and the passability determination area 33 while traveling on a curve. Note that Figures 3 and 4 show an example where the vehicle 100 is traveling on a straight road. Furthermore, the following explanation describes the case where the vehicle 100 is traveling in the driving lane between two adjacent lane markings 31. However, the vehicle 100 does not necessarily have to be traveling in a driving lane.
[0040] As shown in Figure 3, the image processing device 3 can recognize a reference line 32 indicating the path of the vehicle 100, the vertical distance Z from the front of the vehicle 100 to a three-dimensional object along the direction of travel, and the horizontal distance X to a three-dimensional object 101 in a direction perpendicular to the reference line 32. The image processing device 3 then derives external recognition information, including this information, each time an image is acquired by the imaging device 2 and outputs it to the driving support control device 5.
[0041] As shown in Figure 4, the safety level calculation unit 21 sets a passability determination area 33 for calculating the safety level for a three-dimensional object 101 located in front of the vehicle 100, based on external environmental information.
[0042] The passing-ability determination area 33 is an area obtained by adding the following-up stop area 33a and the decelerating passing area 33b. The passing-ability determination area 33 is set as an area where there is a possibility that the host vehicle 100 may affect the three-dimensional object 101 when the host vehicle 100 travels. Here, "affect" includes not only the possibility that the host vehicle 100 may collide with or be likely to collide with the three-dimensional object 101, but also the possibility that the host vehicle 100 may affect the three-dimensional object 101 in some way when the host vehicle 100 travels, such as a person who is the three-dimensional object 101 feeling danger.
[0043] The passing-ability determination area 33 is set in the traveling direction based on, for example, the position where the width of the host vehicle 100 is the widest, such as the position where the side mirror is provided. However, the passing-ability determination area 33 may be set based on other positions, such as the most front end of the host vehicle 100.
[0044] The following-up stop area 33a is an area where, when a three-dimensional object 101 exists within this area, an operation is performed to cause the host vehicle 100 to follow or stop the three-dimensional object 101.
[0045] The following-up stop area 33a is set in a range that is wider than the width of the host vehicle 100 in the lateral direction and shorter than the lateral interval between two adjacent lane lines 31. Also, the following-up stop area 33a is set in a range up to a predetermined distance (for example, 100 m) in the forward direction. However, for a predetermined range (for example, 5 m) in the forward direction from the host vehicle 100, the lateral direction is set shorter than other positions (5 m or more). This is because when the host vehicle 100 approaches the three-dimensional object 101, it becomes easier to determine whether there is a possibility that the host vehicle 100 may collide with the three-dimensional object 101.
[0046] The decelerating passing area 33b is an area where, when a three-dimensional object 101 exists in this area, an operation is performed to decelerate the host vehicle 100 and cause it to pass by the side of the three-dimensional object 101.
[0047] The deceleration passing area 33b is set outside the following stop area 33a in the lateral direction. The deceleration passing area 33b is set in a predetermined range that extends laterally, for example, outside the adjacent lane line 31.
[0048] When the host vehicle 100 is traveling on a curve, as shown in FIG. 5, the reference line 32 is recognized as a curve along the adjacent lane line 31. In such a case, the safety level calculation unit 21 sets the passing permission determination area 33 based on the reference line 32. Therefore, the passing permission determination area 33 (the following stop area 33a and the deceleration passing area 33b) is set in a range that curves with the same curvature as the reference line 32.
[0049] When the safety level calculation unit 21 sets the passing permission determination area 33, it calculates the safety level of the three-dimensional object 101 existing in the passing permission determination area 33 based on the external recognition information. Hereinafter, the three-dimensional object existing in the passing permission determination area 33 is referred to as the in-area three-dimensional object 102.
[0050] Specifically, the safety level calculation unit 21 extracts the vertical distance Z and the horizontal distance X of the in-area three-dimensional object 102 from the external environment information, and multiplies the vertical distance Z and the horizontal distance X by predetermined coefficients determined in advance.
[0051] The predetermined coefficient determined for the vertical distance Z is defined as coefficient A, and the predetermined coefficient determined for the horizontal distance X is defined as coefficient B. Coefficient A and coefficient B are the weightings of the vertical distance Z and the horizontal distance X when calculating the safety level, and are determined to be 1 when the vertical distance Z and the horizontal distance X have the same weighting.
[0052] The safety level calculation unit 21 multiplies the vertical distance Z by coefficient A and multiplies the horizontal distance X by coefficient B. Thereby, values weighted by the vertical distance Z and the horizontal distance X are calculated.
[0053] Thereafter, the safety level calculation unit 21 calculates the safety level by multiplying the value obtained by multiplying the vertical distance Z by coefficient A and the value obtained by multiplying the horizontal distance X by coefficient B. That is, the safety level calculation unit 21 calculates the safety level by multiplying the values obtained by multiplying the vertical distance Z and the horizontal distance X by coefficient A and coefficient B, respectively.
[0054] Thus, since the safety score is the product of the vertical distance Z and the horizontal distance X, the closer the vehicle 100 is to the object 102 within the area, the smaller the value, and the farther away the vehicle 100 is from the object 102 within the area, the larger the value. Therefore, the safety score is an indicator that allows for easy determination of how much the vehicle 100 affects the object 102 within the area. Furthermore, by multiplying the vertical distance Z and horizontal distance X by coefficients A and B, it becomes possible to more easily reflect the parameters that have a greater influence (vertical distance Z, horizontal distance X) in the safety score.
[0055] Furthermore, the safety level can be calculated using only the distance in the direction of travel and the lateral distance between the vehicle 100 and the three-dimensional object 102 within the area. Therefore, the vehicle control device 1 can calculate the safety level using only the information recognized by the image processing device 3, thereby simplifying the method for calculating the safety level.
[0056] The safety level calculation unit 21 calculates the safety level for all three-dimensional objects 102 within the area that are located within the passability determination area 33 using the method described above.
[0057] The priority object determination unit 22 compares the safety levels of all area objects 102 located within the passability determination area 33 calculated by the safety level calculation unit 21, and determines the area object 102 with the lowest safety level as the priority object 103.
[0058] Priority object 103 is the object that is most likely to collide with or be likely to collide with the vehicle 100, or that the vehicle 100 is most likely to perceive as dangerous.
[0059] The operation determination unit 23 determines what action the vehicle 100 should perform based on the area where the priority object 103 is located.
[0060] Specifically, the operation decision unit 23 determines whether to have the vehicle 100 follow the priority object 103 or to stop the vehicle 100 if the priority object 103 is located in the follow-stop area 33a. For example, the operation decision unit 23 may decide to have the vehicle 100 follow the priority object 103 if the safety level of the priority object 103 is higher than a predetermined value, and to stop the priority object 103 if the safety level of the priority object 103 is below a predetermined value. In other words, the operation decision unit 23 may determine the operation of the vehicle 100 based on the safety level of the priority object 103.
[0061] Furthermore, the operation determination unit 23 may decide to have the vehicle 100 follow the priority object 103 if the priority object 103 is moving, and to stop the vehicle 100 if the priority object 103 is not moving. In other words, the operation determination unit 23 may determine the operation of the vehicle 100 based on the movement of the priority object 103. Moreover, the operation determination unit 23 may determine the operation based on both the safety level and movement of the priority object 103, or it may determine the operation based on other conditions.
[0062] Furthermore, if the priority object 103 is located in the deceleration and passing area 33b, the operation determination unit 23 determines to decelerate the vehicle 100 to a predetermined speed and pass alongside the priority object 103.
[0063] When the operation content is determined by the operation determination unit 23, the driving control unit 24 controls the display control device 6, engine control device 7, transmission control device 8, brake control device 9, and steering control device 10 in a timely manner according to the determined operation content. This makes it possible to operate the vehicle 100 according to the determined operation content.
[0064] For example, in the example shown in Figure 4, the object 102 within the area is located within the follow-stop area 33a, and there are no other objects 102 within the area. In this case, the object 102 located within the area is designated as the priority object 103, and the operation decision unit 23 decides whether to have the vehicle 100 follow the priority object 103 or to stop the vehicle 100 before reaching the priority object 103. The driving control unit 24 then controls the vehicle 100 according to that decision.
[0065] Figure 6 illustrates the determination of the operation when a priority object 103 is located in the deceleration pass-through area 33b. In the example in Figure 6, an area object 102 is located within the deceleration pass-through area 33b, and no other area objects 102 are present. In this case, the area object 102 located within the deceleration pass-through area 33b is designated as the priority object 103, and the operation determination unit 23 decides to decelerate and pass alongside the priority object 103. The driving control unit 24 then controls the vehicle 100 according to this decision.
[0066] Figure 7 illustrates the determination of actions when multiple objects 102 exist within an area. In the example in Figure 7, three objects 102 (102A, 102B, and 102C) exist within the passability determination area 33. In this case, the priority object determination unit 22 determines that the object 102B, which has the lowest safety level among the three objects 102, is the priority object 103. The action determination unit 23 then decides whether to have the vehicle 100 follow the priority object 103 (object 102B) or to stop the vehicle 100 before reaching the priority object 103 (object 102B). The driving control unit 24 then controls the vehicle 100 according to this decision.
[0067] Figure 8 is a flowchart showing the processing flow of the lane-passing control. The control circuit 5a is executed each time external environmental information is acquired from the image processing device 3. As shown in Figure 8, when lane-passing control is started, in step S1 the safety level calculation unit 21 acquires external environmental information from the image processing device 3. In step S2 the safety level calculation unit 21 sets a lane-passing feasibility determination area 33 based on the external environmental information and determines whether there is a three-dimensional object 101 in the lane-passing feasibility determination area 33.
[0068] The control circuit 5a terminates processing if there is no object 101 in the passability determination area 33 (No in step S2). On the other hand, if there is an object 101 in the passability determination area 33 (Yes in step S2), the safety level calculation unit 21 calculates the safety level of the object 102 in the area in step S3.
[0069] In the following step S4, the priority object determination unit 22 determines the object 102 with the lowest safety level from among the one or more objects 102 in the pass-through feasibility determination area 33 as the priority object 103.
[0070] In step S5, the operation determination unit 23 determines whether the priority object 103 is within the pass-through / deceleration pass-through area 33b. If the priority object 103 is within the pass-through / deceleration pass-through area 33b (Yes in step S5), in step S6, the operation determination unit 23 determines that the vehicle 100 will decelerate and pass alongside the priority object 103, and the driving control unit 24 controls the vehicle 100 according to the determined operation.
[0071] On the other hand, if the priority object 103 is not within the pass-through deceleration pass-through area 33b (No in step S5), that is, if the priority object 103 is within the follow-stop area 33a, the process moves to step S7. In step S7, the operation determination unit 23 determines the operation to make the vehicle 100 follow or stop the priority object 103, and the driving control unit 24 controls the vehicle 100 according to the determined operation.
[0072] <3. Modifications> The above embodiments are merely examples of how the present invention can be implemented, and the implementation of the present invention is not limited to these examples. Various modifications are possible.
[0073] For example, in the embodiment described above, the follow-stop area 33a and the deceleration-passing area 33b were set as shown in Figures 4 and 5. However, the follow-stop area 33a and the deceleration-passing area 33b are not limited to these, and can be set as areas where the vehicle 100 collides with or is likely to collide with a three-dimensional object, and areas where the three-dimensional object may perceive danger.
[0074] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the pass-through feasibility determination area 33 includes the follow-stop area 33a and the deceleration pass-through area 33b. However, the pass-through feasibility determination area 33 may also include other areas in addition to the follow-stop area 33a and the deceleration pass-through area 33b.
[0075] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, if the priority object 103 is located in the follow-stop area 33a, the vehicle 100 is made to follow the priority object 103 or to stop. Also, if the priority object 103 is located in the deceleration-pass area 33b, the vehicle 100 is made to decelerate and pass alongside the priority object 103. However, the actions of the vehicle 100 are merely examples, and other actions may be performed.
[0076] <4. Summary> As described above, the vehicle control device 1 of the embodiment comprises one or more control circuits 5a and a storage medium 5b in which a program executed by the control circuits 5a is stored. When there is a three-dimensional object in the passability determination area 33 generated in front of the vehicle 100 based on the path of the vehicle 100, the control circuit 5a calculates the safety level of the three-dimensional object based on the distance from the vehicle 100 to the three-dimensional object and controls the vehicle 100 according to the calculated safety level. This makes it possible to limit the area to be determined and perform control to avoid danger based only on external environmental information input from the image processing device 3. Therefore, the vehicle control device 1 can easily control three-dimensional objects 101 (priority three-dimensional objects 103) in front of the vehicle.
[0077] The control circuit 5a calculates the safety level of each of the multiple objects in the pass-through feasibility determination area 33 and controls the vehicle 100 for the object with the lowest safety level. This makes it easy to select the priority object 103, which has the highest potential to be dangerous, based on its safety level, and also makes it easy to control that priority object 103.
[0078] The control circuit 5a calculates the safety level based on the distance to the object in the direction of travel of the vehicle 100, and the distance to the object in a direction perpendicular to the path of travel. This simplifies the logic for calculating the safety level.
[0079] The control circuit 5a calculates the safety level by multiplying the distance to the object in the direction of travel of the vehicle 100 and the distance to the object in a direction perpendicular to the path of travel by a predetermined coefficient, and then multiplying the results of these multipliers together. This simplifies the logic and makes it possible to weight the vertical distance Z and horizontal distance X, thereby enabling a more accurate calculation of the risk level.
[0080] The control circuit 5a sets the passability determination area 33 according to the curvature of the path the vehicle 100 is traveling. This makes it possible to accurately set the passability determination area 33 even when the vehicle 100 is traveling on a curve.
[0081] 1 Vehicle control device 5 Driving support control device 5a Control circuit 5b Storage medium 21 Safety level calculation unit 22 Highest priority three-dimensional object determination unit 23 Judgment unit 24 Driving control unit 100 Own vehicle (vehicle)
Claims
1. A vehicle control device comprising one or more control circuits and a storage medium storing a program executed by the control circuits, wherein the control circuit calculates a degree of safety for the vehicle to avoid a three-dimensional object based on the distance from the vehicle to the three-dimensional object when there is a three-dimensional object in a passability determination area generated in front of the vehicle with respect to the vehicle's path of travel, and controls the vehicle according to the calculated degree of safety.
2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein, if there are multiple three-dimensional objects in the area where passage is possible or impossible, the control circuit calculates the safety level of each of the multiple three-dimensional objects and controls the vehicle toward the three-dimensional object with the lowest safety level.
3. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit calculates the safety level based on the distance to the three-dimensional object in the direction of travel of the vehicle and the distance to the three-dimensional object in a direction perpendicular to the path of travel.
4. The vehicle control device according to claim 3, wherein the control circuit calculates the safety level by multiplying the distance to the three-dimensional object in the direction of travel of the vehicle and the distance to the three-dimensional object in a direction perpendicular to the path of travel by a predetermined coefficient, and multiplying these values together.
5. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the control circuit sets the pass-through determination area according to the curvature of the vehicle's path.