Autonomous driving control device for vehicle

Abstract

[Problem] The present invention makes right and left turns at an intersection smooth during autonomous driving. [Solution] This autonomous driving control device for a vehicle has: an acquisition device that acquires information about a nearby vehicle; and a travel control unit that executes autonomous driving control of the vehicle. When the vehicle travels by turning right or left from an ego vehicle road onto a cross road at an intersection, the acquisition device acquires information about an oncoming vehicle or a crossing vehicle. The travel control unit identifies a first other vehicle lane in which the oncoming vehicle or the crossing vehicle is traveling, determines the possibility of interference at a path intersection point between the path of the vehicle and that of the other vehicle on the basis of a travel prediction, and controls the traveling of the vehicle.

Description

Automatic driving control apparatus for vehicles

[0001] The present application mainly relates to an automatic driving control apparatus for vehicles.

[0002] For vehicles such as automobiles, development of automatic driving is ongoing. An autonomous driving vehicle that travels by automatic driving travels on a road. Roads have cross intersections and T-intersections. And other vehicles such as oncoming vehicles also travel on roads. Therefore, autonomous driving vehicles are required to travel while suppressing interference with other vehicles such as oncoming vehicles, not only when traveling on straight roads, but also when turning right or left at intersections.

[0003] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2011-215962

[0004] Incidentally, Patent Document 1 does not relate to automatic driving control of vehicles, but discloses a technique for suppressing interference with an oncoming vehicle when turning right at an intersection. Specifically, in Patent Document 1, evaluation points for going straight, turning right, and turning left are set for each type of oncoming lane heading toward an intersection, and it is estimated whether the oncoming vehicle will go straight, turn right, or turn left at the intersection according to the lane on which the oncoming vehicle is traveling and the rank of the facility beyond the intersection after turning. However, the traveling direction unilaterally estimated by such association between lanes and facilities does not necessarily match the actual traveling route of the oncoming vehicle. If an autonomous driving vehicle adopts such unilateral estimation, when the oncoming vehicle travels on a route different from the estimation, there is a possibility that the autonomous driving vehicle and the oncoming vehicle will approach each other. Therefore, the estimation method of Patent Document 1 cannot be adopted for autonomous driving vehicles.

[0005] For this reason, in automatic driving, in order to determine the possibility of interference with an oncoming vehicle, for example, it is conceivable to set an area for restricting right and left turns of the autonomous driving vehicle over the entire intersection, and determine the possibility of interference in the entire area. This is considered to make it possible to suppress interference between the autonomous driving vehicle and the oncoming vehicle in the restricted area of the intersection.

[0006] However, when a restricted area is set for an intersection as a whole, and the possibility of interference is determined, it is unclear exactly where within that restricted area the autonomous vehicle and other vehicles will interfere. As a result, the autonomous driving control will restrict the autonomous vehicle's movement throughout the entire set restricted area. An autonomous vehicle that may interfere at an intersection will stop before the restricted area set for the entire intersection. On the other hand, oncoming vehicles will travel independently of the restricted area that the autonomous vehicle uses to determine interference. For example, an oncoming vehicle may turn right at the intersection. If the oncoming vehicle is turning right, an autonomous vehicle intending to turn right at the intersection can enter the intersection without stopping before the restricted area and smoothly pass through the intersection to make the right turn. In this way, when a restricted area is set for an intersection to determine the possibility of interference between an autonomous vehicle and oncoming vehicles, the autonomous vehicle's movement will be excessively restricted beyond what is necessary to suppress interference with oncoming vehicles. The driver or other person responsible for the operation of the autonomous vehicle will feel uneasy about the autonomous vehicle's behavior.

[0007] Thus, in autonomous vehicle driving control, there is a need to enable vehicles to drive smoothly without imposing excessive restrictions on right and left turns at intersections.

[0008] An automated driving control device for a vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: an acquisition device for acquiring information on surrounding vehicles; a memory for recording high-precision map data including road lane information; and a driving control unit that uses the surrounding vehicle information from the acquisition device to perform automated driving control to drive the vehicle along the lanes of the high-precision map data. The acquisition device acquires information on oncoming vehicles on the road or crossing vehicles on the road as surrounding vehicle information when the vehicle turns right or left from the road to the crossing road at an intersection between the road and the road, and the driving control unit acquires the information from the acquisition device. Based on the information of the surrounding vehicles, the system identifies the first lane in which the oncoming or intersecting vehicle is traveling by map matching using the high-precision map data. It then determines whether there is a possibility of interference at the intersection of the distance traveled by the vehicle from its own lane on the road to the lane on the intersecting road and the distance traveled by the other vehicle in the first lane. If it is determined that there is a possibility of interference, the system controls the vehicle's travel from its own lane on the road to the lane on the intersecting road to suppress the possibility of interference at the intersection.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present invention, a driving control unit that performs automatic driving control performs the following processing when a vehicle travels from its own road to an intersecting road at an intersection between its own road and an intersecting road. Based on information of surrounding vehicles acquired by an acquisition device, the driving control unit identifies a first other vehicle lane in which another vehicle, either an oncoming or intersecting vehicle, is traveling, by map matching using high-precision map data. The driving control unit determines whether there is a possibility of interference at the intersection of the distance traveled by the vehicle from its own lane on the road to the driving lane on the intersecting road and the distance traveled by the other vehicle in the first other vehicle lane. If it determines that there is a possibility of interference, the driving control unit controls the vehicle's travel from its own lane on the road to the driving lane on the intersecting road in order to suppress the possibility of interference at the intersection. As a result, the driving control unit identifies the entry lane into the intersection for the vehicle and the other vehicle. The driving control unit then determines the possibility of interference at the intersection of the vehicle's distance to pass through the intersection and the distance of the other vehicle. As a result, in one embodiment of the present invention, the possibility of interference between a vehicle and another vehicle at an intersection can be reliably determined based on the driving conditions of each vehicle. Consequently, in one embodiment of the present invention, driving control that suppresses the possibility of interference between a vehicle and another vehicle at an intersection can be implemented to a necessary and sufficient extent when there is a possibility of interference with another vehicle at a road intersection.

[0010] In contrast, if, for example, a zone is set at an intersection to restrict right and left turns for vehicles to allow other vehicles, such as oncoming traffic, to pass, the possibility of interference will be judged for the entire zone. If interference is possible, it will be unclear exactly where within that restricted zone the vehicle will interfere with another vehicle, and as a result, vehicle movement will be restricted throughout the entire restricted zone. Vehicles that may interfere will stop before the restricted zone. On the other hand, other vehicles may pass through the intersection in a way that does not interfere with the vehicle, regardless of the intersection's restricted zone. In this case, the vehicle will stop before the restricted zone even though it could have passed through the intersection smoothly without stopping before it. Vehicle movement will be excessively restricted throughout the entire restricted zone of the intersection.

[0011] One embodiment of the present invention allows for a vehicle's movement to be moderately restricted to a necessary and sufficient extent without resulting in excessive driving restrictions. In one embodiment of the present invention, when an autonomous vehicle makes a right or left turn at an intersection, it becomes possible to drive smoothly without imposing excessive restrictions.

[0012] Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the first state in which an autonomous vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention is attempting to turn right at a crossroads. Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of the control system of the autonomous vehicle. Figure 2 is a flowchart of automatic right and left turn control in the first embodiment using the driving control device. Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the second state in which an autonomous vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention is attempting to turn right at a crossroads. Figure 3 is a flowchart of automatic right and left turn control by the driving control device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 is a flowchart of automatic right and left turn control by the driving control device according to the third embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 is a list of route intersections for responding to oncoming vehicles at time t1 in the first state. Figure 1 is a list of route intersections for responding to oncoming vehicles at time t2 in the first state. Figure 1 is a list of route intersections for responding to oncoming vehicles at time t3 in the first state. Figure 1 is a list of route intersections for responding to oncoming vehicles at time t4 in the first state. Figure 4 is a list of route intersections for responding to oncoming vehicles at time t1 in the second state. Figure 4 is a list of route intersections for responding to oncoming vehicles at time t2 in the second state. This is a list of route intersections to respond to oncoming vehicles at time t3 in the second state of Figure 4. This is a list of route intersections to respond to oncoming vehicles at time t4 in the second state of Figure 4. This is an explanatory diagram of the third state in which an automated driving vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention is attempting to turn right at a four-way intersection. This is an explanatory diagram of the fourth state in which an automated driving vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention is attempting to turn right at a T-junction. This is part of the flowchart of automatic right / left turn control by the driving control device according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. This is a list of route intersections to respond to the first intersecting vehicle at time t1 in the fourth state of Figure 16. This is a list of route intersections to respond to the first intersecting vehicle at time t2 in the fourth state of Figure 16. This is a list of route intersections to respond to the first intersecting vehicle at time t3 in the fourth state of Figure 16. This is a list of route intersections to respond to the second intersecting vehicle at time t1 in the fourth state of Figure 16. This is a list of route intersections to respond to the second intersecting vehicle at time t2 in the fourth state of Figure 16. This is a list of route intersections corresponding to the second intersecting vehicle at time t3 in the fourth state shown in Figure 16.

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following order with reference to the drawings. Each embodiment will first provide an overview of the embodiment, followed by a specific example of that embodiment. The specific example of the first embodiment will be described in the following order: an example of a four-way intersection, an example of the configuration, an overview of the control, an example of the control, and an example of a vehicle turning right at a four-way intersection. The third embodiment will show an example of a route intersection list. The fourth embodiment will describe an example of a vehicle turning right at a four-way intersection. Note that the following descriptions of embodiments and drawings are examples of the invention disclosed in this application and do not limit the invention disclosed in this application.

[0014] [First Embodiment] (Overview) Vehicles that travel on roads using autonomous driving may be equipped with an autonomous driving control device that controls the operation of the vehicle. Roads have intersections such as crossroads and T-junctions. At intersections, oncoming vehicles may pass straight, turn right, or turn left. The path of a vehicle traveling autonomously and the path of other vehicles, such as oncoming or intersecting vehicles, may intersect at an intersection. Even in such cases, it is desirable that a vehicle traveling under the control of the autonomous driving control device suppress interference with other vehicles and pass straight through the intersection, turn right, or turn left. The autonomous driving control device of a vehicle includes an acquisition device that acquires information on surrounding vehicles, a memory that records high-precision map data including road lane information, and a driving control unit that uses the surrounding vehicle information from the acquisition device to execute autonomous driving control that drives the vehicle along the lanes of the high-precision map data. Here, the acquisition device may acquire information on oncoming vehicles on its own road or intersecting vehicles on the intersecting road as surrounding vehicle information when the vehicle itself turns right or left from its own road to the intersecting road at an intersection where its own road and the intersecting road connect or intersect. Based on the surrounding vehicle information from the acquisition device, the driving control unit identifies the first other vehicle lane in which the other vehicle, as an oncoming or intersecting vehicle, is traveling by map matching using high-precision map data. Based on the high-precision map data, the driving control unit acquires the distance of the vehicle itself when it travels from its own lane on its own road to the driving lane on the intersecting road, and the distance of one or more first other vehicles in the first other vehicle lane in which the other vehicle is traveling. The driving control unit determines the possibility of interference at one or more intersection points between the one or more first other vehicle distances and the vehicle's own road distance, based on the predicted travel of the vehicle itself on its own road and the predicted travel of the other vehicle on its first other vehicle distance. The driving control unit then controls the vehicle's movement from its own lane on its own road to the lane of the intersecting road, in accordance with the result of the interference determination regarding the road intersection, in order to suppress the possibility of interference with other vehicles at the road intersection. Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0015] (Example of a cross-shaped intersection) Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram of the first state in which an autonomous vehicle 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is about to turn right at a cross-shaped intersection 13. Here, autonomous vehicle 1 refers to a vehicle that is traveling by autonomous driving. Furthermore, the following description of the embodiment will be based on an example of an intersection with left-hand traffic. There are also intersections on roads with right-hand traffic.

[0016] Autonomous vehicle 1 is traveling on its own road 11 towards a crossroads 13 and is attempting to make a right turn from its own road 11 towards an intersecting road 12. In Figure 1, the own road 11 is a two-way road with two lanes in each direction, and a right-turn lane is provided at the crossroads 13. The intersecting road 12 is also a two-way road with two lanes in each direction, and a right-turn lane is provided at the crossroads 13. Note that in countries with right-hand traffic, unlike Japan, left-turn lanes may be provided at intersections. In this case, the left and right directions in the following explanation will be reversed.

[0017] The autonomous vehicle 1 controls its own driving so that it basically drives along the lane center link information, as shown by the dashed line in the figure. Hereafter, this dashed line indicating the lane center will be called the lane center line. When the autonomous vehicle 1 turns right at the intersection 13 in Figure 1, it drives along the lane center line of the right-turn lane on its own road 11 and illuminates the turn signal 2 on the right side of the vehicle in the right-turn lane. After that, the autonomous vehicle 1 drives along the lane center line in the intersection from the right-turn lane on its own road 11 and continues driving along the lane center line of the leftmost driving lane of the intersecting road 12. In this way, the autonomous vehicle 1 can turn right at the intersection 13 and drive from its own road 11 towards the intersecting road 12. In this case, the right-turn lane on its own road 11 is its own lane L1 on its own road 11. Also, the driving lane on the leftmost driving lane of the intersecting road 12 is driving lane L2 on the intersecting road 12. Furthermore, the high-precision map data 34 records link information and node information that form the basis of these lane centerlines. Based on the high-precision map data 34, the autonomous vehicle 1 can obtain the position of the lane centerline at an intersection and perform the driving control described above.

[0018] By the way, at intersections like the crossroads 13 in Figure 1, there are also oncoming vehicles 5 traveling in the opposite direction on the road 11 and intersecting vehicles traveling on the intersecting road 12. The autonomous vehicle 1 is required to turn right or left at the intersection without interfering with these oncoming vehicles 5, intersecting vehicles, and other vehicles. In order to suppress interference at the intersection, for example, it is conceivable to set a restricted area throughout the entire intersection to suppress the entry of the autonomous vehicle 1. This would make it possible to suppress the entry of the autonomous vehicle 1 into the restricted area of ​​the intersection if other vehicles enter the restricted area at the same time, regardless of the actual movement of the oncoming vehicles 5 and intersecting vehicles. However, if a restricted area to suppress the entry of the autonomous vehicle 1 is set throughout the entire intersection in this way, the autonomous vehicle 1, which follows this, will stop before the restricted area set throughout the intersection if there are other vehicles that may interfere at the intersection. On the other hand, the oncoming vehicle 5 travels independently of the restricted area that the autonomous vehicle 1 uses to determine interference. The oncoming vehicle 5 may, for example, turn right at the intersection. In this case, autonomous vehicle 1, which is attempting to turn right at an intersection, can enter the intersection and turn right without stopping before the restricted area. Autonomous vehicle 1 can pass through the intersection smoothly. When a restricted area is set for an intersection in this way to determine the possibility of interference between autonomous vehicle 1 and oncoming vehicle 5, etc., the driving of autonomous vehicle 1 will be excessively restricted beyond what is necessary to suppress interference with oncoming vehicle 5, etc. The driver or other person responsible for the operation of autonomous vehicle 1 will feel uneasy about the way autonomous vehicle 1 is driving. Thus, autonomous vehicle 1 needs to be improved so that it can drive smoothly when turning right or left at an intersection without being subjected to excessive restrictions.

[0019] (Configuration Example) Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram of an example of the control system 20 of the autonomous vehicle 1 shown in Figure 1. The control system 20 of the autonomous vehicle 1 in Figure 2 is an autonomous driving control device. The control system 20 has a vehicle network 29 and a plurality of control devices connected thereto. As examples of the plurality of control devices, Figure 2 shows a sensor control device 21, a driving control device 22, a drive control device 23, a steering control device 24, a braking control device 25, and an external communication control device 26. The control system 20 of the autonomous vehicle 1 may also include other control devices, such as an operation control device. The operation control device is connected to operating members that the driver operates when driving manually, such as a steering wheel, pedals, and a turn signal lever. In addition, each of the control devices shown in Figure 2 may be divided into multiple units and connected to the vehicle network 29.

[0020] The vehicle network 29 may be an automotive-specific network such as a CAN (Controller Area Network), a LIN (Local Interconnect Network), or a broadband network for vehicles. Alternatively, the vehicle network 29 may include a general network such as the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.3. By using such a vehicle network 29, the control device installed in the autonomous vehicle 1 can input and output information to and from other control devices through the vehicle network 29.

[0021] The sensor control device 21 controls the operation of various vehicle sensors installed in the autonomous vehicle 1 and outputs the detected values ​​of the various vehicle sensors or processed information obtained by processing the detected values ​​to other control devices via the vehicle network 29. In Figure 2, examples of vehicle sensors connected to the sensor control device 21 include a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 31, an external camera 32, and an acceleration sensor 33. In addition to these, the sensor control device 21 may also be connected to a vehicle speed sensor that detects the speed of the autonomous vehicle 1, a steering sensor that detects the steering angle of the steering wheels of the autonomous vehicle 1, and so on.

[0022] The GNSS receiver 31 generates the latest position and time information of the autonomous vehicle 1 by receiving radio waves from multiple GNSS satellites.

[0023] The external camera 32 captures images of the driving environment around the autonomous vehicle 1 as it travels on a road or other surface. The external camera 32 may be a monocular camera, a compound camera, or a 360-degree camera. It is desirable that the external camera 32 be able to capture images of at least the front of the moving autonomous vehicle 1 at a wide angle. Other methods for detecting the driving environment around the vehicle include, for example, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) and lasers. The sensor control device 21 can generate processed information such as information on the unevenness of the road surface around the vehicle, the type of other vehicles around the vehicle, their relative direction, and distance, based on the driving environment information such as the images captured by the external camera 32. When the oncoming vehicle 5 in Figure 1 is captured by the external camera 32, the sensor control device 21 outputs information on the relative direction and distance of the oncoming vehicle 5 to the vehicle network 29. The external camera 32, LiDAR, laser, etc., are installed on the autonomous vehicle 1 and function as acquisition devices to acquire information about surrounding vehicles.

[0024] The acceleration sensor 33 detects the acceleration of the autonomous vehicle 1. By using a sensor that detects axial acceleration as the acceleration sensor 33, the sensor control device 21 can generate information on the angular acceleration of the autonomous vehicle 1 in the yaw, pitch, and roll directions. Alternatively, the sensor control device 21 may generate information on the velocity of the autonomous vehicle 1 by integrating the acceleration from the acceleration sensor 33 over time.

[0025] The vehicle communication device 35, installed in the autonomous vehicle 1, is connected to the external communication control device 26. The vehicle communication device 35 establishes a wireless communication path with a communicationable base station 41. The external communication control device 26 controls the operation of the vehicle communication device 35 and performs the sending and receiving of information with the vehicle information server device 42 through the vehicle communication device 35 and the base station 41. For example, the external communication control device 26 outputs information received by the vehicle communication device 35 from the vehicle information server device 42 or the base station 41 to other control devices via the vehicle network 29. The external communication control device 26 transmits information input from other control devices via the vehicle network 29 to the vehicle information server device 42 via the vehicle communication device 35 and the base station 41. The vehicle information server device 42 transmits information usable for driving control of the autonomous vehicle 1 to the autonomous vehicle 1. When the external communication control device 26 obtains information about other vehicles, such as oncoming vehicles 5, in the vicinity of its own vehicle from the vehicle information server device 42, it outputs that information to the vehicle network 29. In this case, the external communication control device 26 may output information on the relative direction and distance of other vehicles, based on the vehicle's position as measured by the GNSS receiver 31, to the vehicle network 29. The external communication control device 26 is installed in the autonomous vehicle 1 and functions as an acquisition device that acquires information on surrounding vehicles of the autonomous vehicle 1.

[0026] The drive control device 23 is provided in the autonomous vehicle 1 and includes, for example, an engine that generates driving force using gasoline or hydrogen as fuel, a motor that generates driving force using electricity, a transmission, or a drive system that combines these. The drive control device 23 controls the operation of the drive system based on control values ​​acquired through the vehicle network 29.

[0027] The steering control device 24 is connected to, for example, a steering system installed in the autonomous vehicle 1. The steering control device 24 controls the operation of the steering system based on control values ​​acquired through the vehicle network 29.

[0028] The braking control device 25 is connected to the brake system installed in the autonomous vehicle 1. The braking control device 25 controls the operation of the brake system based on control values ​​obtained through the vehicle network 29.

[0029] The driving control device 22 repeatedly performs driving control of the autonomous vehicle 1 during autonomous driving. During autonomous driving, the driving control device 22 may control the flashing of the vehicle's turn signals 2. In addition to this, the driving control device 22 may also control the autonomous vehicle 1's manual driving in response to the driver's operation of the autonomous vehicle 1. In this case, the driving control device 22 may perform control to support the autonomous vehicle 1's manual driving. A memory 36 is connected to the driving control device 22. The memory 36 stores high-precision map data 34, which includes road lane information. In the case of autonomous driving, the driving control device 22 acquires information on the vehicle's driving state and information on the vehicle's surroundings from the sensor control device 21, the external communication control device 26, etc., and generates control values ​​according to that information. In this case, the driving control device 22 may, for example, determine the road, lane, and surrounding conditions on which the vehicle is traveling based on the latest position of the vehicle in the high-precision map data 34 recorded in the memory 36, and generate control values ​​for steering and acceleration / deceleration so that the autonomous vehicle 1 travels along the lane center line. Also, if the driving control device 22 has received control information from the vehicle information server device 42, it may generate control values ​​in accordance with the control information. For example, if the driving control device 22 determines that the vehicle needs to turn right or left by comparing the position of the vehicle by the GNSS receiver 31 with the high-precision map data 34, it will illuminate the turn signal 2 on the lane change side, generate control values ​​for steering, and output them to the steering control device 24. The steering control device 24 will execute steering control in accordance with the control values. As a result, the autonomous vehicle 1 can turn right or left.

[0030] (Overview of Control) The driving control unit performs control to suppress the possibility of interference between the vehicle and other vehicles at road intersections. The vehicle's road may have multiple opposing lanes at intersections in high-precision map data. Also, the vehicle's road may have multiple intersecting lanes at intersections in high-precision map data. For such intersections, if the information of surrounding vehicles from the acquisition device indicates that another vehicle has its turn signal on, the driving control unit performs the following processing. The driving control unit acquires the distance of one or more second other vehicles for the first other vehicle lane, and further for the second other vehicle lane adjacent to the side of the other vehicle's turn signal that is on. The driving control unit determines the possibility of interference at one or more road intersections between the one or more second other vehicle distances and the vehicle's road. In this case, the driving control unit may determine the possibility of interference at the road intersection based on the predicted driving of the vehicle on its own road and the predicted driving of the other vehicle on each of the second other vehicle distances. Basically, if the time your vehicle passes through a road intersection coincides with the time another vehicle passes through the same intersection, there is a possibility that your vehicle and the other vehicle will interfere at the intersection. If the time your vehicle passes through the road intersection differs from the time another vehicle passes through the same intersection, there is a possibility that your vehicle and the other vehicle will not interfere at the intersection. Here, the driving control unit determines that there is no possibility of interference between your vehicle and the other vehicle at the road intersection if your vehicle's arrival time to reach or pass through the road intersection is shorter than the other vehicle's arrival time to reach the intersection. In this case, the driving control unit executes control to move your vehicle from its own lane on its own road to the driving lane of the intersecting road. On the other hand, if your vehicle's arrival time is not shorter than the other vehicle's arrival time, the driving control unit determines that there is a possibility of interference between your vehicle and the other vehicle at the road intersection and executes control to stop or slow down your vehicle.

[0031] (Control Example) Figure 3 is a flowchart of the automatic right-turn / left-turn control in the first embodiment using the driving control device 22 of Figure 2. The driving control device 22 of Figure 2 repeatedly executes the automatic right-turn / left-turn control of Figure 3 for each control cycle of the autonomous driving. The control cycle of the autonomous driving can be, for example, several tens of milliseconds to several hundred milliseconds. As described above, the external camera 32, LiDAR, laser, etc., acquire information on surrounding vehicles of the autonomous vehicle 1. The external communication control device 26 acquires information on surrounding vehicles of the autonomous vehicle 1. As shown in Figure 1, when the autonomous vehicle 1 turns right or left from the autonomous road 11 to the intersecting road 12 at an intersection where the autonomous road 11 and the intersecting road 12 are connected or intersecting, these devices acquire information on oncoming vehicles 5 on the autonomous road 11 or information on intersecting vehicles on the intersecting road 12.

[0032] In step ST1, the driving control device 22 determines whether or not the control cycle for automatic driving has been reached. The driving control device 22 may determine whether the elapsed time since the previous processing timing, measured by the built-in timer, is equal to or greater than the control cycle for automatic driving. If the elapsed time is not equal to or greater than the control cycle for automatic driving, the driving control device 22 repeats this process. If the elapsed time is equal to or greater than the control cycle for automatic driving, the driving control device 22 proceeds to step ST2 and starts driving control for automatic driving for each control cycle.

[0033] In step ST2, the driving control device 22 acquires the direction of travel of the vehicle. When a vehicle is driving autonomously, a destination is basically set for the vehicle. When starting autonomous driving control, or periodically thereafter, the driving control device 22 may use high-precision map data 34 or the like to search for a route from the vehicle's current position to the destination. When starting autonomous driving, the driving control device 22 acquires the immediate direction of travel of the vehicle from the high-precision map data 34 or the like to travel along the searched route. The direction of travel of the vehicle may include not only information about the road being traveled but also information about the lane being traveled. In this case, the driving control device 22 controls the vehicle's movement so that it travels along the lane center line of the vehicle's lane L1 on the vehicle road 11 in Figure 1.

[0034] In step ST3, the driving control device 22 determines whether the direction of travel of the vehicle, as obtained in step ST2, will result in a right or left turn at the intersection in the direction of travel. If the direction of travel of the vehicle will result in a right or left turn at the intersection, the driving control device 22 proceeds to step ST4. If the direction of travel of the vehicle will not result in a right or left turn at the intersection, that is, if the vehicle continues straight along the road 11, the driving control device 22 terminates this control. In this case, the driving control device 22 executes driving control for the vehicle to continue straight along the road 11 by straight-ahead control, which is executed separately from the automatic right / left turn control shown in Figure 3.

[0035] In step ST4, the driving control device 22 identifies the lane to travel in in order to turn right or left at an intersection. Intersections, such as the cross intersection 13 in Figure 1, may have a dedicated right-turn lane or not. Similarly, intersections may have a dedicated left-turn lane or not. The driving control device 22 uses high-precision map data 34 to select the lane to pass through the intersection by turning right or left. In this case, the driving control device 22 selects the dedicated right-turn lane on the road 11 the vehicle is traveling on, the leftmost lane of the intersecting road 12, and the right-turn lane within the intersection connecting them. As a result, the driving control device 22 identifies the vehicle's lane L1 by map matching using high-precision map data 34.

[0036] In step ST5, the driving control device 22 determines whether there are oncoming vehicles 5 or intersecting vehicles at the intersection where the vehicle is about to turn right or left. The driving control device 22 obtains information on surrounding vehicles from the external camera 32, external communication control device 26, etc., and determines whether there are oncoming vehicles 5 or intersecting vehicles. If there are no oncoming vehicles 5 or intersecting vehicles, the driving control device 22 proceeds to step ST13. On the other hand, if there is even one oncoming vehicle 5 or intersecting vehicle, the driving control device 22 proceeds to step ST6.

[0037] In step ST6, the driving control device 22 identifies the first other vehicle lane in which the oncoming vehicle 5 or intersecting vehicle is currently traveling by map matching using high-precision map data 34. The driving control device 22 also identifies the position of the other vehicle in the first other vehicle lane by map matching.

[0038] In step ST7, the driving control device 22 determines, based on the behavior of the other vehicle, whether the other vehicle is attempting to change lanes from the first other vehicle lane. For example, if the other vehicle's turn signal 6 is illuminated, the driving control device 22 determines that the other vehicle is attempting to change lanes and proceeds to step ST8. Conversely, if the other vehicle's turn signal 6 is not illuminated, the driving control device 22 determines that the other vehicle is not attempting to change lanes and proceeds to step ST9. For example, in Figure 1, the vehicle's road 11 has three opposing lanes at the intersection, and the intersecting road 12 has five intersecting lanes at the intersection. At time t2, the oncoming vehicle 5 has its right turn signal 6 illuminated. In this case, the driving control device 22 determines that the other vehicle is attempting to change lanes and proceeds to step ST8. Conversely, at time t1, the oncoming vehicle 5 does not have its right turn signal 6 illuminated. In this case, the driving control device 22 determines that the other vehicle is not attempting to change lanes and proceeds to step ST9.

[0039] In step ST8, the driving control device 22 identifies the second other vehicle lane adjacent to the side where the turn signal 6 of the other vehicle is illuminated, for the first other vehicle lane, by map matching using high-precision map data 34.

[0040] In step ST9, the driving control device 22 obtains the paths of its own vehicle and other vehicles at the intersection from high-precision map data 34. Here, based on the high-precision map data 34, the driving control device 22 obtains the path of its own vehicle when it travels from its own lane L1 on its own road 11 to the driving lane of the intersecting road 12. In this case, the driving control device 22 obtains the right-turn-only lane on its own road 11, the leftmost driving lane on the intersecting road 12, and the right-turn lane in the intersection connecting them. The driving control device 22 also obtains the first other vehicle path for the first other vehicle lane in which the other vehicle is currently traveling, based on the high-precision map data 34. In the case of Figure 1, the driving control device 22 obtains the path of going straight through the intersection as the first other vehicle path for the first other vehicle lane. Note that in the case of Figure 4, which will be described later, the driving control device 22 obtains the path of going straight through the intersection and the path of turning left through the intersection as the first other vehicle path for the first other vehicle lane. Furthermore, unlike in Figure 1, if there is only one lane of five opposing vehicles, the driving control device 22 may acquire the distance of going straight through the intersection, the distance of turning left through the intersection, and the distance of turning left through the intersection as the first other vehicle distance for the first other vehicle lane. In addition, the driving control device 22 acquires the second other vehicle distance for the second other vehicle lane based on the high-precision map data 34. In the case of Figure 1, the driving control device 22 acquires the distance of turning right through the intersection as the second other vehicle distance for the second other vehicle lane.

[0041] In step ST10, the driving control device 22 identifies the intersection points of the own vehicle's distance, acquired in step ST9, and one or more other vehicle distances, and calculates the arrival times for both the own vehicle and the other vehicles to each intersection point. The driving control device 22 may calculate the arrival time for the own vehicle based on the current speed of the own vehicle and the distance from the current position of the own vehicle to the intersection point. The driving control device 22 may also calculate the arrival time for the other vehicles based on the current speed of the other vehicles and the distance from the current position of the other vehicles to the intersection point. The current relative speed of the other vehicles can be obtained by dividing the change in the position of the other vehicles in the two most recent images captured by the external camera 32 by the time interval between those images. The driving control device 22 can also calculate the current speed and direction of movement of the other vehicles by vector summing the change in the position of the own vehicle over that time interval. If multiple other vehicle distances are acquired in step ST9 for other vehicles, the driving control device 22 calculates the time to reach the intersection point of each other vehicle distance and the own vehicle distance.

[0042] In step ST11, the driving control device 22 determines the possibility of interference between its own vehicle and other vehicles at an intersection. The driving control device 22 may determine the possibility of interference based on whether the difference between the arrival time of its own vehicle and the arrival time of other vehicles at each road intersection is less than or equal to a predetermined value. Specifically, for example, if the arrival time of its own vehicle at a road intersection is less than or equal to a predetermined value and therefore less than or equal to the arrival time of other vehicles, the driving control device 22 may determine that there is no possibility of interference. On the other hand, if the arrival time of its own vehicle at a road intersection is not less than or equal to a predetermined value and therefore less than or equal to the arrival time of other vehicles, the driving control device 22 may determine that there is a possibility of interference. Here, the predetermined value should be greater than or equal to the time it takes for the vehicle to reach a road intersection and to have finished passing through it. If multiple road intersections are identified in step ST10, the driving control device 22 then determines the possibility of interference between its own vehicle and other vehicles at each of the multiple road intersections. In this way, the driving control device 22 determines the possibility of interference at one or more intersections between the own vehicle's road and one or more first other roads, as well as at one or more intersections between the own vehicle's road and one or more second other roads, based on the predicted driving of the own vehicle from its current position on its own road and the predicted driving of the other vehicles from their current positions on each of the second other roads. If the driving control device 22 determines that there is a possibility of interference at at least one intersection, it proceeds to step ST12. On the other hand, if the driving control device 22 determines that there is no possibility of interference at all one or more intersections, it proceeds to step ST13.

[0043] In step ST12, the driving control device 22 performs deceleration and stop control to slow down and stop the vehicle in its own lane L1 before starting a right or left turn within the intersection. Alternatively, the driving control device 22 may also perform deceleration and stop control to slow down and stop the vehicle in its own lane L1 before the intersection. As a result, the vehicle stops before the intersection of roads within the intersection, and the automatic driving is controlled so as not to interfere with other vehicles passing through the intersection. After that, the driving control device 22 terminates this control.

[0044] In step ST13, the travel control device 22 executes control to cause the host vehicle to travel from the host lane L1 of the host road 11 to the travel lane of the intersecting road 12 without stopping the host vehicle in the host lane L1 within the intersection. Accordingly, the traveling of the host vehicle in autonomous driving is controlled such that the host vehicle passes through the intersection without stopping and does not interfere with other vehicles. Thereafter, the travel control device 22 ends the present control.

[0045] In FIG. 1, an oncoming vehicle 5 serving as another vehicle is traveling on a second oncoming lane L12 of the host road 11 from time t1 to time t2. Then, from time t2 to time t4, the oncoming vehicle 5 turns on the right turn signal 6 for a right turn and travels on the oncoming right-turn lane L13 of the host road 11. In this case, at the timing of time t1, the travel control device 22 specifies that the oncoming vehicle 5 serving as another vehicle is traveling on the second oncoming lane L12. The second oncoming lane L12 is a lane that passes straight through an intersection. In this case, the travel control device 22 specifies a point XP1 as an intersection point between the travel path of the host vehicle and the travel path of the other vehicle. Then, the travel control device 22 determines the possibility of interference between the host vehicle and the other vehicle with respect to the point XP1, and controls the right-turn travel of the host vehicle so as to suppress interference with the oncoming vehicle 5 by travel control according to the determination result.

[0046] At the subsequent timing of time t2, the travel control device 22 specifies that the oncoming vehicle 5 serving as another vehicle is traveling on the second oncoming lane L12, and further specifies the oncoming right-turn lane L13 because the oncoming vehicle 5 has turned on the right turn signal 6 for a right turn. The oncoming right-turn lane L13 is a dedicated right-turn lane for the oncoming vehicle 5. In this case, the travel control device 22 specifies a point XP1 as an intersection point between the travel path of the host vehicle and the travel path of the other vehicle. Then, the travel control device 22 determines the possibility of interference between the host vehicle and the other vehicle with respect to the path intersection point XP1, and controls the right-turn travel of the host vehicle so as to suppress interference with the oncoming vehicle 5 by travel control according to the determination result.

[0047] At timing t3, the travel control device 22 specifies that the oncoming vehicle 5 as another vehicle is traveling in the oncoming right-turn lane L13. In this case, the travel control device 22 specifies that there is no path intersection with the path of the host vehicle. Then, the travel control device 22 determines that there is no possibility of interference between the host vehicle and the other vehicle, and controls the right-turn travel of the host vehicle through the travel control in step ST13.

[0048] At timing t4, the travel control device 22 specifies that the oncoming vehicle 5 as another vehicle is traveling in the oncoming right-turn lane L13. In this case, the travel control device 22 specifies that there is no path intersection with the path of the host vehicle. Then, the travel control device 22 determines that there is no possibility of interference between the host vehicle and the other vehicle, and controls the right-turn travel of the host vehicle through the travel control in step ST13.

[0049] (Example where the host vehicle turns right at a cross intersection, and the oncoming vehicle changes lanes and turns left at the intersection) FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a second state in which the autonomous driving vehicle 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is about to turn right at the cross intersection 13. In FIG. 4, the oncoming vehicle 5 as another vehicle is traveling on the second oncoming lane L12 of the host road 11 from time t1 to time t2. Thereafter, at time t2, the oncoming vehicle 5 turns on the left turn signal 6 for a left turn, and changes lanes to the first oncoming lane L11 of the host road 11. Further, at time t4, the oncoming vehicle 5 turns on the left turn signal 6 for a left turn, and turns left from the first oncoming lane L11 of the host road 11 to the left traveling lane (L2) of the intersecting road 12.

[0050] In this case, at timing t1, the travel control device 22 specifies that the oncoming vehicle 5 as another vehicle is traveling in the second oncoming lane L12. The second oncoming lane L12 is a lane for going straight through the intersection. In this case, the travel control device 22 specifies the point XP1 as a path intersection with the path of the host vehicle. Then, the travel control device 22 determines the possibility of interference between the host vehicle and the other vehicle with respect to the point XP1, and controls the right-turn travel of the host vehicle so as to suppress interference with the oncoming vehicle 5 by travel control according to the determination result.

[0051] At the subsequent time t2, the driving control device 22 identifies that the oncoming vehicle 5 is traveling in the second opposing lane L12, and since the oncoming vehicle 5 has its left turn signal 6 illuminated, it further identifies the first opposing lane L11. The first opposing lane L11 is a lane for going straight and turning left. In this case, the driving control device 22 identifies points XP1, XP2, and XP3 as intersections of the vehicle's own road and the other vehicle's road. The driving control device 22 then determines the possibility of interference between the vehicle and the other vehicle at each intersection point, and controls the vehicle's right turn to suppress interference with the oncoming vehicle 5 through driving control according to the result of that determination.

[0052] At time t3, the driving control device 22 identifies that the oncoming vehicle 5 is traveling in the first opposing lane L11. In this case, the driving control device 22 identifies points XP2 and XP3 as intersections of the vehicle's own road and the oncoming vehicle's road. The driving control device 22 then determines the possibility of interference between the vehicle and the other vehicle at each intersection point and controls the vehicle's right turn to suppress interference with the oncoming vehicle 5 through driving control based on the result of that determination.

[0053] At time t4, the driving control device 22 identifies that the oncoming vehicle 5 is traveling in the first opposing lane L11. At time t4, the oncoming vehicle 5 has its left turn signal 6 illuminated, but there is no lane to the left of the first opposing lane L11 on the vehicle's road 11. In this case, the driving control device 22 identifies point XP3 as the intersection point with the vehicle's road. The driving control device 22 does not identify point XP2 as the intersection point with the vehicle's road because it has determined that the oncoming vehicle 5 is about to turn left. The driving control device 22 then determines the possibility of interference between the vehicle and the other vehicle at the intersection point and controls the vehicle's right turn to suppress interference with the oncoming vehicle 5 through driving control based on the result of that determination.

[0054] As described above, in this embodiment, the driving control device 22 that performs automatic driving control performs the following processing when the vehicle travels from its own road 11 to the intersecting road 12 at an intersection where the vehicle's own road 11 and the intersecting road 12 connect or intersect. The driving control device 22 identifies the vehicle's own lane L1 in which the vehicle is traveling by map matching using high-precision map data 34. Based on information of surrounding vehicles acquired by the external camera 32 and the external communication control device 26, the driving control device 22 identifies the first other vehicle lane in which the oncoming vehicle 5 or intersecting vehicle is currently traveling by map matching using high-precision map data 34. Based on the high-precision map data 34, the driving control device 22 acquires the vehicle's own distance when the vehicle travels from its own lane L1 on the vehicle's own road 11 to its driving lane L2 on the intersecting road 12, and the distances of one or more first other vehicle lanes in which the other vehicle is currently traveling. The driving control device 22 determines the possibility of interference at one or more intersection points between one or more first other vehicle routes and its own route, based on the predicted travel of the own vehicle from its current position on its own route and the predicted travel of the other vehicle from its current position on each of the first other vehicle routes. In response to the interference determination result for the route intersection, the driving control device 22 controls the vehicle's movement from its own lane L1 on its own road 11 to the lane of the intersecting road 12 in order to suppress the possibility of interference with other vehicles at the route intersection.

[0055] Through this series of controls, the driving control device 22 not only identifies the entry lane for its own vehicle and other vehicles into an intersection, but also acquires the paths for both vehicles to pass through the intersection. The driving control device 22 then specifically estimates and determines the possibility of interference at the intersection for each path taken by the vehicle and other vehicles. As a result, in this embodiment, the possibility of interference at an intersection between the vehicle and other vehicles can be determined specifically and reliably based on each driving state. Consequently, in this embodiment, driving control that suppresses the possibility of interference at an intersection between the vehicle and other vehicles can be performed to a necessary and sufficient degree without being excessive, in order to suppress the possibility of interference with other vehicles at the path intersection.

[0056] In contrast, if, for example, a zone is set at an intersection to restrict the vehicle's right or left turns in order to allow other vehicles, such as oncoming vehicle 5, to pass, the possibility of interference will be judged for the entire zone. If interference is possible, it will be unclear exactly where within that restricted zone the vehicle and the other vehicle will interfere, and as a result, the vehicle's movement will be restricted throughout the entire restricted zone. The vehicle that may interfere will stop before the restricted zone. On the other hand, the other vehicle may pass through the intersection in a way that does not interfere with the vehicle, regardless of the intersection's restricted zone. In this case, the vehicle will stop before the restricted zone even though it could have passed through the intersection smoothly without stopping before it. The vehicle's movement will be excessively restricted throughout the entire restricted zone of the intersection.

[0057] This embodiment allows for a moderate and sufficient restriction of the vehicle's movement without imposing excessive driving restrictions. In this embodiment, when the autonomous vehicle 1 makes a right or left turn at an intersection, it can move smoothly without imposing excessive restrictions.

[0058] In this embodiment, when another vehicle has its turn signal 6 activated, the driving control device 22 acquires not only the distance of one or more first other vehicle lanes in the first other vehicle lane where the other vehicle is traveling, but also the distance of one or more second other vehicle lanes adjacent to the side of the first other vehicle lane where the other vehicle's turn signal 6 is activated. The driving control device 22 then determines the possibility of interference at the intersection of the distance of the first other vehicle lanes and the own vehicle lanes, as well as at the intersection of one or more second other vehicle lanes and the own vehicle lanes. As a result, if another vehicle is attempting to change lanes before entering an intersection, the driving control device 22 can also determine the possibility of interference between the own vehicle and the other vehicle in the changed lane. Furthermore, the driving control device 22 determines the possibility of interference at the distance intersections based on the predicted travel of the own vehicle from its current position on its own vehicle lanes and the predicted travel of the other vehicle from its current position on each of the second other vehicle lanes. This allows the driving control device 22 to determine the possibility of interference between its own vehicle and other vehicles at road intersections, specifically in cases where interference is actually possible.

[0059] In this embodiment, the driving control device 22 determines the possibility of interference with other vehicles at a road intersection based on a comparison of the time it takes for the vehicle to reach or pass the road intersection and the time it takes for other vehicles to reach the road intersection. In this embodiment, the possibility of interference between the vehicle and other vehicles can be determined with certainty in accordance with actual driving and behavior. Furthermore, the driving control device 22 can control the vehicle's driving to suppress the possibility of interference with other vehicles at road intersections.

[0060] [Second Embodiment] (Overview) In the embodiment described above, the driving control device 22 identifies one or more road intersections for one other vehicle, such as one oncoming vehicle 5, and performs calculation of arrival time and determination of the possibility of interference with the own vehicle for all of these road intersections. The processing load of the driving control device 22 tends to increase as the number of road intersections to be determined increases. Here, if there are multiple road intersections, the driving control unit selects the road intersection closest to the own vehicle on the own road as the road intersection to be determined. The driving control unit then determines the possibility of interference between the own vehicle and the other vehicle for the road intersection to be determined. This can reduce the processing load of the driving control device 22. The differences from the embodiment described above will be explained below. Components similar to those in the embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals as in the embodiment described above, and their descriptions will be omitted.

[0061] (Control Example) Figure 5 is a flowchart of automatic right and left turn control by the driving control device 22 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The driving control device 22 repeatedly executes the automatic right and left turn control shown in Figure 5 for each control cycle of automatic driving. Steps ST1 to ST9 and steps ST11 to ST13 in Figure 5 are the same processes as in Figure 3. However, after the processing in step ST9, the driving control device 22 proceeds to step ST20.

[0062] In step ST20, the driving control device 22 selects one determination road intersection point to be used for interference determination from among the one or more road intersection points between the vehicle's road distance and the other vehicle's road distance acquired in step ST9. In this embodiment, the driving control device 22 selects the road intersection point that is closest to the vehicle's current position on the vehicle's road distance from among the multiple road intersection points as the determination road intersection point.

[0063] In step ST21, the driving control device 22 calculates the arrival times for both the vehicle itself and other vehicles to the determined road intersection selected in step ST20. After that, the driving control device 22 proceeds to step ST11.

[0064] In step ST11, the driving control device 22 determines the possibility of interference between its own vehicle and another vehicle at an intersection. The driving control device 22 may determine the possibility of interference based on whether the difference between the arrival time of its own vehicle and the arrival time of the other vehicle at the determined road intersection is less than or equal to a predetermined value. Specifically, for example, if the arrival time of its own vehicle at the determined road intersection is less than or equal to a predetermined value and therefore less than or equal to the arrival time of the other vehicle, the driving control device 22 may determine that there is a possibility of interference. In this way, the driving control device 22 determines the possibility of interference between its own vehicle and another vehicle based on interference judgment for only one determined road intersection.

[0065] As described above, in this embodiment, when there are multiple road intersections, the driving control device 22 selects the road intersection closest to the vehicle's current position on its own road as the determined road intersection. The driving control device 22 then determines the possibility of interference between the vehicle and other vehicles at the determined road intersection. As a result, the driving control device 22 can determine the possibility of interference for one other vehicle using only one determined road intersection. Even at intersections where multiple road intersections occur, the processing load on the driving control device 22 is reduced compared to the embodiments described above.

[0066] [Third Embodiment] (Overview) In the second embodiment described above, from among multiple road intersections, the road intersection closest to the current position of the vehicle on the vehicle's road is selected as one determination road intersection. However, in the second embodiment, the determination road intersection is selected independently of the behavior of other vehicles, so the selection in the second embodiment is not necessarily the best choice. Here, an example is described in which the driving control unit reduces the load on the driving control unit by generating and using a road intersection list at the intersection. Based on high-precision map data, the driving control unit extracts multiple road intersections between each of the multiple first other vehicle roads for multiple first other vehicle lanes at the intersection and the vehicle's road, and generates a road intersection list at the intersection. The driving control unit evaluates the multiple road intersections included in the road intersection list based on the driving of other vehicles and the illumination of their turn signals. The driving control unit then selects a determination road intersection from among the multiple road intersections included in the road intersection list to determine the possibility of interference with other vehicles. The driving control unit then determines the possibility of interference between the vehicle and other vehicles at the determination road intersection. Here, the road intersection list generated by the driving control unit for an intersection may include not only multiple road intersections between the vehicle's road and each of the multiple first other vehicle roads for multiple first other vehicle lanes, but also "no intersection" indicating other vehicle roads that do not intersect with the vehicle's road at the intersection. For example, if the vehicle turns right at an intersection and an oncoming vehicle also turns right at the intersection, the vehicle's road and the oncoming vehicle's road will not intersect. This type of control allows for a balance between predictive safety of the driving control unit and reduction of the load on the driving control unit. The following mainly describes the differences from the embodiment described above. Components similar to those in the embodiment described above are given the same reference numerals as in the embodiment described above, and their descriptions are omitted.

[0067] (Control Example) Figure 6 is a flowchart of automatic right and left turn control by the driving control device 22 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The driving control device 22 repeatedly executes the automatic right and left turn control shown in Figure 6 for each control cycle of automatic driving. Steps ST1 to ST9, and steps ST21 and ST11 to ST13 in Figure 5 are the same processes as in Figure 3. However, after the processing in step ST9, the driving control device 22 proceeds to step ST30.

[0068] In step ST30, the driving control device 22 extracts multiple intersection points between the own road and each of the multiple first other road distances for multiple opposing lanes of the own road 11 at the intersection, based on high-precision map data 34, and generates a list of intersection points 51 at the intersection. The driving control device 22 generates the list of intersection points 51 at the intersection independently of the movement of other vehicles such as oncoming vehicles 5.

[0069] In step ST31, the driving control device 22 evaluates each of the multiple road intersections included in the road intersection list 51 based on the behavior of other vehicles such as oncoming vehicles 5. The driving control device 22 evaluates the multiple road intersections included in the road intersection list 51 such that road intersections in lanes where other vehicles are traveling, and road intersections in lanes where other vehicles are illuminating their turn signals 6 and intend to proceed, are rated higher than the other road intersections. The driving control device 22 then selects the road intersection that is rated the highest as the judgment road intersection for determining the possibility of interference with other vehicles.

[0070] (Example of a route intersection list) Figure 7 is a route intersection list 51 corresponding to the oncoming vehicle 5 at time t1 in the first state of Figure 1. The driving control device 22 may generate the route intersection list 51 of Figure 7 and record it in the memory 36. The route intersection list 51 of Figure 7 includes points XP1, XP2, XP3, and no intersection as route intersections with the oncoming vehicle 5 at the cross intersection 13. Here, no intersection is the case when the oncoming vehicle 5 is about to turn right, as in the oncoming vehicle 5 of Figure 1, and indicates the route of another vehicle that does not intersect with the vehicle's route at the intersection.

[0071] At time t1 in Figure 1, the driving control device 22 identifies that the oncoming vehicle 5, as another vehicle, is traveling in the second opposing lane L12. The second opposing lane L12 is a lane for passing through the intersection in a straight line. Also, the oncoming vehicle 5 does not have its turn signal 6 activated. In this case, as shown in the first row of Figure 7, the driving control device 22 sets the lane information for point XP1 in the route intersection list 51 to "1". For all other points, it sets it to "0". Also, as shown in the second row of Figure 7, it sets all the turn signal activation information to "0". Next, the driving control device 22 adds the value of the lane information and the turn signal activation information for each route intersection point. The third row of Figure 7 shows the added values ​​for each route intersection point. Then, the driving control device 22 selects the route intersection point with the largest value as the determined route intersection point. In the case of Figure 7, the driving control device 22 selects point XP1 as the determined road intersection point. Next, the driving control device 22 determines the possibility of interference between its own vehicle and other vehicles at point XP1, the determined road intersection point, and controls the vehicle's right turn to suppress interference with oncoming vehicle 5 through driving control according to the result of that determination.

[0072] Figure 8 shows the route intersection list 51 corresponding to the oncoming vehicle 5 at time t2 in the first state of Figure 1. The route intersection list 51 in Figure 8 is for a later timing than the route intersection list 51 in Figure 7.

[0073] At time t2 in Figure 1, the driving control device 22 identifies that oncoming vehicle 5, as another vehicle, is traveling in the second opposing lane L12. Furthermore, oncoming vehicle 5 has its turn signal 6 activated. In this case, as shown in the first row of Figure 8, the driving control device 22 sets the lane information for point XP1 to "1". For other points, it sets it to "0". Also, as shown in the second row of Figure 8, it sets the lane information for point XP1 to "-1" and the lane information for no intersection to "1". For other points, it sets it to "0". Next, the driving control device 22 adds the value of the lane information and the turn signal activation information for each road intersection. The third row of Figure 8 shows the added values ​​for each road intersection. Then, the driving control device 22 selects the road intersection with the largest value as the determined road intersection. In the case of Figure 8, the driving control device 22 selects "no intersection" as the determined road intersection. Subsequently, the driving control device 22 determines the possibility of interference between its own vehicle and other vehicles at the determined road intersection, and controls the vehicle's right turn to suppress interference with the oncoming vehicle 5 through driving control according to the result of that determination. In this case, since there is no intersection at the determined road intersection, the driving control device 22 executes driving control to pass through the intersection of step ST13 without stopping.

[0074] Figure 9 shows the route intersection list 51 corresponding to the oncoming vehicle 5 at time t3 in the first state of Figure 1. The route intersection list 51 in Figure 9 is for a later timing than the route intersection list 51 in Figure 8.

[0075] At time t3 in Figure 1, the driving control device 22 identifies that oncoming vehicle 5, as another vehicle, is traveling in the oncoming right-turn lane L13. Furthermore, oncoming vehicle 5 has its turn signal 6 activated. In this case, as shown in the first row of Figure 9, the driving control device 22 sets "1" for lane information without intersections. For other locations, it sets "0". Similarly, as shown in the second row of Figure 9, it sets "1" for lane information without intersections. For other locations, it sets "0". Next, the driving control device 22 adds the value of the lane information and the turn signal activation information for each road intersection. The third row of Figure 9 shows the added values ​​for each road intersection. Then, the driving control device 22 selects the road intersection with the largest value as the determined road intersection. In the case of Figure 9, the driving control device 22 selects "no intersection" as the determined road intersection. Subsequently, the driving control device 22 determines the possibility of interference between its own vehicle and other vehicles at the determined road intersection, and controls the vehicle's right turn to suppress interference with the oncoming vehicle 5 through driving control according to the result of that determination. In this case, since there is no intersection at the determined road intersection, the driving control device 22 executes driving control to pass through the intersection of step ST13 without stopping.

[0076] Figure 10 is a list of route intersections 51 corresponding to the oncoming vehicle 5 at time t4 in the first state of Figure 1. The route intersection list 51 in Figure 10 is for a later timing than the route intersection list 51 in Figure 9.

[0077] At time t4 in Figure 1, the driving control device 22 identifies that oncoming vehicle 5, as another vehicle, is traveling in the oncoming right-turn lane L13. Furthermore, oncoming vehicle 5 has its turn signal 6 activated. In this case, as shown in the first row of Figure 10, the driving control device 22 sets "1" for lane information without intersections. For other locations, it sets "0". Similarly, as shown in the second row of Figure 10, it sets "1" for lane information without intersections. For other locations, it sets "0". Next, the driving control device 22 adds the value of the lane information and the turn signal activation information for each road intersection. The third row of Figure 10 shows the added values ​​for each road intersection. Then, the driving control device 22 selects the road intersection with the largest value as the determined road intersection. In the case of Figure 10, the driving control device 22 selects "no intersection" as the determined road intersection. Subsequently, the driving control device 22 determines the possibility of interference between its own vehicle and other vehicles at the determined road intersection, and controls the vehicle's right turn to suppress interference with the oncoming vehicle 5 through driving control according to the result of that determination. In this case, since there is no intersection at the determined road intersection, the driving control device 22 executes driving control to pass through the intersection of step ST13 without stopping.

[0078] Figure 11 is a list of route intersections 51 corresponding to the oncoming vehicle 5 at time t1 in the second state of Figure 4. The route intersection list 51 in Figure 11 includes points XP1, XP2, XP3, and no intersection as route intersections with the oncoming vehicle 5 at the cross intersection 13.

[0079] At time t1 in Figure 1, the driving control device 22 identifies that the oncoming vehicle 5, as another vehicle, is traveling in the second opposing lane L12. The second opposing lane L12 is a lane for passing through the intersection in a straight line. Also, the oncoming vehicle 5 does not have its turn signal 6 activated. In this case, as shown in the first row of Figure 11, the driving control device 22 sets the lane information for point XP1 in the route intersection list 51 to "1". For all other points, it sets it to "0". Also, as shown in the second row of Figure 11, it sets all the turn signal activation information to "0". Next, the driving control device 22 adds the value of the lane information and the turn signal activation information for each route intersection point. The third row of Figure 11 shows the added values ​​for each route intersection point. Then, the driving control device 22 selects the route intersection point with the largest value as the determined route intersection point. In the case of Figure 11, the driving control device 22 selects point XP1 as the determined road intersection point. Next, the driving control device 22 determines the possibility of interference between its own vehicle and other vehicles at point XP1, the determined road intersection point, and controls the vehicle's right turn to suppress interference with oncoming vehicle 5 through driving control according to the result of that determination.

[0080] Figure 12 is the route intersection list 51 corresponding to the oncoming vehicle 5 at time t2 in the second state of Figure 4. The route intersection list 51 in Figure 12 is from a later timing than the route intersection list 51 in Figure 11.

[0081] At time t2 in Figure 1, the driving control device 22 identifies that oncoming vehicle 5, as another vehicle, is traveling in the second opposing lane L12. Furthermore, oncoming vehicle 5 has its left turn signal 6 illuminated. In this case, as shown in the first row of Figure 12, the driving control device 22 sets the lane information for point XP1 to "1". For all other points, it sets it to "0". Also, as shown in the second row of Figure 12, it sets the lane information for point XP1 to "1". For all other points, it sets it to "0". Furthermore, as shown in the second row of Figure 12, it sets the turn signal illumination information for point XP1 to "-1" and the turn signal illumination information for point XP2 to "1". For all other points, it sets the turn signal illumination information to "0". Next, the driving control device 22 adds the lane information value and the turn signal illumination information for each road intersection point. The third row of Figure 12 shows the added values ​​for each road intersection point. The driving control device 22 then selects the intersection point with the largest numerical value as the determined intersection point. In the case of Figure 12, the driving control device 22 selects point XP2 as the determined intersection point. Subsequently, the driving control device 22 determines the possibility of interference between its own vehicle and other vehicles at the determined intersection point, and controls the vehicle's right turn to suppress interference with oncoming vehicle 5 through driving control according to the result of that determination.

[0082] Figure 13 is the route intersection list 51 corresponding to the oncoming vehicle 5 at time t3 in the second state of Figure 4. The route intersection list 51 in Figure 13 is from a later timing than the route intersection list 51 in Figure 12.

[0083] At time t3 in Figure 1, the driving control device 22 identifies that oncoming vehicle 5, as another vehicle, is traveling in the first opposing lane L11. Also, oncoming vehicle 5 does not have its turn signal 6 illuminated. In this case, as shown in the first row of Figure 13, the driving control device 22 sets the lane information for point XP2 and the lane information for point XP3 to "1". For the other points, it sets them to "0". Also, as shown in the second row of Figure 13, it sets the turn signal illumination information for all points to "0". Next, the driving control device 22 adds the value of the lane information and the turn signal illumination information for each road intersection point. The third row of Figure 13 shows the added values ​​for each road intersection point. Then, the driving control device 22 selects the road intersection point with the largest value as the determined road intersection point. In the case of Figure 13, the driving control device 22 selects point XP2 and point XP3 as the determined road intersection points. Subsequently, the driving control device 22 determines the possibility of interference between its own vehicle and other vehicles at each determined road intersection, and controls the vehicle's right turn to suppress interference with oncoming vehicles 5 through driving control according to the result of that determination.

[0084] Figure 14 is the route intersection list 51 for corresponding to the oncoming vehicle 5 at time t4 in the second state of Figure 4. The route intersection list 51 in Figure 14 is for a later timing than the route intersection list 51 in Figure 13.

[0085] At time t4 in Figure 1, the driving control device 22 identifies that oncoming vehicle 5, as another vehicle, is traveling in the first opposing lane L11. Furthermore, oncoming vehicle 5 has its left turn signal 6 illuminated. In this case, as shown in the first row of Figure 14, the driving control device 22 sets the lane information for point XP1 to "1". For other points, it sets "0". Also, as shown in the second row of Figure 43, it sets the turn signal illumination information for point XP2 to "-1" and the turn signal illumination information for point XP3 to "1". For other points, it sets "0". Next, the driving control device 22 adds the lane information value and the turn signal illumination information for each road intersection. The third row of Figure 13 shows the added values ​​for each road intersection. Then, the driving control device 22 selects the road intersection with the largest value as the determined road intersection. In the case of Figure 14, the driving control device 22 selects point XP3 as the determined road intersection. Subsequently, the driving control device 22 determines the possibility of interference between its own vehicle and other vehicles at the determined road intersection, and controls the vehicle's right turn to suppress interference with oncoming vehicle 5 through driving control according to the result of that determination.

[0086] As described above, in this embodiment, the driving control unit extracts multiple intersection points between the driving road and each of the multiple first other vehicle roads for multiple opposing lanes of the driving road 11 at the intersection, based on high-precision map data 34, and generates a list of intersection points 51 at the intersection. The driving control unit also evaluates the multiple intersection points included in the list of intersection points 51 based on the movement of other vehicles and the illumination of the turn signals 6, and selects judgment intersection points from the list of intersection points 51 to determine the possibility of interference with other vehicles. The driving control unit then determines the possibility of interference between the driving vehicle and other vehicles for the judgment intersection points. As a result, the driving control unit can narrow down the number of intersection points for which the possibility of interference is determined to a portion of the multiple intersection points included in the list of intersection points 51, depending on the first other vehicle lane in which the other vehicle is traveling and whether or not the other vehicle's turn signals 6 are illuminated, that is, based on the behavior of other vehicles toward passing through the intersection. The driving control unit can basically make one interference judgment for each other vehicle. The control unit reduces the processing load for interference detection compared to when it has to perform interference detection for all multiple intersections for a single vehicle.

[0087] [Fourth Embodiment] (Overview) In the embodiments described above, the other vehicle is basically one of the oncoming vehicles 5. However, in actual roads and intersections, there may be multiple oncoming vehicles 5 or multiple intersecting vehicles. There may be more than one other vehicle heading towards the intersection that the autonomous vehicle 1 is about to pass through. It is desirable for the driving control unit to control the driving of its own vehicle in order to suppress interference with multiple other vehicles. For each of the multiple other vehicles whose information has been acquired by the acquisition device, the driving control unit identifies the first other vehicle lane for each and determines the possibility of interference with its own vehicle at the intersection of the determined road selected from the intersection list. If the driving control unit determines that there is no possibility of interference in all of the interference judgments of the multiple other vehicles, it executes control to move its own vehicle from its own lane on its own road to the driving lane of the intersecting road. On the other hand, if it determines that there is a possibility of interference in some of the interference judgments of the multiple other vehicles, the driving control unit executes control to stop or decelerate its own vehicle.

[0088] (Example where the vehicle turns right at a four-way intersection, an oncoming vehicle changes lanes and turns left at the intersection, and an intersecting vehicle turns right) Figure 15 is an explanatory diagram of a third state in which an autonomous vehicle 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is about to turn right at a four-way intersection 13. In Figure 15, an oncoming vehicle 5 is about to turn left from the first opposing lane L11 of the four-way intersection 13. Also, there is an intersecting vehicle 19 in the right-turn lane L23 on the left side of the intersecting road 12. Therefore, the vehicle's path intersects with the path of other vehicles, such as the intersecting vehicle 19, in addition to the oncoming vehicle 5. Point XP4 is the intersection point of lane L22 and the vehicle's lane L1 when passing through the intersection straight from the intersecting road 12. Point XP5 is the intersection point of the right-turn lane L23 and the vehicle's lane L1 when passing through the intersection by turning right from the intersecting road 12.

[0089] Figure 16 is an explanatory diagram of the fourth state in which an autonomous vehicle 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is about to turn right at a T-junction 16. In Figure 16, the vehicle's road 11 ends at the intersecting road 12. The vehicle's road 11 is connected to the intersecting road 12. This forms a T-junction 16. The intersecting road 12 has a first intersecting vehicle 9 approaching the T-junction 16 from the right side of the vehicle's road 11, and a second intersecting vehicle 7 approaching the T-junction 16 from the left side of the vehicle's road 11. The vehicle's road distance of the autonomous vehicle 1, which is about to turn right from its own lane L1 towards the driving lane L2 of the intersecting road 12 at the T-junction 16, intersects with the road distances of the other vehicles 19 on the intersecting road 12. Point XP 11 is the intersection of the vehicle's lane L1 and the first intersecting lane L41 which is going straight on the intersecting road 12. Point XP12 is the intersection of the vehicle's lane L1 and the second intersecting lane L42, which goes straight across the intersecting road 12. Point XP13 is the intersection of the vehicle's lane L1 and the third intersecting lane L32, which turns right across the intersecting road 12. Point XP14 is the intersection of the vehicle's lane L1 and the third intersecting lane L32, which goes straight across the intersecting road 12. Point XP15 is the intersection of the vehicle's lane L1 and the fourth intersecting lane L31, which goes straight across the intersecting road 12.

[0090] In a real-world intersection, the number of oncoming vehicles (5) and intersecting vehicles (19) would be multiple, resulting in an increase in the number of road intersections.

[0091] (Control Example) Figure 17 is a part of the flowchart of automatic right and left turn control by the driving control device 22 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. Figure 17 shows the processing from connection point A in Figure 6 onwards. The processing from steps ST1 to ST5 in Figure 6, and from steps ST6 to ST13, ST21, and ST31 to ST31 in Figure 17 are the same as in Figure 6. However, after the processing of step ST5, the driving control device 22 proceeds to step ST40.

[0092] In step ST40, the driving control device 22 selects one other vehicle from among several other vehicles heading towards the intersection where it is about to make a right turn or collide. The driving control device 22 obtains information on vehicles around its own vehicle from external cameras 32, external communication control devices 26, etc., and obtains information on several other vehicles such as oncoming vehicle 5 and intersecting vehicle 19. The driving control device 22 selects one of these other vehicles. At this time, the driving control device 22 may select the second intersecting vehicle 7 in Figure 16 with priority over the first intersecting vehicle 9, or select the intersecting vehicle 19 with priority over oncoming vehicle 5 in Figure 15. In this way, the driving control device 22 can select other vehicles in order from the other vehicles traveling in the lane that will intersect its own roadway the earliest. After that, the driving control device 22 executes the processes from step ST6 to step ST11 for the selected other vehicle. The driving control device 22 identifies the other vehicle lane of the selected other vehicle, generates a roadway intersection list 51, and determines the possibility of interference with other vehicles at the determined roadway intersection. If there is a possibility of interference with another vehicle selected, the driving control device 22 proceeds to step ST12. In step ST12, the driving control device 22 performs deceleration and stop control to decelerate and stop the vehicle before the intersection with the other vehicle. As a result, the vehicle stops before the lane in which the other vehicle is traveling, and the automatic driving is controlled so as not to interfere with the other vehicle passing through the intersection. After that, the driving control device 22 terminates this control. On the other hand, if there is no possibility of interference with another vehicle selected, the driving control device 22 proceeds to step ST41.

[0093] In step ST41, the driving control device 22 determines whether to finish selecting other vehicles from among multiple other vehicles. The driving control device 22 may decide to finish selecting other vehicles if, for example, it has finished selecting all of the multiple other vehicles acquired from the external camera 32 and the external communication control device 26. In addition, for example, the driving control device 22 may decide to finish selecting other vehicles if it has finished selecting all of the leading vehicles in the opposing lane and the intersecting lane connected to the intersection. If it decides not to finish selecting other vehicles, the driving control device 22 returns to step ST40. The driving control device 22 repeats the process from step ST40 to step ST41 until it decides to finish selecting other vehicles. If it decides to finish selecting other vehicles, the driving control device 22 proceeds to step ST13. In step ST13, the driving control device 22 executes control to move its vehicle from its own lane L1 on the road 11 to the driving lane of the intersecting road 12 without stopping its own vehicle in its own lane L1 within the intersection. As a result, the vehicle's autonomous driving is controlled so that it passes through the intersection without stopping and does not interfere with other vehicles. After that, the driving control device 22 terminates this control.

[0094] In this way, the driving control device 22 identifies the first lane of each of the multiple other vehicles whose information has been acquired, and determines the possibility of interference with its own vehicle at the intersection selected from the intersection list. If it determines that there is no possibility of interference in all of the multiple other vehicles, it executes control to drive the own vehicle from its own lane L1 on the road 11 to the driving lane of the intersecting road 12 without stopping or restarting in its own lane L1 on the road 11. On the other hand, if it determines that there is a possibility of interference in some of the multiple other vehicles, it executes control to stop or decelerate the own vehicle so that it stops in its own lane L1 on the road 11 or before the intersection. In this way, the driving control device 22 can suppress the possibility of interference with multiple other vehicles at multiple intersections.

[0095] (Example of a route intersection list) Figure 18 is a route intersection list 51 corresponding to the first intersecting vehicle 9 at time t1 in the fourth state of Figure 16. The route intersection list 51 in Figure 18 includes points XP13, XP14, XP15, and no intersection as route intersections with the first intersecting vehicle 9 at the T-junction 16.

[0096] At time t1 in Figure 16, the driving control device 22 identifies that the first intersecting vehicle 9, as another vehicle, is traveling in the third intersecting lane L32. Also, the first intersecting vehicle 9 does not have its turn signal 10 illuminated. In this case, as shown in the first row of Figure 18, the driving control device 22 sets the lane information for point XP13 and the lane information for point XP14 in the route intersection list 51 to "1". For all other points, it sets them to "0". Also, as shown in the second row of Figure 18, it sets all the turn signal illumination information to "0". Next, the driving control device 22 adds the value of the lane information and the turn signal illumination information for each route intersection point. The third row of Figure 18 shows the added values ​​for each route intersection point. Then, the driving control device 22 selects the route intersection point with the largest value as the determined route intersection point. In the case of Figure 18, the driving control device 22 selects point XP13 and point XP14 as the determined road intersection points. Next, the driving control device 22 determines the possibility of interference between its own vehicle and the first intersecting vehicle 9 at each determined road intersection point.

[0097] Figure 19 is the route intersection list 51 corresponding to the first intersecting vehicle 9 at time t2 in the fourth state of Figure 16. The route intersection list 51 in Figure 19 is for a later timing than the route intersection list 51 in Figure 18.

[0098] At time t2 in Figure 16, the driving control device 22 identifies that the first intersecting vehicle 9, as another vehicle, is traveling in the third intersecting lane L32. The first intersecting vehicle 9 also has its left turn signal 10 illuminated. In this case, as shown in the first row of Figure 19, the driving control device 22 sets the lane information for point XP13 and the lane information for point XP14 to "1". For other points, it sets "0". Furthermore, as shown in the second row of Figure 19, it sets the turn signal illumination information for point XP13 and point XP14 to "-1", and sets the turn signal illumination information for point XP15 to "1". For the turn signal illumination information at all other points, it sets "0". Next, the driving control device 22 adds the lane information value and the turn signal illumination information for each road intersection. The third row of Figure 19 shows the added values ​​for each road intersection. The driving control device 22 then selects the point with the largest numerical value as the determined road intersection. In the case of Figure 19, the driving control device 22 selects point XP15 as the determined road intersection. Subsequently, the driving control device 22 determines the possibility of interference between its own vehicle and the first intersecting vehicle 9 at each determined road intersection.

[0099] Figure 20 is the route intersection list 51 corresponding to the first intersecting vehicle 9 at time t3 in the fourth state of Figure 16. The route intersection list 51 in Figure 20 is for a later timing than the route intersection list 51 in Figure 19.

[0100] At time t3 in Figure 16, the driving control device 22 identifies that the first intersecting vehicle 9, as another vehicle, is traveling in the fourth intersecting lane L31. Also, the first intersecting vehicle 9 does not have its left turn signal 10 illuminated. In this case, the driving control device 22 sets the lane information for point XP15 to "1", as shown in the first row of Figure 20. For all other points, it sets it to "0". Also, as shown in the second row of Figure 20, it sets the turn signal illumination information for all points to "0". Next, the driving control device 22 adds the value of the lane information and the turn signal illumination information for each road intersection point. The third row of Figure 20 shows the added values ​​for each road intersection point. Then, the driving control device 22 selects the road intersection point with the largest value as the determined road intersection point. In the case of Figure 20, the driving control device 22 selects point XP15 as the determined road intersection point. Subsequently, the driving control device 22 determines the possibility of interference between its own vehicle and the first intersecting vehicle 9 at each determined road intersection.

[0101] Figure 21 is a list of route intersections 51 corresponding to the second intersecting vehicle 7 at time t1 in the fourth state of Figure 16. The route intersection list 51 in Figure 21 includes points XP11, XP12, and no intersection as route intersections with the second intersecting vehicle 7 at the T-junction 16.

[0102] At time t1 in Figure 16, the driving control device 22 identifies that the second intersecting vehicle 7, as another vehicle, is traveling in the first intersecting lane L41. Also, the second intersecting vehicle 7 does not have its turn signal 8 illuminated. In this case, as shown in the first row of Figure 21, the driving control device 22 sets "1" for the lane information of point XP11 in the route intersection list 51 and for the lane information of no intersection. For all other points, it sets "0". Also, as shown in the second row of Figure 21, it sets "0" for all turn signal illumination information. Next, the driving control device 22 adds the value of the lane information and the turn signal illumination information for each route intersection point. The third row of Figure 21 shows the added values ​​for each route intersection point. The driving control device 22 then selects the route intersection point with the largest value as the determined route intersection point. In the case of Figure 21, the driving control device 22 selects point XP11 and no intersection as the determined road intersection points. Next, the driving control device 22 determines the possibility of interference between its own vehicle and the second intersecting vehicle 7 at each determined road intersection point.

[0103] Figure 22 is the route intersection list 51 corresponding to the second intersecting vehicle 7 at time t2 in the fourth state of Figure 16. The route intersection list 51 in Figure 22 is for a later timing than the route intersection list 51 in Figure 21.

[0104] At time t2 in Figure 16, the driving control device 22 identifies that the second intersecting vehicle 7, as another vehicle, is traveling in the first intersecting lane L41. The second intersecting vehicle 7 also has its left turn signal 8 illuminated. In this case, as shown in the first row of Figure 22, the driving control device 22 sets "1" for the lane information at point XP11 and the lane information for no intersection. For other points, it sets "0". Also, as shown in the second row of Figure 22, it sets "-1" for the turn signal illumination information at point XP11 and the turn signal illumination information for no intersection, and sets "1" for the turn signal illumination information at point XP12. For turn signal illumination information at other points, it may set "0". Next, the driving control device 22 adds the value of the lane information and the turn signal illumination information for each road intersection point. The third row of Figure 22 shows the added values ​​for each road intersection point. The driving control device 22 then selects the point with the largest numerical value as the determined road intersection. In the case of Figure 22, the driving control device 22 selects point XP12 as the determined road intersection. Subsequently, the driving control device 22 determines the possibility of interference between its own vehicle and the second intersecting vehicle 7 for each determined road intersection.

[0105] Figure 23 is the route intersection list 51 corresponding to the second intersecting vehicle 7 at time t3 in the fourth state of Figure 16. The route intersection list 51 in Figure 23 is for a later timing than the route intersection list 51 in Figure 22.

[0106] At time t3 in Figure 16, the driving control device 22 identifies that the second intersecting vehicle 7, as another vehicle, is traveling in the second intersecting lane L42. Also, the second intersecting vehicle 7 does not have its turn signal 8 illuminated. In this case, as shown in the first row of Figure 23, the driving control device 22 sets the lane information for point XP12 to "1". For all other points, it sets it to "0". Also, as shown in the second row of Figure 23, it sets the turn signal illumination information for all points to "0". Next, the driving control device 22 adds the value of the lane information and the turn signal illumination information for each road intersection point. The third row of Figure 23 shows the added values ​​for each road intersection point. Then, the driving control device 22 selects the road intersection point with the largest value as the determined road intersection point. In the case of Figure 23, the driving control device 22 selects point XP12 as the determined road intersection point. Subsequently, the driving control device 22 determines the possibility of interference between its own vehicle and the second intersecting vehicle 7 at each determined road intersection.

[0107] Then, if the driving control device 22 determines, for example, that there is no possibility of interference with both the first intersecting vehicle 9 and the second intersecting vehicle 7 based on multiple interference determinations at time t1 based on Figures 18 and 21, it executes control in step ST13 to drive the vehicle from its own lane L1 on the road 11 to the left-hand driving lane L2 (fourth intersecting lane L31) of the intersecting road 12 without stopping the vehicle. On the other hand, if, for example, one of the multiple interference determinations based on Figures 18 and 21 determines that there is a possibility of interference, the driving control device 22 executes deceleration and stop control to stop the vehicle before the intersecting lane where interference is possible or before the intersection. In this way, the driving control device 22 can suppress the possibility of interference with multiple other vehicles at multiple road intersections.

[0108] As described above, in this embodiment, the driving control device 22 identifies each of the first other vehicle lanes for each of the multiple other vehicles whose information has been acquired by the acquisition device, and determines the possibility of interference with the vehicle at the intersection of the determined road selected from the intersection list. If the driving control device 22 determines that there is no possibility of interference in all of the multiple other vehicle interference determinations, it executes control to drive the vehicle from its own lane L1 on the road 11 to the driving lane of the intersecting road 12 without stopping or restarting in its own lane L1 on the road 11. On the other hand, if the driving control device 22 determines that there is a possibility of interference in some of the multiple other vehicle interference determinations, it executes control to stop or decelerate the vehicle so that it stops in its own lane L1 on the road 11 or before the intersection. In this way, the driving control device 22 can execute control to drive the vehicle from its own lane L1 on the road 11 to the driving lane of the intersecting road 12 in order to suppress the possibility of interference with multiple other vehicles.

[0109] The embodiments described above are examples of preferred embodiments of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications or changes are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0110] (Modified Version) In the above-described embodiment, considering the immediacy of control, the driving control device 22 of the autonomous vehicle 1 executes all of the automatic right and left turn control shown in Figures 3, 5, 6, or 17. Alternatively, for example, all or part of the automatic right and left turn control shown in Figures 3, 5, 6, or 17 may be executed by the vehicle information server device 42 in Figure 2.

[0111] 1...Autonomous vehicle (own vehicle), 2...Turn signal, 5...Oncoming vehicle, 6, 8, 10...Turn signal, 7...Second intersecting vehicle (other vehicle), 9...First intersecting vehicle (other vehicle), 11...Own road, 12...Intersecting road, 13...Cross intersection, 16...T-junction, 19...Intersecting vehicle (other vehicle), 20...Control system, 21...Sensor control device, 22...Driving control device, 23...Drive control device, 24...Steering control device, 25...Braking control device, 26...External communication control device, 29...Vehicle network, 31...GNSS receiver, 32...External camera, 33...Accelerometer, 34...High-precision map data, 35...Vehicle communication device S, 36...Memory, 41...Base station, 42...Vehicle information server device, 51...Intersection list, L1...Vehicle lane, L2...Driving lane, L11...First opposing lane on the vehicle road, L12...Second opposing lane on the vehicle road, L13...Opposite right-turn lane on the vehicle road, L23...Right-turn lane on the intersecting road, L31...Fourth intersecting lane on the intersecting road, L32...Third intersecting lane on the intersecting road, L41...First intersecting lane on the intersecting road, L42...Second intersecting lane on the intersecting road, XP1, XP2, XP3, XP4, XP5, XP11, XP12, XP13, XP14, XP15...Point (road intersection)

Claims

1. The system comprises: an acquisition device for acquiring information on surrounding vehicles; a memory for recording high-precision map data including road lane information; and a driving control unit that uses the surrounding vehicle information from the acquisition device to perform automatic driving control to drive the vehicle along the lanes in the high-precision map data, wherein the acquisition device acquires information on oncoming vehicles on the vehicle road or crossing vehicles on the crossing road as surrounding vehicle information when the vehicle turns right or left from the vehicle road to the crossing road at an intersection between the vehicle road and an intersecting road; the driving control unit identifies a first other vehicle lane in which the oncoming or crossing vehicle is traveling by map matching using the high-precision map data, based on the surrounding vehicle information acquired by the acquisition device; and determines whether there is a possibility of interference at the intersection of the distance traveled by the vehicle from its own lane on the vehicle road to its driving lane on the intersecting road and the distance traveled by the first other vehicle in the first other vehicle lane in which the other vehicle is traveling. An automatic driving control device for a vehicle that, when it is determined that there is a possibility of interference, controls the vehicle's movement from its own lane on its own road to the lane of the intersecting road in order to suppress the possibility of interference at the intersection of the roads.

2. The driving control unit acquires, based on the high-precision map data, the distance the vehicle travels when it travels from its own lane on the road to the driving lane on the intersecting road, and the distance of one or more first other vehicles traveling in the first other vehicle lane. The unit determines the possibility of interference at one or more intersections of the one or more first other vehicle distances and the distance based on the predicted travel of the vehicle along the distance and the predicted travel of the other vehicle along the first other vehicle distance. The unit controls the vehicle's travel from its own lane on the road to the driving lane on the intersecting road in accordance with the result of the interference determination at the intersection, thereby suppressing the possibility of interference with the other vehicle at the intersection. This is the automatic driving control device for a vehicle according to claim 1.

3. The driving control unit, in the high-precision map data, if the vehicle's road has multiple opposing lanes at the intersection, or the intersecting road has multiple intersecting lanes at the intersection, and in the surrounding vehicle information of the acquisition device, the other vehicle has its turn signal activated, acquires for the other vehicle, and further acquires for the first other vehicle lane, for the second other vehicle lane adjacent to the side of the other vehicle's turn signal activated, one or more second other vehicle road distances, and determines the possibility of interference at one or more intersections of the one or more second other vehicle road distances and the aforementioned road distance, based on the vehicle's driving prediction on the aforementioned road and the other vehicle's driving prediction on each of the second other vehicle road distances, the automatic driving control device for a vehicle according to claim 2.

4. The automatic driving control device for a vehicle according to claim 3, wherein if the vehicle's arrival time to reach or pass the road intersection is shorter than the other vehicle's arrival time to reach the road intersection, the driving control unit determines that there is no possibility of interference between the vehicle and the other vehicle at the road intersection and executes control to move the vehicle from its own lane on the road to the driving lane of the intersecting road; and if the vehicle's arrival time is not shorter than the other vehicle's arrival time, the driving control unit determines that there is a possibility of interference between the vehicle and the other vehicle at the road intersection and executes control to stop or decelerate the vehicle.

5. The automatic driving control device for a vehicle according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein, if there are multiple road intersections, the driving control unit selects the road intersection closest to the vehicle on the road as the determination road intersection, and determines the possibility of interference between the vehicle and other vehicles at the determination road intersection.

6. The driving control unit generates a list of route intersections at the intersection by extracting a list of route intersections between each of the multiple first other vehicle routes for a plurality of first other vehicle lanes at the intersection and the route based on the high-precision map data, and by evaluating the multiple route intersections included in the list of route intersections based on the driving of the other vehicle and the illumination of its turn signal, it selects a determination route intersection from the multiple route intersections included in the list of route intersections to determine the possibility of interference with the other vehicle, and determines the possibility of interference between the vehicle and the other vehicle with respect to the determination route intersection, according to any one of claims 2 to 4.

7. The automatic driving control device for a vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the driving control unit includes in the route intersection list a plurality of route intersections between each of the plurality of first other vehicle routes for a plurality of first other vehicle lanes and the route, and no intersections indicating other vehicle routes that do not intersect with the route at the intersection.

8. The automatic driving control device for a vehicle according to claim 7, wherein if the vehicle's arrival time to reach or pass the determined road intersection is shorter than the other vehicle's arrival time to reach the determined road intersection, the driving control unit determines that there is no possibility of interference between the vehicle and the other vehicle at the determined road intersection and executes control to drive the vehicle from its own lane on the road to the driving lane on the intersecting road; and if the vehicle's arrival time is not shorter than the other vehicle's arrival time, the driving control unit determines that there is a possibility of interference between the vehicle and the other vehicle at the determined road intersection and executes control to stop or decelerate the vehicle.

9. The automatic driving control device for a vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the driving control unit identifies each of the multiple other vehicles whose information has been acquired by the acquisition device, determines the possibility of interference with the vehicle at the determined road intersection selected from the intersection list, and if it determines that there is no possibility of interference in all of the multiple other vehicles, it executes control to drive the vehicle from its own lane on the road to the driving lane on the intersecting road, and if it determines that there is a possibility of interference in some of the multiple other vehicles, it executes control to stop or decelerate the vehicle.

10. The automatic driving control device for a vehicle according to claim 9, wherein the driving control unit includes, as a route intersection to be included in the route intersection list, no intersections that do not intersect with the route at the intersection.

Images