JP2021163149A - Vehicle control apparatus, vehicle control method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a vehicle control apparatus configured to stop a vehicle at a more appropriate position for lane change, a vehicle control method, and a program.SOLUTION: A vehicle control apparatus includes: a recognition unit for recognizing surroundings of a vehicle; and a driving control unit which causes the vehicle to travel on the basis of a result recognized by the recognition unit. The driving control unit causes the vehicle to stop with a part of the vehicle entering a second lane when performing lane change for the vehicle from a first lane on which the vehicle travels to the second lane adjacent to the first lane.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to vehicle control devices, vehicle control methods, and programs.

In recent years, research has been conducted on the automatic control of vehicles (hereinafter referred to as "automated driving"). In the autonomous driving technology, for example, when merging from a general road via a ramp road to an expressway or the like, it is assumed that control for changing lanes to the main lane such as the expressway and merging is automatically performed (patented). Document 1).

JP-A-2019-149144

In the conventional technique, when the vehicle is stopped once when changing lanes, it has not been sufficiently examined to stop the vehicle at a suitable position for changing lanes.

The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and provides a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a program capable of stopping at a more suitable position in order to change lanes. It is one of the purposes.

The vehicle control device, the vehicle control method, and the program according to the present invention have adopted the following configurations.
(1): The vehicle control device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a recognition unit that recognizes the surrounding situation of the target vehicle, and a driving control unit that runs the target vehicle based on the recognition result of the recognition unit. When the operation control unit changes the target vehicle from the first lane in which the target vehicle travels to the second lane adjacent to the first lane, the operation control unit enters a part of the target vehicle into the second lane. It is a vehicle control device that stops the vehicle in the stopped state.

(2): In the aspect of (1) above, the driving control unit determines the degree to which the target vehicle enters the second lane based on the recognition result by the recognition unit, and is based on the determined degree of approach. Therefore, a part of the target vehicle is stopped in a state of entering the second lane.

(3): In the aspect of (2) above, the driving control unit determines the degree to which the target vehicle enters the second lane based on the lane width of the second lane recognized by the recognition unit. Then, based on the determined approach degree, a part of the target vehicle is stopped in the state of entering the second lane.

(4): In the embodiment (2) or (3), the operation control unit sets the target vehicle based on the width of another vehicle traveling in the second lane recognized by the recognition unit. The degree of entry into the second lane is determined, and a part of the target vehicle is stopped in the state of entering the second lane based on the determined degree of approach.

(5): In any one of the above (2) to (4), the operation control unit is from the lane marking that divides the first lane and the second lane recognized by the recognition unit. The degree to which the target vehicle enters the second lane is determined based on the distance to another vehicle traveling in the second lane, and a part of the target vehicle is divided into the second lane based on the determined approach degree. It is intended to stop the vehicle while it is in the process of entering the vehicle.

(6): In any one of the above (1) to (5), when the target vehicle is stopped, the driving control unit extends the second lane and when the target vehicle is stopped. The target vehicle is controlled so that the angle formed by the front direction of the vehicle is equal to or less than a predetermined angle.

(7): In another aspect of the present invention, the computer recognizes the surrounding situation of the target vehicle, causes the target vehicle to travel based on the recognized result, and the first lane to the first lane in which the target vehicle travels. This is a vehicle control method in which, when the target vehicle is changed to the second lane adjacent to the lane, a part of the target vehicle is stopped in the second lane.

(8): In another aspect of the present invention, the computer is made to recognize the surrounding situation of the target vehicle, the target vehicle is driven based on the recognized result, and the target vehicle travels from the first lane to the first. This is a program in which when the target vehicle is changed to the second lane adjacent to the lane, a part of the target vehicle is stopped in the second lane.

According to the above aspects (1) to (8), the vehicle can be stopped at a more suitable position in order to change lanes.

It is a block diagram of the vehicle system 1 using the vehicle control device which concerns on embodiment. It is a functional block diagram of the 1st control unit 120 and the 2nd control unit 160. It is a figure for demonstrating the recognition part 130 and the action plan generation part 140. It is a figure for demonstrating the stop control part 144. It is a figure for demonstrating stop control to own vehicle M. It is a figure for demonstrating stop control in consideration of the direction of own vehicle M. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of the process executed by the automatic operation control device 100. It is a figure which shows an example of the hardware composition of the automatic operation control device 100 of an embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and program of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The vehicle control device of the embodiment is applied to, for example, an autonomous driving vehicle. The automatic driving is, for example, to execute driving control by controlling one or both of steering or acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle. The above-mentioned operation control includes, for example, operation control such as ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control System), TJP (Traffic Jam Pilot), ALC (Auto Lane Changing), CMBS (Collision Mitigation Brake System), and LKAS (Lane Keeping Assistance System). Is included. Further, in the self-driving vehicle, the driving control by the manual driving of the occupant (driver) may be executed. In addition, the case where the left-hand traffic regulation is applied will be described below, but when the right-hand traffic regulation is applied, the left and right sides may be read in reverse. Further, in the following, one direction in the horizontal direction will be referred to as X, the other direction will be referred to as Y, and the vertical direction orthogonal to the horizontal direction of XY will be described as Z.

[overall structure]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle system 1 using the vehicle control device according to the embodiment. The vehicle on which the vehicle system 1 is mounted (hereinafter referred to as own vehicle M) is, for example, a vehicle such as a two-wheeled vehicle, a three-wheeled vehicle, or a four-wheeled vehicle, and its drive source is an internal combustion engine such as a diesel engine or a gasoline engine, an electric motor, or the like. Alternatively, it is a combination of these. The electric motor operates by using the electric power generated by the generator connected to the internal combustion engine or the electric power generated by the secondary battery or the fuel cell. The own vehicle M is an example of the "target vehicle".

The vehicle system 1 includes, for example, a camera (an example of an imaging unit) 10, a radar device 12, a finder 14, an object recognition device 16, a communication device 20, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 30, and a vehicle sensor 40. , A navigation device 50, an MPU (Map Positioning Unit) 60, a driving operator 80, an automatic driving control device 100, a traveling driving force output device 200, a braking device 210, and a steering device 220. These devices and devices are connected to each other by a multiplex communication line such as a CAN (Controller Area Network) communication line, a serial communication line, a wireless communication network, or the like. The configuration shown in FIG. 1 is merely an example, and a part of the configuration may be omitted or another configuration may be added. The automatic operation control device 100 is an example of an “operation control device”.

The camera 10 is, for example, a digital camera using a solid-state image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor). The camera 10 is attached to an arbitrary position of the own vehicle M. For example, when photographing the front of the own vehicle M, the camera 10 is attached to the upper part of the front windshield, the back surface of the rearview mirror, and the like. Further, when imaging the rear of the own vehicle M, the camera 10 is attached to the upper part of the rear windshield or the like. Further, when imaging the right side or the left side of the own vehicle M, the camera 10 is attached to the right side surface or the left side surface of the vehicle body or the door mirror. The camera 10 may be provided for each direction of imaging. In this case, the camera that images the front or the rear (front camera, rear camera) may have higher sensitivity than the side camera that images the right side or the left side. The camera 10 periodically and repeatedly images the periphery of the own vehicle M, for example. The camera 10 may be a stereo camera.

The radar device 12 radiates radio waves such as millimeter waves around the own vehicle M, and detects radio waves (reflected waves) reflected by the object to detect at least the position (distance and direction) of the object. The radar device 12 is attached to an arbitrary position of the own vehicle M. The radar device 12 may detect the position and velocity of the object by the FM-CW (Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave) method.

The finder 14 is a LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). The finder 14 irradiates the periphery of the own vehicle M with light and measures the scattered light. The finder 14 detects the distance to the target based on the time from light emission to light reception. The emitted light is, for example, a pulsed laser beam. The finder 14 is attached to an arbitrary position of the own vehicle M.

The object recognition device 16 performs sensor fusion processing on the detection results of a part or all of the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the finder 14, and recognizes the position, type, speed, and the like of the object. The object recognition device 16 outputs the recognition result to the automatic operation control device 100. Further, the object recognition device 16 may output the detection results of the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the finder 14 to the automatic driving control device 100 as they are. In this case, the object recognition device 16 may be omitted from the vehicle system 1.

The communication device 20 communicates with another vehicle existing in the vicinity of the own vehicle M or wirelessly by using, for example, a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, Bluetooth (registered trademark), DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication), or the like. Communicates with various server devices via the base station.

The HMI 30 presents various information to the occupants (including the driver) of the own vehicle M, and accepts input operations by the occupants. The HMI 30 includes, for example, various display devices, speakers, buzzers, touch panels, switches, keys, and the like. The HMI 30 may include, for example, a direction indicator that receives the traveling direction of the own vehicle M according to the intention (operation) of the occupant.

The vehicle sensor 40 includes a vehicle speed sensor that detects the speed of the own vehicle M, an acceleration sensor that detects the acceleration, a yaw rate sensor that detects the angular velocity around the vertical axis, an orientation sensor that detects the direction of the own vehicle M, and the like.

The navigation device 50 includes, for example, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 51, a navigation HMI 52, and a routing unit 53. The navigation device 50 holds the first map information 54 in a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or a flash memory. The GNSS receiver 51 identifies the position of the own vehicle M based on the signal received from the GNSS satellite. The position of the own vehicle M may be specified or complemented by an INS (Inertial Navigation System) using the output of the vehicle sensor 40. The navigation HMI 52 includes a display device, a speaker, a touch panel, keys, and the like. The navigation HMI 52 may be partially or wholly shared with the above-mentioned HMI 30. The route determination unit 53, for example, has a route from the position of the own vehicle M (or an arbitrary position input) specified by the GNSS receiver 51 to the destination input by the occupant using the navigation HMI 52 (hereinafter,). The route on the map) is determined with reference to the first map information 54. The first map information 54 is, for example, information in which a road shape is expressed by a link indicating a road and a node connected by the link. The first map information 54 may include road curvature, POI (Point Of Interest) information, and the like. The route on the map is output to MPU60. The navigation device 50 may provide route guidance using the navigation HMI 52 based on the route on the map. The navigation device 50 may be realized by, for example, the function of a terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal owned by an occupant. The navigation device 50 may transmit the current position and the destination to the navigation server via the communication device 20 and acquire a route equivalent to the route on the map from the navigation server.

The MPU 60 includes, for example, a recommended lane determination unit 61, and holds the second map information 62 in a storage device such as an HDD or a flash memory. The recommended lane determination unit 61 divides the route on the map provided by the navigation device 50 into a plurality of blocks (for example, divides the route into a plurality of blocks (for example, every 100 [m] with respect to the vehicle traveling direction), and refers to the second map information 62. Determine the recommended lane for each block. The recommended lane determination unit 61 determines which lane to drive from the left. When a branch point exists on the route on the map, the recommended lane determination unit 61 determines the recommended lane so that the own vehicle M can travel on a reasonable route to proceed to the branch destination.

The second map information 62 is more accurate map information than the first map information 54. The second map information 62 includes, for example, information on the center of the lane, information on the boundary of the lane, and the like. Further, the second map information 62 may include road information, traffic regulation information, address information (address / zip code), facility information, telephone number information, and the like. The second map information 62 may be updated at any time by the communication device 20 communicating with another device.

The driving controller 80 includes, for example, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a shift lever, a steering wheel, a deformed steering wheel, a joystick, and other controls. A sensor for detecting the amount of operation or the presence or absence of operation by an occupant or the like is attached to the operation operator 80, and the detection result is the automatic operation control device 100, the traveling driving force output device 200, the brake device 210, and the like. And it is output to a part or all of the steering device 220.

The automatic operation control device 100 includes, for example, a first control unit 120, a second control unit 160, and a storage unit 180. The first control unit 120 and the second control unit 160 are realized by, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program (software). In addition, some or all of these components are hardware (circuits) such as LSI (Large Scale Integration), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), etc. It may be realized by the part; including circuitry), or it may be realized by the cooperation of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device (a storage device including a non-transient storage medium) such as an HDD or a flash memory of the automatic operation control device 100, or a DVD, a CD-ROM, or the like can be attached and detached. It is stored in a storage medium, and may be installed in the HDD or flash memory of the automatic operation control device 100 by mounting the storage medium (non-transient storage medium) in the drive device.

The storage unit 180 is realized by the above-mentioned various storage devices. Further, the storage unit 180 is realized by, for example, an HDD, a flash memory, an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), or the like. , Programs, and various other information are stored.

FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of the first control unit 120 and the second control unit 160. The first control unit 120 includes, for example, a recognition unit 130 and an action plan generation unit 140. A combination of the action plan generation unit 140 and the second control unit 160 is an example of the “operation control unit”. The first control unit 120, for example, realizes a function by AI (Artificial Intelligence) and a function by a model given in advance in parallel. For example, the function of "recognizing an intersection" is executed in parallel with the recognition of an intersection by deep learning or the like and the recognition based on a predetermined condition (there is a signal capable of pattern matching, a road sign, etc.). It may be realized by scoring and comprehensively evaluating. This ensures the reliability of autonomous driving.

The recognition unit 130 recognizes the surrounding situation of the target vehicle. For example, the recognition unit 130 is an object (for example, a peripheral vehicle or a target) around the own vehicle M based on the information input from the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the finder 14 via the object recognition device 16. Recognize the position of the vehicle and the state of speed, acceleration, traveling direction, etc. The position of the object is recognized as, for example, a position on absolute coordinates with the representative point (center of gravity, center of drive axis, etc.) of the own vehicle M as the origin, and is used for control. The position of the object may be represented by a representative point such as the center of gravity, the center, or a corner of the object, or may be represented by a represented area. If the object is a vehicle, the "state" of the object may include the object's acceleration or jerk, or "behavioral state" (eg, whether it is changing lanes or is about to change lanes).

The recognition unit 130 also recognizes stop lines, obstacles, red lights, tollhouses, and other road events. Further, the recognition unit 130 may acquire various information received from vehicles around the own vehicle M by inter-vehicle communication via the communication device 20 and recognize the vicinity of the own vehicle M based on the information. .. Further, the recognition unit 130 includes, for example, a lane recognition unit 132 and another vehicle recognition unit 134. Details of these functions will be described later. The recognition unit 130 is used from an external device provided outside the own vehicle M in place of (or in addition to) the information input from the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the finder 14 via the object recognition device 16. The acquired information may be used. The external device here is, for example, a recognition device installed around the road and recognizing a vehicle traveling on the road, or a recognition device for another vehicle traveling around the own vehicle M.

In principle, the action plan generation unit 140 travels in the recommended lane determined by the recommended lane determination unit 61, and the own vehicle M automatically (driver) so as to be able to respond to the surrounding conditions of the own vehicle M. Generate a target track to run in the future (regardless of the operation of). The target trajectory includes, for example, a velocity element. For example, the target track is expressed as a sequence of points (track points) to be reached by the own vehicle M. The track point is a point to be reached by the own vehicle M for each predetermined mileage (for example, about several [m]) along the road, and separately, for a predetermined sampling time (for example, about 0 comma number [sec]). ) Target velocity and target acceleration are generated as part of the target trajectory. Further, the track point may be a position to be reached by the own vehicle M at the sampling time for each predetermined sampling time. In this case, the information of the target velocity and the target acceleration is expressed by the interval of the orbital points.

The action plan generation unit 140 may set an event for automatic driving when generating a target trajectory. Autonomous driving events include constant-speed driving events, low-speed following driving events, lane change events, branching events, merging events, takeover events, and the like. The action plan generation unit 140 generates a target trajectory according to the activated event. Further, the action plan generation unit 140 includes, for example, a lane change control unit 142 and a stop control unit 144. Details of these functions will be described later.

The second control unit 160 sets the traveling driving force output device 200, the braking device 210, and the steering device 220 so that the own vehicle M passes the target trajectory generated by the action plan generation unit 140 at the scheduled time. Control.

The second control unit 160 includes, for example, an acquisition unit 162, a speed control unit 164, and a steering control unit 166. The acquisition unit 162 acquires the information of the target trajectory (orbit point) generated by the action plan generation unit 140 and stores it in a memory (not shown). The speed control unit 164 controls the traveling driving force output device 200 or the braking device 210 based on the speed element associated with the target trajectory stored in the memory. The steering control unit 166 controls the steering device 220 according to the degree of bending of the target trajectory stored in the memory. The processing of the speed control unit 164 and the steering control unit 166 is realized by, for example, a combination of feedforward control and feedback control. As an example, the steering control unit 166 executes a combination of feedforward control according to the curvature of the road in front of the own vehicle M and feedback control based on the deviation from the target trajectory.

The traveling driving force output device 200 outputs a traveling driving force (torque) for traveling the vehicle to the drive wheels. The traveling driving force output device 200 includes, for example, a combination of an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, a transmission, and the like, and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that controls them. The ECU controls the above configuration according to the information input from the second control unit 160 or the information input from the operation operator 80.

The brake device 210 includes, for example, a brake caliper, a cylinder that transmits flood pressure to the brake caliper, an electric motor that generates flood pressure in the cylinder, and a brake ECU. The brake ECU controls the electric motor according to the information input from the second control unit 160 or the information input from the operation operator 80 so that the brake torque corresponding to the braking operation is output to each wheel. The brake device 210 may include, as a backup, a mechanism for transmitting the oil pressure generated by the operation of the brake pedal included in the operation operator 80 to the cylinder via the master cylinder. The brake device 210 is not limited to the configuration described above, and is an electronically controlled hydraulic brake device that controls an actuator according to information input from the second control unit 160 to transmit the oil pressure of the master cylinder to the cylinder. May be good.

The steering device 220 includes, for example, a steering ECU and an electric motor. The electric motor, for example, applies a force to the rack and pinion mechanism to change the direction of the steering wheel. The steering ECU drives the electric motor according to the information input from the second control unit 160 or the information input from the operation controller 80, and changes the direction of the steering wheel.

[Functions of recognition unit and action plan generation unit]
Hereinafter, the functions of the recognition unit 130 and the action plan generation unit 140 according to the embodiment will be described in detail. In the following, the scene in which the own vehicle M changes lanes from the own lane to the adjacent lane will be mainly described.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the recognition unit 130 and the action plan generation unit 140. In the example of FIG. 3, two lanes L1 and L2 that can travel in the same direction (Y-axis direction in the figure) are shown. Lane L1 is an example of the "first lane" and is partitioned by lane markings LL and CL. Lane L2 is an example of a "second lane" and is partitioned by lane markings CL and LR. The lane marking CL is a lane marking indicating that the lane can be changed between the lane L1 and the lane L2. In the example of FIG. 3, it is assumed that the own vehicle M is traveling at the speed VM in the lane L1 and the other vehicles m1 and m2 are traveling in the lane L2 at the speeds Vm1 and Vm2, respectively. Hereinafter, the lane L1 in which the own vehicle M is traveling before the lane change is referred to as "own lane L1", and the lane L2 of the lane change destination adjacent to the own vehicle L1 is referred to as "adjacent lane L2".

The lane recognition unit 132 recognizes, for example, the own lane L1 in which the own vehicle M is traveling. For example, the lane recognition unit 132 has a road section around the own vehicle M recognized from a pattern of road lane markings (for example, an arrangement of solid lines and broken lines) obtained from the second map information 62 and an image captured by the camera 10. The own lane L1 is recognized by comparing with the line pattern. The lane recognition unit 132 may recognize the shape and type of the road lane marking (whether or not the lane can be changed). The lane recognition unit 132 may recognize the own lane L1 by recognizing a runway boundary (road boundary) including a road shoulder, a curb, a median strip, a guardrail, and the like. In this recognition, the position of the own vehicle M acquired from the navigation device 50 and the processing result by the INS may be added.

When recognizing a traveling lane, the lane recognition unit 132 recognizes the position and posture of the own vehicle M with respect to the traveling lane. The lane recognition unit 132 determines, for example, the deviation of the reference point of the own vehicle M from the center of the lane and the angle formed by the own vehicle M with respect to the traveling lane with respect to the line connecting the center of the lane in the traveling direction (Y direction). It may be recognized as the relative position and orientation of the vehicle M. Instead, the lane recognition unit 132 sets the position of the reference point of the own vehicle M with respect to any side end portion (road division line or road boundary) of the traveling lane as the relative position of the own vehicle M with respect to the traveling lane. You may recognize it.

Further, the lane recognition unit 132 recognizes the recognized adjacent lane L2 adjacent to the own lane L1, the adjacent adjacent lane adjacent to the adjacent lane, the oncoming lane of the own lane L1 and the like. For example, the lane recognition unit 132 compares the road lane marking pattern obtained from the second map information 62 with the road lane marking pattern around the own vehicle M recognized from the image captured by the camera 10. By recognizing the road boundary, the adjacent lane, the adjacent adjacent lane, and the oncoming lane are recognized. In the example of FIG. 3, the adjacent lane L2 is recognized.

Further, the lane recognition unit 132 may recognize the road widths of the recognized own lane L1 and the adjacent lane L2. In this case, the lane recognition unit 132 may recognize the own lane L1 and the adjacent lane from the second map information 62. The road width of L2 may be recognized, or the road width may be recognized from the positions of the lane markings of the own lane L1 and the adjacent lane L2 recognized from the image captured by the camera 10. Further, the lane recognition unit 132 may recognize only one lane width of the own lane L1 or the adjacent lane L2. Further, the lane recognition unit 132 may estimate the lane width of the adjacent lane L2 from the lane width of the own lane L1 or may estimate the lane width of the own lane L1 from the lane width of the adjacent lane L2.

The other vehicle recognition unit 134 includes, for example, another vehicle existing around the own vehicle M recognized from the image captured by the camera 10, the image captured by the camera 10, and the own vehicle M acquired by the navigation device 50. The information regarding the position of another vehicle is recognized based on the position information obtained from the traffic jam information around the vehicle, the map information (first map information 54, the second map information 62), and the like. The other vehicle existing in the vicinity of the own vehicle M is, for example, another vehicle existing within a predetermined distance from the own vehicle M. Further, the other vehicle existing in the vicinity of the own vehicle M may be another vehicle traveling in the own lane L1 and the adjacent lane L2. The other vehicle recognition unit 134 recognizes the recognized position and speed of the other vehicle. In the example of FIG. 3, the other vehicle recognition unit 134 recognizes the positions and speeds Vm1 and Vm2 of the other vehicles m1 and m2, respectively.

Further, the other vehicle recognition unit 134 may recognize the vehicle width of the other vehicle from the image captured by the camera 10, for example. Further, the other vehicle recognition unit 134 is located at a position on the lane of another vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane L2 (for example, a side end portion of the vehicle (vehicle body) from the lane marking line) based on the image and map information captured by the camera 10. Distance to) etc. may be recognized.

The lane change control unit 142 executes control for changing the lane of the own vehicle M when a predetermined condition for which it is necessary to change the lane is satisfied. The predetermined conditions are, for example, that there is an obstacle in front of the own lane L1 and it is impossible to continue traveling in the own lane L1, that it is necessary to change lanes in order to reach the destination region, and that the occupant Includes at least one of accepting instructions to change lanes and merging lanes. "Merge of lanes" means, for example, that the own lane L1 is a merging lane and disappears at a disappearance position separated by a predetermined distance in the traveling direction of the own vehicle M, or the number of lanes decreases on the road ahead. Therefore, the width of the own lane L1 is decreasing, or it is included that it will decrease in the near future. Control in changing lanes may include merging into the main lane of a freeway or merging into another lane by reducing the number of lanes. Further, the control in the lane change may include the driving control by the lane change event or the merging event. Hereinafter, an example in which the own vehicle M is changed from the own lane L1 to the adjacent lane L2 by satisfying the above-mentioned predetermined conditions will be described.

The lane change control unit 142 selects two other vehicles from a plurality of other vehicles traveling in the adjacent lane L2 in which the own vehicle M changes lanes, and selects a lane change target between the selected two other vehicles. Set the position TA1. In the example of FIG. 3, the target position TA1 is set based on the relative positions of the front reference vehicle (other vehicle m1) and the rear reference vehicle (other vehicle m2) traveling in the adjacent lane L2. Hereinafter, the other vehicle m1 will be referred to as a “front reference vehicle m1”, and the other vehicle m2 will be referred to as a “rear reference vehicle m2”. The lane change control unit 142 sets the target position TA1 within a range separated from the front reference vehicle m1 and the rear reference vehicle m2 by a predetermined distance, assuming future speed changes of the front reference vehicle m1 and the rear reference vehicle m2. Further, when the lane change control unit 142 changes lanes based on the future speed change of the front reference vehicle m1 and the rear reference vehicle m2, the inter-vehicle distance D1 between the front reference vehicle m1 and the rear reference vehicle m2, and the like. Determine the target speed, etc. The lane change control unit 142 is based on the positions and speeds of the existing vehicle and the own vehicle M when one or both of the front reference vehicle m1 and the rear reference vehicle m2 traveling in the adjacent lane L2 do not exist. The target position TA1 and the target speed may be set. Further, when another vehicle exists in the own lane L1, the target position TA1, the target speed, or the like may be set in consideration of the relative distance and the relative speed with the other vehicle.

Then, the lane change control unit 142 generates a target track for changing the lane of the own vehicle M toward the target position TA1 based on the determined target speed and the like, and outputs the generated target track to the second control unit 160. .. As a result, the second control unit 160 executes operation control for changing lanes based on the target track. The lane change control unit 142 determines that the lane change has been completed when, for example, the entire own vehicle M is within the area of the target position TA1, and ends the lane change control.

Further, the lane change control unit 142 sends the own vehicle M to the stop control unit 144, for example, when a predetermined condition for changing the lane is satisfied and the target position TA1 described above cannot be set. To execute the control to stop the vehicle.

When the own vehicle M is changed from the own lane L1 to the adjacent lane L2, the stop control unit 144 stops the vehicle M with a part of the own vehicle M entering the adjacent lane L2. For example, when the stop control unit 144 needs to change the lane of the own vehicle M from the own lane L1 to the adjacent lane L2, the stop control unit 144 stops the own vehicle M before the lane change to the adjacent lane L2 is started. In addition, the vehicle is stopped with a part of the own vehicle M entering the adjacent lane L2. For example, the vehicle stop control unit 144 executes a control for stopping the own vehicle M in a predetermined state by the control from the lane change control unit 142. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the stop control unit 144. In the example of FIG. 4, it is assumed that the other vehicles m3 to m6 are traveling along the extending direction (Y-axis direction) of the lane L2 at speeds Vm3 to Vm6, respectively. Further, the example of FIG. 4 shows a scene in which the target position TA1 cannot be set because the inter-vehicle distance between the other vehicles m3 to m6 is short when a predetermined condition for changing lanes is satisfied.

For example, when the vehicle stop control unit 144 changes the lane of the vehicle M from the vehicle lane L1 to the adjacent lane L2, the vehicle stop control unit 144 controls the vehicle before the lane change to the second lane is completed by the control from the lane change control unit 142. When stopping M, as shown in FIG. 4, the vehicle is stopped with a part of the own vehicle M entering the adjacent lane L2. "A state in which a part of the vehicle M is entered into the adjacent lane L2" means that, for example, a part of the vehicle body of the own vehicle M protrudes from the own lane L1 to the adjacent lane L2 side. Further, the "state in which a part of the vehicle M is entered into the adjacent lane L2" may include a state in which the own vehicle M straddles the lane marking CL that separates the own lane L1 and the adjacent lane L2. The "state in which the own vehicle M straddles the lane marking CL" means that, for example, a part of the vehicle body of the own vehicle M exists in the Z-axis direction with respect to the lane marking CL. By stopping the vehicle M with a part of the own vehicle M entering the adjacent lane L2, it is possible to make the peripheral vehicles and the like recognize the intention of the own vehicle M to change lanes to the adjacent lane L2.

For example, the stop control unit 144 determines the degree to which the own vehicle M enters the adjacent lane L2 based on the lane width W2 of the adjacent lane L2 recognized by the lane recognition unit 132, and determines the degree to which the own vehicle M enters the adjacent lane L2 (entrance degree). Based on this, the vehicle is stopped with a part of the own vehicle M entering the adjacent lane L2. The lane width W2 of the adjacent lane L2 may be directly recognized from the image captured by the camera 10, or may be estimated based on the lane width W1 of the own lane L1. When estimated based on the lane width W1 of the own lane L1, the lane recognition unit 132 estimates, for example, the lane width W2 to be the same width as the lane width W1. The “degree of causing the own vehicle M to enter the adjacent lane L2” is, for example, the magnitude (length) of the distance from the own lane L1 to the adjacent lane L2. The approaching distance is, for example, the distance in the road width direction (X-axis direction in FIG. 4) of the adjacent lane L2 with respect to the lane marking CL. Further, the "degree of causing the own vehicle M to enter the adjacent lane" may be, for example, the length of the own vehicle M in the width direction.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining stop control for the own vehicle M. In the example of FIG. 5, a part of the region of FIG. 4 is enlarged and shown. For example, the vehicle stop control unit 144 sets a distance Da to enter the adjacent lane L2 from the own lane L1 when the own vehicle M is stopped, based on the surrounding conditions recognized by the recognition unit 130, and sets the set distance Da to the degree of approach. To determine as. For example, the vehicle stop control unit 144 sets a value obtained by subtracting a predetermined distance Db from the vehicle width W2 as the distance Da. The distance Db is, for example, the lane marking LR of the lane markings CL and LR that divide the adjacent lane L2, which is farther from the own lane L1 (the one that is not the lane marking CL that separates the own lane L1 and the adjacent lane L2). It is a distance in the road width direction with reference to, and more specifically, it is a road width when another vehicle passes by the side of the stopped own vehicle M. The stop control unit 144 sets a distance Db so that some vehicles (for example, large vehicles such as trucks and buses with a large vehicle width) cannot pass among other vehicles traveling in the adjacent lane L2, for example.

For example, the stop control unit 144 sets the distance Db based on the ratio to the lane width W2. In this case, the vehicle stop control unit 144 sets, for example, a width 0.7 to 0.9 times the lane width W2 as the distance Db. Further, the stop control unit 144 adjusts the ratio based on the road condition of the adjacent lane L2 (for example, the presence / absence of a roadside zone, the curvature of a curved road, the number and frequency of pedestrians and bicycles existing in the adjacent lane). You may. As a result, the stop control unit 144 can set a more appropriate degree of approach according to the road condition of the adjacent lane L2. The vehicle stop control unit 144 may include a predetermined margin in the distance Db. The same applies to the other setting patterns of the distance Db and the setting pattern of the distance Da, which will be described later.

Further, the vehicle stop control unit 144 may set the distance Db as another setting pattern of the distance Db based on the vehicle width of another vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane L2. Here, it is assumed that the vehicle widths Wm4 to Wm6 of the other vehicles m4 to m6 shown in FIG. 5 are recognized by the other vehicle recognition unit 134. In this case, the vehicle stop control unit 144 sets the average value of the respective vehicle widths Wm4 to Wm6 as the distance Db. Further, the vehicle stop control unit 144 may set a value of the vehicle widths Wm4 to Wm6 that is shortened by a predetermined distance from the maximum vehicle width or a value that is lengthened by a predetermined distance from the minimum vehicle width as the distance Db. Further, the vehicle stop control unit 144 may set the vehicle width of the other vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane L2, which is closest to the rear or side rear of the position where the own vehicle M stops, as the distance Db. For example, when the vehicle stop control unit 144 plans to stop the own vehicle M at the position shown in FIG. 5, the distance Db is set based on the vehicle width Wm5 of the other vehicle m5.

Further, the stop control unit 144 may set the distance Da as the setting pattern of the distance Da based on the distance from the lane marking CL when the other vehicle is traveling. Here, it is assumed that the distance Dm4 to Dm6 from the lane marking CL to the side end on the lane marking CL side of the vehicle body is recognized by the other vehicle recognition unit 134 for each of the other vehicles m4 to m6 shown in FIG. do. In this case, the stop control unit 144 sets the average value of the respective distances Dm4 to Dm6 as the distance Da. Further, the stop control unit 144 may set a value among the distances Dm4 to Dm6 that is shortened by a predetermined distance from the maximum distance or a value that is lengthened by a predetermined distance from the minimum distance as the distance Da. Further, the stop control unit 144 is the distance from the side end of the other vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane L2, which is closest to the rear or side rear of the position where the own vehicle M stops, to the lane marking CL. It may be set as Da. For example, when the own vehicle M is scheduled to stop at the position shown in FIG. 5, the distance Da is set based on the distance Dm5 from the lane marking CL to the side end of the other vehicle m5.

In this way, by setting the distance Da based on the information of other vehicles traveling in the adjacent lane L2, it is possible to determine a more appropriate degree of approach according to the current road condition (congestion condition, etc.). In addition, by determining the degree of approach based on the information of other vehicles, it is more accurate to stop some other vehicles and pass the remaining other vehicles among a plurality of other vehicles traveling in the adjacent lane. Can be done well. Therefore, it is possible to increase the inter-vehicle distance between other vehicles while further suppressing traffic congestion. As a result, the target position TA1 for changing lanes can be set, and the lane change can be executed. Each of the plurality of setting patterns described above may be combined with other setting patterns. By setting the approach degree using a plurality of setting patterns, the own vehicle M can be stopped while entering the adjacent lane L2 with a more appropriate approach degree. The vehicle stop control unit 144 may set the distance Da to be fixed.

Further, the vehicle stop control unit 144 may control the own vehicle M to stop in the vicinity of the other vehicle where the distance from the lane marking CL to the side end of the lane marking CL side of the other vehicle is the longest. .. In the case of the example of FIG. 5, the stop control unit 144 sets the stop position of the own vehicle M at a position within a predetermined distance from the position of the vehicle M5 which is the maximum distance Dm5 among the recognized distances Dm4 to Dm6. As a result, the vehicle stop control unit 144 can perform stop control using an area having a wider approachable range to the adjacent lane L2, and more reliably causes the own vehicle M to enter the vehicle with the set approach degree and stop. can do.

Further, the stop control unit 144 may control the direction of the own vehicle M when the vehicle is stopped with a part of the own vehicle M entering the adjacent lane L2. For example, when the own vehicle M is stopped, the stop control unit 144 has a predetermined angle θ1 between the extension direction of the adjacent lane L2 (the Y-axis direction shown in FIG. 6) and the forward direction when the own vehicle M is stopped. The direction of the own vehicle M is controlled so as to be as follows. By stopping the vehicle M closer to the extension direction side of the road, for example, by using the front camera and the rear camera, which are more sensitive than the side camera, the road condition in the adjacent lane and others can be used. Since the vehicle can be recognized, the road condition and other vehicles can be recognized more accurately. Further, the vehicle stop control unit 144 controls the angle θ1 at the time of stopping so as to be equal to or less than a predetermined angle, so that when it is no longer necessary to change lanes, the vehicle can quickly return to the own lane L1 on a shorter route. can. When it is no longer necessary to change lanes, for example, when the lane change instruction is canceled by the occupant, or when an obstacle in front of the own lane L1 is removed and it becomes possible to pass, the destination is changed. This is the case when it becomes necessary to drive in the own lane L1. Returning to the own lane L1 means, for example, moving so that the entire own vehicle M is within the own lane L1.

Further, the vehicle stop control unit 144 may control to stop the own vehicle M while maintaining the state where the angle θ1 is equal to or less than a predetermined angle. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining stop control in consideration of the direction of the own vehicle M. In the example of FIG. 6, it is assumed that other vehicles m3 to m6 are stopped on the adjacent vehicle L2 due to traffic congestion or the like. Further, in the example of FIG. 6, it is assumed that the time advances in the order of time t1, t2, t3, and t4. Further, in the example of FIG. 6, M (t *) indicates the position and orientation of the vehicle M at the time t *. When the own vehicle M is stopped in a state where the angle θ1 is equal to or less than a predetermined angle, the stop control unit 144 does not exceed the threshold value of the traveling angle θ1 from a position in front of the set scheduled stop position by a predetermined distance D2. The own vehicle M is moved to the adjacent lane L2 side with smooth behavior, and a target track for stopping the own vehicle M with the vehicle body entering the adjacent lane L2 with the set approach degree is generated. The position reference may be, for example, the position of the center or the center of gravity of the own vehicle M, or the position of the front tip portion. The threshold value is an angle smaller than a predetermined angle. The predetermined distance D2 may be a distance set based on the distance to an obstacle in front of the own lane L1 or the distance to the disappearance position, or may be a fixed distance. As a result, the own vehicle M can be stopped at a more appropriate position and orientation.

[Processing flow]
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed by the automatic operation control device 100. The processing of this flowchart is executed, for example, when the own vehicle M satisfies the condition for changing lanes. Further, the processing of this flowchart is repeated when the own vehicle M is in automatic driving. First, the recognition unit 130 recognizes the surrounding situation of the own vehicle M (step S100). Next, the automatic driving control device 100 determines whether or not it is necessary to change lanes based on a predetermined condition or the like (step S102). When it is determined that the lane change is necessary, the lane change control unit 142 determines whether or not the lane change is possible (step S104). The lane change is possible, for example, the lane change event can be executed, or the target position TA1 or the like can be set in the adjacent lane to which the lane is changed. When it is determined that the lane change is possible, the lane change control unit 142 executes driving control (lane change control) for changing the lane of the own vehicle M to the adjacent lane (step S106).

Further, in the process of step S104, when it is determined that the lane change is not possible (for example, when the target position TA1 cannot be set), the stop control unit 144 determines the lane width of the adjacent lane to which the lane is changed or the own vehicle. The degree of approach to the adjacent lane was set based on the information of other vehicles existing in the vicinity of M and traveling in the adjacent lane (step S108), and the own vehicle M was made to enter the adjacent lane based on the set degree of approach. Operation control (stop control) for stopping in the state is performed (step S110). After the process of step S110, the process returns to the process of step S104. If it is determined that the lane change is not necessary after the process of step S106 or in the process of step S102, the process of this flowchart ends.

After the process of step S110 is completed, the automatic operation control device 100 may perform switching control for switching from automatic operation to manual operation. In this case, the automatic driving control device 100 notifies the occupant of information prompting the manual driving operation by the HMI 30, and switches from the automatic driving to the manual driving at the timing when the manual driving is started by the operation of the driving controller 80 by the occupant. Further, when it is no longer necessary to change lanes after the vehicle is stopped by the process of step S110, the automatic driving control device 100 may control the vehicle to return to its own lane and travel.

According to the embodiment described above, the recognition unit 130 that recognizes the surrounding situation of the target vehicle (for example, the own vehicle M) and the driving control unit (action plan generation) that runs the target vehicle based on the recognition result of the recognition unit 130. When it becomes necessary for the operation control unit to change the lane of the target vehicle from the first lane in which the target vehicle travels to the second lane adjacent to the first lane. In order to control the lane change by stopping the target vehicle with a part of the target vehicle entering the second lane when the target vehicle is stopped before the lane change to the second lane is started. The vehicle can be stopped at a more suitable position.

Specifically, according to the present embodiment, by stopping the vehicle M with a part of the own vehicle M entering the second lane, the intention to change lanes can be more clearly communicated to the surroundings. In addition, by approaching at an appropriate approach position, some of the other vehicles passing through the adjacent lane can be stopped and the remaining vehicles can pass through, thus suppressing the occurrence of traffic congestion. However, the lane change can be performed more efficiently.

[Hardware configuration]
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the automatic operation control device 100 of the embodiment. As shown in the figure, the automatic operation control device 100 includes a communication controller 100-1, a CPU 100-2, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 100-3 used as a working memory, a ROM (Read Only Memory) for storing a boot program, and the like. The configuration is such that 100-4, a storage device 100-5 such as a flash memory or an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a drive device 100-6, and the like are connected to each other by an internal bus or a dedicated communication line. The communication controller 100-1 communicates with a component other than the automatic operation control device 100. The storage device 100-5 stores a program 100-5a executed by the CPU 100-2. This program is expanded to RAM 100-3 by a DMA (Direct Memory Access) controller (not shown) or the like, and is executed by CPU 100-2. As a result, a part or all of the first control unit 120 and the second control unit 160 is realized.

The embodiment described above can be expressed as follows.
A storage device that stores programs and
With a hardware processor,
When the hardware processor executes a program stored in the storage device,
Recognize the surrounding situation of the target vehicle,
Based on the recognized result, the target vehicle is driven and
When changing the lane of the target vehicle from the first lane in which the target vehicle travels to the second lane adjacent to the first lane, the vehicle is stopped with a part of the target vehicle entering the second lane.
A vehicle control device that is configured to.

Although the embodiments for carrying out the present invention have been described above using the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions are made without departing from the gist of the present invention. Can be added.

10 Camera 12 Radar device 14 Finder 16 Object recognition device 20 Communication device 30 HMI
40 Vehicle sensor 70 Vehicle interior camera 100 Automatic driving control device 120 First control unit 130 Recognition unit 132 Lane recognition unit 134 Other vehicle recognition unit 140 Action plan generation unit 142 Lane change control unit 144 Stop control unit 160 Second control unit

Claims (8)

A recognition unit that recognizes the surrounding conditions of the target vehicle,
A driving control unit for traveling the target vehicle based on the recognition result of the recognition unit is provided.
When the operation control unit changes the target vehicle from the first lane in which the target vehicle travels to the second lane adjacent to the first lane, the operation control unit causes a part of the target vehicle to enter the second lane. Stop in the state,
Vehicle control device. The driving control unit determines the degree to which the target vehicle enters the second lane based on the recognition result by the recognition unit, and a part of the target vehicle is divided into the second lane based on the determined approach degree. Stop while entering the
The vehicle control device according to claim 1. The driving control unit determines the degree to which the target vehicle enters the second lane based on the lane width of the second lane recognized by the recognition unit, and the target vehicle is based on the determined approach degree. The vehicle is stopped with a part of the vehicle entering the second lane.
The vehicle control device according to claim 2. The driving control unit determines the degree to which the target vehicle enters the second lane based on the width of another vehicle traveling in the second lane recognized by the recognition unit, and determines the degree of approach to the determined approach degree. Based on this, a part of the target vehicle is stopped in a state of entering the second lane.
The vehicle control device according to claim 2 or 3. The operation control unit determines the target vehicle based on the distance from the lane marking that divides the first lane and the second lane recognized by the recognition unit to another vehicle traveling in the second lane. The degree of entry into the second lane is determined, and a part of the target vehicle is stopped in the state of entering the second lane based on the determined degree of approach.
The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 2 to 4. When the target vehicle is stopped, the driving control unit controls the target vehicle so that the angle formed by the extension direction of the second lane and the front direction when the target vehicle is stopped is equal to or less than a predetermined angle. ,
The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The computer
Recognize the surrounding situation of the target vehicle,
Based on the recognized result, the target vehicle is driven and
When changing the lane of the target vehicle from the first lane in which the target vehicle travels to the second lane adjacent to the first lane, the vehicle is stopped with a part of the target vehicle entering the second lane.
Vehicle control method. On the computer
Recognize the surrounding situation of the target vehicle
Based on the recognized result, the target vehicle is driven and
When changing the lane of the target vehicle from the first lane in which the target vehicle travels to the second lane adjacent to the first lane, the vehicle is stopped with a part of the target vehicle entering the second lane.
program.

Images