JP7565736B2 - Vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a program.

In recent years, research has been conducted into automatically controlling vehicle travel. In relation to this, there is a technology that, when a vehicle is traveling at a constant speed and a vehicle ahead is detected, causes the vehicle to travel while maintaining a set distance from the preceding vehicle, and returns the vehicle to a constant speed travel state when the vehicle ahead is no longer detected (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Patent No. 3132430

However, conventional technology does not take into account the situation when there are other vehicles in the vicinity other than the vehicle ahead. As a result, there are cases where the driving control of the vehicle itself cannot be appropriately controlled.

The present invention has been made in consideration of these circumstances, and aims to provide a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a program that can more appropriately control the driving of the vehicle in accordance with the surrounding conditions.

A vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a program according to the present invention employ the following configuration.
(1): A vehicle control device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a recognition unit that recognizes the surroundings of a host vehicle, and a driving control unit that controls the speed of the host vehicle based on the speed of the vehicle in front when another vehicle recognized by the recognition unit is set as a preceding vehicle, and controls the speed of the host vehicle so that the host vehicle becomes a predetermined speed when the other vehicle is not set as a preceding vehicle, wherein the driving control unit suspends the setting to the predetermined speed for a predetermined time and adjusts the speed or acceleration of the host vehicle when the other vehicle set as the preceding vehicle is no longer set as a preceding vehicle, and during the predetermined time, the speed or acceleration of the host vehicle is adjusted based on the cutting-in vehicle when the recognition unit recognizes a cutting-in vehicle that cuts in front of the host vehicle.

(2): In the above aspect (1), the driving control unit controls the speed of the host vehicle based on the speed information and position information of the cutting-in vehicle recognized by the recognition unit.

(3): In the above aspect (1) or (2), if the recognition unit does not recognize the cutting-in vehicle during the predetermined time, the driving control unit controls the speed of the host vehicle to the predetermined speed at an acceleration relatively greater than the acceleration.

(4): In any one of the above aspects (1) to (3), when the other vehicle set as the preceding vehicle is no longer set as the preceding vehicle and the recognition unit recognizes one or more other vehicles entering the own lane from an adjacent lane adjacent to the own lane, the driving control unit controls the speed of the own vehicle based on the behavior of the one or more other vehicles.

(5): In any one of the above aspects (1) to (4), the driving control unit suppresses controlling the speed of the host vehicle to the predetermined speed when the host vehicle is traveling in a merging section or when the host vehicle M executes a lane change, and when the other vehicle set as the vehicle ahead is no longer set as the vehicle ahead, and the cutting-in vehicle is recognized by the recognition unit.

(6): In any one of the above (1) to (5), an estimation unit is further provided that, when the other vehicle set as the preceding vehicle is no longer set as the preceding vehicle, estimates the behavior of the other vehicle after it is no longer recognized by the recognition unit from past time-series data of the other vehicle, and the driving control unit controls the behavior of the host vehicle based on the behavior of the other vehicle estimated by the estimation unit.

(7): In any one of the above aspects (1) to (6), when the other vehicle set as the preceding vehicle is no longer set as the preceding vehicle and the recognition unit recognizes the cutting-in vehicle, the driving control unit controls the speed of the host vehicle based on the relationship between the contact margin time and the headway time between the cutting-in vehicle and the host vehicle.

(8): A vehicle control method according to one aspect of the present invention is a vehicle control method in which a computer recognizes the surroundings of a host vehicle, and if the recognized other vehicle is set as a preceding vehicle, the computer controls the speed of the host vehicle based on the speed of the preceding vehicle, and if the other vehicle is not set as a preceding vehicle, the computer controls the speed of the host vehicle so that the host vehicle has a predetermined speed, and if the other vehicle set as a preceding vehicle is no longer set as a preceding vehicle, the computer suspends the setting to the predetermined speed for a predetermined time and adjusts the speed or acceleration of the host vehicle, and if a cutting-in vehicle that cuts in ahead of the host vehicle is recognized, the speed or acceleration of the host vehicle during the predetermined time is adjusted based on the cutting-in vehicle.

(9): A program according to one aspect of the present invention causes a computer to recognize the surroundings of a host vehicle, and if the recognized vehicle is set as a preceding vehicle, causes the computer to control the speed of the host vehicle based on the speed of the preceding vehicle, and if the preceding vehicle is not set as a preceding vehicle, causes the computer to control the speed of the host vehicle so that the host vehicle has a predetermined speed, and if the preceding vehicle is no longer set as a preceding vehicle, causes the computer to suspend the setting to the predetermined speed for a predetermined period of time and adjust the speed or acceleration of the host vehicle, and if a cutting-in vehicle is recognized in front of the host vehicle, the speed or acceleration of the host vehicle during the predetermined period of time is adjusted based on the cutting-in vehicle.

According to the above aspects (1) to (9), the driving control of the vehicle can be performed more appropriately according to the surrounding conditions.

1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle system 1 including a vehicle control device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of a first control unit 120 and a second control unit 160. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining operation control in a first situation. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining operation control in a second situation. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining operation control in a third situation. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a contact risk using the relative relationship between TTC and THW. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining operational control in a fourth situation. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining operational control in a fifth situation. 1 is a diagram for explaining a state in which the host vehicle M is performing a lane change. FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining operational control in a sixth situation. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of processing executed by the automatic driving control device 100 of the embodiment. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a vehicle system 2 including a driving assistance device 110. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the automatic driving control device 100 according to the embodiment.

Below, an embodiment of a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a program of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As an example, an embodiment in which a vehicle control device is applied to an autonomous vehicle will be described below. Autonomous driving means, for example, automatically controlling one or both of the steering and speed of a vehicle to execute driving control. The above-mentioned vehicle driving control may include various driving controls such as ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control), ALC (Auto Lane Changing), and LKAS (Lane Keeping Assistance System). The driving of an autonomous vehicle may also be controlled by manual driving by an occupant (driver).

[Overall configuration]
1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle system 1 including a vehicle control device according to an embodiment. The vehicle (hereinafter referred to as the subject vehicle M) on which the vehicle system 1 is mounted is, for example, a two-wheeled, three-wheeled, or four-wheeled vehicle, and its driving source is an internal combustion engine such as a diesel engine or a gasoline engine, an electric motor, or a combination of these. The electric motor operates using power generated by a generator connected to the internal combustion engine, or discharged power from a battery (storage battery) such as a secondary battery or a fuel cell.

The vehicle system 1 includes, for example, a camera 10, a radar device 12, a LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) 14, an object recognition device 16, a communication device 20, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 30, 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 driving force output device 200, a brake device 210, and a steering device 220. These devices and devices are connected to each other by multiple communication lines such as a CAN (Controller Area Network) communication line, a serial communication line, a wireless communication network, etc. Note that the configuration shown in FIG. 1 is merely an example, and part of the configuration may be omitted, or another configuration may be added. The automatic driving control device 100 is an example of a "vehicle control device". A combination of the camera 10, the radar device 12, the LIDAR 14, and the object recognition device 16 is an example of an "external sensor". HMI30 is an example of an "output unit."

The camera 10 is a digital camera that uses a solid-state imaging element such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor). The camera 10 is attached to any location of the vehicle M in which the vehicle system 1 is mounted. When capturing an image of the front, the camera 10 is attached to the top of the front windshield, the back of the room mirror, the front of the vehicle body, etc. When capturing an image of the rear, the camera 10 is attached to the top of the rear windshield, the back door, etc. When capturing an image of the side, the camera 10 is attached to a door mirror, etc. The camera 10 periodically and repeatedly captures images of the surroundings of the vehicle M, for example. The camera 10 may be a stereo camera.

The radar device 12 emits radio waves such as millimeter waves around the vehicle M and detects radio waves reflected by surrounding objects (reflected waves) to detect at least the position (distance and direction) of the objects. The radar device 12 is attached to any location on the vehicle M. The radar device 12 may detect the position and speed of objects using the FM-CW (Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave) method.

The LIDAR 14 irradiates light around the vehicle M and measures the scattered light. The LIDAR 14 detects the distance to the target based on the time between emitting and receiving the light. The irradiated light is, for example, a pulsed laser light. The LIDAR 14 is attached to any location on the vehicle M.

The object recognition device 16 performs sensor fusion processing on the detection results from some or all of the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the LIDAR 14 to recognize the position, type, speed, etc. of objects around the vehicle M. Examples of objects include other vehicles (e.g., surrounding vehicles such as a preceding vehicle), pedestrians, bicycles, road structures, etc. Examples of road structures include road signs, traffic signals, railroad crossings, curbs, medians, guardrails, fences, etc. Examples of road structures may also include road markings such as road dividing lines (hereinafter referred to as dividing lines) drawn or affixed to the road surface, crosswalks, bicycle crossings, and stop lines. Examples of objects may also include obstacles such as objects that have fallen on the road (e.g., cargo from other vehicles or signs installed around the road). The object recognition device 16 outputs the recognition results to the automatic driving control device 100. The object recognition device 16 may output the detection results of the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the LIDAR 14 directly to the autonomous driving control device 100. In that case, the object recognition device 16 may be omitted from the configuration of the vehicle system 1 or the external sensor. The object recognition device 16 may also be included in the autonomous driving control device 100.

The communication device 20 communicates with, for example, other vehicles in the vicinity of the vehicle M, the terminal device of the user using the vehicle M, or various server devices, using a network such as a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, Bluetooth (registered trademark), DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication), LAN (Local Area Network), WAN (WiDe Area Network), or the Internet.

The HMI 30 outputs various information to the occupants of the vehicle M and accepts input operations by the occupants. The HMI 30 includes, for example, various display devices, speakers, buzzers, touch panels, switches, keys, microphones, etc. The HMI 30 may also include a driving changeover switch that switches between automatic driving and manual driving by the occupant.

The vehicle sensor 40 includes a vehicle speed sensor that detects the speed of the host vehicle M, an acceleration sensor that detects acceleration, a yaw rate sensor that detects the yaw rate (e.g., the rotational angular velocity around a vertical axis passing through the center of gravity of the host vehicle M), and a direction sensor that detects the orientation of the host vehicle M. The vehicle sensor 40 may also be provided with a position sensor that detects the position of the host vehicle M. The position sensor is, for example, a sensor that acquires position information (longitude and latitude information) from a GPS (Global Positioning System) device. The position sensor may also be a sensor that acquires position information using a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 51 of the navigation device 50. The results detected by the vehicle sensor 40 are output to the automatic driving control device 100.

The navigation device 50 includes, for example, a GNSS receiver 51, a navigation HMI 52, and a route determination unit 53. The navigation device 50 holds first map information 54 in a storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a flash memory. The GNSS receiver 51 identifies the position of the vehicle M based on a signal received from a GNSS satellite. The position of the vehicle M may be identified or supplemented by an inertial navigation system (INS) that uses the output of the vehicle sensor 40. The navigation HMI 52 includes a display device, a speaker, a touch panel, keys, etc. The GNSS receiver 51 may be provided in the vehicle sensor 40. The navigation HMI 52 may be partially or entirely shared with the HMI 30 described above. The route determination unit 53 determines a route (hereinafter, a route on a map) from the position of the vehicle M specified by the GNSS receiver 51 (or any input position) to a destination input by the occupant using the navigation HMI 52, for example, by referring to the first map information 54. The first map information 54 is, for example, information in which a road shape is expressed by links indicating roads in a predetermined section and nodes connected by the links. The first map information 54 may include POI (Point Of Interest) information and the like. The route on the map is output to the MPU 60. The navigation device 50 may perform route guidance using the navigation HMI 52 based on the route on the map. The navigation device 50 may transmit the current position and the destination to a navigation server via the communication device 20 and obtain a route equivalent to the route on the map from the navigation server. The navigation device 50 outputs the determined route on the map to the MPU 60.

The MPU 60 includes, for example, a recommended lane determination unit 61, and stores second map information 62 in a storage device such as an HDD or flash memory. The recommended lane determination unit 61 divides the route on the map provided by the navigation device 50 into a number of blocks (for example, every 100 m in the vehicle travel direction), and determines a recommended lane for each block by referring to the second map information 62. The recommended lane determination unit 61 determines, for example, which lane from the left to use. When a branch point is present on the route on the map, the recommended lane determination unit 61 determines a recommended lane so that the host vehicle M can travel along a reasonable route to the branch point.

The second map information 62 is map information with higher accuracy than the first map information 54. The second map information 62 includes, for example, information on road shapes and road structures. The road shapes include, for example, the number of lanes, the radius of curvature (or curvature), width, gradient, etc., as more detailed road shapes than the first map information 54. The above information may be stored in the first map information 54. The information on the road structures may include information on the type, position, orientation with respect to the extension direction of the road, size, shape, color, etc. of the road structures. For example, the division line may be one type, and lane marks, curbs, median strips, etc. belonging to the division line may each be different types. In addition, the types of division lines may include, for example, division lines indicating that lane changes are possible and division lines indicating that lane changes are not possible. The types of division lines may be set for each section of a road or lane based on a link, and multiple types may be set within one link.

The second map information 62 may include location information (latitude and longitude) of roads and buildings, address information (address and postal code), facility information, etc. The second map information 62 may be updated at any time by the communication device 20 communicating with an external device. The first map information 54 and the second map information 62 may be provided as an integrated piece of map information. The map information (the first map information 54 and the second map information 62) may be stored in the memory unit 190.

The driving operators 80 include, for example, a steering wheel, an accelerator pedal, and a brake pedal. The driving operators 80 may also include a shift lever, a special steering wheel, a joystick, and other operators. Each operator of the driving operators 80 is fitted with an operation detection unit that detects, for example, the amount of operation of the operator by the occupant or the presence or absence of operation. The operation detection unit detects, for example, the steering angle and steering torque of the steering wheel, the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal, and the like. The operation detection unit then outputs the detection results to the automatic driving control device 100, or one or both of the driving force output device 200, the brake device 210, and the steering device 220.

The automatic driving control device 100 includes, for example, a first control unit 120, a second control unit 160, an HMI control unit 180, and a storage unit 190. The first control unit 120, the second control unit 160, and the HMI control unit 180 are each 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 may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or may be realized by collaboration between software and hardware. The above-mentioned programs may be stored in advance in a storage device (storage device with a non-transient storage medium) such as an HDD or flash memory of the automatic driving control device 100, or may be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD, CD-ROM, or memory card, and installed in the storage device of the automatic driving control device 100 by inserting the storage medium (non-transient storage medium) into a drive device, card slot, or the like. The combination of the action plan generation unit 140 and the second control unit 160 is an example of a "driving control unit." The HMI control unit 180 is an example of an "output control unit."

The storage unit 190 may be realized by the above-mentioned various storage devices, or an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), or a RAM (Random Access Memory). The storage unit 190 stores, for example, other vehicle behavior information 192, various other information, programs, and the like. The other vehicle behavior information 192 includes, for example, time series data of the positions and speeds of other vehicles present around the vehicle M recognized by the recognition unit 130. The other vehicles included in the other vehicle behavior information 192 may include identification information of a vehicle ahead or a vehicle cutting in. The other vehicle behavior information 192 may include time series data from the present to a predetermined time, and time series data older than that may be deleted. The storage unit 190 may also store map information (first map information 54, second map information 62).

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. The first control unit 120 realizes, for example, a function based on AI (Artificial Intelligence) and a function based on a pre-given model in parallel. For example, the function of "recognizing an intersection" may be realized by performing recognition of an intersection by deep learning or the like and recognition based on pre-given conditions (signals, road markings, etc. that can be pattern matched) in parallel, and scoring and comprehensively evaluating both. This ensures the reliability of the autonomous driving. In addition, the first control unit 120 executes control related to the autonomous driving of the vehicle M based on instructions from, for example, the MPU 60, the HMI control unit 180, etc.

The recognition unit 130 recognizes the surrounding situation of the vehicle M based on the results of recognition by the external sensors (information input from the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the LIDAR 14 via the object recognition device 16). For example, the recognition unit 130 recognizes the type, position, speed, acceleration, and other states of objects present around the vehicle M. The type of object may be, for example, whether the object is a vehicle or a pedestrian, or may be a type for identifying each vehicle. The position of the object is recognized as the position of an absolute coordinate system (hereinafter, vehicle coordinate system) with a representative point of the vehicle M (such as the center of gravity or the center of the drive shaft) 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, a corner, or a leading end of the object in the traveling direction, or may be represented by a represented area. For example, when the object is a moving body such as another vehicle, the "state" of the object may include the acceleration or jerk of the object, or the "behavior state" (for example, whether or not the object is changing lanes or is about to change lanes).

The recognition unit 130 also includes, for example, a forward vehicle recognition unit 132 and a cutting-in vehicle recognition unit 134. The details of these functions will be described later.

The action plan generating unit 140 generates an action plan for driving the host vehicle M by driving control such as automatic driving based on the result of the recognition by the recognition unit 130. For example, the action plan generating unit 140 drives the recommended lane determined by the recommended lane determining unit 61 in principle, and further generates a target trajectory for the host vehicle M to automatically (without the driver's operation) drive in the future so as to respond to the surrounding situation of the host vehicle M based on the recognition result by the recognition unit 130 or the surrounding road shape based on the current position of the host vehicle M acquired from the map information. The target trajectory includes, for example, a speed element. For example, the target trajectory is expressed as a sequence of points (trajectory points) to be reached by the host vehicle M. The trajectory points are points to be reached by the host vehicle M at predetermined driving distances (for example, about several [m]) along the road, and separately, a target speed (and target acceleration) at predetermined sampling times (for example, about 0.1 [sec]) is generated as part of the target trajectory. Alternatively, the trajectory points may be positions that the host vehicle M should reach at each predetermined sampling time. In this case, the target speed (and target acceleration) information is expressed as the interval between the trajectory points.

The action plan generating unit 140 may set an event for automatic driving when generating the target trajectory. The event may include, for example, a constant speed driving event in which the host vehicle M drives in the same lane at a constant speed, a following driving event in which the host vehicle M follows another vehicle (hereinafter referred to as a forward vehicle) that is present within a predetermined distance (for example, within 100 [m]) ahead of the host vehicle M and is closest to the host vehicle M, a lane change event in which the host vehicle M changes lanes from the host vehicle's own lane to an adjacent lane, a branching event in which the host vehicle M branches into a lane on the destination side at a branching point on the road, a merging event in which the host vehicle M merges into a main lane at a merging point, a takeover event in which the host vehicle M ends automatic driving and switches to manual driving, and the like. Events may also include, for example, an overtaking event in which the host vehicle M changes lanes to an adjacent lane to overtake the vehicle ahead and then changes lanes back to the original lane, and an avoidance event in which the host vehicle M performs at least one of braking and steering to avoid contact with an object in front of the host vehicle M.

The behavior plan generating unit 140 may change an event already determined for the current section to another event or set a new event for the current section, depending on the surrounding conditions of the vehicle M recognized while the vehicle M is traveling. The behavior plan generating unit 140 may change an event already set for the current section to another event or set a new event for the current section, depending on the operation of the occupant on the HMI 30. The behavior plan generating unit 140 generates a target trajectory according to the set event.

The action plan generation unit 140 also includes, for example, a behavior control unit 142 and an estimation unit 144. Details of these functions will be described later.

The second control unit 160 controls the driving force output device 200, the brake device 210, and the steering device 220 so that the host vehicle M passes through the target trajectory generated by the action plan generation unit 140 at the scheduled time.

The second control unit 160 includes, for example, a target trajectory acquisition unit 162, a speed control unit 164, and a steering control unit 166. The target trajectory acquisition unit 162 acquires information on the target trajectory (trajectory points) generated by the action plan generation unit 140 and stores it in a memory (not shown). The speed control unit 164 controls the driving force output device 200 or the brake 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 curvature of the target trajectory stored in the memory. The processing of the speed control unit 164 and the steering control unit 166 is realized, for example, by 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 radius of curvature (or curvature) of the road ahead of the vehicle M and feedback control based on the deviation from the target trajectory.

The HMI control unit 180 notifies the occupant of predetermined information through the HMI 30. The predetermined information includes, for example, information related to the driving of the vehicle M, such as information related to the state of the vehicle M and information related to driving control. The information related to the state of the vehicle M includes, for example, the speed of the vehicle M, the engine speed, the shift position, and the like. The information related to the driving control includes, for example, whether or not driving control is performed by automatic driving, information inquiring whether or not automatic driving is to be started, information related to changes in driving control, and information related to the status of driving control by automatic driving (for example, the contents of an event being performed). The information related to changes in driving control includes, for example, information indicating a change in the degree of automation, information indicating a point to be changed, and information requesting the driver to perform some or all of the driving operation in accordance with the change. The predetermined information may also include information unrelated to the driving control of the vehicle M, such as television programs, content (for example, movies) stored in a storage medium such as a DVD. The predetermined information may also include, for example, information related to the current position and destination of the vehicle M, and the remaining amount of fuel.

For example, the HMI control unit 180 may generate an image including the above-mentioned predetermined information and display the generated image on the display device of the HMI 30, or may generate a sound indicating the predetermined information and output the generated sound from the speaker of the HMI 30. The HMI control unit 180 may also output the information received by the HMI 30 to the communication device 20, the navigation device 50, the first control unit 120, etc. The HMI control unit 180 may also transmit various pieces of information to be output by the HMI 30 to a terminal device used by a user (passenger) of the vehicle M via the communication device 20. The terminal device is, for example, a smartphone or a tablet terminal.

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

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

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

[Functions of the forward vehicle recognition unit, the cutting-in vehicle recognition unit, the behavior control unit, and the estimation unit]
The following describes in detail the functions of the forward vehicle recognition unit 132, the cutting-in vehicle recognition unit 134, the behavior control unit 142, and the estimation unit 144 according to the embodiment. The forward vehicle recognition unit 132, the cutting-in vehicle recognition unit 134, the behavior control unit 142, and the estimation unit 144 are functions that are executed when, for example, an instruction to execute automatic driving is received from the driving changeover switch of the HMI 30 and the conditions for executing automatic driving are satisfied. Below, the driving control in the embodiment will be explained by dividing it into several scenes. Also, times t1 to t6 shown in the following drawings each represent a different time.

<Scene 1>
3 is a diagram for explaining driving control in the first scene. In the following description, the traveling direction of the vehicle on the road (the extension direction of the road) may be referred to as the X direction, and the width direction of the vehicle (the width direction of the road) may be referred to as the Y direction.

The road RD1 shown in FIG. 3 includes lanes L1 to L4. Lane L1 is a lane that is connected to lane L2. After lane L1 is connected to lane L2 at point P1, lane L1 is separated from lane L1 again at point P2, which is a predetermined distance D1 from point P1 in the X direction. Hereinafter, the section from point P1 to point P2 is referred to as a "connection section." The connection section is a merging section where a vehicle traveling on lane L1 can enter lane L2, and a vehicle traveling on lane L2 can enter lane L1. In addition, in the example of FIG. 3, zebra zones (guiding strips) Z1 and Z2 are provided in the connection section. Vehicles traveling on lane L1 and vehicles traveling on lane L2 can also enter from one lane to the other lane by traveling on the zebra zones (guiding strips) Z1 and Z2. The connection section may be a section that does not include zebra zones Z1 and Z2.

In addition, in the section where lane L1 and lane L2 are separated (hereinafter referred to as the "separation section"), partition bodies OB1 to OB4 are provided between the first lane L1 and the second lane L2. The partition bodies OB1 to OB4 are, for example, road structures such as walls, fences, and median strips that prevent vehicles from traveling. In the example of FIG. 3, the partition bodies OB1 and OB4 are road structures such as walls and fences that prevent a vehicle in one lane (for example, lane L2) from recognizing a vehicle in the other lane (for example, lane L1) across the partition bodies OB1 and OB4 by the recognition unit 130. In addition, the partition bodies OB2 and OB3 are median strips that allow a vehicle in one lane to recognize a vehicle in the other lane across the partition bodies OB2 and OB3 by the recognition unit 130.

In the example of FIG. 3, the host vehicle M1 is traveling in lane L2 at a speed VM, and the other vehicle m1 is traveling in the same lane as the host vehicle M1 (hereinafter referred to as the host lane) and in front of the host vehicle M at a speed Vm1. In the example of FIG. 3, the position and speed of the host vehicle M at time t1 are represented as M(t1) and VM(t1), and the position and speed of the other vehicle m1 at time t1 are represented as M(t1) and VM(t1). In the subsequent figures, the position and speed of the vehicle at a given time are represented based on the same definition.

The recognition unit 130 recognizes objects present around the vehicle M (for example, within a predetermined distance from the vehicle M). In the example of FIG. 3, the recognized objects include, for example, another vehicle m1 and partitions OB1 to OB4. The objects recognized by the recognition unit 130 may also include zebra zones Z1 and Z2 and lanes of the road RD1. The recognition unit 130 may recognize the above-mentioned objects based on the results of recognition by an external sensor, or may obtain information about the road RD1 by referring to map information based on the position information of the vehicle M obtained from the vehicle sensor 40 or the GNSS receiver 51. The recognition unit 130 may also recognize the lighting state of turn signals (blinkers) of other vehicles present in the vicinity based on images captured by the camera 10, etc. A turn signal is, for example, a device for notifying the surroundings of the vehicle that the vehicle is moving laterally, such as when changing lanes or turning right or left.

The forward vehicle recognition unit 132 recognizes, among the other vehicles recognized by the recognition unit 130, a forward vehicle traveling in front of the host vehicle M. For example, the forward vehicle recognition unit 132 sets, as a forward vehicle, a vehicle traveling in the same lane as the host vehicle L2, present in front of the host vehicle M, and with a vehicle distance D2 within a first threshold value.

The cutting-in vehicle recognition unit 134 recognizes a cutting-in vehicle that cuts in ahead of the vehicle M. For example, the cutting-in vehicle recognition unit 134 recognizes whether or not there is a vehicle in an adjacent lane adjacent to the vehicle's own lane among the other vehicles recognized by the recognition unit 130. Next, when the cutting-in vehicle recognition unit 134 recognizes the presence of another vehicle in the adjacent lane, it recognizes the behavior of the other vehicle from the position information and speed information of the recognized other vehicle, and determines whether or not the other vehicle will cut in ahead of the vehicle M. For example, the front of the vehicle M is within a range where the distance in the forward direction from the vehicle M is within a second threshold value. The cutting-in vehicle recognition unit 134 sets the other vehicle that satisfies the above conditions as a cutting-in vehicle, and does not set the other vehicle as a cutting-in vehicle if the above conditions are not satisfied.

In the example of FIG. 3, the forward vehicle recognition unit 132 sets the other vehicle m1 as a forward vehicle when the inter-vehicle distance D2 is within a first threshold value, and does not set the other vehicle m1 as a forward vehicle when the inter-vehicle distance D2 is greater than the first threshold value. In the example of FIG. 3, it is assumed that the other vehicle m1 is recognized as a forward vehicle. Also, in the example of FIG. 3, it is assumed that there is no other vehicle that is set as a cutting-in vehicle by the cutting-in vehicle recognition unit 134. The recognition results by the recognition unit 130, the forward vehicle recognition unit 132, and the cutting-in vehicle recognition unit 134 are stored in the memory unit 190 as other vehicle behavior information 192 in association with time information.

In this case, the behavior control unit 142 generates an action plan in which the speed is controlled based on the speed Vm1 of the other vehicle m1 so that the vehicle distance D2 is within a predetermined distance range while following the other vehicle m1. The predetermined distance is, for example, a distance that is variably set depending on the speed vm1 of the other vehicle m1 and the road environment. In the example of FIG. 3, at time t1, driving control is executed to make the host vehicle M follow the other vehicle m1. Note that in the first scene, the driving control unit continues the driving control to make the host vehicle M follow the other vehicle m1 even within the connection section.

<Second Scene>
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the driving control in the second scene. The second scene shows a scene where the other vehicle m1 is no longer set as a forward vehicle by the forward vehicle recognition unit 132 at time t2 after the host vehicle time t1. In this case, since the forward vehicle is not set by the forward vehicle recognition unit 132, the behavior control unit 142 controls the speed of the host vehicle M so that the host vehicle M travels at a predetermined speed. The predetermined speed may be, for example, the legal speed of the road on which the host vehicle M travels, or may be a target speed that is determined in advance or set by the occupant or the system side. In addition, when the host vehicle M travels in a connection section, the behavior control unit 142 reserves the setting (adjustment) of the speed VM of the host vehicle M to the predetermined speed for a predetermined time, and then adjusts the speed VM or acceleration. The predetermined time may be, for example, a fixed time, or may be variably set according to the speed Vm or acceleration of the host vehicle M, and surrounding conditions (for example, road shape, position and behavior of other vehicles).

For example, as in the first scene, when the other vehicle m1 is set as the forward vehicle by the forward vehicle recognition unit 132, the driving control unit executes the driving control of the ACC, and executes the following driving control based on the speed Vm1 (e.g., 40 [km/h]) of the other vehicle m1. Also, as in the second scene, when the other vehicle m1 is no longer set as the forward vehicle, if the vehicle M is traveling in the connection section, the driving control unit executes CC (Cruise Control) after suspending the change of the speed VM of the vehicle M to a predetermined speed for a predetermined time, and then performs acceleration control of the vehicle M so that the vehicle M travels at a target speed (e.g., 60 [km/h]). Note that, if the cutting-in vehicle recognition unit 134 does not recognize the cutting-in vehicle during the predetermined time, the behavior control unit 142 may control the speed of the vehicle M to the target speed at an acceleration relatively greater than a predetermined acceleration. Also, the speed VM or acceleration of the vehicle M during the reserved (predetermined time) may be set arbitrarily. Additionally, the acceleration during the hold may be set to a lower acceleration than the acceleration controlled after a predetermined time has elapsed (after the hold).

＜Scene 3＞
FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the driving control in the third scene. The third scene shows a scene where an intruding vehicle is recognized by the intruding vehicle recognition unit 134 at the same time t2 as the second scene (for example, the time when the other vehicle m1 is no longer set as a forward vehicle by the forward vehicle recognition unit 132). The other vehicle m2 is a vehicle that travels in the connection section at a speed Vm2 (t2) at time t2. The other vehicle m3 is a vehicle that travels behind the other vehicle m2 at a speed Vm3 (t2) at a position immediately before entering the connection section at time t2. The other vehicle m4 is a vehicle that travels behind the other vehicle m3 at a speed Vm4 (t2) in a separation section before the connection section at time t2.

In the third scenario, the cutting-in vehicle recognition unit 134 recognizes that the other vehicles m2 to m4 are about to enter the lane L2 from the lane L1 based on the speed information, position information, and turn signal illumination of the other vehicles m2 to m4. For example, when the behavior control unit 142 recognizes one or more other vehicles (e.g., other vehicles m2 to m4) entering (cutting in) the own lane L2 from the adjacent lane L1 adjacent to the own lane L2, the behavior control unit 142 controls the speed of the own vehicle M based on the behavior of the one or more other vehicles. For example, when the other vehicle m1 is no longer recognized as a preceding vehicle, the behavior control unit 142 suspends the setting of the speed VM of the own vehicle M to a predetermined speed for a predetermined time, but when a cutting-in vehicle is recognized that cuts in ahead of the own vehicle M, the behavior control unit 142 adjusts the speed VM or acceleration during the predetermined time based on the cutting-in vehicle.

For example, the cutting-in vehicle recognition unit 134 sets another vehicle to cut in front of the host vehicle M based on the speed information and position information of the vehicles m2 to m4. In the example of FIG. 5, the other vehicle m2 is set as the cutting-in vehicle. Even if the other vehicle m1 is no longer set as the forward vehicle by the forward vehicle recognition unit 132, when a cutting-in vehicle is recognized, the behavior control unit 142 suppresses the speed control of the host vehicle M to the target speed. In this case, the behavior control unit 142 controls the speed of the host vehicle M so as not to come into contact with the cutting-in vehicle based on the speed information and position information of the other vehicle m2, which is the cutting-in vehicle recognized by the cutting-in vehicle recognition unit 134. Furthermore, the behavior control unit 142 adjusts the speed VM or acceleration to control the speed so that the host vehicle M does not come into contact with the other vehicle based on the position information and speed information of vehicles (e.g., vehicles m3 and m4) other than the other vehicle m2 entering the host lane L2.

In this case, the cutting-in vehicle recognition unit 134 derives an index value for quantifying the risk of contact (or interference) between the vehicle M and the other vehicles m2 to m4, for example, based on the relative speed and relative position of the other vehicles m2 to m4. The index value includes, for example, at least one of the speed of the vehicle M and the other vehicles m2 to m4, the time to collision (TTC) between the vehicle M and the other vehicles m2 to m4, and the time headway (THW) between the vehicle M and the other vehicles m2 to m4. The TTC is, for example, the time until the vehicle M contacts the reference position of the other vehicle (for example, the end closest to the vehicle M). The THW is, for example, the time from when the other vehicle passes a predetermined position to when the vehicle M passes a predetermined position. The predetermined position is a position in the traveling direction of the road RD1 (for example, points P1, P2, etc.). The cutting-in vehicle recognition unit 134 may derive one or both of the TTC and THW, for example, by distinguishing between the travel direction (longitudinal direction) of road RD1 and the road width direction (lateral direction).

The behavior control unit 142 also controls the speed of the host vehicle M based on the derived index value. Figure 6 is a diagram for explaining the risk of contact using the relative relationship between TTC and THW. In the example of Figure 6, the horizontal axis shows THW [s], and the vertical axis shows TTC [s]. In the example of Figure 6, the THW and TTC positions of other vehicles m2 to m4 are plotted when the host vehicle M is used as the reference (center of the two axes). In the example of Figure 6, when THW is a negative value, this is when the host vehicle M passes a predetermined position before the other vehicles.

Here, the areas AR1 and AR2 are areas where it is estimated that there is a high risk (above a reference value) of contact with the vehicle M when another vehicle merges into the vehicle lane L2. In the example of FIG. 6, the plot position of the vehicle m3 is included in the areas AR1 and AR2, so there is a high risk of contact between the vehicle M and the vehicle m3. Therefore, the behavior control unit 142 performs speed control by accelerating and decelerating so as not to contact the vehicle m3. In this case, the behavior control unit 142 performs control by the above-mentioned speed control so that the vehicles m2 and m4 are not included in the areas AR1 and AR2. This allows the vehicle M to suppress the risk of contact with a merging vehicle that merges into the vehicle lane L2 and perform more appropriate driving control. In addition, even if the vehicle m1 is no longer set as a forward vehicle by the forward vehicle recognition unit 132, the speed control to the target speed is immediately suppressed, so that smoother driving can be achieved.

In the third scenario, the behavior control unit 142 performed speed control based on the relative relationship between the TTC and THW, but the speed control of the host vehicle M may also be performed based on the relative relationship between the speed difference and THW, or the relative relationship between the speed difference and the TTC.

In the above example, instead of determining whether a vehicle is cutting in and deriving the collision risk for each of vehicles m2 to m4, the cutting in vehicle recognition unit 134 may treat vehicles traveling at intervals of less than a predetermined distance as a group of vehicles, and perform the determination of whether a vehicle is cutting in and the collision list for the group of vehicles. This can reduce the processing load compared to determining whether a vehicle is cutting in and deriving the collision risk for each vehicle.

＜Scene 4＞
FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the driving control in the fourth scene. The fourth scene shows the state of the driving control of the host vehicle M at time t3. In the example of FIG. 7, the host vehicle M is shown entering a connection section, and the host vehicle M is traveling on the lane L2 at a speed VM (t3), the other vehicle m5 is traveling on the lane L2 at a speed Vm5 (t3), the other vehicle m6 is traveling on the lane L3 adjacent to the host lane L2 at a speed Vm6 (t3), and the other vehicle m7 is traveling on the lane L1 adjacent to the host lane L2 at a speed Vm7 (t3). The other vehicles m5 to m7 are vehicles traveling ahead of the host vehicle M. In addition, in the example of FIG. 7, the relationship between the speeds of the host vehicle M and the other vehicles m5 to m7 is such that the speed of VM (t3) is the largest, followed by Vm7 (t3), Vm6 (t3), and Vm5 (t3).

In the example of FIG. 7, if the other vehicles m6 and m7 do not exist, the behavior control unit 142 controls the speed of the host vehicle M based on the speed Vm5 (t3) of the other vehicle m5 so that the vehicle distance D3 between the host vehicle M and the other vehicle m5 traveling ahead in the same lane is within a predetermined distance range and the host vehicle M travels following the other vehicle m5. However, the other vehicle m6 has a turn signal for changing lanes on the left side, and is highly likely to cut in between the host vehicle M and the other vehicle m5 based on the positional relationship and speed relationship between the host vehicle M and the other vehicle m5. Therefore, the cutting-in vehicle recognition unit 134 sets the other vehicle m6 as a cutting-in vehicle. In this case, the behavior control unit 142 controls the speed of the other vehicle m6 set as the cutting-in vehicle so that the host vehicle M does not come into contact with the other vehicle m6. The behavior control unit 142 may also control the host vehicle M to change lanes from lane L2 to lane L3. This allows for smooth traffic flow in the connecting section without interfering with the travel of other vehicles L6.

In the example of FIG. 7, when vehicle m7 is present, the cutting-in vehicle recognition unit 134 sets the other vehicle m7 as a cutting-in vehicle. The other vehicle m7 is traveling at a higher speed than the other vehicles m5 and m6. Therefore, the behavior control unit 142 performs control to decelerate the host vehicle M when a high-speed moving vehicle merging into the host lane L2 is present. The behavior control unit 142 may also change lanes from lane L2 to L3 so that the other vehicle m7 can smoothly merge into lane L2. This allows the host vehicle M to avoid contact with other vehicles in the connection section (merging section), and to suppress frequent fluctuations in the speed (acceleration and deceleration) of the host vehicle M, thereby realizing smoother driving control.

＜Scene 5＞
FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining driving control in the fifth scene. The fifth scene shows the state of driving control of the host vehicle M at time t4. In the example of FIG. 8, the host vehicle M and other vehicles m10 to m14 exist. The host vehicle M runs on the lane L2 at a speed VM (t4), the other vehicles m10 and m11 run on the lane L2 at speeds Vm10 (t4) and Vm11 (t4), respectively, the other vehicle m12 runs on the lane L1 at a speed Vm12 (t4), and the other vehicles m13 and m14 run on the lane L3 at speeds Vm13 (t4) and Vm14 (t4). The other vehicles m10 to m13 are vehicles running ahead of the host vehicle M, and the other vehicle m14 is a vehicle running behind the host vehicle M.

In the fifth scene, at time t4, the host vehicle M stops following the other vehicle m11 at a predetermined distance range D4 and changes lanes to lane L3. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a state in which the host vehicle M is changing lanes. The example of FIG. 9 shows a state in which the host vehicle M is changing lanes from lane L2 to lane L3 in accordance with the traveling direction to the destination at time t5 after time t4. For example, at time t5, the host vehicle M changes lanes by steering control by the steering control unit 166. At this time, the other vehicle m11 that was being followed is no longer set as the preceding vehicle, so there is no vehicle to which the host vehicle M can perform speed control. In this case, the estimation unit 144 refers to the other vehicle behavior information 192 stored in the storage unit 190, and estimates the behavior of the other vehicle m11 after it is no longer recognized as a forward vehicle, based on the behavior of the other vehicle m11 that was previously set as a forward vehicle. The behavior control unit 142 then controls the speed of the host vehicle M based on the behavior of the other vehicle m11 estimated by the estimation unit 144. This allows the speed control and steering control of the host vehicle M to be performed more smoothly, based on the behavior of the other vehicle that was previously being followed.

The estimation unit 144 may estimate the behavior of surrounding vehicles (e.g., other vehicles m11, m13, m15) recognized by the recognition unit 130 instead of (or in addition to) the other vehicle m11 recognized as a forward vehicle by the forward vehicle recognition unit 132, and perform speed control and steering control of the host vehicle M based on the estimated behavior. In this case, the behavior control unit 142 controls the speed of the host vehicle M based on, for example, an average speed obtained by averaging the speeds of multiple other vehicles. This makes it possible to realize smoother driving control according to the behavior of surrounding vehicles and the traffic flow on the road.

＜Scene 6＞
FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the driving control in the sixth scene. FIG. 10 shows the state of the host vehicle M and the other vehicles m15 to m18 at time t6. The example of FIG. 10 shows a scene in which the host vehicle M changes lanes from lane L1 to lane L2 in the connection section. In the example of FIG. 10, the other vehicle m15 changes lanes from lane L1 to lane L2 at a speed of Vm15 (t6), the other vehicle m16 changes lanes from lane L2 to lane L3 at a speed of Vm16 (t6), the other vehicle m17 travels on lane L2 at a speed of Vm17 (t6), and the other vehicle m18 travels on lane L3 at a speed of Vm18 (t6). The other vehicles m17 and m18 are rear vehicles of the host vehicle M.

Before time t6, the host vehicle M was traveling following the other vehicle m15. After that, when the host vehicle M changes lanes from lane L1 to lane L2 at time t6, the other vehicle m15 is no longer set as a forward vehicle by the forward vehicle recognition unit 132. In this case, the estimation unit 144 refers to the other vehicle behavior information 192 stored in the memory unit 190, and estimates the behavior from time t6 onwards from the behavior of the other vehicles m15 to m18 up to that point. The behavior control unit 142 then performs speed control and steering control of the host vehicle M based on the behavior of the other vehicles m15 to m18 estimated by the estimation unit 144.

In other words, the driving control in this embodiment can also be applied when the host vehicle M merges into a merging section, and by performing the above-described control, more appropriate driving control can be executed. Furthermore, by performing the above-described control, the host vehicle M can continue to be automatically driven in the merging section.

[Processing flow]
Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed by the automatic driving control device 100 of the embodiment. In the example of Fig. 11, the processing executed by the automatic driving control device 100 will be mainly described, focusing on processing for performing speed control in a merging section (connecting section) or the like. In addition, the processing shown in Fig. 11 may be repeatedly executed at a predetermined timing or at a predetermined cycle, for example, during execution of automatic driving.

In the example of FIG. 11, first, the recognition unit 130 recognizes the surroundings of the host vehicle M (step S100). The processing of step S100 includes the recognition processing of the vehicle ahead by the vehicle ahead recognition unit 132 and the recognition processing of the cutting-in vehicle by the cutting-in vehicle recognition unit 134. Next, the behavior control unit 142 determines whether or not there is another vehicle set as a vehicle ahead by the vehicle ahead recognition unit 132 among the other vehicles recognized by the recognition unit 130 (step S102). If it is determined that there is another vehicle set as a vehicle ahead, the behavior control unit 142 controls the speed of the host vehicle so as to follow the vehicle ahead based on the speed of the vehicle ahead (step S104).

In addition, if it is determined in the process of step S102 that there is no other vehicle set as a forward vehicle, the behavior control unit 142 determines whether or not the other vehicle that was previously set as a forward vehicle by the forward vehicle recognition unit 132 is no longer recognized (set) as a forward vehicle (step S106). If it is determined that the other vehicle that was previously set as a forward vehicle is no longer recognized as a forward vehicle, the behavior control unit 142 suspends setting (adjusting) the speed of the host vehicle M to a predetermined speed (e.g., a target speed or a legal speed) for a predetermined time (step S108). Next, the behavior control unit 142 determines whether or not a cutting-in vehicle exists during the above-mentioned predetermined time based on the recognition result of the cutting-in vehicle recognition unit 134 (step S110). If it is determined that a cutting-in vehicle exists, the behavior control unit 142 adjusts the speed or acceleration during the predetermined time based on the behavior of the cutting-in vehicle (step S112).

In addition, if it is determined in the processing of step S106 that the other vehicle that was previously set as the vehicle ahead has not become unrecognized, or if it is determined in the processing of step S110 that there is no cutting-in vehicle ahead of the vehicle M during the predetermined time, or after the processing of step S112, the behavior control unit 142 controls the speed of the vehicle M to a predetermined speed (step S114).

After processing step S104 or step S114, the automatic driving control device 100 judges whether or not to end the driving control (step S116). If it is judged that the driving control should not be ended, the process returns to step S100. If it is judged that the driving control should be ended due to an instruction from an occupant (for example, an instruction to switch to manual driving using a driving changeover switch), the process of this flowchart ends.

[Modification]
In the above-described embodiment, the automatic driving control device 100 has been described as controlling the host vehicle M, but instead of (or in addition to) this, the above-described processing related to driving control may be applied to a driving assistance device that assists driving performed by an occupant of the host vehicle M. Below, an example in which the above-described driving control is applied to a driving assistance device will be described, focusing on differences from the embodiment using the automatic driving control device 100.

Figure 12 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a vehicle system 2 including a driving assistance device 110. Compared to vehicle system 1, vehicle system 2 shown in Figure 12 includes a driving assistance device 110 instead of an automatic driving control device 100. The driving assistance device 110 is an example of a "vehicle control device". The driving assistance device 110 includes, for example, a recognition unit 130, an assistance control unit 112, an HMI control unit 180, and a memory unit 190. The recognition unit 130 includes a forward vehicle recognition unit 132 and an in-coming vehicle recognition unit 134, similar to the recognition unit 130 of the automatic driving control device 100.

The assistance control unit 112 assists the occupant of the vehicle M in driving. The assistance is, for example, a function in which at least one of the speed or steering of the vehicle M is controlled by the driving assistance device 110. The assistance control unit 112, for example, executes ACC, CC, ALC, or LKAS as driving assistance for the occupant. The assistance control unit 112 also includes, for example, a behavior control unit 113 and an estimation unit 114. The behavior control unit 113 assists the occupant in operating the vehicle based on the recognition results of the forward vehicle recognition unit 132 and the cut-in vehicle recognition unit 134 in the same manner as the behavior control unit 142 described above, and controls one or both of the speed and steering of the vehicle M. The estimation unit 114 also estimates the behavior of other vehicles present in the vicinity of the vehicle M in the same manner as the estimation unit 144 described above. The behavior control unit 113 assists the occupant in operating the vehicle based on the results of the estimation by the estimation unit 114, and controls one or both of the speed and steering of the vehicle M. The process executed by the driving assistance device 110 can be the same as the process executed by the automated driving control device 100 described above (more specifically, the process in which the behavior control unit 142 is replaced with the behavior control unit 113), so a detailed description will be omitted here.

According to the above-described embodiment, the automatic driving control device 100 or the driving assistance device 110 (an example of a vehicle control device) includes a recognition unit 130 that recognizes the surroundings of the host vehicle M, and a driving control unit (action plan generation unit 140, second control unit 160) that controls the speed of the host vehicle M based on the speed of the vehicle in front when the other vehicle recognized by the recognition unit 130 is set as the vehicle in front, and controls the speed of the host vehicle M to a predetermined speed when the other vehicle is not set as the vehicle in front. When the other vehicle set as the vehicle in front is no longer set as the vehicle in front, the driving control unit suspends the setting to the predetermined speed for a predetermined time and adjusts the speed or acceleration of the host vehicle M, and when a vehicle that cuts in front of the host vehicle M is recognized by the recognition unit 130, the speed or acceleration of the host vehicle M during the predetermined time is adjusted based on the cut-in vehicle, thereby making it possible to more appropriately control the driving of the host vehicle M according to the surrounding conditions.

Specifically, according to the embodiment, when the host vehicle M loses the vehicle ahead due to a change in the behavior of the host vehicle M or the vehicle ahead, the host vehicle M does not immediately accelerate to a predetermined speed (e.g., the legal speed), but instead takes into consideration the change in the surrounding situation and refrains from performing acceleration control for a while, or controls the speed of the host vehicle M based on the other vehicle (cutting in vehicle) merging into the host vehicle M, thereby suppressing sudden deceleration of the host vehicle M in a merging lane, lane changing section, etc.

[Hardware configuration]
FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the automatic driving control device 100 of the embodiment. As shown in the figure, the computer of the automatic driving control device 100 is configured such that a communication controller 100-1, a CPU 100-2, a RAM 100-3 used as a working memory, a ROM 100-4 storing a boot program, etc., a storage device 100-5 such as a flash memory or HDD, a drive device 100-6, etc. are connected to each other by an internal bus or a dedicated communication line. The communication controller 100-1 communicates with components other than the automatic driving control device 100. A portable storage medium (for example, a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium) such as an optical disk is attached to the drive device 100-6. The storage device 100-5 stores a program 100-5a executed by the CPU 100-2. This program is deployed to the RAM 100-3 by a DMA (Direct Memory Access) controller (not shown) or the like, and executed by the CPU 100-2. The program 100-5a referenced by the CPU 100-2 may be stored in a portable storage medium attached to the drive device 100-6, or may be downloaded from another device via a network. This realizes some or all of the components of the automatic driving control device 100. The hardware shown in FIG. 13 can also be applied to the driving assistance device 110 instead of the automatic driving control device 100.

The above-described embodiment can be expressed as follows.
A storage device storing a program;
a hardware processor;
The hardware processor executes the program stored in the storage device,
Recognize the surroundings of your vehicle,
When the recognized other vehicle is set as a preceding vehicle, the speed of the host vehicle is controlled based on the speed of the preceding vehicle.
When the other vehicle is not set as a forward vehicle, the speed of the host vehicle is controlled so that the host vehicle reaches a predetermined speed;
When the other vehicle that has been set as the preceding vehicle is no longer set as the preceding vehicle, the setting of the predetermined speed is suspended for a predetermined period of time, and the speed or acceleration of the host vehicle is adjusted;
When a cutting-in vehicle that cuts in ahead of the host vehicle is recognized, the speed or acceleration of the host vehicle during the predetermined time is adjusted based on the cutting-in vehicle.
The vehicle control device is configured as follows.

The above describes the form for carrying out the present invention using an embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and various modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

1, 2...vehicle system, 10...camera, 12...radar device, 14...LIDAR, 16...object recognition device, 20...communication device, 30...HMI, 40...vehicle sensor, 50...navigation device, 60...MPU, 80...driving operator, 100...automatic driving control device, 110...driving support device, 112...support control unit, 113, 142...behavior control unit, 114, 144...estimation unit, 120...first control unit, 130...recognition unit, 132...forward vehicle recognition unit, 134...cut-in vehicle recognition unit, 140...action plan generation unit, 160...second control unit, 162...target trajectory acquisition unit, 164...speed control unit, 166...steering control unit, 180...HMI control unit, 190...storage unit, 200...driving force output device, 210...brake device, 220...steering device

Claims (8)

A recognition unit that recognizes the surroundings of the host vehicle;
a driving control unit that controls a speed of the host vehicle based on a speed of the other vehicle recognized by the recognition unit when the other vehicle recognized by the recognition unit is set as a preceding vehicle, and controls a speed of the host vehicle so that the host vehicle becomes a predetermined speed when the other vehicle recognized by the recognition unit is not set as a preceding vehicle,
the driving control unit, when the other vehicle set as the forward vehicle is no longer set as the forward vehicle, suspends the setting of the predetermined speed for a predetermined time and adjusts the speed or acceleration of the host vehicle;
When the recognition unit recognizes a cutting-in vehicle that cuts in ahead of the host vehicle, the speed or acceleration of the host vehicle during the predetermined time is adjusted based on the cutting-in vehicle ,
the driving control unit, when the host vehicle is traveling in a merging section, in a case where the other vehicle set as the preceding vehicle is no longer set as the preceding vehicle and the cutting-in vehicle is recognized by the recognition unit, suppresses controlling the speed of the host vehicle to the predetermined speed.
Vehicle control device. The driving control unit controls a speed of the host vehicle based on speed information and position information of the cutting-in vehicle recognized by the recognition unit.
The vehicle control device according to claim 1. When the cutting-in vehicle is not recognized by the recognition unit within the predetermined time, the driving control unit controls the speed of the host vehicle to become the predetermined speed at an acceleration relatively greater than the acceleration.
The vehicle control device according to claim 1 or 2. the driving control unit, when the other vehicle set as the preceding vehicle is no longer set as the preceding vehicle and when the recognition unit recognizes one or more other vehicles entering the own lane from an adjacent lane adjacent to the own lane, controls the speed of the own vehicle based on the behavior of the one or more other vehicles.
The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. an estimation unit that, when the other vehicle set as the preceding vehicle is no longer set as the preceding vehicle, estimates a behavior of the other vehicle after it is no longer recognized by the recognition unit from past time-series data of the other vehicle;
The driving control unit controls a behavior of the host vehicle based on the behavior of the other vehicle estimated by the estimation unit.
The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 . the driving control unit, when the other vehicle set as the preceding vehicle is no longer set as the preceding vehicle and when the cutting-in vehicle is recognized by the recognition unit, controls the speed of the host vehicle based on a relationship between a contact margin time and a headway time between the cutting-in vehicle and the host vehicle.
The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 . The computer
Recognize the surroundings of your vehicle,
When the recognized other vehicle is set as a preceding vehicle, the speed of the host vehicle is controlled based on the speed of the preceding vehicle.
When the other vehicle is not set as a forward vehicle, the speed of the host vehicle is controlled so that the host vehicle reaches a predetermined speed;
When the other vehicle that has been set as the preceding vehicle is no longer set as the preceding vehicle, the setting of the predetermined speed is suspended for a predetermined period of time, and the speed or acceleration of the host vehicle is adjusted;
the speed or acceleration of the host vehicle during the predetermined time is adjusted based on a cutting-in vehicle when a cutting-in vehicle that cuts in ahead of the host vehicle is recognized ;
When the vehicle is traveling in a merging section, if the other vehicle that was set as the preceding vehicle is no longer set as the preceding vehicle and the cutting-in vehicle is recognized, the vehicle speed of the vehicle is suppressed from being controlled to the predetermined speed.
A vehicle control method. On the computer,
Recognize the surroundings of your vehicle,
When the recognized other vehicle is set as a preceding vehicle, the speed of the host vehicle is controlled based on the speed of the preceding vehicle;
When the other vehicle is not set as a forward vehicle, the speed of the host vehicle is controlled so as to become a predetermined speed;
When the other vehicle that has been set as the preceding vehicle is no longer set as the preceding vehicle, the setting of the predetermined speed is suspended for a predetermined period of time, and the speed or acceleration of the host vehicle is adjusted;
When a cutting-in vehicle that cuts in ahead of the host vehicle is recognized, the speed or acceleration of the host vehicle during the predetermined time is adjusted based on the cutting-in vehicle ;
When the vehicle is traveling in a merging section, if the other vehicle that was set as the preceding vehicle is no longer set as the preceding vehicle and the cutting-in vehicle is recognized, suppressing the speed of the vehicle from being controlled to the predetermined speed.
program.

Images