JP2019114188A - Vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a program, capable of achieving more flexible automatic operation while communicating with the driver of another vehicle.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires information indicating a gesture of an occupant of another vehicle; a determination unit that determines whether the gesture indicated by the information acquired by the acquisition unit is a prescribed gesture; and an operation control unit that controls one or both of steering and acceleration/deceleration of an own vehicle, and performs a prescribed control when it is determined that the gesture indicated by the information is the prescribed gesture by the determination unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

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

  An image of the other vehicle is taken by the camera, it is determined from the captured image whether the driver of the other vehicle is in the forward careless state, and if it is in the forward careless state, an alert to the driver of the other vehicle is The technique to emit is known (for example, refer to patent documents 1).

JP 2017-84157 A

  However, the prior art has not been considered about automatically controlling the vehicle while attempting to communicate with the driver of the other vehicle.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and a vehicle control apparatus and a vehicle control method capable of realizing more flexible automatic driving while attempting to communicate with drivers of other vehicles. And to provide one of the programs.

  (1): an acquisition unit that acquires information indicating a gesture of an occupant of another vehicle, a determination unit that determines whether the gesture indicated by the information acquired by the acquisition unit is a predetermined gesture, and The operation control unit controls one or both of steering and acceleration of the vehicle, and when the determination unit determines that the gesture indicated by the information is the predetermined gesture, performs predetermined control. And a driving control unit.

  (2): The vehicle control device according to (1) further includes a detection unit that detects the steering wheel installed in the other vehicle and detects a gesture of an occupant closest to the detected steering wheel, An acquisition unit acquires the detection result of the detection unit as information indicating a gesture of an occupant of the other vehicle.

  (3): The vehicle control device according to (1) or (2) is that the communication unit performing inter-vehicle communication with another vehicle and the determination unit indicate that the gesture indicated by the information is the predetermined gesture. And a communication control unit that causes the communication unit to start the inter-vehicle communication and transmits predetermined information to the other vehicle.

  (4): The vehicle control device according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the operation control unit causes the determination unit to determine that the gesture indicated by the information is the predetermined gesture. When it is determined, vehicle control corresponding to the gesture is performed.

  (5): The acquisition unit acquires information indicating a gesture of an occupant of another vehicle, and the determination unit determines whether the gesture indicated by the information acquired by the acquisition unit is a predetermined gesture. The operation control unit controls one or both of steering and acceleration / deceleration of the host vehicle, and the determination unit determines that the gesture indicated by the information is the predetermined gesture. Vehicle control method.

  (6): The computer is made to acquire information indicating a gesture of an occupant of another vehicle, and it is determined whether the gesture indicated by the acquired information is a predetermined gesture, and steering or acceleration of the own vehicle A program for performing predetermined control when it is determined that one or both of the above are controlled and the gesture indicated by the information is the predetermined gesture.

  According to (1) to (6), it is possible to realize more flexible automatic driving while attempting to communicate with the driver of another vehicle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a block diagram of the vehicle system 1 using the vehicle control apparatus which concerns on embodiment. FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of a first control unit 120 and a second control unit 160. It is a figure which shows a mode that a target track | orbit is produced | generated based on a recommendation lane. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process performed by the automatic driving | operation control apparatus 100 of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the scene where a predetermined | prescribed gesture may be performed. It is a figure which shows an example of the scene where a predetermined | prescribed gesture may be performed. It is a figure which shows typically the gesture by the driver | operator of the other vehicle m. It is a figure which shows typically the gesture by the driver | operator of the other vehicle m. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen displayed on the display apparatus DP of the other vehicle m. It is a figure which shows the other example of the screen displayed on the display apparatus DP of the other vehicle m. It is a figure which shows an example of the information with which gesture and vehicle control were matched previously. It is a figure which shows an example of the scene where the driver of the other vehicle m performed the gesture B which is a predetermined | prescribed gesture. It is a figure which shows an example of the scene where the driver of the other vehicle m performed the gesture B which is a predetermined | prescribed gesture. It is a figure which shows the other example of the scene where a predetermined | prescribed gesture may be performed. It is a figure which shows the other example of the scene where a predetermined | prescribed gesture may be performed. It is a figure showing an example of the hardware constitutions of automatic operation control device 100 of an embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a program according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, the vehicle control device will be described as being applied to a vehicle capable of autonomous driving (autonomous driving). In the automatic driving, for example, one or both of the steering and the acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle is controlled to travel the vehicle without depending on the operation of the passenger who got on the vehicle. The automatic driving may include driving support such as ACC (Adaptive Cruse Control) and LKAS (Lane Keeping Assist).

[overall structure]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle system 1 using a vehicle control device according to an embodiment. The vehicle on which the vehicle system 1 is mounted is, for example, a vehicle such as a two-wheeled vehicle, a three-wheeled vehicle, or a four-wheeled vehicle, and a driving source thereof is an internal combustion engine such as a diesel engine or a gasoline engine, an electric motor, or a combination thereof. When the motor is provided, the motor operates using the power generated by the generator connected to the internal combustion engine or the discharge power of the secondary battery or the fuel cell.

  The vehicle system 1 includes, for example, a camera 10, a radar device 12, a finder 14, an object recognition device 16, a communication device 20, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 30, a vehicle sensor 40, and a navigation device 50; An MPU (Map Positioning Unit) 60, a driver 80, a lamp group 90, a horn (or horn) 92, an automatic driving control device 100, a traveling driving force output device 200, a brake device 210, a steering And an apparatus 220. These devices and devices are mutually connected 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 camera 10 is, for example, a digital camera using a solid-state imaging device such as a charge coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS). One or more cameras 10 are attached to any part of a vehicle (hereinafter referred to as a host vehicle M) on which the vehicle system 1 is mounted. When imaging the front, the camera 10 is attached to the top of the front windshield, the rear of the rearview mirror, or the like. For example, the camera 10 periodically and repeatedly captures the periphery of the vehicle M. The camera 10 may be a stereo camera.

  The radar device 12 emits radio waves such as millimeter waves around the host vehicle M and detects radio waves (reflected waves) reflected by the object to detect at least the position (distance and direction) of the object. One or more of the radar devices 12 are attached to any part of the host vehicle M. The radar device 12 may detect the position and the velocity of the object by a frequency modulated continuous wave (FM-CW) method.

  The finder 14 is a light detection and ranging (LIDAR). The finder 14 irradiates light around the host vehicle M and measures scattered light. The finder 14 detects the distance to the object based on the time from light emission to light reception. The light to be irradiated is, for example, pulsed laser light. One or more finders 14 are attached to any part of the host vehicle M.

  The object recognition device 16 performs sensor fusion processing on the detection result of a part or all of the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the finder 14 to recognize the position, type, speed, etc. of the object. The object recognition device 16 outputs the recognition result to the automatic driving control device 100. In addition, 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 it is, as necessary.

  The communication device 20 communicates with another vehicle m existing around the host vehicle M using, for example, a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, Bluetooth (registered trademark), DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication), or It communicates with various server devices via a wireless base station. The other vehicle m may be, for example, a vehicle on which automatic driving is performed as in the case of the host vehicle M, or may be a vehicle on which manual driving is performed, and there is no particular limitation. Unlike the above-described automatic driving, the manual driving means that the acceleration / deceleration and the steering of the own vehicle M are controlled in accordance with the operation of the occupant with respect to the driving operation element 80. The communication device 20 is an example of a “communication unit”.

  The HMI 30 presents various information to the occupant of the host vehicle M, and accepts input operation by the occupant. The HMI 30 includes various display devices, speakers, a buzzer, a touch panel, switches, keys, and the like.

  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 an angular velocity around the vertical axis, and an azimuth sensor that detects the direction of the host vehicle M.

  The navigation device 50 includes, for example, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 51, a navigation HMI 52, and a path determination unit 53, and stores the first map information 54 in a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or a flash memory. Hold The GNSS receiver 51 specifies the position of the host vehicle M based on the signal received from the GNSS satellite. The position of the host vehicle M may be identified or supplemented 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 entirely shared with the above-described HMI 30. The route determination unit 53, for example, a route from the position of the host vehicle M specified by the GNSS receiver 51 (or an arbitrary position input) to the destination input by the occupant using the navigation HMI 52 (hereinafter referred to as 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 represented 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 on-map route determined by the route determination unit 53 is output to the MPU 60. The navigation device 50 may also perform route guidance using the navigation HMI 52 based on the on-map route determined by the route determination unit 53. 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 a passenger. In addition, the navigation device 50 may transmit the current position and the destination to the navigation server via the communication device 20, and acquire the on-map route returned from the navigation server.

  The MPU 60 functions as, 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 provided from the navigation device 50 into a plurality of blocks (for example, in units of 100 [m] in the traveling direction of the vehicle), and refers to the second map information 62 for each block. Determine the recommended lanes. The recommended lane determination unit 61 determines which lane to travel from the left. The recommended lane determination unit 61 determines the recommended lane so that the host vehicle M can travel on a reasonable route for traveling to a branch destination when a branch point, a junction point, or the like exists in the route.

  The second map information 62 is map information that is more accurate than the first map information 54. The second map information 62 includes, for example, information on the center of the lane or information on the boundary of the lane. 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 as needed by accessing another device using the communication device 20.

  The operating element 80 includes, for example, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a shift lever, a steering wheel, a modified steering wheel, a joystick and other operating elements. A sensor for detecting the amount of operation or the presence or absence of an operation is attached to the driving operation element 80, and the detection result is the automatic driving control device 100 or the traveling driving force output device 200, the brake device 210, and the steering device. It is output to part or all of 220.

  The lamp group 90 includes, for example, a head lamp installed at the front end of the vehicle body of the host vehicle M, a rear lamp installed at the rear end, a hazard lamp, and the like. The horn 92 makes a sound.

  The automatic driving control device 100 includes, for example, a first control unit 120 and a second control unit 160. Each of the first control unit 120 and the second control unit 160 is realized, for example, when a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executes a program (software). In addition, some or all of these components may be hardware (circuits) such as LSI (Large Scale Integration), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), etc. Circuit (including circuitry) or may be realized by cooperation of software and hardware.

  FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the first control unit 120 and the second control unit 160. As shown in FIG. The first control unit 120 includes, for example, a recognition unit 130 and an action plan generation unit 140. The recognition unit 130 includes, for example, another vehicle occupant operation recognition unit 132. Further, the action plan generation unit 140 includes, for example, the other vehicle encounter time determination unit 142. What combined the camera 10, the object recognition apparatus 16, and the recognition part 130 is an example of a "detection part."

  The first control unit 120 implements, for example, a function by artificial intelligence (AI) and a function by a predetermined model in parallel. For example, in the “identify intersection” function, recognition of an intersection by deep learning etc. and recognition based on predetermined conditions (a signal capable of pattern matching, road marking, etc.) are executed in parallel, and both are performed. It is realized by scoring against and comprehensively evaluating. This ensures the reliability of automatic driving.

  The recognition unit 130 detects the position of an object in the vicinity of the host vehicle M, the state of the velocity, the acceleration, and the like based on information input from the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the finder 14 via the object recognition device 16. recognize. The objects include other vehicles m and stationary obstacles. The position of the object is recognized as, for example, a position on an absolute coordinate with a representative point (such as the center of gravity or the center of the drive axis) of the host vehicle M as an origin, and is used for control. The position of the object may be represented by a representative point such as the center of gravity or a corner of the object, or may be represented by a represented region. The "state" of an object may include the acceleration or jerk of the object, or "action state" (e.g. whether or not you are changing lanes or trying to change). Further, the recognition unit 130 recognizes the shape of a curve through which the host vehicle M passes from now on the basis of the captured image of the camera 10. The recognition unit 130 converts the shape of the curve from the captured image of the camera 10 to a real plane, and for example, information indicating the shape of the curve which is expressed using two-dimensional point sequence information or a model equivalent thereto. Output to the action plan generation unit 140.

  The recognition unit 130 also recognizes, for example, a lane in which the host vehicle M is traveling (traveling lane). For example, the recognition unit 130 may use a pattern of road division lines obtained from the second map information 62 (for example, an array of solid lines and broken lines) and road division lines around the host vehicle M recognized from an image captured by the camera 10 The traveling lane is recognized by comparing with the pattern of. The recognition unit 130 may recognize the traveling lane by recognizing a runway boundary (road boundary) including not only road division lines but also road division lines, road shoulders, curbs, median dividers, guard rails and the like. . In this recognition, the position of the host vehicle M acquired from the navigation device 50 or the processing result by the INS may be added. The recognition unit 130 also recognizes road markings drawn on a road surface such as a temporary stop line, road signs, obstacles, red lights, toll plazas, and other road events.

  The recognition unit 130 recognizes the position and orientation of the host vehicle M with respect to the traveling lane when recognizing the traveling lane. The recognition unit 130 is, for example, a deviation of the reference point of the host vehicle M from the center of the lane, and an angle formed by a line connecting the center of the lane in the traveling direction of the host vehicle M It may be recognized as an attitude. Also, instead of this, the recognition unit 130 sets the position of the reference point of the host vehicle M with respect to any one side end (road segment or road boundary) of the travel lane relative to the host vehicle M with respect to the travel lane. It may be recognized as

  In addition, the recognition unit 130 may derive recognition accuracy in the above-described recognition processing, and output the recognition accuracy to the action plan generation unit 140 as recognition accuracy information. For example, the recognition unit 130 generates recognition accuracy information based on the frequency at which a road marking can be recognized in a fixed period.

  Further, the other vehicle occupant motion recognition unit 132 of the recognition unit 130 specifies the other vehicle m from among the recognized objects, and recognizes the passenger on the other vehicle m. Then, the other-vehicle occupant's operation recognition unit 132 analyzes the recognized operation of the other occupant of the other vehicle m, and recognizes a gesture (or body language) indicating a specific meaning.

  The action plan generation unit 140 basically travels in the recommended lane determined by the recommended lane determination unit 61, and further determines events to be sequentially executed in automatic driving so as to correspond to the surrounding situation of the host vehicle M. Do. Events include, for example, a constant speed traveling event traveling on the same traveling lane at a constant speed, a following traveling event tracking a preceding vehicle, an overtaking event passing a leading vehicle, braking for avoiding approaching with an obstacle and / Or Avoiding events to steer, curve driving events to drive a curve, passing events passing predetermined points such as intersections, pedestrian crossings, crossings, etc., lane change events, merging events, branching events, automatic stop events, automatic driving There is a takeover event for ending and switching to the manual operation.

  The action plan generation unit 140 generates a target track along which the vehicle M travels in the future, in accordance with the activated event. The target trajectory includes, for example, a velocity component. For example, the target trajectory is expressed as a sequence of points (track points) to be reached by the vehicle M. The track point is a point to be reached by the vehicle M for every predetermined traveling distance (for example, several [m]) in road distance, and separately, for a predetermined sampling time (for example, about 0 comma [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 vehicle M at the sampling time for each predetermined sampling time. In this case, information on the target velocity and the target acceleration is expressed by the distance between the track points.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing how a target track is generated based on a recommended lane. As shown, the recommended lanes are set to be convenient to travel along the route to the destination. When the action plan generation unit 140 reaches a predetermined distance (may be determined according to the type of event) of the switching point of the recommended lane, it activates a passing event, a lane changing event, a branching event, a merging event and the like. When it is necessary to avoid an obstacle during the execution of each event, an avoidance trajectory is generated as illustrated.

  The action plan generation unit 140 determines the other vehicle encounter time determination unit 142 from the recognition unit 130 as information (hereinafter, gesture information) indicating a gesture of an occupant of the other vehicle m as a recognition result. Then, the other vehicle encounter time determination unit 142, for example, refers to the acquired gesture information and determines whether the gesture indicated by the information is a predetermined gesture. The other vehicle encounter time determination unit 142 is an example of the “acquisition unit” in the claims.

  When the other vehicle encounter time determination unit 142 determines that the gesture of the occupant is a predetermined gesture, the action plan generation unit 140 generates a new target trajectory, and outputs this to the second control unit 160.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 2, the second control unit 160 includes, for example, an acquisition unit 162, a speed control unit 164, and a steering control unit 166. The combination of the action plan generation unit 140, the speed control unit 164, and the steering control unit 166 is an example of the “operation control unit”.

  The acquisition unit 162 acquires information on the target trajectory (orbit point) generated by the action plan generation unit 140, and stores the information in the memory.

  The speed control unit 164 and the steering control unit 166 control the travel driving force output device 200, the brake device 210, and the like so that the vehicle M passes the target trajectory generated by the action plan generation unit 140 as scheduled. The steering device 220 is controlled.

  For example, the speed control unit 164 controls the traveling drive power output device 200 or the brake device 210 based on the speed component associated with the target track stored in the memory. The steering control unit 166 controls the steering device 220 according to the degree of curvature (for example, curvature) of the target track 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 combines feedforward control according to the curvature of the road ahead of the host vehicle M and feedback control based on the deviation from the target track.

  The device control unit 170 acquires the determination result of the other vehicle encounter time determination unit 142, outputs a command to the communication device 20 according to the determination result, and causes the communication device 20 to perform inter-vehicle communication with the other vehicle m. In addition, the device control unit 170 may operate the lamp group 90 or the horn 92 according to the determination result by the other vehicle encounter time determination unit 142. The device control unit 170 is an example of a “communication control unit”.

  The traveling driving force output device 200 outputs traveling driving force (torque) for the vehicle to travel to the driving wheels. The traveling driving force output device 200 includes, for example, a combination of an internal combustion engine, a motor, and a transmission, and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that controls these. The ECU controls the above configuration in accordance with the information input from the second control unit 160 or the information input from the drive 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 in accordance with the information input from the second control unit 160 or the information input from the drive 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 hydraulic pressure generated by the operation of the brake pedal included in the drive 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 the actuator according to the information input from the second control unit 160 to transmit the hydraulic pressure of the master cylinder to the cylinder It is also 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 steered wheels. The steering ECU drives the electric motor to change the direction of the steered wheels in accordance with the information input from the second control unit 160 or the information input from the drive operator 80.

Processing flow
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing executed by the automatic driving control apparatus 100 of the present embodiment. The processing of this flowchart is executed, for example, when the recognition unit 130 recognizes the other vehicle m. Also, the processing of this flowchart may be repeatedly executed, for example, at a predetermined cycle.

  First, the other vehicle occupant motion recognition unit 132 recognizes the recognized driver of the other vehicle m (step S100). The driver is, for example, an occupant seated in a seat closest to the steering wheel among one or more occupants who board the vehicle.

  For example, when the other-vehicle occupant operation recognition unit 132 recognizes an occupant over the window of the recognized other vehicle m, the other-vehicle occupant operation recognition unit 132 determines whether a steering wheel is present in front of a seat on which the occupant sits. When it is determined that the steering wheel is present in front of the seat on which the recognized occupant is seated, the other-vehicle occupant motion recognition unit 132 recognizes the occupant as a driver of the other vehicle m.

  Next, the other-vehicle occupant motion recognition unit 132 recognizes the movement of the body, such as the recognized driver's hand, head, and torso, as a gesture (step S102).

  Next, the other vehicle encounter time determination unit 142 acquires gesture information as a recognition result from the other vehicle occupant motion recognition unit 132, and based on the gesture information, the driver's gesture of the other vehicle m is a predetermined gesture. It is determined whether there is any (step S104).

  The predetermined gesture is, for example, a gesture in which the other vehicle m expresses that the vehicle will give way to a vehicle (including the host vehicle M) viewed from the other vehicle m and becoming another vehicle. Further, the predetermined gesture may be a gesture conventionally performed when the user gives the way, or may be a gesture for alerting an occupant of another vehicle. More specifically, the predetermined gesture is an operation such as raising a hand, waving a hand, pointing a palm or the back of a hand to another vehicle, pointing or speaking.

  5 and 6 are diagrams showing an example of a scene in which a predetermined gesture can be performed. The scene illustrated in the figure is a scene when an intersection without a traffic light is viewed from above. At such intersections, traffic rules called 4-way stop or all-way stop may be defined. In this traffic rule, a right of way (Right of Way) is given first to arrive at a stop line (SL in the drawing) of the intersection.

  In the illustrated example, the other vehicle m arrives at the temporary stop line SL earlier than the host vehicle M. In such a case, the other vehicle m that has arrived at the intersection first is given the priority 1st to enter the intersection first, and then the host vehicle M that has arrived at the intersection is given the priority 2nd to enter the intersection second Be If priority 2nd is given to the host vehicle M, that is, if the host vehicle M arrives at the intersection later than the other vehicle m, the action plan generation unit 140 is otherwise stopped in front of the temporary stop line SV A target track is generated that keeps the host vehicle M stopping on the temporary stop line SL of the host lane until the vehicle m starts moving. Thus, the vehicle M can enter the intersection in the order of priority given in accordance with the traffic rules.

  On the other hand, in the case of the 4-way stop, it is determined whether the driver of each vehicle arrived earlier or later, so when the own vehicle M and the other vehicle m arrive at the intersection at approximately the same timing, which vehicle In some cases, it may not be possible to precisely determine if there is a priority 1st to enter the intersection first. In such a case, generally, the drivers of the respective vehicles communicate with each other by gesture and decide the priority. Therefore, the automatic driving control apparatus 100 mounted on the host vehicle M recognizes the gesture of the driver of the other vehicle m, and enters the intersection later than the other vehicle m, or the other vehicle according to the recognized gesture Decide whether to enter the intersection earlier than m.

  FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 are diagrams schematically showing gestures by the driver of the other vehicle m. In the figure, ST represents a steering wheel, and DP represents a display device described later. As shown in the illustrated example, the driver of the other vehicle m raises his hand to a position where the driver of the host vehicle M can see (for example, a position where 80% or more of the arms can be seen through the door window) When waving in the horizontal direction (X direction in the figure), the other vehicle encounter time determination unit 142 determines that the gesture is a predetermined gesture that indicates that the other vehicle m gives way to the host vehicle M first. Do. In other words, the other vehicle encounter time determination unit 142 determines that the driver of the other vehicle m has abandoned the priority 1st.

  When the other vehicle encounter time determination unit 142 determines that the gesture of the driver of the other vehicle m is a predetermined gesture, the device control unit 170 causes the communication device 20 to use the other vehicle m with the driver recognized. Inter-vehicle communication is started (step S106).

  For example, the device control unit 170 controls the communication device 20 to transmit predetermined information to another vehicle m which is a communication partner of inter-vehicle communication. The predetermined information is, for example, information for notifying what action the vehicle M intends to take as a result of recognizing the gesture of the driver of the other vehicle m. For example, the other vehicle m which has received the predetermined information outputs the predetermined information via the display device DP or the speaker installed in the vehicle compartment. The device control unit 170 may omit the process of transmitting predetermined information when inter-vehicle communication is not established with the other vehicle m. Control for performing inter-vehicle communication with another vehicle m and transmitting predetermined information is an example of “predetermined control”.

  FIG. 9 is a view showing an example of a screen displayed on the display device DP of another vehicle m. In the illustrated example, on the screen of the display device DP, it is recognized that the gesture by the driver of the other vehicle m on the side of the host vehicle M is a gesture for asserting that the host vehicle M gives way first. It is displayed that the host vehicle M is scheduled to enter the intersection earlier than the other vehicle m. Thus, the driver of the other vehicle m can drive the vehicle in anticipation of the action of the host vehicle M.

  FIG. 10 is a view showing another example of the screen displayed on the display device DP of the other vehicle m. In the illustrated example, on the screen of the display device DP, it is recognized that the gesture by the driver of the other vehicle m on the side of the host vehicle M is a gesture that is customarily performed when the vehicle is handed over the road. It is displayed that it is decided to enter after waiting for the intersection approach of m. For example, a gesture that is customarily performed when given a way is a gesture in which the hand or the back of a hand is pointed to another vehicle while simply raising the hand. Generally, when you give the way to another vehicle that has a higher priority than your own vehicle, the driver of your own vehicle raises your hand to greet other vehicles who have given you the way by convention There is a case. Therefore, when the driver of the other vehicle m makes a gesture that merely raises his hand, the driver is highly likely to recognize that he has given the way to the host vehicle M, and the 4-way stop traffic rule Even in a situation where priority 1st is given to the host vehicle M and priority 2nd is given to the other vehicle m at the intersection where the second vehicle is applied, the other vehicle m may enter the intersection first. In such a case, the device control unit 170 notifies that the own vehicle M is on standby until the other vehicle m enters the intersection first as the predetermined information.

  Further, when the other-vehicle encounter determining unit 142 determines that the gesture of the driver of the other vehicle m is a predetermined gesture, the device control unit 170 causes the headlamps of the lamp group 90 to blink or to have a high beam. Turn on or turn on or off the hazard lamp. In addition, the device control unit 170 may sound the horn 92 when the other vehicle encounter time determination unit 142 determines that the gesture of the driver of the other vehicle m is a predetermined gesture. By such control, the driver of the other vehicle m is notified of predetermined information. The control of activating any one of the lamps of the lamp group 90 and ringing the horn 92 is another example of the "predetermined control".

  Next, when the other-vehicle encounter determination unit 142 determines that the gesture of the driver of the other vehicle m is a predetermined gesture, the action plan generation unit 140 generates a target trajectory corresponding to the type of the gesture. (Step S108). For example, the action plan generation unit 140 refers to the information in which the gesture and the vehicle control are associated in advance, and generates a target trajectory that realizes the vehicle control corresponding to the gesture. It is assumed that this information is stored in advance in a storage or memory. Controlling steering and acceleration / deceleration of the host vehicle M according to the target trajectory is another example of “predetermined control”.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of information in which the gesture and the vehicle control are associated in advance. For example, when the driver of another vehicle m is performing gestures A and C as a predetermined gesture, the action plan generation unit 140 generates a target trajectory for keeping the host vehicle M stopped. The target trajectory for maintaining the stop is, for example, a trajectory in which the target velocity determined as the velocity component is set to zero or near zero. The gesture A or C is, for example, a gesture that is customarily performed when the user gives the way. Therefore, even if the priority of the host vehicle M is higher than that of the other vehicle m, the action plan generation unit 140 generates a target track for keeping the host vehicle M stopped. Further, when the driver of the other vehicle m is performing the gesture B as the predetermined gesture, the action plan generation unit 140 generates a target trajectory for causing the host vehicle M to start moving. The target trajectory for starting is, for example, a trajectory determined to gradually increase the target velocity determined as the velocity component. In the case of the above-described example, the gesture B is, for example, a gesture in which the hand is raised to a position visible to the driver of the host vehicle M and the raised hand is shaken in the horizontal direction. In this manner, the automatic driving control apparatus 100 generates a target trajectory corresponding to the gesture, thereby making the automatic operation more flexible while communicating with the occupant of the other vehicle m without departing from the four-way stop traffic rule. You can drive.

  On the other hand, when the other vehicle encounter determination unit 142 determines that the gesture is not the predetermined gesture, the action plan generation unit 140 generates a target trajectory for causing the host vehicle M to travel according to the traffic rule (step S110). For example, when the host vehicle M has arrived at an intersection to which a 4-way stop is applied, another vehicle m has already arrived at the intersection, and when the host vehicle M is given a priority 2nd, an action plan is generated Unit 140 continues to stop self-vehicle M in front of pause line SL until another vehicle m stopped in front of pause line SL is given priority 1st, and other vehicle m starts A target trajectory to be started is generated while the host vehicle M is gradually accelerated later. This enables automatic driving in accordance with the 4-way stop traffic rules.

  In addition, in the process of S102, when the recognition unit 130 can not recognize the gesture of the driver of the other vehicle m, the action plan generation unit 140 determines that the own vehicle M is given the priority 2nd. Then, the process of S110 may be performed. By this, the processing of this flowchart ends.

  FIG. 12 and FIG. 13 are diagrams showing an example of a scene in which the driver of another vehicle m has made a gesture B which is a predetermined gesture. As described above, since the gesture B is a gesture for giving way to the host vehicle M (because it is a gesture for giving up the priority), the automatic driving control apparatus 100 causes the host vehicle M to which the priority 2nd is given. , It is made to enter the intersection earlier than the other vehicle m given the priority 1st.

  In the embodiment described above, the case where the predetermined gesture can be performed is the intersection to which the 4-way stop is applied, but the invention is not limited thereto. For example, other than basic traffic rules such as temporary stop It may be an intersection without a signal for which the rule of is not defined. For example, when another vehicle m is present when the host vehicle M enters such an intersection, the automatic driving control apparatus 100 causes the host vehicle M to enter the intersection according to the gesture of the driver of the other vehicle m. You may

  Also, a scene in which a predetermined gesture can be performed may be, for example, a 3-way junction such as a double-sided road or other traffic scenes.

  FIG. 14 and FIG. 15 are diagrams showing other examples of scenes where a predetermined gesture can be performed. In the illustrated example, a scene is shown when the chopsticks are viewed from the top. For example, the own lane LN1 in which the own vehicle M exists is a lane that strikes the straight lane LN2 in which the other vehicle m exists, and temporary stop regulation may be applied as a traffic rule. In this case, since the priority is given to the other vehicle m, the host vehicle M has to stop temporarily in front of the temporary stop line SL and wait for the other vehicle m to pass, but the driver of the other vehicle m In some cases, the vehicle M may give way. Therefore, when the autonomous driving control device 100 enters straight lane LN2 which is a priority road on a double-sided road, the automatic driving control device 100 recognizes the gesture of the driver of the other vehicle m present in the straight lane LN2. The autonomous driving control apparatus 100 determines whether the gesture of the driver of the other vehicle m is a predetermined gesture, and if the gesture of the driver of the other vehicle m is a predetermined gesture, the predetermined operation is performed on the other vehicle m. While transmitting information, vehicle control corresponding to a gesture is performed. In the illustrated example, since the driver of the other vehicle m present in the straight lane LN2 makes a gesture representing giving over the road, the automatic driving control apparatus 100 causes the host vehicle M to enter the straight lane LN1. As a result, more flexible automatic driving can be performed while communicating with the occupant of the other vehicle m without departing from the traffic rules of the alley.

  In the embodiment described above, although the gesture of the driver of the other vehicle m is described as being recognized by the own vehicle M, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the gesture of the driver of the other vehicle m is recognized by the other vehicle m It may be done. For example, a camera for monitoring an occupant may be installed in the compartment of another vehicle m. The occupant monitoring camera is installed to keep the driver of the other vehicle m within the angle of view. In such a case, the device control unit 170 controls the communication device 20 to receive, from the other vehicle m, an image captured by the occupant monitoring camera. Then, the recognition unit 130 performs image processing on the image received from the other vehicle m to recognize the gesture of the driver of the other vehicle m. Further, on the other vehicle m side, a gesture may be recognized from an image captured by a camera for monitoring an occupant. In this case, gesture information is transmitted from the other vehicle m to the host vehicle M.

  In the above-described embodiment, although the case where the predetermined gesture is the gesture for giving the road has been described, the present invention is not limited thereto. The predetermined gesture may be a gesture for stopping the progress of the vehicle or a gesture for specifying the traveling lane Or the like. When the gesture of the driver of the other vehicle m is a gesture for stopping the progress of the vehicle, the automatic driving control device 100 decelerates or stops the own vehicle M as vehicle control corresponding to the gesture for stopping the progress of the vehicle. Good. In addition, when the gesture of the driver of the other vehicle m is a gesture for specifying a traveling lane by pointing or the like, the automatic driving control device 100 is a lane instructed by the pointing as vehicle control corresponding to a gesture for specifying a traveling lane. The host vehicle M may change lanes.

  According to the embodiment described above, the other vehicle encounter determination as to whether or not the gesture indicated by the gesture information indicating the gesture of the occupant of the other vehicle m is acquired and the gesture indicated by the acquired gesture information is a predetermined gesture When it is determined by the part 142 and the other vehicle encounter time determination part 142 that the gesture indicated by the gesture information is a predetermined gesture, the host vehicle M is kept stopped or started as a target track according to the gesture. An action plan generation unit 140 that generates a target trajectory for driving and a speed control unit 164 that controls the traveling drive power output device 200 and the brake device 210 based on the target trajectory generated by the action plan generation unit 140; And a steering control unit 166 that controls the steering device 220 based on the target trajectory described above. Accordingly, while reducing the mutual understanding between the driver of the other vehicle, it is possible to realize a more flexible automatic operation.

[Hardware configuration]
The automatic driving control apparatus 100 of the embodiment described above is realized by, for example, the configuration of hardware as shown in FIG. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the automatic driving control device 100 according to the embodiment.

  The automatic operation control apparatus 100 includes a communication controller 100-1, a CPU 100-2, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 100-3, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 100-4, and a secondary such as a flash memory or an HDD (Hard Disc Drive). The storage device 100-5 and the drive device 100-6 are mutually connected by an internal bus or a dedicated communication line. A portable storage medium such as an optical disk is attached to the drive device 100-6. The program 100-5a stored in the secondary storage device 100-5 is expanded on the RAM 100-3 by a DMA controller (not shown) or the like, and is executed by the CPU 100-2 to execute the first control unit 120 and the second control. The unit 160 is realized. The program to which the CPU 100-2 refers may be stored in a portable storage medium mounted on the drive device 100-6, or may be downloaded from another device via the network NW.

The above embodiment can be expressed as follows.
Storage for storing programs,
A processor, and
The processor executes the program to
Obtain information that indicates the gestures of other vehicle occupants,
It is determined whether the gesture indicated by the information is a predetermined gesture,
Control one or both of steering and acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle,
When it is determined that the gesture indicated by the information is the predetermined gesture, a predetermined control is performed.
Vehicle control device.

  As mentioned above, although the form for carrying out the present invention was explained using an embodiment, the present invention is not limited at all by such an embodiment, and various modification and substitution within the range which does not deviate from the gist of the present invention Can be added. For example, the vehicle system 1 of the embodiment described above may be applied to a system that provides driving assistance such as ACC or LKAS.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vehicle system, 10 ... Camera, 12 ... Radar apparatus, 14 ... Finder, 16 ... Object recognition apparatus, 20 ... Communication apparatus, 30 ... HMI, 40 ... Vehicle sensor, 50 ... Navigation apparatus, 60 ... MPU, 80 ... Driving Operator, 90: lamp group, 92: horn, 100: automatic operation control device, 120: first control unit, 130: recognition unit, 132: other vehicle occupant operation recognition unit, 140: action plan generation unit, 142: other Vehicle encounter time determination unit, 160: second control unit, 162: acquisition unit, 164: speed control unit, 166: steering control unit, 200: traveling driving force output device, 210: brake device, 220: steering device, M: Own vehicle, m ... other vehicles

Claims (6)

An acquisition unit for acquiring information indicating a gesture of an occupant of another vehicle;
A determination unit that determines whether the gesture indicated by the information acquired by the acquisition unit is a predetermined gesture;
The operation control unit controls one or both of steering and acceleration / deceleration of the host vehicle, and when the determination unit determines that the gesture indicated by the information is the predetermined gesture, the predetermined control is performed. Operation control unit to perform
A vehicle control device comprising: A detection unit that detects a steering wheel installed in the other vehicle, and detects a gesture of an occupant closest to the detected steering wheel.
The acquisition unit acquires a detection result of the detection unit as information indicating a gesture of an occupant of the other vehicle.
The vehicle control device according to claim 1. A communication unit that performs inter-vehicle communication with other vehicles;
The communication control unit that causes the communication unit to start the inter-vehicle communication and causes the other vehicle to transmit predetermined information when the determination unit determines that the gesture indicated by the information is the predetermined gesture. And further comprising
The vehicle control device according to claim 1. The driving control unit performs vehicle control corresponding to the gesture when the determination unit determines that the gesture indicated by the information is the predetermined gesture.
The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. An acquisition unit acquires information indicating a gesture of an occupant of another vehicle;
The determination unit determines whether the gesture indicated by the information acquired by the acquisition unit is a predetermined gesture,
The operation control unit controls one or both of steering and acceleration of the host vehicle, and when the determination unit determines that the gesture indicated by the information is the predetermined gesture, the predetermined control is performed. Do,
Vehicle control method. On the computer
Get information that shows the gestures of the occupants of other vehicles,
It is determined whether the gesture indicated by the acquired information is a predetermined gesture,
When one or both of the steering and acceleration / deceleration of the own vehicle is controlled, and it is determined that the gesture indicated by the information is the predetermined gesture, the predetermined control is performed.
program.

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