JP7450436B2 - 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 progressing on automatically controlling vehicles (hereinafter referred to as automated driving). In autonomous driving technology, for example, when merging onto an expressway etc. from a general road via a ramp road, it is assumed that control for merging onto the main line of the expressway (merging control) will be automatically performed (patent patent Reference 1).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-149144

In conventional technology, when performing merging control, if the vehicle is temporarily stopped because the conditions of the merging lane are unfavorable, sufficient consideration is given to stopping the vehicle at a suitable position for re-merging control. It had not been done.

The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and provides a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a program that can stop a vehicle at a suitable position for remerging control. is one of the objectives.

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 aspect of the present invention includes a recognition unit that recognizes a surrounding situation of a vehicle, and a driving control unit that causes the vehicle to travel based on a recognition result of the recognition unit, When causing the vehicle to change lanes from a first lane that disappears at a vanishing position in the traveling direction of the vehicle to a second lane adjacent to the first lane, the driving control unit is configured to cause the vehicle to change lanes by a predetermined position in the first lane. If a lane change to the second lane is not possible, the vehicle is stopped at the predetermined position, and the predetermined position is determined by accelerating the vehicle in a predetermined acceleration pattern from the state where the vehicle stopped at the predetermined position. This is the point at which the target speed can be reached by.

(2): In the aspect of (1) above, the driving control section determines the target speed based on the ability of the recognition section to recognize the situation behind the vehicle.

(3): In the aspect of (2) above, the driving control unit decreases the target speed, the higher the ability of the recognition unit to recognize the situation behind the vehicle, other things being the same. thing.

(4): In any of the aspects (1) to (3) above, the driving control unit acquires information indicating the traffic situation in the second lane, and the driving control unit estimates the traffic condition in the second lane. The target speed is determined based on the estimated maximum speed of other vehicles traveling on two lanes.

(5): In the aspect of (4) above, the driving control unit increases the target speed as the estimated maximum speed increases, other conditions being the same.

(6): In any one of the aspects (1) to (5) above, the driving control unit, after stopping the vehicle at the predetermined position, recognizes the situation of the second lane by the recognition unit. The vehicle is caused to change lanes again to the second lane based on the following.

(7): The recognition unit further recognizes the posture of the occupant of the vehicle, and the driving control unit starts the vehicle from the predetermined position based on the posture of the occupant of the vehicle and moves to the second lane. This determines the acceleration when changing lanes.

(8): Another aspect of the present invention is that the computer recognizes the surrounding situation of the vehicle, causes the vehicle to travel based on the result of the recognition, and creates a first lane that disappears at a vanishing position in the traveling direction of the vehicle. When the vehicle is caused to change lanes from the first lane to a second lane adjacent to the first lane, if the lane change cannot be made to the second lane by a predetermined position in the first lane, the vehicle is stopped at the predetermined position. In the vehicle control method, the predetermined position is a point where the target speed can be reached by the vanishing position by accelerating the vehicle in a predetermined acceleration pattern from a stopped state at the predetermined position.

(9): Another aspect of the present invention is to cause a computer to recognize the surrounding situation of the vehicle, to cause the vehicle to travel based on the result of the recognition, and to cause the computer to disappear at the vanishing position in the traveling direction of the vehicle. When changing lanes from a first lane to a second lane adjacent to the first lane, if the vehicle cannot change lanes to the second lane by a predetermined position in the first lane, at the predetermined position. The program causes the vehicle to stop, and the predetermined position is such that the vehicle accelerates in a predetermined acceleration pattern from a stopped state at the predetermined position to reach a target speed by the vanishing position. It is a point that can be reached.

According to the above aspects (1) to (9), the vehicle can be stopped at a suitable position for remerging control.

1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle system 1 using a vehicle control device according to an embodiment. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of a first control section 120 and a second control section 160. FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a merging event. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a method of determining a stop position. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of processing executed by the merging control unit 145. FIG. It is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of an automatic driving control device 100 according to an embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a program of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[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 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 thereof. The electric motor operates using electric power generated by a generator connected to an internal combustion engine, or electric power discharged from 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, and a vehicle sensor 40. , a navigation device 50, an MPU (Map Positioning Unit) 60, an in-vehicle camera 70, 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. Equipped with. These devices and devices are connected to each other via multiplex communication lines such as CAN (Controller Area Network) communication lines, serial communication lines, wireless communication networks, and the like. Note that the configuration shown in FIG. 1 is just 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 that uses a solid-state imaging device such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor). The camera 10 is attached to an arbitrary location of a vehicle (hereinafter referred to as own vehicle M) in which the vehicle system 1 is mounted. When photographing the front, the camera 10 is attached to the upper part of the front windshield, the rear surface of the room mirror, or the like. For example, the camera 10 periodically and repeatedly images the surroundings of the host vehicle M. Camera 10 may be a stereo camera.

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

The LIDAR 14 irradiates light (or electromagnetic waves with a wavelength close to light) around the host vehicle M and measures scattered light. The LIDAR 14 detects the distance to the target based on the time from light emission to light reception. The irradiated light is, for example, pulsed laser light. LIDAR 14 is attached to any location of own vehicle M.

The object recognition device 16 performs sensor fusion processing on detection results from some or all of the camera 10, radar device 12, and LIDAR 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. The object recognition device 16 may output the detection results of the camera 10, radar device 12, and LIDAR 14 as they are to the automatic driving control device 100. The object recognition device 16 may be omitted from the vehicle system 1.

The communication device 20 uses, for example, a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, Bluetooth (registered trademark), DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication), etc. to communicate with other vehicles existing around the own vehicle M, or wirelessly. Communicate with various server devices via a base station.

The HMI 30 presents various information to the occupant of the own vehicle M, and also accepts input operations from the occupant. The HMI 30 includes various display devices, speakers, buzzers, touch panels, switches, keys, and the like.

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

The navigation device 50 includes, for example, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 51, a navigation HMI 52, and a route determination unit 53. The navigation device 50 holds first map information 54 in a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or a flash memory. The GNSS receiver 51 identifies the position of the vehicle M based on signals received from GNSS satellites. The position of the own vehicle M may be specified or complemented by an INS (Inertial Navigation System) using the output of the vehicle sensor 40. The navigation HMI 52 includes a display device, a speaker, a touch panel, keys, and the like. The navigation HMI 52 may be partially or completely shared with the aforementioned HMI 30. The route determination unit 53 determines, for example, a route (hereinafter referred to as A map route) is determined with reference to the first map information 54. The first map information 54 is, for example, information in which a road shape is expressed by links indicating roads and nodes connected by the links. The first map information 54 may include road curvature, POI (Point Of Interest) information, and the like. The route on the map is output to the MPU 60. The navigation device 50 may provide route guidance using the navigation HMI 52 based on the route on the map. The navigation device 50 may be realized, for example, by the functions of a terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal owned by a passenger. The navigation device 50 may transmit the current position and destination to the navigation server via the communication device 20, and obtain a route equivalent to the route on the map from the navigation server.

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

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 the center of the lane or information on the boundary between the lanes. Further, the second map information 62 may include road information, traffic regulation information, address information (address/zip code), facility information, telephone number information, and the like. The second map information 62 may be updated at any time by the communication device 20 communicating with other devices.

The vehicle interior camera is attached to an arbitrary position within the vehicle interior of the host vehicle M, and is capable of capturing an image of at least the upper body of the occupant.

The driving controls 80 include, for example, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a shift lever, a steering wheel, a modified steering wheel, a joystick, and other controls. A sensor is attached to the driving operator 80 to detect the amount of operation or the presence or absence of the operation, and the detection result is sent to the automatic driving control device 100, the driving force output device 200, the brake device 210, and the steering device. 220 is output to some or all of them.

The automatic driving control device 100 includes, for example, a first control section 120 and a second control section 160. The first control unit 120 and the second control unit 160 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 are hardware (circuits) such as LSI (Large Scale Integration), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), and GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). (including circuitry), or may be realized by collaboration between software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device such as the HDD or flash memory (a storage device equipped with a non-transitory storage medium) of the automatic driving control device 100, or may be stored in a removable device such as a DVD or CD-ROM. The information may be stored in a storage medium, and may be installed in the HDD or flash memory of the automatic operation control device 100 by attaching the storage medium (non-transitory storage medium) to a drive device. The automatic driving control device 100 is an example of a "vehicle control device," and the combination of the action plan generation section 140 and the second control section 160 is an example of a "driving control section."

FIG. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of the first control section 120 and the second control section 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 model given in advance in parallel. For example, in the "recognize intersections" function, intersection recognition using deep learning, etc., and recognition based on pre-given conditions (pattern-matchable signals, road markings, etc.) are executed in parallel. This may be achieved by scoring and comprehensively evaluating. This ensures the reliability of automated driving.

The recognition unit 130 recognizes the position, speed, acceleration, etc. of objects around the own vehicle M based on information input from the camera 10, radar device 12, and LIDAR 14 via the object recognition device 16. do. The position of the object is recognized, for example, as a position on absolute coordinates with the origin at a representative point (such as the center of gravity or the center of the drive shaft) of the own vehicle M, and is used for control. The position of an object may be expressed by a representative point such as the center of gravity or a corner of the object, or may be expressed by an area expressed. The "state" of an object may include the acceleration or jerk of the object, or the "behavioral state" (eg, whether it is changing lanes or is about to change lanes).

Further, the recognition unit 130 recognizes, for example, the lane in which the host vehicle M is traveling (driving lane). For example, the recognition unit 130 uses the pattern of road marking lines obtained from the second map information 62 (for example, an array of solid lines and broken lines) and the road marking lines around the own vehicle M recognized from the image captured by the camera 10. It recognizes the driving lane by comparing it with the pattern of Note that the recognition unit 130 may recognize driving lanes by recognizing not only road division lines but also road boundaries (road boundaries) including road division lines, road shoulders, curbs, median strips, guardrails, etc. . In this recognition, the position of the own vehicle M acquired from the navigation device 50 and the processing results by the INS may be taken into consideration. The recognition unit 130 also recognizes stop lines, obstacles, red lights, toll booths, and other road events.

When recognizing the driving lane, the recognition unit 130 recognizes the position and attitude of the host vehicle M with respect to the driving lane. For example, the recognition unit 130 calculates the relative position of the vehicle M with respect to the driving lane based on the deviation of the reference point of the vehicle M from the center of the lane and the angle made with respect to a line connecting the center of the lane in the traveling direction of the vehicle M. It may also be recognized as a posture. Instead, the recognition unit 130 recognizes the position of the reference point of the own vehicle M with respect to any side edge of the driving lane (road division line or road boundary) as the relative position of the own vehicle M with respect to the driving lane. You may.

The recognition unit 130 recognizes the posture of the occupant based on the captured image of the vehicle interior camera 70. The recognition unit 130 determines, for example, whether the occupant's posture is a normal posture or an abnormal posture. A normal posture is one in which the user is sitting with his or her back on the seat, and an abnormal posture is one in which the person is sitting with his/her back against the seat. The recognition unit 130 makes the above determination, for example, by inputting the captured image to a learned model learned by machine learning. The trained model is a model that has been trained to output an answer indicating whether the posture is normal or abnormal when a captured image of the occupant is input.

In principle, the action plan generation unit 140 drives the vehicle M in the recommended lane determined by the recommended lane determination unit 61, and furthermore, the behavior plan generation unit 140 automatically (driver Generates a target trajectory to be traveled in the future (without relying on any operation). The target trajectory includes, for example, a velocity element. For example, the target trajectory is expressed as a sequence of points (trajectory points) that the vehicle M should reach. A trajectory point is a point that the own vehicle M should reach every predetermined travel distance (for example, about several [m]) along the road, and apart from that, it is a point that the own vehicle M should reach every predetermined distance traveled along the road (for example, about a few [m]). ) are generated as part of the target trajectory. Alternatively, the trajectory point may be a position to be reached by the host vehicle M at each predetermined sampling time. In this case, information on target speed and target acceleration is expressed by intervals between trajectory points.

The action plan generation unit 140 may set automatic driving events when generating the target trajectory. Autonomous driving events include constant-speed driving events, low-speed following driving events, lane change events, branching events, merging events, and takeover events. The action plan generation unit 140 generates a target trajectory according to the triggered event.

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 the target trajectory generated by the action plan generation unit 140 at the scheduled time. Control.

Returning to FIG. 2, the second control section 160 includes, for example, an acquisition section 162, a speed control section 164, and a steering control section 166. The acquisition unit 162 acquires information on the target trajectory (trajectory point) generated by the action plan generation unit 140, and stores it in a memory (not shown). The speed control unit 164 controls the travel 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 section 164 and the steering control section 166 is realized, for example, by a combination of feedforward control and feedback control. As an example, the steering control unit 166 performs a combination of feedforward control according to the curvature of the road in front of the host vehicle M and feedback control based on the deviation from the target trajectory.

The driving force output device 200 outputs driving force (torque) for driving the vehicle to the driving wheels. The driving force output device 200 includes, for example, a combination of an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, a transmission, and the like, and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that controls these. The ECU controls the above configuration according to information input from the second control unit 160 or information input from 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 driving operator 80 so that brake torque corresponding to the braking operation is output to each wheel. The brake device 210 may include, as a backup mechanism, a mechanism that transmits hydraulic pressure generated by operating a brake pedal included in the driving operator 80 to a 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 and transmits the hydraulic pressure of the master cylinder to the cylinder. Good too.

Steering device 220 includes, for example, a steering ECU and an electric motor. For example, the electric motor applies force to a rack and pinion mechanism to change the direction of the steered wheels. The steering ECU drives the electric motor in accordance with information input from the second control unit 160 or information input from the driving operator 80 to change the direction of the steered wheels.

[Merge control]
The merging control will be explained below. The action plan generation unit 140 includes a merging control unit 145 as a configuration for performing merging control (executing a merging event). FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a confluence event. A merging event means that the vehicle M is traveling in the first lane L1, the first lane L1 disappears at the vanishing position VP in the traveling direction of the vehicle M, and the vehicle M is moved from the first lane L1 to the second lane. This is an event that is executed when the condition for causing L2 to change lanes (merging) is met. Typically, the second lane L2 is a main road such as an expressway or a motorway, and the first lane L1 is a ramp road that connects to a general road, but as long as the above conditions are met, the merging event is not executed. It's fine. Hereinafter, lane changes in situations where the above conditions are met may be referred to as merging, control for merging may be referred to as merging control, and second lane L2 may be referred to as the main line. The vanishing position VP may be arbitrarily determined based on white lines, road structures, the position of the broken line separating the first lane L1 and the second lane L2, and the like.

The merging control unit 145 includes, for example, a basic control execution unit 145A, a stop position determination unit 145B, and a temporary stop determination unit 145C. The basic control execution unit 145A sets a merging target position candidate cTAg in order to determine the merging target position TAg. Each of the merging target position TAg and the merging target position candidate cTAg is a relative position set between other vehicles traveling on the main line. The basic control execution unit 145A selects another vehicle m traveling on a lane L2 (hereinafter referred to as the main line) adjacent to the lane L1 in which the own vehicle M is traveling, and locates one or more merging target positions between the selected other vehicles m. Set candidate cTAg. The basic control execution unit 145A selects, for example, a merging target position candidate cTAg that has the minimum inter-vehicle distance necessary for merging.

The basic control execution unit 145A determines, for each merging target position candidate cTAg, the arrival time T{cTAg (k)}. The average speed VH is acquired by the communication device 20 from a server that provides road conditions, for example. Further, the average speed VH may be obtained by calculating the average of the speeds of the surrounding vehicles m recognized by the recognition unit 130.

The basic control execution unit 145A derives the arrival time T{cTAg(k)}, for example, under the following conditions (1) to (3). There are various methods for deriving arrival times that satisfy these conditions, and any method may be used.
(1) The own vehicle M travels based on a motion model, such as a constant acceleration model or a constant jerk model, whose future state can be predicted, and an upper limit speed is determined. The upper limit speed is, for example, the legal speed.
(2) The speed v(k, t) of the host vehicle M matches the average speed VH at the time it reaches the merging target position candidate cTAg(k).
(3) During the period up to the arrival time T{cTAg(k)}, the value obtained by integrating the difference between the velocity v(k,t) of the host vehicle M and the VH is the difference between the merging target position candidate cTAg(k) and the host vehicle It corresponds to the distance x(k) from M.

The basic control execution unit 145A determines the time it takes for the own vehicle M to reach the merging target position candidate cTAg(k), based on the derived speed v(k, t) and arrival time T{cTAg(k)} of the own vehicle. Deriving the mileage RD(k). Then, the basic control execution unit 145A selects the shortest one among the derived traveling distances RD(k), and sets the merging target position candidate cTAg(k) corresponding to the selected traveling distance RD(k) to the merging target position candidate cTAg(k). Select as position TAg.

When the merging target position TAg is selected, the basic control execution unit 145A generates a target trajectory including a speed pattern based on the motion model used in the above calculation. As a result, merging control is executed. The contents of the processing of the basic control execution unit 145A described here are merely examples, and may be arbitrarily changed.

[Pause control]
Incidentally, even though the above-described processing has been performed, there may be a case where merging cannot be performed. This is because there is a possibility that a merging target position candidate cTAg having the minimum inter-vehicle distance necessary for merging cannot be found, or the inter-vehicle distance of the selected merging target position TAg may be shortened. If the host vehicle M approaches the vanishing position VP without being able to perform merging control, it may not be possible to secure a sufficient distance to accelerate within the first lane when attempting to start merging control again.

Therefore, in the merging control unit 145 of the embodiment, the temporary stop determination unit 145C determines whether or not the merging control can be executed up to the stop position (an example of a predetermined position) determined by the stop position determination unit 145B. When it is determined that the merging control cannot be executed, the host vehicle M is stopped at the stop position. "Stopping the own vehicle M at a stop position" means stopping the own vehicle M so that representative points such as the front end, the center of gravity, and the center of the drive shaft are aligned with the stop position.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a method of determining a stop position. The stop position SP is, for example, a position at a distance _XSV from the vanishing position VP. The stop position determination unit 145B determines the stop position according to the following rules, for example.

(A) The stop position determining unit 145B determines the stop position SP so that the own vehicle M can accelerate from the stop position SP and reach the target speed Vtgt at the vanishing position VP.

(B) The stop position determination unit 145B acquires information indicating the traffic situation on the main line, and determines Vtgt based on the estimated maximum speed Vmax of other vehicles traveling on the main line, which is estimated based on the acquired information. More specifically, the stop position determining unit 145B increases the target speed Vtgt as the estimated maximum speed Vmax increases, other things being the same. The information indicating the traffic situation is, for example, the average speed VH of other vehicles m on the main line, and is obtained by the method described above. The estimated maximum speed Vmax may be determined by multiplying the average speed VH by a coefficient β1 (for example, a value of about 1.2), or by multiplying the average speed VH by a predetermined speed β2 (for example, a value of about 20 [km/h]). speed). Further, the estimated maximum speed Vmax is provided with an upper limit value Vmaxlim, and is set so as not to exceed the upper limit value Vmaxlim regardless of the average speed VH. The upper limit value Vmaxlim is, for example, a value that can be obtained by multiplying the legal speed by a coefficient β1 or by adding a predetermined speed β2.

(C) The stop position determination unit 145B determines the target speed Vtgt based on the ability of the recognition unit 130 to recognize the situation behind the host vehicle M. More specifically, the stop position determining unit 145B decreases the target speed Vtgt, the higher the ability of the recognition unit 130 to recognize the situation behind the host vehicle M, other things being the same. The ability of the recognition unit 130 to recognize the situation behind the own vehicle M is expressed, for example, by a rear detection distance Rr, which is a distance at which an object behind the own vehicle M can be detected. The stop position determination unit 145B determines the basic distance Rr# determined based on the basic specifications of the camera 10, radar device 12, LIDAR 14, and object recognition device 16 based on weather (rainy, snowy), time of day (night), and road gradient. , the rear detection distance Rr is calculated by discounting according to performance reduction factors such as road curvature.

The above rule is expressed by equation (1). In the formula, f(Rr) is a function that returns a positive value that increases as the argument Rr increases. f(Rr) is a speed margin set for the estimated maximum speed Vmax. The target speed Vtgt is set to be smaller by the speed margin f(Rr), but this assumes the acceleration after entering the main road. The speed margin f(Rr) increases as the rear inter-vehicle distance Rr increases, so the larger the value, the better the recognition of the rear, and the more time there is for acceleration.

Vtgt=Vmax-f(Rr)...(1)

Once the target speed Vtgt is determined, the stop position determination unit 145B calculates the distance _XSV on the premise that the own vehicle M is accelerated in a predetermined acceleration pattern. For example, when accelerating the host vehicle M at a constant acceleration α, the time T until the speed V(t) of the host vehicle M reaches the target speed Vtgt is Vtgt/α. The distance traveled by the own vehicle M during the time T is the distance _XSV . The distance _XSV is expressed by equation (2).

X _SV =∫ ₀ ^T V(t)dt
= αT ² /2
=Vtgt ² /2α
={Vmax-f(Rr)} ² /2α...(2)

In the above explanation, the _distance The distance X _SV may be calculated on the assumption that In that case, the distance _XSV may be calculated based on a physical formula corresponding to another acceleration pattern.

When the stop position SP is determined by the stop position determination unit 145B, the temporary stop determination unit 145C monitors the degree of progress of the merging control by the basic control execution unit 145A as the own vehicle M approaches the stop position SP, and, for example, stops the vehicle M. If the center portion of the host vehicle M in the vehicle width direction does not enter the main line at a predetermined distance before the position SP (an example of a case where it is less than the standard), it is determined that it is not possible to merge onto the main line by the predetermined position. In this case, the basic control execution unit 145A stops the host vehicle M at the stop position SP.

Thereafter, the basic control execution unit 145A causes the own vehicle M to merge onto the main line again by the above-described process based on the main line situation recognized by the recognition unit 130. At this time, the basic control execution unit 145A determines that the recognition unit 130 determines that the occupant's posture is not normal because there is a high possibility that rapid acceleration will be required compared to when the vehicle M first merges onto the main line. (More specifically, if the postures of all the occupants are not determined to be normal postures), the vehicle M is suspended from starting, and the recognition unit 130 determines that the postures of the occupants are normal postures. Wait until it is determined. When the recognition unit 130 determines that the occupant's posture is normal, the basic control execution unit 145A starts merging control again based on the main line situation recognized by the recognition unit 130.

If merging is not possible even after the merging control is performed again, the merging control unit 145 stops the own vehicle M, uses the HMI 30 to notify the driver of switching to manual driving, and switches to manual driving. In this case, the position at which it is determined whether "the vehicle could not merge" is a position closer to the vanishing position VP than the stop position SP.

[Processing flow]
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of processing executed by the merging control unit 145. The processing of this flowchart is started when a confluence event is started. First, the basic control execution unit 145A starts merging control (step S1). Next, the stop position determination unit 145B determines the stop position SP (step S2). The temporary stop determination unit 145C determines whether or not the merging has been completed (step S3), and if it is determined that the merging has not been completed, the temporary stop determination unit 145C determines whether or not the position of the own vehicle M is within a predetermined distance from the stop position SP. (Step S4). "The merging is completed" means, for example, that the entire body of the host vehicle M is within the main line.

If it is determined in step S3 that the merging has been completed, the processing of this flowchart ends. If it is determined in step S4 that the stop position SP is not within the predetermined distance, the process returns to step S3. If it is determined in step S4 that the stop position SP is within the predetermined distance, the temporary stop determination unit 145C determines whether the degree of progress of the merging control is less than the reference (step S5). If it is determined that the degree of progress of the merging control is equal to or higher than the standard, the merging control continues as it is, and the processing of this flowchart ends. If it is determined that the degree of progress of the merging control is less than the standard, the basic control execution unit 145A stops the host vehicle M at the stop position SP (step S6).

Next, the basic control execution unit 145A waits until the recognition unit 130 determines that the occupant's posture is normal (step S7). When the recognition unit 130 determines that the occupant's posture is normal, the basic control execution unit 145A restarts the merging control (step S8). The basic control execution unit 145A determines whether or not the merging is completed (step S9). If it is determined in step S9 that the merging has been completed, the processing of this flowchart ends.

If it is determined in step S9 that merging is not completed, the basic control execution unit 145A determines whether the position of the own vehicle M is within a predetermined distance from the manual switching position (step S10). The manual switching position is set at any position between the vanishing position VP and the stop position SP. If it is determined that the position of the vehicle M is within a predetermined distance from the manual switching position, the vehicle M is stopped at the manual switching position (step S11), and the driver is notified and switched to manual driving (step S12). ).

According to the embodiment described above, the vehicle M is lane-changed (merged) from the first lane that disappears at the vanishing position VP in the traveling direction of the vehicle M to the second lane (main lane) adjacent to the first lane. In this case, if the lane cannot be changed to the second lane by the stop position SP in the first lane, the own vehicle M is stopped at the stop position SP, and the stop position SP is a state in which the own vehicle M is stopped at the stop position SP. By accelerating with a predetermined acceleration pattern from the point where the target speed Vtgt can be reached by the vanishing position VP, the vehicle can be stopped at a suitable position for remerging control.

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

The embodiment described above can be expressed as follows.
a storage device that stores the program;
comprising a hardware processor;
By the hardware processor executing a program stored in the storage device,
Recognizes the surrounding situation of the vehicle,
driving the vehicle based on the recognition result;
When the vehicle is caused to change lanes from a first lane that disappears at a vanishing position in the traveling direction of the vehicle to a second lane adjacent to the first lane, the vehicle changes lanes to the second lane by a predetermined position in the first lane. If a lane change is not possible, stopping the vehicle at the predetermined position;
The predetermined position is a point where the vehicle can reach the target speed by the vanishing position by accelerating in a predetermined acceleration pattern from a stopped state at the predetermined position.
A vehicle control device configured as follows.

Although the mode for implementing the present invention has been described above using embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments in any way, and various modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. can be added.

10 Camera 12 Radar device 14 LIDAR
16 Object recognition device 20 Communication device 30 HMI
40 Vehicle sensor 70 In-vehicle camera 100 Automatic driving control device 120 First control section 130 Recognition section 140 Action plan generation section 145 Merging control section 145A Basic control execution section 145B Stop position determination section 145C Temporary stop determination section 160 Second control section

Claims (9)

A recognition unit that recognizes the surrounding situation of the vehicle;
a driving control unit that causes the vehicle to travel based on the recognition result of the recognition unit;
When causing the vehicle to change lanes from a first lane that disappears at a vanishing position in the traveling direction of the vehicle to a second lane adjacent to the first lane, the driving control unit is configured to drive the vehicle to a predetermined position in the first lane. When the distance is within the distance, it is determined whether or not it is possible to change lanes to the second lane by the predetermined position, and if it is determined that it is not possible , the vehicle is stopped at the predetermined position;
The predetermined position is a point where the vehicle can reach the target speed by the vanishing position by accelerating in a predetermined acceleration pattern from a stopped state at the predetermined position.
Vehicle control device. The driving control unit determines the target speed based on the ability of the recognition unit to recognize a situation behind the vehicle.
The vehicle control device according to claim 1. The driving control unit decreases the target speed, the higher the ability of the recognition unit to recognize the situation behind the vehicle, other things being the same.
The vehicle control device according to claim 2. The driving control unit acquires information indicating a traffic situation in the second lane, and determines the target speed based on an estimated maximum speed of another vehicle traveling in the second lane, which is estimated based on the information. do,
A vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The operation control unit increases the target speed as the estimated maximum speed increases, other things being the same.
The vehicle control device according to claim 4. The driving control unit, after stopping the vehicle at the predetermined position, causes the vehicle to change lanes to the second lane again based on the situation of the second lane recognized by the recognition unit. The vehicle control device according to any one of items 1 to 5. The recognition unit further recognizes the posture of the occupant of the vehicle,
The driving control unit determines an acceleration when starting the vehicle from the predetermined position and changing lanes to the second lane based on the posture of an occupant of the vehicle.
A vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6. The computer is
Recognizes the surrounding situation of the vehicle,
driving the vehicle based on the recognition result;
When the vehicle is within a predetermined distance from a predetermined position in the first lane when changing lanes from the first lane that disappears at the vanishing position in the traveling direction of the vehicle to a second lane adjacent to the first lane; determining whether it is possible to change lanes to the second lane by the predetermined position , and if it is determined that it is not possible, stopping the vehicle at the predetermined position;
The predetermined position is a point where the vehicle can reach the target speed by the vanishing position by accelerating in a predetermined acceleration pattern from a stopped state at the predetermined position.
Vehicle control method. to the computer,
To make the vehicle aware of the surrounding situation,
driving the vehicle based on the recognition result;
When the vehicle is within a predetermined distance from a predetermined position in the first lane when changing lanes from the first lane that disappears at the vanishing position in the traveling direction of the vehicle to a second lane adjacent to the first lane; a program that determines whether or not it is possible to change lanes to the second lane by the predetermined position , and if it is determined that it is not possible, stops the vehicle at the predetermined position;
The predetermined position is a point where the vehicle can reach the target speed by the vanishing position by accelerating in a predetermined acceleration pattern from a stopped state at the predetermined position.
program.

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