阅读说明：本技术 车辆控制装置、车辆控制方法及存储介质 (Vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and storage medium ) 是由 土屋成光 于 2021-03-25 设计创作，主要内容包括：提供能够实现对于交通环境而言适宜的控制的车辆控制装置、车辆控制方法及存储介质。车辆控制装置具备：识别部,其识别车辆的周边；以及控制部,其基于由所述识别部识别到的所述车辆的周边的状况,来控制所述车辆的转向及速度,所述控制部以在道路的宽度方向上使所述车辆的宽度方向的中央附近或中央与由所述识别部识别到的停止线的长度方向的中央附近或中央一致的方式,使所述车辆在停止线的跟前停止。(Provided are a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a storage medium, which can realize control suitable for traffic environments. A vehicle control device is provided with: an identification unit that identifies the periphery of the vehicle; and a control unit that controls steering and speed of the vehicle based on the situation of the periphery of the vehicle recognized by the recognition unit, wherein the control unit stops the vehicle in front of the stop line so that the vicinity or center of the center in the width direction of the vehicle in the width direction of the road coincides with the vicinity or center of the center in the longitudinal direction of the stop line recognized by the recognition unit.)

1. A control apparatus for a vehicle, wherein,

the vehicle control device includes:

an identification unit that identifies the periphery of the vehicle; and

a control unit that controls steering and speed of the vehicle based on the situation of the periphery of the vehicle recognized by the recognition unit,

the control unit stops the vehicle in front of the stop line so that the vicinity or center of the vehicle in the width direction coincides with the vicinity or center of the stop line in the longitudinal direction recognized by the recognition unit in the width direction of the road.

2. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1,

the identifying section identifies a road sign present in front of the stop line,

the control unit causes the vehicle to travel so that a vicinity or a center of a widthwise center of the vehicle coincides with a vicinity or a center of a widthwise center of the road mark in a widthwise direction of the road.

3. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein,

the control portion stops the vehicle in front of the stop line so as not to obstruct travel of an oncoming vehicle that travels in a region on a second side opposite to a first side on which the vehicle travels.

4. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein,

the control unit stops the vehicle in front of the stop line so that the vehicle does not go beyond the stop line in the width direction of the road.

5. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein,

in the road on which a center line that divides a passing direction of a vehicle is not provided and which is equal to or smaller than a predetermined width, when there is no oncoming vehicle at a position within a predetermined distance forward from the vehicle, the control unit causes the vehicle to travel near or at the center in the width direction of the road, and thereafter causes the vehicle to stop in front of the stop line such that the vicinity or the center in the width direction of the vehicle coincides with the vicinity or the center in the longitudinal direction of the stop line in the width direction of the road.

6. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein,

the control unit performs the following processing:

in a case where a center line that divides a passing direction of the vehicle is provided, a width of a first side of the center line and a width of a second side opposite to the first side are not equal, and there is no oncoming vehicle at a position within a predetermined distance forward from the vehicle, the vehicle is caused to travel near or at a center in a width direction of the road, and thereafter the vehicle is caused to stop in front of the stop line such that the vicinity or the center in the width direction of the vehicle coincides with the vicinity or the center in a longitudinal direction of the stop line in the width direction of the road,

when a center line that divides a direction of travel of the vehicle is provided, a width of a first side of the center line and a width of a second side opposite to the first side are equal, and there is no oncoming vehicle at a position within a predetermined distance forward from the vehicle, the vehicle is caused to travel so as to avoid the vehicle from running over the second side opposite to the first side on which the vehicle is traveling, and thereafter, the vehicle is caused to stop in front of the stop line so as to avoid the vehicle from running over the second side.

7. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein,

the control unit causes the vehicle to travel based on the presence or absence of a center line in a road, the width of a lane located on a first side with respect to the center line, and the width of a lane opposite to the first side, and causes the vehicle to stop so as to avoid the vehicle from running beyond a width direction of a stop line after the vehicle travels based on a road mark indicated on the road.

8. A control method for a vehicle, wherein,

the vehicle control method causes a computer to execute processing including:

identifying a periphery of the vehicle;

controlling steering and speed of the vehicle based on the identified condition of the surroundings of the vehicle; and

the vehicle is stopped in front of the stop line so that the vicinity or center of the vehicle in the width direction coincides with the vicinity or center of the recognized stop line in the longitudinal direction in the width direction of the road.

9. A storage medium storing a program, wherein,

the program causes a computer to execute:

identifying a periphery of the vehicle;

controlling steering and speed of the vehicle based on the identified condition of the surroundings of the vehicle; and

the vehicle is stopped in front of the stop line so that the vicinity or center of the vehicle in the width direction coincides with the vicinity or center of the recognized stop line in the longitudinal direction in the width direction of the road.

Technical Field

The invention relates to a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a storage medium.

Background

Conventionally, an automatic steering device that automatically controls steering of a vehicle based on a relative position between a lane and the vehicle and a position of the lane has been disclosed (japanese patent laid-open nos. 2003 and 026, 2019 and 2120095).

However, the above-described device sometimes cannot perform control suitable for the traffic environment.

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a storage medium that can realize control suitable for a traffic environment.

Means for solving the problems

The vehicle control device, the vehicle control method, and the storage medium according to the present invention have the following configurations.

(1): a vehicle control device is provided with: an identification unit that identifies the periphery of the vehicle; and a control unit that controls steering and speed of the vehicle based on the situation of the periphery of the vehicle recognized by the recognition unit, wherein the control unit stops the vehicle in front of the stop line so that the vicinity or center of the center in the width direction of the vehicle in the width direction of the road coincides with the vicinity or center of the center in the longitudinal direction of the stop line recognized by the recognition unit.

(2): in the aspect of (1) above, the recognition unit recognizes a road sign, and the control unit causes the vehicle to travel such that a vicinity or a center of a widthwise center of the vehicle in the widthwise direction of the road coincides with a vicinity or a center of a widthwise center of the road sign.

(3): in addition to the aspect (1) or (2), the control portion may stop the vehicle in front of the stop line so as not to hinder travel of an opposing vehicle traveling in a region of a second side opposite to a first side on which the vehicle travels, the opposing vehicle traveling in a region of a second side opposite to the first side on which the vehicle travels.

(4): in addition to any one of the above (1) to (3), the control unit may stop the vehicle in front of the stop line so that the vehicle does not go beyond the stop line in the width direction of the road.

(5): in any one of the above items (1) to (4), in the road that is not provided with a center line that divides a passing direction of a vehicle and is equal to or less than a predetermined width, when there is no oncoming vehicle at a position within a predetermined distance forward from the vehicle, the control unit causes the vehicle to travel near or at the center in the width direction of the road, and thereafter causes the vehicle to stop in front of the stop line so that the vicinity or the center in the width direction of the vehicle coincides with the vicinity or the center in the longitudinal direction of the stop line in the width direction of the road.

(6): in any one of the above items (1) to (5), the control unit performs: when a center line that divides the vehicle in the direction of travel is provided, the width of a first side of the center line and the width of a second side opposite to the first side are not equal, and there is no oncoming vehicle at a position within a predetermined distance forward from the vehicle, the vehicle is caused to travel near or at the center in the direction of width of the road, and thereafter the vehicle is caused to stop in front of the stop line so that the vicinity or the center of the center in the direction of width of the vehicle coincides with the vicinity or the center of the center in the direction of length of the stop line in the direction of width of the road, and when a center line that divides the vehicle in the direction of travel is provided, the width of the first side of the center line and the width of the second side opposite to the first side are equal, and there is no oncoming vehicle at a position within a predetermined distance forward from the vehicle, after the vehicle is caused to travel so as to avoid the vehicle from running beyond the second side opposite to the first side on which the vehicle is traveling, the vehicle is caused to stop in front of the stop line so as to avoid the vehicle from running beyond the second side.

(7): in addition to any one of the above (1) to (6), the control unit may cause the vehicle to travel based on presence or absence of a center line in a road, a width of a lane located on a first side with respect to the center line, and a width of a lane opposite to the first side, and cause the vehicle to stop so as to avoid the vehicle from running beyond a width direction of a stop line after the vehicle travels based on a road mark indicated on the road.

(8): a vehicle control method according to an aspect of the present invention causes a computer to execute processing including: identifying a periphery of the vehicle; controlling steering and speed of the vehicle based on the identified condition of the surroundings of the vehicle; and stopping the vehicle in front of the stop line so that the vicinity or center of the center in the width direction of the vehicle coincides with the vicinity or center of the center in the length direction of the identified stop line in the width direction of the road.

(9): a storage medium according to an aspect of the present invention stores a program that causes a computer to execute: identifying a periphery of the vehicle; controlling steering and speed of the vehicle based on the identified condition of the surroundings of the vehicle; and stopping the vehicle in front of the stop line so that the vicinity or center of the center in the width direction of the vehicle coincides with the vicinity or center of the center in the length direction of the identified stop line in the width direction of the road.

Effects of the invention

According to (1) to (9), the vehicle control device can realize control suitable for the traffic environment by stopping the vehicle in front of the stop line so that the vicinity or the center of the vehicle in the width direction coincides with the vicinity or the center of the stop line in the longitudinal direction in the width direction of the road.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle system using a vehicle control device according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of the first control unit and the second control unit.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a specific road.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing another example of the specific road.

Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the vehicle on the specific road.

Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining another example of the operation of the vehicle on the specific road.

Fig. 7 is a diagram for explaining another example of the operation of the vehicle on the specific road.

Fig. 8 is a diagram for explaining another example of the operation of the vehicle on the specific road.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed by the automatic driving control apparatus.

Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing another example of the flow of processing executed by the automatic driving control apparatus.

Fig. 11 is a diagram for explaining another example of the operation of the vehicle on the specific road.

Fig. 12 is a diagram for explaining another example of the operation of the vehicle on the specific road.

Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed by the automatic driving control apparatus.

Fig. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the automatic driving control device according to the embodiment.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a storage medium according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[ integral 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-wheel, three-wheel, four-wheel or the like vehicle, and the drive source thereof 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 generated power generated by a generator connected to the internal combustion engine or discharge power of a secondary battery or a fuel cell.

The vehicle system 1 includes, for example, a camera 10, a radar device 12, a lidar (light Detection and ranging)14, an object recognition device 16, a communication device 20, an hmi (human Machine interface)30, a vehicle sensor 40, a navigation device 50, an mpu (map Positioning unit)60, a driving operation unit 80, an automatic driving control device 100, a driving force output device 200, a brake device 210, and a steering device 220. These devices and apparatuses are connected to each other by a multiplex communication line such as a can (controller Area network) communication line, a serial communication line, a wireless communication network, and 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 a digital camera using a solid-state imaging device such as a ccd (charge Coupled device) or a cmos (complementary Metal Oxide semiconductor). The camera 10 is mounted on an arbitrary portion of a vehicle (hereinafter referred to as a host vehicle M) on which the vehicle system 1 is mounted. When photographing forward, the camera 10 is attached to the upper part of the front windshield, the rear surface of the vehicle interior mirror, or the like. The camera 10 repeatedly shoots the periphery of the host vehicle M periodically, for example. The camera 10 may also be a stereo camera.

The radar device 12 radiates radio waves such as millimeter waves to the periphery of the host vehicle M, and detects radio waves (reflected waves) reflected by an object to detect at least the position (distance and direction) of the object. The radar device 12 is mounted on an arbitrary portion of the vehicle M. The radar device 12 may detect the position and velocity of the object by an FM-cw (frequency Modulated Continuous wave) method.

The LIDAR14 irradiates the periphery of the host vehicle M with light (or electromagnetic waves having a wavelength close to light), and measures scattered light. The LIDAR14 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. The LIDAR14 is attached to an arbitrary portion of the vehicle M.

The object recognition device 16 performs a sensor fusion process on the detection results detected by some or all of the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the LIDAR14, and recognizes the position, the type, the speed, and the like 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 directly output the detection results of the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the LIDAR14 to the automatic driving control device 100. The object recognition device 16 may also be omitted from the vehicle system 1.

The communication device 20 communicates with another vehicle present in the vicinity of the host vehicle M or with various server devices via a wireless base station, for example, using a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, Bluetooth (registered trademark), dsrc (dedicated Short Range communication), or the like.

The HMI30 presents various information to the occupant of the host vehicle M, and accepts input operations by the occupant. The HMI30 includes various display devices, speakers, buzzers, touch panels, switches, keys, and the like.

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

The Navigation device 50 includes, for example, a gnss (global Navigation Satellite system) receiver 51, a Navigation HMI52, 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 determines the position of the own vehicle M based on the signals received from the GNSS satellites. The position of the host vehicle M may also be determined or supplemented by an ins (inertial Navigation system) that utilizes the output of the vehicle sensors 40. The navigation HMI52 includes a display device, a speaker, a touch panel, keys, and the like. The navigation HMI52 may also be partially or wholly shared with the aforementioned HMI 30. The route determination unit 53 determines, for example, a route (hereinafter referred to as an on-map route) from the position of the own vehicle M (or an arbitrary input position) specified by the GNSS receiver 51 to the destination input by the occupant using the navigation HMI52, with reference to the first map information 54. The first map information 54 is, for example, information representing a road shape by links representing roads and nodes connected by the links. The first map information 54 may also include curvature Of a road, poi (point Of interest) information, and the like. The map upper path is output to the MPU 60. The navigation device 50 may also perform route guidance using the navigation HMI52 based on the on-map route. The navigation device 50 may be realized by a function of a terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal held by the occupant. The navigation device 50 may transmit the current position and the destination to the navigation server via the communication device 20, and acquire a route equivalent to the route on the map from the navigation server.

The MPU60 includes, for example, the recommended lane determining unit 61, and holds the second map information 62 in a storage device such as an HDD or a flash memory. The recommended lane determining unit 61 divides the on-map route provided from the navigation device 50 into a plurality of blocks (for example, every 100[ m ] in the vehicle traveling direction), and determines the recommended lane for each block with reference to the second map information 62. The recommended lane determining unit 61 determines to travel in the first lane from the left. The recommended lane determining unit 61 determines the recommended lane so that the host vehicle M can travel on a reasonable route for traveling to the branch destination when there is a branch point on the route on the map.

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 a lane, information on the boundary of a lane, and the like. 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 can be updated at any time by the communication device 20 communicating with other devices.

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

The automatic driving control device 100 includes, for example, a first control unit 120 and a second control unit 160. The first control unit 120 and the second control unit 160 are each realized by a hardware processor such as a cpu (central Processing unit) executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including circuit units) such as lsi (large Scale integration), asic (application Specific Integrated circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), and gpu (graphics Processing unit), or may be realized by cooperation between software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device (a storage device including a non-transitory storage medium) such as an HDD or a flash memory of the automatic drive control device 100, or may be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD or a CD-ROM, and attached to the HDD or the flash memory of the automatic drive control device 100 by being mounted on the drive device via the storage medium (the non-transitory storage medium). The automatic driving control device 100 is an example of a "vehicle control device".

Fig. 2 is a functional configuration diagram of the first control unit 120 and the second control unit 160. The first control unit 120 includes, for example, a recognition unit 130 and an action plan generation unit 140. The first control unit 120 implements, for example, an AI (Artificial Intelligence) function and a model function in parallel. For example, the function of "recognizing an intersection" can be realized by "recognizing an intersection by deep learning or the like and recognizing the intersection based on a predetermined condition (presence of a signal, a road sign, or the like that enables pattern matching) in parallel, and scoring both sides and comprehensively evaluating the both sides". Thereby, the reliability of automatic driving is ensured.

The recognition unit 130 recognizes the state of the object in the periphery of the vehicle M, such as the position, the velocity, and the acceleration, based on information input from the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the LIDAR14 via the object recognition device 16. The position of the object is recognized as a position on absolute coordinates with the origin at a representative point (center of gravity, center of drive axis, etc.) of the host vehicle M, for example, and used for control. The position of the object may be represented by a representative point such as the center of gravity and a corner of the object, or may be represented by a region represented by the representative point. The "state" of the object may also include acceleration, jerk, or "state of action" of the object (e.g., whether a lane change is being made or is to be made).

The recognition unit 130 recognizes, for example, a lane (traveling lane) in which the host vehicle M travels. For example, the recognition unit 130 recognizes the traveling lane by comparing the pattern of road dividing lines (e.g., the arrangement of solid lines and broken lines) obtained from the second map information 62 with the pattern of road dividing lines around the host vehicle M recognized from the image captured by the camera 10. The recognition unit 130 may recognize the lane by recognizing a road dividing line, a running road boundary (road boundary) including a shoulder, a curb, a center barrier, a guardrail, and the like, as well as the road dividing line. In this recognition, the position of the own vehicle M acquired from the navigation device 50 and the processing result by the INS processing may be added. The recognition part 130 recognizes a temporary stop line, an obstacle, a red light, a toll booth, and other road phenomena.

The recognition unit 130 recognizes the position and posture of the host vehicle M with respect to the travel lane when recognizing the travel lane. The recognition unit 130 may recognize, for example, a deviation of a reference point of the host vehicle M from the center of the lane and an angle formed by the traveling direction of the host vehicle M with respect to a line connecting the centers of the lanes as the relative position and posture of the host vehicle M with respect to the traveling lane. Instead, the recognition unit 130 may recognize the position of the reference point of the host vehicle M with respect to an arbitrary side end portion (road partition line or road boundary) of the traveling lane, as the relative position of the host vehicle M with respect to the traveling lane.

The action plan generating unit 140 generates a target trajectory on which the host vehicle M automatically (without depending on the operation of the driver) travels in the future so as to travel on the recommended lane determined by the recommended lane determining unit 61 in principle and to be able to cope with the surrounding situation of the host vehicle M. The target track contains, for example, a velocity element. For example, the target track is represented by a track in which the points (track points) to which the vehicle M should arrive are arranged in order. The track point is a point to which the host vehicle M should arrive at every predetermined travel distance (for example, several [ M ] or so) in terms of a distance along the way, and, unlike this, a target speed and a target acceleration at every predetermined sampling time (for example, several zero-point [ sec ] or so) are generated as a part of the target track. The track point may be a position to which the host vehicle M should arrive at a predetermined sampling time. In this case, the information of the target velocity and the target acceleration is expressed by the interval between the track points.

The action plan generating unit 140 may set an event of autonomous driving when generating the target trajectory. Examples of the event of the automatic driving include a constant speed driving event, a low speed follow-up driving event, a lane change event, a branch event, a merge event, and a take-over event. The action plan generating unit 140 generates a target trajectory corresponding to the started event.

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

The second control unit 160 includes, for example, an acquisition unit 162, a speed control unit 164, and a steering control unit 166. The acquisition unit 162 acquires information of the target track (track point) generated by the action plan generation unit 140, and stores the information in a memory (not shown). The speed control unit 164 controls the running drive force output device 200 or the brake device 210 based on the speed element associated with the target track stored in the memory. The steering control unit 166 controls the steering device 220 according to the curve condition 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. For example, the steering control unit 166 performs a combination of feedforward control according to the curvature of the road ahead of the host vehicle M and feedback control based on deviation from the target trajectory.

Running drive force output device 200 outputs running drive force (torque) for running of the vehicle to the drive wheels. The travel driving force output device 200 includes, for example, a combination of an internal combustion engine, a motor, a transmission, and the like, and an ecu (electronic Control unit) that controls them. The ECU controls the above configuration in accordance with information input from the second control unit 160 or information input from the driving operation element 80.

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

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

[ control of vehicle on comparatively narrow road ]

The action plan generating unit 140 stops the vehicle M in front of the stop line so that the vicinity or the center of the vehicle M in the width direction coincides with the vicinity or the center of the stop line in the longitudinal direction in the width direction of the road on the specific road. The specific road is a road on which no center line is provided, a road on which the center line is provided but in which a first width of a lane (hereinafter referred to as a host lane and a first side) on which the vehicle M travels is different from a second width of a lane (hereinafter referred to as an opposite lane and a second side) on which the opposite vehicle travels. The second width is, for example, larger than the first width.

Specifically, the specific road is the above-described road, and is a road on which a crosswalk is provided and a stop line is provided in front of the crosswalk (see fig. 3). The specific road is the above-mentioned road, and is a road provided with a crosswalk, a stop line in front of the crosswalk, and a road mark in front of the crosswalk (see fig. 4). The road mark is, for example, a mark indicating the presence of a pedestrian crossing or a bicycle crossing. The road markings may also be a "stop" marking that is marked in front of the stop line.

(action (1) of vehicle on specific road)

Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the vehicle M on the specific road. In the road shown in fig. 5, the lane and the sidewalk are divided by a dividing line L. The width D of the lane is about 2 times the width of the vehicle M. The width D of the lane is a width to which the vehicle M traveling in the positive X direction and the oncoming vehicle traveling in the negative X direction can meet each other at a low speed. The width D is an example of "predetermined width". In the present embodiment, the vehicle M travels on the left side of the lane, and the oncoming vehicle travels on the right side of the lane. The left side of the lane is the negative Y-direction side (first side) of the lane, and the right side of the lane is the positive Y-direction side (second side) of the lane. In the case where the vehicle M is running on the second side and the oncoming vehicle is running on the first side, the processing of reading the first side and the second side in reverse is performed in the following processing.

In front of and on a first side of the vehicle M, a road sign S, a stop line SL, and a crosswalk W are marked in this order. The sidewalk is arranged on the first side. A pedestrian PD1 is present on the sidewalk on the negative Y direction side of the road sign S, and a pedestrian PD1 walks in the positive X direction. On the sidewalk on the negative Y direction side of the crosswalk W, there is a pedestrian PD2, and a pedestrian PD2 is about to pass on the crosswalk W.

When the time T is in the first situation, the action plan generating unit 140 causes the vehicle M to travel so that the reference position (center axis) of the vehicle M coincides with the vicinity of the center of the lane or the center thereof. The first condition is a condition in which the oncoming vehicle M is not present ahead of the vehicle M and within a predetermined distance (e.g., several tens of meters) from the vehicle M. For example, the action plan generating unit 140 causes the vehicle M to travel so that the reference position SP of the vehicle M coincides with the generated virtual line IL. The virtual line IL is a line indicating the center of the road (lane) in the width direction.

At time T +1, the action plan generating unit 140 stops the vehicle M in front of the stop line SL because the pedestrian PD2 is present. In this case, the action plan generating unit 140 controls the vehicle M so that the vicinity of the center of the road mark S or the center thereof coincides with the reference position SP of the vehicle M in the Y direction. Thereby, the vehicle M moves from near or at the center of the road to the first side.

At time T +2, the action plan generating unit 140 controls the vehicle M so that the vehicle M travels over the road sign S, and stops the vehicle M in front of the stop line SL. For example, the vehicle M travels so that the reference position SP of the vehicle M coincides with the center of the road mark S in the Y direction, and stops so as not to go beyond the stop line SL in the positive Y direction. The vehicle M stops in front of the stop line SL in such a manner as to avoid obstructing the travel of an oncoming vehicle traveling in a region of a second side opposite to the first side on which the vehicle M travels. After the pedestrian PD2 crosses on the crosswalk W, the vehicle M starts.

In this way, when there is no oncoming vehicle, the vehicle M travels near or at the center of the road, and when it approaches the stop line, it travels near or at the center of the road mark S and stops on the first side, whereby it is possible to suppress the obstacle to travel of the oncoming vehicle even when the oncoming vehicle intends to approach after stopping. Even when the pedestrian approaches the lane inadvertently, the vehicle M can maintain an appropriate distance from the pedestrian. As a result, control suitable for the traffic environment can be achieved.

(action (2) of vehicle on specific road)

Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining another example of the operation of the vehicle M on the specific road. The following description will focus on differences from the description of fig. 5. In the example of fig. 6, when the vehicle M is traveling near or at the center of the lane, the oncoming vehicle M travels on the second side and approaches the vehicle M.

At time T, when the vehicle M is traveling near or at the center of the lane, the oncoming vehicle M approaches. At time T +1, the action plan generating unit 140 moves the vehicle M to the first side so as to avoid the oncoming vehicle M. At this time, the action plan generating unit 140 moves the vehicle M to a position where the oncoming vehicle M can smoothly travel, based on the width of the vehicle M, the width of the oncoming vehicle M, and the width of the road. For example, the vehicle M moves to a position on the dividing line L or beyond the dividing line L in the negative Y direction. At this time, however, the vehicle M travels so as to avoid obstructing the walking of the pedestrian PD1 on the sidewalk. For example, in the case where the vehicle M overlaps the pedestrian PD1 with respect to the position in the Y direction, the vehicle M travels at the walking speed of the pedestrian PD1 at a position a predetermined distance away from the pedestrian PD1 to the near side.

Thereby, the distance in the width direction between the vehicle M and the oncoming vehicle M becomes large, and therefore the oncoming vehicle M can travel smoothly. The vehicle M can suppress the pedestrian PD1 from being obstructed from walking.

At time T +2, after the vehicle M meets the oncoming vehicle M, the action plan generating unit 140 controls the vehicle M so that the vehicle M travels over the road sign S (the center in the Y direction of the road sign S) and stops in front of the stop line SL. After the pedestrian PD2 crosses on the crosswalk W, the vehicle M starts.

In this way, when there is the oncoming vehicle M, the vehicle M travels on the first side so that the oncoming vehicle M can smoothly travel, and when the oncoming vehicle M approaches the stop line, the vehicle M stops on the first side. Further, even when the pedestrian inadvertently approaches the lane side, the vehicle M can maintain an appropriate distance from the pedestrian. As a result, control suitable for the traffic environment can be achieved.

(action (3) of vehicle on specific road)

Fig. 7 is a diagram for explaining another example of the operation of the vehicle M on the specific road. The following description will focus on differences from the description of fig. 5. In the example of fig. 7, a center line CL is indicated on the lane. The center line CL is provided slightly on the negative Y direction side with respect to the center of the lane. That is, the width of the lane on the first side with respect to the center line CL (first lane) is narrower than the width of the lane on the second side with respect to the center line CL (second lane).

When the time T is in the first situation, the action plan generating unit 140 causes the vehicle M to travel so that the reference position (center axis) of the vehicle M coincides with the vicinity of the center of the lane or the center thereof.

At time T +1, the action plan generating unit 140 controls the vehicle M so that the vicinity of the center of the road sign S in the Y direction or the center thereof coincides with the reference position SP of the vehicle M. Thereby, the vehicle M moves from near or at the center of the road to the first side.

At time T +2, the action plan generating unit 140 controls the vehicle M so that the vehicle M travels over the road sign S and stops in front of the stop line SL. For example, the vehicle M stops in such a manner as to avoid the overshoot from the stop line SL toward the positive Y direction side. After the pedestrian PD2 crosses on the crosswalk W, the vehicle M starts.

In this way, when the width of the first lane is smaller than the width of the second lane, the vehicle M travels near or at the center of the road, and when the vehicle M approaches the stop line, the vehicle M stops in the first lane, whereby it is possible to suppress the obstacle to the travel of the oncoming vehicle even when the oncoming vehicle intends to approach after the stop. As a result, control suitable for the traffic environment is achieved.

(action (4) of vehicle on specific road)

Fig. 8 is a diagram for explaining another example of the operation of the vehicle M on the specific road. The following description will focus on differences from the description of fig. 7. In the example of fig. 8, when the vehicle M is traveling near or at the center of the lane, the oncoming vehicle M travels on the second lane L2 and approaches the vehicle M.

At time T, the vehicle M travels near or at the center of the lane, and the oncoming vehicle M approaches. At time T +1, the action plan generating unit 140 moves the vehicle M to the first side so as to avoid the oncoming vehicle M. At this time, the action plan generating unit 140 moves the vehicle M to a position where the oncoming vehicle M can smoothly travel, based on the width of the vehicle M, the width of the oncoming vehicle M, and the width of the road. For example, the vehicle M moves to the dividing line L or to a position beyond the dividing line L in the negative Y direction. At this time, however, the vehicle M travels so as to avoid obstructing the walking of the pedestrian PD1 on the sidewalk.

At time T +2, after the vehicle M meets the oncoming vehicle M, the action plan generating unit 140 controls the vehicle M to travel above the road sign S (the center in the Y direction of the road sign S) and stop the vehicle M in front of the stop line SL. After the pedestrian PD2 crosses on the crosswalk W, the vehicle M starts.

In this way, when there is an oncoming vehicle, the vehicle M travels on the first side so that the oncoming vehicle M can smoothly travel, and when the oncoming vehicle approaches the stop line, the vehicle M stops on the first side. As a result, control suitable for the traffic environment is achieved.

[ flow chart (1) ]

Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed by the automatic driving control apparatus 100. In this process, the road is equal to or less than a predetermined width, and no oncoming vehicle is present on the road.

First, the recognition unit 130 determines whether or not the center line of the road is successfully recognized (step S100). When the center line of the road is not recognized, the action plan generating unit 140 causes the vehicle M to travel near the center (or the center) of the lane (step S102). The details of the processing in step S102 will be described with reference to fig. 10.

When the center line of the road is recognized, the action plan generating unit 140 determines whether the width of the first lane and the width of the second lane are equal to each other based on the recognition result of the recognizing unit 130 (step S104). If the width of the first lane is not equal to the width of the second lane, the process proceeds to step S102. When the width of the first lane is equal to the width of the second lane, the action plan generating unit 140 travels on the first lane (step S106). For example, the vehicle M travels in a manner that avoids going beyond the first lane. Whereby the processing of the present flowchart ends.

[ flow chart (2) ]

Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing another example of the flow of processing executed by the automatic driving control apparatus 100. This processing is processing when the vehicle M stops at the stop line in the processing of step S102.

First, the recognition unit 130 determines whether or not a road sign is recognized (step S200). When the road mark is recognized, the action plan generating unit 140 determines whether or not the vehicle M is out of the end portion near the center of the stop line when the reference position of the vehicle M is aligned with the center of the stop line in the width direction in the Y direction (step S202).

When the vehicle M is out of the end portion near the center of the stop line in the process of step S202, the action plan generating unit 140 moves the vehicle M by matching the reference position of the vehicle with the center of the road mark in the Y direction, and stops the vehicle M at a position not out of the end portion near the center of the stop line (step S204).

If the vehicle M does not go beyond the end near the center of the stop line in the process of step S202, the action plan generating unit 140 causes the reference position of the vehicle to coincide with the center of the road mark in the Y direction to move the vehicle M, and causes the vehicle M to stop so that the reference position of the vehicle M coincides with the center of the stop line in the Y direction (step S206).

When the road mark is not recognized, the action plan generating unit 140 determines whether or not the vehicle M is beyond the end portion of the stop line toward the center when the reference position of the vehicle M is aligned with the center of the stop line in the width direction in the Y direction (step S208).

If the vehicle M has moved beyond the end portion near the center of the stop line in the process of step S208, the action plan generating unit 140 stops the vehicle M at a position that is not moved beyond the end portion near the center of the stop line in the Y direction (step S210).

If the vehicle M does not go beyond the end near the center of the stop line in the process of step S208, the action plan generating unit 140 stops the vehicle M so that the reference position of the vehicle coincides with the center of the stop line in the Y direction (step S212). Whereby the processing of the 1 routine of the present flowchart ends.

As described above, the action plan generating unit 140 controls the vehicle M based on the presence or absence of the center line, the degree of equalization between the first lane and the second lane, the presence or absence of the road mark, and the relationship between the width of the stop line and the width of the vehicle M, thereby realizing control suitable for the traffic environment.

(action (5) of vehicle on specific road)

Fig. 11 is a diagram for explaining another example of the operation of the vehicle M on the specific road. The following description will focus on differences from the description of fig. 5. In the example of fig. 11, a vehicle M # larger than the vehicle M stops in front of the stop line. The vehicle M # is a vehicle whose width in the Y direction is larger than the width of the stop line. This processing is performed when there is no oncoming vehicle, 1 road symbol is marked in front of the stop line SL, and when the vehicle M # is present at a predetermined distance from the stop line SL, the recognition unit 130 can recognize the end of the stop line SL on the center side of the road.

When the time T is in the first situation, the action plan generating unit 140 causes the vehicle M to travel so that the reference position (center axis) of the vehicle M coincides with the vicinity of the center of the lane or the center thereof.

At time T +1, the action plan generating unit 140 travels so as to avoid the vehicle M # from exceeding the stop line SL in the Y direction. In this case, the vehicle M # travels on or beyond the dividing line L, but travels so as not to hinder the walking of the pedestrian PD1 traveling on the sidewalk.

At time T +2, the action plan generating unit 140 stops the vehicle M in front of the stop line SL. For example, the vehicle M stops in such a manner as to avoid the overshoot from the stop line SL toward the positive Y direction side. After the pedestrian PD2 crosses on the crosswalk W, the vehicle M starts.

In this way, when the vehicle M # approaches the stop line in the vicinity of the center of the road or travels in the center, the vehicle M # is stopped so as not to be beyond the stop line SL, and thus, even when the oncoming vehicle intends to approach after the stop of the vehicle, it is possible to suppress the obstacle to the travel of the oncoming vehicle. As a result, control suitable for the traffic environment is achieved.

(action (6) of vehicle on specific road)

Fig. 12 is a diagram for explaining another example of the operation of the vehicle M on the specific road. The following description will focus on differences from the description of fig. 11. This processing is performed when there is no oncoming vehicle, a plurality of road signs are marked in front of the stop line SL, and when the vehicle M # is present at a predetermined distance from the stop line SL, the recognition unit 130 cannot recognize the end of the stop line SL on the center side of the road.

At time T, when the vehicle M travels near or at the center of the road and then a plurality of road signs are present on the road, the action plan generating unit 140 causes the vehicle M # to travel so that the reference position SP of the vehicle M # coincides with the vicinity or the center of the road sign S in the Y direction. The plurality of road markings S are aligned along the X direction on a first side of the road.

At time T +1, the action plan generating unit 140 causes the vehicle M # to travel so that the reference position SP of the vehicle M # coincides with the vicinity of the center or the center of the road mark S in the Y direction, and when the recognition unit 130 can recognize the end of the stop line SL on the center side of the road, the action plan generating unit 140 causes the vehicle M to travel so as to avoid the vehicle M # from running beyond the stop line SL in the Y direction. In the example of fig. 12, when the recognition unit 130 recognizes the end of the stop line SL as described above, the vehicle M # can travel in the Y direction without going beyond the stop line SL.

At time T +2, the action plan generating unit 140 stops the vehicle M in front of the stop line SL. Thus, the vehicle M # stops so as to avoid going beyond the stop line SL in the positive Y direction. After the pedestrian PD2 crosses on the crosswalk W, the vehicle M starts.

In this way, the vehicle M # is parked so as to avoid the overtaking from the stop line SL, and thus, even when the oncoming vehicle intends to approach after the parking, it is possible to suppress the inhibition of the traveling of the oncoming vehicle. As a result, control suitable for the traffic environment is achieved.

When the oncoming vehicle M approaches while the vehicle M # is traveling, the vehicle M # travels while moving to the first side so that the oncoming vehicle M can travel smoothly, as described above with reference to fig. 8. The above-described processes performed by the vehicle M # may be performed by the vehicle M instead of the vehicle M #.

[ flow chart (3) ]

Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed by the automatic driving control apparatus 100. This processing is performed when the vehicle M # (or the vehicle M) reaches a position at a predetermined distance to the near side from the stop line.

First, the recognition unit 130 determines whether or not the stop line in front and the end portion of the stop line located on the center side of the lane are recognized (step S300). When the stop line and the end portion of the stop line are recognized, the action plan generating unit 140 controls the vehicle M # so as not to be beyond the end portion (step S302).

When the end of the stop line and the end of the stop line are not recognized, the action plan generating unit 140 determines whether or not a plurality of road signs are marked based on the recognition result of the recognizing unit 130 (step S304). If a plurality of road signs are not indicated, the process returns to step S300.

When a plurality of road signs are marked, the action plan generating unit 140 controls the vehicle M # so as to travel in the Y direction at the center of the road signs (step S306). Whereby the processing of the 1 routine of the present flowchart ends.

As described above, the vehicle # controls the vehicle M # based on the situation of the periphery of the vehicle and the recognition result of the recognition unit 130, thereby realizing control suitable for the traffic environment.

According to the embodiment described above, the automatic driving control device 100 can realize control suitable for the traffic environment by stopping the vehicle M in front of the stop line so that the vicinity or the center of the vehicle M in the width direction coincides with the vicinity or the center of the stop line in the longitudinal direction in the width direction of the road.

[ hardware configuration ]

Fig. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the automatic driving control apparatus 100 according to the embodiment. As shown in the figure, the automatic driving control apparatus 100 is configured such that a communication controller 100-1, a CPU100-2, a ram (random Access memory)100-3 used as a work memory, a rom (read Only memory)100-4 storing a boot program and the like, a flash memory, a storage apparatus 100-5 such as an hdd (hard disk drive) and the like, and a drive apparatus 100-6 are connected to each other by an internal bus or a dedicated communication line. The communication controller 100-1 communicates with components other than the automatic driving control device 100. The storage device 100-5 stores a program 100-5a executed by the CPU 100-2. The program is developed into the RAM100-3 by a dma (direct Memory access) controller (not shown) or the like, and executed by the CPU 100-2. This realizes a part or all of the first control unit 120, the second control unit 160, and the functional units included in these units.

The above-described embodiments can be expressed as follows.

The vehicle control device is configured to include:

a storage device storing a program; and

a hardware processor for executing a program of a program,

the hardware processor performs the following processing by executing a program stored in the storage device:

identifying a periphery of the vehicle;

controlling steering and speed of the vehicle to stop the vehicle in front of the identified stop-line; and

the vehicle is stopped in front of the stop line so that the vicinity or center of the vehicle in the width direction coincides with the vicinity or center of the stop line in the longitudinal direction in the width direction of the road.

While the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.