US-12623678-B2 - Vehicle control device and vehicle control method

US12623678B2US 12623678 B2US12623678 B2US 12623678B2US-12623678-B2

Abstract

A vehicle control device that performs automatic driving without monitoring obligation is configured to: identity an obstacle which prevents the vehicle from traveling; identify, when the obstacle is identified, an avoidance measure which is a measure that allows the vehicle to avoid the obstacle; and permit, during the automatic driving without monitoring obligation, an avoidance based on a deviant measure on a basis of a fact that the avoidance measure is a deviant measure outside a scope of traffic regulations.

Inventors

Takuya KUME
Kazuki Izumi

Assignees

DENSO CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20240520
Priority Date: 20211122

Claims (19)

1 . A vehicle control device used in a vehicle that performs automatic driving without monitoring obligation, which is automatic driving without peripheral monitoring obligation, the vehicle control device comprising: at least one of (i) a circuit and (ii) a processor with a memory storing computer program code executable by the processor, the at least one of the circuit and the processor configured to cause the vehicle control device to: identity an obstacle which prevents the vehicle from traveling; to identify, when the obstacle is identified, an avoidance measure that allows the vehicle to avoid the obstacle; permit, during the automatic driving without monitoring obligation, an avoidance based on a deviant measure on a basis of a fact that the identified avoidance measure is a deviant measure outside a scope of traffic regulations; and perform acceleration/deceleration control and steering control for the vehicle and to cause the vehicle control device to control at least one of a speed, a steering angle, or a braking force of the vehicle so as to execute the avoidance based on the deviant measure when the avoidance based on the deviant measure is permitted; wherein: when the obstacle is identified, the identified avoidance measure is an avoidance route which is a route that allows the vehicle to avoid the obstacle; the at least one of the circuit and the processor are further configured to cause the vehicle control device to permit evasion to the non-legal route during the automatic driving without the monitoring obligation on a basis of the identified avoidance route being a non-legal route outside the traffic regulations which is included in the deviant measure.
2 . The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the circuit and the processor is further configured to cause the vehicle control device to: identify an environment in which the vehicle is traveling, wherein: when the identified avoidance route is the non-legal route and is also a route which requires entrance into a lane opposing a lane in which the vehicle is traveling or into a road edge, the evasion to the non-legal route is permitted on a basis of an identification of absence of another vehicle or a pedestrian where the vehicle is to enter.
3 . The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the circuit and the processor is further configured to cause the vehicle control device to: temporarily stop the vehicle when the identified avoidance route is the non-legal route and the vehicle can temporarily stop; cause an inquiry to be made to a driver of the vehicle about whether or not the driver approves the evasion to the non-legal route when the identified avoidance route is the non-legal route and when the vehicle can temporarily stop; and acquire, from the driver, a response to the inquiry about an approval or disapproval, wherein: the evasion to the non-legal route is permitted when the identified avoidance route is the non-legal route, and the vehicle can temporarily stop, and also when the response approving the evasion to the non-legal route is acquired.
4 . The vehicle control device according to claim 3 , wherein: the evasion to the non-legal route is permitted without the inquiry about the approval or disapproval when the identified avoidance route is the non-legal route outside the scope of the traffic regulations and also when the vehicle cannot temporarily stop.
5 . The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein: the vehicle control device can be used in a vehicle that performs sleep-permitted automatic driving which is included in the automatic driving without monitoring obligation and in which a driver of the vehicle is permitted to sleep; and during the sleep-permitted automatic driving, the evasion to the non-legal route is permitted on the basis of the fact that the identified avoidance route is the non-legal route.
6 . The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein: the vehicle control device can be used in a vehicle that performs at least sleep-permitted automatic driving which is included in the automatic driving without monitoring obligation and in which a driver of the vehicle is permitted to sleep and sleep-unpermitted automatic driving which is included in the automatic driving without monitoring obligation and in which the driver of the vehicle is not permitted to sleep; due to different automation levels of the sleep-permitted automatic driving and the sleep-unpermitted automatic driving, regions falling outside a scope of the traffic regulations are different; during the sleep-permitted automatic driving, when the identified avoidance route is a non-legal route outside a scope of traffic regulations according to the sleep-permitted automatic driving, evasion to the non-legal route is permitted; and during the sleep-unpermitted automatic driving, when the identified avoidance route is a non-legal route outside a scope of traffic regulations according to the sleep-unpermitted automatic driving, evasion to the non-legal route is permitted.
7 . The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the circuit and the processor is further configured to cause the vehicle control device to: to identify an environment in which the vehicle is traveling, wherein: when the obstacle is identified the identified avoidance measure is passing without stopping at a stop line; and when the identified avoidance measure is the passing without stopping at the stop line, on a basis of an identification of absence of an obstacle within a predetermined range from the stop line, the passing without stopping at the stop line is permitted.
8 . The vehicle control device according to claim 7 , wherein the at least one of the circuit and the processor is further configured to cause the vehicle control device to: the passing without stopping at the stop line is permitted, a speed of the vehicle to a prescribed value or less before the vehicle reaches the stop line and causes the vehicle to travel at the speed of the prescribed value or less while the vehicle is crossing the stop line.
9 . The vehicle control device according to claim 7 , wherein: an approach of an emergency vehicle to the vehicle is identified as the obstacle which prevents the vehicle from traveling; when the approach of the emergency vehicle to the vehicle is identified as the obstacle, the identified avoidance measure is the passing without stopping at the stop line; and when the identified avoidance measure is the passing without stopping at the stop line, the passing without stopping at the stop line is permitted on the basis of the identification of absence of an obstacle within a predetermined range from the stop line.
10 . The vehicle control device according to claim 7 , wherein the at least one of the circuit and the processor is further configured to cause the vehicle control device to: cause, when the passing without stopping at the stop line is permitted, a notification to be made to a driver of the vehicle to encourage peripheral monitoring.
11 . The vehicle control device according to claim 7 , wherein the at least one of the circuit and the processor is further configured to cause the vehicle control device to: identify a state of a driver of the vehicle, wherein: when the identified avoidance measure is the passing without stopping at the stop line, the passing without stopping at the stop line is permitted on a condition that the absence of an obstacle within the predetermined range from the stop line is identified and that the driver performing the peripheral monitoring is identified.
12 . The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the circuit and the processor is further configured to cause the vehicle control device to: cause, when the avoidance based on the deviant measure is permitted, a notification that the avoidance based on the deviant measure is to be performed to be made to a vehicle interior of the vehicle; and cause, when the avoidance based on the deviant measure is permitted, a notification that the avoidance based on the deviant measure is to be performed to be made to the outside of the vehicle interior of the vehicle.
13 . A vehicle control device used on in a vehicle that performs automatic driving without monitoring obligation, which is automatic driving without peripheral monitoring obligation, the vehicle control device comprising: at least one of (i) a circuit and (ii) a processor with a memory storing computer program code executable by the processor, the at least one of the circuit and the processor configured to cause the vehicle control device to: identify a target situation in which it is set in advance that, during the automatic driving without monitoring obligation, the vehicle preferably performs deviant driving which is driving outside a scope of traffic regulations or traffic manners; permit, during the automatic driving without monitoring obligation, when the target situation is identified, the deviant driving according to the target situation; identify an environment in which the vehicle is traveling; perform acceleration/deceleration control and steering control for the vehicle and control at least one of a speed, a steering angle, or a braking force of the vehicle to execute the deviant driving according to the target situation when the deviant driving is permitted; wherein: when the obstacle is identified, the identified avoidance measure is passing without stopping at a stop line; when the identified avoidance measure is the passing without stopping at the stop line, on a basis of an identification of absence of an obstacle within a predetermined range from the stop line, the passing without stopping at the stop line is permitted; and the at least one of the circuit and the processor is further configured to cause the vehicle control device to control, when the passing without stopping at the stop line is permitted, the speed of the vehicle to a prescribed value or less before the vehicle reaches the stop line and causes the vehicle to travel at the speed of the prescribed value or less while the vehicle is crossing the stop line.
14 . The vehicle control device according to claim 13 , wherein the at least one of the circuit and the processor is further configured to cause the vehicle control device to: identify, as the target situation, a fact that a vehicle driving ahead of the vehicle is performing automatic driving; and during the automatic driving without monitoring obligation, when the target situation is identified, an inter-vehicle distance is set between the vehicle and a driving-ahead vehicle to a value less than a threshold set in advance as the scope of the traffic manners.
15 . The vehicle control device according to claim 13 , wherein the identified target situation is a fact that a speed of a peripheral vehicle around the vehicle is in excess of a speed limit determined by the traffic regulations; and during the automatic driving without monitoring obligation, when the target situation is identified, a speed of the vehicle is permitted to match the speed of the peripheral vehicle even when the speed limit is exceeded.
16 . The vehicle control device according to claim 13 , wherein: the identified target situation in which it is set in advance that traveling a wrong way in a section determined to have one-way traffic by the traffic regulations is preferable; and during the automatic driving without monitoring obligation, when the target situation is identified, the vehicle is permitted to travel the wrong way in the section determined to have one-way traffic by the traffic regulations.
17 . A vehicle control method usable in a vehicle that performs automatic driving without monitoring obligation, which is automatic driving without peripheral monitoring obligation, the vehicle control method comprising steps to be performed by at least one processor, the steps being: identifying an obstacle which prevents the vehicle from traveling; identifying, when the obstacle is identified in the obstacle identification step, an avoidance measure that allows the vehicle to avoid the obstacle; permitting, during the automatic driving without the monitoring obligation, on a basis of a fact that the identified avoidance measure identified is a deviant measure outside a scope of traffic regulations, avoidance based on the deviant measure; and performing acceleration/deceleration control and steering control for the vehicle; wherein: when the obstacle is identified, the identified avoidance measure is an avoidance route which is a route that allows the vehicle to avoid the obstacle; evasion to the non-legal route is permitted during the automatic driving without the monitoring obligation on a basis of the identified avoidance route being a non-legal route outside the traffic regulations which is included in the deviant measure; and the steps further include causing the vehicle control device to control at least one of a speed, a steering angle, or a braking force of the vehicle so as to execute the avoidance based on the deviant measure when the avoidance based on the deviant measure is permitted.
18 . A vehicle control method usable in a vehicle that performs automatic driving without monitoring obligation, which is automatic driving without peripheral monitoring obligation, the vehicle control method comprising steps to be performed by at least one processor, the steps being: identifying a target situation in which it is set in advance that, during the automatic driving without monitoring obligation, the vehicle preferably performs deviant driving which is driving outside a scope of traffic regulations or traffic manners; permitting, during the automatic driving without monitoring obligation, when the target situation is identified, the deviant driving according to the target situation; identifying an environment in which the vehicle is traveling; and performing acceleration/deceleration control and steering control for the vehicle and controlling at least one of a speed, a steering angle, or a braking force of the vehicle to execute the deviant driving according to the target situation when the deviant driving is permitted; wherein: when the obstacle is identified, the identified avoidance measure is passing without stopping at a stop line; when the identified avoidance measure is the passing without stopping at the stop line, on a basis of an identification of absence of an obstacle within a predetermined range from the stop line, the passing without stopping at the stop line is permitted; and the steps further include causing the vehicle control device to control, when the passing without stopping at the stop line is permitted, the speed of the vehicle to a prescribed value or less before the vehicle reaches the stop line and causes the vehicle to travel at the speed of the prescribed value or less while the vehicle is crossing the stop line.
19 . A vehicle control device used in a vehicle that performs automatic driving without monitoring obligation, which is automatic driving without peripheral monitoring obligation, the vehicle control device comprising: at least one of (i) a circuit and (ii) a processor with a memory storing computer program code executable by the processor, the at least one of the circuit and the processor configured to cause the vehicle control device to: identity an obstacle which prevents the vehicle from traveling; identify, when the obstacle is identified, an avoidance measure which that allows the vehicle to avoid the obstacle; permit, during the automatic driving without monitoring obligation, an avoidance based on a deviant measure on a basis of a fact that the identified avoidance measure identified is a deviant measure outside a scope of traffic regulations; and a identify an environment in which the vehicle is traveling; wherein: when the obstacle is identified, the identified avoidance measure is passing without stopping at a stop line; when the identified avoidance measure is the passing without stopping at the stop line, on a basis of an identification of absence of an obstacle within a predetermined range from the stop line, the passing without stopping at the stop line is permitted; and the at least one of the circuit and the processor is further configured to control, when the passing without stopping at the stop line is permitted, a speed of the vehicle to a prescribed value or less before the vehicle reaches the stop line and causes the vehicle to travel at the speed of the prescribed value or less while the vehicle is crossing the stop line.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION The present application is a continuation application of International Patent Application No. PCT/JP2022/041141 filed on Nov. 4, 2022 which designated the U.S. and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-189631 filed on Nov. 22, 2021 and Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-150582 filed on Sep. 21, 2022. The entire disclosures of all of the above applications are incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a vehicle control device and vehicle control method. BACKGROUND A related art discloses an automatic driving control unit including Level-1 to Level-5 automatic driving functions in addition to a Level-0 manual driving function. SUMMARY A vehicle control device that performs automatic driving without monitoring obligation is configured to: identity an obstacle which prevents the vehicle from traveling; identify, when the obstacle is identified, an avoidance measure which is a measure that allows the vehicle to avoid the obstacle; and permit, during the automatic driving without monitoring obligation, an avoidance based on a deviant measure on a basis of a fact that the avoidance measure is a deviant measure outside a scope of traffic regulations. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a vehicle system; FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of an automatic driving ECU; FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a flow of obstacle-avoidance-related processing in the automatic driving ECU; FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of the vehicle system; FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of the automatic driving ECU; FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of the automatic driving ECU; FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of the automatic driving ECU; and FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of the automatic driving ECU. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Examples of known automation levels include automation levels defined by SAE, which are classified as Levels 0 to 5. Level 0 is a level at which a driver performs all driving tasks without system intervention. Level 0 corresponds to so-called manual driving. Level 1 is a level at which a system assists either steering or acceleration/deceleration. Level 2 is a level at which the system assists each of the steering and the acceleration/deceleration. Automatic driving at Levels 1-2 is automatic driving during which the driver has a monitoring obligation related to safe driving (hereinafter referred to simply as the monitoring obligation). Level 3 is a level at which the system can perform all the driving tasks at a specified place such as an expressway. Level 4 is a level at which the system can perform all the driving tasks except under a specified situation such as an unsupported road or an ultimate environment. Level 5 is a level at which the system can perform all the driving tasks under any environment. Automatic driving at Level 3 or higher is the automatic driving during which the driver does not have the monitoring obligation. Automatic driving at Level 4 or higher is the automatic driving during which the driver is permitted to sleep. A related art discloses a technology to perform automatic driving at high automation levels such as automatic driving during which a driver does not have a monitoring obligation or automatic driving during which the driver is permitted to sleep, but does not assume a case where it is difficult to avoid an obstacle by adopting a behavior within traffic regulations. As a result, with the technology disclosed in a related art, it may be difficult to automatically avoid an obstacle when the obstacle is to be avoided during automatic driving and when it is difficult to avoid the obstacle by adopting a behavior within traffic regulations. Thus, there may be a situation in which it is not preferable to continue automatic driving excessively bound by traffic regulations or traffic manners. The present disclosure provides a vehicle control device and a vehicle control method which allow, when it is not preferable to drive within the scope of traffic regulations or traffic manners during automatic driving, driving outside the scope of the traffic regulations or traffic manners. According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle control device used in a vehicle that performs automatic driving without monitoring obligation, which is automatic driving without peripheral monitoring obligation, is provided. The vehicle control device includes: an obstacle identification unit that is configured to identity an obstacle which prevents the vehicle from traveling; an avoidance measure identification unit that is configured to identify, when the obstacle is