TRAVELING ENVIRONMENT RECOGNITION DEVICE

• US 20110222732A1
• Filed: 06/24/2009
• Published: 09/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Higuchi, Mirai, Monji, Tasuhiko, Sakano, Morihiko, Ota, Rayo, Muramatsu, Shoji, Naka, Takuya
• Granted Patent: US 8,620,025 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/104
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/42 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/15 Road slope, i.e. the inclination of a road segment in the longitudinal direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/14 Adaptive cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/143 Speed control B60W30/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18145 Cornering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/072 Curvature of the road
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/076 Slope angle of the road
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/588 Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/165 for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

In order to perform vehicle control, a warning process, and the like which do not give a driver an uncomfortable feeling in speed adjustment, a warning process, and the like corresponding to a road shape such as a curve, it is necessary to recognize not only a near road shape but also a far road shape with high accuracy. A traveling environment recognition device includes: a measurement unit which measures a target object; a three-dimensional object detection unit which detects a three-dimensional object on the basis of a signal acquired by the measurement unit; a road shape prediction unit which predicts a road shape on which a target vehicle is traveling; a three-dimensional object selection unit which selects, from among the three-dimensional objects detected by the three-dimensional object detection unit, only a three-dimensional object within a predetermined range from a point of the road predicted by the road shape prediction unit; and a road shape estimation unit which estimates the road shape on the basis of position information of the three-dimensional object selected by the three-dimensional object selection unit.

Claims

1. A traveling environment recognition device, comprising:

a measurement unit which measures a target object;

an object detection unit which detects an object on the basis of a signal acquired by the measurement unit;

a road shape prediction unit which predicts a road shape on which a target vehicle is traveling;

a three-dimensional object selection unit which selects, from among the objects detected by the object detection unit, only a three-dimensional object within a predetermined range from a point of the road predicted by the road shape prediction unit; and

a road shape estimation unit which estimates the road shape on the basis of position information of the three-dimensional object selected by the three-dimensional object selection unit.

2. The traveling environment recognition device according to claim 1, wherein the measurement unit corresponds to at least one of an image unit, a laser radar, a millimeter wave radar, and an ultrasonic sensor.

3. The traveling environment recognition device according to claim 1, wherein:

the road shape prediction unit predicts, as the road shape, at least one of a curve, a gradient, and a bank; and

the road shape estimation unit estimates, as the road shape, at least one of the curve, the gradient, and the bank.

4. The traveling environment recognition device according to claim 1, wherein the object corresponds to at least one of a traffic lane, a curb, a guardrail, a central reservation, a border between asphalt and a road end, a tree, a building, a traffic sign, a moving object such as a car, and a wall.

5. The traveling environment recognition device according to claim 1, wherein the road shape estimation unit calculates a distance between a target vehicle traveling lane and the three-dimensional object, and corrects a position of the three-dimensional object, to thereby predict the road shape on the basis of the corrected position information of the three-dimensional object.

6. The traveling environment recognition device according to claim 1, wherein the road shape estimation unit detects the number of traffic lanes next to a target vehicle traveling lane, and corrects a position of the three-dimensional object in accordance with the number of detected traffic lanes, to thereby predict the road shape on the basis of the corrected position information of the three-dimensional object.

7. The traveling environment recognition device according to claim 1, further comprising a map database and a target vehicle position detection unit,

wherein the road shape prediction unit predicts the road shape on the basis of a road shape obtained by the map database and position information of the target vehicle.

8. The traveling environment recognition device according to claim 1, wherein the road shape prediction unit predicts a road shape within a predetermined range from the target vehicle on the basis of at least one of a traffic lane, a curb, a guardrail, a central reservation, a border between asphalt and a road end, a line of trees, and a traffic sign, and predicts a road shape outside of the predetermined range from the target vehicle on the basis of calculation results of the road shape within the predetermined range from the target vehicle.

9. The traveling environment recognition device according to claim 1, wherein the road shape estimation unit estimates, if an obstacle exists on the road, a route passing on a near side of the obstacle as the road shape.

10. The traveling environment recognition device according to claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional object selection unit selects, if a moving object exists on the road, the three-dimensional object so as to exclude the moving object.

11. The traveling environment recognition device according to claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional object selection unit discriminates, if a parked vehicle exists on the road, whether or not a three-dimensional object on the road is the parked vehicle, and selects the three-dimensional object so as to exclude the parked vehicle.

12. The traveling environment recognition device according to claim 1, which outputs at least one of:

a distance to a curve;

a radius of the curve;

a curvature of the curve;

a tangent angle of the curve;

a distance to a slope;

an angle of the slope; and

a change rate of a gradient.

13. The traveling environment recognition device according to claim 1, which outputs at least one of:

a height and a type of a three-dimensional object at a road end;

a position and a relative speed of a vehicle ahead, an oncoming vehicle, and a stationary vehicle;

a type of a traffic lane; and

the number of traffic lanes.

14. The traveling environment recognition device according to claim 12, wherein at least one of the traveling environment recognition device and a control unit connected to the traveling environment recognition device calculates a proper speed for traveling on the road shape which is detected on the basis of at least one of:

the distance to the curve;

the radius of the curve;

the curvature;

the tangent angle of the curve;

the distance to the slope;

the angle of the slope;

the change rate of the gradient;

a height of a three-dimensional object at a road end;

a type of the three-dimensional object at the road end;

a position and a relative speed of a vehicle ahead, an oncoming vehicle, and a stationary vehicle;

a type of a traffic lane; and

the number of traffic lanes.

15. The traveling environment recognition device according to claim 12, wherein at least one of the traveling environment recognition device and a control unit connected to the traveling environment recognition device performs deceleration by means of at least one of a brake, an engine brake, and a regenerative brake when determining a need for the deceleration on the basis of at least one of:

the distance to the curve;

the radius of the curve;

the curvature;

the tangent angle of the curve;

the distance to the slope;

the angle of the slope; and

the change rate of the gradient.