AUTONOMOUS DRIVING SYSTEM

• US 20170123434A1
• Filed: 10/28/2016
• Published: 05/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: URANO, Hiromitsu, TAGUCHI, Koji
• Granted Patent: US 10,437,257 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/408 Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/14 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2756/10 Involving external transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/12 Lane keeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/182 Selecting between different operative modes, e.g. comfort and performance modes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/10 related to vehicle motion
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/082 Selecting or switching between different modes of propelling
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/001 Planning or execution of driving tasks
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0053 from vehicle to occupant
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0059 Estimation of the risk associated with autonomous or manual driving, e.g. situation too complex, sensor failure or driver incapacity
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/34 Route searching; Route guidance
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3407 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0248 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0257 using a radar radar systems designed for anti-collision purposes between land vehicles or between land vehicle and fixed obstacles G01S13/931
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 : using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 : Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 : exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09626 : where the origin of the information is within the own vehicle, e.g. a local storage device, digital map
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 : where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 : where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 : where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 : event-triggered
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 : Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

An autonomous driving system includes a travel plan generation unit that generates a travel plan of a vehicle, a traveling control unit that performs autonomous driving control of the vehicle b, a detection value acquisition unit that acquires a control-result detection value detected during the autonomous driving control, an evaluation value calculation unit that calculates an evaluation value of the travel plan based on a result of comparison between the control target value and the control-result detection value, an interruption requirement determination unit that determines whether an interruption of the autonomous driving control is required based on the evaluation value of the travel plan and an evaluation threshold, and an information providing unit that provides interruption information on the autonomous driving control to an occupant of the vehicle and to other vehicles around the vehicle if it is determined that the interruption of the autonomous driving control is required.

Claims

1. An autonomous driving system that performs autonomous driving control of a vehicle, the autonomous driving system comprising:

a map database that stores map information; and

an electronic control unit including;

a travel plan generation unit configured to generate a travel plan of the vehicle based on a target route of the vehicle and the map information, the travel plan including a control target value of the vehicle corresponding to a position on the target route, the target route being set in advance;

a vehicle position recognition unit configured to recognize a position of the vehicle based on a measurement result of a position measurement unit of the vehicle;

a road environment recognition unit configured to recognize a road environment around the vehicle based on a detection result of an external sensor of the vehicle;

a traveling state recognition unit configured to recognize a traveling state of the vehicle based on a detection result of an internal sensor of the vehicle;

a traveling control unit configured to perform the autonomous driving control of the vehicle based on the travel plan, the position of the vehicle, the road environment around the vehicle, and the traveling state of the vehicle;

a detection value acquisition unit configured to acquire a control-result detection value in association with the position on the target route, the control-result detection value being detected during the autonomous driving control of the vehicle;

an evaluation value calculation unit configured to calculate an evaluation value of the travel plan based on a result of comparison between the control target value and the control-result detection value;

an interruption requirement determination unit configured to determine whether an interruption of the autonomous driving control is required based on the evaluation value of the travel plan and an evaluation threshold; and

an information providing unit configured to provide interruption information on the autonomous driving control to an occupant of the vehicle and to other vehicles around the vehicle if the interruption requirement determination unit determines that the interruption of the autonomous driving control is required.

2. The autonomous driving system according to claim 1, wherein the interruption requirement determination unit sets the evaluation threshold based on a position of the vehicle on a map corresponding to a calculation time of the evaluation value of the travel plan or based on a calculation time-of-day of the evaluation value of the travel plan.

3. The autonomous driving system according to claim 2, wherein the vehicle position recognition unit recognizes the position of the vehicle on the map based on position information measured by the position measurement unit and the map information stored in the map database.

4. The autonomous driving system according to claim 1, wherein the position measurement unit of the vehicle is a GPS reception unit and the vehicle position recognition unit recognizes the position of the vehicle based on position information received by the GPS reception unit.

5. The autonomous driving system according to claim 1, wherein, if position information on white lines is included in the map information, the vehicle position recognition unit uses a position of the vehicle in an x-y orthogonal coordinate system and position information on white lines of a traveling lane, in which the vehicle travels, to calculate a longitudinal position of the vehicle in an extending direction of the traveling lane and a lateral position of the vehicle in a width direction of the traveling lane.

6. The autonomous driving system according to claim 1, wherein, each time the detection value acquisition unit newly acquires the control-result detection values of a predetermined number of set longitudinal positions, the evaluation value calculation unit calculates the evaluation value of the travel plan based on a result of comparison between the control target values associated with the set longitudinal positions and the control-result detection values.

7. The autonomous driving system according to claim 5, wherein the road environment recognition unit recognizes positions of the white lines of the traveling lane and the road environment around the vehicle based on the detection result of the external sensor.

8. The autonomous driving system according to claim 1, wherein the traveling state recognition unit recognizes a vehicle speed of the vehicle based on vehicle speed information detected by a vehicle speed sensor included in the internal sensor and, at a same time, recognizes a direction of the vehicle based on yaw rate information detected by a yaw rate sensor included in the internal sensor.

9. The autonomous driving system according to claim 1, wherein the travel plan generation unit generates a short-term travel plan based on the position of the vehicle, the road environment around the vehicle, the traveling state of the vehicle, and the travel plan.

10. The autonomous driving system according to claim 9, wherein the control-result detection value is a short-term control target value in the short-term travel plan and the evaluation value calculation unit calculates the evaluation value of the travel plan based on a result of comparison between the control target value and the short-term control target value.