VEHICLE CONTROL DEVICE, VEHICLE CONTROL METHOD, AND PROGRAM

• US 20180178766A1
• Filed: 05/17/2016
• Published: 06/28/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: OBA, EIJI
• Granted Patent: US 10,994,712 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2210/30 Environment conditions or position therewithin
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2210/32 Vehicle surroundings
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/14 operated upon collapse of driver deadman's devices for electrically propelled vehicles B60L3/02
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/22 initiated by contact of vehicle, e.g. bumper, with an external object, e.g. another vehicle , or by means of contactless obstacle detectors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0073 Driver overrides controller
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/143 Alarm means
• 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 2420/54 Audio sensitive means, e.g. ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/402 Type
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/10 Historical data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/60 using satellite communication
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/65 Data transmitted between vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/00 Details of control systems for road vehicle drive control not related to the control of a particular sub-unit , e.g. process diagnostic or vehicle driver interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/10 Interpretation of driver requests or demands
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0015 specially adapted for safety
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0016 : of the vehicle or its occupants
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0017 : of other traffic participants
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/00253 : Taxi operations
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0053 : from vehicle to occupant
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/007 : Emergency override Handing over between remote control and on-board control or handing over between remote control arrangements G05D1/227
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0061 : for transition from automatic pilot to manual pilot and vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0231 : using optical position detecting means position-fixing by using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. optical position detecting means G01S5/16
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0276 : using signals provided by a source external to the vehicle involving a plurality of vehicles G05D1/0287; automatically controlling vehicle speed responsive to externally generated signals B60K31/0058
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 : Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/597 : Recognising the driver's state or behaviour, e.g. attention or drowsiness
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/20 : Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0965 : responding to signals from another vehicle, e.g. emergency vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/16 : Anti-collision systems road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 : for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

An environment information acquisition unit 20 acquires an image in which environment around a vehicle has been imaged, information indicating a contact with the vehicle or an impact on the vehicle, surround sounds, approach identification information for enabling an approach of an emergency vehicle to be identified, and the like as surrounding environment information of the vehicle. A vehicle control processing unit 61 recognizes predetermined external stimulation information included in the surrounding environment information, for example, a specific signal or a movement with a specific pattern, a contact to a specific part, and a specific sound. The vehicle control processing unit 61 uses the recognized predetermined external stimulation information as a vehicle brake instruction from outside and starts a vehicle braking sequence to stop the vehicle. Even if an abnormality occurs in an automatically driven vehicle and the like, vehicle brake control is easily applied to a traveling vehicle from outside.

Claims

1. A vehicle control device comprising:

an environment information acquisition unit configured to acquire surrounding environment information of a vehicle; and

a vehicle braking control unit configured to recognize a vehicle brake instruction from outside on the basis of the surrounding environment information acquired by the environment information acquisition unit and start a vehicle braking sequence on the basis of the recognition result.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein

the vehicle braking control unit recognizes predetermined external stimulation information included in the surrounding environment information as the vehicle brake instruction from outside and starts the vehicle braking sequence.

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 2, wherein

the environment information acquisition unit acquires an image in which environment around the vehicle has been imaged as the surrounding environment information, and

the vehicle braking control unit recognizes a specific signal or a movement with a specific pattern of a subject included in the acquired image as the vehicle brake instruction.

4. The vehicle control device according to claim 2, wherein

the environment information acquisition unit acquires information indicating a contact with the vehicle or an impact on the vehicle as the surrounding environment information, and

the vehicle braking control unit recognizes a contact to a specific part of the vehicle or an impact with a specific pattern on the vehicle as the vehicle brake instruction.

5. The vehicle control device according to claim 2, wherein

the environment information acquisition unit acquires surround sounds as the surrounding environment information, and

the vehicle braking control unit recognizes a specific sound included in the surround sounds as the vehicle brake instruction.

6. The vehicle control device according to claim 2, wherein

the environment information acquisition unit acquires approach identification information for enabling an approach of an emergency vehicle to be identified as the surrounding environment information, and

the vehicle braking control unit recognizes predetermined information included in the approach identification information as the vehicle brake instruction from outside.

7. The vehicle control device according to claim 6, wherein

the environment information acquisition unit acquires at least one of an imaged image of a surrounding region, surround sounds, and wireless reception information as the approach identification information, and

the vehicle braking control unit recognizes an image of the emergency vehicle in the imaged image, a specific sound of the emergency vehicle included in the surround sounds, and wireless reception information indicating the approach of the emergency vehicle as the vehicle brake instruction.

8. The vehicle control device according to claim 6, wherein

in the vehicle braking sequence, control for evacuating the vehicle to prioritize traveling of the emergency vehicle or control for shifting a traveling mode to a manual drive is performed.

9. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein

the vehicle braking sequence includes at least one of lighting hazard lights, lighting brake lights, evacuating from an automatic traveling lane, decelerating the vehicle, and slowing down the vehicle.

10. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein

the vehicle braking sequence includes processing for invalidating a part of or all of the vehicle braking sequence by an instruction from a driver after the vehicle braking sequence has been started.

11. The vehicle control device according to claim 10, further comprising:

an operation unit configured to invalidate the vehicle braking sequence.

12. The vehicle control device according to claim 10, further comprising:

a recording and reproduction processing unit configured to record an invalidation history of the vehicle braking sequence performed by an instruction by the driver so as not to be rewritten and deleted.

13. The vehicle control device according to claim 12, wherein

the recording and reproduction processing unit encrypts and records the invalidation history.

14. The vehicle control device according to claim 10, wherein

in a case where the vehicle braking control unit invalidates the vehicle braking sequence and continues an automatic drive, the vehicle braking control unit adds limitation to the automatic drive according to a traveling condition at the time when the automatic drive is continued.

15. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a driver warning unit configured to notify the driver of start of the vehicle braking sequence.

16. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein

the vehicle braking sequence is a sequence for stopping the vehicle to secure safety.

17. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein

the vehicle is an autonomous traveling vehicle capable of traveling without an intervention by the driver in a drive operation, and

the vehicle control device further comprising:

a drive availability determination unit configured to determine whether the driver is capable of driving the autonomous traveling vehicle.

18. The vehicle control device according to claim 17, wherein

the drive availability determination unit further has a function for authenticating the driver.

19. A vehicle control method comprising:

acquiring surrounding environment information of a vehicle by an environment information acquisition unit; and

recognizing a vehicle brake instruction from outside on the basis of the surrounding environment information acquired by the environment information acquisition unit and starting a vehicle braking sequence on the basis of the recognition result by a vehicle braking control unit.

20. A program for causing a computer to perform vehicle control, the program causing the computer to execute:

a step of acquiring surrounding environment information of a vehicle, and

a step of recognizing a vehicle brake instruction from outside on the basis of the acquired surrounding environment information and starting a vehicle braking sequence on the basis of the recognition result.