DRIVING CONTROL APPARATUS, DRIVING CONTROL METHOD, AND PROGRAM

• US 20180284774A1
• Filed: 09/16/2016
• Published: 10/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kawamoto, Kenta
• Granted Patent: US 10,782,687 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/30 Driving style
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4029 Pedestrians
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4041 Position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4044 Direction of movement, e.g. backwards
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/802 Longitudinal distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/085 Taking automatic action to adjust vehicle attitude in preparation for collision, e.g. braking for nose dropping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/10 Path keeping cruise control for automatically following a preceding vehicle B60W30/165
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/14 Adaptive cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/182 Selecting between different operative modes, e.g. comfort and performance modes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0098 Details of control systems ensuring comfort, safety or stability not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/082 Selecting or switching between different modes of propelling
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/085 Changing the parameters of the control units, e.g. changing limit values, working points by control input
• 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 60/0013 specially adapted for occupant comfort
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0016 of the vehicle or its occupants
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0051 from occupants to vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0053 from vehicle to occupant
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 : specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 : characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 : using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• 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: 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

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a driving control apparatus, a driving control method, and a program that can resolve a conflict between a deliberate action and a reflex action during determination of a next action in autonomous driving.

During autonomous driving, a reflex action is determined as a simplified action on the basis of detection results detected by a variety of sensors provided in a vehicle, and a deliberate action ranked higher than a reflex action is determined through elaborate processing. A plurality of resolution modes are made available to deal with a possible conflict between the reflex action and the deliberate action, and by which of the resolution modes the conflict is resolved is specified in advance so that the conflict is resolved by the specified resolution mode. The present disclosure is applicable to motor vehicles that drive autonomously.

Claims

1. A driving control apparatus comprising:

a detection section adapted to detect a condition of a moving object;

a deliberate action determination section adapted to determine an action of the moving object as a deliberate action on the basis of a detection result of the detection section;

a reflex action determination section adapted to determine, on the basis of the detection result of the detection section, an action of the moving object in a shorter time period than a process carried out by the deliberate action determination section; and

an action control section adapted to control the action of the moving object on the basis of the deliberate action and a reflex action determined by the reflex action determination section.

2. The driving control apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the deliberate action determination section includes:

a local processing section adapted to extract local information around the moving object on the basis of the detection result of the detection section;

a global processing section adapted to extract global information in a wider area than around the moving object on the basis of the detection result of the detection section; and

a behavior determination section adapted to determine an action on the basis of the local information and the global information.

3. The driving control apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the action control section performs control such that if a conflict occurs between the deliberate action and the reflex action, the occurrence of the conflict is presented.

4. The driving control apparatus of claim 3, wherein

the action control section resolves the conflict in response to input from the driver and controls the action of the moving object on the basis of the deliberate action and the reflex action.

5. The driving control apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the action control section stores a plurality of resolution modes in advance to deal with a conflict between the deliberate action and the reflex action, resolves the conflict in accordance with one of the plurality of resolution modes, and controls the action of the moving object on the basis of the deliberate action and the reflex action.

6. The driving control apparatus of claim 5, wherein

the resolution modes includes:

a first resolution mode that gives priority to the deliberate action or the reflex action;

a second resolution mode that selects ‘

first come priority’

or ‘

replace with last come’

between the deliberate action and the reflex action;

a third resolution mode that gives priority to the deliberate action or the reflex action, whichever is higher in terms of command priority level or action environment certainty level;

a fourth resolution mode that takes a weighted average or majority decision using both the deliberate action and the reflex action;

a fifth resolution mode that adds the fact that the deliberate action and the reflex action are opposed to each other to the input so that recalculation is performed by the two;

a sixth resolution mode that gives priority to the priority level of the command itself for the deliberate action and the reflex action;

a seventh resolution mode that stops the vehicle without issuing either of the deliberate action or the reflex action or maintains the current state; and

an eighth resolution mode that allows the driver of the moving object to intervene.

7. The driving control apparatus of claim 6, wherein

the action control section displays a slide bar that can be operated to specify a parameter that is used when the deliberate action and the reflex action are determined and controls the action of the moving object on the basis of the deliberate action and the reflex action determined by using the parameter whose value is proportional to the position of the slide bar operated by the driver.

8. The driving control apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the action control section controls the action during autonomous driving control of the moving object on the basis of the deliberate action and the reflex action.

9. A driving control method comprising the steps of:

detecting a condition of a moving object;

determining an action of the moving object as a deliberate action on the basis of a detection result of the condition of the moving object;

determining, on the basis of the detection result, an action of the moving object in a shorter time period than a process carried out by the deliberate action determination section; and

controlling the action of the moving object on the basis of the deliberate action and a reflex action determined in a shorter time period than the process for determining the deliberate action.

10. A program causing a computer to function as:

a detection section adapted to detect a condition of a moving object;

a deliberate action determination section adapted to determine an action of the moving object as a deliberate action on the basis of a detection result of the detection section;

a reflex action determination section adapted to determine, on the basis of the detection result of the detection section, an action of the moving object in a shorter time period than a process carried out by the deliberate action determination section; and

an action control section adapted to control the action of the moving object on the basis of the deliberate action and a reflex action determined by the reflex action determination section.