Vehicle behavior estimation device

• US 8,930,173 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2011
• Issued: 01/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Ikeda, Takuro, Kitagawa, Eiji
• Primary Examiner(s): Rivas, Omar Fernandez
• Assistant Examiner(s): KHAN, IFTEKHAR A
• Application Number:
  US13/158,630
• Publication Number:
  US 20110313740A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,303 Days
• Field of Search: 703/8, 703/2, 705/4, 705/400, 340/901, 340/438, 701/1, 701/29, 701/31, 701/32, 701/33
• US Class Current: 703/8
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 17/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/01 Detecting movement of traffic to be counted or controlled G08G1/07 - G08G1/14 take precedence

Abstract

A vehicle behavior estimation device includes: a storage unit configured to store a restriction condition at a point of a vehicle for which behavior is estimated; vehicle state data that includes position information and speed information of the vehicle; behavior parameters that include speed information and acceleration information of the vehicle; and physical restriction conditions that include an upper limit and a lower limit of the acceleration information; and a processor configured to obtain the vehicle state data by using the restriction condition at the point; calculate behavior parameters of a vehicle model that satisfy a physical restriction condition from the vehicle state data and the restriction condition at the point; update the vehicle state data of the vehicle model based on the behavior parameters; and repeat processing to calculate behavior parameters by using the updated vehicle state data and to update the vehicle state data.

Claims

1. A vehicle behavior estimation device comprising:

a memory configured to store;

a first restriction condition at a first point, the first restriction condition including a position, a time, and a speed at the first point of a vehicle;

a second restriction condition at a second point different from the first point, the second restriction condition including a position, a time and a speed at the second point of the vehicle; and

physical restriction conditions that include at least an upper limit and a lower limit of a target acceleration of the vehicle; and

a processor coupled to the memory and configured to;

store a vehicle model including a target speed and the target acceleration, generated based on the first restriction condition and the second restriction condition, in the memory when a restriction condition that is stored in the memory includes a passing time that matches with time when a simulation of the vehicle is conducted;

obtain vehicle state data including at least position data and speed data of the vehicle at a predetermined time interval;

determine whether the vehicle model corresponding to the obtained vehicle state data exists in the memory, every time when the vehicle state data are obtained;

calculate the target speed and the target acceleration, based on the obtained vehicle state data and the second restriction condition, when it is determined that the vehicle model corresponding to the obtained vehicle state data does not exist in the memory;

store a new vehicle model including the calculated target speed and the calculated target acceleration in the memory; and

repeat processing to calculate the behavior parameters target speed and the target acceleration by using the updated vehicle state data and the second restriction condition, the target speed and the target acceleration satisfying the physical restriction conditions, the first restriction condition, and the second restriction condition and to update the updated vehicle state data, at the predetermined time interval until the vehicle moves from the first point to the second point.

2. The vehicle behavior estimation device according to claim 1;

wherein the processor calculates driving behavior including an operation amount of a driver based on the behavior parameters; and

updates the vehicle state data based on the behavior parameters and the driving behavior.

3. The vehicle behavior estimation device according to claim 1;

wherein the processor is configured to allow an error of speed information more than errors of other information in the second restriction condition.

4. The vehicle behavior estimation device according to claim 3;

wherein, the first restriction condition and the second restriction condition are generated from information collected by a group of sensors installed along a road, the position at the first point and the second point are generated based on identification information that identifies a sensor, and the time at the first point and the second point are generated based on time when information is output from the sensor, and the speed at the first point and the second point are generated based on speed information output by the sensor.

5. The vehicle behavior estimation device according to claim 1;

wherein the processor is configured to;

calculate a distance based on position information included in the vehicle state data and the position at the second point included in the second restriction condition; and

calculate the target acceleration and target speed so that an integrated value of speed information included in the vehicle state data becomes close to the distance.

6. The vehicle behavior estimation device according to claim 1;

wherein the first restriction condition and the second restriction condition include lane information that identifies a lane in a road with a plurality of lanes, and the processor is configured to calculate target lane information calculated as one of the behavior parameters based on the lane information.

7. The vehicle behavior estimation device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

calculate an error between a passing time and a passing speed when the vehicle passes the second point and the time and the speed of the second restriction condition stored in the memory; and

output an alarm when the error exceed thresholds.

8. The vehicle behavior estimation device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

obtain observation data of a plurality of another vehicles at the predetermined time interval, the observation data including at least position data and speed data of the plurality of another vehicles;

calculate a distance between the vehicle and a front vehicle traveling in front of the vehicle among the plurality of another vehicles, based on the vehicle state data of the vehicle and the observation data of the front vehicle; and

calculate the target speed and the target acceleration for the vehicle based on the distance.

11. The vehicle behavior estimation device according to claim 1, wherein the physical restriction conditions further include an upper limit and a lower limit of the target speed, the higher limit being higher than the target speed, and the lower limit being lower than the target speed.

12. The vehicle behavior estimation device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to calculate the target acceleration so that the target acceleration is within a range between the upper limit of the target acceleration and the lower limit of the target acceleration.

13. The vehicle behavior estimation device according to claim 1, wherein the updated vehicle state data is a simulation result at a point between the first point and the second point.

14. The vehicle behavior estimation device according to claim 8,

wherein the processor is further configured to correct the calculated speed and the calculated target acceleration based on at least one of state information of a signal, a railway crossing, and a pedestrian crossing.

15. The vehicle behavior estimation device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

determine how much the obtained vehicle state data satisfies the first restriction condition and the second restriction condition, when it is determined that the vehicle model corresponding to the obtained vehicle state data exists in the memory;

output a result of the determination; and

delete the vehicle model.

16. The vehicle behavior estimation device according to claim 14, wherein the processor is configured to:

determine whether the vehicle can reach to the second point by the time at the second point by using the updated target speed and the updated target acceleration, based on signal state information including an identifier of a signal, a display color, and an update time of the display color; and

correct the calculated speed and the calculated target acceleration, when it is determined that the vehicle cannot reach to the second point at the passing time of the second point.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program executed by a computer that stores a first restriction condition at a first point, the first restriction condition including a time and a speed at the first point of a vehicle, a second restriction condition at a second point different from the first point, the second restriction condition including a time and a speed at the second point of the vehicle, physical restriction conditions that include at least an upper limit and a lower limit of a target acceleration of the vehicle, and a vehicle model including a target speed and the target acceleration, generated based on the first restriction condition and the second restriction condition, in a memory, the program causes the computer to execute a process comprising:

storing a vehicle model including a target speed and the target acceleration, generated based on the first restriction condition and the second restriction condition, in the memory when a restriction condition that is stored in the memory includes a passing time that matches with time when a simulation of the vehicle is conducted;

obtaining vehicle state data including at least position data and speed data of the vehicle at a predetermined time interval;

determining whether the vehicle model corresponding to the obtained vehicle state data exists in the memory, every time when the vehicle state data are obtained;

calculating, with the computer, the target speed and the target acceleration, based on the obtained vehicle state data and the second restriction condition, when it is determined that the vehicle model corresponding to the obtained vehicle state data does not exist in the memory;

storing a new vehicle model including the calculated target speed and the calculated target acceleration in the memory; and

repeating calculating the target speed and the target acceleration using the updated vehicle state data and the second restriction condition, the target speed and the target acceleration satisfying the physical restriction conditions, the first restriction condition, and the second restriction condition, and updating the updated vehicle state data, at the predetermined time interval until the vehicle moves from the first point to the second point.

10. A method to estimate vehicle behavior with a computer, the method comprising:

storing a first restriction condition at a first point, the first restriction condition including a time and a speed at the first point of a vehicle, a second restriction condition at a second point different from the first point, the second restriction condition including a time and a speed at the second point of the vehicle, physical restriction conditions that include at least an upper limit and a lower limit of a target acceleration of the vehicle, the target acceleration satisfying the second restriction condition, in a memory;

storing a vehicle model including a target speed and the target acceleration, generated based on the first restriction condition and the second restriction condition, in the memory when a restriction condition that is stored in the memory includes a passing time that matches with time when a simulation of the vehicle is conducted;

obtaining vehicle state data including at least position data and speed data of the vehicle at a predetermined time interval;

determining whether the vehicle model corresponding to the obtained vehicle state data exists in the memory, every time when the vehicle state data are obtained;

calculating, with the computer, the target speed and the target acceleration, based on the obtained vehicle state data and the second restriction condition, when it is determined that the vehicle model corresponding to the obtained vehicle state data does not exist in the memory;

storing a new vehicle model including the calculated target speed and the calculated target acceleration in the memory; and

repeating calculating the target speed and the target acceleration using the updated vehicle state data and the second restriction condition, the target speed and the target acceleration satisfying the physical restriction conditions, the first restriction condition, and the second restriction condition, and updating the updated vehicle state data, at the predetermined time interval until the vehicle moves from the first point to the second point.