Road environment recognition device, vehicle control device, and vehicle control method

• US 10,053,092 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2016
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Sakamoto, Yosuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Odeh, Nadeem
• Application Number:
  US15/135,169
• Publication Number:
  US 20160311430A1
• Time in Patent Office: 852 Days
• Field of Search: 701 41
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/04 including control of propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• 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 2520/06 Direction of travel
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/53 Road markings, e.g. lane marker or crosswalk
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/00 Input parameters relating to data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/24 Direction of travel
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/12 Lane keeping
• 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

Abstract

Provided are a road environment recognition device, and a vehicle control device and a vehicle control method employing the road environment recognition device. The road environment recognition device includes a recognition section that recognizes a three dimensional object provided alongside a lane in which the vehicle is positioned, and an imaginary line setting section that sets an imaginary line alongside the three dimensional object recognized by the recognition section and further to the lane side than the three dimensional object, and treats the imaginary line as a lane marker.

Claims

1. A vehicle control device for controlling driving of a vehicle based on recognition of a lane marker existing in a road environment in front of the vehicle driving on a lane, the vehicle control device comprising:

a vehicle controller;

a recognition section configured to recognize a three dimensional object provided alongside the lane in which the vehicle is positioned; and

an imaginary line setting section configured to set an imaginary line based on the three dimensional object recognized by the recognition section and to treat the imaginary line as the lane marker,

wherein, when the road environment includes a guardrail provided facing the three dimensional object in a direction across the lane,

the recognition section recognizes a plurality of three dimensional object points existing in the three dimensional object and recognizes a plurality of installation points included in the guardrail, and

the imaginary line setting section configured to;

find a first straight line based on an approximate straight line connecting the three dimensional object points;

setting an imaginary line candidate at a position a first distance away from the first straight line toward a side of the vehicle, which is the position between the three dimensional object and the vehicle;

finding a second straight line based on an approximate straight line connecting the installation points;

moving the second straight line by a second distance to the imaginary line candidate side in the direction across the lane; and

correcting the position of the imaginary line candidate based on the moved second straight line so as to set the imaginary line, and

the vehicle controller is configured to control the driving of the vehicle based on the corrected imaginary line recognized as the lane marker.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein, when the road environment further includes another lane marker provided to the lane,

the recognition section recognizes the another lane marker, and

the imaginary line setting section moves the another lane marker by a third distance toward the imaginary line candidate side and further corrects the position of the imaginary line candidate which has been corrected based on the moved second straight line, based on the moved another lane marker so as to set the imaginary line.

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

the vehicle controller is configured to:

predict a direction of moving of the vehicle, and

when the vehicle is predicted to stray over the imaginary line, perform at least one of;

a control of the vehicle to avoid straying over the imaginary line;

or a control of the vehicle to travel alongside the imaginary line.

4. A method of controlling driving of a vehicle based on recognition of a lane marker existing in a road environment in front of the vehicle driving on a lane utilizing a vehicle control device, the road environment including a three dimensional object and a guardrail provided facing the three dimensional object in a direction across the lane, the method comprising:

recognizing a plurality of three dimensional object points existing in the three dimensional object and recognizing a plurality of installation points included in the guardrail;

finding a first straight line based on an approximate straight line connecting the three dimensional object points;

setting an imaginary line candidate at a position a first distance away from the first straight line toward a side of the vehicle, which is the position between the three dimensional object and the vehicle;

finding a second straight line based on an approximate straight line connecting the installation points of the guardrail;

moving the second straight line by a second distance to the imaginary line candidate side in the direction across the lane; and

correcting the position of the imaginary line candidate based on the moved second straight line so as to set the imaginary line; and

controlling the driving of the vehicle based on the corrected imaginary line recognized as the lane marker.