System and method for vehicle track generation from risk maps
An in-vehicle electronic controller includes a risk map generating unit that determines a traveling risk level in an area around the vehicle, based on external environment information acquired by an external environment sensor installed in the vehicle, movement information on the vehicle, and map information, and that maps the traveling risk level onto a map to generate a risk map; and a track generating unit that generates a traveling track of the vehicle, using the risk map. The track generating unit generates at least one binarized image representing the risk map divided into a low risk area and a high risk area, by a binarization process by which whether the traveling risk level is larger than a given set value is determined, performs a thinning process on the at least one binarized image to determine a center line in a width direction of the low risk area, and generates a traveling track of the vehicle, based on the determined center line.
1 . An electronic controller incorporated in a vehicle, the electronic controller having an arithmetic device that executes a given process and a storage device to which the arithmetic device is accessible, wherein the electronic controller comprises:
a risk map generating unit that determines a traveling risk level in an area around the vehicle, based on external environment information acquired by an external environment sensor installed in the vehicle, movement information on the vehicle, and map information, and that maps the traveling risk level onto a map to generate a risk map; and
a track generating unit that generates a traveling track of the vehicle, using the risk map,
wherein the track generating unit generates at least one binarized image representing the risk map divided into a low risk area and a high risk area, by a binarization process carried out on the risk map that is generated from the external environment information, the movement information, and the map information, the binarization process including determining, for each pixel in the risk map, whether the traveling risk level is larger than a set value to define a contiguous low risk area and a contiguous high risk area, and
wherein the track generating unit, performs a thinning process on the at least one binarized image to determine a center line within the contiguous low risk area, and generates the traveling track of the vehicle solely from the determined center line.
2 . The electronic controller according to claim 1 , wherein the track generating unit changes the set value, based on at least one of the external environment information, vehicle information indicating behavior of the vehicle, the vehicle information including at least a speed and an acceleration, and a traveling environment of the vehicle.
3 . The electronic controller according to claim 1 , wherein the risk map generating unit determines the traveling risk level, based on at least one of the external environment information, vehicle information indicating behavior of the vehicle, the vehicle information including at least a speed and an acceleration, and a traveling environment of the vehicle.
4 . The electronic controller according to claim 1 , wherein based on traveling performance of the vehicle, an area where traveling of the vehicle is considered to be impossible, based on the traveling performance of the vehicle, is mapped onto the risk map, as an area where the traveling risk level is high.
5 . The electronic controller according to claim 1 , wherein the track generating unit generates a plurality of traveling tracks, using a plurality of the set values.
6 . A track generating method executed by an in-vehicle electronic controller having an arithmetic device that executes a given process and a storage device to which the arithmetic device is accessible, wherein the track generating method comprises:
a risk map generating procedure of causing the arithmetic device to determine a traveling risk level in an area around a vehicle, based on external environment information acquired by an external environment sensor installed in the vehicle, movement information on the vehicle, and map information, and to map the traveling risk level onto a map to generate a risk map; and
a track generating procedure of causing the arithmetic device to generate a traveling track of the vehicle, using the risk map, and
wherein at the track generating procedure, the arithmetic device generates at least one binarized image representing the risk map divided into a low risk area and a high risk area, by a binarization process carried out on the risk map that is generated from the external environment information, the movement information, and the map information, the binarization including process determining, for each pixel in the risk map, whether the traveling risk level is larger than a set value to define a contiguous low risk area and a contiguous high risk area, and
wherein at the track generating procedure, the arithmetic device, performs a thinning process on the at least one binarized image to determine a center line within the contiguous low risk area, and generates the traveling track of the vehicle solely from the determined center line.