Vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and vehicle control system

1 . A vehicle control device comprising:

a control unit that performs calculation based on input information and outputs a calculation result, wherein the vehicle control device is mounted on a vehicle, the vehicle control device including an external information recognition unit that acquires external information about the vehicle, an actuator unit that generates driving force, braking force, and steering force applied to the vehicle, and a recognition and determination unit that calculates a first target command or a second target command based on an output signal of the recognition and determination unit,

wherein the control unit acquires, from the recognition and determination unit, information about a first driving area, which is a target driving area on which the vehicle runs and which is in front of the vehicle, as the first target command, and acquires, together with information about the first driving area, information about a minimum velocity value of the vehicle, a maximum velocity value of the vehicle, a maximum lateral acceleration value, and a maximum lateral jerk value at a predetermined location in the first driving area, which is specified by the recognition and determination unit,

calculates a target velocity and a target driving path of the vehicle such that a magnitude of a lateral acceleration or a lateral jerk of the vehicle on a curve becomes less than a predetermined value within the first driving area, or such that the magnitude of the lateral acceleration or the lateral jerk of the vehicle is minimized within ranges of the minimum velocity value of the vehicle, the maximum velocity value of the vehicle, the maximum lateral acceleration value, and the maximum lateral jerk value at the predetermined location in the first driving area, which is specified by the recognition and determination unit, and outputs to the actuator unit a first control command for driving the vehicle at the target velocity and on the target driving path,

acquires, from the recognition and determination unit, information about a second driving area in front of the first driving area on which the vehicle runs, as the second target command, while the vehicle is running in the first driving area, the second driving area being along the same lane with the first driving area and partly overlapping the first driving area, and acquires, together with information on the second driving area, information on a minimum velocity value of the vehicle, a maximum velocity value of the vehicle, a maximum lateral acceleration value, and a maximum lateral jerk value at a predetermined location in the second driving area, which is specified by the recognition and determination unit, and

calculates a target velocity and a target driving path of the vehicle such that a magnitude of a lateral acceleration or a lateral jerk of the vehicle on a curve becomes less than a predetermined value within the second driving area, or such that the magnitude of the lateral acceleration or the lateral jerk of the vehicle is minimized within ranges of the minimum velocity value of the vehicle, the maximum velocity value of the vehicle, the maximum lateral acceleration value, and the maximum lateral jerk value at the predetermined location in the second driving area, which is specified by the recognition and determination unit, and outputs to the actuator unit a second control command for driving the vehicle at the target velocity and on the target driving path.

2 . The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit acquires the second driving area after the vehicle runs in the first driving area for a predetermined time.

3 . The vehicle control device according to claim 2 , wherein, while the vehicle is running in the first driving area, if the control unit acquires information about a predetermined situational change in road surface information or object information in front of the vehicle from the recognition and determination unit, the control unit acquires the second driving area whether or not the vehicle has run in the first driving area for the predetermined time.

4 . The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein the first driving area and the second driving area are each an area between right and left lane markers of a road or between right and left edges of the road.

5 . The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein the first target command includes the first driving area and object information in front of the vehicle, and the second target command includes the second driving area and object information in front of the vehicle.

6 . The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein the first driving area and the second driving area are each an area that does not include a collision risk area in front of the vehicle.

7 . The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein the first target command or the second target command includes road surface information or object information in front of the vehicle.

8 . The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein the first target command or the second target command includes a recommended path on which the vehicle runs in one of the first driving area or the second driving area.

9 . The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit calculates the target driving path as an area having a probability that the vehicle runs.

10 . A vehicle control method executed by a vehicle control device mounted on a vehicle, the vehicle control device including an external information recognition unit that acquires external information about the vehicle, an actuator unit that generates driving force, braking force, and steering force that are applied to the vehicle, a recognition and determination unit that calculates a first target command or a second target command based on an output signal of the external information recognition unit, the method comprising:

acquiring, from the recognition and determination unit, information about a first driving area, which is a target driving area on which the vehicle runs and which is in front of a vehicle, as the first target command, and acquiring, together with information about the first driving area, information about a minimum velocity value of the vehicle, a maximum velocity value of the vehicle, a maximum lateral acceleration value, and a maximum lateral jerk value at a predetermined location in the first driving area, which is specified by the recognition and determination unit;

calculating a target velocity and a target driving path of the vehicle such that a magnitude of a lateral acceleration or a lateral jerk of the vehicle on a curve becomes less than a predetermined value within the first driving area, or such that the magnitude of the lateral acceleration or the lateral jerk of the vehicle is minimized within ranges of the minimum velocity value of the vehicle, the maximum velocity value of the vehicle, the maximum lateral acceleration value, and the maximum lateral jerk value at the predetermined location in the first driving area, which is specified by the recognition and determination unit, and outputting to the actuator unit a first control command for driving the vehicle at the target velocity and on the target driving path;

acquiring, from the recognition and determination unit, information about a second driving area in front of the first driving area on which the vehicle runs, as the second target command, while the vehicle is running in the first driving area, the second driving area being along the same lane with the first driving area and partly overlapping the first driving area, and acquiring, together with information on the second driving area, information on a minimum velocity value of the vehicle, a maximum velocity value of the vehicle, a maximum lateral acceleration value, and a maximum lateral jerk value at a predetermined location in the second driving area, which is specified by the recognition and determination unit; and

calculating a target velocity and a target driving path of the vehicle such that a magnitude of a lateral acceleration or a lateral jerk of the vehicle on a curve becomes less than a predetermined value within the second driving area, or such that the magnitude of the lateral acceleration or the lateral jerk of the vehicle is minimized within ranges of the minimum velocity value of the vehicle, the maximum velocity value of the vehicle, the maximum lateral acceleration value, and the maximum lateral jerk value at the predetermined location in the second driving area, which is specified by the recognition and determination unit, and outputting to the actuator unit a second control command for driving the vehicle at the target velocity and on the target driving path.

11 . A vehicle control system comprising:

an external information recognition unit that acquires external information about a vehicle;

an actuator unit that generates driving force, braking force, and steering force that are applied to the vehicle;

a recognition and determination unit that calculates a first target command or a second target command based on an output signal of the external information recognition unit; and

a control unit that

acquires, from the recognition and determination unit,

information about a first driving area, which is a target driving area on which the vehicle runs and which is in front of the vehicle, as the first target command, and acquires, together with information about the first driving area, information about a minimum velocity value of the vehicle, a maximum velocity value of the vehicle, a maximum lateral acceleration value, and a maximum lateral jerk value at a predetermined location in the first driving area, which is specified by the recognition and determination unit,

calculates a target velocity and a target driving path of the vehicle such that a magnitude of a lateral acceleration or a lateral jerk of the vehicle on a curve becomes less than a predetermined value within the first driving area, or such that the magnitude of the lateral acceleration or the lateral jerk of the vehicle is minimized within ranges of the minimum velocity value of the vehicle, the maximum velocity value of the vehicle, the maximum lateral acceleration value, and the maximum lateral jerk value at the predetermined location in the first driving area, which is specified by the recognition and determination unit, and outputs to the actuator unit a first control command for driving the vehicle at the target velocity and on the target driving path;

acquires, from the recognition and determination unit, information about a second driving area in front of the first driving area on which the vehicle runs, as the second target command, while the vehicle is running in the first driving area, the second driving area being along the same lane with the first driving area and partly overlapping the first driving area, and acquires, together with information on the second driving area, information on a minimum velocity value of the vehicle, a maximum velocity value of the vehicle, a maximum lateral acceleration value, and a maximum lateral jerk value at a predetermined location in the second driving area, which is specified by the recognition and determination unit, and

calculates a target velocity and a target driving path of the vehicle such that a magnitude of a lateral acceleration or a lateral jerk of the vehicle on a curve becomes less than a predetermined value within the second driving area, or such that the magnitude of the lateral acceleration or the lateral jerk of the vehicle is minimized within ranges of the minimum velocity value of the vehicle, the maximum velocity value of the vehicle, the maximum lateral acceleration value, and the maximum lateral jerk value at the predetermined location in the second driving area, which is specified by the recognition and determination unit, and outputs to the actuator unit a second control command for driving the vehicle at the target velocity and on the target driving path.

12 . The vehicle control system according to claim 11 , wherein the recognition and determination unit is provided in an upper control unit mounted on the vehicle, and the control unit is provided in a lower control unit mounted on the vehicle, which is provided separately from the upper control unit.

13 . The vehicle control system according to claim 11 , further comprising: an integrated control unit that includes a first microcomputer and a second microcomputer in a single housing, wherein the first microcomputer has the recognition and determination unit as a software function, and the second microcomputer has, as a software function, a control unit that outputs a control command.

14 . The vehicle control system according to claim 11 , further comprising: an integrated control unit that includes a single microcomputer, wherein the single microcomputer has a function of the recognition and determination unit and a function of the control unit as software functions.