JP2018036796A - Environment information processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance safety by reducing a processing load even when sensors for recognizing environment information in the circumference of a self vehicle are increased.SOLUTION: An environment information processing device 50 for performing processing of environment information in the circumference of a self vehicle includes: a priority determination section 51 for determining priorities of multiple pieces of environment information; and a detection result processing section 52 for processing the multiple pieces of environment information according to priorities. The detection result processing section selects processing according to priorities from a processing group including normal processing to perform integral processing of multiple pieces of environment information and simple processing not to perform integral processing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an external information processing apparatus that processes external information of a vehicle.

  BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle external environment recognition device that determines whether or not a detection object of a distance measurement sensor is a pedestrian based on information from a distance measurement sensor such as a radar and an image sensor such as a camera and a vehicle system using the same The invention is known (see Patent Document 1 below).

  The conventional external environment recognition device for a vehicle described in Patent Literature 1 includes detected object information obtained by detecting a plurality of detected objects located in front of the own vehicle, image information of an image obtained by imaging the front of the own vehicle, and the state of the own vehicle. This is a device for recognizing the outside world of the vehicle based on the own vehicle information that detects the vehicle. This conventional external environment recognition device for a vehicle includes a predicted course setting unit, a first collision determination unit, a second collision determination unit, an object selection unit, and a pedestrian determination unit (the same document, claim). (Refer item 1 etc.).

  The predicted course setting means sets the predicted course of the host vehicle based on the host vehicle information. The first collision determination means calculates the degree of risk that each detected object will collide with the own vehicle based on the predicted course set by the predicted course setting means and the detected object information. The second collision determination means determines whether or not each detected object enters the predicted path from outside the predicted path based on the predicted path and the detected object information.

  The object selection means includes a detection object having a risk calculated by the first collision determination means that is greater than or equal to a preset first threshold value among the plurality of detection objects; A detected object determined to enter the predicted course by the collision determination unit is selected as a selection candidate object. The object selection means further selects, as a pedestrian determination request object, a selection candidate object that minimizes a relative distance to the host vehicle or a predicted collision time from among the plurality of selected selection candidate objects. The pedestrian determination unit determines whether the pedestrian determination request object selected by the object selection unit is a pedestrian using the image information.

  According to the conventional predicted course setting means, the detected object whose risk is determined to be greater than or equal to the first threshold by the first collision determination means and the second collision among the plurality of detected objects. A detection object determined to enter the predicted course from outside the predicted course by the judging means is selected as a selection candidate object, and a relative distance from the own vehicle or a collision prediction time is selected from the plurality of selection candidate objects. Is selected as the pedestrian determination request object, so that it is possible to preferentially select a crossing pedestrian in the vicinity of the vehicle with high possibility of collision as the pedestrian determination request object (the same document). , See paragraph 0012, etc.).

JP 2010-250501 A

  In the conventional predicted course setting means, when the number of sensors for recognizing the outside world information of the vehicle increases, the outside world information obtained by the sensors may become large, and all outside world information may not be processed within a limited time.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to reduce the processing load of external information around the host vehicle and improve safety.

  In order to achieve the above object, an external information processing apparatus according to the present invention is an external information processing apparatus that processes external information around a host vehicle, and includes a priority determination unit that determines priorities of a plurality of external information. A detection result processing unit that processes a plurality of the external world information according to the priority.

  According to the external information processing apparatus of the present invention, the priority of the plurality of external information is determined by the priority determination unit, and the plurality of external information is processed by the detection result processing unit according to the priority. The processing load of external information can be reduced and safety can be improved.

1 is a schematic diagram of an in-vehicle system provided with an external information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The top view which shows an example of the detection range of the detection target object by the external field recognition sensor shown in FIG. The block diagram which shows schematic structure of the priority determination part shown in FIG. The top view explaining an example of the determination of the priority by the priority determination part shown in FIG. The flowchart which shows an example of the selection of the process by the detection result process part shown in FIG. The flowchart which shows an example of the priority process shown in FIG. The flowchart which shows an example of the general process shown in FIG. The flowchart which shows an example of the simple process shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of an external information processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an in-vehicle system 100 including an external information processing apparatus 50 according to the present embodiment. The in-vehicle system 100 includes, for example, an external environment recognition sensor 10, an own vehicle behavior recognition sensor 20, a global positioning system (GPS) 30, map information 40, an external information processing device 50, and an electronic control unit (ECU) 60. And. The in-vehicle system 100 is a system for detecting external environment information around the host vehicle equipped with this system and controlling the host vehicle based on the processing result of the external field information.

  FIG. 2 is a plan view for explaining an example of a detection range of a detection target by the external recognition sensor 10 shown in FIG. The external recognition sensor 10 can include, for example, a front camera, an all-around camera, a radar, a LIDAR (LIght Detection And Ranging) system, a vehicle-to-vehicle communication system, a road-to-vehicle communication system, and the like. This is a device for recognizing outside world information around the host vehicle OV including side, diagonally rear, and rear. The front camera can be constituted by, for example, a monocular camera or a stereo camera.

  The outside world information detected by the outside world recognition sensor 10 is, for example, the position, distance, relative speed, type, size of vehicles, pedestrians, signs, buildings, obstacles, and other detection objects around the host vehicle OV. Can include color, driving lane, predicted track. In particular, the outside world information can include at least one of a distance and a relative speed between the host vehicle OV and the detection target.

  The own vehicle behavior recognition sensor 20 can include own vehicle information such as a gyro sensor, a wheel speed sensor, a rudder angle sensor, and an acceleration sensor mounted on the own vehicle OV, for example. The own vehicle behavior recognition sensor 20 can acquire the yaw rate, the wheel speed, the steering angle, the acceleration, and the like representing the behavior of the own vehicle OV as the own vehicle information. In addition, the vehicle behavior recognition sensor 20 is connected to, for example, an engine speed, an accelerator pedal position, a brake pressure, a shift lever position, a wiper position via a communication network such as a CAN (Controller Area Network) of the host vehicle OV. Information such as the operating state can be obtained as the vehicle information.

  The GPS 30 has a receiver that receives a signal from a satellite in the sky, and can acquire position information of the host vehicle OV. The GPS 30 can further acquire the direction, speed, altitude, and the like of the host vehicle OV as attached information. The map information 40 includes road information around the host vehicle OV, and is input to the external information processing apparatus 50 via, for example, a receiver or CAN. Examples of the map information 40 input to the external information processing device 50 include speed limit information, road curvature and gradient, road information such as road width, number of lanes, color, type, branch position, merge position, tollgate There are position etc.

  The external information processing apparatus 50 includes, for example, an arithmetic unit such as a central processing unit (CPU), a storage unit such as a memory or a hard disk, and a single or a plurality of computer units including a control program stored in the storage unit. can do. The outside world information processing device 50 receives outside world information, own vehicle information, position information and attached information, and map information 40 from, for example, the outside world recognition sensor 10, the own vehicle behavior recognition sensor 20, the GPS 30, and an external device or an in-vehicle storage device. Can be acquired as input data.

  The external world information processing apparatus 50 includes a priority determination unit 51 that determines priorities of a plurality of external world information, and a detection result processing unit 52 that processes the multiple external world information according to the priorities. The priority determination part 51 can determine a priority according to at least one of the distance and relative speed of the own vehicle OV and a detection target object among various external field information. Moreover, the priority determination part 51 may determine a risk based on external world information, and may determine a priority according to a risk.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the priority determination unit 51 shown in FIG. The priority determination unit 51 can include, for example, a storage unit 51a and a calculation unit 51b. The storage unit 51a is information such as the distance, relative speed, inter-vehicle time distance, type, behavior, travel lane, location, weather, etc. between the host vehicle OV detected by the external environment recognition sensor 10 and the host vehicle behavior recognition sensor 20. Remember. The calculation unit 51b refers to the information stored in the storage unit 51a and determines the risk level and the priority level. More specifically, the calculation unit 51b determines the risk level and the priority level based on one type of information or a combination of multiple types of information stored in the storage unit 51a.

  FIG. 4 is a plan view for explaining an example of a priority determination method by the priority determination unit 51 shown in FIG. The priority determination part 51 can determine a priority according to at least one of the distance and relative speed of the own vehicle OV and the surrounding vehicle SV as a detection target, for example. Specifically, the priority determination unit 51 prioritizes, for example, when the distance d between the host vehicle OV and the surrounding vehicle SV is closer than the threshold value D0, that is, when the inequality: d <D0 is satisfied. The degree or degree of risk can be determined as “high”.

  Further, the priority determination unit 51, for example, when the distance d between the host vehicle OV and the surrounding vehicle SV is equal to or greater than the threshold value D0 and closer than the threshold value D1, that is, the inequality: D0 ≦ d < When D1 is established, the priority level or the risk level can be determined as “medium”. Furthermore, the priority determination unit 51 determines priority or danger when the distance d between the host vehicle OV and the surrounding vehicle SV is equal to or greater than the threshold value D1, that is, when the inequality D1 ≦ d is satisfied. The degree can be determined as “low”.

  The distance thresholds D0 and D1 may be fixed values or variable values that change according to the situation. When the host vehicle OV is traveling on a highway, for example, the short distance threshold D0 is set to 60 m and the long distance threshold D1 is set to 120 m. When the host vehicle OV is traveling on a general road, For example, the short distance threshold value D0 can be set to 30 m, and the long distance threshold value D1 can be set to 60 m.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 4, the priority determination unit 51 of the external information processing apparatus 50 is based on the external information of the external recognition sensor 10 of the host vehicle OV traveling on a highway as detection objects around the host vehicle OV. Fifteen surrounding vehicles SV are detected. More specifically, the priority determination unit 51 first recognizes a surrounding vehicle SV that is a three-dimensional object as a detection target from detection results of a camera, a radar, and the like included in the external environment recognition sensor 10, and further, the surrounding vehicle SV. And the distance d between the vehicle OV and the host vehicle OV.

  Next, the priority determination unit 51 compares the distance d extracted for each neighboring vehicle SV with the distance threshold values D0 and D1, and determines the risk or priority as described above. At this time, the priority determination part 51 may assign | subject an identification number to each surrounding vehicle SV as a detection target object, and may determine a risk or priority for every identification number.

  In the example shown in FIG. 4, the identification number No. assigned to the surrounding vehicle SV by the priority determination unit 51. 1 to No. Table 1 below shows an example of a table in which 15 is associated with the priority for each surrounding vehicle SV determined by the priority determination unit 51.

  Note that, in FIG. 4 and Table 1, the priority is higher in the region closer to the distance from the host vehicle OV. That is, FIG. 4 and Table 1 show an example in which the priority determination unit 51 determines the degree of risk or the priority according to the distance between the host vehicle OV and the surrounding vehicle SV. However, the priority determination unit 51 may determine the risk level or the priority level according to, for example, the relative speed between the host vehicle OV and the surrounding vehicle SV or the combination of the relative speed and the distance.

  Specifically, the priority determination unit 51 determines the speed of the surrounding vehicle SV from the speed of the own vehicle OV, for example, the surrounding vehicle SV that is hatched and travels behind the own vehicle OV in FIG. The risk level or priority of the surrounding vehicle SV in which the relative speed V obtained by subtracting is negative can be “high”. In other words, the priority determination unit 51 travels at a higher speed behind the host vehicle OV than the host vehicle OV, and sets the risk or priority of the surrounding vehicle SV approaching the host vehicle OV from the rear of the host vehicle OV as “high”. Can be.

  Here, when the absolute value of the relative speed V between the host vehicle OV and the surrounding vehicle SV is lower than the speed threshold value V0, the priority determination unit 51 changes from the rear of the host vehicle OV to the host vehicle OV. The risk or priority of the approaching nearby vehicle SV may be set to “medium” or “low”. Further, when the risk or priority determination based on the distance is “high”, the priority determination unit 51 determines the final priority determination higher than the priority determination based on the relative speed. can do. On the contrary, when the determination of the risk or priority based on the distance is “low”, the priority determination unit 51 performs the final priority determination more than the priority determination based on the relative speed. Can be lowered.

  Moreover, the priority determination part 51 deducted the speed of the surrounding vehicle SV from the speed of the own vehicle OV like the surrounding vehicle SV which carried out the hatching which carried ahead ahead of the own vehicle OV in FIG. 4, for example. The priority of the surrounding vehicle SV having a positive relative speed V can be set to “high”. That is, the priority determination unit 51 travels at a lower speed than the host vehicle OV in front of the host vehicle OV, or travels in the opposite direction to the host vehicle OV in front of the host vehicle OV. The risk level or priority of the surrounding vehicle SV approaching the vehicle OV can be set to “high”.

  Here, when the absolute value of the relative speed V between the host vehicle OV and the surrounding vehicle SV is lower than the relative speed threshold value V1, the priority determination unit 51 starts from the front of the host vehicle OV. The risk or priority of the nearby vehicle SV that is approaching the vehicle may be set to “medium” or “low”. Further, when the risk or priority determination based on the distance is “high”, the priority determination unit 51 determines the final priority determination higher than the priority determination based on the relative speed. can do. On the contrary, when the determination of the risk or priority based on the distance is “low”, the priority determination unit 51 performs the final priority determination more than the priority determination based on the relative speed. Can be lowered.

  Moreover, the priority determination part 51 is the relative which subtracted the speed of the surrounding vehicle SV from the speed of the own vehicle OV like the surrounding vehicle SV in which dotted hatching was performed behind the own vehicle OV in FIG. The priority of the surrounding vehicle SV whose speed V is positive can be made “low”. That is, the priority determination unit 51 travels behind the host vehicle OV at a lower speed than the host vehicle OV, or travels in the opposite direction to the host vehicle OV behind the host vehicle OV, and the distance from the host vehicle OV is small. The risk level or priority of the surrounding vehicle SV that is being expanded can be set to “low”.

  Here, when the absolute value of the relative speed V between the host vehicle OV and the surrounding vehicle SV is lower than the speed threshold value V2, the priority determination unit 51 starts from the host vehicle OV behind the host vehicle OV. The risk or priority of the surrounding vehicle SV whose distance is increasing may be set to “medium”. Further, when the risk or priority determination based on the distance is “high”, the priority determination unit 51 determines the final priority determination higher than the priority determination based on the relative speed. can do. On the contrary, when the determination of the risk or priority based on the distance is “low”, the priority determination unit 51 performs the final priority determination more than the priority determination based on the relative speed. Can be lowered.

  Moreover, the priority determination part 51 is the relative speed which deducted the speed of the surrounding vehicle SV from the speed of the own vehicle OV like the surrounding vehicle SV where the point hatching was performed ahead of the own vehicle OV in FIG. The priority of the surrounding vehicle SV in which V is negative can be set to “low”. That is, the priority determination unit 51 travels at a higher speed than the host vehicle OV in front of the host vehicle OV, and sets the risk level or priority of the surrounding vehicle SV whose distance from the host vehicle OV is expanding to “low”. be able to.

  Here, when the absolute value of the relative speed V between the host vehicle OV and the surrounding vehicle SV is lower than the speed threshold value V3, the priority determination unit 51 starts from the host vehicle OV in front of the host vehicle OV. The risk or priority of the surrounding vehicle SV whose distance is increasing may be set to “medium”. Further, when the risk or priority determination based on the distance is “high”, the priority determination unit 51 determines the final priority determination higher than the priority determination based on the relative speed. can do. On the contrary, when the determination of the risk or priority based on the distance is “low”, the priority determination unit 51 performs the final priority determination more than the priority determination based on the relative speed. Can be lowered.

  Further, the priority determination unit 51 first determines the risk level, then sets the priority of the surrounding vehicle SV having the high risk level to “high” and the priority of the peripheral vehicle SV having the medium risk level. The priority of the surrounding vehicle SV whose degree is “medium” and the degree of danger is “low” may be determined as “low”. In the above description, an example has been described in which the priority determination unit 51 determines the risk level or priority in three stages of “high”, “medium”, and “low”. However, it goes without saying that the determination of the degree of risk or the priority may be made in two stages or in four or more stages. Further, the degree of danger or priority may be represented by a numerical value.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the detection result processing unit 52 receives the detection results of the external world recognition sensor 10, the vehicle behavior recognition sensor 20, and the GPS 30, the map information 40, and the determination result of the priority determination unit 51. It is configured. The detection result processing unit 52 includes, for example, a processing selection unit 52a and a processing method aggregation unit 52b, and includes a processing group including a normal process P10 that performs an integration process of a plurality of external information and a simple process P20 that does not perform the integration process. Then, a process corresponding to the priority determined by the priority determination unit 51 is selected.

  The processing method aggregation unit 52b is configured by, for example, the above-described storage device, and stores a processing group including a normal process P10 that performs an integration process of a plurality of external information and a simple process P20 that does not perform the integration process. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the normal process P10 includes a priority process P11 and a general process P12 that has less processes than the priority process P11.

  The process selection part 52a is comprised by the above-mentioned arithmetic unit, a control program, etc., for example. The detection result processing unit 52 selects the normal process P10 and the simple process P20 according to the priority input from the priority determination unit 51 by the process selection unit 52a. More specifically, in the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the process selection unit 52a selects the priority process P11, the general process P12, or the simple process P20 according to the priority determined by the priority determination unit 51. When the processing method aggregation unit 52b includes other processes, the process selection unit 52a selects a process according to the determined priority from the process group including the other processes in addition to the above-described processes. Can do.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of processing selection by the detection result processing unit 52 shown in FIG. First, in step S1, the detection result processing unit 52 determines whether or not the priority determination result by the priority determination unit 51 is equal to or higher than the priority threshold value C1. When the priority is equal to or higher than the threshold value C1 (YES), the process selection unit 52a executes the priority process P11 in step S2. On the other hand, when the priority is lower than the threshold value C1 in step S1 (NO), the process proceeds to step S3.

  In step S3, the process selection unit 52a determines whether the priority determination result by the priority determination unit 51 is equal to or lower than the priority threshold value C2. The process selection part 52a performs the simple process P20 in step S4, when a priority is below the threshold value C2 (YES). On the other hand, when the priority is higher than the threshold value C2 in step S3 (NO), the process proceeds to step S5. In step S5, the process selection unit 52a executes the general process P12.

  Further, as shown in Table 2 below, the detection result processing unit 52 performs the identification numbers shown in FIG. 4 and Table 1, the priority corresponding to each identification number, and the processing corresponding to each priority. An associated table can be provided. For example, the detection result processing unit 52 refers to the table by the process selection unit 52a, and can select a process for each surrounding vehicle SV that is a detection target to which an identification number is assigned. In Table 2 below, process A represents priority process P11, process B represents general process P12, and process N represents simplified process P20.

  That is, in the present embodiment, the first threshold value C1 of priority shown in FIG. 5 is “high”, and the second threshold value C2 of priority is “low”. Thereby, when the priority is “high”, the priority process P11 (process A) is executed, and when the priority is “medium”, the general process P12 (process B) is executed, and the priority is “low”. In this case, the simplified process P20 (process N) is executed. In other words, in the present embodiment, the detection result processing unit 52 selects the priority process P11 that is the normal process P10 when the priority is equal to or higher than “high” that is the first threshold C1, and the priority Is less than “low” which is the second threshold value C2, the simple process P20 is selected.

  6 to 8 are flowcharts showing examples of the priority process P11, the general process P12, and the simplified process P20 shown in FIG. 5, respectively. Hereinafter, each process included in the priority process P11, the general process P12, and the simple process P20 will be described.

  The priority processing P11 includes, for example, coordinate transformation P111, synchronization processing P112, integration processing P113, tracking processing P114, travel lane determination processing P115, and track prediction processing P116. The priority process P11 does not need to include all of the tracking process P114, the traveling lane determination process P115, and the track prediction process P116. For example, the priority process P11 may include at least one of these processes.

  The coordinate conversion P111 is a process for converting, for example, the coordinates of the detection target obtained by the external recognition sensor 10 into coordinates fixed on the ground. The synchronization process P112 is a process of synchronizing various information such as detection results of sensors, cameras, radars, etc. included in the external recognition sensor 10, detection results of the vehicle behavior recognition sensor 20 and GPS 30, and map information 40, for example. . Through these processes, various information of the host vehicle OV and the surrounding vehicle SV can be matched.

  The integration process P113 is a process for integrating a plurality of detection results such as sensors, cameras, and radars included in the external recognition sensor 10 with respect to the same detection target. The tracking process P114 is, for example, a process of tracking the same detection object that has entered the detection range of another detection unit from the detection range of one detection unit of the external world recognition sensor 10. Through these processes, it is possible to obtain consistent information of a plurality of detection objects.

  The travel lane determination process P115 is, for example, a process for determining a lane in which a detection target exists from the information on the detection target detected by the external recognition sensor 10 and the map information 40. The trajectory prediction process P116 is a process for predicting the path of the detection target based on the trajectory of the detection target tracked by the tracking process. In the priority process P11, information such as the position, speed, type, size, color, traveling lane, trajectory, and predicted trajectory of the detection target can be obtained by executing the above-described processes.

  Similar to the priority process P11, the general process P12 shown in FIG. 7 includes a coordinate transformation P121, a synchronization process P122, and an integration process P123, but does not include processes subsequent to the tracking process P114. Therefore, although the processing amount of the general process P12 is reduced as compared with the priority process P11, the obtained information is limited to the position, speed, type, and the like of the detection target, for example.

  Similar to the priority process P11 and the general process P12, the simplified process P20 shown in FIG. 8 includes the coordinate transformation P201, but does not include the processes after the synchronization process P112 and the integration process P113. An object presence / absence determination process P202 for determining the presence / absence of a detection object in the range is included. Therefore, the amount of processing of the simplified process P20 is reduced compared to the priority process P11 and the general process P12, which are the normal processes P10, but the obtained information is, for example, whether there is a detection target in a predetermined distance range or the like. Limited.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the external information processing apparatus 50 executes the process selected by the process selection unit 52 a of the detection result processing unit 52, and then outputs the processing result to the ECU 60. The ECU 60 includes, for example, an automatic operation control unit 61, an actuation control unit 62, and a display control unit 63. In addition to these control units, the ECU 60 can include various control units depending on the control purpose and the configuration of the vehicle.

  Based on the processing result of the external information processing device 50, the automatic operation control unit 61 automatically operates the steering, brake, and accelerator of the host vehicle OV with an actuator or the like. The automatic driving control unit 61 may perform all operations of the host vehicle OV fully automatically, or may control each unit so as to partially assist the driver's operation.

  The actuation control unit 62 performs control for maintaining the running stability of the host vehicle OV, for example, like a traction control or an antilock brake system, based on the processing result of the external information processing device 50. Based on the processing result of the external information processing apparatus 50, the display control unit 63 displays external environment information around the host vehicle OV including information on the surrounding vehicle SV on a navigation system, a meter panel, or the like.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the external information processing apparatus 50 of the present embodiment will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the external information processing apparatus 50 can constitute a part of the in-vehicle system 100. During traveling of the host vehicle OV, various information detected by the outside world recognition sensor 10, the host vehicle behavior recognition sensor 20, the GPS 30, and the like, map information 40, and the like are input to the outside world information processing apparatus 50. In the external information processing apparatus 50, the priority determination unit 51 determines the priorities of a plurality of external information. Thereby, the external information processing apparatus 50 associates the recognition number and the priority with respect to each of the surrounding vehicles SV that are the detection objects around the host vehicle OV, for example, as shown in FIG. 4 and Table 1 above. it can.

  Furthermore, the external environment information processing apparatus 50 uses the process selection unit 52a, for example, according to the flow shown in FIG. 5, as shown in Table 2 above, according to the priority for the recognition number assigned to the surrounding vehicle SV, Can be associated with each identification number. Therefore, when a plurality of detection objects are detected by the external recognition sensor 10, the processing amount can be reduced according to the priority of each detection object.

  On the other hand, in the conventional predicted course setting means, when the number of sensors for recognizing the outside world information of the vehicle increases, the outside world information obtained by the sensors may be enlarged, and all outside world information may not be processed within a limited time. is there. As described above, if the outside world information cannot be processed within a limited time, the control of the host vehicle by the ECU may be hindered and the safety of the host vehicle may be reduced.

  On the other hand, as described above, the external information processing apparatus 50 according to the present embodiment that processes external information around the host vehicle OV includes a priority determination unit 51 that determines priorities of a plurality of external information, And a detection result processing unit 52 that processes outside world information according to priority. Therefore, according to the external information processing apparatus 50 of the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce the processing load of a plurality of external information according to the priority, shorten the processing time, and improve safety.

  In addition, the outside world information processed by the outside world information processing apparatus 50 according to the present embodiment includes at least one of the distance and the relative speed between the host vehicle OV and the detection target, and the priority determination unit 51 sets the distance and the relative speed. The priority is determined according to at least one of the speeds. Accordingly, it is possible to preferentially process the detection object located at a short distance that has a large influence on the safety of the host vehicle OV and the outside world information of the detection target approaching the host vehicle OV at high speed. Further, it is possible to reduce the processing amount of the external information of other detection objects that have a small influence on the safety of the host vehicle OV. Therefore, according to the external information processing apparatus 50 of the present embodiment, it is possible to improve safety while reducing the processing load of external information according to priority.

  Further, in the external information processing apparatus 50 of the present embodiment, the detection result processing unit 52 includes a normal process P10 that performs a plurality of external information integration processes P113 and P123, and a simple process P20 that does not perform the integration processes P113 and P123. A process corresponding to the priority is selected from the process group including. The outside information processing apparatus 50 can detect the detection target accurately and in detail by performing the normal process P10 that performs the integration processes P113 and P123, but the processing load increases. However, when the detection result processing unit 52 selects the simple process P20 that does not perform the integration process according to the priority, the processing load of the external information can be effectively reduced according to the priority.

  In the external information processing apparatus 50 according to the present embodiment, the detection result processing unit 52 selects the normal process P10 including the integrated processes P113 and P123 when the priority is equal to or higher than the threshold value C1, and the priority is the threshold. If the value is equal to or smaller than C2, the simple process P20 is selected. Therefore, for example, when the priority is set higher as the risk level is higher, it is possible to detect the outside information of the detection target with a higher risk level accurately and in detail, and improve the safety of the host vehicle OV.

  In the external information processing apparatus 50 according to the present embodiment, the detection result processing unit 52 selects the simple process P20 when the priority is equal to or higher than the threshold value C1, contrary to the above case, and sets the priority. The normal process P10 may be selected when the threshold value is C2 or less. As a result, for example, when the priority is increased as the degree of danger increases, the safety of the own vehicle OV is improved by reducing the processing load of the external information of the detection object having a higher degree of danger and processing at high speed. Can be made.

  Further, in the external information processing apparatus 50 according to the present embodiment, the normal process P10 selected by the process selection unit 52a includes a priority process P11 and a general process P12 having less processes than the priority process P11. Then, the detection result processing unit 52 selects the priority process P11 or the general process P12 according to the priority. Thereby, in the normal process P10 including the integrated processes P113 and P123, by selecting the general process P12 with less processes according to the priority, the processing load of the external information is further reduced while ensuring the safety. Can do.

  In the external information processing apparatus 50 according to the present embodiment, the priority process P11 selected by the process selection unit 52a includes at least one of the detection object tracking process P114, the traveling lane determination process P115, and the track prediction process P116. Contains. Thereby, by selecting the priority process P11 according to the priority by the process selection unit 52a, more accurate and detailed external information of a specific detection target can be obtained, and safety can be improved.

  Moreover, in the external information processing apparatus 50 of this embodiment, the priority determination part 51 gives an identification number to each detection target object, and determines a priority for every identification number. Furthermore, the detection result processing unit 52 includes a table in which an identification number, a priority, and a process corresponding to the priority are associated with each other, and selects a process for each detection target with reference to the table. Thereby, the process according to a priority can be selected efficiently for every detection target object, and a processing load can be reduced.

  As described above, according to the external information processing apparatus 50 of this embodiment, the priority determination unit 51 determines the priority of a plurality of external information, and the detection result processing is performed on the plurality of external information according to the priority. By processing by the unit 52, it is possible to reduce the processing load of a plurality of external information and improve safety.

  In the external world information processing apparatus 50 described above, the example in which the detection result of the external world recognition sensor 10 and the determination result of the priority determination unit 51 are input to the process selection unit 52a of the detection result processing unit 52 has been described. However, the process selection unit 52a may refer to the control application information 61a from the automatic operation control unit 61 of the ECU 60. In this case, the process selection unit 52a refers to not only the priority but also the control application information 61a, for example, selects the process of the detection target or calculates the priority for each control application.

  For example, when the host vehicle OV tries to change the lane from the center lane of the three-lane road to the right lane, the behavior of the detection object in the right lane of the lane change destination should be grasped more accurately. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the priority of those detection objects and provide as much detailed information as possible. In order to perform such processing, it is necessary to refer to the control application information 61a from the automatic operation control unit 61.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings, but the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and there are design changes and the like without departing from the gist of the present invention. They are also included in the present invention.

50 External World Information Processing Device 51 Priority Determination Unit 52 Detection Result Processing Unit C1 Priority Threshold C2 Priority Threshold OV Own Vehicle P10 Normal Processing P113 Integration Processing P123 Integration Processing P20 Simple Processing P11 Priority Processing P12 General Processing P114 Tracking process P115 Traveling lane determination process P116 Track prediction process SV Surrounding vehicle (detection target)

Claims (8)

An external information processing apparatus for processing external information around the host vehicle,
An external information processing apparatus comprising: a priority determination unit that determines priorities of a plurality of external world information; and a detection result processing unit that processes the plurality of external world information according to the priority. The outside world information includes at least one of a distance and a relative speed between the host vehicle and a detection object,
The external information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the priority determination unit determines the priority according to at least one of the distance and the relative speed.   The detection result processing unit selects a process according to the priority from a processing group including a normal process for performing integration processing of a plurality of the external world information and a simple process for not performing the integration processing. The external information processing apparatus according to claim 2.   The detection result processing unit selects the normal process when the priority is equal to or higher than a threshold value, and selects the simplified process when the priority is equal to or lower than the threshold value. An external information processing apparatus described in 1.   The detection result processing unit selects the simple process when the priority is equal to or higher than a threshold value, and selects the normal process when the priority is equal to or lower than the threshold value. An external information processing apparatus described in 1. The normal processing includes priority processing and general processing with less processing than the priority processing,
The external information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the detection result processing unit selects the priority process or the general process according to the priority.   The external information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the priority process includes at least one of a tracking process of the detection object, a traveling lane determination process, and a track prediction process. The priority determination unit assigns an identification number to each of the detection objects, determines the priority for each identification number,
The detection result processing unit includes a table in which the identification number, the priority, and a process according to the priority are associated, and the process is performed for each of the detection objects with reference to the table. The external information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the external information processing apparatus is selected.

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