Vehicle control device, method for control of vehicle, and program for control of vehicle control device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11270592-B2
Application number	US-201716468335-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 13, 2017
Priority date	Dec 20, 2016
Publication date	Mar 8, 2022
Grant date	Mar 8, 2022

Abstract

A control method of a vehicle, comprising: estimating an environment model relating to a search region, based on environment information acquired by an environment sensor, wherein the environment sensor acquires the environment information representing an environment around a local vehicle among one or more vehicles; estimating an effective range based on the estimated environment model, when the local vehicle, and each vehicle among the one or more vehicles move to each candidate destination; and configuring a plurality of sets being configurable by the candidate destinations of all the vehicles, determining, based on the estimated effective range, a certain set, among the plurality of sets, by which an entire size demarcated by the effective range in one set among the plurality of sets becomes maximum.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle control device comprising:
an environment estimation unit that estimates an environment model relating to a search region, based on environment information acquired by an environment sensor, wherein the environment sensor acquires the environment information representing an environment around a local vehicle among one or more vehicles, and the environment sensor is provided in the local vehicle;
a coverage estimation unit that estimates an effective range based on the environment model estimated by the environment estimation unit, when the local vehicle, and each vehicle which is another vehicle being different from the local vehicle and including a same function as the local vehicle among the one or more vehicles move to each predetermined candidate destination, the effective range being in the search region of a search sensor, the search sensor provided for searching for an object existing in the search region and the search sensor provided in each vehicle of the one or more vehicles; and
an autonomous control unit that configures a plurality of sets being configurable by the candidate destinations, which are different from one another, of all the vehicles, determines, based on the effective range estimated by the coverage estimation unit, a certain set, among the plurality of sets, by which an entire size demarcated by the effective range of the search sensor in one set among the plurality of sets becomes maximum, determines a destination of the local vehicle, based on the certain set, and instructs, on the determined destination, a drive unit being provided in the local vehicle and achieves movement of the local vehicle.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , further comprising
an object detection unit that calculates, based on a detection result by the search sensor, an existence probability of the object in each partial region being included in the search region and has a predetermined size, wherein
the autonomous control unit calculates a first sum of entropy being calculated by the object detection unit and relating to the existence probability of the object in each of the partial regions, in the effective range provided when each of the vehicles moves to each of the candidate destinations, and the autonomous control means configures the plurality of sets being configurable by the candidate destinations, which are different from one another, of all the vehicles, calculates a second sum in one set among the plurality of sets of the first sum, determines a certain set, among the plurality of sets, by which the second sum becomes maximum, and determines the destination of the local vehicle, based on the certain set.

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 2 , wherein
the autonomous control unit
acquires the position information of the local vehicle, by a position acquisition device which is provided in the local vehicle, and which acquires position information indicating a current position of the local vehicle,
transmits the position information of the local vehicle to the another vehicle, and receives the position information of the another vehicle from the another vehicle, by a communication device provided in the local vehicle,
estimates a movement time required for each of the vehicles to move to each of the candidate destinations, based on the position information of the local vehicle being acquired by the position acquisition device, or the position information of the another vehicle being received from the another vehicle by the communication device,
calculates the first sum of the entropy calculated by the object detection unit, when each of the vehicles moves to each of the candidate destinations, in the effective range, and calculates search efficiency acquired by dividing the first sum by the movement time required for the vehicle to move to the candidate destination, and
configures the plurality of sets being configurable by the candidate destinations, which are different from one another, of all the vehicles, determines a certain set, among the plurality of sets, by which a third sum of the search efficiency in one set among the plurality of sets becomes maximum, and determines the destination of the local vehicle, based on the certain set.

4. The vehicle control device according to claim 3 , further comprising
low speed estimation unit that estimates, based on a flow speed detected by a flow speed sensor being provided in the local vehicle and detecting the flow speed of fluid around the local vehicle, a flow speed distribution model in the search region, and a region through which each of the vehicles passes when moving toward the search region, wherein
the autonomous control unit estimates the movement time required for each of the vehicles to move to each of the candidate destinations, based on a flow speed distribution model estimated by the flow speed estimation unit.

5. The vehicle control device according to claim 4 , wherein
the environment estimation unit
includes environment model storage unit that holds environment model information used for estimating the environment information in the search region, for the environment information at a certain position, and
estimates the environment model in the search region, based on the environment model information acquired from the environment model storage unit, and the environment information acquired from the environment sensor.

6. The vehicle control device according to claim 3 , wherein
the environment estimation unit
includes environment model storage unit that holds environment model information used for estimating the environment information in the search region, for the environment information at a certain position, and
estimates the environment model in the search region, based on the environment model information acquired from the environment model storage unit, and the environment information acquired from the environment sensor.

7. The vehicle control device according to claim 2 , wherein
the coverage estimation unit
includes sensor performance storage unit that holds performance information relating to performance of the search sensor provided in each of the vehicles, and
estimates the effective range, when each of the vehicles moves to each of the candidate destinations, in the search region of the search sensor, based on the environment model estimated by the environment estimation unit, and the performance information acquired from the sensor performance storage unit.

8. The vehicle control device according to claim 7 , wherein
the environment estimation unit
includes environment model storage unit that holds environment model information used for estimating the environment information in the search region, for the environment information at a certain position, and
estimates the environment model in the search region, based on the environment model information acquired from the environment model storage unit, and the environment information acquired from the environment sensor.

9. The vehicle control device according to claim 2 , wherein
the environment estimation unit
includes environment model storage unit that holds environment model information used for estimating the environment information in the search region, for the environment information at a certain position, and
estimates the environment model in the search region, based on the environment model information acquired from the environment model storage unit, and the environment information acquired from the environment sensor.

10. The vehicle control device according to claim 2 , wherein
the vehicle is an underwater vehicle,
the search sensor is a sonar,
the environment se

Assignees

• Nec Corp

Inventors

• Emura Masafumi
• Ogawa Masatsugu
• Ichien Masumi

Classifications

• H04L67/12

  specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks · CPC title

• B63B2211/00

  Applications · CPC title

• G01S15/89

  for mapping or imaging · CPC title

• B63C11/00

  Equipment for dwelling or working underwater; Means for searching for underwater objects (composition of chemical substances for use in breathing apparatus A62D9/00; swimming aids or equipment A63B31/00 - A63B35/00; submarines B63G8/00) · CPC title

• B63G2008/004

  autonomously operating · CPC title