Vehicle controller, method, and computer program for vehicle trajectory planning and control based on other vehicle behavior

A method for controlling travel of a vehicle, comprising:

• inputting time series images obtained by a camera mounted on the vehicle into a first classifier to detect an object region including another vehicle near the vehicle in each of the time series images;
• tracking the other vehicle to estimate a trajectory of the other vehicle, based on the object region of each of the time series images;
• detecting a predetermined action taken by the other vehicle, based on the determined trajectory;
• inputting characteristics obtained from pixel values of the object region detected in each of the time series images into a second classifier to identify the state of a signal light of the other vehicle, the second classifier having a recursive structure or performing a convolution operation in a temporal direction;
• extracting at least one piece of behavior-characteristic information indicating characteristics of an action of the other vehicle or the state of a signal light of the other vehicle at the predetermined action taken by the other vehicle, based on the predetermined action detected in a tracking period during which the other vehicle is tracked and the state of the signal light of the other vehicle identified in the tracking period and related to the predetermined action, wherein the at least one piece of behavior-characteristic information comprises a rate of nonperformance of lane changes that is a ratio of the number of times the other vehicle does not change lanes after blinking of a turn signal to the number of times the other vehicle makes a turn signal blink in the tracking period;
• predicting behavior of the other vehicle, using the at least one piece of behavior-characteristic information;
• creating a trajectory to be traveled on which the vehicle will travel, based on the predicted behavior of the other vehicle;
• and
• controlling the vehicle so that the vehicle will travel along the trajectory to be traveled.

A non-transitory recording medium having recorded thereon a computer program for controlling travel of a vehicle, the computer program that causes a processor mounted on the vehicle to execute a process comprising:

• inputting time series images obtained by a camera mounted on the vehicle into a first classifier to detect an object region including another vehicle near the vehicle in each of the time series images;
• tracking the other vehicle to estimate a trajectory of the other vehicle, based on the object region of each of the time series images;
• detecting a predetermined action taken by the other vehicle, based on the determined trajectory;
• inputting characteristics obtained from pixel values of the object region detected in each of the time series images into a second classifier to identify the state of a signal light of the other vehicle, the second classifier having a recursive structure or performing a convolution operation in a temporal direction;
• extracting at least one piece of behavior-characteristic information indicating characteristics of an action of the other vehicle or the state of a signal light of the other vehicle at the predetermined action taken by the other vehicle, based on the predetermined action detected in a tracking period during which the other vehicle is tracked and the state of the signal light identified in the tracking period and related to the predetermined action, wherein the at least one piece of behavior-characteristic information comprises a rate of nonperformance of lane changes that is a ratio of the number of times the other vehicle does not change lanes after blinking of a turn signal to the number of times the other vehicle makes a turn signal blink in the tracking period;
• predicting behavior of the other vehicle, using the at least one piece of behavior-characteristic information;
• creating a trajectory to be traveled on which the vehicle will travel, based on the predicted behavior of the other vehicle;
• and
• controlling the vehicle so that the vehicle will travel along the trajectory to be traveled.