Patent Publication Number: US-2020282977-A1

Title: Vehicle control device, vehicle control system, vehicle control method, and storage medium

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-041634, filed Mar. 7, 2019, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to a vehicle control device, a vehicle control system, a vehicle control method, and a storage medium. 
     Description of Related Art 
     Recently, automatic control of a vehicle has been studied. A valet parking system that automatically moves a vehicle based on results of such a study is known (Published Japanese Translation No. 2017-526569 of the PCT International Publication). 
     SUMMARY 
     However, the valet parking system according to the related art is based on the premise of implementation in a dedicated parking lot employing the system, and implementation in an existing parking lot in which a map in the parking lot is not known is not supposed. Accordingly, study for implementation of a valet parking system that automatically moves a vehicle in an existing parking lot has not been satisfactorily carried out. 
     An aspect of the invention is made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances and an objective thereof is to provide a vehicle control device, a vehicle control system, a vehicle control method, and a storage medium that can contribute to expansion of parking lots to which a valet parking system that automatically moves a vehicle can be applied. 
     A vehicle control device, a vehicle control system, a vehicle control method, and a storage medium according to the invention employ the following configurations. 
     (1): According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a vehicle control device including: a recognizer configured to recognize a surrounding environment of a vehicle; a driving controller configured to perform driving control including at least one of speed control and steering control of the vehicle on the basis of a result of recognition from the recognizer; and an information acquirer configured to acquire surrounding environment information of the surrounding environment of the vehicle in a predetermined space on the basis of the result of recognition from the recognizer in a period after the vehicle enters the predetermined space and before the vehicle exits the predetermined space under the driving control of the driving controller, and to upload the acquired surrounding environment information to an external device. 
     (2) In the aspect of (1), the information acquirer may be configured to acquire the surrounding environment information when the driving controller performs the driving control in the period. 
     (3) In the aspect of (1), the driving controller may be configured to perform the driving control for acquiring the surrounding environment information when a predetermined condition has been satisfied. 
     (4) In the aspect of (3), the predetermined condition may include a condition that the predetermined space is a parking lot in which map information has not been registered in the external device. 
     (5) In the aspect of (3), the predetermined condition may include a condition that uploading of the surrounding environment information is permitted by a user of the vehicle. 
     (6) In the aspect of (3), the driving controller may be configured to perform driving control for acquiring the surrounding environment information in a limited range when a travel distance by which the vehicle travels to acquire the surrounding environment information is limited by a user of the vehicle. 
     (7) In the aspect of (3), the driving controller may be configured to perform driving control for acquiring the surrounding environment information in a limited range when the number of times the vehicle is parked to acquire the surrounding environment information is limited by a user of the vehicle. 
     (8) In the aspect of (3), the driving controller may be configured to derive a travelable distance on the basis of an amount of residual energy of the vehicle, to select the shorter of the derived travelable distance and a travel distance which is limited by a user of the vehicle, and to perform driving control for acquiring the surrounding environment information in a range of the selected distance. 
     (9) In the aspect of (3), the vehicle control device may further include a congestion situation determiner configured to determine whether the predetermined space is congested, and the predetermined condition may include a condition that the congestion situation determiner determines that the predetermined space is not congested. 
     (10) In the aspect of (1), the predetermined space may be a parking lot, and the period may be a period after the vehicle enters the parking lot and before the vehicle exits the parking lot. 
     (11) In the aspect of (1), the information acquirer may be configured to acquire the surrounding environment information on the basis of the result of recognition from the recognizer when the vehicle is traveling without a driver in the predetermined space. 
     (12) According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a vehicle control system including: the vehicle control device according to the aspect of (1); and the external device including a point manager configured to determine points which are provided to a user of the vehicle having uploaded the surrounding environment information on the basis of the surrounding environment information acquired by the information acquirer. The point manager is configured to determine the points on the basis of the surrounding environment information which is obtained by excluding information acquired in travel for parking at a closest parking space or the parking from information acquired in a period after the vehicle has entered the predetermined space and before the vehicle has exited from the predetermined space. 
     (13) In the aspect of (12), the point manager may be configured to determine the points which vary depending on an amount of information of the surrounding environment information or a time point at which the surrounding environment information has been acquired. 
     (14) In the aspect of (12), the point manager may be configured to set the points which are provided to a user of the vehicle to be higher when the user presents an intention to agree to travel of the vehicle to acquire the surrounding environment information than when the user does not present the intention to agree. 
     (15) According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a vehicle control method of causing a computer mounted in a vehicle to perform: recognizing a surrounding environment of the vehicle; performing driving control including at least one of speed control and steering control of the vehicle on the basis of a result of recognition; acquiring surrounding environment information of the surrounding environment of the vehicle in a predetermined space on the basis of the result of recognition from the recognizer in a period after the vehicle enters the predetermined space and before the vehicle exits the predetermined space under the driving control; and uploading the acquired surrounding environment information to an external device. 
     (16) According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores a program causing a computer mounted in a vehicle to perform: recognizing a surrounding environment of the vehicle; performing driving control including at least one of speed control and steering control of the vehicle on the basis of a result of recognition; acquiring surrounding environment information of the surrounding environment of the vehicle in a predetermined space on the basis of the result of recognition from the recognizer in a period after the vehicle enters the predetermined space and before the vehicle exits the predetermined space under the driving control; and uploading the acquired surrounding environment information to an external device. 
     According to the aspects of (1) to (16), it is possible to contribute to expansion of parking lots to which a valet parking system that automatically moves a vehicle can be applied. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a vehicle system employing a vehicle control device according to an embodiment; 
         FIG. 2  is a diagram illustrating functional configurations of a first controller and a second controller; 
         FIG. 3  is a diagram schematically illustrating a scenario in which an automatic parking event is performed; 
         FIG. 4  is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a parking lot management device; 
         FIG. 5  is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a map server; 
         FIG. 6  is a diagram illustrating an example of a second route; 
         FIG. 7  is a diagram illustrating an example of a second route; 
         FIG. 8  is a diagram illustrating an example of a second parking space; 
         FIG. 9  is a diagram illustrating an example of a second parking space; 
         FIG. 10  is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process flow which is performed by an automatic parking controller and a surrounding environment information acquirer; 
         FIG. 11  is a flowchart illustrating another example of a process flow which is performed by the automatic parking controller and the surrounding environment information acquirer; and 
         FIG. 12  is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an automated driving control device according to an embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     Hereinafter, a vehicle control device, a vehicle control system, a vehicle control method, and a storage medium according to an embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     Entire Configuration 
       FIG. 1  is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a vehicle system  1  to which a vehicle control device according to an embodiment is applied. A vehicle in which the vehicle system  1  is mounted is, for example, a vehicle with two wheels, three wheels, or four wheels and a drive source thereof is an internal combustion engine such as a diesel engine or a gasoline engine, an electric motor, or a combination thereof. An electric motor operates using electric power which is generated by a power generator connected to the internal combustion engine or electric power which is discharged from a secondary battery or a fuel cell. 
     The vehicle system  1  includes, for example, a camera  10 , a radar device  12 , a finder  14 , an object recognition device  16 , a communication device  20 , a human-machine interface (HMI)  30 , a vehicle sensor  40 , a navigation device  50 , a map positioning unit (MPU)  60 , a driving operator  80 , an automated driving control device  100 , a travel driving force output device  200 , a brake device  210 , and a steering device  220 . These devices or instruments are connected to each other via a multiplex communication line such as a controller area network (CAN) communication line, a serial communication line, a radio communication network, or the like. The configuration illustrated in  FIG. 1  is only an example and a part of the configuration may be omitted or another configuration may be added thereto. 
     The camera  10  is, for example, a digital camera using a solid-state imaging device such as a charge coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS). The camera  10  is attached to an arbitrary position on a vehicle (hereinafter referred to as a host vehicle M) in which the vehicle system  1  is mounted. For example, when the front of the host vehicle M is imaged, the camera  10  is attached to an upper part of a front windshield, a rear surface of a rearview mirror, or the like. The camera  10  images surroundings of the host vehicle M, for example, periodically and repeatedly. The camera  10  may be a stereoscopic camera. 
     The radar device  12  radiates radio waves such as millimeter waves to the surroundings of the host vehicle M, detects radio waves (reflected waves) reflected by an object, and detects at least a position (a distance and a direction) of the object. The radar device  12  is attached to an arbitrary position on the host vehicle M. The radar device  12  may detect a position and a speed of an object using a frequency modulated continuous wave (FM-CW) method. 
     The finder  14  is a Light Detection And Ranging device (LIDAR). The finder  14  applies light to the surroundings of the host vehicle M and measures scattered light. The finder  14  detects a distance to an object on the basis of a time from emission of light to reception of light. The light which is applied is, for example, a pulse-like laser beam. The finder  14  is attached to an arbitrary position on the host vehicle M. 
     The object recognition device  16  performs a sensor fusion process on results of detection from some or all of the camera  10 , the radar device  12 , and the finder  14  and recognizes a position, a type, a speed, and the like of an object. The object recognition device  16  outputs the result of recognition to the automated driving control device  100 . 
     The object recognition device  16  may output the results of detection from the camera  10 , the radar device  12 , and the finder  14  to the automated driving control device  100  without any change. The object recognition device  16  may be omitted from the vehicle system  1 . 
     The communication device  20  communicates with another vehicle near the host vehicle M, a parking lot management device (which will be described later), or various server devices, for example, using a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, Bluetooth (registered trademark), or dedicated short range communication (DSRC). 
     The HMI  30  presents various types of information to an occupant of the host vehicle M and receives an input operation from the occupant. The HMI  30  includes various display devices, speakers, buzzers, touch panels, switches, and keys. 
     The vehicle sensor  40  includes a vehicle speed sensor that detects a speed of the host vehicle M, an acceleration sensor that detects acceleration, a yaw rate sensor that detects an angular velocity around a vertical axis, and a direction sensor that detects a direction of the host vehicle M. 
     The navigation device  50  includes, for example, a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver  51 , a navigation HMI  52 , and a route determiner  53 . The navigation device  50  stores first map information  54  in a storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a flash memory. The GNSS receiver  51  identifies a position of the host vehicle M on the basis of signals received from GNSS satellites. The position of the host vehicle M may be identified or complemented by an inertial navigation system (INS) using the output of the vehicle sensor  40 . The navigation HMI  52  includes a display device, a speaker, a touch panel, and keys. All or a part of the navigation HMI  52  may be shared by the HMI  30 . For example, the route determiner  53  determines a route (hereinafter a route on a map) from the position of the host vehicle M identified by the GNSS receiver  51  (or an input arbitrary position) to a destination input by an occupant using the navigation HMI  52  with reference to the first map information  54 . The first map information  54  is, for example, information in which road shapes are expressed by links indicating roads and nodes connected by the links. The first map information  54  may include a curvature of a road or point of interest (POI) information. The route on a map is output to the MPU  60 . The navigation device  50  may perform guidance for a route using the navigation HMI  52  on the basis of the route on a map. The navigation device  50  may be realized, for example, by a function of a terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal which is carried by an occupant. The navigation device  50  may transmit a current position and a destination to a navigation server via the communication device  20  and may acquire a route which is equivalent to the route on a map from the navigation server. 
     The MPU  60  includes, for example, a recommended lane determiner  61  and stores second map information  62  in a storage device such as an HDD or a flash memory. The recommended lane determiner  61  divides the route on a map supplied from the navigation device  50  into a plurality of blocks (for example, every 100 [m] in a vehicle traveling direction) and determines a recommended lane for each block with reference to the second map information  62 . The recommended lane determiner  61  determines on which lane from the leftmost the vehicle will travel. When there is a branching point in the route on a map, the recommended lane determiner  61  determines a recommended lane such that the host vehicle M travels on a rational route for traveling to a branching destination. 
     The second map information  62  is map information with higher precision than the first map information  54 . The second map information  62  includes, for example, information of the center of a lane or information of boundaries of a lane. The second map information  62  may include road information, traffic regulation information, address information (addresses and postal codes), facility information, and phone number information. The second map information  62  may be updated from time to time by communicating with another device using the communication device  20 . 
     The driving operator  80  includes, for example, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a shift lever, a steering wheel, a deformed steering, a joystick, and other operators. A sensor that detects an amount of operation or performing of an operation is attached to the driving operator  80 , and results of detection thereof are output to some or all of the automated driving control device  100 , the travel driving force output device  200 , the brake device  210 , and the steering device  220 . 
     The automated driving control device  100  includes, for example, a first controller  120  and a second controller  160 . The first controller  120  and the second controller  160  are realized, for example, by causing a hardware processor such as a central processing unit (CPU) to execute a program (software). Some or all of such elements may be realized in hardware (which includes circuitry) such as a large scale integration (LSI), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or a graphics processing unit (GPU) or may be realized in cooperation of software and hardware. The program may be stored in a storage device such as an HDD or a flash memory of the automated driving control device  100  (a storage device including a non-transitory storage medium) in advance, or may be installed in the HDD or the flash memory of the automated driving control device  100  by storing the program in a detachable storage medium (the non-transitory storage medium) such as a DVD or a CD-ROM and attaching the storage medium to the HDD or the flash memory of the automated driving control device  100 . 
       FIG. 2  is a diagram illustrating functional configurations of the first controller  120  and the second controller  160 . The first controller  120  includes, for example, a recognizer  130  and a movement plan creator  140 . The first controller  120  realizes, for example, an artificial intelligence (AI) function and a function based on a predetermined model together. For example, a function of “recognizing a crossing” may be embodied by performing recognition of a crossing based on deep learning or the like and recognition based on predetermined conditions (such as signals which can be pattern-matched and road signs), scoring both recognitions, and comprehensively evaluating both recognitions. Accordingly, reliability of automated driving is secured. 
     The recognizer  130  recognizes states of a position, a speed, and acceleration of an object near the host vehicle M, for example, on the basis of information input from the camera  10 , the radar device  12 , and the finder  14  via the object recognition device  16 . For example, a position of an object is recognized, for example, as a position in an absolute coordinate system with an origin set to a representative point of the host vehicle M (such as the center of gravity or the center of a drive shaft) and is used for control. A position of an object may be expressed as a representative point such as the center of gravity or a corner of the object or may be expressed as a drawn area. A “state” of an object may include an acceleration or a jerk of the object or a “moving state” (for example, whether lane change is being performed or whether lane change is going to be performed) thereof. 
     The recognizer  130  recognizes, for example, a lane (a traveling lane) on which the host vehicle M is traveling. For example, the recognizer  130  recognizes the traveling lane by comparing a pattern of road markings near the host vehicle M which are recognized from an image captured by the camera  10  with a pattern of road markings (for example, arrangement of a solid line and a dotted line) which are acquired from the second map information  62 . The recognizer  130  is not limited to road markings, but may recognize the traveling lane by recognizing a traveling road boundary (a road boundary) including road markings, edges of a roadside, a curbstone, a median, and a guard rail. In this recognition, the position of the host vehicle M acquired from the navigation device  50  and the result of processing from the INS may be considered. The recognizer  130  recognizes a stop line, an obstacle, a red signal, a toll gate, or other road events. 
     The recognizer  130  recognizes a position or a direction of the host vehicle M with respect to a traveling lane at the time of recognition of the traveling lane. The recognizer  130  may recognize, for example, separation of a reference point of the host vehicle M from the lane center and an angle of the traveling direction of the host vehicle M with respect to a line formed by connecting the lane centers as the position and the direction of the host vehicle M relative to the traveling lane. Instead, the recognizer  130  may recognize a position of the reference point of the host vehicle M relative to one side line of the traveling lane (a road marking or a road boundary) or the like as the position of the host vehicle M relative to the traveling lane. 
     The recognizer  130  includes a parking space recognizer  132  that is started in an automatic parking event which will be described later. Details of the function of the parking space recognizer  132  will be described later. 
     The movement plan creator  140  generates a target trajectory in which the host vehicle M will travel automatically (without requiring a driver&#39;s operation or the like) in the future such that the host vehicle M travels on a recommended lane determined by the recommended lane determiner  61  in principle and copes with surrounding circumstances of the host vehicle M. A target trajectory includes, for example, a speed element. For example, a target trajectory is expressed by sequentially arranging points (path points) at which the host vehicle M will arrive. The path points are points at which the host vehicle M is to arrive at intervals of a predetermined traveling distance (for example, about several [n]) along a road, and a target speed and a target acceleration at intervals of a predetermined sampling time (for example, about below the decimal point [sec]) are generated as a part of a target trajectory in addition. Path points may be positions at which the host vehicle M is to arrive at sampling times every predetermined sampling time. In this case, information of a target speed or target acceleration is expressed by intervals between the path points. 
     The movement plan creator  140  may set events of automated driving in generating a target trajectory. The events of automated driving include a constant-speed travel event, a low-speed following travel event, a lane change event, a branching event, a merging event, a takeover event, and an automatic parking event in which the host vehicle M travels and parks without a driver in valet parking or the like. The movement plan creator  140  generates a target trajectory based on events which are started. The movement plan creator  140  includes an automatic parking controller  142 , a surrounding environment information acquirer  144 , and a congestion situation determiner  146  which are started when the automatic parking event is performed. The details of the functions of the automatic parking controller  142 , the surrounding environment information acquirer  144 , and the congestion situation determiner  146  will be described later. 
     The second controller  160  controls the travel driving force output device  200 , the brake device  210 , and the steering device  220  such that the host vehicle M passes along the target trajectory generated by the movement plan creator  140  as scheduled. 
     Referring back to  FIG. 2 , the second controller  160  includes, for example, an acquirer  162 , a speed controller  164 , and a steering controller  166 . The acquirer  162  acquires information of a target trajectory (path points) generated by the movement plan creator  140  and stores the generated information in a memory (not illustrated). The speed controller  164  controls the travel driving force output device  200  or the brake device  210  on the basis of a speed element pertained to the target trajectory stored in the memory. The steering controller  166  controls the steering device  220  on the basis of a curved state of the target trajectory stored in the memory. The processes of the speed controller  164  and the steering controller  166  are embodied, for example, in a combination of feed-forward control and feedback control. For example, the steering controller  166  performs feed-forward control based on a curvature of a road in front of the host vehicle M and feedback control based on separation from the target trajectory in combination. 
     The travel driving force output device  200  outputs a travel driving force (a torque) for allowing a vehicle to travel to driving wheels. The travel driving force output device  200  includes, for example, a combination of an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, and a transmission and an electronic controller (ECU) that controls them. The ECU controls the above-mentioned configuration on the basis of information input from the second controller  160  or information input from the driving operator  80 . 
     The brake device  210  includes, for example, a brake caliper, a cylinder that transmits a hydraulic pressure to the brake caliper, an electric motor that generates a hydraulic pressure in the cylinder, and a brake ECU. The brake ECU controls the electric motor on the basis of the information input from the second controller  160  or the information input from the driving operator  80  such that a brake torque based on a braking operation is output to vehicle wheels. The brake device  210  may include a mechanism for transmitting a hydraulic pressure generated by an operation of a brake pedal included in the driving operator  80  to the cylinder via a master cylinder as a backup. The brake device  210  is not limited to the above-mentioned configuration, and may be an electronically controlled hydraulic brake device that controls an actuator on the basis of information input from the second controller  160  such that the hydraulic pressure of the master cylinder is transmitted to the cylinder. 
     The steering device  220  includes, for example, a steering ECU and an electric motor. The electric motor changes a direction of turning wheels, for example, by applying a force to a rack-and-pinion mechanism. The steering ECU drives the electric motor on the basis of the information input from the second controller  160  or the information input from the driving operator  80  to change the direction of the turning wheels. 
     Automatic Parking Event—Entrance 
     The automatic parking controller  142  causes the host vehicle M to park in a parking space on the basis of information acquired from a parking lot management device  400  via the communication device  20 .  FIG. 3  is a diagram schematically illustrating a scenario in which the automatic parking event is performed. Gates  300 -in and  300 -out are provided on a route from a road Rd to a facility that is a visit destination. The host vehicle M passes through the gate  300 -in and travels to a stop area  310  by manual driving or automated driving. The stop area  310  is located in the vicinity of a boarding/alighting area  320  which is connected to the facility that is a visit destination. An awning for blocking snow or rain is provided in the boarding/alighting area  320 . 
     The host vehicle M starts an automatic parking event of performing automated driving without a driver and moving to a target parking space PS (hereinafter referred to as a first parking space PS 1 ) in a parking lot PA after an occupant has alighted in the stop area  310 . The first parking space PS 1  is, for example, a parking space to which a moving distance of the host vehicle M is the shortest out of empty parking spaces in the parking lot PA. A trigger for starting the automatic parking event may be, for example, a certain operation of an occupant or may be reception of a predetermined signal from the parking lot management device  400  by radio communication. The certain operation of an occupant may be input using the HMI  30  or may be input using a terminal device  500  of an occupant which communicates with the communication device  20 . When the automatic parking event is started, the automatic parking controller  142  controls the communication device  20  such that a parking request is transmitted to the parking lot management device  400 . Then, the host vehicle M moves from the stop area  310  to the parking lot PA while sensing the surrounding environment according to guidance of the parking lot management device  400  or autonomously. 
     When the automatic parking event is started, the surrounding environment information acquirer  144  acquires information on the surrounding environment (hereinafter referred to as surrounding environment information) of the host vehicle M on the basis of the result of recognition which is recognized by the recognizer  130  in a period after the host vehicle M has entered the parking lot PA and before the host vehicle M exits the parking lot PA (hereinafter referred to as a valet parking period). The surrounding environment information includes, for example, a distance between the host vehicle M and an object (such as a wall), a position of a post in the parking lot, and an area of the parking space. The parking lot PA is an example of a predetermined space. The surrounding environment information acquirer  144  is not limited to the above-mentioned example, and it may acquire surrounding environment information on the basis of the result of recognition recognized by the recognizer  130  in the period after the host vehicle M has entered the predetermined space and before the host vehicle exits the predetermined space. The predetermined space is not limited to a space including a parking space, and may be a space including a public road or a private road or may be a part of private land. The predetermined space may be an internal space of a building or an external space such as an outdoor space. 
     The surrounding environment information acquirer  144  may acquire surrounding environment information on the basis of a traveling distance or a traveling direction of the host vehicle M in the valet parking period. Information indicating the traveling distance or the traveling direction or the like of the host vehicle M is, for example, information based on a result of detection from a detection unit (not illustrated) that detects a distance that the host vehicle M has actually traveled such as a result of detection from the vehicle sensor  40  or a target trajectory which is generated by the automatic parking controller  142 . 
     The automatic parking controller  142  or the surrounding environment information acquirer  144  determines whether a driver is in the host vehicle M when the host vehicle M enters the parking lot PA on the basis of the result of detection from a sensor which is mounted in the host vehicle, and may acquire the surrounding environment information when the host vehicle M enters the parking lot PA without a driver. The sensor which is mounted in the vehicle includes a seat sensor that is attached to a seat, a sensor that detects movement in the vehicle, and a camera. The invention is not limited thereto, and when valet parking is instructed by a user, the automatic parking controller  142  or the surrounding environment information acquirer  144  of the automated driving control device  100  may cause the host vehicle M to enter the parking lot PA without a driver. An example in which the surrounding environment information acquirer  144  acquires surrounding environment information on the basis of the result of recognition recognized by the recognizer  130  while the host vehicle M is traveling in the parking lot PA without a driver will be described below. In this case, since the host vehicle M can travel without a driver and acquire surrounding environment information, it is possible to acquire surrounding environment information while curbing an influence on behavior of a user of the host vehicle M. The invention is not limited thereto, and the surrounding environment information acquirer  144  may acquire surrounding environment information while the host vehicle M travels with an occupant therein. 
     The surrounding environment information acquirer  144  of the host vehicle M uploads the acquired surrounding environment information to a map server  600  using the communication device  20 . In the following description, the surrounding environment information acquirer  144  uploads the acquired surrounding environment information to the map server  600 , but the invention is not limited thereto. For example, the surrounding environment information acquirer  144  may upload the acquired surrounding environment information to the parking lot management device  400  and the parking lot management device  400  may generate map information of the parking lot on the basis of the acquired surrounding environment information. 
     The congestion situation determiner  146  determines a congestion situation of a predetermined space (for example, a parking lot PA). For example, when the number of vehicles in the parking lot PA which is received from the parking lot management device  400  via the communication device  20  is equal to or greater than a first threshold value, the congestion situation determiner  146  determines that the parking lot PA is congested. The parking lot management device  400  derives the number of vehicles in the parking lot PA, for example, by subtracting the number of vehicles exiting the parking lot PA from the number of vehicles entering the parking lot PA. Other vehicles in the parking lot PA include, for example, other vehicles parked in the parking a lot PA and other vehicles traveling in the parking lot PA. 
     The invention is not limited thereto, and when a ratio of the number of vehicles in the parking lot PA to a predetermined number of vehicles which can be accommodated in the parking lot PA is equal to or greater than a second threshold value, the congestion situation determiner  146  may determine that the parking lot PA is congested. When the number of other vehicles traveling before and after the host vehicle M is equal to or greater than a third threshold value on the basis of the result of recognition from the recognizer  130 , the congestion situation determiner  146  may determine that the parking a lot PA is congested. This process which is performed by the congestion situation determiner  146  may be performed by the parking lot management device  400  and a result of determination indicating whether the parking lot PA is congested may be transmitted to the host vehicle M. 
       FIG. 4  is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the parking lot management device  400 . The parking lot management device  400  includes, for example, a communication unit  410 , a controller  420 , and a storage  430 . Information such as parking lot map information  432  and a parking space status table  434  is stored in the storage  430 . 
     The communication unit  410  communicates with the host vehicle M or other vehicles wirelessly. The controller  420  guides a vehicle to a parking space PS on the basis of information acquired by the communication unit  410  and information stored in the storage  430 . The parking lot map information  432  is information geometrically representing the structure of the parking lot PA (a general drawing indicating routes or sizes or positions of parking spaces PS) (hereinafter referred to as map information). The parking lot map information  432  includes coordinates of each parking space PS and size information for each parking space PS which are correlated with map information. The size information for each parking space PS may be reflected in map information geometrically indicating the structure of the parking a lot PA. In the parking space status table  434 , for example, a parking space ID which is identification information of a parking space PS is correlated with information indicating whether the parking space is empty or full (parked) and a vehicle ID which is identification information of a vehicle parked in the parking space. 
     When the communication unit  410  receives a parking request from a vehicle, the controller  420  extracts a parking space PS of which the status is an empty status with reference to the parking space status table  434 , acquires the position of the extracted parking space PS from the parking lot map information  432 , and transmits a suitable route to the acquired position of the parking space PS to the vehicle via the communication unit  410 . The controller  420  instructs specific vehicles to stop or move slowly if necessary such that vehicles do not enter the same position at the same time on the basis of positional relationships between a plurality of vehicles. 
     In a vehicle having received a route (hereinafter referred to as a host vehicle M), the automatic parking controller  142  generates a target trajectory based on the route. When the first parking space PS 1  which is a target is approached, the parking space recognizer  132  recognizes a parking frame line defining the first parking space PS 1  or the like, recognizes a detailed position of the first parking space PS 1 , and provides the recognized detailed position to the automatic parking controller  142 . The automatic parking controller  142  receives the detailed position, corrects the target trajectory, and causes the host vehicle M to be parked in the first parking space PS 1 . 
     Automatic Parking Event—Exit 
     The automatic parking controller  142  and the communication device  20  keep operating even when the host vehicle M is parked. For example, when the communication device  20  receives a pickup request from the terminal device  500  of an occupant, the automatic parking controller  142  starts a system of the host vehicle M and moves the host vehicle to the stop area  310 . At this time, the automatic parking controller  142  controls the communication device  20  such that a departure request is transmitted to the parking lot management device  400 . Similarly to entrance, the controller  420  of the parking lot management device  400  instructs specific vehicles to stop or move slowly if necessary such that vehicles do not enter the same position at the same time on the basis of positional relationships between a plurality of vehicles. When the host vehicle M is moved to the stop area  310  and an occupant boards the host vehicle M, the automatic parking controller  142  stops its operation and then manual driving or automated driving using other functional units is started. 
     The invention is not limited to the above description, and the automatic parking controller  142  may not depend on communication but may search for an empty parking space on the basis of the results of detection from the camera  10 , the radar device  12 , the finder  14 , or the object recognition device  16  and park the host vehicle M in the searched parking space. 
       FIG. 5  is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the map server  600 . The map server  600  includes, for example, a communication unit  610 , a controller  620 , and a storage  630 . Information such as parking lot map information  632  and a map registration status table  634  is stored in the storage  630 . 
     The communication unit  610  communicates with the host vehicle M or other vehicles wirelessly. The controller  620  includes, for example, a map information generating unit  622  and a point manager  624 . The map information generating unit  622  generates map information of the parking lot on the basis of the surrounding environment information acquired by the communication unit  610  and updates a part of the parking lot map information  632 . The map information generating unit  622  derives coordinates of parking spaces PS, size information of the parking spaces PS, or the like on the basis of the surrounding environment information and reflects the derived information in the map information. The parking lot map information  632  corresponds to the original of the parking lot map information  432 . 
     The point manager  624  determines points which are provided to a user of the host vehicle M which has uploaded the surrounding environment information on the basis of the surrounding environment information acquired by the communication unit  610 . The point manager  624  determines the points on the basis of an amount of information, an acquisition time, or information accuracy of the provided surrounding environment information, a traveling distance, a distance from an entrance or an exit, or the like with reference to point providing condition information  636 . The information accuracy is evaluated, for example, on the basis of a degree of matching with information which is stored in advance or a resolution. In the point providing condition information  636 , points to be provided are defined for each point providing condition. In the point providing condition information  636 , for example, it is defined that the score increases as the amount of information of the surrounding environment information increases, the score increases as the acquisition time of the surrounding environment information becomes later, the score increases as the information accuracy becomes higher, the score increases as the traveling distance in the parking lot becomes longer, the score increases as the traveling place or the position of a parking space of which size information has been acquired becomes farther from the entrance or the exit, and the like. 
     The point manager  624  determines points on the basis of movement details of the host vehicle M for acquiring the surrounding environment information. For example, the point manager  624  determines the points on the basis of surrounding environment information obtained by excluding the surrounding environment information acquired through traveling for parking the host vehicle M in the first parking space PS 1  which is a target or the parking from the surrounding environment information acquired in a period after the host vehicle M has entered the parking lot and before the host vehicle M has exited the parking lot. In this way, the point manager  624  determines a target for which points are to be provided. The target for which points are to be provided may be determined on the basis of the route on which the host vehicle M has traveled or the position of the parking space PS in which the host vehicle M is parked or may be determined on the basis of the acquired surrounding environment information. The point manager  624  may determine the target for which points are to be provided on the basis of a ratio of unregistered areas to the entire parking lot PA. For example, when the ratio of unregistered areas is 50%, the point manager  624  provides 50% of the points which are determined on the basis of the traveling distance that the host vehicle has traveled in the parking lot PA. 
     The point manager  624  may determine the points according to an intention which is presented by a user. An intention which is presented by a user includes, for example, an intention of agreeing to use of the host vehicle M to acquire surrounding environment information in a valet parking period. When the intention of agreeing thereto is presented, the point manager  624  sets the points which are provided to a user to be higher than in a case in which the intention of agreeing thereto is not presented. 
     The point manager  624  provides the determined points to the user by storing the determined points in a point management table  638  in correlation with a user ID which is identification information of the user of the host vehicle M. In the point management table  638 , for example, accumulated points are correlated with user IDs. The accumulated points are an accumulated value of effective points. The invention is not limited thereto, and the point management table  638  may be a table for managing points every time, a date and time at which the points are provided, and the like for each user ID. 
     In the map registration status table  634 , for example, information indicating whether registration in the parking lot map information  632  has been completed (registered) or whether registration has not been completed (unregistered) is correlated with a parking area ID which is identification information of a parking area. Details of the registration status in the parking lot map information  632  can be arbitrarily set and, for example, it is assumed that map information geometrically indicating a structure of a parking lot PA is prepared on the basis of size information of all parking spaces PS. The invention is not limited thereto, and when map information which geometrically represents the structure of the parking lot PA is prepared without using size information of the parking spaces PS, it may be determined that registration has been completed. The parking area ID may be assigned to each parking area or may be assigned to each section when the parking lot is divided into a plurality of sections. In the map registration status table  634 , for example, a registration status of a general drawing of the parking lot PA (a general drawing of each section), a registration status of size information of each parking space PS, or the like may be managed. 
     When the communication unit  610  receives surrounding environment information from a vehicle, the map information generating unit  622  generates map information of the parking lot on the basis of the received surrounding environment information and adds the generated map information to the parking lot map information  632 . When the map information is added to the parking lot map information  632 , the map information generating unit  622  updates the map registration status table  634 . The map information generating unit  622  may transmit the map information to the parking lot management device  400 , for example, at the time at which the parking lot map information  632  is updated. In this case, the parking lot management device  400  can update the parking lot map information  432  on the basis of the map information of the parking lot which is generated on the basis of the surrounding environment information received from vehicles. 
     Automatic Parking Event—Acquisition of Surrounding Environment Information 
     When a predetermined condition such as a condition that the parking lot PA at which the host vehicle M is parked is a parking lot of which map information has not been registered in the map server  600  has been satisfied, the automatic parking controller  142  causes the host vehicle M to travel automatically or the like (including parking) to acquire surrounding environment information. Causing the host vehicle M to travel automatically to acquire surrounding environment information is hereinafter referred to as “performing information acquisition movement.” 
     “Performing information acquisition movement” includes causing the host vehicle M to travel in an unregistered area which has not already been registered in the parking lot map information  432  in the parking lot PA and causing the host vehicle M to park in an unregistered area. An unregistered area includes each floor, a part of each floor, and a parking space PS. The automatic parking controller  142  moves in an unregistered area while sensing the surroundings by itself. The invention is not limited thereto and the automatic parking controller  142  may be guided to a parking space PS which is an unregistered area on the basis of information acquired from the parking lot management device  400  by the communication device  20 . 
     The time at which “information acquisition movement is performed” may be set to a time before the host vehicle M has been parked in a first parking space PS 1  or a time before the host vehicle M has been parked in the first parking space PS 1 . In the former, traveling or the like after the host vehicle M has been parked in the first parking space PS 1  is movement for acquiring surrounding environment information, and a target for which points are to be provided which will be described later (movement after the host vehicle M has been parked in the first parking space PS 1  is the target) becomes clear. In the latter, since surrounding environment information can be acquired while the host vehicle M is moving to the first parking space PS 1 , it is possible to efficiently acquire surrounding environment information. 
     “Performing information acquisition movement” may include, for example, causing the host vehicle M to travel on a route (hereinafter referred to as a second route) which departs from an optimal route for parking a vehicle in the first parking space PS 1  which is a destination (hereinafter referred to as a first route) and which extends to an unregistered area. The optimal route includes, for example, a route with a shortest traveling distance to a destination and a route with a shortest traveling time to a destination. 
       FIGS. 6 and 7  are diagrams illustrating a second route. In  FIGS. 6 and 7 , a lower part of the parking lot PA is a registered area and an upper part of the parking lot PA is an unregistered area. In the example illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the host vehicle M travels on a first route R 1 , parks in a first parking space PS 1 , and then travels on a second route R 2 - 1  including an unregistered area. In the example illustrated in  FIG. 7 , the host vehicle M does not travel on the first route R 1 , but travels on a second route R 2 - 2  including an unregistered area before parking in the first parking space PS 1  and parks in the first parking space PS 1 . 
     “Performing information acquisition movement” may include causing the host vehicle M to park in a parking space PS which is different from the first parking space PS 1  and which is an unregistered area (hereinafter referred to as a second parking space PS 2 ). 
       FIGS. 8 and 9  are diagrams illustrating an example of a second parking space. In  FIGS. 8 and 9 , a lower part of the parking lot PA is a registered area and an upper part of the parking lot PA is an unregistered area. In the example illustrated in  FIG. 8 , the host vehicle M travels on a first route R 1 , parks in a first parking space PS 1 , and travels on a second route R 2 - 3  along which the host vehicle M temporarily parks in a second parking space PS 2  and then returns to the first parking space PS 1 . In the example illustrated in  FIG. 9 , the host vehicle M does not travel on the first route R 1 , but travels on a second route R 2 - 4  along which the host vehicle M temporarily parks in the second parking space PS 2  and returns to the first parking space PS 1  before parking in the first parking space PS 1 , and parks in the first parking space PS 1 . 
     The second route and the second parking space PS 2  are not limited to the examples illustrated in the drawings. For example, the second route may be an optimal route for traveling in an unregistered area and the number of second parking spaces PS 2  may be two or more. 
     In  FIGS. 6 to 9 , the point manager  624  may determine traveling in an unregistered area as a target for which points are to be provided, or may determine traveling on the second route or traveling to the second parking space PS 2  out of traveling in a registered area as a target for which points are to be provided. 
     The second route, the second parking space PS 2 , or the like may be determined by the automatic parking controller  142  or may be determined by the parking lot management device  400 . In the former, the host vehicle M moves while sensing the surroundings by itself. In the latter, the host vehicle M moves according to guidance of the parking lot management device  400 . The invention is not limited thereto, and the host vehicle M may move on the second route or the second parking space PS 2  which is determined by the parking lot management device  400  while sensing the surroundings by itself. 
     The second route or the second parking space PS 2  may be determined not to interfere with another vehicle on the basis of a parking position or a parking route of the other vehicle in the parking lot PA. Preventing interference with another vehicle includes, for example, traveling in a direction which is different from a route for the other vehicle or parking in a parking space which is different from a parking space PS in which the other vehicle is parked. 
     When a predetermined condition is satisfied, the automatic parking controller  142  causes the host vehicle M to travel autonomously or the like to acquire surrounding environment information. The predetermined condition includes, for example, some or all of a condition that registration in the parking lot map information  632  of the map server  600  has not been completed, a condition that uploading of surrounding environment information is permitted by a user of the host vehicle M, and a condition that the parking lot (the predetermined space) is not congested. When the predetermined condition includes a plurality of conditions, the automatic parking controller  142  may determine that the predetermined condition has been satisfied when all of the plurality of conditions have been satisfied or may determine that the predetermined condition has been satisfied when some conditions have been satisfied. For example, when the congestion situation determiner  146  determines that the parking a lot PA is not congested, the automatic parking controller  142  determines that the parking a lot is not congested. 
     When a predetermined restrictive condition is set, the automatic parking controller  142  performs driving control for causing the host vehicle M to travel autonomously to acquire surrounding environment information within a restricted range. The driving control includes at least one of causing a vehicle to perform a traveling operation and causing a vehicle to perform a parking operation. Examples of the predetermined restrictive condition include a traveling distance that the host vehicle M travels to acquire surrounding environment information and the number of times the host vehicle M parks in a parking space PS to acquire surrounding environment information. The predetermined restrictive condition may be restricted by a user of the host vehicle M or may be restricted by a user who manages surrounding environment information. 
     The “predetermined restrictive condition” may be, for example, a condition that an amount of residual energy of the host vehicle M is maintained equal to or greater than a predetermined value. In this case, the automatic parking controller  142  derives a travelable distance on the basis of the amount of residual energy of the host vehicle M, selects the shorter of the derived travelable distance and a traveling distance which is restricted by the user of the host vehicle M, and performs driving control for causing the host vehicle M to travel within a range of the selected distance. 
     Operation Flow 
       FIG. 10  is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process flow which is performed by the automatic parking controller  142  and the surrounding environment information acquirer  144 . An example in which the time at which “information acquisition movement is performed” is set to a time after the host vehicle M has been parked in a first parking space PS 1  will be now described. 
     For example, when valet parking is instructed by an occupant, the automatic parking controller  142  starts an automatic parking event (Step S 101 ), and causes the host vehicle M to travel to the first parking space PS 1  (Step S 103 ). Subsequently, the automatic parking controller  142  determines details of information acquisition movement (Step S 111 ) when registration in map information has not been completed (Step S 105 ), the information acquisition movement is permitted by a user (Step S 107 ), and the parking lot is not congested (Step S 109 ). On the other hand, when registration in the map information has been completed in Step S 105 , when the information acquisition movement is not permitted by the user in Step S 107 , or when the parking lot is congested in step S 109 , the automatic parking controller  142  determines that the information acquisition movement is not to be performed and ends the process flow. Determining of details of the information acquisition movement includes determining of a traveling distance or a traveling route for traveling in an unregistered area or the like. 
     Subsequently, when the host vehicle M arrives at the first parking space PS 1  (Step S 113 ), the automatic parking controller  142  performs automated driving for causing the host vehicle to travel or the like in accordance with the determined details of the information acquisition movement and the surrounding environment information acquirer  144  acquires surrounding environment information at the same time (Step S 115 ). Then, the surrounding environment information acquirer  144  uploads the acquired surrounding environment information to the map server  600  (Step S 117 ). 
     When the time at which “information acquisition movement is performed” is a time before the host vehicle M is parked in the first parking space PS 1 , the process of Step S 113  in  FIG. 10  is not necessary and, for example, a process flow illustrated in  FIG. 11  is performed. Details of the steps are the same as the above-mentioned details and detailed description thereof will not be repeated. 
     Conclusion of Embodiment 
     As described above, the automated driving control device  100  according to this embodiment includes a recognizer  130  that recognizes a surrounding environment of a vehicle, a driving controller (a movement plan creator  140  and a second controller  160 ) that performs driving control including at least one of speed control and steering control of the vehicle on the basis of a result of recognition from the recognizer  130 , and a surrounding environment information acquirer  144  that acquires surrounding environment information of the surrounding environment of the vehicle in a predetermined space on the basis of the result of recognition from the recognizer  130  in a period after the vehicle enters the predetermined space and before the vehicle exits the predetermined space under the driving control of the driving controller and uploads the acquired surrounding environment information to a map server  600  (or a parking lot management device  400 ). Accordingly, it is possible to acquire map information in a parking lot for which map information has not been known. Accordingly, it is possible to contribute to expansion of parking lots to which a valet parking system for moving a vehicle automatically can be applied. 
     Hardware Configuration 
       FIG. 12  is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the automated driving control device  100  according to the embodiment. As illustrated in the drawing, the automated driving control device  100  has a configuration in which a communication controller  100 - 1 , a CPU  100 - 2 , a random access memory (RAM)  100 - 3  which is used as a work memory, a read only memory (ROM)  100 - 4  that stores a booting program or the like, a storage device  100 - 5  such as a flash memory or a hard disk drive (HDD), a drive device  100 - 6 , and the like are connected to each other via an internal bus or a dedicated communication line. The communication controller  100 - 1  communicates with elements other than the automated driving control device  100 . A program  100 - 5   a  which is executed by the CPU  100 - 2  is stored in the storage device  100 - 5 . This program is loaded into the RAM  100 - 3  by a direct memory access (DMA) controller (not illustrated) or the like and is executed by the CPU  100 - 2 . Accordingly, one or both of the first controller  120  and the second controller  160  are embodied. 
     The above-mentioned embodiment can be expressed as follows: 
     A vehicle control device including: 
     a storage device that stores a program; and 
     a hardware processor, 
     wherein the hardware processor is configured to perform, by executing the program stored in the storage device, recognizing a surrounding environment of a vehicle, performing driving control including at least one of speed control and steering control of the vehicle on the basis of a result of recognition, acquiring surrounding environment information of the surrounding environment of the vehicle in a predetermined space on the basis of the result of recognition in a period after the vehicle enters the predetermined space and before the vehicle exits the predetermined space under the driving control of the driving controller, and uploading the acquired surrounding environment information to an external device. 
     While the invention has been described with reference to an embodiment, the invention is not limited to the embodiment and can be subjected to various modifications and substitutions without departing from the gist of the invention. 
     For example, the first parking space PS 1  which is a destination is not limited to a closest parking space PS. For example, when the first parking space PS 1  may be a parking space PS (empty) which is the closest to a final point of a route for information acquisition movement after the route for the information acquisition movement has been determined. 
     Whether the host vehicle M is to perform information acquisition movement may be determined by the automatic parking controller  142  at a time point at which the host vehicle M enters a site of a parking lot PA. 
     The parking lot management device  400  may include a functional configuration or information of the map server  600 . 
     Whether the host vehicle M is to perform information acquisition movement may be determined by the map server  600  or the parking lot management device  400 . 
     Details of the information acquisition movement of the host vehicle may be determined by the map server  600  or the parking lot management device  400 . 
     Some functions of the automatic parking controller  142  or the surrounding environment information acquirer  144  may be realized by the map server  600  or the parking lot management device  400 .