JP6442993B2 - Automatic driving support system, automatic driving support method, and computer program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic driving support system, an automatic driving support method, and a computer program that support driving by automatic driving control of a vehicle.

  In recent years, as a driving form of a vehicle, in addition to manual driving that travels based on a user's driving operation, driving by automatic driving control in which the vehicle automatically travels along a preset route regardless of the user's driving operation. Newly proposed. In automatic driving control, for example, the current position of the vehicle, the lane in which the vehicle travels, the position of other vehicles in the vicinity are detected at any time, and vehicles such as a steering, a drive source, and a brake are driven so as to travel along a preset route. Control is automatic. Here, the driving by the automatic driving control has an advantage that the burden on the driving of the user can be reduced, but it is practically difficult to run from the driving start to the driving end by the automatic driving control. There are also sections that need to be operated. Therefore, it is required to appropriately take over from traveling by automatic operation control to traveling by manual operation.

  For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-309961 discloses environment information that affects a driver's driving operation, and automatic driving control in a state in which the driver is as accustomed to the driving operation as much as possible based on the acquired environment information. A technique for taking over from running by driving to running by manual driving has been proposed.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-309961 (page 3-5, FIG. 2)

  Here, taking over from traveling by automatic operation control to traveling by manual operation is not possible in any section, and the sections that can be implemented are limited to some extent. For example, when taking over in sections with poor visibility or where complicated operations are required, the driver must perform those operations in a state where he / she is not used to driving immediately after taking over. Inappropriate. Therefore, it is necessary to set a section (hereinafter referred to as a handover section) in which the hand over from traveling by automatic operation control to traveling by manual driving is performed in a limited section.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 10, when the vehicle is traveling by automatic driving control and the point A where traveling by automatic driving control cannot be performed is ahead in the traveling direction, before the vehicle reaches the point A In addition, it is necessary to take over from traveling by automatic operation control to traveling by manual operation. Further, when there are a section a and a section c as inappropriate sections for taking over between the current position of the vehicle and the point A, it is necessary to set a handover section in a section excluding the sections a and c. is there. Furthermore, in order to reduce the burden on the driving operation of the driver, it is appropriate to lengthen the traveling section by automatic driving control as much as possible. For example, in the case shown in FIG. It is most desirable to set a takeover section in the section b in FIG.

  However, the length of the takeover section that needs to be set varies greatly depending on the driving skill of the driver and the road environment. That is, since a driver with high driving skill level can smoothly take over, the takeover section may be short. Similarly, since it is possible to smoothly take over a wide straight road without surrounding vehicles, the takeover section may be short. On the other hand, since it is difficult for a driver with low driving skill level to take over smoothly, it is necessary to set a long takeover section. Similarly, since it is difficult to smoothly take over a congested road or a road having a complicated shape, it is necessary to set a long takeover section. However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, since the length of the takeover section is not set in consideration of the driving skill and the road environment, the length of the section b is long enough for the driver to take over. There is a problem that it cannot be determined whether or not.

  As a result, in the environment where the driver is a driver with high driving skill and the road environment is easy to take over, the length of the section b is long enough for the driver to take over. In some cases, the takeover section is set on the front side of section a instead of section b. On the other hand, when the driver is a driver with a low driving skill level or the road environment is difficult to take over, the length of the section b is insufficient for the driver to take over. Nevertheless, the section b may be set as the takeover section.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems in the prior art, and in consideration of the driving skill level of the driver and the road environment, the section in which the driving from the driving by the automatic driving control to the driving by the manual driving is performed. An automatic driving support system, an automatic driving support method, and a computer program that enable the driver to take over with less burden on the one hand without shortening the section in which the automatic driving control is performed more than necessary. The purpose is to provide.

  In order to achieve the above object, an automatic driving support system according to the present invention is a system that supports automatic driving control of a vehicle when traveling by automatic driving control in an automatic driving section in which automatic driving control of the vehicle is permitted. Specifically, route acquisition means for acquiring the planned traveling route of the vehicle including an automatic driving section in which automatic driving control of the vehicle is permitted, and driving of the vehicle occupant from the automatic driving control within the planned traveling route Forbidden section setting means for setting a section that is determined to be difficult to take over to manual driving by operation as a hand over prohibited section, driving skill level acquiring means for acquiring the driving skill level of the vehicle occupant, and Section length setting means for setting the length of a takeover section for taking over from automatic driving control to manual driving based on the driving skill of a vehicle occupant and the road environment of the planned driving route, and the planned driving route Among the above, a takeover section setting means for setting the takeover section having a length set by the section length setting means with respect to a section excluding the takeover prohibition section, and the takeover section setting means And having a control means for executing the automatic driving control of the vehicle in accordance with a more set the takeover section.

  The automatic driving support method according to the present invention is a method for supporting automatic driving control of a vehicle when traveling by automatic driving control in an automatic driving section in which automatic driving control of the vehicle is permitted. Specifically, the route acquisition unit acquires the planned travel route of the vehicle including an automatic driving section in which automatic driving control of the vehicle is permitted, and the prohibited section setting unit automatically A step of setting a section determined to be difficult to take over from the driving control to the manual driving by the driving operation of the vehicle occupant as a handover prohibiting section; The step of acquiring the skill level, and the section length setting means, based on the driving skill level of the occupant of the vehicle and the road environment of the planned travel route, the handover section for performing the handover from the automatic driving control to the manual driving A step of setting the length, and the handover section setting means sets the length set by the section length setting means for the sections other than the handover prohibition section in the planned travel route. And setting the takeover section to the control execution means is characterized by having the steps of: carrying out the automatic driving control of the vehicle in accordance with the takeover the takeover sections set by the section setting unit.

  The computer program according to the present invention is a computer program that supports automatic driving control of a vehicle when traveling by automatic driving control in an automatic driving section in which automatic driving control of the vehicle is permitted. Specifically, the computer obtains a planned travel route of the vehicle including an automatic driving section in which automatic driving control of the vehicle is permitted, and within the planned traveling route, from the automatic driving control to the vehicle Prohibiting section setting means for setting a section that is determined to be difficult to be handed over to manual driving by the occupant's driving operation as a handover prohibiting section, and driving skill acquiring means for acquiring the driving skill of the occupant of the vehicle And a section length setting means for setting a length of a handover section for performing handover from automatic driving control to manual driving based on the driving skill of the vehicle occupant and the road environment of the planned traveling route, A handover section setting means for setting the handover section having a length set by the section length setting means with respect to a section excluding the handover prohibition section in the planned travel route; and Wherein the control means for executing the automatic driving control of the vehicle in accordance with the set the takeover section by splicing section setting means, to the be made to function.

  According to the automatic driving support system, the automatic driving support method, and the computer program according to the present invention having the above-described configuration, it is determined that it is difficult to make the handover from the automatic driving control to the manual driving by the driving operation of the driver. In addition to setting the takeover section for taking over from automatic operation control to manual operation, the length of the takeover section is set in consideration of the driving skill level of the driver and the road environment. It is possible to prevent the section in which automatic driving control is performed for a high-level driver from becoming unnecessarily short. In addition, it is possible to reduce a burden when a driver with low driving skill level takes over from automatic driving control to manual driving. For example, a driver with low driving skill is not required to take over in a short section in an environment where it is difficult to take over. As a result, the handover from the automatic operation control to the manual operation can be performed smoothly, and the stable traveling can be performed even after the handover to the manual operation.

It is the block diagram which showed the structure of the navigation apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a flowchart of the taking over section setting processing program concerning this embodiment. It is a figure explaining the setting method of the length of a taking over area. It is a figure explaining the setting method of the length of a taking over area. It is the figure which showed the inheritance prohibition area and the inheritance permission area which are included in a driving planned route. It is the figure which showed an example of the taking over area set to a driving planned route. It is the figure which showed an example of the taking over area set to a driving planned route. It is the figure which showed an example of the control content of the automatic driving control set with respect to the driving planned route of a vehicle. It is a flowchart of the driving assistance processing program concerning this embodiment. It is a figure explaining the problem of the prior art.

  Hereinafter, an automatic driving support system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings based on an embodiment embodied in a navigation device. First, a schematic configuration of the navigation device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a navigation device 1 according to this embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the navigation device 1 according to the present embodiment includes a current position detection unit 11 that detects a current position of a vehicle on which the navigation device 1 is mounted, a data recording unit 12 that records various data, Based on the input information, the navigation ECU 13 that performs various arithmetic processes, the operation unit 14 that receives operations from the user, and a guide route (vehicles) set on the map around the vehicle and the navigation device 1 for the user Liquid crystal display 15 for displaying information related to the travel route), a speaker 16 for outputting voice guidance for route guidance, a DVD drive 17 for reading DVD as a storage medium, a probe center, and VICS (registered trademark: Vehicle Information). and Communication System) A communication module that communicates with an information center such as a center. And 8, are constructed from. The navigation device 1 is connected to an in-vehicle camera 19 and various sensors installed on a vehicle on which the navigation device 1 is mounted via an in-vehicle network such as CAN. Furthermore, the vehicle control ECU 20 that performs various controls on the vehicle on which the navigation device 1 is mounted is also connected so as to be capable of bidirectional communication. Various operation buttons 21 mounted on the vehicle such as an automatic driving start button are also connected.

Below, each component which comprises the navigation apparatus 1 is demonstrated in order.
The current position detection unit 11 includes a GPS 22, a vehicle speed sensor 23, a steering sensor 24, a gyro sensor 25, and the like, and can detect the current vehicle position, direction, vehicle traveling speed, current time, and the like. . Here, in particular, the vehicle speed sensor 23 is a sensor for detecting a moving distance and a vehicle speed of the vehicle, generates a pulse according to the rotation of the driving wheel of the vehicle, and outputs a pulse signal to the navigation ECU 13. And navigation ECU13 calculates the rotational speed and moving distance of a driving wheel by counting the generated pulse. Note that the navigation device 1 does not have to include all the four types of sensors, and the navigation device 1 may include only one or more types of sensors.

  The data recording unit 12 is also a hard disk (not shown) as an external storage device and a recording medium, and a driver for reading the map information DB 31 and a predetermined program recorded on the hard disk and writing predetermined data on the hard disk And a recording head (not shown). The data recording unit 12 may be constituted by a flash memory, a memory card, an optical disk such as a CD or a DVD, instead of the hard disk. Further, the map information DB 31 may be stored in an external server, and the navigation device 1 may be configured to acquire by communication.

  Here, the map information DB 31 displays, for example, link data 33 related to roads (links), node data 34 related to node points, search data 35 used for processing related to route search and change, facility data related to facilities, and maps. Storage means for storing map display data, intersection data relating to each intersection, search data for searching for points, and the like.

  The link data 33 includes, for each link constituting the road, the width of the road to which the link belongs, a gradient, a cant, a bank, a road surface state, a merged section, a road structure, the number of road lanes, the number of lanes The data indicating the decreasing part, the width narrowing part, the level crossing, etc. for the corner, the curvature radius, the intersection, the T-junction, the entrance and the exit of the corner, etc., the data indicating the road attribute, the downhill road, the uphill road, etc. In addition to general roads such as national roads, prefectural roads, and narrow streets, data representing roads are recorded for expressways such as national highways, urban highways, exclusive roads, general toll roads, and toll bridges. Is done.

  The node data 34 includes actual road branch points (including intersections, T-junctions, etc.) and the coordinates (positions) of node points set for each road according to the radius of curvature, etc. Node attribute indicating whether a node is a node corresponding to an intersection, etc., a connection link number list that is a list of link numbers of links connected to the node, and an adjacency that is a list of node numbers of nodes adjacent to the node via the link Data relating to the node number list, the height (altitude) of each node point, and the like are recorded.

  As the search data 35, various data used for route search processing for searching for a route from a departure place (for example, the current position of the vehicle) to a set destination is recorded. Specifically, the cost of quantifying the appropriate degree as a route to an intersection (hereinafter referred to as an intersection cost), the cost of quantifying the appropriate degree as a route to a link constituting a road (hereinafter referred to as a link cost), etc. Cost calculation data used for calculating the search cost is stored.

  On the other hand, the navigation ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 13 is an electronic control unit that controls the entire navigation device 1. The CPU 41 as an arithmetic device and a control device, and a working memory when the CPU 41 performs various arithmetic processes. In addition to the RAM 42 for storing route data when a route is searched, a control program, a takeover section setting processing program (see FIG. 2) and a driving support processing program (see FIG. 9) described later. ) Etc. are recorded, and an internal storage device such as a flash memory 44 for storing a program read from the ROM 43 is provided. The navigation ECU 13 constitutes various means as processing algorithms. For example, the route acquisition means acquires a planned traveling route of the vehicle including an automatic driving section in which automatic driving control of the vehicle is permitted. The prohibited section setting means sets, as a handover prohibition section, a section that is determined to be difficult to be handed over from the automatic driving control to the manual driving by the user's driving operation in the planned travel route. The driving skill level acquisition means acquires the driving skill level of the vehicle occupant. The section length setting means sets the length of the takeover section for taking over from the automatic driving control to the manual driving based on the driving skill of the vehicle occupant and the road environment of the planned travel route. The takeover section setting means sets a takeover section having a length set by the section length setting means for a section excluding the takeover prohibition section in the planned travel route. The control execution means performs automatic driving control of the vehicle according to the takeover section set by the takeover section setting means.

  The operation unit 14 is operated when inputting a departure point as a travel start point and a destination as a travel end point, and includes a plurality of operation switches (not shown) such as various keys and buttons. Then, the navigation ECU 13 performs control to execute various corresponding operations based on switch signals output by pressing the switches. The operation unit 14 can also be configured by a touch panel provided on the front surface of the liquid crystal display 15. Moreover, it can also be comprised with a microphone and a speech recognition apparatus.

  Further, the liquid crystal display 15 includes a map image including a road, traffic information, operation guidance, operation menu, key guidance, guidance information along a guidance route (scheduled travel route), news, weather forecast, time, mail, television. Programs etc. are displayed. Further, in the present embodiment, guidance is also output that prompts the user to take over from automatic driving control to manual driving when the vehicle reaches a handover section described later. In place of the liquid crystal display 15, HUD or HMD may be used.

  Here, as a traveling form of the vehicle, in addition to the manual driving traveling that travels based on the user's driving operation, the vehicle automatically travels along a predetermined route regardless of the user's driving operation. Traveling by operation control is possible. In the automatic driving control, for example, the current position of the vehicle, the lane in which the vehicle travels, and the positions of other vehicles in the vicinity are detected at any time, and steering and driving are performed so as to travel along a route preset by the vehicle control ECU 20. Vehicle control such as power source and brake is performed automatically. The details of the automatic operation control are already known, and the description is omitted. In addition, although automatic driving control may be performed for all road sections, in the following description, as an automatic driving section in which automatic driving control of a vehicle is performed, a gate (manned unmanned, A description will be made assuming that the automatic driving control is basically performed only during the period when the highway is provided with a chargeable free of charge) and the vehicle travels in the automatic driving section. However, other sections may be set as the automatic operation section. For example, a highway automobile national road, a city highway, a car road, a toll road, and a general road may be set as the automatic driving section. In addition, when the vehicle travels in the automatic driving section, the automatic driving control is not necessarily performed, but the situation in which the automatic driving control is selected by the user and the driving can be performed by the automatic driving control. Done only in That is, the automatic driving section is a section in which automatic driving control is permitted for the vehicle in addition to manual driving.

  The speaker 16 outputs voice guidance for guiding traveling along the guidance route based on an instruction from the navigation ECU 13 and traffic information guidance. Further, in the present embodiment, a sound that prompts the user to take over from automatic driving control to manual driving when the vehicle reaches a takeover section described later is also output.

  The DVD drive 17 is a drive that can read data recorded on a recording medium such as a DVD or a CD. Based on the read data, music and video are reproduced, the map information DB 31 is updated, and the like. A card slot for reading / writing a memory card may be provided instead of the DVD drive 17.

  The communication module 18 is a communication device for receiving traffic information, probe information, weather information, and the like transmitted from a traffic information center, for example, a VICS center or a probe center. . In addition, a vehicle-to-vehicle communication device that performs communication between vehicles and a road-to-vehicle communication device that performs communication with roadside devices are also included.

  The vehicle exterior camera 19 is an imaging device configured with a camera using a solid-state imaging device such as a CCD, for example, and is attached to the upper side of the front bumper of the vehicle or the back side of the room mirror, and the optical axis direction is the traveling direction of the vehicle. Installed forward. And the vehicle outside camera 19 images the front of the traveling direction of the vehicle when the vehicle travels in the automatic driving section. In addition, the vehicle control ECU 20 performs image processing on the captured image, thereby detecting a lane line drawn on the road on which the vehicle travels, other vehicles in the vicinity, and the like. Perform operation control. In addition, you may comprise the vehicle exterior camera 19 so that it may arrange | position behind or a side other than the vehicle front. As a means for detecting other vehicles, a sensor such as a millimeter wave radar, vehicle-to-vehicle communication, or road-to-vehicle communication may be used instead of the camera.

  The vehicle control ECU 20 is an electronic control unit that controls the vehicle on which the navigation device 1 is mounted. Further, the vehicle control ECU 20 is connected to each drive unit of the vehicle such as a steering, a brake, and an accelerator. In the present embodiment, the vehicle control ECU 20 controls the drive unit particularly when the vehicle travels in an automatic driving section. Implement automatic operation control. In addition, the navigation ECU 13 transmits an instruction signal related to automatic driving control to the vehicle control ECU 20 via the CAN at the time when the planned travel route (guide route) of the vehicle is determined or after the start of travel. And vehicle control ECU20 implements the automatic driving | operation control after a driving | running | working start according to the received instruction signal. The content of the instruction signal includes information for specifying a planned travel route (guide route) and control content of automatic driving control performed on the vehicle with respect to the automatic driving section included in the planned traveling route (for example, straight traveling). , Change lane to the right, merge, etc.).

  Next, a takeover section setting processing program executed by the CPU 41 in the navigation device 1 according to the present embodiment having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a flowchart of the takeover section setting processing program according to the present embodiment. Here, the travel support processing program is executed immediately after the planned travel route (guide route) of the vehicle is determined or after the start of travel of the vehicle, and takes over from automatic operation control to manual operation by the user's driving operation. It is a program that sets the takeover section. The programs shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 2 and 9 below are stored in the RAM 42 and the ROM 43 provided in the navigation device 1 and are executed by the CPU 41.

  First, in step (hereinafter abbreviated as S) 1 in the takeover section setting processing program, the CPU 41 acquires a scheduled travel route (guide route) currently set in the navigation device 1. Here, for example, when the user sets a destination at the start of traveling, a route search process using a known Dijkstra method is executed, and the planned traveling route is determined by a user operation from among a plurality of candidates. . In the following description, the vehicle includes an automatic driving section in the planned driving route, and in the automatic driving section, the vehicle basically travels by the automatic driving control except when the user intentionally cancels the automatic driving control. Will be described.

  Next, in S2, CPU41 acquires the driving skill level of the driver who is a crew member of vehicles. In the present embodiment, the driving skill level is divided into three levels: “Beginner (low skill level)”, “Intermediate level (medium skill level)”, and “Advanced level (high skill level)”. In S2, the CPU 41 specifies which of the above three stages the driver is included. The driving skill level may be determined by the CPU 41 based on the accumulated driving time and the number of driving times up to the present time, or may be selected by the driver himself.

  Subsequently, in S3, the CPU 41 causes the automatic driving control to take over from the manual driving based on the driving skill level of the driver acquired in S2 and the road environment of the planned travel route acquired in S1. Set the length (hereinafter referred to as the takeover section). As the road environment of the planned travel route, “road structure”, “time zone”, “weather”, “congestion situation”, and “peripheral vehicle situation” are used. Further, “time zone”, “weather”, “congestion situation”, and “peripheral vehicle situation” may be the situation at the time when the process of S3 is executed, and the vehicle is particularly in the takeover section in the planned travel route. It is good also as an anticipated situation at the time of drive | working the area used as the object to set. In addition, the road environment of the entire planned travel route may be used, but it is desirable to use the road environment of the section to be set as the handover section.

The details of the process of setting the length of the takeover section in S3 will be described below.
First, the CPU 41 affects the length of the takeover section with respect to the road environment “road structure”, “time zone”, “weather”, “congestion situation”, and “neighboring vehicle situation” that are the road environment of the planned travel route. Five coefficients β _{1 to} β ₅ (third coefficient) indicating the degree to be obtained are acquired from a memory or the like. The values of the coefficients β _{1 to} β ₅ are defined in advance on the navigation device 1 side. Specifically, the coefficient β ₁ indicating the degree of influence on the length of the “road structure” takeover section is 1/2. The coefficient β ₂ indicating the degree of influence on the length of the “time zone” takeover section is 5/9, the coefficient β ₃ indicating the degree of influence on the length of the “weather” takeover section is 1, and “congestion situation” The coefficient β ₄ indicating the degree of influence on the length of the takeover section is 13/15, and the coefficient β ₅ indicating the degree of influence on the length of the “peripheral vehicle situation” is 7/9. Note that the larger the road environment value of the coefficient β ₁ ~β _5, have been shown to greatly influence the length of the takeover section. That is, when the weather is bad, it is necessary to particularly lengthen the length of the takeover section. On the other hand, when the road structure is complicated, it is not necessary to lengthen the length of the takeover section so much. Note that the values of the coefficients β _{1 to} β ₅ are calculated in consideration of the three factors of recognition, determination, and operation that determine the driving difficulty.

  Next, the CPU 41 selects a corresponding environment from the list shown in FIG. 3 for “road structure”, “time zone”, “weather”, “congestion situation”, and “peripheral vehicle situation” which are road environments of the planned travel route. select. Specifically, as the “road structure”, “straight line without undulation”, “gradient”, and “curve” are defined, and the corresponding environment is selected from them. For example, if the planned travel route is a route with no slope but a lot of curves, only “Curve” is selected, and if the planned travel route is a route with a slope and many curves, “Slope” and “Curve” are selected. Are selected. Similarly, for “time zone”, “weather”, “congestion situation”, and “peripheral vehicle situation”, the corresponding environment is selected from the list shown in FIG.

Subsequently, the CPU 41 sums the coefficients fa to fe () associated with the selected environment for each of “road structure”, “time zone”, “weather”, “congestion situation”, and “peripheral vehicle situation”. 2nd coefficient) is calculated. Here, as shown in FIG. 3, each environment is associated with any _one of ND ₁ , ND ₂ , and ND ₃ as a coefficient. Each coefficient is set to a value where ND ₁ is the smallest and ND ₃ is the largest, and a larger coefficient is set in an environment where the vehicle is difficult to travel, and the length of the takeover section needs to be increased. It is shown that. For example, the “Road structure” of the planned travel route is “Route with many slopes and curves”, “Time zone” is “Daytime”, “Weather” is “Sunny”, and “Congestion situation” is When “congested” and “peripheral vehicle status” is “there are other vehicles only in one of the front and rear and the left and right”, the total values fa to fe are calculated as follows.
fa = ND ₂ + ND ₃
fb = ND ₁
fc = ND ₁
fd = ND ₂
fe = ND ₂

Next, the CPU 41 acquires any one of coefficients α _{1 to} α ₃ (first coefficient) associated with the driving skill level of the driver acquired in S2 from a memory or the like. Here, as shown in FIG. 4, any _one of α _{1 to} α ₃ is associated with the driving skill level as a coefficient. In addition, each coefficient is set to a value where α ₁ is the smallest and α ₃ is the largest, and the driving skill level with a larger coefficient value (that is, intermediate rather than advanced, beginner than intermediate) is taken over. This indicates that the environment needs to be lengthened.

Then, the CPU 41 sets the length D of the takeover section to any _{one of} the coefficients α _{1 to} α ₃ associated with the driving skill level of the driver with respect to the fa to fe and the corresponding coefficients β ₁ to β ₅ . It is calculated by the following equation (1) multiplied and further totaled.
D = α × β ₁ × fa + α × β ₂ × fb + α × β ₃ × fc + α × β ₄ × fd + α × β ₅ × fe (1)
(In addition, α is _{one of} the coefficients corresponding to the driving skill of the driver among α _{1 to} α ₃ )

Next, the CPU 41 is used to take over when each driver whose driving skill level is actually classified into beginner, intermediate, and advanced takes over from automatic driving control to manual driving by the user's driving operation. Obtain the measured time, the vehicle speed at handing over, and the road environment at handing over. Then, each measured value to calculate the coefficient values of _{α 1 ~α 3, ND 1 ~ND} 3 by fitting to the equation (1). Note that only α ₁ , α ₃ , ND ₁ , and ND ₃ are calculated, and α ₂ and ND ₂ may be intermediate values thereof.

By performing the above processing, the coefficient values α _{1 to} α ₃ , β _{1 to} β ₅ , and ND _{1 to} ND ₃ are specified. Note that the above-described processing for specifying each coefficient value does not necessarily have to be executed by the navigation device 1 and may be executed by an external server. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which memorize | stores each coefficient value previously specified at the time of shipment in the memory etc. of the navigation apparatus 1. FIG.

  In S3, the CPU 41 is based on the driving skill level of the driver acquired in S2, the road environment of the planned travel route acquired in S1, the above equation (1), and each identified coefficient value. Thus, the length D of the takeover section is determined.

Subsequently, in S4, the CPU 41 sets, in the planned travel route, a section that is determined to be difficult to be handed over from the automatic driving control to the manual driving by the user's driving operation, as the handover prohibiting section. Here, in a section in which it is determined that it is difficult to take over from automatic operation control to manual operation, for example, “the burden of vehicle operation by the user after taking over to manual operation” is larger than a certain amount. It is a section. Specifically, using at least one of the road structure, time zone, weather, traffic jam conditions, and surrounding vehicle conditions as an evaluation index, the calculation of "the burden of vehicle operation by the user after taking over to manual driving" is calculated. To do. Note that the certain amount is the upper limit of the operation burden that a general user can drive properly immediately after the start of driving. As a result, for example, the following sections (A) to (D) are set as takeover prohibition sections.
(A) Section with poor road surface conditions such as step formation, road surface freezing, unpaved, etc.
(C) A section in which a brake operation or a steering operation of a predetermined amount or more such as merging, branching, curve, and gradient needs to be performed within a predetermined time.
(D) A section where a strong wind (for example, wind speed of 15 m / s or more) is generated.

  In addition, whether it corresponds to said (A)-(D), for example, the map information acquired from map information DB31, the information acquired by communicating with an external center by the communication module 18, and installed in a vehicle. Judgment is made using a sensor or the like.

  Next, in S5, the CPU 41 extracts a takeover permission section in which a takeover section can be set in the planned travel route. Specifically, it is an automatic driving section in which automatic driving control is permitted and is a section before the automatic driving prohibition point and excluding the handover prohibiting section specified in S4. The automatic driving prohibition point is a point where the automatic driving control cannot be performed, and specifically corresponds to an end point (for example, an interchange or a destination) of the automatic driving section. If there is a section that cannot be driven by automatic driving control even within the automatic driving section due to reasons such as the lane marking (the road center line, the lane boundary line, the road outside line etc.) disappearing, etc., the starting point of the section Also falls under the automatic driving prohibition point. Further, when there are a plurality of sections that can be set as the transfer permission section, each section is extracted as a transfer permission section. Then, identification information An (i = 1, 2, 3,... In order from the takeover permission section closest to the automatic driving prohibited point) is assigned to the extracted takeover permission section.

  For example, a method of extracting a takeover permission section when a section having a road structure in which IC and JCT are continuous as shown in FIG. 5 is a planned travel route will be described. In the example shown in FIG. 5, a scheduled travel route is set in which a vehicle enters the main line 54 from the IC lamp 53 and then enters the other road 55 from the main line 54 in JCT. Further, the other road 55 is not a road defined in the automatic driving section, that is, an entry point to the road 55 is an automatic driving prohibited point. Further, the section where the lamp 53 merges with the main line 54 is set as the handover prohibition section 61 because there is a high possibility of performing complicated vehicle operation for the merge. In addition, a section within a predetermined distance from the connection start point between the main line 54 and another road 55 is a joining section where joining with other vehicles is performed, and there is a high possibility of performing complicated vehicle operations for joining. It is set to the inheritance prohibition section 62. Furthermore, the section within a predetermined distance before the connection end point between the main line 54 and the other road 55 is set as the handover-inhibited section 63 because there is a high possibility of performing a vehicle operation for turning or lane change accompanying a branch. Is done. As a result, sections 64 and 65 that are within the automatic driving section and before the automatic driving prohibition point and are sections excluding the handover prohibition sections 61 to 63 are extracted as the handover permission sections.

  Thereafter, in S6 to S8, the CPU 41 sequentially proceeds from the takeover permission section closest to the automatic driving prohibition point for each takeover permission section An (i = 1, 2, 3,...) Extracted in S5. It is determined whether or not the length is equal to or longer than the length D of the takeover section set in S3, that is, whether or not the takeover section is accommodated. And the transfer permission area An nearest to the automatic driving | operation prohibition point is specified among the transfer permission areas An where a transfer area falls.

  In S9, the CPU 41 sets the end point closest to the automatic driving prohibited point, that is, the end point coincides with the end point of the transfer permission interval An in the transfer permission interval An specified in the processes of S6 to S8. Set the takeover section.

  For example, in the example shown in FIG. 5, of the transfer permission sections 64 and 65, is the length of the transfer permission section 64 closest to the automatic driving prohibition point first longer than the length D of the transfer section set in S <b> 3? It is determined whether or not. And when it determines with the length of the transfer permission area | region 64 being less than D, it is determined whether the length of the transfer permission area 65 is D or more continuously. Similarly, the processes of S6 to S8 are repeatedly executed until there is a takeover permission section having a length of D or more. On the other hand, when it is determined that the length of the takeover permission section 64 is greater than or equal to D, the takeover section 67 is set at a position where the end point coincides with the end point of the takeover permission section 64 as shown in FIG. If it is determined that the length of the transfer permission section 64 is less than D and the length of the transfer permission section 65 is greater than or equal to D, the end point is the end point of the transfer permission section 65 as shown in FIG. A takeover section 67 is set at a position that coincides with.

  In addition, when it is determined that there is no takeover permission section in the planned travel route that can secure a length equal to or longer than the length D of the takeover section set in S3, the automatic driving control is not performed in advance. It is desirable to configure.

  Thereafter, the CPU 41 determines a section (hereinafter referred to as an automatic driving execution section) in which the automatic driving control is performed on the planned traveling route according to the takeover section set in S9. Specifically, the automatic operation execution section is the area before the takeover section set in S8 in the automatic operation section. Thereafter, the CPU 41 sets the control content (for example, straight ahead, lane change to the right, merging, etc.) of the automatic driving control performed on the vehicle for the automatic driving execution section.

  For example, in the example illustrated in FIG. 8, an example of the control content of the automatic driving control that is set when the section f is set as the takeover section and the sections a to e are the automatic driving execution sections in the planned traveling route of the vehicle. FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the control content of the automatic operation control is set for the sections a to e. In addition, the control content of automatic driving control is basically determined based on the planned travel route and map information. For example, “Merge” is set as the control content of automatic driving control in the section where it is necessary to merge with the main line by IC etc. Is done. Also, “change lane to right (left)” is set in the section where lane change is required to move to another highway by JCT or the like. And the information which specifies a driving planned route and the set control content are transmitted to vehicle control ECU20 via CAN. As a result, when the vehicle starts traveling, the vehicle control ECU 20 performs automatic driving control after the start of traveling according to the information received from the navigation device 1. In addition, when the vehicle reaches the takeover section, guidance for prompting the user to take over from the automatic operation control to the manual operation is output as will be described later.

  Next, a driving support processing program executed by the CPU 41 in the navigation device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the driving support processing program according to the present embodiment. Here, the driving support processing program is a program that is executed at a predetermined interval (for example, every 100 ms) after the planned driving route (guide route) of the vehicle is determined, and that supports driving by automatic driving control.

  First, in the driving support processing program, first, in S11, the CPU 41 determines whether or not automatic driving control in the vehicle is being executed.

  Here, the automatic driving control is performed only when the vehicle travels in the automatic driving section and the user selects to perform the automatic driving control and the driving can be performed by the automatic driving control. Is done. In this embodiment, the automatic driving section is a highway provided with a gate (whether manned or unmanned or free of charge) at the boundary with another road. Whether or not automatic operation control is selected by the user is determined by whether or not an automatic operation start button is pressed, for example. Here, the automatic operation start button is arranged on an instrument panel or the like, and is pressed when the user desires switching between automatic operation control and manual operation. Specifically, automatic driving control is started when the vehicle is pressed in a state where the vehicle is driven by manual driving in the automatic driving zone, while the automatic driving zone is being driven when pressed during execution of the automatic driving control. However, the automatic operation control ends and the operation is switched to manual operation. In addition, as a situation where it is determined that it is not possible to perform the driving by the automatic driving control, for example, when driving in a bad weather situation or a section where the lane line is disappeared or thinned to a level that cannot be recognized by the camera Etc.

  And when it determines with automatic driving | operation control in a vehicle being performed (S11: YES), it transfers to S12. On the other hand, when it is determined that the automatic driving control in the vehicle is not being executed (S11: NO), that is, when the vehicle is traveling by manual driving, the driving support processing program is terminated.

  In S <b> 12, the CPU 41 acquires the current position of the vehicle based on the detection result of the current position detection unit 11. A map matching process for specifying the current position of the vehicle on the map data is also performed. Furthermore, it is desirable to specify the current position of the vehicle in detail using high-precision location technology. Here, the high-accuracy location technology detects the white line and road surface paint information captured from the camera behind the vehicle by image recognition, and further compares the white line and road surface paint information with a previously stored map information DB, thereby driving the vehicle. This is a technology that makes it possible to detect lanes and highly accurate vehicle positions. The details of the high-accuracy location technology are already known and will be omitted.

  Next, in S13, the CPU 41 determines whether or not the vehicle has reached the takeover section based on the current position of the vehicle acquired in S12 and the takeover section set in the above-described takeover section setting processing program (FIG. 2). To do.

  And when it determines with the vehicle having reached the takeover area (S13: YES), it transfers to S14. On the other hand, when it is determined that the vehicle has not reached the takeover section (S13: NO), the driving support processing program is terminated. Thereafter, the vehicle is continuously driven by automatic driving control.

  In S <b> 14, the CPU 41 outputs, from the liquid crystal display 15 and the speaker 16, guidance that prompts the user to take over from automatic operation control to manual operation. For example, a voice message “The section in which automatic operation can be performed soon will end. Please take over for manual operation” is output.

  Next, in S15, the CPU 41 determines whether or not it is detected that the user has performed a predetermined intention display for starting the manual operation. Here, the predetermined intention display is an operation of any one of a vehicle steering, a brake, an accelerator, a shift lever, an automatic driving start button, or an automatic driving start button. Note that whether or not the steering, brake, accelerator, and shift lever of the vehicle are operated is determined by receiving a signal from the vehicle control ECU 20. In particular, with respect to steering, braking, and accelerator operations, a predetermined amount for the user to start manual operation when there is an operation of a certain amount or more or a continuous operation for a certain time or more to prevent erroneous detection. It is desirable to determine that the intention has been displayed.

  And when it determines with having detected the predetermined intention display for starting a manual driving | operation (S15: YES), it transfers to S16. In contrast, if it is determined that it has not been detected that the user has performed a predetermined intention display for starting manual operation (S15: NO), the system waits until it is detected. If it is detected that the user has performed a predetermined intention display for starting manual operation before the vehicle reaches the end point of the takeover section, the process proceeds to S16, but on the other hand, until the end point of the takeover section is reached. If it is not possible to detect that the user has performed a predetermined intention display for starting manual driving, the driving support processing program is terminated, and the vehicle is continuously driven by automatic driving control (i.e., It is desirable not to carry over to manual operation. In this case, it is necessary to change the planned travel route so that the automatic driving section continues.

  In S <b> 16, the CPU 41 transmits an instruction signal for ending automatic driving control and switching to manual driving to the vehicle control ECU 20 via the CAN. As a result, the automatic driving control ends in the vehicle and switches to manual driving. Thereafter, the user performs a driving operation of the vehicle such as a steering operation or an accelerator operation, and causes the vehicle to travel along the planned travel route. Note that, after the handover to the manual operation is completed, when the vehicle enters the automatic operation section again and the user selects to perform the automatic operation control, the automatic operation control is returned.

  As described in detail above, the navigation device 1, the automatic driving support method using the navigation device 1, and the computer program executed by the navigation device 1 include an automatic driving section in which automatic driving control of the vehicle is permitted. A planned travel route of the vehicle is acquired (S1), and a section in which it is determined that it is difficult to take over from the automatic driving control to the manual driving by the driver's driving operation is set as a handover prohibited section in the planned traveling path. (S4), based on the driving skill level of the driver and the road environment of the planned travel route, the length of the takeover section for taking over from the automatic operation control to the manual operation is set (S3). Among them, the takeover section is set for the sections excluding the takeover prohibition section (S9). For example, for a driver with high driving skill level A section for performing the automatic driving control can be prevented from becoming shorter than necessary and. In addition, it is possible to reduce a burden when a driver with low driving skill level takes over from automatic driving control to manual driving. For example, a driver with low driving skill is not required to take over in a short section in an environment where it is difficult to take over. As a result, the handover from the automatic operation control to the manual operation can be performed smoothly, and the stable traveling can be performed even after the handover to the manual operation.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
For example, in this embodiment, when it is detected that the user has performed a predetermined intention display for starting the manual operation, the automatic intention control is switched to the manual operation. It is good also as a structure which switches from automatic operation control to manual operation automatically, when a vehicle approachs into a takeover section irrespective of.

  In the present embodiment, the road structure, time zone, weather, traffic jam situation, and surrounding vehicle situation are acquired as the road environment of the planned travel route, and the length of the takeover section is determined based on the acquired road environment. However, it is not necessary to use all the five road environments, and only a part of the road environment may be used. A road environment other than the above five road environments may be used. For example, the number of lanes or the road type may be used.

  In the present embodiment, the navigation device 1 executes the takeover section setting processing program (FIG. 2) and the driving support processing program (FIG. 9), but the vehicle control ECU 20 may execute the configuration. In this case, the vehicle control ECU 20 is configured to acquire the current position of the vehicle and map information from the navigation device 1.

  In the present embodiment, the vehicle control ECU 20 automatically controls all of the accelerator operation, the brake operation, and the handle operation, which are operations related to the behavior of the vehicle, among the operations of the vehicle, without depending on the driving operation of the user. It has been described as an automatic operation control for traveling. However, in the automatic driving control, the vehicle control ECU 20 may control at least one of the accelerator operation, the brake operation, and the steering wheel operation, which is an operation related to the behavior of the vehicle among the operations of the vehicle. On the other hand, manual driving by the user's driving operation will be described as a case where the user performs all of the accelerator operation, the brake operation, and the steering wheel operation, which are operations relating to the behavior of the vehicle, among the vehicle operations.

  Further, the present invention can be applied to a device having a travel guidance function in addition to the navigation device. For example, the present invention can be applied to a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a personal computer, and the like (hereinafter referred to as a mobile terminal). Further, the present invention can be applied to a system including a server and a mobile terminal. In that case, each step of the above-mentioned takeover section setting processing program (FIG. 2) and the driving support processing program (FIG. 9) may be configured to be implemented by either a server or a mobile terminal. However, when the present invention is applied to a portable terminal or the like, it is necessary that a vehicle capable of performing automatic driving control and the portable terminal or the like be connected so as to be communicable (regardless of wired wireless).

  Moreover, although the embodiment which actualized the automatic driving support system according to the present invention has been described above, the automatic driving support system can also have the following configuration, and in that case, the following effects can be obtained.

For example, the first configuration is as follows.
Route acquisition means for acquiring a planned traveling route of the vehicle including an automatic driving section in which automatic driving control of the vehicle is permitted, and automatic driving control to manual driving by a driving operation of the vehicle occupant in the planned traveling route Forbidden section setting means for setting a section determined to be difficult to be handed over as a hand over prohibited section, driving skill level acquiring means for acquiring driving skill level of the vehicle occupant, and driving of the occupant of the vehicle Based on the skill level and the road environment of the planned travel route, section length setting means for setting the length of the handover section for performing the handover from the automatic operation control to the manual operation, and among the planned travel routes, the handover A takeover section setting means for setting the takeover section having a length set by the section length setting means for a section excluding the prohibited section, and a set by the takeover section setting means. Characterized in that and a control means for executing the automatic driving control of the vehicle in accordance with the takeover section.
According to the automatic driving support system having the above configuration, according to the automatic driving support method and the computer program, it is determined that it is difficult to cause the automatic driving control to be handed over to the manual driving by the driving operation of the driver. In addition to setting the takeover section to take over from automatic operation control to manual operation, and setting the length of the takeover section in consideration of the driver's driving skill and road environment, for example, driving skill level It is possible to prevent the section in which the automatic driving control is performed for a driver having a high speed from becoming shorter than necessary. In addition, it is possible to reduce a burden when a driver with low driving skill level takes over from automatic driving control to manual driving. For example, a driver with low driving skill is not required to take over in a short section in an environment where it is difficult to take over. As a result, the handover from the automatic operation control to the manual operation can be performed smoothly, and the stable traveling can be performed even after the handover to the manual operation.

The second configuration is as follows.
The takeover section setting means sets the takeover section so that the end point is located on the near side from the automatic driving prohibition point at which automatic driving control cannot be performed when the vehicle travels by automatic driving control. To do.
According to the automatic driving support system having the above configuration, when the vehicle travels by automatic driving control, it is possible to take over to manual driving before the point where the automatic driving control cannot be performed. It is possible to appropriately drive the vehicle along the road.

The third configuration is as follows.
The takeover section setting means sets the takeover section at a position where the end point is closest to the automatic driving prohibition point.
According to the automatic driving support system having the above-described configuration, it is possible to ensure as long a section as possible for performing the automatic driving control. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the burden on the driving operation of the driver.

The fourth configuration is as follows.
The section length setting means sets the length of the takeover section longer as the road environment of the planned travel route is an environment in which it is difficult for the vehicle to travel.
According to the automatic driving support system having the above-described configuration, it is possible to set the length of the takeover section to be longer in an environment where it is difficult to travel the vehicle, that is, an environment where it takes time to take over to manual driving. . As a result, it is possible to appropriately perform the takeover from the automatic operation control to the manual operation without making the takeover section longer than necessary.

The fifth configuration is as follows.
The section length setting means sets the length of the handover section to be shorter as the driving skill of the vehicle occupant is higher.
According to the automatic driving support system having the above configuration, it is possible to set the length of the takeover section to an appropriate length according to the driving skill of the driver. As a result, it is possible to prevent the section where the automatic driving control is performed from being shortened more than necessary by shortening the length of the takeover section for a driver having a high driving skill level. Further, by increasing the length of the takeover section for a driver with low driving skill level, it is possible to reduce the burden when taking over from automatic operation control to manual operation.

The sixth configuration is as follows.
The section length setting means adds or multiplies the first coefficient indicating the driving skill level of the occupant of the vehicle and the second coefficient indicating the road environment of the planned travel route to thereby calculate the length of the takeover section. Calculated, the first coefficient is set to a smaller value as the driving skill of the vehicle occupant is higher, and the second coefficient is set to a larger value in an environment where the vehicle is difficult to travel. It is characterized by.
According to the automatic driving support system having the above-described configuration, it is possible to calculate the length of the takeover section in consideration of the driving skill level of the vehicle occupant and the road environment of the planned travel route.

2nd which shows the difficulty of the driving | running | working of a vehicle in each condition with respect to each condition which at least one or more road environment can take among each road environment of road structure, time zone, weather, traffic jam condition, and surrounding vehicle condition A coefficient is set in advance, and the section length setting means calculates the length of the takeover section using the second coefficient corresponding to the situation indicated by the road environment of the planned travel route. .
According to the automatic driving support system having the above configuration, the length of the calculated handover section is set to an appropriate length according to the road environment by evaluating the road environment of the road to be handed over from various items. It becomes possible.

The eighth configuration is as follows.
A third level indicating the degree of influence of each road environment on the length of the takeover section with respect to at least one of the road environments of the road structure, time zone, weather, traffic jam conditions, and surrounding vehicle conditions. The section length setting means corresponds to the same road environment as the second coefficient for the second coefficient used to calculate the length of the takeover section. a third coefficient and calculates the length of the take-over section by multiplying the said second coefficient.
According to the automatic driving support system having the above configuration, the road environment of the road to be handed over is evaluated from various items, and the influence of the evaluated item on the length of the handing over section is also taken into consideration. Can be set.

The ninth configuration is as follows.
The prohibited section setting means sets a section in which the burden of the vehicle operation by the user after the handover to the manual operation is larger than a certain amount as the handover prohibited section.
According to the automatic driving support system having the above-described configuration, it is possible to set the takeover section so that the burden on the vehicle operation of the user immediately after the takeover from the automatic driving control to the manual driving is not increased. As a result, even a user who is not used to driving immediately after takeover can continue to travel appropriately.

The tenth configuration is as follows.
The prohibition section setting means uses the burden of vehicle operation by the user after taking over to manual driving as an evaluation index using at least one of road structure, time zone, weather, traffic jam situation, and surrounding vehicle situation. It is characterized by calculating.
According to the automatic driving support system having the above-described configuration, a complicated operation or a high-level operation is not required for a user who is not used to driving immediately after taking over. As a result, the handover from the automatic operation control to the manual operation can be performed smoothly, and the stable traveling can be performed even after the handover to the manual operation.

1 Navigation device 13 Navigation ECU
14 Operation unit 15 Liquid crystal display 41 CPU
42 RAM
43 ROM
61, 62, 63 Takeover prohibited section 64, 65 Takeover permitted section 67 Takeover section

Claims (12)

Route acquisition means for acquiring a planned travel route of the vehicle including an automatic driving section in which automatic driving control of the vehicle is permitted;
In the planned travel route, prohibited section setting means for setting a section determined to be difficult to take over from the automatic driving control to manual driving by the driving operation of the vehicle occupant as a handover prohibiting section;
Driving skill acquisition means for acquiring the driving skill of an occupant of the vehicle;
Section length setting means for setting the length of the takeover section for taking over from automatic driving control to manual driving based on the driving skill of the vehicle occupant and the road environment of the planned travel route;
A takeover section setting means for setting the takeover section having a length set by the section length setting means for a section excluding the takeover prohibition section in the planned travel route;
And an automatic driving support system, comprising: control execution means for performing automatic driving control of the vehicle according to the takeover section set by the takeover section setting means.   The takeover section setting means sets the takeover section so that the end point is located on the near side from the automatic driving prohibition point at which automatic driving control cannot be performed when the vehicle travels by automatic driving control. The automatic driving support system according to claim 1.   The automatic driving support system according to claim 2, wherein the takeover section setting means sets the takeover section at a position where the end point is closest to the automatic driving prohibition point.   The section length setting means sets the length of the takeover section longer as the road environment of the planned travel route is an environment in which it is difficult for the vehicle to travel. The automatic driving support system described in Crab.   5. The automatic driving support according to claim 1, wherein the section length setting unit sets the length of the handover section to be shorter as the driving skill of the occupant of the vehicle is higher. system. The section length setting means includes
Calculating the length of the takeover section by adding or multiplying the first coefficient indicating the driving skill level of the occupant of the vehicle and the second coefficient indicating the road environment of the planned travel route;
The first coefficient is set to a smaller value as the driving skill of the occupant of the vehicle is higher.
The automatic driving support system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the second coefficient is set to a larger value in an environment in which the vehicle is difficult to travel. 2nd which shows the difficulty of the driving | running | working of a vehicle in each condition with respect to each condition which at least one or more road environment can take among each road environment of road structure, time zone, weather, traffic jam condition, and surrounding vehicle condition The coefficient is preset,
The section length setting means includes
The automatic driving support system according to claim 6, wherein a length of the takeover section is calculated using the second coefficient corresponding to a situation indicated by a road environment of the planned travel route . A third level indicating the degree of influence of each road environment on the length of the takeover section with respect to at least one of the road environments of the road structure, time zone, weather, traffic jam conditions, and surrounding vehicle conditions. Is set in advance,
The section length setting means includes
Wherein by multiplying to said second coefficient used to calculate the length of the takeover section, said third coefficients corresponding to the same road environment as the coefficient of the second to the second coefficient takeover 8. The automatic driving support system according to claim 7, wherein a length of the section is calculated.   The said prohibition area setting means sets the area where the burden of the vehicle operation by the user after the handover to the manual operation is greater than a certain amount as the above-mentioned prohibition area. The automatic driving assistance system according to any one of the above.   The prohibition section setting means uses the burden of vehicle operation by the user after taking over to manual driving as an evaluation index using at least one of road structure, time zone, weather, traffic jam situation, and surrounding vehicle situation. The automatic driving support system according to claim 9, wherein calculation is performed. A route acquisition means for acquiring a planned travel route of the vehicle including an automatic driving section in which automatic driving control of the vehicle is permitted;
A prohibition section setting means, as a transition prohibition section, setting a section that is determined to be difficult to hand over from the automatic driving control to the manual driving by the driving operation of the vehicle occupant in the planned travel route; ,
Driving skill level acquisition means acquires the driving skill level of the occupant of the vehicle; and
A section length setting means, based on the driving skill of the occupant of the vehicle and the road environment of the planned travel route, to set the length of the takeover section to take over from automatic operation control to manual operation;
A step of setting the takeover section having a length set by the section length setting means with respect to a section excluding the takeover prohibition section in the planned travel route;
And an automatic driving support method, comprising: a step of performing automatic driving control of the vehicle in accordance with the takeover section set by the takeover section setting means. Computer
Route acquisition means for acquiring a planned travel route of the vehicle including an automatic driving section in which automatic driving control of the vehicle is permitted;
In the planned travel route, prohibited section setting means for setting a section determined to be difficult to take over from the automatic driving control to manual driving by the driving operation of the vehicle occupant as a handover prohibiting section;
Driving skill acquisition means for acquiring the driving skill of an occupant of the vehicle;
Section length setting means for setting the length of the takeover section for taking over from automatic driving control to manual driving based on the driving skill of the vehicle occupant and the road environment of the planned travel route;
A takeover section setting means for setting the takeover section having a length set by the section length setting means for a section excluding the takeover prohibition section in the planned travel route;
Control execution means for performing automatic driving control of the vehicle according to the takeover section set by the takeover section setting means;
Computer program to make it function.

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