JP6911116B2 - Vehicle control device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle control device for automatic driving.

Autonomous driving of vehicles contributes to reducing the burden on drivers. However, there are cases where it is difficult to drive in automatic driving, or manual driving is more suitable. In Patent Document 1, an autonomous driving vehicle that extracts a non-operating point of automatic driving on a searched route, calculates the continuity of automatic driving, and selects a traveling route from the searched route based on the calculated continuity. Navigation device for. It is also stated that the non-operating points include, for example, sharp curves, intersections, merging, branching, lane reduction, lane increase and sharp cant.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2017-026562

As the name suggests, the non-operating point described in Patent Document 1 is a point that can be statically determined from, for example, the state of the road included in the map information. However, the appropriateness of driving by automatic driving depends on the driving environment that fluctuates in a short time such as weather conditions. Therefore, for example, even when traveling on the same route, depending on the driving environment that changes due to weather conditions, etc., automatic driving may be started and continued without problems, or there is a possibility of takeover to manual driving. It may be desirable to draw the driver's attention to.

The present invention has been made in view of the above conventional example, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle control device that determines a traveling environment in a traveling route of a vehicle and calls the driver's attention regarding the start or continuation of automatic driving. And.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following configuration.

That is, according to one aspect of the present invention, it is a vehicle control device that controls the running of the vehicle.
An environment-specific means for specifying the driving environment of the vehicle and
When the automatic driving mode is set, the control means for controlling the running of the vehicle according to the running environment specified by the environment specifying means and the control means.
Output means for notifying the driver and
An input means that accepts input by the driver ,
It has a setting means for setting a traveling route in advance, and has
The control means determines whether or not the driving environment is a predetermined driving environment, and if it is determined that the driving environment is the predetermined driving environment, the output means outputs a notification of the result of the determination. death,
The control means outputs an inquiry as to whether or not to set the automatic operation mode as the notification, and if the input corresponding to the notification is not performed within a predetermined time after outputting the notification, the control means said. Set the automatic operation mode ,
When the traveling route is preset, the control means acquires the external information about the traveling route set via the communication means before starting traveling in the automatic driving mode. Then, it is determined whether or not the driving environment in the traveling route is the predetermined driving environment.
When the location of the predetermined driving environment is separated from the current location by a predetermined distance or more, the automatic driving mode is once set and the driving is started, and the location of the predetermined driving environment is reached at a certain distance or time. When it reaches, it notifies that there is a place in the predetermined driving environment .

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle control device capable of determining a traveling environment in a traveling route of a vehicle and calling attention of a driver regarding the start or continuation of automatic driving.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the attached drawings, the same or similar configurations are designated by the same reference numbers.

The accompanying drawings are included in the specification and are used to form a part thereof, show embodiments of the present invention, and explain the principles of the present invention together with the description thereof.
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle system. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a procedure for presetting the automatic operation mode. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a procedure for presetting the automatic operation mode. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure for determining the traveling environment during traveling. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a procedure for setting the automatic operation mode during traveling. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing another example of the procedure for setting the automatic operation mode during traveling.

[First Embodiment]
● Configuration of Vehicle Control Device FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and controls vehicle 1. In FIG. 1, the outline of the vehicle 1 is shown in a plan view and a side view. Vehicle 1 is, for example, a sedan-type four-wheeled passenger car.

The control device of FIG. 1 includes a control unit 2. The control unit 2 includes a plurality of ECUs 20 to 29 that are communicably connected by an in-vehicle network. Each ECU includes a processor typified by a CPU, a storage device such as a semiconductor memory, an interface with an external device, and the like. The storage device stores programs executed by the processor, data used by the processor for processing, and the like. Each ECU may include a plurality of processors, storage devices, interfaces, and the like.

Hereinafter, the functions and the like that each ECU 20 to 29 is in charge of will be described. The number of ECUs and the functions in charge can be appropriately designed, and can be subdivided or integrated from the present embodiment.

The ECU 20 executes control related to the automatic driving of the vehicle 1. In automatic driving, at least one of steering of the vehicle 1 and acceleration / deceleration is automatically controlled.

The ECU 21 controls the electric power steering device 3. The electric power steering device 3 includes a mechanism for steering the front wheels in response to a driver's driving operation (steering operation) with respect to the steering wheel 31. Further, the electric power steering device 3 includes a motor that assists the steering operation or exerts a driving force for automatically steering the front wheels, a sensor that detects the steering angle, and the like. When the driving state of the vehicle 1 is automatic driving, the ECU 21 automatically controls the electric power steering device 3 in response to an instruction from the ECU 20 to control the traveling direction of the vehicle 1.

The ECUs 22 and 23 control the detection units 41 to 43 for detecting the surrounding conditions of the vehicle and process the information processing of the detection results. The detection unit 41 is a camera that photographs the front of the vehicle 1 (hereinafter, may be referred to as a camera 41), and in the case of the present embodiment, two detection units 41 are provided on the front portion of the roof of the vehicle 1. By analyzing the image taken by the camera 41, it is possible to extract the outline of the target and the lane marking line (white line or the like) on the road.

The detection unit 42 is a rider (laser radar) (hereinafter, may be referred to as a rider 42), detects a target around the vehicle 1, and measures a distance from the target. In the case of the present embodiment, five riders 42 are provided, one at each corner of the front portion of the vehicle 1, one at the center of the rear portion, and one at each side of the rear portion. The detection unit 43 is a millimeter-wave radar (hereinafter, may be referred to as a radar 43), detects a target around the vehicle 1, and measures a distance from the target. In the case of the present embodiment, five radars 43 are provided, one in the center of the front portion of the vehicle 1, one in each corner of the front portion, and one in each corner of the rear portion.

The ECU 22 controls one of the cameras 41 and each rider 42, and processes information processing of the detection result. The ECU 23 controls the other camera 41 and each radar 43, and processes information processing of the detection result. By equipping two sets of devices that detect the surrounding conditions of the vehicle, the reliability of the detection results can be improved, and by equipping different types of detection units such as cameras, riders, and radar, the surrounding environment of the vehicle can be analyzed. Can be done in multiple ways. These detection units 41, 42, and 43 may be referred to as sensors (external world sensors) outside the vehicle. The external sensor may also include a sensor for identifying another external environment, such as an outside air temperature sensor. The detection result of the sensor may also be processed by the ECU 22 or the ECU 23. The detection result by the external sensor can be used to specify the traveling environment by another ECU such as the ECU 20.

The ECU 24 controls the gyro sensor 5, the GPS sensor 24b, and the communication device 24c, and processes the detection result or the communication result. The gyro sensor 5 detects the rotational movement of the vehicle 1, for example, the angular velocity around the front-rear axis of the vehicle 1, or in addition, the angular velocity around the vertical axis and the left-right axis. The ECU 24 can also acquire the yaw rate (yaw angular velocity) of the vehicle 1 from the detection result of the gyro sensor 5. The course of the vehicle 1 can be determined from the detection result of the gyro sensor 5, the wheel speed, and the like. The GPS sensor 24b detects the current position of the vehicle 1. The communication device 24c wirelessly communicates with a server that provides map information and traffic information, and acquires such information. Further, external information such as weather information and road surface information regarding the road surface condition can be acquired via the communication device 24c. As for the weather information and the road surface information, not only the information about the vicinity of the current position of the vehicle but also the information about the area along the route can be acquired when the traveling route is set. The ECU 24 can access the map information database 24a built in the storage device, and the ECU 24 searches for a route from the current location to the destination. In addition, the ECU 24 may process the output signals of an acceleration sensor that detects acceleration in the left-right and front-rear directions (or further up-down directions) of the vehicle 1 and an angular acceleration sensor around those axes. These sensors may be provided in the same sensor unit as the gyro sensor 5. These sensors and the wheel speed sensor 7c, which will be described later, are sensors inside the vehicle that detect the state of the vehicle 1 itself, and are also collectively referred to as internal world sensors. Further, the yaw rate and acceleration obtained from these sensors are delivered to another ECU, for example, the ECU 20 via a bus, and can be used for specifying the traveling environment.

The ECU 25 includes a communication device 25a for vehicle-to-vehicle communication. The communication device 25a wirelessly communicates with other vehicles in the vicinity and exchanges information between the vehicles. A communication device 25a can also be used to acquire the above-mentioned external information.

The ECU 26 controls the power plant 6. The power plant 6 is a mechanism that outputs a driving force for rotating the driving wheels of the vehicle 1, and includes, for example, an engine and a transmission. The ECU 26 controls the engine output in response to the driver's driving operation (accelerator operation or acceleration operation) detected by the operation detection sensor 7a provided on the accelerator pedal 7A, or the vehicle speed detected by the wheel speed sensor 7c. The shift stage of the transmission is switched based on the information such as. When the operating state of the vehicle 1 is automatic operation, the ECU 26 automatically controls the power plant 6 in response to an instruction from the ECU 20 to control acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle 1. As described above, the wheel speed (or information obtained from another detection signal) obtained from the signal of the wheel speed sensor 7a may be used for a specific process of the traveling environment by another ECU, for example, the ECU 20. ..

The ECU 27 controls a lighting device (headlight, taillight, etc.) including a direction indicator 8 (winker). In the case of the example of FIG. 1, the direction indicator 8 is provided at the front portion, the door mirror, and the rear portion of the vehicle 1.

The ECU 28 controls the input / output device 9. The input / output device 9 outputs information to the driver and accepts input of information from the driver. The voice output device 91 notifies the driver of information by voice. The display device 92 notifies the driver of information by displaying an image. The display device 92 is arranged on the surface of the driver's seat, for example, and constitutes an instrument panel or the like. In addition, although voice and display are illustrated here, information may be notified by vibration or light. In addition, information may be transmitted by combining a plurality of voices, displays, vibrations, and lights. Further, the combination may be different or the notification mode may be different depending on the level of information to be notified (for example, the degree of urgency).

The input device 93 is a switch group or a touch panel that is arranged at a position that can be operated by the driver and gives an instruction to the vehicle 1, but a voice input device may also be included.

The ECU 29 controls the braking device 10 and the parking brake (not shown). The brake device 10 is, for example, a disc brake device, which is provided on each wheel of the vehicle 1 and decelerates or stops the vehicle 1 by applying resistance to the rotation of the wheels. The ECU 29 controls the operation of the brake device 10 in response to the driver's driving operation (brake operation) detected by the operation detection sensor 7b provided on the brake pedal 7B, for example. When the driving state of the vehicle 1 is automatic driving, the ECU 29 automatically controls the brake device 10 in response to an instruction from the ECU 20 to control deceleration and stop of the vehicle 1. The braking device 10 and the parking brake can also be operated to maintain the stopped state of the vehicle 1. Further, when the transmission of the power plant 6 is provided with a parking lock mechanism, this can be operated to maintain the stopped state of the vehicle 1.

● Example of automatic driving setting procedure The control related to the automatic driving of the vehicle 1 executed by the ECU 20 will be described. When the driver instructs the destination and automatic driving, the ECU 20 automatically controls the traveling of the vehicle 1 toward the destination according to the guidance route searched by the ECU 24. In the present embodiment, the ECU 20 executes the process according to the procedure of FIG. 2 before starting the traveling by the automatic operation. As a result, the driving environment of the guide route, that is, the planned driving route is specified, and if there is a predetermined driving environment during the process, the driver is notified to that effect and the decision of whether or not to start the automatic driving is urged. Then, according to the decision input by the driver, the automatic operation is started, or the automatic operation is canceled and the manual operation is started.

The automatic driving described below is a technique for automating all or at least one of driving, braking, and steering, and is different from so-called driving support such as anti-lock braking and sideslip prevention function. Driving support is provided even when automatic driving is not performed.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a control procedure realized by executing a program stored in the memory of the ECU 20, for example. This procedure is executed, for example, when the driver gets into the vehicle 1 and turns on the start switch, and then the automatic driving is set by default, or when the driver manually sets the automatic driving.

First, the driver accepts the input of the destination set by using the input / output device (also called the operation unit) 9 (S200). When the destination is set, the travel route (or process) to the set destination is determined with reference to the current position and the map information (S202). Next, a message or an image prompting the confirmation of the traveling route is displayed on the input / output device 9 (S204), and it is determined whether or not to search for the traveling route again based on the input of the driver. (S206). If re-search is selected, the process returns to step S202 to re-search the travel route. It should be noted that steps S202 to S206 may not be executed in a loop, but a plurality of route candidates may be searched for in step S202, and the driver may be allowed to select from the candidates. At this time, the driver may be allowed to select an option such as a waypoint or the use of a highway.

When the travel route is deterministically determined, external information such as weather information and road information, which is the basis of the travel environment of the travel route, is collected by using the communication device 24c (S208). Meteorological information and road information are specified, for example, by geographical unit. For example, a map is divided into predetermined geographical units in advance, and the server stores and manages weather information and road information for each geographical unit. Then, the ECU 20 requests the server for external information such as weather information and road information for the geographical unit including the determined travel route.

Further, the ECU 20 acquires external environment information indicating the current state outside the vehicle and state information of the vehicle (S210). External environment information is acquired to determine the possibility that the driving environment will affect autonomous driving. The driving environment that affects autonomous driving includes, for example, road surface conditions such as a road surface having a low coefficient of friction (also called a low μ road) and visibility restrictions due to weather conditions. Therefore, the external environment information acquired in step S210 includes information acquired by the outside world sensor, for example, the outside air temperature acquired by the outside air temperature sensor, the visibility specified from the distance to the target obtained by the rider 42, and the like. Is done. However, when the vehicle is parked, for example, the visibility specified by the rider 42 may not be due to the weather conditions. Therefore, in step S210, the external environment information based on the camera 41 and the rider 42 is not acquired. It is also good. Further, in step S210, vehicle state information indicating the state of the vehicle may be acquired by the internal sensor. Vehicle state information includes, for example, yaw rate, lateral acceleration, wheel speed, throttle opening, brake pedal effort, and the like.

Next, the traveling environment is specified for the traveling route from the current location to the destination (referred to as a planned traveling route) (S212). The driving environment to be specified includes the road surface condition and visibility as described above. In step S212, for example, based on the weather information and road information on the planned travel route acquired in step S208, the road surface condition is predicted for each of the above-mentioned geographical units through which the planned travel route passes. The predicted road surface condition may be stored in association with the geographical position. Information on icy roads and snowy roads may be obtained directly from, for example, weather information or road information, or may be predicted from temperature or weather. For example, roads in areas where the temperature is below freezing can be predicted to be frozen road surfaces, and general roads in areas where there is more than a certain amount of snowfall can be predicted to have snow. In addition, it can be predicted that visibility is limited in areas where the weather information is fog or blizzard, or there is more than a predetermined amount of snowfall and the wind speed is more than a predetermined value. In addition, if the weather conditions are such that there is no rainfall or snowfall over the entire planned driving route and no fog is generated, there is no driving environment that affects automatic driving anywhere on the driving route, that is, the condition of the road surface, that is, the driving environment. Can be predicted to be good.

Further, when the vehicle is traveling or stopped outdoors, the traveling environment including the road surface condition can be specified based on, for example, the external environment information acquired by the outside world sensor and the vehicle condition information acquired by the inside world sensor. For example, if the image captured by the camera 41 is recognized and the entire road surface is white, it can be determined that the road is covered with snow. If the outside air temperature sensor detects a temperature below freezing (or a temperature below freezing and below a predetermined temperature) as the current outside air temperature, it may be determined that the road surface is frozen. Further, for example, when a ghost is detected by the rider 42 or both the rider 42 and the radar 43, the ghost can be presumed to be hoisting of snow due to traveling on a snowy road, and even in that case, it can be determined to be a snowy road surface. Further, for example, if a wheel slip or skid is detected from the wheel speed or the like by an internal sensor, the friction coefficient of the road surface can be estimated together with the throttle opening where the slip occurs and the brake pedal force where the skid occurs. Further, for example, the yaw rate and the lateral acceleration can be detected by a sensor, the yaw rate and the lateral acceleration obtained from the vehicle speed and the steering angle can be compared, and the side slip of the vehicle can be detected by the degree of matching. Then, for example, the degree of friction coefficient of the road surface can be estimated from the speed at which this skid occurs and the rudder angle. If the estimated friction coefficient of the road surface is smaller than a predetermined threshold value, it can be determined that the current road surface has a low friction coefficient (low μ road).

Therefore, it is determined whether the traveling environment on the planned traveling route specified in step S212 includes a predetermined traveling environment that is considered to affect the automatic driving as in the above example (S214). As described above, the predetermined driving environment is a driving environment that can affect automatic driving. For example, in addition to low μ roads such as icy roads and snowy roads, the visibility of external sensors such as snowstorms and fog is shortened. The situation may be included. When it is determined that a predetermined driving environment is included, the input / output device 9 displays a message prompting the driver to input whether or not to search the driving route again, and the input to the message is the driving route. It is determined whether or not the search is performed again (S216). When the re-search is instructed, the process branches to step S202.

On the other hand, when the re-search of the traveling route is not selected, the input / output device 9 may affect the driver to have a predetermined driving environment on the planned traveling route, that is, to affect the automatic driving. Notify that there is sex (S218). In addition to a message indicating the possibility, the notification may include a message that allows the driver to select whether or not to perform automatic driving. Here, after the notification is output, a predetermined time is set in the timer of the ECU 20 to start the measurement (S222), and the driver waits for the input to the message.

On the other hand, when it is determined in step S214 that there is no predetermined traveling environment on the planned traveling route, the automatic driving mode is set (S220). In this embodiment, the automatic operation mode has two levels. Level 3 (second level) realizes the highest level automatic driving. For example, the driver does not have to operate at all for driving, steering, or braking, and does not have to prepare for takeover to manual driving (hands-off-eyes-off). Level 2 (first level) realizes a level of automatic driving lower than level 3. For example, the driver does not have to operate on driving, steering, or braking, but must, for example, monitor messages from the vehicle and prepare for takeover from autonomous driving to manual driving (hands-off-eyes-on). When the automatic driving mode is set, the control of automatic driving is started, and the vehicle 1 travels by automatic driving according to the set planned traveling route. Note that level 1 of automatic driving is more limited automatic driving than level 2 such as follow-up running on a highway.

If it is determined in step S214 that the planned traveling route has a predetermined traveling environment, the route may be branched to step S218 without re-searching the route in step S216.

When it is notified in step S218 of FIG. 2 that there is a predetermined running environment, the procedure of FIG. 3 is executed by the ECU 20 when there is an input for it or the timer set in step S222 expires. When the predetermined time expires without the driver inputting a response to the notification, the selected level of automatic driving mode is set. This is because the driver who is left unattended without responding to the notification from the vehicle 1 may not be aware of the notification and may expect that the vehicle will be driven in the automatic driving mode. In the present embodiment, a level is provided for automatic operation, so when the predetermined time expires, the level of automatic operation is first set to a high level (for example, the highest level that can be set such as level 3) or a low level (for example, level 3). (For example, lower level such as level 2) is determined (S302). This determination may be made, for example, by asking the driver for an input for selecting a level and making a determination based on the input, or by making a determination based on a preset standard. When it is determined that the set level is not the highest level, the level 2 automatic operation mode is set (S304). On the other hand, when it is determined to be the highest level, the level 3 automatic operation mode is set (S306). The automatic operation level to be set may be limited depending on the amount of rainfall / snowfall, visibility, and the like. For example, based on the weather information acquired from the server, if the rainfall is predetermined (rainfall of XX mm or more), the maximum level of automatic driving that can be set can be lowered from level 3 to level 2, and bad weather information can be obtained in the first place. If it does, the maximum level may be set to level 2. In this way, the automatic operation level to be set may be limited according to the environment.

Further, when a response to the notification is input by the driver, it is determined whether to set the automatic operation mode based on the input (S300). When there is an input that the automatic operation mode is not set, the automatic operation mode is not set (that is, by manual operation), and the process ends. In this case, the driving of the vehicle is subsequently performed by the driver. On the other hand, when the input to set the automatic operation mode is input, the process branches to step S302. The rest is as described above. However, when the level of automatic operation is input as a response to the notification, step S304 or step S306 may be executed according to the designated level to set the automatic operation mode.

In this way, if the planned driving route to the destination set before the start of driving includes a part of the predetermined driving environment, that fact is before (that is, in advance) the driving by automatic driving is started. Is notified to the driver. Then, the driver provides an opportunity to express his / her intention, and the automatic driving mode is set according to the manifestation of intention.

In the above procedure, the driver is notified that there is a predetermined driving environment no matter where the predetermined driving environment appears on the planned traveling route. However, it is possible that the location is farther than you are. Therefore, if the relevant place is more than a predetermined distance from the current location, the information on that location and the fact that it is the predetermined driving environment are memorized, and the automatic driving mode is once set to start driving. You may. Then, when the position reaches a certain distance (or time) to the corresponding place, the driver may be notified that there is a place in a predetermined driving environment there. Also in this case, the processing for notification is as described above.

Further, the automatic operation mode may be set or not set without setting the level in the automatic operation mode. In this case, when the predetermined time has expired in FIG. 3, or when there is an input for setting the automatic operation mode, the automatic operation mode may be set.

● Control procedure during automatic driving As shown in Fig. 2 and 3, while the driving environment is determined in advance, whether or not the current driving environment is the predetermined driving environment even during driving by automatic driving. Is continuously determined. As a result, even if the predetermined driving environment cannot be predicted in advance, it can be determined that the predetermined driving environment is actually present. The procedure is shown in FIG. The procedure of FIG. 4 is also executed by the ECU 20. The procedure of FIG. 4 is executed periodically or periodically while traveling, for example, in automatic driving. Alternatively, it may be executed each time the vehicle travels a predetermined distance. The repetition cycle may be variable depending on the setting, or may be fixed in advance. The cycle does not have to be very frequent, for example 1 minute, 5 minutes, 10 minutes. Further, even when the repetition is performed for each predetermined mileage, the repetition cycle may be relatively infrequent, for example, 1 km, 5 km, or 10 km. Alternatively, depending on the weather conditions, for example, it may be executed more frequently in the case of rainfall or snowfall, and may be executed less frequently in the case of fine weather.

In FIG. 4, the external environment information is acquired from the outside world sensor while the vehicle is traveling (S400). Further, in addition to the external environment information, the external information may be acquired by using the communication device 24c. In this case, the external information to be acquired may be, for example, weather information or road information of the area including the current location. Then, the current driving environment is specified based on the acquired external environment information (and external information if any) (S402). Then, it is determined whether or not the traveling environment of the current location corresponds to the predetermined traveling environment (S404). The predetermined driving environment may be the same as that described with reference to FIG. If it is determined to be applicable, the driver is notified of the possibility of affecting the automatic driving (S406), measurement of a predetermined time is started using a timer (S408), and input by the driver is awaited.

In step S400, as in FIG. 2, external information such as weather information and road information acquired via the communication device 24c may be acquired for the planned travel route that will be traveled in the future. In this case, it may be determined whether or not the vehicle is in a predetermined driving environment based on the acquired external information. This is as described in FIG. However, in this case, the acquired external information may be related to, for example, an area where the vehicle is scheduled to travel after a predetermined time from the current time, and the expected driving environment after the predetermined time may be specified based on the information. By doing so, it is possible to identify not only the current driving environment but also the driving environment in the near future during driving by automatic driving, and it is possible to determine whether or not the driving environment is a predetermined one.

FIG. 5 shows a processing procedure by the ECU 20 when there is an input by the driver or when a predetermined time has elapsed. First, it is determined whether or not the input is an input indicating that the automatic operation is continued (S520). If it is determined that the input is to be continued, the process is terminated without performing anything in particular.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the input is not to continue the automatic operation, the current level of the automatic operation is determined (S522). If the current level is a high level (for example, level 3), the level of automatic driving is changed to a low level (for example, level 2) (S524). At this time, it is desirable to notify the driver that the level of automatic driving will be lowered. When the current level is determined to be a low level (for example, level 2) in step S522, the automatic operation mode is terminated and the mode is switched to the manual operation mode (S526). This is a so-called takeover, and it is desirable to notify the driver of the takeover and request input for confirmation of the takeover.

In this way, when the automatic operation mode is continued, the automatic operation is continued as it is, but when it is not, the control is performed so as to lower the level of the automatic operation. If a predetermined time elapses without a response to the notification performed in step S408, it is assumed that the continuation of the automatic operation is selected, and the process ends without doing anything in particular. However, in this case, the driver may not be aware of the notification, so that further notification may be given to the effect that the automatic operation will be continued. Further, in FIG. 5, it is explained that the automatic operation level is two levels, but when there are three or more levels, if the current level is the lowest level, it takes over to manual operation, and if it is higher than that, the level is lowered. It may be controlled as follows.

When it is determined in step S404 of FIG. 4 that the current driving environment corresponds to a predetermined driving environment, the level of automatic driving may be changed immediately. In this case, for example, immediately after step S406 in FIG. 4, it is determined that the weather and the surrounding traveling environment have changed significantly. Then, if applicable, the process branches to step S522 in FIG. 5 without executing step S408. By doing so, it is possible to quickly follow a sudden change in the driving environment. The determination that the weather or the surrounding driving environment has changed significantly may be based on, for example, weather information, but may also be based on external environment information detected by an external sensor such as a camera 41, a radar 42, or a rider 43. Alternatively, it may be judged comprehensively from the information. When based on the external environment detected by the external sensor, the driving environment is not classified binaryally into a predetermined driving environment and other driving environments, and is evaluated in a plurality of stages of at least three stages or more. For example, when those stages are set to "good driving environment", "intermediate driving environment", and "predetermined driving environment", the time when the transition from "good driving environment" to "intermediate driving environment" and The time difference from the time when the transition from the "intermediate driving environment" to the "predetermined driving environment" is determined. If this time difference is smaller than a predetermined value, it may be determined that the fluctuation is abrupt.

FIG. 6 also shows another example of the processing procedure by the ECU 20 when there is an input by the driver or when a predetermined time has elapsed. However, in FIG. 6, regardless of the level of automatic operation, either the automatic operation is continued or the takeover is performed to the manual operation. First, it is determined whether or not the input is an input indicating that the automatic operation is continued (S500). If it is determined that the input is to be continued, the process is terminated without performing anything in particular. On the other hand, if it is determined that the input is not to continue the automatic operation, the automatic operation mode is terminated and the mode is switched to the manual operation mode (S502). At this time as well, it is desirable to notify the driver of the takeover and request input for confirmation of the takeover. If a predetermined time elapses without a response to the notification performed in step S408, it is assumed that the continuation of the automatic operation is selected, and the process ends without doing anything in particular. However, in this case, the driver may not be aware of the notification, so that further notification may be given to the effect that the automatic operation will be continued. In this way, when the automatic operation mode is continued, the automatic operation is continued as it is, but when not, the automatic operation is canceled.

With the above configuration and procedure, according to the present embodiment, it can be determined that the planned traveling route has a predetermined driving environment, and if it is determined that there is a predetermined driving environment, the driver is notified in advance. Can be notified to. Then, it is possible to provide an opportunity for the driver to determine the operation mode according to the notification. Further, it is possible to determine that the vehicle is in a predetermined driving environment during traveling, and if it is determined that the vehicle is in a predetermined driving environment, it is possible to notify the driver of this. Then, it is possible to provide an opportunity for the driver to determine the operation mode according to the notification.

● Summary of Embodiments The following is a summary of the present embodiments described above.
(1) The first aspect of the present embodiment is a vehicle control device that controls the running of the vehicle.
An environment-specific means for specifying the driving environment of the vehicle and
When the automatic driving mode is set, the control means for controlling the running of the vehicle according to the running environment specified by the environment specifying means and the control means.
It has an output means for notifying the driver,
The control means determines whether or not the driving environment is a predetermined driving environment, and if it is determined that the driving environment is the predetermined driving environment, the output means outputs a notification of the result of the determination. It is characterized by doing.
With this configuration, it is possible to determine that the driving environment is a predetermined driving environment and notify the driver of the result of the determination.

(2) In the second aspect of the present embodiment, in addition to the first aspect, the traveling environment includes the state of the vehicle detected by the vehicle state detecting means and the outside of the vehicle detected by the external detecting means. Includes at least one of the state and external information obtained via communication means,
The environment specifying means determines that the driving environment is the predetermined driving environment based on at least one of the state of the vehicle included in the traveling environment, the external state of the vehicle, and the external information. It is characterized by.
With this configuration, it is possible to determine that the driving environment is predetermined based on at least one of the state of the vehicle and external information.

(3) The third aspect of the present embodiment further includes an input means for receiving an input by the driver, in addition to the first aspect or the second aspect.
The control means outputs an inquiry as to whether or not to set the automatic operation mode as the notification, and when the input corresponding to the notification is not performed within a predetermined time after outputting the notification, or the above. When an instruction to set the automatic operation mode is input, the automatic operation mode is set.
With this configuration, the automatic driving mode can be set when there is no input for a predetermined time in response to the notification that the driving environment is a predetermined driving environment, or when the setting instruction of the automatic driving mode is input.

(4) In the fourth aspect of the present embodiment, in addition to the third aspect, setting the automatic operation mode sets a new automatic operation mode when the automatic operation mode is not set. It is characterized by including the fact that the automatic operation mode is continued when the automatic operation mode is already set.
With this configuration, a predetermined driving environment can be determined before the automatic driving mode is set, or can be performed while driving in the automatic driving mode.

(5) In the fifth aspect of the present embodiment, in addition to the first to fourth aspects, the automatic driving mode has a first level and a lower degree of intervention by the driver than the first level. Including two levels
When the control means controls the running of the vehicle in the second level automatic driving mode and determines that the running environment is the predetermined running environment, the control means inputs to the notification. Based on this, the automatic operation mode is changed to the first level.
With this configuration, automatic driving can be performed at a lower level in a predetermined driving environment.

(6) In addition to the second aspect, the sixth aspect of the present embodiment further has a setting means for setting a traveling route in advance.
When the traveling route is set in advance, the control device acquires the external information about the traveling route set via the communication means, and the traveling environment in the traveling route is the predetermined. It is characterized in that it is determined whether or not it is a driving environment.
With this configuration, when the traveling route is set in advance, it is possible to determine whether or not the traveling route set based on the information obtained by communication has a predetermined traveling environment.

(7) In the seventh aspect of the present embodiment, in addition to the sixth aspect, the control device sets the automatic driving mode when the traveling route is set in advance, and the vehicle Before starting the traveling control, it is determined whether or not the traveling environment in the traveling route is the predetermined traveling environment, and notification is performed according to the result of the determination.
With this configuration, it is possible to set a traveling route prior to traveling and determine in advance whether or not the set traveling route has a predetermined traveling environment.

The level of autonomous driving determines the maximum vehicle speed allowed at that level and the user-set vehicle speed. Therefore, according to the automatic driving control of the present embodiment, by detecting the change in the driving environment, the maximum vehicle speed allowed at each level is limited or the user-set vehicle speed is lowered.

Further, in the above embodiment, an example in which the current automatic operation level is changed from the highest level (for example, level 3) to the lower level (for example, level 2) has been described. However, for example, within one level, sub-levels related to a specific function may be transitioned. For example, in level 2, the transition may be from a hands-off mode in which the driver keeps the lane when the steering wheel is released to a hands-on mode in which the driver keeps the lane while holding the steering wheel.

Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, in order to make the scope of the present invention public, the following claims are attached.

5 Gyro sensor, 9 Input / output device, 20-29 ECU, 24c communication device, 41 camera, 42 rider

Claims (6)

A vehicle control device that controls the running of a vehicle.
An environment-specific means for specifying the driving environment of the vehicle and
When the automatic driving mode is set, the control means for controlling the running of the vehicle according to the running environment specified by the environment specifying means and the control means.
Output means for notifying the driver and
And input means for receiving an input from the driver,
It has a setting means for setting a traveling route in advance, and has
The control means determines whether or not the driving environment is a predetermined driving environment, and if it is determined that the driving environment is the predetermined driving environment, the output means outputs a notification of the result of the determination. death,
The control means outputs an inquiry as to whether or not to set the automatic operation mode as the notification, and if the input corresponding to the notification is not performed within a predetermined time after outputting the notification, the control means said. Set the automatic operation mode ,
When the traveling route is preset, the control means acquires the external information about the traveling route set via the communication means before starting traveling in the automatic driving mode. Then, it is determined whether or not the driving environment in the traveling route is the predetermined driving environment.
When the location of the predetermined driving environment is separated from the current location by a predetermined distance or more, the automatic driving mode is once set and the driving is started, and the location of the predetermined driving environment is reached at a certain distance or time. A vehicle control device characterized in that when it reaches, it notifies that there is a place in the predetermined driving environment. The vehicle control device according to claim 1.
The traveling environment includes at least one of the state of the vehicle detected by the vehicle state detecting means, the external state of the vehicle detected by the external detecting means, and the external information acquired via the communication means.
The environment specifying means determines that the driving environment is the predetermined driving environment based on at least one of the state of the vehicle included in the traveling environment, the external state of the vehicle, and the external information. A vehicle control device characterized by. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 or 2.
The control means is a vehicle control device that sets the automatic driving mode even when an instruction for setting the automatic driving mode is input to the notification. The vehicle control device according to claim 3.
Setting the automatic operation mode means setting a new automatic operation mode when the automatic operation mode is not set, and continuing the automatic operation mode when the automatic operation mode is already set. A vehicle control device characterized by including a thing. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
The autonomous driving mode includes a first level and a second level with a lower degree of driver intervention than the first level.
When the control means controls the running of the vehicle in the second level automatic driving mode and determines that the running environment is the predetermined running environment, the control means inputs to the notification. Based on this, a vehicle control device characterized by shifting the automatic driving mode to the first level. The vehicle control device according to claim 1.
When the traveling route is preset, the control means sets the traveling environment on the traveling route to the predetermined traveling environment before setting the automatic driving mode and starting the traveling control of the vehicle. A vehicle control device characterized in that it determines whether or not it is, and notifies according to the result of the determination.

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