JP2018022289A - Automatic operation switching device, vehicle control system and automatic operation switching method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic operation switching device, a vehicle control system and an automatic operation switching method capable of allowing a driver to smoothly take over the driving of a vehicle without confusion.SOLUTION: The automatic operation switching device 1 includes: a detection part 21; a determination part 22; and a changeover part 23. The detection part detects a predetermined cancellation operation which is made by a driver of a vehicle during automatic drive in which plural drive controls are parallelly executed. The determination part determines the availability of the drive control corresponding to the cancellation operation detected by the detection part. When the determination part determines that the drive control corresponding to the cancellation operation is available, the changeover part selectively cancels the relevant drive control to switch the operation mode from the automatic drive mode to a semi-automatic drive mode.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic driving switching device, a vehicle control system, and an automatic driving switching method.

  Conventionally, automatic driving is known in which a vehicle is automatically driven by executing a plurality of driving controls such as ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) and LKA (Lane Keeping Assist) in parallel. An automatic operation switching device that switches between automatic operation and manual operation has also been proposed.

  For example, the automatic driving switching device switches from automatic driving to manual driving when detecting a predetermined operation performed by the driver during automatic driving (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP2015-184975A

  However, when switching from automatic operation to manual operation as in the prior art, all operation controls are released at once. As described above, when all the driving controls are canceled, it is necessary to supplement all the driving controls by the driving operation of the driver himself, so that the driver may be confused about smoothly taking over the driving of the vehicle. there were.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic driving switching device, a vehicle control system, and an automatic driving switching method capable of smoothly taking over the driving of a vehicle without being confused by the driver. And

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, an automatic operation switching device according to the present invention includes a detection unit, a determination unit, and a switching unit. The detection unit detects a predetermined release operation by the driver of the vehicle during automatic driving in which a plurality of driving controls are executed in parallel. A determination part determines the presence or absence of the said driving control corresponding to the said cancellation | release operation | movement detected by the said detection part. The switching unit switches from the automatic operation to the semi-automatic operation by selectively canceling the operation control when the determination unit determines that there is the operation control corresponding to the release operation.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, driving | running | working of a vehicle can be taken over smoothly, without a driver being confused.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of an operation state switching method according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the vehicle control system according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of determination information. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of state information. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating switching from semi-automatic operation to automatic operation or manual operation. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of switching processing executed by the automatic operation switching device according to the embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of an automatic driving switching device, a vehicle control system, and an automatic driving switching method disclosed in the present application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited by this embodiment.

  First, the automatic driving switching method according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of an automatic driving switching method according to the embodiment. FIG. 1 shows a situation where the vehicle C is traveling in front of a branch road.

  Further, it is assumed that the vehicle C is in an automatic operation in which a plurality of operation controls are executed in parallel, and is controlled to automatically travel on a planned route R1 set by a navigation device, for example.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, each driving control corresponding to the components of the automatic driving is, for example, vehicle line change, automatic tracking, lane keeping, and the like. In the following, it is assumed that the vehicle C is in an automatic operation when all the three operation controls are executed.

  The lane change is an operation control for automatically changing the lane by controlling the turn signal or the steering when a lane change such as a course change is necessary. Automatic tracking is driving control that tracks the preceding vehicle while keeping the distance between the vehicle C and the preceding vehicle constant. The lane keep is driving control for controlling the steering so that the vehicle C does not deviate from the lane.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the automatic driving switching method according to the embodiment detects a predetermined release operation by the driver of the vehicle C, and determines whether or not there is driving control corresponding to the detected release operation. Then, the automatic operation is switched to the semi-automatic operation by canceling the operation control corresponding to the canceling operation.

  Here, a conventional automatic operation switching method will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, for example, it is assumed that the driver of the vehicle C operates the right turn signal for the purpose of changing the course from the planned route R1 to the route R2.

  In such a case, in the conventional automatic driving switching method, the operation of the right turn signal is detected as the releasing operation for canceling the automatic driving, and all three driving controls being executed are released at the same time, so that the automatic driving is switched to the manual driving. I was switching.

  However, when all driving control is canceled by the driver's releasing operation, the driver himself needs to perform driving operation and supplement all the released driving control. Therefore, the driving of the vehicle C can be taken over smoothly. There was a risk of being confused.

  Thus, in the automatic operation switching method according to the embodiment, the operation control is not canceled all at once, but is canceled in stages. Specifically, in the automatic driving switching method, first, a predetermined release operation by the driver of the vehicle C is detected during automatic driving in which a plurality of driving controls are executed in parallel (step S1).

  Subsequently, in the automatic driving switching method, the presence / absence of driving control corresponding to the detected release operation is determined (step S2). Subsequently, when it is determined that there is an operation control corresponding to the release operation, the operation control is selectively released to switch from the automatic operation to the semi-automatic operation (step S3).

  For example, as shown in FIG. 1, when the automatic operation switching device 1 detects the operation of the right turn signal which is the release operation, the automatic operation switching device 1 cancels only the “change vehicle line” corresponding to the detected operation of the right turn signal. Keep track and lane keep.

  In the automatic driving switching method, the remaining two driving controls are later released to switch from semi-automatic driving to manual driving. In this way, the operation control is canceled in stages, so that the driver does not have to supplement all the operation control all at once. Therefore, the driver can smoothly take over the traveling of the vehicle C without being confused.

  Next, the configuration of the automatic operation switching device 1 according to the embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the vehicle control system 100 including the automatic driving switching device 1 according to the embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle control system 100 includes, for example, an automatic driving switching device 1, a camera 10, a radar device 11, a navigation device 12, a driving operation unit 13, a control device 14, and an output device 15. Is provided. First, configurations other than the automatic operation switching device 1 will be described.

  The camera 10 includes an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor), for example, and images the vicinity of the vehicle C and the vehicle interior using the image sensor. The camera 10 outputs the captured image to the automatic operation switching device 1.

  The radar device 11 is a millimeter wave radar, for example, and detects an object existing around the vehicle C. Such objects include moving objects such as other vehicles and people, and stationary objects such as road signs and white lines. The radar device 11 outputs the detected object information to the automatic operation switching device 1.

  The navigation device 12 specifies the current position of the vehicle C using radio waves from, for example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite, and uses the current position and the electronic map data to guide the planned route R1 to the destination. I do. The navigation device 12 outputs the current position of the vehicle C and information on the planned route R1 to the automatic driving switching device 1.

  The driving operation unit 13 is, for example, an operation device such as an accelerator, a brake, a steering, a winker or the like. The driving operation unit 13 outputs information indicating that the driver has operated to the automatic driving switching device 1 when the driver operates the operating device.

  The control device 14 controls the vehicle C based on the signal output from the automatic operation switching device 1. The control device 14 is a control device that executes operation control of the vehicle C, for example. Such driving control is, for example, the above-described automatic tracking, lane keeping, vehicle line change, and the like, and is executed so as to automatically travel on the planned route R1 (see FIG. 1).

  Note that the driving control is not limited to driving control for automatically traveling on the planned route R1 such as automatic follow-up, lane keeping, or lane change, and even driving control that is executed regardless of the planned route R1. Good. Such driving control may be driving control that is executed when a predetermined condition is satisfied, for example, collision avoidance in which a brake or steering is controlled to avoid a collision with an obstacle.

  The output device 15 is, for example, a display or a speaker. Based on the signal output from the automatic operation switching device 1, the output device 15 is operated to switch the state when switching to one of automatic operation, semi-automatic operation, and manual operation. Notification to the person in charge.

  Next, the configuration of the automatic operation switching device 1 will be described. The automatic operation switching device 1 includes a control unit 2 and a storage unit 3. The control unit 2 includes a detection unit 21, a determination unit 22, and a switching unit 23. The storage unit 3 stores determination information 31 and state information 32.

  Here, the automatic operation switching device 1 includes, for example, a computer having a central processing unit (CPU), a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a hard disk drive (HDD), an input / output port, and the like. Includes circuitry.

  The CPU of the computer functions as the detection unit 21, the determination unit 22, and the switching unit 23 of the control unit 2 by reading and executing a program stored in the ROM, for example.

  Further, at least one or all of the detection unit 21, the determination unit 22, and the switching unit 23 of the control unit 2 may be configured by hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). it can.

  The storage unit 3 corresponds to, for example, a RAM or an HDD. The RAM and HDD can store determination information 31 and status information 32. Note that the automatic operation switching device 1 may acquire the above-described program and various information via another computer or a portable recording medium connected via a wired or wireless network. Below, the detection part 21, the determination part 22, and the switching part 23 of the control part 2 are demonstrated.

  The detection unit 21 detects a predetermined release operation by the driver of the vehicle C during automatic driving in which a plurality of driving controls are executed in parallel. For example, the detection unit 21 detects a driving operation such as an accelerator, a brake, a steering, and a winker as the release operation as the release operation.

  The detection unit 21 detects the driving operation as the release operation. For example, the detection unit 21 detects the operation of the driver's line of sight, the driver's speech, or an operation on a dedicated switch (not shown) as the release operation. May be.

  Moreover, the detection part 21 detects a driver | operator's state at the time of cancellation | release operation | movement. For example, the detection unit 21 detects an abnormal state such as whether the driver has developed a disease based on the driver's image captured by the camera 10, for example.

  In addition, the detection part 21 is good also as detecting an abnormal state by measuring a driver | operator's body temperature, a blood pressure, a heart rate, etc. other than the camera 10, for example using a biosensor.

  The detection unit 21 outputs the detected release operation and the state of the driver when the release operation is performed to the determination unit 22 and the switching unit 23.

  The determination unit 22 uses the determination information 31 stored in the storage unit 3 to determine whether or not there is operation control corresponding to the release operation detected by the detection unit 21.

  The determination information 31 is information serving as a reference for determination processing by the determination unit 22 and is information including a correspondence relationship between the release operation and the driving control. Here, the determination information 31 and the determination process of the determination unit 22 will be specifically described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the determination information 31. Note that the determination information 31 shown in FIG. 3 is an example, and the present invention is not limited to this. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the determination information 31 includes items such as “release operation”, “operation control”, “release condition”, and “emergency operation”.

  “Release operation” indicates the content of the release operation detected by the detection unit 21. “Operation control” indicates the content of the operation control corresponding to the release operation. “Release condition” indicates a condition of a release operation to be satisfied in order to release the corresponding operation control. “Emergency operation” indicates a condition to be satisfied in order for the release operation to correspond to an emergency operation for releasing the entire operation control.

  That is, the determination unit 22 determines whether or not the “release operation” detected by the detection unit 21 satisfies the “release condition”. If the “release condition” is satisfied, the “operation control” corresponding to the release operation is performed. "Is determined as a release target.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the “release operation” may be an operation to a changeover switch or the like, for example, in addition to a driving operation such as an accelerator / brake, a steering, a winker and the like.

  The determination unit 22 determines that the release operation corresponds to the emergency operation when the detected “release operation” satisfies the condition of “emergency operation”. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 3, when the accelerator / brake operation that is the “release operation” is “double or more of the threshold value”, the determination unit 22 determines that it corresponds to the “emergency operation”. Here, the threshold value refers to the threshold value indicated in the “release condition”.

  In other words, for example, the determination unit 22 determines that the operation corresponds to the “emergency operation” when the driver depresses the accelerator / brake more than usual in an emergency or when the steering is rotated more than usual.

  The switching unit 23 switches the control state of the vehicle C based on the determination result of the determination unit 22. The switching unit 23 outputs information indicating the control state after switching to the control device 14 and the output device 15. The switching unit 23 stores the control state after switching in the storage unit 3 as the state information 32 indicating the current control state.

  Note that the switching unit 23 may store the control state after switching and the state information 32 in association with, for example, the time when switching is performed. Thereby, the switch part 23 can measure the elapsed time after switching.

  Here, the state information 32 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the state information 32. In FIG. 4, each control state and state transition of the vehicle C are shown. As shown in FIG. 4, the control state of the vehicle C includes three states of “automatic driving st1”, “semi-automatic driving st2”, and “manual driving st3”.

  “Automatic driving st1” is a state in which all driving control of the vehicle C is executed. “Semi-automatic driving st2” is a state in which a part of the driving control of the vehicle C is released and the remaining driving control is executed. “Manual operation st3” is a state in which all operation control of the vehicle C is released.

  As illustrated in FIG. 4, the switching unit 23 switches to one of the three operation control states according to the determination result of the determination unit 22, and stores the current control state as state information 32 to the storage unit 3. Remember. Hereinafter, each switching of the control state performed by the switching unit 23 will be described. First, switching 1-2, 1-3 from automatic operation st1 to semi-automatic operation st2 or manual operation st3 will be described.

  The switching 1-2 is to change the state from the automatic operation st1 to the semi-automatic operation st2. Specifically, when the determination unit 22 determines that there is operation control corresponding to the release operation, the switching unit 23 selectively cancels the operation control to change from the automatic operation st1 to the semi-automatic operation st2. Switch.

  That is, the switching unit 23 switches to the semi-automatic driving st2, thereby canceling only the driving control corresponding to the releasing operation among all the driving controls of the vehicle C and maintaining the other driving control. As a result, the driver only has to supplement the canceled driving control by his / her own driving operation, so that the driving of the vehicle C can be taken over without being confused.

  Further, the switching 1-3 is a state transition from the automatic operation st1 to the manual operation st3. Specifically, the switching unit 23 switches from the automatic operation st1 to the manual operation st3 when the determination unit 22 determines that the release operation detected by the detection unit 21 corresponds to a predetermined emergency operation.

  Here, as described above, the emergency operation refers to a release operation in which the driver moves more than twice the threshold value (see FIG. 3). As a situation where such an emergency operation is performed, for example, the distance between the obstacle ahead and the vehicle C is short, or the driver of the vehicle C makes a sudden course change.

  That is, the switching unit 23 switches from the automatic operation st1 to the manual operation st3 when the driver does not have enough time to switch the control state in stages. In this way, the switching unit 23 can switch immediately from the automatic operation st1 to the manual operation st3 without going through the semi-automatic operation st2, so that the driver can immediately cope with an emergency.

  Here, switching 2-1 and 2-3 from the semi-automatic operation st2 to the automatic operation st1 or the manual operation st3 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating switching 2-1 and 2-3 from the semi-automatic operation st2 to the automatic operation st1 or the manual operation st3. FIG. 5 shows a scene in which the driver of the vehicle C operates the right turn signal as the release operation at time t1.

  Here, when the operation of the right turn signal which is the release operation is detected at time t1, the switching unit 23 switches from the automatic operation st1 to the semi-automatic operation st2 (switching 1-2). At this time, the semi-automatic driving st2 is in a state in which only the vehicle line change is canceled and the automatic tracking and lane keeping are maintained.

  Then, the switching unit 23 switches from the semi-automatic operation st2 to the automatic operation st1 when no release operation is detected by the detection unit 21 within a predetermined period after switching from the automatic operation st1 to the semi-automatic operation st2.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when no release operation other than the operation of the right winker is detected within the period from time t1 to a predetermined threshold th, the switching unit 23 switches from the semi-automatic operation st2 to the automatic operation st1. Switch to 2-1. Here, the threshold th is, for example, an elapsed time from the time t1, and is a static value.

  That is, the switching unit 23 returns from the semi-automatic operation st2 to the automatic operation st1 if the release operation is not detected within a certain time (for example, 3 seconds) from the time t1 to the threshold value th.

  Thus, even if the driver unintentionally operates the right turn signal and switches to the semi-automatic driving st2, it is possible to prevent the driver from taking over the driving operation unexpectedly by returning to the automatic driving st1 in a short time.

  In addition, although the switching part 23 returned from semiautomatic driving | operation st2 to automatic driving | operation st1 when cancellation | release operations other than a right turn signal are not detected, it is not limited to this.

  For example, when the switching unit 23 performs an operation of returning the lit right turn signaler within the time period from the time t1 to the threshold value th, the switching unit 23 performs the automatic operation st1 from the semi-automatic operation st2 based on the operation to return the right turn signal. You may make it return to.

  On the other hand, the switching unit 23 switches from the semi-automatic operation st2 to the manual operation st3 when the detection unit 21 detects a release operation within a predetermined period after switching from the automatic operation st1 to the semi-automatic operation st2.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 5, it is assumed that the driver performs a steering operation at time t2 within the time from time t1 to threshold value th in order to change the direction of the branch road to the right.

  In such a case, the switching unit 23 receives the fact that the steering operation is detected as the release operation by the detection unit 21, and cancels the remaining driving control (lane keeping and automatic tracking), so that the semi-automatic driving st2 to the manual driving st3. Switch to 2-3.

  As described above, the switching unit 23 switches from the automatic driving st1 to the manual driving st3 via the semi-automatic driving st2, thereby releasing the driving control step by step, so that the driver can easily take over the traveling of the vehicle C. It can be carried out.

  Although the threshold value th is a static value, it may be a dynamic value. Specifically, the threshold th is made variable according to the situation of the vehicle C. For example, in the situation shown in FIG. 5, if the course is changed in the right direction immediately before the threshold value th, the driver must steer quickly, which is not preferable from the viewpoint of safety.

  In such a case, the switching unit 23 sets the threshold th to be shorter than the threshold th shown in FIG. 5 so that the timing for returning to the automatic operation st1 is advanced, and the time until the threshold th is shifted to the right. The driver is notified of the time limit that can be changed.

  As a result, the driver can change the course with a margin without having to handle suddenly. The dynamic threshold th is set based on the position of the vehicle C, the current vehicle speed, and the surrounding situation, for example.

  Further, the switching unit 23 cancels all the remaining operation controls (lane keeping and automatic tracking) at time t2, but does not have to cancel all the operation controls. For example, the switching unit 23 may cancel only the lane keep corresponding to the detected steering operation and switch to the second semi-automatic driving that maintains the automatic tracking.

  In such a case, when the accelerator 21 or the brake operation is detected after time t2 by the detection unit 21, the switching unit 23 cancels the automatic tracking and switches from the second semi-automatic operation to the manual operation st3.

  That is, the switching unit 23 cancels one of the above three operation controls and maintains one of the two operation controls, ie, the first semi-automatic operation and the first semi-automatic operation. You may provide the 2nd semi-automatic operation which maintained control.

  Thereby, since semi-automatic driving can be performed in multiple stages, the driver's confusion can be further reduced by switching from automatic driving st1 to manual driving st3 across the first and second semi-automatic driving.

  Next, returning to FIG. 4, switching 3-1 and 3-2 from manual operation st3 to automatic operation st1 or semi-automatic operation st2 will be described.

  The switch 3-1 is to change the state from the manual operation st3 to the automatic operation st1. For example, when the vehicle C is stopped, the switching unit 23 acquires information indicating the planned route R1 from the navigation device 12 and then operates the accelerator by the driver. That is, when the vehicle C starts, the automatic operation starts from the manual operation st3. Switch to st1.

  The switching 3-2 is to change the state from the manual operation st3 to the semi-automatic operation st2. Specifically, the switching unit 23 turns on the operation control corresponding to the release operation when the release operation detected by the detection unit 21 is maintained for a certain period of time, thereby turning the manual operation st3 to the semi-automatic operation st2. Switch to.

  For example, the switching unit 23 switches from manual operation st3 to semi-automatic operation st2 by turning on automatic tracking, which is operation control, when a predetermined speed is maintained for a certain period of time while the vehicle C is traveling on an expressway. Switch 3-2 is executed.

  Further, for example, when the traveling position of the vehicle C is maintained at the center position of the traveling lane for a certain time, the switching unit 23 turns on the lane keep, which is the operation control, to turn on semi-automatically from the manual operation st3 Switch to operation st2 3-2 is executed.

  Thereby, the driver can prevent the driver from being confused at the time of switching from the semi-automatic driving st2 to the automatic driving st1 later by leaving the driving operation to the control device 14 gradually.

  Note that the switching described above is executed when the driver is in a normal state. That is, the switching unit 23 prohibits switching from the automatic operation st1 to the semi-automatic operation st2 or the manual operation st3 when the driver's state detected by the detection unit 21 corresponds to a predetermined abnormal state.

  Specifically, the switching unit 23 prohibits the switching of the control state when the accelerator or the brake is unexpectedly operated regardless of the situation in which the driver develops a disease and the driving operation is difficult. Operation st1 is maintained.

  Note that when the current control state is the semi-automatic operation st2 or the manual operation st3, the switching unit 23 forcibly switches to the automatic operation st1, and then prohibits the switching. As a result, for example, it is possible to prevent a driver who is not responsible for an accident from performing a driving operation.

  Next, a processing procedure of switching processing executed by the automatic operation switching device 1 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of switching processing executed by the automatic operation switching device 1 according to the embodiment.

  As illustrated in FIG. 6, for example, when the switching unit 23 acquires information on the planned route R1 set from the navigation device 12, the switching unit 23 switches to the automatic driving st1 and starts the automatic traveling of the vehicle C (step S101).

  Subsequently, the detection unit 21 detects a predetermined release operation by the driver of the vehicle C during the automatic driving in which a plurality of driving controls are executed in parallel, and the state of the driver when the release operation is performed. Detect (step S102). Subsequently, the determination unit 22 determines whether or not the driver's state detected by the detection unit 21 is a normal state (step S103).

  If the determination unit 22 determines that the driver is in a normal state (step S103, Yes), the determination unit 22 determines whether or not there is driving control corresponding to the release operation detected by the detection unit 21 (step S104).

  When the determination unit 22 determines that there is operation control corresponding to the release operation (Yes in step S104), the switching unit 23 selectively cancels the operation control to change from the automatic operation st1 to the semi-automatic operation st2. Switching (step S105).

  The detection unit 21 determines whether or not a predetermined release operation is detected within a predetermined period after switching from the automatic operation st1 to the semi-automatic operation st2 (step S106). If the detection unit 21 determines that the release operation has been detected (step S106, Yes), the detection unit 21 detects the state of the driver when the release operation is performed, and the determination unit 22 determines whether this state is a normal state. It is determined whether or not (step S107).

  When the determination unit 22 determines that the driver is in a normal state (step S107, Yes), the determination unit 22 determines whether or not there is driving control corresponding to the release operation detected by the detection unit 21 (step S108).

  When it is determined by the determination unit 22 that there is operation control corresponding to the release operation (step S108, Yes), the switching unit 23 switches from the semi-automatic operation st2 to the manual operation st3 (step S109), and ends the process.

  On the other hand, in the determination process of step S103, the switching unit 23 determines that the determination unit 22 determines that the driver's state is not normal, in other words, corresponds to a predetermined abnormal state (No in step S103). Switching from automatic operation st1 to semi-automatic operation st2 or manual operation st3 is prohibited (step S111), and the process is terminated.

  Moreover, in the determination process of step S104, when the determination unit 22 determines that there is no operation control corresponding to the release operation (No in step S104), whether the release operation corresponds to a predetermined emergency operation or not. Determination is made (step S110).

  When the determination unit 22 determines that the operation corresponds to the emergency operation (Yes in step S110), the switching unit 23 proceeds to step S109. On the other hand, when the determination unit 22 does not determine that the operation corresponds to the emergency operation (No at Step S110), the switching unit 23 proceeds to Step S101.

  Moreover, in the determination process of step S106, the switch part 23 transfers a process to step S101, when release operation | movement is not detected by the detection part 21 within the predetermined period (step S106, No).

  In addition, in the determination process of step S107, the switching unit 23 determines that the driver's state is not normal by the determination unit 22, in other words, if it corresponds to a predetermined abnormal state (No in step S107), semi-automatic driving st2 After forcibly switching from to automatic operation st1, the process proceeds to step S111.

  Moreover, in the determination process of step S108, the determination part 22 will transfer a process to S110, when it determines with there being no driving | operation control corresponding to cancellation | release operation | movement (step S108, No).

  As described above, the automatic operation switching device 1 according to the embodiment includes the detection unit 21, the determination unit 22, and the switching unit 23. The detection unit 21 detects a predetermined release operation by the driver of the vehicle C during automatic driving in which a plurality of driving controls are executed in parallel. The determination unit 22 determines the presence / absence of operation control corresponding to the release operation detected by the detection unit 21. The switching unit 23 switches from the automatic operation st1 to the semi-automatic operation st2 by selectively canceling the operation control when the determination unit 22 determines that there is operation control corresponding to the release operation. As a result, the driver can smoothly take over the traveling of the vehicle C without being confused.

  In the above-described embodiment, the automatic operation switching device 1 and the control device 14 are divided into two devices. For example, the automatic operation switching device 1 and the control device 14 are integrated into one device. Also good.

  Further effects and modifications can be easily derived by those skilled in the art. Thus, the broader aspects of the present invention are not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described above. Accordingly, various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Automatic driving | operation switching apparatus 2 Control part 3 Memory | storage part 10 Camera 11 Radar apparatus 12 Navigation apparatus 13 Driving | operation operation part 14 Control apparatus 15 Output device 21 Detection part 22 Determination part 23 Switching part 31 Determination information 32 Status information 100 Vehicle control system C Vehicle R1 planned route

Claims (7)

A detection unit for detecting a predetermined release operation by a driver of the vehicle during an automatic driving in which a plurality of driving controls are executed in parallel;
A determination unit for determining presence or absence of the operation control corresponding to the release operation detected by the detection unit;
A switching unit that switches from the automatic operation to the semi-automatic operation by selectively canceling the operation control when the determination unit determines that there is the operation control corresponding to the release operation. Automatic operation switching device. The switching unit is
2. The semi-automatic operation is switched to the automatic operation when the release operation is not detected by the detection unit within a predetermined period after the automatic operation is switched to the semi-automatic operation. The automatic operation switching device described in 1. The switching unit is
The switch from the semi-automatic operation to the manual operation when the release operation is detected by the detection unit within a predetermined period after switching from the automatic operation to the semi-automatic operation. Item 3. The automatic operation switching device according to item 2. The switching unit is
The automatic operation according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the automatic operation is switched to the manual operation when the determination unit determines that the release operation corresponds to a predetermined emergency operation. Operation switching device. The detection unit further detects the state of the driver when the release operation is performed,
The switching unit is
The switching from the automatic operation to the semi-automatic operation or manual operation is prohibited when the state detected by the detection unit corresponds to a predetermined abnormal state. The automatic operation switching device according to any one of the above. The automatic operation switching device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A vehicle control system comprising: a control device that controls the vehicle based on a signal output from the automatic operation switching device. A detection step of detecting a predetermined release operation by a driver of the vehicle during an automatic driving in which a plurality of driving controls are executed in parallel;
A determination step of determining the presence or absence of the operation control corresponding to the release operation detected by the detection step;
A switching step of switching from the automatic operation to the semi-automatic operation by selectively canceling the operation control when it is determined by the determination step that the operation control corresponding to the release operation is present. Automatic operation switching method.

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