JP2018149862A - Device and method for controlling changeover of driving mode, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce a driver's anxiety when a self-driving mode is switched to a manual driving mode.SOLUTION: A driving mode changeover control device includes: a driver's state determination part that determines a driver's state on the basis of the sensing result of a sensor for detecting the driver's state; a steering temporary operation guidance output part that outputs guidance of a temporary operation of a steering wheel, in the case where it is determined that a self-driving mode is close to completion and where it is determined that the driver is in the state of being capable of returning to a manual driving: a steering temporary operation result acquisition part that acquires the result of the temporary operation of the steering wheel; and an instruction signal output part that outputs an instruction signal to a self-driving control device. The instruction signal output part outputs the instruction signal for switching a driving mode from the self-driving mode to a manual driving mode, when information on the execution of the temporary operation of the steering wheel is acquired.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an operation mode switching control device, method, and program for switching a vehicle operation mode between a manual operation mode and an automatic operation mode.

  In recent years, as a driving mode of a vehicle, in addition to a manual driving mode in which the vehicle is driven based on a driving operation of the driver, an automatic driving mode in which the vehicle is driven along a predetermined route without depending on the driving operation of the driver. Development is underway. The automatic driving mode includes, for example, navigation system information using GPS (Global Positioning System), traffic information acquired by road-to-vehicle communication, and information on a surrounding monitoring system that monitors the position and movement of surrounding people and vehicles. Originally, the vehicle can be automatically driven by controlling a power unit, a steering device, a brake, and the like.

  Although the automatic driving mode can be expected to reduce the burden on the driving operation of the driver and alleviate traffic congestion, it is practically difficult to automate all the driving operations from the start of travel to the end of travel. For this reason, it is required to appropriately switch from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode.

  For this reason, when the driving mode is switched from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode, for example, when the end point of the automatic driving traveling section is approaching, it is detected that the driver can return to the manual driving mode. . As the detection, there are a method of confirming the driver's line of sight with an in-vehicle camera, and a method of detecting the pointing confirmation operation of the driver so that the accuracy of the confirmation is higher than that based on a simple line of sight.

JP2015-184975A

  However, these technologies are for the device side to determine that the driver can return to manual operation, and on the driver side that actually takes over the switching from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode. It is not possible to eliminate the anxiety of whether or not driving can be taken over smoothly.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to such circumstances, and provides an operation mode switching control apparatus, method, and program for reducing driver's anxiety when switching from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode. It is what.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a first aspect of the present invention is an operation mode switching control device that controls switching of a vehicle operation mode between an automatic operation mode and a manual operation mode. The control device, based on the sensing result of the driver state detection sensor that detects the state of the driver, a driver state determination unit that determines whether or not the driver can return to manual driving, In the preparation period for switching from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode, when the driver state determination unit determines that the driver can return to manual operation, A steering temporary operation guidance output unit for outputting guidance information for prompting a temporary operation of the steering wheel, and an output of the guidance information from the steering temporary operation guidance output unit. A steering temporary operation result acquisition unit that acquires information representing the result of the temporary operation of the steering wheel, and an instruction signal output unit that outputs an instruction signal related to automatic driving control, acquired by the steering temporary operation result acquisition unit A switching instruction for instructing switching of the operation mode from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode when the information indicating the result of the temporary operation of the steering wheel indicates that the temporary operation of the steering wheel has been performed. An instruction signal output unit for outputting a signal.

  An operation mode switching control device according to a second aspect of the present invention is the operation mode switching control device according to the first aspect, further comprising a steering device control unit that controls the steering device of the vehicle. The steering device control unit outputs a steering control signal for preventing an operation of the steering wheel from being transmitted to the steering wheel before the steering temporary operation guide output unit outputs a guidance for the temporary operation of the steering wheel. Output to. The steering device control unit also outputs a steering control signal for transmitting an operation of the steering wheel to the steering wheel before the instruction signal output unit outputs the instruction signal to the steering device.

  The driving mode switching control device according to a third aspect of the present invention is the driving mode switching control device according to the first aspect, wherein the steering temporary operation result acquisition unit is information indicating a result of the temporary operation of the steering wheel. Based on this, it is determined whether or not the provisional operation of the steering wheel satisfies a preset condition. The instruction signal output unit switches the driving mode from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode when the steering temporary operation result acquisition unit determines that the temporary operation of the steering wheel satisfies the condition. The switching instruction signal to be instructed is output.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the driving mode switching control device according to the first aspect, the steering temporary operation guidance output unit is configured to cause the driver to perform a temporary operation with a predetermined operation content. Outputs guidance information. The steering temporary operation result acquisition unit is configured such that the operation content of the temporary operation performed by the driver based on the information indicating the result of the temporary operation of the steering wheel is the operation content of the temporary operation specified by the guidance information. It is determined whether or not. When the instruction signal output unit determines that the operation content of the temporary operation performed by the driver by the steering temporary operation result acquisition unit matches the operation content of the temporary operation specified by the guidance information, The switching instruction signal for switching the operation mode from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode is output.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the operation mode switching control device according to the first aspect, the instruction signal output unit represents a result of the temporary operation of the steering wheel acquired by the steering temporary operation result acquisition unit. When the information indicates that the provisional operation of the steering wheel has not been performed, an instruction signal for preventing the switching from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode is output.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when it is determined that the driver can return to the manual operation in the preparation period for switching from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode, Guidance information for prompting temporary operation of the steering wheel is output. On the other hand, when the driver performs a temporary operation of the steering wheel, a switching instruction signal for instructing switching of the driving mode from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode is output to the automatic driving control device. For this reason, the driver performs a temporary operation of the steering wheel before switching from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode. Therefore, it is not suddenly switched to the manual operation mode, and the driver's anxiety about whether or not the operation can be taken over smoothly is reduced.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, during the temporary operation of the steering wheel, the temporary operation of the steering wheel is not transmitted to the drive wheels. This prevents the running from being disturbed by the temporary operation of the steering wheel. Further, since it is possible to instruct a temporary operation that largely turns the steering wheel, the temporary operation of the steering wheel by the driver can be confirmed with high accuracy.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the temporary operation of the steering wheel by the driver satisfies the preset condition based on the information indicating the result of the temporary operation of the steering wheel acquired by the steering temporary operation result acquisition unit. It is determined whether or not. As a result, although the driver state determination unit determines that the state can be returned to the manual driving mode, the driving mode is actually switched to the manual driving mode for a driver who has doubts about returning to the manual driving mode. It is prevented.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, guidance information for causing the driver to perform a temporary operation with the operation content designated in advance is output, and the operation content of the temporary operation performed by the driver is the guidance information. It is determined whether or not it matches the operation content of the temporary operation specified by. When it is determined that the operation content of the temporary operation performed by the driver matches the operation content of the temporary operation specified by the guidance information, a switching instruction signal for switching the operation mode from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode is displayed. Is output. For this reason, the accuracy of the determination of whether or not the driver can return to manual driving is improved. As a result, although the driver state determination unit determines that the state can be returned to the manual driving mode, the driving mode is actually switched to the manual driving mode for a driver who has doubts about returning to the manual driving mode. Is reliably prevented.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, when the information indicating the result of the temporary operation of the steering wheel indicates that the temporary operation of the steering wheel has not been performed, the switching from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode is performed. An instruction signal for preventing this from being output is output. As a result, although it is determined by the driver state determination unit that the state can be returned to the manual operation, the operation mode is erroneously changed to the manual operation mode for a driver who is doubtful to return to the manual operation mode. Switching is prevented.

  That is, according to each aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide an operation mode switching control device, method, and program that can reduce the driver's anxiety when switching from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode.

It is a figure showing the whole automatic operation control system composition provided with the operation mode change control device concerning one embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the operation mode switching control apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure and control content of the operation mode switching control by the operation mode switching control apparatus shown in FIG. In one Embodiment of this invention, it is a figure which shows the assumed social background typically. In one Embodiment of this invention, it is a figure which shows typically another social background assumed.

Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[One Embodiment]
(Constitution)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an automatic operation control system including an operation mode switching control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. This automatic driving control system is mounted on a vehicle 1 such as a passenger car.

  The vehicle 1 includes, as basic equipment, a power unit 2 including a power source and a transmission, and a steering device 3 equipped with a steering wheel 3a. An engine and / or a motor is used as the power source.

  The vehicle 1 is configured to be able to travel in either a manual operation mode or an automatic operation mode.

  The manual driving mode is a mode in which the vehicle 1 is driven mainly by a driver's manual driving operation, for example. The manual operation mode includes, for example, an operation mode for driving the vehicle based only on the driver's driving operation, and an operation mode for performing driving operation support control for supporting the driving operation of the driver while mainly driving the driver's driving operation. Is included.

  In the driving operation support control, for example, the steering torque is assisted so that the driver's steering becomes an appropriate steering amount based on the curvature of the curve when the vehicle 1 is traveling on the curve. The driving operation support control includes control for assisting a driver's accelerator operation (for example, operation of an accelerator pedal) or brake operation (for example, operation of a brake pedal), manual steering (manual operation of steering), and manual speed adjustment (speed). Adjustment manual operation) is also included. In manual steering, the vehicle 1 is steered mainly by the driver's operation of the steering wheel 3a. In manual speed adjustment, the speed of the vehicle is adjusted mainly by the driver's accelerator operation or brake operation.

  Note that the driving operation support control does not include control for forcibly intervening in the driving operation of the driver to automatically drive the vehicle. In other words, in the manual driving mode, the driving operation of the driver is reflected in the driving of the vehicle within a preset allowable range, but forcibly intervenes in the driving of the vehicle under certain conditions (for example, deviation from the lane of the vehicle). Control to do is not included.

  On the other hand, the automatic driving mode is a mode that realizes a driving state in which the vehicle automatically travels along the road on which the vehicle travels, for example. The automatic driving mode includes, for example, a driving state in which the vehicle automatically travels toward a preset destination without driving by the driver. In the automatic driving mode, it is not always necessary to automatically control all of the vehicle, and the driving state in which the driving operation of the driver is reflected in the driving of the vehicle within the preset allowable range is also included in the automatic driving mode. That is, the automatic driving mode includes control for forcibly intervening in driving of the vehicle under certain conditions, while reflecting the driving operation of the driver in driving of the vehicle within a preset allowable range.

  In FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 is also provided with an automatic driving control device 5 for executing driving control in the automatic driving mode. The automatic operation control device 5 has an operation mode selection switch 5a for selecting one of the manual operation mode and the automatic operation mode. The automatic driving control device 5 acquires sensing data from the steering sensor 11, the accelerator pedal sensor 12, the brake pedal sensor 13, the GPS receiver 14, the gyro sensor 15, and the vehicle speed sensor 16, respectively. The automatic driving control device 5 is a peripheral monitoring system that monitors these sensing data, route information generated by a navigation system (not shown), traffic information acquired by road-to-vehicle communication, and the positions and movements of surrounding people and vehicles. The vehicle 1 is automatically controlled based on the information obtained by the above.

  Automatic control includes, for example, automatic steering (automatic steering operation) and automatic speed adjustment (automatic driving of speed). Automatic steering is an operating state in which the steering device 3 is automatically controlled. Automatic steering includes LKA (Lane Keeping Assist). For example, the LKA automatically controls the steering device 3 so that the vehicle 1 does not deviate from the traveling lane even when the driver does not perform the steering operation. Even when LKA is being executed, the driver's steering operation may be reflected in the steering of the vehicle in a range where the vehicle 1 does not deviate from the travel lane (allowable range). Note that automatic steering is not limited to LKA.

  Automatic speed adjustment is an operating state in which the speed of the vehicle 1 is automatically controlled. Automatic speed adjustment includes ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control). For example, when there is no preceding vehicle ahead of the vehicle 1, ACC performs constant speed control that causes the vehicle 1 to travel at a constant speed at a preset speed, and when the preceding vehicle exists ahead of the vehicle 1. Is a follow-up control that adjusts the vehicle speed of the vehicle 1 in accordance with the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle. The automatic operation control device 5 decelerates the vehicle 1 according to the driver's brake operation (for example, operation of the brake pedal) even when ACC is being executed. In addition, the automatic operation control device 5 can perform the driver's accelerator operation (for example, accelerator) up to a preset maximum allowable speed (for example, the maximum speed legally determined on the traveling road) even during execution of ACC. The vehicle can be accelerated according to the pedal operation. The automatic speed adjustment is not limited to ACC but also includes CC (Cruise Control).

  The automatic driving control system of the present embodiment includes a driver monitoring system 10 that monitors the driver. The driver monitoring system 10 includes an operation mode switching control device 6 that controls switching of the operation mode between the manual operation mode and the automatic operation mode, and a driver camera as a driver state detection sensor that detects the state of the driver. 7, a travel information acquisition sensor 8 that acquires travel information, and a guidance output device 9 that outputs guidance information that prompts a temporary operation of the steering wheel 3 a.

  The driver camera 7 is installed at a position in front of the driver, such as on the dashboard, for example, and images the driver and outputs the video signal to the driving mode switching control device 6.

  For example, the travel information acquisition sensor 8 acquires position information of the vehicle 1 and map information around the vehicle 1 and outputs the acquired information to the operation mode switching control device 6. The travel information acquisition sensor 8 may be configured using, for example, the function of the GPS receiver 14 and map data of the navigation system.

  The guidance output device 9 includes, for example, a speaker and a display. The guidance output device 9 outputs the voice signal of the message output from the operation mode switching control device 6 from the speaker and displays the message display signal on the display. The guidance output device 9 may be configured by one of a speaker and a display. The guidance output device 9 may be configured using an image display function or a voice output function of the navigation system.

  The operation mode switching control device 6 controls the switching of the operation mode in an integrated manner, and is configured as follows. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration.

  The operation mode switching control device 6 includes a control unit 61, an input / output interface unit 62, and a storage unit 63.

  The input / output interface unit 62 receives the video signal and the travel information signal output from the driver camera 7 and the travel information acquisition sensor 8, respectively, and converts them into digital data. The input / output interface unit 62 also converts the message output from the control unit 61 into an audio signal and a display signal and outputs it to the guidance output device 9. The input / output interface unit 62 further outputs an instruction signal output from the control unit 61 to the automatic operation control device 5.

  The storage unit 63 uses a non-volatile memory that can be written and read as needed, such as a solid state drive (SSD) and a hard disk drive (HDD), as a storage medium. The storage unit 63 includes a driver monitoring video storage unit 631 that stores a driver's monitoring video and a driver state storage unit 632 that stores a driver's status as storage areas used to implement the present embodiment. , A guidance information storage unit 633 that stores guidance information, and a temporary operation result storage unit 634 that stores information representing a temporary operation result of the steering wheel 3a. The storage unit 63 is not limited to a nonvolatile memory, and may be a volatile memory such as a RAM.

  The control unit 61 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a program memory that constitute a computer. The control unit 61 includes a driver monitoring image acquisition unit 611, a driver state determination unit 612, an automatic driving end determination unit 613, and a steering device control unit 614 as control functions necessary for carrying out the present embodiment. The steering temporary operation guidance output unit 615, the steering temporary operation result acquisition unit 616, and the instruction signal output unit 617 are provided. All of these control functions are realized by causing the CPU to execute a program stored in the program memory.

  The driver monitoring video acquisition unit 611 has a function of acquiring a driver monitoring video from the driver camera 7. The driver monitoring video acquisition unit 611 takes in the digital data (driver monitoring video data) of the driver's video signal output from the driver camera 7 from the input / output interface unit 62, and uses this captured driver monitoring video data. The information is stored in the driver monitoring video storage unit 631 of the storage unit 63.

  The driver state determination unit 612 has a function of determining the state of the driver. The driver state determination unit 612 reads the driver monitoring video data from the driver monitoring video storage unit 631 at a preset time interval. Next, every time the driver monitoring video data is read, the driver status determination unit 612 performs a process of determining the driver status based on the driver monitoring video data. The driver state determination unit 612 stores information representing the determination result in the driver state storage unit 632.

  The automatic driving end determination unit 613 has a function of acquiring the driving information output from the driving information acquisition sensor 8 and determining whether the end point of the automatic driving driving section is close to the vehicle 1. Here, the end point of the automatic driving travel section is set before a predetermined distance from the exit of the expressway on the travel route set in the automatic driving mode. The determination is made based on, for example, position information of the vehicle 1 and map information around the vehicle 1.

  The steering device control unit 614 has a function of outputting a steering control signal for controlling the steering device 3. The steering control signal may be, for example, a signal that prevents the operation of the steering wheel 3a from being transmitted to the steering wheel. The steering control signal may also be a signal that causes the operation of the steering wheel 3a to be transmitted to the steered wheels.

  The steering temporary operation guidance output unit 615 has a function of outputting a temporary operation guidance message that prompts the driver to operate the steering wheel 3a. The steering temporary operation guidance output unit 615 reads a guidance message stored in advance from the guidance information storage unit 633 and outputs it to the guidance output device 9.

  The steering temporary operation result acquisition unit 616 has a function of acquiring information representing the result of the temporary operation of the steering wheel 3 a from the steering sensor 11. The steering temporary operation result acquisition unit 616 also determines whether or not the temporary operation of the steering wheel 3a satisfies a preset condition.

  The instruction signal output unit 617 has a function of outputting an instruction signal related to automatic driving control to the automatic driving control device 5 based on information indicating a result of temporary operation of the steering wheel 3a. The instruction signal may be a switching instruction signal for instructing switching of the operation mode from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode, for example. The instruction signal may also be a stop instruction signal that instructs the vehicle 1 to stop on the shoulder.

(Assumed driving environment or world)
Next, prior to the description of the operation of the operation mode switching control device configured as described above, the operation environment assumed in this embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, the assumed driving environment is, for example, as follows.

  (1) The case where driving in the automatic driving mode is not possible in every part of the world, but the automatic driving lane is provided in a part of the expressway, and the driving in the automatic driving mode is possible only in the exclusive lane. Suppose.

  FIG. 4 schematically shows such an operating environment. In FIG. 4, a vehicle C1 represents a vehicle traveling in the manual operation mode, and a vehicle C2 represents a vehicle traveling in the automatic operation mode. Hereinafter, for convenience, the vehicle C1 is referred to as a manually driven vehicle C1, and the vehicle C2 is referred to as an automatically driven vehicle C2. The lane TL1 represents a so-called traveling lane, and is located on the side where the service area, the parking area, and the interchange side road are located. Lane TL2 represents a so-called overtaking lane. A lane TL3 represents a dedicated lane that is allowed to travel in the automatic driving mode. The autonomous driving vehicle C2 exists only in the lane TL3.

  In this driving environment, the driver is allowed to concentrate to something other than driving to some extent while traveling in the automatic driving mode. However, when the destination is approaching, that is, when the interchange to get off is approaching, the driver needs to finish traveling in the automatic operation mode and switch to traveling in the manual operation mode.

  (2) Traveling in the automatic driving mode is not possible everywhere in the world, and in some sections of the highway, vehicles running in the manual driving mode and vehicles running in the automatic driving mode coexist. Assume that there is a lane.

  FIG. 5 schematically shows such an operating environment. In FIG. 5, the meanings of the vehicle C1 and the vehicle C2 are the same as those in FIG. The lane TL1 represents a so-called traveling lane, and is located on the side where the service area, the parking area, and the interchange side road are located. Lane TL2 represents a so-called overtaking lane. In the lane TL1, a manual driving vehicle C1 and an automatic driving vehicle C2 are mixed.

  In this driving environment, the driver is allowed to concentrate to something other than driving to some extent while traveling in the automatic driving mode. However, when the destination is approaching, that is, when the interchange to get off is approaching, the driver needs to finish traveling in the automatic operation mode and switch to traveling in the manual operation mode.

(Operation)
Next, the operation of the operation mode switching control device configured as described above under the assumption of such an operation environment will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the overall control procedure and control contents.

(1) Driver monitoring start When driving is started, the driver monitoring system 10 starts monitoring the driver in step S1. Driver monitoring continues, for example, during driving. The driver is monitored as follows, for example.

  When driving is started, the driver camera 7 is activated, and continuously captures a predetermined range including the driver's face and outputs the video signal. In this state, the driving mode switching control device 6 receives digital data (driver monitoring video data) of the video signal output from the driver camera 7 from the input / output interface unit 62 under the control of the driver monitoring video acquisition unit 611. The captured driver monitoring video data is stored in the driver monitoring video storage unit 631 of the storage unit 63.

  In addition, you may perform a driver | operator's imaging intermittently at a predetermined time interval. In addition, the driver camera 7 or the input / output interface unit 62 may encode the video signal according to a predetermined encoding method. In this way, it is possible to reduce the information amount of the monitoring video data and save the storage capacity of the driver monitoring video storage unit 631.

  When the acquisition of the driver monitoring video data is started, the driving mode switching control device 6 next changes the state of the driver every time a certain period of time is determined under the control of the driver state determination unit 612. Make a decision. The determination time interval of the driver may be set to a short interval of about 1 second so that a substantially continuous determination can be performed, for example, or set to a relatively long interval of 10 to 30 seconds. May be.

  The driver state determination unit 612 reads the driver monitoring video data from the driver monitoring video storage unit 631 and determines the state of the driver based on the driver monitoring video data. The driver state determination unit 612 stores information indicating the determination result in the driver state storage unit 632 in association with information indicating the determination timing, for example, time stamp information.

  The driver state determined by the driver state determination unit 612 is, for example, whether the driver is looking aside, whether the driver is drowsy, and how much the driver is concentrated on driving. In addition, if the vehicle is in automatic driving, there are various factors such as whether or not the driver can return to manual driving. The determination of the driver's state is performed as follows, for example.

  First, the driver state determination unit 612 detects a driver's eye open state, blinking frequency, eye movement, or the like based on the driver monitoring video data, and determines the driver's line-of-sight direction or the driver's eye direction. Recognize arousal level and concentration level. Next, the driver state determination unit 612 determines the state of the driver by comparing the dwell time of the driver's line of sight, the arousal level, the concentration level, and the like with a preset threshold value.

(2) Determination of automatic driving start After driving is started, in parallel with the monitoring of the driver, it is determined whether or not automatic driving is started in step S2. This determination is continued until the automatic operation is started. The determination that the automatic operation has started is performed as follows, for example.

  The control unit 61 of the operation mode switching control device 6 has an automatic operation start signal receiving unit (not shown). The automatic operation start signal receiving unit waits for reception of an automatic operation start signal indicating that the automatic operation mode is selected, which is output from the operation mode selection switch 5a connected to the automatic operation control device 5, for example. . The automatic operation mode start signal receiving unit determines that automatic operation has started when an automatic operation start signal is received via the input / output interface unit 62.

(3) Determination of close to automatic driving After automatic driving is started, the operation mode switching control device 6 determines whether or not the automatic driving is almost finished by the automatic driving end determination unit 613 in step S3. This determination is continued until a determination result indicating that the end of automatic driving is near is obtained. The determination as to whether the end of automatic driving is near is performed, for example, as follows.

  The automatic driving end determination unit 613 acquires travel information from the travel information acquisition sensor 8 via the input / output interface unit 62. The travel information includes, for example, position information of the vehicle 1 and map information around the vehicle 1. The automatic driving end determination unit 613 determines that the end of automatic driving is near when the current position of the vehicle 1 passes a point a predetermined distance before the end point of the automatic driving travel section. The end point of the automatic driving travel section is set, for example, a predetermined distance before the exit of the expressway in the travel route of the automatic driving travel. The predetermined distance may be determined according to various conditions.

  When it is determined that the end of the automatic driving section is near, the automatic driving end determination unit 613 notifies the steering device control unit 614, the steering temporary operation guidance output unit 615, and the instruction signal output unit 617 of information indicating the determination result. .

(4) Determination of Driver State As described above, after driving is started, the driver state determination unit 612 determines the state of the driver at regular time intervals, and displays information indicating the determination result as the driver state. It is stored in the storage unit 632. The state of the driver includes whether or not the driver can perform a driving operation manually, that is, whether or not the driver can return to manual driving.

  When the automatic driving end determination unit 613 determines that the automatic driving end is almost finished, the driving mode switching control device 6 performs the driver operation in step S4 in the preparation period for switching from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode. Is read from the driver state storage unit 632, indicating whether or not the vehicle is in a state where it can be manually operated, that is, whether or not the driver can return to manual driving. When the information indicating the determination result indicates that the driver is in a state in which the driver can return to manual driving, the driving mode switching control device 6 uses the steering device control unit 614 and the steering temporary operation guidance output unit 615 to perform the steering temporary operation guidance. Do control for. On the other hand, when the information indicating the determination result indicates that the driver is not in a state in which the driver can return to manual driving, the driving mode switching control device 6 uses the instruction signal output unit 617 to instruct the vehicle 1 to stop. The signal is output to the automatic operation control device 5. The stopping of the vehicle 1 will be described later.

  Note that the driver state determination unit 612 determines whether or not the driver can return to manual driving every time a certain period of time elapses. You may make it determine whether it is a state which a driver | operator can return to manual driving | operation at the timing which determined that the completion | finish of automatic driving | operation is near.

(5) Steering provisional operation guidance When the driver state determination unit 612 determines that the driver can return to manual driving, in step S5, the steering device control unit 614 performs steering operation on the steering wheel 3a. A steering control signal for preventing transmission to the wheels is output to the steering device 3. As a result, the operation of the steering wheel 3a is not transmitted to the steered wheels thereafter.

  Here, the temporary operation of the steering wheel 3a refers to the operation of the steering wheel 3a in a state where the operation of the steering wheel 3a is not transmitted to the steering wheel.

  The steering temporary operation guidance output unit 615 causes the guidance output device 9 to output a temporary operation guidance message that prompts the driver to operate the steering wheel 3a. For example, the temporary operation guidance message is stored in advance in the guidance information storage unit 633, and the steering temporary operation guidance output unit 615 reads the temporary operation guidance message from the guidance information storage unit 633 and outputs it. The provisional operation guidance message may be, for example, “Please turn the steering wheel 45 degrees to the right” or “Please turn the steering wheel 90 degrees to the left”. The temporary operation guidance message is converted into an audio signal and / or a display signal in the input / output interface unit 62 and output to the guidance output device 9.

  For example, the guidance output device 9 outputs an audio signal from a speaker as an audio message. Alternatively, the guidance output device 9 may display the display signal on the display device as a display message.

(6) Determination of Steering Temporary Operation Thereafter, in step S6, the driving mode switching control device 6 uses the steering temporary operation result acquisition unit 616 to determine whether or not the steering temporary operation result satisfies a preset condition. Thus, it is determined whether or not the steering temporary operation result is appropriate. The determination of the steering temporary operation result ends after a predetermined time has elapsed. Determination of the steering temporary operation result is performed as follows, for example.

  The steering temporary operation result acquisition unit 616 acquires information representing the result of the temporary operation of the steering wheel 3 a from the steering sensor 11 via the input / output interface unit 62. The information indicating the result of the temporary operation of the steering wheel 3a may be, for example, the rotation direction and rotation angle of the steering wheel 3a.

  The steering temporary operation result acquisition unit 616 determines that there has been a temporary operation of the steering wheel 3a when the output of the steering sensor 11 has changed.

  Further, the steering temporary operation result acquisition unit 616 compares the temporary operation result of the steering wheel 3a with the content of the temporary operation guidance message. When the temporary operation result of the steering wheel 3a matches the content of the temporary operation guidance message, the steering temporary operation result acquisition unit 616 determines that the temporary operation result of the steering wheel 3a is appropriate. On the other hand, when the temporary operation result of the steering wheel 3a does not match the content of the temporary operation guidance message, the steering temporary operation result acquisition unit 616 determines that the temporary operation result of the steering wheel 3a is inappropriate.

  The steering temporary operation result acquisition unit 616 stores information representing the determination result in the temporary operation result storage unit 634.

  After a predetermined time allotted to the determination of the temporary operation result of the steering wheel 3a has elapsed, the steering temporary operation result acquisition unit 616 transmits information indicating that the determination of the steering temporary operation result has ended to the steering device control unit 614. The instruction signal output unit 617 is notified.

  When the steering device control unit 614 receives notification that the determination of the steering temporary operation result has ended, the steering device control unit 614 outputs a steering control signal to the steering device 3 so that the operation of the steering wheel 3a is transmitted to the steering wheel. Thereafter, the operation of the steering wheel 3a is transmitted to the steering wheel. The steering device 3 preferably makes the rotation angle of the steering wheel 3a correspond to the direction of the steering wheel before the operation of the steering wheel 3a is transmitted to the steering wheel.

(7) Output of instruction signal Upon receiving notification that the determination of the steering temporary operation result has been completed, the driving mode switching control device 6 outputs an instruction signal to the automatic driving control device 5 under the control of the instruction signal output unit 617. Output. The output of the instruction signal is performed as follows, for example.

  Upon receiving the notification that the determination of the steering temporary operation result has ended, the instruction signal output unit 617 temporarily displays information representing the determination result of the steering temporary operation result obtained by the steering temporary operation result acquisition unit 616 in step S6. Read from the operation result storage unit.

(7a) Switching to manual operation mode When the information indicating the determination result indicates that the steering temporary operation result is appropriate, the instruction signal output unit 617 changes the operation mode from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode in step S7. An instruction signal for switching to is output to the automatic operation control device 5. Thereby, the operation mode of the vehicle 1 is switched from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode.

(7b) Forced stop On the other hand, if the information indicating the determination result indicates that the steering temporary operation result is inappropriate, it is determined in step S4 that the driver is not in a state in which the driver can return to manual driving. In this case, the instruction signal output unit 617 outputs a stop instruction signal for forcibly stopping the vehicle 1 to an appropriate position to the automatic driving control device 5 in step S8. As a result, the vehicle 1 is forcibly stopped at the shoulder of the main branch that joins the exit lane of the highway, for example.

(8) Operation end determination The operation mode switching control device 6 determines whether or not the operation is ended in step S9. If it is determined that the operation has not ended, the process returns to step S2. If it is determined that the operation has ended, the process ends.

(effect)
As described above in detail, in one embodiment of the present invention, when it is determined that the end of automatic driving is near during the driving control in the automatic driving mode, the driver returns to manual driving by the driver state determination unit 612. It is determined whether or not it is possible. When it is determined that the driver can return to manual driving, guidance information that prompts the driver to temporarily operate the steering wheel is output.

  For this reason, the driver can perform the temporary operation of the steering wheel 3a before switching from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode. Thereby, the driver can experience the operation of the steering wheel 3a during manual driving in a pseudo manner before switching to the manual driving mode. Therefore, the driver's anxiety about whether the driving can be taken over smoothly is reduced.

  Further, based on information representing the result of the temporary operation of the steering wheel 3a acquired by the steering temporary operation result acquisition unit 616, it is determined whether or not the driver can return to the manual operation mode. As a result, when it is determined by the driver state determination unit 612 that the state can be returned to the manual operation, but when there is a doubt about the return to the manual operation mode, the operation mode is switched to the manual operation mode. Is prevented.

  Further, during the temporary operation of the steering wheel 3a, the temporary operation of the steering wheel 3a is not transmitted to the drive wheels. This prevents the running from being disturbed by a temporary operation of the steering wheel 3a. In addition, since it is possible to instruct a temporary operation that largely turns the steering wheel 3a, the temporary operation of the steering wheel 3a by the driver can be confirmed with high accuracy.

[Other Embodiments]
In the above-described embodiment, a case where the driver state detection sensor is configured by the driver camera 7 and the driver state is determined based on an image signal including the driver's face obtained by the driver camera 7 will be described as an example. did. However, the driver state detection sensor is not limited to the driver camera 7, and is configured by a biological sensor that acquires biological information of the driver, and is detected by a biological signal obtained by the biological sensor, for example, a pulse wave sensor or a heart rate sensor. The state of the driver may be determined based on the pulse wave signal or heartbeat signal of the driver or a signal representing the vertical movement of the diaphragm detected by the pressure sensor.

  In addition, the vehicle type, the function of the automatic operation control device, the control function and control procedure of the operation mode switching control device, and the control contents can be variously modified and implemented without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  In short, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. Further, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, you may combine suitably the component covering different embodiment.

A part or all of the above embodiment can be described as in the following supplementary notes, but is not limited thereto.
(Appendix 1)
An operation mode switching control device that controls switching of a vehicle operation mode between an automatic operation mode and a manual operation mode, having a hardware processor and a memory,
The hardware processor is
A sensing result of a driver state detection sensor that detects a driver's state is stored in the memory, and based on the sensing result, it is determined whether or not the driver can return to manual driving.
In the preparation period for switching from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode, when it is determined that the driver can return to manual operation, temporary operation of the steering wheel is performed on the driver. Output guidance information that prompts
Obtaining information representing a result of the temporary operation of the steering wheel with respect to the output of the guidance information from the steering temporary operation guidance output unit;
When the acquired information indicating the result of the temporary operation of the steering wheel indicates that the temporary operation of the steering wheel has been performed, the switching of the operation mode from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode is instructed. An operation mode switching control device that outputs a switching instruction signal.
(Appendix 2)
A driving mode switching control method executed by a device that controls switching of a driving mode of a vehicle between an automatic driving mode and a manual driving mode,
A sensing result of a driver state detection sensor that detects a driver's state is stored in a memory using a hardware processor, and whether or not the driver can return to manual driving based on the sensing result. Determine whether
In the preparation period for switching from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode, when it is determined that the driver can return to manual operation, using the hardware processor, the driver Guidance information that prompts the steering wheel to be temporarily operated,
Using the hardware processor, obtain information representing the result of the temporary operation of the steering wheel with respect to the output of the guidance information of the temporary operation of the steering wheel, and store in the memory,
When the acquired information indicating the result of the temporary operation of the steering wheel indicates that the temporary operation of the steering wheel has been performed, the automatic operation mode is changed to the manual operation mode using the hardware processor. An operation mode switching control method for outputting a switching instruction signal for instructing switching of the operation mode.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vehicle, 2 ... Power unit, 3 ... Steering device, 3a ... Steering wheel, 5 ... Automatic driving control device, 5a ... Driving mode selection switch, 6 ... Driving mode switching control device, 7 ... Driver camera, 8 ... Driving information Acquisition sensor, 9 ... guidance output device, 11 ... steering sensor, 12 ... accelerator pedal sensor, 13 ... brake pedal sensor, 14 ... GPS receiver, 15 ... gyro sensor, 16 ... vehicle speed sensor, 61 ... control unit, 62 ... on Output interface unit, 63 ... Storage unit, 611 ... Driver monitoring video acquisition unit, 612 ... Driver state determination unit, 613 ... Automatic driving end determination unit, 614 ... Steering device control unit, 615 ... Steering provisional operation guidance output unit, 616 ... Steering temporary operation result acquisition unit, 617 ... Instruction signal output unit, 631 ... Driver monitoring video storage unit 632 ... impaired operation storage unit, 633 ... guide information storing section, 634 ... temporary operation result storage section, C1 ... manual operation wheel, C2 ... automatic operation vehicle, TL1, TL2, TL3 ... lane.

Claims (7)

An operation mode switching control device that controls switching of a vehicle operation mode between an automatic operation mode and a manual operation mode,
A driver state determination unit that determines whether or not the driver can return to manual driving based on a sensing result of a driver state detection sensor that detects a driver's state;
In the preparation period for switching from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode, when the driver state determination unit determines that the driver can return to manual operation, A steering temporary operation guidance output unit for outputting guidance information for prompting temporary operation of the steering wheel;
A steering temporary operation result acquisition unit that acquires information representing a result of temporary operation of the steering wheel with respect to the output of the guidance information from the steering temporary operation guidance output unit;
An instruction signal output unit that outputs an instruction signal related to automatic driving control, wherein information indicating a result of the temporary operation of the steering wheel acquired by the steering temporary operation result acquisition unit is a temporary operation of the steering wheel. And an instruction signal output unit that outputs a switching instruction signal for instructing switching of the operation mode from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode. A steering device control unit for controlling the vehicle steering device;
The steering device control unit outputs a steering control signal for preventing an operation of the steering wheel from being transmitted to the steering wheel before the steering temporary operation guide output unit outputs a guidance for the temporary operation of the steering wheel. The steering control signal is output to the steering device so that an operation of the steering wheel is transmitted to a steered wheel before the instruction signal output unit outputs the instruction signal. Operation mode switching control device. The steering temporary operation result acquisition unit determines whether the temporary operation of the steering wheel satisfies a preset condition based on information representing a result of the temporary operation of the steering wheel,
The instruction signal output unit switches the driving mode from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode when the steering temporary operation result acquisition unit determines that the temporary operation of the steering wheel satisfies the condition. The operation mode switching control device according to claim 1, wherein the switching instruction signal for instructing is output. The steering temporary operation guidance output unit outputs guidance information for causing the driver to perform a temporary operation of a predetermined operation content,
The steering temporary operation result acquisition unit is configured such that the operation content of the temporary operation performed by the driver based on the information indicating the result of the temporary operation of the steering wheel is the operation content of the temporary operation specified by the guidance information. To determine whether or not
When the instruction signal output unit determines that the operation content of the temporary operation performed by the driver by the steering temporary operation result acquisition unit matches the operation content of the temporary operation specified by the guidance information, The operation mode switching control device according to claim 1, wherein the switching instruction signal for switching the operation mode from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode is output.   The instruction signal output unit, when the information indicating the result of the temporary operation of the steering wheel acquired by the steering temporary operation result acquisition unit indicates that the temporary operation of the steering wheel has not been performed. The operation mode switching control device according to claim 1, wherein an instruction signal for preventing switching from the operation mode to the manual operation mode is output. A driving mode switching control method executed by a device that controls switching of a driving mode of a vehicle between an automatic driving mode and a manual driving mode,
A driver state determination step for determining whether or not the driver is capable of returning to manual driving based on a sensing result of a driver state detection sensor for detecting a driver state;
In the preparation period for switching from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode, when it is determined that the driver can return to manual operation, temporary operation of the steering wheel is performed on the driver. Steering temporary operation guidance output step for outputting guidance information for prompting,
A steering temporary operation result acquisition step of acquiring information representing a result of the temporary operation of the steering wheel with respect to the output of the guidance information of the temporary operation of the steering wheel;
When the acquired information indicating the result of the temporary operation of the steering wheel indicates that the temporary operation of the steering wheel has been performed, the switching of the operation mode from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode is instructed. An operation mode switching control method comprising: an instruction signal output step for outputting a switching instruction signal to be performed.   The operation mode switching control program which makes a computer perform the function of each part with which the operation mode switching control apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 5 is provided.