JP2018151208A - Self-driving support device, method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable an evacuation with respect to emergency vehicles in a vehicle travelling by self driving.SOLUTION: A self-driving support device is configured to: when detecting, by an emergency vehicle detection unit, an approach of an emergency vehicle to an own vehicle upon self-driving travelling of the vehicle having a self-driving control device, detect a state of a driver of the vehicle to thereby determine, by a driver state determination unit, whether it is proper to switch from a self-driving mode by the self-driving control device to a manual driving mode in which the driver drives operations is proper; and, when the approach of the emergency vehicle is detected and it is determined that the switch to the manual driving mode is improper, cause, by a travelling route change unit, a travelling route of the own vehicle set by the self-driving control device to be changed to a travelling route not overlapping a travelling route of the emergency vehicle acquired by an emergency vehicle travelling route acquisition unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic driving support device, method, and program for supporting automatic driving when a vehicle is driven by an automatic driving control device that supports driving operation of the vehicle.

  In recent years, as a driving mode for driving a vehicle such as a passenger car, in addition to a manual driving mode by a driver, the vehicle is driven along a preset route (traveling route) as an automatic driving mode regardless of the driving operation of the driver. The automatic operation control system has been put into practical use, and has reached the stage of test driving on actual roads.

  This automatic driving mode consists of a combination of map information and current position information and vehicle driving control, for example, navigation system information using GPS (Global Positioning System), traffic information acquired by road-to-vehicle communication, Based on information from a peripheral monitoring system that monitors the positions and movements of people and vehicles in the vicinity, automatic operation of the vehicle is enabled by controlling power units, steering devices, brakes, and the like.

  By the way, when an emergency vehicle in an emergency state (lights on a warning light and siren) approaches while driving on a road, in principle, it is obliged to evacuate to the left end of the road and drive slowly or stop. is there.

  As a countermeasure against the approach of an emergency vehicle in the automatic operation mode, for example, Patent Document 1 proposes an emergency vehicle passage support system that moves the own vehicle to the vicinity of the road shoulder by automatic operation control and stops it.

JP 2014-154128 A

  However, Patent Literature 1 simply describes that the vehicle is moved to the vicinity of the road shoulder and stopped, and does not disclose a specific method for moving the vehicle to the vicinity of the road shoulder.

  On a maintained road, for example, a white line is drawn with white paint, and the road shoulder and the vehicle lane are separated. Therefore, it is easy to move the vehicle to the vicinity of the road shoulder by detecting this white line. However, even if a white line is drawn, it is difficult to move it to the shoulder by automatic driving when it is covered by grass or snow, or on a road where no white line is drawn.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic driving support apparatus, method, and program capable of evacuating an emergency vehicle in a vehicle traveling by automatic driving.

  In order to achieve the above object, an automatic driving assistance device according to a first aspect of the present invention is an automatic driving assistance device used in a vehicle having an automatic driving control device, and detects the state of the driver of the vehicle. A driver state determination unit that determines whether or not it is possible to switch from the automatic driving mode by the automatic driving control device to the manual driving mode in which the driver performs driving, and detection of an emergency vehicle approaching the vehicle An emergency vehicle travel route acquisition unit that acquires a travel route of the emergency vehicle from an emergency vehicle detection unit that detects an approach of the emergency vehicle by the emergency vehicle detection unit, and the manual driving by the driver state determination unit When it is determined that switching to the mode is impossible, the travel route of the vehicle set in the automatic driving control device is acquired by the emergency vehicle travel route acquisition unit. Comprising a driving route changing unit for changing the travel route that does not overlap the travel route of the serial emergency vehicle, a.

  The automatic driving assistance device according to a second aspect of the present invention is the automatic driving assistance device according to the first aspect, wherein the traveling route changing unit acquires the traveling route of the vehicle from the automatic driving assistance device. A portion that overlaps both travel routes by comparing the travel route of the vehicle acquired by the travel route acquisition unit and the own vehicle travel route acquisition unit with the travel route of the emergency vehicle acquired by the emergency vehicle travel route acquisition unit When the vehicle is present, the automatic driving control device causes the vehicle driving route to be re-set to a driving route that does not overlap with the driving route of the emergency vehicle, thereby evacuating the vehicle from the driving route of the emergency vehicle. Part.

  The automatic driving assistance apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention is the automatic driving assistance apparatus according to the first or second aspect, wherein the emergency vehicle travel route acquisition unit is approached by the emergency vehicle detection unit. Or when the approach of the emergency vehicle is detected by the emergency vehicle detection unit, and when it is determined by the driver state determination unit that switching to the manual operation mode is impossible, the traveling of the emergency vehicle Get the route.

  An automatic driving assistance device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the automatic driving assistance device according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the emergency vehicle travel route acquisition unit is mounted on the emergency vehicle. Or a communication device that receives a travel route of the emergency vehicle transmitted from a transmission device installed near the road.

  An automatic driving assistance device according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the automatic driving assistance device according to the fourth aspect, wherein the emergency vehicle detection unit captures the periphery of the vehicle and generates image information; It has at least one of the sound collection part which acquires the surrounding sound of the said vehicle, and the said communication apparatus.

  An automatic driving assistance apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the automatic driving assistance apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the emergency vehicle detection unit detects an approach of the emergency vehicle. And a warning device for notifying the driver of the approach of the emergency vehicle and urging the driver.

  An automatic driving support method according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is an automatic driving support method executed by a device used in a vehicle having an automatic driving control device, and by detecting the state of the driver of the vehicle, A driver state determination step for determining whether or not the automatic driving mode by the automatic driving control device can be switched to a manual driving mode for driving by the driver, and emergency vehicle detection for detecting the approach of the emergency vehicle to the vehicle An emergency vehicle travel route acquisition step for acquiring a travel route of the emergency vehicle from a unit, and an approach of the emergency vehicle is detected by the emergency vehicle detection unit, and switching to the manual operation mode is not possible in the driver state determination step When it is determined that the travel route of the vehicle set in the automatic operation control device is the emergency vehicle travel route acquisition step Comprising a traveling route changing step for changing the travel route that does not overlap the Oite acquired travel route of the emergency vehicle, the.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program for causing a computer to execute the function of each unit provided in the automatic driving support apparatus according to the first to sixth aspects.

  According to the first or seventh aspect of the present invention, when an emergency vehicle approaches the host vehicle during automatic driving, if the automatic driving mode cannot be switched to the manual driving mode, the automatic driving control device Since the travel route of the vehicle is changed to a travel route that does not overlap the travel route of the emergency vehicle, the vehicle traveling by automatic driving can be retracted from the emergency vehicle.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the traveling route of the own vehicle and the traveling route of the emergency vehicle are compared, and there is an overlapping portion between both traveling routes, the automatic driving control device Since the travel route is reset, the emergency vehicle can be evacuated reliably. Conversely, if there is no overlapping portion between the two travel routes, the automatic travel can be continued without changing the travel route.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the travel route of the emergency vehicle is acquired when the approach of the emergency vehicle is detected, it is possible to immediately determine whether or not the emergency vehicle needs to be evacuated and the evacuation is unnecessary. It is possible to continue automatic driving as it is. Alternatively, according to the third aspect, the travel route of the emergency vehicle is acquired when the approach of the emergency vehicle is detected and it is determined that the switch to the manual operation mode is impossible. It is possible to prevent a necessary operation from being performed.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the communication device receives the travel route of the emergency vehicle from the transmission device mounted on the emergency vehicle or installed in the vicinity of the road. Can be obtained.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the approach of the emergency vehicle can be easily detected by the camera, the sound collection unit, or the communication device.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, when the approach of the emergency vehicle is detected, the driver is notified of the approach of the emergency vehicle and prompts the driver to wake up, thereby switching to the manual operation mode as much as possible. Can be. By switching to the manual operation mode, the driver can move the vehicle to a position where it does not interfere with the passage of emergency vehicles such as the shoulder of the road and stop the vehicle, thus eliminating the need to change the travel route of the vehicle. .

  According to the 8th aspect of this invention, the function of each part with which the automatic driving assistance apparatus which concerns on any one of the 1st thru | or 6th aspect is provided is performed by a computer.

  That is, according to each aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide an automatic driving support device, method, and program capable of performing evacuation with respect to an emergency vehicle in a vehicle traveling by automatic driving.

It is a figure showing the whole automatic driving control system composition provided with the automatic driving support device concerning one embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the automatic driving assistance apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure and assistance content of the evacuation assistance at the time of emergency vehicle approach by the automatic driving assistance apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the relationship between the traveling route of the own vehicle before the evacuation assistance at the time of emergency vehicle approach, and the traveling route of an emergency vehicle. It is a figure which shows an example of the relationship between the driving | running route of the own vehicle and the driving | running route of the emergency vehicle which were changed by the evacuation support from the driving | running route before saving assistance shown to FIG.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[One Embodiment]
(Constitution)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an automatic driving control system including an automatic driving support 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. The power source is used as a hybrid configuration in which either an engine that generates power by burning fuel and a motor that generates driving force by electric power such as a rechargeable battery, or a combination of both.

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

  The manual operation mode is a mode in which the vehicle 1 is driven mainly by a driver's manual driving operation. In the manual driving mode, for example, driving operation support control that supports the driving operation of the driver while mainly driving the driving operation of the vehicle 1 based on only the driving mode of the vehicle 1 based on the driving operation of the driver. The operation mode to be performed is also included.

  In this driving operation support control, for example, when the vehicle 1 travels on a curve, the steering torque is assisted based on the curvature of the curve so that the driver's steering becomes an appropriate steering amount. 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 the manual speed adjustment, the speed of the vehicle 1 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 and causing the vehicle 1 to automatically travel. That is, in the manual driving mode, the driving operation of the driver is reflected in the driving of the vehicle 1 within a preset allowable range, but the driving of the vehicle 1 is compulsory under certain conditions (for example, lane departure of the vehicle 1). Interventive control is not included.

  On the other hand, the automatic operation mode is a mode for realizing an operation state in which the vehicle 1 is automatically driven along a road on which the vehicle 1 is traveling, for example. The automatic driving mode includes a driving state in which the vehicle 1 is automatically driven 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 1, and the driving state in which the driving operation of the driver is reflected in the driving of the vehicle 1 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 the traveling of the vehicle 1 under certain conditions, while reflecting the driving operation of the driver in the traveling of the vehicle 1 within a preset allowable range.

  In FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 also includes an automatic driving control device 4 for executing driving control in the automatic driving mode. A steering sensor 11, an accelerator pedal sensor 12, a brake pedal sensor 13, a GPS receiver 14, a gyro sensor 15, and a vehicle speed sensor 16 are connected to the automatic driving control device 4, and the automatic driving control device 4 is Obtain sensing data from each. The automatic driving control device 4 monitors these sensing data, travel 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 1 The travel of the vehicle 1 is automatically controlled based on information obtained by the monitoring system.

  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 vehicle lane (traveling lane) even when the driver does not perform the steering operation. Note that the driver's steering operation may be reflected in the steering of the vehicle 1 within a range (allowable range) in which the vehicle 1 does not deviate from the vehicle traffic zone even during execution of LKA. 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). ACC is, for example, when there is no preceding vehicle ahead of the vehicle 1 and performs constant speed control that causes the vehicle 1 to travel at a constant speed at a preset speed, and there is a preceding vehicle ahead of the vehicle 1. In this, follow-up control for adjusting the vehicle speed of the vehicle 1 in accordance with the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle is performed. Even if the automatic operation control device 4 is executing ACC, the driver's manual operation is given priority from the viewpoint of safety and convenience. For example, when a brake operation (for example, operation of a brake pedal) is performed by the driver, the ACC is once released and the vehicle 1 is decelerated, or an accelerator operation (for example, operation of the accelerator pedal) by the driver is performed. If there is, the vehicle 1 can be accelerated to a preset maximum permissible speed (for example, the maximum speed legally determined on the traveling road). The automatic speed adjustment is not limited to ACC, and includes CC (Cruise Control).

  The automatic driving control system of this embodiment further includes an automatic driving support system 20 that supports the automatic driving control device 4. The automatic driving support system 20 includes an automatic driving support device 21 according to an embodiment of the present invention that supports automatic driving by the automatic driving control device 4 when an emergency vehicle approaches, for example. The automatic driving support system 20 includes a driver camera 22, a driving mode selection switch 23, an emergency vehicle detection unit 24, and a wake-up device 25, which are connected to the automatic driving support device 21, respectively. Yes.

  The driver camera 22 functions as a driver state detection sensor that detects the state of the driver. The driver camera 22 is installed at a location where the driver's face can be imaged. For example, the driver camera 22 is disposed on the dashboard, in the center of the steering, on the side of the speed meter, on the front pillar, etc. .

  The operation mode selection switch 23 is a change-over switch for selecting one of a manual operation mode and an automatic operation mode.

  The emergency vehicle detection unit 24 detects the approach of an emergency vehicle. The emergency vehicle detection unit 24 can include, for example, a communication device. The emergency vehicle detection unit 24 uses this communication device to detect the travel route of the emergency vehicle transmitted from the transmission device mounted on the emergency vehicle or installed in the vicinity of the road, as disclosed in Patent Document 1. By receiving, it is possible to detect the approach of the emergency vehicle to the host vehicle. Further, the emergency vehicle detection unit 24 may further include, for example, a camera that captures an image of the surroundings of the host vehicle and generates image information, and a microphone that acquires sounds around the host vehicle. In this case, the emergency vehicle detection unit 24 generates an emergency to the own vehicle based on an image of the emergency vehicle in which a warning light is lit from image information generated by the camera, or a siren sound generated by the emergency vehicle collected by the microphone in an emergency. The approach of the vehicle can be detected.

  The wake-up device 25 wakes up the driver using sound, warning sound, vibration of the driver's seat, or the like in order to wake up the driver as necessary.

  The automatic driving support device 21 switches the driving mode in the automatic driving control device 4 to either the manual driving mode or the automatic driving mode according to the operation of the driving mode selection switch 23 by the driver. In addition, when the emergency vehicle detection unit 24 detects the approach of the emergency vehicle, the automatic driving support device 21 notifies the driver of the approach of the emergency vehicle and urges the driver to wake up when the emergency vehicle detection unit 24 detects the approach of the emergency vehicle. Further, the automatic driving support device 21 is in a state where the driver's state detected using the driver camera 22 is in a state where the driver cannot immediately shift to the driving operation even when the manual driving mode is switched, for example, when he / she lies down. The automatic driving control device 4 is caused to change the traveling route of the own vehicle so as not to disturb the traveling route of the emergency vehicle.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the automatic driving support device 21 according to the embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, the configuration of the automatic driving support device 21 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. The automatic driving support device 21 is roughly divided into an interface unit 30, a control unit 40, and an information storage unit 50.

  The interface unit 30 electrically connects the automatic driving control device 4, the driver camera 22, the driving mode selection switch 23, the emergency vehicle detection unit 24, and the awakening device 25 to the control unit 40. Input / output necessary information between

  The information storage unit 50 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. Alternatively, a volatile memory such as a RAM can be partially used.

  The information storage unit 50 includes a face feature pattern information storage unit 51, a host vehicle travel route storage unit 52, and an emergency vehicle travel route storage unit 53 as storage regions used for carrying out this embodiment. Here, the face feature pattern information storage unit 51 stores the driver's face feature pattern information. The own vehicle travel route storage unit 52 stores travel route information of the own vehicle that is automatically driven by the automatic operation control device 4. The emergency vehicle travel route storage unit 53 stores the emergency vehicle travel route information received by the emergency vehicle detection unit 24.

  The control unit 40 includes a driver state determination unit 41, a driving mode switching unit 42, a host vehicle travel route acquisition unit 43, an emergency vehicle travel route acquisition unit 44, and a control function necessary for carrying out the present embodiment. A retraction determining unit 45 is provided. The control unit 40 is configured by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a program memory constituting the computer, and all of these control functions are realized by causing the CPU to execute a program stored in the program memory. You can also.

  The driver state determination unit 41 includes a face image processing unit 61, a face feature pattern extraction unit 62, and a face feature pattern determination unit 63. In such a configuration, image information including the driver's face captured by the driver camera 22 is input to the face image processing unit 61 through the interface unit 30.

  The face image processing unit 61 digitizes image information including a face to generate face image information.

  The face feature pattern extraction unit 62 extracts a feature pattern when the driver's face is awake, nap, or drowsy (eg, yawns) from the face image information generated by the face image processing unit 61, Generate feature pattern information. For example, since the driver is awake when the engine of the vehicle 1 is started, the facial feature reference pattern information can be generated from the driver's face at the beginning of driving. The face feature pattern extraction unit 62 stores the generated face feature reference pattern information in the face feature pattern information storage unit 51 of the information storage unit 50.

  The face feature pattern determination unit 63 sequentially extracts extracted feature portions, for example, portions having features such as eyelids, pupils, and mouths (yawns), from the captured driver's face image. Compared with the driver's face feature reference pattern stored in the pattern information storage unit 51, it is determined whether or not the driver's concentration level is reduced. As a state where it is determined that the driver's concentration level is lowered, for example, a nap state, a drowsiness state, and an aside look state are set. Further, in the present embodiment, in the image in which the face is not imprinted, it is determined that the driver's concentration level is low, assuming that he is napping or looking aside. That is, it is determined that the state is a state where it is impossible to drive.

  The operation mode switching unit 42 has a function of switching between the manual operation mode and the automatic operation mode by the automatic operation control device 4. When switching the operation mode, switching from the manual operation mode to the automatic operation mode is performed by the driver operating the operation mode selection switch 23. Switching from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode may be performed by the driver's operation of the operation mode selection switch 23 or may be performed according to the determination result of the driver state determination unit 41 when the emergency vehicle approaches. In the latter case, the awakening device 25 urges the driver to switch to his / her driving operation by giving a warning sound or voice or by giving vibration to the driver's seat, and as a result, by the driver state determination unit 41, After confirming that the driver can drive, the automatic operation mode is switched to the manual operation mode.

  The host vehicle travel route acquisition unit 43 acquires the travel route information of the host vehicle from the automatic driving control device 4 via the interface unit 30 and stores it in the host vehicle travel route storage unit 52 of the information storage unit 50.

  The emergency vehicle travel route acquisition unit 44 acquires emergency vehicle travel route information from the emergency vehicle detection unit 24 via the interface unit 30 and stores it in the emergency vehicle travel route storage unit 53 of the information storage unit 50.

  The evacuation judgment unit 45 detects that the emergency vehicle is approaching by the emergency vehicle detection unit 24 when the vehicle 1 is traveling in the automatic driving mode set by the automatic driving control device 4, and the driver state When the determination unit 41 determines that the driver is not ready to drive, an automatic driving control command is issued to change the travel route of the host vehicle so that the vehicle does not interfere with the travel route of the emergency vehicle. Output to device 4.

  Specifically, the evacuation determination unit 45 reads the travel route information of the host vehicle stored in the host vehicle travel route storage unit 52 and the travel route information of the emergency vehicle stored in the emergency vehicle travel route storage unit 53. To determine whether there is an overlapping portion. If there is an overlapping portion, an instruction to change the traveling route of the host vehicle is output to the automatic driving control device 4 via the interface unit 30.

  As an instruction to change the travel route of the own vehicle, for example, the automatic operation control device 4 outputs information indicating that the road of the travel route of the emergency vehicle is congested or closed to the automatic operation control device 4. 4 can reset the travel route that does not pass through the route.

  In addition, the evacuation determination unit 45 does not compare the travel route information of the emergency vehicle with the travel route information of the host vehicle, and the emergency vehicle is approaching and the driver is not in a state where the driver can drive. An instruction to change the traveling route of the host vehicle may be output to the automatic driving control device 4. As an instruction to change the traveling route of the own vehicle in this case, for example, information indicating that the road on the traveling route of the emergency vehicle is congested or closed is output to the automatic driving control device 4 as described above. Thereby, if the driving route of the own vehicle overlaps with the driving route of the emergency vehicle, the automatic driving control device 4 resets the driving route. As described above, if the automatic driving control device 4 has a function of receiving the travel route information of the emergency vehicle and resetting the travel route of the own vehicle, the evacuation determination unit 45 simply uses the travel route information of the emergency vehicle automatically. It may be output only to the operation control device 4.

  Alternatively, the evacuation determination unit 45 causes the determination whether or not the travel route of the emergency vehicle and the travel route of the host vehicle overlap to the outside, obtains the determination result, and results in that both routes overlap. If obtained, an instruction to change the traveling route of the host vehicle may be output. In this case, as an outside for determining whether or not the route overlaps, a dedicated determination unit may be provided in the automatic driving support system, or the emergency vehicle detection unit 24 or the like may have the function. Furthermore, if there is a management server device that manages a plurality of autonomous driving vehicles including the own vehicle 24 and the travel route of the emergency vehicle, the communication device included in the emergency vehicle detection unit 24 communicates with the server device. The travel route duplication determination result may be acquired from the server device.

(Operation)
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the procedure and details of assistance for evacuation assistance when an emergency vehicle approaches by the automatic driving assistance device 21 configured as described above. Hereinafter, the operation of the automatic driving support device 21 will be described with reference to FIG.

  This flowchart shows an operation after the vehicle 1 is started by the driver, the automatic operation mode is selected by the operation mode selection switch 23, and the destination and the route are set.

  First, the control unit 40 of the automatic driving support device 21 automatically generates travel route information indicating the currently set travel route L1 of the vehicle 1 as shown in FIG. Obtained from the driving control device 4 and stored in the host vehicle travel route storage unit 52 (step S1).

  Thereafter, the control unit 40 detects whether or not an emergency vehicle has been detected by the emergency vehicle detection unit 24 during traveling in the automatic operation mode (step S2). For example, when an emergency vehicle approaches a predetermined distance with respect to the vehicle 1, the emergency vehicle detection unit 24 detects this and outputs approach information. The control unit 40 determines whether or not the approach information is output by the retraction determining unit 45.

  When the emergency vehicle detection unit 24 determines that the approach of the emergency vehicle is not detected (NO), the control unit 40 outputs nothing to the automatic driving control device 4 and travels in the automatic driving mode. Is continued (step S3).

  Then, the control unit 40 determines whether or not an instruction to end automatic driving has been given (step S4). This can be performed by determining whether or not the operation mode selection switch 23 is operated to switch from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode. Here, when the automatic operation is not finished (NO), the control unit 40 returns to the process of step S1. Here, the reason for returning to step S1 is that the travel route of the vehicle 1 can be reset according to the road condition or the like, and therefore the latest travel route L1 is always stored in the host vehicle travel route storage unit 52.

  When the automatic operation is ended (YES), the control unit 40 ends the process of this flowchart.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S2 that the emergency vehicle detector 24 has detected the approach of the emergency vehicle (YES), the control unit 40 warns that the emergency vehicle is approaching. At the same time, since the driver's concentration may be lowered, the driver may be awakened by, for example, issuing a warning sound or vibration to the driver by the awakening device 25 (step S5).

  At this time, the driver state determination unit 41 extracts and reads the feature pattern from the driver's face image captured by the driver camera 22, and can the driver respond even if the driver switches to the manual operation mode. It is determined whether or not it is ready (step S6). If the driver state determination unit 41 determines that the driver can respond even if the driver state determination unit 41 switches to the manual operation mode (YES), the retraction determination unit 45 causes the automatic operation control device 4 to operate using the operation mode switching unit 42. If the vehicle is in the vicinity of an intersection The vehicle can be stopped (step S7).

  When the driver performs an operation of switching the operation mode selection switch 23 to the manual operation mode in response to the warning and the awakening operation in step S5, the driver state determination unit 41 determines that the driver in step S6 The determination based on the face image may be stopped and the process may immediately proceed to step S7.

  Then, after the emergency vehicle passes in the manual operation mode, the control unit 40 waits for the operation of the operation mode selection switch 23 by the driver (step S8), and the automatic operation control is performed by the operation mode switching unit 42. The apparatus 4 is instructed to switch to the automatic operation mode and returns to the automatic operation mode (step S9). Thereafter, the control unit 40 advances the process to step S4.

  In step S6, since the driver state determination unit 41 is in a situation where the driver is napping and cannot immediately return to manual operation, the operation mode switching unit 42 operates the automatic operation control device 4. If it is determined that the driver cannot respond immediately even if the mode is switched to the manual operation mode (NO), the control unit 40 operates as follows.

  That is, the control unit 40 acquires the travel route information indicating the travel route of the emergency vehicle from the emergency vehicle detection unit 24 by the emergency vehicle travel route acquisition unit 44, and stores the travel route information in the emergency vehicle travel route storage unit 53 (step S10). ).

  FIG. 4A is a diagram illustrating an example of a relationship between a travel route of the host vehicle before assistance for evacuation when the emergency vehicle approaches and a travel route of the emergency vehicle. In the case of this example, in step S10, travel route information indicating the travel route L2 of the emergency vehicle E to the destination D of the emergency vehicle E such as a fire site is acquired and stored in the emergency vehicle travel route storage unit 53. .

  Then, the evacuation determination unit 45 uses the evacuation determination unit 45 to store the own vehicle travel route information stored in the own vehicle travel route storage unit 52 and the emergency vehicle travel route information stored in the emergency vehicle travel route storage unit 53. Are read out and compared to determine whether or not there is an overlapping portion between the traveling route L1 of the host vehicle and the traveling route L2 of the emergency vehicle E (step S11). Here, when the evacuation determination unit 45 determines that there is no overlapping portion between the two travel routes L1 and L2 (NO), the control unit 40 advances the process to step S3, and in the automatic operation mode. Will continue running.

  On the other hand, when the evacuation determination unit 45 determines that there are overlapping portions in the two travel routes L1 and L2 (YES), as shown in FIG. Thus, an instruction to change the travel route L1 of the vehicle 1 is output to the automatic driving control device 4 (step S12).

  FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating an example of the relationship between the travel route of the host vehicle and the travel route of the emergency vehicle that has been changed by the evacuation support in step S12 from the travel route before the save assistance illustrated in FIG. 4A. In this step S12, the automatic driving control device 4 changes the travel route of the vehicle 1 from, for example, L1 as shown in FIG. 4A to L1M as shown in FIG. 4B. And the control unit 40 will drive the vehicle 1 in automatic driving mode along the travel route L1M of the vehicle 1 after this change by advancing a process to the said step S3. In this way, the vehicle 1 can be retreated from the travel route L2 of the emergency vehicle E so as not to interfere with the travel route L2 of the emergency vehicle E that has approached.

(effect)
As described above in detail, in one embodiment of the present invention, when the emergency vehicle E approaches the host vehicle during automatic driving, if the automatic driving mode cannot be switched to the manual driving mode, the automatic driving control device 4 is used. Further, since the travel route L1 of the own vehicle is changed to the travel route L1M that does not overlap with the travel route L2 of the emergency vehicle E, the vehicle 1 traveling by automatic driving can be retracted from the emergency vehicle E. Become.

  In this case, when the traveling route L1 of the own vehicle and the traveling route L2 of the emergency vehicle E are compared, and there is an overlapping part in both traveling routes, the traveling route of the own vehicle is reset in the automatic driving control device 4. Since it is set (L1 → L1M), the emergency vehicle E can be evacuated reliably.

  Note that the travel route L2 of the emergency vehicle E is acquired when the approach of the emergency vehicle E is detected and it is determined that switching to the manual operation mode is impossible. This can be prevented.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, when the approach of the emergency vehicle E is detected, the driver is notified of the approach of the emergency vehicle E and urges the driver to wake up so that the manual operation mode can be switched as much as possible. Can be. By switching to the manual operation mode, the driver can move the vehicle to a position where it does not interfere with the passage of emergency vehicles such as the shoulder of the road and stop the vehicle, thus eliminating the need to change the travel route of the vehicle. .

[Other Embodiments]
In the above-described embodiment, the acquisition of the travel route L2 of the emergency vehicle E by the emergency vehicle travel route acquisition unit 44 is performed when the approach of the emergency vehicle E is detected and it is determined that switching to the manual operation mode is impossible. However, this may be performed when the emergency vehicle detection unit 24 detects the approach of the emergency vehicle E. Thus, by acquiring the travel route L2 when the approach of the emergency vehicle E is detected, it is possible to immediately determine whether or not the emergency vehicle E needs to be evacuated. It becomes possible to continue the autonomous driving.

  In the above-described embodiment, the emergency vehicle travel route acquisition unit 44 acquires the travel route L2 of the emergency vehicle E received by the communication unit of the emergency vehicle detection unit 24. However, the emergency vehicle travel route acquisition unit 44 may have a communication device and directly receive the travel route L2 of the emergency vehicle E. As a result, the emergency vehicle detection unit 24 can be configured to detect the approach of the emergency vehicle E simply by image information captured by the camera or sound information acquired by the microphone.

  In the embodiment described above, information indicating that the road on the travel route L2 of the emergency vehicle E is congested or closed, or information on the travel route L2 of the emergency vehicle E is output to the automatic driving control device 4. As a result, the driving route of the vehicle 1 is reset by the automatic driving control device 4 (L1 → L1M). However, the retraction determining unit 45 may be provided with a function for obtaining the changed driving route L1M. As a result, the automatic operation control device 4 can eliminate the need to obtain the changed travel route L1M.

  In addition, the function of the automatic driving support device, the procedure and support contents of the automatic driving support device when the emergency vehicle approaches, and various other modifications can be implemented without departing from the scope 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 components without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. Moreover, 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 automatic driving support device used in a vehicle having an automatic driving control device, having a hardware processor and a memory,
The hardware processor is
By detecting the state of the driver of the vehicle, it is determined whether or not it is possible to switch from the automatic driving mode by the automatic driving control device to the manual driving mode in which the driver performs driving operation,
Obtaining the travel route of the emergency vehicle from an emergency vehicle detection unit that detects the approach of the emergency vehicle to the vehicle, storing the travel route of the obtained emergency vehicle in the memory,
When the approach of the emergency vehicle is detected and it is determined that switching to the manual operation mode is impossible, the travel route of the emergency vehicle stored in the memory is the travel route of the vehicle set in the automatic operation control device An automatic driving support device that changes the driving route so that it does not overlap.
(Appendix 2)
An automatic driving support method executed by a device used in a vehicle having an automatic driving control device,
By detecting the state of the driver of the vehicle using a hardware processor, it is determined whether or not the automatic driving mode by the automatic driving control device can be switched to the manual driving mode in which the driver operates,
Using the hardware processor, obtain the travel route of the emergency vehicle from an emergency vehicle detection unit that detects the approach of the emergency vehicle to the vehicle, and store the travel route of the emergency vehicle acquired in a memory,
When the approach of the emergency vehicle is detected using the hardware processor and it is determined that switching to the manual operation mode is impossible, the travel route of the vehicle set in the automatic operation control device is stored in the memory. An automatic driving support method for changing to a travel route that does not overlap the stored travel route of the emergency vehicle.

    DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vehicle, 2 ... Power unit, 3 ... Steering device, 3a ... Steering wheel, 4 ... Automatic driving control device, 11 ... Steering sensor, 12 ... Accel pedal sensor, 13 ... Brake pedal sensor, 14 ... GPS receiver, 15 ... Gyro sensor, 16 ... Vehicle speed sensor, 20 ... Automatic driving support system, 21 ... Automatic driving support device, 22 ... Driver camera, 23 ... Driving mode selection switch, 24 ... Emergency vehicle detection unit, 25 ... Awakening device, 30 ... Interface 40: control unit 41 ... driver state determination unit 42 ... driving mode switching unit 43 ... own vehicle travel route acquisition unit 44 ... emergency vehicle travel route acquisition unit 45 ... evacuation determination unit 50 ... information storage 51: Facial feature pattern information storage unit, 52 ... Own vehicle travel route storage unit, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 ... Emergency vehicle travel route memory | storage part 61 ... Face image processing part 62 ... Face feature pattern extraction part 63 ... Face feature pattern judgment part D ... Emergency vehicle destination, E ... Emergency vehicle, L1 ... Vehicle travel Route, L1M: Travel route of the vehicle after the change, L2: Travel route of the emergency vehicle.

Claims (8)

An automatic driving support device used in a vehicle having an automatic driving control device,
A driver state determination unit that determines whether it is possible to switch from the automatic driving mode by the automatic driving control device to a manual driving mode in which the driver performs a driving operation by detecting a state of the driver of the vehicle;
An emergency vehicle travel route acquisition unit that acquires a travel route of the emergency vehicle from an emergency vehicle detection unit that detects an approach of the emergency vehicle to the vehicle;
When the approach of the emergency vehicle is detected by the emergency vehicle detection unit, and when it is determined by the driver state determination unit that switching to the manual operation mode is impossible, the traveling of the vehicle set in the automatic driving control device A travel route changing unit that changes a route to a travel route that does not overlap the travel route of the emergency vehicle acquired by the emergency vehicle travel route acquisition unit;
An automatic driving support device comprising: The travel route changing unit
A host vehicle travel route acquisition unit for acquiring a travel route of the vehicle from the automatic driving support device;
When the travel route of the vehicle acquired by the own vehicle travel route acquisition unit and the travel route of the emergency vehicle acquired by the emergency vehicle travel route acquisition unit are compared, and there is an overlapping part in both travel routes, An evacuation determination unit that causes the automatic driving control device to evacuate the vehicle from the travel route of the emergency vehicle by resetting the travel route of the vehicle to a travel route that does not overlap with the travel route of the emergency vehicle;
The automatic driving assistance device according to claim 1, comprising: The emergency vehicle travel route acquisition unit
When an approach of the emergency vehicle is detected by the emergency vehicle detection unit, or
When the emergency vehicle detection unit detects the approach of the emergency vehicle and the driver state determination unit determines that switching to the manual operation mode is impossible,
The automatic driving assistance device according to claim 1, wherein a travel route of the emergency vehicle is acquired.   The emergency vehicle travel route acquisition unit includes a communication device that receives a travel route of the emergency vehicle transmitted from a transmission device mounted on the emergency vehicle or installed near a road. The automatic driving assistance device according to any one of the above. The emergency vehicle detector is
A camera that images the surroundings of the vehicle and generates image information;
A sound collecting unit for obtaining sounds around the vehicle;
The communication device;
The automatic driving assistance device according to claim 4, comprising at least one of the following.   6. The wake-up device according to claim 1, further comprising a wake-up device that notifies the driver of the approach of the emergency vehicle and urges the driver to wake up when the emergency vehicle detection unit detects the approach of the emergency vehicle. The automatic driving assistance device according to any one of the above. An automatic driving support method executed by a device used in a vehicle having an automatic driving control device,
A driver state determination step for determining whether it is possible to switch from the automatic driving mode by the automatic driving control device to a manual driving mode for driving by the driver by detecting the state of the driver of the vehicle;
An emergency vehicle travel route obtaining step for obtaining a travel route of the emergency vehicle from an emergency vehicle detection unit for detecting an approach of the emergency vehicle to the vehicle;
When the emergency vehicle detection unit detects that the emergency vehicle is approaching and it is determined in the driver state determination step that switching to the manual operation mode is not possible, the traveling of the vehicle set in the automatic driving control device A travel route changing step for changing a route to a travel route that does not overlap the travel route of the emergency vehicle acquired in the emergency vehicle travel route acquisition step;
An automatic driving support method comprising:   The passenger support program which makes a computer perform the function of each part with which the passenger support apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 6 is provided.