JP2021091406A - Automatic driving control device and vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

To enable a part or the whole of the control being automatically executed to be forcibly stopped at an appropriate timing in a vehicle that can automatically execute a part or the whole of various kinds of driving control necessary for running without requiring a driver's operation.SOLUTION: An automatic driving control device mounted on a vehicle includes a driving mode setting part and an automatic control part. The driving mode setting part sets a vehicle driving mode either to a high degree automatic mode or to a basic mode. The automatic control part automatically executes an automatic driving operation, which is a driving operation set to be executed automatically, when the driving mode is set to the high degree automatic mode, and stops at least one of the automatic driving operations being executed when a predetermined cancellation-requiring event occurs.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Cross-reference of related applications

This international application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2014-234665 filed with the Japan Patent Office on November 19, 2014, and Japanese Patent Application No. 2014-234665. The entire contents are incorporated in this international application by reference.

According to the present disclosure, at least a part of the various driving actions of the driver necessary for driving the vehicle, such as various judgments and operations by the driver, can be automatically performed without requiring the driver's operation. Regarding possible automatic operation control devices.

Various technologies for realizing automatic driving of vehicles have been proposed and partially put into practical use. The following Patent Document 1 discloses an autonomous driving vehicle capable of autonomous driving according to a preset traveling plan.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-59274

It is considered that one of the ultimate goals of the autonomous driving technology is to set a destination and then allow the occupants to reach the destination without any involvement in driving. However, the current situation is that it has not yet reached a level of reliability that can achieve this.

In addition, as the autonomous driving technology becomes more sophisticated, it is desirable to be able to take appropriate measures against abnormalities in the in-vehicle computer for realizing autonomous driving. Specifically, when adopting autonomous driving technology, if necessary, at least part of the control that is being executed automatically is disabled and left to the driver's operation, or the behavior of the vehicle is forced in a safe direction. It is desirable to be able to control it.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, in a vehicle capable of automatically executing at least a part of various driving controls necessary for driving without requiring a driver's operation, at least a part of the automatically executed control is performed. It is desirable to be able to forcibly stop at an appropriate timing.

The automatic driving control device in one aspect of the present disclosure is mounted on a vehicle and includes a surrounding information acquisition unit, an operation mode setting unit, an automatic control unit, and a release-requiring event determination unit.
The surrounding information acquisition unit acquires surrounding information, which is information around the vehicle. More specifically, the surrounding information is information indicating the surrounding state of the vehicle, and is for automatically executing a plurality of types of driving operations necessary for driving the vehicle without requiring the driver's operation. This is the information you need.

The driving mode setting unit sets the driving mode of the vehicle to either a highly automated mode or a basic mode. The highly automated mode is a driving mode in which at least a part of the above-mentioned plurality of types of driving operations necessary for driving a vehicle is automatically executed based on surrounding information. The basic mode is an operation mode in which the types of automatic operation operations, which are the operation operations to be automatically executed, are less than or zero than those in the highly automated mode.

The automatic control unit executes the automatic operation operation set in the operation mode based on the operation mode set by the operation mode setting unit. The release-required event determination unit determines whether or not a predetermined release-required event has occurred, at least when the operation mode is the highly automated mode. The release-required event is a predetermined event for which at least one of the automatic driving operations set to be executed should be released (execution stopped).

The automatic control unit is set to execute when the operation mode is set to at least the highly automated mode and the release-required event determination unit determines that a release-required event has occurred. Stop its execution for at least one of.

According to the automatic driving control device configured in this way, it is necessary when the driving mode is set to at least the highly automated mode (that is, when at least one automatic driving operation is set to be executed). When a release event occurs, at least one of the automatic driving operations that should be originally executed is released from the execution target and is not executed by the automatic control unit.

Therefore, even if a release-requiring event occurs in which the automatic driving operation may not be performed normally, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from unintentionally becoming unstable.
When the operation mode is set to an operation mode having at least one automatic operation operation to be executed, the automatic control unit determines that a release-required event has occurred by the release-required event determination unit. You may want to stop all the automatic driving operations that should be performed in the driving mode. That is, when a release-required event occurs, the automatic operation by the automatic control unit is prevented from being performed. By doing so, even if a release-required event occurs that may prevent the automatic driving operation from being performed normally, it is possible to more reliably suppress the unintentional instability of the vehicle running. Can be done.

Here, a notification unit and a cancellation permission determination unit may be provided. When the release-requiring event determination unit determines that the release-required event has occurred, the notification unit notifies the occupants of the vehicle that the release-required event has occurred. The release permission determination unit determines whether or not a specific release permission operation has been performed by the occupants of the vehicle after the notification by the notification unit. When the release permission determination unit determines that the release permission operation has been performed, the automatic control unit may stop the execution of the automatic operation operation to be stopped. Then, when the automatic control unit does not determine that the release permission operation has been performed by the release permission determination unit, the automatic control unit executes a predetermined automatic stop process for stopping the running of the vehicle. It may be.

In the automatic operation control device configured in this way, when a release-required event occurs, the execution of the automatic operation operation is not unconditionally stopped, but is notified in advance. Then, when the occupant of the vehicle indicates his / her intention in response to the notification, the execution of the automatic driving operation is stopped. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the running state of the vehicle from becoming unstable by stopping the execution of the automatic driving operation.

FIG. 1A is a side view of the vehicle of the embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a top view of the vehicle of the embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the electric structure of the vehicle of 1st Embodiment. FIG. 3A is an explanatory diagram showing the automatic operation level of each operation mode, and FIG. 3B is an explanatory diagram showing that the control content at each automatic operation level may be arbitrarily set. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the outline of automatic operation. It is a flowchart of the automatic operation level setting process. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the automatic operation cancellation confirmation processing in the automatic operation level setting process of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the system monitoring process in the automatic operation cancellation confirmation process of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the inside / outside behavior monitoring processing in the automatic operation cancellation confirmation processing of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the environment monitoring processing in the automatic operation cancellation confirmation processing of FIG. 10A is a flowchart of the traveling history recording process, and FIG. 10B is a flowchart showing the details of the self-diagnosis process in the automatic operation cancellation confirmation process of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the electric structure of the vehicle of 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart of the control state monitoring process of 2nd Embodiment.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.
[First Embodiment]
(1) Configuration of Vehicle 1 FIG. 1A shows a side view of the vehicle 1 of the present embodiment, and FIG. 1B shows a top view of the vehicle 1. However, FIGS. 1A and 1B briefly illustrate the arrangement state of various cameras, radars, sensors, etc. in the vehicle 1 mainly for the purpose of clarifying the arrangement state.

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the vehicle 1 has at least a front camera 2, a rear camera 3, a left side camera 4, a right side camera 5, and an indoor camera as cameras for photographing the inside and outside of the vehicle 1. It has a 6. Each of the cameras 2 to 6 is a camera capable of capturing color images and moving images. Each of the cameras 2 to 6 may be a monocular camera, or may be a stereo camera that can acquire information in the depth direction by providing a plurality of lenses.

The front camera 2 is provided so as to face forward on the front end side of the ceiling in the vehicle interior. With this front camera 2, the front of the vehicle 1 can be photographed in a wide range. The rear camera 3 is provided so as to face rearward on the rear end side of the ceiling in the vehicle interior. With this rear camera 3, it is possible to take a picture of the rear of the vehicle 1 in a wide range.

The left side camera 4 is provided so as to face the left side on the left side surface of the vehicle 1. With this left-side camera 4, the left side of the vehicle 1 can be photographed in a wide range. The right side camera 5 is provided so as to face the right side on the right side surface of the vehicle 1. With this right-side camera 5, the right side of the vehicle 1 can be photographed in a wide range.

The indoor camera 6 is provided so as to face the rear (inside the vehicle) on the front end side of the ceiling in the vehicle interior. With this indoor camera 6, at least the upper body of the driver can be photographed in the vehicle interior.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the vehicle 1 includes a front radar device 11, a rear radar device 12, a left radar device 13, and a right radar device 14. Each radar device 11 to 14 is a millimeter wave radar in this embodiment. As is well known, millimeter-wave radar is based on the relationship between transmitted waves and each received wave and the mutual relationship between received waves by transmitting millimeter-wave radio waves and receiving the reflected waves with multiple receiving antennas. This is a radar that can detect target information related to the target around the vehicle 1. The target information that can be detected by each radar device 11 to 14 includes the presence / absence of a target in the detection direction, the distance to the target, the direction of the target with respect to the vehicle 1, and the moving speed of the target (relative to the vehicle 1). Relative velocity) and so on.

Specifically, the forward radar device 11 is provided at the front end of the vehicle 1 and transmits / receives millimeter waves of a predetermined frequency to the front of the vehicle 1. The forward radar device 11 can acquire target information regarding the target in front of the vehicle 1. The rear radar device 12 is provided at the rear end of the vehicle 1 and transmits / receives millimeter waves of a predetermined frequency to the rear of the vehicle 1. With this rear radar device 12, it is possible to acquire the target information regarding the target behind the vehicle 1. The left-side radar device 13 is provided on the left side surface of the vehicle 1 and transmits / receives millimeter waves of a predetermined frequency to the left side of the vehicle 1. The left-side radar device 13 can acquire target information regarding the target on the left side of the vehicle 1. The right-side radar device 14 is provided on the right side surface of the vehicle 1 and transmits / receives millimeter waves of a predetermined frequency to the right side of the vehicle 1. The right-side radar device 14 can acquire target information regarding the target on the right side of the vehicle 1.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the vehicle 1 includes a solar radiation sensor 16 and a rainfall sensor 17. The solar radiation sensor 16 is installed in the lower part of the front window 9 in front of the vehicle interior. The solar radiation sensor 16 can detect the amount of solar radiation to the vehicle 1, and thus the brightness around the vehicle 1. The rainfall sensor 17 is installed in the upper part of the front window 9 on the vehicle interior side. The rainfall sensor 17 can detect the presence or absence of rainfall and the amount of rainfall.

(2) Electrical Configuration of Vehicle 1 The electrical configuration of vehicle 1 will be specifically described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle 1 includes an automatic driving control device 30. The automatic operation control device 30 mainly has a mode switching function and an automatic operation function. The mode switching function is a function of setting the driving mode of the vehicle 1 to either a highly automated mode or a basic mode. The automatic operation function is a function that executes automatic operation according to the automatic operation level of the set operation mode (see FIG. 3A. Details will be described later). As will be described later, the automatic driving control device 30 appropriately switches the driving mode of the vehicle 1 according to various factors such as the running state of the vehicle 1, the surrounding condition of the vehicle 1, and the state of the driver of the vehicle 1.

Types of automatic driving of vehicles include partially automatic driving and fully automatic driving. Partially automatic driving is automatic driving in which a part of the various driving actions of the driver required to drive the vehicle is automated. Note that automation here means that it can be executed without requiring driver's operation or the like. Fully automatic driving is a form of automatic driving in which all driving to a set destination is automated without requiring a driver's operation or the like. A parameter indicating the type and number of driving operations that are automated in automatic driving is hereinafter referred to as an automatic driving level. Fully automated driving has a higher level of automated driving than partially automated driving. In addition, there are various levels of partially automated driving depending on the type and number of automated driving operations.

The vehicle 1 of the present embodiment is configured so that the automatic driving control device 30 enables not only partial automatic driving but also fully automatic driving. In the present embodiment, the driver can arbitrarily change the setting of the automatic driving level, that is, which of the various driving actions required for driving is automated and which action is performed by the driver.

More specifically, in the present embodiment, as the main automatic control functions for realizing fully automatic driving, automatic start / stop control, lane keeping control, inter-vehicle distance control, lane change control, right / left turn control, collision suppression control , And parking control. The automatic operation control device 30 can execute these seven types of automatic control functions, and by executing all of these seven types of automatic control functions, fully automatic operation can be realized.

On the contrary, partial automatic operation is realized by executing any 6 or less of the above 7 types of automatic control functions. In the present embodiment, it is possible to arbitrarily set which of the above seven types of automatic control functions is to be executed in the highly automated mode.

The specific contents of the seven types of automatic control functions will be described in detail later.
The automatic operation level becomes higher as the number of functions to be executed out of the above seven types of automatic control functions increases. Specifically, the automatic operation level when none of the above seven types of automatic control functions is executed is level 0. When n types of the above seven types of automatic control functions are executed, the automatic operation level is level n. Therefore, in the level 0 operation mode, it is necessary for the driver to determine and operate the control operation corresponding to the seven types of automatic control functions. On the other hand, the operation modes of levels 1 to 6 are operation modes in which partial automatic operation is performed. The level 7 operation mode is an operation mode in which fully automatic operation is performed.

In the present embodiment, the highly automated mode is an operation mode in which automatic operation is performed at an automatic operation level of level 1 or higher. On the other hand, the basic mode is an operation mode in which the automatic operation level is relatively low with respect to the highly automated mode. For example, when the advanced automation mode is level n, the basic mode can be set to any of levels n-1 to 0.

In the present embodiment, for the sake of simplification and comprehensibility of the description, the basic mode will be described assuming that the automatic operation level is set to level 0. Level 0 is a level at which all of the above seven types of automatic control functions are not executed, and the driver needs to perform most of the various driving operations required for driving.

The automatic operation control device 30 has a control unit 30a and a memory 30b. The memory 30b specifically includes a ROM, a RAM, and various other storage media (for example, EEPROM, flash memory). The control unit 30a realizes various functions including the above-mentioned mode switching function and automatic operation function by executing various programs stored in the memory 30b. The control unit 30a includes at least a CPU.

Various programs stored in the memory 30b include programs (so-called security software) capable of detecting unauthorized operations from the outside, computer viruses, malicious software and data (hereinafter collectively referred to as "malware factors"). )It is included. The control unit 30a monitors the presence or absence of fraudulent factors at any time by making this security software resident during startup. Then, when a fraud factor occurs, various fraud handling processes are executed. The fraud handling process also includes a process of forcibly setting the automatic operation level to level 0 so that the automatic control function is not activated at all. In addition, various specific contents of the fraud handling process can be considered. For example, a warning by voice or the like may be output to the driver, or the vehicle 1 may be forcibly decelerated or stopped. Further, the connection between the control unit 30a and the communication units 31 to 35 may be physically cut off so that the automatic operation control device 30 cannot be accessed from the outside via wireless communication.

The cameras 2 to 6 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the radar devices 11 to 14 and the sensors 21 to 23 are connected to the automatic operation control device 30. The control unit 30a of the automatic operation control device 30 individually controls the operations of the cameras 2 to 6, and acquires the shooting results (image data) from the cameras 2 to 6 and stores them in the memory 30b. Image data acquisition and storage are repeated at predetermined time intervals.

The control unit 30a can recognize various situations inside and outside the vehicle based on the image data of the cameras 2 to 6. For example, from the image data of the indoor camera 6, it is possible to recognize the movement, facial expression, line of sight, eye condition, etc. of the occupant (mainly the driver).

As a result, the control unit 30a can determine whether or not the driver is exhibiting abnormal behavior based on the image data of the indoor camera 6. The abnormal behavior of the driver here is a state in which the driver himself / herself may not be able to operate the vehicle 1 normally, and the automatic driving function is not operating normally, so that the driver feels uneasy about the operation of the vehicle 1. It means that it is in one of the states of being. Specific examples of the former include being overlooked, dozing, and fainting. A specific example of the latter is that the driver has a look of surprise, anxiety, and fear.

Further, the control unit 30a is based on the image data of the front camera 2, and the front vehicle, the oncoming vehicle, the vehicle in the adjacent lane traveling diagonally forward, the lane dividing line, the pedestrian crossing, the pedestrian, the intersection, and the intersection at the intersection. Various images of the approach of other vehicles on the road, the contents of road signs, traffic lights, signs, etc. in the direction of travel, rainfall conditions, snowfall conditions, fog generation conditions, ambient brightness, and other objects around the vehicle. It can be recognized by the recognition process. The recognizable road sign includes characters and marks drawn on the road surface.

As a result, the control unit 30a can recognize the behavior of the pedestrian, the behavior and line of sight of the pedestrian, the presence or absence of passing from the oncoming vehicle, the weather condition, etc., based on the image data of the front camera 2. More specifically, it is possible to recognize that it is raining or snowing more than a predetermined amount, that thick fog is generated, and the like as the weather condition. From the behavior of the pedestrian, it is possible to recognize whether or not the pedestrian feels anxious about the vehicle 1. More specifically, when a pedestrian is looking at the vehicle 1 and the facial expression expresses specific emotions such as surprise, worry, and fear, it can be determined that the pedestrian feels anxious about the vehicle 1. .. Further, when the line of sight of a predetermined number or more of pedestrians is directed to the vehicle 1, it can be recognized that the vehicle 1 may not be operating normally.

Further, the control unit 30a recognizes the distance to the vehicle in front and the relative speed based on the image data of the front camera 2, recognizes the traveling state of the own vehicle with respect to the traveling road, and displays the contents of the road sign and the signboard. Can be recognized. Therefore, based on the recognition result of the contents of the road sign or the signboard, it is possible to recognize various sign information such as the speed limit, the necessity of pausing, and the possibility of parking / stopping. It can also be recognized, for example, in accident-prone areas, school zones, and other specific environments (eg, areas with high animal infestation).

Further, the control unit 30a is a sign drawn on a vehicle behind, a vehicle in an adjacent lane traveling diagonally behind, ambient brightness, pedestrians, and a road surface based on the image data of the rear camera 3. Information and other objects around the vehicle can be recognized by various image recognition processes.

As a result, the control unit 30a can recognize, for example, the relative distance and relative speed between the own vehicle and the rear vehicle, and the presence or absence of passing from the rear vehicle, based on the image data of the rear camera 3. Further, as with the image data of the front camera 2, the image data of the rear camera 3 can also recognize the behavior of a pedestrian, the behavior of a pedestrian, the line of sight, the weather condition, and the like.

Further, the control unit 30a is based on the image data of the left side camera 4 and the right side camera 5, and the vehicle on the side of the own vehicle (including the vehicle on the left front, the left rear, the right front, and the right rear vehicle) and the own vehicle lane side. Road signs, lane dividing lines, pedestrians, ambient brightness, and other objects around the vehicle can be recognized by various image recognition processes.

As a result, the control unit 30a can recognize, for example, the relative distance and the relative speed between the own vehicle and the side vehicle based on the image data of the side cameras 4 and 5. Further, as with the image data of the front camera 2, the image data of the side cameras 4 and 5 can also recognize the behavior of the pedestrian, the behavior of the pedestrian, the line of sight, the weather condition, and the like.

Further, the control unit 30a of the automatic operation control device 30 individually controls each radar device 11 to 14, acquires a target detection result from each radar device 11 to 14, and stores it in the memory 30b. The acquisition and storage of the detection results from the radar devices 11 to 14 are repeated at predetermined time intervals. Based on the detection results of the radar devices 11 to 14, the control unit 30a calculates and acquires the presence / absence of the target, the distance to the target, the direction of the target, the relative speed of the target as seen from the vehicle 1, and the like. be able to.

From the detection result of the forward radar device 11, it is possible to mainly acquire information on the target in front of the vehicle (including diagonally forward left and right). From the detection result of the rear radar device 12, it is possible to mainly acquire information on the target behind the vehicle (including diagonally left and right rear). From the detection result of the left-side radar device 13, it is possible to mainly acquire information on the target on the left side of the vehicle (including the front left and the rear left). From the detection result of the right-side radar device 14, it is possible to mainly acquire information on the target on the right side of the vehicle (including the front right and the rear right).

Further, the control unit 30a of the automatic driving control device 30 determines the brightness of the driving environment based on the detection signal from the solar radiation sensor 16, and determines the brightness of the driving environment at night or in a similar situation (hereinafter, simply referred to as "night"). You can judge if there is. The vehicle 1 is provided with a headlight (not shown). The headlights can be turned on and off by operating the driver, and can be turned on and off automatically by setting the light mode to the auto mode. When the light mode is set to the auto mode, the control unit 30a automatically turns on the headlights when it determines that it is nighttime based on the detection signal from the solar radiation sensor 16, and when it is not nighttime, the control unit 30a automatically turns on the headlights. Turns off the headlights automatically. Further, in the present embodiment, when the operation mode is set to the highly automated mode, the light mode is forcibly set to the ode mode.

Further, the control unit 30a of the automatic operation control device 30 can determine the presence or absence of rainfall and the amount of rainfall based on the detection signal from the rainfall sensor 17.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle 1 has a wheel speed sensor 18, a current sensor 19, a steering amount sensor 20, an in-vehicle contact sensor 21, and an engine room temperature sensor 22 as components connected to the automatic driving control device 30. , Engine room sound sensor 23, tire pressure sensor 24, suspension sensor 25, vehicle exterior sound sensor 26, and impact sensor 27.

The wheel speed sensors 18 are provided on each of the four front, rear, left, and right wheels of the vehicle 1 and output detection signals (wheel speed signals) indicating the rotational speeds of the corresponding wheels. The wheel speed signals from the wheel speed sensors 18 are input to the automatic driving control device 30.

The control unit 30a can detect the rotation speed of each wheel based on the wheel speed signal from each wheel speed sensor 18. Then, from the detection result, for example, it is possible to detect whether or not slip has occurred.

The current sensor 19 is provided for one or a plurality of electric wirings provided in the vehicle 1, and outputs a detection signal (current detection signal) indicating a current flowing through the electric wirings. The current detection signal from the current sensor 19 is input to the automatic operation control device 30.

The control unit 30a can detect the current of the corresponding electrical wiring based on the current detection signal from the current sensor 19. Then, from the detection result, for example, it is possible to detect whether or not an overcurrent is flowing in a specific electric wiring. The overcurrent referred to here is a large current that theoretically does not flow when the vehicle 1 is operating normally, and for example, a large current or a surge current that may be generated by a lightning strike can be considered.

The current sensor 19 may be provided on the vehicle body of the vehicle 1 so that the current flowing through the vehicle body can be detected. By doing so, when a lightning strike occurs in the vehicle 1, a large current flowing through the vehicle 1 to the ground can be detected. Where and how the current sensor 19 is installed may be appropriately determined so that it can detect that the vehicle 1 has been hit by a lightning strike.

The steering amount sensor 20 is provided to directly or indirectly detect the steering amount of the steering wheels. The steering amount sensor 20 may be provided on, for example, a column shaft connecting the steering wheel 10 (see FIGS. 1A and 1B) and the steering mechanism. However, the vehicle 1 of the present embodiment is provided with an electric power steering device capable of controlling the steering of the steering wheels by a motor, and the rotation for detecting the rotation position (and thus the steering state) of the motor for steering control. It has a sensor. Therefore, the steering amount sensor 20 may not be provided independently, and the rotation sensor may be used as the steering amount sensor 20. That is, the specific configuration and installation location of the steering amount sensor 20 may be appropriately determined so that the steering amount can be detected.

The control unit 30a can detect the steering amount of the steering wheels based on the detection signal from the steering amount sensor 20. Then, from the detection result, for example, the change state and the rate of change of the steering amount can be detected. As a result, when the driving level is set so that steering is automatically performed (that is, when at least one of lane keeping control, lane change control, and right / left turn control is executed). ), It can be determined whether or not the automatic steering control is properly performed. Specifically, for example, when the rate of change in the steering amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (that is, when the rate of change is excessive), it can be determined that the automatic steering control is not normally performed. Alternatively, if the vehicle is not traveling along the lane (for example, it is out of the lane dividing line), or if it goes straight where it should turn right or left, the automatic steering control is not performed normally. I can judge.

The in-vehicle contact sensor 21 is a sensor for detecting that the occupant of the vehicle 1 has touched a specific portion in the vehicle, and is provided at the specific portion (hereinafter, also referred to as “in-vehicle specific contact portion”). The specific contact portion in the vehicle can be appropriately determined, and for example, a specific portion in the driver's seat, the steering wheel 10 or its vicinity, and the like can be considered.

The in-vehicle contact sensor 21 is used to enable the driver to quickly (urgently) cancel the automatic driving when the automatic driving level of the vehicle 1 is set to level 1 or higher, as will be described later. It is provided. That is, when the automatic driving level is level 1 or higher and the driver wants to cancel the automatic driving for some reason, if the driver touches a specific contact portion in the vehicle, the automatic driving is forcibly canceled. Therefore, the specific configuration and installation location of the in-vehicle contact sensor 21 may be appropriately determined so that the driver can detect that the driver has touched the specific in-vehicle contact portion.

Regarding automatic operation, "cancellation" means that the automatic operation level is set to level 0 in the present embodiment. However, that is just an example. For example, stopping at least one of the currently executed automatic control functions may be defined as "cancellation" of automatic operation. For example, when an automatic control function is operating and the driver feels that the automatic control function may not be operating normally and touches a specific contact area in the vehicle, at least one of the automatic control functions is included. Forcibly stopping a plurality of automatic control functions may be defined as "cancellation" of automatic operation.

The engine room temperature sensor 22 is provided in a predetermined portion in the engine room of the vehicle 1 or in the vicinity of the engine room, and outputs a detection signal according to the temperature of the engine room. The control unit 30a can detect the temperature of the engine room based on the detection signal from the engine room temperature sensor 22. Then, when the detected temperature of the engine room is excessive (for example, when it is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature threshold value), it can be determined that some abnormality has occurred in the engine or its surroundings.

The engine room sound sensor 23 is provided in a predetermined portion in the engine room of the vehicle 1 or in the vicinity of the engine room mainly for the purpose of detecting the sound generated in the engine room, and depends on the volume around the installation portion. Output the detection signal. The control unit 30a can detect the sound generated in the engine room based on the detection signal from the engine room sound sensor 23. Then, when the detected sound in the engine room is excessive (for example, when it is equal to or higher than a predetermined volume threshold value), it can be determined that some abnormality has occurred in the engine or its surroundings.

The tire pressure sensors 24 are provided on each of the four front, rear, left, and right wheels of the vehicle 1 and output detection signals (air pressure signals) indicating the tire pressures of the corresponding wheels. The air pressure signals from the tire pressure sensors 24 are input to the automatic driving control device 30.

The control unit 30a can detect the tire pressure of each wheel based on the air pressure signal from each tire pressure sensor 24. Then, from the detection result, for example, it is possible to detect whether or not an abnormality (for example, a flat tire) has occurred in any of the tires.

The suspension sensor 25 outputs a detection signal indicating the amount of expansion and contraction of the suspension (for example, the amount of expansion and contraction of the shock absorber or the spring) of the vehicle 1. The control unit 30a can detect the behavior of the vehicle 1 (mainly the behavior in the vertical direction) based on the detection signal from the suspension sensor 25. When the automatic driving level of the vehicle 1 is set to level 1 or higher, if the automatic control function to be executed is not operating normally, the behavior of the vehicle 1 may become unstable. For example, unstable behavior such as sudden start, sudden stop, and sharp turn may automatically occur. Such unstable behavior appears as the behavior of the suspension. Therefore, the control unit 30a can determine the stability of the behavior of the vehicle 1 based on the detection signal from the suspension sensor 25 (that is, based on the amount of expansion and contraction of the suspension itself or the rate of change thereof), and by extension, the automatic control function can be used. If it is operating, it can be determined whether or not the automatic control function is operating normally.

The vehicle external sound sensor 26 is provided mainly for the purpose of detecting the sound generated around the vehicle 1. The control unit 30a can detect the type and volume of the sound generated around the vehicle 1 based on the detection signal from the vehicle exterior sound sensor 26. For example, if another vehicle is honking, it can be detected.

When an impact is applied to the vehicle 1 from the outside of the vehicle 1, the impact sensor 27 outputs a detection signal according to the level of the impact. The control unit 30a can detect the presence / absence and level of an external impact on the vehicle 1 based on the detection signal from the impact sensor 27. The impact to be detected by the impact sensor 27 is relatively large, such as a collision with another vehicle or a road structure, or an impact generated when a person outside the vehicle 1 hits the vehicle 1. Includes a wide range of levels of impact, down to low levels of impact.

Further, as a component connected to the automatic driving control device 30, the vehicle 1 has a GPS communication unit 31, a vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit 32, a road-to-vehicle communication unit 33, a pedestrian-vehicle communication unit 34, and a vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit 34, as shown in FIG. The LTE communication unit 35 is provided.

The GPS communication unit 31 receives radio waves from a plurality of GPS (Global Positioning System) satellites, and outputs information (GPS information) included in the received radio waves to the automatic driving control device 30. The control unit 30a of the automatic driving control device 30 can calculate the current position of the vehicle 1 based on the information received by the GPS communication unit 31.

Further, the automatic driving control device 30 has a route guidance function which is one of various element functions for realizing the automatic driving function. The route guidance function calculates an appropriate route from the current position to the destination based on the current position of the vehicle 1 calculated based on GPS information and the destination set by the driver, and the vehicle 1 calculates the route. It is a function of guiding and controlling the vehicle 1 so as to travel to the destination along the line.

The route guidance function includes a function to recognize the road conditions around the vehicle 1 (for example, the shape and width of the route to the destination), the presence / absence of infrastructure in the direction of travel, the operating state, etc. (for example, the traffic light in the direction of travel). It also includes a function to recognize the status, the presence or absence of intersections, the presence or absence of pedestrian crossings, speed limits, regulation information, etc.). The control unit 30a also realizes the guidance control by using these various recognition results.

The content of the guidance control of the vehicle 1 in the route guidance function differs depending on the automatic driving level. For example, when the automatic operation level is set to level 7 of fully automatic operation, the guidance control is applied to a plurality of types (7 types as described above in this embodiment) of automatic control functions for realizing fully automatic operation. , It is the provision of route information (information on which direction and which route the vehicle should travel) necessary for executing the automatic control function. Further, for example, when the automatic operation level is set to a predetermined level 1 to 6 (partially automatic operation), which is lower than the fully automatic operation, the guidance control is partially automatic operation among a plurality of types of automatic control functions. It is to provide route information for necessary automatic control functions and to provide driving route guidance (for example, voice guidance) to the driver as necessary.

When the automatic operation level is set to any of levels 1 to 6, that is, when one or more of the seven types of automatic control functions are set to be executed, the control unit 30a serves as guidance control. , At least provide the information necessary for the set automatic control function.

Map data and various other data necessary for the route guidance function are stored in the memory 30b. The control unit 30a realizes the route guidance function (that is, the above-mentioned guidance control) by executing the program for the route guidance function stored in the memory 30b while referring to the various data.

The vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit 32 is a communication module for wirelessly transmitting and receiving various data to and from vehicles other than the own vehicle. The control unit 30a of the automatic driving control device 30 can acquire information on other vehicles in the vicinity (for example, traveling direction, traveling speed, position, etc.) via the vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit 32. On the contrary, the information of the own vehicle 1 can be transmitted to another vehicle.

The control unit 30a can also know the relative relationship between the own vehicle and the amount of the other vehicle by acquiring the position and the traveling state of the other vehicle by the inter-vehicle communication. For example, it is possible to detect the relative distance and relative speed between the own vehicle and another vehicle.

In addition, there is information on the driving mode as information that can be transmitted and received by vehicle-to-vehicle communication. The control unit 30a can also send and receive information such as whether the operation mode is set to the highly automated mode or the basic mode, and what level the automatic operation level is in the set operation mode.

The road-to-vehicle communication unit 33 is a communication module for receiving various information wirelessly transmitted from the road communication device 81 (see FIG. 4) provided on the road (ground side). Various information received by the road-to-vehicle communication unit 33 is input to the automatic driving control device 30.

The road communication device 81 is connected to a server (not shown), receives various information from the server, and wirelessly transmits it within a predetermined area around it. Various types of road traffic information such as various infrastructure information (for example, traffic light information, road regulation information, various information on other driving routes, etc.) and existence information of other vehicles and pedestrians are collected on the server. To. Based on the aggregated road traffic information, the server transmits individual road information related to the road communication device 81 for each road communication device 81. The individual road information is information for a vehicle traveling in the communication area of the road communication device 81, and is various road traffic information in the communication area and ahead of the area (traveling direction side). ) Various traffic information at the same time. Each road communication device 81 wirelessly transmits the individual road information transmitted from the server within a predetermined communication area.

The control unit 30a of the automatic driving control device 30 can acquire various road traffic information regarding the surroundings of the own vehicle and the traveling road in the traveling direction via the road-to-vehicle communication unit 33. Information that can be acquired by the control unit 30a via the road-to-vehicle communication unit 33 includes driving sections that require caution in driving, such as accident-prone areas, school zones, and areas where animals appear (hereinafter referred to as "needs attention"". Includes section information about). The control unit 30a determines whether or not the vehicle 1 is traveling in the section requiring attention indicated by the section information, and how long it will take to enter the section requiring attention, etc., by linking the acquired section information and the route guidance function. It is possible to recognize the relative relationship between the section requiring attention and the vehicle 1. As the section information, it may be possible to acquire information on a section or a point other than the section requiring attention.

A camera 82 is mounted on each road communication device 81 illustrated in FIG. 4. Each camera 82 photographs the road side and transmits the photographed data to the server via the network.

The server can acquire road traffic information around the camera from the shooting data transmitted from each camera 82. Specifically, the server can recognize the shape of the road, the lane, and the state of the traffic light from the shooting data. The server can also recognize the running state and number of the running vehicle. The server can also determine whether or not the vehicle in the shooting data is traveling normally based on the shooting data. For example, if the traffic light is red but the vehicle passes without stopping, it can be determined that the vehicle is not traveling normally.

In addition, various information regarding the state of the vehicle 1 can be transmitted from the vehicle 1 via the road-to-vehicle communication unit 33. The transmission information transmitted from the vehicle 1 is received by the road communication device 81 and aggregated in the server. The server can individually recognize and manage the states of a plurality of vehicles including the vehicle 1, and can also notify a specific vehicle of the states of other vehicles other than that vehicle, if necessary. Therefore, for example, it is possible to know information such as what level the automatic driving level is set in other vehicles around the own vehicle, that is, how much the automatic control function is operating in other vehicles in the vicinity.

The pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit 34 is a communication module for wirelessly communicating with a communication terminal (for example, a mobile phone or a smartphone) possessed by a pedestrian on the ground side. When the communication terminal possessed by a pedestrian is configured to wirelessly transmit terminal position information indicating the position of the communication terminal (that is, the position of the pedestrian), the terminal position information transmitted from the communication terminal. Can be received by the pedestrian communication unit 34. The terminal position information received by the pedestrian communication unit 34 is input to the automatic driving control device 30. The automatic driving control device 30 informs the pedestrian of the position information of the vehicle 1 by wirelessly transmitting various information such as the position information of the vehicle 1 from the pedestrian communication unit 34 to the communication terminal of the pedestrian. You can also.

The control unit 30a of the automatic driving control device 30 can know the position and movement of a pedestrian based on the terminal position information received via the inter-pedestrian communication unit 34. The presence / absence and movement of pedestrians can be detected by each of the above-mentioned cameras and radar devices, but in addition, the presence / absence of pedestrians and the jumping out of pedestrians can be detected from the information obtained via the inter-pedestrian communication unit 34. Can be detected.

The LTE communication unit 35 is a communication module for realizing wireless communication by LTE, which is a well-known communication standard for mobile phones. The control unit 30a acquires various information necessary for automatic driving of the vehicle 1 and updates existing information (for example, update of map data) via the LTE communication unit 35 (that is, by LTE wireless communication). be able to. It is not essential to acquire or update such various information by LTE wireless communication, and other wireless communication may be used.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle 1 has an operation unit 36, a display unit 37, a speaker 38, an automatic driving switch 41, and a level setting operation unit as components connected to the automatic driving control device 30. A 42, an emergency stop lever 43, and a release reset switch 44 are provided.

The operation unit 36 is an input interface for receiving various input operations to the vehicle 1 by the occupants of the vehicle 1 including the driver. The display unit 37 is an output interface for visually providing various information to the occupants of the vehicle 1 including the driver. Various information including map information in the route guidance function is also displayed on the display unit 37. The speaker 38 outputs voice based on various voice signals output from the automatic driving control device 30.

The automatic driving switch 41 is a switch for changing the driving mode of the vehicle 1 to a highly automated mode. The driver of the vehicle 1 needs to switch the automatic driving switch 41 to the on side in order to set the driving mode to the highly automated mode and execute the automatic driving. On the other hand, when the automatic operation switch 41 is switched to the off side, the operation mode is set to the basic mode.

The emergency stop lever 43 is an operating means for forcibly canceling the automatic driving (that is, forcibly switching the automatic driving level to level 0) when the automatic driving level of the vehicle 1 is level 1 or higher, and is an operation means in the vehicle interior. It is provided in a predetermined part (for example, heaven). If the emergency stop lever 43 is operated while the automatic driving level of the vehicle 1 is set to level 1 or higher, the automatic driving is forcibly released. When the driver recognizes that an unauthorized factor such as a computer virus or unauthorized operation has occurred, or when the driver recognizes that the automatic control function is not operating normally, the driver operates the emergency stop lever 43. , The automatic driving can be forcibly canceled, and the vehicle 1 can be driven by the driver's own driving operation.

The level setting operation unit 42 is a user interface for accepting an operation of setting an automatic driving level (details will be described later) by the driver.
The release reset switch 44 is a switch for resetting the release state after the automatic operation is forcibly released and the automatic operation level is forcibly set to level 0. In the present embodiment, as will be described later, when the automatic operation level is set to level 1 or higher and a predetermined release-required event for canceling the automatic operation occurs, the automatic operation is forcibly released. Will be done. Specifically, the automatic operation release flag described later is set.

When the automatic operation is forcibly released, the released state is maintained in principle (the set state of the automatic operation release flag is maintained), but the release state can be changed by pressing the release reset switch 44. It can be reset (reset the automatic operation release flag). When the release state is reset, the operation mode is set to the mode according to the operation state of the automatic operation switch, and the automatic operation level is set to the level according to the set operation mode (set by the level setting operation unit 42). Level) is set.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle 1 includes a traveling drive control unit 46, a brake control unit 47, and a steering control unit 48 as components connected to the automatic driving control device 30.

The travel drive control unit 46 controls an engine and a transmission (not shown) based on various information such as the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal (not shown), the operating position of the shift lever (not shown), the vehicle speed, and the engine speed. This controls the running of the vehicle 1.

On the other hand, when the automatic operation level is set to level 1 or higher, that is, when any of the above seven types of automatic control functions is executed, the automatic operation control device 30 realizes the automatic control function to be executed. The control information necessary for the operation is output to the traveling drive control unit 46. In this case, the traveling drive control unit 46 automatically controls the engine and the transmission according to the control information from the automatic driving control device 30 even if the accelerator pedal is not depressed. The vehicle 1 of the present embodiment includes an engine as a driving source for traveling, but the automatic driving control device of the present disclosure relates to a vehicle provided with a driving source for traveling (for example, an electric motor) other than the engine. Can also be applied. In that case, the travel drive control unit 46 shown in FIG. 2 has a function of controlling the travel drive source of the vehicle. When a driving drive source other than the engine is provided, the engine room temperature sensor 22 and the engine room sound sensor 23 described above are used for the purpose of detecting the temperature and sound of the driving drive source or its surroundings, respectively. It may be installed.

The brake control unit 47 controls a brake device (not shown) based on the amount of depression of the brake pedal (not shown). On the other hand, when the automatic operation level is set to level 1 or higher, that is, when any of the above seven types of automatic control functions is executed, the automatic operation control device 30 realizes the automatic control function to be executed. The control information necessary for the operation is output to the traveling drive control unit 46. In this case, the brake control unit 47 automatically controls the brake device according to the control information from the automatic driving control device 30 even if the brake pedal is not depressed.

The steering control unit 48 mainly has two functions. One is the so-called electric power steering function. That is, the operation of the steering wheel 10 by the driver is assisted by the motor. The other is an automatic steering function that automatically steers the steering wheels (for example, front wheels) of the vehicle 1 without requiring a driver's operation. Steering of the steering wheels is basically performed by the driver operating the steering wheel 10, but at least one of the above seven types of automatic control functions is executed except for automatic start / stop control and inter-vehicle distance control. If so, the steering control unit 48 automatically controls the steering of the steering wheels by controlling the motor according to the control information from the automatic driving control device 30 even if the driver does not operate the steering wheel 10. ..

(3) Description of Automatic Driving Function In the vehicle 1 of the present embodiment, the automatic driving control device 30 can acquire and detect various information necessary for realizing the above-mentioned automatic driving function.

As information that can be used to realize the automatic driving function, first, there is information such as the position and speed of the own vehicle (own vehicle information). The position of the own vehicle can be obtained by calculation based on GPS information. The own vehicle speed can be obtained by calculation based on a vehicle speed signal from a vehicle speed sensor (not shown), a detection signal from the steering amount sensor 20, a yaw rate signal from a yaw rate sensor (not shown), and the like. The vehicle speed can also be calculated from the rate of change in the vehicle position.

In addition, as information that can be used to realize the automatic driving function, there is also information on surrounding objects. Specifically, around the vehicle such as front vehicles, rear vehicles, side vehicles, oncoming vehicles, vehicles crossing the approaching intersection, pedestrians, bicycles, road structures and fixed installations, obstacles, etc. Information about the relative position, distance, and speed of various existing objects (including humans and animals) with respect to the vehicle.

Information on these surrounding objects can be acquired based on the shooting data of the cameras 2 to 5 and the detection results of the radar devices 11 to 14. Since various techniques for recognizing surrounding objects based on shooting data and detection results of radar devices have been proposed and put into practical use, the description thereof will be omitted here.

Information on surrounding objects can also be obtained by vehicle-to-vehicle communication, road-to-vehicle communication, and pedestrian-vehicle communication. For example, by performing vehicle-to-vehicle communication with surrounding vehicles, it is possible to recognize not only the surrounding vehicles that can be seen from the own vehicle but also the positions and movements of the surrounding vehicles that are blind spots from the own vehicle and are not directly visible. .. In road-to-vehicle communication, as described above, it is possible to acquire information on the existence of surrounding vehicles, pedestrians, and the like. In the inter-pedestrian communication, as described above, the position and movement of the pedestrian can be known based on the terminal position information received via the inter-pedestrian communication unit 34.

By using one or more of vehicle-to-vehicle communication, road-to-vehicle communication, and pedestrian-to-vehicle communication, for example, oncoming vehicle information can be acquired during normal driving (especially on a curve) or when turning right to prevent a head-on collision with an oncoming vehicle. Obtain information on left and rear two-wheeled vehicles to prevent two-wheeled vehicles from getting caught when turning left, obtain information on vehicles on the side (rear side) when changing lanes, and forward to prevent or suppress rear-end collisions. Acquire vehicle information, acquire information on other vehicles traveling on the side of the intersection to prevent head-on collisions at intersections, and acquire information on pedestrians to prevent collisions with pedestrians, etc. Can be done.

In addition, as information that can be used to realize the automatic driving function, there is also information on various road markings drawn directly on the road, such as a lane dividing line (including a parking dividing line), a pedestrian crossing, and a temporary stop line. Information on the road markings includes the position and contents of the road markings. Information on these road markings can be acquired based on the shooting data of each of the cameras 2 to 6. Since various techniques for recognizing road markings from shooting data have been proposed and put into practical use, the description thereof will be omitted here.

Information on road markings in the direction of travel can also be obtained by road-to-vehicle communication. Although the vehicle 1 of the present embodiment is not provided, it is possible to acquire information on various road markings by using a laser radar.

In addition, information that can be used to realize the automatic driving function includes information on traffic lights, railroad crossings, signs (including signboards), intersections, junctions / branch points, sidewalks, obstacles, dangerous parts, and other ground structures (hereinafter referred to as "" There is also "infrastructure-related information"). In addition to the presence and location of various objects mentioned above, infrastructure-related information includes information on the color of traffic lights, the operating status of railroad crossings, and the displayed contents of signs and signs. .. Infrastructure-related information can also be recognized and acquired based on the shooting data of each camera 2 to 6, and can also be acquired by road-to-vehicle communication. In addition, various infrastructure information can be acquired from the above-mentioned route guidance function based on GPS information, map data, and the like.

In addition, regulatory information is also available as information that can be used to realize the automatic driving function. For example, when driving restrictions are implemented due to construction work, accidents, natural disasters, etc. in the direction of travel, the regulation information can be obtained by road-to-vehicle communication.

Various information necessary for the realization of the automatic driving function (in this embodiment, the realization of the seven types of automatic control functions described above), such as the above-mentioned information on surrounding objects, information on road display, infrastructure-related information, and regulatory information. Of these, the information about the surroundings of the vehicle 1 corresponds to an example of the surrounding information of the present disclosure.

The automatic driving control device 30 acquires various types of information described above, and controls the traveling drive control unit 46, the brake control unit 47, the steering control unit 48, and other necessary in-vehicle devices based on the information, thereby automatically performing the driving control unit 46. Driving can be realized. Specifically, the above-mentioned seven types of automatic control functions can be executed. As described above, the seven types of automatic control functions in the present embodiment are automatic start / stop control, lane keeping control, inter-vehicle distance control, lane change control, right / left turn control, collision suppression control, and parking control.

The automatic start / stop control is a control that automatically stops the vehicle 1 when the condition to be stopped is satisfied during driving, and automatically starts the vehicle 1 when the condition to be stopped is canceled after the stop. is there. This control is performed using information on surrounding objects obtained from each camera 2 to 5 and radar sensors 11 to 14, infrastructure-related information and regulation information obtained by road-to-vehicle communication, in addition to own vehicle information. By this automatic start / stop control, for example, at an intersection or the like, if the color of the traffic light is blue, the traffic light is driven as it is, and if it is red or yellow, the traffic light is stopped. If it is recognized, it is stopped, and if the breaker is not down, it is stopped once and then started again. In addition, if an obstacle or the like is recognized ahead, it will be automatically stopped.

The lane keeping control is a control configured to automatically steer the steering wheels so that the own vehicle travels along the lane without deviating from the lane dividing line. This control is performed in cooperation with the route guidance function by using information on the road markings (particularly the vehicle division line) obtained from the cameras 2 to 5 and the radar sensors 11 to 14 in addition to the vehicle information.

The inter-vehicle distance control controls the speed so that the inter-vehicle distance from the other vehicle is kept at a constant distance when another vehicle is traveling in front of the own vehicle, and if there is no other vehicle in front, the set vehicle speed is used. It is a control to run. This control is performed mainly by using the information about the surrounding objects (particularly the vehicle in front) obtained from the cameras 2 to 5 and the radar sensors 11 to 14 in addition to the own vehicle information.

The lane change control detects another vehicle in the adjacent lane to be changed when a lane change (steering for changing lanes) is required, and the other vehicle is determined according to the presence / absence, position, speed, etc. of the other vehicle. It is a control that automatically changes lanes while controlling the driving force, braking force and steering so as not to collide with the vehicle. This control is obtained by information on the own vehicle, information on surrounding objects (particularly other vehicles in the adjacent lane) obtained from each camera 2-5 and each radar sensor 11-14, information on the vehicle division line, and vehicle-to-vehicle communication. This is done using information from other vehicles (vehicles traveling in adjacent lanes).

Right / left turn control is a control that automatically makes a right or left turn without colliding with an oncoming vehicle, a vehicle traveling on an intersection, other vehicles around the vehicle, pedestrians, etc. when a right or left turn is required. Is. In this control, in addition to own vehicle information, information on surrounding objects obtained from each camera 2-5 and each radar sensor 11-14, information on other vehicles obtained by vehicle-to-vehicle communication, pedestrians obtained by pedestrian-vehicle communication, etc. It is done using the information of.

Collision deterrence control is a control that automatically steers or brakes / stops the vehicle so as not to collide with the obstacle when an obstacle exists on the road in the direction of travel of the vehicle. This is performed using information on surrounding objects obtained from each camera 2-5 and each radar sensor 11-14, infrastructure-related information obtained by road-to-vehicle communication, regulatory information, and the like.

Parking control calculates the travel locus to the target parking position when a specific target parking position (for example, in the parking lot of a specific parking lot) is set as the destination, and drives the vehicle along the travel locus. It is a control that controls the force / braking force and steering to automatically park the vehicle.

It is configured so that the driver or the like can arbitrarily set which of the above seven types of control functions is to be executed, that is, the automatic driving level. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3A, the automatic operation level can be arbitrarily set in both the highly automated mode and the basic mode. However, for the basic mode, level 7 cannot be set, and any of levels 0 to 6 can be set. On the other hand, for the advanced automation mode, level 0 cannot be set, and any of levels 1 to 7 can be set. Further, the level of the basic mode can be set within a range of levels lower than the level of the highly automated mode. Conversely, the level of the highly automated mode can be set within a range of levels higher than the level of the basic mode.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A, control A (for example, lane keeping control) is executed at level 1. At level 2, control B (for example, inter-vehicle distance control) is executed in addition to control A. At level 3, control C (for example, automatic start / stop control) is executed in addition to controls A and B. At level 4, control D (for example, collision suppression control) is executed in addition to controls A, B, and C. At level 5, control E (for example, lane change control) is executed in addition to controls A, B, C, and D. At level 6, control F (for example, right / left turn control) is executed in addition to controls A, B, C, D, and E. At level 7, control G (for example, parking control) is executed in addition to controls A, B, C, D, E, and F. That is, the higher the level, the more types of automatic control functions to be executed, and at level 7, fully automatic operation is performed.

The level setting for each operation mode can be performed individually for each operation mode by operating the level setting operation unit 42 provided near the driver's seat. In the present embodiment, the automatic operation level in the basic mode is set to level 0 by default, and the automatic operation level in the advanced automation mode is set to level 1 by default. Then, the currently set automatic operation level can be arbitrarily changed for each operation mode. For example, when the basic mode is set to level 0, the advanced automation mode can be arbitrarily changed between levels 1 to 7. Further, for example, when the basic mode is set to level 1, the advanced automation mode can be arbitrarily changed between levels 2 to 7. Further, for example, when the advanced automation mode is set to level 4, the basic mode can be arbitrarily changed between level 0 and level 3.

It should be noted that which automatic control function is executed at which level is not limited to the content illustrated in FIG. 3A. For example, it is not essential that the number of automatic control functions executed each time the level goes up is increased by one. It may be appropriately decided which automatic control function is executed at which level.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, the contents of the control A to the control G are as shown in FIG. 3B, assuming that the automatic control function executed is increased by one each time the level is raised as shown in FIG. 3A. May be arbitrarily set by the driver or the like.

In the vehicle 1 of the present embodiment, when the automatic driving switch 41 is turned off, the driving mode is set to the basic mode. On the other hand, when the automatic operation switch 41 is turned on, the operation mode becomes the highly automated mode under certain conditions. If it is set to execute lane change control, right / left turn control, and parking control, it is necessary to set a destination (target parking position in the case of parking control). Specifically, the route guidance function may be activated and the destination may be input via the touch panel. When the destination is set, the automatic driving is basically performed along the calculated route to the destination while checking the position of the own vehicle in cooperation with the route guidance function. ..

Various control examples in the advanced automation mode when the automatic operation level in the advanced automation mode is set to level 7 will be described with reference to FIG. Each of the vehicles 61 to 67 shown in FIG. 4 has the same configuration as the vehicle 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. A vehicle traveling in the communication area of the road communication device 81 can receive individual road information from the road communication device 81. Of the vehicles in FIG. 4, at least four vehicles 61, 65, 66, 67 can receive individual road information from at least two road communication devices 81a, 81b in the vicinity thereof. Specifically, information on the traffic light 71 ahead, information on the oncoming vehicle 62, information on the pedestrian 76, and the like can be acquired.

Further, at least the vehicle 63 can receive individual road information from at least the road communication device 81c in the vicinity thereof. Specifically, it is possible to obtain information such as that there is a stop sign 73 (that is, that it should be stopped), that another vehicle 64 is approaching from the right side, and the like.

Further, at least the vehicle 64 can receive individual road information from at least the road communication device 81d in the vicinity thereof. Specifically, it is possible to acquire information such as that another vehicle 63 is approaching from the left side.

Further, at least the vehicle 62 can receive individual road information from at least the road communication device 81e in the vicinity thereof. Specifically, information such as information on the traffic light 72 ahead, the existence of an oncoming vehicle 61 trying to turn right, the presence of a pedestrian crossing in the direction of turning left, and the presence of a pedestrian 76 on the pedestrian crossing. You can get it.

In addition, each vehicle 61-66 can obtain various information from its own cameras 2-6 and each radar device 11-14, and can also obtain various information through vehicle-to-vehicle communication and pedestrian-vehicle communication. Can be done. For example, the vehicle 65 can detect the vehicle 67 in front and the vehicle 66 on the right side by a camera or a radar device, whereby the vehicle can travel or change lanes while maintaining an appropriate distance from the vehicle 67 in front. If necessary, the lane can be changed at an appropriate timing while considering the positional relationship with the vehicle 66 on the right side. The vehicle 65 can also detect the jumping out of the pedestrian 77 by a camera or a radar device. In that case, the vehicle 65 decelerates appropriately so as not to collide with the pedestrian 77 while considering the distance from the vehicle 65 behind. Control can be performed.

As a result, each vehicle 61-66 appropriately automatically travels on the traveling route to the destination while using various information such as various information obtained by the own vehicle and various information obtained from the roadside. Can be done. Specifically, each vehicle 61-66 mainly automatically controls the traveling drive control unit 46, the brake control unit 47, and the steering control unit 48, so that the vehicle can follow the traveling route while other vehicles, pedestrians, and others. It is possible to drive appropriately automatically so as not to come into contact with road structures and to comply with traffic lights and traffic rules.

(4) Automatic operation level setting process Next, the automatic operation level setting process executed by the control unit 30a of the automatic operation control device 30 will be described with reference to FIG. The automatic driving level setting process of FIG. 5 switches the driving mode of the vehicle 1 to either the highly automated mode or the basic mode, and determines whether or not the automatic driving should be canceled when the automatic driving level is level 1 or higher. This is a process for forcibly setting the automatic operation level to level 0 when it is determined that the automatic operation level should be canceled.

When the control unit 30a is activated by turning on a power switch (for example, an ignition switch) (not shown) of the vehicle 1, the control unit 30a reads the program of the automatic operation level setting process of FIG. 5 from the memory 30b and repeatedly executes it in a predetermined control cycle. To do.

When the automatic operation level setting process of FIG. 5 is started, the control unit 30a determines in S10 whether or not the automatic operation release flag is set. The automatic operation release flag is a flag that is set when it is determined that the automatic operation should be canceled, and specifically, it is set in S119 of FIG. 6 to be described later.

If the automatic operation release flag is set (S10: YES), the automatic operation level is set to level 0 in S70. That is, regardless of whether the operation mode is set to the highly automated mode or the basic mode, the automatic operation level is forcibly set to level 0 so that all the above-mentioned seven types of automatic control functions are not executed. Then, in S80, by performing a predetermined error notification, the occupant of the vehicle 1 is notified that the automatic driving has been forcibly canceled, and the automatic driving level setting process is completed.

While all 7 types of automatic control functions are not activated while this automatic operation release flag is set, the operation operation corresponding to the 7 types of automatic control functions (each automatic control function can automatically execute the operation). All driving operations must be performed by the driver himself. As described above, the automatic operation release flag can be reset by pressing the release reset switch 44.

If the automatic operation release flag is not set in S10 (S10: NO), it is determined in S20 whether or not the emergency stop flag is set. The emergency stop flag is a flag that is set when it is determined that the vehicle 1 should be stopped urgently, and specifically, is a flag that is set in S120 of FIG. 6 to be described later.

If the emergency stop flag is set (S20: YES), the emergency stop process is executed in S90. The emergency stop process is a process for stopping the vehicle 1 as soon as possible while maintaining safety. The specific processing content of the emergency stop processing may be appropriately determined so that the vehicle can be stopped as soon as possible while maintaining safety. For example, while monitoring with each camera and each radar device so as not to come into contact with objects outside the vehicle (including other vehicles and pedestrians), the process of decelerating the vehicle 1 and bringing it to the shoulder to stop the vehicle. The content is conceivable.

If the emergency stop flag is not set in S20 (S20: NO), it is determined in S30 whether or not the automatic operation switch 41 is turned on. If the automatic operation switch 41 is turned on (S30: YES), the operation mode is set to the highly automated mode in S40, and the process proceeds to S60. When the automatic operation switch 41 is turned off (S30: NO), the operation mode is set to the basic mode in S50, and the process proceeds to S60.

When the operation mode is set to the advanced automation mode in S40, the control unit 30a executes the automatic control function based on the automatic operation level set as the advanced automation mode in S55. For example, when level 6 is set as the advanced automation mode, six types of automatic control functions (see FIG. 3A) of controls A to F are executed. Further, for example, when level 7 is set as the advanced automation mode, fully automatic operation is realized by executing all seven types of automatic control functions of controls A to G. Further, the execution of the automatic control function of S55 is performed based on the various information acquired while acquiring various information including the above-mentioned surrounding information as necessary.

When the operation mode is set to the basic mode in S50, the control unit 30a executes the automatic control function based on the automatic operation level set as the basic mode in S50. For example, when level 1 is set as the basic mode, the automatic control function of control A (see FIG. 3A) is executed. The execution of the automatic control function in this case is also performed based on the various information acquired while acquiring various information including the above-mentioned surrounding information as necessary. However, when level 0 is set as the basic mode, all automatic control functions are not executed.

In S60, the automatic operation cancellation confirmation process is executed. There are two main purposes for this automatic operation cancellation confirmation process. One is that when the automatic operation level is set to level 1 or higher, it is necessary to determine whether or not it is necessary to forcibly set the automatic operation level to level 0 and forcibly set it to level 0. In some cases, the automatic operation release flag is set. Another purpose is to determine whether the vehicle 1 needs to be stopped urgently when the automatic driving level is set to level 1 or higher, and to set the emergency stop flag if the vehicle 1 needs to be stopped urgently. It is to set.

The details of the automatic operation cancellation confirmation process of S60 are as shown in FIG. When the control unit 30a proceeds to the automatic operation cancellation confirmation process of S60, as shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 30a determines whether or not the automatic operation level set in the current operation mode is level 1 or higher in S111. If the automatic operation level is not level 1 or higher (that is, level 0) (S111: NO), the automatic operation cancellation confirmation process of FIG. 6 is terminated, and thereby the automatic operation level setting process of FIG. 5 is terminated.

If the automatic operation level set in the current operation mode is 1 or more (S111: YES), the system monitoring process is executed in S112. The system monitoring process of S112 monitors the operating state of the vehicle 1 (including the execution state of the automatic control function), and a predetermined event (release required event) that should forcibly switch the automatic driving level to level 0 has occurred. This is a process for determining whether or not. The details of the system monitoring process of S112 will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. 7.

In S113, the internal / external behavior monitoring process is executed. The internal / external behavior monitoring process of S113 should monitor the behavior of the vehicle occupants inside the vehicle 1 and the behavior of pedestrians and other vehicles outside the vehicle 1 and forcibly switch the automatic driving level to level 0. This is a process for determining whether or not a release-required event has occurred. The details of the internal / external behavior monitoring process of S113 will be described in detail later with reference to FIG.

In S114, the environment monitoring process is executed. The environment monitoring process of S114 is a process for monitoring the environment around the vehicle 1 and determining whether or not a release-required event that should forcibly switch the automatic driving level to level 0 has occurred. The details of the environmental monitoring process of S114 will be described in detail later with reference to FIG.

In S115, the self-diagnosis process is executed. The self-diagnosis process of S115 is a process for self-diagnosis by comparing whether or not the execution state of the automatic control function by the control unit 30a itself is normal with the past execution results. The details of the self-diagnosis process of S115 will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. 10B.

In S116, as a result of each of the processes of S112 to S115, it is determined whether or not it is determined that a release-requiring event has occurred in any one of the processes. If it is not determined at all that the cancellation required event has occurred (S116: NO), the automatic operation cancellation confirmation process of FIG. 6 is terminated. If it is determined that a cancellation-required event has occurred in any one of the processes S112 to S115 (S116: YES), the occupant of the vehicle 1 is notified of the automatic driving cancellation notice in S117. .. This notification is a notification for notifying the occupants in advance in order to cancel the automatic driving based on the occurrence of a cancellation-required event that should cancel the automatic driving. This notification may be performed by various methods capable of causing the occupant of the vehicle 1 to recognize that a release-requiring event has occurred and the automatic driving should be canceled. As a specific notification method, for example, a method of generating a predetermined message by voice, visually transmitting a message to the occupant using the display unit 37, or vibrating the seat is adopted. You may.

In S118, it is determined whether or not the automatic operation can be canceled. In other words, is this judgment a state in which the driver himself can perform the driving operation when the driving operation that had been automatically performed until then is no longer automatically performed due to the cancellation of the automatic driving? It is a process of determining whether or not. It may be appropriately decided based on what determines whether or not the automatic operation can be canceled. For example, it may be determined based on whether or not a specific release permission operation is performed by the driver based on the state and behavior of the driver. The release permission operation is an operation indicating that the driver is in a state where he / she can perform a driving operation by himself / herself. The release permission operation also includes a stationary state in which the driver is stationary in a specific state. The release permission operation includes, for example, the driver holding the steering wheel 10 with at least one hand, the driver holding the steering wheel 10 with both hands, the driver's eyes open, and the driver's line of sight. Set at least one of a plurality of actions and states such as facing the front of the vehicle and the driver's behavior being normal (for example, a state in which a positive judgment is made in the judgment process of S204 described later). May be good. The control unit 30a may determine whether or not the release permission operation is performed based on, for example, the image data of the indoor camera 6.

If it is determined that the automatic operation can be canceled (S118: YES), the automatic operation release flag is set in S119. As a result, when the determination process of S10 in FIG. 5 is executed next, an affirmative determination is made and the process proceeds to S70, and the automatic operation level is forcibly set to level 0.

If it is determined in S118 that the automatic operation cannot be canceled (S118: NO), the emergency stop flag is set in S120. As a result, when the determination process of S20 of FIG. 5 is executed next, an affirmative determination is made and the process proceeds to S90, and the emergency stop process is executed.

Next, the system monitoring process of S112 in the automatic operation cancellation confirmation process of FIG. 6 will be specifically described with reference to FIG. 7. Proceeding to the system monitoring process of S112, as shown in FIG. 7, it is determined in S161 whether or not the distance to the other vehicle is normal. The distance to the other vehicle can be detected based on the detection results of the other vehicles around the own vehicle by the cameras 2 to 5 and the radar devices 11 to 14. Further, it can be detected based on the position information of another vehicle and the position information of the own vehicle acquired through the inter-vehicle communication.

For the determination of whether or not the distance to the other vehicle is normal, for example, a threshold value for the distance may be set so that the determination is normal when the distance to the other vehicle is equal to or greater than the threshold value. In this case, the threshold value may be set individually according to the position of the other vehicle with respect to the own vehicle (for example, whether it is in front of, behind, or side of the own vehicle). Of course, a method other than the above example may be used to determine whether or not the distance to another vehicle is normal.

If the distance to the other vehicle is not normal (S161: NO), the process proceeds to S169. If the distance to another vehicle is not normal, the risk of collision with another vehicle increases. The cause may be that the automatic control function is not operating normally. Therefore, if the distance to the other vehicle is not normal, it is determined that a release-required event has occurred in S169 in order to forcibly cancel the automatic driving and entrust the driver himself to the driving operation of the vehicle 1. That is, the fact that the distance to another vehicle is not normal is one of the release-requiring events.

When the distance to the other vehicle is normal (S161: YES), it is determined in S162 whether or not the relative speed with the other vehicle is normal. Similar to the distance to the other vehicle, the relative speed with the other vehicle can be detected based on the detection result of the other vehicle around the own vehicle by the cameras 2 to 5 and the radar devices 11 to 14.

For the determination of whether or not the relative speed with the other vehicle is normal, for example, a threshold value of the relative speed may be set, and when the relative speed with the other vehicle is equal to or less than the threshold value, it may be determined as normal. .. In this case, the threshold value may be set individually according to the position of the other vehicle with respect to the own vehicle (for example, whether it is in front of, behind, or side of the own vehicle). Of course, a method other than the above example may be used to determine whether or not the relative speed with the other vehicle is normal.

If the relative speed with the other vehicle is not normal (S162: NO), the process proceeds to S169. If the relative speed with other vehicles is not normal, there is a possibility of collision with other vehicles. It is also possible that it does not follow the flow of traffic around it. The cause may be that the automatic control function is not operating normally. Therefore, if the relative speed with the other vehicle is not normal, it is determined that a release-required event has occurred in S169 in order to forcibly cancel the automatic driving and entrust the driver himself to the driving operation of the vehicle 1. That is, the fact that the relative speed with the other vehicle is not normal is one of the release-requiring events.

When the relative speed with the other vehicle is normal (S162: YES), it is determined in S163 whether or not the suspension behavior is normal. The behavior of the suspension can be detected based on the detection result of the suspension sensor 25.

To determine whether or not the behavior of the suspension is normal, for example, a threshold value may be set for the amount of expansion and contraction of the suspension, and when the amount of expansion and contraction is equal to or less than the threshold value, it may be determined to be normal. Further, for example, a threshold value may be set for the rate of change of the amount of expansion and contraction, and when the rate of change of the amount of expansion and contraction is equal to or less than the threshold value, it may be determined as normal. When a plurality of suspension sensors 25 are provided, it may be appropriately determined how to make a comprehensive judgment based on the detection results from the plurality of suspension sensors 25. For example, if even one of the plurality of suspension sensors 25 exceeds the threshold value, it may be determined that the suspension behavior is abnormal.

If the suspension behavior is not normal (S163: NO), the process proceeds to S169. If the suspension behavior is not normal, it is possible that the automatic control function is not operating normally. That is, if the automatic control function is not operating normally, unstable behavior such as sudden start, sudden stop, and sudden turn may occur, which may cause the suspension to expand and contract significantly. Therefore, if the behavior of the suspension is not normal, it is determined that a release-required event has occurred in S169 in order to forcibly release the automatic driving and entrust the driver himself to the driving operation of the vehicle 1. That is, the abnormal behavior of the suspension is one of the release-requiring events.

If the behavior of the suspension is normal (S163: YES), it is determined in S164 whether or not the engine room is normal. Specifically, it is determined whether or not the state in the engine room is a state in which the temperature in the engine room is normal and no abnormal noise is generated. The temperature in the engine room can be detected based on the detection result of the engine room temperature sensor 22, and the sound generated from the engine room can be detected based on the detection result of the engine room sound sensor 23.

To determine whether the engine room is normal or not, for example, a temperature threshold is set for the temperature in the engine room, a volume threshold is set for the sound in the engine room, and the temperature in the engine room is the temperature. If it is below the threshold value and the sound in the engine room is below the volume threshold value, it may be determined to be normal. Regarding the sound in the engine room, the sound quality may be analyzed, and if a sound quality equivalent to the sound quality that may occur when an abnormality occurs is detected, it may be determined that the engine room is abnormal.

If the engine room is not normal (S164: NO), the process proceeds to S169. If the engine room is not normal, the cause may be that the automatic control function is not operating normally. That is, when the automatic control function does not operate normally, the automatic driving control device 30 cannot normally control the traveling drive control unit 46, and as a result, the traveling drive control unit 46 cannot normally control the engine, the transmission, and the like. It is possible that it is. Therefore, if the engine room is not normal, it is determined that a release-required event has occurred in S169 in order to forcibly cancel the automatic driving and entrust the driver himself to drive the vehicle 1. That is, the fact that the engine room is not normal is one of the release-requiring events.

If the engine room is normal (S164: YES), it is determined in S165 whether or not an abnormal current is generated. The abnormal current referred to here means the above-mentioned overcurrent (for example, an excessive current that can occur at the time of a lightning strike). Whether or not an abnormal current is generated can be determined based on the detection result of the current sensor 19. For example, a threshold value may be set for the current to be detected, and when the detected current is equal to or greater than the threshold value, it may be determined that an abnormal current has occurred.

If an abnormal current is generated (S165: YES), the process proceeds to S169. If an abnormal current is generated, the automatic control function may not operate normally due to the abnormal current. Therefore, when an abnormal current occurs, it is determined that a release-required event has occurred in S169 in order to forcibly cancel the automatic driving and entrust the driver himself to the driving operation of the vehicle 1. That is, the generation of an abnormal current due to various factors such as a lightning strike is one of the events requiring cancellation.

If no abnormal current is generated (S165: NO), it is determined in S166 whether or not a tire puncture has occurred. Whether or not a tire has a flat tire can be detected based on the detection result of the tire pressure sensor 24.

To determine whether or not a tire has a flat tire, for example, a threshold value is set for the air pressure, and a flat tire occurs when the air pressure is equal to or less than the threshold value of any one of the four tires. You may decide that.

If a puncture has occurred (S166: YES), the process proceeds to S169. When a flat tire occurs, there is a possibility that the vehicle 1 cannot be normally controlled by the automatic control function due to the flat tire. Therefore, when a puncture has occurred, it is determined that a release-required event has occurred in S169 in order to forcibly cancel the automatic driving and entrust the driver himself to the driving operation of the vehicle 1. That is, the occurrence of a flat tire is one of the release-requiring events.

If no tire puncture has occurred (S166: NO), it is determined in S167 whether or not slip has occurred. Whether or not slip has occurred can be detected based on the detection result of the wheel speed sensor 18 of each wheel. For example, the detection results of the wheel speed sensors 18 may be compared, and when the difference between the maximum wheel speed and the minimum wheel speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, it may be determined that slip has occurred.

If slip occurs (S167: YES), the process proceeds to S169. When a slip occurs, there is a possibility that the vehicle 1 cannot be normally controlled by the automatic control function due to the slip. Therefore, when a slip occurs, it is determined that a release-required event has occurred in S169 in order to forcibly release the automatic driving and entrust the driving operation of the vehicle 1 to the driver himself / herself. That is, the occurrence of slip is one of the release-requiring events.

If no slip has occurred (S167: NO), S168 determines whether or not the steering state is normal. The steering state can be detected based on the detection result of the steering amount sensor 20. To determine whether the steering state is normal, for example, a threshold value is set for the steering amount based on the neutral position, and when the steering amount from the neutral position is equal to or less than the threshold value, it is determined to be normal. Good. Further, for example, a threshold value may be set for the rate of change of the steering amount, and when the rate of change of the steering amount is equal to or less than the threshold value, it may be determined to be normal.

If the steering state is not normal (S163: NO), the process proceeds to S169. If the steering condition is not normal, it is possible that the automatic control function is not operating normally. Therefore, if the steering state is not normal, it is determined that a release-required event has occurred in S169 in order to forcibly release the automatic driving and entrust the driver himself to the driving operation of the vehicle 1. That is, the fact that the steering state is not normal is one of the release-requiring events.

If the steering state is normal (S168: YES), the system monitoring process of FIG. 7 (that is, the process of S112 of FIG. 6) is terminated.
Next, the internal / external behavior monitoring process of S113 in the automatic operation cancellation confirmation process of FIG. 6 will be specifically described with reference to FIG. Proceeding to the internal / external behavior monitoring process of S113, as shown in FIG. 8, it is determined in S201 whether or not the contact of the occupant of the vehicle 1 with the specific contact portion in the vehicle is detected. Whether or not there is contact with the specific contact portion in the vehicle can be determined based on the detection result of the contact sensor 21 in the vehicle.

If contact with a specific contact portion in the vehicle is detected (S201: YES), the process proceeds to S210. When the vehicle 1 of the present embodiment feels abnormal or anxious about the operating state of the automatic control function in the instruction manual, the vehicle 1 touches a specific contact portion in the vehicle or operates the emergency stop lever 43. It is explained that the automatic operation can be forcibly canceled. Therefore, it can be determined that the fact that the contact with the specific contact portion in the vehicle is detected indicates that the occupant of the vehicle 1 has expressed his intention to forcibly cancel the automatic driving.

Therefore, when contact with the specific contact portion in the vehicle is detected, it is determined in S210 that a release-required event has occurred in order to forcibly release the automatic driving and entrust the driver himself to the driving operation of the vehicle 1. That is, the detection of contact with a specific contact portion in the vehicle is one of the release-requiring events.

When contact with the specific contact portion in the vehicle is not detected (S201: NO), it is determined in S202 whether or not the emergency stop lever 43 has been operated. If the emergency stop lever 43 is operated (S202: YES), the process proceeds to S210. When the emergency stop lever 43 is operated, it can be determined that the occupant of the vehicle 1 has expressed his intention to forcibly cancel the automatic driving.

Therefore, when the emergency stop lever 43 is operated, it is determined in S210 that a release-requiring event has occurred in order to forcibly release the automatic driving and entrust the driver himself with the driving operation of the vehicle 1. That is, the operation of the emergency stop lever 43 is one of the release-requiring events.

If the emergency stop lever 43 is not operated (S202: NO), S203 determines whether or not an external impact has been detected. As described above, the impact from the outside includes a large impact such as a collision with another vehicle and a small impact such as an external person such as a pedestrian hitting the vehicle 1.

The presence or absence of an external impact can be determined based on the detection result of the impact sensor 27. If an external impact is detected (S203: YES), the process proceeds to S210. The fact that an impact from the outside is detected means that the vehicle 1 may be damaged and the vehicle 1 may not be able to travel normally. In addition, the automatic control function of the vehicle 1 does not operate normally and the vehicle 1 behaves abnormally, or a person outside the vehicle notices that the driver of the vehicle 1 has changed. It is also possible that the occupants of vehicle 1 are being alerted by hitting vehicle 1.

Therefore, when an impact from the outside is detected, it is determined in S210 that a release-requiring event has occurred in order to forcibly release the automatic driving and entrust the driver himself to the driving operation of the vehicle 1. That is, the detection of an external impact is one of the release-requiring events.

If no external impact is detected (S203: NO), S204 determines whether the driver's behavior is normal. The behavior of the driver can be recognized by analyzing the shooting data of the indoor camera 6. Then, for example, when the driver keeps looking aside for a certain period of time, the driver's eyes are closed for a certain period of time, or the driver is surprised, worried, or scared, the driver's behavior is abnormal. Can be determined to be. Of course, it may be determined whether or not the driver's behavior is normal based on other determination criteria.

If it is determined that the driver's behavior is not normal (S204: YES), the process proceeds to S210. If it is determined that the driver's behavior is not normal, it is possible that the driver has changed or that the automatic control function of the vehicle 1 is not operating normally.

Therefore, if it is determined that the driver's behavior is not normal, the automatic driving is forcibly released and the driver himself is entrusted with the driving operation of the vehicle 1, or in order to stop the vehicle 1 in an emergency, a release event is required in S210. Is determined to have occurred. That is, it is one of the release-requiring events that the driver's behavior is determined to be abnormal.

If it is determined that the driver's behavior is normal (S204: NO), it is determined in S205 whether or not the pedestrian is looking at the own vehicle. As described above, whether or not the line of sight is directed by a pedestrian can be determined by analyzing the shooting data of each camera 2-5.

If the line of sight is directed by a pedestrian (S205: YES), in S208, whether or not the line of sight of a predetermined number of pedestrians or more is directed toward the own vehicle (that is, whether or not the degree of attention from the pedestrian is high). Or) Judge. If the number of pedestrians looking at the own vehicle is less than the predetermined number (that is, the degree of attention is not high) (S208: NO), the process proceeds to S209.

In S209, it is determined whether or not the behavior of the pedestrian who is looking at the own vehicle is normal. Criteria for determining whether or not the behavior of a pedestrian looking at the own vehicle is normal may be appropriately determined. For example, when the facial expression of the pedestrian has a specific facial expression or behavior such as surprise, anxiety, or fear, the behavior of the pedestrian may be determined to be abnormal.

When it is determined in S208 that the line of sight of a predetermined number of pedestrians or more is directed toward the own vehicle (S208: YES), and in S209, it is determined that the behavior of the pedestrian who is directing the line of sight to the own vehicle is not normal. If so (S209: NO), the process proceeds to S210.

The fact that the eyes of a large number of pedestrians are concentrated on the own vehicle means that the automatic control function of the vehicle 1 does not operate normally and the vehicle 1 is behaving abnormally, or the driver of the vehicle 1 is changed. It is possible that you are doing this. Further, even if the number of pedestrians looking at the own vehicle is small, if the behavior of the pedestrian is abnormal, the automatic control function of the vehicle 1 does not operate normally and the vehicle 1 behaves abnormally. It is possible that the driver of the vehicle 1 has changed.

Therefore, when the eyes of many pedestrians are concentrated or when the behavior of the pedestrians who are looking is abnormal, the automatic driving is forcibly released and the driver himself is entrusted with the driving operation of the vehicle 1. Alternatively, in order to make the vehicle 1 stop urgently, it is determined in S210 that a release-requiring event has occurred. That is, the fact that the eyes of a large number of pedestrians are concentrated and that the behavior of the pedestrians who are looking at the eyes are abnormal are both one of the release-requiring events.

When the pedestrian's line of sight is not directed at the own vehicle (S205: NO), and when the pedestrian's line of sight is directed but the number is small and the pedestrian's behavior is normal (S205: NO) S209: YES), proceed to S206.

In S206, it is determined whether or not the vehicle has been passed by another vehicle (mainly an oncoming vehicle or a rear vehicle). Whether or not the vehicle has been passed by another vehicle can be determined mainly by analyzing the shooting data of the front camera 2 and the rear camera 3. If the vehicle is passed by another vehicle (S206: YES), the process proceeds to S210.

Passing from another vehicle means that the automatic control function of the vehicle 1 does not operate normally and the vehicle 1 is behaving abnormally, and the driver of the other vehicle notices the abnormal behavior and calls attention to it. It is possible that he gave it to me. Therefore, when passing from another vehicle, it is determined that a release-required event has occurred in S210 in order to forcibly cancel the automatic driving and entrust the driver to drive the vehicle 1 or to stop the vehicle 1 in an emergency. To do. In other words, passing from another vehicle is one of the release-required events.

If the vehicle is not passing from another vehicle (S206: NO), it is determined in S207 whether or not the horn has been honked by the other vehicle. Whether or not the horn is sounded by another vehicle can be determined mainly based on the detection result of the vehicle exterior sound sensor 26. If the horn is honked by another vehicle (S207: YES), the process proceeds to S210.

The fact that the horn was sounded by another vehicle means that the automatic control function of the vehicle 1 did not operate normally and the vehicle 1 was behaving abnormally, and the driver of the other vehicle noticed the abnormal behavior and alerted the driver. It is possible that he did. Therefore, when the horn is sounded by another vehicle, a cancellation event has occurred in S210 in order to forcibly cancel the automatic driving and entrust the driver to drive the vehicle 1 or to stop the vehicle 1 in an emergency. Judge. In other words, being honked by another vehicle is one of the events that need to be released.

Next, the environmental monitoring process of S114 in the automatic operation cancellation confirmation process of FIG. 6 will be specifically described with reference to FIG. Proceeding to the environmental monitoring process of S114, as shown in FIG. 9, in S251, it is determined whether or not the weather around the vehicle 1 is in a heavy rain state. Whether or not it is in a heavy rain state can be determined based on the detection signal from the rainfall sensor 17, for example, by setting a threshold value for the detected amount and comparing it with the threshold value. Of course, other methods may be used to determine whether or not there is heavy rain. For example, the amount of rainfall may be analyzed and determined from the shooting data of each camera 2 to 5.

If it is determined that the rain is heavy (S251: YES), the process proceeds to S256. If it is not determined that the condition is heavy rain (S251: NO), the process proceeds to S252.
In S252, it is determined whether or not the weather around the vehicle 1 is in a heavy snow condition. The judgment as to whether or not the snow condition is heavy may be made by analyzing the amount of snowfall from the shooting data of the cameras 2 to 5, for example. Of course, other methods may be used to determine whether or not there is heavy snow.

If it is determined that the snow condition is heavy (S252: YES), the process proceeds to S256. If it is not determined that the snow condition is heavy (S252: NO), the process proceeds to S253.
In S253, it is determined whether or not the surroundings of the vehicle 1 are in a dense fog state. Similar to the method for determining the heavy snow condition, the determination as to whether or not the condition is a thick fog may be made by analyzing the fog generation condition from the shooting data of the cameras 2 to 5, for example. Of course, other methods may be used to determine whether or not the fog is in a dense fog state.

If it is determined that the fog is dense (S253: YES), the process proceeds to S256. If it is not determined that the fog is dense (S253: NO), the process proceeds to S254.
When it is judged to be in heavy rain, heavy snow, or heavy fog (hereinafter collectively referred to as "bad weather"), the visibility in front of the vehicle is poor and the automatic control function is normal. May not work. Therefore, in the case of bad weather, it is determined that a release-required event has occurred in S256 in order to forcibly cancel the automatic driving and entrust the driving operation of the vehicle 1 to the driver himself. In other words, bad weather is one of the events that need to be released.

In S254, it is determined whether or not the vehicle 1 is traveling in the caution section. As described above, the section requiring attention in this embodiment includes at least an accident-prone area, a school zone, and an area where animals are likely to appear. Whether or not the vehicle is traveling in a section requiring attention can be determined based on the section information obtained via road-to-vehicle communication. Alternatively, if the shooting data of the front camera 2 includes a signboard or a road sign indicating a section requiring attention, the judgment can be made based on the signboard or the road sign.

If it is determined that the vehicle 1 is traveling in the caution section (S254: YES), the process proceeds to S256. When the vehicle 1 is traveling in a section requiring attention, it may be preferable for the driver himself to pay attention to the direction of travel while driving rather than relying on the automatic control function. Therefore, when the vehicle 1 is traveling in the section requiring attention, it is determined in S256 that a release-requiring event has occurred in order to forcibly cancel the automatic driving and entrust the driver himself to the driving operation of the vehicle 1. That is, the fact that the vehicle 1 is traveling in the section requiring attention is one of the events requiring cancellation.

If vehicle 1 is not traveling in the caution section (S254: NO), the process proceeds to S255. In S255, it is determined whether or not the average value of the automatic driving levels of other surrounding vehicles (hereinafter referred to as "surrounding average level") is equal to or lower than a predetermined level (for example, level 1 or lower). If the ambient average level is higher than the predetermined level (S255: NO), the environment monitoring process is terminated. On the other hand, if the ambient average level is equal to or lower than the predetermined level (S255: YES), the process proceeds to S256.

The surrounding average level can be derived by acquiring the automatic driving level set in each of the other vehicles from the other vehicles traveling around the own vehicle and performing the average calculation of each acquired automatic driving level. The automatic driving level of other vehicles around the own vehicle can be directly acquired by vehicle-to-vehicle communication or indirectly by road-to-vehicle communication.

When the average ambient level is below a predetermined level, it means that many other vehicles in the vicinity keep the automatic driving level low. In other words, it can be said that there is a high possibility that many drivers of other vehicles are driving by their own driving operation without relying on the automatic control function. The fact that many drivers around us are driving without relying on the automatic control function means that for some reason, it is preferable to drive by the driver's own driving operation rather than automatic driving in the area where he is currently driving. It is possible that there is.

Therefore, when the ambient average level is equal to or lower than the predetermined level, it is determined in S256 that a release-required event has occurred in order to forcibly cancel the automatic driving and entrust the driver himself to drive the vehicle 1. That is, the fact that the surrounding average level is below a predetermined level is one of the release-requiring events.

Next, the self-diagnosis process of S115 in the automatic operation cancellation confirmation process of FIG. 6 will be described. Prior to the description of the self-diagnosis process, the travel history recording process shown in FIG. 10A will be described first.

In the travel history recording process of FIG. 10A, various specific control operations (however, control operations automatically performed by the automatic control function) performed while the vehicle 1 is traveling are associated with the position where the specific control operation is performed. It is a process to be stored as a history. The type and number of specific control operations to be stored as a history may be appropriately determined. For example, an operation of pausing while traveling, an operation of decelerating even though there is no other vehicle in front, and the like may be determined as specific control operations.

If the automatic control function is operating normally, the vehicle 1 should be automatically stopped where there is a stop road sign or its stop line. Also, in front of the pedestrian crossing, it should slow down for safety even if there is no vehicle in front. On the other hand, if the automatic control function does not work properly, it is possible to pass through without stopping even though there is a temporary stop road sign, or to pass without slowing down even if there is a pedestrian crossing. There is sex. In other words, if the automatic control function is not operating normally, even if the vehicle travels in the same place as it has traveled before, it may travel differently than before.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the past driving history is stored in association with the position, and when the vehicle next travels in the same place, the driving operation is different from the past when compared with the past operating state (for example,). In the past (when the vehicle was temporarily stopped but passed through this time), it is determined that the automatic control function is not operating normally and the automatic operation should be canceled.

When the control unit 30a starts the operation, the control unit 30a executes the travel history recording process of FIG. 10A in parallel with the automatic operation level setting process of FIG. When the travel history recording process of FIG. 10A is started, the control unit 30a determines in S301 whether or not the vehicle 1 has traveled a certain distance. The judgment of S301 is continued until the vehicle travels a certain distance. If the vehicle has traveled a certain distance (S301: YES), the process proceeds to S302.

In S302, the specific control operation performed in the traveling section of the fixed distance is stored as specific control information together with the position information in which the specific control operation is performed. If the specific control operation at the same position is already stored, the stored contents are updated. After storing the specific control information performed in the traveling section of the fixed distance, the process returns to S301. In this way, every time the vehicle travels a certain distance, the specific control information is stored in the traveling section of the fixed distance.

Subsequently, the self-diagnosis process of S115 of FIG. 6 will be described with reference to FIG. 10B. Proceeding to the self-diagnosis process of S115, as shown in FIG. 10B, in S351, it is determined whether or not the current traveling position has traveled in the past. This determination can be made by comparing the current position based on the GPS information with the position information associated with the specific control information stored in the memory 30b.

When the current traveling position is not associated with any of the specific control information stored in the memory 30b, it is considered that the current traveling position has never traveled in the past (S351: NO). End the self-diagnosis process. If the current traveling position matches or is close to the position information associated with any of the specific control information stored in the memory 30b, the current traveling position has been traveled in the past. It is determined that there is (S351: YES), and the process proceeds to S352.

In S352, the past specific control information corresponding to the current traveling position is read from the memory 30b. That is, it is confirmed what kind of specific control operation has been performed in the past at the place where the vehicle is currently traveling. In S353, it is determined whether or not the vehicle is traveling differently from the past with respect to the current traveling state. More specifically, it is determined whether or not the specific control operation executed in the past at the same place has been performed this time as well. If the vehicle is traveling differently from the past, that is, if the specific control operation performed at the same place in the past is not performed this time (S353: YES), the process proceeds to S354, and it is determined that the release required event has occurred. If the vehicle is not traveling differently from the past, that is, if the specific control operation performed at the same place in the past is performed this time as well (S353: NO), the self-diagnosis process is terminated.

(5) Effect of First Embodiment According to the vehicle 1 of the present embodiment described above, the automatic driving is canceled when the automatic driving level is level 1 or higher (that is, when the automatic control function is operating). It is determined whether or not a release-required event to be performed has occurred (S112 to S115 in FIG. 6). Then, when a release-required event occurs, the automatic operation level is forcibly set to level 0. That is, when a release-required event occurs, all the operations of the automatic control function are stopped regardless of the setting state of the driving mode, and the driving operation of the vehicle 1 is entrusted to the driver.

Therefore, when a release-required event occurs, the vehicle 1 can be driven by the driver's own driving operation. As a result, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of unstable operation of the vehicle 1 due to a malfunction of the automatic control function or the like.

Further, in the present embodiment, a large number of events that can be considered as release-required events are assumed, and each event is determined one by one.
Specifically, as shown in S161 of FIG. 7, the distance to the other vehicle is determined, and when the distance to the other vehicle is not normal, the automatic driving is forcibly released. Therefore, even if the vehicle 1 is about to collide with another vehicle due to a malfunction of the automatic control function or the like, it is possible to avoid this by the driver's own driving operation.

Further, as shown in S162 of FIG. 7, the relative speed with the other vehicle is determined, and when the relative speed with the other vehicle is not normal, the automatic driving is forcibly released. Therefore, even if the vehicle 1 is about to collide with another vehicle due to a malfunction of the automatic control function or the like, it is possible to avoid this by the driver's own driving operation. In addition, even if the traveling speed of the vehicle 1 is different from the speed of many surrounding vehicles due to a malfunction of the automatic control function and does not follow the flow of the surrounding traffic, the driver himself / herself can operate the vehicle. It becomes possible to avoid it.

Further, as shown in S163 of FIG. 7, the behavior of the suspension is determined, and when the behavior is not normal, the automatic operation is forcibly released. Therefore, even if the vehicle 1 behaves abnormally due to a malfunction of the automatic control function or the like, it is possible to avoid this by the driver's own driving operation.

Further, as shown in S164 of FIG. 7, the state (temperature and sound) of the engine room is determined, and if it is not normal, the automatic operation is forcibly released. Therefore, when an abnormality occurs in the engine room due to a malfunction of the automatic control function or the like, the influence can be minimized by the driver's own driving operation.

Further, as shown in S165 of FIG. 7, when an abnormal current occurs in the electric wiring in the vehicle 1 (however, the electric wiring provided with the current sensor 19), the automatic operation is forcibly released. Therefore, even if an excessive current flows due to a lightning strike or the like, it is possible to prevent the automatic control function from malfunctioning and the traveling state of the vehicle 1 from becoming unstable.

Further, as shown in S166 and S167 of FIG. 7, when the tire punctures or slips, the automatic operation is forcibly released. Therefore, when the reliability of driving by the automatic control function is lowered due to a flat tire or slip, the vehicle 1 is appropriately operated by the driver's own driving operation (for example, the vehicle stops while slowly decelerating or slips). It is possible to return from the state smoothly).

Further, as shown in S168 of FIG. 7, when the steering state of the steering wheels is not normal, the automatic operation is forcibly released. Therefore, even if the steering wheel of the vehicle 1 exhibits abnormal behavior due to a malfunction of the automatic control function or the like, it is possible to avoid this by the driver's own driving operation.

Further, as shown in S201 and S202 of FIG. 8, when the occupant's contact with the specific contact portion in the vehicle is detected and when the occupant operates the emergency stop lever, the automatic driving is forcibly released. I am trying to do it. Therefore, the driver can promptly cancel the automatic driving by his / her own will when a situation occurs in which he / she wants to cancel the automatic driving, for example, the behavior of the vehicle 1 becomes unstable.

Further, as shown in S203 of FIG. 8, when an impact from the outside is detected, the automatic operation is forcibly released. Therefore, even if there is a possibility that the automatic control function does not operate normally due to an impact from the outside, the vehicle 1 can be appropriately operated by the driver's own driving operation.

Further, as shown in S204 of FIG. 8, when the driver's behavior is not normal (for example, when the driver is surprised or scared), the automatic driving is forcibly released. Therefore, even if the running state of the vehicle 1 becomes unstable enough to cause the driver to express surprise or fear due to a malfunction of the automatic control function, the driver can quickly avoid this by his / her own driving operation. Is possible.

Further, as shown in S205, S206, and S207 of FIG. 8, the line of sight is gathered from the pedestrian, and the pedestrian looking at the own vehicle behaves abnormally (for example, pointing at the own vehicle and giving a surprised expression). If the horn is sounded by another vehicle or the vehicle is passing by another vehicle, the automatic driving is forcibly released. This is because if some action is taken from a pedestrian or another vehicle to the own vehicle, there is a possibility that the running state of the own vehicle is unstable, and the cause is the automatic control function. This is because a malfunction or the like is possible.

Further, as shown in S251 to S253 of FIG. 9, the automatic operation is forcibly canceled in the case of bad weather such as heavy rain, heavy snow, and heavy fog. Therefore, even if the automatic control function does not operate normally due to bad weather and the running of the vehicle 1 may become unstable, the automatic driving is forcibly canceled and the vehicle 1 is appropriately operated by the driver's own driving operation. It is possible to drive to.

Further, as shown in S254 of FIG. 9, when the vehicle 1 is traveling in the caution section, the automatic driving is forcibly released. As a result, it is possible to drive the section requiring attention appropriately by the driver's own driving operation without relying on the automatic control function.

Further, as shown in FIG. 10B, when the vehicle travels again in a place where the vehicle has traveled in the past and the specific control operation performed in the past is not performed this time, the automatic control function operates normally. It is considered that it is not, and the automatic operation is forcibly released. Therefore, it is possible to suppress problems that may occur due to the malfunction of the automatic control function.

Further, in the present embodiment, when an event requiring cancellation occurs, the occupant is notified that the automatic driving is canceled instead of unconditionally canceling the automatic driving (S117 in FIG. 6). Then, when it is confirmed that the automatic driving can be canceled (YES in S118 of FIG. 6) such as when there is a predetermined reaction from the occupant, the automatic driving is canceled. Therefore, it is possible to smoothly and appropriately cancel the automatic driving and connect it to the driving operation by the driver.

On the other hand, even if the occupant is notified that the automatic driving will be canceled, if there is no predetermined reaction from the occupant (NO in S118), the vehicle 1 is automatically stopped in an emergency. Therefore, when it becomes difficult for the driver to drive the vehicle 1 due to, for example, the driver falling asleep or fainting, the vehicle 1 is stopped quickly and appropriately, and an unexpected situation may occur. It can be suppressed.

The control unit 30a corresponds to an example of a surrounding information acquisition unit, an operation mode setting unit, an automatic control unit, a release-required event determination unit, a notification unit, and a release permission determination unit. Further, the processes of S40 and S50 in FIG. 5 correspond to an example of the processes of the operation mode setting unit. Further, the process of S55 in FIG. 5 corresponds to an example of the process of the surrounding information acquisition unit. Further, the processes of S55 in FIG. 5 and S118 to S120 in FIG. 6 correspond to an example of the processes of the automatic control unit. Further, the process of S120 in FIG. 6 corresponds to an example of an automatic stop process among the processes of the automatic control unit. Further, the processes of S112, S113, S114 and S115 in FIG. 6 correspond to an example of the processes of the release-required event determination unit. Further, the process of S117 in FIG. 6 corresponds to an example of the process of the notification unit, and the process of S118 of FIG. 6 corresponds to an example of the process of the release permission determination unit.

[Second Embodiment]
The electrical configuration of the vehicle of the second embodiment is shown in FIG. In FIG. 11, the same components as the vehicle 1 of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 11, the vehicle of the second embodiment includes an automatic driving control device 101 and a monitoring device 102. The automatic operation control device 101 has basically the same configuration as the automatic operation control device 101 of the first embodiment except that it has a function of performing data communication with the monitoring device 102 via the network 100. Operate. That is, the control unit 101a of the automatic driving control device 101 executes the automatic driving level setting process (see FIG. 5) in the same manner as the vehicle 1 of the first embodiment according to various programs stored in the memory 101b. It also executes an automatic control function based on the set automatic operation level.

In FIG. 11, the cameras 2 to 6, the radar devices 11 to 14, and the sensors 16 to 27 in the vehicle 1 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2 are collectively shown as a detection means group 111. ing. Further, in FIG. 11, each communication unit 31 to 35 in the vehicle 1 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is collectively illustrated as a communication means group 112.

Further, the automatic operation control device 101 of the present embodiment periodically monitors the execution state (result of the control calculation) of the automatic control function according to the automatic operation level as one of the control information via the network 100. Send to 102. Further, when an event requiring cancellation occurs as a result of the automatic operation level setting process, the automatic operation control device 101 sets at least that fact (the fact that the event requiring cancellation has occurred) as one of the control information in the network. It is periodically transmitted to the monitoring device 102 via 100.

The monitoring device 102 is provided to monitor whether or not various controls by the automatic operation control device 101 are operating normally. That is, the monitoring device 102 basically has the same configuration as the automatic operation control device 101, and like the automatic operation control device 101, the control unit 102a automatically controls based on the set automatic operation level. Performs function control operations.

That is, although the monitoring device 102 does not actually execute the automatic control function, the control calculation of the automatic control function is performed in the same manner as the automatic operation control device 101. That is, both the automatic driving control device 101 and the monitoring device 102 execute the control calculation necessary for realizing the automatic control function according to the set automatic driving level.

Therefore, on the premise that the operation of the monitoring device is normal, if the automatic operation control device 101 is normal, the results of the control operations of both should be the same. On the other hand, if an abnormality occurs in the automatic operation control device 101 and the automatic control function does not operate normally, the control calculation results of both will be different (results that the calculation result of the automatic operation control device 101 is not normal). Will be).

Therefore, the monitoring device 102 compares its own control calculation result with the control calculation result by the automatic operation control device 101, and if they do not match, the monitoring device 102 forcibly forces the automatic control function by the automatic operation control device 101. Release it. Specifically, the control unit 102a of the monitoring device 102 executes the control state monitoring process shown in FIG.

When the control unit 102a of the monitoring device 102 starts the control state monitoring process of FIG. 12, in S501, the operation process of the automatic control function corresponding to the set automatic operation level is executed. In S502, the calculation result of the control calculation of the automatic control function in the automatic operation control device 101 is acquired from the automatic operation control device 101 via the network 100.

In S503, the calculation result of itself calculated in S501 and the calculation result of the automatic operation control device 101 acquired in S502 are compared, and it is determined whether or not they match. If they do not match (S503: NO), it is determined that the calculation result by the automatic operation control device 101 is not normal, and in S508, the automatic control function by the automatic operation control device 101 is forcibly released. Execute the process.

Various specific contents of the forced release process of S508 can be considered. For example, by instructing the traveling drive control unit 46, the brake control unit 47, and the steering control unit 48 to ignore the control command by the automatic driving control device 101 from the monitoring device 102, each of these control units 46 to 46 to The 48 may be operated independently of the automatic operation control device 101 (that is, the automatic operation is canceled).

Further, for example, the automatic operation control device 101 may be forced to cancel the automatic operation by transmitting the determination information indicating that the calculation results do not match to the automatic operation control device 101 via the network 100.

Further, for example, between the automatic driving control device 101 and the traveling drive control unit 46, between the automatic driving control device 101 and the brake control unit 47, and between the automatic driving control device 101 and the steering control unit 48, respectively. , A switch may be provided to conduct / cut off the electrical connection between the two. Then, at least one of the switches may be turned off (that is, the electrical connection state is cut off) so that the automatic operation control device 101 cannot control the switch.

Further, it is also conceivable that the automatic operation control device 101 is illegally accessed from the outside as a cause that the calculation result by the automatic operation control device 101 is not normal. Therefore, a switch for conducting / cutting off the electrical connection state between the communication means group 112 and the automatic operation control device 101 is provided, and this switch is turned off (that is, the electrical connection state is cut off). Therefore, it may be physically inaccessible from the outside.

If the calculation results match in S503 (S503: YES), it is determined in S504 whether or not a release-required event has occurred. Specifically, by performing exactly the same processing as each processing of S112 to S115 in the automatic operation cancellation confirmation processing of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 6, it is determined whether or not a release-requiring event has occurred.

In S505, based on the determination result of S504, if the release-required event for determining whether or not the release-required event has occurred has not occurred (S505: NO), the control state monitoring process is terminated. When a release-required event has occurred (S505: YES), in S506, the determination result of the presence or absence of the release-required event in the automatic operation control device 101 is acquired from the automatic operation control device 101 via the network 100.

In S507, based on the acquisition result of S506, it is determined whether or not the occurrence of the release-required event is also determined in the automatic operation control device 101. If the automatic operation control device 101 also determines that a release-required event has occurred, it is determined that the automatic operation control device 101 is operating normally, and the control state monitoring process is terminated. On the other hand, if the automatic operation control device 101 does not determine the occurrence of the release required event, it is determined that the automatic operation control device 101 is not operating normally for some reason, the process proceeds to S508, and the forced release is performed in the same manner as described above. Execute the process.

According to the vehicle of the second embodiment described above, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the following effects can be further obtained. That is, in the second embodiment, the monitoring device 102 is provided separately from the automatic operation control device 101. Then, the monitoring device 102 also performs a control calculation almost the same as that of the automatic driving control device 101, compares the calculation result with the calculation result of the automatic driving control device 101, and determines whether or not the two match. Correspondingly, it is determined whether or not the automatic operation control device 101 is operating normally.

That is, by having two independent computers execute the same control calculation and checking whether or not the calculation results of both are the same, whether or not the operation of one computer (here, the automatic operation control device 101) is normal or not. I try to judge.

Then, when the calculation results of the two do not match, the monitoring device 102 forcibly releases the automatic operation by executing the forced release process (S508 in FIG. 12). It should be noted that the automatic operation control device 101 cancels the automatic operation by itself when the release required event occurs, which is the same as the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, in addition, the monitoring device 102 also performs a forced release process for canceling the automatic operation. Therefore, when a situation occurs in which the automatic operation should be canceled, the automatic operation can be canceled more reliably.

[Other Embodiments]
Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments, and various forms can be adopted.

(1) The specific example of the release-required event shown in each of the above embodiments is only an example. For other events other than the above, which are considered to be canceled, it may be determined whether or not the automatic operation has occurred, and if it has occurred, the automatic operation may be canceled.

For example, in the first embodiment, the automatic driving is canceled when the driver behaves abnormally, but the automatic driving may be canceled based on the behavior of an occupant other than the driver. ..

Further, it may be determined whether or not the automatic driving should be canceled according to the content of the story of the occupant, not limited to the behavior of the occupant (including the driver). For example, if someone says, "An ambulance is approaching from behind!", The automatic driving may be canceled and left to the driver's driving operation. That is, the automatic operation may be canceled in response to a specific phrase or sentence.

In addition, the infrastructure side monitors the running condition of the vehicle, and if the running condition is unstable (that is, there is a possibility that the automatic control function is not operating normally), that fact is notified to the relevant vehicle. Notification may be made via communication or the like. Then, on the vehicle side, when the above notification is received from the infrastructure side, the automatic driving may be forcibly canceled.

(2) In the above embodiment, the automatic operation level is forcibly set to level 0 when some kind of release-required event occurs when the automatic operation level is level 1 or higher. The automatic operation level may be set to 0 (that is, if it is less than level n, it is ignored) when a release-required event occurs when the level is n or higher. Alternatively, if the operation mode is the highly automated mode and a release event occurs, the automatic operation level is forcibly set to level 0, and if the operation mode is the basic mode, the release is required. May be maintained.

Further, it is not essential to set the automatic operation level to level 0 when a release-required event occurs, and at least it may be lowered to a level lower than the current automatic operation level. For example, if a release-required event occurs in the advanced automation mode, the mode may be switched to the basic mode.

(3) The cameras and radar devices necessary for realizing automatic driving may be provided anywhere in the vehicle 1, or may be provided in any number. The installation location and number of cameras and radar devices may be appropriately determined so as to realize the desired automatic control function. Further, the in-vehicle devices required to realize automatic driving are not limited to the various devices shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

(4) In addition, the functions of one component in the above embodiment may be dispersed as a plurality of components, or the functions of the plurality of components may be integrated into one component. Further, at least a part of the configuration of the above embodiment may be replaced with a known configuration having the same function. Further, a part of the configuration of the above embodiment may be omitted. In addition, at least a part of the configuration of the above embodiment may be added or replaced with the configuration of the other above embodiment. It should be noted that all aspects included in the technical idea specified only by the wording described in the claims are embodiments of the present disclosure.

[Technical idea grasped from the embodiment]
From the various embodiments described in detail above, at least the following technical ideas can be grasped.
(A) An automatic driving control device mounted on a vehicle.
A surrounding information acquisition unit that acquires surrounding information, which is information around the vehicle, and
The driving mode of the vehicle is a highly automated mode in which at least a part of a plurality of types of driving operations necessary for driving the vehicle is automatically executed based on the surrounding information, and the driving operation automatically executed. An operation mode setting unit that sets one of the basic modes in which the type of automatic operation operation is less than or zero than that of the highly automated mode, and
Based on the operation mode set by the operation mode setting unit, an automatic control unit that executes the automatic operation operation set in the operation mode, and an automatic control unit.
When the operation mode is set to an operation mode having at least one of the automatic operation operations to be executed, a predetermined requirement for canceling at least one of the automatic operation operations set in the operation mode. The release event judgment unit that determines whether or not a release event has occurred, and
With
When the operation mode is set to an operation mode having at least one of the automatic operation operations to be executed, the automatic control unit determines that the release-required event has occurred by the release-required event determination unit. If so, the execution of at least one of the set automatic operation operations is stopped.
Automatic operation control device.

In the automatic operation control device having the above configuration, when the operation mode is set to the highly automated mode, the release-requiring event determination unit determines whether or not the release-required event has occurred, and the operation mode is set to the basic mode. Even if the basic mode is set to execute at least one of a plurality of types of automatic driving operations, the release-required event determination unit determines whether or not a release-required event has occurred. Will be.

That is, regardless of the type of the set operation mode, if it is set to execute even one of a plurality of types of automatic operation operations, whether or not a release-required event has occurred by the release-required event determination unit Judgment is made. Then, when it is determined that the release-required event has occurred, at least one of the automatic driving operations to be executed is stopped.

The release-required event is an event that may occur due to the automatic driving operation being executed not being executed normally, or an event that occurs even though the automatic driving operation is being executed normally at the present time. This is an event that may interfere with the execution of automatic driving operations.

One or a plurality of release-required events may be set in advance. When a plurality of release-required events are set, the release-required event determination unit may determine whether or not each of the plurality of release-required events has occurred, or some of the plurality of release-required events. The presence or absence of the occurrence may be determined for the target. In the latter case, it may be appropriately decided which of the plurality of release-required events should be judged. For example, based on the automatic operation operation set to be executed in the current operation mode, a release-required event that occurs when the automatic operation operation is not executed normally, and the automatic operation operation are hindered. At least one of the possible release-requiring events may be included in the judgment target.

In addition to the above, the timing itself for determining whether or not a release-required event has occurred may be appropriately determined by the release-required event determination unit. For example, whether or not the release-required event determination unit should determine whether or not a release-required event has occurred, and when it should be determined, according to the number and types of automatic driving operations set to be executed in the current operation mode. You may decide at what timing you should make a specific decision.
(B) In (A) above
As the release-required event, at least one operating state that may occur when the operating state of the vehicle is set to be executed and the automatic driving operation may not be normally executed, and An automatic operation control device that is set to be in at least one of at least one operation state in which the automatic operation operation set as an execution target may not be normally executed. ..

In this way, the running automatic driving operation should be stopped by appropriately setting the operating state of the vehicle that may not be normally executed (or not being executed normally) as a release-requiring event. It is possible to properly judge whether or not it is possible.
(C) In the above (A) or (B)
As the release-required event, the occupant of the vehicle is exhibiting a specific first behavior, the person around the vehicle is exhibiting a specific second behavior, and other things around the vehicle. An automated driving controller in which at least one of the vehicle's specific third actions is set.

When the automatic driving operation that is being executed is not executed normally, the effect is reflected in the operating state of the vehicle, and the occupant of the vehicle shows a specific behavior (for example, an expression of surprise or anxiety) or the surroundings of the vehicle. A person shows a specific behavior (for example, many people's eyes are focused or a finger is pointed at the vehicle), or another vehicle (more specifically, the occupant of another vehicle) owns the vehicle. There is a possibility of performing a specific action (for example, honking or passing). Therefore, by setting at least one of the first behavior, the second behavior, and the third behavior as a release-required event, it is necessary to appropriately determine whether or not the automatic driving operation during execution should be stopped. Can be done.
(D) In any one of the above (A) to (C),
An automatic driving control device in which the environment around the vehicle is set to be a predetermined specific environment as the release-requiring event.

A particular environment means an environment in which an ongoing autonomous driving operation may not be performed normally, or an environment in which one or more specific autonomous driving operations should not be performed, such as heavy rain or heavy fog. Bad weather such as is possible. Further, for example, it is conceivable that the vehicle is traveling in an area such as a school zone or an accident-prone area where it is preferable to leave it to the driver's own driving operation rather than automatic driving.

By setting the existence of the vehicle in such a specific environment as a release-requiring event, it is possible to appropriately determine whether or not the automatic driving operation during execution should be stopped.

1 ... Vehicle, 2 ... Front camera, 3 ... Rear camera, 4 ... Left side camera, 5 ... Right side camera, 6 ... Indoor camera, 9 ... Front window, 10 ... Handle, 11 ... Front radar device, 12 ... Rear radar Device, 13 ... Left side radar device, 14 ... Right side radar device, 16 ... Solar radiation sensor, 17 ... Rainfall sensor, 18 ... Wheel speed sensor, 19 ... Current sensor, 20 ... Steering amount sensor, 21 ... In-vehicle contact sensor, 22 ... Engine room temperature sensor, 23 ... Engine room sound sensor, 24 ... Tire pressure sensor, 25 ... Suspension sensor, 26 ... Vehicle outside sound sensor, 27 ... Impact sensor, 30, 101 ... Automatic driving control device, 30a, 101a, 102a ... Control unit, 30b, 101b, 102b ... Memory, 31 ... GPS communication unit, 32 ... Vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit, 33 ... Road-to-vehicle communication unit, 34 ... Pedestrian-vehicle communication unit, 35 ... LTE communication unit, 36 ... Operation unit, 37 ... Display unit, 38 ... Speaker, 41 ... Automatic operation switch, 42 ... Level setting operation unit, 43 ... Emergency stop lever, 44 ... Release reset switch, 46 ... Driving drive control unit, 47 ... Brake control unit, 48 ... Steering control Unit, 81 ... Road communication device, 82 ... Camera, 100 ... Network, 102 ... Monitoring device, 111 ... Detection means group, 112 ... Communication means group.

When employing automatic driving skills, if necessary, or left to the driver of the operation at least a portion of the control being executed automatically as invalid, or forcibly control the behavior of the vehicle in a safe direction It is desirable to be able to.

Automatic driving controller in one aspect of the present disclosure includes being mounted on a vehicle, and the surrounding information obtaining unit, and the automatic control unit, and the main release event determining unit.
The surrounding information acquisition unit acquires surrounding information, which is information around the vehicle. More specifically, the surrounding information is information indicating the surrounding state of the vehicle, and is for automatically executing a plurality of types of driving operations necessary for driving the vehicle without requiring the driver's operation. This is the information you need.

Automatic control unit executes the automatic running operation. Main release event determination unit, a main release events Jo Tokoro determines whether occurred. The release-required event is a predetermined event for which at least one of the automatic driving operations set to be executed should be released (execution stopped).

When the release-requiring event determination unit determines that the release-required event has occurred, the automatic control unit stops the execution of at least one of the automatic operation operations set to be executed.

According to the automatic operation control device configured in this way, when a release-required event occurs, at least one of the automatic operation operations that should be originally executed is released from the execution target and is not executed by the automatic control unit.

Therefore, even if a release-requiring event occurs in which the automatic driving operation may not be performed normally, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from unintentionally becoming unstable .

Claims (3)

It is an automatic driving control device installed in a vehicle.
A surrounding information acquisition unit configured to acquire surrounding information, which is information on the surroundings of the vehicle, and
The driving mode of the vehicle is a highly automated mode in which at least a part of a plurality of types of driving operations necessary for driving the vehicle is automatically executed based on the surrounding information, and the driving operation automatically executed. An operation mode setting unit configured to set one of the basic modes in which the type of automatic operation operation is less than or zero than that of the highly automated mode, and
Based on the operation mode set by the operation mode setting unit, an automatic control unit configured to execute the automatic operation operation set in the operation mode, and an automatic control unit.
At least when the operation mode is the highly automated mode, it is determined whether or not a predetermined release-required event for canceling at least one of the automatic operation operations set in the advanced automation mode has occurred. The configured release-required event judgment unit and
With
The automatic control unit is set to execute when the operation mode is set to at least the highly automated mode and the release-required event determination unit determines that the release-required event has occurred. It is configured to stop the execution of at least one of the above-mentioned automatic driving operations.
Automatic operation control device. The automatic operation control device according to claim 1.
When the operation mode is set to an operation mode having at least one of the automatic operation operations to be executed, the automatic control unit determines that the release-required event has occurred by the release-required event determination unit. If so, it is configured to stop all the automatic driving operations that should be performed in that driving mode.
Automatic operation control device. The automatic operation control device according to claim 1 or 2.
When the release-required event determination unit determines that the release-required event has occurred, the notification unit is configured to notify the occupants of the vehicle that the release-required event has occurred.
A release permission determination unit configured to determine whether or not a specific release permission operation has been performed by the occupant of the vehicle after the notification by the notification unit.
With
When the release permission determination unit determines that the release permission operation has been performed, the automatic control unit stops the execution of the automatic operation operation to be stopped by the release permission determination unit. When it is not determined that the release permission operation has been performed, it is configured to execute a predetermined automatic stop process for stopping the traveling of the vehicle.
Automatic operation control device.

Images