JP2021114306A - Automobile, program for automobile, navigation device for automobile, and program for navigation device for automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an automobile which can certainly avoid a traffic accident and secure that other vehicle influence behavior can be safely performed in the case of attempting to execute the other vehicle influence behavior.SOLUTION: An automobile comprises a car navigation function part which forms route guidance data including trigger information of inter-vehicle communication corresponding to a spot on a route of route guidance requiring execution of other vehicle influence behavior influencing behaviors of other vehicles in the surroundings. The automobile transmits an inter-vehicle communication request to other vehicles in the surroundings through a radio communication part to generate a communication path between other responded vehicles at the spot on the route where the trigger information is detected during execution of the route guidance using the route guidance data by the car navigation function part. The automobile transmits behavior schedule information for informing the other vehicle influence behavior scheduled to be executed to other vehicles through the generated communication path.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to automobiles and automobile programs, as well as automobile navigation devices and automobile navigation device programs.

In recent years, automobiles having an automatic driving mode capable of autonomous driving without a driving operation by a driver have appeared (see, for example, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2012-48563)). As this type of vehicle, in addition to those that can switch between manual driving mode and automatic driving mode, automatic driving vehicles that have only automatic driving mode and automatic driving vehicles that can drive autonomously unmanned will also appear. Conceivable.

Currently, autonomous driving in the automatic driving mode of this type of vehicle is often restricted, such as being permitted only in places and environments where safety can be easily ensured, but in the near future, public roads will be free. It is presumed that it will be possible to drive.

When a car equipped with an automatic driving mode can freely drive on public roads, a car that can only be driven manually (manual specification car) and a car equipped with an automatic driving mode (for convenience, the following explanation includes an automatic driving mode). Cars will be called self-driving cars) and will run on the same road at the same time.

In the case of a manual specification vehicle, it is unavoidable that some drivers do not strictly comply with traffic regulations or behave unpredictably, but in the automatic driving mode by an autonomous driving vehicle, it is unavoidable. It is predicted that traffic regulations will be strictly observed and that obstacles will always be avoided when driving. That is, it is expected that the manual specification vehicle and the autonomous driving vehicle will take different driving modes.

Therefore, if it is possible to know whether a vehicle traveling in the vicinity is a manual specification vehicle or an autonomous driving vehicle, pedestrians, drivers, and the vehicle (autonomous driving vehicle) itself can move and behave. It is expected that it will be useful for traffic safety, such as preventing the occurrence of accidents by increasing the possibility of being able to secure safety and pay attention to one's behavior and driving by predicting. .. In other words, if you know whether the vehicle you are driving is a manual specification vehicle or an autonomous driving vehicle, you can refer to it for determining your own behavior and behavior, which is preferable in terms of traffic safety.

Therefore, for example, in Patent Document 2 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-228152), whether the operating mode of the own vehicle is the automatic driving mode or the manual driving mode is transmitted to and received from each other by vehicle-to-vehicle communication between the vehicles. It has been proposed that the operation mode of other vehicles around the own vehicle can be grasped. According to the technique of Patent Document 2, it is convenient to pay attention to other vehicles around the own vehicle by making it heavier or lighter according to the grasped operation mode.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-48563 JP-A-2015-228152

However, in the technique of Patent Document 2, it is only possible to know the operating mode of a moving vehicle and to drive safely with reference to the known operating mode, and the behavior that the own vehicle intends to perform in the future can be determined. It was not possible to guarantee safe execution without causing a traffic accident. In particular, it has not been possible to ensure that traffic accidents can be reliably avoided and that vehicle-affected behaviors that affect the behavior of other vehicles, such as turning right or left, changing lanes, or merging, can be safely performed.

In view of the above points, it is an object of the present invention to provide an automobile capable of reliably avoiding a traffic accident and ensuring that it can be safely performed when attempting to execute the behavior affected by another vehicle. ..

In order to solve the above problems, the invention of claim 1 is
A wireless communication unit that has a transmission / reception function and enables wireless communication between vehicles,
A car navigation function unit that forms route guidance data including trigger information for inter-vehicle communication in response to points on the route guidance route that affect the behavior of other vehicles in the vicinity. ,
Vehicle-to-vehicle communication request to other vehicles in the vicinity through the wireless communication unit at a point on the route where the trigger information is detected during execution of route guidance using the route guidance data by the car navigation function unit. Communication request means and
A communication path generating means for generating a communication path with another vehicle that has responded to the inter-vehicle communication request,
Through the communication path generated by the communication path generating means, a behavioral schedule information transmitting means for transmitting behavioral schedule information notifying the behavior of the other vehicle to be executed to the other vehicle, and a behavioral schedule information transmitting means.
Provide an automobile characterized by being equipped with.

The vehicle according to claim 1 having the above configuration includes trigger information for vehicle-to-vehicle communication corresponding to a point on the route of route guidance that requires execution of the behavior affected by other vehicles that affects the behavior of other vehicles in the vicinity. It is equipped with a functional part of a car navigation system that forms route guidance data.

Then, during the execution of route guidance using the route guidance data by the functional unit of the car navigation system, when the point on the route where the trigger information is detected is reached, the inter-vehicle communication request is transmitted to other vehicles in the vicinity through the wireless communication unit. Then, a communication path is generated between the vehicle and another vehicle that has responded to the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request. Then, through the generated communication path, the behavior schedule information notifying the behavior of the other vehicle to be executed is transmitted to the other vehicle.

The other vehicle that has received this behavior schedule information can recognize the behavior that is about to be executed and determine the behavior of the own vehicle corresponding to the behavior.

According to the automobile according to the present invention, when attempting to execute the behavior affected by another vehicle, the own vehicle performs inter-vehicle communication with the surrounding autonomous vehicle or another vehicle in the automatic driving mode in advance. Since it is possible to inform other vehicles of the behavior affected by other vehicles that they are trying to achieve, it has a remarkable effect that it can be expected that the behavior affected by other vehicles can be safely performed while avoiding traffic accidents.

It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the electronic control circuit part of the embodiment of the automobile by this invention. It is a functional block diagram for demonstrating the structural example of the main part of the electronic control circuit part of the automobile of the example of FIG. It is a figure which shows the flowchart for demonstrating the processing operation example of the electronic control circuit part of the automobile of the example of FIG. It is a figure which shows a part of the flowchart for demonstrating the processing operation example of the electronic control circuit part of the automobile of the example of FIG. It is a figure which shows a part of the flowchart for demonstrating the processing operation example of the electronic control circuit part of the automobile of the example of FIG. It is a figure which shows a part of the flowchart for demonstrating the processing operation example of the electronic control circuit part of the automobile of the example of FIG. It is a figure which shows a part of the flowchart for demonstrating the processing operation example of the electronic control circuit part of the automobile of the example of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of the influence behavior of another vehicle which is executed by the embodiment of the automobile by this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating another example of the other vehicle influence behavior which is carried out by the embodiment of the automobile by this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating still another example of the other vehicle influence behavior which is carried out by the embodiment of the automobile by this invention.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the automobile according to the present invention will be described below as a case of an autonomous driving vehicle having an automatic driving mode for autonomously executing the behavior of the own vehicle. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration example of an example of an electronic control circuit unit 10 of an autonomous driving vehicle 1 as an embodiment of an automobile according to the present invention. The self-driving car 1 of this embodiment is an example in the case of an electric vehicle. However, the battery is not shown in FIG.

Further, the automatic driving vehicle 1 of this embodiment includes an automatic driving mode in which the behavior of the own vehicle is autonomously executed and a manual driving mode. The manual driving mode is a mode in which the driver can drive according to the accelerator pedal operation, the brake pedal operation, the shift lever operation, and the steering operation (steering wheel operation), as in the case of a normal automobile that is not an autonomous driving vehicle. Further, in the automatic driving mode, even if the driver does not operate the accelerator pedal, the brake pedal, the shift lever, or the steering operation, the self-driving car 1 itself automatically (autonomously) avoids obstacles while advancing the course. This is the driving mode to change.

The driver of the autonomous driving vehicle 1 can switch the autonomous driving vehicle 1 running in the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode by a predetermined operation through, for example, the touch panel 112 described later, and while driving in the automatic driving mode. , When the driver performs a predetermined operation such as accelerator pedal operation, brake pedal operation, shift lever operation or steering operation, it is configured to automatically return to the manual operation mode.

As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic control circuit unit 10 controls the control unit 101 via the system bus 100 by the wireless communication unit 102, the motor drive control unit 103, the steering drive control unit 104, and the manual / automatic operation mode switching control. Unit 105, radar group 106, camera group 107, sensor group 108, surrounding situation grasping unit 109, current position detection unit 110, display unit 111, touch panel 112, car navigation function unit 113, own vehicle information storage unit 114, traveling speed and direction. Each of the detection unit 115, the clock unit 116, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication control processing unit 117, the behavior control unit 118, and the voice input / output unit 119 are connected.

A motor drive unit 121 is connected to the motor drive control unit 103. A steering drive unit 122 is connected to the steering drive control unit 104. A manual operation detection unit 123 is connected to the manual / automatic operation mode switching control unit 105. Further, a car navigation database 124 is connected to the car navigation function unit 113. Further, the microphone 125 and the speaker 126 are connected to the voice input / output unit 119.

The control unit 101 is configured to be equipped with a computer and controls the entire automatic driving vehicle 1.

The wireless communication unit 102 is for performing inter-vehicle communication, and is usually in a reception standby mode. Then, as will be described later, according to the control of the inter-vehicle communication control processing unit 117, when the transmission trigger occurs, the inter-vehicle communication request signal is transmitted by broadcasting, and when the response information is received from the communication partner, the inter-vehicle communication is performed. To work. Further, when the wireless communication unit 102 receives the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request signal in the reception standby mode in the reception standby mode according to the control of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication control processing unit 117, the wireless communication unit 102 passes through a communication path generated between the vehicle and the vehicle transmitting the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request signal. It operates to communicate between vehicles.

Under the control of the control unit 101, the motor drive control unit 103 controls the supply of the drive signal to the motor drive unit 121 of the automatic driving vehicle 1 composed of the electric vehicle of this embodiment, and the automatic driving vehicle 1 To control the start of running, running speed control (including brake control and accelerator control), running stop, etc.

The steering drive control unit 104 controls the supply of the drive control signal to the steering drive unit 122 of the autonomous driving vehicle 1 of this embodiment under the control of the control unit 101 to control the course change of the autonomous driving vehicle 1. To do.

The manual / automatic driving mode switching control unit 105 controls to switch the driving mode of the automatic driving vehicle 1 to either the manual driving mode or the automatic driving mode in response to the selection operation input through the touch panel 112. The manual operation detection unit 123 receives the operation information of the accelerator pedal operation, the brake pedal operation, the shift lever operation, and the steering operation by the driver, and supplies the manual operation operation information to the manual / automatic operation mode switching control unit 105. do.

When the automatic driving vehicle 1 is in the manual driving mode, the manual / automatic driving mode switching control unit 105 supplies the manual driving operation information from the manual driving operation detection unit 123 to the motor drive control unit 103 and the steering drive control unit 104. Then, the motor drive unit 121 and the steering drive unit 122 are controlled according to the driver's pedal operation, shift lever operation, and steering operation (steering wheel operation).

Further, when the automatic driving vehicle 1 is in the automatic driving mode, the manual / automatic driving mode switching control unit 105 outputs the radar group 106, the camera group 107, the sensor group 108, and the surrounding situation grasping unit 109 as described later. Based on this, the automatic driving operation information generated by the control unit 101 is supplied to the motor drive control unit 103 and the steering drive control unit 104, and the motor drive unit 121 and the steering drive unit 122 are driven and controlled by the automatic driving operation information. .. In the automatic driving mode, the car navigation function unit 113 searches for a route from the current position to the destination (destination) set by the driver or the like, and is controlled to travel along the searched route. NS.

In the case of a fully automatic driving vehicle having only an automatic driving mode without a manual driving mode, the manual / automatic driving mode switching control unit 105 and the manual driving operation detection unit 123 are not provided, of course. Further, the accelerator pedal, brake pedal, shift lever, steering wheel, etc. required for manual operation may not be provided. However, in order to ensure safety, a brake pedal (a brake button, a touch panel input corresponding to the brake, or a voice input may be provided) may be provided so that only the brake operation can be manually handled.

The radar group 106 is for measuring the distance to people and objects existing around the vehicle of the autonomous driving vehicle 1, and includes a laser radar (rider), a millimeter wave radar, and the like. Laser radars are embedded, for example near the ceiling and bumpers, and millimeter-wave radars are installed, for example, at the front and rear of the vehicle. It may have both a laser radar and a millimeter wave radar, or it may have only one. Further, other radars such as a submillimeter wave radar and a microwave radar may be used. Further, sound wave or ultrasonic sonar (not shown) can be used for the same purpose as radar.

The camera group 107 corresponds to the camera group 207 of the first embodiment, and includes one or a plurality of cameras for photographing the inside of the self-driving car 1, and the front, side, rear, and the like of the self-driving car 1. Includes one or more cameras that capture the surroundings outside the vehicle.

The sensor group 108 includes an open / close detection sensor that detects the opening / closing of a door and an opening / closing of a window, a sensor for detecting the wearing of a seat belt, a seating sensor that detects that a occupant is seated in a seat such as a driver's seat or a passenger seat, and the like. In addition, it consists of a motion sensor (infrared sensor) that detects a person near the outside of the vehicle and various sensors for acquiring information that assists automatic driving. Various sensors for acquiring auxiliary information for automatic driving include, for example, a vibration sensor for detecting the vibration of a vehicle or a tire, a rotation speed sensor for detecting the rotation speed of a tire, and a rotation speed sensor for detecting an orientation. It includes a geomagnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor for detecting acceleration, a gyro sensor (gyroscope) for detecting an angle or an angular velocity, and the like. Further, in this embodiment, the sensor group 108 also includes a sensor that detects blinking of a right turn signal, a left turn signal (direction indicator), a hazard lamp (emergency blinking light), and lighting of a backlight, a brake light, and the like. ing.

The surrounding situation grasping unit 109 uses the images taken by the radar group 106, the sensor group 108, and the camera group 107 to move the moving objects (including people) around the own vehicle, the number of lanes on the road, and the traveling of the own vehicle. Try to understand the surrounding environment such as middle lanes, uphills, and downhills. The surrounding situation grasping unit 109 grasps surrounding obstacles and moving objects by performing processing based on, for example, Bayesian theory. Information on the surrounding environment, surrounding obstacles, and moving objects grasped by the surrounding situation grasping unit 109 is in accordance with traffic regulations and ensuring safety in the inter-vehicle communication control processing unit 117 and the behavior control unit 118, which will be described later. Used to determine behavior.

Further, in this embodiment, the surrounding situation grasping unit 109 has a function of recognizing a traffic sign or a traffic sign from a photographed image of the surroundings of the own vehicle of the camera group 107. The traffic signs and traffic signs recognized by the surrounding situation grasping unit 109 are used by the behavior control unit 118, which will be described later, to behave in accordance with the traffic regulations.

The current position detection unit 110 corresponds to the current position detection unit 204 of the vehicle-mounted device 2 of the first embodiment, and receives radio waves from GPS satellites to detect the current position of the own vehicle. In order to further improve the accuracy of the position detected by the radio wave from the GPS satellite, the current position detection unit 110 includes not only the information of the current position detected by the reception of the radio wave from the GPS satellite but also the sensor group 1081 -Detect and confirm the current position with higher accuracy by using multiple sensors, radar group 106, camera group 107 captured images (combined with navigation function), and performing processing based on, for example, Bayesian theory. I am trying to do it.

In the autonomous driving mode, the autonomous driving vehicle 1 has the radar group 106, the camera group 107, the sensor group 108, the position information acquired by receiving radio waves from the GPS satellite, and the like in the current position detection unit 110 and the surrounding situation grasping unit 109 in the automatic operation mode. Various information, that is, information corresponding to information obtained from the human eye or ear is processed by Bayesian theory or the like, and based on this, the control unit 101 performs intellectual information such as changing the course of the own vehicle and avoiding obstacles. Processing (AI (artificial intelligence)) and control (AI (artificial intelligence)) are performed to generate automatic driving operation information. Then, based on the generated automatic driving operation information, the motor drive unit 121 is driven by the motor drive control unit 103, and the steering drive unit 122 is driven by the steering drive control unit 104, so that autonomous movement control is performed. .. Therefore, in this embodiment, the autonomous movement control means includes the control unit 101, the radar group 106, the camera group 107, the sensor group 108, the surrounding situation grasping unit 109, the current position detection unit 110, the motor drive control unit 103, and the motor. It is composed of a drive unit 121, a steering drive control unit 104, a steering drive unit 122, and a car navigation function unit 113 described later.

The display unit 111 includes, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). The touch panel 112 is arranged by superimposing a touch sensor capable of touch input by a finger on the display screen of the display unit 111 made of an LCD. On the display screen of the display unit 111, a display image including software buttons (including a character input button on the keyboard) is displayed based on the control of the control unit 101. Then, when the touch panel 112 detects a touch by a finger on the software button displayed on the display screen, the touch panel 112 transmits the touch to the control unit 101. The control unit 101 that receives this is configured to execute the control process corresponding to the software button. The software buttons may be supported by using a separate keyboard or the like.

Domestic maps and route guidance data are stored in advance in the car navigation database 124 connected to the car navigation function unit 113. The car navigation function unit 113 is a function unit for guiding the autonomous driving vehicle 1 to assist in moving to a designated destination based on a map stored in the car navigation database 124 and route guidance data. Is. The car navigation function unit 113 performs route search based on the departure point, waypoint, destination, and search conditions set and input by the user (driving car or passenger), creates route guidance data, and creates this route guidance. Route guidance processing is executed using the data. In this embodiment, the car navigation function unit 113 is configured to perform slightly different route guidance processing in the manual driving mode and the automatic driving mode.

That is, in the manual operation mode, the car navigation function unit 113 is detected and confirmed by the current position detection unit 110 on the map that explicitly displays the route to the destination on the display screen of the display unit 111. In addition to displaying an image that superimposes the position of the own vehicle, the position of the own vehicle (current position) on the map is moved as the own vehicle moves, and route guidance such as intersections and branch points on the route is provided. Make voice guidance where necessary. This is the same as a normal car navigation function.

On the other hand, in the automatic driving mode, when the current position of the own vehicle is far from the route to the destination, the car navigation function unit 113 notifies the behavior control unit 118, which will be described later, of the information on the separation direction and the distance. At the same time, when the current position of the own vehicle is on the route to the destination, as the own vehicle moves, the information for changing the course direction along the route is behaved before the intersection or branch point on the route. Notify the control unit 118.

Under the control of the control unit 101, the behavior control unit 118 is based on the information notified from the car navigation function unit 113, the current position confirmation result of the current position detection unit 110, and the grasp result of the surrounding situation grasping unit 109. In order to control the motor drive unit 121 through the motor drive control unit 103 and the steering drive unit 122 through the steering drive control unit 104 so that the own vehicle moves along the route as instructed. Generates automatic driving operation information. Therefore, the automatic driving vehicle 1 can move to the destination even when the passenger is unmanned by the route guidance to the destination by the car navigation function unit 113 and the control unit 101 in the automatic driving mode.

Further, in this embodiment, in the automatic driving mode, the car navigation function unit 113 blinks the direction indicator at the time of turning right or left, and at the point where the hazard lamp blinks at the time of emergency stop, and gives an instruction to blink. The indicator control information about the indicator information (the indicator on the left side, the indicator on the right side, or both) is also included in the route guidance data. The behavior control unit 118 executes the blinking control of the instructed indicator at the position where the current position becomes the indicator control point based on the indicator control information included in the route guidance data.

The indicator control information is not limited to the information of the blinking point and the blinking indicator, but may be the information of the lighting point and the indicator to be lit. For example, information on the points where the backlight (backlight) is lit (white lit) during back driving, the brake light (brake light) is lit (red lit) during braking, and the indicator to be lit (backlight or The indicator control information about the brake light or both) can also be included in the route guidance data. As in the case of blinking control, the behavior control unit 118 controls the lighting of the indicated indicator at the position where the current position becomes the indicator control point based on the indicator control information included in the route guidance data. To execute.

Further, in this embodiment, the behavior that affects the behavior of other vehicles in the vicinity (hereinafter referred to as the behavior that affects other vehicles) is predetermined, and the car navigation function unit 113 includes other information in the route guidance data of the search result. Information on the occurrence of other vehicle influence behavior is included corresponding to the points where the vehicle influence behavior needs to be executed. Other behaviors that affect vehicles include the behavior of self-driving cars turning right and left, the behavior of changing lanes, the behavior of merging on general roads and highways, and the behavior of entering congested convoys. It is defined and registered in the self-driving car 1.

The other vehicle influence behavior occurrence information includes information on what the other vehicle influence behavior occurs and information on the point where the other vehicle influence behavior is performed. The other vehicle influence behavior occurrence information is inserted corresponding to the same point as the point on the route where the other vehicle influence behavior is actually executed or the point in front of the point. For example, as will be described later, a right turn, a left turn, a merging, etc. are preset in the autonomous driving vehicle 1 as behaviors affected by other vehicles, and the car navigation function unit 113 needs information on the behaviors affected by other vehicles. Insert corresponding to the intersection on the route, the same point as the confluence, or the point before it. The information on the occurrence of other vehicle influence behavior is used as the information of the transmission trigger of the inter-vehicle communication, as will be described later. The insertion point of the other vehicle influence behavior occurrence point information may be the same point as the blinking instruction point of the direction indicator or the hazard lamp, the lighting instruction point of the backlight or the brake light, or a point in front of it. ..

The own vehicle information storage unit 114 stores own vehicle information including mode information including information on whether or not the own vehicle has an automatic driving mode and information for distinguishing and identifying the own vehicle from other vehicles. There is. This own vehicle information is input and stored by an operator at the manufacturing plant of the autonomous driving vehicle 1. Further, when the self-driving car 1 is sold, it is input and stored by the seller at a store such as a dealer. Of course, the input of the own vehicle information by the worker or the seller may be a direct input or a download input from a predetermined server such as an automobile company. Further, when the own vehicle information is input after the sale of the self-driving car 1, it is input and stored by the owner or user of the self-driving car 1, the manager, the management company, or the like.

As the mode information stored in the own vehicle information storage unit 114, in this example, it is a manual specification vehicle, an automatic driving vehicle having an automatic driving mode, and if it is an automatic driving vehicle, a manual driving mode and an automatic driving mode. It includes information such as which type among multiple types such as a type that can be switched between, a type that can be operated only in an automatic operation mode, and a type that can be operated unmanned. If it is possible to identify the source, the level, etc., such as the developer and version of AI (Artificial Intelligence) installed and used in autonomous vehicles, that information. May be included as own vehicle information. In addition, in the case of AI, it generally evolves through learning to improve safety and driving performance, so there is a high correlation between traveling time and mileage and safety and driving performance that depend on AI. Therefore, the traveling time and the traveling distance may be included as the own vehicle information. AI may be installed in hardware such as LSI or in software.

Further, as the information stored in the own vehicle information storage unit 114 for distinguishing and identifying the autonomous driving vehicle 1 of the own vehicle from other vehicles, not only the information different from the other vehicles but also the specifications of the autonomous driving vehicle 1 are specified. Needless to say, it may include information such as. Examples of the vehicle information stored in the vehicle information storage unit 114 include the country code (which country the vehicle is), the manufacturing company (automobile company), the vehicle type, the vehicle name, the body color, the exhaust amount, and the drive. Method (gasoline vehicle, PHV (Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle), EV (Electric Vehicle), fuel cell vehicle, etc.), presence / absence of automatic operation mode, number of passengers, number plate number, general vehicle or special vehicle (ambulance, fire department) Cars, patrol cars, taxis, buses, etc.) or other manufacturer options (manufacturers can freely set).

The traveling speed and direction detection unit 115 automatically operates from the sensor output of the speed sensor of the sensor group 108 or from the position change of the current position detected by the current position detection unit 110 during the time change from the clock unit 116. The traveling speed of the vehicle 1 is detected, and the moving speed of the automatically driven vehicle 1 is detected from the sensor outputs of the acceleration sensor, the gyro sensor, and the direction sensor of the sensor group 108. The clock unit 116 generates time information of year, month, day, hour, minute, and second.

The inter-vehicle communication control processing unit 117 uses the wireless communication unit 102 in this embodiment to control the reception standby operation, the inter-vehicle communication transmission operation, and the reception operation. The inter-vehicle communication control processing unit 117 will be described in detail later.

The behavior control unit 118 controls the execution of the behavior of the own vehicle in the automatic driving mode. That is, in the automatic driving mode, the automatic driving vehicle 1 of this embodiment is at the current position detected by the current position detecting unit 110 according to the route guidance information to the destination determined by the route search by the car navigation function unit 113. Drive while performing the behavior you should be doing. The behavior control unit 118 is a functional unit that determines the behavior based on the route guidance information that the autonomous driving vehicle 1 should perform at the current position detected by the current position detection unit 110 and controls the execution of the behavior. ..

Then, in the autonomous driving vehicle 1 of this embodiment, the behavior control unit 118 is determined when the behavior to be performed at that time is determined by the inter-vehicle communication control processing unit 117 as described later. Control the behavior to be executed preferentially.

The voice input / output unit 119 takes in the voice signal of the surrounding voice picked up by the microphone 125, and supplies the voice signal for notifying the driver or the like to the speaker 126 to emit the sound. In this embodiment, among the surrounding sounds picked up by the microphone 125, for example, the sound of the siren of an emergency vehicle (ambulance, fire engine, police car, etc.) determines the behavior in the inter-vehicle communication control processing unit 117 and the behavior control unit 118. It is used during processing, and in this case as well, the behavior is determined so as to prioritize the running of the emergency vehicle. Then, in this embodiment, the necessary message audio signal to be notified to the driver is generated by the control unit 101, the inter-vehicle communication control processing unit 117, and the like, and the message audio signal is emitted through the speaker 126.

As described above, the electronic control circuit unit 10 of the autonomous driving vehicle 1 is configured. Among the processing blocks shown in FIG. 1, the motor drive control unit 103, the steering drive control unit 104, and the manual / automatic operation mode switching Each processing function of the control unit 105, the surrounding situation grasping unit 109, the current position detection unit 110, the car navigation function unit 113, the traveling speed and direction detection unit 115, the inter-vehicle communication control processing unit 117, and the behavior control unit 118 is the control unit 101. Can be realized as software processing performed by executing a program.

[Configuration example of inter-vehicle communication control processing unit 117]
FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram for explaining the processing function of the inter-vehicle communication control processing unit 117. That is, in this embodiment, the inter-vehicle communication control processing unit 117 includes a communication monitoring unit 1170, a transmission time processing unit 200, and a reception time processing unit 300 as functional units.

When the application program for inter-vehicle communication is launched, the communication monitoring unit 1170 monitors the standby for receiving the inter-vehicle communication request from another vehicle, and whether or not the transmission trigger of the inter-vehicle communication request has occurred in the own vehicle. Monitor.

The transmission trigger of the inter-vehicle communication request is generated when the autonomous driving vehicle 1 should perform a predetermined behavior of affecting other vehicles in the vicinity as a behavior affecting the behavior of other vehicles in the vicinity. In this example, as described above, when an autonomous vehicle makes a right or left turn, changes lanes, merges on a general road or highway, enters a congested convoy, etc. The behavior is determined in advance as the behavior affected by other vehicles, and the communication monitoring unit 1170 monitors the occurrence of the behavior affected by other vehicles.

In this embodiment, as described above, when the car navigation function unit 113 creates the route guidance data, the influence of the other vehicle is applied to the same point as or in front of the point where the behavior of the influence of the other vehicle is required on the route. Behavior occurrence information is inserted. In this embodiment, the communication monitoring unit 1170 is not limited to the manual driving mode and the automatic driving mode in the automatic driving vehicle 1, and when the route guidance by the car navigation function unit 113 is executed, the current position is affected by other vehicles. The occurrence of the outgoing trigger is detected when the occurrence information is inserted. Then, when the communication monitoring unit 1170 detects that the transmission trigger has occurred, the transmission monitoring unit 200 activates the transmission trigger generation notification and sends the transmission trigger generation notification and the detected information on the influence behavior of another vehicle to the transmission processing unit 200. Control to supply.

Further, in the manual operation mode, when the route guidance by the car navigation function unit 113 is not executed, the communication monitoring unit 1170 performs a blinking start operation (may be accompanied by a brake operation) of the direction indicator and the hazard lamp by the driver. When there is, the occurrence of the transmission trigger is detected, and the behavior of other vehicles at that time is recognized based on the blinking operation of the blinking start operation of the direction indicator and the hazard lamp.

In this case, since it may not be possible to specify the behavior affected by another vehicle using only the direction indicator, the operation may be accompanied by the operation through the touch panel of the driver. For example, when the right turn signal of the turn signal to the right is blinked, it may mean a right turn or a lane change. Therefore, when the driving vehicle operates the direction indicator to the right, the operation buttons (icon buttons) for turning right and changing lanes are displayed on the display screen of the display unit 111. Further, when the left turn signal of the direction indicator to the left is blinked, it may mean a left turn, or the vehicle may be stopped toward the left side. In this case, on the display screen of the display unit 111, an operation button (icon button) indicating that the vehicle is stopped by turning left or moving to the left side is displayed. The driver operates any of the operation buttons displayed on the display screen of the display unit 111. This operation is detected by the touch panel 112. By operating the driver's buttons in addition to operating the turn signals, it is possible to reliably recognize the behavior affected by other vehicles.

Of course, when a predetermined situation such as when approaching an intersection or when approaching a highway is recognized from the captured image of the camera group 107, the occurrence of the transmission trigger is detected or the transmission trigger is generated, and the other vehicle at that time is generated. The influence behavior may be recognized. In addition, when radio information is received from a traffic light installed at an intersection or a beacon installed at a predetermined interval along a road, and a predetermined situation is recognized such as when entering an intersection or when entering a highway. In addition, the occurrence of the transmission trigger may be detected, or the transmission trigger may be generated and the behavior of the influence of another vehicle at that time may be recognized.

Then, when the communication monitoring unit 1170 detects that the transmission trigger has occurred, the communication monitoring unit 1170 activates the transmission time processing unit 200 and controls to supply the transmission trigger generation notification and the recognized information on the behavior of the other vehicle.

Further, when the communication monitoring unit 1170 detects the reception of the inter-vehicle communication request from another vehicle, the communication monitoring unit 1170 activates the reception-time processing unit 300 and controls to supply the reception notification of the inter-vehicle communication request to the reception-time processing unit 300. do.

The transmission time processing unit 200 executes the transmission time processing described later, and when it is completed, notifies the communication monitoring unit 1170 to that effect. Further, the reception-time processing unit 300 executes the reception-time processing described later, and when it is completed, notifies the communication monitoring unit 1170 to that effect. Upon receiving this termination notification, the communication monitoring unit 1170 performs standby monitoring for receiving an inter-vehicle communication request from another vehicle, and monitors whether or not a transmission trigger for an inter-vehicle communication request has occurred in the own vehicle. Return.

<< Call processing unit 200 >>
As shown in FIG. 2, the transmission processing unit 200 includes an inter-vehicle communication request unit 201, a communication path generation management unit 202, a behavior schedule information generation transmission unit 203, a reply information analysis unit 204, and another vehicle behavior confirmation unit. It includes 205 and a behavior determination unit 206.

When the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request unit 201 receives the transmission trigger generation notification from the communication monitoring unit 1170, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request unit 201 transmits the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request through the wireless communication unit 102.

The communication path generation management unit 202 monitors the response information of the other vehicle corresponding to the inter-vehicle communication request, and generates a communication path with one or a plurality of other vehicles that have sent the response information. Then, the communication path generation management unit 202 manages the subsequent inter-vehicle communication, and when it detects that the inter-vehicle communication is completed, notifies the communication monitoring unit 1170 to that effect.

The behavior schedule information generation transmission unit 203 uses the information on the influence behavior of the other vehicle sent together with the notification of the occurrence of the transmission trigger to determine the influence behavior of the other vehicle that the own vehicle intends to perform and the position where the influence behavior of the other vehicle is scheduled to be executed. The behavior schedule information including the information of the point) is generated and transmitted to another vehicle through the communication path generated by the communication path generation management unit 202. In this embodiment, in the behavior schedule information sent to another vehicle, the current position of the own vehicle detected by the current position detection unit 110 and the own vehicle stored in the own vehicle information storage unit 114 are further specified. And the information on the traveling speed and the traveling direction of the own vehicle detected by the traveling speed and direction detecting unit 115 are also included.

The reply information analysis unit 204 analyzes the reply information sent from the other vehicle that has received the behavior schedule information, and analyzes the behavior of the other vehicle with respect to the other vehicle's influence behavior of the own vehicle.

The other vehicle behavior confirmation unit 205 identifies the behavior of the other vehicle involved in the other vehicle's influence behavior from the behavior of the other vehicle detected by the analysis result of the reply information analysis unit 204, and determines the behavior of the other vehicle. When it is determined that the behavior of the own vehicle can be safely executed by the behavior of the other vehicle, a confirmation notice indicating that the behavior of the other vehicle has been confirmed is sent to the other vehicle.

The behavior determination unit 206 determines the behavior for safely executing the behavior of the other vehicle for which the confirmation notification is transmitted by the behavior confirmation unit 205 of the other vehicle. In processing the behavior determination by the behavior determination unit 206, the grasping result by the surrounding situation grasping unit 109 is also referred to. That is, for example, when an emergency vehicle exists, it is decided to give priority to the emergency vehicle, or to behave according to the traffic rules based on the traffic sign or the traffic sign when it is detected.

In the behavior determination unit 206, the own vehicle performs different processing in the manual driving mode and the automatic driving mode. That is, when the own vehicle is in the manual driving mode, the behavior determination unit 206 behaves to the driver, for example, by a display message through the display screen of the display unit 111 or by a voice message through the speaker 126. The behavior to be notified is determined, and the information of the determined behavior is passed to the behavior control unit 118 to be executed. From this notification, the driver can recognize that the other vehicle influence behavior can be safely executed, and can manually execute the other vehicle influence behavior.

Further, when the own vehicle is in the automatic driving mode, the behavior determination unit 206 describes the automatic driving for safely executing the behavior of the other vehicle for which the confirmation notification is transmitted by the other vehicle behavior confirmation unit 205. The behavior is determined, and the information of the determined behavior is passed to the behavior control unit 118 to be executed. As a result, the behavior control unit 118 can safely execute the behavior affected by other vehicles.

<< Reception processing unit 300 >>
As shown in FIG. 2, the reception processing unit 300 includes a communication path generation management unit 301, a behavior schedule information analysis unit 302, a communication path maintenance necessity determination unit 303, a behavior determination unit 304, and a reply information generation transmission. It is configured to include a unit 305 and a confirmation notification reception detection unit 306.

When the communication path generation management unit 301 receives the reception notification of the inter-vehicle communication request from the communication monitoring unit 1170, it determines whether or not the own vehicle is in the automatic driving mode, and if it is in the automatic driving mode, responds to the inter-vehicle communication request. Response information is generated and transmitted to the transmitting vehicle that originated the inter-vehicle communication request, so that a communication path with the transmitting vehicle is generated. The control unit 101 controls so that the automatic operation mode cannot be switched to the manual operation mode while the communication path is being generated.

On the other hand, when the own vehicle is in the manual driving mode when the reception notification of the inter-vehicle communication request is received, in this embodiment, the communication channel generation management unit 301 does not respond to the inter-vehicle communication request and communicates with the calling vehicle. No road is generated. Then, when the communication path generation management unit 202 generates the communication path, it manages the subsequent inter-vehicle communication, and when it detects that the inter-vehicle communication is completed, it notifies the communication monitoring unit 1170 to that effect.

If the vehicle is in the manual driving mode when the notification of the inter-vehicle communication request is received, the vehicle is forcibly switched to the automatic driving mode, or the driver is asked for permission to switch to the automatic driving mode. , When the driver gives a permission response, switch to the automatic driving mode, and when the automatic driving mode is entered, generate response information that responds to the inter-vehicle communication request, send it to the calling vehicle, and connect with the calling vehicle. A communication path may be generated.

The behavior schedule information analysis unit 302 analyzes the behavior schedule information sent from the transmitting vehicle through the communication path generated by the communication path generation management unit 301, and asks what the behavior of the other vehicle that the transmitting vehicle is scheduled to execute is. The current position, traveling speed, traveling direction of the transmitting vehicle, the position of the point where the other vehicle's influence behavior is executed, the affected lane, etc. are analyzed and detected, and the detected analysis result is used as the channel maintenance necessity judgment unit. Supply to 303.

The communication channel maintenance necessity determination unit 303 determines from the analysis result of the behavior schedule information analysis unit 302 whether or not the own vehicle is actually affected when the behavior of the transmitting vehicle is affected by another vehicle, and affects the effect. When it is determined that the communication path is to be received, it is decided to maintain the generated communication path, and when it is determined that the communication path is not affected, the generated communication path is cut off and the inter-vehicle communication with the transmitting vehicle is terminated at this point.

When the behavior determination unit 304 determines that the communication path maintenance necessity determination unit 303 maintains the generated communication path, the behavior determination unit 304 behaves based on the analysis result of the behavior schedule information by the behavior schedule information analysis unit 302. To decide. For example, from the current position and running speed of the own vehicle, the current position and running speed of the transmitting vehicle, and the position of the point where the transmitting vehicle executes the influence behavior of the other vehicle, the behavior of the other vehicle of the transmitting vehicle is prioritized rather than being prioritized. When it is judged that it is better for the own vehicle to pass the point where the transmitting vehicle executes the influence behavior of other vehicles, it is decided to "pass as it is". Further, when it is determined that the influence behavior of the transmitting vehicle on other vehicles can be prioritized based on the above information, for example, it is determined to "slow down and give priority to the influence behavior of other vehicles on the transmitting vehicle". The behavior determination unit 304 supplies the determined behavior information to the reply information generation transmission unit 305.

In the processing of the behavior determination by the behavior determination unit 304, the grasp result by the surrounding situation grasping unit 109 is also referred to. That is, for example, when an emergency vehicle exists, it is decided to give priority to the emergency vehicle, or to behave according to the traffic rules based on the traffic sign or the traffic sign when it is detected.

The reply information generation transmission unit 305 generates reply information including the behavior information determined by the behavior determination unit 304, the position information of the own vehicle, and the own vehicle information for identifying the own vehicle, and generates the reply information. Send the reply information to the calling vehicle.

The confirmation notification reception confirmation unit 306 determines whether or not the confirmation notification has been received from the calling vehicle in response to the reply information sent from the reply information generation transmission unit 305, and when the confirmation notification is received, the transmission vehicle receives the confirmation notification. Determines that the behavior of the own vehicle has been confirmed, and supplies information on the behavior of the own vehicle to the behavior control unit 118 so as to execute the behavior of the own vehicle determined by the behavior determination unit 304.

In this way, when the autonomous driving vehicle 1 of this embodiment receives an inter-vehicle communication request from another vehicle, it receives the inter-vehicle communication request when the own vehicle is in the automatic driving mode, and transmits the inter-vehicle communication request. Communicate between vehicles to determine the behavior of the vehicle. Then, when the behavior of the own vehicle is determined by giving priority to the behavior of the outgoing vehicle due to the influence of other vehicles in the inter-vehicle communication, the confirmation notification of the outgoing vehicle is received by the inter-vehicle communication and the behavior of the own vehicle is executed. ..

In this case, the calling vehicle will surely execute the behavior because the other vehicle that sent the behavior to prioritize the behavior affected by the other vehicle based on the reply information is in the automatic driving mode. Since you can expect it, you can reliably and safely execute the behavior of your own vehicle that affects other vehicles.

On the other hand, the self-driving vehicle 1 that has sent the behavior to prioritize the behavior of the other vehicle of the own vehicle by the reply information receives the confirmation notification about the behavior of the own vehicle from the transmitting vehicle and executes the behavior of the own vehicle. Therefore, it is predicted that the transmitting vehicle will confirm the behavior of the own vehicle by inter-vehicle communication and understand it, and then execute the behavior affected by other vehicles, and ensure the safety and execute the behavior of the own vehicle. be able to.

[Example of processing operation in the autonomous driving vehicle 1 of the embodiment]
Next, the processing operation of the inter-vehicle communication control processing unit 117 of the autonomous driving vehicle 1 of the embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 3 to 7. The following description will be described as a case where the control unit 101 realizes the processing function of the inter-vehicle communication control processing unit 117 as software processing performed by executing a program.

First, an example of the processing operation in the communication monitoring unit 1170 of the inter-vehicle communication control processing unit 117 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

The control unit 101 waits and monitors the reception of an inter-vehicle communication request from another vehicle through the wireless communication unit 102, and also monitors whether or not a transmission trigger has occurred in the own vehicle (step S101). Then, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the transmission trigger has been detected (step S102), and when it is determined that the transmission trigger has been detected, the control unit 101 activates the transmission time processing unit 200 to notify the occurrence of the transmission trigger and other detections. The information on the vehicle influence behavior is controlled to be supplied to the transmission processing unit 200 (step S103).

Then, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the transmission time processing in the transmission time processing unit 200 has been completed (step S104), and when it is determined that the transmission time processing has not been completed, the control unit 101 returns to step S103 and continues the transmission time processing. do. Further, when it is determined in step S104 that the transmission processing has been completed, the control unit 101 returns the processing to step S101 and repeats the processing after this step S101.

Further, when it is determined in step S102 that the transmission trigger has not been detected, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the reception of the inter-vehicle communication request has been detected (step S105), and has detected the reception of the inter-vehicle communication request. When it is determined, the reception processing unit 300 is activated, and the reception notification of the inter-vehicle communication request is controlled to be supplied to the reception processing unit 300 (step S106).

Then, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the reception processing in the reception processing unit 300 has been completed (step S107), and when it is determined that the reception processing has not been completed, the control unit 101 returns to step S106 and continues the reception processing. do. Further, when it is determined in step S107 that the processing at the time of reception is completed, the control unit 101 returns the processing to step S101 and repeats the processing after this step S101.

Further, when it is determined in step S105 that the reception of the inter-vehicle communication request has not been detected, the control unit 101 returns the process to step S101 and repeats the processes after this step S101.

Next, an example of the processing operation of the transmission processing unit 200 of the inter-vehicle communication control processing unit 117 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 4 and 5.

When the control unit 101 receives the transmission trigger generation notification, the control unit 101 starts the flowchart of FIG. 4 and sends an inter-vehicle communication request through the wireless communication unit 102 (step S111). Then, the control unit 101 monitors whether or not the reception of the response information from the other vehicle is detected (step S112), and when it is determined that the response information from the other vehicle has not been received for, for example, a predetermined time or longer, the control unit 101 communicates. Without generating a road, a message indicating that there are no other vehicles capable of inter-vehicle communication is generated and displayed on the display screen of the display unit 111, and a sound is emitted through the speaker 126 to notify the driver. (Step S114). Then, this outgoing processing routine is terminated.

Further, when it is determined in step S112 that the reception of the response information from the other vehicle is detected, the control unit 101 generates a communication path with the other vehicle (step S113). In this case, when response information from a plurality of other vehicles is received, a communication path is generated between each of the plurality of other vehicles.

Next, the control unit 101 includes information on the influence behavior of the other vehicle sent from the communication monitoring unit 1170 together with the notification of the occurrence of the transmission trigger, information on the position (point) where the influence behavior of the other vehicle is scheduled to be executed, and information on the own vehicle. Behavioral schedule information including information on traveling speed and traveling direction is generated and transmitted to another vehicle through the generated communication path (step S115).

Next, the control unit 101 waits for the reception of the reply information from the other vehicle (step S116), and when it is determined that the reception of the reply information from the other vehicle is detected, the control unit 101 analyzes the received reply information to reply. The other vehicle has been identified (step S117), necessary further inter-vehicle communication with the identified opponent vehicle is executed, and information on the behavior determined by the other vehicle is acquired (step S118).

Next, when the control unit 101 confirms the behavior determined by the other vehicle, the control unit 101 generates a confirmation notification and transmits the confirmation notification to the other vehicle (step S119).

Next, the control unit 101 determines whether the own vehicle is in the manual driving mode or the automatic driving mode (step S121 in FIG. 5). When it is determined in step S121 that the own vehicle is in the manual driving mode, the control unit 101 generates a notification message of the confirmed behavior of the other vehicle and displays it on the display screen of the display unit 111. A sound is emitted through the speaker 126, the driver is notified, and the driver is urged to perform the behavior according to the behavior of the other vehicle (step S122).

Further, when it is determined in step S121 that the own vehicle is in the automatic driving mode, the control unit 101 can safely execute the other vehicle influence behavior by the own vehicle according to the confirmed behavior of the other vehicle. The behavior of the own vehicle is determined and transmitted to the behavior control unit 118 (step S123). When the control unit 101 executes the function of the behavior control unit 118 as a program process, the control unit 101 executes the determined behavior.

After step S122 and step S123, the control unit 101 waits for the execution of the behavior of the own vehicle (behavior affected by another vehicle) to be completed (step S124), and when it is determined that the execution is completed, the other vehicle passes through the communication path. A notification of the end of execution of the behavior affected by another vehicle is transmitted to (step S125). Then, the control unit 101 disconnects the communication path with the other vehicle (step S126), displays a message on the display screen of the display unit 111 of the end of the behavior processing by the inter-vehicle communication, and emits a sound as a voice message through the speaker 126. Then, the driving vehicle is notified (step S127). With the above, the processing routine at the time of transmission is terminated.

Next, an example of the processing operation of the reception processing unit 300 of the inter-vehicle communication control processing unit 117 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 6 and 7.

When the control unit 101 detects the reception of an inter-vehicle communication request from another vehicle, the control unit 101 activates the reception processing unit 300 to start the flowchart of FIG. First, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the own vehicle is an autonomous driving vehicle having only an automatic driving mode (step S131). Then, when it is determined in step S131 that the own vehicle is an autonomous driving vehicle having only an automatic driving mode, the control unit 101 sends response information to the inter-vehicle communication request to the transmitting vehicle that has transmitted the inter-vehicle communication request. , A communication path is generated with the transmitting vehicle (step S132).

Further, when it is determined in step S131 that the own vehicle is not an autonomous driving vehicle having only an automatic driving mode, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the vehicle is in the automatic driving mode (step S133). When it is determined in step S133 that the vehicle is in the automatic driving mode, the control unit 101 sends response information to the inter-vehicle communication request to the transmitting vehicle that has transmitted the inter-vehicle communication request, and communicates with the transmitting vehicle. Is generated (step S132).

When it is determined in step S133 that the vehicle is not in the automatic operation mode, the control unit 101 determines whether or not it is possible to switch to the automatic operation mode (step S134). In step S134, for example, the driver is inquired "Is it okay to switch to the automatic driving mode because there is an inter-vehicle communication request?" To determine.

When it is determined in step S133 that switching to the automatic operation mode is not possible (the driver refuses to switch), the control unit 101 ends this processing routine without generating a communication path (step S135). do.

Further, when it is determined in step S134 that the switching to the automatic driving mode is possible (the driver permits the switching), the control unit 101 switches to the automatic driving mode (step S136) and requests inter-vehicle communication. Response information to the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request is sent to the transmitting vehicle that has transmitted the above, and a communication path is generated with the transmitting vehicle (step S132).

Following step S132, the control unit 101 receives and analyzes the behavior schedule information from the transmitting vehicle (step S137). Then, the control unit 101 determines from the analysis result whether or not the behavior affected by another vehicle indicated by the behavior schedule information from the transmitting vehicle affects the behavior of the own vehicle (step S138), and determines that there is no effect. When this is done, the generated communication path is disconnected (step S139), and this processing routine is terminated.

Further, in step S138, when it is determined that the behavior of the transmitting vehicle affected by other vehicles affects the behavior of the own vehicle, the control unit 101 determines the own vehicle information for identifying the own vehicle, the current position of the own vehicle, and traveling. Reply information including the speed and the traveling direction is generated and transmitted to the transmitting vehicle (step S141 in FIG. 7).

Then, if necessary, the control unit 101 further performs inter-vehicle communication with the transmitting vehicle to determine the behavior of the own vehicle (step S142). Then, the control unit 101 determines the behavior of the own vehicle based on the result of the inter-vehicle communication with the transmitting vehicle, and transmits the determined behavior of the own vehicle to the transmitting vehicle (step S143).

Then, the control unit 101 waits for the reception of the confirmation notification from the transmitting vehicle (step S144), and when it determines the reception of the confirmation notification, transmits the determined behavior to the behavior control unit 118 so as to execute the determined behavior of the own vehicle. (Step S145).

Next, the control unit 101 waits for the reception of the execution end notification of the other vehicle influence behavior from the transmitting vehicle (step S146), and when it is determined that the execution end notification has been received, the control unit 101 disconnects the communication path with the transmitting vehicle. (Step S147). Then, the control unit 101 cancels the prohibition of switching to the manual operation mode (step S148), and notifies the driver of the end of the behavior processing by the inter-vehicle communication through the display screen of the display unit 111 and by the sound emitted from the speaker. (Step S149). Then, this reception processing routine is terminated.

[Examples of behaviors that are executed by inter-vehicle communication regarding behaviors that affect other vehicles]
In the following description, for convenience, all automobiles will be described as having the inter-vehicle communication control processing unit 117 of the autonomous driving vehicle 1 of the embodiment. Since the autonomous driving vehicle 1 of the embodiment cannot communicate with the vehicle not equipped with the inter-vehicle communication control processing unit 117, the vehicle determines the behavior in response to the behavior affected by other vehicles. Try to exclude it from the target vehicle.

<Merge>
FIG. 8 shows a case where vehicle A “merges” from a side road 2 to a wide road 3 having two lanes on each side, which is an example of behavior affected by other vehicles. It should be noted that this situation is the same as the case where the road 2 for merging with the main lane merges with the main lane 3 with two lanes on the expressway.

In the example of FIG. 8, it is assumed that vehicle B as another vehicle is traveling in the left lane 3L in the traveling direction of the wide road 3 and vehicle C as another vehicle is traveling in the right lane 3R. There is.

When vehicle A comes near the confluence, a transmission trigger is generated to send an inter-vehicle communication request. As described above, this transmission trigger is included when the driver operates a turn signal or the like, when a predetermined situation is recognized from the captured image of the camera group 107, or in the route guidance data in the car navigation function unit 113. It occurs based on the information on the behavior of other vehicles.

The inter-vehicle communication request issued by the A vehicle is received by the B vehicle and the C vehicle, and a communication path is once generated between the A vehicle and each of the B vehicle and the C vehicle. Vehicle B receives the information of "merging" as the behavior of other vehicles of vehicle A sent through the communication path, and the own vehicle is traveling in front of the merging point in the left lane 3L affected by "merging". Therefore, it is judged that the "merging", which is the behavior of the other vehicle of the A vehicle, affects the behavior of the own vehicle, and the communication path is maintained.

On the other hand, car C is traveling in the right lane 3R, which has no direct effect on "merging", so even before the merging point, car A behaves like another car "merging". Judges that it does not affect the behavior of the own vehicle and disconnects the communication path.

Then, the B vehicle that maintains the communication path determines whether or not the A vehicle can merge in front of the own vehicle, the current position of the A vehicle, the traveling speed of the A vehicle, the traveling direction of the A vehicle, and the own vehicle. It is safer when it is judged that it is possible to merge by judging from the current position, the traveling speed of the own vehicle, the traveling direction of the own vehicle, and the images of the A vehicle and the surroundings of the A vehicle taken by the camera of the own vehicle. In consideration of the above, for example, the behavior of "slow down and give priority to the merging of vehicle A" is determined, and the behavior is notified to vehicle A.

Car A receives and confirms the determined behavior information from car B, sends a confirmation notice to car B, and executes the merging behavior as shown by the dotted line in FIG. Upon receiving the confirmation notification from the vehicle A, the vehicle B executes the behavior determined by the vehicle A while predicting that the vehicle A will behave in a "merging" manner. As described above, the A vehicle can safely behave as a "merging", which is an influence behavior of another vehicle. If there is another following vehicle (not shown) behind the B vehicle, the A vehicle communicates with the following other vehicle in the same manner as the B vehicle, as in the case shown in FIG. 9 described later. Then, according to the behavior of permission for the merging of the A vehicle by the B vehicle, the A vehicle completes the merging behavior, so that the vehicle-to-vehicle communication is terminated together with the B vehicle as well as the other vehicles following the vehicle.

<Entering during traffic jam>
Next, the example of FIG. 9 shows a case where vehicle A enters the congested lane 4 or the oncoming lane 5 of the congested road 4 from the side road 21 as an example of the behavior affected by other vehicles. There is.

In this case, when vehicle A comes near the confluence, a transmission trigger is generated to transmit an inter-vehicle communication request. As described above, this transmission trigger is generated based on the driver operating the turn signal in the manual operation mode. Further, when the car navigation function is operating, it is generated based on the other vehicle influence behavior generation information included in the route guidance data. However, as the behavior affected by other vehicles in this case, the autonomous driving vehicle 1 determines from the captured image of the camera group 107 that there is a line of vehicles in a traffic jam, so that the autonomous driving vehicle 1 "turns left". Is "entering a congested vehicle line (turn left)", and "turning right" into the oncoming lane 5 is "approaching beyond a congested vehicle line (turning right)".

The inter-vehicle communication request issued by the A vehicle is received by the B vehicle, the C vehicle, the D vehicle, the E vehicle, the F vehicle, the G vehicle, and the H vehicle and the I vehicle traveling in the oncoming lane 5 on the congested lane 4. Then, a communication path is once generated between the vehicle A and the vehicle A. Subsequent operations differ depending on whether the vehicle enters the congested lane 4 (turns left) or enters the oncoming lane 5 of the congested lane 4 (turns right), and will be described separately.

<< Entering a congested convoy (turn left) >>
Vehicles B and C receive "entry into a congested vehicle line" as the behavior of other vehicles of vehicle A sent through the communication path, and their own vehicle is affected by the behavior of other vehicles. Although it is on 4, it has already passed the approach point, so it is judged that the behavior of the other vehicle of vehicle A does not affect the behavior of the own vehicle, and the communication path is cut off. Then, vehicles D to G receive the "entry into the congested vehicle line" as the behavior of the influence of the other vehicle of the vehicle A sent through the communication path, and the own vehicle is affected by the behavior of the influence of the other vehicle. Since it is on the receiving lane 4 and is running in front of the approach point, it is said that the behavior of car A, which is the behavior of other vehicles, "entering a congested vehicle line" affects the behavior of the own vehicle. , Maintain the communication path.

In addition, the H and I vehicles in the oncoming lane 5 are affected by the other vehicle of the A vehicle. Since the "entry into the lane in a traffic jam" as the behavior of the other vehicle is an event in the lane 4, the influence of the other vehicle of the A vehicle Judging that the behavior does not affect the behavior of the own vehicle, the communication path is cut off.

Then, for vehicles D to G that maintain the communication path, whether or not vehicle A can enter in front of the own vehicle is determined by the current position of vehicle A, the traveling speed of vehicle A, the traveling direction of vehicle A, and so on. Judgment is made from the current position of the own vehicle, the traveling speed of the own vehicle, the traveling direction of the own vehicle, and the images of the A vehicle and the surroundings of the A vehicle taken by the camera of the own vehicle. Then, since the position of the own vehicle is a position that hinders the entry of the A vehicle, the D vehicle behaves as, for example, "allowing the A vehicle to enter after passing the approach point of the own vehicle". Decide and notify car A of it. In addition, vehicles E to G judge that vehicle A can enter in front of their own vehicle, and determine, for example, the behavior of "allowing vehicle A to enter in front of their own vehicle". Is notified to car A.

Upon receiving the above notification, vehicle A determines that it is possible to enter the congested convoy in front of vehicle E after vehicle D has passed, and executes the behavioral operation. When this behavior operation is completed, vehicle A notifies the vehicles D to G of the end of the behavior, so that the communication path between the vehicle A and each of the vehicles D to G is cut off, and the inter-vehicle communication is terminated. Become.

<< Approach beyond the congested convoy (turn right) >>
In this case as well, the vehicles B to G on the lane 4 perform the same operation as in the case of "entering the congested convoy" described above. That is, the E car to the G car determine the behavior of "allowing the A car to enter in front of the own car" and notify the A car of it.

In this case, since the H vehicle on the lane 5 is traveling at a position in front of the approach point of the A vehicle in the lane 5, the behavior of the own vehicle is affected by the behavior of the other vehicle of the A vehicle. Judge that you will receive it and try to maintain the communication path. Then, the I car exists on the lane 5 where the A car is about to enter, but since it is traveling at a point past the approach point of the A car, the own car's behavior due to the influence of other cars of the A car Judge that the behavior will not be affected and disconnect the communication path.

Then, the H vehicle that maintains the communication path determines whether or not the A vehicle can enter in front of the own vehicle, the current position of the A vehicle, the traveling speed of the A vehicle, the traveling direction of the A vehicle, and the own vehicle. Judgment is made from the current position, the traveling speed of the own vehicle, the traveling direction of the own vehicle, and the images of the A vehicle and the surroundings of the A vehicle taken by the camera of the own vehicle. Then, when the H vehicle determines that the A vehicle can enter in front of the own vehicle, it determines, for example, the behavior of "allowing the A vehicle to enter in front of the own vehicle", and sets it as A. Notify the car.

Upon receiving the notification from the H vehicle together with the notifications from the E vehicles to the G vehicles described above, the A vehicle crosses the congested lane and executes the influence behavior of another vehicle entering the lane 5. When this behavior operation is completed, the A car notifies the H car in addition to the D car to the G car that the behavior is completed, so that the communication path between the A car and each of the D car to the G car and the H car is cut off. Then, the inter-vehicle communication is terminated.

If the H vehicle determines the behavior of "not allowing the A vehicle to enter in front of the own vehicle" and notifies the A vehicle, the A vehicle enters the lane 4 and the lane 5 Stand by in front of the vehicle, communicate with other vehicles following vehicle H (not shown), and determine the behavior of the vehicle following vehicle A to allow vehicle A to enter in front of the vehicle. Then wait until you notify car A of it. Of course, even if there is a notification from vehicles E to G mentioned above, it is judged that it will interfere with the passage of vehicles E to G unless the entry permission is given from vehicle H, and vehicle A should enter lane 4. Instead, you may be waiting in front of lane 4.

<Turn right or left at an intersection>
Next, the example of FIG. 10 shows a case where vehicle A traveling in lane 6 turns right at an intersection and enters lane 9 as an example of behavior affected by another vehicle.

In this case, when vehicle A comes near the intersection at the right turn point, a transmission trigger is generated to transmit an inter-vehicle communication request. This transmission trigger is generated based on the driver operating the right turn signal in the manual operation mode. Further, when the car navigation function is operating, it is generated based on the other vehicle influence behavior generation information included in the route guidance data.

The inter-vehicle communication request issued by the A vehicle is received by the B vehicle, the C vehicle, the D vehicle, the E vehicle, and the F vehicle around the A vehicle, and a communication path is temporarily generated between the vehicle and the vehicle A.

Then, since the vehicle B existing on the road 8 on the left side in front of the vehicle A, which intersects the lane 6 in which the vehicle A is traveling, is in front of the intersection, the behavior of the other vehicle of the vehicle A is "intersection". "Turn right" affects the behavior of the vehicle, so maintain the generated communication path. In addition, it is judged that the C car running behind the A car in lane 6 does not directly affect the behavior of the own car when "turn right at the intersection", which is the behavior of the other car of the A car. , Disconnect the communication path. Further, in the oncoming lane 7, the D vehicle and the E vehicle traveling in front of the intersection affect the behavior of the own vehicle, which is the behavior of the other vehicle of the A vehicle, "turn right at the intersection". To maintain. Further, in the oncoming lane 7, the F vehicle traveling past the intersection does not affect the behavior of the own vehicle, which is the behavior of the other vehicle of the A vehicle, "turn right at the intersection". Disconnect.

And, for car B that maintains the communication path, for example, lanes 6 and 7 have priority over the road on which the own car is, so if there is a stop sign or traffic sign, car A will be used. On the other hand, it decides the behavior of "pause and give priority to turning right of your car" and notify car A of it.

In addition, for vehicles D and E that maintain the communication path, whether or not vehicle A can turn right in front of the vehicle is determined by the current position of vehicle A, the traveling speed of vehicle A, the traveling direction of vehicle A, and so on. When it is judged that it is possible to turn right based on the current position of the own vehicle, the traveling speed of the own vehicle, the traveling direction of the own vehicle, and the images of the A vehicle and the surroundings of the A vehicle taken by the camera of the own vehicle. In consideration of safety, for example, the behavior of "slow down and give priority to turning right of car A" is determined, and the behavior is notified to car A.

Car A receives and confirms the determined behavior information from car B, car D, and car E, sends a confirmation notice to car B, car D, and car E, and is shown by the dotted line in FIG. And execute the behavior of turning right. The B car, the D car, and the E car execute the behavior determined by the own car while predicting that the A car will behave as a "right turn" upon receiving the confirmation notification from the A car. As described above, the A vehicle can safely behave as if it were "turning right", which is an influence behavior of another vehicle.

When the right turn behavior operation is completed, the A car notifies the B car, the D car and the E car of the end of the behavior, so that the communication path between the A car and each of the B car, the D car and the E car is cut off. Then, the inter-vehicle communication is terminated.

In the above example of turning right, it is assumed that there is no traffic light at the intersection, but if a traffic light is installed, the response to the traffic light is prioritized, which limits the behavior of vehicles A to E. Therefore, the behavior of turning right may change. In this example, the vehicle B existing on the road 8 on the left side in front of the vehicle A, which intersects the lane 6 in which the vehicle A is traveling, is in front of the intersection, but the behavior of the vehicle A is influenced by other vehicles. At the timing of "turning right at an intersection", the traffic light (red light) temporarily stops just before the intersection. Therefore, it is determined that the B vehicle does not affect the behavior of the own vehicle, and the generated communication path is cut off. In this example, the behavior of cars C to F is the same as that of the case without a traffic light.

It should be noted that the presence or absence of a traffic light and the instruction content indicated by the traffic light (red light, green light, yellow light, right turn only, left turn only, straight ahead only, etc.) can be recognized from the captured image of the camera group 107. .. In addition, it is also possible to receive radio waves transmitted by a traffic light and acquire the presence or absence of a traffic light and the content of instructions indicated by the traffic light.

In the above example, the behavior of turning right has been described, but in the case of turning left, the behavior of turning left changes because the D car and the E car are not affected by the A car. If the road you are trying to enter by turning left is a wide road with a center line and median strip, car B is in a lane different from the lane in which car A is trying to enter. It is not necessary to make a left turn as an influence of other vehicles. However, if the road to be entered by turning left is a narrow road that does not have a center line or median strip, the left turn of car A will behave as an influence of other cars with respect to car B.

First, the inter-vehicle communication request issued by the A vehicle is received by the B vehicle, the C vehicle, the D vehicle, the E vehicle, and the F vehicle around the A vehicle, and a communication path is once generated between the vehicle and the vehicle A. Until then, there is no difference between turning right and turning left.

Then, since the vehicle B existing on the road 8 on the left side in front of the vehicle A, which intersects the lane 6 in which the vehicle A is traveling, is in front of the intersection, the behavior of the other vehicle of the vehicle A is "intersection". "Turn left" affects the behavior of the vehicle, so maintain the generated communication path.

In addition, it is judged that the C car running behind the A car in lane 6 does not directly affect the behavior of the own car when "turning left at the intersection", which is the behavior of the other car of the A car. , Disconnect the communication path. In addition, vehicles D and E traveling in front of the intersection in the oncoming lane 7 have no direct effect on the behavior of their own vehicle when "turning left at the intersection", which is the behavior of car A, which is influenced by other vehicles. Judging that, the communication path is cut off. Further, in the oncoming lane 7, the F vehicle traveling past the intersection does not affect the behavior of the own vehicle, which is the behavior of the other vehicle of the A vehicle, "turn left at the intersection". Disconnect.

Then, car B, which maintains the communication path, will behave as if car A after turning left enters the oncoming lane, saying, "Because you are driving slowly, please be careful when turning left." And notify car A of it.

Car A receives and confirms the determined behavior information from car B, sends a confirmation notice to car B, and executes a left turn behavior (not shown). Upon receiving the confirmation notification from the A vehicle, the B vehicle executes the behavior determined by the own vehicle while predicting that the A vehicle will behave as a "left turn". As described above, the A vehicle can safely behave as a "left turn", which is an influence behavior of another vehicle.

When the left turn behavior operation is completed, the vehicle A notifies the vehicle B of the end of the behavior, so that the communication path between the vehicle A and the vehicle B is cut off and the inter-vehicle communication is terminated.

In the above left turn example, it is assumed that there is no traffic light at the intersection, but if a traffic light is installed, the response to the traffic light is prioritized, which limits the behavior of vehicles A to E. Therefore, the behavior of turning left may change. In this example, the vehicle B existing on the road 8 on the left side in front of the vehicle A, which intersects the lane 6 in which the vehicle A is traveling, is in front of the intersection, but the behavior of the vehicle A is influenced by other vehicles. At the timing of "turning left at an intersection", the traffic light (red light) must temporarily stop just before the intersection. Therefore, it is determined that the B vehicle does not affect the behavior of the own vehicle, and the generated communication path is cut off. Alternatively, vehicle B may recognize from the image taken by the camera that the road on which the vehicle is located is a narrow road, and may behave as if it pauses on the left shoulder so as not to interfere with the left turn of vehicle A. In this example, the behavior of cars C to F is the same as that of the case without a traffic light.

The above examples of right and left turns are for vehicles with left-hand traffic such as Japan, United Kingdom, and India, but for vehicles with right-hand traffic such as the United States, France, Germany, Italy, and China. In this case, in the case of a left turn, the vehicle in the oncoming lane needs to behave in the influence of another vehicle, and in the case of a right turn, the vehicle in the oncoming lane does not need to behave in the influence of another vehicle. Therefore, the behavior setting must be changed.

The driver may manually set the country, right-hand traffic, and left-hand traffic, but the self-driving car 1 itself may determine whether it is right-hand traffic or left-hand traffic as follows. That is, the self-driving car 1 stores the country in which the vehicle travels on the left side and the country in which the vehicle travels on the right side in the storage unit. Then, the autonomous driving vehicle 1 identifies the country in which the vehicle is currently traveling from the current position detected by the current position detection unit 110, and refers to the above-mentioned storage unit according to the specified country in which the vehicle is currently traveling, thereby passing on the right side. Try to decide whether to drive on the left side.

It should be noted that the self-driving car 1 itself does not specify the country in which the vehicle is currently traveling, or determines whether the vehicle is traveling on the right side or the left side according to the specified country, but detects it by the current position detection unit 110 of the autonomous driving vehicle 1. Information on the current position of the vehicle currently being driven is sent to a server having a storage unit that stores the country of left-hand traffic and the country of right-hand traffic, for example, via the Internet, and is identified from the current position of driving by the server device. The country may receive information on whether to drive on the left or right.

[Other Embodiments or Modifications]
In the above-described embodiment, the receiving processing unit responds to the inter-vehicle communication request only when the own vehicle is in the self-driving car or the self-driving mode, so that another vehicle that communicates with the transmitting vehicle is transmitted. Limited to self-driving cars or cars in self-driving mode.

However, the response information to the inter-vehicle communication request includes information indicating whether or not the other vehicle is in the automatic driving vehicle or the automatic driving mode. By determining whether or not the vehicle is in the automatic driving mode and generating a communication path only with the automatic driving vehicle or the vehicle in the automatic driving mode based on the determination result, communication between the calling vehicle and the vehicle is performed. The other vehicle may be limited to an automatic driving vehicle or a vehicle in the automatic driving mode.

Further, in the description of the above-described embodiment, only the behavior accompanied by the instruction by the direction indicator is described as the behavior influenced by the other vehicle. It may not be accompanied by instructions from the indicator. In addition, there are cases where there are no lanes at the roundabout of a station and you do not know how to move. In such a case, in the manual operation mode, the inter-vehicle communication button may be operated. In the automatic driving mode, such other vehicle influence behavior may be set in advance as the other vehicle influence behavior included in the route guidance data as the transmission trigger generation point. Regardless of the manual driving mode or the automatic driving mode, when the image taken by the camera group 107 recognizes the time of approaching an intersection or the time of entering a rotary at a station, a transmission trigger is generated and inter-vehicle communication is started. The behavior of other vehicles may be recognized.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, there are vehicles based on the existence of priority roads, priority relationships based on the width of the road, priority relationships based on differences in ups and downs of slopes, etc., which are stipulated by traffic regulations such as the Road Traffic Act. Although the priority relationship is not explained, when the surrounding situation grasping unit 109 grasps the priority relationship between these vehicles, it goes without saying that the influence behavior of other vehicles is determined based on the grasped priority relationship between the vehicles. ..

In addition, traffic regulations and priority relationships between vehicles may differ depending on the country, or even within the same country, it may differ depending on the region such as state (US), province (China), prefecture (Japan), etc. In this case, the autonomous driving vehicle 1 identifies the country, state, province, prefecture, etc. in which the vehicle is currently traveling from the current position detected by the current position detection unit 110, and the identified country or region in which the vehicle is currently traveling. The behavior of the influence of other vehicles may be determined based on the traffic regulations and the priority relationship between vehicles according to the vehicle.

Of course, the example described in the above-described embodiment is only an example and can be applied in various situations. For example, when a car is taken out from a garage such as a house on the road, or when the car is taken out from a parking lot to the road, the behavior of the influence of other vehicles by inter-vehicle communication works effectively. In particular, when driving back from the garage or parking lot to the road, it may be necessary to turn back, and it is necessary to behave in a manner that affects other vehicles so as to maintain the inter-vehicle distance. In this case, the transmission trigger may be generated by turning on the backlight accompanying the back driving, the inter-vehicle communication may be started, and the behavior affected by other vehicles at that time may be recognized.

In addition, even if the accelerator or brake is suddenly applied, there is a danger to other vehicles, so it is detected that those operations have been performed, a transmission trigger is generated, communication between vehicles is started, and the other vehicle at that time is started. You may want to be aware of the influential behavior. In the case of sudden braking, the brake is applied and the backlight is turned on. Therefore, when the brake light is turned on, a transmission trigger is generated, communication between vehicles is started, and the behavior of other vehicles at that time is recognized. It may be.

In the above-mentioned example, the operation has been described assuming that all the automobiles have the inter-vehicle communication function, but it is considered that there may be some automobiles that do not have the inter-vehicle communication function. In consideration of such a case, a vehicle having a function of inter-vehicle communication in the vicinity of a point where the influence behavior of another vehicle is about to be executed is a vehicle traveling in front of or behind the own vehicle, for example, an image taken by a camera. Send information to the car that is trying to behave in a different way. By analyzing this information, a vehicle that is trying to affect other vehicle behavior can obtain information on vehicles that are in the vicinity of the point where the other vehicle influence behavior is about to be executed, and can safely affect other vehicles. It can be useful information when performing behavior.

Further, although the automatic driving vehicle of the above-described embodiment has a configuration including an automatic driving mode and a manual driving mode, it may be an automatic driving vehicle having only an automatic driving mode, or an unmanned automatic driving vehicle. It may be.

The automobile of the present invention is not limited to a four-wheeled automobile, but includes a motorcycle, a motorcycle, a tricycle, and the like. Further, the automobile of the present invention is not limited to ordinary automobiles, light automobiles and trucks, but may be buses, tractors, dump trucks, excavators, forklifts, single-seater automobiles, motorized bicycles, electric wheelchairs and the like. Of course, depending on the type of vehicle, such as general four-wheeled vehicles, vehicles of public institutions such as buses, large vehicles such as trucks and tractors, special vehicles, motorcycles, motorized bicycles, and electric wheelchairs, traffic regulations and vehicles Since the priority relations are different, the automobile of the present invention can determine the influence behavior of other vehicles based on the traffic regulations and the priority relations between vehicles according to the type.

1 ... Autonomous driving vehicle, 101 ... Control unit, 102 ... Wireless communication unit, 105 ... Manual / automatic operation mode switching control unit, 107 ... Camera group, 108 ... Sensor group, 109 ... Surrounding situation grasping unit, 110 ... Current position detection Unit, 111 ... Display unit, 113 ... Car navigation function unit, 114 ... Own vehicle information storage unit, 115 ... Travel speed and direction detection unit, 117 ... Vehicle-to-vehicle communication control processing unit, 118 ... Behavior control unit

Claims (65)

A wireless communication unit that has a transmission / reception function and enables wireless communication between vehicles,
A car navigation function unit that forms route guidance data including trigger information for inter-vehicle communication in response to points on the route guidance route that affect the behavior of other vehicles in the vicinity. ,
Vehicle-to-vehicle communication request to other vehicles in the vicinity through the wireless communication unit at a point on the route where the trigger information is detected during execution of route guidance using the route guidance data by the car navigation function unit. Communication request means and
A communication path generating means for generating a communication path with another vehicle that has responded to the inter-vehicle communication request,
Through the communication path generated by the communication path generating means, a behavioral schedule information transmitting means for transmitting behavioral schedule information notifying the behavior of the other vehicle to be executed to the other vehicle, and a behavioral schedule information transmitting means.
A car characterized by being equipped with. The automobile according to claim 1, wherein the trigger information is included in the same point as the point where the influence behavior of the other vehicle is to be performed or a predetermined point in front of the point on the route of the route guidance. A vehicle having an automatic driving mode that autonomously executes the behavior of the own vehicle, and the car navigation function unit is for the automatic driving mode.
It is equipped with means for blinking or lighting control of indicators including turn signals, hazard lamps, backlights, and brake lights.
The route on the route of the route guidance of the route guidance data includes information on a blinking instruction point and a lighting instruction point for blinking or lighting control of the indicator, and the point on the route including the trigger information is described as described above. The automobile according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the point is the same as or before the blinking instruction point or the lighting instruction point. The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the trigger information includes information on the occurrence of the influence of the other vehicle including the information on the influence of the other vehicle to be generated. The behaviors affected by other vehicles include the behavior of turning right or left, the behavior of changing lanes, the behavior of merging on general roads and highways, the behavior of entering a congested lane, the behavior of entering an intersection, and the behavior of a station rotary. The behavior including at least one of the entering behaviors is stored, and the information on the other vehicle influence behavior included in the other vehicle influence behavior occurrence information is the behavior selected from the stored behaviors. The automobile according to claim 4, characterized in that it is the information of the above. The automobile according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the other vehicle influence behavior occurrence information includes information on a point where the other vehicle influence behavior is performed. The behavior schedule information includes information on the other vehicle influence behavior scheduled to be executed, and the information on the other vehicle influence behavior scheduled to be executed is acquired from the other vehicle influence behavior occurrence information. The automobile according to any one of claims 4 to 6. The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the behavior schedule information includes information on the current position of the own vehicle and information on a travel path related to the behavior affected by another vehicle. .. A means for receiving reply information sent from the other vehicle through the wireless communication unit in response to the behavior schedule information, and
A reply information analysis means for analyzing the received reply information and analyzing the behavior of the other vehicle with respect to the influence behavior of the other vehicle.
Behavior determining means for determining the behavior of the own vehicle based on the analysis result by the reply information analysis means, and
The behavior execution means for executing the behavior of the own vehicle determined by the behavior determination means, and the behavior execution means.
The automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 8. Confirmation indicating that the behavior of the other vehicle determined in response to the behavior schedule information was confirmed when it was determined that the behavior affected by the other vehicle could be safely executed based on the analysis result of the reply information analysis means. The vehicle according to claim 9, further comprising a confirmation notification means for notifying the other vehicle of the notification through the communication path. From the behavior of the other vehicle detected by the analysis result of the reply information analysis means, the behavior of the other vehicle involved in the influence behavior of the other vehicle of the own vehicle is specified, and the behavior of the other vehicle is determined by the specified behavior of the other vehicle. When it is determined that the behavior affected by the other vehicle can be safely executed, a confirmation notice indicating that the behavior of the other vehicle determined in response to the behavior schedule information has been confirmed is sent to the other vehicle through the communication path. The automobile according to claim 9, further comprising a confirmation notification means for notifying. The behavior determined by the behavior determining means is the behavior for notifying the behavior of the other vehicle as a result of analysis by the reply information analysis means, according to any one of claims 9 to 11. car. It is an autonomous vehicle that can drive autonomously.
Claims 9 to 11 are characterized in that the behavior determined by the behavior determining means is the behavior of the other vehicle as a result of analysis by the reply information analysis means, which is safely executed in automatic driving. Cars listed in any of. A car equipped with a manual driving mode and an automatic driving mode capable of autonomous driving.
An operation mode determining means for determining which of the manual operation mode and the automatic operation mode is being executed is provided.
The behavior determined by the behavior determining means is
When the driving mode determining means determines the manual driving mode, the behavior is to notify the behavior of the other vehicle as a result of the analysis by the reply information analysis means.
9 The vehicle according to any one of claims 11. The automobile according to claim 14, wherein switching from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode is prohibited during execution of the behavior determined by the behavior determining means. The vehicle according to claim 14 or 15, wherein switching from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode is prohibited during vehicle-to-vehicle communication with the other vehicle. The behavior determining means acquires information on the traveling speed of the other vehicle in vehicle-to-vehicle communication with the other vehicle, and is based on the traveling speed of the other vehicle obtained from the acquired information and the traveling speed of the own vehicle. The automobile according to any one of claims 9 to 16, wherein the behavior of the own vehicle is determined. Equipped with a camera that captures the area around the vehicle
The behavior determining means recognizes a traffic sign and / or a traffic sign from an image taken by the camera, discriminates a traffic regulation around the own vehicle based on the recognition result, and takes the determined traffic regulation into consideration. The vehicle according to any one of claims 9 to 17, wherein the behavior of the own vehicle is determined. Equipped with a camera that captures the area around the vehicle
Claims 9 to 18 are characterized in that the behavior determining means determines the peripheral situation of the own vehicle from the image taken by the camera, and determines the behavior of the own vehicle in consideration of the determined peripheral situation. Cars listed in any of. The behavior schedule information includes information for identifying the own vehicle to the other vehicle, and the reply information from the other vehicle includes information for the own vehicle to identify the other vehicle. The automobile according to any one of claims 9 to 19, wherein the automobile is included. It is equipped with a camera that captures the surroundings of the own vehicle and / or a microphone that collects the sound around the own vehicle, and also includes a photographed image of the periphery of the own vehicle taken by the camera and / or the self that is picked up by the microphone. Equipped with a means to detect an emergency vehicle from the sound around the vehicle,
The automobile according to any one of claims 9 to 20, wherein the behavior determining means determines the behavior of the own vehicle in which the emergency vehicle is prioritized. The information for identifying the own vehicle to the other vehicle includes the current position information of the own vehicle and the feature information capable of identifying the own vehicle from the image taken by the camera, and the other vehicle is own. The second aspect of claim 21, wherein the information for identifying the vehicle includes the current position information of the other vehicle and the feature information capable of identifying the other vehicle from the image taken by the camera. Car. The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 22, wherein the behavior schedule information includes information for identifying the own vehicle to the other vehicle. The claim for identifying the own vehicle to the other vehicle includes the current position information of the own vehicle and the characteristic information capable of identifying the own vehicle from the image taken by the camera. Item 23. The other vehicle is an autonomous vehicle that autonomously executes the behavior of the own vehicle, or is an automatic driving that autonomously executes the behavior of the own vehicle, which is sent from the other vehicle in response to the inter-vehicle communication request. A means for receiving response information including information on whether or not it is in a mode state through the wireless communication unit, and
From the received response information, it is determined whether the other vehicle is an autonomous driving vehicle that autonomously executes the behavior of the own vehicle or a state of the automatic driving mode that autonomously executes the behavior of the own vehicle. Discrimination means and
With
The communication path generating means is another vehicle determined to be an autonomous driving vehicle that autonomously executes the behavior of the own vehicle based on the determination result of the discrimination means, or an automatic vehicle that autonomously executes the behavior of the own vehicle. The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 24, wherein a communication path is generated between the vehicle and another vehicle determined to be in the driving mode. Equipped with an inter-vehicle communication request button
Any of claims 1 to 25, wherein when the inter-vehicle communication request button is operated, the inter-vehicle communication request means transmits an inter-vehicle communication request to other vehicles in the vicinity through the wireless communication unit. Cars listed in. When a request for disconnecting the communication path from another vehicle transmitted by transmitting the behavior schedule information through the communication path generated by the communication path generation means is received, the communication path with the other vehicle is disconnected. The automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 26. A means for determining whether or not the execution of the other vehicle influence behavior has been completed is provided, and when it is determined that the execution of the other vehicle influence behavior has been completed, an execution end notification is transmitted to the other vehicle through the communication path, and then. The automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 27, which comprises disconnecting the communication path. The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 28, wherein the behavior affected by other vehicles differs depending on whether the vehicle is traveling on the left side or on the right side. It is equipped with a current position detecting means, and determines whether the vehicle is traveling on the left side or the right side according to the country or region specified based on the current position detected by the current position detecting means, and based on the determination result. The vehicle according to claim 29, wherein the other vehicle influence behavior is set. The automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 30, wherein the other vehicle influence behavior is set based on the presence or absence of a traffic light. Equipped with a camera that captures the area around the vehicle
The automobile according to claim 31, wherein the presence or absence of the traffic light is determined from the image taken by the camera. Equipped with a communication means to receive radio waves from traffic lights
The automobile according to claim 32, wherein the presence or absence of the traffic light is determined from the information of the radio wave received by the communication means. The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 33, wherein the other vehicle influence behavior is set based on a priority relationship between vehicles. Equipped with a camera that captures the area around the vehicle
The automobile according to claim 34, wherein the priority relationship between the vehicles is determined from the image taken by the camera. The present position detecting means is provided, and the priority relationship between vehicles is determined according to the country or region specified based on the current position detected by the present position detecting means, and the influence of the other vehicle is determined based on the determination result. The vehicle according to claim 34 or 35, wherein the behavior is set. Equipped with a camera that captures the area around the vehicle
Claim 1 is characterized in that the vehicle-to-vehicle communication requesting means detects that a predetermined situation has been recognized from an image taken by the camera as trigger information for the vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and requests vehicle-to-vehicle communication to other vehicles in the vicinity. The automobile according to any one of claims 36. The automobile according to claim 37, wherein the predetermined situation includes an intersection approach, a highway approach, or a station rotary approach. The inter-vehicle communication requesting means detects that it has received radio wave information from a beacon installed on the road as trigger information for the inter-vehicle communication, and makes an inter-vehicle communication request to other vehicles in the vicinity. The automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 38. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication requesting means according to any one of claims 1 to 39, wherein the vehicle-to-vehicle communication requesting means detects the lighting of the backlight as trigger information for the vehicle-to-vehicle communication and requests vehicle-to-vehicle communication to other vehicles in the vicinity. car. The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 40, wherein the vehicle-to-vehicle communication requesting means detects a sudden accelerator as trigger information for the vehicle-to-vehicle communication and requests vehicle-to-vehicle communication to other vehicles in the vicinity. .. Claims 1 to 41, wherein the inter-vehicle communication requesting means detects the lighting of the brake light at the time of sudden braking as the trigger information of the inter-vehicle communication and requests the inter-vehicle communication to other vehicles in the vicinity. Cars listed in any of. The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 42, wherein the vehicle includes a communication monitoring unit that sends a transmission trigger generation notification to the vehicle-to-vehicle communication requesting means when the trigger information is detected. It is equipped with a reception processing unit for the inter-vehicle communication request.
The vehicle according to claim 43, wherein the communication monitoring unit activates the reception processing unit when it detects the reception of the inter-vehicle communication request from another vehicle. The automobile according to claim 43, wherein the communication monitoring unit resumes the process of detecting the trigger information after the process of the inter-vehicle communication request is completed. The communication monitoring unit resumes the process of detecting the trigger information after the processing of the inter-vehicle communication request is completed and after the processing of the reception processing unit is completed, and the inter-vehicle distance from another vehicle. The vehicle according to claim 44, wherein the process of monitoring the reception of a communication request is resumed. A computer provided in a car that has a transmission / reception function and is equipped with a wireless communication unit for wireless communication between vehicles.
A car navigation function unit that forms route guidance data including trigger information for inter-vehicle communication in response to points on the route guidance route that affect the behavior of other vehicles in the vicinity.
Vehicle-to-vehicle communication request to other vehicles in the vicinity through the wireless communication unit at a point on the route where the trigger information is detected during execution of route guidance using the route guidance data by the car navigation function unit. Communication request means,
A communication path generation means for generating a communication path with another vehicle that has responded to the inter-vehicle communication request.
Behavioral schedule information transmitting means for transmitting behavioral schedule information notifying the behavior of the other vehicle to be executed to the other vehicle through the communication path generated by the communication path generating means.
A program for automobiles to function as. For automobiles, which has a transmission / reception function and includes a wireless communication unit for wireless communication between vehicles, and an inter-vehicle communication requesting means for requesting inter-vehicle communication to other vehicles in the vicinity through the wireless communication unit based on the trigger information. It ’s a navigation device,
Means for forming route guidance data including the trigger information corresponding to points on the route of route guidance that need to execute the behavior of other vehicles that affect the behavior of other vehicles in the vicinity.
A means for notifying the inter-vehicle communication requesting means of the occurrence of the trigger information at a point on the route where the trigger information is detected during execution of the route guidance using the route guidance data.
An automobile navigation device characterized by being equipped with. The vehicle is further scheduled to be executed through a communication path generating means for generating a communication path with another vehicle that has responded to the inter-vehicle communication request and the communication path generated by the communication path generating means. The automobile navigation device according to claim 48, further comprising a behavioral schedule information transmitting means for transmitting behavioral schedule information notifying the behavior of the influence of another vehicle to the other vehicle. The 48th or 49th claim, wherein the trigger information is included in the same point as the point where the other vehicle influence behavior should be performed or a predetermined point in front of the point on the route of the route guidance. Automotive navigation device. The automobile is an automobile having an automatic driving mode for autonomously executing the behavior of the own vehicle and a means for blinking or lighting control of an indicator including a direction indicator, a hazard lamp, a backlight, and a brake light. , The automobile navigation device is for the automatic driving mode.
The route on the route of the route guidance of the route guidance data includes information on a blinking instruction point and a lighting instruction point for blinking or lighting control of the indicator, and the point on the route including the trigger information is described as described above. The automobile navigation device according to any one of claims 48 to 50, wherein the point is the same as or before the blinking instruction point or the lighting instruction point. The automobile navigation device according to any one of claims 48 to 51, wherein the trigger information includes information on the occurrence of the influence of another vehicle, which includes information on the behavior of the influence of another vehicle. The behaviors affected by other vehicles include the behavior of turning right or left, the behavior of changing lanes, the behavior of merging on general roads and highways, the behavior of entering a congested lane, the behavior of entering an intersection, and the behavior of a station rotary. The behavior including at least one of the entering behaviors is stored, and the information on the other vehicle influence behavior included in the other vehicle influence behavior occurrence information is the behavior selected from the stored behaviors. 52. The automobile navigation device according to claim 52. The automobile navigation device according to claim 52 or 53, wherein the other vehicle influence behavior occurrence information includes information on a point where the other vehicle influence behavior is performed. The vehicle according to any one of claims 52 to 54, wherein the other vehicle influence behavior included in the other vehicle influence behavior occurrence information differs depending on whether the vehicle is on the left side or on the right side. Navigation device for. Depending on the country or region specified based on the current position detected by the current position detecting means, it is determined whether the vehicle is passing on the left side or the right side, and the other vehicle influence behavior is set based on the determination result. The automobile navigation device according to claim 55. The automobile navigation device according to any one of claims 52 to 56, wherein the other vehicle influence behavior included in the other vehicle influence behavior occurrence information is set based on the presence or absence of a traffic light. The automobile navigation according to any one of claims 52 to 57, wherein the other vehicle influence behavior included in the other vehicle influence behavior occurrence information is set based on a priority relationship between vehicles. Device. For automobiles, which has a transmission / reception function and includes a wireless communication unit for wireless communication between vehicles, and an inter-vehicle communication requesting means for requesting inter-vehicle communication to other vehicles in the vicinity through the wireless communication unit based on the trigger information. The computer that the navigation device has
A means for forming route guidance data including the trigger information corresponding to a point on the route of route guidance that requires execution of the influence behavior of other vehicles that affects the behavior of other vehicles in the vicinity.
A means for notifying the inter-vehicle communication requesting means of the occurrence of the trigger information at a point on the route where the trigger information is detected during execution of route guidance using the route guidance data.
A program for automotive navigation devices to function as. For automobiles, which has a transmission / reception function and includes a wireless communication unit for wireless communication between vehicles, and an inter-vehicle communication requesting means for requesting inter-vehicle communication to other vehicles in the vicinity through the wireless communication unit based on the trigger information. Route guidance data for navigation devices
For automobile navigation devices, the trigger information is included corresponding to a point on the route of route guidance that affects the behavior of other vehicles in the vicinity. Route guidance data. The automobile navigation according to claim 60, wherein the trigger information is included in the same point as the point where the other vehicle influence behavior should be performed or a predetermined point in front of the point on the route of the route guidance. Route guidance data for the device. The car navigation function unit is for an automobile having an automatic driving mode for autonomously executing the behavior of the own vehicle, and the car navigation function unit is for the automatic driving mode.
It is equipped with means for blinking or lighting control of indicators including turn signals, hazard lamps, backlights, and brake lights.
On the route of the route guidance of the route guidance data, information on blinking instruction points and lighting instruction points for which blinking or lighting control of indicators including direction indicators, hazard lamps, backlights, and brake lights is to be performed is included. The automobile according to claim 60 or 61, wherein the point on the route including the trigger information is the same point as the blinking instruction point or the lighting instruction point or a point before the blinking instruction point. Route guidance data for navigation devices. The route for an automobile navigation device according to any one of claims 60 to 62, wherein the trigger information includes information on the occurrence of the influence of another vehicle, which includes information on the behavior of the influence of another vehicle. Guidance data. The behaviors that affect other vehicles include turning right and left, changing lanes, merging on general roads and highways, entering congested lanes, entering intersections, and rotating stations. The behavior including at least one of the entering behaviors is stored, and the information on the other vehicle influence behavior included in the other vehicle influence behavior occurrence information is the behavior selected from the stored behaviors. 63. The route guidance data for an automobile navigation device according to claim 63. The route guidance data for an automobile navigation device according to claim 63 or 64, wherein the other vehicle influence behavior occurrence information includes information on a point where the other vehicle influence behavior is performed.

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