JP2023004599A - Driving assistance device - Google Patents

Abstract

To assist driving by appropriately setting priorities of vehicle assistance contents in a case where a plurality of vehicle assistance contents are acquired.SOLUTION: An automatic driving control unit 33 comprises: an assistance content acquisition section 33a for acquiring vehicle assistance contents from an information processing server 10; a priority setting section 33b for setting priorities of execution to the acquired vehicle assistance contents; and an assistance execution section 33c for determining a vehicle assistance content that should be executed based on the preset priority and executing driving assistance of a target vehicle 2 based on the determined vehicle assistance content. In a case where a plurality of vehicle assistance contents are acquired, the priority setting unit 33b sets a priority to each of the vehicle assistance contents based on mesh ranges and residual times corresponding to the vehicle assistance contents.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

The present disclosure relates to a driving assistance device that assists driving of a vehicle.

For example, as processing of information related to vehicle travel, there is processing of collecting position information at which the vehicle behaves in an unstable manner. There are various types of causes for the unstable behavior of the vehicle. For this reason, for example, in Patent Document 1, the unstable behavior information at the behavior occurrence position where the vehicle becomes unstable behavior is stored in a database in association with the determination result of whether or not the unstable behavior is caused by the driver. It is stated to be memorized.

JP 2020-052607 A

By the way, it is possible to acquire information on the position of a vehicle that has behaved erratically, collect it in a server database, and provide other vehicles (vehicle group) with vehicle assistance content for assisting the appropriate running of the vehicle. Conceivable. However, when a certain vehicle acquires a plurality of vehicle assistance contents, for example, depending on the type of vehicle assistance contents, the freshness of the information is likely to be lost, and it may not be possible to provide appropriate driving assistance with such vehicle assistance contents. .

Therefore, in this technical field, when a plurality of vehicle assistance contents are acquired, it is required to appropriately set the priority of the vehicle assistance contents and perform driving assistance.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a mesh range of a map mesh set to include a predetermined number of support-requiring positions and a remaining time for support at the support-requiring positions are associated with each other, and vehicle support content is obtained from a server, A driving assistance device that performs driving assistance for a vehicle based on the acquired vehicle assistance content, and includes a assistance content acquisition unit that acquires the vehicle assistance content from a server, and a priority for execution of the acquired vehicle assistance content. and a support execution unit that determines vehicle support content to be executed based on the set priority of the vehicle support content, and executes vehicle driving support based on the determined vehicle support content. In preparation, when a plurality of vehicle assistance contents are acquired, the priority setting unit sets a priority for each of the vehicle assistance contents based on the mesh range and remaining time associated with the vehicle assistance contents.

According to the present disclosure, when a plurality of vehicle assistance details are acquired, it is possible to appropriately set the priority of the vehicle assistance details and perform driving assistance.

It is a figure which shows the information processing server which concerns on embodiment, and a target vehicle. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of information processing. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of a target vehicle. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of an information processing server. (a) It is a figure for demonstrating an example of the continuous occurrence condition. (b) It is a figure for demonstrating an example of a discontinuous situation. (a) is a table for explaining an example of scene classification of unstable behavior; (b) It is a figure for demonstrating an example of scene classification of unstable behavior. It is a figure which shows an example of a mesh. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of meshes set for a map; FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the number of occurrences of unstable behavior positions within a mesh; FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining mesh expansion; It is a block diagram showing an example of composition of an automatic driving control part which performs driving support. 4 is a table showing the priority of driving assistance content based on remaining time and mesh range; It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the driving assistance method which an automatic driving control part performs.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each figure, the same or corresponding elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an information processing server (server) 10 and a target vehicle (vehicle) 2 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing server 10 is connected to the target vehicle 2 (2A to 2Z) via the network N so as to be communicable. Network N is a wireless communication network. The target vehicle 2 means a vehicle for which the information processing server 10 collects information. The target vehicle 2 includes a support target vehicle for which various types of support are provided from the information processing server 10 . When the subject vehicles 2 are individually described, the subject vehicles 2A to 2Z are used.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of information processing. As shown in FIG. 2, when the target vehicle 2A slips due to road surface freezing or the like, the target vehicle 2A processes the target vehicle data including the unstable behavior position (assistance required position) D, which is the position where the slip occurs. Send to server 10 . The information processing server 10 notifies, for example, the target vehicle 2B traveling behind the target vehicle 2A of the unstable behavior position information as vehicle assistance content. As a result, it becomes possible to suppress the occurrence of slipping of the target vehicle 2B at the unstable behavior position D in the target vehicle 2B. Details of the vehicle assistance and the unstable behavior position will be described later.

<Configuration of target vehicle>
First, the configuration of the target vehicle 2 will be described. An ID [identification] (vehicle identification number) for identifying the vehicle is assigned to the target vehicle 2 . The number of target vehicles 2 may be one, two or more, several tens or more, or several hundred or more. The target vehicles 2 do not need to be vehicles having the same configuration, and may be of different types. The target vehicle 2 may be an automatically driven vehicle having an automatic driving function, or may be a vehicle without an automatic driving function.

The target vehicle 2 will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the target vehicle 2. As shown in FIG. Here, the target vehicle 2 is described as an automatically driving vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the target vehicle 2 has an automatic driving ECU 30 . The automatic driving ECU 30 is an electronic control unit having a CPU, ROM, RAM, and the like. The automatic driving ECU 30 implements various functions by, for example, loading programs stored in the ROM into the RAM and executing the programs loaded into the RAM by the CPU. The automatic driving ECU 30 may be composed of a plurality of electronic units.

The automatic driving ECU 30 includes a GPS [Global Positioning System] receiving unit 21, an external sensor 22, an internal sensor 23, a driving operation detection unit 24, a map database 25, a communication unit 26, an HMI [Human Machine Interface] 27, and an actuator 28. It is connected.

The GPS receiver 21 measures the position of the target vehicle 2 (for example, the latitude and longitude of the target vehicle 2) by receiving signals from three or more GPS satellites. The GPS receiver 21 transmits the measured positional information of the target vehicle 2 to the automatic driving ECU 30 .

The external sensor 22 is a detection device that detects the external environment of the target vehicle 2 . The external sensor 22 includes at least one of a camera and a radar sensor.

The camera is imaging equipment that images the external environment of the target vehicle 2 . The camera is provided on the back side of the windshield of the target vehicle 2 and images the front of the vehicle. A camera transmits the imaging information regarding the external environment of the target vehicle 2 to automatic driving ECU30. The camera may be a monocular camera or a stereo camera.

A radar sensor is a detection device that detects objects around the target vehicle 2 using radio waves (for example, millimeter waves) or light. Radar sensors include, for example, millimeter wave radar or lidar [LIDAR: Light Detection and Ranging]. The radar sensor detects an object by transmitting radio waves or light around the target vehicle 2 and receiving radio waves or light reflected by the object. The radar sensor transmits detected object information to the automatic driving ECU 30 . Objects include fixed objects such as guardrails and buildings, as well as moving objects such as pedestrians, bicycles, and other vehicles. The external sensor 22 may include an outside temperature sensor that detects the outside temperature of the target vehicle 2 . External sensor 22 may include a light sensor that detects external brightness.

The internal sensor 23 is a detection device that detects the state of the target vehicle 2 . The internal sensors 23 include a vehicle speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a yaw rate sensor as sensors for detecting the running state of the target vehicle 2 . A vehicle speed sensor is a detector that detects the speed of the target vehicle 2 . As the vehicle speed sensor, it is possible to use a wheel speed sensor that is provided for the wheels of the target vehicle 2 or a drive shaft that rotates integrally with the wheels and that detects the rotational speed of each wheel. The vehicle speed sensor transmits detected vehicle speed information (wheel speed information) to the automatic driving ECU 30 .

The acceleration sensor is a detector that detects acceleration of the target vehicle 2 . The acceleration sensor includes, for example, a longitudinal acceleration sensor that detects longitudinal acceleration of the target vehicle 2 . The acceleration sensor may include a lateral acceleration sensor that detects lateral acceleration of the target vehicle 2 . The acceleration sensor transmits acceleration information of the target vehicle 2 to the automatic driving ECU 30, for example. The yaw rate sensor is a detector that detects the yaw rate (rotational angular velocity) around the vertical axis of the center of gravity of the target vehicle 2 . A gyro sensor, for example, can be used as the yaw rate sensor. The yaw rate sensor transmits the detected yaw rate information of the target vehicle 2 to the automatic driving ECU 30 .

The internal sensor 23 detects at least one of tire air pressure, wiper operation state, and lighting device state as the vehicle state of the target vehicle 2 . The tire air pressure is the tire air pressure of the target vehicle 2 . The wiper operation state may include not only the presence or absence of the wiper operation but also the wiper operation speed. The lighting state includes the lighting state of the direction indicator. The lighting device state may include whether or not the headlights are lit and whether or not the fog lamps are lit.

In addition, the internal sensor 23 may detect the brake pressure of the hydraulic brake system from a brake pressure sensor as the vehicle state of the target vehicle 2. may be detected. The internal sensor 23 may detect the load state of each wheel from a wheel load sensor as the vehicle state of the target vehicle 2 . In addition, the internal sensor 23 may have a failure detection section that detects various failures of the target vehicle 2 .

The driving operation detection unit 24 detects the operation of the operation unit of the target vehicle 2 by the driver. The driving operation detection unit 24 includes, for example, a steering sensor, an accelerator sensor, and a brake sensor. The operating unit of the target vehicle 2 is a device with which the driver inputs operations for driving the vehicle. The operation units of the target vehicle 2 include at least one of a steering unit, an accelerator operation unit, and a brake operation unit. The steering section is, for example, a steering wheel. The steering section is not limited to being wheel-shaped, and may be configured to function as a steering wheel. The accelerator operation unit is, for example, an accelerator pedal. A brake operating unit is, for example, a brake pedal. The accelerator operation unit and the brake operation unit do not necessarily have to be pedals, and may be configured so that the driver can input acceleration or deceleration. The operating unit may be a vehicle-mounted switch. An information terminal such as a driver's smartphone may function as the operation unit.

The steering sensor detects the amount of operation of the steering section by the driver. The steering angle is included in the operation amount of the steering section. The amount of operation of the steering unit may include steering torque. The accelerator sensor detects the amount of operation of the accelerator operating unit by the driver. The amount of operation of the accelerator operation unit includes, for example, the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal. The brake sensor detects the amount of operation of the brake operation unit by the driver. The amount of operation of the brake operation unit includes, for example, the amount of depression of the brake pedal. The brake sensor may be in the form of detecting master cylinder pressure of a hydraulic brake system. The operation amount of the accelerator operation unit and the brake operation unit may include the depression speed. The driving operation detection unit 24 transmits operation amount information regarding the detected operation amount of the driver to the automatic driving ECU 30 .

The map database 25 is a database that stores map information. The map database 25 is formed in a storage device such as an HDD mounted on the target vehicle 2, for example. The map information includes road position information, road shape information (for example, curvature information), position information of intersections and branch points, and the like. The map information may include traffic regulation information such as legal speed limits associated with the location information. The map information may include target information used for recognizing the position of the target vehicle 2 on the map. Targets can include lane markings, traffic lights, guardrails, road markings, and the like. The map database 25 may be configured in a server (not limited to the information processing server 10) that can communicate with the target vehicle 2. FIG.

The communication unit 26 is a communication device that controls wireless communication with the outside of the target vehicle 2 . Various types of information are transmitted and received via the network N. The communication unit 26 transmits various types of information to the information processing server 10 according to signals from the automatic driving ECU 30 .

The HMI 27 is an interface for inputting and outputting information between the automatic driving ECU 30 and the driver or passenger. The HMI 27 includes, for example, a display, a speaker, and the like provided inside the vehicle. The HMI 27 performs image output from the display and audio output from the speaker according to the control signal from the automatic driving ECU 30 .

The actuator 28 is a device used for controlling the target vehicle 2 . Actuators 28 include at least drive actuators, brake actuators, and steering actuators. The drive actuator controls the amount of air supplied to the engine (throttle opening) according to a control signal from the automatic operation ECU 30, thereby controlling the driving force of the target vehicle 2. When the target vehicle 2 is a hybrid vehicle, in addition to the amount of air supplied to the engine, a control signal from the automatic driving ECU 30 is input to the motor as the power source to control the driving force. When the target vehicle 2 is an electric vehicle, a control signal from the automatic driving ECU 30 is input to the motor as the power source to control the driving force. A motor as a power source in these cases constitutes the actuator 28 .

The brake actuator controls the brake system according to a control signal from the automatic driving ECU 30 and controls the braking force applied to the wheels of the target vehicle 2 . A hydraulic brake system, for example, can be used as the brake system. The steering actuator controls driving of an assist motor that controls steering torque in the electric power steering system according to a control signal from the automatic driving ECU 30 . Thereby, the steering actuator controls the steering torque of the target vehicle 2 .

Next, the functional configuration of the automatic driving ECU 30 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3 , the automatic driving ECU 30 has a target vehicle data acquisition section 31 , a route generating section 32 , and an automatic driving control section (driving support device) 33 . Note that part of the functions of the automatic driving ECU 30 described below may be executed in a server (not limited to the information processing server 10) that can communicate with the target vehicle 2.

The target vehicle data acquisition unit 31 acquires target vehicle data, which is data regarding the target vehicle 2 . The target vehicle data includes the position information of the target vehicle 2 on the map and the running state of the target vehicle 2 . The target vehicle data may include the external environment of the target vehicle 2 and may include the route on which the target vehicle 2 travels. The target vehicle data may include driving operation information by the driver of the target vehicle 2 and the vehicle state of the target vehicle 2 . The target vehicle data acquisition unit 31 transmits the acquired target vehicle data to the information processing server 10 .

The target vehicle data acquisition unit 31 has a vehicle position acquisition unit 31a, an external environment recognition unit 31b, a driving state recognition unit 31c, a driving operation information acquisition unit 31d, and a vehicle state recognition unit 31e.

The vehicle position acquisition unit 31 a acquires position information of the target vehicle 2 on the map based on the position information of the GPS reception unit 21 and the map information of the map database 25 . In addition, the vehicle position acquisition unit 31a obtains the position information of the target vehicle 2 by SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) technology using the target information included in the map information of the map database 25 and the detection result of the external sensor 22. may be obtained. The vehicle position acquisition unit 31a may recognize the lateral position of the target vehicle 2 with respect to the lane (the position of the target vehicle 2 in the lane width direction) from the positional relationship between the lane markings and the target vehicle 2, and include it in the position information. . In addition, the vehicle position acquisition unit 31a may acquire the position information of the target vehicle 2 on the map by a well-known method.

The external environment recognition unit 31 b recognizes the external environment of the target vehicle 2 based on the detection result of the external sensor 22 . The external environment includes the relative positions of surrounding objects with respect to the target vehicle 2 . The external environment may include relative velocities and moving directions of surrounding objects with respect to the target vehicle 2 . The external environment may include types of objects such as other vehicles, pedestrians, and bicycles. The type of object can be identified by well-known techniques such as pattern matching. The external environment may include the result of lane marking recognition (white line recognition) around the target vehicle 2 . The external environment may include the outside temperature and may include the weather.

The running state recognition unit 31 c recognizes the running state of the target vehicle 2 based on the detection result of the internal sensor 23 . The running state includes the vehicle speed of the target vehicle 2 and the yaw rate of the target vehicle 2 . The running state may include the acceleration of the target vehicle 2 . Specifically, the running state recognition unit 31c recognizes the vehicle speed of the target vehicle 2 based on the vehicle speed information from the vehicle speed sensor. The running state recognition unit 31c recognizes the acceleration of the target vehicle 2 based on the vehicle speed information from the acceleration sensor. The running state recognition unit 31c recognizes the orientation of the target vehicle 2 based on the yaw rate information from the yaw rate sensor.

The driving operation information acquisition unit 31d acquires the driving operation information of the target vehicle 2 based on the detection result of the driving operation detection unit 24. FIG. The driving operation information includes, for example, at least one of the driver's accelerator operation amount, brake operation amount, and steering amount.

If the target vehicle 2 has a personal authentication function, the driving operation information acquiring unit 31d stores the driving operation history for each driver who has undergone personal authentication. The driving operation history may be associated with the external environment and driving state of the target vehicle 2 . The automatic driving ECU 30 does not necessarily need to have the driving operation information acquiring section 31d. In this case, the driving operation detection unit 24 is also unnecessary.

The vehicle state recognition unit 31 e recognizes the vehicle state of the target vehicle 2 based on the detection result of the internal sensor 23 . Vehicle conditions may include tire pressure. The vehicle state may include a wiper operation state, a lighting device state, and a failure state of the target vehicle 2 . The automatic driving ECU 30 does not necessarily need to have the vehicle state recognition section 31e.

The route generation unit 32 generates a route [trajectory] used for automatic driving of the target vehicle 2 . The route generating unit 32 generates a route for automatic driving based on a preset driving route, map information, the position of the target vehicle 2 on the map, the external environment of the target vehicle 2, and the driving state of the target vehicle 2. .

A travel route is a route along which the target vehicle 2 travels in automatic driving. The route generator 32 obtains a travel route for automatic driving based on, for example, the destination, map information, and the position of the target vehicle 2 on the map. A travel route may be set by a well-known navigation system. The destination may be set by the occupant of the target vehicle 2, or may be automatically suggested by the automatic driving ECU 30, the navigation system, or the like.

The course includes a route along which the vehicle travels in automatic driving and a vehicle speed profile in automatic driving. A route is a trajectory along which a vehicle under automatic operation is scheduled to travel on a travel route. The route can be, for example, data (steering angle profile) of the steering angle change of the target vehicle 2 according to the position on the travel route. The position on the travel route is, for example, set vertical positions set at predetermined intervals (for example, 1 m) in the traveling direction of the travel route. The steering angle profile is data in which a target steering angle is associated with each set vertical position.

The route generation unit 32 generates a route along which the vehicle travels, based on, for example, the travel route, map information, the external environment of the target vehicle 2, and the travel state of the target vehicle 2. The route generation unit 32 generates a route, for example, so that the target vehicle 2 passes through the center of the lane included in the travel route (the center in the lane width direction).

A steering torque profile in which a target steering torque is associated with each set vertical position may be used instead of the steering angle profile. Further, instead of the steering angle profile, a lateral position profile in which a target lateral position is associated with each set longitudinal position may be used. The target lateral position is the target position in the width direction of the lane. In this case, the set vertical position and the target horizontal position may be set as one position coordinate.

The vehicle speed profile is, for example, data in which a target vehicle speed is associated with each set vertical position. Note that the set vertical position may be set based on the running time of the vehicle instead of the distance. The set vertical position may be set as the arrival position of the vehicle after 1 second or the arrival position of the vehicle after 2 seconds.

The route generator 32 generates a vehicle speed profile based on speed-related information such as legal speeds included in the route and map information. Instead of the statutory speed, a set speed preset for a position or section on the map may be used. A route generator 32 generates a route for automatic driving from the route and the vehicle speed profile. It should be noted that the route generation method in the route generation unit 32 is not limited to the content described above, and other well-known methods can be adopted.

The automatic driving control unit 33 executes automatic driving of the target vehicle 2 . The automatic driving control unit 33 automatically drives the target vehicle 2 based on the external environment of the target vehicle 2, the running state of the target vehicle 2, and the route generated by the route generation unit 32, for example. The automatic driving control unit 33 automatically drives the target vehicle 2 by transmitting a control signal to the actuator 28 .

Further, when the vehicle assistance content is acquired from the information processing server 10, the automatic driving control unit 33 assists the driving of the target vehicle 2 based on the acquired vehicle assistance content. Driving support for the target vehicle 2 based on the vehicle support content performed by the automatic driving control unit 33 will be described in detail later.

<Configuration of information processing server>
The information processing server 10 is provided in a facility such as an information management center, for example, and is configured to be able to communicate with the target vehicle 2 . FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information processing server 10. As shown in FIG. The information processing server 10 shown in FIG. 4 is configured as a general computer including a processor 11 , a storage unit 12 , a communication unit 13 and a user interface 14 .

The processor 11 controls the information processing server 10 by operating an operating system, for example. The processor 11 is an arithmetic unit such as a CPU [Central Processing Unit] including a control device, an arithmetic device, registers, and the like. The processor 11 controls the storage unit 12 , the communication unit 13 and the user interface 14 . The storage unit 12 includes at least one of memory and storage. The memory is a recording medium such as ROM [Read Only Memory] and RAM [Random Access Memory]. The storage is a recording medium such as an HDD [Hard Disk Drive]. The storage unit 12 may be integrated with a storage database 16, which will be described later.

The communication unit 13 is communication equipment for performing communication via the network N. FIG. A network device, a network controller, a network card, or the like can be used for the communication unit 13 . The user interface 14 is a device including an output device such as a display and a speaker, and an input device such as a touch panel. Note that the information processing server 10 does not necessarily have to be installed in a facility, and may be installed in a mobile object such as a vehicle or ship.

The information processing server 10 is also connected to a map database 15 and a storage database 16 . The map database 15 is a database that stores map information. The map database 15 also stores information on meshes (map meshes) preset on the map. Details of the mesh will be described later. The storage database 16 is a database for storing unstable behavior position information and the like. The storage database 16 may have a configuration similar to well-known databases on HDDs. Note that the storage database 16 may be provided in a facility or the like remote from the information processing server 10 . The map database 15 and the storage database 16 may be integrated.

Next, a functional configuration of the processor 11 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the processor 11 includes a target vehicle data recognition unit 11a, an unstable behavior position recognition unit 11b, a situation determination unit 11c, a traveling data acquisition unit 11d, an occurrence number counting unit 11e, a mesh expansion unit 11f, a reproduction frequency It has a measurement unit 11g, a remaining time setting unit 11h, a memory processing unit 11j, and a vehicle support unit 11k.

The target vehicle data recognition unit 11 a recognizes target vehicle data transmitted from the target vehicle 2 . The target vehicle data includes the position information of the target vehicle 2 on the map and the running state of the target vehicle 2 . The target vehicle data may include the external environment of the target vehicle 2 and may include the route on which the target vehicle 2 travels.

The unstable behavior position recognition unit 11b recognizes the unstable behavior position, which is the position on the map where the target vehicle 2 exhibits unstable behavior, based on the target vehicle data recognized by the target vehicle data recognition unit 11a. The unstable behavior position recognition unit 11b recognizes the unstable behavior position in association with time. Unstable behavior is behavior of the vehicle that makes the running of the vehicle unstable. Unstable behavior includes, for example, slip. Unstable behavior may include sudden deceleration or sudden steering angle changes. The unstable behavior may include lane departure of the target vehicle 2 and may include excessive approach of the target vehicle 2 to a structure (such as a guardrail).

First, determination of unstable behavior will be described. The unstable behavior position recognition unit 11b determines whether or not the target vehicle 2 exhibits unstable behavior based on the target vehicle data. The unstable behavior position recognition unit 11b detects, for example, the acceleration (longitudinal acceleration and lateral acceleration) detected by the acceleration sensor, the wheel speed of each wheel detected by the wheel speed sensor, the yaw rate detected by the yaw rate sensor, and the driving detected by the steering sensor. Based on at least one of the driver's steering angle, the driver's brake operation amount detected by the brake sensor, and the brake pressure of the brake pressure sensor, it is determined that the target vehicle 2 has slipped as unstable behavior. A master cylinder pressure of a hydraulic brake system may be used instead of the brake operation amount of the brake sensor.

The unstable behavior position recognizing section 11b may use an operation start condition of a well-known antilock brake system [ABS: Antilock Brake System] as a slip determination. For example, an anti-lock braking system operates when, as an example, the wheel speed of each wheel is compared to an estimated vehicle speed to identify a wheel that is believed to be locked. The estimated vehicle body speed may be obtained from the wheel speed of each wheel until the vehicle slips, or from the change in acceleration until the vehicle slips.

In addition, the unstable behavior position recognizing unit 11b may use an operation start condition of a well-known vehicle stability control system [VSC: Vehicle Stability Control] as a slip determination, or a well-known traction control [TRC: Traction Control System]. may be used. Traction control can also be activated if the wheel speed of each wheel is compared to the estimated vehicle speed to identify a spinning wheel. The unstable behavior position recognition unit 11b may determine the slip of the target vehicle 2 by other well-known methods.

The unstable behavior position recognition unit 11b may determine whether or not the subject vehicle 2 has suddenly decelerated as an unstable behavior based on the deceleration detected by the acceleration sensor. In this case, the unstable behavior position recognition unit 11b determines that the target vehicle 2 has suddenly decelerated when, for example, the absolute value of the deceleration is greater than or equal to the rapid deceleration threshold. The rapid deceleration threshold is a preset threshold value. A threshold value used in the following description means a preset threshold value.

The unstable behavior position recognition unit 11b may determine whether or not a sudden change in steering angle has occurred in the target vehicle 2 as unstable behavior based on the yaw rate detected by the yaw rate sensor. In this case, the unstable behavior position recognition unit 11b determines that the target vehicle 2 undergoes a sudden steering angle change when, for example, the yaw rate becomes equal to or greater than the steering angle change threshold. Note that the tire steering angle may be used instead of the yaw rate.

The unstable behavior position recognition unit 11b determines whether the target vehicle 2 has deviated from the lane as an unstable behavior based on the lateral position of the target vehicle 2 or the external environment of the target vehicle 2 when the direction indicator is not lit. It may be determined whether In this case, the unstable behavior position recognition unit 11b determines lane deviation from the lateral position of the target vehicle 2, for example. Alternatively, the unstable behavior position recognizing unit 11b may determine lane deviation when recognizing from the external environment of the target vehicle 2 that the target vehicle 2 has straddled a lane marking.

The unstable behavior position recognition unit 11b determines whether or not the target vehicle 2 has excessively approached an object as an unstable behavior based on the running state of the target vehicle 2 and the external environment of the target vehicle 2. good. In this case, if the target vehicle 2 is moving at a low speed, the unstable behavior position recognition unit 11b does not exhibit an unstable behavior even if the distance to the object is small. When the time to collision [TTC: Time To Collision] between 2 and the object is equal to or less than the TTC threshold value, it is determined that the target vehicle 2 has come too close to the object. A time headway (THW) or a distance may be used instead of the time to collision.

The determination of whether or not the target vehicle 2 has become unstable may be performed each time the target vehicle data is acquired, or may be performed collectively at regular intervals or at regular intervals. The determination as to whether or not the target vehicle 2 has become unstable may be performed while the target vehicle 2 is stopped.

Next, the recognition of the unstable behavior position will be described. The unstable behavior position is the position of the target vehicle 2 on the map when the target vehicle 2 exhibits unstable behavior. The unstable behavior position recognition unit 11b recognizes the unstable behavior position when it is determined that the target vehicle 2 exhibits unstable behavior.

The unstable behavior position recognition unit 11b recognizes the unstable behavior position based on the position information of the target vehicle 2 on the map when it is determined that the target vehicle 2 has become unstable. Unstable behavior positions are recognized separately for each lane. If the unstable behavior is lane departure, the unstable behavior position may be a position on the driving lane before the lane departure or a position on the marking line.

Note that the unstable behavior position may be recognized as a section or area instead of a point on the map. When the target vehicle 2 skids while slipping, the unstable behavior position recognizing unit 11b may set the slip starting position to the unstable behavior position, and the target vehicle 2 moves in a state where it is determined to be slipping. All sections may be recognized as unstable behavior positions. The same is true for other unstable behaviors.

Based on the presence or absence of unstable behavior of the plurality of target vehicles 2 at the unstable behavior position recognized by the unstable behavior position recognition unit 11b, the situation determination unit 11c determines whether or not the unstable behavior position is in a continuous occurrence state. Determine whether it is a continuous situation.

The situation determination unit 11c determines whether the target vehicle 2 has passed through the unstable behavior position based on, for example, the target vehicle data recognized by the target vehicle data recognition unit 11a and the unstable behavior position recognized by the unstable behavior position recognition unit 11b. Determine whether or not When determining that the target vehicle 2 has passed through the unstable behavior position, the situation determination unit 11c determines whether the unstable behavior position is in a continuous occurrence state or discontinuously based on the presence or absence of the unstable behavior of the target vehicle 2. Determine if the situation is In addition, the situation determination unit 11c may perform the above determination by collectively processing a plurality of target vehicle data for each fixed period.

A continuous occurrence situation is a situation in which unstable behavior occurs continuously. In the case of a continuous occurrence situation, it can be considered that the possibility that the unstable behavior has occurred due to individual vehicle factors of the target vehicle 2 is low, and the possibility that the unstable behavior has occurred due to external factors such as the road environment increases. can. A non-continuous situation is a situation that is not a continuous occurrence situation. In the case of discontinuous situations, it can be considered that the possibility of unstable behavior occurring due to individual vehicle factors of the target vehicle 2 increases. If the situation determination unit 11c does not determine that the unstable behavior position is in the continuous occurrence state, it determines that the unstable behavior position is in the non-continuous state.

FIG. 5(a) is a diagram for explaining an example of a continuous occurrence situation. As shown in FIG. 5( a ), as an example, when two target vehicles 2A and 2B continuously exhibit unstable behavior at the unstable behavior position D, the situation determination unit 11c determines that the unstable behavior Determine that the position is in a continuous occurrence situation. FIG. 5(b) is a diagram for explaining an example of a discontinuous situation. As shown in FIG. 5(b), even if the target vehicle 2A becomes unstable at the unstable behavior position D, the situation determination unit 11c determines that the following target vehicle 2B does not become unstable and passes through. If so, it may be determined that the unstable behavior position is in a discontinuous situation.

In addition, the situation determined as the continuous occurrence situation is not limited to the situation shown in FIG. 5(a). The situation determination unit 11c may determine that the unstable behavior position D is continuously occurring when the three target vehicles 2A to 2C continuously exhibit unstable behavior. The situation determination unit 11c may determine that the unstable behavior position D is continuously occurring when four or more target vehicles 2 continuously exhibit unstable behavior. When all of the plurality of target vehicles 2 passing through the unstable behavior position D within a certain period of time exhibit unstable behavior, the situation determination unit 11c determines that the unstable behavior position D is in a state of continuous occurrence. You may

Even if there is one target vehicle 2 that does not exhibit unstable behavior, the situation determination unit 11c determines that the unstable behavior position D is in a continuous occurrence situation when unstable behavior occurs in the target vehicle 2 before and after it. It may be determined that there is Specifically, even if the middle target vehicle 2B among the three target vehicles 2A to 2C does not exhibit unstable behavior and passes through the unstable behavior position D, the situation determination unit 11c determines that the target vehicle 2A and the target vehicle When 2C becomes an unstable behavior, it may be determined that the unstable behavior position D is in a state of continuous occurrence. Alternatively, even if there are a plurality of target vehicles 2 that did not exhibit unstable behavior, if the number of target vehicles 2 exhibiting unstable behavior within a certain period of time is equal to or greater than the threshold, the situation determination unit 11c It may be determined that the unstable behavior position D is continuously occurring.

The status determination unit 11c may determine continuous occurrence statuses and non-continuous statuses by more detailed classification. Here, FIG. 6A is a table for explaining an example of scene classification of unstable behavior. As shown in FIG. 6(a), focusing on two vehicles, the preceding target vehicle 2 and the following target vehicle 2, with respect to the unstable behavior position, four scene classifications are performed by classifying them according to the presence or absence of unstable behavior. be able to.

In FIG. 6A, scene 1 is the case where both the preceding target vehicle 2 and the following target vehicle 2 exhibit unstable behavior, and scene 2 is the case where only the preceding target vehicle 2 exhibits unstable behavior. A scene 3 is a case where only the following target vehicle 2 behaves unstable, and a scene 4 is a case where neither the preceding target vehicle 2 nor the following target vehicle 2 behaves unstable. For example, scene 1 corresponds to a continuous occurrence situation, and scenes 2 to 4 correspond to non-continuous situations.

FIG. 6B is a diagram for explaining an example of scene classification of unstable behavior. It is assumed that the target vehicles 2A to 2F have passed through the same unstable behavior positions in this order. In FIG. 6(b), among the target vehicles 2A to 2E, only the target vehicle 2B and the target vehicle 2C exhibit unstable behavior, and the rest pass through the unstable behavior position without exhibiting unstable behavior.

Focusing on two target vehicles 2A and 2B in FIG. 6(b), it corresponds to scene 3 in which only the following target vehicle 2B exhibits unstable behavior. Focusing on the target vehicle 2B and the target vehicle 2C, both of the preceding target vehicle 2B and the following target vehicle 2C correspond to scene 1 in which the behavior is unstable. Focusing on the two target vehicles 2C and 2D, this corresponds to scene 2 in which only the preceding target vehicle 2C exhibits unstable behavior. Focusing on the two target vehicles 2D and 2E, this corresponds to scene 4 in which none of the target vehicles 2 exhibits unstable behavior. In this manner, the situation determination unit 11c may perform determination for classifying the scenes 1-4.

The number-of-occurrences counting unit 11e detects a predetermined number within a mesh set in advance on the map, based on the information on the mesh on the map stored in the map database 15 and the unstable behavior position recognized by the unstable behavior position recognition unit 11b. Count the number of occurrences of unstable behavior positions within the period. The number-of-occurrences counting unit 11e may count only unstable behavior positions determined to be in a continuous occurrence state by the situation determining unit 11c.

A mesh is a preset area on a map. A mesh is associated with a mesh position and a mesh range (mesh size). A mesh is used, for example, to collectively manage a plurality of unstable behavior positions. Management also includes appropriately performing vehicle support according to the mesh with the vehicle support content (service content) described later. Information about the mesh is stored in the map database 15 .

Here, FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the mesh. A mesh 50 is shown in FIG. In FIG. 7, it is assumed that an unstable behavior has occurred within the mesh 50 as a slip due to the same road surface freezing. In this case, the position where the target vehicle 2A slips (unstable behavior position D) and the position where the following target vehicle 2B slips (unstable behavior position D) are not necessarily the same position. It is conceivable that the unstable behavior position D varies due to a difference in vehicle speed between the target vehicle 2A and the target vehicle 2B. Even in such a case, by using the mesh 50, the unstable behavior position D of the target vehicle 2A and the unstable behavior position D of the target vehicle 2B can be collectively managed, and the unstable behavior position D can be managed individually. Management can be made more efficient than when Further, by utilizing the mesh 50 in accordance with the details of the vehicle assistance described later, appropriate driving assistance for the target vehicle 2 can be realized.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the mesh 50 set for the map. As shown in FIG. 8, the mesh 50 includes a plurality of meshes 50A-50N.

The shape of the meshes 50A to 50N is, for example, square. The meshes 50A-50N may be rectangular, circular or elliptical, or polygonal such as hexagonal. The shape of the meshes 50A-50N is not particularly limited. The sizes of the meshes 50A to 50N are also not particularly limited. The meshes 50A to 50N may be set as 30-meter-square areas on the map, or may be set as 1-kilometer-square areas.

A plurality of meshes 50A to 50N may be set to overlap each other, or the meshes 50A to 50N may be separated from each other. Arrangement of the meshes 50A to 50N is also not particularly limited and is arbitrary. The meshes 50A to 50N may be arranged in a grid pattern, or may be set based on nodes, intersections, traffic lights, and various landmarks on the map. The meshes 50A to 50N may be set as sections on the road with a certain distance.

The predetermined period used by the occurrence number counting unit 11e may be one hour, three hours, or six hours. The predetermined period may be one day, three days, or one week. The predetermined period is not particularly limited. The predetermined period may be determined for each mesh 50 according to the details of the vehicle support, when the mesh 50 corresponds to the details of the vehicle support described below.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the number of occurrences of the unstable behavior position D within the mesh 50A. In the situation shown in FIG. 9, the occurrence number counting unit 11e counts the number of occurrences of the unstable behavior position D in the mesh 50A as three.

The mesh enlargement unit 11f enlarges the size of the mesh 50 so that the number of occurrences of unstable behavior positions within the predetermined period counted by the occurrence number counting unit 11e is greater than or equal to the first threshold. The value of the first threshold is not particularly limited. The first threshold may be 5, 10, or a value of 11 or more. The first threshold may be 50 or 100. That is, the mesh 50 is set to include a predetermined number of unstable behavior positions.

Enlargement of the mesh 50 may be performed as a quantitative increase in area, or as an area increase at a constant rate with respect to the area before enlargement. The mesh 50 may be expanded to extend outward relative to the current center position of the mesh 50 or may be expanded to extend along major roads within the mesh 50 . A method of enlarging the mesh 50 is not particularly limited.

FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining expansion of the mesh 50A. FIG. 10 shows a situation in which the mesh 50A is expanded from the situation shown in FIG. Since the number of unstable behavior positions D in the mesh 50A counted by the occurrence number counting unit 11e in the situation shown in FIG. The mesh 50A is expanded so that is equal to or greater than a certain threshold. In FIG. 10, the mesh enlarger 11f terminates the enlargement of the mesh 50A because the number of unstable behavior positions D in the mesh 50A has reached or exceeded the predetermined threshold.

The mesh enlarging section 11f may perform enlarging processing so that each of the meshes 50A to 50N includes the number of occurrences of unstable behavior positions within a predetermined period equal to or greater than the first threshold. The mesh enlarging unit 11f performs enlarging processing on only meshes including at least one unstable behavior position D among the meshes 50A to 50N so that the number of occurrences of unstable behavior positions within a predetermined period is equal to or greater than a first threshold. may be performed. The mesh enlarger 11f may target only meshes that include a certain number or more of unstable behavior positions D among the meshes 50A to 50N.

When the mesh expansion unit 11f expands the mesh up to a predetermined upper limit without including the number of occurrences of unstable behavior positions within the predetermined period exceeding the first threshold value, the mesh expansion ends. The upper limit can be set to any value. The upper limit value may be the area or the number of enlargements.

The mesh enlarger 11f may perform mesh division when preset mesh division conditions are satisfied. The mesh expansion unit 11f counts the number of intermittent operations for each mesh, for example, for use in determining mesh division conditions.

The number of intermittent operations is the number of intermittent operations, which are unstable behaviors occurring multiple times due to the same trip of the same target vehicle 2 within the mesh. The mesh expansion unit 11f counts the number of intermittent operations based on the target vehicle data, the unstable behavior position, and the mesh. Even if the target vehicle 2 is the same, if it is traveling in a different direction, it is not counted as the number of intermittent operations. The number of intermittent operations is counted as one intermittent operation when the same target vehicle 2 slips three times or five times in the same mesh.

The mesh expansion unit 11f determines that the mesh division condition is satisfied when the number of intermittent operations of the mesh is equal to or greater than the threshold for the number of intermittent operations and the interval between multiple unstable behaviors in the intermittent operations of the same target vehicle 2 is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance. judge. The interval between multiple times of unstable behavior in intermittent operation is the distance between the occurrence positions of multiple unstable behaviors counted as the number of intermittent operations within the mesh.

The mesh expansion unit 11f divides the mesh so that, for example, the locations where the unstable behavior occurs a plurality of times in the intermittent operation separated by a certain distance or more are included respectively. The division reduces the size of the mesh (mesh size). The mesh enlarging section 11f may equally divide the mesh from the center, or may divide the eye types so that the number of unstable behavior positions is the same according to the distribution of the unstable behavior positions. The mesh division method is not particularly limited. If the number of intermittent operations in the mesh is large and the intervals between multiple unstable behaviors in the intermittent operations of the same target vehicle 2 are separated by a certain amount or more, there is a possibility that the unstable behavior is caused by a different cause. Therefore, by dividing the mesh, it is possible to realize vehicle support according to the cause of each unstable behavior.

The recurrence frequency measurement unit 11g measures the recurrence frequency of the unstable behavior within the recurrence frequency measurement area based on the unstable behavior position recognized by the unstable behavior position recognition unit 11b. A recurrence frequency measurement area is an area preset to include at least one mesh. The recurrence frequency measurement area may be set according to a region of a municipality such as a prefecture or a municipality. The reproduction frequency measurement area may be an area including the meshes 50A to 50N in FIG. 8 (for example, an area integrating the meshes 50A to 50N).

The recurrence frequency measurement area may be set as an independent area regardless of mesh enlargement, or the area may be enlarged so as to include the originally included mesh according to the mesh enlargement. The recurrence frequency measurement area may be set as the same area as one mesh. In this case, the mesh can be used as it is as the recurrence frequency measurement area. The recurrence frequency measurement area is set in advance in association with the map in the map database 15 or the storage database 16, for example.

Recurrence frequency is the number of recurrences of unstable behavior during a given investigation period. The certain period of time is not particularly limited. The fixed period may be one day, one week, or one month. The number of reproductions corresponds to scene 1 determined by the situation determination unit 11c, for example.

If a sufficient number of scenes 1 are not detected to measure the recurrence frequency, the recurrence frequency measurement unit 11g sets the investigation period to a long period (for example, a period longer by 0.5 months) to increase the number of scenes 1. Secure. The recurrence frequency measurement unit 11g repeats extension of the investigation period until a sufficient number of unstable behavior positions are collected. A sufficient number is, for example, a number equal to or greater than a preset threshold value.

Note that the reproduction frequency measurement unit 11g does not set the remaining time as the non-provision period when a sufficient number of scenes 1 are not detected even if the investigation period exceeds the preset upper limit. Alternatively, the recurrence frequency measurement unit 11g may measure the recurrence frequency by using the number of unstable behavior positions that are simply repeated instead of the scene 1 as the recurrence number.

The recurrence frequency measurement unit 11g determines an unstable behavior position where the recurrence frequency is equal to or greater than the recurrence frequency threshold as a recurrence present point. The recurrence frequency measurement unit 11g determines an unstable behavior position whose recurrence frequency is less than a recurrence frequency threshold as a non-recurrence point. The recurrence frequency measurement unit 11g may determine an unstable behavior position where the recurrence number is equal to or greater than the recurrence number threshold, instead of the recurrence frequency, as a point with recurrence.

The remaining time setting unit 11h sets the remaining time of the unstable behavior position within the mesh. Remaining time is the remaining time during which the unstable behavior position is used for vehicle assistance. The remaining time setting unit 11h sets the remaining time of the unstable behavior position in the reproduction frequency measurement area based on the reproduction frequency of the unstable behavior in the reproduction frequency measurement area measured by the reproduction frequency measurement unit 11g.

For example, the remaining time setting unit 11h measures the duration of a state in which the repetition frequency in the repetition frequency measurement area continues to be equal to or higher than a certain threshold value, and if the average value of the duration is, for example, three hours, the remaining time in the repetition frequency measurement area set the remaining time of the unstable behavior position as 3 hours. A median value may be used instead of the average value of the duration, or the remaining time may be determined from the duration using a predetermined arithmetic expression.

Alternatively, the remaining time setting unit 11h may set the remaining time of the unstable behavior position to be longer as the frequency of reproduction of the unstable behavior increases. The remaining time setting unit 11h reduces the unstable behavior position in the reproduction frequency measurement area when the reproduction frequency of the unstable behavior is equal to or greater than a certain threshold value, compared to when the reproduction frequency of the unstable behavior is less than the certain threshold value. The remaining time may be set as a long time. The remaining time setting unit 11h may use a plurality of thresholds to set the remaining time in stages. The remaining time setting unit 11h may extend or shorten the remaining time when the recurrence frequency value changes due to new measurement.

The storage processing unit 11j causes the storage database 16 to store the unstable behavior position information related to the unstable behavior position recognized by the unstable behavior position recognition unit 11b. The storage processing unit 11j associates the meshes stored in the map database 15 with the unstable behavior positions in the meshes and stores them in the storage database 16 . When the mesh enlargement unit 11f performs the mesh enlargement processing, the memory processing unit 11j updates the storage database 16 by associating the enlarged mesh with the unstable behavior position in the mesh. In addition, the storage processing unit 11j may also update the map database 15 with respect to the enlarged mesh.

The storage processing unit 11j may associate the unstable behavior position with the determination result of the situation determination unit 11c and store them in the storage database 16 when the determination is made by the situation determination unit 11c.

In addition, the storage processing unit 11j stores the remaining time of the unstable behavior position set by the remaining time setting unit 11h in the storage database 16 in association with the unstable behavior position in the mesh. The storage processing unit 11j may delete from the storage database 16 the information on the unstable behavior position for which the remaining time has passed. It should be noted that deletion of the information on the unstable behavior position after the remaining time has elapsed is not essential.

The vehicle support unit 11k provides various types of support to the target vehicle 2 through information notification and instructions. The vehicle support unit 11 k provides various types of support to the target vehicle 2 via the communication unit 13 . Here, for each unstable behavior position, the vehicle support unit 11k prepares vehicle support content in which a mesh range of meshes including the unstable behavior position and a remaining time of support at the unstable behavior position are associated with each other. Generate. The vehicle support unit 11k provides various types of support by transmitting the generated vehicle support content to the target vehicle 2 . The vehicle assistance content transmitted by the vehicle assistance unit 11k is content for suppressing the subject vehicle 2 from exhibiting unstable behavior at the unstable behavior position. The vehicle support unit 11k generates, for example, a notification regarding an unstable behavior position, an instruction to change the travel route of the target vehicle 2, an instruction to cancel the automatic operation of the target vehicle 2 during automatic operation, and the like, as vehicle assistance contents. Vehicle support content (service content) is not particularly limited.

For example, based on the target vehicle data recognized by the target vehicle data recognition unit 11a and the storage contents of the storage database 16, the vehicle support unit 11k determines whether or not the target vehicle 2 is heading toward the mesh including the unstable behavior position. determine whether The vehicle support unit 11k may treat an unstable behavior position with no remaining time as if it does not exist. In this case, there is no need to delete from the storage database 16 unstable behavior positions with no remaining time remaining.

For example, when a mesh exists in front of the target vehicle 2 and the distance between the mesh and the target vehicle 2 is less than a threshold value, the vehicle support unit 11k determines that the target vehicle 2 heading toward the mesh exists. The determination may be made using the arrival time instead of the distance. When the vehicle support unit 11k has acquired information on the travel route of the target vehicle 2, the vehicle support unit 11k may determine that the target vehicle 2 is heading toward the mesh when the travel route passes through the mesh. In addition, the vehicle support unit 11k may perform the above determination using a well-known method.

When the vehicle support unit 11k determines that there is a target vehicle 2 heading toward a mesh including an unstable behavior position, the vehicle support unit 11k transmits vehicle support content generated for the unstable behavior position within the mesh to the target vehicle 2 . The vehicle support unit 11k notifies the target vehicle 2 of information regarding the unstable behavior position associated with the mesh, as vehicle support content, for example. The target vehicle 2 may notify the driver of the information about the unstable behavior position by image output such as text display and/or sound output by the HMI 27 . Note that the target vehicle 2 does not necessarily have to notify the driver.

Further, the vehicle support unit 11k may perform vehicle support by transmitting the vehicle support content only when it is determined that there is a target vehicle 2 heading toward the mesh including the unstable behavior position of the continuously occurring situation. Even if the vehicle support unit 11k determines that there is a target vehicle 2 heading toward a mesh that includes only unstable behavior positions in discontinuous situations, the vehicle support unit 11k determines that the target vehicle 2 is not highly likely to exhibit unstable behavior, and does not provide vehicle support. does not have to be done.

Alternatively, the vehicle support unit 11k may change the content of vehicle support based on the ratio of the unstable behavior positions of continuous occurrence situations and the unstable behavior positions of discontinuous situations included in the mesh. The vehicle support unit 11k may instruct the target vehicle 2 to change the travel route so as to avoid the unstable behavior positions, for example, when the ratio of the unstable behavior positions in the continuously occurring situation is higher. The vehicle support unit 11k may only notify the target vehicle 2 of the unstable behavior position information when the proportion of unstable behavior positions in discontinuous situations is higher.

It should be noted that it may be determined whether the continuous occurrence state or the non-continuous state occurs for each mesh instead of for each unstable behavior position. The situation determination unit 11c may determine that the mesh is in the continuous occurrence situation when the number of unstable behavior positions of the continuous occurrence situation in the mesh is equal to or greater than a certain threshold value. The situation determination unit 11c may determine that the mesh is in the continuous occurrence situation when the proportion of unstable behavior positions in the continuous occurrence situation is higher.

When the target vehicle 2 is automatically driving and it is determined that the mesh to which the target vehicle 2 is heading is in a state of continuous occurrence, the vehicle support unit 11k notifies the unstable behavior position information and informs the user of the instability. You may instruct|indicate automatic driving cancellation|release in a stable behavior position. By canceling automatic driving and shifting to manual driving by the driver, the target vehicle 2 can avoid unstable behavior of the target vehicle 2 within the mesh while in automatic driving.

The vehicle support unit 11k notifies the unstable behavior position information when the mesh is determined to be in a continuous occurrence state, and notifies the unstable behavior position information when the mesh is determined to be in a non-continuous state. does not have to be done. As a result, it is possible to suppress the notification of unnecessary unstable behavior position information even when the reproducibility of the unstable behavior is not high.

The vehicle support unit 11k may change the content of vehicle support according to the area of the mesh. The vehicle support unit 11k may lower the support level of the vehicle support as the area of the mesh increases. It can be considered that the density of unstable behavior positions in the mesh decreases as the area of the mesh is enlarged by the enlargement process. The support level of the vehicle support is the highest for an instruction to change the driving state (vehicle control instruction) such as an instruction to decelerate the target vehicle 2, the next highest is the notification (attention) by text display and sound output, and the text display only. Notification (Information) is the lowest.

Specifically, the vehicle support unit 11k may divide the mesh area into three levels and change the support level of the vehicle support. The vehicle support unit 11k notifies (provides information) by text display of the unstable behavior position to the target vehicle 2 heading for the first stage mesh with the largest area, and the target vehicle heading for the second stage mesh in the middle. The vehicle 2 is notified of the unstable behavior position by text display and sound output (awareness call), and the target vehicle 2 heading for the third stage mesh with the smallest area is instructed to decelerate the target vehicle 2. You may give the instruction|indication (vehicle control instruction|indication) which changes driving|running|working conditions, such as. When issuing a warning instruction, both text display and sound output may be used to draw attention. It should be noted that the vehicle support content may be changed using the number of mesh expansion processes instead of the mesh area.

<Driving support based on vehicle support content>
Next, details of the driving assistance performed by the automatic driving control unit 33 of the target vehicle 2 based on the vehicle assistance content transmitted from the vehicle assistance unit 11k of the information processing server 10 will be described. As shown in FIG. 11, the automatic driving control unit 33 has an assistance content acquisition unit 33a, a priority setting unit 33b, and an assistance execution unit 33c.

The support content acquisition unit 33 a acquires the vehicle support content transmitted from the vehicle support unit 11 k via the communication unit 26 . When the information processing server 10 transmits a plurality of vehicle assistance details, the assistance content acquisition unit 33a acquires each of these vehicle assistance details. As described above, this vehicle support content is associated with the mesh range of the mesh and the remaining time of the support at the unstable behavior position.

The priority setting unit 33b sets the execution priority for the acquired vehicle assistance content. When one vehicle assistance content is acquired, the priority setting unit 33b sets this vehicle assistance content as the vehicle assistance content to be executed. In addition, when a plurality of vehicle assistance contents are acquired, the priority setting unit 33b sets a priority for the vehicle assistance contents based on the mesh range and remaining time associated with each assistance contents.

More specifically, the priority setting unit 33b gives a higher priority to a smaller mesh size than to a larger mesh size. For example, the smaller the mesh size, the more limited the places where driving assistance is activated, and the more likely it is that the opportunity to provide driving assistance will be lost. Therefore, the priority setting unit 33b increases the priority when the mesh size is small and the opportunity to perform driving assistance is likely to be lost, thereby facilitating execution of the vehicle driving assistance.

In addition, the priority setting unit 33b gives a higher priority to a shorter remaining time of support than to a longer remaining time. For example, the shorter the remaining time of assistance, the higher the degree of need for driving assistance, such as the presence of another vehicle that moves unexpectedly or the presence of a merging vehicle. On the other hand, when the remaining time of assistance is long, the need for driving assistance tends to be lower than when the remaining time of assistance is short, such as in a place where there is a high possibility of slipping. Therefore, the priority setting unit 33b increases the priority when there is a tendency that the remaining time of assistance is short and the need for driving assistance is high, thereby facilitating execution of this vehicle driving assistance.

Also, for example, the priority setting unit 33b first gives a higher priority to vehicle support content with a shorter remaining time of support. Next, when there are a plurality of vehicle support contents with the same remaining time (including cases where the time difference is within a predetermined time), the priority setting unit 33b selects the smaller mesh size among the vehicle support contents with the same remaining time. The higher the vehicle support content, the higher the priority.

That is, for example, as shown in FIG. 12, the priority setting unit 33b sets the priority to first when the size of the mesh is small and the remaining time of support is short. Note that the lower the priority order (closer to the first place), the higher the priority. The priority setting unit 33b sets the priority to the second place when the size of the mesh is large and the remaining time of support is short. The priority setting unit 33b sets the priority to 3rd when the size of the mesh is small and the remaining time of support is long. The priority setting unit 33b sets the priority to 4th when the size of the mesh is large and the remaining time of support is long.

The support execution unit 33c determines the vehicle support content to be executed based on the priority of the vehicle support content set by the priority setting unit 33b. Then, the support execution unit 33c executes driving support for the target vehicle 2 based on the determined vehicle support content. For example, the assistance execution unit 33c can perform driving assistance in order from the vehicle assistance content with the highest priority.

For example, when the content of vehicle assistance determined based on the priority is an instruction to cancel automatic driving, the assistance execution unit 33c cancels automatic driving at the unstable behavior position. In this case, the assistance execution unit 33c may notify the driver through the HMI 27 of the transition to manual driving.

Further, for example, when the vehicle assistance content determined based on the priority is an instruction to change the travel route, etc., the route generation unit 32 generates a route for automatically traveling according to the determined vehicle assistance content. As driving assistance, the assistance execution unit 33c causes the target vehicle 2 to travel based on the route generated according to the content of the vehicle assistance.

Note that the target vehicle 2 does not necessarily have to be an automatically driven vehicle. In this case, the automatic driving control unit 33 of the target vehicle 2 does not need to automatically drive the target vehicle 2 . The automatic driving ECU 30 of the target vehicle 2 may notify the driver of the unstable behavior position information and the like through the HMI 27 using the assistance content acquisition unit 33a, the priority setting unit 33b, and the assistance execution unit 33c.

In this way, the automatic driving control unit 33 acquires the vehicle assistance content in which the mesh range and the remaining time of assistance are associated with each other from the information processing server 10, and performs driving assistance of the vehicle based on the acquired vehicle assistance content. It functions as a driving support device.

<Driving support method based on vehicle support content>
Next, the driving support method performed by the automatic driving control unit 33 based on the content of vehicle support will be described using the flowchart of FIG. 13 . Here, the flow of processing for setting the priority of the vehicle assistance contents and performing driving assistance when a plurality of vehicle assistance contents are acquired will be described.

As shown in FIG. 13, the support content acquisition unit 33a acquires a plurality of vehicle support content from the vehicle support unit 11k of the information processing server 10 (S101). The priority setting unit 33b extracts the remaining time and the mesh range (mesh size) associated with each of the acquired vehicle assistance details (S102).

The priority setting unit 33b gives a higher priority to a vehicle support content with a shorter remaining time (S103). Then, the priority setting unit 33b determines whether or not there are a plurality of vehicle support contents with the same remaining time when priority is given based on the remaining time (S104). If there are a plurality of vehicle support contents with the same remaining time (S104: YES), the priority setting unit 33b gives higher priority to the vehicle support contents with smaller mesh size among the vehicle support contents with the same remaining time. (S105). The assistance execution unit 33c determines the vehicle assistance content to be executed based on the set priority, and executes driving assistance for the target vehicle 2 (S106).

Note that if there are not a plurality of vehicle assistance contents with the same remaining time (S104: NO), the assistance execution unit 33c determines the vehicle assistance contents to be executed based on the priority set based on the remaining time. Driving support for the vehicle 2 is executed (S106).

As described above, when a plurality of vehicle assistance contents are acquired, the automatic driving control unit 33 can appropriately set the priority of both assistance contents based on the mesh range and the remaining time. Then, the automatic driving control unit 33 can assist the driving of the target vehicle 2 based on the vehicle assistance content determined based on the priority.

For example, the priority setting unit 33b sets the priority of the vehicle support content higher as the remaining time is shorter. As a result, the assistance execution unit 33c can respond in order from the vehicle assistance content with the shortest remaining time, that is, with the highest degree of need for driving assistance. Also, for example, the priority setting unit 33b sets the priority of the vehicle support content higher as the size of the mesh is smaller. As a result, the assistance execution unit 33c can suppress missing an opportunity for driving assistance even for vehicle assistance content with a small mesh size, that is, for which an opportunity for driving assistance is likely to be lost.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. The present invention can be embodied in various forms with various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, including the embodiment described above.

2... Target vehicle (vehicle), 10... Information processing server (server), 33... Automatic operation control unit (driving support device), 33a... Assistance content acquisition unit, 33b... Priority setting unit, 33c... Assistance execution unit, 50 , 50A to 50N . . . mesh (map mesh).

Claims (1)

A mesh range of a map mesh set so as to include a predetermined number of support-requiring positions and a remaining time of support at the support-requiring position are associated with each other, and vehicle support contents are obtained from a server, and the obtained vehicle support contents are obtained. A driving support device that provides driving support for a vehicle based on
a support content acquisition unit that acquires the vehicle support content from the server;
a priority setting unit that sets execution priority for the acquired vehicle assistance content;
an assistance execution unit that determines the vehicle assistance content to be executed based on the set priority of the vehicle assistance content, and executes driving assistance of the vehicle based on the determined vehicle assistance content;
with
When a plurality of the vehicle assistance contents are acquired, the priority setting unit sets the priority for each of the vehicle assistance contents based on the mesh range and the remaining time associated with the vehicle assistance contents. setting, driving support device.

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