JP6432948B2 - Automatic operation control device - Google Patents

Description

Cross-reference of related applications

  This international application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2014-2014407 filed with the Japan Patent Office on September 30, 2014. The entire contents are incorporated by reference into this international application.

  The present disclosure allows some or all of various driving operations of the driver necessary for driving the vehicle, such as various judgments and operations by the driver, to be automatically performed without requiring the driver's operation or the like. The present invention relates to an automatic operation control device capable of operating.

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

JP 2012-59274 A

  One of the ultimate goals of automated driving technology is considered to be to set the destination so that the occupant can reach the destination without any involvement in traveling. However, the current situation is that the level of reliability is not high enough to achieve this.

  Until automatic driving technology is established and its level of reliability is high, automatic driving technology is adopted, but if necessary, some or all of the control currently being executed is automatically disabled and the driver is operated. It is desirable to be able to delegate.

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

  One aspect of the present disclosure is an automatic operation control device mounted on a vehicle, and includes an ambient information acquisition unit, an operation mode setting unit, and an automatic control unit. The surrounding information acquisition unit acquires the surrounding information of the vehicle. Ambient information is information indicating the state of the surroundings of the vehicle, and is information necessary for automatically executing at least one of the above-described plural types of driving operations without requiring a driver's operation. The driving mode setting unit sets the driving mode of the vehicle to either the advanced automation mode or the basic mode. The advanced automation mode is an operation mode in which some or all of a plurality of types of driving operations necessary for traveling of the vehicle are automatically executed based on surrounding information. The basic mode is an operation mode in which the type of driving operation to be automatically executed is less than or zero in the advanced automation mode. Based on the operation mode set by the operation mode setting unit, the automatic control unit executes an operation that is set to be automatically executed in the operation mode. The operation mode setting unit switches the operation mode to the basic mode when the preset basic mode switching condition is satisfied when the operation mode is set to the highly automated mode.

  The automatic operation control apparatus configured as described above has an advanced automation mode and a basic mode as operation modes, and switches to the basic mode when the basic mode switching condition is satisfied during the advanced automation mode. The basic mode switching condition is a specific condition where it is necessary or desirable to switch the operation mode from the highly automated mode to the basic mode. The number and contents of the basic mode switching conditions may be determined as appropriate. In addition, when a plurality of basic mode switching conditions are set, the mode may be switched to the basic mode when at least one of the plurality of basic mode switching conditions is satisfied, or all the set basic modes are set. The mode may be switched to the basic mode when two or more specific numbers or all of the mode switching conditions are satisfied.

  By appropriately setting the basic mode switching condition, switching from the advanced automation mode to the basic mode can be performed at an appropriate timing. Therefore, according to the automatic operation control apparatus having the above-described configuration, it is possible to stop part or all of the operation being automatically executed in the highly automated mode at an appropriate timing.

  When the vehicle is driven in the basic mode, it may be preferable to switch to the highly automated mode and leave it to the automatic driving process depending on the situation. Therefore, when the operation mode is the basic mode, the operation mode setting unit may switch the operation mode to the advanced automation mode when a preset advanced automation switching condition is satisfied.

  The advanced automation switching condition is a specific condition where it is necessary or desirable to switch the operation mode from the basic mode to the advanced automation mode. The number and content of advanced automation switching conditions may be determined as appropriate. Further, when a plurality of advanced automation switching conditions are set, switching to the advanced automation mode may be performed when at least one of the plurality of advanced automation switching conditions is satisfied, or all of the set advanced automation switching conditions may be set. It is also possible to switch to the advanced automation mode when two or more specific numbers or all of the advanced automation switching conditions are satisfied.

  According to the automatic operation control apparatus configured as described above, it is possible to switch between the advanced automation mode and the basic mode at an appropriate timing by appropriately setting the advanced automation switching condition.

  When the operation mode is the basic mode, the operation mode setting unit may maintain the basic mode even when the high-level automation switching condition is satisfied, or when the basic mode switching condition is continuously satisfied.

  If the basic mode switching condition is satisfied, it is presumed that it is preferable to reduce the type of driving operation to be automated and increase the specific gravity of the driving operation by the driver's own operation. Therefore, if both the advanced automation switching condition and the basic mode switching condition are satisfied, the basic mode is prioritized so as not to switch to the advanced automation mode. Vehicle control can be realized.

FIG. 1A is a side view of the vehicle of the embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a top view of the vehicle of the embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of the vehicle of embodiment. FIG. 3A is an explanatory diagram showing the automatic operation level in each operation mode, and FIG. 3B is an explanatory diagram showing that the control content at each automatic operation level may be arbitrarily set. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the outline | summary of automatic driving | operation. It is a flowchart of a main process. It is a flowchart of the automatic driving | operation control process in the main process of FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an initial automatic switching confirmation process in the automatic operation control process of FIG. 6. It is a flowchart of the normal time automatic switching confirmation process in the automatic driving control process of FIG. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the example which should switch from high automation mode to basic mode. It is a flowchart of the basic mode switching confirmation process in the automatic driving | operation control process of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the other Example of a basic mode switching confirmation process. It is a flowchart which shows the other Example of a basic mode switching confirmation process. It is a flowchart of a basic mode preparation confirmation process. It is a flowchart of a control parameter setting process.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,61-66 ... Vehicle, 2 ... 1st front camera, 3 ... Indoor camera, 4 ... 1st rear camera, 5 ... 2nd front camera, 6 ... 2nd rear camera, 7 ... Left side camera, 8 ... Right side Direction camera, 11 ... forward radar device, 12 ... rear radar device, 13 ... left side radar device, 14 ... right side radar device, 16 ... automatic driving operation lamp, 20 ... handle, 21 ... biological sensor, 22 ... solar radiation sensor, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 23 ... Rainfall sensor, 24 ... Vehicle speed sensor, 25 ... Seat sensor, 26 ... Belt sensor, 27 ... Travel drive control part, 28 ... Brake control part, 29 ... Steering control part, 30 ... Automatic driving control part, 30a ... Calculation unit, 30b ... Memory, 31 ... GPS communication unit, 32 ... Vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit, 33 ... Road-to-vehicle communication unit, 34 ... Inter-vehicle communication unit, 35 ... LTE communication unit, 36 ... TV / radio reception unit, 37 ... di Play 38 ... HUD 39 ... Microphone 40 ... Speaker 41 ... Winker operation part 42 ... Automatic operation start switch 43 ... Automatic operation stop switch 44 ... Emergency stop switch 45 ... Level setting operation part 71,72 ... traffic light 73 ... stop sign 76, 77 ... pedestrian, 81 ... road communicator, 82 ... camera, 90 ... road, 91, 92 ... signboard, 95 ... accident site.

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

  As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the vehicle 1 has at least a first front camera 2, an indoor camera 3, a first rear camera 4, and a second front camera 5 as cameras for photographing the inside and outside of the vehicle 1. , A second rear camera 6, a left side camera 7, and a right side camera 8. Each of the cameras 2 to 8 is a camera capable of shooting color images and moving images. Each of the cameras 2 to 8 may be a monocular camera or a stereo camera that can acquire information in the depth direction by providing a plurality of lenses.

  The 1st front camera 2 is provided so that it may face the front in the front end side of the ceiling in a vehicle interior. The first front camera 2 can capture the front of the vehicle 1 in a wide range. The indoor camera 3 is provided so as to face the rear (vehicle interior) on the front end side of the ceiling in the vehicle interior. The indoor camera 3 can photograph at least the upper body of the driver (driver) in the vehicle interior. The first rear camera 4 is provided to face rearward on the rear end side of the ceiling in the vehicle interior. The first rear camera 4 can shoot the rear of the vehicle 1 in a wide range.

  The second front camera 5 is provided at the front end portion of the vehicle 1 so as to face the front. With this second front camera 5, the front of the vehicle 1 can be photographed in a wide range. The second rear camera 6 is provided at the rear end portion of the vehicle 1 so as to face the rear. With this second rear camera 6, the rear of the vehicle 1 can be photographed in a wide range. The left side camera 7 is provided on the left side surface of the vehicle 1 so as to face the left side. The left side camera 7 can shoot the left side of the vehicle 1 in a wide range. The right side camera 8 is provided to face the right side on the right side surface of the vehicle 1. The right side camera 8 can shoot the right side of the vehicle 1 in a wide range.

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

  Specifically, the front radar device 11 is provided at the front end portion of the vehicle 1 and transmits and receives millimeter waves of a predetermined frequency with respect to the front of the vehicle 1. The front radar apparatus 11 can acquire target information related to a target ahead of the vehicle 1. The rear radar device 12 is provided at the rear end of the vehicle 1 and transmits and receives millimeter waves of a predetermined frequency to the rear of the vehicle 1. The rear radar device 12 can acquire target information regarding a target behind the vehicle 1. The left side radar device 13 is provided on the left side surface of the vehicle 1 and transmits / receives millimeter waves of a predetermined frequency to / from the left side of the vehicle 1. The left side radar device 13 can acquire target information related to the left side target of the vehicle 1. The right side radar device 14 is provided on the right side surface of the vehicle 1 and transmits and receives millimeter waves of a predetermined frequency to the right side of the vehicle 1. The right side radar device 14 can acquire target information regarding the right side target of the vehicle 1.

  Moreover, the vehicle 1 is provided with the biological sensor 21, the solar radiation sensor 22, and the rain sensor 23, as shown to FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B. A plurality (two in this embodiment) of biosensors 21 are provided on the handle 20 that is operated by the driver for steering. The biometric sensor 21 can detect whether or not the driver is touching the handle 20 and can detect various types of biometric information such as the driver's pulse and sweating while the driver is touching the handle 20. The solar radiation sensor 22 is installed in the lower part of the front window 10 in front of the vehicle interior. The solar radiation sensor 22 can detect the amount of solar radiation with respect to the vehicle 1 and consequently the brightness around the vehicle 1. The rain sensor 23 is installed on the upper part of the front window 10 on the vehicle interior side. This rainfall sensor 23 can detect the presence or absence of rainfall and the amount of rainfall.

  In addition, the vehicle 1 includes four automatic driving operation lamps 16 as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. As will be described later, the vehicle 1 of the present embodiment can switch the operation mode to either the advanced automation mode or the basic mode, and each automatic operation operation lamp is set while the operation mode is set to the advanced automation mode. 16 lights up with a predetermined lighting pattern. The lighting state of each automatic driving operation lamp 16 is visible from the outside of the vehicle 1. Therefore, when the driving mode is set to the advanced automation mode, it is possible to appeal that the vehicle 1 or the pedestrian traveling around the vehicle 1 is traveling in the advanced automation mode. Various lighting patterns of the automatic operation operation lamps 16 are conceivable. For example, the automatic driving operation lamps 16 may be constantly lit during the high-level automation mode, or may be alternately switched on and off at a constant cycle.

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

  The types of automatic driving of vehicles include partial automatic driving and fully automatic driving. Partially automatic driving is an automatic driving in which a part of various driving operations of a driver necessary for driving a vehicle is automated. In addition, automation here means that it can be performed without requiring a driver's operation. The fully automatic driving is an automatic driving in which traveling to the destination is completely automated without requiring a driver's operation or the like to the set destination. A parameter indicating the type and number of driving operations that are automated in automatic driving is hereinafter referred to as an automatic driving level. Fully automatic operation has a higher level of automatic operation than partially automatic operation. Moreover, even in partially automatic driving, there are various levels depending on the type and number of driving operations to be automated.

  The vehicle 1 of the present embodiment is configured to be capable of fully automatic driving as well as partially automatic driving by the automatic driving control unit 30. In the present embodiment, the driver can arbitrarily change the setting of the automatic driving level, that is, which operation among various driving operations necessary for traveling is automated and which operation is performed by the driver.

  More specifically, in this embodiment, the main automatic control functions for realizing fully automatic driving are automatic start / stop control, lane keeping control, inter-vehicle distance control, lane change control, right / left turn control, and collision suppression control. There are 7 types of parking control. The automatic operation control unit 30 can execute these seven types of automatic control functions, and a fully automatic operation can be realized by executing these seven types of automatic control functions.

  Conversely, partial automatic operation is realized by executing any six or less of the seven types of automatic control functions. In the present embodiment, it is possible to arbitrarily set which of the seven types of automatic control functions is executed in the advanced automation mode.

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

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

  In the present embodiment, for the sake of simplicity of explanation and easy understanding, the basic mode will be described assuming that the automatic driving level is set to level 0. Level 0 is a level at which the driver does not perform all of the seven types of automatic control functions, and the driver needs to perform most of the various driving operations required for traveling.

  The automatic operation control unit 30 includes a calculation unit 30a and a memory 30b. Specifically, the memory 30b includes at least one of ROM, RAM, and other various storage media (for example, EEPROM, flash memory). The calculation unit 30a implements various functions including the above-described mode switching function and automatic driving function by executing various programs stored in the memory 30b. The arithmetic unit 30a includes at least a CPU.

  The various programs stored in the memory 30b include programs (so-called security software) that can detect unauthorized operations from outside, computer viruses, unauthorized software and data (hereinafter collectively referred to as “illegal factors”). )It is included. The computing unit 30a monitors the presence or absence of fraud factors at any time by making this security software resident during activation. And when a fraud factor occurs, various fraud countermeasure processing is executed. The fraud handling process includes a process for forcibly setting the automatic driving level to level 0 and not operating the automatic control function at all. In addition, various specific contents of the fraud countermeasure processing are conceivable. For example, a warning by voice or the like may be output to the driver, or the vehicle 1 may be forcibly decelerated or stopped. In addition, the connection between the automatic operation control unit 30 and each of the communication units 31 to 35 may be physically blocked so that the automatic operation control unit 30 cannot be accessed from outside via wireless communication.

  Connected to the automatic driving control unit 30 are the cameras 2 to 8, the radar devices 11 to 14, the sensors 21 to 23, and the four automatic driving operation lamps 16 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. The calculation unit 30a of the automatic operation control unit 30 individually controls the operation of each of the cameras 2 to 8 and acquires the photographing result (image data) from each of the cameras 2 to 8 and stores it in the memory 30b. Image data acquisition and storage are repeated at predetermined time intervals.

  The calculation unit 30a can recognize various situations inside and outside the vehicle based on the image data of the cameras 2 to 8. For example, from the image data of the indoor camera 3, it is possible to recognize the driver's line of sight, eye state, gesture, and the like. Further, from the image data of the first front camera 2, it is possible to detect a state in which sunlight is incident on the vehicle and the driver feels dazzling (so-called backlight). Further, from the image data of the first front camera 2 and the second front camera 5, the vehicle ahead, the oncoming vehicle, the vehicle in the adjacent lane running diagonally forward, the lane line, the pedestrian crossing, the pedestrian, the bicycle, etc. It is possible to recognize pop-outs, the entry of other vehicles to the intersection at the intersection, the contents of signs, traffic lights, signboards, and other objects around the vehicle.

  The arithmetic unit 30a of the automatic operation control unit 30 individually controls the radar devices 11 to 14, acquires target detection results from the radar devices 11 to 14, and stores them in the memory 30b. Acquisition and storage of detection results from the radar apparatuses 11 to 14 are repeatedly performed at predetermined intervals. The calculation unit 30a calculates and acquires the presence / absence of the target, the distance to the target, the direction of the target, the relative speed of the target viewed from the vehicle 1, and the like based on the detection results of the radar devices 11 to 14. be able to.

  In addition, the calculation unit 30 a of the automatic driving control unit 30 determines whether or not the driver is touching the handle 20 based on the detection signal from the biological sensor 21. Further, while the driver is touching the handle 20 (specifically, while being in contact with the biosensor 21), biometric information such as the driver's pulse and sweating state is acquired based on the detection signal from the biosensor 21. The calculation unit 30a can estimate the physical condition and mental state of the driver based on the acquired biological information.

  Further, the calculation unit 30a of the automatic operation control unit 30 determines the brightness of the driving environment based on the detection signal from the solar radiation sensor 22, and uses the brightness of the night or a similar situation (hereinafter simply referred to as “night”). Judgment can be made. Further, the calculation unit 30 a of the automatic operation control unit 30 can determine the presence or absence of rainfall and the amount of rainfall based on the detection signal from the rain sensor 23.

  Moreover, the vehicle 1 is provided with the seating sensor 25 and the belt sensor 26 as a component connected to the automatic driving control part 30, as shown in FIG. The seating sensor 25 is a sensor for detecting whether an occupant is sitting on the seat of the vehicle 1. Although only one seating sensor 25 is shown in FIG. 2 for simplification of illustration, actually, it is provided for each seat individually. Specifically, when the number of passengers is N, the seating sensor 25 is provided for each of N seats.

  The belt sensor 26 is a sensor for detecting whether or not the occupant is wearing a seat belt when the occupant is sitting on the seat of the vehicle 1. Although only one belt sensor 26 is illustrated in FIG. 2 for the sake of simplicity, in reality, it is provided for each seat belt of each seat. Specifically, in the case of a vehicle 1 having N passengers, a seat belt is provided for each of N seats, and a belt sensor 26 is provided for each of the seat belts.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle 1 includes components, such as a GPS communication unit 31, an inter-vehicle communication unit 32, an inter-vehicle communication unit 33, an inter-vehicle communication unit 34, LTE, as components connected to the automatic driving control unit 30. A communication unit 35 and a TV / radio reception unit 36 are provided.

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

  The automatic driving control unit 30 includes a route guidance function that is one of various element functions for realizing the automatic driving function. The route guidance function calculates an appropriate route from the current position to the destination based on the current position of the vehicle 1 calculated based on the GPS information and the destination set by the driver. It is a function which carries out guidance control of the vehicle 1 so that it may drive | work to a destination along. The content of the guidance control of the vehicle 1 in the route guidance function varies depending on the automatic driving level. For example, the guidance control in the case where the automatic driving level is set to the level 7 of fully automatic driving corresponds to a plurality of types of automatic control functions (seven types as described above in the present embodiment) for realizing fully automatic driving. , Providing route information (information on which direction and route the vehicle should travel) necessary for execution of the automatic control function. In addition, for example, the guidance control when the automatic driving level is set to predetermined levels 1 to 6 (partially automatic driving) lower than the fully automatic driving is set to partially automatic driving among a plurality of types of automatic control functions. It is to provide route information for the necessary automatic control function and to guide the driving route (for example, voice guidance) to the driver as necessary.

  Map data and other various data necessary for the route guidance function are stored in the memory 30b. The arithmetic unit 30a implements a route guidance function (specifically, the above guidance control) by executing a route guidance function program stored in the memory 30b while referring to these various data. The computing unit 30a can also recognize the road conditions around the vehicle 1 based on the route guidance function. Specifically, for example, the shape of the route from the current position to the destination and the vehicle width can be recognized.

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

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

  The road communicator 81 is connected to a server (not shown), receives various types of information from the server, and wirelessly transmits the information within a predetermined area. Various kinds of road traffic information such as various infrastructure information (such as traffic signal information and road regulation information) and presence information of other vehicles and pedestrians are collected in the server. The server transmits, for each road communicator 81, individual road information related to the road communicator 81 based on the aggregated road traffic information. The individual road information is various kinds of road traffic information related to the traveling direction of the vehicle traveling in the communication area of the roadside communication device 81. Each road communicator 81 wirelessly transmits the individual road information transmitted from the server within a predetermined communication area.

  The calculation unit 30 a of the automatic driving control unit 30 can acquire various road traffic information related to the traveling road in the traveling direction via the road-to-vehicle communication unit 33. Information that can be acquired by the calculation unit 30a via the road-to-vehicle communication unit 33 includes dangerous sections (for example, sections where curves are continuous, sections where the road width is narrow, etc.), sections where construction is being performed, and accident sites Section information related to various sections such as a certain section close to. The calculation unit 30a can recognize the relative relationship between the section and the vehicle 1 such as whether or not the vehicle 1 is traveling in the section indicated by the section information by linking the acquired section information and the route guidance function. .

  Each road communicator 81 illustrated in FIG. 4 is equipped with a camera 82. Each camera 82 photographs the road side and transmits the photographed data to the server via the network. The server can acquire road traffic information around the camera from the shooting data transmitted from each camera 82.

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

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

  The LTE communication unit 35 is a communication module for realizing wireless communication based on LTE, which is a well-known mobile phone communication standard. The TV / radio receiver 36 is a receiving module for receiving radio waves of television broadcasting or radio broadcasting. The calculation unit 30a acquires various information necessary for automatic driving of the vehicle 1 or updates existing information (for example, update of map data) via the LTE communication unit 35 (that is, by LTE wireless communication). be able to. In addition, it is not essential to perform acquisition and update of such various information by LTE wireless communication, and may be performed using other wireless communication.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle 1 includes components such as a display 37, a HUD (abbreviation of head-up display) 38, a microphone 39, a speaker 40, and a blinker as components connected to the automatic driving control unit 30. An operation unit 41, an automatic operation activation lamp 16, an automatic operation start switch 42, an automatic operation stop switch 43, an emergency stop switch 44, and a level setting operation unit 45 are provided. As described above, four automatic operation operation lamps 16 are provided in this embodiment. Hereinafter, the switch is also referred to as “SW”.

  The display 37 is a display device for displaying various information including map information in the route guidance function. The display 37 has a touch panel function, and various input operations can be performed by touching the display 37 according to the display content of the display 37 (specifically, touching the touch panel).

  The HUD 38 is a display device that can project various types of information near the front window 10. The microphone 39 acquires the voice of the driver and other occupants and inputs the voice signal to the automatic driving control unit 30. The speaker 40 outputs sound based on various sound signals output from the automatic operation control unit 30.

  The winker operation unit 41 has an operation lever operated by a driver to blink a winker (not shown), and outputs a winker operation signal indicating an operation state of the operation lever to the automatic driving control unit 30.

  The automatic operation start SW 42 is a switch for setting the vehicle 1 to the advanced automation mode. The driver of the vehicle 1 needs to press the automatic driving start SW 42 in order to set the vehicle 1 to the highly automated mode and execute the automatic driving. The automatic operation stop SW 43 is a switch for forcibly switching the automatic operation level of the vehicle 1 to level 0 regardless of the set operation mode. The emergency stop SW 44 is a switch for forcibly stopping the vehicle 1. The level setting operation unit 45 is a user interface for accepting an operation of setting an automatic driving level (details will be described later) by the driver.

  When the driver recognizes that an unauthorized factor such as a computer virus or an unauthorized operation has occurred, the driver forcibly cancels the automatic operation by pressing the automatic operation stop SW 43, and the vehicle 1 is operated by the driver's own operation. It can be run.

  The automatic operation start SW 42, the automatic operation stop SW 43, and the emergency stop SW 44 are provided, for example, in the vicinity of the driver's seat in the passenger compartment at a position where the driver sitting in the driver's seat can operate during driving. However, the installation locations of these SWs 42, 43, and 44 may be determined as appropriate, or the same SW may be provided at a plurality of locations. For example, the emergency stop SW 44 may be provided in the vicinity of a seat other than the driver's seat (for example, a passenger seat). By doing so, for example, when an abnormality occurs in the driving driver and it becomes difficult for the driver to operate normally, the passenger sitting in the passenger seat operates the emergency stop SW 44. The vehicle 1 can be urgently stopped.

  Further, the vehicle 1 is provided with an accelerator pedal 27a and a brake pedal 28a. The accelerator pedal 27a is depressed by the driver when the driver wants the vehicle 1 to travel. The brake pedal 28a is depressed by the driver when the driver wants to decelerate or stop the traveling vehicle 1.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle 1 includes, as components connected to the automatic driving control unit 30, a vehicle speed sensor 24, a travel drive control unit 27, a brake control unit 28, a pedal sensor 28b, a steering, And a control unit 29.

  The pedal sensor 28b is a sensor for detecting whether or not the driver's foot is placed on the brake pedal 28a, and is provided on the surface of the brake pedal 28a that the driver's foot touches. The signal output from the pedal sensor 28b differs depending on whether or not the driver's foot is placed on the brake pedal 28a. The automatic driving control unit 30 is configured to be able to determine whether or not the driver's foot is placed on the brake pedal 28a based on a signal output from the pedal sensor 28b.

  The travel drive control unit 27 includes an accelerator sensor (not shown) for detecting the depression amount of the accelerator pedal 27a. The travel drive control unit 27 is based on various information such as the depression amount of an accelerator pedal 27a detected by an accelerator sensor, an operation position of a shift lever (not shown), a vehicle speed, an engine speed, and the like, an engine and a transmission (not shown). Is controlled to control the traveling of the vehicle 1. On the other hand, when the operation mode is set to the advanced automation mode (specifically, when any of the above seven types of automatic control functions is executed), the automatic operation control unit 30 sets the automatic control function to be executed. Control information necessary for the realization is output to the travel drive control unit 27. In this case, the travel drive control unit 27 controls the engine and the transmission according to the control information from the automatic operation control unit 30 even if the accelerator pedal 27a is not depressed. In addition, although the vehicle 1 of the present embodiment includes an engine as a driving source for traveling, the automatic driving control device of the present disclosure can also be applied to a vehicle including a driving source for traveling other than the engine. In this case, the travel drive control unit 27 shown in FIG. 2 has a function of controlling the travel drive source of the vehicle.

  The brake control unit 28 includes a brake sensor (not shown) for detecting the depression amount of the brake pedal 28a. The brake control unit 28 controls a brake device (not shown) based on the depression amount of the brake pedal 28a detected by the brake sensor. On the other hand, when the operation mode is set to the advanced automation mode (specifically, when any of the above seven types of automatic control functions is executed), the brake control unit 28 does not depress the brake pedal 28a. Also, the brake device is controlled in accordance with the control information from the automatic operation control unit 30.

  The steering control unit 29 mainly has two functions. One is a so-called electric power steering function. The electric power steering function is a function that assists the operation of the handle 20 by the driver with a motor. The other is an automatic steering function that automatically steers a steered wheel (for example, a front wheel) of the vehicle 1 without requiring a driver's operation. Steering wheels are steered basically by the driver operating the steering wheel 20, but when the driving mode is set to the highly automated mode (more specifically, at least of the above seven types of automatic control functions, When any one of automatic start / stop control and inter-vehicle distance control is executed), the steering control unit 29 responds to the control information from the automatic operation control unit 30 even when the driver does not operate the handle 20. Then, the steering of the steered wheels is automatically controlled by controlling the motor.

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

  As information that can be used to realize the automatic driving function, there is information (vehicle information) such as the position and speed of the vehicle. The own vehicle position can be obtained by calculation based on GPS information. The own vehicle speed can be obtained by calculation based on a vehicle speed signal from the vehicle speed sensor 24, a steering angle signal from a steering angle sensor (not shown), a yaw rate signal from a yaw rate sensor (not shown), and the like. The own vehicle speed can also be calculated from the rate of change of the own vehicle position.

  Information that can be used to realize the automatic driving function includes information on surrounding moving objects. Specifically, it is information related to the position, distance, and speed relative to the host vehicle, such as a forward vehicle, a rear vehicle, a side vehicle, an oncoming vehicle, a vehicle that crosses an intersection at an entry destination, a pedestrian, and a bicycle.

  Information about these surrounding moving objects can be acquired based on the imaging data of the cameras 2 to 8, the detection results of the radar devices 11 to 14, and the like. Various techniques for recognizing surrounding objects based on imaging data and the detection result of the radar apparatus have been proposed and put into practical use, and will not be described here.

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

  By one or more of inter-vehicle communication, road-to-vehicle communication, and inter-vehicle communication, for example, to acquire oncoming vehicle information during normal driving (especially in a curve) or right turn to suppress a frontal collision with an oncoming vehicle, In order to prevent the motorcycle from getting involved when making a left turn, information on the left and rear motorcycles is acquired, information on the vehicle on the side (rear side) is obtained when the lane is changed, and information on the front vehicle is used to prevent rear-end collisions. To acquire information on other vehicles that are traveling on the intersection to prevent encounter collisions at intersections, or to acquire information on pedestrians to prevent collisions with pedestrians, etc. Can do.

  Information that can be used to realize the automatic driving function includes information on various road displays drawn directly on the road, such as lane line (including parking line), pedestrian crossing, and temporary stop line. Information on the road display includes the position and content of the road display. Information on these road displays can be acquired based on the shooting data of each camera 2-8. Various techniques for recognizing road displays from photographic data have been proposed and put to practical use, and the description thereof is omitted here.

  Information on the road display in the traveling direction can also be acquired by road-to-vehicle communication. In addition, although the vehicle 1 of this embodiment is not provided, it is also possible to acquire the information regarding various road displays using a laser radar.

  Information that can be used to realize the automatic driving function includes information on traffic lights, railroad crossings, signs (including signboards), intersections, junctions / divergence points, sidewalks, obstacles, dangerous parts, and other ground structures (hereinafter “ And "infrastructure related information"). Infrastructure-related information includes the presence and location of the various objects described above, color information for traffic lights, operating status for railroad crossings, display content for signs and signs, etc. . Infrastructure-related information can also be recognized and acquired based on the shooting data of each camera 2-8, and can also be acquired by road-to-vehicle communication. Various infrastructure information can also be acquired from the route guidance function described above based on GPS information and map data.

  Information that can be used to realize the automatic driving function includes regulatory information. For example, when travel regulation due to construction, accidents, natural disasters, or the like is performed in the traveling direction, the regulation information can be acquired by road-to-vehicle communication.

  Various types of information that can be used to realize the automatic driving function, such as the information related to the surrounding moving object, the infrastructure related information, the information related to the road display, and the regulation information correspond to an example of the surrounding information of the present disclosure.

  The automatic operation control unit 30 acquires the above-described various information and automatically controls the travel drive control unit 27, the brake control unit 28, the steering control unit 29, and other necessary in-vehicle devices based on the information. Driving can be realized. Specifically, the seven types of automatic control functions described above can be executed. As described above, the seven types of automatic control functions in this embodiment are automatic start / stop control, lane keeping control, inter-vehicle distance control, lane change control, right / left turn control, collision suppression control, and parking control.

  The automatic start / stop control is a control in which the vehicle 1 is automatically stopped when the condition to be stopped is satisfied during traveling, and the vehicle 1 is automatically started when the condition to be stopped is canceled after the stop. is there. This control is performed using information on surrounding moving objects obtained from the cameras 2 to 8 and the radar sensors 11 to 14, infrastructure-related information and regulation information obtained by road-to-vehicle communication, in addition to the vehicle information.

  With this automatic start / stop control, for example, if the traffic light is blue at an intersection, the vehicle will run as it is and if it is red or yellow, it will stop. Control is performed such as stopping when it is recognized, or stopping once when the circuit breaker is not descended and then starting again. In addition, when an obstacle or the like is recognized ahead, it is automatically stopped.

  In the automatic start / stop control, default values are set in advance for various control parameters required to execute the automatic start / stop control, such as deceleration for automatic stop and acceleration for automatic start. And stored in the memory 30b. However, these control parameters may be arbitrarily changed from the default values.

  Lane maintaining control is control configured to automatically steer the steered wheels so that the vehicle travels along the lane without departing from the lane marking. This control is performed in cooperation with the route guidance function by using information on road displays (particularly vehicle division lines) obtained from the cameras 2 to 8 and the radar sensors 11 to 14 in addition to the vehicle information.

  The inter-vehicle distance control is a control method for performing speed control so as to follow the other vehicle while keeping the inter-vehicle distance to the other vehicle constant when the other vehicle is traveling in front of the host vehicle. The inter-vehicle distance control includes so-called cruise control. Specifically, when there is no other vehicle within a certain range in front of the host vehicle (for example, within 100 m ahead), in other words, when the vehicle to be followed does not exist in front of the host vehicle, the vehicle is driven at the set speed. . The inter-vehicle distance control is mainly performed using information related to surrounding moving objects (particularly front vehicles) obtained from the cameras 2 to 8 and the radar sensors 11 to 14 in addition to the vehicle information.

  Various parameters necessary for traveling following the preceding vehicle, such as the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle and the upper limit value of the host vehicle speed when traveling following the preceding vehicle, used in the inter-vehicle distance control, Is set. However, these control parameters may be set and changed arbitrarily. In the inter-vehicle distance control, the vehicle speed, which is one of the control parameters used when no other vehicle exists within a certain range in front of the host vehicle, is set to the legal speed of the traveling road in principle. However, the vehicle speed in this case may be set arbitrarily. At that time, it may be arbitrarily set within a range not exceeding the legal speed.

  Lane change control detects other vehicles in the adjacent lane of the change destination when lane change (steering for lane change) is necessary, and other vehicles according to the presence, position, speed, etc. of other vehicles This is a control for automatically changing the lane while controlling the driving force, the braking force and the steering so as not to collide with the vehicle. This control is obtained not only by own vehicle information but also by information on surrounding moving objects (especially other vehicles in adjacent lanes) obtained from the cameras 2-8 and the radar sensors 11-14, information on vehicle lane markings, and inter-vehicle communication. This is performed using information on other vehicles (traveling vehicles in adjacent lanes).

  Right / left turn control is a control that automatically makes a right or left turn without colliding with an oncoming vehicle, a vehicle traveling on an intersection, other vehicles around the vehicle, or a pedestrian when a right or left turn is required. It is. In addition to the vehicle information, this control includes information on surrounding moving objects obtained from the cameras 2 to 8 and the radar sensors 11 to 14, information on other vehicles obtained by inter-vehicle communication, and pedestrians obtained by inter-vehicle communication. It is performed using information such as.

  The collision suppression control is control for automatically steering or braking / stopping the vehicle so as not to collide with the obstacle when there is an obstacle on the road in the vehicle traveling direction. This is performed using information on surrounding moving objects obtained from the cameras 2 to 8 and the radar sensors 11 to 14, infrastructure-related information and regulation information obtained by road-to-vehicle communication.

  When a specific target parking position (for example, in a parking area of a specific parking lot) is set as a destination, parking control calculates a travel locus to the target parking position and drives the vehicle along the travel locus. This is a control to automatically park by controlling the force, braking force and steering.

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

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

  The level setting for each operation mode can be performed by operating the level setting operation unit 45 provided in the vicinity of the driver's seat for each operation mode. In the present embodiment, the automatic driving level in the basic mode is set to level 0 by default, and the automatic driving level in the advanced automation mode is set to level 7 by default. And the automatic operation level currently set can be arbitrarily set and changed for each operation mode. For example, when the basic mode is set to level 0, the advanced automation mode can be arbitrarily changed between levels 1-7. For example, when the basic mode is set to level 1, the advanced automation mode can be arbitrarily changed between levels 2-7. Further, for example, when the advanced automation mode is set to level 4, the basic mode can be arbitrarily changed between level 0 and level 3.

  It should be noted that which automatic control function is executed at which level is not limited to the content illustrated in FIG. 3A. For example, it is not essential that the number of automatic control functions executed each time the level is increased by one. Which automatic control function is to be executed at which level may be appropriately determined. The seven types of automatic control functions described above are merely examples, and the number of automatic control functions and the specific contents of each automatic control function may be determined as appropriate.

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

  In the vehicle 1 of the present embodiment, the operation mode is normally set to the basic mode. On the other hand, when the automatic operation start SW 42 is pressed, the operation mode becomes the advanced automation mode under a certain condition. In addition, when it is set to execute lane change control, right / left turn control, and parking control, a destination (a target parking position in the case of parking control) may be set. Specifically, a route guidance function may be started and a destination may be input via a touch panel. Automatic driving when the destination is set is basically performed along the route to the calculated destination while checking the position of the host vehicle in cooperation with the route guidance function. .

  When the automatic operation level is set to an operation mode of level 1 or higher and the destination is not set, how to specifically execute the automatic control function applied in the current operation mode May be determined as appropriate. For example, when the operation mode is set so that the right / left turn control function is executed, if the destination is not set, the right / left turn control function should be executed so that the vehicle travels along the road in principle. Also good. Then, for example, when it is necessary to select a traveling direction, such as when a bifurcating branch point is reached, for example, the right / left turn control function may be executed so as to proceed in a predetermined direction. Further, when the destination is not set, the right / left turn control function may be disabled. The parking control function may also be disabled when a destination (specifically, a place to park) is not set.

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

  In addition, at least the vehicle 63 can receive individual road information from at least the roadside communication device 81c in the vicinity thereof. Specifically, it is possible to acquire information such as the presence of the stop sign 73 (that is, that the vehicle should be stopped) and that another vehicle 64 is approaching from the right side.

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

  Further, at least the vehicle 62 can receive individual road information from at least the roadside communication device 81e in the vicinity thereof. Specifically, information on the traffic light 72 ahead, information that there is an oncoming vehicle 61 that is about to turn right, that there is a pedestrian crossing in the left turn direction, and that there is a pedestrian 76 on the pedestrian crossing. You can get it.

  Each of the vehicles 61 to 66 can obtain various information from the cameras 2 to 8 and the radar devices 11 to 14 included in the vehicle 61 and 66, and obtain various information through inter-vehicle communication and inter-vehicle communication. Can do. For example, the vehicle 65 can detect the front vehicle 67 or the right side vehicle 66 by a camera or a radar device, and can thereby travel while keeping the distance between the front vehicle 67 and the lane change appropriately. If necessary, the lane can be changed at an appropriate timing while considering the positional relationship with the vehicle 66 on the right side. Further, the vehicle 65 can also detect the pedestrian 77 jumping out by a camera or a radar device. When the vehicle 65 detects the pedestrian 77 jumping out, the vehicle 65 can perform appropriate deceleration control so as not to collide with the pedestrian 77 in consideration of the distance from the vehicle 65 behind.

  In this way, each of the vehicles 61 to 66 travels appropriately to the destination by automatic driving while using various information such as various information obtained from the own vehicle and various information obtained from the roadside. Can be made.

(4) Switching of operation mode When the automatic operation start SW 42 is pressed, the automatic operation control unit 30 always operates in the advanced automation mode until the automatic operation stop SW 43 is pressed (or until the destination is reached). Do not mean. When the automatic operation start SW 42 is pressed, the calculation unit 30a of the automatic operation control unit 30 executes the main process shown in FIG. 5 to switch between the advanced automation mode and the basic mode. That is, the mode switching function is realized by the arithmetic unit 30a executing the main process of FIG.

  When an unillustrated start switch (for example, an ignition switch) of the vehicle 1 is turned on, the arithmetic unit 30a reads and executes the main process program of FIG. 5 from the memory 30b. When the main process of FIG. 5 is started, the arithmetic unit 30a sets the operation mode to the basic mode and executes an automatic control function based on the automatic operation level set as the basic mode in S10. For example, when level 1 is set as the basic mode, the automatic control function of control A (see FIG. 3A) is executed. The execution of the automatic control function is performed based on the acquired various information while acquiring various information including the surrounding information as necessary. Note that when level 0 is set as the basic mode, all automatic control functions are not executed. The automatic control function set as the execution target in the basic mode is automatically executed, but other functions are basically left to the operation of the driver.

  In S15, it is determined whether or not the destination has been set. If the destination has not been set yet (S15: NO), it is determined in S20 whether or not a destination setting input has been performed. If the destination setting input has not been performed (S20: NO), the process returns to S15. That is, the basic mode is continued until the destination is set.

  If the destination has been set (S15: YES), or if a destination setting input has been made in S20 (S20: YES), it is determined in S25 whether the automatic operation activation SW 42 has been turned on. If the automatic operation start SW 42 is not turned on (S25: NO), the process returns to S15. When the automatic operation start SW 42 is turned on (S25: YES), an automatic operation control process is executed in S30. The automatic operation control process is a process of determining whether or not the operation mode can be switched from the basic mode to the advanced automation mode, and switching to the advanced automation mode if the operation mode can be switched. In addition, the automatic operation control process includes a process of switching to the basic mode when it is determined whether to switch to the basic mode again after switching to the advanced automation mode. Details of the automatic operation control process of S30 are as shown in FIG.

When the process proceeds to the automatic operation control process of FIG. 6, it is determined in S110 whether or not the current operation mode is the advanced automation mode. If it is already in the advanced automation mode (S110: YES), the process proceeds to S200 . If it is not the advanced automation mode but the basic mode (S110: NO), the process proceeds to S120.

  In S120, it is determined whether or not the initial automatic switching confirmation process in S130 has already been executed. The initial automatic switching confirmation processing is one of automatic switching confirmation processing for determining whether or not the operation mode of the vehicle 1 can be switched from the basic mode to the advanced automation mode, and the start switch of the vehicle 1 is turned on. This is an automatic switching confirmation process that is executed first after.

  If the initial automatic switching confirmation process has not yet been executed after the start of the main process (S120: NO), the process proceeds to S130 to execute the initial automatic switching confirmation process. If the initial automatic switching confirmation processing has already been executed after the start of the main processing (S120: YES), it is determined in S140 whether or not traveling has been performed after startup. If the vehicle has traveled even a little after startup regardless of the operation mode (S140: YES), the process proceeds to S150 to execute a normal time automatic switching confirmation process. If the vehicle has not traveled at all after startup (S140: NO), the process proceeds to S160. The normal automatic switching confirmation process is one of the automatic switching confirmation processes for determining whether or not the operation mode of the vehicle 1 can be switched from the basic mode to the advanced automation mode, and the initial automatic switching confirmation process has already been executed. This is an automatic switching confirmation process that is executed in the case of being completed.

  Note that it is not essential to separate the initial automatic switching confirmation processing and the normal time automatic switching confirmation processing as the automatic switching confirmation processing. Either one may be omitted, and only the other may be executed when a negative determination is made in S110. Alternatively, when both are collectively determined as an automatic switching confirmation process and an affirmative determination is made in S110, the one automatic switching confirmation process may be executed.

  Details of the initial automatic switching confirmation processing in S130 are as shown in FIG. When the process proceeds to the initial automatic switching confirmation process of FIG. 7, the operation state of the driver is confirmed in S310. In the present embodiment, it is a requirement that the driver can normally operate the vehicle 1 when switching to the advanced automation mode immediately after startup. This is to enable smooth return to the basic mode when it is necessary to return to the basic mode after starting traveling in the highly automated mode. Moreover, it also has the meaning which suppresses that the person who is immature in driving operation (for example, a child) and the person who should not operate the vehicle 1 run the vehicle 1 by automatic driving without permission.

  In S310, the specific operation state to be confirmed may be determined as appropriate. For example, a first determination method for determining whether or not the handle 20 is being gripped and the brake pedal 28a is being depressed may be used. Alternatively, a second determination method may be used in which the driver travels the vehicle 1 for a certain time (for example, several tens of seconds) and determines whether or not the driving operation during the travel is normal. Specifically, for example, whether the accelerator operation is smooth or the operation of the handle 20 is smooth (whether the operation along the shape of the travel route has been performed), or the lane detected by various in-vehicle cameras and radar devices fluctuates. It may be determined whether or not the driving operation is normal based on whether the vehicle has traveled without error, whether the vehicle has been driven according to signals and signs detected by various on-vehicle cameras and radar devices, and the like.

In addition, the method for determining whether or not the driver is seated in the driver's seat may be used alone or in combination with other determination methods.
In S320, it is determined whether or not switching to the advanced automation mode is possible based on the confirmation result in S310. For example, when the first determination method is used in S310, if it is determined that the handle 20 is being gripped and the brake pedal 28a is being depressed, it may be determined that switching to the advanced automation mode is possible. Good. At that time, it is also determined whether or not the driver is seated in the driver's seat based on the detection signal from the seating sensor 25, and when the driver is seated in the driver's seat, switching to the advanced automation mode is performed. You may make it judge that it is possible. Further, for example, when the second determination method is used in S310, when it is determined that the driving operation during traveling is normal, it may be determined that switching to the high-level automation mode is possible. At that time, it is also determined whether or not the driver is seated in the driver's seat based on the detection signal from the seating sensor 25, and when the driver is seated in the driver's seat, switching to the advanced automation mode is performed. It may be determined that is possible. Note that the fact that the operation state confirmed in S310 is determined to be switchable to the advanced automation mode in S320 is an example of a basic mode switching condition.

  In S330, it is determined whether or not switching to the advanced automation mode is possible based on the determination result in S320. If it is determined in S320 that switching to the advanced automation mode is possible (S330: YES), the process proceeds to S335.

  In S335, it is determined whether or not the occupant is wearing a seat belt. This determination is made based on each detection signal from the seating sensor 25 and the belt sensor 26. Specifically, the determination in S335 may be, for example, a determination on whether all occupants are wearing seat belts, or, for example, at least a specific seat (for example, a driver's seat). And a determination as to whether an occupant in the specific seat is wearing a seat belt. If it is determined in S335 that all the determination subject occupants are wearing seat belts (S335: YES), the process proceeds to S340.

  In S340, it is determined whether the basic mode maintenance flag is cleared. Note that both the basic mode maintenance flag and various flags described later are cleared as initial values at the start of the main process.

  If the basic mode maintenance flag is cleared (S340: YES), the advanced automation switching flag is set in S350. After the process of S350, the process proceeds to S160 (FIG. 6). If it is determined in S330 that switching to the advanced automation mode is not possible, the process proceeds to S360. In S335, when there is an occupant not wearing a seat belt among the occupants to be determined (S335: NO), the process proceeds to S360. If it is determined in S340 that the basic mode maintenance flag is not cleared (that is, set) (S340: NO), the process proceeds to S360. In S360, the advanced automation switching flag is cleared. After the process of S360, the process proceeds to S160 (FIG. 6).

  Next, details of the normal time automatic switching confirmation processing in S150 (FIG. 6) are as shown in FIG. When the process proceeds to the normal-time automatic switching confirmation process of FIG. 8, it is determined in S410 whether or not the normal-time transition condition to the advanced automation mode is satisfied. There are various conditions for shifting to the high-level automation mode during normal operation. For example, the driver may be holding the handle 20. Further, for example, the vehicle 1 may be traveling within a legal speed and may be in a state in which it can travel straight ahead or travel in a similar manner (with few turns) for a certain period of time. In other words, the normal-time transition condition may be set so that the advanced automation mode can be switched in a stable state. Further, as the normal state transition condition, for example, the fact that the driver is seated in the driver's seat may be used alone or in combination with other conditions (for example, as a logical sum or logical product with other conditions). This normal transition condition is an example of the advanced automation switching condition.

  If the normal state transition condition to the advanced automation mode is satisfied (S410: YES), it is determined in S480 whether the basic mode maintenance flag is cleared. If the basic mode maintenance flag is not cleared (S480: NO), the advanced automation switching flag is cleared in S470, and the process proceeds to S160 (FIG. 6). If the basic mode maintenance flag is cleared (S480: YES), the advanced automation switching flag is set in S490, and the process proceeds to S160 (FIG. 6).

  If it is determined in S410 that the normal transition condition to the advanced automation mode is not satisfied (S410: NO), the basic mode is basically prioritized and maintained. However, if the driver is seated in the driver's seat, the driver's state is confirmed by the processing after S420, and there is some abnormality in the driver's state (the driver may not be able to drive normally) If this occurs, the advanced automation switching flag is set to switch to the advanced automation mode.

  In other words, basically, switching from the basic mode to the advanced automation mode is performed after confirming that the driver and the vehicle 1 are in a stable state, but on the other hand, the driver makes the vehicle 1 normal. However, depending on the state, it is necessary to force the vehicle 1 to travel appropriately by switching to the advanced automation mode. Therefore, in S420 and later, when the driver cannot drive the vehicle 1 normally, the advanced automation switching flag is set.

  Specifically, if it is determined in S410 that the normal condition for shifting to the advanced automation mode is not satisfied (S410: NO), it is determined in S415 whether the driver is seated in the driver's seat. If the driver is not seated in the driver's seat (S415: NO), the normal automatic switching confirmation process in FIG. 8 is terminated, and the process proceeds to S160 (FIG. 6). In this case, the operation mode is maintained in the basic mode. On the other hand, when the driver is seated in the driver's seat (S415: YES), the process proceeds to S420.

  In S420, it is determined whether or not the driver's line of sight is facing forward. This determination may be made based on image data taken by the indoor camera 3. As a case where the driver's line of sight is not facing forward, for example, it is assumed that the driver is watching TV, operating a mobile phone or a smartphone, or driving aside.

  If the driver's line of sight is facing forward (S420: YES), the process proceeds to S450. If the driver's line of sight is not facing forward (S420: NO), it is determined in S430 whether the vehicle is stopped. If the vehicle 1 is stopped (S430: YES), the process proceeds to S450. If the vehicle 1 is traveling (S430: NO), it is determined in S440 whether or not the state where the driver's line of sight is not facing forward has continued for a specified time. When the state where the driver's line of sight is not facing forward has not continued for the specified time (S440: NO), the process proceeds to S450. When the driver's line of sight does not face forward for a specified time (S440: YES), the process proceeds to S490, and the advanced automation switching flag is set.

  In S450, it is determined whether or not the driver's eye condition is normal. Specifically, if it is not in a dozing state or a state close thereto, it is determined as normal, and if it is in a dozing state or a state close thereto, it is determined as abnormal. This determination may be made based on image data taken by the indoor camera 3.

  If the driver's eye condition is normal (S450: YES), the process proceeds to S460. If the driver's eye condition is abnormal (S450: NO), the process proceeds to S490 and the advanced automation switching flag is set.

  In S460, it is determined whether or not the driver's physical condition is normal. Specifically, the determination is made based on the biological information obtained from the biological sensor 21. For example, if the pulse is within the normal range and is not in an abnormal sweat state, it is determined that the physical condition is normal. Conversely, if the pulse exceeds the normal range or is in an abnormal sweat state, it is determined that the physical condition is abnormal.

If the physical condition of the driver is normal (S460: YES), the process proceeds to S470 and the advanced automation switching flag is cleared. If the body tone of the driver is abnormal (S460: NO), sets the highly automated switching flag proceeds to S490. After the process of S470 and the process of S490, the process proceeds to S160 (FIG. 6). Note that the driver's state is a state in which an affirmative determination is made in S440, a state in which a negative determination is made in S450, and a state in which a negative determination is made in S460, are all examples of advanced automation switching conditions. It is.

  In S160, it is determined whether or not the advanced automation switching flag is set. When the advanced automation switching flag is not set (cleared) (S160: NO), the process proceeds to S200. If the altitude automation switching flag is set (S160: YES), in S170, the operation mode is set to the altitude automation mode and automatic driving to the destination is started. More specifically, in S170, the operation mode is set to the advanced automation mode, and an automatic control function based on the automatic operation level set as the advanced automation mode is executed. For example, when level 6 is set as the advanced automation mode, six types of automatic control functions A to F (see FIG. 3A) are executed. For example, when level 7 is set as the advanced automation mode, fully automatic operation is realized by executing all seven types of automatic control functions A to G. The execution of the automatic control function is performed based on the acquired various information while acquiring various information including the surrounding information as necessary.

  In S180, a notification that the automatic operation in the advanced automation mode has started is performed. Specifically, the driver is notified by voice or the like that the mode has been switched to the advanced automation mode. This notification may be performed only when the mode is switched to the advanced automation mode, or may be performed as appropriate after switching (for example, repeatedly at regular time intervals). The notification method is not limited to voice. For example, you may alert | report by various methods, such as vibrating a steering wheel with a specific pattern, or making a specific display on the instrument panel in a vehicle.

  In S185, an interruption travel impermissibility notification is made to recognize that the vehicle 1 is not desired to be interrupted in front of the vehicle 1 around the vehicle 1. The specific method for notifying the interrupting travel may be determined as appropriate. For example, a lamp for notifying that the vehicle cannot travel on an interruption may be provided and turned on. Further, for example, an image indicating that it is not desired to be interrupted on the side surface or window of the vehicle 1 may be displayed so as to be visible from outside the vehicle. Further, for example, a specific sound may be generated from the horn. The specific sound is, for example, a sound different from a normal sound that is generated when the driver himself presses a button for horn sounding. In addition, for example, information that the user does not want to interrupt is notified outside the vehicle by using wireless communication such as road-to-vehicle communication, vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and vehicle-to-vehicle communication together with information on the vehicle (for example, position information and number information). May be.

  In S190, the four automatic driving operation lamps 16 are turned on. Thereby, when the vehicle 1 is viewed from the outside, it can be recognized that the vehicle 1 is traveling in the altitude automation mode. In addition, as a method for informing the outside that the vehicle is traveling in the highly automated mode, a method other than lighting the four automatic driving operation lamps 16 may be adopted. For example, an image indicating that the vehicle 1 is traveling in the highly automated mode may be displayed on the side surface or window of the vehicle 1 so as to be visible from outside the vehicle. Also, for example, the fact that it is set to the advanced automation mode means that it is outside the vehicle using wireless communication such as road-to-vehicle communication, vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and vehicle-to-vehicle communication together with information on the vehicle (for example, position information and number information). You may make it alert | report.

  In S200, a basic mode switching confirmation process is executed. Details of the basic mode switching confirmation processing in S200 are as shown in FIG. The basic mode switching confirmation processing in FIG. 10 determines whether or not a condition for switching from the advanced automation mode to the basic mode is satisfied, and switches to the basic mode when the condition is satisfied (for details, refer to the advanced automation switching flag). Clearing).

  Prior to the description of the basic mode switching confirmation process in FIG. 10, an example of the conditions for switching to the basic mode in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 shows a road 90 having a curve. On the road 90, road construction is being performed in a part of the section, and a sign 91 indicating the start of the construction section is installed in the vicinity of the point A. Further, a sign 92 indicating the end of the construction section is installed in the vicinity of the point D. The vehicle 1 is about to enter the point A.

  The vehicle 1 can recognize the contents of the signboards 91 and 92 from the photographing results of the front cameras 2 and 5 and detect that the vehicle has entered the construction section or has left the construction section. Also, by acquiring the position information of the construction section from the road communicator 81, the vehicle 1 is approaching the construction section start point, the vehicle 1 has entered the construction section, and the vehicle 1 has left the construction section. Can be detected. This construction section (may be included up to a section a predetermined distance before the construction section start point) corresponds to a specific travel area described later.

  The section from point B to point C is a travel caution section with a narrow road width and a large number of curves, and is a section where safe driving should be attempted by reducing the vehicle speed. The vehicle 1 acquires the position information of the travel attention section from the road communicator 81, so that the vehicle 1 approaches the travel attention section start point, the vehicle 1 enters the travel attention section, or the vehicle 1 It is possible to detect that the vehicle has left the driving attention section. The travel attention section from point B to point C (which may include a section before a predetermined distance from the start of the travel attention section) also corresponds to a specific travel area described later.

  In addition, an approximately halfway point between point E and point F is an accident scene 95 where a traffic accident has occurred. The accident section from the point E to the point F centered on the accident scene 95 is also a section that should be traveled with caution while reducing the vehicle speed. The vehicle 1 acquires the position information of the accident section from the road communicator 81, so that the vehicle 1 approaches the accident section start point, the vehicle 1 enters the accident section, or the vehicle 1 enters the accident section. It is possible to detect that the user has left. The accident section from point E to point F (which may include a section a predetermined distance before the start of the accident section) also corresponds to a specific travel area described later.

  In the present embodiment, when the vehicle 1 travels in the specific travel area, the high-level automation mode is switched to the basic mode. The basic mode switching confirmation process in S200 (FIG. 6) for realizing this will be described with reference to FIG.

  When the calculation unit 30a proceeds to the basic mode switching confirmation process of FIG. 10, it determines whether or not the winker operation in the right turn direction is performed by the winker operation unit 41 in S510. If a winker operation in the right turn direction is performed (S510: YES), the basic mode maintenance flag is set in S550 to clear the advanced automation switching flag in S560 to switch to the basic mode, and the process proceeds to S210 (FIG. 6). move on. Note that the turn signal operation in the right turn direction is an example of the basic mode switching condition.

  If the winker operation in the right turn direction is not performed in S510 (S510: NO), it is determined in S520 whether or not the vehicle is traveling in a specific travel area as illustrated in FIG. If the vehicle is traveling in the specific travel area (S520: YES), the basic mode maintenance flag is set in S550, the advanced automation switching flag is cleared in S560, and the process proceeds to S210 (FIG. 6). . Note that traveling in the specific travel area is an example of a basic mode switching condition.

  If it is determined in S520 that the vehicle is not traveling in the specific travel area (S520: NO), it is determined in S530 whether or not a pedestrian has been detected. This determination may be made based on the imaging results of the front cameras 2 and 5, the detection signal of the front radar device 11, the reception information of road-to-vehicle communication, and the reception information of inter-vehicle communication. If a jump of a pedestrian is detected (S530: YES), the basic mode maintenance flag is set in S550 to clear the altitude automation switching flag in S560 to switch to the basic mode, and the process proceeds to S210 (FIG. 6). Note that the detection of a pedestrian jump is an example of a basic mode switching condition.

  When a pedestrian jump is detected, an image (such as a dummy pedestrian) is used to give a voice warning or to highlight that the pedestrian has jumped off the road using the HUD 38 to alert the driver. Image) may be displayed.

  If no pedestrian jump is detected in S530 (S530: NO), it is determined in S540 whether the outside of the vehicle is in a specific environment. The specific environment to be switched to the basic mode may be set as appropriate. In the present embodiment, at least during bad weather with a lot of rainfall, at night when the field of view is dark, and when the driver feels dazzled by backlight, the specific environment is set as the specific environment.

  It can be determined based on a detection signal from the rain sensor 23 whether or not the weather is heavy with heavy rainfall. Whether it is nighttime can be determined based on the detection signal from the solar radiation sensor 22. Whether or not the driver feels dazzling when the backlight is incident can be determined from, for example, a result of photographing by the first front camera 2.

  If the outside of the vehicle is in a specific environment at S540 (S540: YES), the basic mode maintenance flag is set at S550 to switch to the basic mode, the advanced automation switching flag is cleared at S560, and S210 (FIG. 6). ) If the outside of the vehicle is not in a specific environment (S540: NO), it is determined that there is no need to switch to the basic mode, the basic mode maintenance flag is cleared in S570, and the process proceeds to S210 (FIG. 6). Note that the fact that the outside of the vehicle is in a specific environment is an example of a basic mode switching condition.

  In S210, it is determined whether or not the advanced automation switching flag is cleared. If the advanced automation switching flag is cleared (S210: YES), the operation mode is switched to the basic mode in S220, and the process proceeds to S35 (FIG. 5). The specific processing content of S220 is basically the same as S10, and the operation mode is set to the basic mode, and the automatic control function based on the automatic operation level set as the basic mode is executed. In S220, the four automatic driving operation lamps 16 are turned off. Thereby, when the vehicle 1 is viewed from the outside, it can be recognized that the vehicle 1 is traveling in the basic mode.

  When switching to the basic mode in S220, the traveling speed of the vehicle 1 may be appropriately reduced. Further, when switching to the basic mode in S220, the driver may be notified of the switching to the basic mode by various methods such as voice, vibration of the steering wheel, display on the in-vehicle instrument panel, and the like.

If the advanced automation switching flag is not cleared in S210 (S210: NO), the process proceeds to S35 (FIG. 5) while maintaining the advanced automation mode.
In S35, it is determined whether or not the automatic operation stop SW43 is turned on. When the automatic operation stop SW 43 is turned on (S35: YES), all the flags (including a forced stop flag described later) are cleared in S40, the operation mode is set to the basic mode in S45, and the process returns to S15. . In S45, as in S10, the operation mode is set to the basic mode, and the automatic control function based on the automatic operation level set as the basic mode is executed.

  If the automatic operation stop SW 43 is not turned on (S35: NO), it is determined in S50 whether the destination has been reached. If the destination is reached (S50: YES), the destination setting is cleared in S55, and the process proceeds to S40 and thereafter. If it has not arrived at the destination (S50: NO), it is determined in S60 whether the emergency stop SW 44 is turned on or the forced stop flag is set. Note that the forced stop flag is a flag that is set in each process of FIGS. 11 and 13 described later.

  If the emergency stop SW 44 is not turned on and the forced stop flag is not set (S60: NO), the process returns to S30. If the emergency stop SW 44 is turned on or the forced stop flag is set (S60: YES), all the above-described flags are cleared in S65 as in S40. In step S70, a forced stop process is executed to forcibly stop the vehicle 1 and the main process ends. Thereafter, in order to execute the main processing again next, at least the start switch needs to be turned on again (for example, the ignition switch is turned off and then turned on again). In addition, the forced stop process of S70 is a process of forcibly stopping the vehicle 1 automatically. You may decide suitably about how to stop specifically. For example, the vehicle may be immediately decelerated and stopped on a traveling road. Further, for example, instead of stopping on the road, the vehicle 1 may be automatically driven to a place where the vehicle 1 can be stopped outside the road (for example, a parking lot near the vehicle).

(5) Effects of the Embodiment According to the vehicle 1 of the present embodiment described above, the driving mode has the high-level automation mode and the basic mode, and the high-level automation mode should be shifted to the basic mode (or even if the mode is shifted). (Good) If the condition is met, switch to basic mode. Therefore, switching from the advanced automation mode to the basic mode can be performed at an appropriate timing. On the other hand, during the basic mode, when a condition that should be (or may be shifted to) the advanced automation mode is satisfied, the operation is switched to the advanced automation mode. Therefore, switching from the basic mode to the advanced automation mode can be performed at an appropriate timing.

  However, when the operation mode is the basic mode, even if it is possible to switch to the advanced automation mode (specifically, even if the advanced automation switching flag is set), the state to maintain the basic mode continues. If it is (specifically, the basic mode maintenance flag is set), the basic mode is maintained. Therefore, in a situation where the basic mode should be maintained, it is possible to realize appropriate vehicle control in which the driving operation of the driver is respected.

  Note that the calculation unit 30a, S10 and S45 in FIG. 5, and S170 and S220 in FIG. 6 correspond to an example of a surrounding information acquisition unit, an example of an operation mode setting unit, and an example of an automatic control unit. In FIG. 8, the process in which an affirmative determination is made in S410 and the process proceeds to S480, and a negative determination is made in S480 and the process proceeds to S470 corresponds to an example of an operation mode setting unit.

[Other Embodiments]
(1) As the basic mode switching confirmation process in S200 of FIG. 6, various other contents can be adopted separately from the process shown in FIG. 10 or in addition to the process shown in FIG.

  For example, the basic mode switching confirmation process shown in FIG. 11 may be adopted. In the basic mode switching confirmation process shown in FIG. 11, first, in S610, the basic mode switching necessity determination is performed. This determination is a determination as to whether or not it is necessary to switch to the basic mode, and may be determined according to various criteria. For example, when the vehicle 1 is traveling in a specific travel area or outside the vehicle is in a specific environment, it may be determined that it is necessary to switch to the basic mode. Further, for example, when an occupant wearing a seat belt removes the seat belt, it may be determined that it is necessary to switch to the basic mode. Further, for example, when another vehicle around the own vehicle exhibits a specific behavior with respect to the own vehicle, it may be determined that it is necessary to switch to the basic mode.

  This determination can be made based on, for example, images taken by the cameras 2 to 8, detection results by the radar devices 11 to 14, and the like. The specific behavior may be determined as appropriate. For example, a specific behavior may be that another vehicle has approached the host vehicle. In this case, a method for determining whether or not the width has been adjusted may be appropriately determined. For example, when the distance in the left-right direction (direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction) with the host vehicle is within a specified distance, it may be determined that the width has been increased. Further, for example, when the rate of change of the distance in the left-right direction with the host vehicle is equal to or less than the negative specified rate of change, it may be determined that the width has been increased.

  Further, for example, a specific behavior may be that a vehicle traveling in the rear has suddenly approached the host vehicle. In this case, a method for determining whether or not the vehicle has approached rapidly may be determined as appropriate. For example, the determination may be made based on the distance to the rear vehicle and the rate of change of the distance, in the same manner as the above-described determination method of width adjustment.

  In S620, it is determined whether or not switching to the basic mode is necessary based on the determination result in S610. If switching to the basic mode is not required (S620: NO), the basic mode maintenance flag is cleared in S710, and the process proceeds to S210 (FIG. 6). If switching to the basic mode is necessary (S620: YES), it is determined in S630 whether the basic mode has already been set. If the basic mode has already been set (S630: YES), the process proceeds to S210 (FIG. 6). If it is not the basic mode yet (that is, in the advanced automation mode) (S630: NO), in S640, the voice, vibration in a specific pattern of the steering wheel, or a specific display on the instrument panel in the vehicle is displayed to the driver. The advance notice of switching to the basic mode is reported using various methods such as

  In S650, it is determined whether or not a prescribed operation has been performed by the driver in response to the notification in S640. As the specified operation, various operations may be adopted so that the driver can confirm that the driver can handle the driving in the basic mode. For example, the prescribed movement may be determined by the driver holding the handle 20 and looking forward. Further, for example, the specific operation may be determined by causing the driver to generate a specific sound, causing the driver to perform a specific gesture, or causing the driver to operate a specific operation member (for example, a specific switch) in the vehicle. .

When the prescribed operation by the driver is performed (S650: YES), the basic mode maintenance flag is set in S660, the advanced automation switching flag is cleared in S670, and the process proceeds to S210 (FIG. 6). If the prescribed operation by the driver is not performed (S650: NO), in S680, whether or not the driver has timed out without the prescribed operation from the start of notification in S640, that is, the state without the prescribed operation of the driver continues for a certain period of time. Determine whether or not.

  If not yet timed out, the process returns to S650. If timed out, the advanced automation switching flag is cleared in S690, the forced stop flag is set in S700, and the process proceeds to S210 (FIG. 6). In other words, if the state where there is no driver's prescribed operation continues for a certain time after the report of S640, even though the state should be switched to the basic mode, there is a possibility that some abnormality has occurred in the driver. In order to forcibly stop the vehicle 1, a forced stop flag is set.

  Further, as the basic mode switching confirmation process in S200 of FIG. 6, for example, the basic mode switching confirmation process shown in FIG. 12 may be adopted. In the basic mode switching confirmation process shown in FIG. 12, first, in S1010, it is determined whether or not the inter-vehicle distance control is being executed among a plurality of types of automatic control functions. In the above embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 3A, the inter-vehicle distance control is executed when the automatic driving level is level 2 or higher.

  If the inter-vehicle distance control is not executed (S1010: NO), the basic mode switching confirmation process is terminated. When the inter-vehicle distance control is being executed (S1010: YES), the process proceeds to S1020.

  In S1020, it is determined whether there is an interruption of another vehicle ahead of the host vehicle. This determination can be made based on, for example, images taken by the cameras 2 to 8, detection results by the radar devices 11 to 14, and the like. A specific method of this determination may be determined as appropriate. For example, it may be determined that there is an interruption when another vehicle enters in front of the host vehicle in the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling. At that time, it may be determined that there is an interruption when the state of entry has continued for a predetermined time or more as well as just entering.

  When it is determined that there is no interruption of another vehicle ahead of the host vehicle (S1020: NO), the process proceeds to S1040. If it is determined that there is an interruption of another vehicle ahead of the host vehicle (S1020: YES), a warning process is performed in S1030, and the process proceeds to S1040. The warning process of S1030 is for urging attention to other vehicles that have interrupted in front of the host vehicle (for example, the presence of the host vehicle behind the other vehicle, the desire not to be interrupted, etc.) It is processing of. The specific contents of the warning process may be determined as appropriate. For example, the same processing as the interruption travel impossible notification in S185 of FIG. 6 may be performed.

  In S1040, based on the detection signal from the pedal sensor 28b, it is determined whether or not the driver's foot is placed on the brake pedal 28a. When the driver's foot is placed on the brake pedal 28a (S1040: YES), the process proceeds to S1060. If the driver's feet are not placed on the brake pedal 28a (S1040: NO), a warning process is performed in S1050, and the process proceeds to S1060.

  The alerting process in S1050 is a process for prompting the driver to place his / her foot on the brake pedal 28a. The specific content of this alerting process may be determined as appropriate. For example, it may be urged by voice, may be urged by vibrating a specific place in the vehicle (for example, the seat, the handle 20, etc.), or may be urged by displaying caution information on the display 37 or HUD 38. Also good. Note that if the foot is not placed on the brake pedal 28a even after the alerting process, a specific process may be executed. The specific process in this case may be, for example, a process for forcibly stopping the vehicle 1 or a process for switching the operation mode to the basic mode.

  In S1060, it is determined whether or not the brake pedal 28a has been depressed. When the brake pedal 28a is not depressed (S1060: NO), the process proceeds to S1080. When the brake pedal 28a is depressed (S1060: YES), a brake handling process is performed in S1070, and the process proceeds to S1080.

  The specific content of the brake handling process of S1070 may be determined as appropriate. For example, the inter-vehicle distance, which is one of the control parameters used in the inter-vehicle distance control, may be changed to a value larger than the current value so that the inter-vehicle distance with the preceding vehicle becomes longer. In addition, when the so-called cruise control is being performed when there is no other vehicle within a certain range in front of the host vehicle, one of the control parameters used in the inter-vehicle distance control is to reduce the speed of the host vehicle. The vehicle speed may be changed to a value lower than the current value.

  In S1080, it is determined whether or not the accelerator pedal 27a is depressed. When the accelerator pedal 27a is not depressed (S1080: NO), the process proceeds to S1100. When the accelerator pedal 27a is depressed (S1080: YES), the accelerator handling process is performed in S1090, and the process proceeds to S1100.

  The specific contents of the accelerator handling process of S1090 may be determined as appropriate. For example, the inter-vehicle distance, which is one of the control parameters used in the inter-vehicle distance control, may be changed to a value smaller than the current value so that the inter-vehicle distance with the preceding vehicle becomes shorter. Further, when the so-called cruise control is being performed when there is no other vehicle within a certain range in front of the host vehicle, one of the control parameters used in the inter-vehicle distance control is to increase the speed of the host vehicle. The vehicle speed may be changed to a value higher than the current value.

  In S1100, it is determined whether or not the sudden brake is automatically activated by an automatic control function including inter-vehicle distance control. You may decide suitably what determines it as a sudden brake. For example, when the deceleration of the vehicle 1 exceeds a predetermined threshold value, it may be determined that the sudden braking has been activated.

  In S1100, when the sudden brake is not operated (S1100: NO), the process proceeds to S1140. In S1140, the basic mode maintenance flag is cleared. If it is determined in S1100 that the sudden braking has been activated (S1100: YES), the process proceeds to S1110.

  In S1110, it is determined whether or not the operation mode needs to be switched from the advanced automation mode to the basic mode. This determination method may be determined as appropriate. For example, it may be determined that it is necessary to switch to the basic mode based on the fact that the sudden brake operation itself is to be switched to the basic mode. Further, for example, every time it is determined that the sudden braking is activated in S1100, the determined number of times is accumulated and stored, and when the accumulated value reaches a predetermined upper limit number, it is necessary to switch to the basic mode. You may make it judge that there exists.

  If it is determined in S1110 that there is no need to switch to the basic mode (S1110: NO), the process proceeds to S1140. If it is determined in S1110 that it is necessary to switch to the basic mode (S1110: YES), in order to switch to the basic mode, the basic mode maintenance flag is set in S1120, and the advanced automation switching flag is cleared in S1130.

  In addition, the fact that sudden braking has been activated means that, for example, some abnormality (for example, an accident or an obstacle) has occurred in front of the vehicle and the driver himself / herself performed the driving operation while paying attention to the surroundings. May be in a favorable situation. Further, for example, there is a possibility that an abnormality has occurred in the automatic control function. Therefore, when the sudden brake is automatically activated (S1100: YES), the operation mode is switched to the basic mode by executing the processing of S1120 and S1130 on the condition that an affirmative determination is made in S1110. .

  (2) While driving in the highly automated mode, there may be a situation where it is necessary to return to the basic mode. Therefore, it is preferable for the driver to be able to operate himself / herself whenever necessary even while traveling in the highly automated mode. Therefore, while driving in the highly automated mode, for example, by executing the basic mode preparation confirmation process shown in FIG. 13, it is confirmed whether or not the driver can return to the basic mode immediately by causing the driver to perform simple operations periodically. You may make it do.

  In the basic mode preparation confirmation process of FIG. 13, first, in S810, it is determined whether or not it is a confirmation timing (for example, a periodic timing at intervals of several minutes or a predetermined non-periodic timing). If it is not the confirmation timing (S810: NO), the basic mode preparation confirmation process is terminated. If it is the confirmation timing (S810: YES), in S820, a confirmation operation is requested to the driver by voice or the like. The confirmation operation required here can be determined as appropriate. For example, it may be the same as the specified operation in S650 of FIG.

  In S830, it is determined whether a confirmation operation by the driver has been performed. When the confirmation operation by the driver is performed (S830: YES), it is determined that the driver can immediately return to the basic mode, and the basic mode preparation confirmation process is terminated. If the confirmation operation by the driver is not performed (S830: NO), a warning alert is added to the driver by voice or the like in S840, and the request for the confirmation operation is continued.

  In S850, as in S830, it is determined whether or not a confirmation operation by the driver has been performed. If the confirmation operation by the driver is performed (S850: YES), it is determined that the driver can immediately return to the basic mode, and the basic mode preparation confirmation process is terminated. If the confirmation operation by the driver is not performed (S850: NO), in order to forcibly stop the vehicle 1, the advanced automation switching flag is cleared in S860, the forced stop flag is set in S870, and this basic mode preparation confirmation End the process. If the forced stop flag is set in S870, the process may immediately proceed to S70 (FIG. 5) to execute the forced stop process.

  (3) The conditions for switching from the advanced automation mode to the basic mode may be determined as appropriate. Whether or not to make a transition immediately after confirming whether or not the driver should be able to drive normally when conditions for transitioning to the basic mode are met , May be determined as appropriate.

  Conversely, the switching condition from the basic mode to the advanced automation mode may be determined as appropriate. For example, when an incoming call or email is received from a mobile phone or smartphone held by the driver, the incoming ring tone is detected, and the advanced automation switching flag is automatically set to enter the advanced automation mode. You may do it.

  In addition, the vehicle 1 of the said embodiment is equipped with the LTE communication function, and the automatic driving | operation control part 30 can also bear the function of a mobile phone and mail transmission / reception by itself. In that case, when an incoming call or mail is received via the LTE communication network, the advanced automation switching flag may be automatically set to shift to the advanced automation mode.

  (4) A part of the switching condition from the advanced automation mode to the basic mode exemplified in the above embodiment may be used as the switching condition from the basic mode to the advanced automation mode. Conversely, a part of the switching condition from the basic mode to the advanced automation mode exemplified in the above embodiment may be used as the switching condition from the advanced automation mode to the basic mode.

  When to switch from the advanced automation mode to the basic mode and when to switch from the basic mode to the advanced automation mode are not always determined uniformly. For example, when driving on a narrow road with many curves, depending on the accuracy and performance of automatic driving, there are cases where the driver can drive smoothly and safely. Conversely, drivers who are unfamiliar with driving may be able to run more smoothly if they leave it to automatic driving rather than driving themselves. Therefore, the switching condition may be set in consideration of the driver's skill, the driver's preference for the driving mode (for example, which one should prioritize the advanced automation mode or the basic mode), and other various circumstances.

  (5) In the above embodiment, after switching to the basic mode, even if the state should shift to the advanced automation mode (may shift), the state to operate in the basic mode (the basic mode maintenance flag is set). The basic mode continues for a period of time during which the operation is continued. On the other hand, when it becomes the state that should shift to the advanced automation mode giving priority to the driving in the advanced automation mode (can be shifted), the state that should operate in the basic mode (the basic mode maintenance flag is set) May be forcibly switched to the highly automated mode.

  In addition, after switching to the advanced automation mode with priority on the advanced automation mode, the state should be changed to the basic mode (may be changed) while the state to operate in the advanced automation mode continues. Alternatively, the advanced automation mode may be continued.

  (6) In the above embodiment, in order to set the vehicle 1 to the advanced automation mode and execute the automatic driving, it is necessary to press the automatic driving start SW 42. However, pressing the automatic driving start SW 42 is not essential. . The automatic operation start SW 42 may be omitted, and the automatic operation mode may be automatically switched to the advanced automation mode when a condition to be switched to (or may be switched to) the advanced automation mode is satisfied.

  (7) When switching from the advanced automation mode to the basic mode and switching to the basic mode, the automatic operation level is forcibly set to level 0 regardless of the automatic operation level set as the basic mode. It may be. In this case, the level 0 may be maintained until a predetermined operation by the driver is performed, and the automatic operation level set as the basic mode may be switched when the predetermined operation by the driver is performed.

  In addition, when switching to advanced automation mode when the mode should be shifted from basic mode to advanced automation mode, if the transition factor is a specific transition factor set in advance, the automatic operation level set as advanced automation mode Regardless, the fully automatic operation may be executed by forcibly setting the automatic operation level to level 7.

  (8) The number of passengers in the vehicle can be detected at any time based on the detection signal from the seating sensor 25. Therefore, during traveling in the altitude automation mode, the number of occupants may be monitored, and if a change occurs in the occupants, a predetermined process may be performed. As the predetermined processing, for example, the fact that the number of passengers has changed may be notified to other passengers by voice output, image display, or the like. Further, for example, as the predetermined process, the operation mode may be switched to the basic mode. Further, for example, the vehicle 1 may be forcibly stopped as a predetermined process. Also, for example, ask the vehicle occupant whether or not to continue driving in the advanced automation mode, and if there is a response to continue, the advanced automation mode should be continued and should not be continued. If there is a response, it may be switched to the basic mode or forcibly stopped.

  A specific method for asking the vehicle occupant whether or not to continue traveling in the highly automated mode may be determined as appropriate. For example, you may ask by voice. Further, for example, the inquiry may be made by displaying a message on the display 37, the HUD 38, or the like. Moreover, you may decide suitably about the response method of the passenger | crew with respect to the question. For example, the passenger's voice input via the microphone 39 may be recognized, and the response content of the passenger may be determined based on the recognition result. Alternatively, for example, a button may be displayed on the touch panel and the button may be pressed to determine whether or not to continue.

  (9) The content of the driving operation of the driver may be learned, and the learning result may be reflected in the automatic control function. Specifically, after the automatic operation control unit 30 starts, the control parameter setting process shown in FIG. 14 is repeatedly executed at a predetermined cycle, so that various control parameters used in the automatic control function can be determined according to the driving operation content of the driver. You may make it update suitably.

  The control parameter setting process of FIG. 14 will be described. When the calculation unit 30a of the automatic operation control unit 30 starts the control parameter setting process of FIG. 14, in S1310, the calculation unit 30a determines whether or not the operation mode is set to the advanced automation mode. When the advanced automation mode is not set, that is, when the basic mode is set (S1310: NO), the learning process is performed in S1320.

  The learning process of S1320 is a process of detecting a driver's habit and preference from the content of the driver's own driving operation and storing information indicating the detected habit and preference (hereinafter referred to as “driving preference information”) in the memory 30b. is there.

  For example, the driver's accelerator operation when starting the stopped vehicle 1 is detected, it is determined whether the accelerator pedal 27a tends to be depressed slowly or relatively quickly, and the determination result is determined based on the driving result. You may memorize | store as one of preference information. Whether or not the accelerator is depressed slowly may be determined based on, for example, whether or not the rate of change in the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal 27a is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold.

  Further, for example, when the driver operates the winker before the corner, the distance from the position of the vehicle 1 to the corner at the time of the operation is detected, and the distance is stored as one of the driving preference information. Good.

  The number of types of driving preference information detected and stored in the learning process may be one or plural. Further, the specific contents may be determined as appropriate. The above examples of the two driving preference information are merely examples.

  In S1310, when the operation mode is set to the advanced automation mode (S1310: YES), the process proceeds to S1330. In S1330, it is determined whether driving preference information is reflected in the control parameter. More specifically, it is determined whether or not the processing of S1340 to S1350 has already been performed after the operation mode is switched from the basic mode to the current advanced automation mode.

  If the driving preference information has already been reflected in the control parameter, that is, if the processing of S1340 to S1350 has already been executed after switching to the advanced automation mode (S1330: YES), the control parameter setting processing is terminated.

  If the driving preference information is not yet reflected in the control parameter, that is, if the processing of S1340 to S1350 has not yet been executed after switching to the advanced automation mode (S1330: NO), the process proceeds to S1340.

  In S1340, the driving preference information stored in the memory 30b is read by the learning process in S1320. In S1350, based on the driving preference information read in S1340, the control parameters of the automatic control function set as the execution target in the advanced automation mode are calculated. Then, the currently used control parameter is updated to the calculated control parameter.

  For example, when information regarding the operation speed of the accelerator pedal 27a is stored as the driving preference information, when there is a tendency to step on the accelerator pedal 27a slowly, one of the control parameters in the automatic start / stop control is As acceleration, a value lower than the default value is calculated and updated to the calculated value. On the other hand, when the accelerator pedal 27a tends to be depressed quickly, a higher value than the default value is calculated as the acceleration at the time of starting, and updated to the calculated value.

  Further, for example, when the distance from the position at which the winker is operated as the driving preference information is stored, the distance from the position at which the winker is operated to the corner, which is one of the control parameters in the right / left turn control, A distance that is the same as or close to the stored distance is calculated and updated to the calculated value.

  Note that the driver may be able to select whether or not to execute the control parameter setting process of FIG. When the control parameter setting process is selected not to be executed, for example, a preset default value may be used as the control parameter. In addition, the driver preference information that is already stored may be arbitrarily deleted. In addition, when the advanced automation mode is switched to the basic mode, each control parameter may be reset to a default value.

  (10) While the driving mode is set to the advanced automation mode, the driver's facial expressions, gestures, remarks, etc. are detected, and based on the detection results, the driver's automatic control function for the automatic control function currently being executed is detected. You may make it judge satisfaction. For example, if the driver's face image captured by the camera is image-recognized and the driver has an unpleasant expression, it may be determined that the driver is dissatisfied with the current automatic control function. . On the other hand, when the driver has no expression or a happy expression, it may be determined that he is not dissatisfied with the contents of the current automatic control function.

  In addition, if the driver's remarks are recognized by voice recognition processing and a remark indicating dissatisfaction with the current automatic control function content, it is determined that the driver is dissatisfied with the current automatic control function content. May be. On the other hand, if the user does not make a statement indicating dissatisfaction with the current contents of the automatic control function, it may be determined that the user is not dissatisfied with the contents of the current automatic control function.

And when it is judged that he is dissatisfied with the content of the current automatic control function, the operation mode may be switched to the basic mode.
(11) In addition, the functions of one component in the above embodiment may be distributed as a plurality of components, or the functions of a plurality of components may be integrated into one component. Further, at least a part of the configuration of the above embodiment may be replaced with a known configuration having the same function. Moreover, you may abbreviate | omit a part of structure of the said embodiment as long as a subject can be solved. In addition, at least a part of the configuration of the above embodiment may be added to or replaced with the configuration of the other embodiment. In addition, all the aspects included in the technical idea specified from the wording described in the claims are embodiments of the present disclosure.

[Technical idea grasped from the embodiment]
At least the following technical ideas can be understood from the various embodiments detailed above.
Specifically, the automatic operation control device of the present disclosure configured as in the following (A) may be further configured as in the following (B) to ( E ).
(A) An automatic driving control device mounted on a vehicle,
A surrounding information acquisition unit configured to acquire surrounding information that is surrounding information of the vehicle;
A driving mode of the vehicle, an advanced automation mode in which a part or all of a plurality of types of driving operations necessary for driving the vehicle are automatically executed based on the surrounding information, and the driving operation to be executed automatically An operation mode setting unit configured to set one of a basic mode whose type is less than or zero than the advanced automation mode;
Based on the operation mode set by the operation mode setting unit, an automatic control unit configured to execute the operation operation that is set to automatically execute in the operation mode;
With
The operation mode setting unit is configured to switch the operation mode to the basic mode when a preset basic mode switching condition is satisfied when the operation mode is set to the advanced automation mode. ,
Automatic operation control device.
(B) In (A) above,
In order to notify the driver of the vehicle that the driving mode is switched to the basic mode when a preset basic mode switching condition is satisfied when the driving mode is set to the advanced automation mode. An automatic driving control device comprising a switching notification unit configured to perform the specific notification.

According to the automatic driving control apparatus configured as described above, the driver of the vehicle can recognize that when the driving mode is switched from the advanced automation mode to the basic mode. Therefore, the driver can drive the vehicle by appropriately operating the vehicle even after switching to the basic mode.
(C) In the above (A) or (B),
A regulation configured to determine whether or not the driver of the vehicle is performing a prescribed action when a preset basic mode switching condition is satisfied when the driving mode is set to the advanced automation mode. It has an operation judgment unit,
When the driving mode is set to the advanced automation mode and the preset basic mode switching condition is satisfied, the driving mode setting unit performs the specified operation by the driver by the specified operation determination unit. Configured to switch the operation mode to the basic mode when it is determined that
Automatic operation control device.

According to the automatic operation control device configured in this way, the driver can actually switch to the basic mode after confirming whether it can handle the driving in the basic mode, so even after switching to the basic mode The driver can drive the vehicle appropriately.
(D) In any one of the above (A) to (C),
A confirmation operation request unit configured to repeatedly request a specific confirmation operation to the driver of the vehicle at a specific timing while the operation mode is set to the advanced automation mode;
A confirmation operation determination unit configured to determine whether or not the confirmation operation has been performed by the driver every time the confirmation operation request is made by the confirmation operation request unit;
A stopping unit configured to stop the vehicle when the checking operation determination unit does not determine that the checking operation has been performed;
An automatic operation control device comprising:
(E) In any one of the above (A) to (D),
An automatic driving control device comprising an out-of-vehicle notification unit configured to notify the outside of the vehicle when the driving mode is set to the advanced automation mode.

Claims (3)

An automatic driving control device mounted on a vehicle,
A surrounding information acquisition unit configured to acquire surrounding information that is surrounding information of the vehicle;
A driving mode of the vehicle, an advanced automation mode in which a part or all of a plurality of types of driving operations necessary for driving the vehicle are automatically executed based on the surrounding information, and the driving operation to be executed automatically An operation mode setting unit configured to set one of a basic mode whose type is less than or zero than the advanced automation mode;
Based on the operation mode set by the operation mode setting unit, an automatic control unit configured to execute the operation operation that is set to automatically execute in the operation mode;
With
The operation mode setting unit is configured to determine whether an occupant of the vehicle is wearing a seat belt,
The operation mode setting unit determines that the operation mode is the basic operation mode when the operation mode setting unit determines that the occupant is not wearing the seat belt when the operation mode is set to the advanced automation mode. Configured to switch to the mode,
Automatic operation control device. The automatic operation control device according to claim 1,
The operation mode setting unit is configured to determine whether an occupant of a specific seat is wearing the seat belt.
Automatic operation control device. The automatic operation control device according to claim 1 or 2 ,
The operation mode setting unit includes a detection signal from a seating sensor for detecting whether or not the occupant is sitting on the seat of the vehicle, and whether the occupant sitting on the seat is wearing the seat belt. Based on a detection signal from a belt sensor for detecting whether or not the occupant is wearing the seat belt,
Automatic operation control device.