JP6527335B2 - Autonomous driving vehicle - Google Patents

Description

  BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an autonomous driving vehicle provided with an autonomous driving control device that controls the autonomous driving of the vehicle.

  2. Description of the Related Art An automatic driving control apparatus detects a state or an operation of a passenger in a vehicle compartment before starting automatic driving of the vehicle, and starts or prohibits execution of the automatic driving of the vehicle based on the detected state or operation of the passenger. Autonomous driving vehicles are known.

  For example, according to Patent Document 1, before the start of automatic driving of the vehicle, whether the occupant in the vehicle compartment is gripping the steering wheel or not, the occupant in the vehicle compartment, etc. There is disclosed an autonomous driving vehicle provided with an autonomous driving control device for detecting whether or not the vehicle is accessing a predetermined driving operation means.

  When it is determined that the passenger in the vehicle compartment is accessing the predetermined driving operation means, the automatic driving control device permits execution of the automatic driving of the vehicle, and the passenger in the vehicle compartment uses the predetermined driving operation means. If it is determined that the vehicle is not accessed, execution of automatic driving of the vehicle is prohibited, canceled or suppressed.

Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2002-264826

  By the way, generally, in driving of vehicles, such as a car, acquisition of various driver's licenses according to a car type to drive is called for.

  However, the automatic driving control device of Patent Document 1 determines whether or not the automatic driving can be performed based on whether the passenger is accessing a predetermined driving operation means, and does the passenger have a driving license? Improvements were made in that the decision factor did not include whether or not (hereinafter referred to as a "driver-qualified passenger" as a "driver-qualified passenger" and a non-driver-qualified passenger as a "vehicle-qualified occupant"). There is room for

  An occupant who is not qualified for driving can not cope with, for example, a tire puncture or refueling, and there is a concern that it may interfere with the smooth running of the vehicle, such as causing traffic congestion.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and an automatic driving control device capable of smoothly and automatically driving a vehicle by simply and reliably detecting the presence of a passenger having a driving qualification. It aims at providing an autonomous driving vehicle provided.

  An autonomous driving vehicle according to the present invention includes an automatic driving control device for automatically driving and controlling the vehicle, an occupant detection device for detecting presence of an occupant in a vehicle compartment, and automatic driving start and termination for instructing start and end of automatic driving control. And the occupant detection device detects whether or not the driver's license or the driver's license exists in the vehicle when detecting the start instruction of the automatic drive by the automatic drive start / end indicator. The automatic driving control device permits execution of automatic driving control of the vehicle when the judging device confirms the presence of the driver's license or the equivalent of the driver's license. There is.

  According to this invention, when the presence of the driver's license or the equivalent of the driver's license is confirmed in the vehicle, the execution of the automatic driving control of the vehicle is permitted, so there is an occupant having a driving qualification in the vehicle compartment Can be confirmed simply and reliably, and the vehicle can be driven smoothly and automatically.

  In the above configuration, preferably, the determiner periodically confirms the presence of the driver's license or the equivalent of the driver's license.

  According to such a configuration, it is possible to reliably confirm that there is an occupant with a driving qualification in the vehicle compartment during execution of the automatic driving control.

  In the above configuration, the determiner may be a card reader.

  According to such a configuration, it can be confirmed easily and reliably that there is an occupant with a driving qualification in the vehicle compartment.

  Further, in the above configuration, the determiner may be an ETC in-vehicle device.

  According to such a configuration, the user of the vehicle does not have to newly install a card reader for a driver's license, and the economic burden on the user can be suppressed.

  Further, in the above configuration, the determination device may confirm the presence of a driver's license or an equivalent of the driver's license when the vehicle enters a toll road.

  According to such a configuration, it is possible to more reliably confirm the presence of a qualified driver in the vehicle cabin during execution of the automatic driving control.

  According to the present invention, when the presence of a driver's license or the equivalent of the driver's license is confirmed in the vehicle, execution of the automatic driving control of the vehicle is permitted. For this reason, it can be simply and reliably confirmed that there is a passenger with a driving qualification in the vehicle compartment, and the vehicle can be driven smoothly and automatically.

It is a block diagram showing composition of an automatic operation control device carried in an autonomous driving vehicle concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is the interior figure which looked at the inside of vehicles from the back in the vehicle. It is a flowchart which shows the control procedure which permits execution of automatic driving | operation control in 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the control procedure which permits execution of automatic driving | operation control in 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

  BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Preferred embodiments of an autonomous driving vehicle according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

Configuration of First Embodiment
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an automatic driving control device 12 mounted on an autonomous driving vehicle 10 (hereinafter also referred to as "vehicle 10") according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the automatic driving control device 12 includes an electronic control device 14 (hereinafter referred to as “ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 14), a driver's license card reader 16 (determiner), and automatic driving. Switch (automatic operation start / end indicator) 18, sensor group 20, ignition switch 22, navigation device (NAV) 24, wireless communication device 26, display device 28, speaker 30, automatic operation control unit A manual operation control unit 34, an operation mode switching unit 36, a steering device 38, a drive device 40, and a braking device 42 are provided.

  The ECU 14 is a computer including a microcomputer, and includes a CPU (central processing unit), a memory ROM (including EEPROM), a RAM (random access memory), other A / D converters, D / A converters, etc. An input / output device, a timer as a timekeeping unit, etc., and the CPU reads and executes a program stored in the ROM to execute various function implementation units (function implementation means), for example, a control unit, an arithmetic unit, and processing It functions as a department. More specifically, in the automatic driving control device 12, the ECU 14 functions as an arithmetic unit 46 including a driver's license determination unit 44, a storage unit 48, and the like.

  The driver's license card reader 16 is an IC (Integrated Circuit) type driver's license (hereinafter, also simply referred to as "driver's license") 52. License holder information stored in the IC chip (driver's license possession) Card reader for reading the person's name, date of birth, permanent address, address, date of issue, expiration date, license number etc.).

  When the driver's license 52 is inserted, the driver's license card reader 16 reads the license holder information of the inserted driver's license 52 and outputs it to the ECU 14. That is, the driver's license card reader 16 functions as a determinator that determines whether the driver's license 52 exists in the vehicle 10 or not. The license holder information read by the driver's license card reader 16 is output to the ECU 14 and stored as operation history information in the storage unit 48 or an external server or the like.

  FIG. 2 is an interior view of the interior of the vehicle 10 as viewed from the rear in the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 2, the driver's license card reader 16 is disposed (fixed) at the lower part of the dashboard 56 and has two slots (insertion portions) into which cards are inserted. A driver's license 52 is inserted into one slot, and an ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) card 60 is inserted into the other slot. That is, in the present embodiment, the driver's license card reader 16 is integrated with the ETC in-vehicle device 58. Preferably, the two slots are provided with a mechanism that makes it impossible to insert the driver's license 52 and the ETC card 60 into the lever.

  The ETC in-vehicle unit 58 is used for an electronic toll collection system (Electronic Toll Collection System) of a toll road, and reads ETC card information (card number, card contractor information, card issuing company information, etc.) registered in the ETC card 60. . The ETC on-board unit 58 communicates with an ETC gate installed at the entrance of the toll road or at the midpoint thereof, and is used for automatic payment of tolls.

  The automatic operation switch 18 is a switch for instructing start and end of automatic operation control. In this embodiment, the switch is configured to switch between an automatic operation mode in which the driver automatically travels the vehicle 10 without operating the steering wheel 62 and a manual operation mode in which the driver operates the steering wheel 62 and performs driving.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the automatic driving switch 18 is provided, for example, on the steering wheel 62, and an operation mode switching request signal which is an automatic driving start instruction signal or an automatic driving termination instruction signal to the ECU 14 every time the driver presses it. Output

The sensor group 20 includes, for example, a vehicle speed sensor, a steering angle sensor, a lateral acceleration sensor, and a yaw rate sensor. These are respectively the vehicle speed V [km / h] of the vehicle 10, the steering angle θst, the lateral acceleration Gl [m / s ² ] generated in the lateral direction (width direction), and the yaw rate Yr which is the rotational angular velocity around the vertical axis. It detects and outputs to ECU14. In addition, the sensor group 20 can include sensors other than the above, for example, a camera, a radar, a wheel speed sensor, and a rotation number sensor of a driving source (engine, traveling motor, etc.).

  The navigation device 24 detects the current position of the vehicle 10 using a GPS (Global Positioning System), and guides the user (passenger) the route to the destination. The navigation device 24 has a touch panel 80 as an input device and a display device, as shown in FIG. The input of the destination is performed via the touch panel 80. The navigation device 24 further includes a storage device 82 storing map information. The navigation device 24 detects or specifies the current position of the vehicle 10 based on the position information from the GPS satellites and the map information stored in the storage device 82.

  In addition, in FIG. 2, although the navigation apparatus 24 assumes the type fixed and arrange | positioned (mounted) in the front of the dashboard 56, you may use not only this but portable information terminals, such as a smart phone, as a navigation apparatus . The map information may be stored in an external server and provided to the navigation device 24 as needed.

  The wireless communication device 26 communicates with an external device 84 outside the vehicle 10 (for example, a light beacon located at the side of the road, an external terminal or server located at a remote location) via the communication network 86. In addition, in FIG. 1, although the type which attaches the wireless communication apparatus 26 to the vehicle 10 is assumed, you may substitute not only this but portable information terminals, such as a smart phone, by the wireless communication apparatus 26. FIG.

  The display device 28 performs display regarding automatic operation. The display device 28 doubles as the touch panel 80 of the navigation device 24 as shown in FIG. Alternatively, it may be configured as part of the meter 90 of the instrument panel 88.

  The speaker 30 performs voice output (voice guidance and the like) regarding automatic driving. The speaker 30 may be configured as part of an audio device or navigation device 24 (not shown).

  The automatic driving control unit 32 controls the steering device 38, the driving device 40, and the braking device 42 described later based on the vehicle speed V, the lateral acceleration Gl, the yaw rate Yr and other information detected by the sensor group 20, Perform the control necessary for 10 runs.

  The manual operation control unit 34 controls the steering device 38, the drive device 40, and the braking device 42 described later based on the driver's operation of the steering wheel 62, the accelerator pedal 92, the brake 94, etc. Perform necessary control.

  The operation mode switching unit 36 switches between the automatic operation mode and the manual operation mode based on a command from the ECU 14. That is, the operation mode switching unit 36 selects one of the control signal input from the automatic operation control unit 32 and the control signal input from the manual operation control unit 34 as the steering device 38, the driving device 40, and the braking device 42. And the operation mode is switched by not outputting the other to start or end the automatic operation control.

  The steering device 38 switches the traveling direction (steering angle θst) of the vehicle 10 based on an instruction or the like of the automatic driving control unit 32 or the manual driving control unit 34.

  The driving device 40 generates the driving force of the vehicle 10 based on an instruction or the like of the automatic driving control unit 32 or the manual driving control unit 34. When the vehicle 10 is an engine vehicle, the drive device 40 has, for example, an engine and a transmission (not shown). Alternatively, when the vehicle 10 is an electric vehicle (battery vehicle) in a narrow sense, the drive device 40 has, for example, a traveling motor and a transmission (not shown). The engine and the traveling motor are both started and stopped via the ignition switch 22.

  The braking device 42 generates a braking force of the vehicle 10 based on an instruction or the like of the automatic driving control unit 32 or the manual driving control unit 34. The braking device 42 includes, for example, a brake disc, a brake caliper, and a hydraulic mechanism (not shown). Furthermore, in the case where the vehicle 10 is an electric vehicle equipped with a traveling motor (not shown), the braking device 42 may include the traveling motor as a part thereof for regenerative braking. The electric vehicles referred to here include hybrid vehicles, fuel cell vehicles and the like as well as electric vehicles in a narrow sense.

  The storage unit 48 stores various programs and data such as a control program used by the calculation unit 46. The storage unit 48 is a RAM (Random Access Memory) for storing an imaging signal converted into a digital signal and temporary data to be provided for various arithmetic processing, and a ROM (Read Only Memory) for storing an execution program, a table or a map. And so on.

  The operation unit 46 performs an operation based on input information from the driver's license card reader 16, the automatic driving switch 18, and the sensor group 20, and generates a switching signal to the operation mode switching unit 36 based on the operation result.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the calculation unit 46 has a driver's license presence determination unit 44. Based on the driver's license holder information output from the driver's license card reader 16, the driver's license presence determination unit 44 determines whether the driver's license 52 exists in the vehicle 10.

  Generally, a driver's license is used for identification of an individual in many public organizations. For this reason, the driver's license holder carries out the driver's license outside the vehicle without leaving the driver's license inside the vehicle at the time of getting off, and carries it around without removing the skin. Focusing on this point, in the present embodiment, when there is a driver's license 52 in the vehicle 10, it is judged that there is an occupant with a driving qualification in the vehicle interior, and there is a driver's license 52 in the vehicle 10. If not, it is determined that there is no driver qualified in the vehicle interior. That is, in the present embodiment, the driver's license card reader 16 and the driver's license presence / absence determination unit 44 constitute an occupant detection device 96 that detects the presence of an occupant in the vehicle compartment.

  The automatic driving control device 12 mounted on the autonomous driving vehicle 10 according to the first embodiment basically has the above-described configuration, and then the automatic driving control device 12 permits the execution of the automatic driving control. Describe the procedure to

Control Procedure of First Embodiment
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a control procedure for permitting the automatic driving control device 12 to execute the automatic driving control of the automatically driven vehicle 10. Here, the operation mode of the vehicle 10 is the manual operation mode, and a state where the driver's license 52 is inserted in the driver's license card reader 16 will be described as an initial state.

  First, in step S1, the occupant is seated at the driver's seat, the ignition switch 22 is turned on, and the engine or the traveling motor is started. At this time, the ECU 14 detects that the ignition switch 22 has been turned on.

  When the ignition switch 22 is turned on, the process proceeds to step S2, and the ECU 14 detects an automatic operation start instruction signal (operation mode switching request signal) instructing the start of the automatic operation. If the automatic operation start instruction signal is not detected, it is determined that the automatic operation switch 18 is in the off state (manual operation mode), and the process is ended.

  When the automatic driving start instruction signal is detected, the process proceeds to step S3 and the license holder information stored in the driver's license 52 is detected. When the license holder information is detected, it is assumed that the driver's license presence determination unit 44 of the ECU 14 has the driver's license 52 in the vehicle 10 (in the vehicle) and there is an occupant having a driving qualification in the vehicle interior to decide.

  Next, in step S4, the ECU 14 calls display data indicating that automatic driving is permitted, which is stored in advance in the storage unit 48, and outputs the display data to the display device 28. Thereafter, in step S5, a switching signal for switching the operation mode to the automatic operation mode is output to the operation mode switching unit 36, the execution of the automatic operation control is permitted, and the process is completed.

  On the other hand, when the license holder information is not detected in step S3, the driver license presence / absence determination unit 44 does not have the driver's license 52 in the vehicle 10, and an occupant having a driving qualification in the vehicle interior Judge as not existing.

  In this case, in step S6, the ECU 14 calls display data for refusing automatic driving, which is stored in advance in the storage unit 48, and outputs the display data to the display device 28. Thereafter, in step S7, the automatic operation switch 18 is turned off (manual operation mode) to complete the process.

  Thus, the autonomous driving vehicle 10 instructs the start and end of the automatic driving control, the automatic driving control device 12 for automatically driving the vehicle 10, the occupant detection device 96 for detecting the presence of the occupant in the vehicle compartment, and The occupant detection device 96 has a determination unit that determines whether the driver's license 52 is present in the vehicle 10 when the start instruction of the automatic drive by the automatic drive switch 18 is detected. The automatic driving control device 12 permits execution of automatic driving control of the vehicle 10 when the determination device confirms the presence of the driver's license 52.

  As described above, when the autonomous driving vehicle 10 confirms the presence of the driver's license 52 in the vehicle 10, the autonomous driving control of the vehicle 10 is permitted. Therefore, an occupant having a driving qualification in the vehicle compartment can The existence can be confirmed simply and reliably, and the vehicle 10 can be operated smoothly and automatically.

  Further, in the present embodiment, since the determination unit is the driver's license card reader 16, it is possible to easily and reliably confirm that there is an occupant having a driving qualification in the vehicle interior.

  In addition, the driver's license card reader 16 has two slots (inserts) into which cards are inserted, and the driver's license 52 is inserted into one of the slots, and the ETC card 60 is inserted into the other slot. It is configured to be. That is, the driver's license card reader 16 is integrated with the ETC in-vehicle device 58. For this reason, the user of the vehicle does not need to newly install a card reader for a driver's license, and the economic burden on the user can be suppressed.

Configuration of Second Embodiment
Next, an automatic driving control device 102 mounted on an autonomous driving vehicle 100 (hereinafter, also referred to as "vehicle 100") according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The constituent elements of the automatic driving control device 102 are the same as those of the automatic driving control device 12 according to the first embodiment, so the same names and reference numerals as those in the first embodiment are given and detailed description is omitted.

Control Procedure of Second Embodiment
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a control procedure in which the automatic driving control apparatus 102 according to the second embodiment permits execution of automatic driving control of the vehicle 100. As compared with the control procedure according to the first embodiment, the processing is not ended after permitting execution of the automatic driving control, and whether or not the driver's license 52 exists in the vehicle 100 is periodically (for example, a predetermined time Or the point to confirm at every predetermined traveling distance etc. differs.

  In detail, after permitting execution of the automatic operation control in step S15, the process waits for the passage of a predetermined time (for example, about 5 to 10 seconds) in step S16, returns to step S12 after the predetermined time has elapsed, and performs the same process. repeat.

  As described above, in the autonomous driving vehicle 100 according to the second embodiment, whether or not the driver's license 52 exists in the vehicle 100 is periodically checked, so that the occupant having the driving qualification in the vehicle compartment can be more reliably Can be confirmed.

  Further, in the autonomous driving vehicle 100 according to the second embodiment, whether or not the driver's license 52 exists in the vehicle 100 is confirmed at intervals of, for example, about 5 to 10 seconds. For this reason, even if an occupant with a driving qualification gets off the vehicle 100 after the execution of the automatic driving control is permitted, the automatic driving control of the vehicle 100 can be immediately stopped, and the vehicle 100 is smoothed. Can be operated automatically.

[Modification 1]
As described above, as an embodiment of the autonomous driving vehicle according to the present invention, an example of detecting a driver's license (first embodiment) and an example of periodically detecting a driver's license (second embodiment) have been described. It is not limited to

  For example, in order to confirm that there is an occupant having a driving qualification in the vehicle compartment, a target detected by the occupant detection device is not limited to a driver's license, and may be a driver's license.

[Specific Example 1 of Modified Example 1]
For example, the detection target detected by the occupant detection device 96 may be the ETC card 60. In this case, the ETC on-board unit already installed in the vehicle can be used as a determination unit, which is simple.

[Specific Example 2 of Modified Example 1]
Alternatively, if an IC card in which an IC driver's license and an ETC card are integrated is issued in the future, it is functional if the IC card is detected.

[Specific Example 3 of Modified Example 1]
In addition, a human identification device for detecting a driver's fingerprint, retina or voiceprint may be provided in the vehicle, and the driver's fingerprint information, retina information or voiceprint information may be detected. In this case, there is a passenger who has a driving qualification in the vehicle interior by collating fingerprint information, retina information or voiceprint information stored in a storage device (not shown) in the car or an external server in advance with the detection result by the human authentication device. It can be determined with high accuracy.

[Specific Example 4 of Modified Example 1]
Furthermore, mobile information terminals (including mobile phones) such as smart phones may be detected. Since a portable information terminal such as a smartphone is rarely lent or borrowed between the owner and another person, driver qualification information stored in advance in a storage device or an external server (not shown) in the car and the detected mobile phone By collating with the owner of the information terminal, it can be determined whether the owner of the portable information terminal in the vehicle cabin is qualified to drive.

[Specific Example 5 of Modified Example 1]
Furthermore, any or all of the above may be combined as detection targets. In this case, it can be determined more reliably that there is an occupant qualified to drive in the vehicle compartment.

[Modification 2]
Further, in the second embodiment, whether or not the driver's license 52 exists in the vehicle 100 is periodically detected, but it is not the predetermined time or the predetermined traveling distance but that the predetermined event has occurred. As a trigger, it may be detected whether a driver's license exists in the vehicle.

  For example, when a vehicle enters a toll road, if the driver's license or the equivalent of the driver's license is confirmed, it is more reliably confirmed that there is an occupant with a driving qualification in the vehicle compartment. Can. Specifically, whether there is a driver's license in the vehicle triggered by communication between the ETC in-vehicle unit and the ETC gate installed at the entrance of the toll road, the traveling place of the vehicle specified by the navigation device, etc. May be detected.

[Modification 3]
Furthermore, in the second embodiment, it is periodically detected whether or not the driver's license 52 exists in the vehicle 100, and when the driver's license 52 is not present, the automatic driving control is stopped, but the predetermined condition is Below, you may be comprised so that automatic operation control may not be stopped exceptionally.

  For example, in a relatively large parking lot, such as a parking lot in a commercial facility such as a shopping mall or department store, automatic operation is performed without the driver operating the vehicle (in many cases, after the passenger gets off the vehicle) There is known an automatic parking system in which a vehicle is parked at a predetermined place by operation control. When parking is performed by automatic driving using such an automatic parking system, for example, it is determined in advance when an occupant selects parking by automatic driving control or at an entrance of a parking lot near the entrance of the commercial facility. When a signal indicating that the vehicle is in the parking lot is received, it is preferable to change the counter for the predetermined time in step S16 not to count, or change the predetermined time to a large value. Thus, it is preferable that the vehicle can be parked by the automatic driving control even after the occupant gets off the vehicle at the entrance of the parking lot near the entrance of the commercial facility.

[Modification 4]
In the first and second embodiments, the driver's license card reader 16 is integrated with the ETC in-vehicle unit 58. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The driver's license card reader and the ETC in-vehicle device may not be integrated, and may be separately arranged (fixed) in the vehicle.

[Modification 5]
In addition, when disaster information such as earthquake warning in the area around the vehicle is received from the external communication network, the driver's license can be used to guide the vehicle to the evacuation route or for smooth passage of other emergency vehicles. Regardless of the presence or absence, automatic operation control may be performed.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and the other embodiments, and it goes without saying that various configurations can be adopted based on the contents described in this specification.

10, 100 ... automatic driving vehicle (vehicle) 12, 102 ... automatic driving control device 14 ... ECU
16 ... Driver's license card reader (judgment unit)
18 ... Automatic operation switch (automatic operation start / end indicator)
52 ... driver's license 58 ... ETC on-board unit 96 ... occupant detection device

Claims (5)

An automatic operation control device for performing automatic operation control of the vehicle;
An occupant detection device for detecting the presence of an occupant in a vehicle compartment;
Automatic operation start and end indicators for instructing start and end of automatic operation control;
Equipped with
The occupant detection device is
After driving device of the vehicle is started, present in the after detecting the start instruction of the automatic operation by automatic operation start and end indicator, wherein the vehicle chamber is equivalent to the driver's license or the driver's license Have a determiner to determine whether to
The autonomous driving control device permits the execution of the autonomous driving control of the vehicle after the determination device confirms the presence of the driver's license or the equivalent of the driver's license. . The autonomous driving vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines the existence of the driver's license or one corresponding to the driver's license after the automatic driving control device permits execution of automatic driving control of the vehicle. An autonomous driving vehicle characterized by checking periodically. The autonomous driving vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the presence of the driver's license or the equivalent of the driver's license is not confirmed when the automatic parking is performed. The autonomous driving vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the determination unit is a card reader. In normal vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the card reader, Ri ETC devices der, that the vehicle to confirm the presence of those corresponding to the driver's license or the driver's license when entering the toll road A self-driving vehicle that features:

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