JP6652091B2 - Operation control operation support device, operation control operation support method, and operation control operation support program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a driving control operation supporting device, a driving control operation supporting method, and a driving control operation supporting program for supporting the operation of an automatic driving control device that makes a vehicle run by selectively using an automatic driving mode and a manual driving mode. About.

  In recent years, as a driving mode of a vehicle such as a passenger car, in addition to a manual driving mode by a driver, an automatic driving control including an automatic driving mode in which the vehicle travels along a preset route regardless of a driving operation of the driver. The practical use of the device has been advanced, and it has reached the stage of test driving on an actual road.

  The automatic driving mode is composed of a combination of map information and current position information and driving control of an automobile. For example, information of a navigation system using a GPS (Global Positioning System), traffic information obtained by road-to-vehicle communication, peripheral information, and the like. The automatic operation of a vehicle is enabled by controlling a power unit, a steering device, a brake, and the like based on information of a peripheral monitoring system that monitors the position and movement of another person or vehicle (for example, Patent Document 1). See).

JP-A-2006-137819

Normally, when an emergency vehicle approaches while traveling on a road, the vehicle is basically obliged to retreat to the left end of the road, slow down or stop, and pass the vehicle.
In the case of the manual driving mode by the driver, it is easy to bring the vehicle to the shoulder of the road or the roadside zone and pass the emergency vehicle by the operation based on the judgment of the driver. However, at present, sufficient consideration has not been given to the evacuation operation for the approach of the emergency vehicle in the above-described automatic driving mode.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a driving control operation support device, a driving control operation support method, and a driving control operation support program that effectively support a retreat operation by an automatic driving control device when an emergency vehicle approaches. .

In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention provides a driving control operation for assisting an operation of an automatic driving control device that causes a vehicle to perform a driving operation by selectively using an automatic driving mode and a manual driving mode. An assistance device or an assistance method, comprising: an emergency vehicle recognition unit or a recognition process for recognizing approach and passage of an emergency vehicle; a preceding vehicle detection unit or a detection process for detecting the presence of a preceding vehicle; and a state of a driver of the vehicle. And a control unit or a plurality of control processes by the control unit. The control unit or a plurality of control processes thereof may include: when the vehicle is running in the automatic driving mode, when the approach of the emergency vehicle is recognized by the emergency vehicle recognition unit or the recognition process, the driver It is determined whether or not the driver is in a state where manual driving is possible based on a determination result of the driver state by a state determination unit or a determination process, and it is determined that the state of the driver is not in a state where manual driving is possible. It is, and if the presence of the preceding vehicle by the preceding vehicle detection unit or the detection process has been detected, outputs a tracking instruction information for follow the vehicle to the preceding vehicle to the automatic driving control apparatus, the following When the emergency vehicle recognition unit recognizes the passage of the emergency vehicle after the output of the instruction information, and the start of the preceding vehicle is confirmed by the preceding vehicle detection unit, the control unit switches to the automatic driving mode. The return instruction information for instructing return is output to the automatic driving control device, it is determined that the state of the driver is not in a state in which manual driving is possible, and the presence of the preceding vehicle is detected by the preceding vehicle detection unit or the detection process. If not detected, output an operation instruction for performing an operation to wake up the driver, and after outputting the operation instruction, the driver state determination unit or the determination result of the driver state by the determination process based on the determination result of the driver. When it is determined that the driver is in a state in which the driver can perform manual driving, switching instruction information for switching the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode is output to the automatic driving control device .

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, when the control unit determines that the driver is in a state in which the driver can manually drive based on a determination result of the driver state by the driver state determination unit. And switching instruction information for switching the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode is output to the automatic operation control device.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when an emergency vehicle approaches while driving in the automatic driving mode, even if the driver is in a state where manual driving cannot be performed, if a preceding vehicle is present, the driver is required to Travels following the preceding vehicle. Therefore, according to the evacuation behavior of the preceding vehicle, the own vehicle can be slowed down or stopped toward the road shoulder side. Further, when the passage of the emergency vehicle is recognized after the output of the following instruction information, return instruction information to the automatic traveling mode is output. Therefore, the following operation of the preceding vehicle is canceled, and the vehicle automatically returns to the autonomous automatic traveling mode. Therefore, after the emergency vehicle has passed, it is possible to restart the traveling operation in the automatic driving mode without, for example, the driver performing an operation for resetting the automatic traveling mode.

  According to the second aspect, when the driver state determination unit determines that the driver is in a state in which the driver can manually drive based on the determination result of whether the driver can drive manually, the automatic driving mode is set. Is issued to switch to the manual operation mode. Therefore, the evacuation behavior by the driver's operation can be promptly performed thereafter.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an entire configuration of a vehicle including a driving control operation support device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the driving control operation support device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining a processing procedure and processing contents of support control by the driving control operation support apparatus shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an entire configuration of a vehicle including a driving control operation support device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, a vehicle on which a driver is riding is simply referred to as a vehicle, and a vehicle traveling ahead of the vehicle is referred to as a preceding vehicle.

  The vehicle 1 includes, as basic facilities, a power unit 2 including a power source and a transmission, and a steering device 3 equipped with a steering wheel 3a. The power source is used as a hybrid configuration in which one or both of an engine that generates power by burning fuel and a motor that generates driving force by electric power of a rechargeable battery or the like are used.

  Further, the vehicle 1 includes an automatic driving control device 4 for executing driving control in the automatic driving mode. The automatic driving control device 4 is connected with a steering sensor 11, an accelerator pedal sensor 12, a brake pedal sensor 13, a GPS receiver 14, a gyro sensor 15, and a vehicle speed sensor 16, and acquires sensing data from each. .

  The automatic operation control device 4 has an operation mode selection switch 7 for selecting one of the manual operation mode and the automatic operation mode. If the engine is stopped or the main power supply to the motor is turned off during a break or refueling while traveling in the automatic driving mode, the driver must be in the automatic driving mode when restarting. Ask for confirmation. For this confirmation, for example, the operation mode selection switch 7 may be operated, or a confirmation icon may be displayed on a display or the like, and the confirmation may be performed by a touch operation.

  First, the manual driving mode is a mode in which the vehicle 1 travels mainly by a driver's manual driving operation. The manual driving mode includes, for example, a driving operation support control that supports the driving operation of the driver while mainly performing the driving operation of the driver, mainly with an operation mode in which the vehicle 1 is driven based on only the driving operation of the driver. The operation mode to be performed is also included.

  In the driving operation support control, for example, the steering torque is assisted based on the curvature of the curve when the vehicle 1 is traveling on a curve so that the steering of the driver becomes an appropriate steering amount. The driving operation support control includes control for assisting a driver's accelerator operation (for example, operation of an accelerator pedal) or brake operation (for example, operation of a brake pedal), manual steering (manual operation of steering), and manual speed adjustment (speed). Manual operation of adjustment) is also included. In the manual steering, the vehicle 1 is steered mainly by the driver's operation of the steering wheel 3a. In the manual speed adjustment, the speed of the vehicle 1 is adjusted mainly by the accelerator operation or the brake operation of the driver.

  Note that the driving operation support control does not include control for automatically driving the vehicle 1 by forcibly intervening in the driving operation of the driver. That is, in the manual driving mode, the driving operation of the driver is reflected on the traveling of the vehicle 1 within a preset allowable range, but the driving operation of the vehicle 1 is forcibly performed under certain conditions (for example, the lane departure of the vehicle 1). It does not include controls that intervene dynamically.

  On the other hand, the automatic driving mode is, for example, a mode for realizing a driving state in which the vehicle 1 runs automatically along the road on which the vehicle 1 runs. The automatic driving mode includes a driving state in which the vehicle 1 automatically runs toward a preset destination without the driver performing a driving operation. In the automatic driving mode, it is not always necessary to perform all controls of the vehicle 1 automatically, and a driving state in which the driving operation of the driver is reflected in the driving of the vehicle 1 is included in the automatic driving mode within a preset allowable range. . That is, the automatic driving mode includes a control in which the driving operation of the driver is reflected on the traveling of the vehicle 1 within a predetermined allowable range, but the driving operation of the vehicle 1 is forcibly intervened under certain conditions.

  The automatic driving control device 4 includes sensing data from the steering sensor 11, the accelerator pedal sensor 12, the brake pedal sensor 13, the GPS receiver 14, the gyro sensor 15, the vehicle speed sensor 16, and navigation (not shown). Based on route information generated by the system, traffic information obtained by road-to-vehicle communication, and information obtained by a peripheral monitoring system that monitors the position and movement of people around the vehicle 1, the traveling of the vehicle 1 is automatically performed. Control.

  The automatic control includes, for example, automatic steering (automatic steering operation) and automatic speed adjustment (automatic speed operation). The automatic steering is an operation state in which the steering device 3 is automatically controlled. Automatic steering includes LKA (Lane Keeping Assist). The LKA automatically controls the steering device 3 so that the vehicle 1 does not deviate from the vehicle lane even when the driver does not perform a steering operation. Note that even during the execution of the LKA, the driver's steering operation may be reflected in the steering of the vehicle 1 within a range (allowable range) in which the vehicle 1 does not deviate from the vehicle lane. Note that automatic steering is not limited to LKA.

  The automatic speed adjustment is an operation state in which the speed of the vehicle 1 is automatically controlled. The automatic speed adjustment includes ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control). ACC means that, for example, when there is no preceding vehicle in front of the vehicle 1, constant speed control is performed to cause the vehicle 1 to run at a constant speed at a preset speed, and when there is a preceding vehicle in front of the vehicle 1. The control is performed in a following mode in which the vehicle speed of the vehicle 1 is adjusted according to the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle. When the following instruction information is received from the driving control operation support device 5 described later, the automatic driving control device 4 causes the vehicle 1 to travel in the following mode.

  Even when the automatic driving control device 4 is executing the ACC, the driver's manual operation is prioritized in terms of safety and convenience. For example, when a driver performs a brake operation (for example, operation of a brake pedal), ACC is temporarily released and the vehicle 1 is decelerated, or there is an accelerator operation (for example, operation of an accelerator pedal) by the driver. For example, the vehicle 1 can be accelerated to a preset maximum allowable speed (for example, the maximum speed legally defined on the road on which the vehicle is traveling). The automatic speed adjustment is not limited to ACC, but also includes CC (Cruise Control: constant speed control) and the like.

  Switching from the manual operation mode to the automatic operation mode is performed by the driver in principle. Further, when switching from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode, there is no problem if the driver operates the driving mode selection switch 7 and switches by himself. However, if there is a situation where the vehicle cannot travel in the automatic driving mode, for example, enters a road that cannot cope with the automatic driving mode due to lack of maintenance or the like, it is necessary to switch from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode. At this time, it is assumed that even if the driver switches to the manual driving mode due to napping or the like, the driver cannot immediately proceed to the driving operation. For this reason, when switching to the manual operation mode, a monitoring system is provided for monitoring whether or not the driver can immediately cope with the manual operation mode. This monitoring system instructs the automatic driving control device 4 to stop the vehicle 1 automatically and stop when the automatic driving system itself cannot cope.

  The monitoring system includes a driver camera 6 for imaging the face and body state of the driver, a driver state determination unit 21 for determining whether or not the driver can drive from the face image and body image of the driver. And an operation mode switching instructing unit 22 that instructs switching of the operation mode between the manual operation mode and the automatic operation mode based on the judgment result by the driver state judgment unit 21. The driver camera 6 is installed at a position where the driver's face can be imaged. For example, the driver camera 6 is arranged on a dashboard, at the center of a steering wheel, near a speed meter, on a front pillar, or the like, and images the upper body including the driver's face. In addition, the monitoring system is provided with a wake-up device 26 that wakes up using a voice, a warning sound, or vibration of a driver's seat in order to wake up the driver as necessary.

Meanwhile, the vehicle 1 of the present embodiment further includes a driving control operation support device 5, an emergency vehicle recognition unit 8, and a preceding vehicle detection unit 9.
The emergency vehicle recognition unit 8 has a function of recognizing an emergency vehicle approaching from behind, and includes a rear camera 33, a distance measurement sensor 34, a microphone 35, an evacuation instruction receiving unit 36, and an approach determination unit 37. Have.

  The rear camera 33 captures an image of the emergency vehicle approaching from behind and lighting the warning light, and outputs the captured image information to the approach determination unit 37. The rear camera 33 may use a parking camera used for parking. In addition, the rear camera 33 may have a structure including an imaging optical system using one optical path if only an image is to be viewed, or an imaging optical system having parallax using two optical paths if it is used as a distance measuring sensor. Good.

  The distance measurement sensor 34 repeatedly measures the distance to the emergency vehicle in time series using the rear camera 33 having parallax and the millimeter wave radar. The distance measurement result of the distance measurement sensor 34 is input to the approach determination unit 37. The approach determination unit 37 calculates the speed at which the emergency vehicle approaches from the change in the measured distance, and adjusts the retreat timing.

  The rear camera 33 can be used for ranging from a short distance to a medium distance. Millimeter wave radar is suitable for detecting a target portion at a long distance. Further, an infrared laser sensor may be used in place of the millimeter wave radar as long as it is an infrared laser sensor capable of detecting a middle distance. In the case of a sudden change in illuminance at a tunnel entrance or the like, fog or heavy rain, the rear camera 33 having parallax may not be able to correctly identify an emergency vehicle from a captured image due to the performance of the camera, and a situation in which distance measurement may not be possible. You. Therefore, if certainty is required, it is preferable to provide a dedicated distance measuring sensor such as a millimeter wave radar in addition to the rear camera 33.

  The microphone 35 is a sound collection unit that collects a siren sound emitted from the emergency vehicle in an emergency. The siren sound signal output from the microphone 35 is input to the approach determination unit 37. The approach determination unit 37 detects that the emergency vehicle is approaching from behind based on the change in the volume of the siren sound and the change in the wavelength of the sound (Doppler effect). Accordingly, even when a large vehicle such as a bus or a freight car is present behind and the emergency vehicle cannot be recognized by the distance measurement sensor 34 and the rear camera 33, the approach of the emergency vehicle from behind can be recognized. By making the microphone 35 non-directional, the approach of an emergency vehicle from the front can also be detected.

When detecting that the emergency vehicle is approaching from behind, the approach determination unit 37 outputs an emergency vehicle approach signal to the control unit 23.
When the emergency vehicle is broadcasting the evacuation instruction signal by radio, the evacuation instruction receiving unit 36 receives the evacuation instruction signal and inputs the received signal to the approach determination unit 37. The approach determination unit 37 also has a function of recognizing the approach of an emergency vehicle by receiving the evacuation request information.

  In the above description, the example in which the emergency vehicle approaches from behind has been described. However, it is also possible to recognize the emergency vehicle approaching from the front by using the image captured by the front camera included in the preceding vehicle detection unit 9. It is.

  The preceding vehicle detection unit 9 detects the presence or absence of a preceding vehicle and, when there is a preceding vehicle, an inter-vehicle distance and speed thereof, and has a front camera 31 and a distance sensor 32. The front camera 31 measures the distance at a short distance, similarly to the rear camera 33 described above. The distance measurement sensor 32 is equivalent to the distance measurement sensor 34, and a millimeter wave radar or an infrared laser sensor is used.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a function of supporting the operation control operation of the operation control operation support device 5. The driving control operation support device 5 has a function of supporting the driving control operation by the automatic driving control device 4.
That is, the driving control operation support device 5 includes the control unit 20, the information storage unit 25, and the interface unit 27. The interface unit 27 transmits / receives signals to / from the automatic driving control device 4, the driver camera 6, the driving mode selection switch 7, the emergency vehicle recognition unit 8, the preceding vehicle detection unit 9, and the awakening device 26, respectively.

  The information storage unit 25 includes, as storage media, a nonvolatile memory such as a solid state drive (SSD) or a hard disk drive (HDD) that can be written and read at any time, and a random write and read such as a random access memory (RAM). The present embodiment uses a volatile memory capable of performing the above-described operation, and has a face feature pattern information storage unit 44 as a storage area used for implementing the present embodiment. The face feature pattern information storage unit 44 stores face feature reference pattern information used by the driver state determination unit 21 to determine a face feature pattern.

  The control unit 20 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a program memory constituting a computer. As control functions necessary for carrying out the present embodiment, a driver state determination unit 21 and an operation mode switching instruction unit 22 And a control unit 23. Each of these control functions is realized by causing the CPU to execute a program stored in the program memory.

  The driver state determination unit 21 includes a face image processing unit 41, a face feature pattern extraction unit 42, and a face feature pattern determination unit 43. The face image processing unit 41 captures, via the interface unit 27, image information including the driver's face captured by the driver camera 6 at a predetermined cycle. Then, the captured image information including the face is digitally processed to generate face image data.

  The facial feature pattern extraction unit 42 extracts the respective characteristics at the time of awakening, napping, and drowsiness (for example, yawning) from the face image data, such as eyelids, pupils, and mouth shapes. Extract.

  The face feature pattern determination unit 43 compares each of the extracted features with a driver's face feature reference pattern stored in advance in the face feature pattern information storage unit of the information storage unit 25 to determine the state of the driver. judge. The states of the driver to be determined include, for example, an awake state, a nap state, a drowsy state, and an inattentive state. Further, the face characteristic pattern determination unit 43 assumes that in the image in which the face is not photographed, it is assumed that the driver falls down and loses the driver's seat and cannot drive. May be determined.

  The operation mode switching instruction unit 22 instructs the automatic operation control device 4 to switch between the manual operation mode and the automatic operation mode. When switching the operation mode, switching from the manual operation mode to the automatic operation mode is performed by the driver operating the operation mode selection switch 7. Switching from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode is performed by the driver's operation and when the automatic driving mode cannot be maintained, the automatic driving control is performed according to the determination result of the driver state determining unit 21. The switching of the operation mode is instructed to the device 4. In principle, the switching operation by the driver is preferable, and the awakening device 26 gives a warning sound or voice or vibration to the driver's seat to awaken the driver and switch the driving operation by the driver himself. Prompt.

  When the emergency vehicle recognition unit 8 recognizes the approach of the emergency vehicle, the control unit 23 performs a driving operation based on the information indicating the driver's state determined by the driver state determination unit 21. Determine whether it is possible or impossible. The control unit 23 determines the presence or absence of a preceding vehicle based on the detection result of the preceding vehicle detection unit 9. Then, the control unit 23 determines, based on the determination result as to whether the driver is in a state in which the driver can perform the driving operation or not, and the determination result as to the presence or absence of the preceding vehicle, information for instructing the driver to follow the preceding vehicle, Information for instructing switching to the operation mode is selectively generated, and the generated instruction information is output to the automatic operation control device 4. Further, when the emergency vehicle recognition unit 8 recognizes the passage of the emergency vehicle after the output of the following instruction information, the control unit 23 generates information for instructing a return to the automatic driving mode, and generates the automatic driving control device. 4 is also provided.

Next, with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG. 3, a description will be given of a response operation performed by the driving control operation support device 5 when an emergency vehicle approaches. This flowchart shows a control procedure and control contents.
First, in a state where the vehicle is traveling in the automatic driving mode in step S1, the driving control operation support device 5 first controls the emergency vehicle based on the recognition result of the emergency vehicle recognition unit 8 in step S2 under the control of the control unit 23. The presence or absence of approach is determined. In this state, when it is determined that the emergency vehicle is approaching, the control unit 23 determines in step S3 that the driver performs the manual driving based on the driver state determination result by the driver state determination unit 21. It is determined whether or not it is possible. When it is determined that the driver is in a state in which the driver can perform manual driving, switching instruction information to the manual driving mode is generated in step S4, and the switching instruction information is transmitted from the interface unit 27 to the automatic driving control device 4. Output.

As a result, the automatic driving control device 4 switches the driving mode from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode, and thereafter, the driver can perform the evacuation operation such as stopping the vehicle by bringing the vehicle closer to the roadside zone by manual operation.
On the other hand, it is assumed that it is determined in step S3 that the driver cannot perform the manual driving operation. In this case, the control unit 23 determines whether there is a preceding vehicle based on the detection result by the preceding vehicle detecting unit 9 in step S5. The determination of the presence or absence of the preceding vehicle is performed in consideration of the following distance and the relative speed with the preceding vehicle.

  If it is determined that the preceding vehicle exists, the control unit 23 generates instruction information for causing the own vehicle to follow the preceding vehicle in step S6, and outputs the following instruction information from the interface unit 27 to the automatic driving control device 4. I do. Information indicating the following distance and the relative speed to the preceding vehicle to be followed is inserted into the following instruction information.

  As a result, the automatic driving control device 4 controls the traveling state of the vehicle to follow the preceding vehicle in accordance with the following instruction information. Therefore, if the preceding vehicle performs a retreat operation such as stopping the vehicle by approaching the roadside zone or the like in response to the approach of the emergency vehicle, the own vehicle also follows the preceding vehicle and stops by approaching the roadside zone or the like.

  After outputting the following instruction information, the control unit 23 monitors the passage of the emergency vehicle in step S7. The passing of the emergency vehicle is performed based on the result of the emergency vehicle recognition unit 8 recognizing the emergency vehicle. When it is determined in step S7 that the emergency vehicle has passed the side of the host vehicle, the control unit 23 monitors the start of the preceding vehicle based on the detection result by the preceding vehicle detection unit 9 in step S8. When the start of the preceding vehicle is confirmed, information for instructing return to the automatic driving mode is generated in step S9, and this return instruction information is output from the interface unit 27 to the automatic driving control device 4.

  As a result, the automatic operation control device 4 returns to the automatic operation mode before changing the operation mode to the following mode, and restarts the automatic operation control operation in the automatic operation mode. Therefore, the vehicle automatically returns to the traveling operation in the automatic driving mode even if the driver does not start the vehicle in the manual driving mode or resets the automatic driving mode.

  If it is determined in step S5 that there is no preceding vehicle, the control unit 23 determines that it is difficult to follow the preceding vehicle, and outputs an operation instruction to the awakening device 26 in step S10. As the awakening operation, for example, generation of a sound or a voice message, light emission, vibration of a vibrator provided in a seat, and the like are used. The wake-up operation of the driver by the wake-up device 26 in step S10 is performed after the emergency vehicle is detected in step S2 described above until the driver in step S3 determines whether the driver can cope with the manual mode. It may be operated in between.

When it is confirmed that the driver has awakened by the awakening operation, the automatic driving control means 4 switches to the manual driving mode, and the vehicle can be evacuated by the manual driving operation thereafter.
If the driver does not wake up after performing the wake-up operation for a certain period of time, the driving control operation support device 5 outputs a forced stop instruction signal to the automatic driving control device 4. As a result, under the control of the automatic driving control device 4, the vehicle stops on the road side or the like.

As described in detail above, according to one embodiment, when an emergency vehicle approaches while driving in the automatic driving mode, even if the driver is in a state where manual driving is impossible, if there is a preceding vehicle, The own vehicle runs following the preceding vehicle. Therefore, according to the evacuation behavior of the preceding vehicle, the own vehicle can be slowed down or stopped toward the road shoulder side.
When the driver is in a state where the driver can manually drive the vehicle, an instruction to switch from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode is issued. Therefore, the evacuation behavior by the driver's operation can be promptly performed thereafter.

  Further, when the passage of the emergency vehicle is recognized after the output of the following instruction information, return instruction information to the automatic traveling mode is output. Therefore, the following operation of the preceding vehicle is canceled, and the vehicle automatically returns to the autonomous automatic traveling mode. Therefore, after the emergency vehicle has passed, it is possible to restart the traveling operation in the automatic driving mode without, for example, the driver performing an operation for resetting the automatic traveling mode.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying constituent elements in an implementation stage without departing from the scope of the invention. Further, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the embodiments. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Further, components of different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

Some or all of the above embodiments may be described as in the following supplementary notes, but are not limited thereto.
(Appendix 1)
A driving operation support device that supports the operation of an automatic driving control device that makes a vehicle travel by selectively using an automatic driving mode and a manual driving mode, comprising a hardware processor and a memory,
The hardware processor includes:
Recognize the approach and passage of emergency vehicles,
Detects the presence of a preceding vehicle,
Determining the state of the driver of the vehicle,
In a state where the vehicle is traveling in the automatic driving mode, when the approach of the emergency vehicle is recognized by the emergency vehicle recognition unit, based on the determination result of the driver state by the driver state determination unit. Determine whether the driver is in a state capable of manual driving,
Follow-up instruction information for causing the vehicle to follow the preceding vehicle when it is determined that the state of the driver is not in a state where manual driving is possible and the presence of the preceding vehicle is detected by the preceding vehicle detecting unit. To the automatic operation control device ,
When the emergency vehicle recognition unit recognizes the passage of the emergency vehicle after the output of the follow-up instruction information, and when the start of the preceding vehicle is confirmed by the preceding vehicle detection unit, an instruction to return to the automatic driving mode is issued. Output the return instruction information to the automatic operation control device,
When it is determined that the state of the driver is not in a state in which manual driving is possible and the presence of the preceding vehicle is not detected by the preceding vehicle detection unit, an operation instruction for performing an operation of awakening the driver is output. And
After the output of the operation instruction, when it is determined that the driver is in a state in which the driver can manually drive the vehicle based on the determination result of the driver state by the driver state determination unit, the automatic driving mode is changed to the manual driving mode. An operation control operation support device configured to output switching instruction information for switching to the automatic operation control device.

(Appendix 2)
A driving control operation supporting method executed by a supporting device that supports an operation of an automatic driving control device that performs a driving operation of a vehicle by selectively using an automatic driving mode and a manual driving mode,
An emergency vehicle recognition process for recognizing the approach and passage of the emergency vehicle using at least one hardware processor;
A preceding vehicle detecting step of detecting the presence of the preceding vehicle using at least one hardware processor;
A driver status determination step of determining a status of a driver of the vehicle using at least one hardware processor;
Using at least one hardware processor, in a state where the vehicle is running in the automatic driving mode, when the approach of the emergency vehicle is recognized in the emergency vehicle recognition process, the driver status determination process is performed. Determine whether or not the driver is in a state capable of manual driving based on the determination result of the driver state,
When at least one hardware processor is used to determine that the state of the driver is not in a state in which the vehicle can be manually driven, and that the presence of the preceding vehicle is detected by the preceding vehicle detection process, Outputting following instruction information to the automatic driving control device to follow the preceding vehicle ,
Using at least one hardware processor, when the following of the following instruction information is output, the emergency vehicle recognition process recognizes the passage of the emergency vehicle, and the preceding vehicle detection process confirms the start of the preceding vehicle. Outputting a return instruction information for instructing a return to the automatic operation mode to the automatic operation control device;
Awakening the driver when it is determined, using at least one hardware processor, that the driver is not in a state capable of manual driving, and the preceding vehicle detection process does not detect the presence of the preceding vehicle; Outputting an operation instruction for performing an operation to cause
Using at least one hardware processor, after outputting the operation instruction, when it is determined that the driver is in a state in which the driver can manually drive based on a determination result of the driver state in the driver state determination process. Outputting the switching instruction information for switching the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode to the automatic operation control device .

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vehicle, 2 ... Power unit, 3 ... Steering device, 3a ... Steering wheel, 4 ... Automatic driving control device, 5 ... Driving control operation support device, 6 ... Driver camera, 7 ... Driving mode selection switch, 8 ... Emergency vehicle Recognition unit, 9: preceding vehicle detection unit, 11: steering sensor, 12: accelerator pedal sensor, 13: brake pedal sensor, 14: GPS receiver, 15: gyro sensor, 16: vehicle speed sensor, 20: control unit, 21 ... Driver state determination unit 22, driving mode switching instruction unit, 23 control unit, 25 information storage unit, 26 awakening device, 27 interface unit, 31 front camera, 32 distance measuring sensor, 33 rear camera , 34: distance measuring sensor, 35: microphone, 36: evacuation instruction receiving unit, 37: approach determination unit, 41: face image processing unit, 42: face feature pattern Extraction unit, 43 ... face feature pattern determination unit, 44 ... facial feature pattern information storage unit.

Claims (4)

A driving control operation support device that supports the operation of an automatic driving control device that drives a vehicle by selectively using an automatic driving mode and a manual driving mode,
An emergency vehicle recognition unit that recognizes the approach and passage of the emergency vehicle,
A preceding vehicle detector that detects the presence of a preceding vehicle;
A driver state determination unit that determines a state of a driver of the vehicle;
A control unit connected to the emergency vehicle recognition unit, the preceding vehicle detection unit, and the driver state determination unit;
With
The control unit includes:
In a state where the vehicle is traveling in the automatic driving mode, when the approach of the emergency vehicle is recognized by the emergency vehicle recognition unit, based on the determination result of the driver state by the driver state determination unit. Determine whether the driver is in a state capable of manual driving,
Follow-up instruction information for causing the vehicle to follow the preceding vehicle when it is determined that the state of the driver is not in a state where manual driving is possible and the presence of the preceding vehicle is detected by the preceding vehicle detecting unit. To the automatic operation control device ,
When the emergency vehicle recognition unit recognizes the passage of the emergency vehicle after the output of the following instruction information, and when the start of the preceding vehicle is confirmed by the preceding vehicle detection unit, an instruction to return to the automatic driving mode is issued. Output the return instruction information to the automatic operation control device,
When the state of the driver is determined not to be in a state in which manual driving is possible, and the presence of the preceding vehicle is not detected by the preceding vehicle detection unit, an operation instruction for performing an operation of awakening the driver is output. And
After the output of the operation instruction, when it is determined that the driver is in a state in which the driver can manually drive based on the determination result of the driver state by the driver state determination unit, the automatic driving mode is changed to the manual driving mode. Output switching instruction information for switching to the automatic operation control device
Control operation support device configured as described above .   The control unit, when it is determined that the driver is in a state in which the driver can manually drive based on the determination result of the driver state by the driver state determination unit, the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode The driving control operation support device according to claim 1, wherein switching instruction information for switching to the automatic driving control device is output to the automatic driving control device. A driving control operation supporting method executed by a supporting device that supports an operation of an automatic driving control device that performs a driving operation of a vehicle by selectively using an automatic driving mode and a manual driving mode,
The assistance device, an emergency vehicle recognition process of recognizing the approach and passage of the emergency vehicle,
A preceding vehicle detecting step for detecting the presence of the preceding vehicle,
A driver state determination step in which the support device determines a state of a driver of the vehicle;
When the assist device recognizes the approach of the emergency vehicle by the emergency vehicle recognition process in a state where the vehicle is running in the automatic driving mode, the determination of the driver status by the driver status determination process is performed. a step of determining whether the driver based is in manual operable state results,
The assist device causes the vehicle to follow the preceding vehicle when it is determined that the state of the driver is not in a state where manual driving is possible and the presence of the preceding vehicle is detected by the preceding vehicle detecting process. an over extent you output a following instruction information for to the automatic driving controller,
The automatic driving mode is provided when the assist device recognizes the passage of the emergency vehicle by the emergency vehicle recognition process after the output of the following instruction information and confirms the start of the preceding vehicle by the preceding vehicle detection process. Outputting return instruction information to instruct the return to the automatic operation control device,
The assist device performs an operation to wake the driver when it is determined that the state of the driver is not in a state in which manual driving is possible and the presence of the preceding vehicle is not detected in the preceding vehicle detection process. Outputting an operation instruction of
The automatic driving mode, when the support device determines that the driver is in a state in which the driver can manually drive based on a determination result of the driver state in the driver state determination process after the output of the operation instruction. Outputting to the automatic operation control device switching instruction information for switching the operation mode to the manual operation mode . Program for causing a computer to function as each unit of the operation control operation support apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.