JP7122025B2 - Automatic driving control device and vehicle - Google Patents

Description

Cross-reference to related applications

This international application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2014-234665 filed with the Japan Patent Office on November 19, 2014. The entire contents are incorporated by reference into this international application.

In the present disclosure, at least some of the various driving actions of the driver necessary for driving the vehicle, such as various judgments and operations by the driver, can be automatically performed without requiring the driver's operation. It relates to a possible automatic operation control device.

Various technologies for realizing automatic driving of vehicles have been proposed and some have been put into practical use. Patent Literature 1 below discloses an automatically driven vehicle capable of automatically driving according to a preset driving plan.

JP 2012-59274 A

It is considered that one of the ultimate goals of automatic driving technology is to be able to reach the destination simply by setting the destination without any further involvement of the occupants in driving. However, the current situation is that it has not yet reached a level of reliability high enough to realize it.

When adopting autonomous driving technology, if necessary, at least part of the control that is being automatically executed is disabled and left to the driver's operation, or the vehicle's behavior is forcibly controlled in a safe direction. It is desirable to be able to

In one aspect of the present disclosure, in a vehicle capable of automatically executing at least part of various driving controls required for running without requiring the driver's operation, at least part of the control being automatically executed It is desirable to be able to forcibly stop at an appropriate timing.

An automatic driving control device according to one aspect of the present disclosure is mounted on a vehicle and includes an ambient information acquisition unit, an automatic control unit, and a cancellation required event determination unit.
The surrounding information acquisition unit acquires surrounding information, which is information about the surroundings of the vehicle. Surrounding information, more specifically, is information that indicates the state of the surroundings of the vehicle, and is used to automatically execute a plurality of types of driving actions necessary for driving the vehicle without requiring an operation by the driver. information necessary for

The automatic control unit executes an automatic driving operation. The release-required event determination unit determines whether or not a predetermined release-required event has occurred. The cancellation-required event is a predetermined event that should cancel (execute) at least one of the automatic driving operations that are set to be executed.

The automatic control unit stops execution of at least one of the automatic driving actions that are set to be executed when the cancellation- required event determination unit determines that the cancellation-required event has occurred.

According to the automatic driving control device configured in this way, when a release- requiring event occurs, at least one of the automatic driving operations that should be originally executed is canceled from the execution targets, and is no longer executed by the automatic control unit.

Therefore, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from running unintentionally from becoming unstable even if a cancellation-required event occurs that may cause the automatic driving operation to not be performed normally .

Here, a notification unit and a cancellation permission determination unit may be provided. The notification unit notifies the occupant of the vehicle that the cancellation required event has occurred when the cancellation required event determination unit determines that the cancellation required event has occurred. The release permission determination unit determines whether or not a specific release permission operation has been performed by the occupant of the vehicle after the notification by the notification unit. The automatic control unit may stop the execution of the automatic operation that should be stopped when the cancellation permission determination unit determines that the cancellation permission operation has been performed. If the cancellation permission determination unit does not determine that the cancellation permission operation has been performed, the automatic control unit executes predetermined automatic stop processing to stop the vehicle from running. can be

In the automatic driving control device configured in this way, when a release-requiring event occurs, the execution of the automatic driving operation is not unconditionally stopped, but is notified in advance. Then, when the occupant of the vehicle expresses his/her intention in response to the notification, the execution of the automatic driving operation is stopped. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the running state of the vehicle from becoming unstable by stopping the execution of the automatic driving operation.

1A is a side view of the vehicle of the embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a top view of the vehicle of the embodiment. 1 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a vehicle according to a first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 3A is an explanatory diagram showing the automatic driving level of each driving mode, and FIG. 3B is an explanatory diagram showing that the contents of control at each automatic driving level may be arbitrarily set. It is an explanatory view for explaining an outline of automatic operation. It is a flow chart of automatic driving level setting processing. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing details of automatic driving cancellation confirmation processing in the automatic driving level setting processing of FIG. 5 ; FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing details of system monitoring processing in automatic operation cancellation confirmation processing in FIG. 6 ; FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing details of inside/outside behavior monitoring processing in the automatic driving cancellation confirmation processing of FIG. 6 ; FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing details of environment monitoring processing in automatic operation cancellation confirmation processing of FIG. 6 ; FIG. FIG. 10A is a flow chart of the travel history recording process, and FIG. 10B is a flow chart showing the details of the self-diagnosis process in the automatic driving cancellation confirmation process of FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of a vehicle according to a second embodiment; FIG. 9 is a flowchart of control state monitoring processing according to the second embodiment;

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described below with reference to the drawings.
[First embodiment]
(1) Configuration of Vehicle 1 FIG. 1A shows a side view of a vehicle 1 of this embodiment, and FIG. 1B shows a top view of the vehicle 1. As shown in FIG. However, FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B are mainly for the purpose of clarifying the arrangement state of various cameras, radars, sensors, etc. in the vehicle 1, and simply illustrate their arrangement state.

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

The front camera 2 is provided on the front end side of the ceiling inside the vehicle so as to face forward. With this front camera 2, the front of the vehicle 1 can be photographed in a wide range. The rear camera 3 is provided on the rear end side of the ceiling inside the vehicle so as to face rearward. With this rear camera 3, the rear of the vehicle 1 can be photographed in a wide range.

The left side camera 4 is provided on the left side surface of the vehicle 1 so as to face the left side. The left side camera 4 can photograph the left side of the vehicle 1 in a wide range. The right side camera 5 is provided on the right side surface of the vehicle 1 so as to face the right side. The right side camera 5 can photograph the right side of the vehicle 1 in a wide range.

The indoor camera 6 is provided on the front end side of the ceiling inside the vehicle so as to face the rear (inside the vehicle). With this indoor camera 6, it is possible to photograph at least the upper half of the body of the driver in the vehicle interior.

The vehicle 1 also 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 radar device 11 to 14 is a millimeter wave radar in this embodiment. As is well known, millimeter-wave radar transmits millimeter-wave radio waves and receives the reflected waves with a plurality of receiving antennas. It is a radar capable of detecting target object information about targets around the vehicle 1 . Target information that can be detected by each radar device 11 to 14 includes the presence or absence of a 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 (relative to the vehicle 1, relative velocity).

Specifically, the front radar device 11 is provided at the front end of the vehicle 1 and transmits/receives millimeter waves of a predetermined frequency to the front of the vehicle 1 . The front radar device 11 can acquire target object information about the target ahead of the vehicle 1 . The rear radar device 12 is provided at the rear end of the vehicle 1 and transmits/receives millimeter waves of a predetermined frequency to the rear of the vehicle 1 . Target object information on a target behind the vehicle 1 can be acquired by the rear radar device 12 . The left side radar device 13 is provided on the left side of the vehicle 1 and transmits and receives millimeter waves of a predetermined frequency to the left side of the vehicle 1 . With this left side radar device 13, it is possible to acquire target object information regarding a target on the left side of the vehicle 1. FIG. The right side radar device 14 is provided on the right side of the vehicle 1 and transmits and receives millimeter waves of a predetermined frequency to the right side of the vehicle 1 . With this right side radar device 14, it is possible to obtain target information about a target on the right side of the vehicle 1. FIG.

The vehicle 1 also includes a sun sensor 16 and a rainfall sensor 17, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. The solar radiation sensor 16 is installed below the front window 9 in front of the passenger compartment. The solar radiation sensor 16 can detect the amount of solar radiation with respect to the vehicle 1 and thus the brightness around the vehicle 1 . The rain sensor 17 is installed in the upper portion of the front window 9 on the interior side of the vehicle. This rainfall sensor 17 can detect the presence or absence of rainfall and the amount of rainfall.

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

Types of automated driving of vehicles include partially automated driving and fully automated driving. Partially automated driving is automated driving in which some of the driver's various driving actions required to drive the vehicle are automated. Note that automation here means that it can be executed without requiring an operation by the driver. Fully automatic driving is a form of automatic driving in which the driving to a set destination is completely automated without requiring the driver's operation or the like. A parameter indicating the degree of types and numbers of driving actions to be automated in automatic driving is hereinafter referred to as an automatic driving level. Fully automated driving has a higher level of automated driving than partially automated driving. Partially automated driving also has various levels depending on the type and number of driving actions to be automated.

The vehicle 1 of the present embodiment is configured to be capable of not only partially automated driving but also fully automated driving by means of the automatic driving control device 30 . This embodiment is configured so that the driver can arbitrarily change settings regarding the level of automatic driving, that is, which of the various driving actions required for driving is automated and which action is to be performed by the driver.

More specifically, in this embodiment, automatic start/stop control, lane keeping control, inter-vehicle distance control, lane change control, right/left turn control, and collision prevention control are the main automatic control functions for realizing fully automatic driving. , and parking control. The automatic driving control device 30 can execute these seven types of automatic control functions, and can realize fully automatic driving by executing all of these seven types of automatic control functions.

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

Specific contents of the seven types of automatic control functions will be described in detail later.
The automatic driving level becomes higher as the number of functions to be executed out of the seven types of automatic control functions increases. Specifically, the automatic driving level is level 0 when none of the above seven types of automatic control functions are executed. The automatic driving level is level n when n types of the seven types of automatic control functions are executed. Therefore, in the driving mode of level 0, it is necessary for the driver to determine and operate the control actions corresponding to the seven types of automatic control functions. On the other hand, driving modes of levels 1 to 6 are driving modes in which a part of automatic driving is performed. A driving mode of level 7 is a driving mode in which fully automatic driving is performed.

In this embodiment, the advanced automation mode is a driving mode in which automatic driving at an automatic driving level of level 1 or higher is performed. On the other hand, the basic mode is a driving mode with a relatively low level of automatic driving compared to the high automation mode. For example, if the advanced automation mode is level n, the basic mode can be set anywhere from level n-1 to level 0.

In this embodiment, for the sake of simplification and intelligibility of explanation, it is assumed that the automatic driving level is set to level 0 in the basic mode. At level 0, none of the above seven types of automatic control functions are executed, and the driver is required to perform most of the various driving actions necessary for driving.

The automatic driving control device 30 has a control section 30a and a memory 30b. The memory 30b specifically includes ROM, RAM, and other various storage media (eg, EEPROM, flash memory). The control 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 control unit 30a includes at least a CPU.

The various programs stored in the memory 30b include programs (so-called security software) capable of detecting unauthorized operations from the outside, computer viruses, unauthorized software and data (hereinafter collectively referred to as "unauthorized factors"). )It is included. The control unit 30a keeps this security software resident during activation, thereby monitoring the presence or absence of fraudulent factors at any time. Then, when a fraud factor occurs, various fraud countermeasures are executed. The fraud handling process includes a process of forcibly setting the automatic driving level to level 0 to prevent the automatic control function from operating at all. In addition, various specific contents of the fraud handling process are conceivable. For example, a warning may be output to the driver by voice or the like, or the vehicle 1 may be forcibly decelerated or stopped. Also, the connection between the control unit 30a and each of the communication units 31 to 35 may be physically cut off so that external access to the automatic operation control device 30 via wireless communication is disabled.

The automatic driving control device 30 is connected with the cameras 2 to 6, the radar devices 11 to 14, and the sensors 21 to 23 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. The control unit 30a of the automatic driving control device 30 individually controls the operations of the cameras 2 to 6, acquires the photographing results (image data) from the cameras 2 to 6, and stores them in the memory 30b. Acquisition and storage of image data are repeatedly performed at predetermined time intervals.

The control unit 30a can recognize various situations inside and outside the vehicle based on the image data of the cameras 2-6. For example, from the image data of the indoor camera 6, it is possible to recognize the movement, facial expression, line of sight, eye state, etc. of the passenger (mainly the driver).

Thereby, the control unit 30a can determine whether or not the driver is exhibiting an abnormal behavior based on the image data of the indoor camera 6. FIG. The abnormal behavior of the driver here means a state in which the driver himself/herself may not be able to operate the vehicle 1 normally, and the driver feels uneasy about the operation of the vehicle 1 due to the automatic driving function not operating normally. It means that it is in one of the following states: Specific examples of the former include excessive looking aside, dozing off, and fainting. A specific example of the latter is that the driver has a look of surprise, concern, or fear.

Based on the image data of the front camera 2, the control unit 30a also controls the forward vehicle, the oncoming vehicle, the vehicle in the adjacent lane running diagonally ahead, the lane marking, the crosswalk, the pedestrian, the intersection, and the crossing at the intersection. Various images of other vehicles entering the road, the contents of road signs, traffic lights, signboards in the direction of travel, rainfall conditions, snowfall conditions, fog occurrence conditions, ambient brightness, and other objects around the vehicle It can be recognized by recognition processing. Note that recognizable road signs include characters and marks drawn on the road surface.

Accordingly, based on the image data of the front camera 2, the control unit 30a can recognize the behavior of the pedestrian, the behavior and line of sight of the pedestrian, presence or absence of passing from oncoming vehicles, weather conditions, and the like. More specifically, it is possible to recognize that it is raining or snowing in a predetermined amount or more, that a thick fog is occurring, or the like, as the weather condition. From the behavior of the pedestrian, it can be recognized whether the pedestrian feels uneasy about the vehicle 1 or not. More specifically, when the pedestrian is looking at the vehicle 1 and the expression expresses a specific emotion such as surprise, worry, or fear, it can be determined that the pedestrian feels uneasy about the vehicle 1. . In addition, when a predetermined number or more of pedestrians' lines of sight are directed toward the vehicle 1, it can be recognized that the vehicle 1 may not be operating normally.

Based on the image data of the front camera 2, the control unit 30a recognizes the distance and relative speed to the vehicle ahead, recognizes the traveling state of the own vehicle with respect to the traveling road, and recognizes the contents of road signs and signboards. can recognize. Therefore, it is possible to recognize various sign information, such as the speed limit, the necessity of a temporary stop, the possibility of parking or stopping, etc., based on the result of recognition of the content of the road sign or signboard. It is also possible to recognize, for example, an accident-prone zone, school zone, or other specific environment (for example, an area where animals frequently appear).

Based on the image data of the rear camera 3, the control unit 30a also controls the rear vehicle, the vehicle in the adjacent lane running obliquely behind, the brightness of the surroundings, the pedestrians, and the signs drawn on the road surface. Information and other objects around the vehicle can be recognized by various image recognition processes.

Accordingly, based on the image data of the rear camera 3, the control unit 30a can recognize, for example, the relative distance and relative speed between the own vehicle and the rear vehicle, and the presence or absence of passing from the rear vehicle. Further, similar to the image data of the front camera 2, the image data of the rear camera 3 can also be used to recognize pedestrian behavior, pedestrian behavior, line of sight, weather conditions, and the like.

In addition, based on the image data of the left side camera 4 and the right side camera 5, the control unit 30a controls vehicles on the side of the vehicle (including vehicles on the left front, left rear, right front, and right rear) road signs, lane markings, pedestrians, ambient lighting, and other objects around the vehicle can be recognized by various image recognition processes.

Thereby, based on the image data of each of the side cameras 4 and 5, the control unit 30a can recognize, for example, the relative distance and relative speed between the own vehicle and the side vehicle. Further, similar to the image data of the front camera 2, the image data of the side cameras 4 and 5 can also be used to recognize the behavior of the pedestrian, the behavior and line of sight of the pedestrian, weather conditions, and the like.

Further, the control unit 30a of the automatic operation control device 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 respective radar devices 11 to 14 are repeatedly performed at predetermined time intervals. Based on the detection results of the radar devices 11 to 14, the control unit 30a calculates and acquires the presence or absence of the target, the distance to the target, the direction of the target, the relative speed of the target as viewed from the vehicle 1, and the like. be able to.

From the detection results of the front radar device 11, information on targets in front of the vehicle (including oblique front left and right) can be mainly obtained. From the detection results of the rear radar device 12, mainly information on targets behind the vehicle (including oblique rear left and right) can be acquired. From the detection results of the left side radar device 13, mainly information on targets on the left side of the vehicle (including left front and left rear) can be obtained. From the detection result of the right side radar device 14, mainly information of targets on the right side of the vehicle (including right front and right rear) can be obtained.

In addition, the control unit 30a of the automatic driving control device 30 determines the brightness of the driving environment based on the detection signal from the solar radiation sensor 16, and determines the brightness of the driving environment at night or in a similar situation (hereinafter simply referred to as "nighttime"). can determine if there is The vehicle 1 is provided with headlights (not shown). The headlights can be turned on and off by the driver's operation, and can also be automatically turned on and off by setting the light mode to the auto mode. When the light mode is set to the auto mode, the control unit 30a automatically turns on the headlights based on the detection signal from the sun sensor 16 when it determines that it is nighttime, and turns on the headlights when it is not nighttime. Automatically turn off the headlights. Further, in this embodiment, when the driving mode is set to the high automation mode, the light mode is forcibly set to the ode mode.

Further, the control unit 30 a of the automatic operation control device 30 can determine the presence or absence of rain and the amount of rain based on the detection signal from the rain sensor 17 .
In addition, as components connected to the automatic driving control device 30, the vehicle 1 includes a wheel speed sensor 18, a current sensor 19, a steering amount sensor 20, an in-vehicle contact sensor 21, and an engine room temperature sensor 22, as shown in FIG. , an engine room sound sensor 23 , a tire pressure sensor 24 , a suspension sensor 25 , an external sound sensor 26 and an impact sensor 27 .

The wheel speed sensors 18 are provided on the four front, rear, left, and right wheels of the vehicle 1, and output detection signals (wheel speed signals) indicating the rotational speeds of the corresponding wheels. A wheel speed signal from each wheel speed sensor 18 is input to the automatic driving control device 30 .

The controller 30a can detect the rotational speed of each wheel based on the wheel speed signal from each wheel speed sensor 18. FIG. Then, from the detection result, for example, it is possible to detect whether or not a slip has occurred.

The current sensor 19 is provided for one or more of the many electrical wirings provided in the vehicle 1, and outputs a detection signal (current detection signal) indicating the current flowing through the electrical wiring. A current detection signal from the current sensor 19 is input to the automatic operation control device 30 .

Based on the current detection signal from the current sensor 19, the controller 30a can detect the current in the corresponding electrical wiring. Then, from the detection result, for example, it is possible to detect whether or not an overcurrent is flowing in a specific electrical wiring. The overcurrent mentioned here is a large current that theoretically does not flow when the vehicle 1 is operating normally.

The current sensor 19 may be provided on the vehicle body of the vehicle 1 so as to detect the current flowing through the vehicle body. By doing so, when the vehicle 1 is struck by lightning, a large current flowing to the ground through the vehicle 1 can be detected. Where and how to install the current sensor 19 may be appropriately determined so that it can detect that the vehicle 1 has been struck by lightning.

The steering amount sensor 20 is provided to directly or indirectly detect the amount of steering of the steered wheels. The steering amount sensor 20 may be provided, for example, on a column shaft that connects the steering wheel 10 (see FIGS. 1A and 1B) and the steering mechanism. However, the vehicle 1 of the present embodiment is provided with an electric power steering device capable of controlling the steering of the steered wheels by a motor. It has a sensor. Therefore, the rotation sensor may be used as the steering amount sensor 20 instead of providing the steering amount sensor 20 alone. That is, the specific configuration and installation location of the steering amount sensor 20 may be appropriately determined so that the steering amount can be detected.

Based on the detection signal from the steering amount sensor 20, the control unit 30a can detect the steering amount of the steered wheels. Then, from the detection results, for example, the change state and change rate of the steering amount can be detected. Thereby, when the driving level is set such that the steering is automatically performed (that is, when the driving level is set such that at least one of lane keeping control, lane change control, and right/left turn control is executed) ), it can be determined whether or not the automatic control of the steering is appropriately performed. Specifically, for example, when the rate of change of the steering amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (that is, when the rate of change is excessive), it can be determined that the automatic control of steering is not performed normally. Alternatively, if the vehicle is not traveling along the lane (for example, it is running off the lane markings), or if it goes straight when it should turn right or left, it is assumed that the automatic steering control is not being performed normally. I can judge.

The in-vehicle contact sensor 21 is a sensor for detecting that an occupant of the vehicle 1 has touched a specific portion inside the vehicle, and is provided at the specific portion (hereinafter also referred to as “in-vehicle specific contact portion”). The in-vehicle specific contact portion can be determined as appropriate, and can be, for example, a specific portion of the driver's seat, the steering wheel 10 or its vicinity.

As will be described later, the in-vehicle contact sensor 21 is used to enable the driver to quickly (urgently) cancel automatic driving when the automatic driving level of the vehicle 1 is set to level 1 or higher. is provided. That is, when the automatic driving level is level 1 or higher, when the driver wants to cancel the automatic driving for some reason, the automatic driving is forcibly canceled when the driver touches a specific contact portion inside the vehicle. Therefore, the specific configuration and installation location of the in-vehicle contact sensor 21 may be appropriately determined so that it can be detected that the driver has touched a specific in-vehicle contact portion.

It should be noted that, in the present embodiment, "release" of automatic driving means that the automatic driving level is set to level 0. However, it is only an example. For example, stopping at least one of the currently-executed automatic control functions may be defined as "cancellation" of automatic operation. For example, when an automatic control function is operating and the driver feels that the automatic control function may not be operating normally and touches a specific contact area in the vehicle, at least Forcibly stopping multiple automatic control functions may be defined as "cancellation" of automatic operation.

The engine room temperature sensor 22 is provided at a predetermined location in or near the engine room of the vehicle 1 and outputs a detection signal corresponding to the temperature of the engine room. The control unit 30 a can detect the temperature of the engine room based on the detection signal from the engine room temperature sensor 22 . If the detected engine room temperature is excessive (for example, equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature threshold), it can be determined that some abnormality has occurred in the engine or its surroundings.

The engine room sound sensor 23 is provided at a predetermined location in or near the engine room of the vehicle 1 for the purpose of mainly detecting sounds generated in the engine room. output a detection signal. Based on the detection signal from the engine room sound sensor 23, the control unit 30a can detect the sound generated in the engine room. Then, when the detected sound in the engine room is excessive (for example, when it is equal to or greater than a predetermined sound volume threshold), it can be determined that some abnormality has occurred in the engine or its surroundings.

The tire pressure sensors 24 are provided on the front, rear, left, and right wheels of the vehicle 1, respectively, and output detection signals (pneumatic pressure signals) indicating the tire pressure of the corresponding wheels. An air pressure signal from each tire pressure sensor 24 is input to the automatic operation control device 30 .

The controller 30a can detect the tire pressure of each wheel based on the air pressure signal from each tire pressure sensor 24 . Then, from the detection result, for example, it is possible to detect whether or not an abnormality (for example, puncture) has occurred in any tire.

The suspension sensor 25 outputs a detection signal indicating the amount of expansion/contraction of the suspension of the vehicle 1 (for example, the amount of expansion/contraction of a shock absorber or spring). Based on the detection signal from the suspension sensor 25, the control unit 30a can detect the behavior of the vehicle 1 (mainly behavior in the vertical direction). When the automatic driving level of the vehicle 1 is set to level 1 or higher, the behavior of the vehicle 1 may become unstable if the automatic control function to be executed does not operate normally. For example, unstable behavior such as sudden start, sudden stop, and sudden turn may occur automatically. Such unstable behavior appears as suspension behavior. Therefore, the control unit 30a can determine the stability of the behavior of the vehicle 1 based on the detection signal from the suspension sensor 25 (that is, based on the amount of expansion and contraction of the suspension itself or the rate of change thereof), and by extension the automatic control function. If it is in operation, it can be determined whether the automatic control function is operating normally.

The vehicle exterior sound sensor 26 is provided mainly for the purpose of detecting sounds generated around the vehicle 1 . Based on the detection signal from the vehicle exterior sound sensor 26, the control unit 30a can detect the type and volume of sounds generated around the vehicle 1. FIG. For example, if another vehicle is honking its horn, it can be detected.

Impact sensor 27 outputs a detection signal corresponding to the level of impact when vehicle 1 is impacted from outside. Based on the detection signal from the impact sensor 27, the control unit 30a can detect the presence or absence of an external impact on the vehicle 1 and the level of the impact. Note that the impact to be detected by the impact sensor 27 ranges from a relatively large level impact such as a collision with another vehicle or a structure on the road to a relatively large level impact such as a person outside the vehicle 1 striking the vehicle 1 . Includes a wide range of levels of impact down to low level impacts.

In addition, as components connected to the automatic driving control device 30, the vehicle 1 includes a GPS communication unit 31, a vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit 32, a road-to-vehicle communication unit 33, a vehicle-to-pedestrian communication unit 34, and a An LTE communication unit 35 is provided.

The GPS communication unit 31 receives radio waves from a plurality of GPS (Global Positioning System) satellites and outputs information (GPS information) contained in the received radio waves to the automatic operation control device 30 . The control unit 30 a of the automatic driving control device 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 device 30 also has a route guidance function, which is one of various elemental 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 GPS information and the destination set by the driver. This function guides and controls the vehicle 1 so that it travels to the destination along the road.

The route guidance function includes a function to recognize the road conditions around the vehicle 1 (for example, the shape of the route to the destination, the width of the vehicle, etc.), the presence or absence of infrastructure in the direction of travel, the operating state, etc. (for example, traffic lights in the direction of travel). state, presence or absence of intersections, presence or absence of crosswalks, speed limits and regulation information, etc.). The control unit 30a also uses these various recognition results to realize the guidance control.

The content of the guidance control of the vehicle 1 in the route guidance function differs depending on the automatic driving level. For example, guidance control when the automatic driving level is set to level 7 of fully automatic driving is for multiple types (seven types as described above in this embodiment) automatic control functions for realizing fully automatic driving , route information (information about which direction and which route the vehicle should travel) necessary for executing the automatic control function. Also, for example, guidance control when the automated driving level is set to a predetermined level 1 to 6 (partially automated driving), which is lower than fully automated driving, is partially automated among multiple types of automatic control functions. It is to provide route information for necessary automatic control functions, and to guide the driving route (for example, voice guidance) to the driver as necessary.

When the automatic driving level is set to any of levels 1 to 6, that is, when one or more of the seven types of automatic control functions are set to be executed, the control unit 30a performs guidance control. , at least to provide the information necessary for the automatic control function to which it is set.

Map data and other various data required for the route guidance function are stored in the memory 30b. The control unit 30a implements the route guidance function (that is, the guidance control described above) by executing the program for the route guidance function stored in the memory 30b while referring to the various data.

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

The control unit 30a can also know the relative relationship between the own vehicle and the amount of other vehicles by acquiring the positions and running states of the other vehicles through inter-vehicle communication. For example, it is possible to detect the relative distance and relative speed between the own vehicle and other vehicles.

In addition, as information that can be transmitted and received by vehicle-to-vehicle communication, there is information about driving modes. The control unit 30a can also transmit and receive information as to whether the operation mode is set to the advanced automation mode or the basic mode, and what level the automatic operation level is in the set operation mode.

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 (ground side). Various information received by the road-to-vehicle communication unit 33 is input to the automatic driving control device 30 .

The road communication device 81 is connected to a server (not shown), receives various information from the server, and wirelessly transmits the information within a predetermined surrounding area. The server aggregates various types of road traffic information, such as various types of infrastructure information (for example, traffic light information, road regulation information, and other types of information related to driving routes), and presence information of other vehicles and pedestrians. be. The server transmits individual road information related to each road communication device 81 based on the aggregated road traffic information. The individual road information is information intended for vehicles traveling within the communication area of the road communication device 81, and includes various road traffic information within the communication area and information beyond the area (in the direction of travel). ), various traffic information, etc. Each road communication device 81 wirelessly transmits the individual road information transmitted from the server within a predetermined communication area.

The control unit 30 a of the automatic driving control device 30 can acquire various types of road traffic information about the surroundings of the own vehicle and the traveling road in the traveling direction via the road-to-vehicle communication unit 33 . The information that the control unit 30a can acquire via the road-to-vehicle communication unit 33 includes driving sections requiring caution in driving (hereinafter referred to as "precaution section") such as accident-prone areas, school zones, and areas where animals appear frequently. Also called) section information is included. By linking the acquired section information and the route guidance function, the control unit 30a determines whether or not the vehicle 1 is traveling in the caution section indicated by the section information, how long it will take to enter the caution section, and so on. Thus, the relative relationship between the caution section and the vehicle 1 can be recognized. As the section information, it is also possible to acquire information about other sections or points other than the caution section.

A camera 82 is mounted on each road communication device 81 illustrated in FIG. 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 photographed data transmitted from each camera 82 . Specifically, the server can recognize the shape of the road, the lanes, and the state of the traffic lights from the photographed data. The server can also recognize the running state and number of the running vehicle. The server can also determine whether the vehicle in the imaged data is running normally based on the imaged data. For example, if a vehicle passes a red traffic light without stopping, it can be determined that the vehicle is not running normally.

Moreover, various information regarding the state of the vehicle 1 can be transmitted from the vehicle 1 via the road-to-vehicle communication unit 33 . The transmission information transmitted from the vehicle 1 is received by the road communication device 81 and collected in the server. The server can individually recognize and manage the states of a plurality of vehicles including the vehicle 1, and can notify a specific vehicle of the states of other vehicles as necessary. Therefore, for example, it is possible to know information such as what level the automatic driving level is set in other vehicles around the own vehicle, that is, to what extent the automatic control functions are operating in other vehicles around the vehicle.

The pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit 34 is a communication module for performing wireless communication with a communication terminal (for example, a mobile phone or a smart phone) possessed by a pedestrian on the ground side. Terminal location information transmitted from a communication terminal carried by a pedestrian when the terminal location information indicating the location of the communication terminal (that is, the location of the pedestrian) can be wirelessly transmitted. can be received by the inter-pedestrian communication unit 34 . The terminal position information received by the inter-pedestrian communication unit 34 is input to the automatic driving control device 30 . In addition, the automatic driving control device 30 notifies pedestrians of the position information of the vehicle 1 and the like by wirelessly transmitting various information such as the position information of the vehicle 1 from the inter-pedestrian communication unit 34 to the communication terminal of the pedestrian. can also

The control unit 30 a of the automatic driving control device 30 can know the position and movement of the pedestrian based on the terminal position information received via the inter-pedestrian vehicle communication unit 34 . The presence or absence and movement of pedestrians can be detected by the above-described cameras and radar devices. can be detected.

The LTE communication unit 35 is a communication module for realizing wireless communication according to LTE, which is a well-known mobile phone communication standard. The control unit 30a acquires various types of information necessary for automatic driving of the vehicle 1 and updates existing information (for example, updates map data) via the LTE communication unit 35 (that is, by LTE wireless communication). be able to. Acquisition and update of such various information are not necessarily performed by LTE wireless communication, and may be performed by using other wireless communication.

2, the vehicle 1 includes, as components connected to the automatic driving control device 30, an operation unit 36, a display unit 37, a speaker 38, an automatic driving switch 41, a level setting operation unit 42 , an emergency stop lever 43 and a release reset switch 44 .

The operation unit 36 is an input interface for receiving various input operations to the vehicle 1 by passengers of the vehicle 1 including the driver. The display unit 37 is an output interface for visually providing various types of information to passengers of the vehicle 1 including the driver. Various information including map information in the route guidance function is also displayed on the display section 37 . The speaker 38 outputs sounds based on various audio signals output from the automatic driving control device 30 .

The automatic driving switch 41 is a switch for setting the driving mode of the vehicle 1 to the advanced automation mode. The driver of the vehicle 1 needs to switch the automatic driving switch 41 to the ON side in order to set the driving mode to the high automation mode and execute automatic driving. On the other hand, when the automatic operation switch 41 is turned off, the operation mode is set to the basic mode.

The emergency stop lever 43 is an operation means for forcibly canceling automatic driving when the automatic driving level of the vehicle 1 is level 1 or higher (that is, forcibly switching the automatic driving level to level 0). It is provided at a predetermined site (for example, the ceiling). When the emergency stop lever 43 is operated when the automatic driving level of the vehicle 1 is set to level 1 or higher, the automatic driving is forcibly canceled. If the driver recognizes that an illegal factor such as a computer virus or illegal operation has occurred, or that the automatic control function is not operating normally, the driver can operate the emergency stop lever 43. , the automatic driving can be forcibly canceled and the vehicle 1 can be driven by the driver's own driving operation.

The level setting operation unit 42 is a user interface for receiving an operation for setting an automatic driving level (details will be described later) by the driver.
The release reset switch 44 is a switch for resetting the release state after the automatic operation is forcibly released and the automatic operation level is forcibly set to level 0. In this embodiment, as will be described later, when the automatic driving level is set to level 1 or higher, when a predetermined cancellation event requiring cancellation of automatic driving occurs, automatic driving is forcibly canceled. be done. Specifically, an automatic operation cancellation flag, which will be described later, is set.

When the automatic operation is forcibly canceled, in principle, the canceled state is maintained (the set state of the automatic operation cancellation flag is maintained), but by pressing the cancellation reset switch 44, the canceled state It is possible to reset (reset the automatic operation cancellation flag). When the canceled state is reset, the driving mode is set to the mode corresponding to the operation state of the automatic driving switch, and the automatic driving level is set to the level corresponding to the set driving mode (set by the level setting operation unit 42). level).

The vehicle 1 also includes, as components connected to the automatic driving control device 30, a traveling drive control section 46, a brake control section 47, and a steering control section 48, as shown in FIG.

The traveling drive control unit 46 controls an engine and a transmission (not shown) based on various information such as the depression amount of an accelerator pedal (not shown), the operation position of a shift lever (not shown), the vehicle speed, and the engine speed. Thus, the running of the vehicle 1 is controlled.

On the other hand, when the automatic driving level is set to level 1 or higher, that is, when any of the seven types of automatic control functions is executed, the automatic driving control device 30 realizes the automatic control function to be executed. The control information necessary for driving is output to the travel drive control unit 46 . In this case, the traveling drive control unit 46 automatically controls the engine and the transmission according to the control information from the automatic driving control device 30 even if the accelerator pedal is not depressed. Although the vehicle 1 of the present embodiment includes an engine as a drive source for running, the automatic operation control device of the present disclosure is applicable to a vehicle including a drive source for running other than the engine (for example, an electric motor). can also be applied. In that case, the traveling drive control unit 46 shown in FIG. 2 has the function of controlling the traveling drive source of the vehicle. Further, when a drive source for running other than the engine is provided, the engine room temperature sensor 22 and the engine room sound sensor 23 described above are used for the purpose of detecting the temperature and sound of the drive source for running or its surroundings, respectively. It may be installed.

The brake control unit 47 controls a brake device (not shown) based on the amount of depression of a brake pedal (not shown). On the other hand, when the automatic driving level is set to level 1 or higher, that is, when any of the seven types of automatic control functions is executed, the automatic driving control device 30 realizes the automatic control function to be executed. The control information necessary for driving is output to the travel drive control unit 46 . In this case, the brake control unit 47 automatically controls the brake device according to the control information from the automatic driving control device 30 even if the brake pedal is not stepped on.

The steering control unit 48 mainly has two functions. One is a so-called electric power steering function. That is, the operation of the steering wheel 10 by the driver is assisted by the motor. The other is an automatic steering function that automatically steers the steered wheels (for example, the front wheels) of the vehicle 1 without the driver's operation. Steering of the steered wheels is basically performed by the driver operating the steering wheel 10, but at least one of the above seven types of automatic control functions, excluding automatic start/stop control and inter-vehicle distance control, is executed. In this case, the steering control unit 48 automatically controls the steering of the steered wheels by controlling the motor according to the control information from the automatic driving control device 30 even if the driver does not operate the steering wheel 10. .

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

As information that can be used to realize the automatic driving function, first, there is information such as the position and speed of the own vehicle (own vehicle information). The vehicle position can be obtained by calculation based on GPS information. The vehicle speed can be obtained by calculation based on a vehicle speed signal from a vehicle speed sensor (not shown), a detection signal from the steering amount sensor 20, a yaw rate signal from a yaw rate sensor (not shown), and the like. The vehicle speed can also be calculated from the rate of change of the vehicle position.

Information on surrounding objects is also available as information that can be used to implement autonomous driving functions. Specifically, vehicles around the vehicle such as front vehicles, rear vehicles, side vehicles, oncoming vehicles, vehicles crossing the intersection of the approach, pedestrians, bicycles, road constructions and fixed installations, obstacles, etc. It is information about the position, distance, and speed of various existing objects (including people and animals) relative to the own vehicle.

Information about these surrounding objects can be acquired based on the photographed data of each camera 2-5, the detection results of each radar device 11-14, and the like. Various techniques for recognizing surrounding objects based on photographed data and detection results of a radar device have been proposed and put into practical use, and therefore description thereof will be omitted here.

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

By one or more of vehicle-to-vehicle communication, road-to-vehicle communication, and pedestrian-to-vehicle communication, for example, to prevent head-on collisions with oncoming vehicles, acquire oncoming vehicle information during normal driving (especially on curves) or when turning right, Acquire information on motorcycles on the left and behind to prevent motorcycles from getting caught when turning left, acquire information on vehicles on the side (rear side) when changing lanes, and acquire information on vehicles ahead to prevent or suppress rear-end collisions. It acquires vehicle information, acquires information on other vehicles traveling on the side of an intersection to prevent collisions at intersections, and acquires information on pedestrians to prevent collisions with pedestrians. can be

Information that can be used to realize autonomous driving functions also includes information on various road markings drawn directly on the road, such as lane markings (including parking markings), pedestrian crossings, and stop lines. The information on road signs includes the position and content of the road signs. Information about these road displays can be obtained based on the data captured by each of the cameras 2-6. Since various technologies for recognizing road signs from photographed data have been proposed and put into practical use, description thereof will be omitted here.

Information about road markings in the direction of travel can also be obtained through road-to-vehicle communication. Although the vehicle 1 of the present embodiment does not have such a laser radar, it is also possible to obtain information on various road signs.

In addition, information that can be used to realize automated driving functions includes information on traffic lights, railroad crossings, signs (including signboards), intersections, junctions/divisions, sidewalks, obstacles, dangerous areas, and other ground structures (hereinafter referred to as " (collectively referred to as “infrastructure-related information”). Infrastructure-related information includes not only the existence and position of various objects described above, but also the color information of traffic lights, the operating state of railroad crossings, and the display contents of signs and billboards. . Infrastructure-related information can also be recognized and acquired based on the data captured by each of the cameras 2-6, and can also be acquired through road-to-vehicle communication. Various infrastructure information can also be obtained from the already-described route guidance function based on GPS information, map data, and the like.

In addition, regulation information is also available as information that can be used to realize the automatic driving function. For example, when travel restrictions are imposed due to construction work, accidents, natural disasters, etc. in the direction of travel, the restriction information can be obtained through road-to-vehicle communication.

Various types of information necessary for realizing the automatic driving function (in this embodiment, realizing the seven types of automatic control functions described above), such as the above-mentioned information on surrounding objects, information on road displays, infrastructure-related information, and regulation information. Of these, in particular, information about the surroundings of the vehicle 1 corresponds to an example of the surrounding information of the present disclosure.

The automatic driving control device 30 acquires the various types of information described above, and controls the traveling drive control unit 46, the brake control unit 47, the steering control unit 48, and other necessary in-vehicle devices based on the information, thereby automatically 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, following distance control, lane change control, right/left turn control, collision prevention control, and parking control.

The automatic start/stop control is a control for automatically stopping the vehicle 1 when a condition for stopping is satisfied while the vehicle is running, and automatically starting the vehicle 1 when the condition for stopping is canceled after stopping. be. This control is carried out using information on surrounding objects obtained from each of the cameras 2 to 5 and each of the radar sensors 11 to 14, infrastructure-related information and regulation information obtained by road-to-vehicle communication, in addition to the own vehicle information. With this automatic start/stop control, for example, if the color of the traffic light is green at an intersection, etc., the vehicle is allowed to continue running, and if it is red or yellow, the vehicle is stopped. If the vehicle is recognized, the vehicle is stopped, and if the gate is not closed, the vehicle is temporarily stopped and then started again. In addition, it will automatically stop when it recognizes an obstacle in front of it.

The lane keeping control is a control configured to automatically steer the steered wheels so that the vehicle runs along the lane without deviating from the lane markings. This control is carried out in cooperation with the route guidance function by using information on road indications (especially vehicle lane markings) obtained from each of the cameras 2 to 5 and each of the radar sensors 11 to 14 in addition to the own vehicle information.

Inter-vehicle distance control controls speed to maintain a constant distance from other vehicles when another vehicle is traveling in front of the vehicle, and maintains the set vehicle speed when there is no other vehicle ahead. It is a control that makes it run. This control is carried out mainly using information about surrounding objects (especially forward vehicles) obtained from each of the cameras 2 to 5 and each of the radar sensors 11 to 14, in addition to the own vehicle information.

When lane change (steering for lane change) becomes necessary, lane change control detects other vehicles in the adjacent lane to change lanes, and controls other vehicles according to the presence, position, speed, etc. of other vehicles. It is a control that automatically changes lanes while controlling driving force, braking force and steering so as not to collide with. This control is obtained from vehicle information, information on surrounding objects (especially other vehicles in adjacent lanes) obtained from each of the cameras 2 to 5 and each of the radar sensors 11 to 14, information on vehicle lane markings, and vehicle-to-vehicle communication. This is done using information about other vehicles (vehicles traveling in adjacent lanes).

Right or left turn control is a control that automatically turns right or left without colliding with oncoming vehicles, vehicles traveling at intersections, other vehicles around the vehicle, pedestrians, etc. when a right or left turn is required. is. In addition to the own vehicle information, this control includes information on surrounding objects obtained from each of the cameras 2 to 5 and each of the radar sensors 11 to 14, information on other vehicles obtained by inter-vehicle communication, pedestrians obtained by inter-vehicle communication, etc. information, etc.

Collision prevention control is control that automatically steers or brakes/stops the vehicle so as not to collide with the obstacle when there is an obstacle on the road in the direction in which the vehicle is traveling. Information about surrounding objects obtained from each of the cameras 2 to 5 and each of the radar sensors 11 to 14, infrastructure-related information and regulation information obtained by road-to-vehicle communication are used.

In parking control, when a specific target parking position (for example, in a parking space of a specific parking lot) is set as a destination, the vehicle is driven along the calculated travel locus to the target parking position. It is a control that automatically parks by controlling the force, braking force, and steering.

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

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A, at level 1, control A (eg, lane keeping control) is executed. At level 2, in addition to control A, control B (eg 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 prevention control) is executed. At level 5, in addition to controls A, B, C, and D, control E (for example, lane change control) is executed. At level 6, in addition to controls A, B, C, D, and E, 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. In other words, the higher the level, the more types of automatic control functions are executed, and at level 7, fully automatic driving is achieved.

Level setting for each driving mode can be performed by operating a level setting operation unit 42 provided near the driver's seat for each driving mode. In this embodiment, the automatic driving level of the basic mode is set to level 0 by default, and the automatic driving level of the high automation mode is set to level 1 by default. The currently set automatic driving level can be arbitrarily changed for each driving mode. For example, if the basic mode is set to level 0, the advanced automation mode can be arbitrarily reconfigured between levels 1-7. Also, for example, if the basic mode is set to level 1, the advanced automation mode can be arbitrarily changed between levels 2-7. Also, for example, if the advanced automation mode is set to level 4, the basic mode can be arbitrarily changed between levels 0-3.

Note that which automatic control function is executed at which level is not limited to the contents illustrated in FIG. 3A. For example, it is not essential that the number of automatic control functions to be executed increases by one each time the level increases. You may decide suitably which automatic control function is performed at which level.

Also, as shown in FIG. 3A, on the premise that the number of automatic control functions to be executed increases by one each time the level increases, the contents of control A to control G are shown in FIG. 3B. may be arbitrarily set by the driver or the like.

The driving mode of the vehicle 1 of the present embodiment is set to the basic mode when the automatic driving switch 41 is turned off. On the other hand, when the automatic operation switch 41 is turned on, the operation mode becomes the highly automated mode under certain conditions. Note that when lane change control, right/left turn control, and parking control are set to be executed, it is necessary to set a destination (a target parking position in the case of parking control). Specifically, the route guidance function is activated, and the destination can be entered via the touch panel. When a destination is set, automatic driving basically follows the calculated route to the destination while confirming the position of the vehicle in cooperation with the route guidance function. .

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

Also, at least the vehicle 63 can receive the individual road information from at least the nearby road communication device 81c. Specifically, it is possible to acquire information such as that there is a stop sign 73 (that is, that the vehicle should stop) and that another vehicle 64 is approaching from the right side.

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

Also, at least the vehicle 62 can receive the individual road information from at least the nearby road communication device 81e. Specifically, information such as the information of the traffic light 72 in front, the presence of an oncoming vehicle 61 about to turn right, the presence of a pedestrian crossing in the direction of the left turn, and the presence of a pedestrian 76 at the crosswalk. can be obtained.

In addition, each vehicle 61-66 can obtain various information from each camera 2-6 and each radar device 11-14 provided therein, and various information can also be obtained by vehicle-to-vehicle communication and pedestrian-to-vehicle communication. can be done. For example, the vehicle 65 can detect a vehicle 67 in front and a vehicle 66 on the right side by means of a camera or a radar device. If necessary, the lane can be changed at an appropriate timing while considering the positional relationship with the vehicle 66 on the right side. In addition, the vehicle 65 can also detect the jumping out of the pedestrian 77 by a camera or a radar device. can be controlled.

As a result, each of the vehicles 61 to 66 automatically and appropriately travels the route to the destination while using various information such as various information obtained by the own vehicle and various information obtained from the road side. can be done. Specifically, each of the vehicles 61 to 66 automatically controls mainly the travel drive control unit 46, the brake control unit 47, and the steering control unit 48 so as to follow the travel route while allowing other vehicles, pedestrians, and other It can automatically travel appropriately so as not to come into contact with on-road structures and to obey traffic lights and traffic rules.

(4) Automatic driving level setting process Next, the automatic driving level setting process executed by the control unit 30a of the automatic driving control device 30 will be described with reference to FIG. The automatic driving level setting process of FIG. 5 switches the driving mode of the vehicle 1 to either the advanced automation mode or the basic mode, and determines whether or not automatic driving should be canceled when the automatic driving level is level 1 or higher. This is a process for forcibly setting the automatic driving level to level 0 when it is determined that the automatic driving level should be canceled.

When the control unit 30a is activated by turning on a power switch (for example, an ignition switch) of the vehicle 1, the control unit 30a reads the automatic driving level setting processing program of FIG. do.

When the automatic driving level setting process of FIG. 5 is started, the control unit 30a determines in S10 whether or not the automatic driving cancellation flag is set. The automatic driving cancellation flag is a flag that is set when it is determined that the automatic driving should be canceled, and specifically, it is set in S119 of FIG. 6, which will be described later.

If the automatic driving cancellation flag is set (S10: YES), the automatic driving level is set to level 0 in S70. That is, regardless of whether the driving mode is set to the advanced automation mode or the basic mode, the automatic driving level is forcibly set to level 0, and none of the above-mentioned seven types of automatic control functions are executed. Then, in S80, by performing a predetermined error notification, the occupant of the vehicle 1 is notified that the automatic driving has been forcibly canceled, and the automatic driving level setting process ends.

While this automatic driving cancellation flag is set, all 7 types of automatic control functions do not operate, so driving operations corresponding to the 7 types of automatic control functions (each automatic control function can be executed automatically) driving maneuvers) must be performed by the driver himself. Note that the automatic operation cancellation flag can be reset by pressing the cancellation reset switch 44 as described above.

If the automatic operation cancellation flag is not set in S10 (S10: NO), it is determined in S20 whether or not the emergency stop flag is set. The emergency stop flag is a flag that is set when it is determined that the vehicle 1 should be stopped urgently. Specifically, it is a flag that is set at S120 in FIG.

If the emergency stop flag is set (S20: YES), an emergency stop process is executed in S90. The emergency stop processing is processing for stopping the vehicle 1 as quickly as possible while maintaining safety. The specific processing contents of the emergency stop processing may be appropriately determined so that the vehicle can be stopped as quickly as possible while maintaining safety. For example, a process of decelerating the vehicle 1 and pulling it to the shoulder of the road to stop while monitoring with each camera and each radar device so as not to come into contact with objects outside the vehicle (including other vehicles and pedestrians). content can be considered.

In S20, if the emergency stop flag is not set (S20: NO), in S30, it is determined whether the automatic operation switch 41 is turned on. When the automatic operation switch 41 is turned on (S30: YES), in S40, the operation mode is set to the advanced automation mode, and the process proceeds to S60. When the automatic operation switch 41 is turned off (S30: NO), in S50, the operation mode is set to the basic mode, and the process proceeds to S60.

When the driving mode is set to the advanced automation mode in S40, the control unit 30a executes the automatic control function based on the automatic driving level set as the advanced automation mode in S55. For example, when level 6 is set as the advanced automation mode, six types of automatic control functions of controls A to F (see FIG. 3A) are executed. Further, 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 of controls A to G. Further, the execution of the automatic control function in S55 is performed based on the acquired various information while acquiring various information including the above-described surrounding information as necessary.

When the operation mode is set to the basic mode in S50, the controller 30a executes the automatic control function based on the automatic operation level set as the basic mode in S50. For example, when level 1 is set as the basic mode, the automatic control function of control A (see FIG. 3A) is executed. Execution of the automatic control function in this case is also performed based on the acquired various information while acquiring various information including the aforementioned ambient information as necessary. However, when level 0 is set as the basic mode, no automatic control functions are executed.

In S60, automatic operation cancellation confirmation processing is executed. There are mainly two purposes of this automatic driving cancellation confirmation process. First, when the automatic driving level is set to level 1 or higher, it is necessary to determine whether it is necessary to forcibly set the automatic driving level to level 0, and to forcibly set it to level 0. In some cases, it is to set the automatic operation cancellation flag. Another purpose is to determine whether or not the vehicle 1 needs to be stopped in an emergency when the automatic driving level is set to level 1 or higher, and set an emergency stop flag if it is necessary to make an emergency stop. is to set.

The details of the automatic driving cancellation confirmation process in S60 are as shown in FIG. When proceeding to the automatic driving cancellation confirmation process of S60, the control unit 30a determines whether or not the automatic driving level set in the current driving mode is level 1 or higher in S111, as shown in FIG. If the automatic driving level is not equal to or higher than level 1 (that is, level 0) (S111: NO), the automatic driving cancellation confirmation process of FIG. 6 is terminated, thereby ending the automatic driving level setting process of FIG.

When the automatic driving level set in the current driving mode is 1 or higher (S111: YES), in S112, system monitoring processing is executed. In the system monitoring process of S112, the operating state of the vehicle 1 (including the execution state of the automatic control function) is monitored, and a predetermined event (cancellation required event) occurs to forcibly switch the automatic driving level to level 0. This is a process for determining whether or not Details of the system monitoring process of S112 will be described later using FIG.

In S113, inside/outside behavior monitoring processing is executed. The inside/outside behavior monitoring process of S113 should monitor the behavior of vehicle occupants in the cabin of the vehicle 1, the behavior of pedestrians and other vehicles outside the vehicle 1, and forcibly switch the automatic driving level to level 0. This is a process for determining whether or not a cancellation-required event has occurred. The details of the inside/outside behavior monitoring process of S113 will be described in detail later with reference to FIG.

At S114, environment monitoring processing is executed. The environment monitoring process of S114 is a process for monitoring the environment around the vehicle 1 and determining whether or not an event requiring cancellation to forcibly switch the automatic driving level to level 0 has occurred. Details of the environment monitoring process in S114 will be described later with reference to FIG.

In S115, self-diagnostic processing is executed. The self-diagnostic process of S115 is a process for self-diagnosing whether or not the execution state of the automatic control function by the control unit 30a itself is normal by comparing with past execution results. Details of the self-diagnostic processing in S115 will be described later using FIG. 10B.

In S116, as a result of each process of S112 to S115, it is determined whether or not it is determined that an event requiring release has occurred in any one of the processes. If it is not determined at all that an event requiring cancellation has occurred (S116: NO), the automatic operation cancellation confirmation process of FIG. 6 ends. If it is determined that an event requiring cancellation has occurred in any one of the processes of S112 to S115 (S116: YES), in S117, the occupant of the vehicle 1 is notified of the cancellation of automatic driving. . This notification is for giving advance notice to the occupant to that effect in order to cancel the automatic operation based on the occurrence of an event requiring cancellation for canceling the automatic operation. This notification may be made by various methods capable of making the occupant of the vehicle 1 recognize that the cancellation-required event has occurred and the automatic driving should be canceled. Specific notification methods include, for example, generating a predetermined voice message, visually transmitting a message to the occupant using the display unit 37, and vibrating the seat. You may

In S118, it is determined whether the automatic driving can be canceled. In other words, this judgment is based on whether or not the driver himself/herself can perform the driving operation that had been performed automatically until then due to the cancellation of automatic driving. This is a process for determining whether or not The basis for determining whether automatic driving can be canceled may be determined as appropriate. For example, based on the driver's state and behavior, the determination may be made based on whether or not the driver has performed a specific release permitting operation. The release permission operation is an operation that indicates that the driver is in a state where he/she can perform the driving operation by himself/herself. The disengagement permission operation also includes a stationary state in which the driver is stationary in a particular state. As the release permission operation, for example, the driver grips the steering wheel 10 with at least one hand, the driver grips the steering wheel 10 with both hands, the driver's eyes are open, and the driver's line of sight is At least one of a plurality of actions and states, such as that the vehicle is facing forward and that the driver's behavior is normal (for example, a state in which a positive determination is made in the determination process of S204 described later) is set. good too. The control unit 30a may determine whether or not the release permission operation is being performed based on the image data of the indoor camera 6, for example.

When it is determined that automatic operation can be canceled (S118: YES), an automatic operation cancellation flag is set in S119. As a result, when the determination process of S10 of FIG. 5 is executed next, the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to S70, and the automatic driving level is forcibly set to level 0.

If it is determined in S118 that the automatic operation cannot be canceled (S118: NO), an emergency stop flag is set in S120. As a result, when the determination process of S20 of FIG. 5 is executed next time, the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to S90, and the emergency stop process is executed.

Next, the system monitoring process of S112 in the automatic operation cancellation confirmation process of FIG. 6 will be specifically described using FIG. After proceeding to the system monitoring process of S112, as shown in FIG. 7, it is determined whether or not the distance to the other vehicle is normal in S161. The distance to other vehicles can be detected based on the results of detection of other vehicles around the own vehicle by the cameras 2-5 and the radar devices 11-14. Moreover, it can also be detected based on the position information of the other vehicle and the position information of the own vehicle acquired through inter-vehicle communication.

Whether or not the distance to the other vehicle is normal may be determined, for example, by setting a distance threshold and judging that the distance to the other vehicle is normal when the distance to the other vehicle is equal to or greater than the threshold. In this case, the threshold may be set individually according to the position of the other vehicle relative to the own vehicle (for example, whether it is in front of, behind, or to the side of the own vehicle). Of course, a method other than the above example may be used to determine whether or not the distance to the other vehicle is normal.

If the distance to the other vehicle is not normal (S161: NO), proceed to S169. If the distance to another vehicle is not normal, the risk of colliding with another vehicle increases. A possible cause of this is that the automatic control function is not operating normally. Therefore, if the distance to the other vehicle is not normal, it is determined in S169 that an event requiring cancellation has occurred in order to forcibly cancel the automatic operation and leave the driving operation of the vehicle 1 to the driver himself/herself. In other words, the fact that the distance to another vehicle is not normal is one of the cancellation-required events.

If the distance to the other vehicle is normal (S161: YES), it is determined in S162 whether the relative speed to the other vehicle is normal. Similar to the distance to the other vehicle, the relative speed to the other vehicle can also be detected based on the results of detection of other vehicles around the own vehicle by the cameras 2-5 and the radar devices 11-14.

Whether or not the relative speed to the other vehicle is normal may be determined, for example, by setting a threshold for the relative speed, and judging that the relative speed to the other vehicle is normal when the speed is equal to or less than the threshold. . In this case, the threshold may be set individually according to the position of the other vehicle relative to the own vehicle (for example, whether it is in front of, behind, or to the side of the own vehicle). Of course, a method other than the above example may be used to determine whether or not the relative speed with respect to the other vehicle is normal.

If the relative speed to the other vehicle is not normal (S162: NO), proceed to S169. If the relative speed with the other vehicle is not normal, there is a possibility of colliding with the other vehicle. There is also the possibility that the vehicle does not follow the flow of traffic around it. A possible cause of this is that the automatic control function is not operating normally. Therefore, if the relative speed to the other vehicle is not normal, it is determined in S169 that an event requiring cancellation has occurred in order to forcibly cancel the automatic operation and leave the driving operation of the vehicle 1 to the driver himself/herself. In other words, the fact that the relative speed with respect to another vehicle is not normal is one of the cancellation-required events.

If the relative speed to the other vehicle is normal (S162: YES), it is determined in S163 whether the behavior of the suspension is normal. Suspension behavior can be detected based on the detection result of the suspension sensor 25 .

Whether or not the behavior of the suspension is normal may be determined, for example, by setting a threshold for the amount of expansion/contraction of the suspension, and determining that the behavior is normal when the amount of expansion/contraction is equal to or less than the threshold. Further, for example, a threshold may be set for the rate of change in the amount of expansion/contraction, and it may be determined that the rate of change in the amount of expansion/contraction is normal when the rate of change in the amount of expansion/contraction is equal to or less than the threshold. When a plurality of suspension sensors 25 are provided, it may be determined as appropriate how to comprehensively determine based on the detection results from the plurality of suspension sensors 25 . For example, if the expansion/contraction amount of even one of the plurality of suspension sensors 25 exceeds a threshold value, it may be determined that the behavior of the suspension is abnormal.

If the behavior of the suspension is not normal (S163: NO), proceed to S169. If the behavior of the suspension is not normal, it is possible that the automatic control function is not working properly. That is, if the automatic control function does not operate normally, unstable behavior such as sudden start, sudden stop, and sudden turn may occur, which may cause the suspension to expand and contract greatly. Therefore, if the behavior of the suspension is not normal, it is determined in S169 that an event requiring cancellation has occurred in order to forcibly cancel the automatic operation and leave the driving operation of the vehicle 1 to the driver himself/herself. In other words, an abnormal behavior of the suspension is one of the release-required events.

If the behavior of the suspension is normal (S163: YES), it is determined in S164 whether the engine room is normal. Specifically, it is determined whether or not the engine room is in a state where the temperature in the engine room is normal and abnormal noise is not occurring. The temperature in the engine room can be detected based on the detection result of the engine room temperature sensor 22 , and the sound generated from the engine room can be detected based on the detection result of the engine room sound sensor 23 .

To determine whether the engine room is normal or not, for example, a temperature threshold is set for the temperature in the engine room, a sound volume threshold is set for the sound in the engine room, and the temperature in the engine room is the temperature. It may be determined to be normal when the volume is equal to or less than the threshold and the sound in the engine room is equal to or less than the volume threshold. The sound quality of the sound in the engine room may be analyzed, and if a sound quality equivalent to the sound quality that may occur when an abnormality occurs is detected, it may be determined that the engine room is abnormal.

If the engine room is not normal (S164: NO), proceed to S169. If the engine room is not normal, the cause may be that the automatic control function is not working properly. That is, since the automatic control function does not operate normally, the automatic driving control device 30 cannot normally control the travel drive control unit 46, and as a result, the travel drive control unit 46 cannot normally control the engine, the transmission, etc. It is possible that Therefore, if the engine room is not normal, it is determined in S169 that an event requiring cancellation has occurred in order to forcibly cancel the automatic operation and leave the driving operation of the vehicle 1 to the driver himself/herself. In other words, the fact that the engine room is not normal is one of the cancellation-required events.

If the engine room is normal (S164: YES), it is determined in S165 whether an abnormal current is occurring. The abnormal current here means the above-mentioned overcurrent (for example, an excessive current that can occur at the time of a lightning strike). A determination as to whether an abnormal current is occurring can be made based on the detection result of the current sensor 19 . For example, a threshold may be set for the current to be detected, and if the detected current is equal to or higher than the threshold, it may be determined that an abnormal current has occurred.

If an abnormal current is occurring (S165: YES), the process proceeds to S169. If an abnormal current occurs, there is a possibility that the automatic control function will not operate normally due to the abnormal current. Therefore, when an abnormal current occurs, it is determined in S169 that an event requiring cancellation has occurred in order to forcibly cancel the automatic operation and leave the driving operation of the vehicle 1 to the driver himself/herself. In other words, the occurrence of an abnormal current due to various factors such as a lightning strike is one of events requiring release.

If no abnormal current has occurred (S165: NO), it is determined in S166 whether or not the tire is punctured. Whether or not the tire is punctured can be detected based on the detection result of the tire pressure sensor 24 .

Determining whether or not a tire has punctured is, for example, by setting a threshold for the air pressure, and if the air pressure of any one of the four tires is below the threshold, a puncture has occurred. You may make it judge.

If puncture occurs (S166: YES), the process proceeds to S169. If a puncture has occurred, there is a possibility that the puncture will prevent the vehicle 1 from being normally controlled by the automatic control function. Therefore, if a puncture has occurred, it is determined in S169 that an event requiring cancellation has occurred in order to forcibly cancel the automatic operation and leave the driving operation of the vehicle 1 to the driver himself/herself. In other words, the occurrence of a punctured tire is one of the cancellation-required events.

If the tire is not punctured (S166: NO), it is determined in S167 whether or not a slip has occurred. Whether or not a slip has occurred can be detected based on the detection result of the wheel speed sensor 18 for each wheel. For example, the detection results of each wheel speed sensor 18 may be compared, and if the difference between the highest wheel speed and the lowest wheel speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, it may be determined that a slip has occurred.

If a slip has occurred (S167: YES), the process proceeds to S169. When a slip occurs, there is a possibility that the vehicle 1 cannot be normally controlled by the automatic control function due to the slip. Therefore, when a slip occurs, it is determined in S169 that an event requiring cancellation has occurred in order to forcibly cancel the automatic operation and leave the driving operation of the vehicle 1 to the driver himself/herself. In other words, occurrence of a slip is one of the release-required events.

If no slip has occurred (S167: NO), it is determined in S168 whether or not the steering state is normal. The steering state can be detected based on the detection result of the steering amount sensor 20 . Whether or not the steering state is normal may be determined by, for example, setting a threshold for the steering amount with reference to the neutral position, and judging that the steering amount is normal when the steering amount from the neutral position is equal to or less than the threshold. good. Further, for example, a threshold may be set for the rate of change in the steering amount, and it may be determined that the steering amount is normal when the rate of change in the steering amount is equal to or less than the threshold.

If the steering state is not normal (S163: NO), the process proceeds to S169. If the steering state is not normal, it is possible that the automatic control function is not operating normally. Therefore, if the steering state is not normal, it is determined in S169 that an event requiring cancellation has occurred in order to forcibly cancel the automatic operation and leave the driving operation of the vehicle 1 to the driver himself/herself. In other words, an abnormal steering condition is one of the release-required events.

If the steering state is normal (S168: YES), the system monitoring process of FIG. 7 (that is, the process of S112 of FIG. 6) ends.
Next, the inside/outside behavior monitoring process of S113 in the automatic driving cancellation confirmation process of FIG. 6 will be specifically described using FIG. When proceeding to the inside/outside behavior monitoring process of S113, as shown in FIG. 8, in S201, it is determined whether or not contact with a specific contact portion inside the vehicle by the passenger of the vehicle 1 has been detected. The presence or absence of contact with the vehicle interior specific contact portion can be determined based on the detection result of the vehicle interior contact sensor 21 .

If contact with the in-vehicle specific contact portion is detected (S201: YES), the process proceeds to S210. In the vehicle 1 of the present embodiment, the instruction manual states that if you feel that the operating state of the automatic control function is abnormal or you feel uneasy, you should either touch a specific contact point in the vehicle or operate the emergency stop lever 43. It is explained that automatic driving can be forcibly canceled with Therefore, it can be determined that the occupant of the vehicle 1 has expressed his/her intention to forcibly cancel the automatic driving when the contact with the specific contact portion in the vehicle is detected.

Therefore, when contact with a specific contact portion inside the vehicle is detected, it is determined in S210 that an event requiring cancellation has occurred in order to forcibly cancel the automatic operation and leave the driving operation of the vehicle 1 to the driver himself/herself. In other words, the detection of contact with a specific contact portion inside the vehicle is one of the cancellation-required events.

If contact with the in-vehicle specific contact portion is not detected (S201: NO), it is determined in S202 whether or not the emergency stop lever 43 has been operated. If the emergency stop lever 43 has been operated (S202: YES), the process proceeds to S210. When the emergency stop lever 43 is operated, it can be determined that the occupant of the vehicle 1 has expressed his/her intention to forcibly cancel the automatic driving.

Therefore, when the emergency stop lever 43 is operated, it is determined in S210 that an event requiring cancellation has occurred in order to forcibly cancel the automatic operation and leave the driving operation of the vehicle 1 to the driver himself/herself. In other words, the operation of the emergency stop lever 43 is one of the cancellation-required events.

If the emergency stop lever 43 has not been operated (S202: NO), it is determined in S203 whether or not an external impact has been detected. The impact from the outside mentioned here includes, as described above, a large impact such as a collision with another vehicle and a small impact such as an external person hitting the vehicle 1 such as a pedestrian.

Whether or not there is an external impact can be determined based on the detection result of the impact sensor 27 . If an external impact is detected (S203: YES), the process proceeds to S210. The fact that an external impact has been detected means that the vehicle 1 may be damaged and cannot run normally. In addition, when the automatic control function of the vehicle 1 does not operate normally and the vehicle 1 behaves abnormally, or when a person outside the vehicle notices that an accident has occurred in the driver of the vehicle 1, the person outside the vehicle may It is also conceivable that the vehicle 1 is hit to alert the occupants of the vehicle 1 .

Therefore, when an external impact is detected, it is determined in S210 that an event requiring cancellation has occurred in order to forcibly cancel the automatic operation and leave the driving operation of the vehicle 1 to the driver himself/herself. In other words, the detection of an external impact is one of the release-required events.

If no external impact is detected (S203: NO), it is determined in S204 whether or not the driver's behavior is normal. The behavior of the driver can be recognized by analyzing the photographed data of the indoor camera 6 . For example, if the driver continues to look aside for a certain period of time, or if the driver's eyes are closed for a certain amount of time or longer, or if the driver shows surprise, worry, or fear, the driver's behavior is abnormal. can be determined to be Of course, it may be determined whether or not the driver's behavior is normal based on other determination criteria.

If it is determined that the driver's behavior is not normal (S204: YES), the process proceeds to S210. If the driver's behavior is determined to be abnormal, it is conceivable that there is a possibility that an accident has occurred in the driver, or that the automatic control function of the vehicle 1 is no longer operating normally.

Therefore, if it is determined that the behavior of the driver is not normal, either the automatic driving is forcibly canceled and the driver himself/herself is allowed to drive the vehicle 1, or the vehicle 1 is brought to an emergency stop in S210. determine that has occurred. In other words, the determination that the driver's behavior is not normal is one of the release-required events.

If it is determined that the behavior of the driver is normal (S204: NO), it is determined in S205 whether or not the pedestrian is looking at the vehicle. Whether or not the line of sight is directed by the pedestrian can be determined by analyzing the photographed data of each of the cameras 2 to 5, as described above.

If pedestrians are directing their line of sight (S205: YES), in S208, it is determined whether or not a predetermined number of pedestrians or more are directing their line of sight toward the vehicle (i.e., whether or not the degree of pedestrian attention is high). or) to judge. If the number of pedestrians looking at the own vehicle is less than the predetermined number (that is, if the degree of attention is not high) (S208: NO), the process proceeds to S209.

In S209, it is determined whether or not the behavior of the pedestrian looking at the vehicle is normal. The criteria for judging whether or not the behavior of the pedestrian looking at the vehicle is normal may be determined as appropriate. For example, when the pedestrian has a specific facial expression or action such as surprise, worry, or fear, it may be determined that the pedestrian's behavior is abnormal.

If it is determined in S208 that a predetermined number or more of pedestrians are directing their gazes toward the vehicle (S208: YES), and if it is determined that the behavior of the pedestrians directing their gazes toward the vehicle is not normal in S209. If so (S209: NO), proceed to S210.

The fact that many pedestrians' eyes are focused on the own vehicle means that the automatic control function of the vehicle 1 does not operate normally, causing the vehicle 1 to behave abnormally, or that the driver of the vehicle 1 has an accident. It is possible that Even if the number of pedestrians looking at the vehicle is small, if the behavior of the pedestrians is abnormal, the automatic control function of the vehicle 1 will not operate normally and the vehicle 1 will behave abnormally. or the driver of the vehicle 1 may have an accident.

Therefore, when the gazes of many pedestrians are concentrated, or when the behavior of the pedestrians directing their gazes is abnormal, the automatic driving is forcibly canceled and the driver himself/herself is left to drive the vehicle 1. Alternatively, in order to bring the vehicle 1 to an emergency stop, it is determined in S210 that an event requiring cancellation has occurred. In other words, the fact that the gazes of many pedestrians are concentrated and the behavior of the pedestrians directing their gazes is abnormal are both events requiring cancellation.

If the pedestrian's line of sight is not directed to the own vehicle (S205: NO), and if the pedestrian's line of sight is directed but the number is small and the behavior of the pedestrian is normal ( S209: YES), proceed to S206.

In S206, it is determined whether or not another vehicle (mainly an oncoming vehicle or a vehicle behind) has passed. Whether or not the vehicle has been passed by another vehicle can be determined mainly by analyzing the photographed data of the front camera 2 and the rear camera 3 . If the vehicle has been passed by another vehicle (S206: YES), proceed to S210.

Being passed by another vehicle means that the automatic control function of the vehicle 1 does not operate normally, causing the vehicle 1 to behave abnormally, and the driver of the other vehicle notices the abnormal behavior and alerts the driver. It is possible that they did. Therefore, if the vehicle is passed by another vehicle, it is determined in S210 that an event requiring cancellation has occurred in order to forcibly cancel the automatic operation and leave the driving operation of the vehicle 1 to the driver himself or to bring the vehicle 1 to an emergency stop. do. In other words, being passed by another vehicle is one of the cancellation-required events.

If the vehicle is not being passed by another vehicle (S206: NO), it is determined in S207 whether or not another vehicle has honked its horn. Whether or not another vehicle honked its horn can be determined mainly based on the detection result of the vehicle exterior sound sensor 26 . If the horn is sounded by another vehicle (S207: YES), the process proceeds to S210.

The fact that another vehicle honked the horn indicates that the automatic control function of the vehicle 1 did not operate normally and that the vehicle 1 was behaving abnormally, and the driver of the other vehicle noticed the abnormal behavior and called attention. It is conceivable that the Therefore, when another vehicle honks the horn, either the automatic driving is forcibly canceled and the driver himself/herself is allowed to drive the vehicle 1, or the vehicle 1 is brought to an emergency stop in S210. I judge. In other words, being honked by another vehicle is one of the cancellation-required events.

Next, the environment monitoring process of S114 in the automatic operation cancellation confirmation process of FIG. 6 will be specifically described using FIG. When proceeding to the environment monitoring process of S114, as shown in FIG. 9, it is determined in S251 whether the weather around the vehicle 1 is in a heavy rain state. The determination as to whether or not the heavy rain state is occurring can be made based on the detection signal from the rainfall sensor 17, for example, by setting a threshold for the amount of detection and comparing with the threshold. Of course, other methods may be used to determine whether the rain is heavy. For example, it may be determined by analyzing the amount of rainfall from the photographed data of each of the cameras 2-5.

If it is determined that it is raining heavily (S251: YES), the process proceeds to S256. If it is not determined to be heavy rain (S251: NO), the process proceeds to S252.
In S252, it is determined whether the weather around the vehicle 1 is in a heavy snow state. The determination as to whether or not there is a heavy snow condition may be made, for example, by analyzing the amount of snowfall from the photographed data of each of the cameras 2-5. Of course, other methods may be used to determine whether the snow is heavy.

If it is determined that it is in a heavy snow state (S252: YES), the process proceeds to S256. If it is not determined to be heavy snow (S252: NO), the process proceeds to S253.
In S253, it is determined whether or not the surroundings of the vehicle 1 are in a dense fog state. Whether the fog state is present or not may be determined by analyzing the state of fog generation based on the photographed data of the cameras 2 to 5, for example, in the same manner as the heavy snow state determination method. Of course, other methods may be used to determine whether the fog state is present or not.

If it is determined to be in a dense fog state (S253: YES), the process proceeds to S256. If it is not determined to be in a dense fog state (S253: NO), the process proceeds to S254.
If it is judged to be heavy rain, heavy snow, or dense fog (hereinafter collectively referred to as "bad weather"), visibility in front of the vehicle is poor and automatic control functions are normal. may not work properly. Therefore, in the case of bad weather, it is determined in S256 that an event requiring cancellation has occurred in order to forcibly cancel the automatic operation and leave the driving operation of the vehicle 1 to the driver himself/herself. In other words, bad weather is one of the cancellation-required events.

In S254, it is determined whether or not the vehicle 1 is traveling in a caution section. As described above, the caution section in the present embodiment includes at least accident-prone areas, school zones, and areas where animals are likely to appear. Whether or not the vehicle is traveling in a caution section can be determined based on section information obtained through road-to-vehicle communication. Alternatively, if the photographed data of the front camera 2 includes a signboard or a road sign indicating a section requiring caution, determination can be made based on that.

If it is determined that the vehicle 1 is traveling in the caution section (S254: YES), the process proceeds to S256. When the vehicle 1 is traveling in a caution zone, it may be preferable for the driver to drive while paying attention to the direction of travel rather than relying on the automatic control function. Therefore, when the vehicle 1 is traveling in a section requiring caution, it is determined in S256 that an event requiring cancellation has occurred in order to forcibly cancel the automatic operation and leave the driving operation of the vehicle 1 to the driver himself/herself. In other words, the fact that the vehicle 1 is traveling in the caution section is one of the release-required events.

If the vehicle 1 is not traveling in the caution section (S254: NO), the process proceeds to S255. In S255, it is determined whether or not the average value of the automatic driving levels of the surrounding other vehicles (hereinafter referred to as "average surrounding level") is equal to or lower than a predetermined level (for example, level 1 or lower). If the ambient average level is higher than the predetermined level (S255: NO), the environment monitoring process is terminated. On the other hand, if the ambient average level is equal to or lower than the predetermined level (S255: YES), the process proceeds to S256.

The surrounding average level can be derived by obtaining the automatic driving levels set in each of the other vehicles traveling around the vehicle, and averaging the obtained automatic driving levels. The automated driving levels of other vehicles around the own vehicle can be obtained directly through vehicle-to-vehicle communication or indirectly through road-to-vehicle communication.

If the surrounding average level is equal to or lower than the predetermined level, it means that many of the other vehicles in the surrounding area are keeping their automated driving levels low. In other words, it can be said that there is a high possibility that many drivers of other vehicles are driving by their own driving operations without relying on the automatic control function. The fact that many of the drivers around me are driving without relying on automatic control functions means that for some reason I am driving in an area where it is preferable for the driver to drive by himself rather than relying on automated driving. Something is possible.

Therefore, if the ambient average level is equal to or less than a predetermined level, it is determined in S256 that an event requiring cancellation has occurred in order to forcibly cancel the automatic operation and leave the driving operation of the vehicle 1 to the driver himself/herself. In other words, the fact that the ambient average level is equal to or lower than the predetermined level is one of the cancellation-required events.

Next, the self-diagnostic process of S115 in the automatic driving cancellation confirmation process of FIG. 6 will be described. Before describing the self-diagnostic process, first, the travel history recording process shown in FIG. 10A will be described.

In the travel history recording process of FIG. 10A, various specific control actions (however, control actions automatically performed in the automatic control function) performed while the vehicle 1 is traveling are associated with positions at which the specific control actions are performed. This process is stored as a history. The type and number of specific control operations to be stored as history may be determined as appropriate. For example, an action of pausing while driving, an action of decelerating even though there is no other vehicle in front, or the like may be determined as the specific control action.

If the automatic control function operates normally, the vehicle 1 should be automatically stopped at a place where there is a stop road sign or stop line. Also, when approaching a pedestrian crossing, the driver should slow down for safety even if there is no vehicle ahead. On the other hand, if the automatic control function does not work properly, it is possible for the vehicle to pass through a stop sign without stopping, or to pass through a pedestrian crossing without decelerating. have a nature. In other words, if the automatic control function is not working properly, the vehicle may run differently than before even if the vehicle travels in the same place that it has traveled before.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the past travel history is stored in association with the position, and when the next time the same place is traveled, the past motion state is compared with the past motion state, and if the travel motion differs from the past (for example, In the case where the vehicle temporarily stopped in the past but passed through this time), it is determined that the automatic control function is not operating normally and that the automatic operation should be canceled.

When starting the operation, the control unit 30a executes the driving history recording process of FIG. 10A in parallel with the automatic driving level setting process of FIG. When starting the travel history recording process of FIG. 10A, the control unit 30a determines in S301 whether or not the vehicle 1 has traveled a certain distance. The determination in S301 is continued until the vehicle travels a certain distance. If the fixed distance has been traveled (S301: YES), the process proceeds to S302.

In S302, the specific control action performed in the traveling section of the fixed distance is stored as specific control information together with the position information where the specific control action was performed. If the specific control action at the same position has already been stored, the stored content is updated. After storing the specific control information performed in the certain distance traveling section, the process returns to S301. In this manner, each time the vehicle travels a certain distance, the specific control information is stored for the section of the certain distance.

Next, the self-diagnostic process of S115 in FIG. 6 will be described using FIG. 10B. After proceeding to the self-diagnostic process of S115, as shown in FIG. 10B, it is determined in S351 whether or not the current travel position has been traveled in the past. This determination can be made by comparing the current position based on the GPS information and the position information linked to the specific control information stored in the memory 30b.

If the current travel position is not associated with any of the specific control information stored in the memory 30b, it is assumed that the current travel position has never been traveled (S351: NO), End the self-diagnostic process. If the current running position matches or is close to the position information linked to any of the specific control information stored in the memory 30b, the current running position has traveled in the past. It is determined that there is (S351: YES), and the process proceeds to S352.

In S352, the past specific control information corresponding to the current travel position is read from the memory 30b. That is, it is checked whether or not what kind of specific control operation was performed in the past at the place where the vehicle is currently traveling. In S353, it is determined whether or not the current running state is different from the past. More specifically, it is determined whether or not the specific control operation executed in the past at the same place was also executed this time. If the vehicle is traveling differently from the past, that is, if the specific control operation that was performed in the same place in the past was not performed this time (S353: YES), the process proceeds to S354, and it is determined that an event requiring cancellation has occurred. If the vehicle has not traveled differently from the past, that is, if the specific control operation that was performed in the same place in the past was also performed this time (S353: NO), the self-diagnostic process ends.

(5) Effect of the First Embodiment According to the vehicle 1 of the present embodiment described above, automatic driving is canceled when the automatic driving level is level 1 or higher (that is, when the automatic control function is operating). It is determined whether or not an event requiring cancellation has occurred (S112 to S115 in FIG. 6). Then, when an event requiring release occurs, the automatic driving level is forcibly set to level 0. In other words, when the release-required event occurs, all the operations of the automatic control functions are stopped regardless of the set state of the driving mode, and the driving operation of the vehicle 1 is left to the driver.

Therefore, when the release-requiring event occurs, the vehicle 1 can be driven by the driver's own driving operation. As a result, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of unstable operation of the vehicle 1 due to malfunction of the automatic control function or the like.

Further, in the present embodiment, a large number of events that can be considered as cancellation-required events are assumed, and determination is made for each event.
Specifically, as shown in S161 of FIG. 7, the distance to the other vehicle is determined, and when the distance to the other vehicle is not normal, the automatic driving is forcibly canceled. Therefore, even if the vehicle 1 is about to collide with another vehicle due to a malfunction of the automatic control function or the like, it is possible for the driver to avoid the collision by his own driving operation.

Also, as shown in S162 of FIG. 7, the relative speed with respect to the other vehicle is determined, and when the relative speed with respect to the other vehicle is not normal, the automatic operation is forcibly canceled. Therefore, even if the vehicle 1 is about to collide with another vehicle due to a malfunction of the automatic control function or the like, it is possible for the driver to avoid the collision by his own driving operation. In addition, even if the running speed of the vehicle 1 is different from the speed of many surrounding vehicles due to malfunction of the automatic control function, etc., and does not follow the flow of surrounding traffic, the driver himself/herself can control this. It is possible to avoid.

Also, as shown in S163 of FIG. 7, the behavior of the suspension is determined, and if the behavior is not normal, the automatic operation is forcibly canceled. Therefore, even if the vehicle 1 behaves abnormally due to a malfunction of the automatic control function or the like, it is possible for the driver to avoid the behavior through his/her own driving operation.

In addition, as shown in S164 in FIG. 7, the state of the engine room (temperature and sound) is determined, and if it is not normal, the automatic operation is forcibly canceled. Therefore, even if an abnormality occurs in the engine room due to a malfunction of the automatic control function or the like, it is possible for the driver to minimize the effect of the abnormality through the driver's own driving operation.

Further, as shown in S165 of FIG. 7, automatic operation is forcibly canceled when an abnormal current occurs in the electrical wiring (however, the electrical wiring provided with the current sensor 19) in the vehicle 1. Therefore, even if an excessive current flows due to a lightning strike or the like, it is possible to prevent the automatic control function from malfunctioning and the running state of the vehicle 1 from becoming unstable.

Further, as shown in S166 and S167 in FIG. 7, automatic operation is forcibly canceled when a tire is punctured or a slip occurs. Therefore, when the reliability of the automatic control function is lowered due to a punctured or slipped tire, the driver himself/herself appropriately operates the vehicle 1 (for example, slows down the vehicle to a stop or slips). It is possible to smoothly return from the state).

Further, as shown in S168 of FIG. 7, when the steering state of the steered wheels is not normal, the automatic driving is forcibly canceled. Therefore, even if the steered wheels of the vehicle 1 behave abnormally due to a malfunction of the automatic control function or the like, it is possible for the driver to avoid this behavior by his/her own driving operation.

In addition, as shown in S201 and S202 in FIG. 8, automatic operation is forcibly canceled when an occupant's contact with a specific contact portion inside the vehicle is detected, and when an emergency stop lever is operated by the occupant. I'm trying Therefore, when a situation arises in which the driver wants to cancel the automatic driving, such as when the behavior of the vehicle 1 becomes unstable, the driver can quickly cancel the automatic driving on his/her own will.

Further, as shown in S203 of FIG. 8, automatic operation is forcibly canceled when an external impact is detected. Therefore, even if there is a risk that the automatic control function will not operate normally due to an external impact, the vehicle 1 can be operated appropriately by the driver's own driving operation.

In addition, as shown in S204 of FIG. 8, when the behavior of the driver is not normal (for example, when the driver has a surprised or fearful expression), the automatic driving is forcibly canceled. Therefore, even if the running state of the vehicle 1 becomes unstable to the extent that the driver expresses surprise or fear due to a malfunction of the automatic control function, etc., the driver can quickly avoid this by the driver's own driving operation. becomes possible.

In addition, as shown in S205, S206, and S207 in FIG. 8, the gaze of pedestrians is gathered, and the pedestrians looking at the own vehicle behave abnormally (for example, they point at the own vehicle and show a surprised expression). ), and if another vehicle honks or is passed by another vehicle, the automatic driving is forcibly canceled. This is because there is a possibility that the driving condition of the own vehicle has become unstable when pedestrians or other vehicles take some kind of action against the own vehicle. This is because malfunction or the like may occur.

In addition, as shown in S251 to S253 in FIG. 9, automatic operation is forcibly canceled in bad weather such as heavy rain, heavy snow, and dense fog. Therefore, even if the automatic control function does not operate normally due to bad weather and there is a possibility that the running of the vehicle 1 becomes unstable, automatic driving is forcibly canceled so that the vehicle 1 can be controlled appropriately by the driver's own driving operation. It is possible to run to

In addition, as shown in S254 in FIG. 9, automatic operation is forcibly canceled when the vehicle 1 is traveling in a section requiring caution. As a result, it is possible for the driver to drive the vehicle properly through the caution section without relying on the automatic control function.

Further, as shown in FIG. 10B, when the vehicle travels again in a place where it has traveled in the past, if the specific control operation performed in the past is not performed this time, the automatic control function normally operates. It is assumed that it is not, and the automatic driving is forcibly canceled. Therefore, problems that may occur due to malfunction of the automatic control function can be prevented.

In addition, in the present embodiment, when a cancellation-required event occurs, the occupant is notified that the automatic operation will be canceled instead of unconditionally canceling the automatic operation (S117 in FIG. 6). Then, when it is confirmed that the automatic operation can be canceled, such as when there is a predetermined reaction from the passenger (YES in S118 of FIG. 6), the automatic operation is canceled. Therefore, it is possible to smoothly and appropriately cancel the automatic driving and lead to the driving operation by the driver.

On the other hand, even if the occupant is notified that the automatic driving will be canceled, if the occupant does not respond in a predetermined manner (NO in S118), the vehicle 1 is automatically brought to an emergency stop. Therefore, when the driver falls asleep or faints, for example, and it becomes difficult for the driver to drive the vehicle 1, the vehicle 1 is quickly and appropriately stopped to prevent an unexpected situation from occurring. can be suppressed.

Note that the control unit 30a corresponds to an example of an ambient information acquisition unit, an operation mode setting unit, an automatic control unit, a release event determination unit, a notification unit, and a release permission determination unit. Moreover, the processing of S40 and S50 in FIG. 5 corresponds to an example of the processing of the operation mode setting unit. Also, the process of S55 in FIG. 5 corresponds to an example of the process of the ambient information acquisition unit. Also, the processing of S55 in FIG. 5 and S118 to S120 in FIG. 6 corresponds to an example of the processing of the automatic control unit. Further, the process of S120 in FIG. 6 corresponds to an example of the automatic stop process, among the processes of the automatic control unit. Further, the processing of S112, S113, S114 and S115 in FIG. 6 corresponds to an example of the processing of the release required event determination unit. Further, the processing of S117 in FIG. 6 corresponds to an example of the processing of the notification unit, and the processing of S118 in FIG. 6 corresponds to an example of the processing of the cancellation permission determination unit.

[Second embodiment]
FIG. 11 shows the electrical configuration of the vehicle of the second embodiment. In FIG. 11, the same components as those of the vehicle 1 of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The vehicle of the second embodiment includes an automatic driving control device 101 and a monitoring device 102 as shown in FIG. 11 . The automatic operation control device 101 basically has the same configuration as the automatic operation control device 101 of the first embodiment, except that it has a function of performing data communication with the monitoring device 102 via the network 100. Operate. That is, the control unit 101a of the automatic driving control device 101 executes automatic driving level setting processing (see FIG. 5) in accordance with various programs stored in the memory 101b, like the vehicle 1 of the first embodiment. It also performs automatic control functions based on the set automatic driving level.

11, the cameras 2 to 6, the radar devices 11 to 14, and the sensors 16 to 27 in the vehicle 1 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2 are collectively illustrated as a detection means group 111. ing. Further, in FIG. 11, the communication units 31 to 35 in the vehicle 1 of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

The automatic driving control device 101 of the present embodiment further monitors the execution state (result of control calculation) of the automatic control function according to the automatic driving level as one of the control information via the network 100. 102. In addition, the automatic driving control device 101, as a result of the automatic driving level setting process, when the cancellation required event occurs, at least that effect (the fact that the cancellation required event has occurred) as one of the control information, the network 100 to the monitoring device 102 periodically.

The monitoring device 102 is provided to monitor whether various controls by the automatic operation control device 101 are operating normally. That is, the monitoring device 102 basically has the same configuration as the automatic driving control device 101, and similar to the automatic driving control device 101, the control unit 102a performs automatic control based on the set automatic driving level Perform control operations for functions.

In other words, although the monitoring device 102 does not actually execute the automatic control function, it performs control calculations for the automatic control function in the same manner as the automatic operation control device 101 . That is, both the automatic driving control device 101 and the monitoring device 102 execute control calculations necessary for realizing automatic control functions according to the set automatic driving level.

Therefore, on the premise that the operation of the monitoring device is normal, if the automatic operation control device 101 is normal, the results of the control calculations of both should be the same. On the other hand, if an abnormality occurs in the automatic operation control device 101 and the automatic control function does not operate normally, the control calculation results of the two will be different (the calculation result of the automatic operation control device 101 is not normal) become).

Therefore, the monitoring device 102 compares its own control calculation result with the control calculation result by the automatic operation control device 101, and if the two do not match, the automatic control function by the automatic operation control device 101 is forced. release it. Specifically, the control unit 102a of the monitoring device 102 executes control state monitoring processing shown in FIG.

When the control state monitoring process of FIG. 12 is started, the control unit 102a of the monitoring device 102 executes the arithmetic processing of the automatic control function corresponding to the set automatic driving level in S501. In S502, the calculation result of the control calculation of the automatic control function in the automatic operation control device 101 is acquired from the automatic operation control device 101 via the network 100. FIG.

In S503, it compares the calculation result of itself calculated by S501, and the calculation result in the automatic operation control apparatus 101 acquired by S502, and judges whether both correspond. If the two do not match (S503: NO), it is determined that the calculation result by the automatic operation control device 101 is not normal, and in S508, the automatic control function by the automatic operation control device 101 is forcibly canceled. Execute the process.

Various specific contents of the forced release process of S508 are conceivable. For example, by instructing the traveling drive control unit 46, the brake control unit 47, and the steering control unit 48 to ignore the control command from the automatic driving control device 101 from the monitoring device 102, these control units 46 to 48 may operate independently of the automatic operation control device 101 (that is, the automatic operation is canceled).

Further, for example, by transmitting determination information indicating that the calculation results do not match to the automatic operation control device 101 via the network 100, the automatic operation control device 101 may be forced to cancel the automatic operation.

Further, for example, between the automatic driving control device 101 and the traveling drive control unit 46, between the automatic driving control device 101 and the brake control unit 47, and between the automatic driving control device 101 and the steering control unit 48 , a switch may be provided to turn on/off electrical connection between them. By turning off at least one of the switches (that is, disconnecting the electrical connection), the automatic operation control device 101 may disable control.

Moreover, it is also possible that the automatic operation control device 101 is illegally accessed from the outside as a cause that the calculation result by the automatic operation control device 101 is not normal. Therefore, a switch is provided between the communication means group 112 and the automatic operation control device 101 for conducting/disconnecting the electrical connection between the two, and the switch is turned off (that is, the electrical connection is interrupted). It may be made physically inaccessible from the outside.

In S503, if the calculation results match (S503: YES), in S504, it is determined whether or not an event requiring cancellation has occurred. Specifically, the presence/absence of occurrence of a cancellation-required event is determined by performing exactly the same processing as each of S112 to S115 in the automatic operation cancellation confirmation processing of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

In S505, based on the determination result of S504, it is determined whether or not a cancellation-required event has occurred. If a cancellation-required event has not occurred (S505: NO), the control state monitoring process ends. If a release requiring event has occurred (S505: YES), in S506, the determination result of whether or not there is a release requiring event is acquired from the automatic operation control device 101 via the network 100 in the automatic operation control device 101.

In S507, based on the result obtained in S506, it is determined whether or not the automatic operation control device 101 has also determined that a release-required event has occurred. If the automatic operation control device 101 also determines that the cancellation event has occurred, it is determined that the automatic operation control device 101 is operating normally, and the control state monitoring process ends. On the other hand, if the automatic operation control device 101 does not determine that a cancellation event has occurred, it is determined that the automatic operation control device 101 is not operating normally due to some factor, and the process proceeds to S508. Execute the process.

According to the vehicle of the second embodiment described above, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. That is, in the second embodiment, a monitoring device 102 is provided separately from the automatic operation control device 101 . Then, the monitoring device 102 is caused to perform almost the same control calculation as the automatic operation control device 101, and the calculation result and the calculation result of the automatic operation control device 101 are compared to determine whether or not they match. Accordingly, it is determined whether or not the automatic operation control device 101 is operating normally.

In other words, by making two independent computers execute the same control calculation and checking whether the calculation results of both match, it is possible to determine whether the operation of one computer (here, the automatic operation control device 101) is normal. I'm trying to judge.

Then, when the two calculation results do not match, the monitoring device 102 executes forced cancellation processing (S508 in FIG. 12) to forcibly cancel the automatic operation. As in the first embodiment, the automatic operation control device 101 cancels the automatic operation by itself when an event requiring cancellation occurs. In the second embodiment, in addition, the monitoring device 102 also performs forced cancellation processing for canceling the automatic operation. Therefore, when the situation which should cancel automatic operation arises, automatic operation can be cancelled|released more reliably.

[Other embodiments]
Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments and can take various forms.

(1) The specific examples of the release-required event shown in each of the above embodiments are merely examples. It is also possible to determine whether or not an event other than the above that is considered to cause the automatic operation to be canceled has occurred, and to cancel the automatic operation if it has occurred.

For example, in the above-described first embodiment, an example was shown in which automatic driving was canceled when the driver behaved abnormally, but automatic driving may be canceled based on the behavior of other occupants other than the driver. .

Further, whether or not automatic driving should be canceled may be determined according to not only the behavior of the passenger (including the driver), but also the content of what the passenger has said. For example, when someone says, "An ambulance is approaching from behind!" In other words, automatic driving may be canceled in response to a specific phrase or sentence.

In addition, the infrastructure side monitors the running state of the vehicle, and if the running state is unstable (that is, if the automatic control function may not be operating normally), that effect is notified to the vehicle. Notification may be made via communication or the like. Then, the vehicle side may forcibly cancel the automatic driving when receiving the notification from the infrastructure side.

(2) In the above embodiment, the automatic driving level is forcibly set to level 0 when some cancellation event occurs when the automatic driving level is level 1 or higher. The automatic driving level may be set to 0 (that is, if the level is less than n, it may be ignored) when an event requiring cancellation occurs when the level of is equal to or higher than n. Alternatively, if the operation mode is the advanced automation mode and an event requiring cancellation occurs, the automatic operation level is forcibly set to level 0, and if the operation mode is the basic mode, the basic mode is set even if the event requiring cancellation occurs. may be maintained.

In addition, it is not essential to set the automatic driving level to level 0 when a cancellation requiring event occurs, and it may be lowered to at least a level lower than the current automatic driving level. For example, the high automation mode may be switched to the basic mode when a disengagement event occurs.

(3) Cameras and radar devices necessary for realizing automatic driving may be provided anywhere in the vehicle 1, and any number of them may be provided. The installation locations and the number of cameras and radar devices may be appropriately determined so as to realize a desired automatic control function. In-vehicle equipment necessary for realizing automatic driving is not limited to the various equipment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 .

(4) In addition, the function 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. Also, at least part of the configuration of the above embodiment may be replaced with a known configuration having similar functions. Also, part of the configuration of the above embodiment may be omitted. Moreover, at least part of the configuration of the above embodiment may be added or replaced with respect to the configuration of the other above embodiment. It should be noted that all aspects included in the technical idea specified only by the wording described in the claims are embodiments of the present disclosure.

[Technical concept grasped from the embodiment]
At least the following technical ideas can be grasped from the various embodiments described in detail above.
(A) An automatic driving control device mounted on a vehicle,
a surrounding information acquisition unit that acquires surrounding information that is information about the surroundings of the vehicle;
The driving mode of the vehicle is a highly automated mode in which at least part of a plurality of types of driving actions required for running the vehicle is automatically performed based on the surrounding information, and the driving action is automatically performed. A driving mode setting unit that sets the type of automatic driving operation to either a basic mode that is less than the advanced automation mode or zero;
An automatic control unit that executes the automatic operation set in the operation mode based on the operation mode set by the operation mode setting unit;
When the operation mode is set to an operation mode having at least one automatic operation operation to be executed, a predetermined request to cancel at least one of the automatic operation operations set in the operation mode a release event determination unit that determines whether a release event has occurred;
with
In the automatic control unit, when the operation mode is set to an operation mode having at least one automatic operation operation to be executed, the cancellation-required event judgment unit determines that the cancellation-required event has occurred. If so, stop the execution of at least one of the set automatic driving actions,
Automatic driving control device.

In the automatic operation control device configured as described above, when the operation mode is set to the advanced automation mode, the cancellation-required event determination unit judges whether or not the cancellation-required event has occurred. However, if the basic mode is set to execute at least one of a plurality of types of automatic driving operations, the cancellation-required event judgment unit judges whether or not a cancellation-required event has occurred. will be

In other words, regardless of the type of operating mode that has been set, if at least one of a plurality of types of automatic operation is set to be executed, the cancellation-required event determination unit determines whether or not a cancellation-required event has occurred. A judgment is made. Then, when it is determined that the cancellation-required event has occurred, at least one of the automatic driving operations to be executed is stopped.

Cancellation required event is an event that may occur due to the fact that the automatic driving operation being executed is not normally executed, or if the automatic driving operation is currently being executed normally but the event occurs This is an event that may interfere with the execution of the automatic driving operation.

One or a plurality of cancellation-required events may be set in advance. When a plurality of cancellation-required events are set, the cancellation-required event determination unit may determine whether or not each of the plurality of cancellation-required events has occurred. may be determined as a target. In the latter case, it may be determined as appropriate which of the plurality of cancellation-required events is to be determined. For example, based on the automatic driving action that is set to be executed in the current driving mode, the canceling event that occurs when the automatic driving action is not executed normally, and the automatic driving action At least one of the possible cancellation-required events may be included in the determination target.

Further, the timing itself at which the cancellation-required event determination unit determines whether or not the cancellation-required event has occurred may be appropriately determined other than the above. For example, depending on the number and types of automatic driving actions set to be executed in the current driving mode, whether or not the cancellation-required event determination unit should determine whether or not the cancellation-required event has occurred, and when it should be determined It is also possible to specifically determine at what timing the decision should be made.
(B) In (A) above,
At least one operating state that may occur when the operating state of the vehicle indicates that the automatic driving operation that is set to be executed may not be executed normally as the release-required event, and An automatic operation control device that is set to be in at least one of at least one operation state in which the automatic operation set to be executed may not be executed normally. .

In this way, the automatic driving operation under execution should be stopped by appropriately setting the operating state of the vehicle in which there is a possibility that the automatic driving operation is not normally executed (or will not be executed normally) as an event requiring cancellation. It is possible to appropriately judge whether or not
(C) In (A) or (B) above,
The release-required events include the occupant of the vehicle exhibiting a specific first behavior, the people around the vehicle exhibiting a specific second behavior, and other events around the vehicle. An automatic driving control device in which at least one of the vehicle is performing a specific third action is set.

If the automated driving operation that is being executed is not executed normally, the effect will be reflected in the vehicle's operating state, and in response, the vehicle occupants will show specific behaviors (such as surprised or anxious expressions), People show specific behavior (for example, many people's eyes are focused, pointing fingers at the vehicle, etc.), and other vehicles (more specifically, occupants of other vehicles) There is a possibility that a specific action (such as honking or passing) will be performed. Therefore, by setting at least one of the first behavior, the second behavior, and the third behavior as a cancellation-required event, it is possible to appropriately determine whether or not to stop the automatic driving operation that is being executed. can be done.
(D) In any one of (A) to (C) above,
The automatic driving control device, wherein the environment around the vehicle is a preset specific environment as the cancellation event.

A specific environment means an environment in which there is a possibility that the automatic driving operation being executed may not be executed normally, or an environment in which one or more specific automatic driving operations should not be executed, such as heavy rain or heavy fog. Bad weather is possible. Further, for example, a case where the vehicle is traveling in an area such as a school zone or an accident-prone area where it is considered preferable to entrust the driving operation to the driver himself rather than the automatic driving can be considered.

By setting the fact that the vehicle exists in such a specific environment as the cancellation-required event, it is possible to appropriately determine whether or not to stop the automatic driving operation that is being executed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Vehicle, 2... Front camera, 3... Rear camera, 4... Left side camera, 5... Right side camera, 6... Interior camera, 9... Front window, 10... Steering wheel, 11... Front radar device, 12... Rear radar Device 13 Left side radar device 14 Right side radar device 16 Solar radiation sensor 17 Rainfall sensor 18 Wheel speed sensor 19 Current sensor 20 Steering amount sensor 21 In-vehicle contact sensor 22 Engine room temperature sensor 23 Engine room sound sensor 24 Tire pressure sensor 25 Suspension sensor 26 Exterior sound sensor 27 Impact sensor 30, 101 Automatic operation control device 30a, 101a, 102a... Control unit 30b, 101b, 102b Memory 31 GPS communication unit 32 Vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit 33 Road-to-vehicle communication unit 34 Pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit 35 LTE communication unit 36 Operation unit 37 Display unit 38 Speaker 41 Automatic operation switch 42 Level setting operation unit 43 Emergency stop lever 44 Release reset switch 46 Driving control unit 47 Brake control unit 48 Steering control Part 81...Road communication device 82...Camera 100...Network 102...Monitoring device 111...Detection means group 112...Communication means group.

Claims (13)

An automatic driving control device mounted on a vehicle having a plurality of wheels,
a surrounding information acquisition unit configured to acquire surrounding information, which is information around the vehicle;
An automatic control unit configured to automatically execute an automatic driving operation that automatically executes at least a part of a plurality of types of driving operations required for running the vehicle based on the surrounding information;
The suspension behavior is not normal, the engine room is not normal, an abnormal current is generated, the tire is punctured, the steering is not normal, an external impact is detected, and that the behavior of the driver is not normal;
with
The automatic driving operation includes automatic start/stop control for starting or stopping the vehicle, lane maintenance control for driving the vehicle along the lane, lane change control for causing the vehicle to change lanes, and turning the vehicle right or left. right and left turn control to perform a collision, collision deterrence control to steer, brake or stop the vehicle to prevent collision between the vehicle and an obstacle, and parking control to park the vehicle at a target parking position. including any two or more,
When the cancellation-required event determination unit determines that the cancellation-required event has occurred, the automatic control unit stops execution of at least one of the automatic driving operations set to be executed, Configured to execute an automatic operation stop process that continues the automatic operation operation other than the at least one,
The automatic driving operation continued by the automatic driving stop processing includes any one or more of the automatic start/stop control, the lane keeping control, the lane change control, the right/left turn control, and the collision prevention control. including,
Automatic driving control device. The automatic operation control device according to claim 1,
Further, the automatic operation stop determination unit configured to determine whether or not the automatic operation stop process can be executed when the cancellation required event determination unit determines that the cancellation event has occurred. with
The automatic control unit is configured to execute the automatic operation stop process when the automatic operation stop determination unit determines that the automatic operation stop process can be executed.
Automatic driving control device. The automatic operation control device according to claim 2,
The automatic control unit is configured to stop the vehicle when the automatic operation stop determination unit determines that the automatic operation stop processing is not executable.
Automatic driving control device. The automatic operation control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The automatic control unit is configured to execute the automatic operation stop processing after notifying the occupant of the vehicle when the cancellation required event determination unit determines that the cancellation required event has occurred. has been
Automatic driving control device. The automatic operation control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Security software that can detect fraudulent factors from the outside,
a fraud response unit that warns a driver of the vehicle, decelerates the vehicle, or stops the vehicle when the security software detects the fraud factor;
Automatic operation control device further comprising. The automatic operation control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
An automatic driving control device further comprising an information transmission unit that transmits information to another vehicle or a road communication device. The automatic operation control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The automatic driving operation includes automatically controlling a braking device,
Automatic driving control device. The automatic operation control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The automatic driving operation includes automatically controlling the steering of the steered wheels,
Automatic driving control device. The automatic operation control device according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
further comprising a vehicle stop for stopping the vehicle from contact with objects outside the vehicle;
Automatic driving control device. The automatic operation control device according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
Further comprising an execution state transmission unit that periodically transmits the execution state of the automatic operation operation being executed by the automatic control unit to a monitoring device via a network,
Automatic driving control device. The automatic operation control device according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
Further comprising a speech judgment unit that judges whether or not the automatic driving operation should be stopped according to the content of the speech of the occupant of the vehicle,
When the speech determination unit determines that the automatic driving operation should be stopped, the automatic control unit stops the execution of at least one of the automatic driving operations set to be executed. It is configured,
Automatic driving control device. The automatic operation control device according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
Further comprising an infrastructure notification receiving unit that receives the notification from an infrastructure that monitors the running state of the vehicle and notifies the vehicle when the running state is unstable,
The automatic control unit is configured to stop execution of at least one of the automatic driving operations set to be executed when the notification is received by the infrastructure notification reception unit.
Automatic driving control device. A vehicle comprising the automatic operation control device according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

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