JP7162420B2 - Operation control device during automatic operation - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an operation control device during automatic operation for ensuring safety during automatic operation.

In recent years, along with the development of AI, research on self-driving cars that automatically drive by AI is progressing. A self-driving car is a car in which AI assists the driver in driving the car or performs at least part of the driving on behalf of the driver.

For example, in an AI-based automatic driving system, AI performs at least a part of the operations for acceleration, steering, and braking, and AI assists the driver's driving, and AI basically performs the operations. Furthermore, when the AI is actively performing the operation, the AI may request the driver to perform the operation depending on the driving situation, traffic situation, and the like.

International Publication No. WO2015/011866

However, when AI is assisting driving, the driver may become overconfident in the AI-based automatic driving system, and the driver's attention may become sluggish, resulting in an accident. In addition, during automatic driving, there are cases where an abnormality occurs in the automatic driving system including AI or in the vehicle, making it impossible to maintain appropriate automatic driving and increasing the possibility of an accident.

In order to solve the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to prevent a situation in which an accident is highly likely to occur.

To achieve the above object, a driving control device during automatic driving in one embodiment of the present invention is a driving control device during automatic driving that performs risk avoidance control to avoid a dangerous state, comprising: 1 or An automatic driving control device that is mounted on a vehicle capable of automatic driving at multiple levels of automation and controls the operation of the vehicle during automatic driving, a driver's seat sensor that detects the seat position of the driver's seat, and the automatic Automatic driving switching means for switching between driving and non-automatic driving, and automation level setting means for setting the automation level of the automatic driving. During the automatic driving, which is started under the condition that the seat position detected by the driver's seat sensor is determined to be a normal position, the driver's seat is detected by the driver's seat sensor. It is determined whether or not the seat position is a position appropriate for driving, and if it is determined that the seat position is not a proper position, the automation level is set as the risk avoidance control by the automatic driving control device performs control to increase to a level where the automatic driving control device is the main body, and during the automatic driving at the level where the automatic driving control device is the main body, it is determined whether or not an abnormality has occurred during the automatic driving, and the determination is abnormal The seat position is moved to an appropriate position based on the seat position stored in the storage device, and then the automatic operation at a level mainly controlled by the automatic operation control device is canceled. It is characterized by performing the said danger avoidance control which is carried out.

In this way, during automatic driving at a level in which the driver is the main driver, risk avoidance control is performed on the condition that it is determined that the seat position is not appropriate, and automatic driving at a level in which the automatic driving control device is the main driver. In the middle, by performing risk avoidance control on the condition that an abnormality has occurred during automatic driving, it is possible to suppress situations in which there is a high possibility that an accident will occur.

As described above, it is possible to prevent a situation in which an accident is highly likely to occur.

It is a figure which illustrates the apparatus structure of the operation control apparatus in automatic operation in embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a control process in the operation control device during automatic operation according to the embodiment; FIG. 10 is a flow diagram illustrating a control process at level 2 in the operation control device during automatic operation according to the embodiment; FIG. 10 is a flow diagram illustrating a control process at level 3 in the operation control device during automatic operation according to the embodiment;

First, the level of automation for autonomous driving will be explained. The government and others have defined levels of automation for automated driving, and six levels from level 0 to level 5 are defined in descending order of the level of automation by the automated driving system. Level 0 is defined as a level where the driver performs all operations, Level 1 is driving assistance, Level 2 is partially automated driving, Level 3 is conditional automated driving, Level 4 is highly automated driving, and Level 5 is fully automated driving. ing. For example, Level 2 is a state in which the system simultaneously performs multiple operations out of acceleration, steering, and braking while observing the driving environment, and the driver must constantly monitor the driving situation. Level 3 is a condition in which the system accelerates, steers, and brakes only under restricted environmental or traffic conditions, and the driver must respond when requested by the system.

In such automatic driving, the operation control device during automatic driving of the present invention confirms the state of the driver and the operating state of the automatic driving system, etc., and if it is in an inappropriate state, there is a possibility that an accident will occur. It is determined that the situation is high, and depending on the level of automation, risk avoidance control such as warnings, suspension of automatic driving, and forced changes in the driver's state are performed to prevent situations where there is a high possibility of an accident occurring. To avoid.

Hereinafter, as an embodiment, the operation control device during automatic operation of the present invention will be described by taking as an example the case of performing operation control during automatic operation at level 2 and level 3.

(Embodiment)
An operation control device during automatic operation according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the device configuration of the operation control device during automatic operation according to the embodiment, FIG. 2 is a flow chart explaining the control process in the operation control device during automatic operation according to the embodiment, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a flow chart explaining the control process at level 2 in the operation control device during automatic operation of the embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a flow chart explaining the control process at level 3 in the operation control device during automatic operation according to the embodiment. .

First, with reference to FIG. 1, the device configuration of the operation control device during automatic operation in the embodiment will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, the driving control device 1 during automatic driving includes an automatic driving ECU 2, a steering ECU 3, a brake ECU 4, an engine ECU 5, a transmission ECU 6, a radar 7, a camera 8, a position information ECU 9, an automatic driving switch 10, a driver's seat, and a driver's seat. It is composed of a seat sensor 11, a GPS 12, an external communication device 13, a storage device 14, and the like.

Automatic operation ECU2 functions as an automatic operation control device which controls automatic operation. The automatic driving ECU 2 is connected to the steering ECU 3, the brake ECU 4, the engine ECU 5, the transmission ECU 6, and the storage device 14 so as to communicate with each other. The automatic driving ECU 2 is also connected to the radar 7, the camera 8, the position information ECU 9, the automatic driving switch 10, and the driver's seat sensor 11, and can receive signals from these devices.

Further, the position information ECU 9 receives information from at least one of the GPS 12 and the external communication device 13 , analyzes the position information, and transmits the information to the automatic driving ECU 2 . Automatic operation ECU2 consists of AI etc., and controls automatic operation. The automatic driving ECU 2 includes a steering ECU 3, a brake ECU 4, an engine ECU 5, a transmission ECU 6, a radar 7, a camera 8, a position information ECU 9, an automatic driving switch 10, a driver's seat sensor 11, a GPS 12, an external communication device 13, a storage device 14, It obtains information on driving conditions, performs various calculations, and controls automatic driving by controlling the steering ECU 3, the brake ECU 4, the engine ECU 5, the transmission ECU 6, and the like. When controlling automatic driving, the automatic driving ECU 2 outputs information related to control to the steering ECU 3, the brake ECU 4, the engine ECU 5, the transmission ECU 6, and the like.

Steering ECU3 controls steering according to the control signal received from automatic operation ECU2 while transmitting the information on steering to automatic operation ECU2. Brake ECU4 controls a brake according to the control signal received from automatic driving ECU2 while transmitting the information of a brake to automatic driving ECU2. Engine ECU5 controls an engine according to the control signal received from automatic operation ECU2 while transmitting the information of an engine to automatic operation ECU2. Transmission ECU6 controls a transmission according to the control signal received from automatic driving ECU2 while transmitting the information of a transmission to automatic driving ECU2.

The radar 7 detects obstacles and the like around the vehicle and transmits the information to the automatic driving ECU 2 . The camera 8 photographs the surroundings of the vehicle or the driver or the like, detects obstacles or the like around the vehicle, or analyzes the driving situation of the driver or the like, and transmits the information to the automatic driving ECU 2 . Position information ECU9 analyzes the position information of a vehicle, and transmits the information to automatic driving ECU2.

The automatic driving switch 10 switches between non-automatic driving in which automatic driving is not performed and automatic driving, and sets the automation level of automatic driving. When the automatic operation switch 10 switches to the automatic operation and the automation level is set, the automatic operation ECU 2 controls the automatic operation according to the set automation level. Note that the automatic operation switch 10 may be composed of a plurality of switches. For example, switching between non-automatic operation and automatic operation can be performed by an automatic operation selector switch, and the automation level can be set by another automation level setting switch. In addition, the automatic operation switch 10 is a concept that includes everything that can switch between non-automatic operation and automatic operation, such as a switch displayed on a liquid crystal panel or the like, in addition to a physical switch.

The driver's seat sensor 11 detects the seat position of the driver's seat, etc., and transmits the information to the automatic driving ECU 2 . GPS12 receives the signal from a GPS satellite, and transmits a positional information to automatic operation ECU2. The external communication device 13 receives position information from the outside and transmits the position information to the automatic driving ECU 2 . The storage device 14 acquires information such as the seat position of the driver's seat from the automatic driving ECU 2, stores the seat position and the like, and transmits the seat position and the like to the automatic driving ECU 2 in response to a request from the automatic driving ECU 2.

The various ECUs 3 to 6 are not limited to the configuration described above, and some of them can be reduced according to necessity, and another ECU for controlling some device can be further added according to necessity. In addition to the driver's seat sensor 11, other sensors can be mounted and connected to the automatic driving ECU 2, and further, other measuring devices can be connected to the automatic driving ECU 2. Further, the various ECUs 3 to 6 may be individually provided, or may be partially or wholly integrated into one ECU.
The steering ECU 3, the brake ECU 4, the engine ECU 5, the transmission ECU 6, the radar 7, the camera 8, the position information ECU 9, the driver's seat sensor 11, other sensors, and other measuring instruments determine the driving conditions and the automatic driving operation conditions of the automatic driving system. It functions as a situation detector that detects such as. Further, each of the components described above is not limited to being used only for the operation control device 1 during automatic driving, and may be shared with components used for normal control in the automobile. For example, in addition to controlling automatic driving, the steering ECU 3 may be configured to receive a steering operation during non-automatic driving and simultaneously control the steering according to the operation.

Next, processing steps of operation control during automatic operation according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG.

<Automatic driving level determination processing>
FIG. 2 is a flow for determining the level of automatic driving. In the flow of FIG. 2, first, in step 1-1, the automatic driving ECU 2 determines whether or not the automatic driving switch 10 has been operated to switch to automatic driving at any automation level. This process is repeated until the automatic operation switch 10 is switched from the OFF state (step 1-1). In the vehicle equipped with the system exemplified in this embodiment, the automatic driving switch 10 is in the OFF state at the start of driving, etc., and the automatic driving is not being performed. is in full control of the vehicle and is operating normally. Therefore, in this vehicle, automatic driving level determination is repeatedly performed in accordance with the flow shown in FIG. 2 immediately after the start of driving.

Next, when it is determined in step 1-1 that the automatic driving switch 10 has been switched, the automatic driving ECU 2 determines whether or not the automation level is set to level 2 (step 1-2).

Next, in step 1-2, when it is determined that the automation level has been set to level 2, the automatic driving ECU 2 starts automatic driving transition processing to level 2, as will be detailed later in FIG. The processing of FIG. 2 ends. Then, during level 2 automatic driving, the automatic driving ECU 2 carries out operation control during automatic driving corresponding to level 2 automatic driving (step 1-3).

Next, when it is determined in step 1-2 that the automation level is not set to level 2, the automatic driving ECU 2 determines whether or not the automation level is set to level 3. If it is determined that the automation level is set to level 3, the process proceeds to step 1-5, and if it is determined that the automation level is not set to level 3, the process of FIG. 2 is terminated. When the processing of FIG. 2 is completed, it is determined which automation level has been set, although the explanation is omitted. Autonomous driving is implemented. Also in this case, operation control during automatic operation may be performed according to the automation level. (Step 1-4).

Next, in step 1-4, when it is determined that the automation level is set to level 3, the automatic driving ECU 2 starts automatic driving transition processing to level 3, as will be detailed later in FIG. The process of FIG. 2 ends. Then, during level 3 automatic driving, the automatic driving ECU 2 carries out operation control during automatic driving corresponding to level 3 automatic driving (step 1-5).

In the above description, in step 1-1, the process is started during non-automatic operation, but it is possible to start during automatic operation at any level of automation. In this case, in step 1-1, it may be determined whether or not the setting of the automation level of the automatic operation switch 10 has been switched. For example, when the automation level is switched from level 2 to level 3, it is also possible to start from level 2 during automatic driving.

<Automatic driving transition processing at level 2>
Next, automatic driving transition processing at level 2 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 3 .

In the automatic driving transition process at level 2, the automatic driving ECU 2 first determines whether or not the seat position of the driver's seat is normal (step 2-1).

In automatic driving at level 2, the driver independently drives the vehicle although there is assistance from the automatic driving ECU 2 . Therefore, during Level 2 automated driving, the driver must take an appropriate seat position. Therefore, it is determined whether the seat position is normal. If it is determined to be normal here, the process proceeds to step 2-2. Also, if it is determined to be abnormal, the process proceeds to step 3 .

Here, whether or not the seat position is normal may be determined from the tilt angle of the seat detected by the driver's seat sensor 11 . Alternatively, whether or not the driver's face is oriented in a direction that allows the driver to gaze at the direction of travel may be determined by photographing the driver's face with the camera 8 and analyzing the photographed image. In this case, it is possible to comprehensively refer to the direction of the line of sight, the angle of the face and neck, and the like. Alternatively, the determination may be made simply based on whether or not the steering wheel is being touched, or whether or not the steering wheel is being touched as an essential condition, and in addition, it may be determined whether or not the seat position is normal. Furthermore, the driver's seat position may be stored during normal driving, which is non-automatic driving, and the driver's seat position may be compared with the seat position when the automatic driving switch 10 is turned on.

In this way, by confirming whether the seat position is normal at the start of automatic driving, as risk avoidance control, if the seat position is not appropriate at level 2, the transition to automatic driving is restricted. , avoiding situations in which accidents are likely to occur.

Next, when the seat position is determined to be normal in step 2-1, the automatic driving ECU 2 starts automatic driving at level 2 (step 2-2).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step 2-1 that the seat position is not normal, the automatic driving ECU 2 requests the driver to reset. Specifically, the automatic driving ECU 2 requests the driver to return the seat position to a normal state, then turn off the automatic driving switch 10 and set the level 2 automatic driving again. When the process of step 2-3 ends, the level 2 automatic driving transition process ends. If the seat position is moved to the normal position in response to the request in step 2-3 and the level 2 automatic operation is set again, the process continues from step 1-2 in FIG. Unless it is moved to an appropriate position, it will not shift to level 2 automatic operation (step 2-3). In step 2-3, when it is determined that the seat position is not normal, a request is made to move the seat position to a normal position. The transition to driving may be interrupted.

When level 2 automatic operation is started in step 2-2 described above, the control flow proceeds to step 2-4. In step 2-4, the automatic driving ECU 2 determines whether or not the seat position is normal as operation control during automatic driving, and confirms that the seat position has not been moved to an inappropriate position. .

Next, when it is determined in step 2-4 that the seat position is not normal, the automatic driving ECU 2 warns the driver to move the seat position to a normal position as risk avoidance control (step 2-5).

After that, in step 2-6, the automatic driving ECU 2 determines whether the seat position is normal after a certain grace period has elapsed after issuing the warning in step 2-5. Accordingly, it is determined whether or not the seat position has been moved to a normal position in accordance with the above warning (step 2-6). If the grace period is too long, an accident or the like will occur during that period. Therefore, it is preferable to set the grace period to the minimum time required to change the seat position immediately after the warning.

If it is determined in step 2-6 that the seat position has not been moved to the normal position, the automatic operation ECU 2 performs processing to cancel automatic operation. Then, the subroutine of the level 2 automatic driving transition process is terminated (step 2-7). Here, as danger avoidance control, a warning is issued and automatic operation is canceled after determining whether the seat position has been moved to a normal position. is moved to an inappropriate position (step 2-4=No), automatic operation may be canceled as risk avoidance control. At this time, if necessary, the seat may be changed to a predetermined position. Also, instead of canceling automatic driving, the level of automatic driving may be raised to, for example, level 4 or higher. Further, it may be configured such that only the warning in step 2-5 is given and the automatic operation is not canceled. In this case, instead of canceling the automatic driving, the vehicle speed may be gradually decelerated.

As described above, in level 2 automatic driving, the driver's seat position must always be appropriate. Therefore, in step 2-4, during automatic operation at level 2, it is necessary to confirm that the seat position is normal at any time or periodically. As long as the seat position is normal, automatic driving at Level 2 is continued, and if it is not normal, a warning is issued as danger avoidance control. The warning is given by telling the driver to return the seat position to the normal position. Whether or not the seat position is normal can be determined in the same manner as in step 2-1. You can judge that it is not normal.

Further, when it is determined that the seat position is normal in steps 2-4 and 2-6 described above, the control flow proceeds to step 2-8. In step 2-8, the automatic driving ECU 2 continues the level 2 automatic driving, and repeats the processing from step 2-4 onward until the driver cancels the level 2 automatic driving.

In this way, during automatic driving at level 2, it is monitored whether the seat position has been changed to an inappropriate position as driving control during automatic driving, and if it is changed, a warning is issued as danger avoidance control. By taking appropriate measures such as the above, it is possible to prevent a situation in which an accident is highly likely to occur.

It should be noted that here, although the seat position is used to determine whether or not the driving state is appropriate for Level 2 automated driving, the level It is also possible to determine whether or not the driving state is appropriate for automatic driving in 2.

In addition, in the description of FIG. 3, it is confirmed whether the seat position is normal before starting automatic operation at level 2, but at level 2, it is checked whether the seat position is normal before starting automatic operation. It is also possible to check whether the seat position has been moved to an inappropriate position only during automatic driving without checking whether the seat position has been moved to an inappropriate position. This is because at the start of level 2 automated driving, it is difficult to drive without an appropriate seat position. It is for Then, it is determined whether the seat position is appropriate only when the seat position is moved during automatic operation.

<Automatic driving transition processing at level 3>
Subsequently, automatic driving transition processing at level 3 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In level 3 automatic driving transition processing, as shown in FIG. 4, first, in steps 3-1 to 3-3, it is determined whether or not the seat position is appropriate, and the seat position is stored.

Specifically, first, the automatic driving ECU 2 determines whether or not the steering wheel is being gripped (step 3-1).

Next, when it is determined in step 3-1 that the driver is gripping the steering wheel, the automatic driving ECU 2 determines whether the seat position is within an appropriate range for normal driving ( step 3-2).

Next, when it is determined in step 3-2 that the seat position is within the proper range, the automatic driving ECU 2 stores the seat position in the storage device 14 (step 3-3). In this way, prior to automatic driving at level 3, the normal seat position is stored. A normal seat position is a state in which the driver can properly drive the vehicle even under normal conditions. A normal seat position is a position where the steering wheel can be gripped as confirmed in step 3-1, and furthermore, as confirmed in step 3-2, the seat position and tilt angle are within a predetermined range. within If the seat position is determined to be normal in steps 3-1 and 3-2, the seat position is stored in the storage device 14. FIG. A normal seat position may be confirmed by the method described in step 3-1 of FIG.

Next, the automatic driving ECU 2 starts automatic driving at level 3 (step 3-4). During automatic driving at level 3, the automatic driving ECU 2 mainly drives the vehicle. Therefore, during automatic driving at level 3, the seat position may be moved to an arbitrary state.

Next, the automatic driving ECU 2 determines whether the system is operating normally. Specifically, the automatic driving ECU 2 determines whether the automatic driving ECU 2 and the like are operating normally (step 3-5). For example, at least one of the ECUs 3 to 6, such as the steering ECU 3, constantly communicates with the automatic driving ECU 2, and determines whether or not normal communication is being performed. It can be determined whether or not Alternatively, a separate abnormality diagnosis device may be connected to the automatic driving ECU 2 to determine the presence or absence of abnormality by the abnormality diagnosis device.

Next, when it is determined that the system is normal in step 3-5, the automatic driving ECU 2 continues level 3 automatic driving until the driver cancels level 3 automatic driving until step 3- 5 and subsequent steps are repeated (step 3-6).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step 3-5 that the system is not normal and an abnormality has occurred, the automatic driving ECU 2 returns the seat position to the position stored in the storage device 14 as danger avoidance control (step 3 -7). If it is determined in step 3-5 that an abnormality has occurred in the system, it is necessary to cancel the automatic operation. This is because if there is an abnormality in the automatic driving ECU 2, normal automatic driving is not performed, and there is a high possibility that an accident will occur. Then, when the automatic driving is canceled, the driver needs to drive, so it is necessary to return the seat position to a position suitable for driving. Therefore, if it is determined in step 3-5 that an abnormality has occurred in the system, the seat position is returned to the seat position stored in the storage device 14. FIG.

Then, after the seat position is returned to the position suitable for driving in step 3-7, the automatic driving ECU 2 cancels the level 3 automatic driving and ends the level 3 automatic driving transition processing. Further, if it is determined in step 3-1 that the steering wheel is not gripped, or if it is determined in step 3-2 that the seat position is not within an appropriate range, the automatic driving ECU 2 selects level 3 automatic driving. The setting for driving is canceled, and the level 3 automatic driving transition processing is terminated without shifting to the level 3 automatic driving (step 3-8).

In this way, during automatic driving at level 3, as driving control during automatic driving, a seat position suitable for driving is stored in the storage device 14 before starting automatic driving at level 3, and the seat position at level 3 is stored. When an abnormality occurs in the system during automatic operation, the seat position is moved to an appropriate seat position stored in the storage device 14 as risk avoidance control, and automatic operation is canceled after the movement. As a result, even if an abnormality occurs in the system and normal automated driving is not performed, leading to a situation where there is a high possibility of an accident, the seat will move to the appropriate seat position stored in advance and the driver will take the initiative. Since the automatic driving can be canceled after the vehicle becomes drivable, it is possible to avoid a situation where there is a high possibility of an accident and continue driving safely.

In this embodiment, the operation control device during automatic operation at level 2 and level 3 has been described, but it is possible to perform control according to the level at other levels as well. In addition, although the operation control device during automatic operation for levels 2 and 3 has been described, the operation control device during automatic operation for a combination including at least one of levels 1 to 5 can also

In addition, vehicles that automatically operate are not limited to automobiles, and may include various vehicles such as construction vehicles and trains.

1 Operation control device during automatic operation 2 Automatic operation ECU
3 Steering ECU
4 Brake ECU
5 Engine ECU
6 Transmission ECU
7 radar 8 camera 9 position information ECU
10 Automatic operation switch 11 Driver's seat sensor 12 GPS
13 external communication device 14 storage device

Claims (1)

An operation control device during automatic operation that performs danger avoidance control to avoid a dangerous state,
Installed in vehicles capable of autonomous driving at one or more automation levels,
An automatic operation control device that controls the operation of the vehicle during automatic operation;
a driver's seat sensor that detects the seat position of the driver's seat;
Automatic operation switching means for switching between automatic operation and non-automatic operation;
and an automation level setting means for setting the automation level of the automatic driving,
The automatic operation control device is
The automatic driving at a level in which the driver is the main driving force, and the automatic driving is started on condition that the seat position detected by the driver's seat sensor is determined to be a normal position. determines whether the seat position detected by the driver's seat sensor is an appropriate position for driving;
On the condition that the seat position is determined not to be an appropriate position, performing control to raise the automation level to a level where the automatic driving control device is the main subject as the risk avoidance control,
During the automatic operation at the level where the automatic operation control device is the main body, it is determined whether or not an abnormality has occurred during the automatic operation, and is performed on the condition that it is determined to be abnormal in the determination, and stored The seat position is moved to an appropriate position based on the seat position stored in the device, and then the risk avoidance control is performed to cancel the level of automatic driving mainly by the automatic driving control device. Operation control device during automatic operation.

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