JP7259832B2 - Operation control device, HMI control device, operation control program, and HMI control program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention provides an operation control device and an operation control program for controlling the operation of a vehicle capable of automatic operation, and an HMI control device and an HMI control program for controlling an HMI device that presents information recognizable by the driver of the vehicle. Regarding . HMI stands for Human Machine Interface.

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, there is known a technique for automatically driving a vehicle while it is traveling in a congested section. For example, the vehicle control device described in Patent Literature 1 has a congestion determination section, an automatic operation start determination section, and an automatic operation stop determination section. The traffic congestion determination unit determines that traffic congestion is occurring. The automatic driving start determination unit starts automatic driving when the length of the section in which traffic congestion occurs is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The automatic operation stop determination unit stops the automatic operation when the automatic operation stop condition is satisfied after the automatic operation is started.

JP 2005-324661 A

By the way, during automatic driving, a driver who is an occupant in the driver's seat of the vehicle can freely perform the second task. A second task is a task other than the driving operation that is executed by the driver. Specifically, the second task includes, for example, viewing video content, operating a portable or wearable terminal device brought into the vehicle, and the like. "Video content" is, for example, movies, concert videos, music videos, television broadcasts, and the like. The second task is also called "non-driving task" or "secondary activity". It should be noted that viewing of video content can also be performed using the terminal device described above.

When automatic driving ends due to congestion relief, it may be necessary to transfer authority to the driver regarding vehicle dynamics control and/or driving environment monitoring. In this case, it is required to finish the second task during automatic driving and smoothly transfer the authority while minimizing the driver's sense of anxiety or discomfort. In addition, it is required that the vehicle behavior (for example, acceleration) when the automatic driving ends due to the cancellation of traffic congestion and shifts to another driving control mode does not give the driver a sense of uneasiness or discomfort as much as possible. .

The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances exemplified above. That is, the present invention makes it possible, for example, to smoothly transfer authority to the driver when automatic driving ends, or to prevent the driver from feeling uneasy or uncomfortable as much as possible. We provide technology to

The HMI control device (25) according to claim 1 controls the HMI device (20) that presents information recognizably to the driver of the vehicle (1) capable of automatically driving following a preceding vehicle at a predetermined speed or less. is configured as
This HMI controller
a warning information presenting unit (259) for presenting warning information for calling the driver's attention when it is determined that the congestion is resolved;
a behavior acquisition unit (253) that acquires the behavior of the driver;
a second task control unit (258) for terminating the second task in the HMI device at an end timing according to the behavior after presentation of the attention information acquired by the behavior acquisition unit;
It has
The HMI control device (25) according to claim 13 controls the HMI device (20) that presents information recognizably to the driver of the vehicle (1) capable of automatically driving following the preceding vehicle at a speed equal to or less than a predetermined speed. is configured as
This HMI controller
a behavior acquisition unit (253) that acquires the behavior of the driver;
an attention information presenting unit (259) for presenting attention information for calling the attention of the driver in a presentation mode according to the behavior acquired by the behavior acquisition unit when it is determined that the congestion is resolved;
a second task control unit (258) for controlling a second task execution state in the HMI device during automatic operation;
with
If the behavior acquisition unit does not acquire the acceleration approval behavior for approving the acceleration of the vehicle after the caution information is presented, the second task control unit controls the second task control unit to perform the second task rather than the case where the acceleration approval behavior is acquired. Restrict execution state .
The operation control device (18) according to claim 17 is configured to control the operation of the automatically operable vehicle (1) that follows the preceding vehicle at a speed equal to or lower than a predetermined speed.
This operation control device
A congestion state determination unit (182) that determines whether the congestion is resolved;
a behavior acquisition unit (183) that acquires the behavior of the driver of the vehicle;
a vehicle control unit (185) that executes acceleration/deceleration control in the vehicle;
with
The vehicle control unit acquires the acceleration-approved behavior when the behavior acquisition unit does not acquire an acceleration-approved behavior for approving the acceleration of the vehicle after the congestion state determination unit determines that the congestion is resolved. controlling the acceleration mode so that the acceleration mode of the vehicle is gentler than when the
After the behavior acquisition unit presents caution information for calling the driver's attention when the congestion state judgment unit judges that the traffic congestion is resolved by the HMI device (20) that presents information so that the driver can recognize it, , to obtain the accelerated approval behavior;
The attention information is changed in presentation mode according to the behavior,
If the acceleration-approved behavior is not acquired by the behavior acquisition unit after the warning information is presented, the second task execution state in the HMI device during automatic driving is restricted more than when the acceleration-approved behavior is acquired. be.
The HMI control program according to claim 19 is configured to control an HMI device (20) that presents information recognizably to the driver of the vehicle (1) capable of automatically driving following a preceding vehicle at a speed equal to or lower than a predetermined speed. a program executed by an HMI controller (25) configured to:
The processing performed by the HMI controller includes:
a warning information presentation process for presenting warning information for calling the driver's attention when it is determined that the congestion is resolved;
a behavior acquisition process for acquiring the behavior of the driver;
a second task control process for terminating the second task in the HMI device at an end timing according to the behavior after presentation of the caution information acquired in the behavior acquisition process;
including.
The HMI control program according to claim 31 is configured to control an HMI device (20) that presents information recognizably to the driver of the vehicle (1) capable of automatically driving following a preceding vehicle at a speed equal to or lower than a predetermined speed. a program executed by an HMI controller (25) configured to:
The processing performed by the HMI controller includes:
a behavior acquisition process for acquiring the behavior of the driver;
caution information presentation processing for presenting caution information for calling the driver's attention in a presentation mode corresponding to the behavior acquired in the behavior acquisition processing when it is determined that the congestion is resolved;
a second task control process for controlling a second task execution state in the HMI device during automatic operation;
including
In the second task control process, if an acceleration approval behavior for approving acceleration of the vehicle is not acquired in the behavior acquisition process after the caution information is presented, the second task control process is executed rather than a case where the acceleration approval behavior is acquired. Restrict execution state.
The operation control program according to claim 35 is executed by an operation control device (18) configured to control the operation of an automatically operable vehicle (1) that follows a preceding vehicle at a speed equal to or lower than a predetermined speed. a program,
The processing executed by the operation control device includes:
Congestion state determination processing for determining congestion relief;
a behavior acquisition process for acquiring the behavior of the driver of the vehicle;
a vehicle control process for executing acceleration/deceleration control in the vehicle;
including
In the vehicle control process, when the acceleration approval behavior for approving the acceleration of the vehicle after the traffic jam state determination process has determined that the traffic congestion is resolved is not acquired in the behavior acquisition process, the acceleration approval behavior is acquired. controlling the acceleration mode so that the acceleration mode of the vehicle is gentler than when the
The behavior acquisition process is performed by the HMI device (20) that presents information in a manner recognizable by the driver, after presentation of caution information for calling the driver's attention when the congestion state determination process determines that the congestion is resolved. , to obtain the accelerated approval behavior;
The attention information is changed in presentation mode according to the behavior,
If the acceleration-approved behavior is not acquired in the behavior acquisition process after the warning information is presented, the second task execution state in the HMI device during automatic driving is restricted more than if the acceleration-approved behavior is acquired. be.

In addition, in each column of the application documents, each element may be given a reference sign with parentheses. In this case, the reference numerals simply indicate an example of the correspondence relationship between the same elements and specific configurations described in the embodiments described later. Therefore, the present invention is not limited in any way by the description of the reference numerals.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the appearance of the interior of a vehicle in a vehicle equipped with an in-vehicle system including the operation control device and the HMI control device according to the embodiment; 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an in-vehicle system shown in FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a display example of the HMI device in the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a display example of the HMI device in the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a display example of the HMI device in the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a display example of the HMI device in the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a display example of the HMI device in the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a display example of the HMI device in the first embodiment; It is a flow chart which shows an outline of operation of an in-vehicle system in a first embodiment. It is a flow chart which shows an outline of operation of an in-vehicle system in a first embodiment. It is a time chart which shows the outline of operation|movement of the vehicle-mounted system in 1st embodiment. It is a flow chart which shows an outline of operation of an in-vehicle system in a first embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the outline of operation|movement of the vehicle-mounted system in 2nd embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the outline of operation|movement of the vehicle-mounted system in 3rd embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the outline of operation|movement of the vehicle-mounted system in 4th embodiment. FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing a display example of the HMI device in the fourth embodiment; FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing a display example of the HMI device in the fourth embodiment; It is a flow chart which shows an outline of operation of an in-vehicle system in a fifth embodiment. FIG. 16 is a flow chart showing an outline of the operation of the in-vehicle system in the sixth embodiment; FIG. FIG. 16 is a flow chart showing an outline of the operation of the in-vehicle system in the sixth embodiment; FIG. FIG. 16 is a flow chart showing an outline of the operation of the in-vehicle system in the sixth embodiment; FIG. 6 is a time chart showing an overview of the operation of the vehicle-mounted system in the additional embodiment 1. FIG. 6 is a time chart showing an overview of the operation of the vehicle-mounted system in the additional embodiment 1. FIG. 9 is a time chart showing an overview of the operation of the in-vehicle system in additional embodiment 2. FIG. 9 is a time chart showing an overview of the operation of the in-vehicle system in additional embodiment 2. FIG. FIG. 11 is a time chart showing an overview of the operation of the vehicle-mounted system according to the third additional embodiment; FIG. FIG. 11 is a time chart showing an overview of the operation of the vehicle-mounted system according to the third additional embodiment; FIG. FIG. 11 is a time chart showing an overview of the operation of the vehicle-mounted system according to the third additional embodiment; FIG. FIG. 14 is a time chart showing an outline of the operation of the vehicle-mounted system in the fourth additional embodiment; FIG. FIG. 14 is a time chart showing an outline of the operation of the vehicle-mounted system in the fourth additional embodiment; FIG. 14 is a time chart showing an outline of the operation of the vehicle-mounted system according to the fifth additional embodiment; FIG. 14 is a time chart showing an outline of the operation of the vehicle-mounted system in the sixth additional embodiment; FIG. FIG. 14 is a time chart showing an overview of the operation of the vehicle-mounted system in the seventh additional embodiment; FIG.

(embodiment)
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that if descriptions of various modifications applicable to one embodiment are inserted in the middle of a series of descriptions related to the embodiment, the understanding of the embodiment may be hindered. Therefore, the modified examples will be collectively described after the series of descriptions regarding the embodiment, not in the middle of the description.

(First Embodiment: Configuration)
Referring to FIG. 1, a vehicle 1 is a so-called ordinary automobile, and has a plurality of passenger seats such as a driver's seat 2 in a vehicle interior, which is an internal space of a box-shaped vehicle body. An occupant on the driver's seat 2 is hereinafter referred to as a "driver". Further, the direction in which the driver's face and chest face when the driver is in the driver's seat 2 in the standard driving posture is hereinafter referred to as "forward". "Standard driving posture" refers to a vehicle 1 that is moving forward and straight ahead, and the driver can properly manually drive the vehicle 1 in the driver's seat 2 with the left and right eyeballs and the left and right shoulders arranged in a direction substantially parallel to the vehicle width direction. It refers to the driving posture of the driver when seated. The "driving posture" refers to a driver's riding posture that allows the driver to appropriately respond to a driving automation level corresponding to any one of levels 0 to 2, which will be described later. The "riding posture" of the driver includes the sitting posture in the driver's seat 2, the positional relationship between the foot and the accelerator pedal 3, etc., the state of gripping and operating the steering wheel 8, the line of sight direction, and the like.

An accelerator pedal 3 , a brake pedal 4 and a footrest 5 are provided in front of the driver's seat 2 . A shift lever 6 is provided obliquely in front of the driver's seat 2 . Accelerator pedal 3 , brake pedal 4 , and footrest 5 are arranged below dashboard 7 provided in front of driver's seat 2 . A steering wheel 8 is attached to a steering column (not shown) extending rearward from the dashboard 7 toward the driver's seat 2 . A front windshield 9 is provided above the dashboard 7 . Note that FIG. 1 shows the structure of the vehicle interior when the vehicle 1 is a so-called right-hand drive automatic vehicle. In this case, the standard driving posture is a posture in which the driver sits on the driver's seat 2 so that the back of the driver does not leave the backrest, holds the steering wheel 8 with both hands, and places the right foot on the accelerator pedal 3 or the brake pedal 4. be. The back is a portion of the human body that extends from the shoulder corresponding to the shoulder blade to the lumbar vertebrae.

The vehicle 1 is equipped with an in-vehicle system 10 . The vehicle 1 equipped with the in-vehicle system 10 may be hereinafter referred to as "own vehicle". FIG. 2 schematically shows a block configuration of the in-vehicle system 10. As shown in FIG. A schematic configuration of the in-vehicle system 10 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG.

The in-vehicle system 10 is configured to function as a driving automation system in the own vehicle by being installed in the own vehicle. "Driving automation system" is a general term for "driving support system" that implements driving support that is less than automatic driving and "automatic driving system" that can execute automatic driving. In this embodiment, the own vehicle is equipped with the in-vehicle system 10 so that it can perform driving support and automatic driving.

“Automated Driving” shall mean a driving automation level corresponding to Levels 3 to 5 in the standard “SAE J3016” published by SAE International, in which the driving automation system is responsible for, or executes, all dynamic driving tasks. do. SAE stands for Society of Automotive Engineers. "Dynamic driving tasks" are all operational and tactical functions that need to be performed in real time when operating the vehicle 1 in road traffic, excluding strategic functions. "Strategic functions" include itinerary planning, waypoint selection, and the like. Level X in "SAE J3016" is hereinafter simply referred to as "Level X". X is anywhere from 0-5. Hereinafter, the larger the numerical value of X, or the more dynamic driving tasks the driving automation system is in charge of, that is, the more dynamic driving tasks are executed, the higher the driving automation level is. On the other hand, the smaller the numerical value of X is, or the fewer dynamic driving tasks the driving automation system is responsible for, the less the driving automation level is expressed.

In "SAE J3016", the contents of levels 0 to 5 are specifically as follows. The name of the driving automation level written together with each level is not described in "SAE J3016" but is used for convenience in this specification. In the following level descriptions, "OEDR" stands for Object and Event Detection and Response, also referred to as "Object and Event Detection and Response". OEDR includes monitoring of the operating environment. Driving environment monitoring includes detection, recognition, and classification of objects and events. Monitoring the operating environment also includes the readiness to respond to objects and events as necessary. A "boundary domain" is the specific conditions under which a driving automation system or function thereof is designed to operate, also referred to as an operational design domain or ODD. ODD stands for Operational Design Domain. A restricted area includes at least one of a plurality of constraints, such as, for example, geographical, environmental, speed, and temporal.

• Level 0: manual driving - the driver performs all dynamic driving tasks.
・Level 1: Driving assistance: The driving automation system performs either one of the vertical vehicle motion control subtask and the lateral vehicle motion control subtask (i.e., steering control) of the dynamic driving task. , run continuously in a specific limited area. The longitudinal vehicle motion control subtask includes launch, acceleration, deceleration, and stopping control. However, the driving automation system does not perform both the longitudinal vehicle motion control subtask and the lateral vehicle motion control subtask at the same time.
Level 2: Advanced Driving Assistance: The driving automation system continuously executes the longitudinal vehicle motion control subtask and the lateral vehicle motion control subtask of the dynamic driving task in a specific limited area. Drivers are expected to perform OEDR, a subtask of the dynamic driving task, to oversee the driving automation system.
• Level 3: Conditional Autonomous Driving: The driving automation system continuously performs all dynamic driving tasks in a specific limited area. In principle, drivers are not obliged to perform OEDR, such as monitoring their vehicle's surroundings. However, if the driving automation level becomes difficult to continue, the driving automation system requests the driver to change driving with sufficient time to spare. "Driving change" means that when the driving automation level declines after the end of automated driving, the driver adopts a driving posture corresponding to the lowered driving automation level and monitors the surroundings, etc., corresponding to the same driving automation level. It means that the authority transfer of the dynamic driving task is received from the driving automation system side. In other words, driving change is the behavior of handing over at least part of the automatic driving function to the driver. Drivers need to respond appropriately to requests for driving changes.
• Level 4: Highly automated driving: The driving automation system performs all dynamic driving tasks continuously in a specific limited area. In the limited area, the driving automation system executes the response when it becomes difficult to continue the driving automation level.
・Level 5: Fully automated driving: The driving automation system continuously executes all dynamic driving tasks without being limited to a specific limited area. Even when it becomes difficult to continue the driving automation level, the driving automation system executes the response without limitation to a specific limited area.

In the present embodiment, the in-vehicle system 10 is configured to be capable of realizing driving automation levels of levels 0 to 3 in its own vehicle. Specifically, the in-vehicle system 10 is configured to be able to execute ACC and LKA corresponding to level 1 . ACC is adaptive cruise control or inter-vehicle distance control. LKA is an abbreviation for Lane Keeping Assistance, which is lane keeping assistance control. In addition, the in-vehicle system 10 is configured to be able to execute “hands-off driving” and “advanced safe driving assistance” corresponding to Level 2. "Hands-off driving" means that the driving automation system automatically starts, steers, accelerates, decelerates, and stops under the condition that the driver responds appropriately to intervention requests from the driving automation system. be. "Advanced safe driving support" is based on the premise that the driver is driving the vehicle, and the driving automation system that operates in parallel performs driving support operations in a timely manner in situations where there is a possibility of a collision. . Furthermore, the in-vehicle system 10 is configured to be able to execute “automatic driving during traffic congestion” corresponding to Level 3. "Congestion automatic driving" is level 3 automatic driving that is executed in congested sections as a limited area, in which the vehicle follows the preceding vehicle at a predetermined speed or less during traffic congestion. "Congestion", as defined by East Japan Expressway Company Limited and the Metropolitan Police Department, refers to a state in which a train of vehicles that repeatedly run at a speed below a threshold speed or stop and start repeatedly continues for a predetermined period. The threshold speed is, for example, 20 km/h on general roads and highways and 40 km/h on highways. The "predetermined degree" is, for example, 1 km or longer and 15 minutes or longer. On the other hand, a state in which there is no congestion is referred to as "non-congestion". Hereinafter, in this specification, the expression "automatic driving" is used to generically refer to level 3 automatic driving including automatic driving in traffic jams, unless otherwise supplemented. Also, "hands-off driving" is simply referred to as "level 2", and "advanced safe driving assistance" is referred to as "level 2 [G mode]".

(Overall system configuration)
As shown in FIG. 2, the in-vehicle system 10 is an in-vehicle network including an in-vehicle communication line 10A and a plurality of nodes interconnected via the in-vehicle communication line 10A. It is configured to be able to execute various vehicle controls and various display operations associated therewith. The in-vehicle system 10 is configured to conform to a predetermined communication standard such as CAN (International Registered Trademark: International Registration No. 1048262A). CAN (International Registered Trademark) is an abbreviation for Controller Area Network.

The in-vehicle system 10 includes a vehicle state sensor 11, an external state sensor 12, a surroundings monitoring sensor 13, a locator 14, a DCM 15, a navigation device 16, a driver state detector 17, an operation control device 18, and an HMI device. 20. DCM stands for Data Communication Module. The vehicle state sensors 11 to HMI device 20 are connected to an in-vehicle communication line 10A.

The HMI device 20 is provided to present information recognizably by the occupants of the vehicle, including at least the driver. That is, the HMI device 20 is configured to display an image so that it can be visually recognized by the occupant of the vehicle, and to output audio so that the occupant of the vehicle can hear it.

Specifically, the HMI device 20 provides various information and/or configured to provide entertainment. HUD is an abbreviation for head-up display. CID is an abbreviation for Center Information Display. The terminal device 24 is a portable or wearable electronic device brought into the vehicle by an occupant of the vehicle, including the driver. etc. Hereinafter, the expression "display device" or "information presentation device" may be used as a generic term for the meter panel 21, the HUD device 22, the CID device 23, and the terminal device 24. FIG.

The HMI apparatus 20 comprises an HMI controller 25 configured to control image and/or audio output in the information presentation device. That is, the HMI control device 25 is configured to control the operation of the HMI device 20 that constitutes the in-vehicle infotainment system. Meter panel 21, HUD device 22, and CID device 23 are connected to HMI control device 25 via a sub-communication line different from in-vehicle communication line 10A so as to be capable of information communication. When the terminal device 24 is brought into the vehicle, the terminal device 24 is connected to the HMI control device 25 by short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), TransferJet (registered trademark), etc. so that information communication is possible. . The HMI control device 25 is provided as a node connected to the in-vehicle communication line 10A. Details of the configurations of the HMI device 20 and the HMI control device 25 will be described later.

(Various sensors)
The vehicle state sensor 11 is provided to generate outputs corresponding to various quantities related to the driving state of the own vehicle. The "various quantities related to driving conditions" include various quantities related to driving operation conditions by the driver or the driving automation system, such as accelerator opening, braking amount, shift position, steering angle, and the like. Also, the "various quantities related to the driving state" include physical quantities related to the behavior of the vehicle, such as vehicle speed (that is, running speed of the vehicle), angular velocity, longitudinal acceleration, lateral acceleration, and the like. That is, the vehicle state sensor 11 includes well-known sensors necessary for vehicle operation control, such as an accelerator opening sensor, a steering angle sensor, a wheel speed sensor, an angular velocity sensor, an acceleration sensor, etc., for the sake of simplicity of illustration and explanation. It is a generic term for The vehicle state sensor 11 is provided so as to be able to provide a detection output to each unit such as the operation control device 18 via the vehicle-mounted communication line 10A.

The external environment sensor 12 is provided so as to generate an output corresponding to various quantities mainly related to the natural environment among the driving environment of the own vehicle. "Various quantities related to the natural environment" include, for example, physical quantities such as outside air temperature, amount of rainfall, and illuminance. That is, the external environment state sensor 12 is a general term for well-known sensors such as an external temperature sensor, a raindrop sensor, an illuminance sensor, etc. for the sake of illustration and explanation simplification. The external environment sensor 12 is provided so as to be able to provide a detection output to each unit such as the operation control device 18 via the in-vehicle communication line 10A.

The surroundings monitoring sensor 13 is provided so as to mainly detect the driving environment of the own vehicle other than the environment that can be detected by the external environment sensor 12 . Specifically, the perimeter monitoring sensor 13 is configured to detect moving and stationary objects within a predetermined detection range around the vehicle. "Moving objects" include pedestrians, cyclists, animals, and other vehicles in motion. "Stationary objects" include roadside objects (eg, walls, buildings, etc.), as well as roadside objects, guardrails, curbs, parked vehicles, road signs, and road markings. Perimeter monitoring sensors 13 may also be referred to as "ADAS sensors". ADAS stands for Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems.

In this embodiment, the perimeter monitoring sensor 13 has a front camera 131 and a radar sensor 132 as components for detecting moving and stationary objects. The front camera 131 is provided so as to capture images in front of and to the sides of the vehicle. The front camera 131 is a digital camera device and includes an image sensor such as a CCD or CMOS. CCD is an abbreviation for Charge Coupled Device. CMOS is an abbreviation for Complementary MOS.

The radar sensor 132 is a millimeter wave radar sensor, a submillimeter wave radar sensor, or a laser radar sensor configured to transmit and receive radar waves, and is attached to the front portion of the vehicle body of the own vehicle. Radar sensor 132 is configured to output a signal corresponding to the position and relative velocity of the reflection point. A “reflection point” is a point on the surface of an object existing in the surroundings of the vehicle that is estimated to have reflected the radar wave. "Relative velocity" is the relative velocity of the reflection point, that is, the object that reflected the radar wave, relative to the host vehicle.

(locator)
The locator 14 is configured to acquire highly accurate positional information and the like of the own vehicle by so-called compound positioning. Specifically, the locator 14 has a GNSS receiver 141 , an inertia acquisition unit 142 , a high precision map DB 143 and a locator ECU 144 . GNSS stands for Global Navigation Satellite System. DB is an abbreviation for database. ECU is an abbreviation for Electronic Control Unit. “High-precision position information” is, for example, position information having position accuracy that can be used for driving automation levels of level 2 or higher, specifically, such that the error is less than 10 cm.

The GNSS receiver 141 is arranged to receive positioning signals transmitted from a plurality of positioning satellites or satellites. In this embodiment, the GNSS receiver 141 is configured to be able to receive positioning signals from positioning satellites in at least one of satellite positioning systems such as GPS, QZSS, GLONASS, Galileo, IRNSS, BeiDou satellite navigation system, etc. It is GPS is an abbreviation for Global Positioning System. QZSS stands for Quasi-Zenith Satellite System. GLONASS is an abbreviation for Global Navigation Satellite System. IRNSS stands for Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System.

The inertia acquisition unit 142 is configured to acquire acceleration and angular velocity acting on the host vehicle. In this embodiment, the inertia acquisition unit 142 is provided as a 3-axis gyro sensor and a 3-axis acceleration sensor built into the box-shaped housing of the locator 14 .

The high-precision map DB 143 rewritably stores high-precision map information and is mainly composed of a non-volatile rewritable memory so as to retain the stored contents even when the power is turned off. Non-volatile rewritable memories are, for example, hard disks, EEPROMs, flash ROMs, and the like. EEPROM is an abbreviation for Electronically Erasable and Programmable ROM. ROM is an abbreviation for Read Only Memory. High-precision map information may also be referred to as high-precision map data. The high-precision map information includes map information with higher precision than the map information used in conventional car navigation systems, which corresponds to a positional error of several meters. Specifically, the high-precision map DB 143 can be used for driving automation levels of level 2 or higher, such as three-dimensional road shape information, lane number information, regulation information, etc., in compliance with predetermined standards such as the ADASIS standard. information is stored. ADASIS stands for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems Interface Specification.

The locator ECU 144 is configured as a so-called in-vehicle microcomputer including a CPU, ROM, RAM, input/output interface, etc. (not shown). CPU is an abbreviation for Central Processing Unit. RAM is an abbreviation for Random Access Memory. The locator ECU 144 sequentially obtains the position and direction of the vehicle based on the positioning signal received by the GNSS receiver 141, the acceleration and angular velocity obtained by the inertia obtaining unit 142, the vehicle speed obtained from the vehicle state sensor 11, and the like. configured to determine The locator 14 is provided so as to be able to provide the results of determination of the position, direction, etc. by the locator ECU 144 to each unit such as the navigation device 16, the operation control device 18, and the HMI control device 25 via the in-vehicle communication line 10A. there is

(DCM)
The DCM 15 is an in-vehicle communication module, and is provided so as to be able to communicate information with a base station around the vehicle by wireless communication conforming to a communication standard such as LTE or 5G. LTE stands for Long Term Evolution. 5G stands for 5th Generation.

Specifically, for example, the DCM 15 is configured to acquire the latest high-precision map information from a probe server on the cloud. Also, the DCM 15 stores the acquired latest high-precision map information in the high-precision map DB 143 in cooperation with the locator ECU 144 . Furthermore, the DCM 15 is configured to acquire traffic information, such as congestion information, from the probe server and/or a predetermined database. "Congestion information" includes the position and length of the congested section. Concretely, the congestion information includes the leading position of congestion, the trailing position of congestion, estimated congestion distance, estimated congestion time, and the like. The traffic information is also called "road traffic information".

(navigation device)
The navigation device 16 is provided so as to obtain a planned travel route from the current position of the vehicle to a predetermined destination. In this embodiment, the navigation device 16 combines the destination set by the driver or the like of the vehicle, the high-precision map information acquired from the locator 14, and the position information and direction information of the vehicle acquired from the locator 14. Based on this, the planned travel route is calculated. In addition, the navigation device 16 is provided so as to be able to provide various types of information including route information, which is a calculation result, to each unit such as the operation control device 18 and the HMI control device 25 via the in-vehicle communication line 10A. That is, the navigation device 16 causes the HMI device 20 to display a navigation screen display for map display, route display, and the like.

(Driver state detector)
The driver state detector 17 is provided to detect the driver state. The "driver state" is the state of the driver in the driver's seat 2 of the own vehicle, and includes at least one of line-of-sight direction, posture, physical movement, psychological state, and the like. Further, the driver state detection unit 17 is provided so as to be able to provide detection results of the driver state to each unit such as the operation control device 18 and the HMI control device 25 via the in-vehicle communication line 10A.

In this embodiment, the driver state detection unit 17 includes a line-of-sight detection unit 171 , a posture detection unit 172 and an operation state acquisition unit 173 . The line-of-sight detection unit 171 is provided to detect the direction of the driver's face and/or line-of-sight direction by image recognition based on an image captured by an in-vehicle camera equipped with an image sensor such as a CCD or CMOS. That is, the line-of-sight detection unit 171 has a configuration similar to that of a DSM device that issues a warning about the driver's inattentive driving or the like. DSM is an abbreviation for Driver Status Monitor.

The posture detection unit 172 is provided to detect the seating posture of the driver in the driver's seat 2 using the above-described in-vehicle camera and/or a physical quantity sensor such as a seating pressure sensor provided inside the driver's seat 2. ing. The operating state acquisition unit 173 is provided to acquire the placing states of the driver's feet on the accelerator pedal 3 , the brake pedal 4 , and the footrest 5 , and the operating states of the accelerator pedal 3 and the brake pedal 4 . Further, the operation state acquisition unit 173 is provided so as to acquire the gripping state and the operation state of the steering wheel 8 by the driver. Furthermore, the operation state acquisition unit 173 is provided to acquire the input operation state of the HMI device 20 from the HMI control device 25 .

(operation control device)
The driving control device 18 has a configuration as an "automatic driving ECU" or a "driving support ECU". That is, the driving control device 18 is provided to control driving of the own vehicle based on signals and information obtained from the vehicle state sensor 11, the external environment sensor 12, the surroundings monitoring sensor 13, the locator 14, and the like. . Specifically, the operation control device 18 is configured to execute a predetermined operation control operation. "Predetermined driving control actions" include vehicle control actions corresponding to levels 1 to 3, ie dynamic driving task execution actions in this embodiment. In the present embodiment, the driving control device 18 sets the driving automation level of the host vehicle to level 0, level 1 [ACC], level 1 [LKA], level 2, level 2 [G mode], and traffic congestion automatic driving. It is configured so that it can be set to either one of

The operation control device 18 has a configuration as a so-called in-vehicle microcomputer including a CPU, a ROM, a non-volatile rewritable memory, a RAM, an input/output interface, etc. (not shown). Specifically, the operation control device 18 has the following functional configuration or functional units implemented on the vehicle-mounted microcomputer. That is, the driving control device 18 includes a driving situation acquisition unit 181, a traffic congestion determination unit 182, a first behavior acquisition unit 183, an automation level determination unit 184, a vehicle control unit 185, and a display command transmission unit 186. have.

The driving condition acquisition unit 181 is provided so as to acquire at least the driving condition of the own vehicle. The "driving condition" includes the driving condition and driving environment detected or acquired by the vehicle condition sensor 11, the external condition sensor 12, the surroundings monitoring sensor 13, and the like. In addition, the traveling situation acquisition unit 181 is provided to acquire high-precision map information of the current position of the vehicle and its surroundings, and traffic information of the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling and its surroundings. That is, the driving situation acquisition unit 181 acquires information necessary for vehicle control corresponding to levels 1 to 3 from the vehicle state sensor 11, the external state sensor 12, the surroundings monitoring sensor 13, the locator 14, the DCM 15, and the like. It's becoming

The congestion state determination unit 182 is provided to determine congestion entry, which is a condition for starting automatic operation during congestion, and clearing of congestion, which is a condition for ending automatic operation during congestion, based on the result obtained by the driving condition acquisition unit 181. It is "Congestion entry", which is a determination target of the congestion state determination unit 182, means that the driving condition of the own vehicle changes from non-congestion to congestion at the present time or within a predetermined time or predetermined travel distance from the present time. Further, "congestion relief", which is a determination target of the congestion state determination unit 182, means that the driving condition of the own vehicle changes from congestion to non-congestion at the current time or within a predetermined time or distance from the current time. "Predetermined time" is, for example, about 30 seconds. The "predetermined travel distance" is, for example, approximately 300 m. Specifically, the congestion state determination unit 182 is based on the existence state of the preceding vehicle and the inter-vehicle distance acquired by the surroundings monitoring sensor 13 and the current position of the own vehicle and congestion information acquired by the locator 14 or the like. , traffic jam entry and traffic congestion cancellation.

The first behavior acquisition unit 183 as a "behavior acquisition unit" in the present invention is provided to acquire driver behavior. "Driver behavior" is the behavior of the driver of the host vehicle, and includes line-of-sight direction, posture, body movement, and various operating states. Specifically, the first behavior acquisition unit 183 acquires, or detects, the driver behavior based on the detection result of the driver state by the driver state detection unit 17 and the acquisition result of various operation states by the operation state acquisition unit 173. It's like

The automation level determination unit 184 determines the driving automation level based on the driving situation acquired by the driving situation acquisition unit 181, the determination result by the traffic congestion determination unit 182, and the driver behavior acquired by the first behavior acquisition unit 183. is provided to determine the The driving control device 18 is provided so as to be able to provide the determination result of the driving automation level by the automation level determining section 184 to each section such as the HMI control device 25 via the in-vehicle communication line 10A. The details of the determination of the driving automation level by the automation level determination unit 184 will be described in detail in the operation outline and operation example described later.

The vehicle control unit 185 is provided to execute a vehicle motion control subtask according to the driving automation level determined by the automation level determination unit 184 . That is, the vehicle control unit 185 executes vertical and/or lateral motion control of the own vehicle according to the driving automation level determined by the automation level determination unit 184 . As described above, longitudinal motion control includes start control, acceleration/deceleration control, and stop control.

The display command transmission unit 186 is provided to cause the HMI device 20 to present the level-related information by transmitting display command information to the HMI control device 25 that controls the HMI device 20 . "Level-related information" is information related to the execution schedule, execution, or transition of the driving automation level.

(HMI device)
The HMI device 20 is provided so as to at least visually present various types of information about the host vehicle to the driver, and to accept the driver's input operation corresponding to the presented content. In this embodiment, the HMI device 20 mounted on a vehicle capable of automatic driving in traffic jams is configured to be capable of presenting various information related to automatic driving in traffic jams and accepting input operations by the driver. "Information presentation" is, for example, various guidance, input operation instruction, input operation content notification, warning, and the like.

As described above, the HMI device 20 includes the meter panel 21, the HUD device 22, and the CID device 23 provided on the dashboard 7. FIG. That is, in this embodiment, the HMI device 20 has a configuration as a so-called "dashboard HMI". The HMI device 20 also includes a speaker (not shown) for presenting information by voice.

The meter panel 21 has a meter 211 , a meter display 212 and a meter switch 213 . A meter 211 is provided to display the vehicle speed, engine speed, cooling water temperature, remaining amount of fuel, and the like of the own vehicle. The meter display 212 is an information display section or information display area provided substantially in the center of the meter panel 21 in the vehicle width direction, and displays various information such as date and time, outside temperature, mileage, and radio reception station. provided as possible. In this embodiment, the meter display 212 has a configuration as an image display device, such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display, having a substantially rectangular displayable area. EL is an abbreviation for electroluminescence. Meter switch 213 is provided so as to be able to accept various operations relating to the display state or display content of meter 211 and/or meter display 212 .

The HUD device 22 is arranged to display a display image including letters and/or symbols in front of the driver. In this embodiment, the HUD device 22 is configured to superimpose the display image on the foreground including the road surface where the vehicle is traveling by forming a virtual image display image in front of the driver using AR technology. ing. AR is an abbreviation for Augmented Reality. "Superimposed display" refers to displaying related information (such as a building name) of a superimposed object (such as a building) included in the foreground so that it overlaps the superimposed object or displays it near the superimposed object. , to display superimposed objects and related information while associating them with each other. A route display, traveling direction display, traffic information display, etc. on the front road surface also correspond to "superimposed display". Specifically, the HUD device 22 projects the display image light that forms the display image onto a predetermined projection range PA on the front windshield 9, and allows the driver to visually recognize the reflected light of the display image light from the front windshield 9. As a result, the display image is displayed in AR.

The CID device 23 is provided substantially at the center of the dashboard 7 in the vehicle width direction. The CID device 23 is provided so as to be able to display a navigation screen for map display, route display, etc. by the navigation device 16 . In addition, the CID device 23 is provided so as to be able to display information and content different from the navigation screen. Specifically, the CID device 23 is configured to be able to execute display related to driving mode settings such as "comfort", "normal", "sport", and "circuit".

In addition, the CID device 23 is provided so as to be able to execute display related to a second task that can be used by the driver during automatic driving. Specifically, the CID device 23 is configured, for example, to be able to view video content as a second task.

The CID device 23 has a CID display 231 , an input device 232 and a CID switch 233 . The CID display 231 is provided at a substantially central position of the dashboard 7 in the vehicle width direction, that is, at a position between the driver's seat 2 and the passenger's seat so as to be visible from at least the driver. The CID display 231 has a configuration as an image display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. The CID display 231 is configured to display the image of the video content when the second task is viewing the video content.

The input device 232 is a transparent touch panel, and is provided so as to cover the CID display 231 by being superimposed on the CID display 231 . In other words, the input device 232 is configured to allow the driver or the like to visually recognize the display on the CID display 231 while accepting an input operation by the driver or the like corresponding to the display. CID switch 233 has a plurality of manually operated switches arranged around CID display 231 and input device 232 .

The HMI device 20 has a steering switch and the like in addition to the meter switch 213 and the CID switch 233 . The steering switch is provided on the spoke portion of the steering wheel 8 or the like. The HMI device 20 is provided so as to be able to provide the reception result of the input operation by the driver to each unit such as the driving control device 18 via the in-vehicle communication line 10A.

(HMI control device)
The HMI control device 25 has a configuration as an HCU that controls the operations of the meter panel 21, the HUD device 22, and the like included in the HMI device 20. FIG. HCU is an abbreviation for HMI Control Unit.

The HMI control device 25 has a configuration as a so-called in-vehicle microcomputer including a CPU, a ROM, a non-volatile rewritable memory, a RAM, an input/output interface, etc. (not shown). Specifically, the HMI control device 25 has the following functional configuration or functional units implemented on a microcomputer. That is, the HMI control device 25 includes a vehicle information acquisition unit 251, a driving environment acquisition unit 252, a second behavior acquisition unit 253, an automation level acquisition unit 254, an operation reception unit 255, an operation notification unit 256, and a display and a control unit 257 .

The vehicle information acquisition unit 251 is provided to acquire information related to the driving state of the own vehicle. Specifically, the vehicle information acquisition unit 251 acquires from the vehicle state sensor 11 various quantities related to the driving state of the host vehicle that are detected or acquired by the vehicle state sensor 11 .

The driving environment acquisition unit 252 is provided to acquire information related to the driving environment of the own vehicle. Specifically, the driving environment acquisition unit 252 acquires from the external environment sensor 12 various quantities related to the natural environment around the host vehicle detected or acquired by the external environment sensor 12 . Further, the driving environment acquisition unit 252 acquires the result of object detection by the surroundings monitoring sensor 13 from the surroundings monitoring sensor 13 . The driving environment acquisition unit 252 also acquires the current position of the host vehicle, the planned travel route, and traffic information including congestion information on the planned travel route from the locator 14 and the navigation device 16 . Furthermore, the driving environment acquisition unit 252 acquires from the operation control device 18 the result of determination by the traffic jam state determination unit 182 whether the traffic jam has entered or has been resolved.

The second behavior acquisition section 253 as a "behavior acquisition section" in the present invention is provided to acquire driver behavior. Specifically, similarly to the first behavior acquisition unit 183, the second behavior acquisition unit 253 acquires the driver state detection result by the driver state detection unit 17 and the various operation state acquisition results by the operation state acquisition unit 173. Based on this, the driver behavior is obtained.

The automation level acquisition unit 254 is provided to acquire the determination result of the driving automation level in the driving control device 18 . Specifically, the automation level acquisition unit 254 receives the determination result of the driving automation level by the automation level determination unit 184 from the driving control device 18 .

The operation reception unit 255 is provided so as to receive an input operation on the HMI device 20 by the vehicle occupants including the driver. Specifically, the operation reception unit 255 monitors the status or result of reception of input operations by the meter switch 213, the input device 232, the CID switch 233, the terminal device 24, and the like.

The operation notification unit 256 is provided to notify the operation control device 18 of the reception status or result of the input operation received by the operation reception unit 255 . Specifically, the operation notification unit 256 corresponding to the "acceleration approval notification unit" in the present invention notifies the operation control device 18 of the acquisition status of the acceleration approval behavior. The "acceleration approval behavior" is a driver behavior, that is, an input operation that approves acceleration of the own vehicle.

The display control unit 257 is provided to control the image and/or audio output operation of the HMI device 20 . That is, the display control unit 257 presents various types of information to the occupants of the vehicle including the driver by controlling the image output and audio output in the meter panel 21, the HUD device 22, the CID device 23, and the like. ing. "Various information" includes driving state information, driving environment information, level-related information, route information, traffic congestion information, various messages, and the like. In addition, the display control unit 257 cooperates with the terminal device 24 while the driver is executing the second task using the terminal device 24, thereby causing the terminal device 24 to present various types of information. there is

In this embodiment, the display control unit 257 is configured to control the information presentation operation in the HMI device 20 according to the driving automation level acquired by the automation level acquisition unit 254 . In other words, the display control unit 257 displays information according to the driving automation level that is being executed or scheduled to be executed by the in-vehicle system 10 determined by the automation level determining unit 184, by an information presenting device such as the meter panel 21 included in the HMI device 20. It is designed to be executed by

Specifically, the display control section 257 has a second task control section 258 and a warning information presentation section 259 . The second task control unit 258 is provided to control the second task execution state in the HMI device 20 during automatic operation. The caution information presenting unit 259 is provided so as to present caution information for calling the driver's attention by screen display and sound on the information presentation device.

(Overview of operation)
The operations of the operation control device 18 and the HMI control device 25 according to this embodiment, and the overview of the control method and control program executed by them will be described below together with the effects achieved by this embodiment.

In the operation control device 18, the driving condition acquisition unit 181 acquires various information including the driving condition of the own vehicle. Specifically, the driving state acquisition unit 181 acquires the driving state and driving environment of the own vehicle from the vehicle state sensor 11 , the external state sensor 12 and the surroundings monitoring sensor 13 . Further, the traveling situation acquisition unit 181 acquires the current position of the vehicle and the high-precision map information around it, the planned traveling route, and the traffic information on the planned traveling route from the locator 14 and the navigation device 16 .

The traffic jam state determination unit 182 determines whether or not the traffic jam has entered or has been resolved based on the result obtained by the traveling state obtaining unit 181 . Specifically, the congestion state determination unit 182 is based on the existence state of the preceding vehicle and the inter-vehicle distance acquired by the surroundings monitoring sensor 13 and the current position of the own vehicle and congestion information acquired by the locator 14 or the like. , congestion entering and congestion clearing.

The first behavior acquisition unit 183 acquires the driver behavior based on the detection result of the driver state by the driver state detection unit 17 and the acquisition result of various operation states by the operation state acquisition unit 173 . The driver behavior includes the driver's riding posture, driving operation state, and input operation state in the HMI device 20 . The "riding posture" includes the sitting posture of the driver in the driver's seat 2, the direction of the driver's line of sight, the state of the driver's feet placed on the accelerator pedal 3, the brake pedal 4, and the footrest 5, and the state of gripping the steering wheel 8. is included. The “driving operation state” includes the operation state of the accelerator pedal 3 and the brake pedal 4 and the operation state of the steering wheel 8 .

The automation level determination unit 184 determines the driving automation level based on the driving situation acquired by the driving situation acquisition unit 181, the determination result by the traffic congestion determination unit 182, and the driver behavior acquired by the first behavior acquisition unit 183. to decide. Specifically, the automation level determination unit 184 determines whether the conditions for starting the driving automation level corresponding to levels 1 to 3 are satisfied based on various information such as the driving state acquired by the driving situation acquisition unit 181. When the conditions for starting a predetermined level of driving automation are met, the automation level determining unit 184 determines that the level of driving automation is executable. Then, when there is an approval operation as a driver behavior, the automation level determination unit 184 determines execution of the driving automation level. The vehicle control unit 185 executes vehicle speed control, steering control, braking control, etc. according to the driving automation level determined by the automation level determination unit 184 to be executed.

Further, when a condition for ending a predetermined driving automation level being executed is satisfied, or when a condition for continuing the driving automation level is not satisfied, the automation level determination unit 184 determines transition of the driving automation level. That is, the automation level determination unit 184 determines the end of the predetermined driving automation level being executed and the next executable driving automation level. Then, the vehicle control unit 185 executes vehicle speed control, steering control, braking control, etc. according to the mode of transition of the driving automation level determined by the automation level determination unit 184 .

The display command transmission unit 186 transmits display command information to the HMI control device 25 that controls the HMI device 20, thereby causing the HMI device 20 to perform the level-related information presentation operation. As a result, the HMI device 20 notifies the vehicle occupants including the driver of the driving automation level that is being executed or will be executed in the future by image display and/or sound.

That is, in the HMI device 20, the vehicle information acquisition section 251 acquires information related to the driving state of the host vehicle. The driving environment acquisition unit 252 acquires information related to the driving environment of the own vehicle. The second behavior acquisition unit 253 acquires driver behavior. The automation level acquisition unit 254 acquires the determination result of the driving automation level in the driving control device 18 . The operation accepting unit 255 accepts an input operation on the HMI device 20 by an occupant of the vehicle including the driver. The operation notification unit 256 notifies the operation control device 18 of the reception status or result of the input operation in the operation reception unit 255 . The display control unit 257 controls the image and/or audio output by the HMI device 20 based on the acquisition results from the vehicle information acquisition unit 251 to the automation level acquisition unit 254 and the status or result of acceptance of the input operation by the operation acceptance unit 255. Control output behavior.

Specifically, for example, the HMI device 20 displays the driving automation level currently being executed on the meter display 212 or the like. In addition, when the driving automation level changes, the HMI device 20 performs an information presentation operation related to the level change. For example, when the automatic driving during traffic jam becomes possible, the HMI device 20 sends the fact that the automatic driving during traffic jam becomes possible and the approval operation instruction for accepting the approval operation for starting the automatic driving during traffic jam to the meter. It is displayed on the display 212 or the like. On the other hand, when the automatic driving during traffic congestion ends, the HMI device 20 displays information regarding the termination of the automatic driving during traffic congestion on the meter display 212 or the like.

<Display example>
3 to 8 show display examples of the meter display 212 on the meter panel 21, the projection range PA on the HUD device 22, and the CID display 231 on the CID device 23. FIG. For convenience of illustration, the meter display 212, the projection range PA, and the CID display 231 are collectively shown in FIG.

<<During manual operation>>
FIG. 3 shows a display example during manual operation. As shown in FIG. 3, during manual driving, the level information display area DA1, which is a horizontally long belt-shaped area at the upper end of the meter display 212, clearly indicates the driving automation level being executed. The level-related information "Driving" is displayed. Various types of information such as route information are displayed in a driving information display area DA2 that occupies most of the displayable area of the meter display 212 and is positioned below the level information display area DA1. As a specific example, FIG. 3 shows an example in which route information indicating a right turn at an intersection 800 m ahead, a radio receiving station, the outside temperature, and the current date and time are displayed in the driving information display area DA2.

The projection range PA on the HUD device 22 displays the current speed of the host vehicle and information on regulations such as the maximum speed on the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling. In the information display area DB1 provided in the upper part of the CID display 231, level-related information "during manual driving" is displayed. A navigation screen GA is displayed in a screen area DB2 that occupies most of the displayable area of the CID display 231 and is positioned below the information display area DB1. In this case, the navigation screen GA is displayed in a normal size that occupies almost the entire screen area DB2.

<< Auto-driving in traffic jams >>
FIG. 4 shows a display example during viewing of video content on the CID device 23 as a second task during stable automatic driving during congestion. “Stable automatic driving during traffic congestion” is a situation that is not immediately after the start of automatic driving during traffic congestion and is not immediately before the end of automatic driving during traffic congestion. Specifically, "stably executing automatic driving during congestion" means that, for example, from the time when the second task becomes available in the currently executing automatic driving during congestion, It refers to the situation until the remaining distance of the drivable section becomes equal to or less than a predetermined distance.

As shown in FIG. 4, on the meter display 212 during automatic driving during traffic jam, the level information display area DA1 displays the level-related information "automatic driving during traffic jam". Also, in the driving information display area DA2, a graphic display or the like indicating the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling during automatic driving is displayed.

The projection range PA on the HUD device 22 displays the current speed of the host vehicle and information on regulations such as the maximum speed on the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling. In the information display area DB<b>1 of the CID display 231 , level-related information “automatic driving during traffic congestion” is displayed.

During automatic driving, the steering control operation and the acceleration/deceleration control operation by the driver are not required in principle until the in-vehicle system 10 requests driving change or driving intervention. Therefore, the driver is not required to take a manual driving posture, which is a riding posture that allows manual driving, during automatic driving in traffic jams. A "manual driving posture" that can handle level 0 manual driving is a posture that is substantially the same as the above-described standard driving posture, and includes a predetermined allowable error regarding the riding posture with respect to the standard driving posture.

Further, during automatic driving, the driver is not obligated to monitor the surroundings of the vehicle until the in-vehicle system 10 issues a driving change request or a driving intervention request. Therefore, the driver can freely execute or use the second task while the automatic driving during traffic congestion is stably executed. Note that the second task also includes the operation of the terminal device 24 .

While viewing video content on the CID device 23 as a second task, a second task screen GB, which is a video content screen, is displayed in the screen area DB2 of the CID display 231 . In this case, the second task screen GB is displayed in a normal size that occupies almost the entire screen area DB2.

<<Reminder to solve traffic congestion>>
When the congestion is resolved, automatic driving during congestion ends. In the operation control device 18, when the congestion state determination unit 182 determines that the congestion has been resolved, the display command transmission unit 186 transmits display command information for causing the HMI device 20 to present information required when the congestion is resolved. 20. The HMI device 20 presents various types of information regarding the end of automatic driving during congestion based on the received display command information.

Due to the end of the automatic driving in traffic congestion, the driving automation level of the own vehicle is lowered to level 2 or lower. At this time, the driver is requested to change driving. In addition, when the automatic driving in traffic congestion ends and the driving automation level shifts to a low driving automation level, the vehicle speed may increase from a low vehicle speed during traffic congestion.

However, in the driver who is using the second task, his consciousness is separated from the driving state and driving environment of his own vehicle, and his riding posture is separated from his driving posture. For this reason, when the automated driving during traffic congestion ends and the level of driving automation decreases, it is required to smoothly perform driving changes corresponding to the level of driving automation after the decrease. In addition, when the vehicle speed is increased from a low vehicle speed during traffic congestion to clear the traffic jam, it is required to minimize the driver's sense of uneasiness or discomfort.

Therefore, the display control unit 257, that is, the caution information presenting unit 259 presents caution information for calling the driver's attention by the HMI device 20 when it is determined that the congestion is resolved, which is the condition for terminating the automatic driving in traffic congestion. In this case, the caution information is at least one of the following: that the congestion will be resolved, that automatic driving during congestion will be terminated due to the elimination of traffic congestion, and that driving change will be necessary due to the termination of automatic driving during congestion. is text information and/or audio information containing as content.

FIG. 5 shows a display example in the case of transition from automatic driving to level 2 [G mode] due to detection of traffic congestion being resolved while viewing video content on the CID device 23 as a second task. In FIG. 5, "Lv" is an abbreviation for "level". "Level 2 [G mode]" is abbreviated as "Lv2-G". The same applies to FIG. 6 and the like.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, on the meter display 212, the text information "Stop congestion, end automatic driving" is displayed in the level information display area DA1. This character information includes caution information calling attention to the elimination of congestion, and level-related information clearly indicating the transition or change of the driving automation level. Further, in the driving information display area DA2, first caution including character information such as "driving posture (Lv2-G) preparation", "front attention!", "hold the steering wheel!", and "put your feet on the pedals!" Information display GC is displayed. The character information included in the first caution information display GC includes caution information requesting or alerting the driver to change driving. The projection range PA on the HUD device 22 also displays warning information of "driving posture (Lv2-G) preparation".

In the information display area DB<b>1 of the CID display 231 , warning information called “congestion relief detection” is displayed to call attention to congestion relief. In the screen area DB2, the second caution information display GD of "→→→→Caution in front→→→→" is displayed above the second task screen GB. The second caution information display GD is a display for prompting or alerting the driver to transfer authority regarding monitoring of the driving environment. Alternatively, the second caution information display GD is a display for urging visual observation of the HUD device 22 and the meter display 212, which are display devices that display information related to driving operation. At this time, the second task screen GB is displayed in a reduced size smaller than the normal size shown in FIG. 4 in order to improve the display and visibility of the second caution information display GD.

Appropriate attention information presentation modes may vary depending on driver behavior. Specifically, for example, when the driver is executing a second task using the CID device 23, it is effective to present caution information by the CID device 23 as in the example shown in FIG. On the other hand, for example, when the driver is executing a second task using the terminal device 24, presentation of caution information by the CID device 23 is not necessarily effective.

Therefore, the display control unit 257 , that is, the caution information presenting unit 259 presents caution information in a presentation mode according to the driver behavior acquired by the second behavior acquisition unit 253 . That is, the caution information presentation unit 259 changes the manner of presenting caution information according to the driver behavior acquired by the second behavior acquisition unit 253 . Specifically, the second behavior acquisition unit 253 acquires the line-of-sight direction of the driver as the driver behavior. Then, the attention information presentation unit 259 changes the information presentation device for presenting the attention information according to the line-of-sight direction of the driver acquired by the second behavior acquisition unit 253 .

Specifically, when it is determined that the line of sight of the driver is directed toward the CID device 23, the caution information presenting unit 259 causes the CID device 23 to present the caution information. On the other hand, when it is determined that the line of sight of the driver is directed to the terminal device 24, the caution information presenting unit 259 causes the terminal device 24 to present caution information. The case where the driver's line of sight is directed toward the terminal device 24 means the case where at least the following conditions X1 and X2 are satisfied. Condition X1: The HMI control device 25 detects that the terminal device 24 is being operated through short-range wireless communication. Condition X2: The line of sight of the driver is directed to none of the meter panel 21, the projection range PA of the HUD device 22, and the CID device 23.

FIG. 6 shows a display example in the case of shifting from automatic driving to level 2 [G mode] due to the fact that traffic congestion is detected during operation of the terminal device 24 as a second task. The content of information presented by meter display 212 and HUD device 22 in this case is the same as in the case of FIG.

In the example of FIG. 6, the second task uses the terminal device 24 instead of the CID device 23 . Therefore, in this example, the navigation screen GA is displayed in the screen area DB2. The navigation screen GA is displayed in normal size. In addition, in the information display area DB1, a second caution information display GD of "→→→Caution in front→→→" is displayed above the navigation screen GA. On the other hand, in the terminal device 24, in cooperation with the HMI control device 25, an action of presenting caution information such as "congestion relief, automatic driving end, caution ahead" is executed.

<< Accelerated Approval >>
The vehicle speed of the host vehicle may increase as the congestion is resolved. Specifically, for example, the driving control device 18 may execute acceleration control when the driving automation level is shifted from the congestion-time automatic driving to level 2 [G mode] as the traffic jam clears. At this time, it is preferable to request the driver to approve the acceleration of the host vehicle prior to execution of the acceleration control. As a result, it is possible to avoid, as much as possible, giving the driver a feeling of uneasiness or discomfort due to sudden acceleration.

Therefore, the warning information presenting unit 259 presents, by the HMI device 20, the warning information for calling the driver's attention that the acceleration control will be executed, in addition to the warning information for calling the driver's attention for the traffic congestion relief. That is, the caution information presenting unit 259 causes the HMI device 20 to present necessary information in order to receive the acceleration approval from the driver after the caution information regarding traffic congestion relief is presented.

FIG. 7 is a table for accepting acceleration approval from the driver when shifting from automatic driving to level 2 [G mode] as a second task when the CID device 23 detects that traffic congestion is resolved while viewing video content. Here is an example. That is, FIG. 7 corresponds to a display example of later time following the display example shown in FIG.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 7, the meter display 212 displays text information "Congestion relief Lv2-G preparation" in the level information display area DA1. This character information includes warning information calling attention to clearing traffic congestion, level-related information clearly indicating the transition or change of the level of driving automation, and warning information prompting driver change. Further, in the driving information display area DA2, a first caution information display GC including caution information regarding acceleration, "I will accelerate", is displayed.

Further, in the driving information display area DA2, an input request display GE indicating an approval button having a character string "Approve" is displayed. The approval button can be selected and input by using, for example, the meter switch 213 or the steering switch. Operation accepting portion 255 accepts an operation of the approval button. Also in the projection range PA on the HUD device 22, warning information prompting operation of the approval button is displayed together with a driving automation level shift notification saying "Lv2-G shift acceleration approval?".

The operation notification unit 256 notifies the operation control device 18 of the operation state of the approval button received by the operation reception unit 255 . That is, the operation notification unit 256 as the acceleration approval notification unit notifies the operation control device 18 of the acquisition status of the acceleration approval behavior. The acceleration approval behavior is a driver behavior corresponding to acceleration approval by the driver, and specifically is an operation behavior of an approval button.

The first behavior acquisition unit 183 acquires the operation state of the approval button notified from the operation notification unit 256 . That is, the first behavior acquiring unit 183 acquires the acceleration approval behavior after the HMI device 20 presents the caution information for calling attention to traffic congestion relief and the caution information regarding acceleration.

If the acceleration approval behavior is acquired, the driver has already operated the approval button for acceleration approval. Therefore, in this case, it is assumed that the driver is mentally prepared for the execution of acceleration control in the own vehicle. On the other hand, if the acceleration approval behavior is not acquired because the driver does not operate the approval button, and the same degree of acceleration control as when the acceleration approval behavior is acquired is executed, unexpected acceleration will cause This can make the driver feel uneasy or uncomfortable.

Therefore, when the acceleration approval behavior is not acquired, the vehicle control unit 185 in the operation control device 18 controls the acceleration mode of the host vehicle so as to make the acceleration mode gentler than when the acceleration approval behavior is acquired. . That is, the acquisition status of the acceleration approval behavior is included in the execution conditions of the operation control that makes the acceleration mode gentler when the acceleration approval behavior is not acquired than when the acceleration approval behavior is acquired by the operation control device 18. .

As described above, in this embodiment, warning information presentation and approval button display regarding automatic driving termination and acceleration control are performed using a front display device that is within the field of view of the driver in the driving posture. The “front display device” is a display device arranged in front of the driver, that is, on the destination side of the vehicle with respect to the driver, and specifically includes the meter panel 21 and the HUD device 22 . Also, in this embodiment, the CID display 231 having the second task screen GB displays the second attention information display GD that guides the user's line of sight to the front display device. As a result, the driver's attention is directed forward, and the driver's riding posture is brought closer to the driving posture, thereby favorably promoting preparation for changing driving.

Thus, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the driver from feeling uneasy or uncomfortable as much as possible. In addition, the driver's awareness of automatic driving termination and acceleration control is favorably raised. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it becomes possible to perform driving change more smoothly.

<< End of second task >>
When the automated driving during congestion ends and the driving automation level drops due to the cancellation of traffic congestion, the second task becomes unavailable. Therefore, it is necessary to end the second task when the automatic driving in traffic jam ends.

On the other hand, as described above, the awareness of the driver when the automatic driving during congestion ends due to the cancellation of the traffic congestion varies depending on the driver's behavior at that time. For this reason, it may be possible to achieve a smoother change of driving by taking into consideration the behavior of the driver, such as the mode of use of the second task.

For example, the appropriate end timing of the second task may differ depending on driver behavior. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the display control unit 257 , that is, the second task control unit 258 ends the second task at the end timing according to the driver behavior after the attention information is presented, which is acquired by the second behavior acquisition unit 253 .

Specifically, for example, when preparation for driving change is not completed, the driver needs to give priority to preparation for driving change over the second task. On the other hand, if the driver change preparation is complete, even if the second task is available until as late as possible, there is no problem with the driver change. Furthermore, when there is an occupant of the own vehicle other than the driver and there is no display device other than the CID device 23 on which the occupant can view the video content, the occupant can watch the second task content such as the video content until as late as possible. It is preferable to be able to

Therefore, when the driver behavior after presentation of the caution information acquired by the second behavior acquisition unit 253 is a takeover behavior, the second task control unit 258 ends the second task later than when it is a non-takeover behavior. The “handover behavior” is at least part of the driving change behavior, and is typically a behavior of taking a driving posture. As a result, the driver can be urged to perform a drive change operation when the preparation for the drive change is not ready, and the convenience is improved when the drive change preparation is completed.

For example, after the display shown in FIG. 5, when it is determined that preparation for driving change is ready due to the detection of the handover behavior, the display mode changes from FIG. 5 to FIG. In this case, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the display of the second task screen GB is maintained even during acceptance of the acceleration approval operation.

On the other hand, after the display shown in FIG. 5, if the handover behavior is not detected and it is determined that the preparation for driving change is not ready, the display mode is changed from FIG. 5 to FIG. 8 instead of FIG. In this case, the second task is terminated at the start of acceptance of the acceleration approval operation, and the display of the screen area DB2 on the CID display 231 is switched from the second task screen GB to the navigation screen GA. Further, in the information display area DB1, a second warning information display GD including warning information calling attention to traffic congestion relief and driver change, "→→ traffic jam clearing, caution ahead→→" is displayed. The content of information presented by meter display 212 and HUD device 22 is the same as in the case of FIG.

(Operation example)
9A, 9B, and 10 and the time chart shown in FIG. will be used for explanation. In the illustrated flow chart, "S" is an abbreviation for "step". Further, the device configuration, control operation, control method, and control program according to this embodiment may be collectively referred to hereinafter simply as "this embodiment".

The operation examples shown in FIGS. 9A, 9B, 9C, and 10 show the case where the automatic driving during congestion starts, ends when the congestion is resolved, and shifts to level 2 [G mode]. In this operation example, first, in step 901, the in-vehicle system 10 determines whether or not the vehicle has entered a congested section.

If the host vehicle has entered a congested section (that is, step 901=YES), the process proceeds to step 902 and thereafter. On the other hand, if the host vehicle has not entered a congested section (that is, step 901=NO), the processing after step 902 is skipped, and this operation ends.

At step 902, the in-vehicle system 10 starts automatic driving during congestion. Then the second task becomes available. If the driver wishes to use the second task, the driver's operation of the HMI device 20 initiates the second task at step 903 .

At step 904, the in-vehicle system 10 determines whether or not the congestion has been resolved. Whether or not the congestion is resolved is determined, for example, in consideration of the following factors (A) to (C). (A) Presence of other vehicles, including the preceding vehicle, in the surroundings of the own vehicle. (B) Whether or not the host vehicle is expected to accelerate beyond a predetermined reference speed (for example, 40 km/h). (C) Whether or not the own vehicle has acquired traffic congestion information, and whether or not the acquired congestion information indicates that the own vehicle exists within a congested section.

As long as it is not determined that the traffic congestion has been resolved, the determination result of step 904 is "NO" and the process does not proceed to step 905 . On the other hand, if it is determined that the congestion has been resolved (that is, step 904 =YES), the process proceeds to step 905 .

At step 905 , the in-vehicle system 10 determines whether or not the driver is viewing the CID display 231 . If the driver is viewing the CID display 231 (ie, step 905=YES), processing proceeds to steps 906 and 907;

At step 906 , the in-vehicle system 10 presents caution information on the CID device 23 . At step 907 , in-vehicle system 10 presents caution information on meter panel 21 and HUD device 22 .

If the driver is not viewing the CID display 231 (ie, step 905=NO), processing proceeds to step 908; At step 908 , the in-vehicle system 10 determines whether or not the driver is viewing the terminal device 24 .

If the driver is looking at the terminal device 24 (that is, step 908 =YES), the process proceeds to step 909 and then to step 907 . At step 909 , the in-vehicle system 10 presents caution information on the terminal device 24 . If the driver is not looking at the terminal device 24 (that is, step 908 =NO), the process of step 909 is skipped and the process proceeds to step 907 .

Thus, in this embodiment, when the driver is viewing the CID display 231 , the HMI control device 25 presents caution information on the meter panel 21 , the HUD device 22 and the CID device 23 . On the other hand, when the driver is visually recognizing the terminal device 24 , the HMI control device 25 presents caution information on the meter panel 21 , the HUD device 22 and the terminal device 24 . If neither the CID display 231 nor the terminal device 24 is being viewed by the driver, there is a high possibility that the driver is looking ahead. Therefore, in this case, HMI control device 25 presents caution information on meter panel 21 and HUD device 22 .

After the processing of step 907 , the processing proceeds to step 910 . At step 910, the in-vehicle system 10 determines whether or not the driver has assumed a predetermined driving posture corresponding to level 2 [G mode] by handover behavior.

If the driver assumes a driving posture due to the presentation of caution information (that is, step 910 =YES), the process proceeds to steps 911 and 912 . At step 911, the in-vehicle system 10 starts the speed recovery process shown in FIG. Speed recovery processing will be described later.

At step 912, the in-vehicle system 10 determines whether or not the vehicle speed V of the own vehicle has reached or exceeded a predetermined value V0. The predetermined value V0 is, for example, 40 km/h. While the vehicle speed V is less than the predetermined value V0, the determination result of step 912 is "NO" and the process does not proceed to step 913. On the other hand, when the vehicle speed V becomes equal to or higher than the predetermined value V0, the determination result of step 912 becomes "YES", and the process proceeds to step 913 and subsequent steps.

At step 913, the in-vehicle system 10 terminates the second task. At step 914, the in-vehicle system 10 ends the speed recovery process. At step 915, the in-vehicle system 10 starts level 2 [G mode].

On the other hand, if the driver does not take a driving posture even if the caution information is presented (that is, step 910 =NO), the process proceeds to steps 916 and 917 and then to steps 914 and 915 . At step 916, the in-vehicle system 10 terminates the second task. At step 917, the in-vehicle system 10 starts speed recovery processing.

As described above, in this embodiment, when the driver assumes a driving posture due to the presentation of caution information, the speed recovery process ends the second task after the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle becomes equal to or higher than the predetermined value V0. On the other hand, in this embodiment, when the driver does not take a driving posture even when the caution information is presented, the second task is terminated immediately without waiting for the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle to reach or exceed the predetermined value V0 by speed recovery processing. Let FIG. 9C is an explanatory diagram for visually and clearly showing the difference between the second task end timing and the speed recovery timing depending on whether or not the driver has taken a driving posture due to the presentation of caution information. In FIG. 9C, the vertical axis indicates vehicle speed, and the horizontal axis indicates elapsed time. Also, corresponding to the passage of time on the horizontal axis, the step corresponding to the speed recovery start timing is indicated by a broken-line square, and the step corresponding to the second task end timing is indicated by a solid-line square. ing. As shown in FIG. 9C, when the driver assumes the driving posture due to the presentation of caution information (that is, step 910=YES→steps 911 and 913), the driver assumes the driving posture even when the caution information is presented. The end timing of the second task differs depending on whether it is not taken (that is, step 910=NO→step 916 and step 917). Specifically, in the former case, the second task can be used until later than in the latter case.

FIG. 10 shows the speed recovery process when congestion is cleared. When the speed recovery process starts, first, in step 1001, the in-vehicle system 10 presents an acceleration approval request to the driver. "Acceleration Approval Request" is to prompt the driver for acceleration approval behavior. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the "acceleration approval request" is an approval request having the character string "approval" in conjunction with the first caution information display GC "accelerate". Including displaying an input request display GE indicating a button.

Next, at step 1002, the in-vehicle system 10 determines whether or not the acceleration approval behavior, that is, the approval button operation behavior has been acquired. If the accelerated approval behavior is obtained (ie step 1002=YES), the processing of steps 1003 and 1004 is performed.

At step 1003, the in-vehicle system 10 sets the acceleration mode, that is, the acceleration rate, in the speed recovery process to the normal mode. At step 1004, the in-vehicle system 10 determines whether or not the vehicle speed V of the own vehicle has reached or exceeded a predetermined value V1. The predetermined value V1 is, for example, 60 km/h. While the vehicle speed V is less than the predetermined value V1, the determination result of step 1004 is "NO" and the speed recovery process is not terminated. On the other hand, when the vehicle speed V becomes equal to or higher than the predetermined value V1, the determination result of step 1004 becomes "YES", and the speed recovery process ends (that is, step 914 in FIG. 9B).

If the acceleration approval behavior was not obtained (ie step 1002 =NO), processing proceeds to steps 1005 and 1006 . At step 1005, the in-vehicle system 10 sets the acceleration mode in the speed recovery process to be looser than the normal mode. At step 1006, the in-vehicle system 10 determines whether or not the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle has reached or exceeded a predetermined value V1.

If the vehicle speed V of the own vehicle is less than the predetermined value V1 (that is, step 1006 =NO), the process proceeds to step 1007 . At step 1007, the in-vehicle system 10 determines whether or not an acceleration approval behavior has been acquired. If the accelerated approval behavior was obtained (ie step 1007 =YES), processing proceeds to step 1003 . On the other hand, if no accelerated approval behavior was obtained (ie step 1007 =NO), the process returns to step 1006 . When the vehicle speed V reaches the predetermined value V1 (ie, step 1006=YES) without performing the acceleration approval operation, the speed recovery process is terminated (ie, step 914 in FIG. 9B).

In this way, while the driver does not perform the acceleration approval operation, the speed recovery process continues in an acceleration mode that is slower than the normal mode. On the other hand, when the driver performs an acceleration approval operation, the acceleration mode is set to the normal mode, and speed recovery processing is executed in the normal mode.

(Second embodiment)
The second embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. In addition, in the following description of the second embodiment, mainly different parts from the first embodiment will be described. Moreover, in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the parts that are the same or equivalent to each other. Therefore, in the following description of the second embodiment, regarding components having the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment, the description in the first embodiment can be used as appropriate unless there is a technical contradiction or special additional description. . The same applies to the third embodiment, etc., which will be described later.

The configuration of the in-vehicle system 10 according to this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment. That is, the vehicle 1 and the in-vehicle system 10 according to this embodiment have the configurations shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 . However, this embodiment is slightly different from the above-described first embodiment in the operation mode and the functional configuration corresponding thereto.

As described above, in the driver who is using the second task, the consciousness deviates from the driving of the own vehicle, or the riding posture deviates from the driving posture. The degree of deviation may differ depending on the type of second task. For example, in the second task using the terminal device 24, the driver's field of vision is farther from the front of the vehicle and the riding posture is farther from the driving posture than in the second task using the CID device 23. In particular, during game operation using the terminal device 24, the driver's consciousness and field of view are completely separated from driving.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the second task control unit 258 changes the end timing of the second task according to the display device that executes the second task in the HMI device 20. FIG. Specifically, for example, the second task control unit 258 ends the second task using the terminal device 24 earlier than the second task using the CID device 23 .

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an operation example corresponding to this embodiment. The flowchart shown in FIG. 11 is a partial modification of the flowchart shown in FIG. 9B. That is, the determination contents of step 910 in FIG. 11 are the same as in FIG. 9B. Also, the processing contents of steps 911 to 917 are the same as in FIG. 9B.

In this embodiment, the process when the determination result of step 910 is "YES" is different from that in the first embodiment. Specifically, the process of step 1101 is inserted between steps 910 and 911 . At step 1101, the in-vehicle system 10 determines whether the display device executing the second task is the CID device 23 or not. If the display device executing the second task is the CID device 23 (ie step 1101 =YES), the process proceeds to step 911 . On the other hand, if the display device executing the second task is not the CID device 23 (that is, step 1101 =NO), the process proceeds to step 916 .

That is, in this embodiment, when the display device that executes the second task is the CID device 23, the second task is terminated after the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle becomes equal to or higher than the predetermined value V0 by speed recovery processing. On the other hand, in this embodiment, when the display device that executes the second task is not the CID device 23, the second task is terminated immediately without waiting for the vehicle speed V of the own vehicle to reach or exceed the predetermined value V0 by speed recovery processing.

Thus, in this embodiment, the end timing of the second task is set according to the type of the second task being executed. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to more smoothly transfer the authority to the driver when the automatic driving ends.

(Third embodiment)
The third embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. The configuration of the in-vehicle system 10 according to this embodiment is the same as those of the first embodiment and the second embodiment. This embodiment is slightly different from the first and second embodiments in terms of operation mode and corresponding functional configuration.

When the driver assumes a driving posture due to the presentation of warning information regarding the cancellation of traffic congestion and the associated termination of automatic driving, the driver's consciousness often shifts toward driving. In this case, even if the second task is terminated immediately, it is unlikely that the driver will feel uncomfortable or uncomfortable. Therefore, in this embodiment, the second task is terminated immediately when the driver assumes a driving posture due to the presentation of caution information.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an operation example corresponding to this embodiment. The flowchart shown in FIG. 12 is a partial modification of the flowchart shown in FIG. 9B. That is, the determination contents of step 910 in FIG. 12 are the same as in FIG. 9B. Also, the processing contents of steps 914 and 915 are the same as in FIG. 9B.

If the driver assumes a driving posture due to the presentation of caution information (that is, step 910 =YES), the process proceeds to steps 1201 and 1202 and then to steps 914 and 915 . At step 1201, the in-vehicle system 10 terminates the second task. At step 1202, the in-vehicle system 10 determines whether or not the vehicle speed V of the own vehicle has reached or exceeded a predetermined value V0. While the vehicle speed V is less than the predetermined value V0, the determination result of step 1202 is "NO" and the process does not proceed to step 914. When the vehicle speed V becomes equal to or higher than the predetermined value V0, the determination result of step 1202 becomes "YES", and the process proceeds to step 914 and subsequent steps.

On the other hand, if the driver does not take a driving posture even if the caution information is presented (that is, step 910 =NO), the process proceeds to steps 1203 and 1204 and then to steps 914 and 915 . At step 1203, the in-vehicle system 10 determines whether or not the vehicle speed V of the own vehicle has reached or exceeded a predetermined value V0. While the vehicle speed V is less than the predetermined value V0, the determination result of step 1203 is "NO" and the process does not proceed to step 1204. On the other hand, when the vehicle speed V becomes equal to or higher than the predetermined value V0, the determination result of step 1203 becomes "YES", and the process proceeds to step 1204 and subsequent steps. At step 1204, the in-vehicle system 10 terminates the second task.

(Fourth embodiment)
The fourth embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. 13 to 15. FIG. The configuration of the in-vehicle system 10 according to this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment and the like. This embodiment is slightly different from the above-described first embodiment and the like in the operation mode and the functional configuration corresponding thereto.

As described above, when the driver approves the acceleration when the speed is restored due to the cancellation of the traffic jam, the vehicle control unit 185 reduces the vehicle speed relatively without making the occupants of the vehicle including the driver feel uneasy. It is possible to quickly restore the vehicle speed to the predetermined target vehicle speed. On the other hand, if the acceleration is not approved, speed recovery, i.e., the mode of acceleration, is made more gradual than when the acceleration is approved, so as not to make the occupants of the vehicle, including the driver, feel uneasy as much as possible. can be

For this reason, when the vehicle speed is quickly recovered by acceleration approval, it is desirable that the driver's consciousness and riding posture are adapted to driving at an early stage. Therefore, when the second behavior acquiring unit 253 acquires the acceleration-approved behavior of approving the acceleration of the own vehicle after the caution information is presented, the second task control unit 258 sets the second task control unit 258 to the second task control unit 258 rather than the case where the acceleration-approved behavior is not acquired. finish the task early.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an operation example corresponding to this embodiment. In this operation example, first, in step 1301, the in-vehicle system 10 determines whether or not the host vehicle has entered a congested section. The contents of determination in step 1301 are the same as in step 901 in FIG. 9A.

If the vehicle has entered a congested section (that is, step 1301=YES), the process proceeds to step 1302 and thereafter. On the other hand, if the host vehicle has not entered a congested section (that is, step 1301=NO), the processing after step 1302 is skipped, and this operation is temporarily terminated.

At step 1302, the in-vehicle system 10 starts automatic driving during congestion. Then the second task becomes available. If the driver wishes to use the second task, the driver's operation of the HMI device 20 initiates the second task at step 1303 .

At step 1304, the in-vehicle system 10 determines whether or not the congestion has been resolved. The contents of determination in step 1304 are the same as in step 904 in FIG. 9A. As long as it is not determined that the traffic congestion has been resolved, the determination result of step 1304 is "NO" and the process does not proceed to step 1305 . On the other hand, if it is determined that the congestion has been resolved (that is, step 1304 =YES), the process proceeds to step 1305 .

At step 1305, the in-vehicle system 10 presents an acceleration approval request to the driver. FIG. 14 shows a display example in the case of transition from automatic driving to level 2 [G mode] due to detection of traffic congestion being resolved while viewing video content on the CID device 23 as a second task.

As shown in FIG. 14, in the level information display area DA1 of the meter display 212, the text information "Stop traffic congestion, end automatic driving" is displayed. This character information includes caution information calling attention to traffic congestion relief and level-related information. Further, in the driving information display area DA2, a first caution information display GC saying "I will accelerate" and an input request display GE indicating an approval button are displayed. In the projection range PA of the HUD device 22, text information "driving posture (Lv2-G) preparation" and "↓↓↓ acceleration approval ↓↓↓" to guide the line of sight to the meter display 212 below the projection range PA are displayed. Note information is displayed.

In the information display area DB1 of the CID display 231, character information "Congestion relief Lv2-G preparation" is displayed. In the screen area DB2, a second caution information display GD of "→→→acceleration approval?→→→" is displayed above the second task screen GB while guiding the line of sight to the front display device and prompting the operation of the approval button. . At this time, the second task screen GB is displayed in a reduced size in order to improve the display and visibility of the second caution information display GD.

Referring again to FIG. 13, at step 1306, the in-vehicle system 10 determines whether an acceleration approval behavior has been obtained. If the accelerated approval behavior is obtained (ie, step 1306=YES), processing proceeds to steps 1307 and 1308; At step 1307, the in-vehicle system 10 terminates the second task. At step 1308, the in-vehicle system 10 sets the acceleration mode to the normal mode and starts speed recovery processing.

Due to the start of the speed recovery process, the vehicle speed of the own vehicle increases from the low speed range during traffic congestion. When the vehicle speed reaches a predetermined value (for example, 60 km/h), in step 1309, the in-vehicle system 10 terminates the automatic driving during congestion.

If the acceleration approval behavior was not obtained (ie, step 1306=NO), processing proceeds to steps 1310-1313. At step 1310, the in-vehicle system 10 sets the acceleration mode in the speed recovery process to be looser than the normal mode.

At step 1311, the in-vehicle system 10 presents a notice of the end of the second task. At step 1312, the in-vehicle system 10 presents a driving posture instruction prompting the driver to adopt a driving posture. FIG. 15 shows a display example corresponding to steps 1311 and 1312 .

As shown in FIG. 15, in the level information display area DA1 of the meter display 212, character information "congestion relief, automatic driving end" is displayed. Further, in the driving information display area DA2, the first caution information display GC for instructing the driving posture is displayed, such as "Watch out ahead!", "Hold the steering wheel!", and "Put your feet on the pedals!". In the projection range PA of the HUD device 22, character information "driving posture (Lv2-G) preparation" is displayed.

In the information display area DB1 of the CID display 231, character information "Congestion relief Lv2-G preparation" is displayed. In the screen area DB2, there is a second task end notice including required time information until the end of the second task such as "→→→5 more seconds→→→" and a driving posture instruction such as "Hold the steering wheel!" A warning information display GD is displayed above the second task screen GB. At this time, the second task screen GB is displayed in the reduced size or a smaller minimum size to improve the display and visibility of the second caution information display GD.

Referring again to FIG. 13, at step 1313, the in-vehicle system 10 determines whether or not an acceleration approval behavior has been acquired. If the accelerated approval behavior was obtained (ie step 1313 =YES), processing proceeds to step 1307 . On the other hand, if the acceleration approval behavior was not obtained (ie step 1313 =NO), the process proceeds to step 1314 .

At step 1314 , the in-vehicle system 10 determines whether or not a predetermined time has passed since the acceleration approval request was presented to the driver by the processing at step 1305 . Before the predetermined time elapses (that is, step 1314 =NO), the process returns to step 1313 . That is, the completion of acceptance of acceleration approval is waited for a predetermined time while the acceleration state is slower than when acceleration approval is given.

On the other hand, if the predetermined time has elapsed without acceleration being approved (that is, step 1314 =YES), the process proceeds to step 1315 . At step 1315, the in-vehicle system 10 terminates the second task. Processing then proceeds to step 1309 .

(Fifth embodiment)
The fifth embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. The configuration of the in-vehicle system 10 according to this embodiment is the same as that of the fourth embodiment. This embodiment is slightly different from the above-described fourth embodiment in terms of operation mode and functional configuration corresponding thereto.

If the driver approves the acceleration when the speed is restored due to the cancellation of traffic congestion, it is assumed that the driver has sufficient awareness of the driver change. Therefore, in this case, there is no particular problem even if the driver is not further alerted to the change of driving. On the other hand, when acceleration approval is not given, the driver's driving awareness is low, and it is necessary to continuously call the driver's attention to the driver change.

Therefore, if the second behavior acquiring unit 253 does not acquire the acceleration-approved behavior for approving the acceleration of the own vehicle after the caution information is presented, the second task control unit 258 is more likely than the case where the acceleration-approved behavior is acquired. Limit the second task execution state. The "restriction" of the second task execution state includes at least one of, for example, reducing the size of the second task screen GB, superimposing caution information within the second task screen GB, accelerating the second task end timing, and the like. .

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an operation example corresponding to this embodiment. The flowchart shown in FIG. 16 is a partial modification of the flowchart shown in FIG. That is, the processing contents of steps 1301 to 1305 in FIG. 16 are the same as in FIG. Also, the determination contents of step 1306 are the same as those in FIG.

In this embodiment, if the accelerated approval behavior is obtained (ie step 1306 =YES), processing proceeds to steps 1607 and 1608 . At step 1607, the in-vehicle system 10 sets the acceleration mode to the normal mode and starts speed recovery processing. When the vehicle speed reaches a predetermined reference speed (eg, 40 km/h), at step 1608, the second task ends. After that, when the vehicle speed reaches a predetermined value (for example, 60 km/h), in step 1609, the in-vehicle system 10 terminates the automatic driving during congestion.

On the other hand, if the acceleration approval behavior was not acquired (ie step 1306 =NO), the process proceeds to steps 1610 to 1614 and then to step 1609 . At step 1610, the in-vehicle system 10 sets the acceleration mode in the speed recovery process to be slower than the normal mode, and starts the speed recovery process.

At step 1611, the in-vehicle system 10 reduces the size of the second task screen GB. Specifically, if the size of the second task screen GB is the normal size before the process of step 1611, the process of step 1611 reduces the size of the second task screen GB from the normal size to the reduced size. On the other hand, if the size of the second task screen GB is the reduced size before the process of step 1611, the process of step 1611 reduces the second task screen GB from the reduced size to the minimum size.

At step 1612, the in-vehicle system 10 presents a notice of the end of the second task. At step 1613, the in-vehicle system 10 presents a driving posture instruction prompting the driver to take a driving posture. That is, the processing contents of steps 1612 and 1613 are the same as steps 1311 and 1312 in FIG. 13, respectively.

When the vehicle speed reaches a predetermined reference speed (eg, 40 km/h), at step 1614, the second task ends. After that, when the vehicle speed reaches a predetermined value (for example, 60 km/h), in step 1609, the in-vehicle system 10 terminates the automatic driving during congestion.

(Sixth embodiment)
The sixth embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. 17A, 17B, and 18. FIG. The configuration of the in-vehicle system 10 according to this embodiment is the same as that of the fifth embodiment. This embodiment is slightly different from the above-described fifth embodiment in terms of operation mode and corresponding functional configuration.

In each of the above-described embodiments, as level 3 automatic driving, an example in which only automatic driving during traffic jams can be executed has been described. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, an example is shown in which both automatic driving during congestion and automatic driving at high speed can be executed in a specific road section as a limited area. “High-speed automatic driving” is automatic driving that enables traveling in a predetermined high-speed range. "High-speed automatic driving" may also be referred to as "high-speed range automatic driving." A "specific road section" is a road section that is set in advance to enable automatic operation at SAE level 3, typically a predetermined section that is set as a dedicated road such as an expressway. The predetermined high speed range is, for example, 60 km/h or more and the legal speed or less.

The operation examples shown in FIGS. 17A, 17B, and 18 execute automatic driving during congestion or high-speed automatic driving as Level 3 automatic driving in a specific road section according to traffic conditions, and It shows a case where level 3 shifts to level 2 [G mode] upon termination. In the figure, the automatic driving during traffic congestion is abbreviated as "congestion AD", and the automatic driving at high speed is abbreviated as "high speed AD".

In this operation example, first, in step 1701, the in-vehicle system 10 determines whether or not the host vehicle has entered a specific road section. If the own vehicle has entered a specific road section (that is, step 1701=YES), the process proceeds to step 1702 and thereafter. On the other hand, if the host vehicle has not entered the specific road section (that is, step 1701=NO), the processing after step 1702 is skipped, and this operation is temporarily terminated.

At step 1702, the in-vehicle system 10 determines whether or not the conditions for starting automatic driving during congestion are satisfied. The conditions for starting automatic driving during traffic congestion include at least that the vehicle has entered a congested section. If the conditions for starting automatic driving during congestion are not met (that is, step 1702 =NO), the process proceeds to step 1703 .

At step 1703, the in-vehicle system 10 determines whether or not conditions for starting high-speed automatic driving other than entry into the specific road section determined at step 1701 have been met. Conditions for starting automatic high-speed driving other than entering a specific road section include, for example, that the current position of the own vehicle is not within a restricted section due to an obstruction such as an accident or construction. If neither the conditions for starting the automatic driving during heavy traffic nor the conditions for starting the high-speed automatic driving are satisfied (that is, step 1703=NO), all subsequent processing is skipped, and this operation is temporarily terminated.

If the conditions for starting automatic driving during traffic congestion are satisfied (that is, step 1702=YES), the process proceeds to steps 1704-1706. At step 1704, the in-vehicle system 10 starts automatic driving during congestion. Then the second task becomes available. If the driver wishes to use the second task, the driver's manipulation of the HMI device 20 initiates the second task at step 1705 .

At step 1706, the in-vehicle system 10 determines whether or not the remaining distance D is longer than the predetermined value Dth. The remaining distance D is the planned travel distance from the current position of the vehicle to the end point of the automatically operable section in which the vehicle is currently traveling. In the present embodiment, automatic driving during congestion, which is low-speed driving, can be used even in restricted sections. Therefore, the automatically operable section in the automatic operation during congestion is the planned travel section from the current position of the vehicle to the final destination point in the specific road section on which the vehicle is currently traveling. The "final destination" is the end point of the specific road section on which the vehicle is currently traveling or the scheduled exit position of the vehicle from the exclusive road including the specific road section, whichever is closer to the vehicle. . The "planned exit position" is, for example, an exit interchange or junction from which the vehicle is scheduled to exit.

If the remaining distance D is longer than the predetermined value Dth (that is, step 1706 =YES), the process proceeds to step 1707 . At step 1707, the in-vehicle system 10 determines whether or not the congestion has been resolved. The content of determination in step 1707 is the same as step 904 in FIG. 9A. As long as it is not determined that the congestion is resolved, the determination result in step 1707 is "NO" and the process returns to step 1706. That is, while the remaining distance D does not become equal to or less than the predetermined value Dth and the congestion does not disappear, the processing of steps 1706 and 1707 is repeated in the order of step 1706=YES→step 1707=NO→step 1706. Autonomous driving continues.

On the other hand, if the conditions for starting high-speed automatic driving are satisfied (that is, step 1703=YES), the process proceeds to steps 1708-1710. At step 1708, the in-vehicle system 10 starts high-speed automatic driving. Then the second task becomes available. If the driver wishes to use the second task, the driver's manipulation of the HMI device 20 initiates the second task at step 1709 .

At step 1710, in-vehicle system 10 determines whether remaining distance D is longer than predetermined value Dth. In this embodiment, high-speed automatic driving cannot be used in the restricted section. Therefore, the section in which automatic operation is possible in high-speed automatic driving is obtained by subtracting the restricted section from the specific road section on which the vehicle is currently traveling. Therefore, for example, when the own vehicle is scheduled to reach a regulated section, the remaining distance D in high-speed automatic driving is the travel schedule from the current position of the own vehicle to the start point of the nearest regulated section existing in the destination of the own vehicle. be the distance.

If the remaining distance D is longer than the predetermined value Dth (that is, step 1710 =YES), the process proceeds to step 1711 . At step 1711, the in-vehicle system 10 determines whether or not the conditions for starting automatic driving during congestion are satisfied. The contents of determination in step 1711 are the same as in step 1702 . While the conditions for starting automatic driving in traffic jams are not satisfied, that is, while the vehicle is not stuck in a traffic jam during high-speed automatic driving, the determination result in step 1711 is "NO", and the process returns to step 1710. That is, while the remaining distance D does not become equal to or less than the predetermined value Dth and does not enter the congested section, the processing of steps 1710 and 1711 is repeated in the order of step 1710 = YES → step 1711 = NO → step 1710 . Autonomous driving continues.

If the vehicle is about to enter a congested section during high-speed automatic driving, it is necessary to alert the driver to that effect. Therefore, when the conditions for starting automatic driving during heavy traffic are established during high-speed automatic driving, the determination result in step 1711 becomes “YES”, and the process proceeds to step 1712 .

At step 1712 , the in-vehicle system 10 determines whether or not the driver is viewing the CID display 231 . The contents of determination in step 1712 are the same as those in step 905 in FIG.

If the driver is viewing the CID display 231 (ie, step 1712=YES), processing proceeds to step 1713; At step 1713 , the in-vehicle system 10 presents warning information regarding the entry of the host vehicle into a congested section through the CID device 23 . In this case, the caution information is displayed on the CID display 231 and is also output by voice.

On the other hand, if the driver is not viewing the CID display 231 (ie step 1712 =NO), the process proceeds to step 1714 . At step 1714 , the in-vehicle system 10 presents warning information regarding the entry of the host vehicle into a congested area by voice through a speaker (not shown) provided in the HMI device 20 . In this case, when the driver is operating the terminal device 24 as a second task, the warning information may be presented on the screen and/or the audio output device provided in the terminal device 24 .

After the caution information is presented in step 1713 or step 1714 in a manner corresponding to the driver's behavior, that is, the direction of the driver's line of sight, the process proceeds to step 1715 . At step 1715, the in-vehicle system 10 starts automatic driving during congestion. Processing then proceeds to step 1706 . Until the remaining distance D does not become equal to or less than the predetermined value Dth and the traffic congestion does not disappear, the processes of steps 1706 and 1707 are repeated, and the automatic driving during congestion continues.

If it is determined that the congestion has been cleared (ie, step 1707=YES), the process proceeds to step 1716; At step 1716 , in-vehicle system 10 determines whether or not the driver is viewing CID display 231 . The contents of determination in step 1716 are the same as in step 1712 .

If the driver is viewing the CID display 231 (ie, step 1716=YES), processing proceeds to step 1717; At step 1717 , the in-vehicle system 10 presents caution information regarding traffic jam relief from the CID device 23 . In this case, the caution information is displayed on the CID display 231 and is also output by voice.

On the other hand, if the driver is not viewing the CID display 231 (ie step 1716 =NO), the process proceeds to step 1718 . At step 1718 , the in-vehicle system 10 presents warning information regarding congestion relief by voice through a speaker (not shown) provided in the HMI device 20 . In this case, when the driver is operating the terminal device 24 as a second task, the warning information may be presented on the screen and/or the audio output device provided in the terminal device 24 .

After the attention information is presented in step 1717 or step 1718 in a manner corresponding to the driver's behavior, that is, the direction of the driver's line of sight, the process proceeds to step 1719 . At step 1719, the in-vehicle system 10 executes speed recovery processing. Such speed recovery processing will be described later.

After the speed recovery process ends, the process proceeds to steps 1720 and 1721 . At step 1720, the in-vehicle system 10 starts high-speed automatic driving. At step 1721, the in-vehicle system 10 determines whether or not the remaining distance D in high-speed automatic driving is equal to or less than a predetermined value Dth. If the remaining distance D is longer than the predetermined value Dth (that is, step 1721 =NO), the process proceeds to step 1711 . While the remaining distance D does not become equal to or less than the predetermined value Dth and the vehicle does not enter a congested section, the processing of steps 1710 and 1711 is repeated, and high-speed automatic driving continues.

When the remaining distance D becomes equal to or less than the predetermined value Dth, it is necessary to alert the driver that the automatic driving will soon end and that driving change is necessary. Accordingly, when it is determined in steps 1706, 1710, and 1721 that the remaining distance D is equal to or less than the predetermined value Dth, the process proceeds to step 1722. FIG.

At step 1722 , in-vehicle system 10 determines whether or not the driver is viewing CID display 231 . The contents of determination in step 1716 are the same as in step 1712 .

If the driver is viewing the CID display 231 (ie, step 1722=YES), processing proceeds to step 1723; At step 1723 , the in-vehicle system 10 presents the CID device 23 with caution information regarding the end of automatic driving and driving change. In this case, the caution information is displayed on the CID display 231 and is also output by voice.

On the other hand, if the driver is not viewing the CID display 231 (ie step 1722 =NO), the process proceeds to step 1724 . At step 1724 , the in-vehicle system 10 presents warning information regarding the termination of automatic driving and driving change by voice through a speaker (not shown) provided in the HMI device 20 . In this case, when the driver is operating the terminal device 24 as a second task, the warning information may be presented on the screen and/or the audio output device provided in the terminal device 24 .

After the attention information is presented in step 1723 or step 1724 in a manner according to the driver's behavior, that is, the direction of the driver's line of sight, the process proceeds to steps 1725 and 1726 . At step 1725, the in-vehicle system 10 terminates the second task. At step 1726, the in-vehicle system 10 starts level 2 [G mode].

FIG. 18 shows the contents of the speed recovery process of step 1719 in FIG. 17A. Referring to FIG. 18, first, in step 1801, the in-vehicle system 10 presents an acceleration approval request to the driver. The processing content of step 1801 is the same as step 1001 in FIG.

Next, at step 1802, the in-vehicle system 10 determines whether or not an acceleration approval behavior has been acquired. If the accelerated approval behavior is obtained (ie, step 1802=YES), processing proceeds to steps 1803-1805.

At step 1803, the in-vehicle system 10 sets the execution state of the second task to the normal state. Specifically, for example, when video content is being viewed on the CID device 23 as the second task being executed, the second task screen GB is set to the normal size. That is, when the process proceeds to step 1803, the execution of the second task is not restricted.

At step 1804, the in-vehicle system 10 sets the acceleration mode in the speed recovery process to the normal mode. At step 1805, the in-vehicle system 10 determines whether or not the vehicle speed V of the own vehicle has reached or exceeded a predetermined value VH. Predetermined value VH is, for example, 60 km/h. While the vehicle speed V is less than the predetermined value VH, the determination result of step 1805 is "NO" and the speed recovery process is not terminated. On the other hand, when the vehicle speed V becomes equal to or higher than the predetermined value VH, the determination result of step 1805 becomes "YES", and the speed recovery process ends.

If the acceleration approval behavior was not obtained (ie, step 1802=NO), processing proceeds to steps 1806-1808. At step 1806, the in-vehicle system 10 continues presenting the acceleration approval request while restricting execution of the second task. Specifically, for example, when video content is being viewed on the CID device 23 as the second task being executed, the second task screen GB is set to the reduced size or the minimum size.

At step 1807, the in-vehicle system 10 sets the acceleration mode in the speed recovery process looser than the normal mode. At step 1808, the in-vehicle system 10 determines whether or not the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle has reached or exceeded a predetermined value VH.

If vehicle speed V is less than predetermined value VH (that is, step 1808 =NO), the process proceeds to step 1809 . At step 1809, the in-vehicle system 10 determines whether or not the acceleration approval behavior has been acquired. If the accelerated approval behavior was obtained (ie step 1809 =YES), processing proceeds to step 1803 . On the other hand, if no accelerated approval behavior was obtained (ie step 1809 =NO), processing returns to step 1808 .

In this way, while the driver does not perform the acceleration approval operation, the speed recovery process in the acceleration mode that is slower than the normal mode continues with the execution restriction of the second task and the presentation of the acceleration approval request. On the other hand, when the driver performs an acceleration approval operation, the acceleration mode and the execution mode of the second task are set to the normal mode, and the speed recovery process is continued.

If the vehicle speed V of the host vehicle reaches a predetermined value VH without the driver performing an acceleration approval operation (that is, step 1808=YES), the speed recovery process ends. At this time, in step 1810, the second task execution state is returned to the normal state.

(Modification)
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Therefore, the above embodiment can be modified as appropriate. A representative modified example will be described below. In the following description of the modified example, differences from the above embodiment will be mainly described. Moreover, in the above-described embodiment and modifications, the same or equivalent portions are denoted by the same reference numerals. Therefore, in the description of the modification below, the description in the above embodiment can be used as appropriate for components having the same reference numerals as those in the above embodiment, unless there is a technical contradiction or special additional description.

The present invention is by no means limited to the specific device configurations shown in the above embodiments. That is, for example, the vehicle 1 on which the in-vehicle system 10 is mounted is not limited to an ordinary automobile. Specifically, such a vehicle 1 may be a large automobile such as a freight truck. The number of wheels is not particularly limited, and it may be a three-wheeled vehicle, or a six-wheeled or eight-wheeled vehicle such as a freight truck. The type of vehicle 1 may be a conventional vehicle equipped with only an internal combustion engine, an electric vehicle or fuel cell vehicle without an internal combustion engine, or a so-called hybrid vehicle. The shape and structure of the vehicle body of the vehicle 1 are not limited to a box shape, that is, a substantially rectangular shape in plan view. The use of the vehicle 1, the position of the driver's seat 2, that is, the steering wheel 8, the number of passengers, etc. are not particularly limited. The presence of the driver's seat 2 is also not essential. In other words, the driver may be an ego vehicle occupant responsible for or performing a dynamic driving task. In other words, the seating position of the driver is not particularly limited as long as the driver can execute the driving operation. Also, any operating device such as a joystick may be used in place of or in conjunction with the steering wheel 8 .

As a communication standard that configures the in-vehicle system 10, standards other than CAN (internationally registered trademark), such as FlexRay (internationally registered trademark), may be employed. In addition, the communication standard configuring the in-vehicle system 10 is not limited to one type. For example, the in-vehicle system 10 may have a subnetwork line conforming to a communication standard such as LIN. LIN is an abbreviation for Local Interconnect Network.

The vehicle state sensor 11, the external state sensor 12, and the surroundings monitoring sensor 13 are also not limited to the above examples. For example, the perimeter monitoring sensor 13 may be configured to include a sonar, ie, an ultrasonic sensor. Alternatively, the perimeter monitoring sensor 13 may include two or more of a millimeter wave radar sensor, a sub-millimeter wave radar sensor, a laser radar sensor, and an ultrasonic sensor. There is no particular limitation on the number of installed sensors.

The locator 14 is also not limited to the above example. For example, the locator 14 does not have to have a built-in gyro sensor and acceleration sensor. Specifically, the inertia acquisition unit 142 may receive output signals from an angular velocity sensor and an acceleration sensor provided outside the locator 14 as the vehicle state sensor 11 .

DCM 15 may be omitted. That is, traffic information can be obtained by the navigation device 16 . Alternatively, navigation device 16 may have a configuration that includes locator 14 and DCM 15 .

The navigation device 16 may be connected to the HMI control device 25 so as to be able to communicate information via a sub-communication line different from the in-vehicle communication line 10A.

The navigation device 16 may have a display screen dedicated to displaying the navigation screen, which is separate from the HMI device 20 . Alternatively, navigation device 16 may be provided as part of HMI device 20 . Specifically, for example, the navigation device 16 may be integrated with the CID device 23 .

The driver state detector 17 may be connected to the HMI control device 25 so as to be able to communicate information via a sub-communication line different from the in-vehicle communication line 10A.

The driver state detection unit 17 is not limited to the configuration including the line-of-sight detection unit 171 , the posture detection unit 172 , and the operation state acquisition unit 173 . That is, for example, image recognition using the configuration of the line-of-sight detection unit 171 can provide a function corresponding to the posture detection unit 172 . Moreover, the driver state detection unit 17 may include a biological information sensor that detects biological information such as the driver's pulse. In this case, the components such as the detection electrodes in the biological information sensor can be shared with the component for detecting the gripping state of the steering wheel 8 in the operation state acquisition unit 173 .

In the above embodiment, the in-vehicle system 10, that is, the operation control device 18 is configured to be able to execute vehicle control operations corresponding to levels 1-3. However, the invention is not limited to such aspects. That is, for example, the present invention can be preferably applied even when vehicle control operations corresponding to levels 1 to 5 can be executed.

HMI device 20 is not limited to a configuration including meter panel 21 , HUD device 22 , and CID device 23 . That is, for example, the meter panel 21 and the CID device 23 can be integrated. Alternatively, for example, HUD device 22 may be omitted.

Meter 211 and meter display 212 can be realized by one image display device. In this case, the meters 211 can be provided as display areas at both left and right ends of one image display device, which is a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. That is, the meter 211 can be realized by displaying images of bezels, pointers, scales, etc. corresponding to the tachometer, speedometer, water temperature gauge, and the like. Also, the meter display 212 can be provided as a display area other than the meter 211 in such an image display device.

The HUD device 22 is not limited to a configuration that projects an image onto the predetermined projection range PA on the front windshield 9 . Specifically, the HUD device 22 may have a configuration for projecting an image onto a combiner, which is a plate-like member erected on the dashboard 7, for example.

The input device 232 may have a pointing device or the like operated at the driver's hand instead of the touch panel superimposed on the CID display 231 or together with this. The input device 232 may comprise a voice input device that detects driver speech.

In the above-described embodiment, the operation control device 18 and the HMI control device 25 have a configuration as a so-called in-vehicle microcomputer including a CPU and the like. However, the invention is not limited to such a configuration.

For example, all or part of the operation control device 18 may be configured with a digital circuit, such as an ASIC or FPGA, configured to enable the above operations. ASIC is an abbreviation for Application Specific Integrated Circuit. FPGA stands for Field Programmable Gate Array. That is, in the operation control device 18, the vehicle-mounted microcomputer portion and the digital circuit portion can coexist. The same applies to the HMI control device 25 as well.

A program according to the present invention that enables various operations, procedures, or processes described in the above embodiments can be downloaded or upgraded via V2X communication by the DCM 15 or the like. V2X is an abbreviation for Vehicle to X. Alternatively, such a program can be downloaded or upgraded via terminal equipment provided at the vehicle 1 manufacturing plant, maintenance plant, dealer, or the like. Such programs may be stored in a memory card, an optical disk, a magnetic disk, or the like.

Thus, each functional arrangement and method described above can be implemented by a dedicated computer provided by configuring a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions embodied by a computer program. may be Alternatively, each functional configuration and method described above may be implemented by a dedicated computer provided by configuring a processor with one or more dedicated hardware logic circuits. Alternatively, each of the functional configurations and methods described above may be implemented by a combination of a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions and a processor configured by one or more hardware logic circuits. It may be implemented by one or more dedicated computers. The computer program may also be stored in a computer-readable non-transitional tangible storage medium as instructions executed by a computer. That is, each of the functional configurations and methods described above can be expressed as a computer program including procedures for realizing it, or as a non-transitional physical storage medium storing the program.

The present invention is not limited to the specific functional configurations and operation examples shown in the above embodiments. That is, for example, when the traffic jam automatic driving ends, if the conditions for starting Level 2 are satisfied, the level 2 may be entered. In addition, automatic driving during congestion and/or high-speed automatic driving may correspond to Level 4.

The level or category of driving automation is not limited to those stipulated in "SAE J3016". Specifically, "SAE J3016" specifies that the higher the driving automation level, the higher the level numerical value. However, the invention is not limited to such aspects. That is, for example, the present invention can be applied in the same manner to a standard defined such that the highest driving automation level is "Level 1" and the lower the driving automation level, the higher the level numerical value.

The determination condition for congestion entry or congestion cancellation can be changed as appropriate. That is, for example, the vehicle speed condition for judging entering into traffic congestion and the vehicle speed condition for judging that traffic congestion is resolved may be the same or different. The same applies to the "predetermined time" and the "predetermined travel distance".

In order to simplify the explanation, each of the above-described embodiments is based on the premise of a road traffic system in which both "automatic high-speed driving" and "automatic driving in heavy traffic" are possible. However, in the road traffic systems of each country, appropriate considerations can be made according to domestic circumstances, etc., regarding the conditions for executing automated driving, such as the type of automated driving and the maximum speed during automated driving. For this reason, the above-described embodiment can be appropriately modified to specifications in accordance with the road traffic system of each country.

For example, automatic driving during heavy traffic may be executable only in a specific road section. Alternatively, automatic driving during congestion may be executable on roads on which automatic driving is possible regardless of whether or not specific road sections are set. "Autonomous driving roads" are roads exclusively for motor vehicles with legal maximum speeds exceeding 60 km/h, and typically include highways.

In the specific examples described in each of the above embodiments, the automatic driving during traffic congestion is performed after the vehicle enters a traffic congestion section and the vehicle speed V of the vehicle becomes equal to or lower than the threshold speed for determining traffic congestion (for example, 40 km/h). , the speed recovery process can be continued until the vehicle speed V reaches a predetermined value V1 (eg, 60 km/h). In other words, automatic driving in traffic jams is executed in a low speed range of less than 60 km/h or 60 km/h or less, including temporary relief of traffic congestion, before vehicle speed V recovers to the upper limit speed for automatic driving in traffic jams. It is possible. Such automatic driving in the low speed range can be executed regardless of the presence or absence of traffic congestion. That is, for example, the automatic driving during congestion in each of the above-described embodiments can be regarded as "low-speed automatic driving" that can be executed in the vehicle speed range of 60 km/h or less on roads on which automatic driving is possible. "Low-speed automatic driving" may be executed regardless of the presence or absence of traffic congestion.
Therefore, Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-25305 or the disclosure of the present application claiming priority thereof includes an operation control device (18) and an HMI control device (25) having the following configurations.
The operation control device (18) is configured to control the operation of the vehicle (1) capable of automatic low-speed driving that follows the preceding vehicle while traveling at a low speed equal to or lower than a predetermined speed,
a traffic jam state determination unit (182) that determines congestion relief during the low-speed automatic driving;
a behavior acquisition unit (183) that acquires the behavior of the driver of the vehicle;
a vehicle control unit (185) that executes acceleration/deceleration control in the vehicle;
with
The vehicle control unit acquires the acceleration-approved behavior when the behavior acquisition unit does not acquire an acceleration-approved behavior for approving the acceleration of the vehicle after the congestion state determination unit determines that the congestion is resolved. The acceleration mode is controlled so as to make the acceleration mode of the vehicle gentler than when the vehicle is accelerated.
- HMI control configured to control an HMI device (20) that presents information recognizable to the driver of a vehicle (1) capable of low-speed automatic driving that follows a preceding vehicle while traveling at a low speed equal to or lower than a predetermined speed. The device (25) is
a warning information presenting unit (259) that presents warning information for calling the driver's attention when it is determined that traffic jams are resolved during the low-speed automatic driving;
a behavior acquisition unit (253) that acquires the behavior of the driver;
a second task control unit (258) for terminating the second task in the HMI device at an end timing according to the behavior after presentation of the attention information acquired by the behavior acquisition unit;
Prepare.
- HMI control configured to control an HMI device (20) that presents information recognizable to the driver of a vehicle (1) capable of low-speed automatic driving that follows a preceding vehicle while traveling at a low speed equal to or lower than a predetermined speed. The device (25) is
a behavior acquisition unit (253) that acquires the behavior of the driver;
A warning information presenting unit that presents warning information for calling the driver's attention in a presentation mode according to the behavior acquired by the behavior acquisition unit when it is determined that traffic congestion is resolved during the low-speed automatic driving. (259) and
Prepare.

The congestion state determination unit 182 may be provided in the locator 14 , the navigation device 16 , or the HMI control device 25 . In this case, the operation control device 18 may be provided with a congestion state acquisition unit that acquires the determination result from the congestion state determination unit 182 provided in the locator 14 instead of the congestion state determination unit 182 .

The first behavior acquisition unit 183 may receive the result of acquisition, ie detection, by the second behavior acquisition unit 253 from the HMI control device 25 . Conversely, the second behavior acquisition unit 253 may receive the result of acquisition, that is, detection by the first behavior acquisition unit 183 from the operation control device 18 .

Screen display examples are also not limited to the above specific examples. Specifically, for example, by animation-displaying the second caution information display GD in FIG. 5 etc., it is possible to further enhance the visual guidance effect. In animation display, for example, it is possible to move one of the multiple "→"s with higher brightness than others in the direction of visual guidance, that is, in the right direction toward the front display device. Alternatively, for example, it is possible to move the character string "Caution ahead" in the line-of-sight guidance direction.

The second task display modes in the examples of FIGS. 7 and 8 may also be changed as appropriate. That is, for example, in the case of FIG. 7 in which preparations for driving change are complete, the second task screen GB may be displayed in a normal size. On the other hand, in the case of FIG. 8 in which preparations for driving change are not complete, a reduced size second task screen GB may be displayed instead of the navigation screen GA. That is, the size of the second task screen GB may be set according to the degree of preparation for driving change.

Each flowchart can also be modified as appropriate. For example, the predetermined value V0 in step 912 in FIG. 9B and the like may be variable according to the type of second task. That is, the predetermined value V0 can be set so that the second task, in which the driver's consciousness is further removed from driving, is completed earlier.

Specifically, for example, in FIG. 9B, the predetermined value V0 for the second task using the terminal device 24 may be lower than the predetermined value V0 for the second task using the CID device 23. . In this case, the second task using the terminal device 24 ends earlier than the second task using the CID device 23 . By ending the second task using the terminal device 24 more quickly, the driver's consciousness is more removed from driving, making it possible to transfer authority more reliably.

Alternatively, for example, in FIG. 11, the predetermined value V0 when the video content is a movie may be lower than the predetermined value V0 when the video content is other than a movie. In this case, the second task ends earlier for movies than for non-movies. By ending the second task of watching a movie earlier, the driver's consciousness is further removed from driving, making it possible to transfer authority more reliably.

The timing for ending the second task in step 916 in FIG. 9B and the like may be set according to the type of the second task. That is, the timing of the end of the second task can be set so that the second task, in which the driver's consciousness is further removed from driving, ends earlier.

Specifically, for example, in FIG. 9B, the timing of ending the second task can be set so that the second task using the terminal device 24 ends earlier than the second task using the CID device 23 . By ending the second task using the terminal device 24 more quickly, the driver's consciousness is more removed from driving, making it possible to transfer authority more reliably.

Alternatively, for example, in FIG. 11 , the timing for ending the second task may be set according to the type of the terminal device 24 and/or the type of the second task using the terminal device 24 . That is, for example, the second task end timing can be set so that the second task ends earlier when the terminal device 24 is a portable game machine than when the terminal device 24 is a mobile phone. Also, the end timing of the second task can be set so that the second task ends earlier when text is input on the mobile phone than when talking on the mobile phone. For example, the end timing of the second task can be set based on a lookup table or the like that defines the relationship between the type of the second task and the end timing.

If there are no occupants of the vehicle other than the driver, even if the second task is terminated immediately when the driver's consciousness shifts from the second task to driving, there is no effect on convenience. Rather, in this case, it is useless to continue the second task content such as video content reproduction after the driver's consciousness shifts from the second task to driving.

Therefore, if there is an occupant of the vehicle other than the driver, the processing proceeds from FIG. 9A to FIG. 9B, and if there is no occupant of the vehicle other than the driver, the processing proceeds from FIG. 9A to FIG. good. In this case, after the process of step 907 in FIG. 9A, a determination step of "driver only?" In this example, if the determination result of such determination step is "NO", the process proceeds to FIG. 9B. On the other hand, if the determination result of this determination step is "YES", the process proceeds to FIG.

The acceleration approval request in the speed recovery process may be divided into multiple times and made step by step. Specifically, for example, a first acceleration approval request for speed recovery up to 40 km/h, a second acceleration approval request for speed recovery up to 50 km/h, and a speed recovery up to 60 km/h. and a third accelerated approval request for . In this case, step 911 in FIG. 9B consists of a "first speed recovery process" for speed recovery up to 40 km/h, a "second speed recovery process" for speed recovery up to 50 km/h, and a "second speed recovery process" for speed recovery up to 50 km/h. and "third speed recovery processing" for speed recovery up to h. In the "first speed recovery process", V1=40 km/h in FIG. In the "second speed recovery process", V1=50 km/h in FIG. In the "third speed recovery process", V1=60 km/h in FIG.

(Other embodiments)
Other embodiments are possible as follows. It is possible that the driver is not meeting the driver requirements when the congestion clears (ie step 904=YES). The driver requirements are requirements necessary for the driver to be ready for driving operation before the driver changes, such as driving posture (that is, step 910=YES), holding the steering wheel, and monitoring the surroundings. In this case, in the speed recovery process (that is, step 917), it is possible to moderate the acceleration of the own vehicle regardless of the presence or absence of the driver's acceleration approval request (that is, the determination result in step 1002). As a result, it is possible to give a margin to the driver change.

Further, still another embodiment will be described with reference to apparatus configuration diagrams shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and time charts shown in FIGS. 19 to 30. FIG. The vertical and horizontal axes in FIGS. 19-30 are the same as in FIG. 9C. Hereinafter, for each of the plurality of additional embodiments, a specific example of a scene in which level 3 automatic driving (i.e., automatic driving during congestion or low-speed automatic driving) ends and shifts to level 2 due to speed recovery accompanying congestion cancellation will be described. .

Referring to FIGS. 19 to 30, in the following additional embodiments, for the sake of simplification of explanation, the congestion determination speed included in the determination condition for the start of congestion is assumed to be VJ (eg, 10 km/h). Also, the upper limit speed for automatic operation is set to VH (eg, 60 km/h). Upper limit speed VH corresponds to predetermined value V1 in FIGS. 9C and 10 . That is, during automatic driving, the vehicle speed of the own vehicle is limited to the upper limit speed VH or less. Since the vehicle speed of the own vehicle is set higher than the upper limit speed VH, the automatic driving ends when the vehicle speed reaches a region equal to or higher than the upper limit speed VH by acceleration control. T0 is the judgment time of congestion relief, which corresponds to the processing time of step 911 in the examples of FIGS. 9A to 10. FIG. T1 is the end time of automatic driving, that is, the transition time of the driving automation level from level 3 to level 2.

(Additional Embodiment 1)
19 and 20 are time charts corresponding to the operation of this additional embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, when it is determined at time T0 that the congestion is cleared and the speed recovery process is started, the speed of the host vehicle increases. Then, when the vehicle speed reaches the upper limit speed VH at time T1, level 3 automatic driving ends, and the driving automation level shifts from level 3 to level 2.

In the example of FIG. 19, it is assumed that the vehicle speed of the own vehicle changes in the following circumstances. The vehicle speed of the own vehicle first starts increasing at time T0 and reaches the reference speed VK at time T11. The reference speed VK is higher than the traffic congestion determination speed VJ and lower than the upper limit speed VH as the "predetermined speed", and can also be called "intermediate speed" or "second task end speed". Specifically, the reference speed VK is, for example, the average speed between the traffic congestion determination speed VJ and the upper limit speed VH or a higher speed, typically 40 km/h. Reference speed VK corresponds to predetermined value V0 in FIGS. 9B and 9C.

Although the vehicle speed continues to increase after time T11, it peaks at time T12 before reaching the upper limit speed VH and then begins to decrease. In this example, the peak speed VP at time T12 is a speed lower than the upper limit speed VH, specifically a speed between the reference speed VK and the upper limit speed VH.

After time T12, the vehicle speed of the host vehicle decreases until it reaches the minimum speed VL at time T13. In this example, the minimum speed VL is higher than the traffic congestion determination speed VJ and lower than the reference speed VK. After time T13, the vehicle speed of the own vehicle begins to increase again, and reaches the upper limit speed VH at time T1. When the vehicle speed of the own vehicle reaches the upper limit speed VH, the automatic driving ends and the driving automation level switches to level 2.

In the example of FIG. 20, it is assumed that the vehicle speed of the own vehicle changes in the following circumstances. First, the vehicle speed starts to rise at time T0, reaches a peak at time T14 before reaching the upper limit speed VH, and then begins to decline. In this example, the peak speed VP at time T14 is lower than the reference speed VK. After time t14, the vehicle speed of the host vehicle, which started to decrease, decreases to the congestion determination speed VJ at time T15, and then reaches the minimum speed VL at time T16. In this example, the minimum speed VL is lower than the congestion determination speed VJ. After time T16, the vehicle speed of the own vehicle begins to rise again, and at time T17, it rises to the congestion determination speed VJ. That is, from time T15 to T17, the own vehicle travels in a traffic jam in the re-jammed section. The vehicle speed of the own vehicle, which turned upward after time T16, reaches the reference speed VK at time T18. After that, when the vehicle speed of the own vehicle reaches the upper limit speed VH at time T1, the automatic driving is terminated and the driving automation level is switched to level 2.

In this additional embodiment, as in the first embodiment, when the driver behavior after the caution information presentation acquired by the second behavior acquisition unit 253 is a takeover behavior, the second task control unit 258 Let the second task finish later than if . That is, when the driver assumes the driving posture due to the handover behavior, the second task control unit 258 permits the continuation of the second task until the speed of the own vehicle reaches the predetermined reference speed VK due to the speed recovery when the congestion is cleared.

Specifically, when the driver is not in the driving posture, the second task control unit 258 terminates the second task at time T0. On the other hand, if the driver is in the driving posture, the second task control unit 258 permits execution of the second task until time T11 or time T18 after time T0. terminate. As a result, the driver can be urged to perform a drive change operation when the preparation for the drive change is not ready, and the convenience is improved when the drive change preparation is completed.

As in the examples of FIGS. 19 and 20, after it is determined at time T0 that the congestion is resolved and the speed recovery process is started, until time T1 at which the vehicle speed reaches the upper limit speed VH and the automatic driving ends. Acceleration control may be intermittently repeated in the self-vehicle during this period. In this regard, in the present additional embodiment, the second task control unit 258 does not re-permit the second task after the second task is temporarily terminated at time T0 or time T11, and the second task control unit 258 does not re-permit the second task until time T1 when automatic operation is terminated. Keep the task finished. That is, the second task control unit 258 terminates the second task as the congestion is resolved, and even if the vehicle speed increases to the upper limit speed VH and congestion occurs again before the automatic operation is terminated, the second task control unit 258 Disallow task execution. As a result, it becomes possible to avoid the trouble caused by resuming and re-terminating the second task for a short period of time, thereby improving convenience.

(Additional embodiment 2)
In the above-described additional embodiment 1, when the automatic driving is terminated due to the elimination of traffic congestion, once the second task is terminated, regardless of the speed change history thereafter (that is, whether the peak speed VP exceeds the reference speed VK or not) and with or without re-congestion) to maintain second task completion. However, when traffic congestion reoccurs after traffic congestion has been resolved during automatic driving, whether or not the second task should be made available again may differ depending on traffic conditions or user needs in each country.

In this regard, this additional embodiment permits execution of the second task at the time of re-traffic congestion according to the speed change history after the second task has been once terminated as the congestion is resolved. Specifically, this additional embodiment distinguishes whether or not the second task can be used again during re-traffic congestion, depending on whether or not the peak speed VP exceeds the reference speed VK. More specifically, when the vehicle speed of the own vehicle reaches the reference speed VK due to the speed recovery at the time of congestion cancellation, the vehicle speed increases to the upper limit speed VH degrees before the automatic driving ends. Execution of the second task is not permitted even if traffic congestion occurs again.

21 and 22 show examples of speed change histories corresponding to this additional embodiment. In the examples of FIGS. 21 and 22, it is assumed that the vehicle speed of the own vehicle changes in the following manner. The speed of the host vehicle first starts increasing at time T0, reaches peak speed VP at time T21, then begins to decrease, and reaches minimum speed VL at time T22. During the time period TJ1-TJ2 around the time T22, the vehicle travels at an extremely low speed equal to or lower than the congestion determination speed VJ, that is, travels in a traffic jam. After time T22, the vehicle speed of the own vehicle begins to increase again, and reaches the reference speed VK at time T23. After that, when the vehicle speed of the own vehicle reaches the upper limit speed VH at time T1, the automatic driving is terminated and the driving automation level is switched to level 2.

In the example of FIG. 21, the peak speed VP is higher than the reference speed VK. That is, at time TK, which is earlier than time T21, the vehicle speed reaches reference speed VK. Therefore, the second task ends at time TK at the latest, or at time T0 at the earliest, depending on whether the driver is in a driving posture. On the other hand, in the example of FIG. 22, the peak speed VP is lower than the reference speed VK. Therefore, if the driver takes the driving posture, the second task can be continued until time T23.

As in the example of FIG. 21, when the speed recovery is started from time T0 due to the elimination of traffic congestion and acceleration to the reference speed VK is achieved at time TK, the second task can be enjoyed for a certain amount of time after that. less likely to cause heavy traffic congestion. Therefore, in this case, even if the second task is finished at the time T0 or the time TK and the second task is continued until the automatic driving is finished, it is highly unlikely that the driver will feel particularly uncomfortable. On the other hand, as in the example of FIG. 22, if deceleration occurs again without speed recovery to the reference speed VK, then there is a possibility that another traffic congestion will occur that will allow the user to enjoy the second task for a certain amount of time. becomes higher.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the peak speed VP exceeds the reference speed VK, that is, when the vehicle speed exceeds the reference speed VK even once after the second task is finished, Disallow execution of the second task. Specifically, in the example of FIG. 21 in which the peak speed VP exceeds the reference speed VK, execution of the second task is not permitted during re-traffic congestion TJ1 to TJ2 for a short period of time. As a result, it is possible to avoid the trouble caused by resuming and re-terminating the second task for a short period of time. On the other hand, in the example of FIG. 22 in which the peak speed VP does not exceed the reference speed VK, re-traffic congestion TJ1 to TJ2 occurs for a relatively long time, and execution of the second task is permitted accordingly. If the driver has not taken the driving posture at time TJ2 or a predetermined time before time TJ2, the second task ends again at time TJ2. On the other hand, if the driver is in the driving posture at time TJ2 or at a predetermined time before time TJ2, the second task can be continued until time T23.

(Additional Embodiment 3)
In this additional embodiment, as in the second additional embodiment, it is determined whether or not the second task can be used again during re-traffic congestion, depending on whether or not the peak speed VP exceeds the reference speed VK. However, in this additional embodiment, contrary to the second additional embodiment, when the peak speed VP does not reach the reference speed VK, the vehicle speed increases to the upper limit speed VH after that, and before the automatic operation ends. Even if traffic jam occurs again, execution of the second task is not permitted.

23 to 25 show examples of speed change histories corresponding to this additional embodiment. In the examples of FIGS. 23 to 25, it is assumed that the vehicle speed of the own vehicle changes in the following manner. The vehicle speed of the host vehicle first starts increasing at time T0, reaches peak speed VP at time T31, then begins to decrease, and reaches minimum speed VL at time T32. After time T32, the vehicle speed of the own vehicle begins to increase again, and reaches the reference speed VK at time T33. After that, when the vehicle speed of the own vehicle reaches the upper limit speed VH at time T1, the automatic driving is terminated and the driving automation level is switched to level 2.

In the example of FIG. 23, peak speed VP is lower than reference speed VK. In addition, the minimum speed VL is higher than the congestion determination speed VJ. Furthermore, the width of decrease from the peak speed VP to the minimum speed VL is also small. After time T32, the vehicle speed of the host vehicle increases relatively gently until time T33. In this example, if the driver is in a driving posture due to the handover behavior, the second task control unit 258 continues the second task from time T0 until time T33 when the vehicle speed reaches the reference speed VK. allow On the other hand, if the driver is not in the driving posture, the second task control unit 258 ends the second task at time T0 and maintains the second task finished state until time T1.

In the examples of FIGS. 24 and 25, traffic congestion occurs at a traffic congestion judgment speed VJ or lower during time periods TJ1 to TJ2 around time T32. However, in the example of FIG. 24, the peak speed VP is lower than the reference speed VK. In contrast, in the example of FIG. 25, the peak speed VP is higher than the reference speed VK.

As in the example of FIG. 25, in a scene in which the speed is recovered to reach the reference speed VK but then decelerates to the congestion judgment speed VJ or less, for example, after the congestion is cleared once, the congestion continues for a long period of time. It is conceivable that the Therefore, in the example of FIG. 24, execution of the second task is not permitted during re-traffic jams, ie, time periods TJ1 to TJ2. On the other hand, in the example of FIG. 25, execution of the second task is permitted during re-traffic jams, ie, time periods TJ1 to TJ2. In this way, by setting the second task permission condition that the vehicle speed becomes equal to or higher than the reference speed VK, it is possible to provide the driver with the execution of the second task suitable for the actual traffic congestion scene, thereby improving the convenience. If the driver has not taken the driving posture at time TJ2 or at a predetermined time before time TJ2, the second task ends again at time TJ2. On the other hand, if the driver is in the driving posture at time TJ2 or at a predetermined time before time TJ2, the second task can be continued until time T33.

(Additional embodiment 4)
In this additional embodiment, unlike the second and third additional embodiments, the second task can be used again during re-traffic congestion regardless of the speed change history. That is, the second task control unit 258 terminates the second task as the congestion is resolved, and when the vehicle speed increases to the upper limit speed VH and congestion occurs again before the automatic operation is terminated, the second task control unit 258 to allow the execution of

26 and 27 show examples of speed change histories corresponding to this additional embodiment. In the examples of FIGS. 26 and 27, it is assumed that the vehicle speed of the host vehicle changes in the following manner. The vehicle speed of the own vehicle first starts increasing at time T0, reaches peak speed VP at time T41, then begins to decrease, and reaches minimum speed VL at time T42. During the time period TJ1 to TJ2 around time T42, the vehicle travels in traffic congestion at a traffic congestion determination speed VJ or lower. After time T42, the vehicle speed of the own vehicle begins to increase again, and reaches the reference speed VK at time T43. After that, when the vehicle speed of the own vehicle reaches the upper limit speed VH at time T1, the automatic driving is terminated and the driving automation level is switched to level 2.

In this additional embodiment, it is possible to execute the second task at least during the time period TJ1 to TJ2 during which the vehicle is traveling in congested traffic in the re-congested section. Specifically, in the examples of FIGS. 26 and 27, even if the second task is terminated at time T0 because the driver did not take a driving posture, the second task can be executed again at time TJ1. becomes. Further, in the example of FIG. 27, even if the vehicle speed reaches the reference speed VK at time TK and the second task is temporarily terminated while the driver is in the driving posture, the second task is terminated at time TJ1. Execution is possible again. Therefore, the display control unit 257 presents information about re-traffic congestion at time TJ1 or a predetermined time before it.

If the driver has not taken the driving posture at time TJ2 or at a predetermined time before time TJ2, the second task ends again at time TJ2. On the other hand, if the driver is in the driving posture at time TJ2 or at a predetermined time before time TJ2, the second task can be continued until time T43. Also, in the example of FIG. 26, when the driver is in the driving posture, the second task can be executed between times T0 to T43.

Here, in the example of FIG. 26, the peak speed VP is lower than the reference speed VK. That is, in the case of this example, the vehicle speed of the own vehicle has not reached the reference speed VK due to the speed recovery that started at time T0. In the case of such a relatively gradual speed recovery, there is a high possibility that the own vehicle will travel again at low speed or in traffic congestion. Therefore, there is a high possibility that the driver will not take the driving posture until time T43 when the vehicle speed of the own vehicle reaches the reference speed VK.

In contrast, in the example of FIG. 27, the peak speed VP is higher than the reference speed VK. In this example, there is a high possibility that the driver will take a driving posture at the stage when the speed of the own vehicle reaches the reference speed VK due to the driver change request for speed recovery starting at time T0. However, as shown in FIG. 27, when the speed decrease after time T41 when the peak speed VP is reached is relatively steep, there is a high possibility that the host vehicle will travel again at low speed or in traffic congestion. It is inconvenient for the driver to continue to take the driving posture when there is a high possibility that the vehicle will enter traffic again.

Therefore, as in the example of FIG. 27, when the peak speed VP is equal to or higher than the reference speed VK, the display control unit 257 changes the speed from reaching the peak speed VP to decelerating to the reference speed VK at time TR. , to execute a predetermined information presentation. Such predetermined information presentation includes information presentation to the effect that although the vehicle has been decelerated once, permission to execute the second task will wait until congestion occurs again. Further, such predetermined information presentation includes information presentation to the effect that the driver does not have to take a driving posture at this stage.

That is, when the vehicle speed of the own vehicle exceeds the reference speed VK and then becomes equal to or lower than the reference speed VK again, the display control unit 257 does not immediately permit execution of the second task and permits execution of the second task due to re-traffic congestion. Notify the driver that Specifically, the display control unit 257 displays, for example, the information "the second task cannot be executed until traffic jam occurs again even though the vehicle has been decelerated once" on the meter display 212 or the like and/or notifies it by voice. Further, the display control unit 257 notifies the information "please relax until the next notification" by displaying on the meter display 212 or the like and/or by sound. This makes it possible to improve convenience for the driver.

(Additional embodiment 5)
The following additional embodiment is a partial transformation of the above fourth additional embodiment. That is, in the additional embodiment described below, the second task can be used again during the re-traffic congestion according to the re-occurrence of the traffic congestion after the traffic congestion is cleared once at time T0 and the speed recovery is started. To simplify the explanation, in the explanation of the additional embodiment below, it is assumed that the second task is finished at time T0 because the driver is not in the driving posture.

Even if the traffic jam (that is, the first traffic jam described later) that triggered the start of automatic driving this time is resolved and the speed recovery starts, as described above, there is a possibility that traffic congestion will occur again. However, such re-traffic congestion may be resolved again in a very short time. For this reason, if the second task is immediately made available each time the traffic jam re-occurs, there is concern that the driver will feel annoyed by the resumption and termination of the second task in a short period of time.

Therefore, in the following additional embodiments, a predetermined restriction condition is added to the second task execution permission at the time of re-traffic congestion. Specifically, in the present additional embodiment, the second task control unit 258 terminates the second task when the first traffic congestion is resolved, and even if the second traffic congestion occurs, the second task control unit 258 Disallow execution. "First traffic jam" is the first traffic jam during automatic driving. Note that the "first congestion" may occur before the start of automatic driving or may occur after the start of automatic driving. The "second traffic jam" is the next traffic jam after the first traffic jam. In other words, the "second traffic jam" is a traffic jam that occurs after the first traffic jam after the first traffic jam is resolved and before the vehicle speed increases to the upper limit speed VH and the automatic driving ends. On the other hand, the second task control unit 258 permits execution of the second task if traffic congestion occurs again before the vehicle speed increases to the upper limit speed VH after the second traffic congestion is resolved and the automatic operation ends.

FIG. 28 is a time chart for explaining the operation corresponding to this additional embodiment. In the example of FIG. 28, it is assumed that the vehicle speed of the own vehicle changes in the following circumstances. First, the vehicle speed of the host vehicle starts increasing at time T0, reaches peak speed VP1 at time T51, then begins to decrease, and reaches a minimum speed at time T52. VP1<VH. During the time period TJ1 to TJ2 around time T52, the vehicle travels in traffic congestion at a traffic congestion determination speed VJ or less. After time T52, the speed of the host vehicle starts to increase again, reaches the peak speed VP2 at T53, then starts to decrease again, and reaches the minimum speed at time T54. VP2<VH. During the time period TJ3 to TJ4 around time T54, the vehicle travels in traffic congestion at a traffic congestion determination speed VJ or less. After time T54, the vehicle speed of the own vehicle begins to increase again, and reaches the reference speed VK at time T55. After that, when the vehicle speed of the own vehicle reaches the upper limit speed VH at time T1, the automatic driving is terminated and the driving automation level is switched to level 2.

This additional embodiment does not permit the execution of the second task when the second traffic jams TJ1-TJ2 occur, but permits the execution of the second task when the third traffic jams TJ3-TJ4 occur. As described above, in this additional embodiment, the second task is not permitted again just because the speed once becomes equal to or lower than the congestion determination speed VJ after the first congestion is resolved. As a result, it is possible to prevent the driver from feeling annoyed as much as possible by re-permitting the second task from the timing when it can be determined that the re-traffic jam is a definite traffic jam.

(Additional embodiment 6)
This additional embodiment is obtained by partially transforming the fifth additional embodiment. That is, in this additional embodiment, as in the fifth additional embodiment, a predetermined restriction condition is added to permission to execute the second task at the time of re-traffic congestion. However, such restrictive conditions are different from those in the fifth additional embodiment.

FIG. 29 is a time chart for explaining the operation corresponding to this additional embodiment. In the example of FIG. 29, it is assumed that the vehicle speed of the host vehicle changes in the following manner. The vehicle speed of the host vehicle first starts increasing at time T0, reaches peak speed VP1 at time T61, then begins to decrease, and reaches a minimum speed at time T62. VK<VP1<VH. During the time period TJ1 to TJ2 around time T62, the vehicle travels in traffic congestion at a traffic congestion determination speed VJ or less. After time T62, the speed of the own vehicle starts to increase again, reaches the peak speed VP2 at T63, then starts to decrease again, and reaches the minimum speed at time T64. VK<VP2<VH. During the time period TJ3 to TJ4 around time T64, the vehicle travels in traffic congestion at a traffic congestion determination speed VJ or less. After time T64, the vehicle speed of the own vehicle begins to increase again, and reaches the reference speed VK at time T65. After that, when the vehicle speed of the own vehicle reaches the upper limit speed VH at time T1, the automatic driving is terminated and the driving automation level is switched to level 2.

If congestion occurs again after the vehicle speed exceeds the reference speed VK due to the speed recovery associated with the elimination of traffic congestion, there is a high possibility that the congestion will be eliminated relatively early. Therefore, the second task control unit 258 provides a waiting time ΔT when permitting the execution of the second task after the second task is once terminated.

That is, the second task control unit 258 does not immediately permit the execution of the second task when the vehicle speed of the host vehicle becomes equal to or lower than the traffic congestion determination speed VJ. The second task control unit 258 permits execution of the second task at time TD when the state of the congestion determination speed VJ or lower continues for a predetermined time (that is, waiting time ΔT). As a result, it becomes possible to avoid the trouble caused by repeating the second task resuming and re-termination for a short period of time, thereby improving the convenience.

As in the fifth additional embodiment, this additional embodiment does not permit the execution of the second task when the second traffic jams TJ1 to TJ2 occur, but executes the second task when the third traffic jams TJ3 to TJ4 occur. allow Therefore, in the typical example shown in FIG. 29, the waiting time ΔT is not provided for the second congestion, but is provided for the third congestion.

In addition, considering the possibility that the congestion re-elimination will be earlier as the number of re-jamming increases, in this additional embodiment, the second task control unit 258 adjusts the waiting time according to the increase in the number of congestion during automatic driving. set longer. That is, the second task control unit 258 sets the waiting time ΔT for the Nth traffic jam longer than the waiting time ΔT for the Mth traffic jam. N=M+1. Specifically, the second task control unit 258 sets the waiting time ΔT longer as the value of the counter that counts the number of re-traffic jams increases. Such a counter is reset at the end of automatic operation, and set to an initial value at the start of automatic operation.

(Additional Embodiment 7)
This additional embodiment is obtained by partially transforming the sixth additional embodiment. FIG. 30 is a time chart for explaining the operation corresponding to this additional embodiment. The vehicle speed fluctuation mode in the example of FIG. 30 is the same as in the example of FIG. That is, times T71 to T75 in FIG. 30 respectively correspond to times T61 to T65 in FIG.

In this additional embodiment, as shown in FIG. 30, the waiting time ΔT is also provided for the second traffic jams TJ1 to TJ2. According to this, when the second traffic congestion is of a short duration such that it ends within the waiting time ΔT, execution of the second task in the second traffic congestion is not permitted. On the other hand, if the second traffic jam is expected to be a predetermined length of time, execution of the second task is permitted. As a result, by re-permitting the second task from the timing when it can be determined that the re-traffic jam is certain, it is possible to reduce the annoyance of the driver. That is, the same effects as those of the fifth additional embodiment can be obtained.

Further, in this additional embodiment, as shown in FIG. 30, the waiting time ΔT for the third congestion is set longer than the waiting time ΔT for the second congestion. That is, the second task control unit 258 sets the waiting time ΔT for the Nth traffic congestion to be longer than the waiting time ΔT for the Mth traffic congestion, as in the sixth additional embodiment. N=M+1. As a result, it is possible to prevent the driver from feeling annoyed as much as possible by re-permitting the second task from the timing when it can be determined that the re-traffic jam is a definite traffic jam.

(Other Additional Embodiments)
Appropriate modifications may also be made to each of the additional embodiments described above. Specifically, for example, the congestion determination speed VJ or the reference speed VK may be the same as the above threshold speed.

Similar expressions such as "acquire", "calculate", "estimate", "detect", "detect", "determine", etc., can be interchanged with each other as appropriate within a technically consistent range. "Detection" or "detection" and "extraction" can be interchanged as appropriate within a technically consistent range. Also, the inequality sign in each determination process may or may not have an equal sign. That is, for example, "greater than or equal to a predetermined value" can be changed to "exceed a predetermined value". Similarly, "a predetermined value or less" can be changed to "less than a predetermined value."

Needless to say, the elements constituting the above-described embodiments are not necessarily essential, unless explicitly stated as essential or clearly considered essential in principle. In addition, when numerical values such as the number, amount, range, etc. of a constituent element are mentioned, unless it is explicitly stated that it is particularly essential, or when it is clearly limited to a specific numerical value in principle, the specific numerical value The present invention is not limited to Similarly, when the shape, direction, positional relationship, etc. of the constituent elements, etc. are mentioned, unless it is explicitly stated that it is particularly essential, or when it is limited to a specific shape, direction, positional relationship, etc. in principle , the shape, direction, positional relationship, etc., of which the present invention is not limited.

Modifications are also not limited to the above examples. For example, all or part of one of the multiple embodiments and all or part of the other may be combined with each other unless technically inconsistent. There is no particular limitation on the number of combinations. Similarly, all or part of one of the multiple variations and all or part of the other may be combined with each other unless they are technically inconsistent. Furthermore, all or part of the above embodiments and all or part of the above modifications may be combined with each other as long as they are not technically inconsistent.

(summary)
The present disclosure indicated by the above embodiments and modifications includes the following aspects regarding an HMI control device, an HMI control method, and an HMI control program. Note that each of the following aspects can be applied in combination with each other as long as they are not technically inconsistent.

An HMI control device (25) controls an HMI device (20) that presents information recognizable to the driver of a vehicle (1) capable of automatic driving during traffic congestion following a preceding vehicle at a speed below a predetermined speed. is configured to
The HMI control method is a method of controlling an HMI device (20) that presents information recognizable to the driver of a vehicle (1) capable of automatic operation in traffic jams following a preceding vehicle at a speed below a predetermined speed.
The HMI control program is configured to control an HMI device (20) that presents information recognizably to the driver of a vehicle (1) capable of automatically driving in traffic jams following a preceding vehicle at a speed below a predetermined speed. It is a program executed by the HMI control device (25).

According to the first aspect,
The HMI controller is
a warning information presenting unit (259) that presents warning information for calling the driver's attention when it is determined that the congestion is resolved, which is a condition for terminating the automatic driving in traffic jam;
a behavior acquisition unit (253) that acquires the behavior of the driver;
a second task control unit (258) for terminating the second task in the HMI device at an end timing according to the behavior after presentation of the attention information acquired by the behavior acquisition unit;
It has
Further, the HMI control method and the process executed by the HMI control device include:
a warning information presentation process for presenting warning information for calling the driver's attention when it is determined that the congestion is resolved, which is a condition for terminating the automatic driving in traffic congestion;
a behavior acquisition process for acquiring the behavior of the driver;
a second task control process for terminating the second task in the HMI device at an end timing according to the behavior after presentation of the caution information acquired in the behavior acquisition process;
have

According to the second aspect, the second task control unit or the second task control process, when an acceleration approval behavior for approving the acceleration of the vehicle after the warning information is presented is acquired in the behavior acquisition process, the acceleration Terminate the second task earlier than if no approval behavior was obtained.

According to a third aspect, the HMI controller further comprises an acceleration approval notifier (256). Moreover, the HMI control method and the process executed by the HMI control device further include an accelerated approval notification process. The acceleration approval notification unit or the acceleration approval notification process is performed by the operation control device (18) for controlling the operation of the vehicle, when the acceleration approval behavior is not obtained rather than when the acceleration approval behavior is obtained. The operation control device is notified of the acquisition status of the acceleration approval behavior included in the execution condition of the operation control that slows down the acceleration mode.

According to the fourth aspect, the second task control unit or the second task control process is configured such that the behavior after presentation of the attention information acquired in the behavior acquisition process is at least a part of the automatic driving function to the driver. If it is a takeover behavior, the second task is finished later than when the same behavior is a non-takeover behavior different from the takeover behavior.

According to the fifth aspect, the second task control unit or the second task control process, if the behavior after the presentation of the acquired caution information is a behavior of handing over at least a part of the automatic driving function to the driver, The continuation of the second task is permitted until the running speed of the vehicle reaches a predetermined reference speed due to the speed recovery when the congestion is resolved.

According to the sixth aspect, the second task control unit or the second task control process terminates the second task as the traffic jam is resolved, and then the traveling speed of the vehicle rises to the predetermined speed to automatically drive the vehicle. Execution of the second task is not permitted even if traffic congestion occurs again before the end of the second task.

According to the seventh aspect, the second task control unit or the second task control process terminates the second task as the traffic jam is resolved, and then the traveling speed of the vehicle is restored to the predetermined speed by the speed recovery when the traffic jam is resolved. When a reference speed lower than the speed is reached, the running speed of the vehicle increases to the predetermined speed after that, and even if traffic congestion occurs again before the automatic driving ends, execution of the second task is not permitted. do.

According to the eighth aspect, the second task control unit or the second task control process terminates the second task as the traffic jam is resolved, and then the traveling speed of the vehicle rises to the predetermined speed and automatic operation is performed. If traffic congestion occurs again before the end of the second task, execution of the second task is permitted.

According to the ninth aspect, the second task control unit or the second task control process terminates the second task as the first traffic jam during automatic driving is resolved, and then the vehicle reaches the predetermined speed. Even if the next traffic jam occurs before the traveling speed of the vehicle increases and the next traffic jam occurs, the execution of the second task is not permitted, and after the next traffic jam is cleared, the vehicle travels up to the predetermined speed. If traffic congestion occurs again before the speed increases and automatic driving ends, execution of the second task is permitted.

According to the tenth aspect, the second task control unit or the second task control process provides a waiting time when permitting the execution of the second task after once ending the second task.

According to the eleventh aspect, the second task control unit or the second task control process sets the standby time longer as the number of traffic jams increases during automatic driving.

According to the twelfth aspect, the second task control section or the second task control process changes the end timing according to the display device (23, 24) executing the second task in the HMI device.

According to the thirteenth aspect, the HMI control device (25) presents information in a manner recognizable by the driver of the vehicle (1) capable of automatically driving in traffic jams following a preceding vehicle at a speed not higher than a predetermined speed during traffic jams. It is arranged to control the device (20).
This HMI controller
a behavior acquisition unit (253) that acquires the behavior of the driver;
When it is determined that the congestion is resolved, which is a condition for terminating the automatic driving during congestion, the attention information for calling the driver's attention is presented in a presentation mode according to the behavior acquired by the behavior acquisition unit. a warning information presentation unit (259);
It has
The HMI control method is a method of controlling an HMI device (20) that presents information recognizable to the driver of a vehicle (1) capable of automatic operation in traffic jams following a preceding vehicle at a speed below a predetermined speed.
The HMI control program is configured to control an HMI device (20) that presents information recognizably to the driver of a vehicle (1) capable of automatically driving in traffic jams following a preceding vehicle at a speed below a predetermined speed. It is a program executed by the HMI control device (25).
The HMI control method and the process executed by the HMI control device include:
a behavior acquisition process for acquiring the behavior of the driver;
When it is determined that the congestion is resolved, which is a condition for terminating the automatic driving during congestion, the attention information for calling the driver's attention is presented in a presentation mode according to the behavior acquired in the behavior acquisition process. Attention information presentation processing;
have

According to a fourteenth aspect, the HMI control device further includes a second task control section (258) that controls a second task execution state in the HMI device during the traffic congestion automatic driving. If the behavior acquisition unit does not acquire the acceleration approval behavior for approving the acceleration of the vehicle after the caution information is presented, the second task control unit controls the second task control unit to perform the second task rather than the case where the acceleration approval behavior is acquired. Restrict execution state.
Further, the HMI control method and the process executed by the HMI control device further include a second task control process for controlling a second task execution state in the HMI device during the automatic driving during congestion. In the second task control process, if an acceleration approval behavior for approving acceleration of the vehicle is not acquired in the behavior acquisition process after the caution information is presented, the second task control process is executed rather than a case where the acceleration approval behavior is acquired. Restrict execution state.

According to the fifteenth aspect, the HMI control device further comprises an acceleration approval notifier (256). Moreover, the HMI control method and the process executed by the HMI control device further include an accelerated approval notification process. The acceleration approval notification unit or the acceleration approval notification process is performed by the operation control device (18) for controlling the operation of the vehicle, when the acceleration approval behavior is not obtained rather than when the acceleration approval behavior is obtained. The operation control device is notified of the acquisition status of the acceleration approval behavior included in the execution condition of the operation control that slows down the acceleration mode.

According to the sixteenth aspect, the caution information presentation unit or the caution information presentation process changes the presentation mode of the caution information according to the behavior acquired by the behavior acquisition process.

According to the seventeenth aspect, the behavior acquisition unit or the behavior acquisition process acquires the line-of-sight direction of the driver. Further, the attention information presentation unit or the attention information presentation process changes the information presentation device (21 to 24) that presents the attention information according to the line-of-sight direction acquired in the behavior acquisition process.

The present disclosure indicated by the above embodiments and modifications includes the following aspects regarding the HMI control method and HMI control program. Note that each of the following aspects can be applied in combination with each other as long as they are not technically inconsistent.

The HMI control method is a method of controlling an HMI device (20) that presents information recognizably to the driver of a vehicle (1) capable of automatic driving following a preceding vehicle at a speed below a predetermined speed. The HMI control program comprises an HMI control device (20) configured to control an HMI device (20) that presents information in a manner recognizable to the driver of the vehicle (1) capable of automatic operation following a preceding vehicle at a speed equal to or lower than a predetermined speed. 25).

According to the first aspect, the HMI control method and the process executed by the HMI control device include:
a warning information presentation process for presenting warning information for calling the driver's attention when it is determined that the congestion is resolved;
a behavior acquisition process for acquiring the behavior of the driver;
a second task control process for terminating the second task in the HMI device at an end timing according to the behavior after presentation of the caution information acquired in the behavior acquisition process;
have

According to the second aspect, in the second task control process, if an acceleration-approved behavior for approving acceleration of the vehicle is acquired in the behavior acquisition process after the warning information is presented, the acceleration-approved behavior is not acquired. The second task is finished earlier than in the case of

According to a third aspect, the HMI control method and the processing executed by the HMI control device further include accelerated approval notification processing. In the acceleration approval notification process, the driving control device (18) for controlling the driving of the vehicle moderates the acceleration mode of the vehicle when the acceleration approval behavior is not obtained rather than when the acceleration approval behavior is obtained. The acquisition status of the acceleration approval behavior included in the execution condition of the operation control to be performed is notified to the operation control device.

According to the fourth aspect, in the second task control process, if the behavior after the caution information presentation acquired in the behavior acquisition process is a handover behavior to the driver of at least a part of the automatic driving function, The second task is finished later than when the same behavior is a non-takeover behavior different from the takeover behavior.

According to the fifth aspect, the second task control process, when the behavior after the presentation of the acquired caution information is a behavior of handing over at least a part of the automatic driving function to the driver, restores the speed when the congestion is resolved. , the continuation of the second task is permitted until the running speed of the vehicle reaches a predetermined reference speed.

According to the sixth aspect, the second task control process terminates the second task as the traffic jam is resolved, and then, before the running speed of the vehicle increases to the predetermined speed and the automatic operation ends, Even if a traffic jam occurs, execution of the second task is not permitted.

According to the seventh aspect, in the second task control process, after the second task is terminated as the congestion is resolved, the traveling speed of the vehicle is reduced to a reference speed lower than the predetermined speed due to speed recovery when the congestion is resolved. , the execution of the second task is disallowed even if traffic congestion occurs again before the running speed of the vehicle rises to the predetermined speed and the automatic operation ends.

According to the eighth aspect, the second task control process terminates the second task as the traffic jam is resolved, and then, before the running speed of the vehicle increases to the predetermined speed and the automatic operation ends, If a traffic jam occurs, the execution of the second task is permitted.

According to the ninth aspect, in the second task control process, the running speed of the vehicle is increased to the predetermined speed after the second task is terminated as the first traffic jam during automatic driving is resolved. Then, even if the next traffic jam occurs before the automatic driving ends, the execution of the second task is not permitted, and after the next traffic jam is resolved, the running speed of the vehicle increases to the predetermined speed and the automatic If traffic congestion occurs again before the end of driving, execution of the second task is permitted.

According to the tenth aspect, the second task control process provides a waiting time when permitting the execution of the second task after the second task is temporarily terminated.

According to the eleventh aspect, the second task control process sets the waiting time longer as the number of traffic jams increases during automatic driving.

According to the twelfth aspect, the second task control process changes the end timing according to the display device (23, 24) executing the second task in the HMI device.

According to the thirteenth aspect, the HMI control method and the process executed by the HMI control device include:
a behavior acquisition process for acquiring the behavior of the driver;
caution information presentation processing for presenting caution information for calling the driver's attention in a presentation mode corresponding to the behavior acquired in the behavior acquisition processing when it is determined that the congestion is resolved;
have

According to a fourteenth aspect, the HMI control method and the process executed by the HMI control device further include second task control processing for controlling a second task execution state in the HMI device during automatic operation. . In the second task control process, if an acceleration approval behavior for approving acceleration of the vehicle is not acquired in the behavior acquisition process after the caution information is presented, the second task control process is executed rather than a case where the acceleration approval behavior is acquired. Restrict execution state.

According to a fifteenth aspect, the HMI control method and the process executed by the HMI control device further include accelerated approval notification process. In the acceleration approval notification process, the driving control device (18) for controlling the driving of the vehicle moderates the acceleration mode of the vehicle when the acceleration approval behavior is not obtained rather than when the acceleration approval behavior is obtained. The acquisition status of the acceleration approval behavior included in the execution condition of the operation control to be performed is notified to the operation control device.

According to the sixteenth aspect, the attention information presentation process changes the presentation mode of the attention information according to the behavior acquired in the behavior acquisition process.

According to the seventeenth aspect, the behavior obtaining process obtains the line-of-sight direction of the driver. Further, the attention information presenting process changes information presenting devices (21 to 24) for presenting the attention information according to the line-of-sight direction acquired in the behavior acquisition process.

The present disclosure indicated by the above embodiments and modifications includes the following aspects regarding an operation control device, an operation control method, and an operation control program. Note that each of the following aspects can be applied in combination with each other as long as they are not technically inconsistent.
The driving control method is a method of controlling the driving of a vehicle (1) capable of automatic operation during traffic jams, which follows a preceding vehicle at a speed of a predetermined speed or less during traffic jams. The driving control program is a program executed by a driving control device (18) configured to control the driving of a vehicle (1) capable of automatic driving in traffic jams (1) that follows a preceding vehicle at a predetermined speed or less during traffic jams. is.

According to the first aspect, the operation control device
a traffic jam state determination unit (182) that determines congestion resolution, which is a condition for terminating the automatic operation during traffic congestion;
a behavior acquisition unit (183) that acquires the behavior of the driver of the vehicle;
a vehicle control unit (185) that executes acceleration/deceleration control in the vehicle;
with
The vehicle control unit acquires the acceleration-approved behavior when the behavior acquisition unit does not acquire an acceleration-approved behavior for approving the acceleration of the vehicle after the congestion state determination unit determines that the congestion is resolved. The acceleration mode is controlled so as to make the acceleration mode of the vehicle gentler than when the vehicle is accelerated.
Further, the operation control method and the process executed by the operation control device are
Congestion state determination processing for determining whether or not congestion is resolved, which is a condition for terminating the automatic operation during congestion;
a behavior acquisition process for acquiring the behavior of the driver of the vehicle;
a vehicle control process for executing acceleration/deceleration control in the vehicle;
has
In the vehicle control process, when the acceleration approval behavior for approving the acceleration of the vehicle after the traffic jam state determination process has determined that the traffic congestion is resolved is not acquired in the behavior acquisition process, the acceleration approval behavior is acquired. The acceleration mode is controlled so as to make the acceleration mode of the vehicle gentler than when the vehicle is accelerated.

According to the second aspect, the behavior acquisition unit or the behavior acquisition process is performed by the HMI device (20) that presents information in a manner recognizable by the driver, when the congestion state determination process determines that the congestion is resolved. After presenting the caution information for calling the driver's attention, the acceleration approval behavior is obtained. Further, the presentation mode of the warning information is changed according to the behavior.

According to the third aspect, the information presentation devices (21 to 24) for presenting the attention information are changed according to the line-of-sight direction of the driver as the behavior.

According to the fourth aspect, if the acceleration-approved behavior is not acquired in the behavior acquisition process after the warning information is presented, the acceleration-approved behavior during the automatic driving during congestion is more likely than the case where the acceleration-approved behavior is acquired. The second task execution state in the HMI device is restricted.

18 operation control device 182 traffic congestion state determination unit 183 first behavior acquisition unit 185 vehicle control unit 20 HMI device 25 HMI control device 253 second behavior acquisition unit 256 operation notification unit (acceleration approval notification unit)
258 second task control unit 259 attention information presentation unit

Claims (36)

An HMI control device (25) configured to control an HMI device (20) for presenting information recognizable by a driver of an automatically drivable vehicle (1) that follows a preceding vehicle at a predetermined speed or less. hand,
a warning information presenting unit (259) for presenting warning information for calling the driver's attention when it is determined that the congestion is resolved;
a behavior acquisition unit (253) that acquires the behavior of the driver;
a second task control unit (258) for terminating the second task in the HMI device at an end timing according to the behavior after presentation of the attention information acquired by the behavior acquisition unit;
HMI controller with When the behavior acquisition unit acquires an acceleration-approved behavior for approving acceleration of the vehicle after the caution information is presented, the second task control unit controls the second task control unit more than the case where the acceleration-approved behavior is not acquired. end early,
The HMI controller of claim 1. In the operation control device (18) for controlling the operation of the vehicle, the acceleration mode of the vehicle is set to the execution condition of the operation control that moderates the acceleration mode of the vehicle when the acceleration approval behavior is not acquired rather than when the acceleration approval behavior is acquired. further comprising an acceleration approval notification unit (256) for notifying the operation control device of the acquisition status of the acceleration approval behavior included,
3. The HMI controller of claim 2. If the behavior after the caution information presentation acquired by the behavior acquisition unit is a handover behavior to the driver of at least a part of the automatic driving function, the second task control unit determines that the behavior is not the handover behavior. ending the second task later than with different non-takeover behavior;
The HMI control device according to any one of claims 1-3. When the behavior after the caution information presentation acquired by the behavior acquisition unit is a takeover behavior of at least a part of the automatic driving function to the driver, the second task control unit performs the speed recovery when the congestion is resolved. Permitting the continuation of the second task until the running speed of the vehicle reaches a predetermined reference speed;
The HMI control device according to any one of claims 1-4. The second task control unit terminates the second task as the congestion is resolved, and even if the traffic congestion occurs again before the traveling speed of the vehicle increases to the predetermined speed and the automatic operation ends, the disallow execution of the second task,
The HMI control device according to any one of claims 1-5. The second task control unit terminates the second task when the congestion is resolved, and when the running speed of the vehicle reaches a reference speed lower than the predetermined speed due to speed recovery when the congestion is resolved, then the Disallowing the execution of the second task even if traffic congestion occurs again before the running speed of the vehicle increases to a predetermined speed and the automatic operation ends.
The HMI control device according to any one of claims 1-5. The second task control unit terminates the second task as the congestion is resolved, and if congestion occurs again before the traveling speed of the vehicle increases to the predetermined speed and the automatic operation is terminated, the second task control unit performs the second task. allow tasks to run,
The HMI control device according to any one of claims 1-5. The second task control unit terminates the second task when the first traffic jam during automatic driving is resolved, and before the running speed of the vehicle increases to the predetermined speed and the automatic driving ends. Execution of the second task is disallowed even if the next traffic jam occurs, and after the next traffic jam is cleared, the traveling speed of the vehicle increases to the predetermined speed and the traffic jam occurs again before the automatic operation ends. If occurs, allow execution of the second task,
9. The HMI controller of claim 8. The second task control unit provides a waiting time when permitting the execution of the second task after once ending the second task,
HMI control device according to claim 8 or 9. The second task control unit sets the waiting time longer according to the increase in the number of traffic jams during automatic driving,
11. HMI controller according to claim 10. The second task control unit changes the end timing according to display devices (23, 24) that execute the second task in the HMI device.
HMI control device according to any one of claims 1 to 11. An HMI control device (25) configured to control an HMI device (20) for presenting information recognizable by a driver of an automatically drivable vehicle (1) that follows a preceding vehicle at a predetermined speed or less. hand,
a behavior acquisition unit (253) that acquires the behavior of the driver;
an attention information presenting unit (259) for presenting attention information for calling the attention of the driver in a presentation mode according to the behavior acquired by the behavior acquisition unit when it is determined that the congestion is resolved;
a second task control unit (258) for controlling a second task execution state in the HMI device during automatic operation;
with
If the behavior acquisition unit does not acquire the acceleration approval behavior for approving the acceleration of the vehicle after the caution information is presented, the second task control unit controls the second task control unit to perform the second task rather than the case where the acceleration approval behavior is acquired. limit the execution state,
HMI controller. In the operation control device (18) for controlling the operation of the vehicle, the acceleration mode of the vehicle is set to the execution condition of the operation control that moderates the acceleration mode of the vehicle when the acceleration approval behavior is not acquired rather than when the acceleration approval behavior is acquired. further comprising an acceleration approval notification unit (256) for notifying the operation control device of the acquisition status of the acceleration approval behavior included,
14. The HMI controller of claim 13 . The attention information presentation unit changes the presentation mode of the attention information according to the behavior acquired by the behavior acquisition unit.
HMI control device according to any one of claims 1-14 . The behavior acquisition unit acquires a line-of-sight direction of the driver,
The caution information presentation unit changes information presentation devices (21 to 24) that present the caution information according to the line-of-sight direction acquired by the behavior acquisition unit;
16. The HMI controller of claim 15 . A driving control device (18) configured to control driving of an automatically drivable vehicle (1) that follows a preceding vehicle at a predetermined speed or less,
A congestion state determination unit (182) that determines whether the congestion is resolved;
a behavior acquisition unit (183) that acquires the behavior of the driver of the vehicle;
a vehicle control unit (185) that executes acceleration/deceleration control in the vehicle;
with
The vehicle control unit acquires the acceleration-approved behavior when the behavior acquisition unit does not acquire an acceleration-approved behavior for approving the acceleration of the vehicle after the congestion state determination unit determines that the congestion is resolved. controlling the acceleration mode so that the acceleration mode of the vehicle is gentler than when the
After the behavior acquisition unit presents caution information for calling the driver's attention when the congestion state judgment unit judges that the traffic congestion is resolved by the HMI device (20) that presents information so that the driver can recognize it, , to obtain the accelerated approval behavior;
The attention information is changed in presentation mode according to the behavior,
If the acceleration-approved behavior is not acquired by the behavior acquisition unit after the warning information is presented, the second task execution state in the HMI device during automatic driving is restricted more than when the acceleration-approved behavior is acquired. Ru
driving controller. Information presentation devices (21 to 24) for presenting the attention information are changed according to the line-of-sight direction of the driver as the behavior;
The operation control device according to claim 17 . Executed by an HMI control device (25) configured to control an HMI device (20) that presents information recognizable to the driver of the vehicle (1) capable of automatically driving following a preceding vehicle at a predetermined speed or less. an HMI control program,
The processing performed by the HMI controller includes:
a warning information presentation process for presenting warning information for calling the driver's attention when it is determined that the congestion is resolved;
a behavior acquisition process for acquiring the behavior of the driver;
a second task control process for terminating the second task in the HMI device at an end timing according to the behavior after presentation of the caution information acquired in the behavior acquisition process;
including,
HMI control program. In the second task control process, when an acceleration approval behavior for approving acceleration of the vehicle after the warning information is presented is acquired in the behavior acquisition process, the second task control process is performed more than when the acceleration approval behavior is not acquired. end early,
HMI control program according to claim 19. In the operation control device (18) for controlling the operation of the vehicle, the acceleration mode of the vehicle is set to the execution condition of the operation control that moderates the acceleration mode of the vehicle when the acceleration approval behavior is not acquired rather than when the acceleration approval behavior is acquired. further comprising an acceleration approval notification process for notifying the operation control device of an acquisition status of the acceleration approval behavior,
HMI control program according to claim 20. In the second task control processing, if the behavior after the attention information presentation acquired in the behavior acquisition processing is a behavior to be handed over to the driver for at least a part of the automatic driving function, the behavior is not the handover behavior. ending the second task later than with different non-takeover behavior;
HMI control program according to any one of claims 19-21. In the second task control process, if the behavior after the caution information presentation acquired in the behavior acquisition process is a takeover behavior to the driver of at least a part of the automatic driving function, the Permitting the continuation of the second task until the running speed of the vehicle reaches a predetermined reference speed;
HMI control program according to any one of claims 19-22. In the second task control process, even if traffic congestion occurs again before the traveling speed of the vehicle increases to the predetermined speed and the automatic operation ends after the second task is terminated as the congestion is resolved, the disallow execution of the second task,
HMI control program according to any one of claims 19-23. In the second task control process, when the running speed of the vehicle reaches a reference speed that is lower than the predetermined speed due to the speed recovery at the time of speed recovery after the congestion is cleared after the second task is terminated, the second task control processing is performed. Disallowing the execution of the second task even if traffic congestion occurs again before the running speed of the vehicle increases to a predetermined speed and the automatic operation ends.
HMI control program according to any one of claims 19-23. In the second task control process, after the second task is terminated as the traffic jam is resolved, if traffic congestion occurs again before the traveling speed of the vehicle increases to the predetermined speed and the automatic operation is terminated, the second task allow tasks to run,
HMI control program according to any one of claims 19-23. In the second task control process, after the second task is terminated as the first traffic jam during automatic driving is resolved, the running speed of the vehicle increases to the predetermined speed and before the automatic driving is terminated. Execution of the second task is disallowed even if the next traffic jam occurs, and after the next traffic jam is cleared, the traveling speed of the vehicle increases to the predetermined speed and the traffic jam occurs again before the automatic operation ends. If occurs, allow execution of the second task,
HMI control program according to claim 26. The second task control process provides a waiting time when permitting the execution of the second task after the second task is terminated.
HMI control program according to claim 26 or 27. The second task control process sets the waiting time longer according to an increase in the number of traffic jams during automatic driving.
HMI control program according to claim 28. The second task control process changes the end timing according to a display device (23, 24) executing the second task in the HMI device.
HMI control program according to any one of claims 19-29. Executed by an HMI control device (25) configured to control an HMI device (20) that presents information recognizable to the driver of the vehicle (1) capable of automatically driving following a preceding vehicle at a predetermined speed or less. an HMI control program,
The processing performed by the HMI controller includes:
a behavior acquisition process for acquiring the behavior of the driver;
caution information presentation processing for presenting caution information for calling the driver's attention in a presentation mode corresponding to the behavior acquired in the behavior acquisition processing when it is determined that the congestion is resolved;
a second task control process for controlling a second task execution state in the HMI device during automatic operation;
including
In the second task control process, if an acceleration approval behavior for approving acceleration of the vehicle is not acquired in the behavior acquisition process after the caution information is presented, the second task control process is executed rather than a case where the acceleration approval behavior is acquired. limit the execution state,
HMI control program. In the operation control device (18) for controlling the operation of the vehicle, the acceleration mode of the vehicle is set to the execution condition of the operation control that moderates the acceleration mode of the vehicle when the acceleration approval behavior is not acquired rather than when the acceleration approval behavior is acquired. further comprising an acceleration approval notification process for notifying the operation control device of an acquisition status of the acceleration approval behavior,
HMI control program according to claim 31. The attention information presentation process changes the presentation mode of the attention information according to the behavior acquired in the behavior acquisition process.
HMI control program according to any one of claims 19-32. The behavior acquisition process acquires a line-of-sight direction of the driver,
The attention information presentation process changes information presentation devices (21 to 24) that present the attention information according to the line-of-sight direction acquired in the behavior acquisition process.
HMI control program according to claim 33. A driving control program executed by a driving control device (18) configured to control driving of an automatically drivable vehicle (1) that follows a preceding vehicle at a predetermined speed or less,
The processing executed by the operation control device includes:
Congestion state determination processing for determining congestion relief;
a behavior acquisition process for acquiring the behavior of the driver of the vehicle;
a vehicle control process for executing acceleration/deceleration control in the vehicle;
including
In the vehicle control process, if an acceleration approval behavior for approving acceleration of the vehicle after the congestion state determination process determines that the traffic congestion is resolved is not acquired in the behavior acquisition process, the acceleration approval behavior is acquired. controlling the acceleration mode so that the acceleration mode of the vehicle is gentler than when the
The behavior acquisition process is performed by the HMI device (20) that presents information in a manner recognizable by the driver, after presentation of caution information for calling the driver's attention when the congestion state determination process determines that the congestion is resolved. , to obtain the accelerated approval behavior;
The attention information is changed in presentation mode according to the behavior,
If the acceleration-approved behavior is not acquired in the behavior acquisition process after the warning information is presented, the second task execution state in the HMI device during the automatic driving is restricted more than if the acceleration-approved behavior is acquired. Ru
driving control program. Information presentation devices (21 to 24) for presenting the attention information are changed according to the line-of-sight direction of the driver as the behavior;
The operation control program according to claim 35.

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