JP7275615B2 - Driver notification device for automatic driving status - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to technology for notifying a driver of automatic driving conditions.

The route search device described in Patent Literature 1 includes a navigation system that searches for a route including an automatic driving section, and displays the searched route on a display. Further, the route search device outputs the start and end of automatic driving by voice guidance.

JP 2018-44834 A

By the way, the driver may sleep with earplugs or wear headphones and listen to music during automatic driving. If the driver is in such a situation, the traffic or weather conditions may change, making it impossible to continue the autonomous driving. At that time, even if the driver is notified by display or voice to prompt the driver to take a handover or take action, the driver may not recognize the notification. In other words, in a vehicle capable of autonomous driving, notification by display or voice alone is insufficient.

One aspect of the present disclosure provides a device for notifying a driver of an automatic driving situation, which enables the driver to grasp the automatic driving situation even if the driver does not intend to do so.

One aspect of the present disclosure is an automatic driving situation driver notification device (300) installed in a vehicle capable of autonomous driving, comprising a sound output unit (81), light output units (22, 23, 24, 61, 71), a vibration output section (21, 31), and an output control section (10). The sound output unit outputs sound into the vehicle. The light output unit outputs light into the vehicle. The vibration output section is provided on the member (25, 32) that contacts the driver and outputs vibration. The output control unit changes the output patterns of the sound output unit, the light output unit, and the vibration output unit according to the automatic driving situation, and notifies the automatic driving situation.

According to the present disclosure, since the sound output, the light output, and the vibration output are used for notification of the automatic driving situation, the driver can unintentionally recognize the notification of the automatic driving situation in any situation. Furthermore, the output pattern of sound, light, and vibration changes according to the automatic driving situation. Therefore, the automatic driving situation can be grasped even if the driver does not intend to do so.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an automatic driving system; FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the illumination in the inside of a vehicle. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure of automatic driving status notification processing;

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the form for implementing this disclosure is demonstrated, referring drawings.
<1. Configuration>
First, the configuration of an automatic driving system 300 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The automatic driving system 300 includes an automatic driving ECU 10 that executes automatic driving control, and various devices connected to the automatic driving ECU 10 . Automatic driving in this embodiment is a preset operation design area (hereinafter referred to as ODD), without the driver operating the accelerator, brakes and steering wheel, The vehicle is driven according to the set automatic driving route. is.

Specifically, the automatic driving system 300 includes an automatic driving ECU 10, a rider 11, a plurality of cameras 12, a body ECU 20, an actuator 21, LEDs 22, 23, 24, a steering ECU 30, a steering motor 31, A brake ECU 40 , a brake 41 , at least one of an engine ECU 50 and a motor control ECU 51 , and at least one of an engine 52 and a motor 53 are provided.

The automatic driving system 300 includes an engine ECU 50 when an engine 52 is mounted on the vehicle as a drive source for running the vehicle, and a motor 53 when a motor 53 is mounted on the vehicle as a drive source for running the vehicle. A control ECU 51 is provided. In addition, the automatic driving system 300 includes an engine ECU 50 and a motor control ECU 51 when an engine 52 and a motor 53 are mounted as the driving source of the vehicle (that is, in the case of a hybrid vehicle).

Further, automatic driving system 300 includes meter ECU 60 , display device 61 , display ECU 70 , display device 71 , audio ECU 80 , speaker 81 , and telematics control unit (hereinafter referred to as TCU) 100 .

The rider 11 transmits and receives light, detects obstacles around the vehicle, and transmits detection data to the automatic driving ECU 10 . A plurality of cameras 12 are mounted on the front, sides, and rear of the vehicle, capture images of the surroundings of the vehicle, and transmit image data to the automatic driving ECU 10 .

The TCU 100 is a wireless communication ECU and wirelessly communicates with the cloud 200 via the wireless communication device 110 . The cloud 200 sequentially collects and accumulates traffic information and weather information. The TCU 100 periodically acquires traffic information, weather information, etc. from the cloud 200 and transmits the acquired information to the automatic driving ECU 10 .

The body ECU 20 controls the actuator 21 and the LEDs 22 , 23 , 24 upon receiving a notification command of the automatic driving status from the automatic driving ECU 10 . As shown in FIG. 2, the actuator 21 is, for example, a motor, and is embedded in the backrest portion and/or the seat surface portion of the driver's seat 25 with which the driver's body comes into contact. The actuator 21 outputs vibration in response to a control signal from the body ECU 20 to vibrate the driver's seat 25 . Therefore, the driver can recognize the automatic driving situation while sitting in the driver's seat. In this embodiment, the seat 25 corresponds to the member that contacts the driver, and the actuator 21 corresponds to the vibration output section.

The LEDs 22 , 23 , 24 each include a plurality of light-emitting diodes that emit blue or green, yellow or orange, or red, and are turned on by a control signal from the body ECU 20 . FIG. 3 shows the arrangement portions of the LEDs 22, 23 and 24 by hatching. The LEDs 22 are arranged so as to illuminate the entire ceiling inside the vehicle. The LEDs 23 are arranged to generally illuminate the inner surfaces of all the doors of the vehicle (ie, the inner surfaces of the vehicle). Also, the LEDs 24 are arranged so as to illuminate the floor inside the vehicle as a whole. In this embodiment, the LEDs 22, 23 and 24 correspond to the light output section.

The steering ECU 30 receives commands from the automatic driving ECU 10 and controls the steering motor 31 so that automatic driving is performed along the set automatic driving route. The steering motor 31 is a motor that generates torque for rotating the steering wheel 32 . Further, the steering ECU 30 receives a notification command of the automatic driving status from the automatic driving ECU 10 and controls the steering motor 31 to vibrate the steering wheel 32 . Therefore, the driver can recognize the driving situation by touching the steering wheel 32 . In this embodiment, the steering wheel 32 corresponds to a member that contacts the driver, and the steering motor 31 corresponds to a vibration output unit. In this embodiment, both the seat 25 and the steering wheel 32 are vibrated, but only one of them may be vibrated.

The brake ECU 40 receives a command from the automatic driving ECU 10 and controls the brake 41 so that automatic driving is performed along the set automatic driving route.
The engine ECU 50 receives commands from the automatic driving ECU 10 and controls the engine 52 so that automatic driving is performed along the set automatic driving route. The motor control ECU 51 controls the motor 53 so that automatic operation is performed along the set automatic operation route.

The meter ECU 60 displays vehicle speed and the like on a display device 61 provided on the dashboard. In addition, the meter ECU 60 receives an automatic driving status notification command from the automatic driving ECU 10 and causes the display device 61 to output light of a predetermined color. In this embodiment, the display device 61 corresponds to the light output section.

The display ECU 70 displays the set automatic driving route, ODD, automatic driving conditions, traffic conditions, etc. on a display device 71 provided on the dashboard. In addition, the display ECU 70 receives an automatic driving status notification command from the automatic driving ECU 10 and causes the display device 71 to output light of a predetermined color. The display device 71 may be a head-up display, or may include multiple types of displays. In this embodiment, the display device 71 corresponds to the light output section.

The LEDs 22, 23, 24 and the display devices 61, 71 illuminate the interior of the vehicle as a whole, so the driver can recognize the automatic driving situation as long as his/her eyes are open no matter where the driver is facing. Note that the LEDs 22, 23, 24 and the display devices 61, 71 are an example of the installation of the vehicle interior illumination, and the installation of the vehicle interior illumination is not limited to this. The in-vehicle illumination may be installed so that the light enters the driver's eyes regardless of the driver's posture.

The audio ECU 80 outputs music or the like from a speaker 81 provided at the rear of the vehicle or the like. In addition, the audio ECU 80 outputs voice guidance from the speaker 81 upon receiving a notification command of the automatic driving status from the automatic driving ECU 10 . When a head unit is connected instead of the speaker 81, the audio ECU 80 outputs music and voice guidance from the head unit. Also, when the speaker 81 and the head unit are connected, the audio ECU 80 outputs music and voice guidance from at least one of the speaker 81 and the head unit. In addition, the audio ECU 80 may receive an automatic driving status notification command from the automatic driving ECU 10 and output an alarm sound that changes according to the automatic driving status instead of voice guidance. In this embodiment, the speaker 81 corresponds to the sound output section.

The automatic driving ECU 10 uses various data transmitted from the rider 11 and the plurality of cameras 12 and various information collected from the cloud 200 to generate various commands for automatic driving. Then, the automatic driving ECU 10 transmits the generated various commands to the steering ECU 30, the brake ECU 40, the engine ECU 50 and/or the motor control ECU 51.

Here, the preset ODD changes depending on traffic conditions (for example, the occurrence of an accident) and weather conditions, and the set automatic driving route may become unable to continue automatic driving. In this way, when the set automatic driving route becomes impossible to continue driving automatically, or when the set automatic driving route ends and the automatic driving impossible route is entered, the driver is notified of the automatic driving situation. Need to encourage action. However, during automatic driving, the driver may sleep with earplugs or an eye mask, or wear headphones and listen to music. Therefore, the automatic driving ECU 10 changes the output pattern of vibration output, sound output, and light output according to the automatic driving situation in order to reliably notify the driver of the automatic driving situation in any state of the driver. , to notify the autonomous driving status. In this embodiment, the automatic driving ECU 10 corresponds to the output control section.

<2. Processing>
Next, the automatic driving status notification process executed by the automatic driving ECU 10 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 3 . The automatic driving ECU 10 starts this process when starting automatic driving control according to the set automatic driving route.

First, in S10, the driver is notified of the first stage as the driving situation by illumination in the vehicle. The first stage is a situation in which automatic driving can be smoothly continued ahead of the set automatic driving route. Specifically, the LEDs 22, 23, and 24 are lit in blue or green, and the display devices 61 and 71 output blue or green light. As a result, the in-vehicle illumination is set to blue or green so that the driver can relax psychologically. Further, in the first stage, since there is no need to prompt the driver to take action, notification by vibration of the seat 25 and the steering wheel 32 and notification by voice output from the speaker 81 are not performed.

Subsequently, in S20, it is determined whether or not there is a change in ODD. If there is no change in ODD, the process returns to S10. On the other hand, if there is a change in ODD, the process proceeds to S30.
In S30, it is determined whether or not the automatic driving can be continued beyond the set automatic driving route. That is, it is determined whether or not the destination of the set automatic driving route is outside the range of the ODD due to the change of the ODD. If the automatic driving can be continued, the process returns to S10. On the other hand, when continuation of automatic driving driving|running|working cannot be carried out, it progresses to the process of S40.

In S40, it is determined whether or not the current automatic driving can be continued. That is, it is determined whether or not it is outside the ODD range at the present time. If the current automatic driving can be continued, the process proceeds to S50, and if the current automatic driving cannot be continued, the process proceeds to S60.

In S50, the second stage as the automatic driving situation is notified by in-vehicle illumination, vibration output, and voice output. The second stage is a situation where it is possible to continue automatic driving at the present time, but it becomes impossible to continue automatic driving beyond the set automatic driving route. Specifically, the LEDs 22 , 23 , 24 are lit yellow or orange, and the display devices 61 , 71 output yellow or green light. As a result, the in-vehicle illumination is changed to yellow or orange to psychologically alert the driver. Further, the seat 25 and the steering wheel 32 are gently vibrated (for example, intermittently vibrated or relatively weakly vibrated), and the speaker 81 outputs a voice prompting a response such as a route change.

Here, when the driver changes the route and the automatic driving route is reset, the processing is restarted from S10. Also, when the driver starts driving by himself, this process ends. That is, when the driver responds to the notification indicating that the automatic driving situation is the second stage, the automatic driving ECU 10 detects the light output from the LEDs 22, 23, 24 and the display devices 61, 71, and the actuator 21 and the steering motor 31 and the sound output from the speaker 81 are stopped. If the driver does not respond to the notification indicating that the automatic driving status is the second stage, the process returns to S40.

On the other hand, in S60, the third stage as the driving situation is notified by in-vehicle illumination, vibration output, and voice output. The third stage is a situation in which it is impossible to continue automatic driving. The automated driving route in front of you suddenly shifts from stage 1 through stage 2 to stage 3, except in the case of an emergency in which continuation of automated driving becomes impossible.

Specifically, the LEDs 22 , 23 , 24 are lit in red, and the display devices 61 , 71 are caused to output red light. As a result, the in-vehicle illumination is changed to a red color that psychologically informs the driver of danger. Furthermore, the seat 25 and the steering wheel 32 are violently vibrated (for example, continuously vibrated or vibrated with a relatively strong intensity), and the speaker 81 outputs the end of the automatic driving by voice or outputs whether to handover by voice. do. It then hands over to the driver. This completes the processing.

<3. Effect>
According to this embodiment described above, the following effects are obtained.
(1) Since sound output, light output, and vibration output are used to notify the automatic driving situation, the driver can unintentionally recognize the notification of the automatic driving situation in any situation. Furthermore, the output pattern of sound, light, and vibration changes according to the automatic driving situation. Therefore, the automatic driving situation can be grasped even if the driver does not intend to do so.

(2) When the automated driving situation shifts from the first stage to the second stage, the output pattern of sound, light, and vibration changes, so the driver understands the transition from the first stage to the second stage. be able to.

(3) When the automatic driving situation shifts from the second stage to the third stage, the output pattern of sound, light, and vibration changes, so the driver understands the transition from the second stage to the third stage. be able to.

(4) If the driver who receives the notification indicating that the automatic driving situation is in the second stage does not respond, the automatic driving situation shifts from the second stage to the third stage. Therefore, in this case, the driver can be notified of the danger by notifying that the automatic driving state is the third stage.

(5) When the driver who receives the notification indicating that the automatic driving situation is in the second stage responds, the transition from the second stage to the third stage of the automatic driving situation is avoided. Therefore, in this case, by stopping the output of sound, light and vibration, it is possible to inform the driver that the transition to the third stage has been avoided.

(Other embodiments)
Although the embodiments for implementing the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented with various modifications.

(a) In the above embodiment, as the automatic driving situation changes from the first stage to the third stage, the output pattern of light, sound, and vibration is such that the driver intuitively understands that the automatic driving situation has become more severe. However, changes in light, sound, and vibration output patterns are not limited to this. Any output pattern of light, sound, and vibration may be used as long as the output pattern changes to distinguish between the first, second, and third stages.

(b) In the above embodiment, the automatic driving status is notified by three output changes of light, sound, and vibration, but the automatic driving ECU 10 recognizes the driver's state, An optimal output may be selected from the outputs of light, sound, and vibration, and the selected output may be used to notify the autonomous driving situation. The driver state may be detected by a driver status monitor, an in-vehicle camera, or the like, and recognized from the detection results. For example, when the driver is wearing an eye mask, the automatic driving status may be notified by the output pattern of sound and vibration without using the optical output.

(c) The automated driving ECU 10 and techniques thereof described in the present disclosure are provided by configuring a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions embodied by a computer program. It may be implemented by a computer. Alternatively, the automated driving ECU 10 and techniques thereof described in the present disclosure may be implemented by a dedicated computer provided by configuring a processor with one or more dedicated hardware logic circuits. Alternatively, the automated driving ECU 10 and techniques thereof described in the present disclosure are 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. may be implemented by one or more dedicated computers configured by Computer programs may also be stored as computer-executable instructions on a computer-readable non-transitional tangible storage medium. The method of realizing the function of each part included in the automatic driving ECU 10 does not necessarily include software, and all the functions may be realized using one or more pieces of hardware.

(d) A plurality of functions possessed by one component in the above embodiment may be realized by a plurality of components, or a function possessed by one component may be realized by a plurality of components. . Also, a plurality of functions possessed by a plurality of components may be realized by a single component, or a function realized by a plurality of components may be realized by a single component. Also, part of the configuration of the above embodiment may be omitted. Moreover, at least part of the configuration of the above embodiment may be added or replaced with respect to the configuration of the other above embodiment.

(e) In addition to the driver notification device for automatic driving conditions described above, a system having the driver notification device for automatic driving conditions as a component, a program for causing a computer to function as the driver notification device for automatic driving conditions, and this program The present disclosure can also be implemented in various forms, such as a non-transitional physical recording medium such as a semiconductor memory that records data, a method of notifying a driver of an automatic driving situation, and the like.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Automatic driving ECU, 22, 23, 24... LED, 25... Seat, 32... Steering, 61, 71... Display device, 81... Speaker, 300... Automatic driving system.

Claims (5)

A driver notification device (300) for an automatic driving situation mounted in a vehicle capable of automatically driving,
a sound output unit (81) for outputting sound into the vehicle;
a light output unit (22, 23, 24, 61, 71) that outputs light into the vehicle;
vibration output units (21, 31) provided on members (25, 32) contacting the driver and outputting vibration;
An output control unit (10) that notifies the automatic driving situation by changing the output pattern of the sound output unit, the light output unit, and the vibration output unit according to the automatic driving situation ,
Said light outputs comprise: a first light output (22) arranged to generally illuminate the ceiling of said vehicle interior; at least one of two light outputs (23) and a third light output (24) arranged to generally illuminate the floor of the vehicle;
Device for notifying drivers of automatic driving conditions. When the automatic driving situation shifts from the first stage in which automatic driving can be continued to the second stage in which automatic driving cannot be continued beyond the automatic driving route, the output pattern. change the
The device for notifying a driver of automatic driving conditions according to claim 1. The output control unit changes the output pattern when the automatic driving situation shifts from the second stage to a third stage in which further automatic driving cannot be continued.
The device for notifying a driver of automatic driving conditions according to claim 2. The output control unit, when the driver receives a notification indicating that the automatic driving situation is the second stage and does not respond, notifies that the automatic driving situation is the third stage.
The device for notifying the driver of the automatic driving situation according to claim 3. The output control unit stops the output of the sound output unit, the light output unit, and the vibration output unit when the driver responds to the notification indicating that the automatic driving situation is the second stage. ,
The device for notifying a driver of automatic driving conditions according to claim 3 or 4.

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