JP7311185B2 - Automotive and automotive programs - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a vehicle and a vehicle program having a manual driving mode based on a driver's manual driving operation and an automatic driving mode for autonomous driving.

Various auxiliary devices installed in automobiles to prevent automobile accidents and ensure the safety of automobile drivers, passengers, pedestrians, drivers of other vehicles and passengers has been proposed.

For example, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-173252) discloses an invention that discriminates whether or not the driver is drunk and prevents the vehicle from starting in order to prevent the driver from driving under the influence of alcohol. is proposed. Further, Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-315800) describes an index representing the degree of driver's arousal (opposite of sleepiness). It is disclosed that the automobile is controlled by the automatic driving control means when the decrease in the large) is large.

JP 2009-173252 A JP-A-10-315800

By the way, recently, for example, due to sudden heart disease or epileptic attack, the driver of a car falls into a state of inattentiveness, becomes unconscious, faints, or has a seizure. An accident has been reported.

In this case, if the driver falls into a state of inattentiveness, becomes unconscious, faints, or has a seizure, the vehicle should be urgently controlled by the automatic driving control means. It is necessary to avoid accidents and solve the external problems of automobiles by However, according to the invention of Patent Document 1 and the concept of the invention of Patent Document 2, it is not possible to quickly respond to an emergency such as a driver's inattentiveness, unconsciousness, fainting, seizures, and other abnormal health conditions. The risk of accidents in such cases cannot be avoided.

Further, the invention of Patent Document 1 aims only to prevent the driver from driving under the influence of alcohol, and the invention of Patent Document 2 aims to ensure safety when the degree of wakefulness of the driver is greatly reduced. However, no consideration is given to ensuring traffic safety for other purposes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a motor vehicle that can avoid accidents and ensure safe driving, particularly when the driver's driving posture in the manual driving mode is not appropriate. and

In order to solve the above problems, the invention of claim 1 is
In a car equipped with an automatic driving mode for autonomous driving and a manual driving mode for manual driving by the driver,
hands-free driving determination means for determining whether or not the driver is in a state of hands-free driving in the manual driving mode;
a first duration determining means for determining whether or not the hands-free driving state continues for a first predetermined time or more when the hands-free driving state is determined by the hands-free driving determining means;
The operation mode switching from the manual operation mode to the automatic operation mode when the first duration determination means determines that the hands-free operation state has continued for the first predetermined time or more. means and
with
The automatic operation mode includes a normal automatic operation mode that is switched to the manual operation mode based on a predetermined operation by the driver, and a normal operation mode that is switched to the manual operation mode even if the predetermined operation is performed by the driver. A forced automatic operation mode that continues the automatic operation mode,
The operation mode switching means switches from the manual operation mode to the forced automatic operation mode.
To provide an automobile characterized by :

In the motor vehicle of the first aspect of the invention having the above configuration, when the driver continues the state of hands-free driving for the first predetermined time or longer, the manual driving mode is automatically switched to the automatic driving mode. As a result, it is possible to avoid the continuation of the dangerous hands-free driving state for a long period of time, thereby preventing accidents and ensuring safe driving.

According to this invention, when the driver continues the hands-free driving state for the first predetermined time or longer, the manual driving mode is automatically switched to the automatic driving mode, thereby preventing accidents and ensuring safe driving. can be secured.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an electronic control circuit unit in an embodiment of an automatic driving vehicle according to the present invention; FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of contents of an automatic driving switching condition table in the embodiment of the automatic driving vehicle according to the present invention; 3 is a diagram showing an example of a continuation of the content of the automatic operation switching condition table of FIG. 2; FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a continuation example of the contents of the automatic operation switching condition table of FIG. 2; It is a figure used in order to demonstrate the processing operation example of the electronic control circuit part in embodiment of the automatic driving vehicle by this invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing part of a flowchart for explaining an example of processing operations of an electronic control circuit unit in an embodiment of an automatic driving vehicle according to the present invention; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing part of a flowchart for explaining an example of processing operations of an electronic control circuit unit in an embodiment of an automatic driving vehicle according to the present invention; FIG. 5 is a diagram showing part of a flowchart for explaining a part of a processing operation example of an electronic control circuit unit in an embodiment of an automatic driving vehicle according to the present invention; FIG. 5 is a diagram showing part of a flowchart for explaining a part of a processing operation example of an electronic control circuit unit in an embodiment of an automatic driving vehicle according to the present invention; FIG. 5 is a diagram showing part of a flowchart for explaining a part of a processing operation example of an electronic control circuit unit in an embodiment of an automatic driving vehicle according to the present invention; FIG. 5 is a diagram showing part of a flowchart for explaining a part of a processing operation example of an electronic control circuit unit in an embodiment of an automatic driving vehicle according to the present invention; FIG. 5 is a diagram showing part of a flowchart for explaining a part of a processing operation example of an electronic control circuit unit in an embodiment of an automatic driving vehicle according to the present invention; FIG. 5 is a diagram showing part of a flowchart for explaining a part of a processing operation example of an electronic control circuit unit in an embodiment of an automatic driving vehicle according to the present invention;

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration example of an electronic control circuit unit 10 of an automatic driving vehicle 1 according to an embodiment of the invention. In addition, the automatic driving vehicle 1 of this embodiment is an example in the case of an electric vehicle. However, the illustration of the battery is omitted in FIG.

Further, the automatic driving vehicle 1 of this embodiment has an automatic driving mode and a manual driving mode. The manual driving mode is a mode in which the vehicle can travel according to the driver's accelerator pedal operation, brake pedal operation, shift lever operation, and steering operation (steering wheel operation), like a normal non-automatic vehicle. In addition, in the automatic driving mode, the automatic driving vehicle 1 automatically (autonomously) avoids obstacles and navigates its way without the driver operating the accelerator pedal, the brake pedal, the shift lever, or the steering wheel. This is the driving mode to be changed.

Normally, the driver of the automatic driving vehicle 1 can switch the automatic driving vehicle 1 running in the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode, for example, by performing a predetermined operation through the touch panel 112, which will be described later. When the driver operates the accelerator pedal, the brake pedal, the shift lever, or the steering while driving, the vehicle automatically returns to the manual operation mode. However, as will be described later, when the automatic driving vehicle 1 of this embodiment is forcibly switched from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode, the manual driving vehicle 1 must satisfy the predetermined release condition described later. Even if the operation to return to the mode is performed, the operation is invalidated and the vehicle is controlled to maintain the running in the automatic driving mode.

In order to distinguish from the normal automatic operation mode selected and set by the user through the touch panel 112 or the like, even if the operation to return to the manual operation mode after this forced switching is performed, the operation is invalidated and automatic operation is performed. In this specification, the mode that continues the mode is particularly referred to as the forced automatic operation mode, and the automatic operation mode that is not the forced automatic operation mode is referred to as the normal automatic operation mode.

As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic control circuit unit 10 provides a motor drive control unit 102, a steering drive control unit 103, a manual/automatic Driving mode switching control unit 104, manual driving operation detection unit 105, radar 106, camera group 107, sensor group 108, surrounding moving object grasping unit 109, current position detection unit 110, display unit 111, touch panel 112, car navigation (hereinafter referred to as (abbreviated as car navigation) function unit 113, image recognition unit 114, automatic driving switching condition determination unit 115, voice recognition unit 116, in-vehicle situation determination unit 117, mobile phone function unit 118, clock unit 119, synthetic voice generation unit 120, voice input/output unit 121 are connected.

A motor drive unit 131 is connected to the motor drive control unit 102 . A steering drive unit 132 is connected to the steering drive control unit 103 . A car navigation database 133 is connected to the car navigation function unit 113 . The image recognition unit 114 is also connected to an image information storage unit 134 that stores image information of comparison images for image recognition. An automatic operation switching condition storage unit 135 is connected to the automatic operation switching condition determination unit 115 . Furthermore, the speech recognition section 116 is connected to a speech information storage section 136 that stores speech information of comparison speech for speech recognition. A microphone 137 and a speaker 138 are connected to the audio input/output unit 121 .

Under the control of the control unit 101, the motor drive control unit 102 controls the supply of a drive signal to the motor drive unit 131 of the automatic driving vehicle 1 configured by the electric vehicle of this embodiment. start of running, running speed control (including brake control and accelerator control), running stop, etc.

Under the control of the control unit 101, the steering drive control unit 103 controls the supply of a drive control signal to the steering drive unit 132 of the automatic driving vehicle 1 of this embodiment, thereby controlling the course change of the automatic driving vehicle 1. to do

The manual/automatic driving mode switching control unit 104 performs control to switch the driving mode of the automatic driving vehicle 1 between the manual driving mode and the automatic driving mode in response to a selection operation input through the touch panel 112, and As will be described later, according to the determination result of the automatic driving switching condition determination unit 115, the driving mode of the automatic driving vehicle 1 is controlled to switch to any one of the manual driving mode, the automatic driving mode, and the forced automatic driving mode. conduct.

The manual driving operation detection unit 105 receives operation information of accelerator pedal operation, brake pedal operation, shift lever operation, and steering operation by the driver, and supplies the manual driving operation information to the manual/automatic driving mode switching control unit 104. do.

The manual/automatic driving mode switching control unit 104 supplies the manual driving operation information from the manual driving operation detecting unit 105 to the motor drive control unit 102 and the steering drive control unit 103 when the automatic driving vehicle 1 is in the manual driving mode. Then, the motor drive unit 131 and the steering drive unit 132 are controlled according to the driver's pedal operation, shift lever operation, and steering operation (steering wheel operation).

In addition, when the automatic driving vehicle 1 is in the automatic driving mode (including the forced automatic driving mode), the manual/automatic driving mode switching control unit 104 controls the radar 106, the camera group 107, the sensor group 108, the surrounding Automatic driving operation information generated by the control unit 101 based on the output of the moving object grasping unit 109 is supplied to the motor drive control unit 102 and the steering drive control unit 103, and the motor drive unit 131 and the steering drive unit 132 are Driving is controlled by automatic driving operation information. In the automatic driving mode (including the forced automatic driving mode), the car navigation function unit 113 searches for a route from the current position to the destination (destination and attributes of the destination) set by the driver. It is controlled to travel along the searched route.

In this embodiment, as described above, the manual/automatic driving mode switching control unit 104 receives the determination result of the matching of the switching condition by the automatic driving switching condition determination unit 115, and, contrary to the intention of the driver, In other words, control is also performed to forcibly and automatically switch from the manual operation mode to the automatic operation mode in spite of the selection setting of the operation mode by the driver.

In the normal automatic driving mode that is not the forced automatic driving mode, the manual/automatic driving mode switching control unit 104 controls whether the driver operates the accelerator pedal, the brake pedal, the shift lever, or the steering wheel while driving in the automatic driving mode. When an operation (steering wheel operation) is performed, mode switching control is performed to automatically return the driving mode of the automatic driving vehicle 1 to the manual driving mode based on the detection information of the manual driving operation.

However, when the driving mode of the automatic driving vehicle 1 is the forced automatic driving mode, in principle, the driver operates the accelerator pedal, the brake pedal, the shift lever, or the steering wheel, except when the cancellation conditions described later are satisfied. Even if the manual/automatic driving mode switching control unit 104 invalidates the manual driving operation information, the forced automatic driving mode is maintained.

The radar 106 is for measuring the distance to people and objects existing around the vehicle of the automatic driving vehicle 1, and is composed of a laser radar, a millimeter wave radar, or the like. A laser radar is embedded, for example, in the ceiling or near a bumper, and a millimeter wave radar is provided, for example, in the front and rear parts of a vehicle. Both laser radar and millimeter wave radar may be provided, or only one of them may be provided.

The camera group 107 includes 1 to a plurality of cameras that capture the interior of the autonomous vehicle 1 and 1 to a plurality of cameras that capture the surroundings outside the vehicle, such as the front, side, and rear of the autonomous vehicle 1. . A camera that captures the interior of a vehicle is installed, for example, in the rearview mirror (rear view mirror, room mirror) installed between the driver's seat and the front passenger seat, or on the upper part of the front window. In addition to the camera that captures the behavior, it also includes a camera that captures the behavior of the passengers (passengers) sitting in the front passenger seat and the back seat. In addition, the cameras for capturing the surroundings of the automatic driving vehicle 1 are, for example, attached to the left and right sides of the rearview mirror, and two cameras (stereo cameras) that mainly capture the left front and right front of the automatic driving vehicle 1, , a camera attached to, for example, a door mirror or fender mirror of the automatic driving vehicle 1 to photograph the left and right sides, a camera to photograph the rear of the automatic driving vehicle 1, and an omnidirectional camera attached to the roof to photograph the surroundings at a wide angle ( 360-degree cameras), fisheye cameras, and the like.

The sensor group 108 includes an open/close detection sensor that detects the opening and closing of the doors and windows of the automatic driving vehicle 1, a sensor that detects whether the seat belt is worn, and a sensor that detects when a passenger is seated in a seat such as the driver's seat or the passenger's seat. In addition to the seat sensor that detects people, it includes a human sensor (infrared sensor) that detects people in the vicinity outside the vehicle and various sensors that acquire information that will assist automatic driving. Various sensors for acquiring information that assists autonomous driving include, for example, vibration sensors for detecting vehicle and tire vibrations, rotation speed sensors for detecting tire rotation speeds, and direction detection sensors. Geomagnetic sensors, acceleration sensors for detecting acceleration, gyro sensors (gyroscopes) for detecting angles and angular velocities, and the like are included.

In addition, in this embodiment, sensors such as a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a heat sensor, a smoke sensor, an exhalation sensor, a carbon monoxide sensor, and a hydrogen sulfide sensor, which help determine the vehicle interior conditions of the automatic driving vehicle 1, are also included. Included in group 108 . The heat sensor and smoke sensor are for detecting the occurrence of a fire in the car, the breath sensor is for detecting the drunkenness of the driver, and the carbon monoxide sensor and hydrogen sulfide sensor are for , to detect the generation of gas that is toxic to the human body inside the vehicle.

Surrounding moving object grasping unit 109 uses radar 106 , sensor group 108 , and images captured by camera group 107 to grasp moving objects (including people) around the vehicle. The surrounding moving body grasping unit 109 grasps surrounding obstacles and moving bodies by performing processing based on, for example, Bayesian theory.

The current position detector 110 receives radio waves from GPS satellites and detects the current position of the vehicle. Since the accuracy of the position detected by the radio waves from the GPS satellites is poor, the current position detection unit 110 detects not only the current position information detected by the reception of the radio waves from the GPS satellites, but also the sensors 1 to 1 included in the sensor group . Sensor output information from a plurality of sensors, output information from the radar 106, captured images from one to a plurality of cameras included in the camera group 107 (with navigation function), etc. are also used, for example, based on Bayesian theory, etc. By performing this process, the current position can be detected and confirmed with higher accuracy.

In the automatic driving mode, the automatic driving vehicle 1 uses the current position detection unit 110 and the surrounding moving object grasping unit 109 to obtain position information obtained by receiving radio waves from the radar 106, the camera group 107, the sensor group 108, and the GPS satellites. Information corresponding to information obtained from human eyes and ears, that is, information corresponding to information obtained from human eyes and ears is processed by Bayesian theory etc. Based on this, the control unit 101 generates intelligent information such as changing the course of the own vehicle and avoiding obstacles. Perform processing (artificial intelligence) and control (artificial intelligence) to generate automated driving operation information.

The display unit 111 is, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). The touch panel 112 is provided by superimposing a touch sensor capable of touch input with a finger on the display screen of the display unit 111 composed of an LCD. A display image including software buttons (including keyboard character input buttons) is displayed on the display screen of the display unit 111 under the control of the control unit 101 . When the touch panel 112 detects a finger touch on the software button displayed on the display screen, the touch panel 112 transmits the touch to the control unit 101 . The control unit 101 receiving this is configured to execute control processing corresponding to the software button.

The car navigation database 133 connected to the car navigation function unit 113 stores domestic map data and route guidance data in advance. The car navigation function unit 113 is a function for guiding so as to assist the automatic driving vehicle 1 to move to a designated destination based on map data and route guidance data stored in the car navigation database 133. It has not only a route search function, but also a peripheral search function centered on a predetermined position. In this embodiment, the car navigation function unit 113 is configured to perform slightly different processing in the manual driving mode and the automatic driving mode.

That is, in the manual operation mode, the car navigation function unit 113 displays a map, which is detected and confirmed by the current position detection unit 110, on the display screen of the display unit 111 and clearly displays the route to the destination. In addition to displaying an image superimposed on the position of the vehicle on the map, the position of the vehicle (current position) on the map is moved as the vehicle moves, and route guidance such as intersections and junctions on the route is displayed. Provide voice guidance where necessary. This is the same as the normal car navigation function.

On the other hand, in the automatic driving mode, when the current position of the vehicle is away from the route to the destination, the car navigation function unit 113 notifies the control unit 101 of information on the separation direction and distance, and is on the route to the destination, the control unit 101 is notified of direction change instruction information along the route before an intersection or a fork on the route as the vehicle moves. make sure to Based on the information notified from the car navigation function unit 113, the current position confirmation result of the current position detection unit 110, and the grasping result of the surrounding moving body grasping unit 109, the control unit 101 instructs the own vehicle on the route. Control the motor drive unit 131 through the motor drive control unit 102 so that the vehicle moves along the designated course, and generate automatic driving operation information for controlling the steering drive unit 132 through the steering drive control unit 103. . Therefore, the route guidance to the destination by the car navigation function unit 113 and the control unit 101 in the automatic driving mode allows the automatic driving vehicle 1 to move to the destination even when no passengers are present.

Also, as will be described later, destination attributes such as "hospital", "gas station", "convenience store (hereinafter referred to as , a convenience store)” is registered, the car navigation function unit 113 performs a peripheral search for the attribute of the destination centering on the current position detected by the current position detection unit 110, The facility or place that is the result of the surrounding search is set as the destination.

Further, in this embodiment, the car navigation function unit 113 refers to the map information of the car navigation database 133 based on the latitude and longitude information of the current position detected by the current position detection unit 110 to determine the location of the current position. It has a function to detect names, facility names, and addresses. As will be described later, the car navigation function unit 113 also has a function of transferring the location name, facility name, and address name of the detected current position to the synthesized speech generation unit 120 under the control of the control unit 101 .

The image recognition unit 114 performs matching processing between images captured by a camera that captures the inside of the vehicle and a camera that captures the outside of the vehicle in the camera group 107 and the image information stored in the image information storage unit 134. Obtain image recognition results for judging in-vehicle situations such as physical changes of the driver and fellow passengers, behaviors of the driver such as dozing off, eating, drinking, smoking, looking away and looking aside, and the driver's footwear. The image recognition unit 114 transfers the obtained recognition result to the in-vehicle situation determination unit 117 .

The image information storage unit 134 connected to the image recognition unit 114 stores image information of comparison images for image recognition. The comparative images stored in the image information storage unit 134 include, for comparison with images captured by a camera that captures the interior of the vehicle, images of a person sitting in a seat in a state of inattentiveness, unconsciousness of front and back, and fainting, Images of epileptic seizures, images of people falling asleep (eyelids closed for a certain amount of time, head cocking, etc.), images of people looking away or looking aside, images of people eating and drinking , as well as images of eating and drinking objects (rice balls, sandwiches, boxed lunches, ice cream, plastic bottles and cans containing beverages (water, tea, coffee), etc., which assist detection of eating and drinking), cigarettes (smoking including images of footwear (such as clogs, slippers, high heels, etc., which may assist in the detection of driving errors), bare feet (not wearing footwear, which may lead to incorrect driving), etc. .

In addition, as the comparison image stored in the image information storage unit 134, an image of a landscape (for example, an image of a superb view of autumn leaves, including images of famous places and historic sites, images of portable shrines at festivals, images of fireworks, images of new store opening sales, etc.) and images of celebrities (images of famous celebrities, athletes, etc.).

The automatic operation switching condition determination unit 115 determines which of the switching conditions for switching from the manual operation mode to the automatic operation mode (including the forced automatic operation mode) stored in the automatic operation switching condition storage unit 135 whose storage contents will be detailed later. Then, it determines whether or not the determination result of the vehicle interior situation in the vehicle interior situation determination unit 117, which will be described later, matches. , to the manual/automatic operation mode switching control unit 104 .

The voice recognition unit 116 performs matching processing between the voice information from the microphone 137 and the voice information stored in the voice information storage unit 136 to detect physical changes in the driver and fellow passengers, Obtain voice recognition results for judging in-vehicle situations such as the passenger's defecation and urinary urges. The speech recognition unit 116 transfers the obtained recognition result to the in-vehicle situation determination unit 117 .

In the voice information storage unit 136 connected to the voice recognition unit 116, groans, asthma sounds, screams, or "painful", "help me", " Voice information such as "I feel sick", "Somehow", "I feel nauseous", "I feel like throwing up", "Uh", "Gee", etc. Speech information of tight voices (words) such as “toilet”, “restroom”, “restroom”, “limit”, “likely to leak” uttered in the voice recognition unit 116 is used for speech recognition. stored for comparison. Furthermore, in the voice information storage unit 136, the crying voice of a child, the sound of a child falling from a seat, the barking voice of a pet, etc. are registered and stored in advance.

The in-vehicle situation determination unit 117 receives the image recognition result from the image recognition unit 114, the voice recognition result from the voice recognition unit 116, and the sensors from one to a plurality of sensors in the sensor group 108 that contribute to the determination of the in-vehicle situation. Based on the output, the in-vehicle situation that serves as a switching condition for switching from the manual operation mode to the automatic operation mode is determined. Then, the in-vehicle situation determination unit 117 transfers the determination result of the in-vehicle situation to the automatic driving switching condition determination unit 115 .

In this example, the mobile phone function unit 118 is pre-installed in the self-driving vehicle 1, is registered as a subscriber, and is assigned a predetermined subscriber number. The driver and fellow passengers of the automatic driving vehicle 1 can make a call on a mobile phone in a so-called hands-free manner. Then, as will be described later, the control unit 101 of the automatic driving vehicle 1 stores a report to 119 as setting information related to the switching conditions stored in the automatic driving switching condition storage unit 135. It has a function of calling 119 through the mobile phone function unit 118 . The report information for the 119 call is composed of the synthetic voice from the synthetic voice generator 120 . The mobile phone function unit 118 also has an e-mail function and an Internet connection function.

The clock unit 119 has a calendar function, provides the current date and time, and also has a timer function for measuring time from a predetermined timing based on the control of the control unit 101 .

Synthetic speech generation unit 120 has a built-in memory for storing voice message data to be emitted to the outside, and has a function of converting the place name, facility name, and address of the current position from car navigation function unit 113 into synthesized speech. Note that the voice message stored by the synthesized speech generating unit 120 includes, as will be described later, a driving mode switching notification such as "Switched to forced automatic driving mode" or "Switched to manual driving mode". A message, a notification message prompting the user to set a destination when the automatic driving vehicle 1 starts running, and the like are prepared.

As described above, the audio input/output unit 121 is connected to the microphone 137 and the speaker 138 . These microphone 137 and speaker 138 are used as a transmitter/receiver for hands-free communication using the mobile phone function unit 118 . In addition, the voice input/output unit 121 not only has a function of transmitting and receiving voice for hands-free communication using the mobile phone function unit 118, but also uses a microphone 137 to transmit voice information inside the vehicle for judging the situation inside the vehicle. It also has a function of collecting sound and supplying it to the voice recognition unit 116, and a function of outputting a notification message for switching the driving mode described above, a notification message for prompting destination setting, and the like from the speaker 138. FIG.

The automatic driving switching condition storage unit 135 connected to the automatic driving switching condition determination unit 115 stores, in this embodiment, the automatic driving vehicle 1 while the automatic driving vehicle 1 is in the manual driving mode, such as driving, parking, or stopping. Switching conditions for switching the driving mode of 1 from manual driving mode to normal automatic driving mode or forced automatic driving mode, control contents when switching conditions are met, and destination information in automatic driving mode or forced automatic driving mode , and an automatic operation switching condition table TBL consisting of conditions for canceling the automatic operation mode and the forced automatic operation mode.

The switching condition is defined as an in-vehicle situation that hinders safety from being ensured if the driver continues to drive in the manual driving mode. That is, when the in-vehicle situation of the automatic driving vehicle 1 becomes the in-vehicle situation that matches this switching condition, there is danger or safety is not guaranteed, so the manual driving mode is changed to the normal automatic driving mode. Alternatively, this switching condition is defined as a condition under which the vehicle should be switched to the forced automatic driving mode so as to maintain safe driving.

The control details when the switching conditions are met include the automatic operation mode specification information indicating whether to switch to the normal automatic operation mode or the forced automatic operation mode when the switching conditions are met, and the switching conditions that match. In response, the automatic driving vehicle 1 includes control contents to be performed in the automatic driving mode after switching (including the forced automatic driving mode).

Further, the cancellation condition is a condition under which the forced automatic operation mode may be canceled and the manual operation mode may be restored, or an operation condition for switching from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode.

The automatic driving switching condition table TBL stored in the automatic driving switching condition storage unit 135 is written and stored in advance by the manufacturer or sales company of the automatic driving vehicle 1 . In addition, this switching condition is additionally written after the fact by a predetermined operation through the touch panel 112 by the user of the automatic driving vehicle 1, that is, the driver or passenger, so that it is stored in the automatic driving switching condition storage unit 135. Additional storage is also possible. The user of the automatic driving vehicle 1, that is, the driver, is configured to be able to select whether or not to use some of the switching conditions.

Further, the automatic driving switching condition table TBL may be set and registered in advance by each automobile company, standardized by the automobile industry, or determined by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. In this case, the user cannot change or erase the stored contents. The automatic driving switching condition table TBL may be updated with the latest condition table from the homepage of an automobile company, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, etc. using the Internet connection function of the mobile phone function unit 118. .

FIGS. 3 and 4, which are continuations of FIGS. 2 and 2, are examples of the automatic operation switching condition table TBL, which is the content stored in the automatic operation switching condition storage unit 135 in this embodiment. In the examples of FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, the switching conditions are "Driver's or passenger's health condition change 1", "Driver's or passenger's health condition change 2", and "Driver falling asleep". , "Vehicle sickness of the driver or passenger, poor physical condition such as nausea", "Driver or passenger's defecation or urge to urinate", "Overworked driving", "While driving (stopping at a red light, even stopping at a railroad crossing) "Drinking by the driver", "Driver's looking away or distracted driving", "Eating, drinking or smoking by the driver", "Deterioration of the driving environment", "Abnormal behavior of children and pets riding together", "Driver's Conditions to ensure safe driving by avoiding conditions that are likely to cause accidents, such as driving style and posture, and the driver wearing or not wearing footwear that interferes with driving. is exemplified. Then, corresponding to each switching condition, designation of automatic operation mode or forced automatic operation mode after switching, control details, destination, and conditions for canceling automatic operation mode are defined.

It goes without saying that the switching conditions shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 are part of the content stored in the automatic operation switching condition storage unit 135, and that various other predetermined switching conditions are registered.

As shown in FIG. 2, for example, as a switching condition for "Driver's or passenger's health condition change 1", emergency situations such as driver's or passenger's inattentiveness, unconsciousness, fainting, etc. are registered. ing. The automatic driving switching condition determining unit 115 determines whether or not the switching condition for "Driver or passenger's health condition change 1" is met using the determination result of the in-vehicle situation determining unit 117. The in-vehicle situation determination unit 117 determines whether or not the driver or fellow passenger is in a state of physical abnormalities such as inattentiveness, unconsciousness, or fainting, through image recognition by the image recognition unit 114. do.

For example, the case of a driver will be described. As shown in FIG. 5A, a camera 107a attached to the side of the rearview mirror 2 of the automatic driving vehicle 1 captures an image of the driver 3. As shown in FIG. When the driver 3 does not have any physical abnormalities, the captured image of the driver 3 is a moving image of the driver 3 opening his eyes, gazing forward, and operating a steering wheel (steering wheel) 4. becomes. On the other hand, when the driver 3 experiences a physical change and becomes inattentive, unaware of front and back, or faints, as shown in FIG. Closed, the face turns downward (or sometimes upward) without gazing forward, resulting in a limp, motionless image. The in-vehicle situation determination unit 117 determines a state as shown in FIG. In order to perform more precise medical image recognition, the image information storage unit 134 may store a large amount of medically characteristic and precise comparison image information.

The automatic driving switching condition determination unit 115 receives the determination result of the in-vehicle situation, and compares the determination result with the storage content of the automatic driving switching condition storage unit 135 to determine the "health condition of the driver or passenger. It is determined that the switching condition for “Accident 1” is met.

In the above description, determination is made based only on the image recognition result of the image recognition unit 114, but in this embodiment, the in-vehicle situation determination unit 117 uses the voice recognition unit 116 in addition to the image recognition result. Considering the fact that groans, groans, and snoring (in the case of cerebral hemorrhage (cerebral hemorrhage), etc.), etc. were recognized by voice recognition, this "Driver or passenger's health condition abnormality 1" is determined. do. This makes it possible to improve the accuracy of determination by the in-vehicle situation determination unit 117 .

The content of the control for the switching condition of "Driver's or fellow passenger's health condition change 1" is switching to the forced automatic driving mode. A hospital is designated as the destination. The specified hospital can be selected and specified in advance by the driver or the like.

That is, it is possible to designate a specific hospital, for example, a primary hospital. In that case, the hospital name, address, and telephone number of the family hospital are stored in the automatic operation switching condition storage unit 135 . The control unit 101 of the automatic driving vehicle 1 uses the mobile phone function unit 118 to call the hospital using the phone number of the hospital, tell the characteristics of the vehicle and the name of the driver, etc., and bring the emergency patient. Try to notify the hospital that you are leaving. A message for this purpose is pre-stored in the synthetic speech generator 120 . The hospital can also be notified by e-mail instead of by telephone. In addition, in order to accurately convey the medical condition of the suddenly ill person to the doctors at the hospital, the image information and voice information of the suddenly ill person may be mailed as an attached file.

It is also possible to store the destination attribute such as "emergency hospital or general hospital near the current location" instead of a specific hospital. As will be described later, when a destination attribute such as "emergency hospital or general hospital near the current position" is specified as the destination, the car navigation function unit 113 performs a peripheral search for the corresponding hospital in the vicinity of the current position, The surrounding search result is used as the destination. In that case, if the phone number of the hospital can be obtained, the control unit 101 of the automatic driving vehicle 1 uses the phone number of the hospital to Call the hospital, tell them the characteristics of your vehicle and the name of the driver, and notify the hospital that you will take an emergency patient. Further, as described above, notification can be made not only by telephone but also by communication applications such as e-mail and LINE. Further, the image information and voice information of the suddenly ill person may be mailed as an attached file.

Moreover, in this embodiment, instead of designating a specific destination or destination attribute as a destination, it is possible to select stopping the vehicle on the shoulder of the road and calling 911. In the case of this 119 call, the characteristics of the own vehicle, the driver's name, the occurrence of an emergency patient, the place name of the current position, the address, etc. be included.

Note that the automatic driving vehicle 1 may be provided with a medical information storage unit (not shown) containing various medical information (medical information) and a medical database (not shown). In this case, the medical information storage section memorizes medical information such as disease names, symptoms, coping methods, etc. for intracerebral hemorrhage, subarachnoid hemorrhage, cerebral infarction, myocardial infarction, and other various diseases. For symptoms, image information such as eye conditions, facial expressions, etc., and voice information such as snoring and groaning, which are unique to each disease, are memorized. make it comprehensible. Of course, as image information, not only still images but also moving images are stored. Therefore, when the accident 1 occurs, it is possible to determine the control details, countermeasures, and destination of the automatic driving vehicle 1 based on the medical information stored in the medical information storage unit.

That is, when the accident 1 occurs, is it appropriate for the automatic driving car 1 to move to the hospital, or is it more appropriate to stop on the shoulder of the road without moving, call 119, and wait for the arrival of an ambulance? and so on. If it is appropriate to travel to the hospital, the automatic driving vehicle 1 selects an optimum traveling speed (for example, 30 km/h or less) that does not place a burden on the suddenly ill person. The car navigation function unit 113 can also provide the car navigation function unit 113 with information on unevenness, etc. of the patient so that the car navigation system function unit 113 can provide an optimal route for smooth running with as little vibration as possible to the patient. In addition, if the medical information storage unit stores the medical history of the driver or the passenger, it will be possible to respond more quickly and appropriately when the incident 1 occurs.

Of course, when a disease is identified, the destination is a hospital with a specialist or a hospital with specialized equipment based on the type of disease. For example, in the case of intracerebral hemorrhage, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and cerebral infarction, the destination is a neurosurgery specialist and specialized equipment, and in the case of myocardial infarction, the destination is a hospital with cardiovascular and heart specialists and specialized equipment.

In addition, if the passenger (driver or passenger) is pregnant and labor pains occur, it is not a state of inattentiveness, unconsciousness, fainting, etc., and it is not an illness, but it is a life-threatening emergency. Conforms to Incident 1. In this case, the automatic driving vehicle 1 is directed to the obstetrics and gynecology department, obstetrics department, or maternity hospital of the pregnant woman as a destination so that the pregnant woman can give birth safely. If your family's obstetrics and gynecology department, obstetrics department, or maternity hospital is far from your current location and there is a possibility that you won't be able to make it in time for delivery, search for obstetrics and gynecology departments, obstetrics, or maternity hospitals near your current location using the peripheral search function of the car navigation function unit 113. and head to the retrieved obstetrics and gynecology department, obstetrics department, or maternity hospital as a destination. The same is true for pregnant women whose waters have broken.

The cancellation condition of the forced automatic driving mode corresponding to the switching condition of "Driver's or fellow passenger's health condition change 1" is when "arrival at destination" or "arrival of ambulance".

Next, as a switching condition for "Driver or passenger's health condition change 2", the driver or passenger has not reached the state of inattentiveness, unconsciousness, fainting, etc., but convulsions and asthma Physical abnormalities such as seizures and vomiting that make manual driving difficult are registered. The in-vehicle situation determination unit 117 uses the image recognition result of the image recognition unit 114 and the voice recognition result of the voice recognition unit 116 to determine this "accident 2 in the health condition of the driver or passenger". to

The content of control for the switching condition of this "accidental change in the health condition of the driver or passenger 2" is to switch to the forced automatic driving mode, and the driver or passenger wakes up even if a physical change occurs. In this embodiment, it is a destination inquiry to the driver or fellow passenger. As the destination, the driver or the like selects and designates in advance "home (including address and location information)", "hospital (including hospital name, address and location information)", and "stop on the side of the road". can be done. In addition, the condition for canceling the forced automatic driving mode corresponding to the switching condition “accidental change in the health condition of the driver or passenger 2” is when the vehicle “arrives at the destination”.

When the switching condition of this “accidental change in the health condition of the driver or passenger 2” is met, based on the matching result of the automatic driving switching condition determination unit 115, the control unit 101 outputs a synthesized voice such as “Are you okay?” A message is sent to inquire about safety, and when the destination is pre-registered in the automatic operation switching condition storage unit 135, it asks, "Would you like to make the destination a registered place?" This takes into account the case where the driver or fellow passenger decides to go to the hospital due to the extent of the physical abnormality even if "home" or "stop on the side of the road" is selected in the pre-registration. It should be noted that in this embodiment, when "Stop on the side of the road" is registered in advance, it is determined that an inquiry "Do you want to call 119?"

When the destination has not been pre-registered, inquiry messages such as "Do you want to go home?", "Do you want to go to the hospital?", "Do you want to stop?" A driver's or fellow passenger's reply such as "yes" or "no" is recognized by voice, and the destination is determined according to the recognition result.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, when there is no pre-registration as a destination corresponding to the switching condition of "Driver's or passenger's health condition 2" and there is no response to the inquiry by synthesized voice, the control unit 101 determines that the vehicle is in a dangerous situation, searches for an emergency hospital or a general hospital near the current position using the peripheral search function of the car navigation function unit 113, and heads for the hospital found. In this case, if the hospital cannot be retrieved, the vehicle is stopped on the side of the road or the like and 911 is called. When calling 119, the characteristics of the vehicle, the name of the driver, the occurrence of an emergency patient, the place name of the current position, the address, etc. are generated from the synthetic voice generation unit 120 in the same manner as described above, and the 119 call is made. Include it in your content.

The condition for canceling the forced automatic driving mode corresponding to the switching condition of "accidental change in health condition of driver or passenger 2" is when "arrival at destination" or "arrival of ambulance".

When accident 2 occurs, similar to accident 1 above, based on the medical information stored in the medical information storage unit (not shown), the content of control, countermeasures, and destination of automatic driving vehicle 1 will be displayed. It is of course possible to determine

Next, the switching condition "drowsiness of the driver" will be described. In this case, the in-vehicle situation determination unit 117 recognizes the image captured by the camera 107a that captures the driver 3 by the image recognition unit 114, and detects a state in which the eyelids are closed for a certain period of time or longer, or the head is cocked. By recognizing it, it is determined whether the driver is asleep.

The contents of the control for the switching condition of "driver falling asleep" are to switch to the normal automatic driving mode and to send out an appealing voice (synthetic voice) to awaken the driver. This is because the calling voice can be expected to return the driver to an awake state. However, if the user is not awakened by the calling voice (judgment from image recognition), physical or mental trouble is expected instead of dozing off.

The destination set at the time when the automatic driving vehicle 1 starts traveling is used as the destination corresponding to the switching condition of "driver dozing off". However, if the user is not awakened by the calling voice, the destination is an emergency hospital or a general hospital near the current location, which is obtained by searching using the peripheral search function of the car navigation function unit 113 . Furthermore, if the hospital cannot be found by searching the surrounding area, the vehicle stops on the shoulder of the road or the like and calls 119 including the predetermined notification items as described above.

The normal automatic driving mode cancellation condition corresponding to this switching condition of "drowsiness of the driver" is set to "manual driving operation" if the destination is a "preset destination", and if the destination is a hospital, etc. In the case of , it is considered to be when "arrived at the destination".

Next, the switching condition "poor physical condition of the driver or fellow passenger such as car sickness or nausea" will be described. In this case, the in-vehicle situation determination unit 117 uses the image recognition result of the captured image of the driver or fellow passenger in the image recognition unit 114 and Based on the results of speech recognition by the speech recognition unit 116 such as "Yes", "Uh", "Gee", etc., the situation of "poor physical condition such as car sickness or nausea of the driver or passenger" is determined. .

The content of the control for the switching condition of "poor physical condition of the driver or fellow passenger such as car sickness or nausea" is switching to the forced automatic driving mode. If the current position is on a highway, the destination is the nearest PA (parking area) or SA (service area), and if the current position is on a general road, the vehicle is stopped on the side of the road. . Note that "return home" can also be registered as a destination. In addition, the condition for canceling the forced automatic driving mode corresponding to the switching condition of "vehicle sickness of the driver or fellow passenger, poor physical condition such as nausea" is when the vehicle "arrives at the destination".

Next, the switching condition "the driver's or fellow passenger's defecation or urinary urge" will be described. In this case, the in-vehicle situation determination unit 117 determines whether the driver or the passenger is fidgeting by image recognition of the captured image of the driver or the passenger by the image recognition unit 114, The situation of "the driver's or fellow passenger's defecation or urge to urinate" is determined from the results of speech recognition by the speech recognition unit 116 of utterances such as "It seems to be leaking".

The content of control for the switching condition of the "driver's or fellow passenger's defecation or urge to urinate" is switching to the forced automatic operation mode. If the current position is on a highway, the destination is the nearest PA (parking area) or SA (service area), and if the current position is on a general road, the nearest convenience store or gas station. It is considered to be a place with a toilet such as The place where the toilet is located can be pre-registered according to the attribute of the destination such as "convenience store" or "gas station". In addition, the condition for canceling the forced automatic driving mode corresponding to the switching condition of "the driver's or fellow passenger's defecation or urge to urinate" is when the vehicle "arrives at the destination".

Next, the switching condition "overworked operation" will be described. The switching condition in this case is one of three conditions. The first condition is that one driver continuously drives for a predetermined time or more, for example, two hours or more. The second condition is that the total driving time per day for one driver is a predetermined time or longer, for example, 5 hours or longer. The third condition is that the number of times of switching between the manual driving mode and the automatic driving mode in one day is a predetermined number or more, for example, 20 times or more while one driver is driving. be. A situation in which any one of the above three conditions is satisfied is based on consideration of the possibility that safe driving may be hindered due to overwork of the driver. It should be noted that the determination conditions for overwork are not limited to the three conditions described above. A biometric measurement may be performed, and the degree of overwork may be determined from the measured value.

Based on the time information from the clock unit 119, the in-vehicle situation determination unit 117 determines whether one driver has continuously driven for two hours or more, or whether the total driving time has exceeded five hours. , determines that the in-vehicle situation of the switching condition of the first condition or the second condition has occurred. In addition, the in-vehicle situation determination unit 117 receives information on switching between the manual driving mode and the automatic driving mode from the manual/automatic driving mode switching control unit 104, and counts the number of times of switching, thereby is driving, by determining that the number of times of switching between the manual driving mode and the automatic driving mode in one day has reached 20 times or more, the in-vehicle situation of the switching condition of the third condition determine what happened.

The content of the control for the switching condition of this "overworked operation" is switching to the forced automatic operation mode. The destination set when the automatic driving vehicle 1 starts traveling is set as the destination corresponding to the switching condition of "overworked driving". The condition for canceling the forced automatic operation mode corresponding to the switching condition for the "overworked operation" is when the vehicle "arrives at the destination".

Next, the switching condition "drinking of the driver" will be described. In this case, the in-vehicle situation determination unit 117 determines the in-vehicle situation of “drinking of the driver” from the detection result of the alcohol concentration contained in the breath of the driver by the breath sensor included in the sensor group 108 . Further, in the vehicle of the automatic driving vehicle 1, the image recognition unit 114 recognizes the image when the driver is drinking a drink, recognizes whether the bottle or can of the drink being drunk is an alcoholic drink, The in-vehicle situation determination unit 117 that receives the recognition result determines the in-vehicle situation of "drinking of the driver".

The content of the control for the switching condition of "drinking of the driver" is switching to the forced automatic driving mode. As the destination for the switching condition of "drinking of the driver", if the automatic driving vehicle 1 is traveling (including stopped at a red light and a temporary stop such as a railroad crossing), the destination set at the start of traveling It is said that Also, if the automatic driving vehicle 1 is in a stopped state in a parking lot, a garage, or the like, it may be set to "do not start" or may be set to the destination set at the start of travel. The condition for canceling the forced automatic driving mode corresponding to the switching condition of "drinking of the driver" is "arrive at the destination" or "disappearance of the switching condition". The switching condition disappears when the alcohol concentration in the breath of the driver detected by the breath sensor falls below a predetermined value, or when the drunk state returns to a normal state, for example, after eight hours.

Next, the switching condition "driver looking away/inattentive" will be described. In this embodiment, the switching condition is that the driver continues looking away or looking aside for a predetermined period of time or longer, for example, one minute or longer. The in-vehicle situation determination unit 117 determines whether the driver is looking away or looking aside from the driver's dizzying continuation for one minute or longer and the line of sight of the driver, based on the image recognition result of the driver's photographed image by the camera. Try to judge the situation. By considering the continuation of the driver's restlessness for one minute or more and the direction of the line of sight, it is possible to distinguish between restlessness caused by checking left and right for safety while driving.

Situations in which looking away or looking aside are likely to occur are as follows.
・ Places with famous places, historic sites, and superb views (including autumn leaves, etc.). In such a place, the driver also wants to see the scenery and scenery, and inadvertently looks aside or looks aside, and there is a risk that safety cannot be ensured in the manual driving mode.
・Extraordinary events such as festival portable shrines, fireworks, new store opening sales, etc. Such an event also makes the driver want to see it, and he/she tends to look aside or inattentively, and there is a risk that safety cannot be ensured in the manual driving mode.
- Celebrities, such as well-known entertainers, athletes, and recently talked about people. Such celebrities make the driver want to look at them, and they tend to look aside or look aside, and there is a risk that safety cannot be ensured in the manual driving mode.

Considering the situations described above, the in-vehicle situation determination unit 117 detects places of famous places, historic sites, and superb views (including autumn foliage) by the peripheral search function of the car navigation function unit 113, and the restless state by the above image recognition. In addition to the detection of , it is possible to determine the in-vehicle situation of "driver looking away or looking aside". In addition, the in-vehicle situation determination unit 117 accesses the Internet through the mobile phone function unit 118, searches for information on events in the vicinity of the current position, and obtains the detection result of events such as festivals, fireworks, and new store opening sales. In addition to the detection of the restless state by the above image recognition, it is possible to determine the in-vehicle situation of "the driver looking away or looking aside". Furthermore, by storing image information such as famous celebrities, athletes, and recently talked about people in the image information storage unit 134, captured image information from a camera that captures the outside of the automatic driving vehicle 1, Based on the image information of those people, the image recognition unit 114 detects the detection result of the famous entertainer, athlete, and recently talked about person. It is possible to determine the in-vehicle situation of the driver looking away or looking aside.

The content of the control for the switching condition of "driver looking away or looking aside" is switching to the forced automatic driving mode. The destination set when the automatic driving vehicle 1 starts traveling is set as the destination corresponding to the switching condition of "driver looking away, looking aside".

In addition, if the driver is asked whether or not to drop by using a synthesized voice message, and if the answer is affirmative, the destination may be the famous place/historic site detected by the surrounding search or the event venue detected by the Internet search. good. Alternatively, the vehicle may be stopped on the shoulder of the road or the like for sightseeing.

The condition for canceling the forced automatic driving mode corresponding to the switching condition of "driver looking away or looking aside" is "arrive at destination" or "disappearance of switching condition". The switching condition disappears after a predetermined period of time, for example, 5 minutes, has elapsed since the state of "driver looking away or looking aside" disappeared. Alternatively, it may be the time when a predetermined distance, for example, 500 meters or more is away from the place where "the driver looks away or looks aside".

Next, the switching condition "driver eating, drinking or smoking" will be described. In this embodiment, the switching condition is that the driver continues to eat, drink or smoke for a predetermined time or longer, for example, 3 minutes or longer. The in-vehicle situation determination unit 117 determines whether the driver is eating, drinking, or smoking based on the image recognition result of the captured image of the driver by the camera, and determines whether the state has been in that state for 3 minutes or more based on the time information of the clock unit 119 . The in-vehicle situation of "driver's eating, drinking or smoking" is determined depending on whether or not it continues. Eating, drinking, and smoking by the driver in a short period of less than 3 minutes is considered to be an acceptable level of hindrance to manual driving.

In this case, the image recognition unit 114 recognizes rice balls, sandwiches, boxed lunches, ice cream, water, tea, coffee, etc. included in the image of the driver captured by the camera, thereby certifying the driver's eating and drinking. In addition, if the driver is holding a cigarette, the smoking status of the driver can be recognized. However, in this embodiment, regarding the switching condition of "driver's eating, drinking or smoking", when the switching condition is met, the driver's declaration of intention that automatic driving may be allowed is accepted. This switching condition is valid only when the positive declaration of intention is set.

The content of the control for the switching condition of "driver's eating, drinking or smoking" is switching to the forced automatic driving mode. The destination set when the automatic driving vehicle 1 starts traveling is set as the destination corresponding to the switching condition of "drinking or smoking by the driver".

The condition for canceling the forced automatic driving mode corresponding to the switching condition of "drinking or smoking by the driver" is "end of eating, drinking or smoking", that is, "disappearance of the switching condition".

Next, the switching condition "worsening of surrounding environment during driving" will be described. In this embodiment, the switching condition is that the surrounding environment during driving is backlit, twilight (sunset), or bad weather (rain, snow, etc.), making it difficult for the driver to see the surroundings. The in-vehicle condition determination unit 117 determines the in-vehicle condition of "deterioration of the surrounding environment during driving" based on an image captured by a camera that captures the outside and sensor detection outputs of the temperature sensor and the humidity sensor. In addition, the in-vehicle situation determination unit 117 also uses the result of voice recognition by the voice recognition unit 116 of the driver's shouting such as "hard to see", "hard to drive", etc. "Deterioration of the surrounding environment" may be determined.

The content of the control for the switching condition of "worsening of the surrounding environment during driving" is switching to the forced automatic driving mode. Note that the normal automatic operation mode may be used instead of the forced automatic operation mode. The destination set at the start of travel of the self-driving vehicle 1 is used as the destination corresponding to the switching condition of "deterioration of surrounding environment during driving".

The condition for canceling the forced automatic driving mode corresponding to the switching condition of "worsening of the surrounding environment during driving" is "disappearance of the switching condition", such as improvement of the surrounding environment during driving.

Next, the switching condition "behavior of children and pets" will be described. In this embodiment, if a child or baby behaves dangerously in the car, such as falling out of the seat, or suddenly starts crying, the driver becomes concerned and turns in that direction. Consider the possibility that safety cannot be ensured in manual operation mode. The same applies to pet behavior such as excretion behavior and barking. Therefore, in this embodiment, these "behaviors of children and pets" are used as switching conditions.

The in-vehicle situation determination unit 117 uses the image recognition result of the image captured by the camera that captures the passenger and the voice recognition result of the voice recognition unit 116 from the child's crying, falling sound, and pet's barking. The switching condition "behavior of children and pets" is determined.

The content of the control for the switching condition of "behavior of child and pet" is switching to the forced automatic driving mode. Then, the destination set at the start of traveling of the self-driving vehicle 1 is used as the destination corresponding to the switching condition of "behavior of child and pet".

A condition for canceling the forced automatic operation mode corresponding to the switching condition of "behavior of the child or pet" is "disappearance of the switching condition" such as the state of the child or pet returning to normal.

Next, the switching condition "one-handed driving or hands-free driving by the driver" will be described. In this embodiment, the state of one-handed driving by the driver continues for a predetermined time or longer, for example, two minutes or more, or the state of hands-free driving by the driver continues for a predetermined time or longer, for example, 10 seconds or longer. , are used as switching conditions. The in-vehicle situation determination unit 117 determines whether the driver is driving with one hand or without the hands, based on the image recognition result of the image of the driver captured by the camera. The in-vehicle situation of "one-handed driving or hands-free driving by the driver" is determined depending on whether the driving has continued for 10 seconds or longer.

The content of the control for the switching condition of "one-handed driving/hand-free driving by the driver" is switching to the forced automatic driving mode. At this time, a voice message such as "Since driving with one hand or without hands is dangerous, the mode has been switched to the automatic driving mode" is emitted from the speaker 138 to warn the driver. to evoke

The destination set at the time when the automatic driving vehicle 1 starts traveling is set as the destination corresponding to the switching condition of "one-handed operation by the driver, hands-free operation". In addition, the cancellation condition of the forced automatic driving mode corresponding to the switching condition of "one-handed driving or hands-free driving by the driver" is that the driver stops one-handed driving or hands-free driving and "the driver's driving posture is correct." It is said that when

Next, the switching condition "the driver's footwear is inappropriate" will be described. In this embodiment, the footwear of the driver is unsuitable for driving, for example, clogs, slippers, high heels, or other footwear that may lead to driving errors, or bare feet without footwear. is a switching condition.

The in-vehicle situation determination unit 117 determines whether the footwear is inappropriate such as clogs, slippers, or high heels, or whether the footwear is inappropriate such as bare feet, based on the image recognition result of the footwear (or feet) in the captured image of the driver by the camera. determine if it is in good condition.

The content of the control for the switching condition of "the driver's footwear is inappropriate" is switching to the forced automatic driving mode. At this time, a synthesized voice message is sent to the driver, saying, "Your shoes are inappropriate for driving. Please change your shoes." to warn you to change or wear footwear.

The destination set when the automatic driving vehicle 1 starts traveling is set as the destination corresponding to the switching condition of "inappropriate footwear for the driver". In addition, the condition for canceling the forced automatic driving mode corresponding to the switching condition of "the driver's footwear is inappropriate" is when the driver replaces or wears appropriate footwear and the switching condition disappears. It is said that

Note that the storage contents of the automatic operation switching condition storage unit 135 described above store the switching condition, the content of the forced automatic operation after switching, and the cancellation condition, respectively, as corresponding processing programs. As for the switching conditions set by the user later, the content of the forced automatic operation after switching, and the cancellation conditions, the user describes the switching conditions, the cancellation conditions, and the control contents in the forced automatic operation mode as described above. Thus, the electronic control circuit unit 10 of the automatic driving vehicle 1 has a processing function of automatically generating a corresponding processing program and storing it in the automatic operation switching condition storage unit 135 .

As described above, the electronic control circuit unit 10 of the automatic driving vehicle 1 is configured. Among the blocks shown in FIG. The processing functions of the unit 104, the surrounding moving object grasping unit 109, the current position detecting unit 110, the car navigation function unit 113, the image recognition unit 114, the automatic driving switching condition determination unit 115, the voice recognition unit 116, and the in-vehicle situation determination unit 117 are , the control unit 101 can be implemented as software processing.

[Example of switching processing operation of the driving mode in the automatic driving vehicle 1 of the embodiment]
FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, which is a continuation thereof, show that in the automatic driving vehicle 1 of the embodiment, the switching conditions are monitored while the vehicle is running in the manual driving mode (the vehicle may be parked or stopped), and normal automatic driving is performed. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a flowchart for explaining the flow of processing operations when switching to a mode or a forced automatic operation mode;

6 and 7, the control unit 101 includes the motor drive control unit 102, the steering drive control unit 103, the manual/automatic operation mode switching control unit 104, the peripheral movement control unit 104, among the blocks shown in FIG. Each processing function of the body grasping unit 109, the current position detection unit 110, the car navigation function unit 113, the image recognition unit 114, the automatic driving switching condition determination unit 115, the voice recognition unit 116, and the in-vehicle situation determination unit 117 is implemented as software processing. A description will be given assuming that this is achieved. The same applies to other flowcharts described below.

In addition, in the automatic driving vehicle 1 of this embodiment, considering that the manual driving mode is switched to the forced automatic driving mode against the intention of the driver, when starting the engine of the automatic driving vehicle for the first time , the driver is made to input the setting of the destination in the car navigation function. Therefore, after the automatic driving vehicle 1 is switched to the forced automatic driving mode, the destination With the route guidance function of the car navigation function unit 113, it is possible to perform travel control so as to head for the destination.

Therefore, the destination information of the automatic operation switching condition table TBL in FIGS. 2 to 4 includes the designation of the preset destination. Information does not have to be stored, and when there is no destination designation information for the switching conditions of the automatic operation switching condition table TBL, the destination can be automatically determined as a preset destination at the time of starting.

In FIG. 6, the control unit 101 first sends out a message prompting the user to enter a destination (step S1). Then, the control unit 101 waits for the input setting of the destination by the driver (step S2), and when it determines that the input of the destination is received, it holds the input destination (step S3). When it is determined that the input of the destination has not been received, the process returns to step S2 to continue monitoring the input of the destination.

Next, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the operation mode is the manual operation mode (step S4). When it is determined in step S4 that the operation mode is not the manual operation mode but the automatic operation mode, the control unit 101 shifts to the processing routine for the automatic operation mode. In this processing routine for the automatic driving mode, the vehicle is set to go to the destination held in step S3 in the automatic driving mode.

When it is determined in step S4 that the operation mode is the manual operation mode, the control unit 101 monitors the conditions for switching to the automatic operation mode stored in the automatic operation switching condition storage unit 135 (step S5). Then, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the switching condition as described above is met (step S6), and when it is determined that the switching condition is not met, returns the process to step S5 to continue monitoring the switching condition.

When it is determined in step S6 that the switching condition is met, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the setting of the automatic operation mode switched from the manual operation mode according to the matching switching condition is the forced automatic operation mode (step S7). .

In step S7, when it is determined that the setting is the forced automatic operation mode, the control unit 101 switches from the manual operation mode to the forced automatic operation mode, and notifies the driver of this as a voice message through the speaker 138 (step S8 ). Then, the control unit 101 executes the control content after switching to the forced automatic operation mode according to the matching switching condition (step S9).

Next, the control unit 101 starts monitoring conditions for canceling the forced automatic operation mode (step S21 in FIG. 7). Then, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the condition for canceling the forced automatic operation mode is met (step S22), and when it is determined that the condition is not met, returns the process to step S21 to continue monitoring the condition for cancellation. do.

In step S22, when it is determined that the condition for canceling the forced automatic operation mode is met, the control unit 101 switches the operation mode to the normal automatic operation mode, and notifies the driver of this as a voice message through the speaker 138 ( step S23). Then, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the manual driving operation is detected (step S24), and when it is determined that the manual driving operation is not detected, continues this step S24 and waits for the manual driving operation. .

Then, in step S24, when it is determined that the manual driving operation has been detected, the control unit 101 switches from the normal automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode, and notifies the driver of this as a voice message through the speaker 138 (step S25). Then, the control unit 101 returns the processing to step S5, and repeats the processing after step S5.

Further, in step S7, when it is determined that the setting is not the forced automatic operation mode but the normal automatic operation mode, the control unit 101 switches from the manual operation mode to the normal automatic operation mode, and notifies that through the speaker 138. A voice message is sent to the driver (step S10). And the control part 101 performs the control content after switching to the normal automatic driving mode according to the switch conditions which corresponded (step S11).

Next, the control unit 101 shifts the process to step S24, determines whether or not the manual driving operation is detected (step S24), and when it determines that the manual driving operation is not detected, returns to step S24. Continue to wait for manual operation. Then, in step S24, when it is determined that the manual driving operation has been detected, the control unit 101 switches from the normal automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode, and notifies the driver of this as a voice message through the speaker 138 (step S25). Then, the control unit 101 returns the processing to step S5, and repeats the processing after step S5.

In the above process, when the conditions for canceling the forced automatic operation mode are met, the forced automatic operation mode passes through the normal automatic operation mode and is switched to the manual operation mode. You may make it switch to a manual operation mode directly, without going through a mode.

The above is a rough description of the flow of the main part of the operation mode switching process in the automatic driving vehicle 1 of this embodiment. Next, referring to the flow charts of FIGS. 8 to 13, examples of processing operations from the monitoring of the switching conditions in step S5 of FIG. will be described in more detail.

That is, the control unit 101 takes a picture of the driver and the passenger with a camera that takes pictures of the inside of the vehicle in the camera group 107, and performs image recognition and analysis on the taken image (step S31). The process of step S31 corresponds to the image recognition process of the image recognition section 114 and the process of the image recognition result of the in-vehicle situation determination section 117 .

Next, the control unit 101 picks up sounds and voices inside the vehicle with the microphone 137, and performs voice recognition and analysis on the picked-up sounds and voices (step S32). The process of step S32 corresponds to the voice recognition process of the voice recognition section 116 and the process of the voice recognition result of the in-vehicle situation determination section 117 .

Next, the control unit 101 captures and analyzes the outputs of the sensors that contribute to the determination of the vehicle interior conditions, such as the breath sensor provided inside the vehicle in the sensor group 108, and also captures other information necessary for determining the vehicle interior conditions. (step S33). Here, other information necessary for judging the in-vehicle situation includes time information from the clock unit 119, information on the surrounding search results from the car navigation function unit 113, information obtained from the Internet through the mobile phone function unit 118, manual/automatic There is operation mode switching information from the operation mode switching control unit 104 and the like.

Next, the control unit 101 determines the in-vehicle situation from the analysis result of the above information (step S34). The processing of this step S34 corresponds to the processing in the vehicle interior condition determination unit 117. FIG.

Next, the control unit 101 compares and refers to the in-vehicle situation determined in step S34 with the switching conditions stored in the automatic driving switching condition storage unit 135 (step S35), and based on the comparison and reference, determines the in-vehicle situation determines whether or not the switching condition "Driver's or fellow passenger's health condition change 1" is met (step S36).

In this step S36, when it is determined that the in-vehicle situation matches the switching condition "Driver or passenger's health condition change 1", the control unit 101 stores the automatic driving switching condition storage unit 135. The mode is switched to the forced automatic driving mode in accordance with the control contents of "Driver's or fellow passenger's health condition change 1" of the switching condition, and the driver is notified to that effect (step S37).

Next, the control unit 101 reads the destination information of the switching condition "Driver's or fellow passenger's health condition change 1" stored in the automatic driving switching condition storage unit 135 (step S38). It is determined whether or not the specified hospital is a specific hospital (step S41 in FIG. 9). In step S41, when it is determined that a specific hospital is specified as the destination, the control unit 101 searches for a route from the current position to the specified hospital, and sets the destination as the hospital ( step S42). At this time, when the telephone number of the hospital is stored in the automatic operation switching condition storage unit 135, the control unit 101 calls the hospital through the mobile phone function unit 118, The name, etc., is given, and a synthetic voice message is generated to inform the hospital of the need to take the suddenly ill patient. After step S42, the control unit 101 advances the process to step S21 in FIG.

Further, when it is determined in step S41 that the specified destination is not a specific hospital, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a hospital close to the current position is specified as the destination (step S43). When it is determined in step S43 that a hospital close to the current position is designated as the destination, the control unit 101 searches around the current position for emergency hospitals or general hospitals close to the current position (step S44). , a route from the current position to the emergency hospital or general hospital detected by the surrounding search is searched, and the hospital is set as the destination (step S45). At this time, when the telephone number of the hospital can be obtained by searching the surroundings, the control unit 101 calls the hospital through the mobile phone function unit 118, tells the characteristics of the own vehicle, the name of the driver, etc. A synthesized voice message is generated to notify the hospital of taking the sick person. After step S45, the control unit 101 advances the process to step S21 in FIG.

When it is determined in step S43 that a hospital close to the current location is not specified as the destination, the control section 101 determines whether or not the 119th call is specified (step S46). When it is determined in step S46 that the 119 call is specified, the control unit 101 stops the vehicle at a place such as the shoulder of the road where the vehicle can be parked or stopped (step S47). , call 119 (step S48). In this 119 call, the characteristics of the own vehicle, the driver's name, the driver's inattentiveness, unconsciousness, fainting, etc., the place name of the current position, the address, etc. are generated as synthesized voice and notified. The destination in this case is the place where the vehicle is to be stopped. In this case, the process ends in step S48.

When it is determined in step S46 that the 119th call is not specified, the control section 101 jumps the process to step S44.

If an emergency hospital or a general hospital near the current position cannot be detected in the peripheral search in step S44, the process may be jumped to step S47 to call 119.

Next, in step S36 of FIG. 8, when it is determined that the in-vehicle situation does not match the switching condition "Driver or passenger's health condition change 1", the control unit 101 changes the switching condition " It is determined whether or not the health condition of the driver or fellow passenger matches the condition 2” (step S51 in FIG. 10).

In step S51, when it is determined that the switching condition "accident 2 of the driver's or passenger's health condition" is met, the control unit 101 stores the switching condition stored in the automatic driving switching condition storage unit 135. In accordance with the control content of the condition "Driver's or fellow passenger's health condition change 2", the mode is switched to the forced automatic driving mode, and the driver is notified to that effect (step S52).

Next, the control unit 101 refers to the information of the destination of the switching condition “accident 2 of the health condition of the driver or passenger” stored in the automatic driving switching condition storage unit 135, and the registered It is determined whether or not there is a destination designation (step S53). When it is determined in step S53 that the registered destination is specified, the control unit 101 sends out a voice inquiry as to whether the registered destination is acceptable (step S54). At this time, an inquiry is made so as to know where the registered destination is.

Next, the control unit 101 determines whether or not it has received a reply that the registered destination is acceptable in response to this inquiry (step S55). When it is determined in step S55 that the registered destination is acceptable, the control unit 101 performs the above-described steps S42, S44, S45, and other processes according to the registered destination (step S56). After that process, the control unit 101 advances the process to step S21 in FIG.

When receiving an answer that the destination is not registered in step S55, the control unit 101 generates a synthesized voice message inquiring of the destination to the driver or fellow passenger and emits sound through the speaker 138 (step S57).

When it is determined in step S53 that no registered destination is specified, the control section 101 proceeds to step S57. Then, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a response to the inquiry in step S57 has been received (step S58), and when it determines that a response has been received, the voice information of the response is recognized by voice, and the designated destination is determined. is specified (step S59). In specifying the destination at this time, not only a specific destination but also an attribute of the destination such as "nearby hospital" may be specified. Then, the control unit 101 performs the processes corresponding to the specified destination, such as steps S42, S44, and S45 described above, for the specified destination (step S60). After that process, the control unit 101 advances the process to step S21 in FIG.

When it is determined in step S58 that there is no response to the inquiry in step S57, the control unit 101 stops the vehicle at a place such as the shoulder of the road where the vehicle can be parked or stopped (step S61). , call 119 (step S62). In this 119 call, the characteristics of the own vehicle, the occurrence of an emergency patient, the place name of the current position, the address, etc. are generated as synthesized voice and notified. The destination in this case is the place where the vehicle is to be stopped. In this case, the process ends in step S62.

When it is determined in step S51 that the vehicle interior condition does not match the switching condition "Driver's or passenger's health condition change 2", the control unit 101 determines that the vehicle interior condition does not match the switching condition "Driver's health condition 2". It is determined whether or not "drowsiness" matches (step S71 in FIG. 11). Then, in step S71, when it is determined that the in-vehicle situation matches the switching condition "drowsiness of the driver", the control unit 101 stores the switching condition stored in the automatic driving switching condition storage unit 135. According to the control content of the condition "driver dozes off", switch to the automatic driving mode (step S72), and generate a synthetic voice calling to wake up the driver, such as "get up", "dangerous", etc. at a high volume. Then, sound is emitted from the speaker 138 to the driver (step S73). As a means for arousing the driver, other than emitting a synthetic voice calling to the driver, flashing of a light for the driver, vibration of the driver's seat, or vibration of the steering wheel may be used, or a combination of these may be used. good too.

Next, the control unit 101 confirms whether or not the driver has been awakened by the calling voice from the image recognition result of the captured image of the driver by the camera and the voice recognition result of the reply voice from the driver ( step S74). When it is determined in step S74 that the driver has been awakened, the control unit 101 advances the process to step S24 in FIG.

Further, when it is determined in step S74 that the driver's awakening has not been confirmed, the control unit 101 determines that the driver is not merely dozing off, but that a physical abnormality has occurred in the driver. Then, the vehicle is stopped at a place such as the shoulder of the road where the vehicle can be parked or stopped (step S75), and calls 119 through the mobile phone function unit 118 (step S76). In this 119 call, the characteristics of the own vehicle, the occurrence of an emergency patient, the place name of the current position, the address, etc. are generated as synthesized voice and notified. The destination in this case is the place where the vehicle is to be stopped. In this case, the process ends at step S76.

In step S71, when it is determined that the condition in the vehicle does not match the switching condition "drowsiness of the driver", the control unit 101 determines that the condition in the vehicle does not correspond to the condition "poor physical condition of the driver or fellow passenger". (Step S81 in FIG. 12). In this step S81, when it is determined that the in-vehicle situation matches the switching condition "poor physical condition of the driver or passenger", the control unit 101 stores in the automatic driving switching condition storage unit 135, In accordance with the control content of the switching condition "poor physical condition of the driver or fellow passenger", the mode is switched to the forced automatic driving mode, and the driver is notified to that effect (step S82).

Next, the control unit 101 refers to the destination information of the switching condition “poor physical condition of the driver or passenger” stored in the automatic driving switching condition storage unit 135, and the home is registered as the destination. (step S83). When it is determined in this step S83 that home is registered as the destination, the control unit 101 generates a synthesized voice inquiring whether or not to return to home and emits the sound from the speaker 138 (step S84).

The control unit 101 determines whether or not to return to home based on whether or not the driver has given a positive answer (voice) to this inquiry (step S85). In this step S85, when it is determined that a positive answer to the inquiry is obtained and it is determined to return to home, the control unit 101 searches for a route from the current position to the home from the destination, and enters the forced automatic operation mode. return to home (step S86). In this case, the process ends in step S86.

When it is determined in step S85 that the user does not return home because no affirmative answer to the inquiry has been obtained, the control unit 101 advances the process to step S87. Further, even when it is determined in step S83 that the home is not registered as the destination, the control unit 101 advances the process to step S87.

In step S87, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the current position is on an expressway, and when it is determined that it is on an expressway, the nearest PA (parking area) or SA (service area) in the traveling direction. A search is made, and the PA (parking area) or SA (service area) of the search result is set as the destination (step S88). Then, at this step S88, this processing routine ends.

Also, when it is determined in step S87 that the current position is not on a highway but on a general road, the control unit 101 stops the vehicle at a place where parking is possible, such as the shoulder of the road (step S89). Then, at this step S88, this processing routine ends.

In step S81, when it is determined that the condition inside the vehicle does not match the switching condition "poor physical condition of the driver or passenger", the control unit 101 determines that the condition inside the vehicle does not match the switching condition "driver or passenger It is determined whether or not there is an urge to defecate or urinate (step S91 in FIG. 13). In this step S91, when it is determined that the in-vehicle situation is the switching condition "the driver's or fellow passenger's defecation or urge to urinate", the control unit 101 stores the switching condition stored in the automatic driving switching condition storage unit 135. In accordance with the control content of the condition "the driver's or fellow passenger's defecation or urge to urinate", the mode is switched to the forced automatic operation mode, and the driver is notified to that effect (step S92).

Next, the control unit 101 refers to the destination information of the switching condition "the driver's or fellow passenger's defecation or urge to urinate" stored in the automatic driving switching condition storage unit 135, and the current position is the expressway. (step S93), and if it is determined that it is on a highway, search for the nearest PA (parking area) or SA (service area) in the direction of travel, and search for a PA (parking area) ) or SA (service area) (step S94). Then, at this step S94, this processing routine ends.

Further, when it is determined in step S93 that the current position is not on a highway but on a general road, the control unit 101 searches for a place with a toilet, such as the nearest convenience store or gas station, and as a result of the search, The detected place is set as the destination (step S95). Then, at this step S95, this processing routine ends.

Further, in step S91, when it is determined that the in-vehicle situation is not the "driver or passenger's defecation or urge to urinate" switching condition, the control unit 101 stores in the automatic driving switching condition storage unit 135, " "overworked driving", "drinking by the driver", "driving looking away or inattentive driving", "drinking or smoking by the driver", "deterioration of the driving environment", "abnormal behavior of children and pets in the car", "driving It is determined whether or not other switching conditions such as "the driver's driving style and posture" and "the driver is wearing footwear that interferes with driving or is not wearing footwear" (step S96). When it is determined in step S96 that the vehicle interior condition does not meet the other switching conditions, the control unit 101 returns the process to step S31 in FIG. 8, and repeats the processes after step S31.

Further, when it is determined in step S96 that any one of the other switching conditions stored in the automatic operation switching condition storage unit 135 is met, the control unit 101 stores corresponding switching conditions corresponding to the matching switching condition. The control contents are executed, and the destination is determined based on the stored destination information corresponding to the matching switching condition (step S97). Then, the control unit 101 advances the process to step S21 in FIG.

[Effects of Embodiment]
According to the automatic driving vehicle of the embodiment described above, in order to prevent the occurrence of a traffic accident, etc., even when the manual driving mode is forcibly switched to the automatic driving mode, the destination set in advance by the driver can be reached. Since the automatic driving vehicle 1 travels in the automatic driving mode with this destination as the destination, it will not be in a state of traveling on a route different from the route toward the destination intended by the driver.

In addition, according to the automatic driving vehicle of the above-described embodiment, while ensuring safety so as to avoid the occurrence of traffic accidents, etc., A significant advantage is that the self-driving car can be directed to the appropriate destination. In other words, even if the driver falls into a state of inattentiveness, becomes unconscious, or faints, the hospital is set as the destination, so it is possible to respond to physical changes that have occurred to the driver. It can be expected that appropriate measures will be taken promptly. In particular, even if there is only one driver in the car, the self-driving car of this embodiment allows the driver to be transported to a hospital, etc., so that appropriate measures can be taken. effect.

[Other embodiments or modifications]
In the description of the above embodiment, as the switching conditions of the automatic driving switching condition table TBL of FIGS. State change 2", "drowsiness of the driver", "vehicle sickness of the driver or passenger, poor physical condition such as nausea", "desire and urination of the driver or passenger", "overworked driving", "driver "Drinking", "Driver's looking away or distracted driving", "Driver's eating, drinking or smoking", "Deterioration of driving environment", "Abnormal behavior of children and pets riding together", "Driver's driving style and posture" and "The driver wears footwear that interferes with driving, or does not wear footwear." These switching conditions are used when the vehicle is running, parked, or stopped in the manual driving mode. , ``drinking or smoking by the driver'', ``deterioration of the driving environment'', ``abnormal behavior of children and pets in the car'', ``the driver's driving style and posture'', etc. Since there is basically no effect on safety, it is possible to set the switching condition only when the vehicle is running, and not to set the switching condition when the vehicle is parked or stopped.

In addition, for “Driver or passenger health condition change 1” and “Driver or passenger health change 2”, urgently head to the hospital or call 119 and stop on the shoulder of the road. Since it is necessary to wait for the arrival of an ambulance, it is possible not only when driving, parking, or stopping in manual driving mode, but also when driving, parking, or stopping in normal automatic driving mode. can be used as a switching condition. For "driver or passenger's physical condition such as car sickness or nausea" and "driver's or passenger's defecation or urge to urinate", please contact the nearest PA (parking area) or SA (service area) or gas station. Since it is necessary to move to another place, use the restroom, or take a rest, even when the vehicle is running, parked, or stopped in the normal automatic driving mode, the switching condition may be set.

In addition, in the description of the above embodiment, the switching conditions are determined serially, but they may be determined in parallel.

In the description of the above embodiments, the in-vehicle situation of the switching condition is a physical change of the driver or fellow passenger, or a situation that interferes with manual operation of the automobile based on the actions or gestures of the driver or fellow passenger. is used as the switching condition, the in-vehicle condition including external factors occurring in the vehicle may be used as the switching condition.

For example, it is possible to set the destination to a hospital, for example, by setting the condition that a driver or a passenger is burned or injured due to a fire or other abnormality that has occurred in an automatic driving vehicle. In addition, in order to prevent passengers from committing suicide by bringing briquettes into the car, it is necessary to ensure that the concentration of carbon monoxide inside the car exceeds a predetermined level and that the passenger does not drive and remains motionless. may be used as the switching condition. In this case, the carbon monoxide concentration can be detected by a carbon monoxide concentration sensor. It can be detected by image recognition. In this case, set the destination to the hospital, start the stopped automatic driving car, transport the passenger, or call 119 and stop on the shoulder of the road, etc., and wait for the arrival of the ambulance. At the same time, windows should be opened to reduce the carbon monoxide concentration. These cancellation conditions are when "arrival at destination (hospital)" or "arrival of ambulance".

It is also possible to set the switching condition to the fact that the door lock cannot be released due to a failure of the automatic driving vehicle, and the passenger cannot get off the vehicle. In this case, the state inside the vehicle can be detected based on the detection of the occupant's utterance of "help me" and "I can't get out" and the detection output of the door sensor. In this case, the destination is, for example, an automobile repair shop or an automobile sales company, and the door is unlocked there. The release condition is when "the door is unlocked" or "arrived at the destination (such as an automobile maintenance shop)".

If the self-driving car causes a fire in the car and cannot extinguish it, it is dangerous to drive, so call 119 as a switching condition and stop the car on the roadside where there is no other danger of igniting. The driver and passengers should get out of the self-driving car and wait for the arrival of the fire engine. This applies even if the self-driving car is unmanned (self-driving). The conditions for extinguishing the fire are when "fire extinguishing is completed" or "fire engine arrives".

If an abnormality or failure occurs when an autonomous vehicle is driving unmanned (automatic driving), the destination is changed to a place where the abnormality or failure can be recovered or repaired, such as an automobile maintenance factory or automobile sales company, using that as a switching condition. . Depending on the degree and content of the abnormality or failure, the vehicle may be contacted by the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF), stopped on the shoulder of the road, or the like, and waited for the arrival of the JAF. The release condition is when "recovery/repair of abnormality or failure" or "arrival at destination (automobile maintenance shop, etc.)". If there is a problem related to refueling or battery, or if the remaining fuel is low, it can be used as a switching condition to head to a gas station or charging station. The release condition is when "recovery from trouble or completion of refueling" or "arrival at destination (gas station, etc.)".

In addition, the present invention can be applied to measures against the temperature inside automobiles in summer and measures against heatstroke. Tragic incidents such as infants or children dying or becoming seriously ill in the car while parents are shopping at a supermarket or department store, or playing pachinko at a pachinko parlor, leaving the infant or child in the car. has been reported. The temperature inside a car in summer is much higher than the outside air temperature, and sometimes exceeds 50°C.

In view of this danger, the self-driving car is equipped with a temperature sensor (thermometer), and is parked in the sun with a switching condition of a predetermined temperature (e.g., 35°C) or higher continuing for a predetermined time (e.g., 3 minutes) or longer. A self-driving car that is inside or parked can be moved into the shade and parked or parked. If you can't find shade, find a place with the lowest outside temperature and park or stop there. Also, the cooling of the air conditioner may be operated. This keeps the interior of the car at a comfortable temperature. The release condition is when "the temperature inside the vehicle drops below a predetermined temperature", "the vehicle is parked or stopped in the shade", or "the vehicle is parked or stopped in a location with a low outside temperature".

Furthermore, the passenger (person remaining in the car) is imaged by a camera included in the camera group 107, and the sweating state, facial expression, and body movement are image-recognized, or the voice uttered by the passenger is captured by a microphone. By picking up sound with 137 and recognizing words such as "hot," "painful," and "help me," as well as groans and pant voices, dangers such as heatstroke can be sensed. Using the risk of heat stroke or the like of the passenger as a switching condition, it is possible to inform the driver of the abnormal situation by mobile phone and transfer the passenger to a hospital as the destination. You can also call 119, stop on the shoulder of the road, and wait for the arrival of an ambulance. In this case, the cancellation condition is when "recovery from a dangerous condition such as heatstroke (recovery)" or "arrival at the destination (hospital)" or "arrival of an ambulance".

Also, instead of using the temperature inside the automatic driving car, a risk evaluation index such as WBGT (Wet Bulb Globe Temperature) called heat index may be used. WBGT can be applied by equipping an autonomous vehicle with a WBGT index meter. The calculation method of WBGT is
Outdoor: 0.7 x wet bulb temperature + 0.2 x black bulb temperature + 0.1 x dry bulb temperature Indoor: 0.7 x wet bulb temperature + 0.3 x black bulb temperature. WBGT inside an automatic driving car is calculated according to outdoor for open car type and indoor for others. WBGT is
31°C or higher Danger 28°C to 31°C Severe caution 25°C to 28°C Warning 21°C to 25°C Caution Below 21°C Almost safe and guidelines are provided.

When WBGT is used, a predetermined WBGT (for example, 25° C.) or more continues for a predetermined time (for example, 10 minutes) or more, or a predetermined WBGT (for example, 30° C.) is set as a switching condition, and the vehicle is parked or stopped in the sun. The self-driving car inside can be moved into the shade and parked or parked. As with the temperatures above, if you can't find shade, find an area with the lowest possible outside temperature and park or stop there. Also, the cooling of the air conditioner may be operated. As a result, the interior of the automatic driving vehicle is maintained at a comfortable WBGT. Also, as in the above case, it is possible to transfer the passenger to the hospital with the passenger being in a dangerous state as a switching condition, or to call 119, stop the car on the side of the road, and wait for the arrival of an ambulance. . Cancellation conditions are also the same as described above.

In addition, infants have underdeveloped thermoregulatory functions, and their body temperature rises in a short period of time under high temperatures, which may lead to death. In addition, since the window cannot be opened by oneself, it is necessary to set the set temperature and WBGT of the switching conditions to be lower than those of a healthy adult in anticipation of safety. In addition, elderly people are also at risk because their body temperature regulation function declines as they age, and the set temperature and WBGT of the switching conditions should be set lower. The age of the passenger may be input in advance or estimated by image recognition, and the predetermined temperature, the predetermined WBGT, and the predetermined time may be varied based on the age. In addition, sick people with weakened physical strength and immunity are similarly at high risk of suffering from heat stroke, etc., so the set temperature and WBGT of the switching conditions should be set low.

In addition, the above description is for measures against heat, but it can of course also be applied to measures against cold. In the case of cold weather countermeasures, contrary to heat countermeasures, autonomous vehicles parked in the shade or parked are moved to the sun. Of course, air conditioners operate on heating, not cooling.

The present invention can also be applied to cases in which the state of ingestion of addictive drugs such as narcotics and stimulants by the driver or passenger is used as a switching condition, and the corresponding destination is set to the police or hospital. In this case, the in-vehicle situation corresponding to the switching condition can be determined by recognizing the ingestion (injection or inhalation) of addictive drugs such as narcotics or stimulants by the driver or fellow passengers by recognizing the image captured by the camera. It can be carried out.

In addition, in the automatic driving vehicle of the above-described embodiment, various databases and various storage units are configured to be installed in the vehicle, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may of course be on the cloud. The camera group 107 is not limited to being installed in the own vehicle, and the self-driving vehicle can obtain images from surveillance cameras installed at traffic lights, street lights, etc. You may obtain it.

In addition, when recognizing and judging the in-vehicle situation such as physical abnormalities of the driver and passengers, image information and voice information inside the vehicle can be sent to experts (such as doctors) or uploaded to the cloud. It is also possible to obtain recognition results and determination results.

In addition, in the automatic driving vehicle of the above-described embodiment, the mobile phone function unit 118 is built in the automatic driving vehicle in advance and registered as a subscriber, but the mobile phone, smartphone, or tablet owned by the driver or passenger can be attached to a storage pocket (station) of an automatic driving vehicle and connected to the automatic driving vehicle to have the same function as the built-in mobile phone function unit 118 .

In addition, instead of determining whether or not the determination result of the in-vehicle situation determination unit 117 matches the switching condition while driving, parking, or stopping in the manual driving mode, the vehicle is driven in the normal automatic driving mode, parked, or not. It is determined whether or not the determination result of the in-vehicle situation determination unit 117 matches the switching condition while the vehicle is on or stopped, and if the result matches the switching condition, the destination is changed to the hospital set according to the matching switching condition, The vehicle may stop on the shoulder of the road or the like and call 911. In this case, even when the in-vehicle situation meets the switching condition, the normal automatic driving mode may be continued, or the automatic driving mode may be switched to the forced automatic driving mode. However, in this case, since the automated driving vehicle does not have a manual driving mode, the forced automated driving mode does not reject the manual driving operation for switching to the manual driving mode. In the matching state, it is a mode that does not accept a change of destination by the driver or fellow passengers.

This example is particularly effective when the automatic driving vehicle does not have a manual driving mode and has only an automatic driving mode. According to this example, even when the vehicle is running in the normal automatic driving mode, parked, or stopped, in the event that a driver or passenger experiences a physical change, The destination can be changed to a hospital, or the vehicle can be stopped on the side of the road or the like to call 911.

Further, although the automatic driving vehicle in the above embodiment is an electric vehicle, the present invention can be applied to a gasoline vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, a fuel cell vehicle, or other driving system vehicles.

Furthermore, the present invention can be applied not only to ordinary automobiles and light automobiles, but also to trucks, buses, taxis, police cars, ambulances, fire trucks, training vehicles, tractors, dump trucks, excavators, forklifts, single-person automobiles, motorcycles, and automobiles. It can also be applied to tricycles and the like.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 automatic driving vehicle 10 electronic control circuit unit 101 control unit 104 manual/automatic operation mode switching control unit 105 manual operation detection unit 107 camera group 108 sensor group 114 image Recognition unit 115 Automatic operation switching condition determination unit 116 Voice recognition unit 117 In-vehicle situation determination unit 118 Mobile phone function unit 119 Clock unit 120 Synthetic voice generation unit 134 Image information storage unit , 135...Automatic operation switching condition storage unit, 136...Voice information storage unit

Claims (14)

In a car equipped with an automatic driving mode for autonomous driving and a manual driving mode for manual driving by the driver,
hands-free driving determination means for determining whether or not the driver is in a state of hands-free driving in the manual driving mode;
a first duration determining means for determining whether or not the hands-free driving state continues for a first predetermined time or more when the hands-free driving state is determined by the hands-free driving determining means;
Operation mode switching means for switching from the manual operation mode to the automatic operation mode when the first duration determination means determines that the hands-free operation state has continued for the first predetermined time or more. and,
with
The automatic operation mode includes a normal automatic operation mode that is switched to the manual operation mode based on a predetermined operation by the driver, and a normal operation mode that is switched to the manual operation mode even if the predetermined operation is performed by the driver. A forced automatic operation mode that continues the automatic operation mode,
The vehicle, wherein the driving mode switching means switches from the manual driving mode to the forced automatic driving mode. A release condition determination means for determining whether or not a release condition for releasing the forced automatic operation mode is met,
A means for switching from the forced automatic operation mode to the normal automatic operation mode or the manual operation mode when the cancellation condition determination means determines that the cancellation condition is met. Car as described. 3. The automobile according to claim 2 , wherein the cancellation condition determining means determines whether or not the driver returns to a state in which the steering wheel is operated with both hands as the cancellation condition. a one-handed driving determination means for determining whether or not the driver is in a one-handed driving state in the manual driving mode;
a second duration determining means for determining whether or not the one-handed driving state continues for a second predetermined time or more when the one-handed driving state is determined by the one-handed driving determining means;
with
The operation mode switching means switches from the manual operation mode to the forced automatic operation mode when the second duration determination means determines that the one-handed operation state has continued for the second predetermined time or more. 4. The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the vehicle is switched to a driving mode. Equipped with a camera capable of photographing at least the driver,
5. The automobile according to claim 4 , wherein the one-handed driving determining means determines whether or not the driver is in one-handed driving based on the image captured by the camera. 6. The vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein said second predetermined time is longer than said first predetermined time. A notification means for notifying a driver that the operation mode switching means has switched from the manual operation mode to the automatic operation mode,
7. The automobile according to any one of claims 4 to 6 , wherein the notification means provides the notification including a message that driving with one hand is dangerous. Equipped with a camera capable of photographing at least the driver,
The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the hands-free driving determination means determines whether or not the driver is in a state of hands-free driving based on the image captured by the camera. . The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a notification means for notifying a driver that the operation mode switching means has switched from the manual operation mode to the automatic operation mode. 10. The vehicle according to claim 9 , wherein said notification means provides said notification including a message that hands-free driving is dangerous. Equipped with car navigation means,
11. The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 10 , wherein the destination of the vehicle is set when the vehicle starts running. Equipped with car navigation means,
Claims 1 to 11 , wherein the destination of the own vehicle when the manual operation mode is switched to the automatic operation mode by the operation mode switching means is the destination set at the start of travel. The automobile according to any one of When the own vehicle is parked or stopped, even if the first duration determination means determines that the hands-free driving state continues for the first predetermined time or more, The automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 12 , wherein switching from the manual operation mode to the automatic operation mode is prevented. A computer equipped with an automobile equipped with an automatic driving mode for autonomous driving and a manual driving mode for manual driving by the driver,
hands-free driving determination means for determining whether or not the driver is in a state of hands-free driving in the manual driving mode;
a first duration determining means for determining whether or not the hands-free driving state continues for a first predetermined time or longer when the hands-free driving state is determined by the hands-free driving determining means;
The operation mode switching from the manual operation mode to the automatic operation mode when the first duration determination means determines that the hands-free operation state has continued for the first predetermined time or more. means,
A program for an automatic driving car to function as
The automatic operation mode includes a normal automatic operation mode that is switched to the manual operation mode based on a predetermined operation by the driver, and a normal operation mode that is switched to the manual operation mode even if the predetermined operation is performed by the driver. A forced automatic operation mode that continues the automatic operation mode,
A program for an automatic driving vehicle, wherein the driving mode switching means switches from the manual driving mode to the forced automatic driving mode.

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