JP7345659B2 - Route determining device and route determining method - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to route determination in road automatic driving control for a vehicle that does not have a destination determined.

There are two types of automatic driving control for vehicles: automatic driving control that sets a destination, and automatic driving control that causes the vehicle to travel along the road without setting a destination. In this specification, the former is referred to as destination automatic driving control, and the latter is referred to as roadside automatic driving control. Patent Document 1 discloses an automatic driving system that performs road automatic driving control.

The automatic driving system disclosed in Patent Document 1 inquires of the user about the direction in which the vehicle will pass the junction each time the vehicle approaches the junction, and if there is no response from the user, the vehicle is parked at a parking facility in front of the junction.

JP 2018-180613 Publication

According to the automatic driving system disclosed in Patent Document 1, each time the vehicle approaches a branch point, the user has to input the desired direction of passage, which poses a problem in that the input process is cumbersome. However, if the vehicle automatically drives along the road without confirming the user's wishes, there is a problem in that the vehicle ends up traveling at a fork in a direction different from the user's wishes.

The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and in road automatic driving control, it reduces the effort of the user to input the passing direction at a branch point, and also reduces the hassle of the user inputting the passing direction at a branch point. The purpose is to prevent vehicles from driving at junctions.

The route determining device of the present disclosure is a route determining device that determines the travel route of a vehicle that performs automatic driving under the control of a travel control device, and is based on a predetermined master-slave rule, starting from a branch point in front of the vehicle. a regulation unit that defines one road among a plurality of branching roads as a main road and another road as a secondary road; an attention level detection unit that detects a user's level of caution with respect to vehicle driving; and a level of caution that is determined in advance. a notification unit that notifies the user of the vehicle's approach to the branch point when the first threshold value is less than the first threshold; , if the desired road is input, the desired road is set as the vehicle's driving route; if the desired road is not input, the main road is set as the vehicle's driving route when the caution level is equal to or higher than the first threshold; a route determination unit that determines a parking facility before the branch point as the destination of the vehicle when the parking facility is less than one threshold; Stop the vehicle at the parking facility .

According to the technology of the present disclosure, when the user does not input a desired road, the main road becomes the driving route of the vehicle. Therefore, the user does not need to input the desired road every time the vehicle reaches a branch point, and only needs to input the desired road when the user wants to drive on the secondary road, which reduces input effort. Furthermore, since a user with a low level of caution is notified of the approach to a branch point, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from traveling in an unintended direction without the user noticing. Objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a route determining device according to Embodiments 1, 2, and 3. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating route determination processing by the route determination device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of notification of a branch point when the driver's level of caution is high, by the route determining device of the first embodiment. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of notification of a branch point when the driver's level of caution is low, by the route determining device according to the first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of notification of a driving route when the driver's level of caution is high, by the route determining device of the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of notification of a driving route when the driver's level of caution is low, by the route determining device according to the first embodiment. 7 is a flowchart illustrating route determination processing by the route determination device of Embodiment 2. FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the timing of notification of a branch point by the route determining device according to the second embodiment. 12 is a flowchart showing route determination processing by the route determination device of Embodiment 3. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a route determining device according to a fourth embodiment. 12 is a flowchart showing route determination processing by the route determination device of Embodiment 4. It is a figure showing a permission area. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a correction permission area. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of a route determining device. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of a route determining device. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a route determining device including a vehicle and a server.

<A. Embodiment 1>
<A-1. Configuration>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a route determining device 101 according to the first embodiment. The route determination device 101 inputs the travel route of the vehicle to the travel control device 26 that performs automatic driving control of the vehicle. The travel control device 26 automatically drives the vehicle according to the travel route input from the route determination device 101. In this specification, a vehicle for which a travel route is determined by the route determining device of each embodiment is simply referred to as a vehicle.

In addition, the route determining device 101 is connected to a positioning device 21, a driver monitoring device 22, an input device 23, a display device 24, and a speaker 25, and is configured to be able to use these. The positioning device 21, driver monitoring device 22, input device 23, display device 24, and speaker 25 are all mounted on the vehicle.

The positioning device 21 is a device that measures the position of a vehicle. The positioning device 21 is, for example, a receiver for GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) signals. The positioning device 21 outputs the measured position of the vehicle to the position detection unit 12.

The driver monitoring device 22 detects the user's state and outputs it to the route determining device 101. A user is a passenger of a vehicle, for example, a driver. In the following explanation, a driver will be used as an example of a user. The driver monitoring device 22 can detect the driver's line of sight direction or alertness level by analyzing an image of the driver taken by a camera mounted on the vehicle. Further, the driver monitoring device 22 is configured with a biosensor that non-invasively measures biological information such as the driver's heart rate or body temperature, and is capable of acquiring the driver's alertness level from the driver's biological information. It is.

The input device 23 is a device for the driver to input a desired road after a branch point (hereinafter referred to as a "desired road") to the route determining device 101. The input device 23 is realized by, for example, a mechanical button or switch, or a touch panel. Furthermore, the input device 23 may be configured by a voice recognition device, and may acquire the desired road from the voice uttered by the driver. Moreover, the input device 23 may be an existing equipment used for manual operation of a vehicle, such as a turn signal lever. Furthermore, the input device 23 may acquire the desired road from the driver's gesture or line of sight.

The display device 24 and the speaker 25 are devices used by the route determining device 101 to notify the driver. The display device 24 is, for example, a center display (Center Information Display) or a HUD (Head-Up Display) of the vehicle. The route determining device 101 notifies the driver by at least one of display and audio.

Next, the configuration of the route determining device 101 will be explained. The route determination device 101 includes a map storage section 11 , a position detection section 12 , a regulation section 13 , a caution level detection section 14 , an input reception section 15 , and a route determination section 16 .

The map storage unit 11 stores map data.

The position detection unit 12 acquires the position of the vehicle from the positioning device 21. The position detection unit 12 may correct the vehicle position acquired from the positioning device 21 by performing map matching using the map data stored in the map storage unit 11.

The regulation unit 13 uses the vehicle position acquired from the position detection unit 12 and the map data acquired from the map storage unit 11 to determine the branch point that the vehicle will pass in the future. A branch point is a point where a plurality of roads diverge from the point in the direction in which the vehicle is traveling. Examples of branch points on general roads include Y-junctions, T-junctions, and intersections. An example of a turning point on a highway is an interchange or junction.

Using predetermined master and slave rules, the regulation unit 13 determines one road from among the plurality of roads branching from a branch point as the main road, and determines the other roads as secondary roads. Although there is one main road, there may be multiple secondary roads. The master-slave rules are included in map data stored in the map storage unit 11, for example. In the following, it is assumed that the master-slave rule is included in the map data.

The attentiveness detection unit 14 acquires the driver's state from the driver monitoring device 22, and detects the driver's attentiveness based on this. The degree of attention is an index representing how much attention the driver pays to driving the vehicle. The degree of caution is, for example, the driver's alertness level. In other words, when the driver is asleep, the driver is detected to be less attentive than when the driver is awake. Furthermore, the degree of caution can also be detected from the direction of the driver's line of sight. For example, if the driver is looking at a location unrelated to the direction of travel of the vehicle, such as a mobile terminal, the level of attentiveness is detected to be lower than when the driver is looking at the direction of travel of the vehicle.

The input receiving unit 15 receives an input of the driver's desired road from the input device 23.

The route determination unit 16 acquires information on main roads and minor roads from the regulation unit 13, acquires the driver's caution level from the caution level detection unit 14, acquires information on the desired road from the input reception unit 15, and uses these information. Based on this, one of the plurality of roads branching from the branch point is determined as the vehicle travel route. The route determination unit 16 outputs the determined travel route to the travel control device 26. The travel control device 26 performs automatic driving control of the vehicle according to the travel route determined by the route determination unit 16. Thereby, the vehicle travels through the branch point in the direction of the travel route determined by the route determination unit 16.

The notification unit 17 uses at least one of the display device 24 and the speaker 25 to provide various notifications to the driver. When the display device 24 is used for notification, the notification section 17 functions as a display control section that controls the display on the display device 24. Further, when the speaker 25 is used for notification, the notification section 17 functions as an audio output control section that controls the audio output of the speaker 25.

<A-2. Operation＞
The vehicle has three driving modes: manual driving, automatic driving with destination, and automatic driving along the road. In manual driving, the travel control device 26 does not perform any particular travel control on the vehicle. In automatic driving with a destination, the travel control device 26 causes the vehicle to travel along a predetermined route from the current location of the vehicle to the destination. In automatic driving along a road, the travel control device 26 controls the vehicle to pass through a branch point in the direction determined by the route determining device 101 without determining the destination of the vehicle.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing route determination processing by the route determination device 101. The flow in FIG. 2 starts when the vehicle starts automatic driving along the road. First, the position detection unit 12 detects the position of the vehicle (step S101).

Next, the attentiveness detection unit 14 detects the attentiveness of the driver (step S102).

Next, the regulation unit 13 acquires the position of the vehicle from the position detection unit 12, acquires map data around the road on which the vehicle is traveling from the map storage unit 11, and uses these to guide the vehicle to the fork ahead. It is determined whether the vehicle is approaching within 8 km (step S103). Here, 8 km is an example of a distance. Moreover, although the regulation unit 13 determines the distance as a guideline for approaching the branch point, it may also determine the time required to reach the branch point as a guideline for approaching the branch point. In this case, the regulation unit 13 predicts the time required to reach the junction based on the traveling speed of the vehicle and the distance to the junction.

If the vehicle is not within 8 km from the branch point in step S103, the process of the route determining device 101 returns to step S101. In step S103, if the vehicle approaches the branch point within 8 km, the regulation unit 13 selects one road as the main road from among the plurality of roads branching from the branch point in front, based on the master-slave rule included in the map data. road, and other roads as secondary roads. Then, the specifying unit 13 determines the main road as the vehicle travel route (step S104).

According to the master-subordinate rule, for example, main roads and secondary roads are defined as follows. 1) On an expressway, when the branch point is an interchange, the main road is the expressway on which the vehicle continues to travel, and the minor road is the road that descends from the interchange to the general road. 2) On general roads, the main road is a road with the same name as the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling, and the secondary road is a road with a different name from the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling. 3) On a general road, if any roads branching from a branch point have a different name from the road you are currently driving on, the main road is a road with the same road type as the road you are currently driving on. , secondary roads are other roads. 4) On a general road, if any roads branching from a branch point have a different name and type from the road you are currently traveling on, the main road has a connection angle with the road you are currently traveling on. It is the smallest road, and the secondary roads are other roads.

Next, the attentiveness detection unit 14 determines whether the driver's attentiveness level is less than a predetermined first threshold (step S105). If the driver's attentiveness level is less than the first threshold in step S105, the notification unit 17 notifies the driver that the vehicle is approaching a branch point (hereinafter referred to as "approach notification") (step S106).

FIG. 3 shows an example of the approach notification in step S106. In FIG. 3, an example of approach notification by display and audio is shown, and the HUD 51 is used as the display device 24. The HUD 51 has a display area that overlaps the driver's forward field of view, and the driver visually recognizes the vehicle 52 in front of the driver by overlapping the display area of the HUD 51. A branch point object 53, which is a display object representing a branch point ahead, is displayed on the HUD 51. Here, it is assumed that the road ahead branches into a straight road and a road that deviates to the left. Assume that the road going straight is the main road, and the road that deviates to the left is the secondary road. In the branch point object 53, a line segment 54 representing a straight road is represented by a solid line, and a line segment 55 representing a road deviating to the left is represented by a dotted line, so the driver determines that the road going straight through the branch point is the current driving route. be able to recognize that something is happening. Further, on the HUD 51, a text 56 "Jumping point 8 km" is displayed as a display object representing the distance to the turning point. The text 56 allows the driver to recognize the distance to the junction.

In addition, at the same time as the display on the HUD 51, the speaker 25 outputs a voice such as "It is 8 km to the junction. Do you want to select a road?". In this way, the speaker 25 outputs a voice prompting the driver to select the desired road. The notification prompting the user to select the desired road may be displayed.

The approach notification shown in FIG. 3 is performed when the degree of caution is less than the first threshold, that is, when the driver's degree of caution is low. This allows the driver to recognize that there is a branch point ahead and input the desired road if necessary. On the other hand, if the degree of caution is equal to or higher than the first threshold in step S105, the notification unit 17 does not issue an approach notification. This is because an attentive driver already recognizes that there is a fork in the road ahead. In this way, the route determining device 101 notifies the driver of the approach only when the driver's level of attention is low, thereby preventing the driver from being bothered.

After step S106, or when the driver's attentiveness level is equal to or higher than the first threshold in step S105, the input receiving unit 15 determines whether or not there is an input of a desired road (step S107). When the input receiving unit 15 receives the input of the desired road from the input device 23, it determines that the desired road has been input. Since the main road has already been determined as the driving route in step S104, if the driver wishes to drive on the main road, there is no need to input his/her desire. The driver only needs to input a specific secondary road as a desired road when the driver desires to drive on a secondary road at a branch point, so there is no need to input a desired road for each branch point.

If the desired road is input in step S107, the route determining unit 16 acquires information on the desired road from the input receiving unit 15, and determines the desired road as the vehicle travel route (step S108). If a specific secondary road is input as the desired road, the route determining unit 16 changes the driving route from the main road determined in step S103 to the secondary road. The route determining device 101 then proceeds to the process of step S109.

If there is no input of the desired road in step S107, the route determination device 101 continues to use the main road as the travel route and proceeds to step S109.

In step S109, the position detection unit 12 detects the position of the vehicle again (step S109). Then, the position detection unit 12 determines whether the vehicle has passed a branch point (step S110). If the vehicle has not passed through the branch point in step S110, the process of the route determining device 101 returns to step S107. Therefore, the driver can input the desired road after the fork until the vehicle passes the fork. If the vehicle has passed the branch point in step S110, the process of the route determining device 101 returns to step S101.

<A-3. First modification>
In the flowchart of FIG. 2, the notification unit 17 issues the approach notification as shown in FIG. 3 (hereinafter referred to as "first approach notification") only when the driver's attentiveness level is less than the first threshold. However, the notification unit 17 may also issue an approach notification (hereinafter referred to as a "second approach notification") when the driver's attentiveness level is equal to or higher than the first threshold (No in step S105). However, the second approach notification has a lower perceptibility than the first approach notification.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the second approach notification. In FIG. 4, a branch point object 53 is displayed on the HUD 51, but text 56 indicating the distance to the branch point is not displayed. In this way, in the second approach notification, the number of display objects is reduced, so that the second approach notification has a lower perceptibility than the first approach notification. Further, since the second approach notification is performed only through display, it is less perceptible than the first approach notification.

Note that the first approach notification and the second approach notification only need to have a difference in perceptibility in different modes, and are not limited to the modes shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. For example, in the first approach notification, the display object may be displayed with an animation effect such as blinking for a certain period of time. Further, the branch point object 53 may be displayed in a color that stands out more in the first approach notification than in the second approach notification. Furthermore, the display object displayed in the second approach notification may become smaller or may not be displayed after a certain period of time has elapsed from the start of display. Furthermore, the display object may be displayed and hidden repeatedly. In this case, the number of times the display is repeated is set to be greater in the first approach notification than in the second approach notification.

<A-4. Second modification>
After changing the driving route from the main road to the desired road, the route determining device 101 may notify the user of the change (hereinafter referred to as "route change notification").

FIG. 5 is an example of a route change notification after the first approach notification shown in FIG. 3 (hereinafter referred to as "first route change notification"). That is, the display on the HUD 51 changes from the display shown in FIG. 3 to the display shown in FIG. 5. At the time of FIG. 5, the vehicle is traveling 5 km from the junction. In the branch point object 53, a line segment 54 representing a straight road is represented by a dotted line, and a line segment 55 representing a road that deviates to the left is represented by a solid line, so the driver determines the road that deviates to the left from the fork as the driving route. be able to recognize that something is happening. Further, simultaneously with the display on the HUD 51 in FIG. 5, a voice such as "Turn left at the fork" is output from the speaker 25. In this way, the driver can recognize from both the display on the HUD 51 and the audio from the speaker 25 that a travel route that turns left at the fork has been set.

FIG. 6 is an example of a route change notification after the second approach notification shown in FIG. 4 (hereinafter referred to as "second route change notification"). That is, the display on the HUD 51 changes from the display shown in FIG. 4 to the display shown in FIG. 6. In the example of FIG. 6, the text 56 is not displayed on the HUD 51. Furthermore, the second route change notification may be provided only by display, similar to the second approach notification. Just as there is a difference in perceptibility between the first approach notification and the second approach notification, there is also a difference in perceptibility between the first route change notification and the second route change notification.

<A-5. Effect>
The route determining device 101 according to the first embodiment determines a travel route for a vehicle that is automatically driven under the control of the travel control device 26. The route determining device 101 includes a predetermined section 13 that prescribes one road among a plurality of roads branching from a branch point in front of the vehicle as a main road and the other road as a sub road, based on a predetermined master/sub rule; an attentiveness detection unit 14 that detects the user's level of attentiveness to vehicle travel; and a notification unit 17 that notifies the user that the vehicle is approaching a branch point when the attentiveness level is less than a predetermined first threshold. , an input reception unit 15 that accepts an input of a desired road, which is a road on which the user desires to drive among a plurality of roads; The vehicle includes a route determination unit 16 that sets the main road as the travel route of the vehicle. The travel control device 26 performs road automatic driving control to cause the vehicle to travel along the travel route determined by the route determination unit 16. With the above configuration, the user inputs the desired road only when the user desires to drive on a road other than the main road, and the vehicle travels along the route according to the user's desire. Further, since the approach to a branch point is notified only when the user's alertness level is low, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from driving on an unintended road due to forgetting to input the desired road.

The notification unit 17 may notify the user of the approach of the vehicle to the junction in a manner that is less perceptible to the user when the degree of caution is equal to or higher than the first threshold than when the degree of caution is less than the first threshold. good. According to this configuration, when the user's level of caution is high, it is possible to notify the user of the approach to the branch point to an extent that does not bother the user.

<B. Embodiment 2>
<B-1. Configuration>
The configuration of the route determining device 102 according to the second embodiment is as shown in FIG. 1, and is similar to the configuration of the route determining device 101 according to the first embodiment.

<B-2. Operation＞
If the driver's level of caution is low and there is no input of a desired road, the route determining device 102 sets a parking facility in front of a junction as the destination. That is, when the driver's level of attentiveness is low, the route determining device 102 cancels the automatic driving control along the road and causes the travel control device 26 to stop the vehicle at a parking facility. This prevents the driver from passing through a branch point in a direction not intended by the driver.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing route determination processing by the route determination device 102 according to the second embodiment. Hereinafter, the operation of the route determining device 102 will be explained along the flowchart of FIG. The flow in FIG. 7 starts when the vehicle starts automatic driving along the road.

Step S201 and step S202 are similar to step S101 and step S102 in FIG. After step S202, the regulation unit 13 acquires the position of the vehicle from the position detection unit 12, acquires map data around the road on which the vehicle runs from the map storage unit 11, and uses these to determine the branch in front of the vehicle. Detect points. Then, the regulation unit 13 detects a parking facility in front of the detected branch point. Further, the regulation unit 13 determines whether the vehicle is approaching within 8 km from the detected parking facility (step S203). Here, 8 km is an example of a distance. Furthermore, although the regulation unit 13 determines the distance as a guide for approaching the parking facility, it may also determine the time required to reach the parking facility as a guide for approaching. In this case, the regulation unit 13 predicts the time required to reach the parking facility based on the traveling speed of the vehicle and the distance to the parking facility. The parking facility may be any facility where vehicles can be parked; for example, in the case of an expressway, a parking area or a service area corresponds to the parking facility.

If the vehicle is not within 8 km from the parking facility in step S203, the process of the route determining device 102 returns to step S101. If the vehicle approaches within 8 km from the parking facility in step S203, the route determining device 102 performs the processes from step S204 onwards. The processing from step S204 to step S206 is the same as that from step S104 to step S106 in FIG.

If the driver's attentiveness level is less than the first threshold in step S205, the notification unit 17 issues an approach notification to the effect that the vehicle is approaching a branch point (step S206). The route determining unit 16 then sets the parking facility as the destination (step S207). The travel control device 26 acquires destination information from the route determination unit 16 and controls the travel of the vehicle so that the vehicle is parked at a parking facility.

After step S207 and when the driver's attentiveness level is equal to or higher than the first threshold in step S205, the route determining device 102 performs the processes from step S208 onwards.

After step S207, or when the driver's attentiveness level is equal to or higher than the first threshold in step S205, the input receiving unit 15 determines whether or not there is an input of a desired road (step S208).

If the desired road is input in step S208, the route determining device 102 performs the processes from step S209 to step S211. Steps S209 to S211 are similar to steps S108 to S110 in FIG. 2.

If there is no input of the desired road in step S208, the attentiveness detection unit 14 determines again whether the driver's attentiveness is less than the threshold (step S212). If the driver's attentiveness level is equal to or higher than the threshold in step S212, the destination of the vehicle is not set, and the main road is determined as the driving route (step S204). In this case, the position detection unit 12 proceeds to the process of step S210.

If the driver's attentiveness level is less than the threshold in step S212, the parking facility before the junction is set as the destination (step S207). In this case, the position detection unit 12 detects the position of the vehicle (step S213), and determines whether the vehicle has completed parking (step S214). If parking of the vehicle is not completed in step S214, the process of the position detection unit 12 returns to step S213. The position detection unit 12 repeats the processing of step S213 and step S214 until the vehicle completes parking.

In the route determination device 101 of the first embodiment, when there is no input of the driver's desired road, automatic driving control is performed by always setting the main road as the vehicle travel route, regardless of the driver's level of caution. On the other hand, if the driver does not input the desired road and the driver's level of caution is low, the route determining device 102 sets the parking facility before the junction as the destination of the vehicle, and to park in the parking facility. As a result, the route determining device 102 prevents the vehicle from continuing to travel on the main road without the driver noticing and from driving in a direction not intended by the driver.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the timing of approach notification by the route determining device 102. As shown in FIG. 8, a vehicle 40 is traveling on an expressway H1, and in front of the vehicle are interchanges IC1, IC2, and IC3, which are branch points for descending to general roads G1, G2, and G3. Let P(t) be the position of the vehicle 40 at time t. Further, let T1 and T2 be times at which the route determining device 102 notifies the approach of the interchanges IC1 and IC2. T1 is 10 minutes before the vehicle 40 arrives at the parking area PA1, which is the parking facility in front of the interchange IC1, and T2 is 10 minutes before the vehicle 40 arrives at the service area SA1, which is the parking facility in front of the interchange IC2. In front. Here, 10 minutes ago is an example.

The route determining device 102 notifies the driver of the approach to the interchange IC1 at time T1 (step S206). If the driver's attentiveness level is less than the threshold and there is no input of a desired road, the route determining device 102 sets the parking area PA1 as the destination of the vehicle 40, and the vehicle 40 parks in the parking area PA1. Furthermore, if the driver's level of caution is less than the threshold and there is no input of a desired road, the route determining device 102 determines a route that passes through the interchange IC1 and continues traveling on the expressway H1 as the travel route. Further, if there is an input indicating that the general road G1 is the desired road, the route determining device 102 determines the route that goes down to the general road G1 at the interchange IC1 as the travel route.

The route determining device 102 performs the same operation for the interchange IC 2 as well.

There are no parking facilities between interchange IC3 and interchange IC2. Therefore, the route determining device 102 notifies the approach to the interchange IC3 based on the distance or required time to the service area SA1 for the interchange IC2. That is, the route determining device 102 simultaneously performs both approach notification to the interchange IC2 and approach notification to the interchange IC3 at timing T2, which is 10 minutes before selection into the service area SA1.

<B-3. Effect>
In the route determining device 102 of the second embodiment, the route determining unit 16 determines the main road as the vehicle travel route if the degree of caution is equal to or higher than the first threshold when there is no input of the desired road, and the degree of caution is determined to be the driving route of the vehicle. If it is less than the first threshold, a parking facility before the branch point is determined as the destination of the vehicle. Then, if the parking facility is determined to be the destination of the vehicle, the travel control device 26 causes the vehicle to stop at the parking facility. Therefore, the route determining device 102 prevents the vehicle from continuing to travel on the main road against the driver's will without the driver noticing.

<C. Embodiment 3>
<C-1. Configuration>
The configuration of the route determining device 103 according to the third embodiment is as shown in FIG. 1, and is similar to the configuration of the route determining device 101 according to the first embodiment.

<C-2. Operation>
In the first and second embodiments, it is assumed that the defining unit 13 defines a plurality of roads branching from a branch point as a main road and a subsidiary road according to the master and slave rules. In the third embodiment, a branch point where it is possible to define a main road and a subsidiary road according to the master-subordinate rule is called a clear branch point, and a branch point where it is not possible is called an unclear branch point. The route determining device 102 of the second embodiment sets a parking facility in front of a junction as the destination of the vehicle when the driver's level of caution is low and there is no input of a desired road. On the other hand, the route determining device 103 of the third embodiment, when the driver's level of caution is low and there is no input of the desired road, selects a parking facility in front of the junction only at an unclear junction. At clear junctions, the main road is the road for vehicles.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing route determination processing by route determination device 103 according to the third embodiment. The route determination process of the route determination device 103 will be described below along the flowchart of FIG. The flow in FIG. 9 starts when the vehicle starts automatic driving along the road.

Steps S301 to S303 are similar to steps S201 to S203 in FIG. 7. After step S303, the specifying unit 13 determines whether the branch point is a clear branch point (step S303).

An example of an unclear branch point is shown below. For example, a highway junction can be defined as an ambiguous junction because it is difficult to determine which of multiple roads branching from the junction should be the main road. Further, on a general road, if there is no difference in road name, type, or connection angle between a plurality of roads branching from a branch point, the branch point can be defined as an ambiguous branch point. For example, when a T-junction branches into two directions, left and right, both road types are the same, the names of both roads are different from the name of the road you are currently driving on, and both roads are different from the road you are currently driving on. If the connection angles are also the same, the T-junction can be defined as an ambiguous junction.

In step S303, if the branch point is an unclear branch point, the route determining unit 16 determines the main road as the travel route (step S308), and proceeds to the process of step S309.

In step S303, if the branch point is a clear branch point, the caution level detection unit 14 determines whether the driver's caution level is less than a predetermined first threshold (step S305). In step S305, if the degree of caution is equal to or higher than the first threshold, the route determining unit 16 determines the main road as the travel route (step S308).

In step S305, if the degree of caution is less than the first threshold, the notification unit 17 issues an approach notification (step S306), and the route determination unit 16 determines the parking facility as the destination of the vehicle (step S307). Step S306 and step S307 are similar to step S206 and step S207 in FIG.

After step S307 or step S308, the route determining device 103 performs the processing from step S309 onwards. Steps S309 to S315 are similar to steps S208 to S214 in FIG. 7.

<C-3. Effect＞
In the route determination device 103 of Embodiment 3, a branch point is a clear branch point that allows multiple roads to be defined as a main road and a subsidiary road based on a master/subordinate road rule, and a branch point that allows multiple roads to be defined as a main road and a subsidiary road based on a master/subordinate road rule. It is divided into roads and unclear junctions that cannot be defined as secondary roads. Then, if there is no input of the desired road and the degree of caution is less than the first threshold, and the branch point is a clear branch point, the route determining unit 16 determines the main road as the vehicle's driving route, and branches. If the point is an unclear junction, a parking facility before the junction is determined as the vehicle's destination. In this way, according to the route determining device 103, even if there is no input of a desired road for a clear branch point and the degree of caution is less than the first threshold, the vehicle will still be guided toward the main road in the direction intended by the user. Based on this estimation, the vehicle's travel route is determined. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the frequency of stopping the vehicle at a parking facility.

<D. Embodiment 4>
<D-1. Configuration>
FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of route determining device 104 according to the fourth embodiment. Route determining device 104 includes a permission condition storage unit 18 in addition to the configuration of route determining device 101-103 of Embodiment 1-3. The permission condition storage unit 18 stores permission conditions. The permission condition is a condition that allows the vehicle to continue automatically driving along the road even if the driver's attentiveness level is less than the first threshold. Hereinafter, a branch point that satisfies the permission conditions will be referred to as a permission branch point.

<D-2. Operation＞
The route determination unit 16 determines whether the branch point in front of the vehicle is a permitted branch point. Then, at the permitted branch point, the route determination unit 16 determines the main road as the driving road and directs the vehicle to the road, even if the driver's level of caution is less than the first threshold and there is no input of the desired road. and continue automatic driving. Further, at a junction that is not a permitted junction, if the driver's level of caution is less than the first threshold and there is no input of the desired road, the route determination unit 16 selects a parking facility in front of the junction. Set it as the vehicle's destination, and end the automatic driving on the vehicle's path. In other respects, the operation of the route determining device 104 is similar to that of the route determining device 102 of the second embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing route determination processing by the route determination device 104 according to the fourth embodiment. The route determination process of the route determination device 104 will be described below along the flowchart of FIG. 11. The flow in FIG. 11 starts when the vehicle starts automatic driving along the road. Steps S401 to S406 are similar to steps S201 to S206 in FIG. 7.

If the driver's attentiveness level is less than the first threshold (No in step S405), the notification unit 17 issues an approach notification (step S406). Thereafter, the route determining unit 16 determines whether the branch point in front of the vehicle is a permitted branch point (step S407). If the branch point is not a permitted branch point in step S407, the route determination unit 16 cancels the driving route on the main road determined in step S404, and determines the parking facility in front of the branch point as the destination (step S408). . Then, the process of the route determining device 104 moves to step S409. If the branch point is not a permitted branch point in step S407, the route determining device 104 moves to step S409 while keeping the main road as the travel route.

Steps S409 to S415 are similar to steps S208 to S214 in FIG. 7.

<D-3. Permission branch point>
FIG. 12 shows the permitted area A1 set by the user through predetermined HMI processing. The permitted area is a specific area defined as an area where automatic driving control of the vehicle can be performed regardless of the driver's level of caution. In other words, the permission area A1 has permission conditions defined as a geographical area. Information on the permission area A1 is stored in the permission condition storage unit 18 as a permission condition. In FIG. 12, interchanges IC1, IC2, and IC3, which are branch points within the permit area A1, are permit branch points, and interchange IC4, which is a branch point outside the permit area A1, is not a permit branch point.

When the route determining device 104 executes the flow shown in FIG. 11 in the situation shown in FIG. 12, the following results are obtained. When the degree of caution is equal to or higher than the first threshold, the route determining device 104 does not issue any special approach notification. Then, if the user inputs the desired road, the vehicle 40 sets the desired road as the driving route at each branch point, and if the user does not input the desired road, the vehicle 40 sets the main road to each branch point. Travel as the travel route in .

If the degree of caution is less than the first threshold, the route determining device 104 provides a first approach notification to the user in front of the parking facility in front of the interchanges IC1, IC2, and IC3, which are permitted branch points. Here, the parking facility in front of the interchange IC1 is the parking area PA1, and the parking facility in front of the interchange IC3 is the service area SA1. Furthermore, since there is no parking facility between the interchanges IC1 and IC2, the parking facility in front of the interchange IC2 is the parking area PA1. Then, if the user inputs the desired road, the vehicle 40 sets the desired road as the driving route at each branch point, and if the user does not input the desired road, the vehicle 40 sets the route before each permitted branch point. Stop at a parking facility.

When the degree of caution is less than the first threshold, the route determining device 104 automatically parks the vehicle at the service area SA2, which is a parking facility in front of the interchange IC4, which is the permitted branch point.

Note that if the permission area A1 set by the user is between the interchanges IC3 and IC4 as shown in FIG. 12, and it is confusing whether or not the interchange IC4 belongs to the permission area A1, the route determination unit Area A1 may be corrected like permission area RA1 shown in FIG. The permitted area RA1 is set to have the interchange IC3 as its boundary, and it is clear that the interchange IC3 is within the permitted area RA1 and the interchange IC3 is outside the permitted area RA1.

<D-4. Variations of permission conditions＞
FIG. 12 shows the permitted areas set by the user. However, the permitted area may be automatically set according to various conditions. In this case, the route determining unit 16 sets a permission area and stores it in the permission condition storage unit 18. For example, the route determining unit 16 may set a road on which the vehicle has traveled at least once in the past as a permitted area based on the past driving history of the vehicle. Alternatively, the route determining unit 16 may set roads on which the vehicle has traveled more than a certain frequency in the past as permitted areas.

Alternatively, the route determining unit 16 may set a certain range based on a POI (Point Of Interest) as a permitted area, such as an area within a predetermined distance from a specific POI (Point Of Interest). In this example, the permitted area is set to be within 100 km from the parking lot at home or the parking lot used for commuting to work.

Further, when a specific POI is set as a temporary destination, the route determining unit 16 may set a range that does not constitute a detour from the temporary destination as a permitted area. Specifically, the route determination unit 16 calculates the travel cost for traveling on the main road to reach the tentative destination at a certain branch point as the first travel cost, and calculates the travel cost for traveling on the secondary road at the same junction. The travel cost until reaching the tentative destination is calculated as the second travel cost. Here, the travel cost includes the distance or time required to reach the temporary destination. Then, the route determining unit 16 determines only the branch points where the first travel cost is equal to or less than the second travel cost to be permitted branch points. In this example, if the temporary destination is home, it is possible to return home by driving automatically along the appropriate road without having to take a detour from outside.

Alternatively, the route determination unit 16 may determine a branch point within a predetermined distance, such as 150 km from the point where the vehicle starts automatic driving along the road, as a permitted branch point. The route determination unit 16 may also determine that a branch point at which the vehicle travels within a predetermined time, such as within one hour after the vehicle starts automatic driving along the road, is a permitted branch point.

The route determining unit 16 also determines whether the vehicle is at a junction within a predetermined distance, such as 75 km, or within a predetermined time, such as 30 minutes, after the driver's alertness level has fallen below a predetermined threshold. The branch point to be traveled may be determined to be a permitted branch point.

<D-5. Effect＞
In the route determining device 104 of the fourth embodiment, the route determining unit 16 determines whether the branch point is a permitted branch point that satisfies predetermined permission conditions, and determines whether the desired road has not been input and if the If the degree is less than the first threshold and the junction is a permitted junction, the main road is determined as the vehicle's driving route, and if the junction is not a permitted junction, the parking facility before the junction is determined as the vehicle's driving route. Decide on your destination. Therefore, when the driver's level of attentiveness is low and the driver does not input the desired road, the route determining device 104 allows automatic driving to continue along the road only at permitted junctions, and at other junctions, the vehicle is stopped. You can stop at a parking facility.

<E. Hardware configuration>
The map storage unit 11, position detection unit 12, regulation unit 13, caution level detection unit 14, input reception unit 15, route determination unit 16, notification unit 17, and permission condition storage unit 18 in the route determination device 101-104 described above are as follows. , is realized by the processing circuit 81 shown in FIG. That is, the processing circuit 81 includes a map storage section 11, a position detection section 12, a regulation section 13, a caution level detection section 14, an input reception section 15, a route determination section 16, and a notification section 17 (hereinafter referred to as "route determination section 16, etc."). ). Dedicated hardware may be applied to the processing circuit 81, or a processor that executes a program stored in memory may be applied. The processor is, for example, a central processing unit, a processing unit, an arithmetic unit, a microprocessor, a microcomputer, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), or the like.

When the processing circuit 81 is dedicated hardware, the processing circuit 81 may be, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or an FPGA (Field-Programmable Circuit). Gate Array), or a combination of these. The functions of each section, such as the section .

When the processing circuit 81 is a processor, the functions of the route determination unit 16 and the like are realized by a combination of software and the like (software, firmware, or software and firmware). Software etc. are written as programs and stored in memory. As shown in FIG. 15, a processor 82 applied to a processing circuit 81 realizes the functions of each part by reading and executing a program stored in a memory 83. That is, when executed by the processing circuit 81, the route determining devices 101-104 define one road among a plurality of roads branching from a branch point in front of the vehicle as the main road based on the master-subordinate rule. , detecting the degree of caution of the user with respect to driving the vehicle, and notifying the user that the vehicle is approaching a branch point when the degree of caution is less than a predetermined first threshold; Among these, there is a step of receiving an input of a desired road, which is a road on which the user wishes to drive, and if there is an input of the desired road, the desired road is set as the vehicle's travel route, and if there is no desired road input, the main road is set as the vehicle's travel route. and a memory 83 for storing a program that will result in execution. In other words, this program can be said to cause the computer to execute the procedure or method of the route determining section 16 and the like. Here, the memory 83 includes nonvolatile memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), and EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory). or volatile semiconductor memory, HDD (Hard Disk Drive), magnetic disk, flexible disk, optical disk, compact disk, mini disk, DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) and its drive device, or any storage medium that will be used in the future. There may be.

The configuration in which each function of the route determination unit 16 and the like is realized by either hardware or software has been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a configuration may be adopted in which a part of the route determining unit 16 and the like is realized by dedicated hardware, and another part is realized by software or the like. For example, the function of the route determination unit 16 is realized by a processing circuit as dedicated hardware, and the function of other parts is realized by the processing circuit 81 as the processor 82 reading and executing a program stored in the memory 83. It is possible to realize this.

As described above, the processing circuit can realize each of the above functions using hardware, software, etc., or a combination thereof. Note that the map storage unit 11 and the permission condition storage unit 18 are configured from the memory 83, but they may be configured from a single memory 83, or each may be configured from separate memories.

The route determining devices 101-104 are typically in-vehicle devices, but may also include PNDs (Portable Navigation Devices), communication terminals (for example, mobile terminals such as mobile phones, smartphones, and tablets), and applications installed on these devices. The present invention can also be applied to a route determination system constructed as a system by appropriately combining functions, servers, etc. In this case, each function or each component of the route determination devices 101 to 104 described above may be distributed and placed in each device that constructs the route determination system, or may be centrally placed in one of the devices. may be done.

FIG. 16 shows an example of the configuration of the route determining device 104 including a vehicle and a server. In FIG. 16, a map storage unit 11, a regulation unit 13, a route determination unit 16, and a permission condition storage unit 18 are arranged in a server, and a position detection unit 12, a caution level detection unit 14, an input reception unit 15, and a notification unit 17 are arranged in a vehicle. It is located in

Note that it is possible to freely combine each embodiment, or to modify or omit each embodiment as appropriate. The above description is in all aspects exemplary. It is understood that countless variations not illustrated may be envisioned.

11 Map storage unit, 12 Position detection unit, 13 Regulation unit, 14 Attention level detection unit, 15 Input reception unit, 16 Route determination unit, 17 Notification unit, 18 Permission condition storage unit, 21 Positioning device, 22 Driver monitoring device, 23 Input device, 24 Display device, 25 Speaker, 26 Travel control device, 81 Processing circuit, 82 Processor, 83 Memory, 101-104 Route determining device.

Claims (9)

A route determining device that determines a travel route for a vehicle that performs automatic driving under the control of a travel control device,
a regulation section that defines one road among a plurality of roads branching from a branch point in front of the vehicle as a main road and the other road as a secondary road based on a predetermined master and slave rule;
an attentiveness detection unit that detects a user's attentiveness to driving the vehicle;
a notification unit that notifies the user of the approach of the vehicle to the branch point when the degree of caution is less than a first predetermined threshold;
an input reception unit that receives an input of a desired road, which is a road on which the user desires to drive, among the plurality of roads;
If the desired road is input, the desired road is set as the driving route of the vehicle, and if the desired road is not input, the main road is set as the driving route of the vehicle when the degree of caution is equal to or higher than the first threshold. and a route determining unit that determines a parking facility before the branch point as the destination of the vehicle when the degree of caution is less than the first threshold ,
The travel control device causes the vehicle to stop at the parking facility if the parking facility is determined to be the destination of the vehicle.
Route determining device. The branch point is divided into a clear branch point where the main road can be defined based on the master-servant rule, and an unclear branch point where it is impossible to define the main road based on the master-servant rule,
When the desired road is not input and the degree of caution is less than the first threshold, the route determining unit may
If the branch point is the clear branch point, the main road is determined as the travel route of the vehicle;
If the branch point is the unclear branch point, determining a parking facility before the branch point as the destination of the vehicle;
The route determining device according to claim 1 . The route determining unit includes:
Determining whether the branch point is a permission branch point that satisfies predetermined permission conditions,
When the desired road is not input and the degree of caution is less than the first threshold,
If the branch point is the permitted branch point, determining the main road as the travel route of the vehicle;
If the branch point is not the permitted branch point, determining a parking facility before the branch point as the destination of the vehicle;
The route determining device according to claim 1 . The permission condition is that the vehicle is located in a predetermined permission area;
The route determining device according to claim 3 . The permitted area is defined by the user,
The route determining device according to claim 4 . The permitted area is determined based on the driving history of the vehicle,
The route determining device according to claim 4 . The permitted area is an area within a predetermined distance from a predetermined POI;
The route determining device according to claim 4 . The route determining unit includes:
The first travel cost for the vehicle to travel from the branch point to the main road and reach the destination is the same as the first travel cost for the vehicle to travel from the branch point to the secondary road and reach the vehicle's destination. Determining the branch point at which the second travel cost is less than or equal to the permitted branch point,
The route determining device according to claim 3 . A route determination method for determining a travel route of a vehicle that is controlled by a travel control device and performs automatic driving, the method comprising:
Based on a predetermined master-servant rule, one road among a plurality of roads branching from a branch point in front of the vehicle is defined as a main road, and the other road is defined as a secondary road;
detecting a user's degree of attention to driving the vehicle;
If the degree of caution is less than a first predetermined threshold, notify the user of the approach of the vehicle to the branch point;
receiving an input of a desired road, which is a road on which the user desires to drive, among the plurality of roads;
If the desired road is input, the desired road is set as the driving route of the vehicle;
If the desired road is not input , the main road is set as the driving route of the vehicle when the caution level is equal to or higher than the first threshold , and the branch point is set when the caution level is less than the first threshold. determining a parking facility closer to the vehicle as the destination of the vehicle ;
The travel control device causes the vehicle to stop at the parking facility if the parking facility is determined to be the destination of the vehicle.
Route determination method.

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