JP7405124B2 - Vehicle control device and vehicle control method - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle control device and a vehicle control method.

Patent Document 1 discloses an automatic driving control unit that includes automatic driving functions from level 1 to level 5 in addition to the manual driving function at level 0. Patent Document 1 discloses activating a preceding vehicle following function as an automatic driving function.

As the automation level, for example, automation levels classified into levels 0 to 5 defined by SAE are known. Level 0 is the level at which the driver performs all driving tasks without system intervention. Level 0 corresponds to so-called manual operation. Level 1 is a level in which the system supports either steering or acceleration/deceleration. Level 2 is a level in which the system supports both steering and acceleration/deceleration. Automated driving at levels 1 and 2 is automated driving in which the driver has a duty to monitor safety driving (hereinafter simply referred to as "monitoring duty"). Level 3 is a level at which the system can perform all driving tasks in a specific location such as a highway, and the driver can perform driving operations in an emergency. Level 4 is a level at which the system can perform all driving tasks, except under specific conditions such as roads that cannot be handled or extreme environments. Level 5 is the level at which the system can perform all driving tasks under all circumstances. Automated driving at level 3 or higher is automated driving in which the driver is not obligated to monitor.

JP2019-101453

In automated driving with an automation level of level 3 or higher, the driver is not obligated to monitor, so there is a possibility that the driver is not looking at the surroundings. In such a situation where the driver is not looking at the surroundings, when performing follow-up control for the preceding vehicle, if the acceleration increases, the occupants of the vehicle may feel uneasy.

One purpose of this disclosure is to provide a vehicle control device and a vehicle control method that make it possible to suppress occupant anxiety while accelerating the vehicle using an automatic driving function.

The object is achieved by the combination of features recited in the independent claims, and the subclaims define further advantageous embodiments of the disclosure. The numerals in parentheses described in the claims indicate correspondence with specific means described in the embodiments described later as one aspect, and do not limit the technical scope of the present disclosure. .

In order to achieve the above object, a first vehicle control device of the present disclosure is a vehicle control device that can be used in a vehicle capable of switching stages of automatic driving, and is configured to set a set vehicle speed. A vehicle speed adjustment unit (105) that adjusts the speed of the vehicle, and a vehicle speed adjustment unit (105) that adjusts the speed of the vehicle in accordance with the three or more automatic driving stages of the vehicle when acceleration of the vehicle is required in adjusting the vehicle speed in the vehicle speed adjustment unit. , and a suppressor (100) that changes the upper limit of vehicle acceleration in three or more stages .
In order to achieve the above object, a second vehicle control device of the present disclosure is a vehicle control device that can be used in a vehicle capable of switching stages of automatic driving, and is configured to set a set vehicle speed. The vehicle speed adjustment unit (105) adjusts the speed of the vehicle, and when the vehicle speed adjustment unit requires acceleration of the vehicle, the vehicle acceleration is adjusted according to the stage of automatic driving of the vehicle. and a suppressor (100) that changes the upper limit of It is possible to use a vehicle that can switch between automatic driving with a certain monitoring obligation, and the suppressing unit is configured to adjust the speed of the vehicle with the vehicle speed adjusting unit during automatic driving without a monitoring obligation. In such cases, the upper limit of vehicle acceleration is lowered than during automatic driving with monitoring obligation.
In order to achieve the above object, a third vehicle control device of the present disclosure is a vehicle control device that can be used in a vehicle capable of switching stages of automatic driving, and is configured to set a set vehicle speed. The vehicle speed adjustment unit (105) adjusts the speed of the vehicle, and when the vehicle speed adjustment unit requires acceleration of the vehicle, the vehicle acceleration is adjusted according to the stage of automatic driving of the vehicle. and a suppression unit (100) that changes the upper limit of It is possible to use limited-area automated driving and limited-congestion automated driving, in which automated driving is permitted without the obligation of supervising the driver of the vehicle, on vehicles that can switch between them. The control unit performs follow-up driving in which the vehicle follows the vehicle immediately ahead of the vehicle, and during automatic driving limited to traffic jams, the suppression unit controls the vehicle immediately ahead of the vehicle to change lanes to the adjacent lane and maintain the following distance between vehicles in front of the vehicle. To make the upper limit of vehicle acceleration lower than during area-limited automatic driving when the vehicle speed suddenly increases and acceleration of the vehicle is required in adjusting the vehicle speed in a vehicle speed adjustment section.
In order to achieve the above object, a fourth vehicle control device of the present disclosure is a vehicle control device that can be used in a vehicle capable of switching stages of automatic driving, and is configured to set a set vehicle speed. The vehicle speed adjustment unit (105) adjusts the speed of the vehicle, and when the vehicle speed adjustment unit requires acceleration of the vehicle, the vehicle acceleration is adjusted according to the stage of automatic driving of the vehicle. and a suppression unit (100) that changes the upper limit of It is possible to use limited-area automated driving and limited-congestion automated driving, in which automated driving is permitted without the obligation of supervising the driver of the vehicle, on vehicles that can switch between them. During area-limited automated driving, the suppression unit causes the vehicle's nearest preceding vehicle to change lanes to the adjacent lane and maintain the following distance in front of the vehicle. When the vehicle speed suddenly increases and the vehicle speed needs to be accelerated in the vehicle speed adjustment section, the upper limit of the vehicle acceleration is set higher than during automatic driving limited to traffic jams.
In order to achieve the above object, a fifth vehicle control device of the present disclosure is a vehicle control device that can be used in a vehicle capable of switching stages of automatic driving, and is configured to set a set vehicle speed. The vehicle speed adjustment unit (105) adjusts the speed of the vehicle, and when the vehicle speed adjustment unit requires acceleration of the vehicle, the vehicle acceleration is adjusted according to the stage of automatic driving of the vehicle. The vehicle is equipped with a suppressor (100) that changes the upper limit of It is possible to use this device to perform follow-up driving in which the vehicle follows the vehicle immediately preceding the vehicle during automatic driving limited to traffic jams. Even if the distance between vehicles in front of the vehicle suddenly increases when the driver changes lanes to the adjacent lane, and the vehicle speed adjustment section needs to accelerate the vehicle, the vehicle speed may be temporarily accelerated. make it stop.
In order to achieve the above object, a sixth vehicle control device of the present disclosure is a vehicle control device that can be used in a vehicle capable of switching stages of automatic driving, and is configured to set a set vehicle speed. The vehicle speed adjustment unit (105) adjusts the speed of the vehicle, and when the vehicle speed adjustment unit requires acceleration of the vehicle, the vehicle acceleration is adjusted according to the stage of automatic driving of the vehicle. The vehicle is equipped with a suppressor (100) that changes the upper limit of It is possible to use this device to perform follow-up driving in which the vehicle follows the vehicle immediately preceding the vehicle during automatic driving limited to traffic jams. Even if the distance between the vehicles in front of the vehicle suddenly increases when the vehicle changes lanes to the adjacent lane, and the vehicle speed adjustment section requires acceleration of the vehicle, the vehicle in front of the vehicle is excluded. To maintain the speed of a vehicle at a speed that matches the speed of surrounding vehicles in the same traveling direction as the vehicle.
In order to achieve the above object, a seventh vehicle control device of the present disclosure is a vehicle control device that can be used in a vehicle capable of switching stages of automatic driving, and is configured to set a set vehicle speed. The vehicle speed adjustment unit (105) adjusts the speed of the vehicle, and when the vehicle speed adjustment unit requires acceleration of the vehicle, the vehicle acceleration is adjusted according to the stage of automatic driving of the vehicle. The vehicle is equipped with a suppressor (100) that changes the upper limit of It is possible to use this device to perform follow-up driving in which the vehicle follows the vehicle immediately preceding the vehicle during automatic driving limited to traffic jams. Even if the distance between the vehicles in front of the vehicle suddenly increases when the vehicle changes lanes to the adjacent lane, and the vehicle speed adjustment section requires acceleration of the vehicle, the vehicle in front of the vehicle is excluded. The suppression unit maintains the speed of the vehicle at a speed that matches the speed of surrounding vehicles traveling in the same direction as the vehicle, and during automatic driving limited to traffic jams, the suppressor maintains the speed of the vehicle at a speed that matches the speed of surrounding vehicles in the same direction as the vehicle, and during limited automatic driving in traffic jams, the suppression unit maintains the speed of the vehicle for a specified period of time after the vehicle immediately preceding the vehicle changes lanes to the adjacent lane. After this period has elapsed, the vehicle's speed is no longer maintained at a speed that matches the speed of surrounding vehicles.
In order to achieve the above object, an eighth vehicle control device of the present disclosure is a vehicle control device that can be used in a vehicle capable of switching stages of automatic driving, and which sets a set vehicle speed. The vehicle speed adjustment unit (105) adjusts the speed of the vehicle, and when the vehicle speed adjustment unit requires acceleration of the vehicle, the vehicle acceleration is adjusted according to the stage of automatic driving of the vehicle. The suppressing unit includes a suppressing unit (100) that changes the upper limit of the vehicle speed, and a state specifying unit (107, 111) that specifies the state of the road on which the vehicle is traveling or the state of the occupant. When acceleration of the vehicle is required in the adjustment, the upper limit of the acceleration of the vehicle is changed not only according to the stage of automatic driving of the vehicle but also according to the state specified by the state specifying section.
In order to achieve the above object, a ninth vehicle control device of the present disclosure is a vehicle control device that can be used in a vehicle capable of switching stages of automatic driving, and is configured to set a set vehicle speed. The vehicle speed adjustment unit (105) adjusts the speed of the vehicle, and when the vehicle speed adjustment unit requires acceleration of the vehicle, the vehicle acceleration is adjusted according to the stage of automatic driving of the vehicle. The suppression unit includes a suppression unit (100) that changes the upper limit of the vehicle speed adjustment unit, and a passenger presence/absence identification unit (109) that specifies the presence or absence of a fellow passenger who is a passenger other than the driver of the vehicle. When it is necessary to accelerate the vehicle in adjusting the speed of the vehicle, the upper limit of the vehicle acceleration is changed not only according to the stage of automatic operation of the vehicle but also according to the presence or absence of a passenger identified by the passenger presence identification section. .

In order to achieve the above object, a first vehicle control method of the present disclosure is a vehicle control method that can be used in a vehicle capable of switching stages of automatic driving, and is executed by at least one processor. The vehicle speed adjustment step adjusts the speed of the vehicle to the set vehicle speed, and if the vehicle speed adjustment requires acceleration of the vehicle in the vehicle speed adjustment step, the vehicle speed is adjusted to three or more automatic stages. The method includes a suppressing step of changing the upper limit of the acceleration of the vehicle in three or more stages depending on the stage of driving.
In order to achieve the above object, a second vehicle control method of the present disclosure is a vehicle control method that can be used in a vehicle capable of switching stages of automatic driving, and is executed by at least one processor. In the vehicle speed adjustment process, the vehicle speed is adjusted to the set vehicle speed, and when the vehicle speed adjustment in the vehicle speed adjustment process requires acceleration of the vehicle, it is necessary to adjust the vehicle speed to the set vehicle speed. Accordingly, the stages of automated driving include a suppression process that changes the upper limit of the vehicle's acceleration, and the stages of automated driving include automated driving without monitoring obligation, which is automated driving where the driver of the vehicle is not obligated to monitor, and automated driving, which has the obligation to monitor the driver. It is possible to use a vehicle that can switch between automatic driving with monitoring obligation, which is automatic driving, and in the suppression process, during automatic driving without monitoring obligation, the acceleration of the vehicle in adjusting the vehicle speed in the vehicle speed adjustment process. When automatic operation is required, the upper limit of vehicle acceleration is lowered than during automatic driving with monitoring obligation.
In order to achieve the above object, a third vehicle control method of the present disclosure is a vehicle control method that can be used in a vehicle capable of switching stages of automatic driving, and is executed by at least one processor. In the vehicle speed adjustment process, the vehicle speed is adjusted to the set vehicle speed, and when the vehicle speed adjustment in the vehicle speed adjustment process requires acceleration of the vehicle, it is necessary to adjust the vehicle speed to the set vehicle speed. The stages of automated driving include area-limited automated driving, where automated driving is permitted in a limited area and where the vehicle driver is not obligated to monitor, and congestion control. It is possible to use limited-area automated driving and limited-congestion automated driving in vehicles that can switch between automated driving in limited areas and limited-time traffic congestion, in which automated driving is permitted without the obligation to monitor the vehicle driver. The vehicle also performs follow-up driving, in which the vehicle follows the vehicle immediately ahead of the vehicle, and in the suppression process, during automatic driving limited to traffic jams, the vehicle immediately preceding the vehicle changes lanes to the adjacent lane and follows the vehicle in front of the vehicle. When the inter-vehicle distance suddenly increases and the vehicle needs to be accelerated in adjusting the vehicle speed in the vehicle speed adjustment step, the upper limit of vehicle acceleration is lowered than during area-limited automatic driving.
In order to achieve the above object, a fourth vehicle control method of the present disclosure is a vehicle control method that can be used in a vehicle capable of switching stages of automatic driving, and is executed by at least one processor. In the vehicle speed adjustment process, the vehicle speed is adjusted to the set vehicle speed, and when the vehicle speed adjustment in the vehicle speed adjustment process requires acceleration of the vehicle, it is necessary to adjust the vehicle speed to the set vehicle speed. The stages of automated driving include area-limited automated driving, where automated driving is permitted in a limited area and where the vehicle driver is not obligated to monitor, and congestion control. It is possible to use limited-area automated driving and limited-congestion automated driving in vehicles that can switch between automated driving in limited areas and limited-time traffic congestion, in which automated driving is permitted without the obligation to monitor the vehicle driver. The vehicle also performs follow-up driving, in which the vehicle follows the vehicle in front of it, and in the suppression process, during area-limited automatic driving, the vehicle in front of the vehicle changes to the adjacent lane and follows the vehicle in front of the vehicle. When the inter-vehicle distance suddenly increases and the vehicle needs to be accelerated in adjusting the vehicle speed in the vehicle speed adjustment step, the upper limit of vehicle acceleration is set higher than during automatic driving limited to traffic jams.
In order to achieve the above object, a fifth vehicle control method of the present disclosure is a vehicle control method that can be used in a vehicle capable of switching stages of automatic driving, and is executed by at least one processor. In the vehicle speed adjustment process, the vehicle speed is adjusted to the set vehicle speed, and when the vehicle speed adjustment in the vehicle speed adjustment process requires acceleration of the vehicle, it is necessary to adjust the vehicle speed to the set vehicle speed. Accordingly, the automatic driving stage includes a suppression step that changes the upper limit of vehicle acceleration, and the stage of automatic driving can be switched to limited automatic driving in traffic jams, where automatic driving is permitted without the obligation of monitoring the vehicle driver only during traffic jams. It can be used in vehicles that are in traffic jam-limited autonomous driving, and allows the vehicle to perform follow-up driving in which it follows the vehicle immediately ahead of the vehicle during traffic-limited automatic driving.In the suppression process, during traffic-limited automatic driving, Even if the preceding vehicle changes lanes to the adjacent lane and the distance in front of the vehicle suddenly increases, and the vehicle needs to accelerate during the vehicle speed adjustment process, the vehicle temporarily to stop accelerating.
In order to achieve the above object, a sixth vehicle control method of the present disclosure is a vehicle control method that can be used in a vehicle capable of switching stages of automatic driving, and is executed by at least one processor. In the vehicle speed adjustment process, the vehicle speed is adjusted to the set vehicle speed, and when the vehicle speed adjustment in the vehicle speed adjustment process requires acceleration of the vehicle, it is necessary to adjust the vehicle speed to the set vehicle speed. Accordingly, the automatic driving stage includes a suppression step that changes the upper limit of vehicle acceleration, and the stage of automatic driving can be switched to limited automatic driving in traffic jams, where automatic driving is permitted without the obligation of monitoring the vehicle driver only during traffic jams. It can be used in vehicles that are in traffic jam-limited autonomous driving, and allows the vehicle to perform follow-up driving in which it follows the vehicle immediately ahead of the vehicle during traffic-limited automatic driving.In the suppression process, during traffic-limited automatic driving, Even if the preceding vehicle changes lanes to the adjacent lane and the distance in front of the vehicle suddenly increases, and the vehicle needs to accelerate during the vehicle speed adjustment process, the distance in front of the vehicle may suddenly increase. To maintain the speed of a vehicle at a speed that matches the speed of surrounding vehicles in the same traveling direction as the vehicle, excluding the vehicle.
In order to achieve the above object, a seventh vehicle control method of the present disclosure is a vehicle control method that can be used in a vehicle capable of switching stages of automatic driving, and is executed by at least one processor. In the vehicle speed adjustment process, the vehicle speed is adjusted to the set vehicle speed, and when the vehicle speed adjustment in the vehicle speed adjustment process requires acceleration of the vehicle, it is necessary to adjust the vehicle speed to the set vehicle speed. Accordingly, the automatic driving stage includes a suppression step that changes the upper limit of vehicle acceleration, and the stage of automatic driving can be switched to limited automatic driving in traffic jams, where automatic driving is permitted without the obligation of monitoring the vehicle driver only during traffic jams. It can be used in vehicles that are in traffic jam-limited autonomous driving, and allows the vehicle to perform follow-up driving in which it follows the vehicle immediately ahead of the vehicle during traffic-limited automatic driving.In the suppression process, during traffic-limited automatic driving, Even if the preceding vehicle changes lanes to the adjacent lane and the distance in front of the vehicle suddenly increases, and the vehicle needs to accelerate during the vehicle speed adjustment process, the distance in front of the vehicle may suddenly increase. The speed of the vehicle is maintained at a speed that matches the speed of surrounding vehicles in the same direction of travel as the vehicle, excluding the vehicle, and in the suppression process, the vehicle immediately ahead of the vehicle changes lanes to the adjacent lane during automatic driving limited to traffic jams. After a specified period of time has elapsed, the vehicle's speed is no longer maintained at a speed that matches the speed of surrounding vehicles.
In order to achieve the above object, an eighth vehicle control method of the present disclosure is a vehicle control method that can be used in a vehicle capable of switching stages of automatic driving, and is executed by at least one processor. In the vehicle speed adjustment process, the vehicle speed is adjusted to the set vehicle speed, and when the vehicle speed adjustment in the vehicle speed adjustment process requires acceleration of the vehicle, it is necessary to adjust the vehicle speed to the set vehicle speed. Accordingly, the suppression step includes a suppression step of changing the upper limit of the acceleration of the vehicle, and a condition identification step of specifying the condition of the road on which the vehicle is traveling or the condition of the occupant. When acceleration of the vehicle is required, the upper limit of the acceleration of the vehicle is changed not only according to the stage of automatic operation of the vehicle but also according to the state specified in the state identification step.
In order to achieve the above object, a ninth vehicle control method of the present disclosure is a vehicle control method that can be used in a vehicle capable of switching stages of automatic driving, and is executed by at least one processor. In the vehicle speed adjustment process, the vehicle speed is adjusted to the set vehicle speed, and when the vehicle speed adjustment in the vehicle speed adjustment process requires acceleration of the vehicle, it is necessary to adjust the vehicle speed to the set vehicle speed. The suppression process includes a suppression process in which the upper limit of vehicle acceleration is changed according to the vehicle speed adjustment process, and a passenger presence/absence identification process in which the presence or absence of a fellow passenger other than the vehicle driver is determined. When it is necessary to accelerate the vehicle in adjusting the speed of the vehicle, the upper limit of the vehicle acceleration is changed not only according to the automatic driving stage of the vehicle but also depending on the presence or absence of a passenger identified in the passenger presence identification process. .

According to the above configuration, even when acceleration of the vehicle is required to adjust the vehicle speed to the set vehicle speed, the upper limit of vehicle acceleration is changed depending on the stage of automatic driving of the vehicle. be able to. Therefore, even if the ease with which passengers feel anxiety about acceleration differs depending on the stage of automated driving, it is possible to change the upper limit of acceleration so that passengers are less likely to feel anxious, depending on the stage of automated driving. Become. As a result, it becomes possible to reduce the anxiety of the occupants while allowing the vehicle to accelerate using the automatic driving function.

1 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a vehicle system 1. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of an automatic driving ECU 10. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of acceleration upper limit related processing in automatic driving ECU10 in Embodiment 1. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of LV3 time processing in automatic driving ECU10 in Embodiment 1. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of acceleration upper limit related processing in automatic driving ECU10 in Embodiment 2. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of LV3 time processing in automatic driving ECU10 in Embodiment 3. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of LV3 time processing in automatic driving ECU10 in Embodiment 4.

Several embodiments for disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. For convenience of explanation, parts having the same functions as those shown in the figures used in the previous explanations are given the same reference numerals in multiple embodiments, and the explanation thereof may be omitted. be. For parts with the same reference numerals, the descriptions in other embodiments can be referred to.

(Embodiment 1)
<Schematic configuration of vehicle system 1>
Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. A vehicle system 1 shown in FIG. 1 can be used in a vehicle capable of automatic driving (hereinafter referred to as an automatic driving vehicle). As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle system 1 includes an automatic driving ECU 10, a communication module 20, a locator 30, a map database (hereinafter referred to as map DB) 40, a vehicle sensor 50, a surrounding monitoring sensor 60, a vehicle control ECU 70, and an HCU (Human machine interface control unit) 80, and an indoor camera 90. For example, the automatic driving ECU 10, the communication module 20, the locator 30, the map DB 40, the vehicle sensor 50, the surrounding monitoring sensor 60, the vehicle control ECU 70, and the HCU 80 may be configured to be connected to the in-vehicle LAN (see LAN in FIG. 1). . Although the vehicle using the vehicle system 1 is not necessarily limited to an automobile, the following description will be given using an example of use in an automobile.

There may be a plurality of levels of automatic driving stages (hereinafter referred to as automation levels) of an automatic driving vehicle, as defined by SAE, for example. The automation level is divided into LV0 to LV5 as shown below, for example.

LV0 is the level at which the driver performs all driving tasks without system intervention. The driving task may also be referred to as a dynamic driving task. The driving tasks are, for example, steering, acceleration/deceleration, and surrounding monitoring. LV0 corresponds to so-called manual operation. LV1 is a level at which the system supports either steering or acceleration/deceleration. LV1 corresponds to so-called driving support. LV2 is a level at which the system supports both steering and acceleration/deceleration. LV2 corresponds to so-called partial operation automation. It is assumed that LV1 and LV2 are also part of automatic operation.

For example, automatic driving at LV1-2 is assumed to be automatic driving in which the driver is responsible for monitoring regarding safe driving (hereinafter simply referred to as monitoring obligation). In other words, it is equivalent to automatic driving with a duty of supervision. The monitoring obligation includes visual monitoring of the surrounding area. LV1-2 automatic driving can be translated as automatic driving in which second tasks are not permitted. The second task is an action other than driving that is permitted to the driver, and is a predefined specific action. The second task can also be referred to as a secondary activity, other activity, or the like. The second task must not prevent the driver from responding to requests from the automated driving system to take over driving operations. As an example, actions such as watching content such as videos, operating a smartphone, etc., reading, eating, etc. are assumed to be second tasks.

LV3 autonomous driving is a level in which the system can perform all driving tasks under certain conditions, and the driver takes control in an emergency. In LV3 automatic driving, the driver is required to be able to respond quickly when the system requests a change of driving. This driving change can also be described as a transfer of the duty of monitoring the surrounding area from the vehicle-side system to the driver. LV3 corresponds to so-called conditional driving automation. As LV3, there is area-limited LV3 that is limited to a specific area. The specific area referred to here may be a motorway or expressway. The specific area may be, for example, a specific lane. As LV3, there is also a traffic jam limited LV3 that is limited to times of traffic jam. The traffic jam limitation LV3 may be configured to be limited to times of congestion on motorways and expressways, for example.

LV4 autonomous driving is a level at which the system can perform all driving tasks, except under specific conditions such as roads that cannot be handled or extreme environments. LV4 corresponds to so-called advanced driving automation. LV5 autonomous driving is a level at which the system can perform all driving tasks in all environments. LV5 corresponds to so-called complete driving automation.

For example, automatic driving of LV3 to 5 is assumed to be automatic driving in which the driver is not obligated to monitor. In other words, it corresponds to automatic driving without any monitoring obligation. Automated driving at levels 3 to 5 can be referred to as automated driving where a second task is permitted. Among levels 3 to 5 of automated driving, level 4 or higher automated driving corresponds to automated driving where the driver is allowed to sleep. Among levels 3 to 5 of automated driving, level 3 automated driving corresponds to automated driving in which the driver is not allowed to sleep.

In the self-driving vehicle of this embodiment, it is assumed that the automation level can be switched. The automation level may be configured to be switchable only between some levels among LV0 to LV5. In this embodiment, a case will be described as an example in which the automated driving vehicle can switch between LV3 automated driving, LV2 or lower automated driving, and LV0 manual driving.

The communication module 20 transmits and receives information to and from a center outside the own vehicle via wireless communication. In other words, it performs wide area communication. The communication module 20 receives traffic congestion information around the vehicle from the center via wide area communication. The communication module 20 may transmit and receive information to and from other vehicles via wireless communication. In other words, inter-vehicle communication may be performed. The communication module 20 may transmit and receive information to and from a roadside machine installed on the roadside via wireless communication. In other words, road-to-vehicle communication may be performed. When performing road-to-vehicle communication, the communication module 20 may receive information about surrounding vehicles transmitted from surrounding vehicles of the host vehicle via a roadside device. Further, the communication module 20 may receive information on surrounding vehicles transmitted from surrounding vehicles of the host vehicle via wide area communication via the center.

The locator 30 includes a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver and an inertial sensor. The GNSS receiver receives positioning signals from multiple positioning satellites. The inertial sensor includes, for example, a gyro sensor and an acceleration sensor. The locator 30 sequentially determines the vehicle position of the vehicle equipped with the locator 30 (hereinafter referred to as the vehicle position) by combining the positioning signal received by the GNSS receiver and the measurement result of the inertial sensor. It is assumed that the vehicle position is expressed, for example, in latitude and longitude coordinates. Note that a configuration may also be adopted in which the travel distance obtained from signals sequentially output from a vehicle speed sensor mounted on the vehicle is used for positioning the own vehicle position.

The map DB 40 is a nonvolatile memory and stores high-precision map data. High-precision map data is map data with higher precision than map data used for route guidance in the navigation function. The map DB 40 may also store map data used for route guidance. The high-precision map data includes information that can be used for automatic driving, such as information on the three-dimensional shape of the road, information on the number of lanes, and information indicating the direction of travel allowed for each lane. In addition, the high-precision map data may also include information on node points indicating the positions of both ends of road markings such as lane markings, for example. Note that the locator 30 may be configured to use three-dimensional shape information of the road without using a GNSS receiver. For example, the locator 30 uses a surrounding monitoring sensor such as a LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging/Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging) or a surrounding monitoring camera that detects three-dimensional shape information of the road and point clouds of feature points of the road shape and structures. The detection result at step 60 may be used to specify the vehicle position. The three-dimensional shape information of the road may be generated based on a captured image by REM (Road Experience Management).

Note that the communication module 20 may receive map data distributed from an external server, for example, by wide area communication, and store it in the map DB 40. In this case, the map DB 40 may be a volatile memory, and the communication module 20 may sequentially acquire map data of an area corresponding to the position of the vehicle.

The vehicle sensor 50 is a group of sensors for detecting various states of the own vehicle. Examples of the vehicle sensor 50 include a vehicle speed sensor that detects vehicle speed, a steering sensor that detects steering angle, and the like. As the vehicle sensor 50, there is a turn signal switch for detecting a lighting operation of a turn signal lamp, which is a direction indicator. As the vehicle sensor 50, there is a seating sensor that detects the seating state of whether or not the vehicle is seated on a seat. The vehicle sensor 50 outputs detected sensing information to the in-vehicle LAN. Note that the sensing information detected by the vehicle sensor 50 may be output to the in-vehicle LAN via an ECU installed in the vehicle.

Surroundings monitoring sensor 60 monitors the surrounding environment of the own vehicle. As an example, the surroundings monitoring sensor 60 detects obstacles around the own vehicle, such as moving objects such as pedestrians and other cars, and stationary objects such as fallen objects on the road. In addition, road markings such as lane markings around the vehicle are detected. The surroundings monitoring sensor 60 is, for example, a surroundings monitoring camera that captures an image of a predetermined range around the own vehicle, a millimeter wave radar, sonar, LIDAR, or the like that transmits a search wave to a predetermined range around the own vehicle. The surroundings monitoring camera sequentially outputs sequentially captured images to the automatic driving ECU 10 as sensing information. A sensor that transmits a search wave, such as a sonar, a millimeter wave radar, or a LIDAR, sequentially outputs a scanning result based on a received signal obtained when receiving a reflected wave reflected by an obstacle to the automatic driving ECU 10 as sensing information. The sensing information detected by the surroundings monitoring sensor 60 may be output to the automatic driving ECU 10 without going through the in-vehicle LAN.

The vehicle control ECU 70 is an electronic control device that controls the running of the own vehicle. Travel control includes acceleration/deceleration control and/or steering control. The vehicle control ECU 70 includes a steering ECU that performs steering control, a power unit control ECU that performs acceleration/deceleration control, a brake ECU, and the like. The vehicle control ECU 70 performs driving control by outputting control signals to each driving control device mounted on the vehicle, such as an electronically controlled throttle, a brake actuator, and an EPS (Electric Power Steering) motor.

The HCU 80 is mainly composed of a computer including a processor, volatile memory, nonvolatile memory, I/O, and a bus connecting these. The HCU 10 executes various processes related to interaction between the occupant and the own vehicle's system by executing a control program stored in a nonvolatile memory.

The indoor camera 90 images a predetermined area inside the vehicle. In this embodiment, the indoor camera 90 includes a DSM (Driver Status Monitor) 93 that monitors the driver of the own vehicle. The DSM 91 includes a near-infrared light source, a near-infrared camera, a control unit for controlling these, and the like. The DSM 91 is arranged, for example, on the top surface of an instrument panel, with the near-infrared camera facing the driver's seat side of the vehicle. The DSM 91 uses a near-infrared camera to photograph a driver irradiated with near-infrared light by a near-infrared light source. The imaging range may be set to include at least the driver's head. The image captured by the near-infrared camera is analyzed by the control unit. The control unit detects the driver's level of alertness, face direction, posture collapse, etc. based on the driver's feature quantities extracted by image analysis of the captured image. The degree of wakefulness may be detected by distinguishing between at least a wakeful state and a sleeping state. When using a camera other than the DSM 91 as the indoor camera 90, an occupant other than the driver (hereinafter referred to as a fellow passenger) may be photographed using, for example, a near-infrared camera. Then, in the same manner as the DSM 91, the alertness level, face direction, posture collapse, etc. of the fellow passenger may be detected.

The automatic driving ECU 10 is mainly composed of a computer including a processor, volatile memory, nonvolatile memory, I/O, and a bus connecting these. The automatic driving ECU 10 executes processes related to automatic driving by executing a control program stored in a nonvolatile memory. This automatic driving ECU 10 corresponds to a vehicle control device. Note that the configuration of the automatic driving ECU 10 will be described in detail below.

<Schematic configuration of automatic driving ECU 10>
Next, a schematic configuration of the automatic driving ECU 10 will be explained using FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the automatic driving ECU 10 includes a suppression unit 100, a driving environment recognition unit 101, a behavior determination unit 102, a control execution unit 104, a traffic jam determination unit 106, an occupant status identification unit 107, a driving road status identification unit 111, and a trigger detection section 112 as functional blocks. Moreover, the execution of the processing of each functional block of the automatic driving ECU 10 by the computer corresponds to the execution of the vehicle control method. Note that some or all of the functions executed by the automatic driving ECU 10 may be configured in hardware using one or more ICs. Further, some or all of the functional blocks included in the automatic driving ECU 10 may be realized by a combination of software execution by a processor and hardware components.

The driving environment recognition unit 101 recognizes the driving environment around the own vehicle based on sensing information acquired from the surroundings monitoring sensor 60. As an example, the driving environment recognition unit 101 recognizes the detailed position of the own vehicle in the driving lane from information such as left and right marking lines of the driving lane (hereinafter referred to as the own lane) of the own vehicle. In addition, the driving environment recognition unit 101 recognizes the positions and speeds of obstacles such as vehicles around the host vehicle. The driving environment recognition unit 101 recognizes the position and speed of obstacles such as vehicles in the own lane. Furthermore, the driving environment recognition unit 101 recognizes the positions and speeds of obstacles such as vehicles in lanes surrounding the own lane. The surrounding lane may be, for example, a lane adjacent to the vehicle's own lane. Alternatively, the surrounding lane may be a lane other than the own lane in the road section where the own vehicle is located.

In addition to the sensing information acquired from the surrounding monitoring sensor 60, the driving environment recognition unit 101 uses the own vehicle position acquired from the locator 30, map data acquired from the map DB 40, information on other cars acquired by the communication module 20, etc. Based on this information, the driving environment around the own vehicle may be recognized. As an example, the driving environment recognition unit 101 uses this information to generate a virtual space that reproduces the actual driving environment.

Furthermore, the driving environment recognition unit 101 may also determine the manual driving area (hereinafter referred to as MD area) in the driving area of the own vehicle. The driving environment recognition unit 101 may also determine the automatic driving area (hereinafter referred to as AD area) in the driving area of the own vehicle. The driving environment recognition unit 101 may also discriminate between an ST section and a non-ST section, which will be described later, in the AD area.

The MD area is an area where automatic driving is prohibited. In other words, the MD area is a defined area in which the driver performs all of the longitudinal control, lateral control, and surrounding monitoring of the own vehicle. The longitudinal direction is a direction that coincides with the longitudinal direction of the own vehicle. The lateral direction is a direction that coincides with the width direction of the own vehicle. Longitudinal control corresponds to acceleration/deceleration control of the own vehicle. Lateral control corresponds to steering control of the own vehicle. For example, the MD area may be a general road.

The AD area is an area where automatic driving is permitted. In other words, the AD area is an area defined in which the own vehicle can substitute for one or more of longitudinal control, lateral control, and surrounding monitoring. For example, the AD area may be an expressway or a motorway. Traffic jam limited LV3 automatic driving (hereinafter referred to as traffic jam limited automatic driving) may be configured to be permitted only during traffic jams in the AD area, for example.

The AD area is divided into an ST section and a non-ST section. The ST section is a section where area-limited LV3 automatic driving (hereinafter referred to as area-limited automatic driving) is permitted. Area-limited automatic driving may be configured to be permitted only in specific lanes in the ST section. The non-ST section is a section where automatic operation of LV2 or lower is possible. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that a non-ST section where LV1 automatic driving is permitted and a non-ST section where LV2 automatic driving is permitted are not separated. The ST section may be, for example, a travel section for which high-precision map data has been prepared. The non-ST section may be a section of the AD area that does not correspond to the ST section.

The behavior determination unit 102 switches the control entity of the driving operation between the driver and the own vehicle's system. If the system has control over the driving operation, the behavior determining unit 102 determines a driving plan for driving the own vehicle based on the recognition result of the driving environment by the driving environment recognition unit 101. As a driving plan, it is sufficient to determine the behavior that the own vehicle should take in order to arrive at the destination. The behavior determination unit 102 includes a level identification unit 103 as a sub-functional block. The level identification unit 103 identifies the current automation level of the own vehicle. The level specifying unit 103 may distinguish between area limited LV3 and traffic jam limited LV3 and be able to specify them. Area limited LV3 and traffic jam limited LV3 are levels that are further subdivided from automation LV3.

When the control authority for driving operation is on the system side, the control execution unit 104 performs acceleration/deceleration control, steering control, etc. of the own vehicle according to the driving plan determined by the behavior determination unit 102 in cooperation with the vehicle control ECU 70. Execute. The control execution unit 104 includes a vehicle speed adjustment unit 105 as a sub-functional block. The vehicle speed adjustment unit 105 adjusts the speed of the own vehicle so as to reach the set vehicle speed. This process in the vehicle speed adjustment section 105 corresponds to a vehicle speed adjustment step. The vehicle speed determined by the travel plan may be set as the vehicle speed. Vehicle speed adjustment section 105 executes acceleration/deceleration control of control execution section 104 . In the driving plan, the vehicle speed may be determined according to the user's setting input, the vehicle speed may be determined according to the speed limit of the traveling road, or the vehicle speed may be determined according to the automation level. The control execution unit 104 executes, for example, ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) control, LTA (Lane Tracing Assist) control, and LCA control (Lane Change Assist).

ACC control is control that allows the own vehicle to travel at a constant speed at a set vehicle speed or to follow a preceding vehicle. During follow-up driving, acceleration/deceleration control is performed to maintain the distance between the host vehicle and the nearest preceding vehicle at the target distance. The target inter-vehicle distance may be set depending on the speed of the own vehicle. Vehicle speed adjustment section 105 executes acceleration/deceleration control during follow-up travel. LTA control is control that maintains the own vehicle traveling within the lane. In LTA control, steering control is performed to maintain the own vehicle traveling within the lane. LCA control is control for automatically changing lanes from the own lane to an adjacent lane. In LCA control, when a trigger detecting unit 112 (described later) detects a trigger for changing lanes (hereinafter referred to as a lane change trigger), the vehicle changes lanes by performing acceleration/deceleration control and steering control. Vehicle speed adjustment section 105 also executes acceleration/deceleration control when changing lanes.

The control execution unit 104 realizes automatic operation at LV2 or higher by executing both ACC control and LTA control. Regarding LCA control, it may be possible to execute it, for example, when executing ACC control and LTA control. The control execution unit 104 may realize automatic operation at LV1 by executing either ACC control or LTA control.

With the above configuration, automatic driving of LV2 or lower and LV3 or higher can be executed in the own vehicle. Moreover, the automatic driving ECU 10 switches the automation level of the automatic driving of the own vehicle as necessary. As an example, when the own vehicle moves from the MD area to the non-ST section of the AD area, it is sufficient to switch from manual operation to automatic operation at LV2 or lower. When the own vehicle moves from the MD area to the ST section of the AD area, it is sufficient to switch from manual operation to LV3 automatic operation. When the own vehicle moves from a non-ST section to an ST section in the AD area, it is sufficient to switch from automatic operation at LV2 or lower to automatic operation at LV3. When the own vehicle moves from an ST section to a non-ST section in the AD area, it is sufficient to switch from LV3 automatic operation to LV2 or lower automatic operation. When the own vehicle moves from the ST section of the AD area to the MD area, it is sufficient to switch from LV3 automatic operation to manual operation. When the own vehicle moves from the non-ST section of the AD area to the MD area, it is sufficient to switch from automatic operation at LV2 or lower to manual operation.

The traffic jam determining unit 106 determines whether the traffic jam continues. The traffic jam determination unit 106 may determine whether the traffic jam continues during traffic jam limited automatic driving. Whether or not the traffic jam continues may be determined based on the traffic jam section that can be specified from the traffic jam information acquired by the communication module 20. It is sufficient to determine whether or not the traffic jam continues depending on whether or not the own vehicle position is outside the traffic jam area. Alternatively, whether or not the traffic jam continues may be determined based on whether the distance from the vehicle's position to an area outside the congested area in front of the vehicle is less than a threshold. The threshold here may be a value larger than 0 and can be set arbitrarily.

The occupant condition identifying unit 107 identifies the condition of the occupant of the host vehicle. This occupant state identification section 107 corresponds to a state identification section. The occupant state identification unit 107 includes a monitoring presence/absence identification unit 108, a fellow passenger presence/absence identification unit 109, and a fellow passenger type identification unit 110 as sub-functional blocks.

The monitoring presence/absence identifying unit 108 identifies whether or not the driver of the own vehicle is monitoring the surrounding area. The monitoring presence/absence specifying unit 108 may specify whether or not the driver of the own vehicle is monitoring the surrounding area based on the detection result of the DSM 91 . For example, the monitoring presence/absence specifying unit 108 may specify that the driver is monitoring the surroundings when the detection result by the DSM 91 is that the driver is awake, the face is facing forward, and the posture is not collapsed. Bye. On the other hand, the monitoring presence/absence specifying unit 108 determines that the driver does not monitor the surroundings when the detection result from the DSM 91 is that the driver is in a sleeping state, a state where the face is not facing forward, or a state where the posture is collapsed. All you have to do is specify.

The passenger presence identification unit 109 identifies the presence or absence of a fellow passenger in the host vehicle. The passenger presence/absence identification unit 109 may identify the presence or absence of a passenger in the vehicle based on the detection result from the indoor camera 90 . For example, the passenger presence identification unit 109 may identify the presence or absence of a passenger in the own vehicle based on whether a person other than the driver's seat can be recognized from the image captured by the indoor camera 90. Alternatively, the passenger presence identification unit 109 may identify the presence or absence of a passenger in the host vehicle based on whether a seating sensor of the vehicle sensors 50 detects that the passenger is seated in a position other than the driver's seat.

The fellow passenger type identification unit 110 identifies the type of passenger in the own vehicle. The passenger type identification unit 110 may identify the type of passenger in the own vehicle based on the detection result by the indoor camera 90. For example, the fellow passenger type identification unit 110 may estimate the type of the fellow passenger from the image of the fellow passenger captured by the indoor camera 90. The type of the passenger may be estimated by distinguishing whether the passenger is a person to be protected or not. Examples of persons to be protected include children and the elderly. The person to be protected may be distinguished by, for example, pattern recognition. If it is possible to differentiate, protected subjects may include pregnant women in addition to children and the elderly.

The driving road condition identifying unit 111 identifies the condition of the road on which the host vehicle is traveling. This traveling road condition specifying section 111 also corresponds to a condition specifying section. The driving road condition identifying unit 111 identifies the condition of the road on which the host vehicle is traveling based on the driving environment recognized by the driving environment recognizing unit 101. The state of the road on which the host vehicle is traveling, which is specified by the road state specifying unit 111, may be, for example, a curved road or a straight road. In addition, the condition of the driving road to be specified may be whether or not it is frozen. The presence or absence of freezing may be estimated based on an outside temperature sensor. The condition of the road to be identified may be whether the road is wet or not. Whether the road is wet or not can be estimated from the brightness of an image of the road surface.

The trigger detection unit 112 detects a lane change trigger that causes the own vehicle to change lanes. The lane change trigger may be the detection of a situation requiring a lane change. Alternatively, a situation requiring a lane change may be detected and the driver's approval may be obtained. An example of a situation where a lane change is necessary is when the speed of the vehicle immediately preceding the own vehicle is slow, below a predetermined value, and there are no surrounding vehicles approaching from the side to the rear of the own vehicle. It is. Another example is a situation where the number of lanes decreases and a lane change becomes necessary. There are also other situations in which the vehicle needs to change lanes to a dedicated turn lane in order to proceed to the desired route. These situations may be identified from the driving environment recognized by the driving environment recognition unit 101. An example of the driver's approval is an operation to turn on a turn signal lamp. The turn signal lamp lighting operation may be detected by a turn signal switch of the vehicle sensor 50.

The suppressing unit 100 changes the upper limit of the acceleration of the own vehicle according to the automation level of the own vehicle when acceleration of the own vehicle is required in adjusting the speed of the own vehicle by the vehicle speed adjustment unit 105. This process in the suppression unit 100 corresponds to a suppression process. The automation level corresponds to the stage of autonomous driving. In terms of the automation level referred to here, area limited LV3 and traffic jam limited LV3 may be distinguished as different stages of automatic driving. Various means can be used by the suppressing unit 100 to change the upper limit of acceleration. For example, an upper limit value of acceleration may be set. Alternatively, an upper limit value for the engine speed may be set. When the traveling drive source is a motor, an upper limit value of the rotation speed of the motor may be set. Note that the means for changing the upper limit of acceleration is not limited to the example described above. Other means may be used as long as they can change the upper limit of acceleration. Hereinafter, a case where the upper limit of acceleration is changed by changing the setting of the upper limit of acceleration will be described as an example.

The suppressing unit 100 makes the upper limit of the acceleration of the own vehicle lower during automatic driving at LV3 or higher than during automatic driving at LV2 or lower. When the vehicle speed adjustment unit 105 needs to accelerate the own vehicle during automatic driving at LV3 or higher, the suppressing unit 100 reduces the acceleration of the own vehicle more than during automatic driving at LV2 or lower. Lower the upper limit. The suppression unit 100 sets the upper limit value of acceleration Th2 to satisfy the relationship Th2<Th1, where the upper limit value of acceleration during automatic driving at LV2 or lower is Th1, and the upper limit value of acceleration during automatic driving at LV3 or higher is Th2. Just set it. During automatic driving at LV3 or higher, unlike automatic driving at LV2 or lower, there is no obligation to monitor the surrounding area, so there is a possibility that the driver does not see the surroundings. In this way, even in a situation where the driver is not looking at the surroundings, the upper limit of acceleration is lowered, making it possible to suppress sudden acceleration.

During automatic driving at LV3 or higher, if the monitoring presence/absence specifying unit 108 specifies that the driver of the own vehicle is monitoring the surroundings, the suppression unit 100 sets the upper limit of the acceleration of the own vehicle to the automatic driving at LV2 or lower. It is preferable to make it the same as during driving, or higher than during automatic driving at LV2 or lower. During automatic driving at LV3 or higher, the suppression unit 100 controls whether the driver of the own car If it is specified that there will be surrounding monitoring, it is preferable to set the upper limit of the acceleration of the own vehicle to be the same as during automatic driving at LV2 or lower, or to set it higher than during automatic driving at LV2 or lower. The suppressing unit 100 may set the upper limit value Th2 of acceleration so as to satisfy the relationship Th2≧Th1. Even in automatic driving at level 3 or above where there is no obligation to monitor the surrounding area, if the driver monitors the surrounding area, the driver is less likely to become anxious even if the vehicle suddenly accelerates. Therefore, in such a situation, the upper limit of acceleration is lowered to enable rapid changes in vehicle speed.

Even during automatic driving at LV3 or higher, if the trigger detection unit 112 detects a lane change trigger, the suppressing unit 100 sets the upper limit of the acceleration of the own vehicle to be the same as during automatic driving at LV2 or lower. Alternatively, it is preferable to make it higher than during automatic operation at LV2 or lower. Even during automatic driving at LV3 or higher, if the trigger detection unit 112 detects a lane change trigger, the suppression unit 100 determines that the vehicle speed adjustment unit 105 needs to accelerate the own vehicle when adjusting the speed of the own vehicle. In this case, it is preferable that the upper limit of the acceleration of the own vehicle be the same as that during automatic driving at LV2 or lower, or higher than that during automatic driving at LV2 or lower. The suppressing unit 100 may set the upper limit value Th2 of acceleration so as to satisfy the relationship Th2≧Th1. The suppressing unit 100 may set Th2 to the maximum value that can be set as an upper limit. According to this, even during automatic driving at LV3 or above where there is no obligation to monitor the surrounding area, sudden acceleration is possible when changing lanes where sudden acceleration is required.

Preferably, the suppressing unit 100 lowers the upper limit of the acceleration of the own vehicle during limited automatic driving in traffic jams than during limited automatic driving in areas. The suppression unit 100 adjusts the speed of the own vehicle in the vehicle speed adjustment unit 105 when the vehicle immediately preceding the own vehicle changes lanes to the adjacent lane and the inter-vehicle distance in front of the own vehicle suddenly increases during traffic jam-limited automatic driving. When it is necessary to accelerate the own vehicle, it is preferable to lower the upper limit of the acceleration of the own vehicle than during area-limited automatic driving. The suppressing unit 100 sets the acceleration upper limit Th2j to satisfy the relationship Th2j<Th2a, where Th2a is the upper limit of acceleration during area-limited automatic driving and Th2j is the upper limit of acceleration during traffic-limited automatic driving. good. Th2a and Th2j are included in the upper limit value Th2 of acceleration during automatic driving of LV3 or higher. During limited automated driving in traffic jams, where the traveling speed is likely to be lower than during limited automated driving, drivers are likely to feel more anxious about early acceleration. On the other hand, since acceleration is suppressed more than during area-limited automatic driving, the driver is less likely to feel anxious.

The suppressing unit 100 maintains the vehicle at a constant speed without accelerating the vehicle during traffic jam-limited automated driving and when the traffic jam determining unit 106 determines that the traffic jam continues. is preferred. The suppression unit 100 controls the vehicle immediately ahead of the host vehicle to change lanes to the adjacent lane when the traffic jam limited automated driving is in progress and the traffic jam determination unit 106 determines that the traffic jam continues. Even if the distance between the vehicles in front of your vehicle suddenly increases and the vehicle speed adjustment unit 105 needs to accelerate the vehicle, the vehicle will continue to drive at a constant speed without accelerating the vehicle. It is preferable to maintain Even if there is a gap between vehicles in front of your vehicle during traffic congestion, if the traffic continues, the distance between vehicles will decrease even if you do not accelerate. Therefore, in such a situation, unnecessary acceleration is suppressed by maintaining constant speed traveling without accelerating.

Note that when the traffic jam limited automatic driving is in progress and the traffic jam determining unit 106 determines that the traffic jam does not continue, the suppression unit 100 reduces the acceleration of the own vehicle more than during the area limited automatic driving. It is preferable to lower the upper limit of . In other words, the suppression unit 100 detects that the vehicle immediately preceding the host vehicle is in the adjacent lane when the traffic jam-limited automated driving is in progress and the traffic jam determination unit 106 determines that the traffic jam does not continue. When changing lanes and the distance between vehicles in front of your vehicle suddenly increases, and it becomes necessary to accelerate your vehicle when adjusting the speed of your vehicle using the vehicle speed adjustment unit 105, the distance between your vehicle and the vehicle ahead of you suddenly increases. It is preferable to accelerate by lowering the upper limit of acceleration. In this case, the upper limit of acceleration may be set higher than 0. That is, the upper limit value Th2j of acceleration may be set so as to satisfy the relationship 0<Th2j<Th2a.

Preferably, the suppressing unit 100 makes the upper limit of the acceleration of the own vehicle higher during area-limited automatic driving than during congestion-limited automatic driving. The suppression unit 100 adjusts the speed of the own vehicle in the vehicle speed adjustment unit 105 when the vehicle immediately preceding the own vehicle changes lanes to an adjacent lane and the distance between the vehicles in front of the own vehicle suddenly increases during area-limited automatic driving. When it is necessary to accelerate the own vehicle, it is preferable to set the upper limit of the acceleration of the own vehicle higher than that during limited automatic driving in traffic jams. The suppressing unit 100 may set the upper limit value Th2a of acceleration so as to satisfy the relationship Th2j<Th2a. During area-limited autonomous driving, where the traveling speed is likely to be higher than during traffic-limited automatic driving, there are likely to be more situations in which acceleration is required than during traffic-limited automatic driving. In contrast, while suppressing sudden acceleration, it is possible to accelerate faster than when autonomous driving is limited to traffic jams.

The suppressing unit 100 is capable of changing the upper limit of the acceleration of the own vehicle according to not only the stage of automatic driving of the own vehicle but also the state specified by the occupant state identifying unit 107 and/or the traveling road state identifying unit 111. preferable. When the vehicle speed adjustment unit 105 needs to accelerate the vehicle, the suppression unit 100 controls not only the self-driving stage of the vehicle but also the occupant status identification unit 107 and/or the traveling road. It is preferable that the upper limit of the acceleration of the own vehicle is changed depending on the state specified by the state specifying unit 111. Early acceleration may be undesirable depending on the condition of the occupants and the road on which the vehicle is traveling. In such cases, it becomes possible to further suppress acceleration. A specific example will be described below.

For example, if the condition of the occupant of the own vehicle identified by the occupant condition identifying section 107 is that the occupant is in poor physical condition or is concentrating on tasks that use vision other than monitoring the surroundings (hereinafter referred to as the specified condition), the suppressing section 100 may , it is preferable to lower the upper limit of the acceleration of the vehicle than in the case where the specific state is not present. For example, the suppressing unit 100 may lower the upper limit of acceleration in a specific state by multiplying the upper limit of acceleration by a predetermined first coefficient smaller than 1. The first coefficient may be an arbitrarily settable value greater than 0.

The fact that the occupant is in poor physical condition may be determined based on the fact that the indoor camera 90 and the DSM 91 detect that the occupant's posture has collapsed. A state in which the occupant is concentrating on tasks that use vision other than monitoring the surroundings is a state in which the occupant is, for example, looking at a book, the screen of an in-vehicle display, or text or images on the screen of a mobile terminal. This state can also be rephrased as a state during a second task in which the occupant is looking at text or images. The fact that the occupant is in such a state may be identified by pattern recognition of images captured by the indoor camera 90 and the DSM 91, or the like. Note that the target occupant may be limited to the driver among the occupants, or may be an occupant including the driver. When the occupant is in a specific state, the occupant's awareness is not focused on the surroundings of the vehicle, and therefore it is considered that the occupant is more likely to feel anxious about early acceleration. On the other hand, when the occupant is in a specific state, the acceleration is suppressed more than when the occupant is not in the specific state, so the occupant is less likely to feel anxious.

For example, it is preferable that the suppressing unit 100 changes the upper limit of the acceleration of the host vehicle depending on the presence or absence of a fellow passenger specified by the passenger presence/absence specifying unit 109. The suppression unit 100 lowers the upper limit of the acceleration of the host vehicle when the passenger presence identification unit 109 identifies that there is a passenger, than when the passenger presence identification unit 109 identifies that there is no passenger. That's fine. For example, the upper limit of acceleration may be lowered by multiplying the upper limit of acceleration by a predetermined second coefficient smaller than 1. The second coefficient may be an arbitrarily settable value greater than 0. Passengers are likely to be less aware of their vehicle's surroundings than the driver, so they are likely to feel more anxious about rapid acceleration. On the other hand, when a fellow passenger is present, the acceleration is suppressed more than when a fellow passenger is not present, so that the fellow passenger is less likely to feel anxious.

Furthermore, when the passenger presence/absence specifying section 109 specifies that there is a fellow passenger, and the fellow passenger type specifying section 110 specifies that the fellow passenger is a person to be protected, the suppressing section 100 performs the following: The upper limit of the acceleration of the own vehicle may be lowered than when the fellow passenger type identifying unit 110 identifies the fellow passenger as not a person to be protected. For example, the upper limit of acceleration may be lowered by multiplying the upper limit of acceleration by a predetermined third coefficient smaller than 1. The third coefficient may be an arbitrarily settable value greater than 0. It is thought that a protected person is more likely to feel anxious about early acceleration than a non-protected person. On the other hand, when the person to be protected is present, the acceleration is suppressed more than when the person to be protected is not present, so that the person to be protected is less likely to feel anxious.

For example, it is preferable that the suppressing unit 100 changes the upper limit of the acceleration of the own vehicle according to the condition of the road on which the own vehicle is traveling, which is specified by the driving road condition specifying unit 111. For example, when the state of the road on which the host vehicle is traveling, identified by the travel road condition identification unit 111, is a curved road, the suppressing unit 100 may lower the upper limit of the acceleration of the host vehicle than when the road is on a straight road. is preferred. For example, the upper limit of acceleration may be lowered by multiplying the upper limit of acceleration by a predetermined fourth coefficient smaller than 1. The fourth coefficient may be an arbitrarily settable value greater than 0. Because centrifugal force is generated by acceleration on curved roads, it is thought that drivers are more likely to feel anxious about rapid acceleration than on straight roads. On the other hand, when the vehicle is traveling on a curved road, the acceleration is suppressed more than when the vehicle is traveling on a straight road, so the occupants are less likely to feel anxious.

Note that the suppressing unit 100 may be configured to lower the upper limit of the acceleration of the vehicle as the curvature of the curved road increases. The greater the curvature of a curved road, the greater the centrifugal force generated by acceleration. Therefore, it is thought that the greater the curvature of a curved road, the more likely the driver will feel anxious about early acceleration. On the other hand, the larger the curvature of the curved road, the more the acceleration is suppressed, making the occupants less likely to feel anxious. It is preferable that the suppressing unit 100 lowers the upper limit of the acceleration of the own vehicle when the driving road is in a state where early acceleration is not preferable, as well as on a curved road. Examples of road conditions in which early acceleration is undesirable include icy roads, wet roads, and the like. In addition, the suppressing unit 100 may lower the upper limit of acceleration by an amount corresponding to a plurality of conditions for lowering the upper limit of acceleration.

<Acceleration upper limit related processing in automatic driving ECU 10>
Here, an example of the flow of a process related to a change in the upper limit of acceleration (hereinafter referred to as acceleration upper limit related process) in the automatic driving ECU 10 will be described using the flowcharts of FIGS. 3 and 4. The flowchart in FIG. 3 may be started, for example, when a switch (hereinafter referred to as a power switch) for starting the internal combustion engine or motor generator of the host vehicle is turned on. Note that, as described above, in this embodiment, the case where the upper limit of acceleration is changed by changing the setting of the upper limit value of acceleration will be described as an example.

First, in step S1, if the automation level of the own vehicle specified by the level specifying unit 103 is LV3 or higher (YES in S1), the process moves to step S3. On the other hand, if it is below LV2 (NO in S1), the process moves to step S2. In step S2, the suppression unit 100 sets an upper limit value Th1 of acceleration, and moves to step S6. Note that in S2, the suppressing unit 100 may set the upper limit of acceleration to be lower for automation levels 1 and 2 than for automation level 0. Alternatively, in S2, the upper limit of acceleration may be lowered as the automation level becomes higher.

In step S3, if the automation level of the own vehicle specified by the level specifying unit 103 is LV3 (YES in S3), the process moves to step S5. On the other hand, if the level is LV4 or higher (NO in S3), the process moves to step S4. In step S4, the suppression unit 100 sets the upper limit value of acceleration to be smaller than Th1, and moves to step S6. In S4, for example, an upper limit value Th2 of acceleration satisfying Th2<Th1 may be set. Note that when applied to a vehicle that does not have an automatic driving function of LV4 or higher, the processes in S3 to S4 may be omitted, and if YES in S3, the process may proceed to S5.

In step S5, LV3 processing is performed, and the process moves to step S6. Here, an example of the flow of the LV3 processing will be described using the flowchart of FIG. 4.

First, in step S51, if the monitoring presence/absence specifying unit 108 specifies that there is surrounding monitoring by the driver of the own vehicle (YES in S51), the process moves to step S52. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no surrounding monitoring by the driver of the own vehicle (NO in S51), the process moves to step S53.

In step S52, the suppressing unit 100 sets the upper limit value of acceleration to be equal to or higher than Th1, and the process moves to step S6. In S52, the upper limit value of acceleration may be set to Th1, or may be set to a value larger than Th1. In addition, it is good also as a structure which moves to step S12 after the process of S52. On the other hand, in step S53, the suppressing unit 100 sets the upper limit value of acceleration smaller than Th1, and moves to step S54. In S53, for example, an upper limit value Th2 of acceleration that satisfies Th2<Th1 may be set.

In step S54, if the automation level of the own vehicle specified by the level specifying unit 103 is traffic congestion limited LV3 (YES in S54), the process moves to step S56. On the other hand, if the area is limited to LV3 (NO in S54), the process moves to step S55.

In step S55, the suppression unit 100 sets the upper limit value Th2a as the upper limit value Th2 of acceleration, and moves to step S6. In S55, for example, an upper limit value Th2a of acceleration satisfying Th2a>Th2j may be set.

In step S56, if the traffic jam determining unit 106 determines that the traffic jam continues (YES in S56), the process moves to step S58. On the other hand, if it is determined that the traffic congestion does not continue (NO in S56), the process moves to step S57.

In step S57, the suppressing unit 100 sets the upper limit value Th2j as the upper limit value Th2 of acceleration, and moves to step S6. In S57, for example, an upper limit value Th2j of acceleration satisfying 0<Th2j<Th2a may be set. On the other hand, in step S58, the suppressing unit 100 sets the upper limit value of acceleration to 0, and moves to step S6. When the upper limit value of acceleration is set to 0, the own vehicle is maintained at a constant speed without being accelerated.

Returning to FIG. 3, in step S6, if the state of the road on which the host vehicle is traveling, identified by the traveling road state specifying unit 111, is a curved road (YES in S6), the process moves to step S7. On the other hand, if the specified state of the road on which the host vehicle is traveling is a straight road (NO in S6), the process moves to step S8. In step S7, the suppressing unit 100 sets the upper limit value of acceleration to be lower than the set value.

In step S8, when the fellow passenger presence identification unit 109 identifies that there is a fellow passenger (YES in S8), the process moves to step S9. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no fellow passenger (NO in S8), the process moves to step S10. In step S9, the suppression unit 100 sets the upper limit value of acceleration to be lower than the set value.

In step S10, if the fellow passenger type identifying unit 110 identifies the fellow passenger as a person to be protected (YES in S10), the process moves to step S11. If there are a plurality of fellow passengers, if at least one person is identified as a person to be protected, the process may proceed to step S11. On the other hand, if it is determined that the fellow passenger is not a person to be protected (NO in S10), the process moves to step S12. If there are a plurality of fellow passengers, the process may proceed to step S12 when all of the fellow passengers are identified as not being persons to be protected. In step S11, the suppressing unit 100 sets the upper limit value of acceleration lower than the set value.

In step S12, if the state of the occupant of the own vehicle identified by the occupant state identification unit 107 is the aforementioned specified state (YES in S12), the process moves to step S13. On the other hand, if it is not in the specific state (NO in S12), the process moves to step S14. In step S13, the suppressing unit 100 sets the upper limit value of acceleration to be lower than the set value.

In step S14, if the trigger detection unit 112 detects a lane change trigger (YES in S14), the process moves to step S15. On the other hand, if a lane change trigger is not detected (NO in S14), the process moves to step S17. In step S15, the suppressing unit 100 sets the upper limit value of acceleration to be equal to or higher than Th1, and the process moves to step S16. In S15, the upper limit value of acceleration may be set to Th1, or may be set to a value larger than Th1. In step S16, if the lane change of the host vehicle is completed (YES in S16), the process moves to step S17. On the other hand, if the lane change is not completed (NO in S16), the process in S16 is repeated.

In step S17, if it is the end timing of the acceleration upper limit related process (YES in S17), the acceleration upper limit related process is ended. On the other hand, if it is not the end timing of the acceleration upper limit related process (NO in S17), the process returns to S1 and repeats the process. An example of the end timing of the acceleration upper limit related process is when the power switch is turned off.

<Summary of Embodiment 1>
According to the configuration of the first embodiment, even when it is necessary to accelerate the own vehicle in order to adjust the speed of the own vehicle to the set vehicle speed, the acceleration of the own vehicle is adjusted according to the automation level of the own vehicle. The upper limit can be changed. Therefore, even if the ease with which the occupant feels anxious about acceleration differs depending on the automation level, it is possible to change the upper limit of acceleration so that the occupant is less likely to feel anxious, depending on the automation level. As a result, it becomes possible to reduce the anxiety of the occupants while allowing the vehicle to accelerate using the automatic driving function.

Further, the configuration described in the first embodiment is just an example, and a configuration may be adopted in which some of the conditions for changing the upper limit of acceleration are omitted. In this case, the functional blocks related to the conditions to be omitted may also be omitted from the automatic driving ECU 10.

(Embodiment 2)
In the first embodiment, a configuration is shown in which the upper limit of acceleration is lowered even when there is a fellow passenger but the fellow passenger is not a person to be protected, but this is not necessarily the case. For example, even if there is a passenger, if the passenger is not a protected person, the upper limit of acceleration is not lowered compared to the case where there is no passenger (hereinafter referred to as Embodiment 2). Good too. Below, an example of Embodiment 2 will be described using figures.

The vehicle system 1 according to the second embodiment is the same as the vehicle system 1 according to the first embodiment, except that some processing in the suppression unit 100 is different. Below, differences in this processing will be explained.

In the second embodiment, the suppression unit 100 specifies that even if the passenger presence identification unit 109 identifies that there is a fellow passenger, the passenger type identification unit 110 identifies that the fellow passenger is not a person to be protected. The upper limit of acceleration is not lowered compared to when it is determined that there is no passenger. In other words, the upper limit of acceleration may be the same as when it is determined that there is no passenger.

Here, an example of the flow of acceleration upper limit related processing in the automatic driving ECU 10 in the second embodiment will be described using the flowchart of FIG. 5. The processing in S1 to S7 may be the same as in the first embodiment. In step S8a, when the fellow passenger presence identification unit 109 identifies that there is a fellow passenger (YES in S8a), the process moves to S10. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no fellow passenger (NO in S8a), the process moves to S12. The processing in S10 to S17 may be the same as in the first embodiment.

(Embodiment 3)
Alternatively, the configuration of Embodiment 3 below may be used. An example of Embodiment 3 will be described below using figures.

The vehicle system 1 according to the third embodiment is the same as the vehicle system 1 according to the first embodiment, except that a part of the LV3 processing in the suppression unit 100 is different. Below, differences in this processing will be explained.

In Embodiment 3, the suppression unit 100 controls the vehicle speed adjustment unit 105 when the vehicle in front of the own vehicle changes lanes to the adjacent lane and the distance between the vehicles in front of the own vehicle suddenly increases. Even if acceleration of the own vehicle is required to adjust the speed of the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as a specific acceleration situation), the acceleration of the own vehicle is temporarily stopped. For example, the behavior determining unit 102 may determine that the specific acceleration situation is reached. The term "temporary" here may be any time that can be set arbitrarily. For example, "temporary" may be defined as a time longer than the time when it can be estimated that the lane change of the preceding vehicle has been completed. Stopping the acceleration of the own vehicle may be realized, for example, by setting the upper limit value of acceleration to 0 and causing the vehicle to travel at a constant speed.

During automated driving in traffic jams, the distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you is narrow, so when the vehicle in front of you changes lanes, the distance between you and the vehicle in front of your vehicle may suddenly widen. . However, if the vehicle is accelerated at this point, if the vehicle in front of the vehicle stops changing lanes and returns to the vehicle's own lane, the vehicle will need to brake suddenly. Sudden braking of one's own vehicle may cause anxiety to the occupants, especially during autonomous driving where there is no duty to monitor the vehicle. In contrast, according to the configuration of Embodiment 3, even if a specific acceleration situation occurs, the acceleration of the own vehicle is temporarily stopped, so that the vehicle immediately preceding the own vehicle stops changing lanes. Even if the vehicle returns to its own lane, there is no need to suddenly brake the vehicle. On the other hand, if the vehicle immediately preceding the own vehicle is able to complete the lane change, it becomes possible to accelerate the own vehicle after the temporary suspension of acceleration of the own vehicle is released. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the anxiety of the occupants while accelerating the vehicle using the automatic driving function.

Here, an example of the flow of the LV3 time processing in the automatic driving ECU 10 in the third embodiment will be described using the flowchart of FIG. 6. The processing in S51b to S55b may be the same as the processing in S51 to S55 in the first embodiment. In S54b, if the automation level of the own vehicle specified by the level specifying unit 103 is traffic congestion limited LV3 (YES in S54b), the process moves to step S56b. On the other hand, if the area is limited to LV3 (NO in S54b), the process moves to step S55b.

In step S56b, if the specific acceleration situation is reached (YES in S56b), the process moves to step S58b. On the other hand, if the specific acceleration situation does not occur (NO in S56b), the process moves to step S57b. For example, the action determining unit 102 may determine whether or not the specific acceleration situation is reached. In S57b, processing similar to S57 of the first embodiment may be performed. In S58b, the suppressing unit 100 temporarily sets the upper limit value of acceleration to 0, and moves to step S6. After a temporary predetermined period of time has elapsed, for example, processing similar to S57 may be performed.

Note that the configuration of the third embodiment may be combined with the configuration of the first embodiment. In this case, for example, in the case of NO in S56 in the first embodiment, the process in S56b to S58b may be performed instead of the process in S57. Furthermore, the configuration of the third embodiment may be combined with the configuration of the second embodiment.

(Embodiment 4)
Alternatively, the configuration of Embodiment 4 below may be used. An example of Embodiment 4 will be described below using figures.

The vehicle system 1 according to the fourth embodiment is the same as the vehicle system 1 according to the first embodiment, except that a part of the LV3 processing in the suppression unit 100 is different. Below, differences in this processing will be explained.

In Embodiment 4, the suppression unit 100 controls the vehicle speed adjustment unit 105 when the vehicle in front of the own vehicle changes lanes to the adjacent lane and the inter-vehicle distance in front of the own vehicle suddenly increases during traffic jam-limited automated driving. Even if the vehicle speed adjustment requires acceleration of the vehicle (in other words, specific acceleration situations), the vehicle speed must be adjusted to match the speed of surrounding vehicles in the same direction as the vehicle, excluding the vehicle in front of the vehicle. maintain the vehicle's speed. The surrounding vehicles referred to here are vehicles on the left and right of the own vehicle in the same direction of travel, and vehicles following the own vehicle. For example, the target surrounding vehicles may be vehicles on the left and right of the own vehicle in the same direction of travel. When there are a plurality of target surrounding vehicles, the suppressing unit 100 may maintain the speed of the own vehicle at the average speed of those surrounding vehicles, for example. When there are a plurality of target surrounding vehicles, the suppressing unit 100 may maintain the speed of the own vehicle at the lowest speed among the surrounding vehicles, for example. For example, the driving environment recognition unit 101 may identify the existence of the target surrounding vehicle and its speed. Hereinafter, maintaining the speed of the own vehicle at a speed that matches the speed of surrounding vehicles in the same traveling direction as the own vehicle, excluding the vehicle in front of the own vehicle, will be referred to as cooperative speed maintenance.

The speed of surrounding vehicles in the same direction as the own vehicle, excluding the vehicle in front of the own vehicle, is likely to be slow enough to match the flow of vehicles in the traffic jam during automatic driving limited to traffic jams, even in specific acceleration situations. . Therefore, according to the configuration of Embodiment 4, even in a specific acceleration situation, by performing cooperative speed maintenance, the speed of the own vehicle is kept low and acceleration is suppressed, and the vehicle immediately preceding the own vehicle Even if the vehicle stops changing lanes and returns to its own lane, it is possible to avoid the need for sudden braking of the vehicle. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the anxiety of the occupants while accelerating the vehicle using the automatic driving function.

In addition, during traffic jam-limited automatic driving, the suppressing unit 100 preferably cancels cooperative speed maintenance after a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the vehicle immediately preceding the own vehicle changed lanes to the adjacent lane. The prescribed time may be any time that can be set arbitrarily. For example, the specified time may be set to be longer than the time at which it can be estimated that the lane change of the preceding vehicle has been completed. According to this, when the vehicle immediately preceding the own vehicle is able to complete a lane change, it becomes possible to cancel cooperative speed maintenance and accelerate the own vehicle.

Here, an example of the flow of the LV3 time processing in the automatic driving ECU 10 in the fourth embodiment will be described using the flowchart of FIG. 7. The processing in S51c to S55c may be the same as the processing in S51 to S55 in the first embodiment. In S54c, if the automation level of the own vehicle specified by the level specifying unit 103 is traffic congestion limited LV3 (YES in S54c), the process moves to step S56c. On the other hand, if the area is limited to LV3 (NO in S54c), the process moves to step S55c.

In step S56c, if the specific acceleration situation is reached (YES in S56c), the process moves to step S58c. On the other hand, if the specific acceleration situation does not occur (NO in S56c), the process moves to step S57c. For example, the action determining unit 102 may determine whether or not the specific acceleration situation is reached. In S57c, processing similar to S57 of the first embodiment may be performed. In S58c, the suppressing unit 100 maintains the cooperative speed, and moves to step S59c.

In step S59c, if the aforementioned prescribed time has elapsed since the start of cooperative speed maintenance (YES in S59c), the process moves to step S60c. On the other hand, if the aforementioned prescribed time has not elapsed since the start of cooperative speed maintenance (NO in S59c), the process of step S59c is repeated. In step S60c, the suppressing unit 100 cancels cooperative speed maintenance and moves to step S6. After the cooperative speed maintenance is canceled, the same process as in S57 may be performed, for example.

Note that the configuration of the fourth embodiment may be combined with the configuration of the first embodiment. In this case, for example, in the case of NO in S56 of the first embodiment, the process in S56c to S60c may be performed instead of the process in S57. Further, the configuration of the fourth embodiment may be combined with the configuration of the second embodiment.

(Embodiment 5)
In the above-described embodiment, the configuration is shown in which the automatic driving ECU 10 includes the traffic jam determination section 106, the occupant state identification section 107, the traveling road state identification section 111, and the trigger detection section 112, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to this. The functions of the traffic jam determination section 106, the occupant state identification section 107, the traveling road state identification section 111, and the trigger detection section 112 may be performed by an ECU used in the vehicle other than the automatic driving ECU 10.

Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various changes can be made within the scope of the claims, and can be obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments. The embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure. Further, the control unit and the method described in the present disclosure may be implemented by a dedicated computer constituting a processor programmed to perform one or more functions embodied by a computer program. Alternatively, the apparatus and techniques described in this disclosure may be implemented with dedicated hardware logic circuits. Alternatively, the apparatus and techniques described in this disclosure may be implemented by one or more special purpose computers configured by a combination of a processor executing a computer program and one or more hardware logic circuits. The computer program may also be stored as instructions executed by a computer on a computer-readable non-transitory tangible storage medium.

1 Vehicle system, 10 Autonomous driving ECU (vehicle control unit), 100 Suppression unit, 105 Vehicle speed adjustment unit, 106 Traffic jam determination unit, 107 Occupant status identification unit (state identification unit), 108 Monitoring presence identification unit, 109 Passenger Presence/absence identification unit, 110 Passenger type identification unit, 111 Traveling road condition identification unit (state identification unit), 112 Trigger detection unit

Claims (33)

A vehicle control device that can be used in a vehicle that can switch stages of automatic driving,
a vehicle speed adjustment unit (105) that adjusts the speed of the vehicle to a set vehicle speed;
If acceleration of the vehicle is required in adjusting the speed of the vehicle in the vehicle speed adjustment unit, the upper limit of the acceleration of the vehicle is set to three or more stages according to the three or more stages of automatic driving of the vehicle. A control device for a vehicle comprising a suppressor (100) that changes. The vehicle control device according to claim 1,
As the stage of automatic driving, it is possible to switch between automatic driving without monitoring obligation, which is automatic driving in which there is no obligation to monitor the driver of the vehicle, and automatic driving with monitoring obligation, which is automatic driving in which the driver is obligated to monitor. It can be used in vehicles such as
When the vehicle speed adjustment unit needs to accelerate the vehicle during the automatic driving without monitoring obligation, the suppressing unit controls the speed of the vehicle more than during the automatic driving with the monitoring obligation. A vehicle control device that lowers the upper limit of acceleration. A vehicle control device that can be used in a vehicle that can switch stages of automatic driving,
a vehicle speed adjustment unit (105) that adjusts the speed of the vehicle to a set vehicle speed;
a suppressing unit (100) that changes an upper limit of acceleration of the vehicle according to a stage of automatic driving of the vehicle when acceleration of the vehicle is required in adjusting the speed of the vehicle in the vehicle speed adjusting unit; Equipped with
As the stage of automatic driving, it is possible to switch between automatic driving without monitoring obligation, which is automatic driving in which there is no obligation to monitor the driver of the vehicle, and automatic driving with monitoring obligation, which is automatic driving in which the driver is obligated to monitor. It can be used in vehicles such as
When the vehicle speed adjustment unit needs to accelerate the vehicle during the automatic driving without the monitoring obligation, the suppressing unit controls the speed of the vehicle more than during the automatic driving with the monitoring obligation. A vehicle control device that lowers the upper limit of acceleration . The vehicle control device according to claim 2 or 3 ,
As the stage of automatic driving, it is possible to switch between automatic driving without monitoring obligation, which is automatic driving in which there is no obligation to monitor the driver of the vehicle, and automatic driving with monitoring obligation, which is automatic driving in which the driver is obligated to monitor. It can be used in vehicles such as
comprising a monitoring presence/absence identifying unit (108) that identifies whether or not the driver of the vehicle is monitoring the surrounding area;
The suppressing unit is configured to control the operation of the vehicle using the monitoring presence/absence specifying unit even if acceleration of the vehicle is required in adjusting the speed of the vehicle in the vehicle speed adjusting unit during the automatic driving without monitoring obligation. If it is specified that the surrounding area will be monitored by a person, the upper limit of the acceleration of the vehicle is set to be the same as that during automated driving with monitoring obligation, or higher than that during automated driving with monitoring obligation. Control device. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 2 to 4 ,
comprising a trigger detection unit (112) that detects a lane change trigger that is a trigger for implementing a lane change of the vehicle;
The suppressing unit controls the acceleration of the vehicle in adjusting the speed of the vehicle in the vehicle speed adjusting unit when the trigger detecting unit detects the lane change trigger even during the automatic driving without monitoring obligation. A vehicle control device that sets the upper limit of acceleration of the vehicle to be the same as that during automatic driving with monitoring obligation, or higher than that during automatic driving with monitoring obligation, when the above-mentioned automatic driving with monitoring obligation is required. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 ,
The stages of automated driving include area-limited automated driving, where automated driving is permitted in a limited area and there is no obligation to monitor the driver of the vehicle, and automated driving, which is limited to times of traffic congestion and where there is no obligation to monitor the driver of the vehicle. It is possible to use automated driving only in traffic jams, where driving is permitted, in a vehicle that can switch.
Both the area-limited automatic driving and the traffic-congestion-limited automatic driving cause the vehicle to perform follow-up driving in which the vehicle follows the vehicle immediately preceding it;
The suppression unit is configured to control the speed of the vehicle in the vehicle speed adjustment unit when the vehicle immediately preceding the vehicle changes lanes to an adjacent lane and the inter-vehicle distance in front of the vehicle suddenly increases during the traffic jam-limited automated driving. A vehicle control device that lowers an upper limit of acceleration of the vehicle than during the area-limited automatic driving when acceleration of the vehicle is required in adjustment. A vehicle control device that can be used in a vehicle that can switch stages of automatic driving,
a vehicle speed adjustment unit (105) that adjusts the speed of the vehicle to a set vehicle speed;
a suppressor (100) that changes an upper limit of the acceleration of the vehicle according to the stage of automatic driving of the vehicle when acceleration of the vehicle is required in adjusting the speed of the vehicle in the vehicle speed adjuster; Equipped with
The stages of automated driving include area-limited automated driving, where automated driving is permitted in a limited area and where there is no obligation to monitor the driver of the vehicle, and automated driving where there is no obligation to monitor the driver of the vehicle, limited to times of traffic congestion. It is possible to use automated driving only in traffic jams, where driving is permitted, in a vehicle that can switch.
Both the area-limited automatic driving and the traffic-congestion-limited automatic driving cause the vehicle to perform follow-up driving in which the vehicle follows the vehicle immediately preceding it;
The suppression unit is configured to control the speed of the vehicle in the vehicle speed adjustment unit when the vehicle immediately preceding the vehicle changes lanes to an adjacent lane and the inter-vehicle distance in front of the vehicle suddenly increases during the traffic jam-limited automated driving. A vehicle control device that lowers an upper limit of acceleration of the vehicle than during the area-limited automatic driving when acceleration of the vehicle is required in adjustment . The vehicle control device according to claim 6 or 7 ,
comprising a traffic jam determination unit (106) that determines whether the traffic jam continues;
When the traffic jam-limited automatic driving is in progress and the traffic jam determining unit determines that the traffic jam continues, the suppressing unit causes the vehicle immediately preceding the vehicle to change lanes to an adjacent lane. Even if the inter-vehicle distance in front of the vehicle suddenly increases and the vehicle speed adjustment section needs to accelerate the vehicle, the vehicle is maintained at a constant speed without being accelerated. A vehicle control device that maintains driving. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 ,
The stages of automated driving include area-limited automated driving, where automated driving is permitted in a limited area and where there is no obligation to monitor the driver of the vehicle, and automated driving where there is no obligation to monitor the driver of the vehicle, limited to times of traffic congestion. It is possible to use automated driving only in traffic jams, where driving is permitted, in a vehicle that can switch.
Both the area-limited automatic driving and the traffic-congestion-limited automatic driving cause the vehicle to perform follow-up driving in which the vehicle follows the vehicle immediately preceding it;
The suppression unit is configured to control the speed of the vehicle in the vehicle speed adjustment unit when the vehicle immediately preceding the vehicle changes lanes to an adjacent lane and the inter-vehicle distance in front of the vehicle suddenly increases during the area-limited automated driving. A vehicle control device that increases the upper limit of the acceleration of the vehicle when the adjustment requires acceleration of the vehicle, compared to when the automatic driving is limited to traffic jams. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 9 ,
As the stage of automatic driving, it is possible to use it in a vehicle that can be switched to automatic driving limited to traffic jams, in which automatic driving without the obligation of monitoring the driver of the vehicle is permitted only during traffic jams, and
The vehicle performs follow-up driving in which the vehicle follows the vehicle immediately preceding the vehicle during the traffic jam-limited automated driving,
The suppression unit is configured to control the speed of the vehicle in the vehicle speed adjustment unit when the vehicle immediately preceding the vehicle changes lanes to an adjacent lane and the inter-vehicle distance in front of the vehicle suddenly increases during the traffic jam-limited automated driving. A vehicle control device that temporarily stops acceleration of the vehicle even when acceleration of the vehicle is required during adjustment. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 9 ,
As the stage of automatic driving, it is possible to use it in a vehicle that can be switched to automatic driving limited to traffic jams, in which automatic driving without the obligation of monitoring the driver of the vehicle is permitted only during traffic jams, and
The vehicle performs follow-up driving in which the vehicle follows the vehicle immediately preceding the vehicle during the traffic jam-limited automated driving,
The suppression unit is configured to control the speed of the vehicle in the vehicle speed adjustment unit when the vehicle immediately preceding the vehicle changes lanes to an adjacent lane and the inter-vehicle distance in front of the vehicle suddenly increases during the traffic jam-limited automated driving. Vehicle control that maintains the speed of the vehicle at a speed that matches the speed of surrounding vehicles in the same traveling direction as the vehicle, excluding vehicles in front of the vehicle, even if acceleration of the vehicle is required in the adjustment. Device. A vehicle control device that can be used in a vehicle that can switch stages of automatic driving,
a vehicle speed adjustment unit (105) that adjusts the speed of the vehicle to a set vehicle speed;
a suppressor (100) that changes an upper limit of the acceleration of the vehicle according to the stage of automatic driving of the vehicle when acceleration of the vehicle is required in adjusting the speed of the vehicle in the vehicle speed adjuster; Equipped with
The stages of automated driving include area-limited automated driving, where automated driving is permitted in a limited area and where there is no obligation to monitor the driver of the vehicle, and automated driving where there is no obligation to monitor the driver of the vehicle, limited to times of traffic congestion. It is possible to use automated driving only in traffic jams, where driving is permitted, in a vehicle that can switch.
Both the area-limited automatic driving and the traffic-congestion-limited automatic driving cause the vehicle to perform follow-up driving in which the vehicle follows the vehicle immediately preceding it;
The suppression unit is configured to control the speed of the vehicle in the vehicle speed adjustment unit when the vehicle immediately preceding the vehicle changes lanes to an adjacent lane and the inter-vehicle distance in front of the vehicle suddenly increases during the area-limited automated driving. A vehicle control device that increases the upper limit of the acceleration of the vehicle when the adjustment requires acceleration of the vehicle, compared to when the automatic driving is limited to traffic jams . A vehicle control device that can be used in a vehicle that can switch stages of automatic driving,
a vehicle speed adjustment unit (105) that adjusts the speed of the vehicle to a set vehicle speed;
a suppressing unit (100) that changes an upper limit of acceleration of the vehicle according to a stage of automatic driving of the vehicle when acceleration of the vehicle is required in adjusting the speed of the vehicle in the vehicle speed adjusting unit; Equipped with
As the stage of automatic driving, it is possible to use it in a vehicle that can be switched to automatic driving limited to traffic jams, in which automatic driving is permitted only during traffic jams, without the obligation of monitoring the driver of the vehicle, and
The vehicle performs follow-up driving in which the vehicle follows the vehicle immediately preceding the vehicle during the traffic jam-limited automated driving;
The suppression unit is configured to control the speed of the vehicle in the vehicle speed adjustment unit when the vehicle immediately preceding the vehicle changes lanes to an adjacent lane and the inter-vehicle distance in front of the vehicle suddenly increases during the traffic jam-limited automated driving. A vehicle control device that temporarily stops acceleration of the vehicle even when acceleration of the vehicle is required for adjustment . A vehicle control device that can be used in a vehicle that can switch stages of automatic driving,
a vehicle speed adjustment unit (105) that adjusts the speed of the vehicle to a set vehicle speed;
a suppressor (100) that changes an upper limit of the acceleration of the vehicle according to the stage of automatic driving of the vehicle when acceleration of the vehicle is required in adjusting the speed of the vehicle in the vehicle speed adjuster; Equipped with
As the stage of automatic driving, it is possible to use it in a vehicle that can be switched to automatic driving limited to traffic jams, in which automatic driving without the obligation of monitoring the driver of the vehicle is permitted only during traffic jams, and
The vehicle performs follow-up driving in which the vehicle follows the vehicle immediately preceding the vehicle during the traffic jam-limited automated driving,
The suppression unit is configured to control the speed of the vehicle in the vehicle speed adjustment unit when the vehicle immediately preceding the vehicle changes lanes to an adjacent lane and the inter-vehicle distance in front of the vehicle suddenly increases during the traffic jam-limited automated driving. For vehicles that maintain the speed of the vehicle at a speed that matches the speed of surrounding vehicles in the same traveling direction as the vehicle, excluding vehicles in front of the vehicle, even if the vehicle needs to be accelerated during adjustment. Control device. The vehicle control device according to claim 11 or 14 ,
During the limited automated driving in traffic jams, the suppression unit controls the vehicle to adjust its speed to the speed of the surrounding vehicle after a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the vehicle immediately preceding the vehicle changed lanes to an adjacent lane. A vehicle control device that releases speed maintenance. A vehicle control device that can be used in a vehicle that can switch stages of automatic driving,
a vehicle speed adjustment unit (105) that adjusts the speed of the vehicle to a set vehicle speed;
a suppressor (100) that changes an upper limit of the acceleration of the vehicle according to the stage of automatic driving of the vehicle when acceleration of the vehicle is required in adjusting the speed of the vehicle in the vehicle speed adjuster; Equipped with
As the stage of automatic driving, it is possible to use it in a vehicle that can be switched to automatic driving limited to traffic jams, in which automatic driving without the obligation of monitoring the driver of the vehicle is permitted only during traffic jams, and
The vehicle performs follow-up driving in which the vehicle follows the vehicle immediately preceding the vehicle during the traffic jam-limited automated driving,
The suppression unit is configured to control the speed of the vehicle in the vehicle speed adjustment unit when the vehicle immediately preceding the vehicle changes lanes to an adjacent lane and the inter-vehicle distance in front of the vehicle suddenly increases during the traffic jam-limited automated driving. Even if the adjustment requires acceleration of the vehicle, maintaining the speed of the vehicle at a speed that matches the speed of surrounding vehicles in the same traveling direction as the vehicle, excluding vehicles in front of the vehicle;
During the limited automated driving in traffic jams, the suppression unit controls the vehicle to adjust its speed to the speed of the surrounding vehicle after a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the vehicle immediately preceding the vehicle changed lanes to an adjacent lane. A vehicle control device that releases speed maintenance . The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 16 ,
comprising a state identification unit (107, 111) that identifies the state of the road on which the vehicle is traveling or the state of the occupant;
When the vehicle speed adjustment unit needs to accelerate the vehicle in adjusting the speed of the vehicle, the suppressing unit controls the vehicle not only in the automatic driving stage but also in the state specified by the state specifying unit. A vehicle control device that changes an upper limit of acceleration of the vehicle accordingly. A vehicle control device that can be used in a vehicle that can switch stages of automatic driving,
a vehicle speed adjustment unit (105) that adjusts the speed of the vehicle to a set vehicle speed;
a suppressor (100) that changes an upper limit of the acceleration of the vehicle according to the stage of automatic driving of the vehicle when acceleration of the vehicle is required in adjusting the speed of the vehicle in the vehicle speed adjuster; ,
a state identifying unit (107, 111) that identifies the state of the road on which the vehicle is traveling or the state of the occupant;
When the vehicle speed adjustment unit needs to accelerate the vehicle in adjusting the speed of the vehicle, the suppressing unit controls the vehicle not only in the automatic driving stage but also in the state specified by the state specifying unit. A vehicle control device that changes an upper limit of acceleration of the vehicle accordingly . The vehicle control device according to claim 17 or 18 ,
The state identification unit (111) identifies at least the state of the road on which the vehicle is traveling,
The suppressing unit is a vehicle control device that lowers an upper limit of acceleration of the vehicle when the state of the road on which the vehicle is traveling, which is specified by the state specifying unit, is a curved road than when the road is a straight road. 19. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 7 to 19 ,
The state identification unit (107) identifies at least the state of the occupant of the vehicle,
When the condition of the occupant of the vehicle identified by the condition specifying section is that the occupant is in poor physical condition or is concentrating on work using vision other than monitoring the surroundings, the suppressing section may suppress the condition of the occupant, compared to when the occupant is not in these conditions. A vehicle control device that lowers an upper limit of acceleration of the vehicle. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 20 ,
comprising a fellow passenger presence/absence identifying unit (109) that identifies the presence/absence of a fellow passenger who is a passenger other than the driver of the vehicle;
When the vehicle speed adjustment unit needs to accelerate the vehicle in adjusting the speed of the vehicle, the suppression unit is configured to control the speed of the vehicle specified by the passenger presence identification unit in addition to the automatic driving stage of the vehicle. A vehicle control device that changes an upper limit of acceleration of the vehicle depending on the presence or absence of a fellow passenger. A vehicle control device that can be used in a vehicle that can switch stages of automatic driving,
a vehicle speed adjustment unit (105) that adjusts the speed of the vehicle to a set vehicle speed;
a suppressor (100) that changes an upper limit of the acceleration of the vehicle according to the stage of automatic driving of the vehicle when acceleration of the vehicle is required in adjusting the speed of the vehicle in the vehicle speed adjuster; ,
a passenger presence identification unit (109) that identifies the presence or absence of a fellow passenger who is a passenger other than the driver of the vehicle;
When the vehicle speed adjustment unit needs to accelerate the vehicle in adjusting the speed of the vehicle, the suppression unit is configured to control the speed of the vehicle specified by the passenger presence identification unit in addition to the automatic driving stage of the vehicle. A vehicle control device that changes an upper limit of acceleration of the vehicle depending on the presence or absence of a fellow passenger . The vehicle control device according to claim 21 or 22 ,
The suppression unit is configured to set an upper limit of the acceleration of the vehicle when the passenger presence identification unit specifies that the passenger is present than when the passenger presence identification unit specifies that there is no passenger. A vehicle control device that lowers the vehicle height. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 21 to 23 ,
comprising a passenger type identification unit (110) that identifies the type of passenger of the vehicle;
When the passenger presence/absence specifying section specifies that there is a fellow passenger, and the fellow passenger type specifying section specifies that the fellow passenger is a person to be protected, the suppressing section controls the suppression section. A vehicle control device that lowers an upper limit of acceleration of the vehicle than when a fellow passenger is identified as not being a person to be protected by a fellow passenger type identification unit. A vehicle control method that can be used in a vehicle capable of switching stages of automatic driving,
executed by at least one processor;
a vehicle speed adjustment step of adjusting the speed of the vehicle to a set vehicle speed;
If acceleration of the vehicle is required in adjusting the speed of the vehicle in the vehicle speed adjustment step, the upper limit of the acceleration of the vehicle is set to three or more stages according to the three or more automatic driving stages of the vehicle. A control method for a vehicle, comprising: a suppressing step of changing the control method. A vehicle control method that can be used in a vehicle capable of switching stages of automatic driving,
executed by at least one processor;
a vehicle speed adjustment step of adjusting the speed of the vehicle to a set vehicle speed;
a suppressing step of changing an upper limit of the acceleration of the vehicle according to the stage of automatic driving of the vehicle, when acceleration of the vehicle is required in adjusting the speed of the vehicle in the vehicle speed adjustment step. ,
As the stage of automatic driving, it is possible to switch between automatic driving without monitoring obligation, which is automatic driving in which there is no obligation to monitor the driver of the vehicle, and automatic driving with monitoring obligation, which is automatic driving in which the driver is obligated to monitor. It can be used in vehicles such as
In the suppression step, if acceleration of the vehicle is required in adjusting the speed of the vehicle in the vehicle speed adjustment step during the automatic driving without the monitoring obligation, the speed of the vehicle is lower than during the automatic driving with the monitoring obligation. A vehicle control method that lowers the upper limit of acceleration . A vehicle control method that can be used in a vehicle capable of switching stages of automatic driving,
executed by at least one processor;
a vehicle speed adjustment step of adjusting the speed of the vehicle to a set vehicle speed;
a suppressing step of changing an upper limit of the acceleration of the vehicle according to the stage of automatic driving of the vehicle, when acceleration of the vehicle is required in adjusting the speed of the vehicle in the vehicle speed adjustment step. ,
The stages of automated driving include area-limited automated driving, where automated driving is permitted in a limited area and where there is no obligation to monitor the driver of the vehicle, and automated driving where there is no obligation to monitor the driver of the vehicle, limited to times of traffic congestion. It is possible to use automated driving only in traffic jams, where driving is permitted, in a vehicle that can switch.
Both the area-limited automatic driving and the traffic-congestion-limited automatic driving cause the vehicle to perform follow-up driving in which the vehicle follows the vehicle immediately preceding it;
In the suppression step, during the congestion-limited automatic driving, the vehicle immediately preceding the vehicle changes lanes to an adjacent lane, and the inter-vehicle distance in front of the vehicle suddenly increases, and the speed of the vehicle in the vehicle speed adjustment step increases. A vehicle control method that lowers an upper limit of the acceleration of the vehicle than during the area-limited automatic driving when the vehicle needs to be accelerated during adjustment . A vehicle control method that can be used in a vehicle capable of switching stages of automatic driving,
executed by at least one processor;
a vehicle speed adjustment step of adjusting the speed of the vehicle to a set vehicle speed;
a suppressing step of changing an upper limit of the acceleration of the vehicle according to the stage of automatic driving of the vehicle, when acceleration of the vehicle is required in adjusting the speed of the vehicle in the vehicle speed adjustment step. ,
The stages of automated driving include area-limited automated driving, where automated driving is permitted in a limited area and where there is no obligation to monitor the driver of the vehicle, and automated driving where there is no obligation to monitor the driver of the vehicle, limited to times of traffic congestion. It is possible to use automated driving only in traffic jams, where driving is permitted, in a vehicle that can switch.
Both the area-limited automatic driving and the traffic-congestion-limited automatic driving cause the vehicle to perform follow-up driving in which the vehicle follows the vehicle immediately preceding it;
In the suppression step, during the area-limited automatic driving, the vehicle immediately preceding the vehicle changes lanes to an adjacent lane, and the inter-vehicle distance in front of the vehicle suddenly increases, and the speed of the vehicle in the vehicle speed adjustment step increases. A vehicle control method that increases the upper limit of the acceleration of the vehicle when the adjustment requires acceleration of the vehicle, compared to when the automatic driving is limited to traffic jams . A vehicle control method that can be used in a vehicle capable of switching stages of automatic driving,
executed by at least one processor;
a vehicle speed adjustment step of adjusting the speed of the vehicle to a set vehicle speed;
a suppressing step of changing an upper limit of the acceleration of the vehicle according to the stage of automatic driving of the vehicle, when acceleration of the vehicle is required in adjusting the speed of the vehicle in the vehicle speed adjustment step. ,
As the stage of automatic driving, it is possible to use it in a vehicle that can be switched to automatic driving limited to traffic jams, in which automatic driving without the obligation of monitoring the driver of the vehicle is permitted only during traffic jams, and
The vehicle performs follow-up driving in which the vehicle follows the vehicle immediately preceding the vehicle during the traffic jam-limited automated driving,
In the suppression step, during the congestion-limited automatic driving, the vehicle immediately preceding the vehicle changes lanes to an adjacent lane, and the inter-vehicle distance in front of the vehicle suddenly increases, and the speed of the vehicle in the vehicle speed adjustment step increases. A vehicle control method for temporarily stopping acceleration of the vehicle even when acceleration of the vehicle is required for adjustment . A vehicle control method that can be used in a vehicle capable of switching stages of automatic driving,
executed by at least one processor;
a vehicle speed adjustment step of adjusting the speed of the vehicle to a set vehicle speed;
a suppressing step of changing an upper limit of the acceleration of the vehicle according to the stage of automatic driving of the vehicle, when acceleration of the vehicle is required in adjusting the speed of the vehicle in the vehicle speed adjustment step. ,
As the stage of automatic driving, it is possible to use it in a vehicle that can be switched to automatic driving limited to traffic jams, in which automatic driving without the obligation of monitoring the driver of the vehicle is permitted only during traffic jams, and
The vehicle performs follow-up driving in which the vehicle follows the vehicle immediately preceding the vehicle during the traffic jam-limited automated driving,
In the suppression step, during the congestion-limited automatic driving, the vehicle immediately preceding the vehicle changes lanes to an adjacent lane, and the inter-vehicle distance in front of the vehicle suddenly increases, and the speed of the vehicle in the vehicle speed adjustment step increases. Vehicle control that maintains the speed of the vehicle at a speed that matches the speed of surrounding vehicles in the same traveling direction as the vehicle, excluding vehicles in front of the vehicle, even if acceleration of the vehicle is required in the adjustment. Method. A vehicle control method that can be used in a vehicle capable of switching stages of automatic driving,
executed by at least one processor;
a vehicle speed adjustment step of adjusting the speed of the vehicle to a set vehicle speed;
a suppressing step of changing an upper limit of the acceleration of the vehicle according to the stage of automatic driving of the vehicle, when acceleration of the vehicle is required in adjusting the speed of the vehicle in the vehicle speed adjustment step. ,
As the stage of automatic driving, it is possible to use it in a vehicle that can be switched to automatic driving limited to traffic jams, in which automatic driving without the obligation of monitoring the driver of the vehicle is permitted only during traffic jams, and
The vehicle performs follow-up driving in which the vehicle follows the vehicle immediately preceding the vehicle during the traffic jam-limited automated driving,
In the suppression step, during the congestion-limited automatic driving, the vehicle immediately preceding the vehicle changes lanes to an adjacent lane, and the inter-vehicle distance in front of the vehicle suddenly increases, and the speed of the vehicle in the vehicle speed adjustment step increases. Even if the adjustment requires acceleration of the vehicle, maintaining the speed of the vehicle at a speed that matches the speed of surrounding vehicles in the same traveling direction as the vehicle, excluding vehicles in front of the vehicle;
In the suppression step, during the limited automatic driving in traffic jams, after a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the vehicle immediately preceding the vehicle changed lanes to an adjacent lane, the vehicle is reduced to a speed that matches the speed of the surrounding vehicle. A vehicle control method for canceling speed maintenance . A vehicle control method that can be used in a vehicle capable of switching stages of automatic driving,
executed by at least one processor;
a vehicle speed adjustment step of adjusting the speed of the vehicle to a set vehicle speed;
a suppressing step of changing an upper limit of the acceleration of the vehicle according to the stage of automatic driving of the vehicle when acceleration of the vehicle is required in adjusting the speed of the vehicle in the vehicle speed adjusting step ;
a state identifying step of identifying the state of the road on which the vehicle is traveling or the state of the occupant ;
In the suppression step, when acceleration of the vehicle is required in adjusting the speed of the vehicle in the vehicle speed adjustment step, the control is performed not only during the automatic driving stage of the vehicle but also in the state specified in the state identification step. A vehicle control method that changes an upper limit of acceleration of the vehicle accordingly . A vehicle control method that can be used in a vehicle capable of switching stages of automatic driving,
executed by at least one processor;
a vehicle speed adjustment step of adjusting the speed of the vehicle to a set vehicle speed;
a suppressing step of changing an upper limit of the acceleration of the vehicle according to the stage of automatic driving of the vehicle when acceleration of the vehicle is required in adjusting the speed of the vehicle in the vehicle speed adjusting step ;
a step of identifying the presence or absence of a fellow passenger who is a passenger other than the driver of the vehicle ;
In the suppression step, if acceleration of the vehicle is required in adjusting the speed of the vehicle in the vehicle speed adjustment step, not only the stage of automatic driving of the vehicle but also the A vehicle control method that changes an upper limit of acceleration of the vehicle depending on the presence or absence of a fellow passenger .

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