Control device for a vehicle

Abstract

A control device (200) of a vehicle that suppresses a request for a switch to manual driving when manual driving is not ready, includes: an autonomous driving control section (81) that implements autonomous driving that automatically performs a driving operation of the vehicle based on autonomous driving information; and a driving intervention degree control section (82) that changes a driving intervention degree of a driver in the autonomous driving. The driving intervention degree control section includes: a switch prediction determination section (821) that determines a distance to or a required time for a switch prediction location at which a switch to manual driving is predicted; a response difficulty determination section (822) that determines a response difficulty of the driver when the switch to manual driving is made; a required driving intervention degree setting section (823) that sets a required driving intervention degree of the driver in the autonomous driving based on the distance to or the required time for the switch prediction location and the response difficulty; and an information providing section (824) that provides information related to the required driving intervention degree to the driver.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a vehicle control device. Background Technology

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a device that, as a conventional vehicle control device, calculates the degree of danger relative to driving based on the position of the non-handling hand when at least one hand is released from the steering wheel and issues a warning corresponding to that degree of danger.

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-227663

[0004] However, the existing vehicle control systems described above are based on the driver's current state, such as the position of the non-handle, and do not provide the driver with information such as appropriate warnings that take into account the transition from autonomous driving to future manual driving. Therefore, there is a concern that the system might request the driver to switch from autonomous to manual driving when the driver is not ready for manual driving. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This invention was made with the aim of addressing such a problem, and its purpose is to suppress the driver's request to switch from automatic to manual driving when the driver is not ready for manual driving.

[0006] To address the aforementioned issues, according to a certain aspect of the present invention, a vehicle control device for controlling a vehicle equipped with an autonomous driving information acquisition device for acquiring autonomous driving information necessary for autonomous driving and an information provision device for providing information to a driver comprises: an autonomous driving control unit for automatically performing driving operations of the vehicle based on autonomous driving information; and a driving intervention control unit for changing the driver's driving intervention level during autonomous driving. The driving intervention control unit comprises: a switching prediction determination unit for determining the distance or required time to a predicted switching location where a switch to manual driving is expected; a response difficulty determination unit for determining the difficulty of the driver's response when switching to manual driving; a requested driving intervention setting unit for setting the requested driving intervention level of the driver during autonomous driving based on the distance or required time to the predicted switching location and the response difficulty; and an information provision unit for providing information related to the requested driving intervention level to the driver.

[0007] According to this method of the invention, it is possible to suppress the driver's request to switch from automatic driving to manual driving when the driver is not ready for manual driving. Attached Figure Description

[0008] Figure 1This is a simplified structural diagram of an autonomous driving system for vehicles according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0009] Figure 2 This is a simplified exterior view of the vehicle equipped with the autonomous driving system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] Figure 3 This is a simplified interior view of the vehicle equipped with the autonomous driving system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0011] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating the driving intervention control of the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] Figure 5 This is an example of a setting diagram used to determine the required level of driving intervention based on the distance to the expected location and the ease of the driver's response.

[0013] Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the required driving intervention level set by the driving intervention level control according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 7 This is a simplified structural diagram illustrating an automatic driving system for a vehicle according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 8 This is a flowchart illustrating the driving intervention control of the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0017] 10… Surrounding environment information acquisition device (autonomous driving information acquisition device); 20… Vehicle information acquisition device (autonomous driving information acquisition device); 30… Driver information acquisition device (autonomous driving information acquisition device); 70… Navigation device (autonomous driving information acquisition device); 80… Electronic control unit (control device); 81… Autonomous driving control unit; 82… Driving intervention degree control unit; 821… Switching prediction determination unit; 822… Difficulty of response determination unit; 823… Required driving intervention degree setting unit; 824… Information provision unit; 825… Actual driving intervention degree determination unit; 826… Deviation degree calculation unit. Detailed Implementation

[0018] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, in the following description, the same reference numerals will be used to denote the same constituent elements.

[0019] (First Implementation)

[0020] Figure 1This is a simplified structural diagram of an autonomous driving system 100 for vehicles according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 This is a simplified exterior view of the vehicle 1 equipped with the autonomous driving system 100 of this embodiment. Figure 3 This is a simplified interior view of the vehicle 1 equipped with the autonomous driving system 100 of this embodiment.

[0021] like Figure 1 As shown, the autonomous driving system 100 of this embodiment includes a surrounding environment information acquisition device 10, a vehicle information acquisition device 20, a driver information acquisition device 30, a map database 40, a storage device 50, a human-machine interface (HMI) 60, a navigation device 70, and an electronic control unit 80.

[0022] The surrounding environment information acquisition device 10 is a device used to acquire information related to the surrounding environment of the vehicle 1, such as obstacles (e.g., buildings, vehicles traveling in front, following, or oncoming traffic, parked vehicles, curbs, fallen objects, and pedestrians), and weather (hereinafter referred to as "surrounding environment information"). Figures 1-3 As shown, the surrounding environment information acquisition device 10 of this embodiment includes an optical radar (LIDAR; Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging) 11, a millimeter-wave radar sensor 12, an external camera 13, an illuminance sensor 14, a rain sensor 15, and an external information receiving device 16.

[0023] The optical radar 11 uses lasers to detect the road and obstacles around the vehicle. For example... Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, the optical radar 11 is mounted on the roof of the vehicle 1. The optical radar 11 sequentially illuminates a laser beam around the entire circumference of the vehicle 1, measuring the distance from the reflected light to the road and obstacles around the vehicle. Furthermore, based on the measurement results, the optical radar 11 generates a three-dimensional image of the road and obstacles around the vehicle 1, and sends the generated three-dimensional image information to the electronic control unit 80.

[0024] Furthermore, there are no particular restrictions on the installation location and number of the optical radar 11, as long as the information required to generate a three-dimensional image can be obtained. For example, it can be installed separately inside the grille, headlights, brake lights, or other lights of the vehicle 1, or it can be installed separately in the main body (frame) of the vehicle 1.

[0025] Millimeter-wave radar sensor 12 uses radio waves to detect obstacles around the vehicle at a greater distance than optical radar 11. For example... Figure 2As shown, in this embodiment, millimeter-wave radar sensors 12 are respectively mounted on the front bumper and rear bumper of the vehicle 1. The millimeter-wave radar sensors 12 emit radio waves to the surroundings of the vehicle 1 (in this embodiment, the front, rear, and sides of the vehicle 1), and measure the distance to obstacles around the vehicle and the relative speed with respect to those obstacles based on the reflected waves. Furthermore, the millimeter-wave radar sensors 12 send their measurement results as vehicle perimeter information to the electronic control unit 80.

[0026] Furthermore, there are no particular restrictions on the installation location and number of millimeter-wave radar sensors 12, as long as they can obtain the required information about the vehicle's surroundings. For example, they can be installed inside the grille or lights such as headlights and brake lights of the vehicle 1, or they can be installed in the main body (frame) of the vehicle 1.

[0027] External camera 13 takes a picture of the front of vehicle 1. (e.g.) Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, the external camera 13 is mounted at the center of the front end of the roof of the vehicle 1. The external camera 13 performs image processing on the images captured in front of the vehicle, thereby detecting road information such as obstacle information in front of the vehicle, lane width, road shape, road signs, presence or absence of white lines, and traffic light status; driving information of the vehicle 1 such as yaw angle (vehicle's relative direction to the driving lane) and vehicle offset position relative to the center of the driving lane; and weather information around the vehicle such as rain, snow, and fog. Furthermore, the external camera 13 sends the detected information to the electronic control unit 80.

[0028] Furthermore, there are no particular restrictions on the installation location and number of external cameras 13, as long as they can capture images of the front of the vehicle 1. For example, they can also be installed in the upper center of the back of the windshield inside the vehicle.

[0029] Illuminance sensor 14 detects the illuminance around the vehicle. For example... Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, the illuminance sensor 14 is mounted on the upper surface of the dashboard inside the vehicle. The illuminance sensor 14 sends the detected illuminance information around the vehicle to the electronic control unit 80.

[0030] Rain gauge 15 detects the presence and amount of precipitation. For example... Figure 2As shown, in this embodiment, the rain sensor 15 is mounted on the upper center of the windshield surface of the vehicle 1. The rain sensor 15 illuminates the windshield surface with light generated by a built-in light-emitting element, and measures the changes in the reflected light to detect precipitation information such as the presence or absence of precipitation and the amount of precipitation. Furthermore, the rain sensor 15 sends the detected precipitation information to the electronic control unit 80.

[0031] The external information receiving device 16 receives external information, such as traffic congestion information and weather information (rain, snow, fog, wind speed, etc.) sent from external communication centers, such as the road traffic information communication system center. The external information receiving device 16 then sends the received external information to the electronic control unit 80.

[0032] The vehicle information acquisition device 20 is a device for acquiring information related to the state of the vehicle 1, such as its speed, acceleration, attitude, and current position (hereinafter referred to as "vehicle information"). Figure 1 As shown, the vehicle information acquisition device 20 of this embodiment includes a vehicle speed sensor 21, an acceleration sensor 22, a yaw rate sensor 23, and a GPS receiver 24.

[0033] The vehicle speed sensor 21 is a sensor used to detect the speed of the vehicle 1. The vehicle speed sensor 21 sends the detected vehicle speed information of the vehicle 1 to the electronic control unit 80.

[0034] Acceleration sensor 22 is a sensor used to detect the acceleration of the vehicle 1 during acceleration and braking. Acceleration sensor 22 sends the detected acceleration information of the vehicle 1 to electronic control unit 80.

[0035] The yaw rate sensor 23 is a sensor used to detect the attitude of the vehicle 1. Specifically, it detects the rate of change of the yaw angle of the vehicle 1 when it turns, that is, the turning angular velocity (yaw rate) of the vehicle 1 about the vertical axis. The yaw rate sensor 23 sends the detected attitude information of the vehicle 1 to the electronic control unit 80.

[0036] GPS receiver 24 receives signals from three or more GPS satellites to determine the latitude and longitude of vehicle 1 and detect the current position of vehicle 1. GPS receiver 24 sends the detected current position information of vehicle 1 to electronic control unit 80.

[0037] The driver information acquisition device 30 is a device for acquiring information (hereinafter referred to as "driver information") related to the status of the driver of the vehicle 1. Figure 1 as well as Figure 3As shown, the driver information acquisition device 30 of this embodiment includes a driver monitoring camera 31 and a steering wheel touch sensor 32.

[0038] A driver monitoring camera 31 is mounted on the upper surface of the steering column cover to capture images of the driver's appearance. The driver monitoring camera 31 performs image processing on the captured images of the driver to detect driver appearance information such as facial expressions (direction of the driver's face, degree of eye opening and closing, etc.) and posture. Furthermore, the driver monitoring camera 31 sends the detected driver appearance information to the electronic control unit 80.

[0039] A steering wheel touch sensor 32 is mounted on the steering wheel. The steering wheel touch sensor 32 detects whether the driver is holding the steering wheel and sends the detected steering holding information to the electronic control unit 80.

[0040] Map database 40 is a database related to map information. This map database 40 is stored, for example, on a hard disk drive (HDD) installed in a vehicle. The map information includes road location information, road shape information (e.g., types of curves and straight sections, curvature of curves), location information of intersections and branching points, road types, and so on.

[0041] Storage device 50 stores road maps specifically for autonomous driving. The road maps specifically for autonomous driving are created by electronic control unit 80 based on three-dimensional images generated by LiDAR 11, and are updated frequently or periodically by electronic control unit 80.

[0042] HMI60 is an interface for inputting and outputting information between the driver or vehicle occupant and the automatic driving system 100. The HMI60 in this embodiment includes an information providing device 61 for providing various information to the driver, a microphone 62 for recognizing the driver's voice, and an input operator 63 such as a touch panel and operation buttons for the driver to perform input operations.

[0043] The information providing device 61 includes a display 611 for displaying text information and image information and a speaker 612 for generating sound.

[0044] The navigation device 70 is a device that guides the vehicle 1 to the destination set by the driver via the HMI 60. The navigation device 70 calculates the target route to the destination based on the current location information of the vehicle 1 detected by the GPS receiver 24 and the map information in the map database 40, and sends the information related to the calculated target route as navigation information to the electronic control unit 80.

[0045] The electronic control unit 80 is a microcomputer with a central processing unit (CPU), a read-out dedicated memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), input ports, and output ports interconnected by a bidirectional bus.

[0046] The electronic control unit 80 includes an automatic driving control unit 81. When the driver switches from manual driving mode (the mode in which the driver performs driving operations related to acceleration, steering, and braking) to automatic driving mode, the automatic driving control unit 81 automatically performs driving operations related to acceleration, steering, and braking. Based on automatic driving information input to the electronic control unit 80, such as surrounding environment information, vehicle information, driver information, and navigation information, the automatic driving control unit 81 controls various control components required for performing driving operations related to acceleration, steering, and braking, thereby implementing automatic driving of the vehicle.

[0047] Here, in manual driving, the driver understands the surrounding traffic environment and performs appropriate driving operations accordingly. On the other hand, in autonomous driving, there are situations where the driver does not intervene, or even if the driver intervenes, the degree of intervention (driving intervention level) is low.

[0048] Therefore, when switching from autonomous driving to manual driving, if the driver does not intervene or, even if, the intervention is minimal, the driver may not be able to immediately grasp the surrounding traffic environment. As a result, appropriate driving maneuvers may be impossible when switching to manual driving, leading to concerns about erratic vehicle behavior. In other words, it can be said that a low level of driver intervention in autonomous driving indicates that the driver is not ready for manual driving.

[0049] Therefore, in autonomous driving, when there is a point on the target route of the vehicle 1 where a switch to manual driving is expected (hereinafter referred to as the "expected switch point") exists, the driver's degree of intervention is changed based on the distance to the expected switch point and the time required. Specifically, it is preferable to gradually increase the driver's degree of intervention as the vehicle approaches the expected switch point.

[0050] This prevents the driver from being forced to switch from automatic to manual driving when they are not ready for it. In other words, when a switch to manual driving is requested, it prevents the driver from being forced into a state of unpreparedness for manual driving that necessitates a rapid change in their state. Therefore, when a switch to manual driving is requested, the driver's state does not change drastically, allowing for a smooth transition from automatic to manual driving.

[0051] Furthermore, as a predicted switching point, one could cite the end point of an area where autonomous driving is possible (hereinafter referred to as the "autonomous driving area"). Additionally, if, for example, an area exists on the target route where the detection accuracy of surrounding environmental information is reduced due to weather conditions such as heavy rain, heavy snow, dense fog, or storms, or road conditions such as tunnel exits, making it difficult to continue autonomous driving, one could cite an entry point into that area. Thus, the predicted switching point is a boundary point for the implementation of autonomous driving that can be predicted through certain means.

[0052] Furthermore, in autonomous driving, there may be situations where, for example, malfunctions occur in the LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) system, various sensors, or cameras, preventing the proper detection of the surrounding environment, vehicle information, or driver information. These situations may arise due to unforeseen and significant factors, making it unsuitable to continue autonomous driving. In such cases, switching to manual driving is preferable.

[0053] Therefore, even before reaching the expected switching point, there may be situations where a switch to manual driving is necessary. Ideally, even in such cases, the driver's state should not change drastically, and the transition from automatic to manual driving should be smooth. However, it is difficult to predict the occurrence of the aforementioned unexpected situations, and therefore it is difficult to predict whether a switch to manual driving will occur before reaching the expected switching point.

[0054] Here, the traffic environment around the vehicle changes constantly, and the difficulty for the driver to cope when switching to manual driving varies depending on the surrounding traffic environment.

[0055] For example, in complex traffic environments such as heavy traffic, close proximity to other vehicles, high relative speeds, high speed limits on the road, areas with low curvature, or under traffic control, understanding the surrounding traffic conditions takes time, and the driving operation becomes more complex when switching to manual driving. Therefore, in complex traffic environments, the driver's burden inevitably increases when switching to manual driving, thus increasing the difficulty of the driver's response. On the other hand, in simple traffic environments, the driver's burden decreases when switching to manual driving, thus reducing the difficulty of the driver's response.

[0056] Therefore, for example, when a driver is in a certain state of mind and is asked to switch to manual driving in a complex traffic environment, the driver's burden increases when switching to manual driving compared to when being asked to switch to manual driving in a simple traffic environment. Correspondingly, it can be said that the change in the driver's state also increases.

[0057] Therefore, it is preferable to adjust the driver's intervention level based on the surrounding traffic environment of the vehicle and, more specifically, on the ease with which the driver can respond when switching to manual driving. More specifically, it is preferable to increase the driver's intervention level when the ease of response to manual driving is higher than when it is lower. This way, even if a switch to manual driving is requested before reaching the expected switching point, abrupt changes in the driver's state can be suppressed. Thus, a smooth transition from automatic to manual driving is possible.

[0058] Therefore, in addition to the automatic driving control unit 81, the electronic control unit 80 of this embodiment also includes a driving intervention control unit 82, which is used to change the degree of driver intervention in automatic driving. Moreover, the driving intervention control unit 82 includes a switching prediction determination unit 821, a response difficulty determination unit 822, a required driving intervention setting unit 823, and an information providing unit 824, and is configured to set an appropriate degree of driver intervention (hereinafter referred to as "required driving intervention") required in automatic driving based on the distance (or time required) to the switching prediction location and the difficulty of the driver's response when switching to manual driving.

[0059] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating the driving intervention control implemented by the electronic control unit 80 in this embodiment. The electronic control unit 80 repeatedly executes this procedure according to a predetermined calculation cycle in autonomous driving mode.

[0060] In step S1, the electronic control unit 80 determines whether a switchover prediction location exists on the target route of the vehicle 1. In this embodiment, the electronic control unit 80 determines whether there is an end point of the autonomous driving section on the target route based on navigation information; if such an end point exists, it is determined that a switchover prediction location exists. Furthermore, the electronic control unit 80, based on navigation information and, as needed, on external information included in the surrounding environment information, determines whether, due to weather conditions, road conditions, etc., there is a section on the target route where continued autonomous driving is difficult; if such a section exists, it is determined that a switchover prediction location exists. Moreover, the specific method for determining whether a switchover prediction location exists on the target route is not limited to this method.

[0061] If a planned switching location exists on the target route, the electronic control unit 80 proceeds to step S2. Conversely, if no planned switching location exists on the target route, the electronic control unit 80 proceeds to step S7.

[0062] In step S2, the electronic control unit 80 calculates the distance or time required to reach the expected switching location. In this embodiment, the electronic control unit 80 calculates the distance to the expected switching location based on the vehicle's current position and the expected switching location contained in the vehicle information.

[0063] In step S3, the electronic control unit 80 determines the ease or difficulty of the driver's response if the driver were to switch to manual driving at the current moment. In this embodiment, the electronic control unit 80 identifies the surrounding traffic environment based on surrounding environmental information and determines the ease or difficulty of the driver's response. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the ease or difficulty of the driver's response is divided into three levels (easy, medium, and difficult) based on the complexity of the surrounding traffic environment (such as traffic volume and road curvature).

[0064] In step S4, the electronic control unit 80 refers to Figure 5 The system sets the required level of driver intervention in autonomous driving based on the distance to the expected switching location and the ease of driver response.

[0065] like Figure 5 As shown, in this embodiment, the required degree of driving intervention is roughly divided into three levels: Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3.

[0066] The requirement for driver intervention level 1 is when it is determined that the autonomous driving system 100 does not require driver intervention, such as when it is possible to allow the implementation of sub-tasks unrelated to driving operations (such as smartphone operation).

[0067] When the required level of driver intervention is 2, it means that the autonomous driving system 100 requests intermittent driver intervention from the driver. For example, the autonomous driving system 100 requests permission from the driver to implement various driving assistance (lane change, speed change, etc.) and only implements the driving assistance if the driver understands the surrounding traffic environment and permits its implementation.

[0068] When the required level of driver intervention is 3, it means that the autonomous driving system 100 requires continuous driver intervention from the driver, such as when the driver instructs the autonomous driving system 100 to implement various driver assistance measures.

[0069] like Figure 5 As shown, the required level of driver intervention is higher when the distance (or time) to the expected location is shorter than when it is longer. Additionally, the required level of driver intervention is higher when the driver's response difficulty is higher than when it is lower.

[0070] In step S5, the electronic control unit 80 determines whether the required driving intervention level has changed. Specifically, the electronic control unit 80 determines whether the required driving intervention level set in the previous process is different from the required driving intervention level set in the current process. If they are different, it is determined that the required driving intervention level has changed. If the required driving intervention level has changed, the electronic control unit 80 proceeds to step S6. On the other hand, if the required driving intervention level has not changed, the electronic control unit 80 ends the current process.

[0071] In step S6, the electronic control unit 80 provides information related to the required level of driving intervention to the driver via the information providing device 61. This information may include details that could prompt the driver's state to change towards the required level of intervention. Specific information can be provided via text or sound, or simply by changing the volume of a buzzer. By providing this information, the driver is alerted to changes in their state so that their driving intervention level becomes the required level.

[0072] In step S7, the electronic control unit 80 sets the distance to the expected switching location to a distance that is set to level 1 when the required driving intervention level does not take into account the driver's coping difficulty, i.e., a certain distance that is sufficiently far from the expected switching location. Therefore, after the processing following step S7 to step S3, the required driving intervention level is set based on the driver's coping difficulty.

[0073] Figure 6 This diagram illustrates an example of the required level of driving intervention set by the driving intervention control of this embodiment. Furthermore, Figure 6 This example illustrates how the difficulty of a driver's response can be determined based on the curvature of the road. Figure 6 The difficulty level is marked as "Easy" for sections where the road is a straight line or can be considered a straight line. Additionally, the difficulty level is marked as "Medium" for sections where the road has gentle curves (curves with a relatively large curvature), and "Difficult" for sections where the road has sharp curves (curves with a relatively small curvature).

[0074] like Figure 6 As shown, before reaching the expected switching location and leaving point A by a certain distance, the required degree of driver intervention varies basically according to the difficulty of the driver's response.

[0075] Therefore, in Figure 6 In the example shown, there is a section in the interval before reaching point A where the driver's coping difficulty is "medium". Therefore, the required driving intervention level for this section is set to level 2, and the required driving intervention level for the interval outside this section is set to level 1.

[0076] Furthermore, in the section between points A and B that is closer to the expected switching location, the driver's intervention level needs to be gradually increased towards the expected switching location, thus requiring the driver intervention level to be basically set to level 2 or higher. Moreover, considering the ease of the driver's response, and in cases where the required driver intervention level needs to be higher than level 2, the required driver intervention level is increased according to the ease of the driver's response.

[0077] Therefore, in Figure 6 In the example shown, the required driving intervention level is set to level 3 for the section from point A to point B where the driver's difficulty level is "difficult," and the required driving intervention level is set to level 2 for the section outside of this section.

[0078] Furthermore, a shift to manual driving is anticipated within a certain period after reaching point B, necessitating a further increase in driver intervention. Therefore, upon reaching point B, the driver intervention level should be set to Level 3.

[0079] According to the embodiment described above, an electronic control unit 80 (control device) for controlling a vehicle equipped with an autonomous driving information acquisition device (surrounding environment information acquisition device 10, vehicle information acquisition device 20, driver information acquisition device 30, navigation device 70) for acquiring autonomous driving information such as surrounding environment information, vehicle information, driver information, and navigation information, and an information provision device 61 for providing information to the driver, includes: an autonomous driving control unit 81, which performs autonomous driving operations on the vehicle automatically based on the autonomous driving information; and a driving intervention control unit 82, which changes the driver's driving intervention level during autonomous driving.

[0080] Furthermore, the driving intervention control unit 82 is configured to include: a switch prediction determination unit 821, which determines the distance or required time to the predicted switch location where a switch to manual driving is expected; a response difficulty determination unit 822, which determines the difficulty of the driver's response when switching to manual driving; a driving intervention request setting unit 823, which sets the driver's required driving intervention level in autonomous driving based on the distance or required time to the predicted switch location and the response difficulty; and an information providing unit 824, which provides information related to the required driving intervention level to the driver. Specifically, the driving intervention request setting unit 823 is configured to increase the required driving intervention level when the distance or required time to the predicted switch location is short compared to a long time, and to increase the required driving intervention level when the response difficulty is high compared to a low time.

[0081] Therefore, it is possible to convey the appropriate level of driving intervention in autonomous driving to the driver, thus suppressing the need for the driver to switch from autonomous driving to manual driving when the driver is not ready for manual driving.

[0082] Furthermore, assuming that the required driver intervention level is set solely based on the ease with which the driver can handle switching to manual driving, it's conceivable that even if the anticipated switch location is relatively close to the current location, the required driver intervention level would still be reduced. Thus, even though a switch to manual driving is needed in the near future, the reduced driver intervention level raises concerns about drivers being unprepared for a switch from automated to manual driving.

[0083] In contrast, as in this embodiment, by taking into account the distance or time required to reach the expected switching location, the required driving intervention level can be set. This allows the required driving intervention level to be maintained at a high level when a switching location is located relatively close to the current location. Therefore, in cases where a switch to manual driving is anticipated in the near future, it is possible to prevent an unexpected decrease in the required driving intervention level.

[0084] (Second Implementation)

[0085] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it determines the driver's current level of driving intervention (hereinafter referred to as "actual driving intervention"), and if there is a deviation between the actual driving intervention and the required driving intervention, it provides the driver with information corresponding to the degree of deviation. This difference will be explained below.

[0086] Figure 7 This is a simplified structural diagram of an automatic driving system 100 for vehicles according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0087] like Figure 7 As shown, the driving intervention control unit 82 of this embodiment is configured to include, in addition to the switching prediction determination unit 821, the difficulty determination unit 822, the required driving intervention setting unit 823, and the information providing unit 824, the actual driving intervention determination unit 825 and the deviation degree calculation unit 826. When there is a deviation between the actual driving intervention and the required driving intervention, information corresponding to the degree of deviation is provided to the driver.

[0088] Figure 8 This is a flowchart illustrating the driving intervention control in this embodiment. The electronic control unit 80 repeatedly executes this procedure according to a predetermined calculation cycle in automatic driving mode. Furthermore, in... Figure 7In this embodiment, the processing of steps S1 to S4 and the processing of step S7 are the same as those in the first embodiment described above, so the description is omitted here.

[0089] In step S21, the electronic control unit 80 determines the driver's actual degree of driving intervention based on information such as the driver's appearance contained in the driver information.

[0090] In step S22, the electronic control unit 80 determines whether there is a deviation between the actual driving intervention level and the required driving intervention level. If there is a deviation, the electronic control unit 80 proceeds to step S23. On the other hand, if there is no deviation, the electronic control unit 80 ends the current processing.

[0091] In step S23, the electronic control unit 80 calculates the degree of deviation between the actual degree of driving intervention and the required degree of driving intervention.

[0092] In step S24, the electronic control unit 80 provides information corresponding to the degree of deviation to the driver. For example, if the required driving intervention level is higher than the actual driving intervention level, the electronic control unit 80 provides information to the driver that prompts them to increase the actual driving intervention level to the required level, based on the degree of deviation. On the other hand, if the required driving intervention level is lower than the actual driving intervention level, the electronic control unit 80 provides information to the driver that prompts them to reduce the driving intervention level, based on the degree of deviation.

[0093] In addition to the switching prediction determination unit 82, the response difficulty determination unit 82, the electronic control unit 80 of the above-described embodiment, which includes the switching prediction determination unit 821, the response difficulty determination unit 822, the required driving intervention determination unit, and the information provision unit 824 described in the first embodiment, also includes: an actual driving intervention determination unit 825, which determines the actual driving intervention of the driver; and a deviation degree calculation unit 826, which calculates the deviation degree between the actual driving intervention and the required driving intervention.

[0094] Furthermore, the information providing unit 824 is configured to provide the driver with information corresponding to the aforementioned degree of deviation as information related to the required degree of driving intervention.

[0095] Therefore, in addition to achieving the same effects as the first embodiment, the information used to orient the driver's state toward a state corresponding to the required level of driving intervention can be appropriately modified based on the degree of deviation. Thus, the driver's state can be oriented toward a state corresponding to the required level of driving intervention more reliably.

[0096] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the above embodiments are merely examples of applications of the present invention and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention to the specific structures of the above embodiments.

Claims

1. A vehicle control device for controlling a vehicle equipped with an autonomous driving information acquisition device and an information providing device, wherein the autonomous driving information acquisition device acquires autonomous driving information required for autonomous driving, and the information providing device is used to provide information to the driver, wherein... The vehicle's control device includes: The autonomous driving control unit performs autonomous driving operations on the vehicle automatically based on the aforementioned autonomous driving information. The driver intervention control unit is used to adjust the degree of driver intervention in autonomous driving operations, i.e., the degree of driver intervention. The driving intervention control unit includes: The switching prediction determination unit determines the distance or time required to the predicted switching point from autonomous driving to future manual driving. The difficulty assessment unit determines the ease or difficulty of the driver's response when switching to manual driving. The driver intervention setting unit is required to set the required level of driver intervention in autonomous driving, i.e., the required driver intervention level, based on the distance or time required to the expected switching location and the ease of response; and The information provision unit provides the driver with information related to the required level of driving intervention.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein, The driving intervention control unit also features: The actual driving intervention determination unit determines the actual degree of driving intervention by the driver. and The deviation calculation unit calculates the degree of deviation between the actual degree of driving intervention and the required degree of driving intervention. As information related to the required degree of driving intervention, the information providing unit provides the driver with information corresponding to the degree of deviation.

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, When the distance or time required to reach the expected switching location is short, the required driving intervention setting unit increases the required driving intervention level compared to a longer distance.

4. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, When the difficulty of handling the situation is high, the driver intervention requirement setting unit increases the driver intervention requirement compared to when it is low.

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