Automatic driving advice device, automatic driving advice method, and automatic driving advice computer program

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an automatic driving suggestion device, an automatic driving suggestion method, and an automatic driving suggestion computer program. The automatic driving suggestion device has: a determination section (31) that determines an automatic drivable section in which a vehicle (10) can travel by automatic driving control; a suggestion section (32) that, in a case where a suggestion determination value corresponding to a length of the determined automatic drivable section satisfies a first suggestion criterion, suggests to a driver of the vehicle (10) to travel by automatic driving control via a notification section (4), and that, on the other hand, in a case where the suggestion determination value corresponding to the length of the determined automatic drivable section does not satisfy the first suggestion criterion, stops suggesting to the driver to travel by automatic driving control of the automatic drivable section; and an update section (33) that, in a case where an action of the driver consenting to the suggestion is not detected, adds a predetermined addition value to the suggestion determination value corresponding to the length of the determined automatic drivable section.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an autonomous driving suggestion device, an autonomous driving suggestion method, and a computer program for suggesting autonomous driving control to a driver in a vehicle capable of applying autonomous driving control. Background Technology

[0002] A technique has been proposed for switching the control subject that can properly perform vehicle driving in a vehicle that can apply autonomous driving control under predetermined conditions (see Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-65515).

[0003] The driving mode switching device described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-65515 controls the system such that it does not switch between automatic and manual driving modes if the predicted time for either the recommended automatic or manual driving range is less than twice the driving mode switching time plus a margin. This reduces the burden on the driver caused by frequent switching. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Whether a driver wants to use autonomous driving control depends on their preference. If the vehicle control system suggests autonomous driving control to a driver who does not wish to use it, the driver may find it inconvenient. Therefore, it is preferable to appropriately decide whether to suggest autonomous driving control based on the driver's preference, even when the vehicle is traveling within an area where autonomous driving control is possible.

[0005] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide an autonomous driving recommendation device capable of appropriately determining whether to recommend that the driver apply autonomous driving control.

[0006] According to one embodiment, an autonomous driving suggestion device is provided. This autonomous driving suggestion device includes: a determining unit that determines an autonomous driving range ahead of the vehicle's travel path where the vehicle can drive under autonomous driving control; a suggestion unit that, when a suggestion determination value corresponding to the determined length of the autonomous driving range, among suggestion determination values ​​set according to the lengths of each autonomous driving range, satisfies a first suggestion criterion, suggests driving under autonomous driving control to the driver via a notification unit; conversely, when the suggestion determination value corresponding to the determined length of the autonomous driving range does not satisfy the first suggestion criterion, stops suggesting driving under autonomous driving control in the autonomous driving range to the driver; and an updating unit that, when no action of the driver agreeing to the suggestion of driving under autonomous driving control is detected, adds a predetermined addition (addition operation) value to the suggestion determination value corresponding to the determined length of the autonomous driving range.

[0007] In this autonomous driving suggestion device, preferably, whenever the suggestion to drive within the determined autonomous driving range under autonomous driving control is stopped, the updating unit subtracts a predetermined subtraction (subtraction operation) value from the suggestion determination value corresponding to the length of the determined autonomous driving range. Furthermore, preferably, if the suggestion determination value corresponding to the length of the determined autonomous driving range no longer meets the first suggestion criterion, and if the suggestion determination value does not meet a second suggestion criterion that is stricter than the first suggestion criterion, the suggestion unit stops suggesting driving within the determined autonomous driving range under autonomous driving control to the driver; if the suggestion determination value corresponding to the length of the determined autonomous driving range meets the second suggestion criterion, the suggestion unit then suggests driving within the determined autonomous driving range under autonomous driving control to the driver via the notification unit.

[0008] The autonomous driving suggestion device preferably also includes a vehicle control unit, which performs autonomous driving control of the vehicle when it detects that the driver agrees to the suggestion.

[0009] According to another embodiment, an autonomous driving suggestion method is provided. This method includes: determining an autonomous driving range ahead of the vehicle's travel path where the vehicle can drive under autonomous driving control; suggesting autonomous driving control to the driver via a notification unit if, among suggestion judgment values ​​set according to the length of each autonomous driving range, the suggestion judgment value corresponding to the determined length of the autonomous driving range meets a first suggestion benchmark; conversely, ceasing to suggest autonomous driving control control to the driver if the suggestion judgment value corresponding to the determined length of the autonomous driving range does not meet the first suggestion benchmark; and adding a predetermined additive value to the suggestion judgment value corresponding to the determined length of the autonomous driving range if no driver consent to the suggestion of autonomous driving control is detected.

[0010] According to another embodiment, an automated driving suggestion computer program is provided. This automated driving suggestion computer program causes a processor mounted in a vehicle to execute: determining an automated driving range ahead of the vehicle's travel path where the vehicle can drive under automated driving control; if, among the suggestion judgment values ​​set according to the length of each automated driving range, the suggestion value corresponding to the determined length of the automated driving range meets a first suggestion benchmark, suggesting driving under automated driving control to the driver via a notification unit; conversely, if the suggestion judgment value corresponding to the determined length of the automated driving range does not meet the first suggestion benchmark, ceasing to suggest driving under automated driving control within the automated driving range to the driver; and if no action of the driver agreeing to the suggestion of driving under automated driving control is detected, adding a predetermined additive value to the suggestion judgment value corresponding to the determined length of the automated driving range.

[0011] The automated driving recommendation device disclosed herein serves to appropriately determine whether to recommend that the driver apply automated driving control. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a vehicle control system equipped with an autonomous driving suggestion device.

[0013] Figure 2 This is a hardware configuration diagram of an electronic control device as one implementation of an autonomous driving suggestion device.

[0014] Figure 3 This is a functional block diagram of the processor of the electronic control unit related to autonomous driving suggestion processing.

[0015] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the relationship between changes in the recommended decision value and whether an autonomous driving recommendation is feasible.

[0016] Figure 5 This is another example of the relationship between changes in the recommended decision value and whether or not an autonomous driving recommendation is feasible.

[0017] Figure 6 This is a diagram representing an example of the suggested decision value for the length of each autonomous driving range.

[0018] Figure 7 This is a flowchart of the autonomous driving suggestion processing workflow. Detailed Implementation

[0019] Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, the autonomous driving suggestion device, the autonomous driving suggestion method executed in the autonomous driving suggestion device, and the computer program for autonomous driving suggestion will be described. The autonomous driving suggestion device determines a section ahead of the vehicle's travel path where the vehicle can drive under autonomous driving control (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as the autonomous driving range). If, among the suggestion judgment values ​​set according to the length of each section of the autonomous driving range, the suggestion judgment value corresponding to the determined length of the autonomous driving range is below a predetermined suppression threshold, the autonomous driving suggestion device determines that the first suggestion criterion related to autonomous driving suggestion is met. Then, the autonomous driving suggestion device suggests to the driver of the vehicle that driving under autonomous driving control be carried out. On the other hand, if the suggestion judgment value corresponding to the determined length of the autonomous driving range is greater than the predetermined suppression threshold, the autonomous driving suggestion device determines that the first suggestion criterion is not met and stops suggesting to the driver that driving under autonomous driving control be carried out in the autonomous driving range. Furthermore, if, even if driving under autonomous driving control is suggested, the autonomous driving suggestion device does not detect any action by the driver agreeing to the suggestion, the autonomous driving suggestion device adds a predetermined additive value to the suggestion judgment value corresponding to the determined length of the autonomous driving range. In this way, the autonomous driving suggestion device adjusts the suggestion value, which is used to determine whether to suggest autonomous driving, according to the length of each section of the autonomous driving range and the driver's response to the suggestion. Therefore, the autonomous driving suggestion device can appropriately decide whether to suggest the driver to apply autonomous driving control based on the length of the section of autonomous driving range.

[0020] In this embodiment, the level of autonomous driving control applied to the vehicle can be any driving control level that does not require the driver to operate the accelerator, brake, or steering wheel. That is, the level of autonomous driving control can be a level that requires the driver to monitor the vehicle's surroundings or maintain the steering wheel, or it can be a level that does not require such operation. For example, the level of autonomous driving control applied to the vehicle can be Level 2 autonomous driving control as defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), or it can be Level 3 autonomous driving control.

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the vehicle control system equipped with an autonomous driving suggestion device. Additionally, Figure 2This is a hardware configuration diagram of an electronic control unit as one embodiment of an autonomous driving suggestion device. A vehicle control system 1 is mounted on a vehicle 10 and controls the vehicle 10. For this purpose, the vehicle control system 1 includes a GPS receiver 2, a camera 3, a user interface 4, a storage device 5, and an electronic control unit (ECU) 6, which is an example of an autonomous driving suggestion device. The GPS receiver 2, camera 3, user interface 4, and storage device 5 are connected to the ECU 6 via an in-vehicle network conforming to a standard such as a Controller Area Network (CAN) to enable communication. The vehicle control system 1 may also include a navigation device (not shown) for searching a predetermined route to a destination, a wireless communication terminal (not shown) for wireless communication with other devices, and a distance sensor (not shown) such as a LiDAR sensor or radar.

[0022] GPS receiver 2 is an example of a positioning device. It receives GPS signals from GPS satellites at predetermined intervals and measures the vehicle 10's own position based on the received GPS signals. Furthermore, GPS receiver 2 outputs positioning information, representing the vehicle 10's own position based on the GPS signals, to ECU 6 via the in-vehicle network at predetermined intervals. Alternatively, vehicle 10 may have a receiver other than GPS receiver 2 that follows a satellite positioning system. In this case, the receiver can determine the vehicle 10's own position.

[0023] Camera 3 is an example of a sensor capable of detecting objects around vehicle 10. Camera 3 has a two-dimensional detector composed of an array of photoelectric conversion elements sensitive to visible light, such as CCD or C-MOS, and an imaging optical system that forms an image of the area to be photographed on the two-dimensional detector. Camera 3 is mounted, for example, in the interior of vehicle 10, facing forward of vehicle 10. Camera 3 photographs the area in front of vehicle 10 at predetermined shooting cycles, generating an image reflecting that area. The image obtained by camera 3 is an example of a sensor signal and can be a color image or a grayscale image. Furthermore, two or more cameras with different shooting directions or focal lengths may be provided in vehicle 10.

[0024] Each time an image is generated, camera 3 outputs the generated image to ECU 6 via the in-vehicle network.

[0025] User interface 4 is an example of a notification unit, such as having a display device like an LCD screen or a touch panel display. User interface 4 is positioned facing the driver within the vehicle interior of vehicle 10, for example, near the instrument panel. User interface 4 notifies the driver of predetermined information received from ECU 6 via the in-vehicle network using icons or by displaying it as text information. User interface 4 may also include one or more light sources mounted on the instrument panel, speakers mounted in the vehicle interior, or vibration devices mounted on the steering wheel or driver's seat. In this case, user interface 4 notifies the driver of the predetermined information received from ECU 6 via the in-vehicle network by outputting the predetermined information as a voice signal. Alternatively, user interface 4 may notify the driver of predetermined information by vibrating the vibration device based on a signal received from ECU 6 via the in-vehicle network. Alternatively, user interface 4 may notify the driver of predetermined information by illuminating or flashing a light source based on a signal received from ECU 6 via the in-vehicle network.

[0026] Furthermore, the user interface 4 is subject to predetermined operations performed by the driver. For example, if the user interface 4 has a touch panel, it outputs a signal to the ECU 6 indicating the area on the touch panel that the driver has touched. Alternatively, the user interface 4 may have one or more switches for receiving predetermined operations. In this case, when any one of the switches is operated, the user interface 4 outputs a signal to the ECU 6 indicating the operated switch and its current state. Furthermore, the user interface 4 may also have a microphone. In this case, the user interface 4 outputs a voice signal to the ECU 6 representing the driver's voice collected via the microphone.

[0027] Storage device 5 is an example of a storage unit, such as a hard disk drive, non-volatile semiconductor memory, or optical recording medium and its access device. Furthermore, storage device 5 stores a high-precision map, for example, map information. The high-precision map contains information representing areas where autonomous driving control can be applied (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as autonomous driving areas) and information about each road section within the autonomous driving area that can be used for autonomous driving control. The information usable for autonomous driving control includes, for example, information shown on the high-precision map regarding road markings such as lane dividers or stop lines for each road section included in the autonomous driving area, information representing road signs, and information representing ground features around the road.

[0028] Furthermore, the storage device 5 may also include a processor for performing high-precision map update processing and processing related to high-precision map readout requests from the ECU 6. In this case, for example, the storage device 5 sends a high-precision map acquisition request along with the current position of the vehicle 10 to a map server via a wireless communication terminal (not shown) each time the vehicle 10 moves a predetermined distance. Moreover, the storage device 5 receives a high-precision map of a predetermined area surrounding the current position of the vehicle 10 from the map server via the wireless communication terminal. Additionally, when the storage device 5 receives a high-precision map readout request from the ECU 6, it crops a relatively narrow area, including the current position of the vehicle 10, from the stored high-precision map and outputs it to the ECU 6 via the in-vehicle network.

[0029] When ECU6 is capable of applying autonomous driving control to vehicle 10, it determines whether to suggest applying autonomous driving control to the driver of vehicle 10. Furthermore, if the driver expresses agreement to the suggestion to apply autonomous driving control, ECU6 implements autonomous driving control for vehicle 10. Conversely, if the driver does not express agreement to the suggestion to apply autonomous driving control, ECU6 adjusts the suggestion determination value, which is the criterion for deciding whether to make the suggestion.

[0030] like Figure 2 As shown, ECU6 has a communication interface (I / F) 21, a memory 22, and a processor 23. The communication interface 21, the memory 22, and the processor 23 can be configured as separate circuits, or they can be integrated into a single integrated circuit.

[0031] The communication interface 21 has an interface circuit for connecting the ECU 6 to the in-vehicle network. Furthermore, each time the communication interface 21 receives location information from the GPS receiver 2, it delivers the location information to the processor 23. Additionally, each time the communication interface 21 receives an image from the camera 3, it delivers the received image to the processor 23. Moreover, the communication interface 21 delivers a high-precision map read from the storage device 5 to the processor 23. Furthermore, the communication interface 21 outputs information or signals received from the processor 23 to the user interface 4 via the in-vehicle network. Additionally, each time the communication interface 21 receives a signal indicating a predetermined operation by the driver from the user interface 4, it delivers that signal to the processor 23.

[0032] Memory 22 is another example of a storage unit, such as a volatile semiconductor memory and a non-volatile semiconductor memory. Furthermore, memory 22 stores various data used in the autonomous driving suggestion processing executed by the processor 23 of ECU 6. For example, memory 22 stores suppression thresholds, re-suggestion thresholds, suggestion determination values ​​for each autonomous driving range length, and flags indicating the suggestion status for each autonomous driving range length. Additionally, memory 22 stores a high-precision map read from storage device 5. Moreover, memory 22 temporarily stores images received from camera 3 and positioning information received from GPS receiver 2. Furthermore, memory 22 temporarily stores various data generated during the autonomous driving suggestion processing.

[0033] The processor 23 has one or more CPUs (Central Processing Units) and their peripheral circuitry. The processor 23 may also include other arithmetic circuits such as logic units, numerical processing units, or graphics processing units. Furthermore, the processor 23 performs vehicle control processing for the vehicle 10, including autonomous driving suggestion processing.

[0034] Figure 3 This is a functional block diagram of processor 23 related to autonomous driving suggestion processing. Processor 23 includes a determination unit 31, a suggestion unit 32, an update unit 33, and a vehicle control unit 34. These units of processor 23 are, for example, functional modules implemented by a computer program running on processor 23. Alternatively, these units of processor 23 may also be dedicated arithmetic circuits provided on processor 23.

[0035] During manual driving control of the vehicle 10 by the driver, the determination unit 31 determines the autonomous driving range ahead of the vehicle 10's travel path, within which the vehicle 10 can operate under autonomous driving control. To this end, the determination unit 31 determines the road in which the vehicle 10 is traveling by referring to the vehicle 10's current position as shown by the latest positioning information and a high-precision map. Furthermore, based on the vehicle 10's direction of travel as determined by an orientation sensor (not shown) mounted on the vehicle 10, the determination unit 31 defines the road section within the determined road that falls within the autonomous driving range shown on the high-precision map as the autonomous driving range. Then, the determination unit 31 defines the length of the road section within this autonomous driving range as the length of the autonomous driving range.

[0036] The determining unit 31 notifies the recommending unit 32 of the two endpoints of the determined autonomous driving range, namely the starting point on the front side and the ending point on the depth side along the travel direction of the vehicle 10, as well as its length.

[0037] When the recommendation criteria for a defined autonomous driving range are met, the recommendation unit 32 determines whether to recommend autonomous driving based on a recommendation value corresponding to the length of the autonomous driving range. For example, when vehicle 10 enters the defined autonomous driving range, the recommendation unit 32 determines that the recommendation criteria are met and reads the recommendation value corresponding to the length of the autonomous driving range and a flag indicating the recommendation status from memory 22. Furthermore, when the value of the flag indicating the recommendation status indicates that the recommendation is permitted (during the permitted recommendation period), the recommendation unit 32 compares the recommendation value with a suppression threshold. If the recommendation value is below the suppression threshold, the recommendation unit 32 determines that the first recommendation criterion is met and recommends that vehicle 10 drive under autonomous driving control to the driver via user interface 4. On the other hand, when the read recommendation value is greater than the suppression threshold, the recommendation unit 32 determines that the first recommendation criterion is not met and stops recommending that vehicle 10 drive under autonomous driving control. Additionally, the recommendation unit 32 rewrites the value of the flag indicating the recommendation status to a value indicating that the recommendation is stopped (during the stop recommendation period). Hereinafter, the suggestion for driving the vehicle 10 through autonomous driving control will sometimes be referred to as autonomous driving suggestion.

[0038] To determine whether vehicle 10 has entered the autonomous driving zone, recommendation unit 32 refers to the current position of vehicle 10 as indicated by the latest positioning information and the range of the autonomous driving zone shown on a high-precision map. Furthermore, if the current position of vehicle 10 is contained within the autonomous driving zone, recommendation unit 32 determines that vehicle 10 has entered the autonomous driving zone.

[0039] Alternatively, the recommendation unit 32 may determine that the recommendation criteria are met when the distance from the current position of the vehicle 10 to the determined autonomous driving range is less than or equal to a predetermined distance. In this case, the recommendation unit 32 calculates the distance to the starting point of the determined autonomous driving range by referring to the current position of the vehicle 10 as indicated by the latest positioning information.

[0040] When making an autonomous driving suggestion, the suggestion unit 32 displays a message or icon such as "Start autonomous driving?" on the display device or touch panel of the user interface 4, indicating that autonomous driving control can be applied. Thus, the suggestion unit 32 notifies the driver of the autonomous driving suggestion. Alternatively, the suggestion unit 32 may output an audio signal indicating such a message from the speaker of the user interface 4. Alternatively, the suggestion unit 32 may illuminate or flash one or more light sources on the user interface 4 to indicate that autonomous driving control can be applied. Alternatively, the suggestion unit 32 may vibrate a vibration device on the user interface 4 to indicate that autonomous driving control can be applied. Furthermore, the suggestion unit 32 may notify the driver of the autonomous driving suggestion by executing two or more of the aforementioned actions of the user interface 4.

[0041] After making an autonomous driving suggestion to the driver, the suggestion unit 32 determines whether the driver has agreed to the autonomous driving suggestion. Hereinafter, the driver's agreement to the autonomous driving suggestion will sometimes be referred to as an agreement action. For example, when the ECU 6 receives a signal from the touch panel of the user interface 4 indicating that the area corresponding to the autonomous driving suggestion has been touched, the suggestion unit 32 determines that the driver has agreed. Alternatively, when the ECU 6 receives a signal indicating that one or more switches on the user interface 4 corresponding to the autonomous driving suggestion has changed to a predetermined switch position, the suggestion unit 32 determines that the driver has agreed. Alternatively, the suggestion unit 32 may perform voice recognition processing on the voice signal received by the ECU 6 from the microphone of the user interface 4 to determine whether keywords indicating agreement to the autonomous driving suggestion (e.g., "okay") can be detected. Furthermore, the suggestion unit 32 may determine that the driver has agreed when such keywords can be detected. Furthermore, as a speech recognition process, the suggestion section 32 may employ, for example, a GMM-HMM speech recognition process utilizing Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) and Hidden Markov Model (HMM), or a DNN-HMM speech recognition process utilizing Deep Neural Network (DNN) and HMM.

[0042] When the suggestion unit 32 determines that the driver has given consent, it notifies the vehicle control unit 34 of this action. Conversely, if no consent is detected even after a predetermined period has elapsed since the automatic driving suggestion was given, the suggestion unit 32 determines that the driver has not given consent. In this case, even if the vehicle 10 is traveling within the automated driving range, the ECU 6 does not perform automated driving control of the vehicle 10, and the driver continues manual driving control. Furthermore, the suggestion unit 32 notifies the update unit 33 that no driver consent was detected and the determined length of the automated driving range. The predetermined period can be, for example, a period with a pre-set time length. Alternatively, the predetermined period can be the period from the time the automatic driving suggestion was given until the vehicle 10 reaches a position at a predetermined distance from the end point of the automated driving range. In this case, the suggestion unit 32 determines whether the vehicle 10 has reached a position at a predetermined distance from the end point of the automated driving range by referring to the vehicle 10's position indicated by the latest positioning information.

[0043] Furthermore, for any length of autonomous driving range where the suggested decision value temporarily becomes greater than the suppression threshold, the suggestion unit 32 applies a re-suggestion threshold instead of the suppression threshold as the threshold for determining whether to make an autonomous driving suggestion. This re-suggestion threshold is set to a value lower than the suppression threshold. That is, the suggestion unit 32 does not make an autonomous driving suggestion as long as the suggested decision value does not meet the second suggestion criterion, which is stricter than the first suggestion criterion. Therefore, for any length of autonomous driving range where the value of the flag indicating the suggestion status indicates a situation of suggestion suspension, even if the suggestion determination condition is met, the suggestion unit 32 does not make an autonomous driving suggestion until the suggested decision value becomes lower than the re-suggestion threshold. That is, during periods when the suggested decision value is above the re-suggestion threshold, the suggestion unit 32 determines that the second suggestion criterion is not met and stops making autonomous driving suggestions. The suggestion unit 32 then notifies the update unit 33 that the autonomous driving suggestion has stopped and the determined length of the autonomous driving range. On the other hand, for any length of autonomous driving range, when the suggested decision value becomes lower than the re-suggestion threshold, the suggestion unit 32 determines that the second suggestion criterion is met and makes an autonomous driving suggestion via the user interface 4.

[0044] In this case, for the length of the autonomous driving range where the suggested decision value becomes lower than the re-suggestion threshold, the suggestion unit 32 applies the suppression threshold instead of the re-suggestion threshold as the threshold for determining whether to make an autonomous driving suggestion. That is, the first suggestion reference is applied again instead of the second suggestion reference. Therefore, the suggestion unit 32 rewrites the value of the flag indicating the suggestion status to a value indicating that the suggestion is permissible. In this way, by using a hysteresis threshold for determining whether to make an autonomous driving suggestion, frequent switching between whether to make an autonomous driving suggestion is prevented. Therefore, the suggestion unit 32 can prevent confusion for the driver.

[0045] Each time the suggestion unit 32 notifies the driver of a situation where no consent action was detected and the determined length of the automated driving range, the update unit 33 adds a predetermined increment (e.g., 0.1) to the suggestion judgment value corresponding to that length. Therefore, for an automated driving range of a certain length, the more times the driver does not give a consent action, the higher the suggestion judgment value corresponding to that length becomes. At some point, the suggestion judgment value will exceed the suppression threshold. As a result, for automated driving ranges of that length, no automated driving suggestion is given. Therefore, based on the driver's preferences, the decision to give an automated driving suggestion is optimized according to the length of each automated driving range.

[0046] Furthermore, it is preferable to set the initial value of the suggested judgment value to be smaller than the suppression threshold. Thus, in the initial setting, regardless of the length of the determined autonomous driving range, an autonomous driving suggestion will be made when the suggestion judgment condition is met.

[0047] Furthermore, each time the suggestion unit 32 notifies the driver of a stopped autonomous driving suggestion and the determined length of the autonomous driving range, the update unit 33 subtracts a predetermined deduction value (e.g., 0.01) from the suggestion determination value corresponding to that length. Therefore, for an autonomous driving range of a certain length, after the driver stops providing autonomous driving suggestions, the suggestion determination value gradually decreases. And, at a certain point in time, if the suggestion determination value falls below the re-suggestion threshold, autonomous driving suggestions will be provided again. Thus, for autonomous driving ranges of a length where the driver has stopped providing autonomous driving suggestions, the system prevents the permanent cessation of autonomous driving suggestions. Therefore, for autonomous driving ranges of a length where the driver previously did not wish to use autonomous driving control, if the driver's preferences change and they now wish to use autonomous driving control, autonomous driving control can be applied. Furthermore, it is preferable that the absolute value of the predetermined deduction value is smaller than the absolute value of the predetermined addition value. Therefore, for autonomous driving ranges of a length where autonomous driving suggestions have stopped, autonomous driving suggestions will not immediately resume, thus suppressing the situation where the meaning of stopping autonomous driving suggestions becomes obsolete.

[0048] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the relationship between changes in the recommended decision value and whether an autonomous driving recommendation is feasible.

[0049] exist Figure 4 On the upper side, starting from left, are the options for whether the autonomous driving suggestion is executable when vehicle 10 enters the autonomous driving range of length L between time points t0 and t2. Additionally, in Figure 4 Below this, an example of a change in the suggested decision value corresponding to an autonomous driving range of length L is shown. That is, in Figure 4On the lower side, the horizontal axis represents the distance or time traveled by vehicle 10, and the vertical axis represents the magnitude of the recommended judgment value. Furthermore, graph 400 shows an example of a change in the recommended judgment value.

[0050] At time t0, before the suggested decision value is updated, the suggested decision value SL is smaller than the suppression threshold Th1. Therefore, as Figure 4 As shown in the upper left, when vehicle 10 enters the automated driving range 401 of length L, an automated driving suggestion is made. Furthermore, each time vehicle 10 enters the automated driving range of length L, since no driver consent is detected, the suggestion decision value SL gradually increases. Then, at time point t1, the suggestion decision value SL becomes above the suppression threshold Th1. Therefore, at time point t1, as... Figure 4 As shown in the upper center, even if vehicle 10 enters the automated driving range 401 of length L, no automated driving suggestion is made. Subsequently, each time vehicle 10 enters the automated driving range of length L, the suggestion determination value SL gradually decreases because automated driving suggestions are stopped. Then, at time point t2, the suggestion determination value SL becomes lower than the re-suggestion threshold Th2. Therefore, at time point t2, as... Figure 4 As shown in the upper right corner, when vehicle 10 enters the automated driving zone 401 of length L, an automated driving suggestion will be made again.

[0051] Figure 5 This is another example of the relationship between changes in the recommended decision value and whether or not an autonomous driving recommendation is feasible.

[0052] exist Figure 5 On the upper side, starting from left, are the options for whether the autonomous driving suggestion is executable when vehicle 10 enters the autonomous driving zone of length L at time points t0 and t1. Additionally, in... Figure 5 Below this, an example of a change in the suggested decision value corresponding to an autonomous driving range of length L is shown. That is, in Figure 5 On the lower side, the horizontal axis represents the distance or time traveled by vehicle 10, and the vertical axis represents the magnitude of the recommended judgment value. Furthermore, graph 500 shows an example of a change in the recommended judgment value.

[0053] At time t0, before the suggested decision value is updated, the suggested decision value SL is a value smaller than the suppression threshold Th1. Therefore, in this example, as... Figure 5As shown in the upper left, when vehicle 10 enters the automated driving range 501 of length L, an automated driving suggestion is also made. In this example, whenever vehicle 10 enters the automated driving range of length L, the driver gives consent and applies automated driving control to vehicle 10. Therefore, the suggestion decision value SL does not increase but remains constant. As a result, at time point t1, the suggestion decision value SL is still below the suppression threshold Th1. Therefore, at time point t1, as... Figure 5 As shown in the upper right corner, when vehicle 10 enters the autonomous driving zone 501 of length L, an autonomous driving suggestion is also made.

[0054] Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the suggested decision value for the length of each autonomous driving range. In this example, suggested decision values ​​are set for each segment with a length less than 200m, greater than 200m but less than 400m, greater than 400m but less than 600m, greater than 600m but less than 800m, greater than 800m but less than 1000m, and greater than 1000m. Additionally, in this example, the suppression threshold Th1 is set to 0.75. In the initial settings, as shown in Table 600, the suggested decision value SL for each segment is set to 0. Therefore, autonomous driving suggestions are made for autonomous driving ranges of any length. At a subsequent time point t1, as shown in Table 610, for segments less than 200m and segments greater than 200m but less than 400m, the suggested decision value SL is 0.8, exceeding the suppression threshold Th1. Therefore, even if vehicle 10 enters an autonomous driving range less than 200m or a segment greater than 200m but less than 400m, no autonomous driving suggestion is made. In contrast, the suggested decision value SL for each segment with a length of 400m or more is below the suppression threshold Th1. Therefore, autonomous driving recommendations are made for autonomous driving zones with a length of 400m or more.

[0055] In this way, the decision to implement autonomous driving suggestions is adjusted appropriately based on the length of the autonomous driving range and the driver's preferences. Therefore, for example, a driver who is less inclined to use autonomous driving control when the range is shorter can suppress the suggestion of autonomous driving when switching between ranges with shorter intervals. As a result, this reduces the inconvenience for the driver.

[0056] When the vehicle control unit 34 receives notification from the suggestion unit 32 that it has agreed to the action, it performs autonomous driving control on the vehicle 10. The vehicle control unit 34 controls various parts of the vehicle 10, for example, causing the vehicle 10 to continue driving along its lane (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as its own lane). To this end, the vehicle control unit 34 detects objects including lane markings and other vehicles traveling around the vehicle 10 by inputting a series of time-series images generated by the camera 3 into a recognizer. Furthermore, the vehicle control unit 34 determines its own lane as the area between the lane marking closest to the left and the lane marking closest to the right of the vehicle 10. In addition, the vehicle control unit 34 can use a DNN with a convolutional neural network architecture as such a recognizer. Alternatively, the vehicle control unit 34 can also use a DNN with a self-attention network architecture as such a recognizer. The recognizer is pre-learned using a large number of teacher images representing the detected objects, according to a predetermined learning method such as backpropagation.

[0057] The vehicle control unit 34 controls the steering wheel to make the vehicle 10 travel along the center line of its detected lane.

[0058] Furthermore, the vehicle control unit 34 controls various parts of the vehicle 10 to prevent the vehicle 10 from colliding with other vehicles traveling around the vehicle 10 as detected by a series of image inputs to the recognition unit. For example, the vehicle control unit 34 identifies other vehicles included in the area showing its own lane on the image as the vehicles in front of the vehicle 10. The vehicle control unit 34 also controls the accelerator and brake of the vehicle 10 to maintain a distance of at least a predetermined distance between the vehicle in front and the vehicle 10. Furthermore, it is assumed that the lower end of the object area showing the vehicle in front on the image represents the point where the vehicle in front contacts the road surface. Additionally, the position of each pixel on the image corresponds one-to-one with the orientation observed from the camera 3. Therefore, the vehicle control unit 34 can estimate the distance from the vehicle 10 to the vehicle in front based on parameters of the camera 3 such as its height, focal length, and shooting direction, and the lower end of the object area on the image. Furthermore, if the vehicle 10 is equipped with a distance sensor (not shown), the vehicle control unit 34 can also use the distance to an object in front of the vehicle 10 measured by the distance sensor as the distance from the vehicle 10 to the vehicle in front.

[0059] If there is no vehicle ahead, or if the distance from vehicle 10 to the vehicle ahead is greater than a predetermined distance, the vehicle control unit 34 controls the accelerator and brake to make vehicle 10 travel at a predetermined target speed. The target speed can be set, for example, as a speed limit or legal speed limit set for the road on which vehicle 10 is traveling. In this case, the vehicle control unit 34 determines the speed limit or legal speed set for the road on which vehicle 10 is traveling as the target speed by referring to the current position of vehicle 10 and a high-precision map. Alternatively, the target speed can also be set by the driver via a switch on the user interface 4.

[0060] Furthermore, the vehicle control unit 34 can control the steering wheel of the vehicle 10 to change lanes into the adjacent lane when the speed of the vehicle in front is slower than the predetermined speed and no other vehicles traveling in the adjacent lane are detected.

[0061] When the distance from the current position of vehicle 10 to the end point of the automated driving zone is less than a predetermined distance, vehicle control unit 34 notifies the user interface 4 of a switch to manual driving control, i.e., a request for driver replacement (handover). At this time, vehicle control unit 34 displays a message or icon indicating the driver replacement request on the display device or touch panel of user interface 4, or illuminates or flashes a light source corresponding to the message. Alternatively, vehicle control unit 34 outputs an audio signal indicating the message through the speaker of user interface 4. Or, vehicle control unit 34 causes the vibration device of user interface 4 to vibrate according to a vibration mode corresponding to the message. Furthermore, if user interface 4 has two or more of the aforementioned devices, vehicle control unit 34 may notify the driver of the driver replacement request message via two or more devices or via any one of two or more devices. And when vehicle 10 leaves the automated driving zone, vehicle control unit 34 terminates automated driving control and hands over control of vehicle 10 to the driver.

[0062] Figure 7 This is a flowchart of the autonomous driving suggestion processing executed by processor 23. Processor 23 performs vehicle control processing according to the following flowchart.

[0063] During the period when the driver manually controls the vehicle 10, the determination unit 31 of the processor 23 determines the autonomous driving range ahead of the vehicle 10's travel path (step S101).

[0064] The suggestion unit 32 of the processor 23 determines whether the length of the determined autonomous driving range falls within the permitted range for autonomous driving (step S102). If it falls within the permitted range (step S102 - Yes), the suggestion unit 32, when the suggestion determination condition is met, determines whether the suggestion determination value SL corresponding to the length of the determined autonomous driving range is below the suppression threshold Th1 (step S103). If the suggestion determination value SL is below the suppression threshold Th1 (step S103 - Yes), the suggestion unit 32 notifies the driver of the autonomous driving suggestion via the user interface 4 (step S104). Thereafter, the suggestion unit 32 determines whether a driver's consent action is detected (step S105). When a driver's consent action is detected (step S105 - Yes), the vehicle control unit 34 of the processor 23 performs autonomous driving control on the vehicle 10 while the vehicle 10 is traveling within the permitted autonomous driving range (step S106).

[0065] On the other hand, if no consent action from the driver is detected (step S105 - No), the updating unit 33 of the processor 23 adds a predetermined calculation value to the suggested determination value SL corresponding to the length of the determined autonomous driving range, and updates the suggested determination value SL (step S107). In addition, the ECU6 continues to be manually controlled by the driver.

[0066] On the other hand, in step S103, if the suggested determination value SL is greater than the suppression threshold Th1 (step S103 - No), the suggestion unit 32 stops making autonomous driving suggestions, and the ECU6 continues to be manually controlled by the driver (step S108). That is, even if the suggestion determination condition is met, the suggestion unit 32 does not make an autonomous driving suggestion. In addition, the suggestion unit 32 rewrites the value of the flag indicating the suggestion status of autonomous driving for the length of the determined autonomous driving range to the value indicating the suggestion to stop.

[0067] Furthermore, in step S102, if the recommended stop for automatic driving is being implemented for the determined length of the automated driving range (step S102 - No), the recommendation unit 32 determines whether the recommendation determination condition is met. If the recommendation determination condition is met, the recommendation unit 32 determines whether the recommendation determination value SL corresponding to the determined length of the automated driving range is greater than or equal to the re-recommendation threshold Th2 (step S109). If the recommendation determination value SL is greater than or equal to the re-recommendation threshold Th2 (step S109 - Yes), the recommendation unit 32 stops making automated driving recommendations, and the ECU 6 continues to be manually controlled by the driver (step S110). The update unit 33 then subtracts a predetermined deduction value from the recommendation determination value SL corresponding to the determined length of the automated driving range, updating the recommendation determination value SL (step S111).

[0068] On the other hand, if the suggested determination value SL is less than the re-suggestion threshold Th2 (step S109 - No), the suggestion unit 32 rewrites the value of the flag indicating the suggested state of autonomous driving for the determined length of the autonomous driving range to a value indicated in the suggested allowance. Then, the processor 23 executes the processing after step S104.

[0069] After steps S106, S107, S108 or S111, processor 23 terminates vehicle control processing.

[0070] As explained above, the autonomous driving suggestion device determines an autonomous driving range ahead of the vehicle's travel path where the vehicle can operate under autonomous driving control. If the suggestion determination value corresponding to the length of the determined autonomous driving range is below a predetermined suppression threshold, the device suggests to the driver that the vehicle be driven under autonomous driving control. Conversely, if the suggestion determination value is greater than the predetermined suppression threshold, the device stops suggesting autonomous driving control within that autonomous driving range. Furthermore, if no action of driver consent is detected, the device adds a predetermined increment to the suggestion determination value corresponding to the length of the determined autonomous driving range. Thus, the device adjusts the suggestion determination value for deciding whether to suggest autonomous driving based on the driver's response to the suggestion, according to the length of each autonomous driving range. Therefore, the device can appropriately determine whether to suggest applying autonomous driving control to the driver based on the length of the autonomous driving range.

[0071] According to a variation, it is suggested that the determination criteria may include conditions other than the position of vehicle 10. For example, it is suggested that the determination criteria may include at least one of the following conditions.

[0072] ■Able to determine the location of vehicle 10

[0073] ■ Capable of detecting lane markings

[0074] ■ Vehicle 10 is in drive.

[0075] ■ The driver is holding the steering wheel of the vehicle.

[0076] ■ The driver was wearing a seatbelt.

[0077] ■ The doors of vehicle 10 have been closed correctly.

[0078] Regarding the determination of the vehicle 10's position, the recommendation unit 32 can determine that the vehicle 10's position can be determined if the GPS receiver 2 can receive a GPS signal. Regarding lane marking detection, as explained regarding the vehicle control unit 34, if lane markings defining its own lane are detected by inputting the image obtained from the camera 3 into the recognizer, the recommendation unit 32 can determine that lane markings can be detected. Furthermore, regarding gear shift, steering wheel grip, seatbelt wearing, and door opening / closing, the recommendation unit 32 can determine whether these conditions are met based on sensor signals from sensors installed in these devices. For example, if the ECU 6 receives a signal from a touch sensor (not shown) installed on the steering wheel indicating that the driver is touching the steering wheel, the recommendation unit 32 determines that the driver is gripping the steering wheel.

[0079] If the suggested determination conditions include any of the above conditions, the suggestion unit 32 can reset the length from the current position of the vehicle 10 at the time point when the suggested determination conditions are met to the end point of the determined autonomous driving section as the length of the autonomous driving section. Furthermore, the suggestion unit 32 and the update unit 33 can perform the processing described in the above embodiment based on the reset length of the autonomous driving section.

[0080] According to another variation, the addition and subtraction values ​​used to update the suggestion determination value can be negative. In this case, the suggestion determination value decreases each time the driver repeatedly disagrees with the autonomous driving suggestion. Therefore, when the value of the flag indicating the autonomous driving suggestion status indicates that the suggestion is permissible, the suggestion unit 32 determines that the first suggestion criterion is met and executes the autonomous driving suggestion if the suggestion determination value is above the suppression threshold. On the other hand, when the suggestion determination value is below the suppression threshold, the suggestion unit 32 determines that the first suggestion criterion is not met and stops making autonomous driving suggestions. In addition, the suggestion determination value increases each time the autonomous driving suggestion is stopped. Therefore, in this example, the re-suggestion threshold is set to a value larger than the suppression threshold. Furthermore, when the value of the flag indicating the autonomous driving suggestion status indicates that the suggestion is stopped, the suggestion unit 32 determines that the second suggestion criterion, which is stricter than the first suggestion criterion, is met and executes the autonomous driving suggestion if the suggestion determination value is larger than the re-suggestion threshold. On the other hand, when the suggestion determination value is below the re-suggestion threshold, the suggestion unit 32 determines that the second suggestion criterion is not met and stops making autonomous driving suggestions. In this variation, the autonomous driving suggestion device can also achieve the same effect as the above-described implementation.

[0081] The computer program that implements the functions of the processor 23 of the ECU6 according to the above-described embodiments or variations can be provided in the form of a computer-readable portable recording medium such as a semiconductor memory, a magnetic recording medium or an optical recording medium.

[0082] As described above, those skilled in the art can make various modifications according to the embodiments within the scope of this invention.

Claims

1. An autonomous driving suggestion device, comprising: The determining unit identifies an automated driving range ahead of the vehicle's travel path, within which the vehicle can operate under automated driving control. The suggestion unit, when the suggestion judgment value corresponding to the determined length of the automated driving range, is below a suppression threshold among the suggestion judgment values ​​set according to each length of the automated driving range, suggests driving under automated driving control to the driver of the vehicle via the notification unit; conversely, when the suggestion judgment value corresponding to the determined length of the automated driving range is greater than the suppression threshold, it stops suggesting driving under automated driving control in the automated driving range to the driver; and The update unit adds a predetermined additive value to the recommendation determination value corresponding to the determined length of the automated driving range if no action of consent to the recommendation is detected from the driver.

2. The autonomous driving suggestion device according to claim 1, Whenever a suggestion to stop driving under autonomous driving control within a determined autonomous driving range is made, the updating unit subtracts a predetermined deduction value from the suggestion determination value corresponding to the length of the autonomous driving range. When the suggestion determination value corresponding to the length of the determined automated driving range becomes greater than the suppression threshold, and the suggestion determination value is above a resuggestion threshold which is lower than the suppression threshold, the suggestion unit stops suggesting to the driver driving within the determined automated driving range using automated driving control. When the suggestion determination value corresponding to the length of the determined automated driving range is lower than the resuggestion threshold, the suggestion unit suggests to the driver driving within the determined automated driving range using automated driving control via the notification unit.

3. The autonomous driving suggestion device according to claim 1 or 2, It also has a vehicle control unit that performs automatic driving control of the vehicle when it detects that the driver agrees to the suggestion.

4. An autonomous driving recommendation method, comprising: A self-driving range is defined ahead of the vehicle's travel path, within which the vehicle can operate under autonomous driving control. If the suggested judgment value corresponding to the determined length of the autonomous driving range is below the suppression threshold, as set according to the suggested judgment values ​​for each length of the autonomous driving range, the driver of the vehicle is advised to drive under autonomous driving control via the notification unit. On the other hand, if the suggested decision value corresponding to the determined length of the automated driving range is greater than the suppression threshold, the driver is stopped from being advised to drive within the automated driving range using automated driving control. If no action of the driver agreeing to the suggestion is detected, a predetermined additive value is added to the suggestion determination value corresponding to the determined length of the autonomous driving range.

5. A computer program product, comprising a computer program for autonomous driving guidance, used to cause a processor mounted in a vehicle to execute: A self-driving range is defined ahead of the vehicle's travel path, within which the vehicle can operate under autonomous driving control. If, among the suggested judgment values ​​set according to the length of each of the autonomous driving range, the suggested judgment value corresponding to the determined length of the autonomous driving range is below the suppression threshold, the driver of the vehicle is advised to drive under autonomous driving control via the notification unit. On the other hand, if the suggested decision value corresponding to the determined length of the automated driving range is greater than the suppression threshold, the driver is stopped from being advised to drive within the automated driving range using automated driving control. If no action of the driver agreeing to the suggestion is detected, a predetermined additive value is added to the suggestion determination value corresponding to the determined length of the autonomous driving range.

6. An autonomous driving suggestion device, comprising: The determining unit identifies an automated driving range ahead of the vehicle's travel path, within which the vehicle can operate under automated driving control. The suggestion unit, when a suggestion judgment value corresponding to the determined length of the automated driving range, which is set according to the length of each of the automated driving ranges, exceeds a suppression threshold, suggests driving under automated driving control to the driver of the vehicle via the notification unit. Conversely, when the suggestion judgment value corresponding to the determined length of the automated driving range is less than the suppression threshold, it stops suggesting driving under automated driving control in the automated driving range to the driver. The update unit, if it does not detect any action by the driver agreeing to the suggestion, subtracts a predetermined value from the suggestion determination value corresponding to the determined length of the automated driving range.

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