Control device, automatic driving device, and travel control device

Abstract

An HCU (100), which is a control device, controls vehicle-mounted devices (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 28) in a host vehicle (Am) capable of traveling by automatic driving without ambiguity to monitor the surroundings of a driver. An HCU (100) is provided with: an information cooperation unit (82) that ascertains collision generation information indicating whether or not a collision occurs between a host vehicle (Am) and another object during automatic driving, and vehicle control information indicating control of a vehicle corresponding to the collision; and a report control unit (88) that performs both a report indicating the state of control of the vehicle and a report that prompts the driver to alternate driving.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-201441 filed in Japan on December 16, 2022, and Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-178396 filed in Japan on October 16, 2023, and the contents of the basic applications are cited by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0003] This specification discloses a technology for coping with a collision during autonomous vehicle driving. Background Art

[0004] Patent Document 1 discloses that a warning is issued in a vehicle using a warning method corresponding to the driver's state, and the warning notifies that automatic driving cannot be continued.

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-107502

[0006] Furthermore, even in automated driving where the driver is not required to monitor their surroundings, there is a possibility that the vehicle could collide with another object, potentially rendering automated driving impossible. In such situations, without the driver monitoring their surroundings, it would be difficult for the driver to quickly grasp what has occurred. Consequently, there is a risk that smooth transitions to automatic driving may not be possible. Summary of the Invention

[0007] One of the purposes of the disclosure of this specification is to provide a control device that can realize smooth driving switching to the driver. In addition, an automatic driving device and a driving control device suitable for the control device are provided.

[0008] A technical solution disclosed herein provides a control device for controlling an onboard device in a vehicle capable of traveling by automatic driving without the driver being obligated to monitor the surroundings, the control device comprising:

[0009] an information grasping unit for grasping collision generation information and vehicle control information, wherein the collision generation information indicates whether a collision has occurred between the autonomously driven vehicle and another object, and the vehicle control information indicates vehicle control in response to the collision; and

[0010] The notification control unit performs both notification indicating the state of vehicle control and notification urging the driver to switch driving.

[0011] According to this technical solution, even when the driver is not monitoring the surrounding area, the implementation of both notifications allows the driver to understand the vehicle control status and the driver's necessary actions in response to the collision. As a result, the driver can start the driving transition after understanding the vehicle control status, thus achieving smooth driving transition for the driver.

[0012] Another technical solution disclosed herein provides an automatic driving device capable of communicating with the aforementioned control device to implement automatic driving of a vehicle, comprising:

[0013] a collision recognition unit that recognizes the occurrence of collisions between a plurality of other objects around the vehicle; and

[0014] The action determination unit changes the response related to the autonomous driving control based on the determination of whether the vehicle can leave the collision scene.

[0015] In addition, another technical solution disclosed herein provides a driving control device configured to communicate with the control device described above to control the driving of a vehicle, wherein:

[0016] A motion restricting portion is provided for restricting the motion of the vehicle in response to the collision after the collision occurs.

[0017] In these technical solutions, an automatic driving device and a travel control device suitable for the control device described above can be provided.

[0018] In addition, the reference numerals in parentheses included in the claims and the like illustrate the correspondence relationship with parts of the embodiments described later, and are not intended to limit the technical scope. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a vehicle system.

[0020] Figure 2 This is a diagram showing the detailed structure of the autonomous driving ECU.

[0021] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing the detailed configuration of the HCU.

[0022] Figure 4 This is a flowchart showing a processing method of the vehicle system.

[0023] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing an example of implementing both types of reports.

[0024] Figure 6 This is a flowchart showing the processing method of the HCU.

[0025] Figure 7 This is a diagram showing an example of an accompanying report.

[0026] Figure 8 This is a flowchart showing the processing method of the HCU.

[0027] Figure 9 This is a flowchart showing a processing method of the vehicle system.

[0028] Figure 10 This is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a vehicle system.

[0029] Figure 11 This is a flowchart showing the processing method of the HCU.

[0030] Figure 12 This is a diagram showing an example of a report mode.

[0031] Figure 13 This is a diagram showing an example of a report mode.

[0032] Figure 14 This is a diagram showing an example of a report mode.

[0033] Figure 15 This is a diagram showing an example of a report.

[0034] Figure 16 This is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a vehicle system.

[0035] Figure 17 This is a flowchart showing the processing method of the HCU.

[0036] Figure 18 This is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a vehicle system.

[0037] Figure 19 This is a diagram showing the detailed configuration of the HCU.

[0038] Figure 20 This is a flowchart showing a processing method of the vehicle system.

[0039] Figure 21 This is a flowchart showing a processing method of the vehicle system.

[0040] Figure 22 This is a diagram showing the detailed configuration of the driving control ECU.

[0041] Figure 23 This is a flowchart showing a processing method of the vehicle system.

[0042] Figure 24 This is a flowchart showing a processing method of the vehicle system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] Hereinafter, multiple embodiments will be described based on the accompanying drawings. In addition, sometimes, by adding the same reference numerals to corresponding components in each embodiment, repeated descriptions are omitted. In the case where only a portion of the configuration is described in each embodiment, the configuration of the other embodiment previously described can be applied to the remaining portion of the configuration. In addition, not only the combinations of configurations explicitly described in the description of each embodiment, but also the configurations of multiple embodiments can be partially combined with each other even if not explicitly described, as long as the combination does not particularly hinder.

[0044] (First embodiment)

[0045] The vehicle system 1 can be used in a vehicle capable of autonomous driving (hereinafter referred to as an autonomous driving vehicle). Autonomous driving can also be called autonomous driving. Figure 1 As shown, the vehicle system 1 is configured to include a perimeter monitoring sensor 30, a positioner 35, a navigation ECU 38, an onboard communication device 39, a driving control ECU 40, a body ECU 43, a driving assistance ECU 50a, an autonomous driving ECU 50b, and an HCU 100. The perimeter monitoring sensor 30, the positioner 35, the navigation ECU 38, the onboard communication device 39, the driving control ECU 40, the body ECU 43, the driving assistance ECU 50a, the autonomous driving ECU 50b, and the HCU 100 are connected to a communication bus 99 of the vehicle network installed in the vehicle Am so that they can communicate with each other. These nodes connected to the communication bus 99 can communicate with each other. Alternatively, specific nodes in these devices and ECUs, etc., can be directly electrically connected to each other via a wiring harness, etc., so that they can communicate without going through the communication bus 99.

[0046] There are multiple levels of autonomous driving (hereinafter referred to as automation levels) for autonomous vehicles, as defined by the SAE, for example. The automation levels are classified into levels 0 to 5, for example, as follows.

[0047] Level 0 is a level where the system does not intervene and the driver performs all driving tasks. Driving tasks can also be said to be dynamic driving tasks. Driving tasks include steering, acceleration and deceleration, and surrounding monitoring. Level 0 is equivalent to so-called fully manual driving. Level 1 is a level where the system assists in either steering or acceleration and deceleration. Level 1 is equivalent to so-called driving assistance. Level 2 is a level where the system assists in both steering and acceleration and deceleration. Level 2 is equivalent to partial driving automation. For example, for levels 1 to 2, the driver has a monitoring obligation related to safe driving (hereinafter referred to as simply monitoring obligation). In other words, levels 1 to 2 can be classified as manual driving in a broad sense. As a monitoring obligation, there is surrounding monitoring based on visual observation.

[0048] Level 3 is a level where the system can perform all driving tasks under specific conditions, and the driver can perform driving operations in an emergency. In LV3 automatic driving, the driver is required to respond quickly when there is a driving alternation request from the system. This driving alternation can also be said to be the transfer of the surrounding monitoring obligation from the vehicle-side system to the driver. Level 3 is equivalent to the so-called conditional driving automation. As a level 3, there is an area-limited level 3 limited to a specific area. The specific area mentioned here can be a highway. The specific area can also be a specific lane, for example. As a level 3, there is also a traffic congestion-limited level 3 limited to traffic congestion. Traffic congestion-limited level 3 automatic driving is equivalent to traffic congestion-limited automatic driving. Traffic congestion-limited level 3 can be configured to be limited to traffic congestion on highways, for example. Highways can also include dedicated roads for cars.

[0049] Level 4 is the system's ability to perform all driving tasks, except for specific situations such as unsuitable roads and extreme environments. This corresponds to advanced driving automation. Level 5 autonomous driving is the system's ability to perform all driving tasks in all environments. This corresponds to full driving automation. Levels 4 and 5 autonomous driving can be performed, for example, only within driving areas where high-precision map data is available. High-precision map data will be described later.

[0050] For example, levels 3 to 5 can be classified as autonomous driving. Levels 3 to 5 of autonomous driving can be said to be autonomous driving in which the driver has no monitoring obligation. In levels 3 to 5 of autonomous driving, there are cases where a second task is permitted. The second task refers to a behavior other than driving that is permitted to the driver, and is a predetermined specific behavior. The second task can be put in other words as an operation other than the driving task. The second task can also be put in other words as a second activity, other activities, etc. The second task does not prevent the driver from responding to a request for handover of driving operations from the autonomous driving system 50 (hereinafter referred to as a driving alternation request). As an example, it is assumed that the second task includes watching and listening to content such as videos, operating a smartphone, etc., reading, eating, etc.

[0051] The autonomous driving of level 4 or higher among the autonomous driving of levels 3 to 5 is equivalent to the autonomous driving that allows the driver to sleep. In other words, it is equivalent to the sleep-permitted autonomous driving. The autonomous driving of level 4 or higher can also be said to be the autonomous driving that does not need to switch to the driver's driving even in an emergency. The autonomous driving of level 3 among the autonomous driving of levels 3 to 5 is equivalent to the autonomous driving that does not allow the driver to sleep (hereinafter referred to as the sleep-permitted autonomous driving). The autonomous driving vehicle of this embodiment can switch the automation level. The automation level can also be configured to be switchable only between a part of the levels 0 to 5. The autonomous driving vehicle of this embodiment can at least switch between autonomous driving without monitoring obligations and manual driving.

[0052] The surrounding monitoring sensor 30 is an autonomous sensor that monitors the surrounding environment of the vehicle Am. For example, the surrounding monitoring sensor 30 includes one or more of a camera unit 31, a millimeter-wave radar 32, an optical radar 33, and a sonar 34. The surrounding monitoring sensor 30 can detect both moving and stationary objects within its detection range around the vehicle. The surrounding monitoring sensor 30 provides detection information on objects around the vehicle to the driving assistance ECU 50a and the autonomous driving ECU 50b.

[0053] The locator 35 includes a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver and inertial sensors. The locator 35 combines positioning signals received from multiple positioning satellites by the GNSS receiver, measurement results from the inertial sensors, and vehicle speed information output to the communication bus 99 to sequentially measure the vehicle's position and direction of travel. The locator 35 sequentially outputs the position information and azimuth angle information of the vehicle Am based on the positioning results to the communication bus 99 as locator information.

[0054] The locator 35 also has a map database (hereinafter referred to as map DB) 36 that stores map data. The map DB 36 is mainly composed of a large-capacity storage medium that stores a plurality of three-dimensional map data and two-dimensional map data. The three-dimensional map data is a so-called HD (High Definition) map, which contains road information required for autonomous driving. Specifically, the three-dimensional map data contains three-dimensional shape information of the road and detailed information of each lane. The locator 35 can update the three-dimensional map data and two-dimensional map data to the latest information through off-vehicle communication based on the on-board communication device 39. The locator 35 reads the map data around the current position from the map DB 36 and provides it to the driving assistance ECU 50a and the autonomous driving ECU 50b together with the locator information.

[0055] The navigation ECU 38 obtains information about the destination specified by the occupants, including the driver, based on the operation information received from the HCU 100. The navigation ECU 38 obtains vehicle position information and heading information from the locator 35 and sets a route from the current location to the destination. The navigation ECU 38 provides route information indicating the set route to the destination to the driving assistance ECU 50a, the automatic driving ECU 50b, the HCU 100, and other devices. The navigation ECU 38, in conjunction with the HMI system 10, provides route guidance to the destination, combining visual displays and voice messages to inform the driver of the vehicle Am's travel direction at intersections and junctions.

[0056] Here, a user terminal such as a smartphone may be connected to the in-vehicle network or the HCU 100. Such a user terminal can replace the locator 35 and provide the driving assistance ECU 50a and the autonomous driving ECU 50b with vehicle position information, azimuth information, and map data. Furthermore, the user terminal can replace the navigation ECU 38 and provide the driving assistance ECU 50a, the autonomous driving ECU 50b, and the HCU 100 with route information to the destination.

[0057] The onboard communication device 39 is an off-board communication unit installed in the vehicle Am, functioning as a V2X (Vehicle to Everything) communication device. The onboard communication device 39 transmits and receives information to and from roadside equipment installed along the road via wireless communication. For example, the onboard communication device 39 receives traffic congestion information and road construction information about the current location and direction of travel of the vehicle Am from the roadside equipment. This traffic congestion and road construction information is VICS (registered trademark) information, etc. The onboard communication device 39 provides the received traffic congestion and road construction information to the autonomous driving ECU 50b and HCU 100, etc.

[0058] The driving control ECU 40 is an electronic control unit primarily composed of a microcontroller. It performs at least the functions of a braking control ECU, a drive control ECU, and a steering control ECU. Based on any of the driver's driving commands, control commands from the driving assistance ECU 50a, and control commands from the automatic driving ECU 50b, the driving control ECU 40 continuously controls the braking force applied to each wheel by the brake actuator 41, controls the output of the vehicle's power source, and controls the steering angle.

[0059] The body ECU 43 is an electronic control unit primarily composed of a microcontroller. The body ECU 43 has the function of controlling at least the operation of the lighting devices installed in the vehicle Am (e.g., the direction indicators 44 and the hazard lights 45). Based on a check of user operation input to a direction indicator switch (blinker lever) located on the steering column, etc., the body ECU 43 starts blinking either the left or right direction indicator 44 in accordance with the direction of operation.

[0060] The body ECU 43 also controls a door lock motor 46 for opening and closing a door lock mechanism of the host vehicle Am. The body ECU 43 also controls a power window 47 for opening and closing a side window of the host vehicle Am.

[0061] The driving assistance ECU 50a and the automatic driving ECU 50b constitute the automatic driving system 50 of the host vehicle Am. The driving assistance ECU 50a implements a driving assistance function that assists the driver in driving operations in the automatic driving system 50. The driving assistance ECU 50a can perform level 2 driving assistance or partial automatic driving.

[0062] The autonomous driving ECU 50b can substitute for the driver's driving operations and implement autonomous driving at level 3 or higher, where the system becomes the main controller. The autonomous driving implemented by the autonomous driving ECU 50b is an "eyes-off" autonomous driving that does not require monitoring of the vehicle's surroundings, i.e., the driver has no obligation to monitor the surroundings.

[0063] In the above automatic driving system 50, the driving control state of the automatic driving function can be switched among multiple controls including at least driving assistance control with surrounding monitoring obligation based on the driving assistance ECU 50a and automatic driving control without surrounding monitoring obligation based on the automatic driving ECU 50b.

[0064] The driving assistance ECU 50a is a computer primarily comprised of a processing unit, RAM (Random Access Memory), a storage unit, input / output interfaces, and a bus connecting these. The driving assistance ECU 50a implements driving assistance functions such as ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control), LTC (Lane Trace Control), and LCA (Lane Change Assist) by executing programs in the processing unit. ACC, LTC, and LCA are collectively referred to as driving assistance applications. The driving assistance ECU 50a provides control status information indicating the status of the driving assistance control to the autonomous driving ECU 50b.

[0065] The processing unit may include at least one processor. For example, the processor may include at least one of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and a RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) CPU as its core. The storage unit may include at least one non-transferable physical storage medium such as a semiconductor memory, magnetic media, and optical media, which non-temporarily stores programs and data readable by the processor 51b.

[0066] The autonomous driving ECU 50b has higher computing power than the driving assistance ECU 50a and can implement driving control equivalent to at least ACC and LTC. In situations where the control by the driving assistance ECU 50a is temporarily suspended, the autonomous driving ECU 50b can replace the driving assistance ECU 50a and implement driving assistance control that requires the driver to monitor the surrounding area.

[0067] The autonomous driving ECU 50b is a computer primarily composed of a control circuit including a processing unit 51, RAM 52, a storage unit 53, an input / output interface 54, and a bus connecting these. The processing unit 51 accesses the RAM 52 to execute various processes for implementing the autonomous driving control method disclosed herein. The storage unit 53 stores various programs (such as autonomous driving control programs) executed by the processing unit 51.

[0068] The processing unit 51 may include at least one processor. For example, the processor may include at least one of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and a RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) CPU as its core. The storage unit 53 may include at least one non-transferable physical storage medium such as semiconductor memory, magnetic media, and optical media, which non-temporarily stores programs and data readable by the processor.

[0069] By executing the program by the processing unit 51, the automatic driving ECU 50b is constructed with an information cooperation unit 61, an environment recognition unit 62, an action judgment unit 63, and a control execution unit 64 as multiple functional units for realizing the automatic driving function (see Figure 2 ).

[0070] The information collaboration unit 61 implements information provision to the information collaboration unit 82 described later in the HCU100, and information acquisition from the information collaboration unit 82. Through the collaboration of these information collaboration units 61 and 82, the automatic driving ECU 50b and the HCU100 share the information acquired from each other. The information collaboration unit 61 generates control state information indicating the operating state of the automatic driving function, and provides the generated control state information to the information collaboration unit 82. The control state information includes collision generation information indicating that the vehicle Am collides with other objects. The collision generation information refers to, for example, the collision determination processing described later (see Figure 4 In addition, the control state information includes the restriction information of the automatic driving function.

[0071] The information coordination unit 61 can output control status information to the information coordination unit 82, thereby reporting to the HCU 100 in synchronization with the operating status of the autonomous driving function. Furthermore, the information coordination unit 61 obtains operation information from the driver or other passengers from the information coordination unit 82, thereby understanding the content of user operations input to the HMI system 10 and the like.

[0072] The environment recognition unit 62 includes an other vehicle recognition unit 72 and a road information recognition unit 73 as sub-functional units for driving environment recognition. The other vehicle recognition unit 72 recognizes the relative positions and relative speeds of dynamic objects around the vehicle Am, such as other vehicles traveling around the vehicle Am. The other vehicle recognition unit 72 at least recognizes the front vehicle and the rear vehicle traveling in the same lane (hereinafter referred to as the vehicle lane) as the vehicle Am, and the lateral vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane adjacent to the vehicle lane. When the vehicle Am is traveling on a road with three or more lanes, the other vehicle recognition unit 72 recognizes the lateral vehicle traveling in the separated lane on the opposite side of the vehicle lane across the adjacent lane.

[0073] The environment recognition unit 62 includes an other vehicle recognition unit 72, a road information recognition unit 73, and a collision recognition unit 74 as sub-functional units for driving environment recognition. The other vehicle recognition unit 72 recognizes the relative positions and relative speeds of dynamic objects around the vehicle Am, such as other vehicles traveling around the vehicle Am. The other vehicle recognition unit 72 at least recognizes the front vehicle and the rear vehicle traveling in the same lane (hereinafter referred to as the vehicle lane) as the vehicle Am, and the lateral vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane adjacent to the vehicle lane. When the vehicle Am is traveling on a road with three or more lanes, the other vehicle recognition unit 72 recognizes the lateral vehicle traveling in the separated lane on the opposite side of the vehicle lane across the adjacent lane.

[0074] The road information acquisition unit 73 acquires information related to the road on which the host vehicle Am is traveling. Upon receiving route information from the navigation ECU 38, the road information acquisition unit 73 extracts specific locations on the road on which the host vehicle Am is scheduled to travel, specifically, branch points (intersections, etc.), merging points, and exit points on expressways. Furthermore, the road information acquisition unit 73 acquires information on congested sections of the road on which the host vehicle Am is scheduled to travel, such as sections subject to traffic congestion and restricted sections due to road construction, etc.

[0075] The road information grasping unit 73 grasps whether the road on which the vehicle Am is traveling or the road it plans to travel is within a pre-set permitted area or a restricted permitted area. Information indicating whether the road is within a permitted area or a restricted permitted area can be recorded in the map data stored in the map DB 36 or included in information received by the on-board communication device 39. Specifically, automated driving includes traffic congestion limitation control (hereinafter referred to as Traffic Congestion Level 3), which is implemented only when the vehicle is traveling in traffic congestion, and area limitation control (hereinafter referred to as Area Level 3), which is implemented only when the vehicle is traveling in a specific permitted area. On roads within the permitted area, both Traffic Congestion Level 3 and Area Level 3 are permitted. On roads within the restricted area, only Traffic Congestion Level 3 is permitted. Automated driving is prohibited on roads that are neither within the permitted area nor the restricted permitted area (hereinafter referred to as the non-permitted area). The permitted area and the restricted permitted area are set, for example, on highways or dedicated roads.

[0076] The collision recognition unit 74 identifies the occurrence of a collision between the host vehicle Am and another object. Specifically, the collision recognition unit 74 identifies the collision based on the image captured by the camera unit 31 and information from the acceleration sensor 37 (G sensor) that detects the acceleration of the host vehicle Am. The collision recognition unit 74 may further identify at least one of the type of the colliding object, the impacted portion of the body of the host vehicle Am, and the severity of the collision. The collision recognition unit 74 provides the presence or absence of a collision, the type of the colliding object, the impacted portion, and the severity of the collision to the information coordination unit 61 as collision occurrence information.

[0077] The type of the object that collides may be another vehicle, a bicycle, a pedestrian, a structure such as a building or a utility pole, or an object that has fallen on the road. The collision recognition unit 74 may recognize the type of the object that collides based on the image captured by the camera unit 31 or the point cloud acquired by the optical radar 33.

[0078] The collision area can be the front, side, or rear of the vehicle. The collision area can also be determined in greater detail. For example, the collision area can be determined based on vehicle components such as the front bumper, rear bumper, driver's door, and right rear wheel. The collision recognition unit 74 can identify the collision area based on images captured by the camera unit 31, information from the acceleration sensor, and fault conditions detected by the perimeter monitoring sensors 30 installed in various components.

[0079] The degree of collision can be the intensity of the impact during the collision. Alternatively, the degree of collision can be the degree of collision damage. The collision recognition unit 74 can determine the degree of collision damage based on the image captured by the camera unit 31 and the failure status of components such as the perimeter monitoring sensor 30.

[0080] The action determination unit 63 cooperates with the driving assistance ECU 50a and the HCU 100 to control the alternation of driving between the automatic driving system 50 and the driver. If the automatic driving ECU 50b has control authority over driving operations, the action determination unit 63 generates a planned driving line for the host vehicle Am based on the driving environment recognition results of the environment recognition unit 62, and outputs the generated planned driving line to the control execution unit 64.

[0081] When the automatic driving ECU 50b has control authority over driving operations, the control execution unit 64, in cooperation with the driving control ECU 40, executes acceleration and deceleration control, steering control, and other operations of the host vehicle Am based on the predetermined driving line generated by the behavior determination unit 63. Specifically, the control execution unit 64 generates control commands based on the predetermined driving line and sequentially outputs the generated control commands to the driving control ECU 40.

[0082] like Figure 1 As shown, the HCU 100 is electrically connected to a plurality of display devices, an audio device 24, an ambient light 25, and an operating device 26. The HCU 100, the plurality of display devices, the audio device 24, the ambient light 25, and the operating device 26 constitute the HMI system 10 of the host vehicle Am.

[0083] Display devices provide visual information to the driver or other passengers through image displays and other means. These display devices include an instrument display 21, a central information display (CID) 22, and a head-up display (HUD) 23. The CID 22 functions as a touch panel, detecting touch operations on the display screen by the driver or other passengers. In other words, the CID 22 also functions as the operating device 26.

[0084] The audio system 24 includes multiple speakers arranged in a configuration surrounding the driver's seat within the vehicle interior. These speakers play notification sounds and voice messages within the vehicle interior. Ambient lights 25 are provided on the instrument panel and steering wheel, etc. They provide notifications utilizing the driver's peripheral vision by displaying ambient light that changes color.

[0085] The operating device 26 is an input unit that receives user operations from the driver or other passengers. For example, user operations related to activating and deactivating the autonomous driving function and setting a route guidance destination are input into the operating device 26. The operating device 26 includes steering switches located on the spokes of the steering wheel, a joystick located on the steering column, and a voice input device that recognizes the speech of the driver or other passengers.

[0086] HCU100 is an information presentation device that comprehensively controls reports using a plurality of display devices, an audio device 24, and ambient lights 25. HCU100 controls the reporting of information related to autonomous driving by cooperating with the autonomous driving system 50. HCU100 is a computer that includes a control circuit having a processing unit 11, a RAM 12, a storage unit 13, an input / output interface 14, and a bus connecting them as a main body. The processing unit 11 executes various processes for report control processing by accessing the RAM 12. The RAM 12 can be configured to include a video RAM for generating image data. Various programs (report control programs, etc.) executed by the processing unit 11 are stored in the storage unit 13.

[0087] The processing unit 11 may include at least one processor. For example, the processor may include at least one of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and a RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) CPU as its core. The storage unit 13 may include at least one non-transferable physical storage medium such as semiconductor memory, magnetic media, and optical media, which non-temporarily stores programs and data readable by the processor.

[0088] The HCU 100 is constructed by executing a program stored in the storage unit 13 by the processing unit 11. The HCU 100 includes functional units such as an information acquisition unit 81, an information coordination unit 82, a request processing unit 84, and a report control unit 88 (see Figure 3 ).

[0089] The information acquisition unit 81 acquires operation information indicating the content of user operations from the CID 22 and the operating device 26. The information acquisition unit 81 provides the operation information regarding the user operation related to the autonomous driving function to the autonomous driving ECU 50b via the information coordination unit 82. The information acquisition unit 81 provides the operation information regarding the user operation for setting the destination of the host vehicle Am to the navigation ECU 38 via the request processing unit 84.

[0090] The information coordination unit 82 collaborates with the autonomous driving ECU 50b to enable information sharing between the autonomous driving system 50 and the HCU 100. The information coordination unit 82 provides the autonomous driving ECU 50b with the operational information acquired by the information acquisition unit 81. The information coordination unit 82 acquires control status information indicating the status of the autonomous driving function from the autonomous driving ECU 50b. Based on this control status information, the information coordination unit 82 determines the operational status of the autonomous driving system 50. Specifically, the information coordination unit 82 determines whether the host vehicle Am is operating in autonomous driving mode.

[0091] The request processing unit 84 enables coordination between the HCU 100 and various onboard devices through communication with the onboard devices connected to the communication bus 99. Specifically, the request processing unit 84 obtains route information to the destination, a guidance image based on map data, and a guidance implementation request from the navigation ECU 38 and provides these information to the report control unit 88, thereby enabling route guidance based on the HMI (Human Machine Interface) system 10. Furthermore, the request processing unit 84 switches the direction indicator 44, which coordinates with displays related to autonomous driving, on and off by outputting an operation request to the body ECU 43.

[0092] The report control unit 88 comprehensively implements information reporting to the driver and other occupants using various display devices, the audio device 24, the ambient lighting 25, and other devices. The report control unit 88 processes the control status information received by the information coordination unit 82 as a request for reporting related to the autonomous driving function, providing content and reporting appropriate to the operational status of the autonomous driving function. If the report control unit 88 detects the implementation of non-attentive autonomous driving control through the information coordination unit 82, it enables the playback of video content, etc. If the report control unit 88 detects the planned termination of autonomous driving, it requests the driver to take over the driving function, etc.

[0093] Next, use Figure 4The flowchart below illustrates an example of a processing method for vehicle system 1. At least one processor of vehicle system 1 executes a program, thereby performing the series of steps S11 to S15 at predetermined intervals or based on a predetermined trigger. This series of processes can be performed during automated driving, where the driver is not required to monitor the surrounding area. This series of processes is performed to ensure a smooth transition to driver control immediately after a collision.

[0094] In S11, the autonomous driving ECU 50b (e.g., the environment recognition unit 62) obtains sensor information. This sensor information may include at least one of the detection results of the surrounding monitoring sensor 30, the detection results of the acceleration sensor 37 (G sensor), the position estimation results of the positioner 35, and information obtained through V2X communication. After processing S11, the process proceeds to S12.

[0095] In S12, the automatic driving ECU 50b (e.g., the collision recognition unit 74) determines whether a collision has occurred between the host vehicle Am and another object. If so (i.e., a collision has been recognized), the process proceeds to S13. If not (i.e., no collision has been recognized), the series of processes ends with S12.

[0096] In S13, the automatic driving ECU 50b (e.g., the action determination unit 63) determines the collision response of the host vehicle Am. The automatic driving ECU 50b (e.g., the control execution unit 64) then executes vehicle control corresponding to the collision response determination. After S13, the process proceeds to S14.

[0097] In S14, the HCU 100 (eg, the information coordination unit 82) acquires information from the automatic driving ECU 50b to obtain collision information including information indicating whether a collision has occurred and vehicle control information corresponding to the collision.

[0098] In S15, the HCU 100 (e.g., the notification control unit 88) issues both a notification indicating the state of vehicle control in response to the collision and a notification urging the driver to switch driving. In other words, it reports both the current state and what the driver should do. The notification indicating the state of vehicle control in response to the collision and the notification urging the driver to switch driving can be issued simultaneously. The series of processes ends with S15.

[0099] Here, as Figure 5As shown, the report of S15 is described in detail. The report indicating the state of vehicle control is, for example, a report indicating that the movement of the vehicle Am is restricted by the operation of the brake. Specifically, when the automatic driving ECU 50b recognizes that the vehicle Am collides with another object, it operates the brake as a vehicle control corresponding to the above-mentioned collision, so that the vehicle Am stops safely and quickly. After stopping, the automatic driving ECU 50b also continues the operation state of the brake to restrict the movement of the vehicle Am until the vehicle Am is handed over to the driver for driving. The operation of the brake mentioned here can be the operation of one of the foot brake and the electric parking brake, or the operation of both. In the case of the foot brake, the restricted state of the movement of the vehicle Am can include not only the complete stop state of the vehicle Am, but also the slow moving state.

[0100] The HCU 100 reports the control state of the vehicle Am using a display device, an audio device 24, and an ambient light 25. For example, a plurality of display devices may be used to implement the report indicating the state of vehicle control. Figure 5 As shown, the meter display 21 displays the operation of the electric parking brake through a display lamp or an image D1 in the form of a display lamp, and at the same time, the CID 22 can also display the state of restricting the movement of the vehicle through a warning image D2.

[0101] Furthermore, when the autonomous driving ECU 50b or the HCU 100 recognizes a collision between the host vehicle Am and another object, it may illuminate the hazard indicator lights 45 of the host vehicle Am as a vehicle control in response to the collision. The notification indicating the vehicle status may further include causing the instrument panel 21 to display the lighting status of the hazard indicator lights 45 using a display light or an image in the form of a display light.

[0102] The report urging the driver to switch driving may also vary in stages depending on the time remaining until the driver should complete the switch. If the remaining time is greater than a predetermined threshold, for example, if there is still time left until the driver immediately switches driving, the report urging the driver to switch driving may be a report indicating that the timing for the driver to switch driving is approaching. If the remaining time is less than a predetermined threshold, and the driver immediately switches driving, the report urging the driver to switch driving may be a report indicating that the system is requesting the driver to switch driving. Furthermore, if the driver does not switch driving at the time when the switch is due, the report urging the driver to switch driving may be a report warning the driver to immediately switch driving. Here, since the report assumed in S15 is a sudden report corresponding to the occurrence of a collision, the report urging the driver to switch driving may also begin with a report requesting a switch driving or a report warning the driver to immediately switch driving.

[0103] The notification urging the driver to change driving can be implemented using at least one of the instrument display 21 and the HUD 23 that can be displayed in front of the driver. Figure 5 As shown, the notification urging the driver to shift steering can include an image D3 of the driver gripping the steering wheel in the instrument panel display 21. This allows the driver to smoothly proceed from confirming the notification to engaging in a forward-facing steering shift. Alternatively, the notification urging the driver to shift steering can be implemented using the CID 22. This allows the driver to immediately recognize the need for a steering shift when, for example, the driver is viewing a video using the CID 22 as a secondary task.

[0104] According to the first embodiment described above, even when the driver is not monitoring the surrounding area, both notifications (a notification indicating the vehicle control status and a notification urging the driver to initiate a steering shift) are provided. This allows the driver to understand the control status of the host vehicle Am and what the driver should do in response to a collision. As a result, the driver can initiate steering shifts after understanding the control status of the host vehicle Am, thereby achieving smooth steering shifts for the driver.

[0105] Furthermore, according to the first embodiment, the notification indicating the control status of the host vehicle Am includes a notification indicating that the movement of the host vehicle Am is restricted by the operation of the brakes and a notification indicating that the hazard indicator light 45 of the host vehicle Am is illuminated. The driver can understand the specific control status corresponding to the collision, and can start the driving alternation operation with peace of mind.

[0106] In addition, the display device in the first embodiment corresponds to the “vehicle-mounted device.” At least one of the information acquisition unit 81 and the information coordination unit 82 in the first embodiment corresponds to the “information grasping unit.”

[0107] Furthermore, the understanding in this embodiment may involve the device that is the subject of the understanding obtaining information from an external device, or the device that is the subject of the understanding deriving information through calculation or determination. When deriving information, the analysis source data (sensor information, vehicle status, etc.) required for deriving the information may also be obtained from an external device.

[0108] (Second embodiment)

[0109] like Figure 6 As shown, the second embodiment is a modified example of the first embodiment. The second embodiment will be described focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0110] use Figure 6 The flowchart of the second embodiment of the present invention describes an example of the processing method of the HCU 100. The processor of the HCU 100 executes the program to implement a series of processes shown in steps S101 to S105. This series of processes can be implemented in an automatic driving in which the driver has no obligation to monitor the surroundings. Figure 4 The series of processing is performed accordingly by the automatic driving ECU 50b in steps S11 to S13.

[0111] In S101, the HCU 50b (e.g., the information coordination unit 82) obtains information from the autonomous driving ECU 50b to obtain collision information, including information indicating whether a collision has occurred, and vehicle control information corresponding to the collision. The vehicle control corresponding to the collision includes not only the operation of the brakes described in the first embodiment, but also the limitation of the autonomous driving function.

[0112] Restrictions on autonomous driving functions can include prohibiting the execution of all functions above Level 1, including driving assistance and autonomous driving. They can also include prohibiting the execution of all functions above Level 3. Restrictions on autonomous driving functions can include prohibiting the execution of a portion of the driving assistance application. For example, a partial prohibition state means that ACC is enabled but LTA is disabled. Restrictions on autonomous driving functions can also include speed limits during autonomous driving. The HCU 100 understands the specific conditions for these autonomous driving function restrictions.

[0113] After the processing of S101, enter S102. S102 and Figure 4The same as S15 of FIG. By prompting the driver to report the driving handover, the system performs the driving handover to the driver. After processing S102, the process proceeds to S103. In S103, the HCU 100 recognizes the completion of the driving handover. After processing S103, the process proceeds to S104.

[0114] In S104, the HCU 100 (e.g., the information acquisition unit 81) determines whether the driver or another passenger has used the operating device 26 to activate the restricted autonomous driving function. This determination is made by comparing the specific conditions determined in S101 with the operation performed on the operating device 26. If yes, the process proceeds to S105. If no, the determination in S104 is repeated unless the restrictions on the autonomous driving function have been lifted.

[0115] Furthermore, when the function being turned on is not prohibited, the HCU requests the driving support ECU 50a or the automatic driving ECU 50b to start operating the function through the information linking unit 82 .

[0116] In S105, the HCU 100 (e.g., the notification control unit 88) issues a notification to the driver, etc., who has operated the operating device 26, indicating that the autonomous driving function is being restricted. This notification is made using a display device located closest to the operating device 26, or using a specific instrument display 21 or HUD 23, for a predetermined period of time immediately after the operation. This notification may also include the specific conditions described above. The series of processes ends with S105.

[0117] Next, the removal of restrictions on the autonomous driving function will be described. The vehicle system 1 is configured so that the autonomous driving function, which has been restricted in response to a collision, is prohibited from being removed until a predetermined condition is met. The predetermined condition may be the passage of a predetermined time after the collision. Alternatively, the starting switch (e.g., ignition switch) of the vehicle Am may be in the off state.

[0118] Alternatively, the specific condition may be initialization of the vehicle system 1 or the autonomous driving ECU 50b. When initialization is used as a condition, there is essentially no dedicated program within the vehicle system 1 for removing restrictions. For example, initialization may be performed when an authorized vehicle manager performs repairs on the vehicle body and vehicle diagnostics, and there are no issues with autonomous driving.

[0119] If the vehicle Am is a personally owned vehicle (POV), the vehicle manager here can be, for example, a car dealer or vehicle inspector. If the vehicle Am is a MaaS (Mobility as a Service) dedicated vehicle (also known as a service vehicle), the vehicle manager can be the person who operates the vehicle service.

[0120] According to the second embodiment described above, when the information coordination unit 82 recognizes that the automatic driving function of the host vehicle Am is to be restricted after a collision occurs, the notification control unit 88 issues a notification indicating that the automatic driving function has been restricted. The driver understands that manual driving is necessary, and can therefore smoothly respond using manual driving.

[0121] Furthermore, according to the second embodiment, the information acquisition unit 81 can detect an operation to activate the automatic driving function on the operating device 26 of the host vehicle Am. Furthermore, upon detecting an operation to restrict the automatic driving function of the host vehicle Am after a collision and detecting an operation to activate the automatic driving function, the notification control unit 88 can issue a notification indicating that the automatic driving function has been restricted. This notification can prevent the driver from mistakenly believing that the automatic driving function is activated, thereby enabling appropriate manual driving response.

[0122] Furthermore, according to the second embodiment, the vehicle Am can employ specifications that prohibit the removal of restrictions on the autonomous driving function until an authorized vehicle manager performs initialization operations. Furthermore, the vehicle Am can employ specifications that remove restrictions on the autonomous driving function based on the vehicle's start switch being in the off state. This specification prevents the removal of restrictions on the autonomous driving function in the event of a malfunction or other problem, thereby preventing the occurrence of secondary collisions or other problems.

[0123] (Third embodiment)

[0124] like Figure 7 As shown, the third embodiment is a modified example of the first embodiment. The third embodiment will be described focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0125] In the third embodiment, the HCU 100 (e.g., the notification control unit 88) issues at least one of a notification indicating the impact site, a notification indicating a malfunction, and a notification indicating the possibility of a fire to the driver or other occupants. These notifications are hereinafter referred to as incidental notifications. For example, the incidental notification may be issued simultaneously with a notification indicating the state of vehicle control in response to the collision and a notification urging the driver to change driving habits.

[0126] The attached report is displayed on a screen such as the CID 22 or the meter display 21. Figure 7 As shown, if the accompanying report is implemented in the form of a summary display content, the driver or the like can easily recognize the information.

[0127] For example, the notification of the collision portion is performed by superimposing an icon Ds1 indicating the collision portion on the vehicle overhead image IMV overlooking the host vehicle Am. By such a graphic representation, the driver or the like can instantly understand the collision portion of the host vehicle Am.

[0128] For example, a fault notification can be implemented using characters Ds2 such as "Sensor Fault." If this character Ds2 is associated with the collision location using a line or arrow, the driver can instantly understand the relationship between the fault and the collision. Furthermore, a fault notification can be implemented using methods other than characters Ds2. For example, a fault notification can be implemented by replacing the icon Ds1 representing the collision location with an icon representing the fault, such as one in which a diagonal line is superimposed on an image representing the perimeter monitoring sensor 30.

[0129] For example, a notification indicating the possibility of fire is provided using characters Ds3 such as "Warning: Fire Possible." For example, the characters Ds3 are positioned near the vehicle bird's-eye view image IMV as an accompanying notification, allowing for identification. Furthermore, the notification indicating the possibility of fire can be provided using methods other than characters. For example, an icon indicating the possibility of fire can be superimposed on the portion of the vehicle Am in the vehicle bird's-eye view image IMV where the fire is assumed to have occurred.

[0130] The possibility of fire in the host vehicle Am can be estimated by any one of the HCU 100, the driving assistance ECU 50a, and the automatic driving ECU 50b. The possibility of fire is estimated based on the collision part, the degree of collision, and the failure status of the components that fail due to the collision.

[0131] According to the third embodiment described above, the notification control unit 88 further implements notification indicating the collision site of the host vehicle Am. By understanding the collision site, the driver can quickly understand the collision site and the surrounding environment including other objects that come into contact with the collision site.

[0132] Furthermore, according to the third embodiment, the notification control unit 88 further issues a notification indicating a fault associated with the collision. The driver can understand the fault situation caused by the impact of the collision and can promptly take actions such as manual driving to address the fault.

[0133] According to the third embodiment, the notification control unit 88 further implements notification indicating the possibility of fire in the host vehicle Am. By understanding the possibility of fire, the driver can accurately determine whether or not to evacuate outside the vehicle.

[0134] (Fourth embodiment)

[0135] like Figure 8 As shown, the fourth embodiment is a modification of the first embodiment. The fourth embodiment will be described focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0136] use Figure 8 The flowchart of the second embodiment of the present invention describes an example of the processing method of the HCU 100. The processor of the HCU 100 executes the program to implement a series of processes shown in steps S201 to S207. This series of processes can be implemented in an automatic driving in which the driver has no obligation to monitor the surroundings. Figure 4 The series of processing is performed accordingly by the automatic driving ECU 50b in steps S11 to S13.

[0137] In S201, the HCU 100 (e.g., the information coordination unit 82) obtains information from the automatic driving ECU 50b to obtain collision information, including information indicating whether a collision has occurred, and vehicle control information corresponding to the collision. The vehicle control corresponding to the collision includes not only the operation of the brakes described in the first embodiment, but also the parking position.

[0138] The parking position information indicates the position of the vehicle Am on the road after the brakes have been applied. For example, on a single-lane multi-lane road, the parking position information may include information on which lane the vehicle Am is parked in. After S201, the process proceeds to S202.

[0139] S202 and Figure 4 By prompting the driver to report the driving handover, the system is handed over to the driver, and the automatic driving is terminated. After the processing of S202, the process proceeds to S203.

[0140] In S203, the HCU 100 (e.g., the report control unit 88 or the request processing unit 84) determines whether the passengers, including the driver, need to go outside the vehicle urgently. The HCU 100 may also obtain the determination results of other ECUs. For example, the necessity of going outside the vehicle may be determined based on the possibility of fire or the occurrence of fire as described in the third embodiment. For example, when the possibility of fire in the vehicle Am is high, or when a fire has already occurred, it is determined that it is necessary to go outside the vehicle. In addition, the necessity of going outside the vehicle may also be determined by considering the environment or weather outside the vehicle. For example, when the terrain outside the vehicle is fragile, or when there is a high possibility that there is a mentally unstable person outside the vehicle due to an accident caused by aggressive driving, etc., it is determined that it is not necessary to go outside the vehicle. If the answer is yes in S203, the process proceeds to S204. If not, the process proceeds to S205.

[0141] In S204 , the door locks are released automatically or manually by the driver, etc. The releasable state can be achieved by the HCU 100 (eg, the request processing unit 84 ) requesting the body ECU 43 that controls the door lock motor 46 to release the releasable state.

[0142] Furthermore, the HCU 100 (e.g., the notification control unit 88) issues a notification indicating the parking position of the vehicle Am. For example, on a single-lane, multi-lane road, the notification indicating the parking position of the vehicle Am can indicate in which of the multiple lanes the vehicle Am is parked. The HCU 100, for example, causes the CID 22 or the instrument panel display 21 to display an overhead image of the road surrounding the vehicle Am and an image of the vehicle Am superimposed on the overhead image. This allows the driver to easily determine a safe position on the road structure. Specifically, the driver can easily determine which of the left and right doors to exit the vehicle. After processing S204, the process proceeds to S206.

[0143] In S205, the door locks are changed to a state where they cannot be released manually by the driver or others. This state can be achieved by the HCU 100 requesting the body ECU 43, which controls the door lock motor 46, to disable the locks. This prevents the driver or other passengers from panicking and leaving the vehicle when it would be best not to. This state can also be changed to a releasable state after a predetermined time has passed. After S205, the process proceeds to S206.

[0144] In S206, the HCU 100 (e.g., the information acquisition unit 81) determines whether the driver or other passengers have performed an emergency window opening operation using the operating device 26. Preferably, the emergency window opening operation can be performed by a single action (such as a single touch or press of a dedicated switch). If so, the process proceeds to S207. If not, the HCU 100 (e.g., the information acquisition unit 81) may wait until an emergency window opening operation is detected. If no emergency window opening operation is detected even after a pre-set waiting time, the series of processes may be terminated.

[0145] In S207, the side windows are fully opened. If the driver's seat, passenger seat, and rear seats are each equipped with side windows, all of them can be opened. The HCU 100 (e.g., the request processing unit 84) can open the side windows by requesting emergency opening from the body ECU 43, which controls the power windows 47. The series of processes ends with S207.

[0146] According to the fourth embodiment described above, the notification control unit 88 further implements a notification indicating the position of the vehicle Am on the road after it is parked. Furthermore, the notification indicating the position of the vehicle Am on the road after it is parked may include information indicating which lane the vehicle Am is parked in on a multi-lane road. By allowing passengers to understand the position of the vehicle Am on the road, it is possible to prevent them from accidentally opening a door at a location that could potentially come into contact with other moving vehicles, or from accidentally running onto the road where other moving vehicles are located.

[0147] Furthermore, according to the fourth embodiment, when there is no urgent need for the occupants of the host vehicle Am to leave the vehicle, the request processing unit 84 requests the host vehicle Am to disable the door locks of the host vehicle Am from being manually unlocked by the occupants. By disabling the door locks, it is possible to prevent the occupants from accidentally leaving the vehicle. Furthermore, it is possible to protect the occupants from outside the vehicle.

[0148] Furthermore, according to the fourth embodiment, the information acquisition unit 81 detects an emergency window opening operation on the operating device 26 of the host vehicle Am. Upon detecting the execution of the emergency window opening operation, the request processing unit 84 requests the host vehicle Am to fully open the side windows of the host vehicle Am. This fully opening side window control allows occupants to evacuate the vehicle even if a collision causes malfunctions in the opening and closing of the doors, or even if a fire occurs.

[0149] (Fifth embodiment)

[0150] like Figure 9 As shown, the fifth embodiment is a modification of the first embodiment. The fifth embodiment will be described focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0151] In the fifth embodiment, when a collision occurs between the vehicle Am and another object during automatic driving, it is determined whether to continue the automatic driving function according to a predetermined condition. Figure 9 The flowchart illustrates an example of a processing method of the vehicle system 1 according to the fifth embodiment. At least one processor of the vehicle system 1 executes a program, thereby performing the series of processes shown in steps S301 to S310 at predetermined intervals or based on predetermined triggers. This series of processes can be performed during autonomous driving, where the driver is not required to monitor the surrounding area. This series of processes is performed to ensure a smooth transition to driver control immediately after a collision.

[0152] S301~303 and Figure 4 After the processing of S303, the process proceeds to S304.

[0153] In S304, the automatic driving ECU 50b (eg, the action determination unit 63) determines whether to limit the automatic driving function. This determination is made based on pre-set conditions based on the type of collision.

[0154] The first example of the set conditions is a condition based on the degree of collision and the fault condition of the sensor. When the degree of collision is smaller than the pre-set judgment standard and the fault of the surrounding monitoring sensor 30 mounted on the vehicle Am is not confirmed, the automatic driving ECU 50b (for example, the action judgment unit 63) determines not to limit the automatic driving function. The case where the fault is not confirmed may be a case where a normal state is confirmed. On the other hand, when the degree of collision is greater than the pre-set judgment standard, or even when a fault of the surrounding monitoring sensor 30 mounted on the vehicle Am is confirmed at one location, the automatic driving ECU 50b (for example, the action judgment unit 63) determines to limit the automatic driving function.

[0155] The second example of the set condition is a condition based on the collision part and the collision object. In this condition, at least one of the size and type of the collision object can be considered. When the collision part of the vehicle Am is a part that has no effect on the execution of autonomous driving (for example, a minor collision such as only rubbing the wheel cover part), the autonomous driving ECU50b (for example, the action judgment unit 63) determines that the autonomous driving function is not restricted. In addition, when the size of the collision object is smaller than a pre-set judgment criterion (for example, a small fallen object, gravel, etc.), the autonomous driving ECU50b (for example, the action judgment unit 63) determines that the autonomous driving function is not restricted. Otherwise, the autonomous driving ECU50b (for example, the action judgment unit 63) determines that the autonomous driving function is restricted. In the case of yes in S304, enter S305. In the case of no, enter S308.

[0156] In S305, the automatic driving ECU 50b (for example, the action determination unit 63) determines to limit the automatic driving function. After the processing of S305, the process proceeds to S306.

[0157] In S306, the HCU 100 (e.g., the information coordination unit 82) obtains collision information and vehicle control information. Specifically, it obtains brake operation information and automatic driving function restriction information. After processing S306, the process proceeds to S307.

[0158] In S307, the HCU 100 (e.g., the notification control unit 88) issues both a report indicating the state of vehicle control in response to the collision and a notification urging the driver to perform a driving shift. In other words, it reports both the current state and what the driver should do. The report indicating the state of vehicle control in response to the collision and the notification urging the driver to perform a driving shift can be issued simultaneously. Specifically, the notification urging the driver to perform a driving shift serves as a warning to the driver to immediately perform a driving shift. The series of processes ends with S307.

[0159] If the answer to S304 is "No," the automatic driving ECU 50b (e.g., the action determination unit 63) determines in S308 not to restrict the automatic driving function and to continue it. In this case, the automatic driving ECU 50b (e.g., the action determination unit 63) may also decide not to completely stop the vehicle Am but to continue driving, depending on the severity of the collision and the collision target. After S308, the process proceeds to S309.

[0160] In S309, the HCU 100 (e.g., the information coordination unit 82) obtains information about the collision and vehicle control. Specifically, it obtains information about brake operation and information about restrictions on the autonomous driving function. After processing S309, the process proceeds to S310.

[0161] In S310, the HCU 100 (e.g., the reporting control unit 88) implements both a report indicating the state of vehicle control corresponding to the collision and a report urging the driver to perform driving alternation. That is, both the current state and what the driver should do are reported. The report indicating the state of vehicle control corresponding to the collision and the report urging the driver to perform driving alternation can be implemented simultaneously. Here, in particular, the report urging the driver to perform driving alternation is a report urging the driver to perform a leisurely (in other words, non-urgent) driving alternation. That is, the report urging the driver to perform a leisurely driving alternation can also be a non-urgent report indicating that driving alternation can be performed at the timing when the driver is ready. Alternatively, the report urging the driver to perform a leisurely driving alternation can also be the non-urgent report indicating that the timing of the driving alternation to the driver is approaching, as described in the first embodiment. A series of processes ends with S310.

[0162] According to the fifth embodiment described above, the notification control unit 88 performs processing based on a decision to continue the automated driving function, where the decision is based on pre-set conditions based on the nature of the collision. This processing serves as a notification to the driver urging a driving shift, a notification that is less urgent than a situation where the automated driving function is restricted. This calm notification, with less urgency, allows the driver to calmly perform a driving shift even in the event of a collision.

[0163] Furthermore, according to the fifth embodiment, the pre-set conditions for the collision mode may be based on the severity of the collision and the malfunction of the surrounding monitoring sensor 30 mounted on the host vehicle Am. By adopting such conditions, it is possible to determine whether to continue the autonomous driving function by considering whether the autonomous driving function can be operated normally.

[0164] In addition, according to the fifth embodiment, the pre-set conditions based on the collision mode can be based on the collision part of the host vehicle Am and other objects. By adopting such conditions, it is possible to consider whether to respond to the collision and decide whether to continue the automatic driving function.

[0165] (Sixth embodiment)

[0166] like Figures 10-14 As shown in FIG, the sixth embodiment is a modification of the first embodiment. The sixth embodiment will be described focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0167] In the sixth embodiment, the HCU 100 (eg, the notification control unit 88) changes the status of the occupant (eg, the driver) at the time of the collision. Figure 4The HCU 100 (eg, the information acquisition unit 81) acquires occupant status information from occupant status sensors such as the driver status monitor (DSM) 27 to understand the driver's status at the time of the collision.

[0168] like Figure 10 As shown, DSM 27 is provided in the vehicle system 1, such as the HMI system 10. DSM 27 is configured to include, for example, a near-infrared light source, a near-infrared camera, and a control unit for controlling them. DSM 27 is positioned, for example, on the dashboard, with the near-infrared camera facing the driver's seat. DSM 27 uses the near-infrared camera to capture an image of the driver, who is being irradiated with near-infrared light by the near-infrared light source. The control unit performs image analysis on the image captured by the near-infrared camera. Based on the driver's feature values extracted through image analysis, the control unit detects the driver's alertness, facial orientation, and posture deviation.

[0169] use Figure 11 The flowchart of FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a processing method of the vehicle system 1 according to the sixth embodiment. The series of processing shown in steps S1501 to S1505 is shown in detail. Figure 4 An example of the processing of S15.

[0170] In S1501, the HCU 100 (eg, the notification control unit 88) determines whether the driver is in a state of surrounding monitoring. If so, the process proceeds to S1503. If not, the process proceeds to S1502.

[0171] In S1502, the HCU 100 (eg, the notification control unit 88) determines whether the driver is asleep. If so, the process proceeds to S1505. If not, the process proceeds to S1503.

[0172] In S1503 , when it is determined that the driver is monitoring the surroundings, the HCU 100 (eg, the notification control unit 88 ) selects the notification mode A with a small amount of information as the notification mode of the CID 22 and causes the CID 22 to perform a notification.

[0173] like Figure 12As shown, report mode A may include an alarm image D2A that reports the status of vehicle control in response to a collision. Alarm image D2A may include a report indicating the operation of the electric parking brake, a report indicating the occurrence of a collision, and a report indicating the status of vehicle movement restriction. The report indicating the operation of the electric parking brake may be, for example, an image D2A1 in the form of a display light. The report indicating the occurrence of a collision may be an image that simply displays the fact that a collision has occurred, such as an image D2A2 consisting primarily of text. The report indicating the status of vehicle movement restriction may be, for example, an image D2B3 consisting primarily of text. The series of processes ends with the processing of S1503.

[0174] If it is determined that the driver is neither monitoring the surrounding area nor asleep, in other words, that the driver is performing the second task, in S1504, the HCU 100 (e.g., the reporting control unit 88) selects reporting mode B in the information volume as the reporting mode of the CID 22, and causes the CID 22 to perform a report. The information volume of reporting mode B is set to be greater than that of reporting mode A.

[0175] like Figure 13 As shown, reporting mode B may include an alarm image D2B as a report indicating the state of vehicle control corresponding to the collision. Alarm image D2B may include a report indicating the operation of the electric parking brake, a report indicating the occurrence of a collision, and a report indicating the state of restricting the movement of the vehicle. The report indicating the operation of the electric parking brake (for example, image D2B1) and the report indicating the state of restricting the movement of the vehicle (for example, image D2B3) may be the same as reporting mode A. The report indicating the occurrence of a collision may be an image D2B2 that displays the type of the object that collided in addition to the fact that a collision occurred. In the case where the colliding object is a vehicle, the type of the object may also include the type of vehicle (passenger car, truck, bus, etc.) and may also include the characteristics of the vehicle (the color, size, brand, model, license plate number, etc. of the vehicle). A series of processing ends with the processing of S1504.

[0176] If it is determined in S1505 that the driver is asleep, the HCU 100 (e.g., the notification control unit 88) selects notification mode C, which has a large amount of information, as the notification mode for the CID 22, and causes the CID 22 to make a notification. The amount of information in notification mode C is set to be larger than that in notification mode A and larger than that in notification mode B.

[0177] like Figure 14As shown, report mode C may include an alert image D2C that indicates the status of vehicle control in response to a collision. Alert image D2C may include an alert indicating the activation of the electric parking brake, an alert indicating the occurrence of a collision, and an alert indicating the status of vehicle movement restriction. The alert indicating the activation of the electric parking brake (e.g., image D2C1) and the alert indicating the status of vehicle movement restriction (e.g., image D2C3) may be the same as those in report mode A.

[0178] In report mode C, a collision report can be generated by combining, for example, a text-based image D2C2 and an image-based image D2C4 to report the collision, the type of object involved, and the positional relationship between the vehicle Am and the object involved. Image D2C2 can display not only the collision but also the type and direction of the object involved. Image D2C4 can provide a bird's-eye view of the positional relationship between the vehicle Am and the object involved. The series of processes ends with S1505.

[0179] In addition, in S1503 to S1505, the meter display 21 can be made to perform the same Figure 5 The same urging driving alternates reports.

[0180] According to the sixth embodiment described above, the notification is performed in a manner that changes the amount of information according to the state of the occupant at the time of the collision. Therefore, the driving change can be smoothly performed while reducing the trouble felt by the occupant.

[0181] Furthermore, according to the sixth embodiment, when the occupant is sleeping, the report is issued with a greater amount of information than when the occupant is performing the second task. When the occupant is performing the second task, the report is issued with a greater amount of information than when the occupant is monitoring the surrounding area. By varying the amount of information depending on the occupant's sleep or second task status, the inconvenience experienced by the occupant can be further reduced, and the necessary information can be provided.

[0182] Furthermore, according to the sixth embodiment, when the occupant is not monitoring their surroundings, a notification indicating the type of other object is provided. If the occupant is not monitoring their surroundings, it takes time to identify the other object that has collided. In contrast, by notifying the type of object, the time it takes for the occupant to understand and identify the other object that has collided can be shortened. This allows for smoother driving transitions.

[0183] (Seventh embodiment)

[0184] like Figure 15As shown, the seventh embodiment is a modified example of the fourth embodiment. The seventh embodiment will be described focusing on the differences from the fourth embodiment.

[0185] In the seventh embodiment, in S204 of the fourth embodiment, the HCU 100 issues at least one of a report indicating guidance on accident handling and a report indicating action required of the vehicle occupants, in addition to or instead of reporting the parking position.

[0186] exist Figure 15 , an example is shown in which the vehicle Am is a bus and a passenger-facing in-vehicle display 22a is used for reporting. In a bus, the in-vehicle display 22a is controlled by the HCU 100, similar to the CID 22. Reports providing guidance on accident handling can include, for example, a report on the dispatch status of vehicles for accident handling (image Da1) or a report indicating the bus's emergency exits (image Da3). Reports indicating actions required of passengers can include, for example, guidance on exiting the vehicle (image Da3).

[0187] According to the seventh embodiment described above, after a collision, a notification indicating guidance on accident handling is provided, thereby enabling the occupants to determine subsequent actions while understanding the status of the accident handling.

[0188] Furthermore, according to the seventh embodiment, a notification indicating the action required of the vehicle occupants is issued after the collision, so that the occupants can take more appropriate actions based on the notification.

[0189] (Eighth Embodiment)

[0190] like Figure 16 、 17 As shown, the eighth embodiment is a modification of the first embodiment. The eighth embodiment will be described focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0191] exist Figure 16 , the HMI system 10 is shown when the host vehicle Am is a bus. The HMI system 10 is configured to include a display device 28 facing the outside of the vehicle instead of the ambient light 25.

[0192] The exterior display device 28 is a display mounted on an exterior portion of the vehicle body, primarily constructed using, for example, a liquid crystal panel or an OLED, capable of displaying images. While only one exterior display device 28 may be provided, multiple exterior display devices 28 may be provided, such as one displaying information facing forward and another displaying information facing backward. If the HCU 100 does not have information about a collision, the exterior display device 28 can display the destination or indicate whether a passenger is getting on or off the vehicle.

[0193] use Figure 17 The flowchart of the eighth embodiment of the vehicle system 1 is used to illustrate an example of the processing method. The series of processing shown in steps S401 to 404 is implemented by executing the program by at least one processor of the vehicle system 1. This series of processing can be implemented in automatic driving without the driver's obligation to monitor the surroundings. Figure 4 The series of processing is performed accordingly by the automatic driving ECU 50b in steps S11 to S13.

[0194] In S401, the HCU 100 (e.g., the information coordination unit 82) obtains information from the automatic driving ECU 50b to obtain collision information, including information indicating whether a collision has occurred, and vehicle control information corresponding to the collision. In addition to the brake operation described in the first embodiment, the vehicle control corresponding to the collision also includes drivability information indicating whether the host vehicle Am can travel. After S401, the process proceeds to S402.

[0195] S402 and Figure 4 By prompting the driver to report the driving handover, the system is handed over to the driver, and the automatic driving is terminated. After the processing of S402, the process proceeds to S403.

[0196] In S403, the HCU 100 (for example, the notification control unit 88) determines whether the host vehicle Am can travel. If yes, the process proceeds to S404. If no, the series of processes ends.

[0197] In S404, the HCU 100 (e.g., the notification control unit 88) implements a notification to the outside of the vehicle when the other object collided with is a dynamic object such as another vehicle that can recognize a notification to the outside of the vehicle. The other object may also be a motorcycle, a bicycle, or a pedestrian. The notification to the outside of the vehicle may be implemented by displaying on the display device 28 facing the outside of the vehicle. The notification to the outside of the vehicle may also be implemented by making a sound from a speaker facing the outside of the vehicle, or by combining the display and the sound from the speaker. The notification to the outside of the vehicle may be a notification to safely guide the other object for the vehicle Am to resume driving. The notification to safely guide the other object may be, for example, a notification indicating a safe stopping position of the other object. The series of processing ends with the processing of S404.

[0198] According to the eighth embodiment described above, after a collision, if the host vehicle Am is able to travel, an outward notification is implemented to guide the host vehicle Am to resume travel. A road user outside the vehicle who has confirmed the outward notification can take action based on the possibility of resuming travel of the host vehicle Am.

[0199] (Ninth embodiment)

[0200] like Figures 18-20 As shown, the ninth embodiment is a modified example of the first embodiment. The ninth embodiment will be described focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0201] Figure 18 The HMI system 10 shown is configured to include an emergency alarm switch 29. The emergency alarm switch 29 is located, for example, in the vehicle's ceiling within reach of the driver, or on the instrument panel. The emergency alarm switch 29 may be, for example, a push-button displaying "SOS."

[0202] Furthermore, the on-board communication device 39 is configured to communicate with the remote management center X1 and the transfer vehicle X2. The remote management center X1 is a center that remotely manages or supports each vehicle traveling on public roads, etc. The remote management center X1 includes a computer configured to communicate with each vehicle. An operator who operates the computer may be stationed at the remote management center X1. The transfer vehicle X2 is, for example, a vehicle assigned by the operator of the remote management center X1.

[0203] like Figure 19 As shown, the information acquisition unit 81 of the HCU 100 acquires an operation signal indicating that the emergency notification switch 29 has been operated by a passenger of the host vehicle Am at the time of a collision, etc. The HCU 100 further includes a communication processing unit 85 .

[0204] When the information acquisition unit receives the operation signal, the communication processing unit 85 initiates communication with the remote management center X1 via the onboard communication device 39. The remote management center X1 or its operator understands the collision situation through the HCU 100 or by communicating with the occupants using the HCU 100. If the remote management center X1 or its operator determines that the host vehicle Am is unable to travel, they arrange a transfer vehicle X2 for the occupants of the host vehicle Am to transfer to.

[0205] The transfer vehicle X2 can be selected from available vehicles near the collision site. The available vehicle may be one that has been pre-registered as the transfer vehicle X2. Alternatively, the available vehicle may be a vehicle that has been requested and approved by the remote management center X1 or its operator to travel to the collision site as the transfer vehicle X2.

[0206] When the scheduled transfer vehicle X2 arrives at the scene, the notification control unit 88 issues a notification indicating the arrival of the transfer vehicle X2 and the location of the transfer vehicle X2. This notification can be issued by, for example, displaying a map image indicating the location of the transfer vehicle X2 on the CID 22.

[0207] use Figure 20 The flowchart of the ninth embodiment of the present invention describes an example of the processing method of the vehicle system 1. The series of processing shown in steps S501 to S507 is implemented by executing the program by at least one processor of the vehicle system 1. This series of processing can be implemented in automatic driving without the driver's obligation to monitor the surrounding environment. Figure 4 The series of processing is performed accordingly by the automatic driving ECU 50b in steps S11 to S13.

[0208] S501 to S502 are the same as S401 to S402 of the eighth embodiment. After the processing of S502, the process proceeds to S503.

[0209] In S503, the HCU 100 (for example, the information acquisition unit 81) determines whether the occupant of the host vehicle Am has operated the emergency notification switch 29. If yes, the process proceeds to S504. If not, the series of processes ends.

[0210] In S504, the HCU 100 (eg, the communication processing unit 85) issues an emergency notification to the remote management center X1. The remote management center X1 arranges a transfer vehicle X2 and notifies the HCU 100 of the arrangement. After S504, the process proceeds to S505.

[0211] In S505, the HCU 100 (e.g., the notification control unit 88) determines whether the transfer vehicle X2 has arrived near the site. This arrival determination can be based on a notification from at least one of the remote management center X1 and the transfer vehicle X2. Arrival can also be determined based on the perimeter monitoring sensor 30 detecting the transfer vehicle X2 near the host vehicle Am. If so, the process proceeds to S506. If not, the determination in S505 is repeated after a predetermined time has elapsed.

[0212] In S506, the HCU 100 (for example, the notification control unit 88) issues a notification to the passengers in the vehicle indicating the arrival of the transfer vehicle X2 and the position of the transfer vehicle X2. After the processing in S506, the process proceeds to S507.

[0213] In S507, the HCU 100 (eg, the communication processing unit 85) transmits the information of the host vehicle Am to the transfer vehicle X2. The information of the host vehicle Am is thereby transferred to the transfer vehicle X2. The series of processing ends with S507.

[0214] The communication processing unit 85 in the ninth embodiment corresponds to an "information transfer unit".

[0215] According to the ninth embodiment described above, after a collision, as the transfer vehicle X2 for the occupant to transfer from the host vehicle Am arrives, the position of the transfer vehicle X2 is reported. This allows the occupant to grasp the position of the transfer vehicle X2 and transfer smoothly.

[0216] According to the ninth embodiment, the transfer vehicle X2 is arranged as the passenger operates the emergency notification switch 29 provided in the host vehicle Am. The transfer vehicle X2 can be arranged easily, so the passenger can transfer smoothly.

[0217] According to the ninth embodiment, the transfer vehicle X2 is selected from among the idle vehicles around the collision site. By using an idle vehicle as the transfer vehicle X2, the occupants can transfer quickly.

[0218] Furthermore, according to the ninth embodiment, as the passenger transfers to the transfer vehicle X2, information of the host vehicle Am is transmitted to the transfer vehicle X2 and the information is transferred to the transfer vehicle X2. This allows the passenger to feel comfortable after transferring to the transfer vehicle X2.

[0219] (Tenth embodiment)

[0220] like Figure 21 As shown, the tenth embodiment is a modification of the first embodiment. The tenth embodiment will be described focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0221] In the tenth embodiment, the collision recognition unit 74 of the automatic driving ECU 50b further recognizes the occurrence of collisions between multiple other objects in the vicinity of the host vehicle Am. The vicinity here may refer to a range that is recognized as existing at the scene where the host vehicle Am collides (hereinafter referred to as the collision scene).

[0222] The collision recognition unit 74 recognizes a collision based on the image captured by the camera unit 31. The collision recognition unit 74 provides this information as peripheral collision occurrence information to the information coordination unit 61. Thus, the peripheral collision occurrence information is grasped on the HCU 100 side.

[0223] The HCU 100 or the autonomous driving ECU 50b determines whether the vehicle can escape the collision scene based on the surrounding collision conditions. If the HCU 100 performs this determination, for example, it can be performed by the notification control unit 88. If the autonomous driving ECU 50b performs this determination, for example, it can be performed by the collision recognition unit 74 or the action determination unit 63.

[0224] Based on the result of the determination, the action determination unit 63 changes the response to the autonomous driving control, and the notification control unit 88 changes the response to the notification. In this way, the HCU 100 and the autonomous driving ECU 50b cooperate to respond to the occurrence of a collision in the surrounding area.

[0225] use Figure 21 The flowchart of the tenth embodiment of the vehicle system 1 is used to illustrate an example of the processing method. The series of processing shown in steps S601 to 608 is implemented by executing the program by at least one processor of the vehicle system 1. This series of processing can be implemented in automatic driving without the driver's obligation to monitor the surroundings. Figure 4 The series of processing is performed accordingly by the automatic driving ECU 50b in steps S11 to S13.

[0226] In S601, the HCU 100 obtains information on the occurrence of a surrounding collision. After the processing of S601, the process proceeds to S602.

[0227] In S602, one of the HCU 100 (e.g., the notification control unit 88) and the automatic driving ECU 50b (e.g., the action determination unit 63) determines whether the host vehicle Am can leave the collision scene. If so, the process proceeds to S603. If not, the process proceeds to S608.

[0228] In S603, a determination is made as to whether the vehicle Am can be used as a transfer vehicle. Specifically, if the other object that caused the collision is another vehicle, a determination is made as to whether the occupants of the other vehicle can transfer to the vehicle Am. For example, if the only occupant of the vehicle Am is the driver, and the passenger seat and rear seats are empty, the vehicle Am is determined to be usable as a transfer vehicle. If the passenger seat and rear seats are occupied, the vehicle Am is determined to be unusable as a transfer vehicle. If so, the process proceeds to S604. If not, the process proceeds to S605.

[0229] In S604, the HCU 100 (e.g., the notification control unit 88) issues an announcement to the outside of the vehicle indicating that boarding is possible for the vehicle Am. Based on this announcement, passengers from other vehicles are allowed to board the vehicle Am. Meanwhile, in S605, the HCU 100 (e.g., the notification control unit 88) issues an announcement to the outside of the vehicle indicating that boarding is not possible for the vehicle Am. These announcements to the outside of the vehicle can be made using, for example, the exterior display device 28 described in the eighth embodiment, or by voice through an exterior speaker. After processing in S604 or S605, the process proceeds to S606.

[0230] In S606, the HCU 100 (e.g., the notification control unit 88) issues a report to the vehicle interior, using, for example, the CID, indicating the route taken away from the collision scene. This route may be a route planned by the automatic driving ECU 50b (e.g., the action determination unit 63) or a route derived by the navigation ECU 38. After S606, the process proceeds to S607.

[0231] In S607, the automatic driving ECU 50b (eg, the control execution unit 64) controls the host vehicle Am so as to drive away from the collision scene according to the reported driving route.

[0232] After determining in S602 that the vehicle Am cannot leave the collision scene, in S608, the automatic driving ECU 50b first determines, for example, through the action determination unit 63, to temporarily stop the vehicle Am, and the control execution unit 64 causes the vehicle Am to temporarily stop. Next, the action determination unit 63 or the notification control unit 88 determines to release the door locks, and requests the body ECU 43, which controls the door lock motor 46, to release the door locks.

[0233] In response to the temporary stop of the host vehicle Am, the HCU 100 (e.g., the notification control unit 88) issues a notification to the inside of the vehicle, for example, using the CID, indicating the reason for the stop of the host vehicle Am. The notification indicating the reason for the stop may be a notification indicating that a collision has occurred near the host vehicle Am and that the host vehicle Am cannot leave the collision scene.

[0234] Alternatively, the processing of S603 to S605 may be skipped, and the process may proceed to S606 if the answer of S602 is yes.

[0235] The automatic driving ECU 50b in the tenth embodiment corresponds to an "automatic driving device".

[0236] According to the tenth embodiment described above, peripheral collision information indicating whether multiple other objects surrounding the host vehicle Am have collided with each other is further obtained. Furthermore, the response to the report is modified based on whether the host vehicle Am can leave the collision scene, as determined based on the peripheral collision information. Consequently, an appropriate report can be provided based on whether the host vehicle Am can leave the collision scene.

[0237] Furthermore, according to the tenth embodiment, surrounding collision information indicating whether multiple other objects around the vehicle have collided with each other is further obtained. Furthermore, if a collision between other objects occurs, a notification is issued to the outside of the vehicle indicating whether boarding the host vehicle Am is permitted. Consequently, road users outside the vehicle can decide their actions based on their understanding of whether boarding the host vehicle Am is permitted.

[0238] Furthermore, according to the tenth embodiment, the occurrence of collisions between multiple other objects around the vehicle is detected. Furthermore, the response to autonomous driving control is modified based on whether the host vehicle Am can escape the collision scene. Therefore, appropriate control can be provided depending on whether the host vehicle Am can escape the collision scene.

[0239] Furthermore, according to the tenth embodiment, if it is determined that the host vehicle Am cannot leave the collision scene, the host vehicle Am is temporarily stopped, thereby preventing confusion at the collision scene caused by inappropriate behavior of the host vehicle Am.

[0240] (Eleventh embodiment)

[0241] like Figure 22 、 23 As shown, the eleventh embodiment is a modification of the first embodiment. The eleventh embodiment will be described focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0242] The travel control ECU 40X of the eleventh embodiment is Figure 1 The driving control ECU 40 of the illustrated vehicle system 1 is an electronic control device having an additional function of restricting the movement of the vehicle, and corresponds to a driving control device.

[0243] The driving control ECU 40X is a computer primarily composed of a control circuit comprising a processing unit, RAM, a storage unit, input / output interfaces, and a bus connecting these. The processing unit accesses the RAM to execute various processes for implementing the autonomous driving control method disclosed herein. The storage unit stores various programs (such as autonomous driving control programs) executed by the processing unit.

[0244] The processing unit may include at least one processor. For example, the processor may include at least one of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and a RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) CPU as its core. The storage unit 53 may include at least one non-transferable physical storage medium such as a semiconductor memory, magnetic media, or optical media, which non-temporarily stores programs and data readable by the processor.

[0245] By executing the program in the processing unit, the driving control ECU 40X is configured as a plurality of functional units for realizing the driving control function, such as the information acquisition unit 40a, the motion restriction unit 40b, and the driving control unit 40c (see Figure 22 ).

[0246] The information acquisition unit 40a is configured to acquire information output from various onboard devices of the vehicle system 1. The information acquisition unit 40a may also acquire information output from the remote management center X1 described in the ninth embodiment. The information here also includes requests and instructions to the travel control ECU 40X.

[0247] The motion restriction unit 40b restricts the motion of the host vehicle Am by applying constraints to the operating instructions or control instructions output by the travel control unit 40c to the motion actuator 41X. The motion restriction unit 40b may also determine the content of the restriction based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 40a. The motion restriction unit 40b may also restrict the motion of the host vehicle Am based on a restriction request from an onboard device of the vehicle system 1 or a restriction request from the remote management center X.

[0248] The driving control unit 40c continuously controls the motion actuators 41X based on any of the following: an operation command based on the driver's driving operation, a control command from the driving assistance ECU 50a, a control command from the automatic driving ECU 50b, and a control command from the remote management center X1. The motion actuators 41X may include a brake actuator that controls the braking force of each wheel, a powertrain that controls the output of the vehicle's power source, and a steering actuator that controls the steering angle.

[0249] use Figure 23 The flowchart of the eleventh embodiment of the vehicle system 1 illustrates an example of a processing method. The series of processing shown in steps S701 to 706 is implemented by executing a program by at least one processor of the vehicle system 1. This series of processing can be implemented in an automatic driving in which the driver has no obligation to monitor the surroundings. Figure 4 The series of processing is performed accordingly by the automatic driving ECU 50b in steps S11 to S13.

[0250] S701 to S703 are the same as S101 to S103 of the second embodiment. After the processing of S703, the process proceeds to S704.

[0251] In S704, the driving control ECU 40X (e.g., the information acquisition unit 40a) acquires processing information from the HCU 100 and the automatic driving ECU 50b. Furthermore, the driving control ECU 40X (e.g., the motion restriction unit 40b) determines whether the severity of the collision is significant (e.g., greater than a predetermined level). Specifically, the motion restriction unit 40b may also determine whether the perimeter monitoring sensor 30 has malfunctioned due to the collision. If so, the process proceeds to S705. If not, the process proceeds to S706.

[0252] In S705, the travel control ECU 40X (e.g., the motion limiting unit 40b) limits the speed of the host vehicle Am to a predetermined maximum speed. This predetermined maximum speed can be a speed at which the host vehicle Am can travel stably even if the vehicle body or the surrounding monitoring sensor 30 is damaged due to a collision. The maximum speed can be set to, for example, 10 km / h or 20 km / h. The maximum speed can also be varied based on the severity of the collision, gradually decreasing as the severity of the collision increases. The series of processes ends with S705.

[0253] In S705, the driving control ECU 40X (e.g., the motion limiting unit 40b) does not limit the speed of the host vehicle Am. Specifically, the driving control ECU 40X (e.g., the driving control unit 40b) controls the motion actuator 41X to directly reproduce the vehicle motion instructed by the operation command or control command. The series of processing steps ends with S705.

[0254] According to the eleventh embodiment described above, after a collision occurs, the movement of the host vehicle Am is restricted according to the collision. This makes it possible to suppress inappropriate movement of the host vehicle Am.

[0255] According to the eleventh embodiment, when the degree of the collision exceeds a predetermined degree, the speed of the host vehicle Am is limited. By limiting the speed, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a secondary collision and the chaos at the collision scene.

[0256] (Twelfth embodiment)

[0257] like Figure 24 As shown, the twelfth embodiment is a modified example of the eleventh embodiment. The twelfth embodiment will be described focusing on the differences from the eleventh embodiment.

[0258] In the twelfth embodiment, the movement restriction unit 40b prohibits the restart of the host vehicle Am after it has temporarily stopped due to a collision until all three predetermined restart permissions are obtained. The first restart permission is permission from a passenger of the host vehicle Am. This permission is obtained, for example, by the passenger operating a start permission switch mounted on the host vehicle Am. The second restart permission is permission from the remote management center X1. This permission is obtained, for example, by an operator at the remote management center X1 collecting information about the collision scene through V2X communication and issuing permission after confirming that restart is possible.

[0259] The third restart permission is granted by the vehicle system 1 installed in the vehicle. This permission is granted by a pre-set decision-making body (ECU or processor) in the vehicle system 1 after confirming that the vehicle can restart. For example, the decision-making body may be the autonomous driving ECU 50b, which has authority to switch the autonomous driving level.

[0260] use Figure 24 The flowchart of the twelfth embodiment of the vehicle system 1 is used to illustrate an example of the processing method. The series of processing shown in steps S801 to 805 is implemented by executing the program by at least one processor of the vehicle system 1. This series of processing can be implemented in automatic driving without the driver's obligation to monitor the surroundings. Figure 4 The series of processing is performed accordingly by the automatic driving ECU 50b in steps S11 to S13.

[0261] S801 to S803 are the same as S701 to S703 of the eleventh embodiment. After the processing of S803, the process proceeds to S804.

[0262] In S804, the driving control ECU 40X (e.g., the motion restriction unit 40b) determines whether the restart prohibition state of the host vehicle Am is maintained and whether all restart permissions have been obtained. If so, the process proceeds to S805. If not, the determination in S804 is repeated after a predetermined time or after a predetermined trigger occurs.

[0263] In S805, the driving control ECU 40X (e.g., the motion restriction unit 40b) removes the prohibition on restarting the host vehicle Am, allowing the vehicle Am to restart. This allows the driving control ECU 40X (e.g., the driving control unit 40b) to control the motion actuator 41X to directly reproduce the vehicle motion instructed by the operation command or control command. The series of processing steps ends with S805.

[0264] Furthermore, after S805 , the processing of S704 to S706 of the eleventh embodiment may be executed to limit the speed after the restart of the host vehicle Am.

[0265] According to the twelfth embodiment described above, if the host vehicle Am temporarily stops after a collision, restarting the host vehicle Am is prohibited until permission is obtained from the occupants of the host vehicle Am, permission from the remote management center X1 that remotely manages the host vehicle Am, and permission from the vehicle system 1 installed in the host vehicle Am. By prohibiting inappropriate restarting, secondary collisions and the occurrence of chaos at the collision site can be suppressed.

[0266] (Other Embodiments)

[0267] Although a plurality of embodiments have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments and can be applied to various embodiments and combinations within the scope not departing from the gist of the present disclosure.

[0268] In other embodiments, decisions related to driving alternation may be made by an ECU separate from the autonomous driving ECU 50b. For example, a state management ECU separate from the autonomous driving ECU 50b may be provided to manage the switching of autonomous driving levels and driving alternation for the vehicle Am.

[0269] In other embodiments, when the operating device 26 is a touch panel integrated with the CID 22, the HCU 100 (e.g., the notification control unit 88) may also perform the following processing. This processing may be a process of prohibiting the display of (or eliminating the display of) the interface for operating the restricted autonomous driving function during the period in which the autonomous driving function is restricted.

[0270] In another embodiment, when the vehicle Am is a bus, all doors for getting on and off the bus may be fully opened in addition to all windows being fully opened according to the emergency opening operation of the fourth embodiment. In buses, windows may be located high, making it difficult to exit the bus through the windows, so exiting through the doors is possible.

[0271] In other embodiments, the determination in S203 may be omitted, and the process from S202 to S204 may be executed.

[0272] In addition, as an embodiment related to the seventh embodiment, when at least one of a report indicating guidance on accident handling and a report indicating actions required of the occupants is implemented after the collision in S204, the report in S202 can be omitted and the processing can jump from S201 to S203.

[0273] In other embodiments, at least part of the functions of ECUs such as the HCU 100 , the driving assistance ECU 50 a , the automatic driving ECU 50 b , and the travel control ECU 40 may be integrated into one ECU or reorganized into multiple ECUs.

[0274] The control unit and method described in the present disclosure may also be implemented by a dedicated computer comprising a processor programmed to execute one or more functions embodied by a computer program. Alternatively, the device and method described in the present disclosure may be implemented by a dedicated hardware logic circuit. Alternatively, the device and method described in the present disclosure may be implemented by one or more dedicated computers comprising a combination of a processor that executes a computer program and one or more hardware logic circuits. In addition, the computer program may also be stored as instructions that can be executed by a computer on a non-migratable tangible recording medium that can be read by a computer.

[0275] (Disclosure of technical ideas)

[0276] This specification discloses multiple technical concepts described in the following multiple items. Some items are described by selectively citing multiple dependent forms of previous items in subsequent items. These items described in multiple dependent forms define multiple technical concepts.

[0277] Technical Concept 1

[0278] A control device for controlling vehicle-mounted devices (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 28) in a vehicle (Am) capable of traveling by automatic driving without the driver being obliged to monitor the surroundings, comprising:

[0279] An information grasping unit (81, 82) grasps collision generation information and vehicle control information, wherein the collision generation information indicates whether the vehicle in the automatic driving has collided with another object, and the vehicle control information indicates control of the vehicle corresponding to the collision; and

[0280] The notification control unit (88) performs both notification indicating the state of control of the vehicle and notification urging the driver to switch driving.

[0281] Technical Thought 2

[0282] According to the control device described in technical idea 1, the report indicating the state of control of the vehicle includes a report indicating that the movement of the vehicle is restricted by the operation of the brakes and a report indicating that the hazard indicator light (45) of the vehicle is on.

[0283] Technical Thought 3

[0284] According to the control device described in technical idea 1 or 2, when the information grasping unit grasps that the automatic driving function of the vehicle is limited after the occurrence of the collision, the notification control unit implements the notification indicating that the automatic driving function is limited.

[0285] Technical Concept 4

[0286] According to the control device described in the technical idea 1 or 2, the information grasping unit grasps the operation of turning on the automatic driving function of the operating device (26) of the vehicle,

[0287] The notification control unit issues a notification indicating that the automatic driving function is limited after the collision occurs, when it is detected that an operation of turning on the automatic driving function is performed.

[0288] Technical Thought 5

[0289] According to the control device described in the technical idea 3 or 4, in the above-mentioned vehicle, the following specifications are adopted to prohibit the removal of the restriction of the above-mentioned automatic driving function until the vehicle manager performs the initialization operation.

[0290] Technical Thought 6

[0291] According to the control device described in the technical idea 3 or 4, in the vehicle, the following specifications are adopted, and the restriction of the automatic driving function is released based on the start switch of the vehicle being in the OFF state.

[0292] Technical Thought 7

[0293] According to the control device described in any one of technical ideas 1 to 6, the notification control unit further performs notification indicating the collision portion of the vehicle.

[0294] Technical Thought 8

[0295] According to the control device described in the seventh technical idea, the notification control unit further performs notification indicating a failure associated with the collision portion.

[0296] Technical Thought 9

[0297] According to the control device described in any one of technical ideas 1 to 8, the notification control unit further performs a notification indicating the possibility of fire in the vehicle.

[0298] Technical Thought 10

[0299] According to the control device according to any one of technical ideas 1 to 9, the notification control unit further performs notification indicating the position of the vehicle on the road after the vehicle stops.

[0300] Technical Thought 11

[0301] According to the control device described in the technical idea 10, the report indicating the position of the vehicle on the road after the vehicle stops includes information on which lane the vehicle is parked on a multi-lane road.

[0302] Technical Thought 12

[0303] The control device according to any one of technical ideas 1 to 11 further comprises a request processing unit (84) which, when the occupants of the vehicle do not need to go out of the vehicle urgently, requests the vehicle to make the door locks of the vehicle in a state in which they cannot be released by manual operation of the occupants.

[0304] Technical Thought 13

[0305] According to the control device described in any one of the technical ideas 1 to 11, the information grasping unit grasps the emergency opening operation of the window of the operating device (26) of the vehicle,

[0306] A request processing unit (84) is further provided. When the execution of the emergency opening operation is detected, the request processing unit (84) requests the vehicle to fully open the side windows of the vehicle.

[0307] Technical Thought 14

[0308] According to the control device described in technical idea 1, the report control unit implements a report urging driving alternation to the driver that is less urgent than the case of restricting the above-mentioned automatic driving function based on the case where a judgment is made to continue the automatic driving function, wherein the above-mentioned judgment is a judgment of whether to continue the above-mentioned automatic driving function based on pre-set conditions based on the above-mentioned collision mode.

[0309] Technical Thought 15

[0310] According to the control device described in technical idea 14, the pre-set conditions based on the type of the collision are conditions based on the degree of the collision and the failure status of the surrounding monitoring sensor (30) mounted on the vehicle.

[0311] Technical Thought 16

[0312] According to the control device described in the fourteenth technical idea, the pre-set conditions based on the type of the collision are conditions based on the collision portion of the vehicle and the other object.

[0313] Technical Thought 17

[0314] According to the control device described in any one of technical ideas 1 to 16, the notification control unit performs the notification so as to change the amount of information according to the state of the occupant at the time of the collision.

[0315] Technical Thought 18

[0316] According to the control device described in Technical Idea 17, when the occupant is in a sleeping state, the notification control unit performs notification in a manner that increases the amount of information compared to when the occupant is in a state of performing the second task.

[0317] The notification control unit performs notification so as to increase the amount of information when the occupant is in a state of performing the second task compared to when the occupant is in a state of performing surrounding monitoring.

[0318] Technical Thought 19

[0319] According to the control device described in the technical idea 18, the notification control unit performs notification indicating the type of the other object when the occupant is in a state other than the state of performing periphery monitoring.

[0320] Technical Thought 20

[0321] According to the control device described in any one of technical ideas 1 to 17, the notification control unit performs a notification indicating guidance on accident handling after the collision.

[0322] Technical Thought 21

[0323] According to the control device described in any one of technical ideas 1 to 17 and 20, the notification control unit performs notification indicating an action requested of the occupant of the vehicle after the collision.

[0324] Technical Thought 22

[0325] According to the control device described in any one of technical ideas 1 to 21, the reporting control unit implements a report to guide the other object as a dynamic object toward the outside of the vehicle in order to restart the driving of the vehicle when the vehicle is able to drive after the collision.

[0326] Technical Thought 23

[0327] According to the control device described in any one of technical ideas 1 to 22, the notification control unit implements notification indicating the position of the transfer vehicle as the transfer vehicle (X2) for the occupants of the vehicle to transfer from the vehicle arrives after the collision.

[0328] Technical Thought 24

[0329] According to the control device described in the technical idea 23, the above-mentioned transfer vehicle is arranged as the above-mentioned passenger operates the emergency notification switch (29) provided in the above-mentioned vehicle.

[0330] Technical Thought 25

[0331] According to the control device described in the technical idea 23 or 24, the transfer vehicle is a vehicle selected from vacant vehicles around the collision site.

[0332] Technical Thought 26

[0333] The control device described in any one of technical ideas 23 to 25 also includes an information transfer unit (85), which sends information of the above-mentioned vehicle toward the above-mentioned transfer vehicle as the above-mentioned passenger transfers to the above-mentioned transfer vehicle, and transfers the above-mentioned information to the above-mentioned transfer vehicle.

[0334] Technical Thought 27

[0335] According to the control device described in any one of technical ideas 1 to 26, the information grasping unit further grasps surrounding collision occurrence information indicating whether or not a plurality of the other objects surrounding the vehicle have collided with each other.

[0336] The notification control unit changes a response to the notification based on a determination of whether the vehicle can leave the collision scene based on the peripheral collision information.

[0337] Technical Thought 28

[0338] According to the control device described in any one of technical ideas 1 to 27, the information grasping unit further grasps surrounding collision occurrence information indicating whether or not a plurality of the other objects surrounding the vehicle have collided with each other.

[0339] The notification control unit performs an outward notification indicating whether or not boarding of the vehicle is permitted when a collision between the other objects occurs.

[0340] Technical Thought 29

[0341] An automatic driving device capable of communicating with the control device according to Technical Concept 27 or 28 to implement the automatic driving of the vehicle, comprising:

[0342] a collision recognition unit (74) for recognizing the occurrence of collisions between the plurality of other objects around the vehicle; and

[0343] An action determination unit (63) changes the response related to the automatic driving control based on the determination of whether the vehicle can leave the collision scene.

[0344] Technical Thought 30

[0345] According to the automatic driving device described in Technical Idea 29, the behavior determination unit temporarily stops the vehicle when determining that the vehicle cannot leave the collision scene.

[0346] Technical Thought 31

[0347] A driving control device is configured to communicate with the control device described in any one of technical ideas 1 to 28 to control the driving of the vehicle, wherein:

[0348] A motion restricting portion (40b) is provided for restricting the motion of the vehicle in response to the collision after the collision occurs.

[0349] Technical Thought 32

[0350] According to the travel control device described in the technical idea 31, the movement restriction unit restricts the speed of the vehicle when the degree of the collision exceeds a predetermined degree.

[0351] Technical Thought 33

[0352] According to the driving control device described in technical idea 31 or 32, the above-mentioned movement restriction unit prohibits the above-mentioned vehicle from restarting when the above-mentioned vehicle temporarily stops after the above-mentioned collision occurs, until the permission of the occupants of the above-mentioned vehicle, the permission of the remote management center (X1) that remotely manages the above-mentioned vehicle, and the permission of the system (1) installed in the above-mentioned vehicle are all obtained.

[0353] Technical Thought 34

[0354] A control device controls onboard devices (21, 22, 23, 24, 25) in a vehicle (Am) capable of traveling by automatic driving without the driver being obliged to monitor the surroundings, the control device comprising:

[0355] an information grasping unit (81, 82) for grasping collision generation information and vehicle control information, wherein the collision generation information indicates whether the vehicle in the automatic driving has collided with another object and includes information on the manner of the collision, and the vehicle control information indicates control of the vehicle in response to the collision; and

[0356] A reporting control unit (88) implements a report urging the driver to switch driving, which is less urgent than the case of restricting the above-mentioned automatic driving function, based on the situation in which a judgment is made to continue the automatic driving function, wherein the above-mentioned judgment is based on a pre-set condition based on the above-mentioned collision mode as to whether to continue the above-mentioned automatic driving function.

[0357] According to the technical idea 34, a low-urgency, calm notification allows the driver to calmly switch driving even when a collision occurs.

[0358] Technical Thought 35

[0359] A control device for controlling vehicle-mounted devices (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 28) in a vehicle (Am) capable of traveling by automatic driving without the driver being obliged to monitor the surroundings, comprising:

[0360] An information grasping unit (81, 82) grasps collision generation information and vehicle control information, wherein the collision generation information indicates whether the vehicle in the automatic driving has collided with another object, and the vehicle control information indicates control of the vehicle corresponding to the collision; and

[0361] A notification control unit (88) performs both notification indicating guidance on handling the accident and notification indicating actions required of the occupants of the vehicle based on the collision occurrence information and the vehicle control information after the collision.

[0362] According to the technical concept 35 , the occupant can determine subsequent actions while understanding the situation of the accident handling, and can take more appropriate actions by referring to a report indicating actions required of the occupant.

[0363] Technical Thought 36

[0364] An automatic driving device for implementing automatic driving of a vehicle, comprising:

[0365] a collision recognition unit (74) for recognizing the occurrence of collisions between the plurality of other objects around the vehicle; and

[0366] An action determination unit (63) changes the response related to the automatic driving control based on the determination of whether the vehicle can leave the collision scene.

[0367] According to the technical idea 36, it is possible to provide appropriate control depending on whether the vehicle can escape from the collision scene.

[0368] Technical Thought 37

[0369] A driving control device for controlling the driving of a vehicle, comprising:

[0370] An information acquisition unit (40a) acquires collision generation information and vehicle control information, wherein the collision generation information indicates whether the vehicle in the automatic driving has collided with another object, and the vehicle control information indicates control of the vehicle corresponding to the collision; and

[0371] The movement restriction portion (40b) restricts the movement of the vehicle according to the collision after the collision occurs.

[0372] According to the technical idea 37, inappropriate movement of the vehicle can be suppressed.

Claims

1. A control device for controlling an onboard device (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 28) in a vehicle (Am) capable of traveling by automatic driving without the driver being obliged to monitor the surroundings, wherein: have: An information grasping unit (81, 82) grasps collision generation information and vehicle control information, wherein the collision generation information indicates whether the vehicle in the automatic driving has collided with another object, and the vehicle control information indicates control of the vehicle corresponding to the collision; and The notification control unit (88) performs both notification indicating the state of control of the vehicle and notification urging the driver to switch driving.

2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein: The report indicating the state of control of the vehicle includes a report indicating that the movement of the vehicle is restricted by the operation of the brakes and a report indicating that the hazard indicator light (45) of the vehicle is on.

3. The control device according to claim 1, wherein: The notification control unit issues a notification indicating that the automatic driving function is to be limited when the information recognition unit recognizes that the automatic driving function of the vehicle is to be limited after the collision occurs.

4. The control device according to claim 1, wherein: The information grasping unit grasps the operation of turning on the automatic driving function of the operating device (26) of the vehicle, The notification control unit issues a notification indicating that the automatic driving function is limited after the collision occurs, when it is detected that an operation of turning on the automatic driving function is performed.

5. The control device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein: In the above-mentioned vehicle, the following specifications are adopted to prohibit the removal of the restriction of the above-mentioned automatic driving function until the vehicle manager performs an initialization operation.

6. The control device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein: The vehicle adopts a specification in which the restriction of the automatic driving function is released based on the start switch of the vehicle being turned off.

7. The control device according to claim 1, wherein: The notification control unit further issues a notification indicating a collision portion of the vehicle.

8. The control device according to claim 7, wherein: The notification control unit further issues a notification indicating a fault associated with the collision portion.

9. The control device according to claim 1, wherein: The notification control unit further performs a notification indicating the possibility of fire in the vehicle.

10. The control device according to claim 1, wherein: The notification control unit further performs a notification indicating the position of the vehicle on the road after the vehicle stops.

11. The control device according to claim 10, wherein: The report indicating the position of the vehicle on the road after the vehicle stops includes information on which lane the vehicle is parked on a multi-lane road.

12. The control device according to claim 1, wherein: The invention also comprises a request processing unit (84) which requests the vehicle to make the door locks of the vehicle in a state in which they cannot be released by manual operation of the occupant when the occupant of the vehicle does not need to go out of the vehicle urgently.

13. The control device according to claim 1, wherein: The information grasping unit grasps the emergency opening operation of the window of the operating device (26) of the vehicle, A request processing unit (84) is further provided. When the execution of the emergency opening operation is detected, the request processing unit (84) requests the vehicle to fully open the side windows of the vehicle.

14. The control device according to claim 1, wherein: The report control unit implements a report urging driving alternation to the driver that is less urgent than the case of restricting the automatic driving function, based on the case where a judgment is made to continue the automatic driving function, wherein the judgment is a judgment of whether to continue the automatic driving function based on pre-set conditions based on the mode of the collision.

15. The control device according to claim 14, wherein: The pre-set conditions based on the type of the collision are conditions based on the degree of the collision and the failure status of the periphery monitoring sensor (30) mounted on the vehicle.

16. The control device according to claim 14, wherein: The predetermined conditions based on the collision mode are conditions based on the collision portion of the vehicle and the other objects.

17. The control device according to claim 1, wherein: The notification control unit performs the notification so as to change the amount of information according to the state of the occupant at the time of the collision.

18. The control device according to claim 17, wherein: The notification control unit performs notification so as to increase the amount of information when the occupant is sleeping compared to when the occupant is performing the second task. The notification control unit performs notification so as to increase the amount of information when the occupant is in a state of performing the second task compared to when the occupant is in a state of performing surrounding monitoring.

19. The control device according to claim 18, wherein: The notification control unit performs notification indicating the type of the other object when the occupant is in a state other than a state in which periphery monitoring is performed.

20. The control device according to claim 1, wherein: The notification control unit performs a notification indicating guidance on accident handling after the collision.

21. The control device according to claim 1 or 20, wherein: The notification control unit performs a notification indicating an action required of an occupant of the vehicle after the collision.

22. The control device according to claim 1, wherein: The notification control unit performs notification to guide the other object, which is a dynamic object, toward the outside of the vehicle in order for the vehicle to resume traveling when the vehicle is able to travel after the collision.

23. The control device according to claim 1, wherein: The notification control unit issues a notification indicating the position of the transfer vehicle as a transfer vehicle (X2) for a passenger of the vehicle to transfer from the vehicle arrives after the collision.

24. The control device according to claim 23, wherein: The above-mentioned transfer vehicle is arranged as the above-mentioned passenger operates the emergency notification switch (29) provided on the above-mentioned vehicle.

25. The control device according to claim 23 or 24, wherein: The transfer vehicle is selected from among available vehicles around the collision site.

26. The control device according to claim 23, wherein: The vehicle further comprises an information transfer unit (85) which transmits information of the vehicle to the transfer vehicle and transfers the information to the transfer vehicle as the passenger transfers to the transfer vehicle.

27. The control device according to claim 1, wherein: The information grasping unit further grasps surrounding collision occurrence information indicating whether or not a plurality of the other objects surrounding the vehicle have collided with each other. The notification control unit changes a response to the notification based on a determination of whether the vehicle can leave the collision scene based on the peripheral collision information.

28. The control device according to claim 1, wherein: The information grasping unit further grasps surrounding collision occurrence information indicating whether or not a plurality of the other objects surrounding the vehicle have collided with each other. The notification control unit performs an outward notification indicating whether or not boarding of the vehicle is permitted when a collision between the other objects occurs.

29. An automatic driving device configured to communicate with the control device according to claim 27 or 28 to implement the automatic driving of the vehicle, wherein: have: a collision recognition unit (74) for recognizing the occurrence of collisions between the plurality of other objects around the vehicle; and An action determination unit (63) changes the response related to the automatic driving control based on the determination of whether the vehicle can leave the collision scene.

30. The automatic driving device according to claim 29, wherein: The behavior determination unit temporarily stops the vehicle when determining that the vehicle cannot leave the collision scene.

31. A driving control device configured to communicate with the control device according to claim 1 to control the driving of the vehicle, wherein: A motion restricting portion (40b) is provided for restricting the motion of the vehicle in response to the collision after the collision occurs.

32. The travel control device according to claim 31, wherein: The movement restriction unit restricts the speed of the vehicle when the degree of the collision exceeds a predetermined degree.

33. The travel control device according to claim 31 or 32, wherein: The movement restriction unit prohibits the vehicle from restarting when the vehicle temporarily stops after the collision occurs until permission from the vehicle occupants, permission from a remote management center (X1) that remotely manages the vehicle, and permission from a system (1) mounted on the vehicle are all obtained.

Images