Determination device and determination method

Abstract

The invention provides a determination device and a determination method for improving the technology of automatically controlling the driving of a vehicle. The determination device (20) is provided with a control unit (23) that performs a process in which a vehicle (10) is driven in an automatic driving mode, said vehicle (10) having an automatic driving mode and a temporarily set manual driving mode in which the temporarily set manual driving device (50) is connected to thereby become a selectable state, and performs a process in which the temporarily set manual driving device (50) is connected to the vehicle (10) in which the vehicle (10) is driven in the automatic driving mode. When a design necessary condition for making automatic driving possible becomes not satisfied, a first transition is requested to be performed as a transition from an automatic driving mode to a temporarily set manual driving mode.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a judgment device and a judgment method. Background Technology

[0002] Technology for automatically controlling the movement of a vehicle has been known for a long time. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle having two driving modes: an automatic driving mode that automatically controls the movement of the vehicle and a manual driving mode that controls the vehicle based on the operation of an operator riding in the vehicle. The vehicle also has a mechanical operating unit for implementing driving control of the vehicle by the operator in the manual driving mode.

[0003] Prior art literature Patent documents Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2022-96813 Summary of the Invention The problem that the invention aims to solve However, as autonomous driving becomes more common, there is a possibility that vehicles may lack mechanical operating mechanisms for manual driving. In such cases, smooth fault protection is also required. Therefore, there is room for improvement in the technology for automatically controlling vehicle movement.

[0004] The purpose of this disclosure, which was made in view of the above circumstances, is to improve the technology for automatically controlling the movement of a vehicle.

[0005] Methods for solving problems One embodiment of the present disclosure includes a determination device comprising a control unit that performs the following processing: acquiring data measured by sensors on a vehicle having an automatic driving mode and a temporary manual driving mode that is selectable by being connected to a temporary manual driving device; and based on the data, requesting a first conversion as a transition from the automatic driving mode to the temporary manual driving mode when, during the vehicle's operation in the automatic driving mode, the design necessary conditions for enabling automatic driving become unmet.

[0006] One embodiment of the present disclosure includes a determination device comprising a control unit that performs the following processing: when a vehicle having an automatic driving mode and a temporary manual driving mode that is selectable by being connected to a temporary manual driving device is driving in the automatic driving mode, and when the design necessary condition for enabling automatic driving becomes not met, a first conversion is requested as a conversion from the automatic driving mode to the temporary manual driving mode.

[0007] In one embodiment of the determination method disclosed herein, the determination device performs the following process: when a vehicle having an automatic driving mode and a temporarily set manual driving mode that is selectable by being connected to a temporarily set manual driving device is driving in the automatic driving mode, and when the design necessary condition for enabling automatic driving becomes not met, a first conversion is requested as a conversion from the automatic driving mode to the temporarily set manual driving mode.

[0008] Invention Effects According to one embodiment of this disclosure, the technology for controlling the movement of a vehicle has been improved. Attached Figure Description

[0009] Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating an example of the general structure of a system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0010] Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the judgment device.

[0011] Figure 3 A table showing examples of driving mode switching based on the main reasons for not meeting the necessary design conditions. Detailed Implementation

[0012] The embodiments of this disclosure will now be described.

[0013] (Summary of the implementation method) Reference Figure 1 The following is a summary description of the system 1 according to the embodiments of this disclosure. System 1 includes a vehicle 10, a judgment device 20 mounted on the vehicle 10, a server 30 set in an operation management center 3, a remote driving device 40, and a temporary manual driving device 50 temporarily set in the vehicle 10. The vehicle 10, the judgment device 20, the server 30, and the remote driving device 40 are connected to a network 2, for example, in a communicable manner, including the Internet and mobile communication networks.

[0014] Vehicle 10 is, for example, a car with Level 4 autonomous driving capabilities. The car can be a gasoline vehicle, a BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle), a HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle), a PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle), or an FCEV (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle), but is not limited to these. The number of vehicles 10 in System 1 can be arbitrarily determined. Vehicle 10 can communicate with the judgment device 20, the server 30, and the remote driving device 40 via network 2. Vehicle 10 can also be configured to communicate with the judgment device 20 via a wired connection.

[0015] The determination device 20 is a computer mounted on the vehicle 10. The determination device 20 can communicate with the vehicle 10, the server 30, and the remote driving device 40 via the network 2. The determination device 20 can also be configured to communicate with the vehicle 10 via a wired connection.

[0016] Server 30 is the computer used by the operation management center 3. Server 30 can communicate with vehicle 10, judgment device 20, and remote driving device 40 via network 2. However, the users of server 30 are not limited to operation management center 3.

[0017] The remote driving device 40 is a control device located at the operation management center 3. Through the operation of an operator at the operation management center 3, which is located remotely from the vehicle 10, the remote driving device 40 monitors and manually drives the vehicle 10 via the network 2. The remote driving device 40 can communicate with the vehicle 10, the judgment device 20, and the server 30 via the network 2.

[0018] The temporary manual driving device 50 is a device for operators of the rescue team 4 who receive a request from the server 30 to temporarily operate the vehicle 10, which does not have a mechanical operating unit for manual driving. The rescue team 4 is on standby in a rescue center located within the operation management center 3 or in a location separate from the operation management center 3.

[0019] First, an overview of this embodiment will be given, and details will be described later. When the vehicle 10, which has both an automatic driving mode and a temporary manual driving mode (which is selectable by connecting a temporary manual driving device 50), is driving in automatic driving mode, if the design necessary conditions for enabling automatic driving become unmet, the determination device 20 requests a first conversion as a transition from automatic driving mode to temporary manual driving mode.

[0020] Thus, according to this embodiment, when the necessary conditions for autonomous driving of vehicle 10 are no longer met, the determination device 20 autonomously requests a switch from autonomous driving mode to a temporary manual driving mode. As a result, the time required to switch from autonomous driving mode to temporary manual driving mode is further reduced, and the technology for automatically controlling vehicle driving is improved in that fault protection can be smoothly performed even when autonomous driving is not possible.

[0021] Next, the structures of System 1 will be described in detail.

[0022] (Vehicle structure) like Figure 1 As shown, the vehicle 10 includes a communication unit 11, a measurement unit 12, a storage unit 13, a control unit 14, and a judgment device 20. However, the details of the judgment device 20 will be described later.

[0023] The communication unit 11 has both a communication interface for wireless connection to network 2 and a communication interface for wired connection to CAN (Controller Area Network). The communication interface for connection to network 2 corresponds to mobile communication standards such as 4G (4th Generation) or 5G (5th Generation), but is not limited to these.

[0024] The measurement and testing unit 12 includes a sensor 12A. The sensor 12A includes sensors such as cameras, 3D-LiDAR (three-dimensional lidar), millimeter-wave sensors, accelerometers, and GPS (Global Positioning System) sensors, which monitor the surrounding environment of the vehicle 10 that is driving autonomously, and sensors that are mounted on the self-diagnostic device of the vehicle 10 to diagnose fault modes. However, the sensor 12A is not limited to these.

[0025] Storage unit 13 includes one or more memories. These memories may be, for example, semiconductor memories, magnetic memories, or optical memories, but are not limited to these. Each memory included in storage unit 13 may function as a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a high-speed cache memory. Storage unit 13 stores any information used during the operation of vehicle 10. For example, storage unit 13 may also store system programs, application programs, and embedded software. Information stored in storage unit 13 may be updated using information obtained from network 2 via communication unit 11.

[0026] The control unit 14 includes one or more processors, one or more programmable circuits, one or more dedicated circuits, or combinations thereof. The processor may be a general-purpose processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or a dedicated processor for specific processing, but is not limited thereto. The programmable circuit may be, for example, a FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), but is not limited thereto. The dedicated circuit may be, for example, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), but is not limited thereto. The control unit 14 controls the overall operation of the vehicle 10, including Level 4 autonomous driving and manual driving associated with the remote driving device 40 or the temporarily set manual driving device 50, as described later.

[0027] (Determine the structure of the device) like Figure 1 As shown, the determination device 20 includes a communication unit 21, a storage unit 22, and a control unit 23.

[0028] The communication unit 21 has both a communication interface for wireless connection to network 2 and a communication interface for wired connection to CAN. The communication interface for connection to network 2 corresponds to mobile communication standards such as 4G or 5G, but is not limited to these.

[0029] Storage unit 22 includes one or more memories. These memories may be, for example, semiconductor memories, magnetic memories, or optical memories, but are not limited to these. Each memory included in storage unit 22 may function as a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a cache memory. Storage unit 22 stores any information used in the operation of determination device 20. For example, storage unit 22 may also store system programs, application programs, and embedded software. Information stored in storage unit 22 may be updated using information obtained from network 2 via communication unit 21.

[0030] The control unit 23 includes one or more processors, one or more programmable circuits, one or more dedicated circuits, or combinations thereof. The control unit 23 controls the overall operation of the judgment device 20.

[0031] like Figure 1 As shown, in this embodiment, the control unit 23 functions as a first control unit 231, a second control unit 232, and a third control unit 233.

[0032] The first control unit 231 continuously monitors whether the design necessary conditions for enabling the autonomous driving of the vehicle 10 are met based on data measured by the sensor 12A.

[0033] The second control unit 232 determines the main reasons why the design necessary conditions for enabling the vehicle 10 to drive autonomously are no longer met.

[0034] The third control unit 233 selects countermeasures based on the main reasons why the design necessary conditions for enabling the autonomous driving of vehicle 10 are not met, and requests the server 30 used by the operation management center 3 to implement the countermeasures based on the main reasons.

[0035] (Server structure) like Figure 1 As shown, the server 30 includes a communication unit 31, a storage unit 32, and a control unit 33.

[0036] The communication unit 31 includes one or more communication interfaces for connecting to the network 2. These communication interfaces may correspond to, for example, mobile communication standards, wired LAN standards, or wireless LAN standards, but are not limited to these and may correspond to any communication standard.

[0037] Storage unit 32 includes one or more memories. These memories may be, for example, semiconductor memories, magnetic memories, or optical memories, but are not limited to these. Each memory included in storage unit 32 may function as a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a high-speed cache memory. Storage unit 32 stores any information used in the operation of server 30. For example, storage unit 32 may also store system programs, application programs, and embedded software. Information stored in storage unit 32 may be updated using information obtained from network 2 via communication unit 31.

[0038] The control unit 33 includes one or more processors, one or more programmable circuits, one or more dedicated circuits, or combinations thereof. The control unit 33 controls the overall operation of the server 30.

[0039] (Structure of the remote driving device) like Figure 1 As shown, the remote driving device 40 includes a communication unit 41, a storage unit 42, and a control unit 43.

[0040] The communication unit 41 includes one or more communication interfaces for connecting to the network 2. These communication interfaces may correspond to, for example, mobile communication standards, wired LAN standards, or wireless LAN standards, but are not limited to these and may correspond to any communication standard.

[0041] Storage unit 42 includes one or more memories. These memories may be, for example, semiconductor memories, magnetic memories, or optical memories, but are not limited to these. Each memory included in storage unit 42 may function as a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, or a high-speed cache memory. Storage unit 42 stores any information used in the operation of remote driving device 40. For example, storage unit 42 may also store system programs, application programs, and embedded software. Information stored in storage unit 42 may also be updated using information obtained from network 2 via communication unit 41.

[0042] The control unit 43 includes one or more processors, one or more programmable circuits, one or more dedicated circuits, or combinations thereof. The control unit 43 controls the overall operation of the remote driving device 40.

[0043] (The operation flow of the judgment device) Reference Figure 2 The operation of the determination device 20 according to this embodiment will be explained. When a vehicle 10, which has an automatic driving mode AD and a temporary manual driving mode HCD that is selectable by being connected to a temporary manual driving device 50, is driving automatically, if the design necessary condition (hereinafter also referred to as ODD (Operational Design Domain)) that makes automatic driving possible becomes unsatisfied, a switch from the automatic driving mode AD to the manual driving mode is required to continue driving the vehicle 10. In the manual driving mode, as described below, there is a remote driving mode RD and a temporary manual driving mode HCD. This operation is related to the switching of the driving mode of the vehicle 10 when the ODD becomes unsatisfied.

[0044] S101: The control unit 23 continuously monitors whether the ODD is met based on the data measured by the sensor 12A on the vehicle 10.

[0045] Sensor 12A includes sensors that monitor the surrounding environment of the vehicle 10 performing Level 4 autonomous driving, such as cameras, 3D-LiDAR, millimeter-wave sensors, accelerometers, and GPS sensors, as well as sensors that diagnose fault modes on the self-diagnostic device of the vehicle 10. However, sensor 12A is not limited to these. The control unit 23 obtains the data measured by sensor 12A from the measurement unit 12 of the vehicle 10.

[0046] S102: Control unit 23 determines whether the ODD is satisfied. If the ODD is satisfied, proceed to S103; otherwise, proceed to S104.

[0047] The control unit 23 determines whether the vehicle 10 meets the ODD based on the data measured by the sensor 12A.

[0048] S103: The control unit 23 enables the vehicle 10 to continue driving in the automatic driving mode AD.

[0049] S104: The control unit 23 determines the main reasons why the ODD is not satisfied based on the data measured by the sensor 12A.

[0050] Figure 3 This table shows examples of driving mode transitions categorized by the main reasons for not meeting the ODD (Operating Disorder). For example... Figure 3 As shown, the main reasons for ODD not being met are any of the following: vehicle-specific main reasons, other vehicle-specific main reasons, and environmental main reasons. Vehicle-specific main reasons include a first fault and a second fault. The first fault is that vehicle 10 cannot drive itself, i.e., the driving function of vehicle 10 is malfunctioning. The second fault is that vehicle 10 cannot drive using automatic driving, i.e., the driving function of vehicle 10 is normal but the automatic driving function of vehicle 10 is malfunctioning. Other vehicle-specific main reasons include situations where vehicle 10's passage is restricted due to parked vehicles, accident vehicles, or emergency vehicles obstructing the road where vehicle 10 is traveling. Environmental main reasons include situations where vehicle 10's passage is restricted due to road surface conditions or weather conditions on the road where vehicle 10 is traveling, and situations where communication between vehicle 10 and remote driving device 40 cannot be established. Figure 3 For example, a record such as "RD > HCD > Towing and Moving" means that, from the perspective of operating costs or workload, the conversion from the automatic driving mode AD to the remote driving mode RD is set as the first priority, the conversion to the temporary manual driving mode HCD is set as the second priority, and towing and moving is set as the third priority.

[0051] Data used to determine the deviation of ODD caused by the vehicle's primary causes (first fault and second fault) can be obtained, for example, by sensors that diagnose fault modes on a self-diagnostic device or similar device mounted on vehicle 10. Furthermore, data used to determine other primary vehicle causes or environmental causes (other than communication connection issues) can be obtained from outside vehicle 10 using cameras, 3D-LiDAR, and millimeter-wave sensors. Additionally, data used to determine environmental causes (communication connection issues) can be obtained from the communication unit 21.

[0052] The temporary manual driving mode (HCD) is a control mode in which, upon request from server 30, an operator from the rescue team 4, who is rescuing the vehicle 10 at its parking location, temporarily sets up the temporary manual driving device 50 on the vehicle 10, and then manually operates the temporarily set manual driving device 50 to control the manual driving of the vehicle 10. On the other hand, the remote driving mode (RD) is a control mode in which the vehicle 10 is manually driven via remote operation from the remote driving device 40 located in the operation management center 3, which is capable of communicating with the vehicle 10.

[0053] S105-S110: Based on the data measured by sensor 12A, when the design necessary condition ODD becomes unmet during the driving of vehicle 10 in automatic driving mode AD, control unit 23 requests server 30 to switch driving modes. The switching of driving modes includes (i) switching from automatic driving mode AD to temporary manual driving mode HCD (hereinafter referred to as the first switching), (ii) switching from automatic driving mode AD to remote driving mode RD (hereinafter referred to as the second switching), and (iii) traction movement of vehicle 10. Control unit 23 requests server 30 to perform any one of (i) the first switching, (ii) the second switching, and (iii) traction movement based on the main reason why the design necessary condition ODD becomes unmet, as determined in S104. The request for switching driving modes will be explained in detail below.

[0054] S105: Control unit 23 determines whether the main reason for the failure to satisfy the ODD is the first fault, which is the main reason why vehicle 10 cannot drive itself. If it is the first fault, proceed to S106; if it is not the first fault, proceed to S107.

[0055] In the first fault, vehicle 10 loses its driving functions such as driving, turning, and stopping (driving, turning, stopping function) and is therefore unable to drive itself.

[0056] S106: Control unit 23 requests server 30 to perform traction movement of vehicle 10.

[0057] In this case, the control unit 23 requests the server 30 to perform a towing operation of the vehicle 10 by an operator accompanied by the rescue team 4, in a manner that includes dispatching the rescue team 4 to the location where the vehicle 10 is parked. The control unit 23 may also request the towing operation of the vehicle 10 and request the provision of a replacement vehicle.

[0058] S107: The control unit 23 determines whether a communication connection can be established between the vehicle 10 and the remote driving device 40. If a communication connection can be established, proceed to S109; if a communication connection cannot be established, proceed to S108.

[0059] As a reason for the inability to establish a communication connection, the main environmental factors considered are the situation where the vehicle 10 is traveling in an area with problems or imperfect Internet connectivity, but the reasons are not limited to this.

[0060] S108: Control unit 23 requests server 30 to perform the first conversion as a switch from automatic driving mode AD to temporary manual driving mode HCD.

[0061] If the main reason for the failure of ODD is determined to be the second fault in which the vehicle 10 cannot perform driving by automatic driving, and the communication connection between the vehicle 10 and the remote driving device 40 cannot be established, the control unit 23 requests the server 30 to perform a first conversion in a manner that includes the dispatch of the rescue team 4 to the parking location of the vehicle 10 and the temporary setting of the manual driving device 50 to the vehicle 10 by the operator accompanied by the rescue team 4.

[0062] Furthermore, if the main reason for the failure to meet the ODD is determined to be the main reason for other vehicles, and a communication connection between the vehicle 10 and the remote driving device 40 cannot be established, the control unit 23 requests the server 30 to perform a first conversion in a manner that includes the dispatch of the rescue team 4 to the parking location of the vehicle 10 and the temporary setting of the manual driving device 50 to the vehicle 10 by the operator accompanied by the rescue team 4.

[0063] Furthermore, if the main reason for the failure to meet the ODD is determined to be the main environmental reason, and a communication connection between the vehicle 10 and the remote driving device 40 cannot be established, the control unit 23 requests the server 30 to perform a first conversion in a manner that includes the dispatch of the rescue team 4 to the parking location of the vehicle 10 and the temporary setting of the manual driving device 50 to the vehicle 10 by the operator accompanied by the rescue team 4.

[0064] In addition, if a communication connection with vehicle 10 is not established for more than a predetermined time, server 30 may also request a first conversion from rescue team 4, in a manner that includes the dispatch of rescue team 4 to the area where vehicle 10 is presumed to be located and the temporary setting of manual driving device 50 implemented by the operator accompanying rescue team 4 to vehicle 10.

[0065] S109: Control unit 23 determines whether the predetermined condition α is met. If the predetermined condition α is met, proceed to S110; if the predetermined condition α is not met, return to S108.

[0066] The predetermined condition α is that an operator with the insight or skill to manually operate the remote driving device 40 is in a state capable of responding to the request for the first conversion. Whether the predetermined condition α is met can be determined via network 2 by querying server 30.

[0067] Furthermore, if the main reason for the failure of the ODD is determined to be the second fault among the main causes of the vehicle, even if the vehicle 10 is able to drive itself and establish a communication connection between the vehicle 10 and the remote driving device 40, but if the predetermined condition α is not met, the control unit 23 requests the server 30 to perform a first conversion in a manner that includes the dispatch of the rescue team 4 to the parking location of the vehicle 10 and the temporary setting of the manual driving device 50 to the vehicle 10 by the operator accompanied by the rescue team 4.

[0068] Furthermore, if the main reason for the failure of ODD is determined to be the main reason for other vehicles, even if vehicle 10 is able to drive itself and establish a communication connection between vehicle 10 and remote driving device 40, but if the predetermined condition α is not met, control unit 23 requests server 30 to perform a first conversion in a manner that includes the dispatch of rescue team 4 to the parking location of vehicle 10 and the temporary setting of manual driving device 50 to vehicle 10 by the operator accompanied by rescue team 4.

[0069] Furthermore, if the main reason for the failure of ODD is determined to be the main environmental reason, even if the vehicle 10 is able to drive itself and establish a communication connection between the vehicle 10 and the remote driving device 40, but if the predetermined condition α is not met, the control unit 23 requests the server 30 to perform a first conversion in a manner that includes the dispatch of the rescue team 4 to the parking location of the vehicle 10 and the temporary setting of the manual driving device 50 to the vehicle 10 by the operator accompanied by the rescue team 4.

[0070] S110: When the control unit 23 determines that it is possible to switch from the automatic driving mode AD to the remote driving mode RD, it requests the server 30 to perform a second switch as the switch from the automatic driving mode AD to the remote driving mode RD.

[0071] If the main reason for the failure of ODD is determined to be the second fault in which the vehicle 10 cannot perform driving by autonomous driving, when the vehicle 10 is able to drive autonomously, the control unit 23 requests the server 30 to perform a second conversion in a manner that includes the establishment of the communication connection when the vehicle 10 is able to drive autonomously, the communication connection between the vehicle 10 and the remote driving device 40 can be established, and the predetermined condition α is met.

[0072] Furthermore, if the main reason for the failure of ODD is determined to be the main reason for other vehicles, when the vehicle 10 is able to drive itself, can establish a communication connection between the vehicle 10 and the remote driving device 40, and the predetermined condition α is met, the control unit 23 requests the server 30 to perform a second conversion in a manner that includes the establishment of the communication connection.

[0073] Furthermore, when the main reason for the failure of ODD is determined to be the main environmental reason, and when the vehicle 10 is able to drive itself, and a communication connection between the vehicle 10 and the remote driving device 40 is established, and the predetermined condition α is met, the control unit 23 requests the server 30 to perform a second conversion in a manner that includes the establishment of the communication connection.

[0074] The control unit 23 can also stop the vehicle 10 at a permitted parking location during the period until the communication connection with the remote driving device 40 is established, or until the rescue team 4 arrives. A permitted parking location refers to a location such as the roadside area of ​​the driving road or a parking lot facing the driving road, where the vehicle 10 can stop quickly and safely wait for the arrival of the rescue team 4.

[0075] Step S111: The control unit 23 determines whether the vehicle 10 capable of autonomous driving has reached its destination, or whether the traction movement of the vehicle 10 unable to drive itself has been completed. If the vehicle 10 capable of autonomous driving has reached its destination, or the traction movement of the vehicle 10 unable to drive itself has been completed, the determination device 20 ends the information processing. If the vehicle 10 capable of autonomous driving has not reached its destination, or the traction movement of the vehicle 10 unable to drive itself has not been completed, the process returns to S101 and continues information processing.

[0076] As described above, when the vehicle 10, which has an automatic driving mode AD and a temporary manual driving mode HCD that is selectable by being connected to a temporary manual driving device 50, is driving in the automatic driving mode AD, the determination device 20 of this embodiment requests a first conversion as a conversion from the automatic driving mode AD to the temporary manual driving mode HCD when the design necessary condition for enabling automatic driving becomes unmet.

[0077] According to the aforementioned structure, when the necessary conditions for autonomous driving of vehicle 10 are no longer met, the determination device 20 will autonomously request a switch from autonomous driving mode to a temporary manual driving mode. As a result, the time required to switch from autonomous driving mode to temporary manual driving mode is further reduced, and fault protection can be smoothly executed even when autonomous driving is not possible, thus improving the technology for automatically controlling vehicle operation.

[0078] While this disclosure has been described with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments, it should be noted that various modifications and alterations can be easily made based on the content of this disclosure if one is skilled in the art. Therefore, it should be understood that such modifications and alterations are included within the scope of this disclosure. For example, the functions included in the various structural parts or steps can be reconfigured in a logically consistent manner, and multiple structural parts or steps can be combined into one or divided.

[0079] In the above-described embodiments, it is also possible to implement an embodiment in which the structure and operation of the judgment device 20 are distributed among multiple computers capable of communicating with each other. For example, it is also possible for the server 30 to possess some or all of the structural elements of the judgment device 20, rather than the vehicle 10. Furthermore, it is also possible to implement an embodiment in which some or all of the structural elements of the judgment device 20 are disposed on the vehicle 10.

[0080] Although the above embodiment describes the case where the operation management center 3 has one remote driving device 40, in cases where the operating area is large, the operation management center 3 may have multiple remote driving devices 40 for each area. Furthermore, the rescue center where the rescue team 4 is on standby may be located within the operation management center 3, and the remote driving device 40 may also be located within the rescue center.

[0081] In the above embodiment, the case where the vehicle 10 on which the determination device 20 is mounted is described as an automobile, but the determination device 20 may also be mounted on other mobile units, such as self-propelled motorboats or unmanned aerial vehicles.

[0082] Furthermore, for example, it is also possible to implement an embodiment in which a general-purpose computer functions as the determination device 20 involved in the above-described embodiments. Specifically, a program describing the processing contents for implementing each function of the determination device 20 involved in the above-described embodiments is stored in the memory of a general-purpose computer, and the processor reads and executes the processing. Therefore, this disclosure can also be implemented as a processor-executable program or a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing the program.

[0083] The following are examples of some embodiments of this disclosure. However, please note that the embodiments of this disclosure are not limited to these contents.

[0084] [Postscript 1] A determination device includes a control unit that performs the following processing: acquiring data measured by sensors on a vehicle having an automatic driving mode and a temporary manual driving mode that is selectable by being connected to a temporary manual driving device; and based on the data, requesting a first conversion as a transition from the automatic driving mode to the temporary manual driving mode when, during the process of the vehicle driving in the automatic driving mode, the design necessary conditions for enabling automatic driving become unmet.

[0085] [Postscript 2] The determination device as described in Appendix 1, wherein... The sensors include cameras, 3D-LiDAR, millimeter-wave sensors, accelerometers, and GPS sensors, which monitor the surrounding environment of the vehicle while it is driving autonomously, as well as sensors that diagnose the vehicle's fault modes.

[0086] [Postscript 3] A determining device, wherein, The system includes a control unit that performs the following processing: When a vehicle with an autonomous driving mode and a temporary manual driving mode that is selectable by being connected to a temporary manual driving device is driving in the autonomous driving mode, if the design necessary conditions that make autonomous driving possible are no longer met, a first conversion is requested as a transition from the autonomous driving mode to the temporary manual driving mode.

[0087] [Postscript 4] The determination device as described in Appendix 3, wherein... The temporary manual driving mode is a control mode in which the vehicle is manually driven according to the request and by manually operating the temporary manual driving device temporarily set on the vehicle.

[0088] [Postscript 5] The determination device as described in Appendix 3, wherein... When the control unit determines that it is possible to switch from the automatic driving mode to the remote driving mode, it requests a second switch as a switch from the automatic driving mode to the remote driving mode.

[0089] [Postscript 6] The determination device as described in Appendix 5, wherein... The remote driving mode is a control mode in which the vehicle is manually driven by remote operation from a remote driving device that can communicate with the vehicle.

[0090] [Postscript 7] The determination device as described in Appendix 3, wherein... The control unit determines the main reasons why the necessary design conditions are no longer met. The primary cause is any one of the following: the primary cause of this vehicle, the primary cause of other vehicles, or the primary cause of the environment. The main causes of the vehicle's problems include a first fault and a second fault. The first fault is that the vehicle is unable to drive itself, and the second fault is that the vehicle is unable to drive using autonomous driving. The other vehicles mentioned are mainly those whose passage is restricted due to parked vehicles, accident vehicles, or emergency vehicles blocking the lanes they are traveling on. The main environmental reasons include situations where the vehicle's passage is restricted by the condition of the road surface or weather conditions, and situations where the communication connection between the vehicle and the remote driving device cannot be established.

[0091] [Postscript 8] The determination device as described in Appendix 7, wherein... If the main cause is determined to be the first fault among the main causes of the vehicle, the control unit requests to move the vehicle by traction.

[0092] [Postscript 9] The determination device as described in Appendix 7, wherein... When the main cause is determined to be the second fault among the main causes of the vehicle, the control unit requests a second conversion as a switch from the automatic driving mode to the remote driving mode when the vehicle is able to drive itself, the communication connection between the vehicle and the remote driving device can be established, and predetermined conditions are met.

[0093] [Postscript 10] The determination device as described in Appendix 9, wherein... If the predetermined conditions are not met, the control unit requests the first conversion to be performed.

[0094] [Postscript 11] The determination device as described in Appendix 7, wherein... When the main cause is determined to be the second fault among the main causes of the vehicle, and the communication connection between the vehicle and the remote driving device cannot be established, the control unit requests the first conversion.

[0095] [Postscript 12] The determination device as described in Appendix 7, wherein... When the primary cause is determined to be another vehicle-related primary cause, and when the vehicle is capable of autonomous driving, and a communication connection between the vehicle and the remote driving device is established, and predetermined conditions are met, the control unit requests a second transition as a switch from the autonomous driving mode to the remote driving mode.

[0096] [Postscript 13] The determination device as described in Appendix 12, wherein, If the predetermined conditions are not met, the control unit requests the first conversion to be performed.

[0097] [Postscript 14] The determination device as described in Appendix 7, wherein... When the primary cause is determined to be another vehicle-related primary cause, and a communication connection between the vehicle and the remote driving device cannot be established, the control unit requests the first conversion.

[0098] [Postscript 15] The determination device as described in Appendix 7, wherein... When the primary cause is determined to be the environmental primary cause, and when the vehicle is capable of autonomous driving, and a communication connection between the vehicle and the remote driving device is established, and predetermined conditions are met, the control unit requests a second transition as a switch from the autonomous driving mode to the remote driving mode.

[0099] [Postscript 16] The determination device as described in Appendix 15, wherein... If the predetermined conditions are not met, the control unit requests the first conversion to be performed.

[0100] [Postscript 17] The determination device as described in Appendix 7, wherein... When the primary cause is determined to be the environmental primary cause, and a communication connection between the vehicle and the remote driving device cannot be established, the control unit requests the first conversion.

[0101] [Postscript 18] One method of judgment, wherein, The following process is performed by the determination device: When a vehicle with an autonomous driving mode and a temporary manual driving mode that is selectable by being connected to a temporary manual driving device is driving in the autonomous driving mode, if the design necessary conditions that make autonomous driving possible are no longer met, a first conversion is requested as a transition from the autonomous driving mode to the temporary manual driving mode.

[0102] [Postscript 19] The judgment method described in Appendix 18, wherein, The temporary manual driving mode is a control mode in which the vehicle is manually driven according to the request and by manually operating the temporary manual driving device temporarily set on the vehicle.

[0103] [Postscript 20] The judgment method described in Appendix 18, wherein, The determination device performs the following process: If it is determined that a transition from the autonomous driving mode to the remote driving mode can be performed, a second transition is requested as a transition from the autonomous driving mode to the remote driving mode.

[0104] Symbol Explanation 1…system; 2…network; 3…Operations Management Center; 4…Rescue team (emergency response team); 10… vehicles; 11…Ministry of Communications; 12… Measurement Department; 12A… sensor; 13… Storage Department; 14…Control Department; 20…judgment device; 21…Ministry of Communications; 22… Storage Department; 23…Control Department; 30… servers; 31…Ministry of Communications; 32… Storage section; 33…Control Department; 40… Remote driving device; 41…Ministry of Communications; 42… Storage Department; 43…Control Department; 50…Temporarily set up a manual driving device; 231…First Control Unit; 232…Second Control Unit; 233…Third Control Department.

Claims

1. A determining device, wherein, The system includes a control unit that performs the following processing: Data is obtained from sensors on a vehicle having an autonomous driving mode and a temporary manual driving mode that is selectable by being connected to a temporary manual driving device. Based on the data, when the necessary design conditions for enabling autonomous driving become unmet during the vehicle's operation in the autonomous driving mode, a first conversion is requested as a transition from the autonomous driving mode to the temporary manual driving mode.

2. The determining device as described in claim 1, wherein, The sensors include cameras, 3D LiDAR, millimeter-wave sensors, accelerometers, and GPS sensors, which monitor the surrounding environment of the vehicle while it is driving autonomously, as well as sensors that diagnose the vehicle's fault modes.

3. A determining device, wherein, The system includes a control unit that performs the following processing: When a vehicle with an autonomous driving mode and a temporary manual driving mode that is selectable by being connected to a temporary manual driving device is driving in the autonomous driving mode, if the design necessary conditions that make autonomous driving possible are no longer met, a first conversion is requested as a transition from the autonomous driving mode to the temporary manual driving mode.

4. The determining device as described in claim 3, wherein, The temporary manual driving mode is a control mode in which the vehicle is manually driven according to the request and by manually operating the temporary manual driving device temporarily set on the vehicle.

5. The determining device as described in claim 3, wherein, When the control unit determines that it is possible to switch from the automatic driving mode to the remote driving mode, it requests a second switch as a switch from the automatic driving mode to the remote driving mode.

6. The determining device as described in claim 5, wherein, The remote driving mode is a control mode in which the vehicle is manually driven by remote operation from a remote driving device that can communicate with the vehicle.

7. The determining device as described in claim 3, wherein, The control unit determines the main reasons why the necessary design conditions are no longer met. The primary cause is any one of the following: the primary cause of this vehicle, the primary cause of other vehicles, or the primary cause of the environment. The main causes of the vehicle's problems include a first fault and a second fault. The first fault is that the vehicle is unable to drive itself, and the second fault is that the vehicle is unable to drive using autonomous driving. The other vehicles mentioned are mainly those whose passage is restricted due to parked vehicles, accident vehicles, or emergency vehicles blocking the lanes they are traveling on. The main environmental reasons include situations where the vehicle's passage is restricted by the condition of the road surface or weather conditions, and situations where the communication connection between the vehicle and the remote driving device cannot be established.

8. The determining device as described in claim 7, wherein, If the main cause is determined to be the first fault among the main causes of the vehicle, the control unit requests to move the vehicle by traction.

9. The determining device as described in claim 7, wherein, When the main cause is determined to be the second fault among the main causes of the vehicle, the control unit requests a second conversion as a switch from the automatic driving mode to the remote driving mode when the vehicle is able to drive itself, the communication connection between the vehicle and the remote driving device can be established, and predetermined conditions are met.

10. The determining device as described in claim 9, wherein, If the predetermined conditions are not met, the control unit requests the first conversion to be performed.

11. The determining device as claimed in claim 7, wherein, When the main cause is determined to be the second fault among the main causes of the vehicle, and the communication connection between the vehicle and the remote driving device cannot be established, the control unit requests the first conversion.

12. The determining device as described in claim 7, wherein, When the primary cause is determined to be another vehicle-related primary cause, and when the vehicle is capable of autonomous driving, and a communication connection between the vehicle and the remote driving device is established, and predetermined conditions are met, the control unit requests a second transition as a switch from the autonomous driving mode to the remote driving mode.

13. The determining device as described in claim 12, wherein, If the predetermined conditions are not met, the control unit requests the first conversion to be performed.

14. The determining device as described in claim 7, wherein, When the primary cause is determined to be another vehicle-related primary cause, and a communication connection between the vehicle and the remote driving device cannot be established, the control unit requests the first conversion.

15. The determining device as described in claim 7, wherein, When the primary cause is determined to be the environmental primary cause, and when the vehicle is capable of autonomous driving, and a communication connection between the vehicle and the remote driving device is established, and predetermined conditions are met, the control unit requests a second transition as a switch from the autonomous driving mode to the remote driving mode.

16. The determining device as claimed in claim 15, wherein, If the predetermined conditions are not met, the control unit requests the first conversion to be performed.

17. The determining device as claimed in claim 7, wherein, When the primary cause is determined to be the environmental primary cause, and a communication connection between the vehicle and the remote driving device cannot be established, the control unit requests the first conversion.

18. A method for determining, wherein, The following process is performed by the determination device: When a vehicle with an autonomous driving mode and a temporary manual driving mode that is selectable by being connected to a temporary manual driving device is driving in the autonomous driving mode, if the design necessary conditions that make autonomous driving possible are no longer met, a first conversion is requested as a transition from the autonomous driving mode to the temporary manual driving mode.

19. The determination method as described in claim 18, wherein, The temporary manual driving mode is a control mode in which the vehicle is manually driven according to the request and by manually operating the temporary manual driving device temporarily set on the vehicle.

20. The determination method as described in claim 18, wherein, The determination device performs the following process: If it is determined that a transition from the autonomous driving mode to the remote driving mode can be performed, a second transition is requested as a transition from the autonomous driving mode to the remote driving mode.

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