Locomotion control device and locomotion control method

Abstract

A motion control device (100, 150) which controls the motion of a vehicle (1) in one of the control states of manual motion control, in order to control the motion of the vehicle based on a driving operation by a driver, and of automatic motion control, in order to detect a state around the vehicle and to control the motion of the vehicle based on a detected state, wherein the motion control device comprises: a motion control unit (101) which controls the motion of the vehicle in one of the control states manual motion control state and automatic motion control state in accordance with a selection by the driver, a concentration disturbance detection unit (103) which detects an event of a pre-determined, concentration-disturbing cause, which is set as a cause that disturbs the driver's concentration in relation to the driving operation, and a control state change unit (102) which changes the control state from the state of manual locomotion control to the state of automatic locomotion control when the event of a concentration-disturbing occasion is detected, while the control state is the state of manual locomotion control, wherein: If the event disturbing the concentration is not detected, or if it is detected that a pre-determined threshold time has elapsed since the control state is switched to the automatic locomotion control state, and the control state has switched from the manual locomotion control state to the automatic locomotion control state, the control state change unit switches the control state from the automatic locomotion control state to the manual locomotion control state. The concentration disorder detection unit is configured to detect a variety of learning object events as candidates for concentration-disrupting events. the locomotion control device further comprises: an influence degree evaluation unit (107) which evaluates a degree of influence of each learning object event on driving activity by recording driving activity after the learning object event when the concentration disorder event recording unit records the learning object events, wherein: The influence degree evaluation unit identifies one of the learning object occasions as the distracting occasion if the degree of influence of one of the learning object occasions is equal to or greater than a previously determined threshold degree.

Description

Cross-reference to relevant application

[0001] This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2015-110991 filed on May 31, 2015, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. field of technology

[0002] The present invention relates to a technique that switches between a manual travel control state and an automatic travel control state to control travel of a vehicle. Technical background

[0003] Due to the advancement of so-called automatic driving technology, automatic driving is becoming possible. It involves a vehicle detecting a condition around the vehicle and automatically performing driving operations. For example, in a driving environment suitable for automatic driving, such as a highway, it is possible to safely drive to a preset destination while automatically detecting a vehicle moving ahead and the current driving lane.

[0004] In addition, a technique has also been proposed to improve the safety of traveling by automatically traveling in a traveling environment in which a plurality of vehicles come and go, such as a road or a roadway, by not only detecting the positions and traveling directions of the vehicles, but also predicting the movements of the vehicles avoiding each other JP 2011 - 221 667 A

[0005] It is also known to improve safety by assisting the driver according to their condition, e.g., reducing danger by alerting the surroundings when the degree of danger increases in a vehicle's driving assistance device. In this case, a device collects information about the driver that affects driving, assesses the driving condition from the information, and performs predetermined processing based on this information (JP 2011 - 221 667 A).

[0006] It is also known to provide driving assistance. Any number of driver operations, vehicle behavior, the driver's state, and information regarding the environment surrounding the vehicle are recorded as driving information, and vehicle location information is recorded to statically process the driving information as a time series pattern, generate map information by linking the obtained statistical information with the vehicle location information, and update the map information so that driving assistance can be performed based on the map information (EP 2 876 620 A1).

[0007] Furthermore, a vehicle driving safety device is known in the prior art that can trigger an alarm at a time corresponding to the driver's condition. Road data, a detected vehicle position, a detected vehicle condition, a detected driver condition, and detected data for distinguishing a curve shape ahead of the vehicle are used to set an appropriate vehicle condition in which the vehicle can negotiate a curve properly in cases where the vehicle is not in the correct vehicle condition and the driver's condition is abnormal (JP 2002 - 329 300 A).

[0008] However, in a crowded or crowded street, for example, a pedestrian path along a road may not be clearly recognized, or anticipatory driving or propulsion may be required to prevent someone from running into the road. Thus, a high degree of situational awareness is required, making it difficult to adequately ensure the safety of movement through automatic movement. Therefore, it is believed that manual movement by the driver is even safer in such a movement environment. Summary of the invention

[0009] However, the driver cannot always concentrate on driving, and their attention may be temporarily reduced for a variety of reasons. While their attention is reduced, the safety of movement cannot always be guaranteed, even with manual movement.

[0010] In view of the above circumstances, it is an object of the present disclosure to provide a technique which makes it possible to further improve the safety of traveling during manual traveling.

[0011] The object is achieved by the features of the independent claims. Advantageous developments of the invention are disclosed in the subclaims. A locomotion control device and a locomotion control method according to one aspect of the present disclosure detect the occurrence of a pre-determined concentration-disrupting event, which is set as an event that disturbs a driver's concentration on a driving operation, when a vehicle is in a manual locomotion control state. When the occurrence of the concentration-disrupting event is detected during the manual locomotion control state, the control state of the vehicle is switched from the manual locomotion control state to an automatic locomotion control state.

[0012] Even if an event disrupting concentration occurs while the vehicle is in manual control, temporarily reducing the driver's attention to driving, the vehicle's control state will be switched to automatic control. This makes it possible to ensure safe driving. Short description of the drawings

[0013] The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description made with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings: Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a vehicle equipped with a locomotion control device of an embodiment, Fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of the locomotion control device of the embodiment, Fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a part of a locomotion control state switching process executed by the locomotion control device of the embodiment to switch a locomotion control state, Fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the remaining part of the locomotion control state change process, Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operating unit mounted on the vehicle, Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display indicating making a temporary switch to an automatic travel control state, Fig. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display indicating making a return to a manual travel control state from the temporary automatic travel control state, Fig. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of a locomotion control device of a modification, Fig. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a part of a concentration disturbing event learning process performed by the locomotion control device of the modification to learn a concentration disturbing event, Fig. Figure 10 is a flow chart illustrating the remaining part of the process that learns the concentration-disturbing event, Fig. 11A is an explanatory diagram for a reference driving operation, Fig. 11B is an explanatory diagram for the reference driving operation, Fig. 12 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the result of a comparison between an actual driving operation performed from accepting an incoming telephone call to disconnecting the call after having a telephone conversation and the reference driving operation, and Fig. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state of learning the concentration-disturbing occasion. Embodiments for carrying out the invention

[0014] An embodiment will now be described. A: Device configuration

[0015] The Fig. Fig. 1 illustrates a general configuration of a vehicle 1 equipped with a locomotion control device 100 of the present embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle 1 is equipped with a steering wheel 2, a steering shaft 3, an accelerator pedal 4, a brake pedal 5, an on-board camera 7, and a navigation device 8 in addition to the locomotion control device 100.

[0016] The steering shaft 3 is equipped with a steering angle sensor 3s that detects a steering angle of the steering wheel 2, and a steering wheel drive unit 3a that drives the steering shaft 3 to rotate. Furthermore, the accelerator pedal 4 is equipped with an accelerator sensor 4s that detects a depression amount of the accelerator pedal 4, and an accelerator drive unit 4a that drives the accelerator pedal 4. Furthermore, the brake pedal 5 is equipped with a brake sensor 5s that detects a depression amount of the brake pedal 5, and a brake drive unit 5a that drives the brake pedal 5. Furthermore, the vehicle 1 is also equipped with a vehicle speed sensor 6s that detects a vehicle speed by detecting the rotation of a tire or axle.

[0017] The steering angle sensor 3s, the accelerator pedal sensor 4s, the brake sensor 5s, and the vehicle speed sensor 6s are connected to the travel control device 100. Furthermore, the on-board camera 7 and the navigation device 8 are also connected to the travel control device 100. The travel control device 100 comprehends a travel state or condition of the vehicle 1 based on the output from these various sensors, an image captured by the on-board camera 7, and information from the navigation device 8. The traveling control device 100 is also capable of assisting a driver's driving operation or causing the vehicle 1 to automatically travel by driving the steering wheel drive unit 3a, the accelerator pedal drive unit 4a, and the brake drive unit 5a based on the result of the traveling state.

[0018] The Fig. 2 illustrates a general internal structure of the locomotion control device 100 of the present embodiment. As illustrated, the locomotion control device 100 is provided with a locomotion control unit 101, a control state switching unit 102, a concentration disturbance occurrence detection unit 103, an operation transmission unit 104, and a wireless transmission unit 105. Note that these "units" are abstract concepts obtained by appropriately classifying the interior of the locomotion control device 100 by focusing on functions provided in the locomotion control device 100 to control the locomotion of the vehicle 1. Thus, these units do not represent that the locomotion control device 100 is physically or mechanically constructed.is physically classified into these "units." Each of the "units" may be implemented as a computer program executed by a CPU, may be implemented as an electronic circuit including an LSI and a memory, or may be implemented as a combination of the computer program and the electronic circuit.

[0019] The locomotion control unit 101 has a function of directing the overall control related to the locomotion of the vehicle 1. The locomotion control device 100 of the present embodiment is capable of causing the vehicle 1 to travel automatically as described above, and this function is mainly implemented by the locomotion control unit 101. Furthermore, the locomotion control device 100 is also capable of assisting the driver's driving operation when the vehicle 1 travels manually, and this function is also mainly implemented by the locomotion control unit 101.Accordingly, there are two control states including a manual traveling control state and an automatic traveling control state as a control state of the traveling control unit 101 of the present embodiment for controlling the traveling of the vehicle 1.

[0020] In the manual travel control state, the travel control unit 101 executes various processes for assisting the driver's driving operation using information obtained from the steering angle sensor 3s, the accelerator pedal sensor 4s, the brake sensor 5s, the vehicle speed sensor 6s, the on-board camera 7, and the navigation device 8.

[0021] On the other hand, in the automatic traveling control state, the traveling control unit 101 comprehends a state around the vehicle 1, a state of the vehicle 1, and further, a traveling position based on the information obtained from the steering angle sensor 3s, the accelerator pedal sensor 4s, the brake sensor 5s, the vehicle speed sensor 6s, the in-vehicle camera 7, and the navigation system 8. Then, the traveling control unit 101 drives the steering wheel drive unit 3a, the accelerator pedal drive unit 4a, and the brake drive unit 5a based on the result thereof to achieve automatic traveling.

[0022] Furthermore, the traveling control unit 101 is normally in the manual traveling control state. Then, when the driver selects the automatic traveling control state, it is determined whether the current traveling position is suitable for automatic traveling, and a transition is made from the manual traveling control state to the automatic traveling control state if the current traveling position is suitable for automatic traveling. In the navigation device 8 of the present embodiment, an area unsuitable for automatic traveling is stored in advance. The traveling control unit 101 can determine whether the current traveling position is an area suitable for automatic traveling based on the stored information.

[0023] In addition, in the travel control device 100 of the present embodiment, even if the automatic travel control state is not selected by the driver and the current travel position is unsuitable for automatic travel, the control state can be temporarily switched from the manual travel control state to the automatic travel control state. The control state switching unit 102 and the concentration disturbance cause detection unit 103, which are provided in the Fig. 2 are provided in accordance with this change.

[0024] When the concentration disturbance event detection unit 103 receives information indicating the state of manual travel control from the travel control unit 101, the concentration disturbance event detection unit 103 first monitors whether a pre-determined event has occurred that disturbs the driver's concentration on driving (a concentration disturbance event). A pre-determined event, such as an incoming call from a mobile phone to the driver or an operation related to the navigation device 8 or an audio device 9 mounted on the vehicle 1, is set in advance as the concentration disturbance event. In the present embodiment, the navigation device 8 and the audio device 9 correspond to an on-board device.

[0025] The concentration disturbance occurrence detection unit 103 is connected to the wireless transmission unit 105, which wirelessly transmits and receives data to and from a mobile phone 20 registered in advance, and is capable of detecting an incoming call to the mobile phone 20 by acquiring information from the wireless transmission unit 105.

[0026] Furthermore, the wireless transmission unit 105 is also capable of outputting voice data received from the mobile phone 20 from a speaker 11 mounted on the vehicle 1 and outputting voice data picked up by a highly directional microphone 12 mounted on the vehicle 1 to the mobile phone 20.

[0027] Furthermore, the wireless transmission unit 105 is also connected to an operating unit 10, which is operated by the driver. Thus, the concentration disturbance trigger detection unit 103 is capable of detecting an incoming call to the mobile phone or the start or disconnection of a phone call in accordance with an operation on the operating unit 10 by the driver by receiving a signal from the wireless transmission unit 105.

[0028] Furthermore, the concentration disturbance trigger detection unit 103 is also connected to the operation transmission unit 104, which transmits information indicating that the operation unit 10, such as buttons operated by the driver, has been operated to the navigation device 8 or the audio device 9. Thus, the concentration disturbance trigger detection unit 103 is capable of detecting that the driver has operated the navigation device 8 or the audio device 9 based on information from the operation transmission unit 104.

[0029] When the concentration disturbance event detection unit 103 detects the occurrence of a preset concentration disturbance event during the control of the travel control unit 101 in the manual travel control state, the concentration disturbance event detection unit 103 notifies the control state switching unit 102 of the occurrence of the concentration disturbance event.

[0030] Then, when the control state switching unit 102 receives the notification of the occurrence of the concentration-disrupting event, the control state switching unit 102 displays a message indicating a change in the control state from the manual travel control state to the automatic travel control state on a display unit 13, such as a liquid crystal display, mounted on the vehicle 1. Then, a signal indicating a change in the control state from the manual travel control state to the automatic travel control state is output to the travel control unit 101. Accordingly, the travel control unit 101 temporarily changes the control state from the manual travel control state to the automatic travel control state.

[0031] Accordingly, if an event that disrupts the driver's concentration on the driving operation occurs during control in the manual travel control state, the control state is temporarily switched from the manual travel control state to the automatic travel control state. Therefore, it is possible to ensure the safety of travel. Of course, the event that disrupts concentration may occur during travel in an area unsuitable for automatic travel. However, even in such a case, temporary automatic travel makes it possible to ensure the safety of travel compared to manual travel by the driver who lacks concentration on the driving operation.

[0032] Next, a process performed within the locomotion control device 100 of the present embodiment to achieve the above will be described in detail. B: Locomotion control state change process

[0033] The Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 illustrate flowcharts of a locomotion control state switching process performed by the locomotion control device 100 of the present embodiment for temporarily switching the control state of the automatic locomotion control state during the manual locomotion control state.

[0034] As it is in the Fig. As illustrated in Figure 3, when the locomotion control state switching process is started, it is first determined whether the current control state is the manual locomotion control state (S100). As described above, the locomotion control device 100 controls the locomotion of the vehicle 1 in either the manual locomotion control state or the automatic locomotion control state. Thus, the locomotion control device 100 is capable of immediately determining whether the current control state is either the manual locomotion control state or the automatic locomotion control state.

[0035] If the result shows that it is determined that the current control state is not the manual locomotion control state (S100: no), the subsequent process of temporarily switching from the manual locomotion control state to the automatic locomotion control state is not required because the current control state is already the automatic locomotion control state. Therefore, the process returns to the start, and it is again determined whether the control state is the manual locomotion control state (S100).

[0036] If it is determined during the repetition of such a determination that the control state is the manual locomotion control state (S100: yes), it is then determined whether an operation on the operation unit 10 has been detected (S101).

[0037] The Fig. 5 illustrates the operation unit 10 mounted on the vehicle 1 of the present embodiment. For example, an operation button 10a, or operation push button, operated in response to an incoming telephone call, and an operation button 10b, or operation push button, operated upon ending a telephone conversation and disconnecting the connection, are mounted on the steering wheel 2. Furthermore, the liquid crystal display is mounted on the instrument panel of the vehicle 1 as the display unit 13 that displays various pieces of information. A plurality of operation buttons 10c, 10d, 10e, 10f, or operation push buttons, and an operation knob 10g, or operation dial, are mounted on the right and left sides of the liquid crystal display.

[0038] The display unit 13 also serves as a display screen for the navigation device 8 and as an operation screen for the audio device 9. When the display unit 13 is used as the display screen for the navigation device 8, functions for operating the navigation device 8 are assigned to the operation buttons 10c to 10f and the operation button 10g. When the display unit 13 is used as the operation screen for the audio device 9, functions for operating the audio device 9 are assigned to the operation buttons 10c to 10f and the operation button 10g.

[0039] In S101 of the Fig. 3, it is determined whether these operation buttons 10a to 10f and the operation button 10g have been operated. If the result shows that none of these operation buttons 10a to 10f and the operation button 10g have been operated (S101: no), it is determined whether an incoming call to the pre-registered mobile phone 20 has been detected (S110). As described above with reference to Fig. 2, the locomotion control device 100 is capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data to and from the mobile phone 20 and is capable of immediately perceiving an incoming call to the mobile phone 20.

[0040] If the result shows that no incoming call to the mobile phone 20 has been detected (S110: no), it is determined that an event that disturbs the driver's concentration on the driving operation (concentration disturb event or concentration disturb event) has not occurred. That is, in the present embodiment, an operation on the operation unit 10 and an incoming call to the mobile phone 20 are set in advance as the concentration disturb events. Thus, if these concentration disturb events have not been detected, it is possible to determine that no concentration disturb event has occurred. Of course, the concentration disturb event is not limited to these events, and an event other than the concentration disturb event can be set as necessary.

[0041] Then, if no event disturbing the concentration has occurred (S101: no and S110: no), it is determined whether driving or propulsion should be stopped (S109). If driving is not stopped (S109: no), the process returns to the start, and it is again determined whether the current control state is manual propulsion control (S100).

[0042] On the other hand, when an operation on the operation unit 10 has been detected (S101), it is assumed that the driver is trying to operate the navigation device 8 or the audio device 9 and has lost his / her concentration on the driving operation.

[0043] It is thus determined to temporarily change the control state from the manual travel control state to the automatic travel control state, and a display for notifying the driver of the change is output on the screen of the display unit 13 (S102). Fig. 6 illustrates a state in which a message indicating a temporary change of the control state to the automatic travel control state is displayed on the screen of the display unit 13.

[0044] Then, the control state is changed from the manual locomotion control state to the automatic locomotion control state (S103), and measurement of an automatic locomotion time is then started by starting a timer incorporated in the locomotion control device 100 (S104). Here, the automatic locomotion time is an elapsed time from the change of the control state to the automatic locomotion control state due to the occurrence of the concentration-disturbing event.

[0045] Then, it is determined whether the detection of the operation on the operation unit 10 has stopped, that is, it is determined whether the operation unit 10 has been operated again within a predetermined time (e.g., 5 seconds) (S105). If the result shows that the operation on the operation unit 10 has stopped (S105: yes), it can be assumed that there is no concentration-disrupting event that disturbs the driver's concentration on the driving operation. Therefore, a message indicating termination of the temporary automatic travel control state is displayed on the screen of the display unit 13 (S107). Then, a control state is returned to the manual travel control state from the automatic travel control state (S108).

[0046] The Fig. 7 illustrates a state in which a display indicating termination of the temporary state of the automatic travel control is output to the screen of the display unit 13.

[0047] On the other hand, if an actuation on the actuation unit 10 was detected again within the previously determined time (e.g. 5 seconds) (S105: yes), it is assumed that the event disturbing concentration still exists.

[0048] Thus, at this time, it is determined whether the automatic travel time has reached a predetermined threshold time (e.g., 20 seconds) (S106). That is, if an event disrupting concentration occurs during manual travel, the travel control device 100 of the present embodiment ensures the safety of travel by temporarily switching the control state to the automatic travel control state.

[0049] Even if a road where vehicle 1 is traveling is unsuitable for automatic traveling at this time, it is assumed that vehicle 1 can travel safely even by automatic traveling for a short time because vehicle 1 has been safely driven by the driver up to that point. However, since the road is unsuitable for automatic traveling, it is assumed that it becomes difficult to ensure the safety of traveling if the automatic traveling time becomes long.

[0050] Therefore, when it is determined that the operation on the operation unit 10 is still ongoing (S105: no), it is determined whether the automatic moving time has reached the previously determined threshold time (S106).

[0051] If the result shows that the automatic traveling time has not reached the threshold time (S106: no), it is again determined whether the detection of the operation on the operation unit 10 has been stopped while the automatic traveling control state continues (S105).

[0052] On the other hand, when the automatic travel time has reached the threshold time (S106: yes), for the purpose of terminating the temporary state of automatic travel control, a display indicating the end of the state of automatic travel control (see the Fig. 7) is output on the screen of the display unit 13 (S107), and the control state is then returned to the manual travel control state from the automatic travel control state (S108).

[0053] When the automatic traveling time has reached the threshold time (S106: yes), a voice notifying the return of the control state to the manual traveling control state may be output from the speaker 11 in addition to the display indicating the return displayed on the display unit 13.

[0054] When the automatic traveling time has reached the threshold time (S106: yes), the control state is returned to the manual traveling control state even if the driver continues to operate the operation unit 10. Thus, it is possible to make the driver reliably perceive that the control state is being returned to the manual traveling control state by notifying the return also using voice.

[0055] The above describes the process for temporarily switching the control state to the automatic travel control state (S102 to S108) when an operation on the operation unit 10 is detected in the manual travel control state (S101: yes). On the other hand, when an incoming call to the mobile phone 20 is detected in the manual travel control state (S110: yes), the control state is temporarily switched to the automatic travel control state as follows.

[0056] First, as stated in the Fig. 6, a display indicating a temporary change of the control state to the automatic travel control state is output on the screen of the display unit 13 (S111 of Fig. 4). Then, the control state is changed to the automatic travel control state from the manual travel control state (S112), and then measurement of an automatic travel time is started (S113).

[0057] Then, it is determined whether the incoming call to the mobile phone 20 has ended (S114). A case where the call originator has given up having a telephone conversation and a case where any response has been made to the incoming call can be assumed as the reason for the end of the incoming call. However, in S114, it is determined whether the incoming call has ended, regardless of the reason.

[0058] If the result shows that the incoming call has not been terminated (i.e., the incoming call is still ongoing) (S114: No), it is determined whether the automatic advance time has reached the above threshold time (S115). If the result shows that the automatic advance time has not reached the threshold time (S115: No), it is determined again whether the incoming call has been terminated (S114).

[0059] When the driver does not make a response, such as starting a telephone conversation or replying to a reply message notifying that the driver cannot answer the call, with respect to the incoming call, these determinations are repeatedly performed (S114, S115) until the automatic travel time reaches the threshold time.

[0060] Then, when the automatic travel time has reached the threshold time (S115: yes), for the purpose of ending the temporary automatic travel control state, a display indicating the end of the automatic travel control state (see the Fig. 7), output on the screen of the display unit 13 (S107 of Fig. 3), and then the control state is returned to the manual travel control state from the automatic travel control state (S108).

[0061] On the other hand, if the incoming call is terminated before the self-propelled travel time or the travel time of the self-propelled travel reaches the threshold time (S114 of the Fig. 4: yes), it determines whether the end of the incoming call is due to the start of a telephone conversation by the driver who accepted the call or whether he caused this (S116).

[0062] If the result shows that the end of the incoming call is not caused by the start of a telephone conversation (S116: no), it can be assumed that there is no longer any reason to disturb concentration because the person who made the call has given up having a telephone conversation, or the driver has transmitted a reply message indicating that the driver cannot accept the call. Thus, in this case (S116: no), a display indicating the termination of the temporary state of the automatic movement control (see the Fig. 7), output on the screen of the display unit 13 (S107 of Fig. 3), and then the control state is returned to the manual travel control state from the automatic travel control state (S108).

[0063] On the other hand, if the end of the incoming call is caused by the start of a telephone conversation (S116: yes), a measurement of the telephone conversation duration is started (S117), and then it is determined whether the telephone conversation has ended (S118). If the telephone conversation has not ended (S118: no), it is determined whether the telephone conversation duration has reached a permissible time (S119). If the telephone conversation duration has not reached the permissible time (S119: no), it is determined again whether the telephone conversation has ended (S118).

[0064] If the telephone conversation has been started in this way (S116: yes), such determinations are repeatedly performed (S118, S119) until the telephone conversation is ended (S118: yes) or the duration of the telephone conversation reaches the allowable time (S119: yes). Then, when the telephone conversation has been ended (S118: yes) or the duration of the telephone conversation reaches the allowable time (S119: yes), a display indicating the termination of the temporary state of the automatic locomotion control (see the Fig. 7), output to the screen of the display unit 13 (S107 of the Fig. 3), and then the control state is returned to the manual travel control state from the automatic travel control state (S108).

[0065] Here, even if the duration of the telephone conversation has reached the allowable time (S119: yes), in addition to when the telephone conversation has been ended (S118: yes), the control state is returned to the manual travel control state from the automatic travel control state due to the following reason.

[0066] In particular, it is assumed that when the driver starts a telephone conversation during manual traveling, the driver's attention to the driving operation is reduced (i.e., concentration is disturbed). Therefore, the traveling control device 100 of the present embodiment can ensure traveling safety by temporarily switching the control state to the automatic traveling control state. However, if a road where the vehicle 1 is traveling is unsuitable for automatic traveling, it is assumed that it becomes difficult to ensure traveling safety if the automatic traveling time becomes long.Therefore, even if the duration of the telephone conversation has reached the allowable time (S119: yes), the control state is returned to the manual travel control state from the automatic travel control state.

[0067] Here, when a telephone conversation is started (S116: yes), the telephone conversation duration measurement is started without exception (S117). However, if the traveling position of the vehicle 1 is in an area suitable for automatic traveling, the telephone conversation duration measurement may not be started. That is, the driver may request that the telephone conversation continue depending on the content of the telephone conversation. It is assumed that if the traveling position of the vehicle 1 is in an area suitable for automatic traveling, the safe traveling will not be lost even if the automatic position control or traveling control state continues until the telephone conversation ends.

[0068] Therefore, when a telephone conversation is started (S116: yes), it can be determined whether the traveling position of the vehicle 1 is in an area suitable for automatic traveling, and a measurement of the duration of the telephone conversation can be started if the traveling position is not in the area suitable for automatic traveling (S117).

[0069] After the control state is returned to the manual travel control state from the automatic travel control state as described above (S108 of the Fig. 3), it is determined whether driving is to be ended (S109). If driving is not ended (S109: no), the process returns to the start, and it is again determined whether the current control state is manual travel control (S100). Then, the following series of processes (S101 to S119) described above are repeatedly performed. If it is determined during the repetition of this series of processes that driving is to be ended (S109: yes), the travel control state change process, which is included in the Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 is illustrated.

[0070] The locomotion control state switching process described above is performed within the locomotion control device 100 of the present embodiment. Thus, even if an event that disrupts the driver's concentration on the driving operation occurs during manual locomotion by the driver, it is possible to temporarily switch to the automatic locomotion control state to ensure the safety of locomotion. C: Modification

[0071] In the locomotion control device 100 of the above-described embodiment, an appropriate event is set in advance as the event that disturbs the driver's concentration on the driving operation (the concentration-disturbing event). However, the concentration-disturbing event may vary between drivers or may depend on the traveling environment. Therefore, the concentration-disturbing event may be learned to correspond to such a difference. Hereinafter, a locomotion control device 150 of such a modification will be briefly described mainly based on the differences from the above embodiment.

[0072] The Fig. Fig. 8 illustrates a general internal configuration of the locomotion control device 100 or 150 of the modification. The locomotion control device 150 of the modification includes, in addition to the configuration of the locomotion control device 100 of the above-described with reference to Fig. 2 further comprises a reference driving operation storage unit 106 and an influence degree evaluation unit 107.

[0073] The influence degree evaluation unit 107 is connected to the operation transmission unit 104 and the wireless transmission unit 105, and is capable of detecting a large number of events that may be candidates for concentration-disrupting events (learning object events), such as an operation of the operation unit 10 by the driver, an incoming call to the mobile phone 20, the start of a telephone conversation, and the end of the telephone conversation. When a learning object event occurs, the degree of influence of the learning object event on the driver's concentration on the driving operation is evaluated, and the result thereof is learned. Although details of a method for evaluating the degree of influence will be described below, the evaluation is generally performed in the following manner.

[0074] First, the current traveling position of the vehicle 1 is acquired from the navigation device 8. Then, a traveling operation of the vehicle 1 is acquired when the vehicle 1 is traveling at the current position in a normal manner (reference traveling operation).

[0075] The reference driving operation corresponding to the current position of the vehicle 1 is stored in advance in the reference driving operation storage unit 106. Thus, the influence degree evaluation unit 107 can obtain the reference driving operation stored corresponding to the current position of the vehicle 1, which is acquired from the navigation device 8. The reference driving operation will be described in detail below.

[0076] Then, a driving operation actually performed by the driver after the learning object event (actual driving operation) is obtained from the locomotion control unit 101, and it is compared with the reference driving operation.

[0077] If the result shows that the actual driving operation is likely to deviate from the reference driving operation (that is, if the deviation between the actual driving operation and the reference driving operation is likely to be large), it can be assumed that the learning object cause has an influence on the driver's concentration on the driving operation. On the other hand, if the actual driving operation is unlikely to deviate from the reference driving operation (that is, if the deviation between the actual driving operation and the reference driving operation is less likely to be large), it can be assumed that the learning object cause has no influence on the driver's concentration on the driving operation.

[0078] The influence degree evaluation unit 107 performs the above evaluation each time the learning object event occurs and stores the results thereof for each learning object event. As a result of storing the evaluation results, the learning object event that is considered likely to have an influence on the driver's concentration on the driving operation is then input or set as the concentration-disturbing event into the concentration-disturbing event detection unit 103.

[0079] This makes it possible to set an appropriate distraction factor according to the differences between drivers or driving environments. As a result, it is possible to avoid a situation in which a switch from manual driving to automatic driving is not performed due to the fact that a switch that distracts the driver's concentration on the driving operation has occurred, or a situation in which a switch from manual driving to automatic driving is performed due to the fact that the driver's concentration on the driving operation is not disturbed.

[0080] The Fig. 9 and Fig. 10 illustrate flowcharts of a concentration disturbance event learning process performed by the locomotion control device 150 of the modification to learn the concentration disturbance event. This process is performed by the locomotion control device 150 of the modification simultaneously with the Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 illustrated locomotion control state change process is executed.

[0081] In the concentration disturbance event learning process, it is first determined, as illustrated, whether a learning object event has occurred (S200). It is desired to capture as many learning object events as possible that may be concentration disturbance events. Here, an operation on any of the operation buttons 10a to 10f and the operation button 10g, which are located in the Fig. 5, and an incoming call to the mobile phone 20 are recorded as the learning object occasions. Needless to say, an object recorded as the learning object occasion is not limited to these occasions, and another occasion may be recorded.

[0082] If the result shows that no learning object event has occurred (S200: no), the same determination (S200) is performed repeatedly until a learning object event occurs.

[0083] Then, if a learning object event has occurred (S200: yes), the current traveling position of the vehicle 1 and the reference driving operation at the current position are acquired (S201). In the present modification, the current position of the vehicle 1 is acquired from the navigation device 8. Moreover, the reference driving operation corresponding to the current position of the vehicle 1 is stored in a memory (which corresponds to the reference driving operation storage unit 106 of the Fig. 8, which is not illustrated) incorporated in the locomotion control device 150 is stored in advance, and the reference traveling operation is acquired.

[0084] The reference driving operation may be stored not in the memory included in the locomotion control device 150, but in the navigation device 8. Furthermore, the current position of the vehicle 1 may not be acquired from the navigation device 8, and the locomotion control device 150 may have a function of detecting the current position of the vehicle 1.

[0085] The Fig. 11A and Fig. 11B illustrate a design of the reference driving operation. For example, the vehicle 1 moves at a Fig. 11A. As illustrated, the road curves in the right direction in front of the vehicle 1. Furthermore, the road has a short straight portion after the right turn, and then curves in the left direction.

[0086] According to the above, a reference driving operation as in the Fig. 11B, corresponding to the current position of the Fig. 11A is stored as follows. That is, the steering angle of steering wheel 2 is zero for a while, then it becomes a positive value along the right turn, and then after the right turn it becomes zero again. Then the steering angle becomes a negative value along the left turn, and then it becomes zero again.

[0087] Furthermore, along with such steering wheel operation, the accelerator pedal depression amount decreases as the vehicle 1 approaches the curve, and then the brake pedal depression amount increases when the accelerator pedal depression amount becomes zero. Then, the brake pedal depression amount becomes zero, and the accelerator pedal depression amount increases slightly as the vehicle 1 enters the curve, and the accelerator pedal depression amount increases further before the vehicle 1 exits the curve.

[0088] In the present embodiment, three operation amount units including the steering angle, the accelerator pedal depression amount, and the brake pedal depression amount are stored as the base driving operation. However, the present modification is not limited to this, and other operation amounts may be stored as the reference driving operation.

[0089] As it is in the Fig. 11B, a constant-width allowable range is also set in the basic driving operation. The reason for setting the allowable range will be described below.

[0090] After the traveling position of the vehicle 1 and the corresponding reference traveling operation are obtained in the above manner (S201 of the Fig. 9), a timer (not illustrated) incorporated in the locomotion control device 150 of the modification is started to start measuring an evaluation time (S202). That is, even if the driver's driving operation deviates greatly from the reference driving operation after a long time has passed since the occurrence of the learning object event, it cannot be assumed that the deviation is caused by the occurrence of the learning object event. Thus, the timer is started to start measuring the evaluation time, so that the evaluation range of the driver's driving operation is a driving operation for a pre-determined time since the occurrence of the learning object event.

[0091] When the timer is started (S202), a driving operation actually performed by the driver (actual driving operation) is acquired (S203), and then it is determined whether the evaluation time has reached a pre-determined time (S204). If the result shows that the evaluation time has not reached the pre-determined time (S204: no), the actual driving operation is reacquired (S203), and then it is determined whether the evaluation time has reached the pre-determined time (S204).

[0092] Then, when the evaluation time reaches the pre-determined time during the repetition of such an operation (S204: yes), it is determined whether the actual driving operation has deviated from the allowable range of the reference driving operation before the elapse of the pre-determined time (S205). That is, since it is unlikely that the actual driving operation exactly matches the reference driving operation, the allowable range is set in the reference driving operation, and it is determined whether the actual driving operation deviates from the allowable range.

[0093] The Fig. Figure 12 illustrates the result of a comparison between an actual driving operation performed by the driver from receiving an incoming phone call to disconnecting the call after having a phone conversation, and the reference driving operation. Fig. 12, a thick crossed line indicates the actual travel operation, and a thick broken line indicates the reference travel operation. In addition, Fig. 12 a thin dashed line indicates the allowable range which is set in relation to the reference driving operation.

[0094] Although in the Fig. 12 illustrates the steering angle and the brake pedal depression amount as examples of the actual driving operation, but other actual driving operations, such as the accelerator pedal depression amount, are also obtained. Therefore, the following description applies to these actual driving operations in the same way.

[0095] Immediately after an incoming call, for example, the deviation does not exceed the allowable range, although there is a slight deviation in the steering angle. Furthermore, there is no clear influence on the amount of brake pedal depression.

[0096] On the other hand, when an operation is performed to respond to an incoming phone call, there is a delay in the start of a steering wheel operation corresponding to the right turn, and the steering wheel operation thereafter becomes large to compensate for the delay. As a result, the steering angle deviates from the allowable range. The operation to respond to the incoming phone call is described as an operation of pressing a call start button. However, the operation may be an operation of replying to a reply message indicating that the driver cannot have a phone conversation.

[0097] In addition, there is also a delay in the brake pedal depression amount during a brake operation for a deceleration before the right turn after the operation is performed to respond to the incoming call. As a result, a brake operation thereafter becomes large to compensate for the deceleration, and the brake pedal depression amount deviates from the allowable range.

[0098] After the phone call starts, the steering wheel return operation after the right turn, as well as the brake and steering wheel operation before the left turn, are also performed. The phone call continues during these driving operations. However, the steering angle and the amount of brake pedal depression fall within the permissible range of the reference driving operation.

[0099] On the other hand, when an operation to disconnect the call (e.g., pressing a button to end a call) is performed, there is a slight delay in the steering wheel operation to exit the left turn, with the subsequent steering wheel operation becoming slightly larger due to the delay, and the brake pedal is also slightly depressed. However, even in this case, the steering angle and the amount of brake pedal depression fall within the allowable range.

[0100] In the Fig. Therefore, in the example illustrated in Figure 12, it can be assumed that although the incoming call does not have a significant impact on the driver's actual driving behavior, responding to the incoming call has a significant impact on the actual driving behavior. Furthermore, it can be assumed that the telephone conversation and the call disconnection do not have a significant impact on the actual driving behavior.

[0101] In S205 of the Fig. 9 it is determined whether the actual driving operation has deviated from the permissible range of the reference driving operation, as described above.

[0102] In the above description, the actual driving operation is stored for a pre-determined time since the learning object occurrence, and the actual driving operation and the reference driving operation are compared after the elapse of the pre-determined time to determine whether the actual driving operation has a deviation from the allowable range.

[0103] Alternatively, when the learning object event occurs, the actual driving operation and the reference driving operation can be compared each time the actual driving operation is acquired until the pre-determined time elapses to determine whether the actual driving operation deviates from the allowable range, and the result can be stored. Then, after the pre-determined time elapses, it can be determined whether a determination result indicating that the actual driving operation has deviated from the allowable range has been stored.

[0104] If the result of the determination of S205, which is carried out in the above manner, shows that the actual driving operation has a deviation from the allowable range of the reference driving operation (S205: yes), “1” is added to the number of events and the number of deviations of the learning object cause (S206).

[0105] On the other hand, if the actual driving operation has no deviation from the allowable range of the reference driving operation (S205: no), “1” is added to the number of events of the learning object occasion (S207).

[0106] In the Fig. For example, in the example illustrated in Figure 12, four learning object occasions occur, including an "incoming call," a "call," a "phone conversation," and a "disconnect," and the following process is performed with respect to each of the learning object occasions. First, for the "incoming call," the actual driving operation does not deviate from the allowable range. Thus, "No" is determined in S205, and "1" is added to the number of occurrences of the "incoming call" learning object occasion (S207). On the other hand, for the "call," the actual driving operation deviates from the allowable range. Therefore, "Yes" is determined in S205, and "1" is added to the number of occurrences and the number of deviations of the "call" learning object occasion (S207). Furthermore, during “telephone conversation” and “disconnection”, the actual driving operation shows no deviation from the permissible range.Therefore, “1” is added to the number of results of each learning object occasion of the learning object occasions “telephone conversation” and “disconnection” (S207).

[0107] The Fig. Figure 13 illustrates the result of adding the number of events and the number of deviations for each of the learning object occasions described above. In the illustrated example, five learning object occasions including an "outgoing call" in addition to the four learning object occasions "incoming call," "call," "phone conversation," and "disconnect" are set as the learning object occasions related to the mobile phone. Here, an "outgoing call" is an operation of the driver making a call using a so-called hands-free function while manually driving. The number of events and the number of deviations are accumulated for each of these learning object occasions.

[0108] Furthermore, for the learning object occasions relating to the audio device, the number of events and the number of deviations are accumulated for each function or for each of the operation buttons 10a to 10f and the operation button 10g corresponding to a respective function. Furthermore, for the learning object occasions relating to the navigation device, the number of events and the number of deviations are accumulated for each function or for each of the operation buttons 10a to 10f and the operation button 10g corresponding to a respective function.

[0109] After accumulating the number of events and the number of deviations for each of the learning object occasions that occurred, as described above (S206 or S207 of the Fig. 9), it is then determined whether the number of events of each learning object occasion of the learning object occasions has reached a previously determined minimum number (S208).

[0110] In the Fig. For example, in the example illustrated in Figure 13, the number of occurrences for the five learning object occasions of "incoming call," "answering," "phone conversation," "disconnecting," and "outgoing call" as the learning object occasions related to the mobile phone is accumulated, and the number of occurrences of each learning object occasion of the learning object occasions is compared with the pre-determined minimum number (e.g., 5). Similarly, for the learning object occasions related to the audio device and the navigation device, the number of occurrences of each learning object occasion of the learning object occasions is compared with the pre-determined minimum number.

[0111] For a learning object event for which it is determined that its number of events has reached the minimum number as a result of it (S208 of the Fig. 9: yes), the number of deviations accumulated for the learning object occasion is divided by the number of events to calculate a deviation rate (S209).

[0112] In the Fig. In the example illustrated in Figure 13, the number of events is greater than the minimum number (5 in this case) for the four learning object occasions "incoming call," "calling," "phone conversation," and "disconnecting" among the mobile phone learning object occasions. Thus, the deviation rate is calculated for each of the four occasions. On the other hand, the number of events for the learning object occasion "outgoing call" has not reached the minimum number. Therefore, the deviation rate is not calculated for this occasion.

[0113] Then it is determined whether the calculated deviation rate is equal to or higher than a previously determined threshold rate (e.g. 30%) (S210 of the Fig. 10). In the Fig. In the example illustrated in Figure 13, it is determined that the deviation rate for the "incoming call" and "responding" among the mobile phone-related learning object occasions is higher than the threshold rate (S210: yes). On the other hand, it is determined that the deviation rate is equal to or lower than the threshold rate for the "phone conversation" and "disconnection" (S210: no). Furthermore, since the deviation rate for the "outgoing call" has not yet been calculated, it is determined that the deviation rate is equal to or lower than the threshold rate (S210: no).

[0114] A similar investigation is also carried out for the learning object occasions regarding the audio device and the navigation device.

[0115] It can be assumed that the deviation rate calculated for a learning object event represents the degree of influence of the learning object event on the driver's driving behavior. Thus, the deviation rate of the present modification corresponds to the degree of influence.

[0116] For a learning object event for which it is determined that its deviation rate is higher than the threshold rate in the result thereof (S210: yes), it is determined whether the learning object event has already been set as the event disturbing a concentration (S211).

[0117] If the learning object event has not yet been set as the event disrupting concentration (S211: no), the learning object event is set as the event disrupting concentration (S212). On the other hand, if the learning object event has already been set as the event disrupting concentration (S211: yes), it is not necessary to perform the setting again, and the process of setting the learning object event as the event disrupting concentration (S212) is therefore omitted.

[0118] On the other hand, for a learning object event for which it is determined that its deviation rate is equal to or less than the threshold rate (S210: no), it is determined in a similar way whether the learning object event has already been set as the event disturbing concentration (S213).

[0119] If the learning object event has already been set as the concentration-disturbing event (S213: yes), the learning object event has already been set as the concentration-disturbing event because the deviation rate is equal to or less than the threshold rate (S210: no). Therefore, the learning object event is deleted from the concentration-disturbing event (S214). On the other hand, if the learning object event has not yet been set as the concentration-disturbing event (S213: yes), since it is not necessary to perform deletion again, a process of deleting the learning object event from the concentration-disturbing event (S214) is omitted.

[0120] After the learning object event is set as the concentration disturbing event according to the deviation rate as described above (S212) or deleted from the concentration disturbing event (S214), the process which learns a concentration disturbing event returns to the start, and it is again determined whether a learning object event has occurred (S200 of the Fig. 9). If the event indicates that no learning object event has occurred (S200: no), the process is placed on standby until a learning object event occurs, performing a similar determination. Then, if a learning object event occurs (S200: yes), the above series of processes (S201 to S214) is executed.

[0121] A learning object event likely to influence a driver's concentration on driving operations may vary between drivers or depending on driving environments. Therefore, if the concentration-disrupting event is uniform, a situation may arise in which a switch from manual driving to automatic driving is not performed even though the driver's concentration on driving operations is reduced. Furthermore, a situation may arise in which a switch from manual driving to automatic driving is performed even though the driver's concentration on driving operations is not reduced.

[0122] In view of this aspect, if the above modification is implemented through the process of learning a distracting event, it is possible to switch from manual driving to automatic driving at a time when the driver's concentration level on the driving operation is reduced, regardless of differences between drivers or driving environments. As a result, it is possible to sufficiently ensure driving safety even in the state of manual driving control.

[0123] The embodiment and the modification have been described above as examples. However, the embodiment is not limited to the above embodiment and the above modification, and it may include various types without departing from the concept of the present disclosure.

Claims

[1] A locomotion control device (100, 150) which controls locomotion of a vehicle (1) in one of the control states of a manual locomotion control state for controlling locomotion of the vehicle based on a driving operation by a driver, and an automatic locomotion control state for detecting a state around the vehicle and controlling locomotion of the vehicle based on a detected state, the locomotion control device comprising: a locomotion control unit (101) which controls the locomotion of the vehicle in one of the control states of manual locomotion control state and automatic locomotion control state in accordance with a selection by the driver, a concentration disturbance event detection unit (103) which detects an occurrence of a previously determined concentration disturbance event which is set as an event which disturbs a driver's concentration in relation to the driving operation, and a control state switching unit (102) which switches the control state from the manual movement control state to the automatic movement control state when the event of the concentration-disturbing event is detected while the control state is the manual movement control state, wherein: if the concentration-disturbing event is not detected, or if it is detected that an elapsed time since the control state is switched to the automatic movement control state reaches a pre-determined threshold time after the occurrence of the concentration-disturbing event, and the control state has switched from the manual movement control state to the automatic movement control state, the control state switching unit switches the control state from the automatic movement control state to the manual movement control state, the concentration disturbance event detection unit is configured to detect a plurality of learning object events as a candidate of the concentration disturbance event, wherein the locomotion control device further comprises: an influence degree evaluation unit (107) which evaluates a degree of influence of each of the learning object causes on the driving operation by detecting the driving operation after the learning object cause event when the concentration disturbance cause detection unit detects the learning object causes, wherein: the influence degree evaluation unit sets one of the learning object occasions as the occasion disturbing concentration if the degree of influence of one of the learning object occasions is equal to or greater than a previously determined threshold degree. [2] The locomotion control device according to claim 1, wherein: the control state switching unit notifies the driver of a switching operation to the automatic movement control state when the event of the concentration-disturbing event is detected and the control state is switched from the manual movement control state to the automatic movement control state, and the control state switching unit notifies the driver of a return operation to the manual locomotion control state when the control state is returned from the automatic locomotion control state to the manual locomotion control state. [3] The locomotion control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: the concentration disturbance occasion detection unit detects an incoming telephone call to the driver as the concentration disturbance occasion. [4] The locomotion control device according to claim 3, wherein: the vehicle is equipped with a loudspeaker (11) which outputs a sound to a vehicle interior of the vehicle and a sound collecting microphone (12) which collects a sound in the vehicle interior, the locomotion control device further comprising: a sound data transmission unit (105) which transmits sound data between a pre-registered telephone, the loudspeaker and the sound collection microphone, wherein: the control state switching unit switches the control state from the automatic travel control state to the manual travel control state when the incoming call is ended after the control state is switched to the automatic travel control state in accordance with the incoming telephone call of the telephone. [5] The locomotion control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: the vehicle is equipped with an on-board device (8, 9) and an actuating unit (10) which is actuated by the driver to actuate the on-board device, wherein the locomotion control device further comprises: an operation transmission unit (104) which transmits an operation of the operation unit to the on-board device, and the concentration disturbance event detection unit detects an actuation of the actuation unit as the event disturbing a concentration. [6] The locomotion control device according to claim 1, further comprising: a reference driving operation storage unit (106) which stores a reference driving operation corresponding to a travel route of map data, wherein: the influence degree evaluation unit evaluates the degree of influence of each occasion of the learning object occasions on the driving operation by comparing the driving operation with the reference driving operation after the occurrence of each occasion of the learning object occasions. [7] A locomotion control method for controlling locomotion of a vehicle (1) in one of the control states of a manual locomotion control state for controlling locomotion of the vehicle based on a driving operation by a driver, and an automatic locomotion control state for detecting a condition around the vehicle and controlling locomotion of the vehicle based on a detected condition, the locomotion control method comprising: Determine whether the control state is the manual locomotion control state (S100), detecting an event of a pre-determined concentration-disturbing event set as an event that disturbs a driver's concentration with respect to the driving operation when the control state is the manual travel control state (S101, S110), and Changing the control state from the manual movement control state to the automatic movement control state when the event of the concentration disturbing event is detected during control in the manual movement control state (S103, S112), wherein: changing the control state from the manual movement control state to the automatic movement control state further includes: Changing the control state from the automatic movement control state to the manual movement control state when the concentration-disturbing event is not detected, or when it is detected that an elapsed time since the control state is changed to the automatic movement control state reaches a pre-determined threshold time after the occurrence of the concentration-disturbing event, and the control state is changed from the manual movement control state to the automatic movement control state, wherein detecting an event of a pre-determined concentration-disturbing event includes: detecting a plurality of learning object events as a candidate of the concentration-disturbing event, wherein the locomotion control method further comprises: Evaluating a degree of influence of each of the learning object occasions on the driving operation by detecting the driving operation after the learning object occasions event when the learning object occasions are detected, and Setting one of the learning object events as the event disturbing concentration if the degree of influence of one of the learning object events is equal to or greater than a previously determined threshold level.

Images