Operation support device

Abstract

To reduce possibility that automatic travel control unsuitable to preference of a user is implemented and to reduce possibility that the user has discomfort for the automatic travel control.SOLUTION: An operation support device comprises a sensor which acquires environmental information concerning external environment of a vehicle and a control unit which executes learning control which memorizes behavior of the vehicle by manual operation performed during manual drive as learned behavior and automatic travel control which controls the behavior of the vehicle so as to reproduce the learned behavior. The control unit starts control of the behavior on the basis of the learned behavior during execution of the automatic travel control if the vehicle reaches control start point specified on the basis of start point at which manual operation is performed during manual drive and preference that a user specifies and proposes alternation of the preference to the user if the manual operation performed during execution of the automatic travel control satisfies prescribed override condition and the manual operation is performed without resulting from external environment.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a driving assistance device that performs automatic driving control to control vehicle behavior so as to reproduce vehicle behavior that has changed due to manual operations performed during manual driving. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there are known driving support devices that execute automatic driving control that controls the behavior of a vehicle so as to reproduce "the behavior of the vehicle learned during manual driving." For example, the driving support device described in Patent Document 1 (hereinafter referred to as the "conventional device") stores the driving route, vehicle speed, steering angle, and braking operation during teacher driving, and executes automatic parking control, which is a type of automatic driving control, based on these. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-133181 A Summary of the Invention

[0004] It is desirable that a user specifies his / her preference regarding automatic driving control in advance to a driving assistance device, and automatic driving control is executed taking the user's preference into consideration. For example, the preference may be related to whether to advance or delay the start timing of behavior control for matching the behavior of the vehicle in automatic driving control with the behavior during manual driving.

[0005] However, there is a possibility that the preferences specified by the user (hereinafter referred to as "specified preferences") may differ from the user's original preferences (hereinafter referred to as "original preferences"). When the specified preferences differ from the original preferences, automatic driving control that does not match the original preferences will be executed, and the user is likely to feel uncomfortable with such automatic driving control. Since the conventional device does not execute automatic driving control based on preference information, the above-mentioned problems caused by the difference between the specified preferences and the original preferences do not occur in the conventional device.

[0006] The present invention has been made to address the above-mentioned problems. That is, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a driving assistance device that reduces the possibility that automatic driving control that does not match the user's preferences is executed and reduces the possibility that the user feels uncomfortable with the automatic driving control.

[0007] The driving assistance device of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as the "device of the present invention") is A sensor (22) for acquiring environmental information relating to an external environment of the vehicle; a control unit (20) that executes a learning control (steps 300 to 395) that stores, as a learned behavior, a behavior of the vehicle that has changed due to a manual operation performed during manual driving, and an automatic driving control (steps 500 to 595) that controls the behavior of the vehicle so as to reproduce the learned behavior, The control unit During the execution of the automatic driving control (step 505 "Yes"), if the vehicle reaches a control start point that is specified based on a start point where a manual operation was performed during the manual driving and the user's preference for automatic driving control specified by the user (step 525 "Yes"), behavior control is started to control the behavior of the vehicle based on the learned behavior (step 545, step 535); If the manual operation performed during the execution of the automatic driving control satisfies a predetermined override condition (step 515 "Yes"), the behavior of the vehicle is controlled based on the manual operation (step 565), and whether or not the manual operation was performed due to the external environment is determined based on the environmental information (step 560). If it is determined that the manual operation was not caused by the external environment (step 560 "No"), a suggestion is made to the user to change the preference (step 570); A driving assistance device configured as above.

[0008] When a manual operation satisfies an override condition during execution of automatic driving, the device of the present invention controls the behavior of the vehicle based on the manual operation and determines whether the manual operation was performed due to the external environment. When the manual operation is not due to the external environment, there is a high possibility that the user feels uncomfortable with the automatic driving control and is intentionally performing the manual operation. In other words, there is a high possibility that the designated preference and the original preference are different. For this reason, the device of the present invention suggests changing the preference when the manual operation is not due to the external environment. When a change in preference is suggested, the user is more likely to change to a preference that matches the original preference. In this way, the device of the present invention can reduce the possibility that automatic driving control that does not match the original preference is executed, and reduce the possibility that the user feels uncomfortable with the automatic driving control. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic system configuration diagram of a driving assistance device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2 is an explanatory diagram of behavior information stored in a behavior information storage unit shown in FIG. 1; [Diagram 3] 2 is a flowchart of a learning control routine executed by a CPU of the ECU shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 2 is a flowchart of a travel plan generation routine executed by a CPU of the ECU shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 5] 2 is a flowchart of an automatic driving control routine executed by a CPU of the ECU shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 6] 6 is a flowchart of a part of an automatic driving control routine executed by a CPU of an ECU according to a first modified example of the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart of a part of an automatic driving control routine executed by a CPU of an ECU according to a second modified example of the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] As shown in FIG. 1, a driving assistance device 10 according to this embodiment (hereinafter referred to as "the device 10") is applied to a vehicle VA, and includes the components shown in FIG.

[0011] The ECU 20 executes automatic driving control, which is a type of automatic driving. In the automatic driving control, the ECU 20 automatically drives the vehicle VA according to a driving plan generated based on the behavior of the vehicle VA learned during manual driving and preference information specified by the user.

[0012] In this specification, "ECU 20" is an electronic control device having a microcomputer as a main part. The ECU 20 is also called a control unit, a controller, and a computer. The microcomputer includes a CPU (processor), a ROM, a RAM, an interface, and the like. The functions realized by the ECU 20 may be realized by multiple ECUs.

[0013] The external environment sensor 22 acquires environmental information related to the external environment of the vehicle VA. As an example, the external environment sensor 22 is a camera, and acquires image data as the environmental information by capturing an image of the scenery around the vehicle VA. The ECU 20 acquires the environmental information from the external environment sensor 22.

[0014] The navigation device 24 includes a GNSS receiver 24a and a map data storage unit 24b. The GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 24a receives signals from a plurality of artificial satellites and identifies the current position (latitude and longitude) of the vehicle VA based on the received signals. The map data storage unit 24b stores map data.

[0015] The vehicle speed sensor 26 measures the vehicle speed Vs indicating the speed of the vehicle VA. The accelerator operation amount sensor 28 measures the operation amount AP of an accelerator pedal (not shown) of the vehicle VA. The brake operation amount sensor 30 measures the operation amount BP of a brake pedal (not shown) of the vehicle VA. The steering angle sensor 32 measures the steering angle θs from the neutral position of a steering wheel (not shown). The acceleration sensor 34 measures the acceleration G of the vehicle VA.

[0016] The power train actuator 40 changes the driving force generated by a drive device (e.g., an internal combustion engine and / or an electric motor) of the vehicle VA. The brake actuator 42 controls the braking force applied to the vehicle VA. The steering motor 44 is incorporated in a steering mechanism 46. The steering mechanism 46 is a mechanism for turning the steered wheels in response to the operation of the steering wheel. In response to an instruction from the ECU 20, the steering motor 44 causes the steering mechanism 46 to generate an automatic steering torque for changing the steering angle of the steered wheels.

[0017] The display device 48 is a touch panel display, and is disposed in a position visible to the driver in the vehicle. The preference designation button 50 is a button for designating preference information related to the user's preferences for automatic driving control (hereinafter referred to as "user preferences"). Specifically, the user operates the preference designation button 50 to designate one of "fast", "normal", or "slow" as preference information.

[0018] The storage device 52 has a non-volatile storage area, which includes a behavior information storage section 52a, a vehicle speed information storage section 52b, and a preference information storage section 52c.

[0019] The behavior information storage unit 52a stores behavior information that associates a point where a manual operation was performed during manual driving with the behavior (learned behavior) of the vehicle VA that was changed by the manual operation. As shown in Fig. 2, the behavior information includes a start point, an end point, a type, a vehicle speed, and a steering angle.

[0020] The start point is registered as the point where a manual operation related to the behavior of the vehicle VA starts. The end point is registered as the point where the manual operation ends. The type is registered as the type of the manual operation. The types include "deceleration," "acceleration," and "steering." Deceleration is the operation of depressing the brake pedal to decelerate the vehicle VA, and acceleration is the operation of depressing the accelerator pedal to accelerate the vehicle VA. Steering is the operation of turning the steering wheel to turn the vehicle VA.

[0021] When the type of manual operation is either "deceleration" or "acceleration", the acceleration G at each point during the period when the manual operation is being performed is registered as the vehicle speed. When the type of manual operation is "steering", the steering angle θs at each point during the period when the manual operation is being performed is registered.

[0022] The vehicle speed information storage unit 52b stores vehicle speed information in which the vehicle speed Vs during manual driving is associated with the location where the vehicle speed Vs was measured. The preference information storage unit 52c stores preference information designated by the user.

[0023] (Overview of operation) The ECU 20 acquires the position of the vehicle VA during manual driving, the behavior of the vehicle VA, and the vehicle speed Vs, and stores the behavior information and the vehicle speed information in the behavior information storage unit 52a and the vehicle speed information storage unit 52b, respectively. The ECU 20 stores preference information designated by the operation of the preference designation button 50 in the preference information storage unit 52c.

[0024] When the user specifies a destination, the ECU 20 identifies a route from the current position of the vehicle VA to the destination based on the map data, and generates a driving plan including the route. In detail, the ECU 20 identifies a control start point at which behavior control is started to match the behavior of the vehicle VA during automatic driving control with the behavior of the vehicle VA due to manual operation performed during manual driving, based on the "start point of manual operation identified based on behavior information" and the preference information. The driving plan includes a start timing.

[0025] After generating the driving plan, the ECU 20 executes the automatic driving control. In the automatic driving control, the ECU 20 refers to the driving plan and starts the above-mentioned behavior control when the vehicle VA arrives at a control start point.

[0026] If a manual operation is performed while the automatic driving control is being executed and the manual operation satisfies an override condition, the ECU 20 temporarily suspends the automatic driving control and executes "override control that controls the vehicle VA so that the behavior of the vehicle VA matches the behavior of the manual operation."

[0027] When the manual operation satisfies the override condition, the ECU 20 judges whether or not the manual operation was performed due to the external environment based on the environmental information. In particular, when the ECU 20 judges that there are other vehicles (a preceding vehicle and an adjacent vehicle) around the vehicle VA, it judges that the manual operation was performed due to the external environment. When the ECU 20 judges that there are no other vehicles around the vehicle VA, it judges that the manual operation was performed without being due to the external environment. Note that the preceding vehicle is the other vehicle traveling ahead of the vehicle VA in the host lane in which the vehicle VA is traveling. The adjacent vehicle is the other vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane adjacent to the host lane.

[0028] If the manual operation is not caused by the external environment, it is highly likely that the manual operation is caused by the automatic driving control not being compatible with the user's original preferences. Therefore, when the ECU 20 determines that the manual operation is not caused by the external environment, it suggests to the user that the preference information be changed. As an example, the ECU 20 displays a preference information change screen on the display device 48.

[0029] This allows the user to know that the designated preferences, which indicate the preferences designated by the preference information, are likely to be inconsistent with the original preferences, and is likely to change the preference information to preferences that match the original preferences. Therefore, the device 10 can reduce the possibility that automatic driving control that does not match the original preferences is executed, and can reduce the possibility that the user feels uncomfortable about the automatic driving control.

[0030] (Specific operation) The CPU of the ECU 20 executes the routines shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 3 to 5 every time a predetermined time elapses.

[0031] <Learning control routine> When an appropriate time arrives, the CPU starts the process from step 300 in Fig. 3, and determines whether or not manual driving is being performed in step 305. Specifically, the CPU determines that manual driving is being performed when any of the automatic driving control, ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control), LTA (Lane Tracing Assist), etc. is not being performed.

[0032] If manual operation is being performed, the CPU judges "Yes" in step 305 and executes steps 310 to 325. Step 310: The CPU obtains the vehicle speed Vs. Step 315: The CPU obtains the current position. Step 320: The CPU stores the vehicle speed Vs and the current position as vehicle speed information in the vehicle speed information storage unit 52b.

[0033] Step 325: The CPU determines whether the value of the in-operation flag Xope is “0” or not. The value of the operation flag Xope is set to "0" when manual operation starts, and is set to "1" when manual operation ends. The value of the operation flag Xope is set to "0" in the initialization routine. The initialization routine is executed by the CPU when the ignition key switch (not shown) of the vehicle VA is changed from the OFF position to the ON position.

[0034] If the value of the operation in progress flag Xope is "0", the CPU determines "Yes" in step 325, and the process proceeds to step 330. In step 330, the CPU determines whether or not a manual operation has started. In detail, if the accelerator operation amount AP becomes equal to or greater than the start threshold value APst, the CPU determines that an acceleration operation has started. If the brake operation amount BP becomes equal to or greater than the start threshold value BPst, the CPU determines that a deceleration operation has started. If the steering angle θs becomes equal to or greater than the start threshold value θst, the CPU determines that a steering operation has started.

[0035] If the manual operation has not started, the CPU judges "No" in step 330, and the process proceeds to step 395, where the CPU temporarily ends this routine. On the other hand, if the manual operation has started, the CPU judges "Yes" in step 330, and executes steps 335 to 345.

[0036] Step 335: The CPU sets the value of the in-operation flag Xope to “1”. Step 340: The CPU registers the current position of the vehicle VA as the start point of the behavior information, and registers the type of manual operation as the type. Step 345: If the type of manual operation is either an acceleration operation or a deceleration operation, the CPU registers the current acceleration G in the acceleration of the behavior information, and if the type of manual operation is a steering operation, the CPU registers the current steering angle θs in the steering angle of the behavior information. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step 395, where the CPU temporarily ends this routine.

[0037] If the value of the operation in progress flag Xope is "1" when the process proceeds to step 325, the CPU determines "No" in step 325, and the process proceeds to step 350. In step 350, the CPU determines whether the manual operation has ended. In detail, if the accelerator operation amount AP becomes equal to or less than the "end threshold APen having a value smaller than the start threshold APst", the CPU determines that the acceleration operation has ended. If the brake operation amount BP becomes equal to or less than the "end threshold BPen having a value smaller than the start threshold BPst", the CPU determines that the deceleration operation has ended. If the steering angle θs becomes equal to or less than the "end threshold θen having a value smaller than the start threshold θst", the CPU determines that the steering operation has ended.

[0038] If the manual operation has not ended, the CPU determines “No” in step 350 and the process proceeds to step 345 .

[0039] If the manual operation has ended, the CPU determines “Yes” in step 350 , and executes steps 355 and 360 .

[0040] Step 355: The CPU sets the value of the in-operation flag Xope to “0”. Step 360: The CPU registers the current position of the vehicle VA at the end point of the behavior information. Processing then proceeds to step 345.

[0041] <Driving plan generation routine> When an appropriate time arrives, the CPU starts the process from step 400 in Fig. 4, and determines whether or not a destination has been input by the user in step 405. As an example, the user inputs the destination by displaying map data on the display device 48 and tapping the destination.

[0042] If a destination has not been input, the CPU determines "No" in step 405. In this case, the process proceeds to step 495, and the CPU temporarily ends this routine.

[0043] If a destination has been input, the CPU determines “Yes” in step 405 and executes steps 410 and 415 .

[0044] Step 410: The CPU refers to the map data to identify a route from the current position of the vehicle VA to the destination. Step 415: The CPU determines whether the route includes the starting point of the behavior information.

[0045] If the route includes the starting point of the behavior information, the CPU determines "Yes" in step 415 and executes steps 420 to 430.

[0046] Step 420: The CPU sets a control start point for a start point included in the route based on the preference information. In detail, if the preference information is "early", the CPU sets a point a predetermined distance before the start point as the control start point, if the preference information is "normal", the CPU sets the start point as the control start point, and if the preference information is "late", the CPU sets a point a predetermined distance behind the start point as the control start point.

[0047] Step 425: The CPU acquires the vehicle speed Vs at the points included in the route from the vehicle speed information. Step 430: The CPU stores information including the route identified in step 410, behavior information in which the route includes a starting point, the control start point of the starting point set in step 420, and the vehicle speed Vs at the point acquired in step 425, as a driving plan. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step 495, where the CPU temporarily ends this routine.

[0048] When the CPU proceeds to step 415 , if the route does not include the starting point, the CPU determines “No” in step 415 and the process proceeds to step 425 .

[0049] <Automatic driving control routine> When an appropriate time arrives, the CPU starts the process from step 500 in Fig. 5, and determines whether the automatic driving control is ON or not in step 505. After the destination is input, an execute button for turning on the automatic driving control is displayed on the display device 48. The user taps the execute button to turn on the automatic driving control.

[0050] If the automatic driving control is on, the CPU judges "Yes" in step 505, and the process proceeds to step 510. In step 510, the CPU judges whether or not a driving plan is stored. If a driving plan is stored, the CPU judges "Yes" in step 510, and the process proceeds to step 515. In step 515, the CPU judges whether or not the manual operation satisfies the override condition.

[0051] In detail, the CPU determines that the manual operation satisfies the override condition when any one of the following conditions OV1 to OV3 is established. Condition OV1: The accelerator operation amount AP is equal to or greater than the override threshold value APor. Condition OV2: The brake operation amount BP is equal to or greater than the override threshold value BPor. Condition OV3: The steering angle θs is greater than or equal to the override threshold value θor. The override thresholds APor, BPor, and θor are set to values ​​greater than the start thresholds APst, BPst, and θst, respectively.

[0052] If no manual operation is being performed or if the manual operation does not satisfy the override condition, the CPU determines "No" in step 515, and the process proceeds to step 520. In step 520, the CPU determines whether the value of the behavior flag Xkyo is "0". The value of the behavior flag Xkyo is set to "1" when the vehicle VA arrives at the control start point of the driving plan, and is set to "0" when the vehicle VA arrives at the end point of the driving plan. Note that the value of the behavior flag Xkyo is set to "0" in the initialization routine.

[0053] If the value of the behavior flag Xkyo is "0", the CPU determines "Yes" in step 520, and the process proceeds to step 525. In step 525, the CPU determines whether the vehicle VA has arrived at the control start point of the travel plan.

[0054] If the vehicle VA has not arrived at the control start point, the CPU determines “No” in step 525 and executes steps 530 and 535 . Step 530: The CPU acquires the target acceleration Gtgt as a target value based on the vehicle speed information in the travel plan. In detail, the CPU acquires the vehicle speed of the position closest to the current position of the vehicle VA from the vehicle speed information, and acquires the target acceleration Gtgt for making the vehicle speed Vs coincide with the vehicle speed. Step 535: The CPU outputs the target acceleration Gtgt to the power train actuator 40 and the brake actuator 42. As a result, the power train actuator 40 and the brake actuator 42 are each controlled so that the acceleration G coincides with the target acceleration Gtgt. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step 595, where the CPU temporarily ends this routine.

[0055] When the CPU proceeds to step 525 , if the vehicle VA has arrived at the control start point, the CPU determines “Yes” in step 525 and executes steps 540 and 545 . Step 540: The CPU sets the value of the behavior flag Xkyo to “1”. Step 545: The CPU acquires a target value based on the behavior information of the travel plan. In particular, if the type of behavior information is either "acceleration" or "deceleration", the CPU acquires a target acceleration Gtgt for matching the acceleration G with the "acceleration in the behavior information of the position closest to the current position of the vehicle VA". If the type of behavior information is "steering", the CPU acquires a target steering angle θtgt for matching the steering angle θs with the "steering angle in the behavior information of the position closest to the current position of the vehicle VA". After that, the process proceeds to step 535. If the target steering angle θtgt is acquired as the target value in step 540, the CPU outputs the target steering angle θtgt to the steering motor 44 in step 535. The steering motor 44 is controlled so that the steering angle θs coincides with the target steering angle θtgt. The control for making the acceleration G or the steering angle θs coincide with the target value acquired in step 545 is referred to as the behavior control.

[0056] If the value of the behavior flag Xkyo is "1" when the CPU proceeds to step 520, the CPU determines "No" in step 520 and the process proceeds to step 550. In step 550, the CPU determines whether the vehicle VA has arrived at the end point of the behavior information included in the travel plan.

[0057] If the vehicle VA has not arrived at the end point, the CPU determines "No" in step 550, and the process proceeds to step 545. If the vehicle VA has arrived at the end point, the CPU determines "Yes" in step 550, and the process proceeds to step 555. In step 555, the CPU sets the value of the behavior flag Xkyo to "0", and the process proceeds to step 530.

[0058] If the manual operation satisfies the override condition when the CPU proceeds to step 515, the CPU determines "Yes" in step 515 and the process proceeds to step 560. In step 560, the CPU determines whether the manual operation that satisfies the override condition was performed due to the external environment based on the environmental information. In detail, as described above, the CPU determines whether or not another vehicle is present around the vehicle VA.

[0059] If the manual operation is performed due to the external environment, the CPU determines "Yes" in step 560, and the process proceeds to step 565. In step 565, the CPU acquires a target value according to the manual operation. In detail, the CPU acquires a target acceleration Gtgt according to the accelerator operation amount AP when the above condition OV1 is satisfied, acquires a target acceleration Gtgt according to the brake operation amount BP when the above condition OV2 is satisfied, and acquires a target steering angle θtgt according to the steering angle θs when the above condition OV3 is satisfied. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step 535.

[0060] If the manual operation is not caused by the external environment, the CPU determines "No" in step 560, and the process proceeds to step 570. In step 570, the CPU displays a preference information change screen on the display device 48, thereby suggesting to the user that the preference information be changed. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step 565.

[0061] If the automatic driving control is in the OFF state when the CPU proceeds to step 505, the CPU determines "No" in step 505. In this case, the process proceeds to step 595, and the CPU temporarily ends this routine.

[0062] If no driving plan is stored when the CPU proceeds to step 510, the CPU determines "No" in step 510. In this case, the process proceeds to step 595, and the CPU temporarily ends this routine.

[0063] <First Modification> When a manual operation that satisfies an override condition is performed during execution of automatic driving control and is not caused by the external environment, the ECU 20 according to this modification determines whether the manual operation was performed before the vehicle VA arrived at the control start point. If the manual operation was performed before the vehicle VA arrived at the control start point, the ECU 20 suggests to the user that the preference information be set earlier than the currently specified. If the manual operation was performed after the vehicle VA arrived at the control start point, the ECU 20 suggests to the user that the preference information be set later than the currently specified. This makes it possible to suggest to the user preferences that match the timing of the user's manual operation.

[0064] In detail, when the CPU of the ECU 20 according to this modification judges "No" in step 560 shown in Fig. 5, the process proceeds to step 605 shown in Fig. 6. In step 605, the CPU judges whether or not the manual operation that satisfies the override condition was performed before the vehicle VA arrived at the control start point. The CPU selects the control start point that is closest to the current position of the vehicle VA and exists within a predetermined distance from the current position of the vehicle VA as the control start point to be used for the judgment in step 605.

[0065] If a manual operation is performed before the vehicle VA arrives at the control start point, the CPU determines "Yes" in step 605, and the process proceeds to step 610. In step 610, the CPU determines whether the preference information specifies "early".

[0066] If the preference information is not designated as "early" (i.e., if the preference information is designated as "normal" or "late"), the CPU determines "No" in step 610 and proceeds to step 615. In step 615, the CPU suggests to the user that the preference information be set earlier than the current designation. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step 565 in FIG. 5. If the preference information is designated as "early", the CPU determines "Yes" in step 610 and proceeds to step 565 in FIG. 5.

[0067] On the other hand, if a manual operation is performed after the vehicle VA reaches the control start point when the CPU proceeds to step 605, the process proceeds to step 620. In step 620, the CPU determines whether the preference information is designated as "later".

[0068] If the preference information is not designated as "late" (i.e., if the preference information is designated as "normal" or "early"), the CPU determines "No" in step 620 and proceeds to step 625. In step 625, the CPU suggests to the user to set the preference information to be later than the current designation. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step 565 in FIG. 5. If the preference information is designated as "late", the CPU determines "Yes" in step 620 and proceeds to step 565 in FIG. 5.

[0069] <Second Modification> When a manual operation that satisfies an override condition is performed during execution of automatic driving control and the manual operation is not caused by the external environment, the ECU 20 according to this modification specifies, as the corresponding point, the start point that is closest to the start point corresponding to the point where the manual operation was performed. The ECU 20 determines whether or not at least one of the following conditions PA1 and PA2 is satisfied at a past time when the manually driven vehicle VA was located at the corresponding point. Note that the conditions PA1 and PA2 may also be referred to as the first condition and the second condition, respectively. Condition PA1: There was another vehicle around vehicle VA. Condition PA2: Construction work was taking place within a specified range from the corresponding point.

[0070] Even if at least one of the conditions PA1 and PA2 was satisfied in the past, there are cases where at least one of the conditions PA1 and PA2 is not satisfied thereafter. In such a case, if the behavior of the vehicle VA at the past time is reproduced, there is a high possibility that the behavior of the vehicle VA will not match the user's intention. In this case, there is a high possibility that the user will perform a manual operation that satisfies the override condition.

[0071] When at least one of the conditions PA1 and PA2 was satisfied in the past, the ECU 20 inquires of the user whether or not to re-learn the behavior of the vehicle VA, and when the behavior of the vehicle VA is to be re-learned, the ECU 20 turns off the automatic driving control and re-learns the behavior of the vehicle VA during manual driving. This makes it possible to re-learn the behavior of the vehicle VA that matches the current situation, and reduces the possibility that the user will feel uncomfortable with the automatic driving control.

[0072] In detail, when the CPU of the ECU 20 according to this modification determines "No" in step 560 shown in Fig. 5, the process proceeds to step 705 shown in Fig. 7. In step 705, the CPU refers to the behavior information and determines whether or not there is a start point (corresponding point) that is within a predetermined distance from the current position of the vehicle VA (the point where a manual operation that satisfies the override condition was performed).

[0073] In this modification, when manual operation is started in the learning control routine (step 330 "Yes" shown in FIG. 3), the CPU acquires environmental information and construction information and stores behavior information including these in the behavior information storage unit 52a in step 340. The construction information includes information indicating whether construction is being carried out within a predetermined range from the current position of the vehicle VA. The CPU acquires the construction information by referring to the map data stored in the map data storage unit 24b.

[0074] If there is a corresponding point, the CPU determines "Yes" in step 705 shown in Fig. 7, and the process proceeds to step 710. In step 710, the CPU refers to the environmental information included in the behavior information of the corresponding point and determines whether or not the condition PA1 was satisfied at a past time point.

[0075] If condition PA1 was not satisfied at the past time point, the CPU determines "No" at step 710, and the process proceeds to step 715. At step 715, the CPU refers to the construction information included in the behavior information of the corresponding point, and determines whether condition PA2 was satisfied at the past time point.

[0076] If the condition PA2 was not satisfied in the past, the CPU makes a "No" determination in step 715, and the process proceeds to step 570 shown in FIG.

[0077] When the process proceeds to step 710, if the condition PA1 was satisfied in the past, the CPU determines "Yes" in step 710 and executes steps 720 and 725.

[0078] Step 720: The CPU inquires of the user whether or not to relearn the behavior of the vehicle VA. In detail, the CPU displays an inquiry screen for inquiring whether or not to relearn the behavior of the vehicle VA on the display device 48. This inquiry screen includes a Yes button and a No button.

[0079] Step 725: The CPU determines whether the user agrees to the re-learning. In detail, the CPU determines that the user agrees to the re-learning if the Yes button is touched, and determines that the user rejects the re-learning if the No button is touched.

[0080] If the user agrees to re-learning, the CPU determines "Yes" in step 725, and the process proceeds to step 730. In step 730, the CPU turns off the automatic driving control (ends). After that, the process proceeds to step 565 shown in Fig. 5. When the automatic driving control is turned off, the user performs manual driving, and the behavior of the vehicle VA begins to be learned.

[0081] If the user rejects the re-learning, the CPU determines "No" in step 725, and the process proceeds to step 565 shown in FIG.

[0082] <Third Modification> When a manual operation that satisfies an override condition is performed during self-driving control, the ECU 20 may determine that the manual operation was performed due to the external environment if there is no other vehicle around the vehicle VA but construction work is being performed within a predetermined range from the current position of the vehicle VA. In other words, the ECU 20 may determine that the manual operation was performed not due to the external environment if there is no other vehicle around the vehicle VA and construction work is not being performed within a predetermined range from the current position of the vehicle VA.

[0083] <Fourth Modification> In the above embodiment, when the value of the behavior flag Xkyo is "0" in the automatic driving control, the vehicle VA is controlled so that the vehicle speed Vs coincides with the vehicle speed Vs during manual driving (see steps 530 and 535 shown in FIG. 5). However, the control of the vehicle VA when the value of the behavior flag Xkyo is "0" in the automatic driving control is not limited to this.

[0084] As one example, in step 530, the CPU may obtain a target acceleration Gtgt for making the vehicle speed Vs coincide with a preset set vehicle speed Vs. As another example, in step 530, the CPU may obtain a target acceleration Gtgt for making the vehicle speed Vs coincide with an average vehicle speed obtained based on the vehicle speed information.

[0085] In the above embodiment, the preference information of the user is specified by operating the preference specification button 50, but this is not limiting. For example, the user may specify the preference information by the user's voice, or the user may specify the preference information by touching the display device 48.

[0086] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the ECU 20 learns the acceleration G or the steering angle θs as a value representing the behavior of the vehicle VA that changes due to manual operation during manual driving, but is not limited to this. As an example, the ECU 20 may learn the vehicle speed Vs instead of the acceleration G, and may learn the yaw rate instead of the steering angle θs.

[0087] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the ECU 20 suggests changing the preference information (step 570 shown in FIG. 5) and inquires about re-learning (step 720 shown in FIG. 7) by displaying a screen on the display device 48, but this is not limiting. As an example, the ECU 20 may suggest changing the preference information and inquire about re-learning by issuing a voice message from a speaker (not shown).

[0088] The present device 10 is applicable to vehicles such as internal combustion engine vehicles, hybrid vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, fuel cell vehicles, and electric vehicles. [Explanation of symbols]

[0089] 10...driving assistance device, 20...ECU, 22...external environment sensor, 40...power train actuator, 42...brake actuator, 44...steering motor, 50...preference designation button, 52a...behavior information storage unit, 52c...preference information storage unit.

Claims

1. A sensor for acquiring environmental information regarding an external environment of the vehicle; a control unit that executes a learning control that stores a behavior of the vehicle that has changed due to a manual operation performed during manual driving as a learned behavior, and an automatic driving control that controls the behavior of the vehicle so as to reproduce the learned behavior, The control unit During execution of the automatic driving control, when the vehicle reaches a control start point that is specified based on a start point where a manual operation was performed during the manual driving and a preference regarding automatic driving control of the user that is specified by the user, a behavior control is started to control a behavior of the vehicle based on the learned behavior; When the manual operation performed during execution of the automatic driving control satisfies a predetermined override condition, a behavior of the vehicle is controlled based on the manual operation, and whether or not the manual operation is caused by the external environment is determined based on the environmental information; When it is determined that the manual operation is not caused by the external environment, the system proposes to the user to change the preference. A driving assistance device configured as above.

2. The driving assistance device according to claim 1, The control unit is configured to determine that the operation is not caused by the external environment when it is determined based on the environmental information that there is no other vehicle around the vehicle. Driving assistance device.

3. The driving assistance device according to claim 1, the preference is a preference regarding whether to start the behavior control earlier or later; The control unit When the manual operation satisfies the override condition and is performed without being caused by the external environment, determining whether or not the manual operation is performed before the control start point is reached; If the manual operation is performed before the control start point is reached, suggest changing the preference so that the start timing is earlier; If the manual operation is performed after the control start point is reached, suggest changing the preference so that the start timing is delayed. A driving assistance device configured as above.

4. The driving assistance device according to claim 1, The control unit When the manual operation satisfies the override condition and is performed without being caused by the external environment, it is determined whether or not at least one of a first condition that another vehicle was present around the vehicle at a past time when the vehicle being manually operated was located at a corresponding point that is a start point closest to a point where the manual operation was performed, and a second condition that construction work was being carried out within a predetermined range from the position of the vehicle at the past time is satisfied; When at least one of the first condition and the second condition is satisfied, the user is inquired as to whether or not to re-store the learned behavior. A driving assistance device configured as above.

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