Vehicle control apparatus and vehicle control method

Abstract

To provide a vehicle control apparatus allowing a vehicle to be immediately stopped after operation of a vehicle stopping switch.SOLUTION: A poor physical condition detection section 30 detects poor physical condition of an occupant. Further, a poor physical condition degree determination section 31 determines a degree of the poor physical condition of the occupant having the poor physical condition detected. Further, on the basis of the degree of the poor physical condition, an estimated time calculation section 32 calculates an estimated time which is a time required until a vehicle stopping switch 18 is operated by the occupant after the poor physical condition of the occupant has been detected. Further, when the poor physical condition of the occupant is detected during execution of autonomous traveling following a target route, a determination control section 33 causes a vehicle to continue the autonomous traveling, and at the same time, starts preliminary behavior control to cause the vehicle to make a lane change to a road shoulder adjacent lane which is adjacent to a road shoulder, before the estimated time elapses.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle control device and a vehicle control method. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, for example, a vehicle control device has been proposed that has a stop switch operated by a vehicle occupant, and when the stop switch is operated, generates a target trajectory and stops the vehicle on the shoulder of the road so that it follows the generated target trajectory (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-89631 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the vehicle control device described in Patent Document 1, for example, when an occupant operates the stop switch, if the lane between the vehicle and the shoulder is congested, it may take a long time for the vehicle to move to the adjacent lane on the side of the road, and it may take a long time for the vehicle to stop on the shoulder. An object of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle control device and a vehicle control method that can quickly stop a vehicle after a stop switch is operated. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A vehicle control device of one aspect of the present disclosure is a vehicle control device mounted on a vehicle that drives autonomously according to a target route, and includes: a stop switch installed inside the vehicle and operated by an occupant of the vehicle; a control unit that stops the vehicle on the shoulder when the stop switch is operated; a detection unit that detects poor health of an occupant of the vehicle; a judgment unit that judges the degree of poor health of an occupant whose poor health is detected by the detection unit; and an expected time calculation unit that calculates, based on the degree of poor health judged by the judgment unit, an expected time required from the detection unit detecting the occupant's poor health to the occupant operating the stop switch; and when the detection unit detects that an occupant's poor health is detected during autonomous driving according to the target route, the control unit continues autonomous driving while initiating preparatory action control to change lanes into a lane adjacent to the shoulder, which is a lane adjacent to the shoulder, before the expected time has elapsed.

[0006] Furthermore, one aspect of the vehicle control method of the present disclosure is a vehicle control method using a vehicle control device mounted on a vehicle that drives autonomously according to a target route, and when a stop switch installed inside the vehicle is operated, performs stop control to stop the vehicle on the shoulder of the road, detects poor health of an occupant of the vehicle, determines the degree of poor health of the occupant whose poor health is detected, and calculates an expected time, which is the time required from the detection of the occupant's poor health until the occupant operates the stop switch, based on the determined degree of poor health, and while continuing autonomous driving according to the target route, if poor health of an occupant is detected, initiates preparatory action control to change lanes into a lane adjacent to the shoulder, which is a lane adjacent to the shoulder, before the expected time has elapsed, while continuing autonomous driving. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a vehicle control device and a vehicle control method that can quickly stop a vehicle after operating a stop switch. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle control device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a controller. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of a determination control unit and the like. [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of a determination control unit and the like of the second embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a controller according to a modified example. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of a determination control unit and the like in a modified example. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a controller according to a modified example. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of a notification unit and the like in a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the drawings are schematic and may differ from the actual embodiments. Furthermore, the embodiments of the present disclosure shown below are examples of devices and methods for embodying the technical ideas of the present disclosure, and the technical ideas of the present disclosure do not limit the structure, arrangement, etc. of the components to those described below. Various modifications can be made to the technical ideas of the present disclosure within the technical scope defined by the claims.

[0010] (composition) Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle control device 10 according to a first embodiment. In the first embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, an example is shown in which the vehicle control device 10 is applied to an unmanned taxi (hereinafter also referred to as "vehicle Ce") that allows passengers to share a ride. The vehicle Ce is equipped with the vehicle control device 10 that controls the traveling of the vehicle Ce so that the vehicle Ce travels autonomously along a target route. The vehicle control device 10 includes an external sensor 11, a vehicle sensor 12, a positioning device 13, a map database (DB) 14, a communication device 15, a human machine interface (HMI) 16, an in-vehicle camera 17, a stop switch 18, a release switch 19, an actuator 20, and a controller 21. The external sensor 11 includes a forward monitoring sensor that monitors the surrounding environment in front of the vehicle Ce, and a rear monitoring sensor that monitors the surrounding environment behind the vehicle Ce. As the forward monitoring sensor and the rear monitoring sensor, various object detection sensors that detect objects around the vehicle Ce can be used, such as a laser radar, a millimeter wave radar, a camera, or a LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging, Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging) mounted on the vehicle Ce.

[0011] The vehicle sensor 12 is mounted on the vehicle Ce and detects various information (vehicle signals) obtained from the vehicle Ce. Examples of the vehicle sensor 12 that can be used include a vehicle speed sensor that detects the vehicle speed of the vehicle Ce, a wheel speed sensor that detects the rotational speed of the wheels of the vehicle Ce, a three-axis acceleration sensor that detects the acceleration in three axial directions of the vehicle Ce, a steering angle sensor that detects the steering angle of the steered wheels, a gyro sensor that detects the angular velocity of the vehicle Ce, a yaw rate sensor that detects the yaw rate, an accelerator sensor that detects the accelerator opening of the host vehicle, and a brake sensor that detects the braking amount.

[0012] The positioning device 13 includes a Global Navigation System (GNSS) receiver and receives radio waves from multiple navigation satellites to measure the current position of the vehicle Ce. The GNSS receiver may be, for example, a GPS receiver. The positioning device 13 may be, for example, an inertial navigation system. The map DB 14 stores road map data, such as a navigation map that can be used to calculate a route (target route) from a passenger's boarding point to a destination, or high-precision three-dimensional map data (e.g., HD map) for autonomous vehicles. The communication device 15 is a wireless communication device that provides wireless communication functions between the vehicle Ce and external devices. The communication method of the communication device 15 may be, for example, wireless communication via a public mobile communication network, satellite communication, or road-to-vehicle communication. The vehicle Ce (HMI 16, controller 21) transmits and receives voice and data to and from an operator of the management company of the vehicle Ce via the communication device 15.

[0013] The HMI 16 is an interface device that is installed inside the vehicle Ce and that exchanges information between the vehicle control device 10 and the occupants of the vehicle Ce. The HMI 16 may be, for example, a display device that displays image information that can be seen by all occupants of the vehicle Ce, a speaker that outputs audio information that can be heard by all occupants, or a microphone that captures audio information inside the vehicle. The interior camera 17 is installed inside the vehicle Ce and captures images of the occupants of each seat in the vehicle Ce. For example, an image sensor that captures the faces of all occupants within its imaging range and generates moving image data can be used as the interior camera 17. The captured image is transmitted to the controller 21.

[0014] The stop switch 18 is installed inside the vehicle Ce and is operated by an occupant of the vehicle Ce. For example, only one stop switch 18 may be installed on the ceiling surface in the center of the vehicle Ce. Alternatively, for example, one stop switch 18 may be installed on the ceiling surface of each seat. The stop switch 18 may be, for example, a push button switch that can be pressed. When operated by an occupant, the stop switch 18 transmits an operation signal to the controller 21. The release switch 19 is installed inside the vehicle Ce and is operated by an occupant of the vehicle Ce. For example, only one release switch 19 may be installed on the ceiling surface in the center of the vehicle Ce. Alternatively, for example, one release switch 19 may be installed on the ceiling surface of each seat. The release switch 19 may be, for example, a push button switch that can be pressed. When operated by an occupant, the release switch 19 transmits an operation signal to the controller 21.

[0015] The actuator 20 includes a steering actuator, an accelerator opening actuator, and a brake control actuator. The steering actuator controls the steering direction and steering amount of the steering wheel of the vehicle Ce. The accelerator opening actuator controls the accelerator opening of the vehicle Ce. The brake control actuator controls the braking operation of the brake device of the vehicle Ce. The actuator 20 operates the steering wheel, accelerator opening, and brake device of the vehicle Ce in response to control signals output from the controller 21, thereby generating vehicle behavior of the vehicle Ce.

[0016] The controller 21 is an electronic control unit mounted on the vehicle Ce and controls the running of the vehicle Ce. The controller 21 includes a processor 21a and peripheral components such as a storage device 21b that stores computer programs and the like. The processor 21a may be, for example, a CPU or an MPU. The storage device 21b may be, for example, a semiconductor storage device, a magnetic storage device, or an optical storage device. The storage device 21b may include a register, a cache memory, and memories such as a ROM and a RAM used as a main storage device. Each function of the controller 21 described below is realized, for example, by the processor 21a executing a computer program stored in the storage device 21b. The controller 21 may be formed of dedicated hardware for executing each information processing described below. For example, the controller 21 may be configured to include a functional logic circuit set in a general-purpose semiconductor integrated circuit. For example, the controller 21 may include a PLD (Programmable Logic Device) such as an FPGA.

[0017] Next, each function of the controller 21 will be described in detail. As shown in Fig. 2, the controller 21 includes a poor health detection unit 30 (broadly speaking, a "detection unit"), a poor health level determination unit 31 (broadly speaking, a "determination unit"), an expected time calculation unit 32, and a judgment control unit 33 (broadly speaking, a "control unit"). Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the controller 21. The poor health detection unit 30 detects poor health of an occupant of the vehicle Ce based on video data obtained from the in-vehicle camera 17. A method for detecting a poorly ill occupant (hereinafter also referred to as a "specific occupant") may, for example, be to detect the behavior of the occupant based on the video data and determine the presence or absence of the specific occupant based on the detection result. The detection result is output to the judgment control unit 33.

[0018] The physical condition poorness determination unit 31 determines the degree of poor physical condition of the specific occupant. One method of determination is, for example, to detect the behavior of the specific occupant based on video image data obtained from the in-vehicle camera 17 and determine the degree of poor physical condition of the specific occupant based on the detection result. For example, if poor physical condition behavior such as frequent coughing or bowing is detected, which indicates that the specific occupant is able to operate the stop switch 18, the degree of poor physical condition may be determined to be low. However, if poor physical condition behavior such as crouching or collapsing is detected, which indicates that the specific occupant is unable to operate the stop switch 18, the degree of poor physical condition may be determined to be high. The determination result is output to the judgment control unit 33.

[0019] The predicted time calculation unit 32 calculates the time (hereinafter also referred to as "predicted time tp") required from when the occupant's poor physical condition is detected by the poor physical condition detection unit 30 until the stop switch 18 is operated by an occupant of the vehicle Ce (either a specific occupant or an occupant other than the specific occupant) based on the degree of poor physical condition determined by the poor physical condition degree determination unit 31. For example, if the degree of poor physical condition is determined to be high, the predicted time tp is calculated to be shorter than if the degree of poor physical condition is determined to be low. As an example, if the degree of poor physical condition is determined to be high, tp may be set to 30 seconds, and if the degree of poor physical condition is determined to be low, tp may be set to 60 seconds. The calculation result is output to the judgment control unit 33.

[0020] The determination control unit 33 switches the operation mode of the vehicle Ce and outputs a control signal to the actuator 20 to operate the actuator 20 according to the operation mode of the vehicle Ce. The operation modes include, for example, a normal AD mode in which the vehicle Ce autonomously travels along a target route, a preparatory action mode in which the vehicle Ce continues autonomous travel along the target route while changing lanes to a lane adjacent to the shoulder (hereinafter also referred to as a "shoulder-adjacent lane L1"), and an evacuation stop mode in which the vehicle Ce stops on the shoulder. In the normal AD mode, the determination control unit 33 generates a control signal for the actuator 20 based on the external sensor 11, the vehicle sensor 12, the positioning device 13, and the map DB 14 so that the vehicle Ce autonomously travels along the target route. For example, if the vehicle Ce is an unmanned taxi that provides a ride-sharing service, the target route may be the shortest route that passes through each destination input by each passenger. For example, the target route does not include lane information and is represented by road nodes, road links, etc. The target route can be set by the controller 21 based on the positioning device 13 and map DB, for example.

[0021] In the preparatory action mode, the judgment control unit 33 continues autonomous driving along the target route that was performed in the normal AD mode, while generating a control signal for the actuator 20 to perform preparatory action control to change lanes of the vehicle Ce to the shoulder-adjacent lane L1 based on the external sensor 11, the vehicle sensor 12, the positioning device 13, and the map DB 14. In the preparatory action control, for example, the shoulder-adjacent lane L1 is searched for based on the positioning device 13 and the map DB 14, and a control signal for the actuator 20 is generated based on the external sensor 11 and the vehicle sensor 12 so that the vehicle Ce does not come into contact with another vehicle traveling in the searched shoulder-adjacent lane L1 and changes lanes to the shoulder-adjacent lane L1. This allows the vehicle Ce to quickly stop on the shoulder when transitioning to the evacuation stop mode after the preparatory action mode. After completing the lane change to the shoulder-adjacent lane L1, the judgment control unit 33 generates a control signal for the actuator 20 so that the vehicle Ce continues autonomous driving along the target route and remains within the shoulder-adjacent lane L1.

[0022] Furthermore, in the evacuation stop mode, the judgment control unit 33 generates a control signal for the actuator 20 to perform evacuation stop control (broadly speaking, "stop control") for stopping the vehicle Ce on a shoulder that is an evacuation stop point, based on the external sensor 11, the vehicle sensor 12, the positioning device 13, and the map DB 14. In the evacuation stop control, for example, a shoulder (evacuation stop point) where the vehicle Ce can be safely stopped is searched for based on the positioning device 13, the map DB 14, and the predicted time tp, and a control signal for the actuator 20 is generated based on the external sensor 11 and the vehicle sensor 12 to stop the vehicle Ce on the shoulder (evacuation stop point) that has been searched for. This allows the vehicle Ce to be stopped in a safe area, and the specific occupant can be given medical attention, for example, by handing over the specific occupant to an ambulance.

[0023] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the judgment control unit 33 normally sets the operation mode of the vehicle Ce to the normal AD mode (S101 in FIG. 3; S201 in FIG. 4). As a result, the vehicle Ce functions as an unmanned taxi that autonomously travels along a target route and transports occupants to their destination. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the judgment control unit 33 and the like. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the operation of the vehicle Ce. While the normal AD mode is being executed, that is, while the vehicle Ce is autonomously traveling along the target route, the judgment control unit 33 determines whether the poor physical condition detection unit 30 has detected poor physical condition in any of the occupants (S102 in FIG. 3). If it determines that poor physical condition in any of the occupants has been detected ("Yes" in S102 in FIG. 3; S202 in FIG. 4), the judgment control unit 33 transitions from the normal AD mode to the preparatory action mode and starts preparatory action control before the expected time tp has elapsed since the poor physical condition detection unit 30 detected the poor physical condition in any of the occupants (S103 in FIG. 3; S203 in FIG. 4). As a result, vehicle Ce continues autonomous driving along the target route while changing lanes to shoulder-adjacent lane L1 (a lane adjacent to the shoulder among multiple lanes on the target route).

[0024] Furthermore, the judgment control unit 33 determines whether the stop switch 18 has been operated while the preparatory action mode is being executed (S104 in FIG. 3). As a method for determining whether the stop switch 18 has been operated, for example, the judgment control unit 33 may determine whether the stop switch 18 has been pressed based on an operation signal obtained from the stop switch 18. Then, when the judgment control unit 33 determines that the stop switch 18 has been operated before the expected time tp has elapsed since the physical condition detection unit 30 detected the physical condition of the occupant ("Yes" in S104 in FIG. 3; S204 in FIG. 4), the judgment control unit 33 transitions to an evacuation stop mode and executes evacuation stop control (S106 in FIG. 3; S205 in FIG. 4). That is, when the stop switch 18 is operated, stop control is performed to stop the vehicle Ce on the shoulder of the road. This allows the vehicle Ce to stop in a safe area (road shoulder) and provide medical care to the unwell occupant (designated occupant) by, for example, handing the occupant over to an ambulance. On the other hand, suppose that the stop switch 18 is not operated during execution of the preparatory action mode, and the expected time tp has elapsed since the physical condition detection unit 30 detected the occupant's physical condition being unwell (S105 in FIG. 3). Then, the judgment control unit 33 transitions from the preparatory action mode to the evacuation stop mode and executes evacuation stop control (S106 in FIG. 3). This allows the vehicle Ce to stop on the shoulder of the road and to provide medical treatment to the specific occupant, such as by handing them over to an ambulance.

[0025] Furthermore, the judgment control unit 33 determines whether the release switch 19 has been operated while the evacuation stop mode is being executed, that is, while the evacuation stop control is being executed (for example, before or after stopping the vehicle on the shoulder of the road) (S107 in FIG. 3). As a method for determining whether the release switch 19 has been operated, for example, the judgment control unit 33 may determine whether the release switch 19 has been pressed based on an operation signal obtained from the release switch 19. Then, when the judgment control unit 33 determines that the release switch 19 has been operated ("Yes" in S107 in FIG. 3), it returns the operation mode of the vehicle Ce to the normal AD mode that was executed immediately before (S101 in FIG. 3). This causes the vehicle Ce to resume autonomous traveling along the target route. Note that when the vehicle returns to the normal AD mode, poor physical condition detection is performed only on occupants other than those previously determined to be poorly ill (specific occupants).

[0026] (Effects of the first embodiment) (1) Here, as a comparative example, consider a configuration in which the preparatory action mode (preparatory action control) is omitted and the vehicle Ce does not change lanes in advance to the lane L1 adjacent to the shoulder. In the configuration of this comparative example, for example, when the stop switch 18 is operated by the occupant, if the lane closer to the shoulder than the lane in which the vehicle Ce is traveling is congested, the vehicle Ce cannot immediately change lanes to the lane closer to the shoulder, and it may take some time for the vehicle Ce to stop on the shoulder. In contrast, in the first embodiment, when the physical condition detection unit 30 detects that an occupant is in poor physical condition during autonomous traveling along the target route, the judgment control unit 33 continues the autonomous traveling and starts preparatory action control to change the vehicle Ce to a lane adjacent to the shoulder (shoulder-adjacent lane L1) before the expected time tp has elapsed. As a result, for example, when an occupant of the vehicle Ce becomes ill and the occupant's poor physical condition is detected (S202 in FIG. 4), preparatory action control is started (S203 in FIG. 4). Thereafter, when the stop switch 18 is operated by the occupant (S204 in FIG. 4), evacuation stop control is executed (S205 in FIG. 4). Therefore, the vehicle Ce can be changed to a lane adjacent to the shoulder (shoulder-adjacent lane L1) before the occupant operates the stop switch 18. Therefore, for example, compared to a configuration in which the vehicle Ce is changed lanes to the shoulder-adjacent lane L1 after the stop switch 18 is operated, the vehicle Ce can be stopped more quickly after the stop switch 18 is operated. In other words, the time from the operation of the stop switch 18 to the vehicle stopping can be shortened.

[0027] (2) The judgment control unit 33 starts the stopping control if the stop switch 18 is not operated within the expected time tp after the poor physical condition detection unit 30 detects that the occupant is in poor physical condition. This allows the stopping control to be started and the vehicle Ce to be stopped at the shoulder of the road even if the occupant (specific occupant) is in such poor physical condition that he or she cannot operate the stop switch 18. This makes it possible to more reliably rescue the occupant (specific occupant) in poor physical condition.

[0028] (3) When the release switch 19 is operated while the evacuation stop control is being executed, the judgment control unit 33 cancels the evacuation stop control. As a result, for example, if the detection result of poor physical condition is incorrect, or if the occupant is in poor physical condition but stopping the vehicle Ce is not necessary, the occupant can operate the release switch 19 to cancel the stopping of the vehicle Ce, thereby preventing unnecessary stopping of the vehicle Ce.

[0029] (Second embodiment) Next, a vehicle control device 10 according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. The schematic configuration of the vehicle control device 10 and the functional configuration of the controller 21 according to the second embodiment are the same as those in FIGS. 1 and 2, and therefore will not be illustrated. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the determination control unit 33 and the like. In FIG. 5, parts corresponding to those in FIG. 3 are assigned the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted. In the first embodiment, when the driver's physical condition is detected to be unwell and the vehicle transitions to the preparatory action mode, the vehicle immediately starts changing lanes to the lane L1 adjacent to the shoulder. In contrast, the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the vehicle starts changing lanes to the lane L1 adjacent to the shoulder after completing a right or left turn (right or left turn) at the intersection in the preparatory action mode.

[0030] In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, after the poor health detection unit 30 detects that a specific occupant is in poor health ("Yes" in S102 of FIG. 5), the judgment control unit 33 extracts a specific route from the target route (S301 of FIG. 5). For example, the specific route may be a route that the vehicle Ce will travel from the time the poor health detection unit 30 detects that the occupant is in poor health until the expected time tp has elapsed. The judgment control unit 33 also determines whether the extracted specific route includes a route that makes a right or left turn (right or left turn) at an intersection (hereinafter, also referred to as a "right or left turn route") (S302 of FIG. 5). If it is determined that a right or left turn route is included ("Yes" in S302 of FIG. 5), the judgment control unit 33 determines whether the vehicle has completed a right or left turn at the intersection of the right or left turn route (S303 of FIG. 5). When the determination control unit 33 determines that the right or left turn has been completed ("Yes" in S303 of FIG. 5), it transitions the operation mode of the vehicle Ce from the normal AD mode to the preparatory action mode and starts preparatory action control (S103 of FIG. 5). This allows the vehicle Ce to continue autonomous driving along the target route, and after completing the right or left turn at the intersection ahead, it can start changing lanes of the vehicle Ce onto the shoulder of the road. On the other hand, if it is determined that the specific route does not include a right or left turn route ("No" in S302 of FIG. 5), it is determined that the vehicle Ce will travel straight ahead, and the operation mode of the vehicle Ce is switched from the normal AD mode to the preparatory action mode, and preparatory action control is started (S103 of FIG. 5). This allows the vehicle Ce to start changing lanes onto the shoulder while continuing autonomous travel along the target route.

[0031] (Effects of the second embodiment) (1) The judgment control unit 33 extracts from the target route a route (specific route) that the vehicle Ce will travel during the period from when the physical condition detection unit 30 detects the occupant's physical condition to when the predicted time tp has elapsed. The judgment control unit 33 determines whether the extracted specific route includes a route for turning right or left at an intersection (a right or left turn route). If it determines that a right or left turn route is included, the judgment control unit 33 starts preparatory action control after completing the right or left turn at the intersection. As a result, if a right or left turn at the intersection is planned, a lane change to the shoulder-adjacent lane L1 is prohibited, and a lane change to a lane other than a lane suitable for turning right or left at the intersection is suppressed. This allows the vehicle Ce to smoothly turn right or left at the intersection.

[0032] (Variation) (1) As shown in FIG. 6, the controller 21 may further include a traffic flow determination unit 34. The traffic flow determination unit 34 determines the degree of congestion of traffic on a route (specific route) along which the vehicle Ce will travel during the predicted time tp. As a determination method, for example, a method can be adopted in which the traveling state of other vehicles traveling on the specific route is detected based on data on the surrounding environment of the vehicle Ce obtained from the external sensor 11, and the degree of congestion of traffic on the specific route is determined based on the detection result. For example, the degree of congestion may be expressed as a multi-level scale such as "congested," "crowded," and "empty." The determination result is output to the judgment control unit 33. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the controller 21 according to the modified example. In this case, when the congestion level determined by the traffic flow determination unit 34 is equal to or greater than a predetermined level (e.g., "congestion"), the predicted time calculation unit 32 shortens the predicted time tp compared to when the congestion level is less than the predetermined level. As an example, when the congestion level is determined to be equal to or greater than the predetermined level, the predicted time tp calculated based on the degree of poor physical condition is corrected to be shorter, whereas when the congestion level is determined to be less than the predetermined level, the predicted time tp is used as is. This allows preparatory action control to be initiated early when, for example, a specific route is congested and the shoulder-adjacent lane L1 is congested, and it is predicted that it will take a long time to change lanes to the shoulder-adjacent lane L1. Therefore, even if it takes a long time to change lanes to the shoulder-adjacent lane L1, the lane change to the shoulder-adjacent lane L1 can be completed before the predicted time tp has elapsed, i.e., before the start of stop control.

[0033] (2) Furthermore, when the configuration of the modified example (1) shown in FIG. 6 is adopted, a configuration may be adopted in which control for dealing with a right or left turn at an intersection is performed after the vehicle Ce has completed a lane change to the lane L1 adjacent to the shoulder and before the stop switch 18 is operated. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, in the preparatory action mode (S103 in FIG. 7), after the vehicle Ce has completed a lane change to the lane L1 adjacent to the shoulder ("Yes" in S401 in FIG. 7), until the stop switch 18 is operated, the determination control unit 33 determines whether the vehicle Ce has reached a position a predetermined distance (e.g., 200 m) before an intersection where a right or left turn is scheduled according to the target route (hereinafter also referred to as a "scheduled right or left turn intersection") (S402 in FIG. 7). FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the determination control unit 33 and the like. Then, when it is determined that the vehicle Ce has reached a position a predetermined distance before ("Yes" in S402 of FIG. 7), it is determined whether it is easy to turn right or left at the intersection where a right or left turn is planned from the shoulder-adjacent lane L1, and whether it is highly necessary to turn right or left at the intersection where a right or left turn is planned (S403 of FIG. 7). For example, if the predicted time required to turn right or left at the intersection where a right or left turn is planned is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold (e.g., 3 minutes), it is determined that the turn is easy, and if it is greater than the predetermined threshold, it is determined that the turn is difficult. Also, for example, if the difference in route distance between the current target route and the target route that will be reset if a right or left turn is not made is greater than a predetermined distance (e.g., 2 km), it is determined that the need to turn right or left is high, and if it is equal to or less than the predetermined distance, it is determined that the need to turn right or left is low.

[0034] Then, when it is determined that it is easy to turn right or left at the intersection where a right or left turn is planned from the shoulder-adjacent lane L1 or when it is determined that there is a high need to turn right or left at the intersection where a right or left turn is planned ("Yes" in S404 of FIG. 7), the judgment control unit 33 generates a control signal for the actuator 20 so that the vehicle Ce makes a right or left turn at the intersection where a right or left turn is planned (S405 of FIG. 7). After completing the right or left turn at the intersection where a right or left turn is planned, the judgment control unit 33 generates a control signal for the actuator 20 so that the vehicle Ce changes lanes to the shoulder-adjacent lane L1 while continuing the autonomous driving of the vehicle Ce along the target route (S406 of FIG. 7). As a result, after the vehicle Ce makes a right or left turn at the intersection where a right or left turn is planned, the judgment control unit 33 causes the vehicle Ce to change lanes again to the shoulder-adjacent lane L1. After completing the second lane change, the judgment control unit 33 generates a control signal for the actuator 20 so that the vehicle Ce continues autonomous driving along the target route and stays in the shoulder-adjacent lane L1.

[0035] On the other hand, when it is determined that it is difficult to turn right or left at the intersection where a right or left turn is planned from the shoulder-adjacent lane L1 and that the necessity of turning right or left at the intersection where a right or left turn is planned is low ("No" in S404 of FIG. 7), the judgment control unit 33 changes the target route so as to avoid turning right or left at the intersection where a right or left turn is planned (S407 of FIG. 7). For example, the judgment control unit 33 resets the target route to the shortest route that goes straight through the intersection where a right or left turn is planned and passes through each of the destinations input by each occupant. As a result, the vehicle Ce autonomously travels according to the changed target route, thereby avoiding turning right or left at the intersection where a right or left turn is planned. For example, if the traffic congestion level of the specific route is determined to be equal to or greater than a predetermined level, the predicted time tp is set short, and the route distance of the specific route is shortened, there is a possibility that the vehicle Ce will enter the intersection where a right or left turn is planned after changing lanes to the shoulder-adjacent lane L1 and before the occupant operates the stop switch 18. This situation is particularly likely to occur when the system is configured not to automatically switch to the evacuation stop mode after the predicted time tp. In contrast, by adopting the configuration of variant example (2), it is possible to appropriately handle such intersections where a right or left turn is planned.

[0036] (3) In the first and second embodiments, the controller 21 may further include a notification unit 35, as shown in FIG. 8 . FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the controller 21. The notification unit 35 may be configured to notify the occupant of the vehicle Ce of the presence of the stop switch 18 (S501 in FIG. 9 ) after the vehicle Ce has completed changing lanes to the shoulder-adjacent lane L1 ("Yes" in S401 in FIG. 9 ). This allows the occupant of the vehicle Ce to be prompted to operate the stop switch 18. For example, when the HMI 16 includes a display device and a speaker, the notification to the occupant can be achieved by causing the HMI 16 to output image information and audio information informing the occupant that the stop switch 18 should be operated if the vehicle Ce is to immediately start stopping on the shoulder. FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the notification unit 35 and the like when the notification unit 35 is applied to the vehicle control device 10 according to the first embodiment.

[0037] (4) In the first and second embodiments, the controller 21 mounted on the vehicle Ce implements the functions of the poor health detection unit 30, the poor health level determination unit 31, the predicted time calculation unit 32, the judgment control unit 33, the traffic flow determination unit 34, the notification unit 35, etc. However, other configurations may also be adopted. For example, at least some of the above functions may be implemented by a device outside the vehicle, such as a server device of a management company, which is capable of sending and receiving data via the communication device 15. In this case, the controller 21 and the device outside the vehicle constitute a vehicle control device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0038] 10...vehicle control device, 11...external sensor, 12...vehicle sensor, 13...positioning device, 14...map DB, 15...communication device, 16...HMI, 17...in-vehicle camera, 18...stop switch, 19...release switch, 20...actuator, 21...controller, 21a...processor, 21b...storage device, 30...illness detection unit, 31...illness level determination unit, 32...estimated time calculation unit, 33...judgment control unit, 34...traffic flow determination unit, 35...notification unit

Claims

1. A vehicle control device mounted on a vehicle that autonomously travels along a target route, a stop switch installed in the vehicle and operated by an occupant of the vehicle; a control unit that stops the vehicle on a roadside when the stop switch is operated; a detection unit that detects poor physical condition of an occupant of the vehicle; a determination unit that determines the degree of poor physical condition of the occupant whose poor physical condition has been detected by the detection unit; an expected time calculation unit that calculates an expected time required from when the detection unit detects the occupant's poor physical condition until the occupant operates the stop switch, based on the degree of poor physical condition determined by the determination unit; When the detection unit detects poor physical condition of an occupant while the autonomous driving is being performed according to the target route, the control unit starts preparatory action control to change the vehicle's lane to a lane adjacent to a shoulder, which is a lane adjacent to a shoulder, before the predicted time has elapsed, while continuing the autonomous driving. Vehicle control device.

2. The control unit extracts, from the target route, a specific route that is a route along which the vehicle will travel during the period from when the detection unit detects the occupant's poor physical condition until the expected time has elapsed, determines whether the extracted specific route includes a route that turns right or left at an intersection, and, if it determines that the route that turns right or left at an intersection is included, starts the preparatory action control after completing the turn at the intersection. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 .

3. a traffic flow determination unit for determining a congestion level of a traffic flow on the specific route; When the congestion degree determined by the traffic flow determination unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined degree, the predicted time calculation unit shortens the predicted time compared to when the congestion degree is less than the predetermined degree. The vehicle control device according to claim 2.

4. After the lane change of the vehicle to the shoulder-adjacent lane is completed, until the stop switch is operated, the control unit determines whether the vehicle has reached a position a predetermined distance before a planned right / left turn intersection where a right / left turn is planned according to the target route, and when it is determined that the vehicle has reached the position a predetermined distance before, if it is determined that it is easy to turn right or left at the planned right / left turn intersection from the shoulder-adjacent lane or if it is determined that there is a high need to turn right or left at the planned right / left turn intersection, the control unit causes the vehicle to make a right / left turn at the planned right / left turn intersection and then causes the vehicle to change lanes to the shoulder-adjacent lane again; if it is determined that it is difficult to turn right or left at the planned right / left turn intersection from the shoulder-adjacent lane and there is a low need to turn right or left at the planned right / left turn intersection, the control unit changes the target route so as to avoid turning right or left at the planned right / left turn intersection. The vehicle control device according to claim 3.

5. and a notification unit that notifies a driver of the vehicle of the presence of the stop switch after the vehicle has completed a lane change to the lane adjacent to the shoulder. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 .

6. The control unit starts a stop control to stop the vehicle on a roadside when the stop switch is not operated during the expected time period after the detection unit detects the occupant's poor physical condition. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 .

7. a release switch installed in the vehicle and operated by an occupant of the vehicle; The control unit stops the vehicle stopping control when the release switch is operated during execution of the vehicle stopping control. The vehicle control device according to claim 6.

8. A vehicle control method by a vehicle control device mounted on a vehicle that autonomously travels along a target route, comprising: When a stop switch installed in the vehicle is operated, a stop control is performed to stop the vehicle on the shoulder of the road, Detecting poor physical condition of an occupant of the vehicle; Determine the degree of illness of the occupant whose illness is detected, Based on the determined degree of poor physical condition, an expected time is calculated, which is the time required from when the occupant's poor physical condition is detected until the occupant operates the stop switch; If a passenger's physical condition is detected to be poor during autonomous driving according to the target route, preparatory action control is initiated to change the vehicle's lane to a lane adjacent to a shoulder before the expected time elapses while continuing the autonomous driving. Vehicle control method.

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