Automobile and program for automobile

Abstract

To provide an automobile capable of securing safe driving by avoiding an accident and properly coping with it when it is determined that a driver is in a smoking state for a predetermined time or longer.SOLUTION: The automobile has an automatic driving mode in which the automobile autonomously travels and a manual driving mode in which a driver manually drives the automobile. And a driving mode switching means for switching from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode when it is determined by the smoking time determination means that the state where the driver is smoking is equal to or longer than the predetermined time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle and a program for the vehicle that have a manual driving mode based on manual driving operations by a driver and an automatic driving mode in which the vehicle travels autonomously. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART In order to prevent automobile accidents and ensure the safety of the automobile driver, passengers, pedestrians, and drivers and passengers of other vehicles, various proposals have been made for auxiliary devices to be installed in automobiles.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 (JP 2009-173252 A) proposes an invention that determines whether a driver has been drinking and prevents the vehicle from starting in order to prevent the driver from driving while intoxicated. Also, Patent Document 2 (JP 10-315800 A) discloses that when the driver's alertness (an index that indicates the driver's level of alertness (the opposite of drowsiness), the smaller the value, the greater the level of drowsiness) is significantly reduced, the vehicle's driving control is performed by an automatic driving control means. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-173252 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-315800 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Recently, there have been many reports of accidents caused by drivers losing consciousness, losing consciousness, or having a seizure due to sudden heart disease or an epileptic attack, for example.

[0006] In this case, if the driver loses consciousness, becomes unconscious, faints, or suffers a seizure, it is necessary to urgently control the vehicle's driving using an automatic driving control means to avoid an accident and solve the external problems of the vehicle. However, the ideas behind the inventions of Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 are unable to respond quickly to an emergency situation in which the driver loses consciousness, becomes unconscious, faints, suffers a seizure, or experiences other abnormalities in the driver's health, and are therefore unable to avoid the risk of an accident in such cases.

[0007] Furthermore, the invention of Patent Document 1 is intended only to prevent drivers from driving while intoxicated, and the invention of Patent Document 2 is intended to ensure safety when the driver's level of alertness is significantly reduced, with no consideration given at all to ensuring traffic safety for other purposes.

[0008] In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle that can avoid accidents, ensure safe driving, and respond appropriately when the driver or passenger feels the need to defecate or urinate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above problem, the invention of claim 1 is as follows: In a vehicle equipped with an automatic driving mode in which the vehicle travels autonomously and a manual driving mode in which the driver drives the vehicle manually, a smoking time determination means for determining whether the driver has been smoking for a predetermined time or more in the manual operation mode; a driving mode switching means for switching from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode when the smoking time determination means determines that the driver has been smoking for the predetermined time or longer; The present invention provides a vehicle characterized by comprising:

[0010] In the automobile of the invention of claim 1 configured as described above, if it is determined that the driver has been smoking for a predetermined period of time or longer, the driving mode is switched from manual to automatic, thereby preventing accidents and ensuring safe driving. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the automobile of this invention, if it is determined that the driver has been smoking for a predetermined period of time or longer, the automobile can switch from manual driving mode to automatic driving mode, thereby preventing accidents and ensuring safe driving. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an electronic control circuit unit in an embodiment of an autonomously driven vehicle according to the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of an automatic driving switching condition table in an embodiment of an automatically driven vehicle according to the present invention. [Figure 3] 3 is a diagram showing a continuation of an example of the contents of the automatic driving switching condition table of FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 4] 3 is a diagram showing a further example of the contents of the automatic driving switching condition table of FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram used to explain an example of processing operation of an electronic control circuit unit in an embodiment of an autonomous driving vehicle according to the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining an example of the processing operation of an electronic control circuit unit in an embodiment of an autonomously driven vehicle according to the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining an example of the processing operation of an electronic control circuit unit in an embodiment of an autonomously driven vehicle according to the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining a processing example of a part of the processing example of the electronic control circuit unit in an embodiment of an autonomous driving vehicle according to the present invention. [Figure 9]FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining a processing example of a part of the processing example of the electronic control circuit unit in an embodiment of an autonomous driving vehicle according to the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining a processing example of a part of the processing example of the electronic control circuit unit in an embodiment of an autonomous driving vehicle according to the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining a processing example of a part of the processing example of the electronic control circuit unit in an embodiment of an autonomous driving vehicle according to the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining a processing example of a part of the processing example of the electronic control circuit unit in an embodiment of an autonomous driving vehicle according to the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining a processing example of a part of the processing example of the electronic control circuit unit in an embodiment of an autonomous driving vehicle according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an electronic control circuit unit 10 of an autonomous vehicle 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The autonomous vehicle 1 of this embodiment is an example of an electric vehicle. However, the battery is not shown in FIG. 1.

[0014] Furthermore, the self-driving vehicle 1 of this embodiment has an autonomous driving mode and a manual driving mode. The manual driving mode is a mode in which the vehicle can travel in accordance with the driver's accelerator pedal operation, brake pedal operation, shift lever operation, and steering (handle operation), just like a normal vehicle that is not a self-driving vehicle. Furthermore, the autonomous driving mode is a driving mode in which the self-driving vehicle 1 itself automatically (autonomously) changes course while avoiding obstacles, without the driver having to operate the accelerator pedal, brake pedal, shift lever, or steering.

[0015] Normally, the driver of autonomous vehicle 1 can switch autonomous vehicle 1, which is traveling in manual driving mode, to autonomous driving mode by performing a predetermined operation, for example, via touch panel 112 (described later), and autonomous vehicle 1 is configured to automatically return to manual driving mode if the driver operates the accelerator pedal, brake pedal, shift lever, or steering while traveling in autonomous driving mode. However, as described later, when autonomous vehicle 1 of this embodiment is forcibly switched from manual driving mode to autonomous driving mode, any operation to return to the manual driving mode is invalidated unless a predetermined cancellation condition (described later) is satisfied, and autonomous vehicle 1 is controlled to maintain traveling in autonomous driving mode.

[0016] In order to distinguish this from the normal automatic driving mode that the user selects and sets via touch panel 112, etc., this specification will refer to the mode in which, after this forced switch, any attempt to return to manual driving mode is invalidated and the automatic driving mode continues as the forced automatic driving mode, and will also refer to an automatic driving mode that is not the forced automatic driving mode as the normal automatic driving mode.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic control circuit unit 10 is configured with a computer mounted on it, and the following are connected via a system bus 100 to a control unit 101: a motor drive control unit 102; a steering drive control unit 103; a manual / automatic driving mode switching control unit 104; a manual driving operation detection unit 105; a radar 106; a group of cameras 107; a group of sensors 108; a surrounding moving object recognition unit 109; a current position detection unit 110; a display unit 111; a touch panel 112; a car navigation (hereinafter referred to as "car navigation") function unit 113; an image recognition unit 114; an automatic driving switching condition discrimination unit 115; a voice recognition unit 116; an in-vehicle situation determination unit 117; a mobile phone function unit 118; a clock unit 119; a synthetic voice generation unit 120; and a voice input / output unit 121.

[0018] A motor drive unit 131 is connected to the motor drive control unit 102. A steering drive unit 132 is connected to the steering drive control unit 103. A car navigation database 133 is connected to the car navigation function unit 113. An image information storage unit 134 that stores image information of a comparison image for image recognition is connected to the image recognition unit 114. An automatic driving switching condition storage unit 135 is connected to the automatic driving switching condition determination unit 115. An audio information storage unit 136 that stores audio information of a comparison audio for audio recognition is connected to the audio recognition unit 116. A microphone 137 and a speaker 138 are connected to the audio input / output unit 121.

[0019] Under the control of the control unit 101, the motor drive control unit 102 controls the supply of drive signals to the motor drive unit 131 of the self-driving vehicle 1, which is an electric vehicle of this embodiment, to control the start of driving of the self-driving vehicle 1, driving speed control (including brake control and accelerator control), driving stop, etc.

[0020] Under the control of the control unit 101, the steering drive control unit 103 controls the supply of a drive control signal to the steering drive unit 132 of the autonomous vehicle 1 of this embodiment, thereby controlling the course change of the autonomous vehicle 1.

[0021] The manual / automatic driving mode switching control unit 104 controls the switching of the driving mode of the autonomous vehicle 1 between either manual driving mode or automatic driving mode in accordance with the selection operation input via the touch panel 112, and also controls the switching of the driving mode of the autonomous vehicle 1 between either manual driving mode, automatic driving mode, or forced automatic driving mode in accordance with the judgment result of the automatic driving switching condition judgment unit 115, as described below.

[0022] The manual driving operation detection unit 105 receives operation information such as accelerator pedal operation, brake pedal operation, shift lever operation, and steering operation by the driver, and supplies the manual driving operation information to the manual / automatic driving mode switching control unit 104.

[0023] When the autonomous vehicle 1 is in manual driving mode, the manual / autonomous driving mode switching control unit 104 supplies manual driving operation information from the manual driving operation detection unit 105 to the motor driving control unit 102 and the steering driving control unit 103, and controls the motor driving unit 131 and the steering driving unit 132 in accordance with the driver's pedal operation, shift lever operation, and steering operation (handle operation).

[0024] Furthermore, when autonomous vehicle 1 is in autonomous driving mode (including forced autonomous driving mode), manual / autonomous driving mode switching control unit 104 supplies autonomous driving operation information generated by control unit 101 based on outputs from radar 106, camera group 107, sensor group 108, and surrounding moving object recognition unit 109 to motor drive control unit 102 and steering drive control unit 103, as will be described later, and controls driving of motor drive unit 131 and steering drive unit 132 using the autonomous driving operation information. Note that in autonomous driving mode (including forced autonomous driving mode), car navigation function unit 113 searches for a route from the current position to a destination (destination and attributes of the destination) set by the driver or the like, and controls the vehicle to travel along the searched route.

[0025] In this embodiment, as described above, the manual / automatic driving mode switching control unit 104 also performs control to automatically and forcibly switch from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode against the will of the driver, i.e., against the selection and setting of the driving mode by the driver, upon receiving the result of the determination of whether the switching conditions are met by the automatic driving switching condition determination unit 115.

[0026] In a normal autonomous driving mode that is not a forced autonomous driving mode, when the driver operates the accelerator pedal, brake pedal, shift lever, or steering (handle operation) while driving in autonomous driving mode, the manual / autonomous driving mode switching control unit 104 performs mode switching control so that the driving mode of the autonomous vehicle 1 is automatically returned to manual driving mode based on the detection information of the manual driving operation.

[0027] However, when the driving mode of the autonomous vehicle 1 is in forced autonomous driving mode, in principle, even if the driver operates the accelerator pedal, brake pedal, shift lever, or steering, the manual / autonomous driving mode switching control unit 104 will invalidate the manual driving operation information and maintain the forced autonomous driving mode, unless the cancellation conditions described below are met.

[0028] Radar 106 is used to measure the distance to people and objects around the autonomous vehicle 1, and is made up of laser radar, millimeter-wave radar, etc. The laser radar is embedded, for example, in the ceiling or near the bumper, and the millimeter-wave radar is installed, for example, at the front and rear of the vehicle. The autonomous vehicle may be equipped with both laser radar and millimeter-wave radar, or only one of them.

[0029] Camera group 107 includes one or more cameras that capture images of the interior of autonomous vehicle 1, and one or more cameras that capture images of the surroundings outside the vehicle, such as in front of, to the sides of, and behind autonomous vehicle 1. The cameras that capture images of the interior of the vehicle are attached, for example, to a rearview mirror (rear-view mirror, room mirror) installed between the driver's seat and the passenger seat, or to the top of the front window, and include cameras that capture images of the behavior of the person sitting in the driver's seat (driver), as well as cameras that capture images of the behavior of passengers (fellow passengers) sitting in the passenger seat or the back seat. In addition, the cameras that photograph the surroundings of the self-driving vehicle 1 include, for example, two cameras (stereo cameras) that are attached to the left and right sides of the rearview mirror and primarily photograph the left and right front of the self-driving vehicle 1, cameras that are attached to, for example, the door mirrors or fender mirrors of the self-driving vehicle 1 and photograph the left and right sides, cameras that photograph the rear of the self-driving vehicle 1, and even omnidirectional cameras (360-degree cameras) and fisheye cameras that are attached to the roof and photograph the surroundings at a wide angle.

[0030] The sensor group 108 includes an open / close detection sensor that detects whether the doors and windows of the autonomous vehicle 1 are open or closed, a sensor that detects whether a seatbelt is fastened, a seating sensor that detects whether a passenger is seated in a seat such as the driver's seat or passenger seat, a human presence sensor (infrared sensor) that detects a person nearby outside the vehicle, and various other sensors for acquiring information that assists autonomous driving. The various sensors for acquiring information that assists autonomous driving include, for example, a vibration sensor that detects vibrations of the vehicle or tires, a rotation speed sensor that detects the number of tire rotations, a geomagnetic sensor that detects direction, an acceleration sensor that detects acceleration, and a gyro sensor (gyroscope) that detects angles and angular velocities.

[0031] In this embodiment, the sensor group 108 also includes a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a heat sensor, a smoke sensor, a breath sensor, a carbon monoxide sensor, a hydrogen sulfide sensor, and the like, which are useful in determining the status inside the autonomously driven vehicle 1. The heat sensor and smoke sensor are used to detect the occurrence of a fire inside the vehicle, the breath sensor is used to detect whether the driver has been drinking alcohol, and the carbon monoxide sensor and hydrogen sulfide sensor are used to detect the occurrence of gases toxic to the human body inside the vehicle.

[0032] The surrounding moving object recognition unit 109 recognizes moving objects (including people) around the vehicle using images captured by the radar 106, the sensor group 108, and the camera group 107. The surrounding moving object recognition unit 109 recognizes surrounding obstacles and moving objects by performing processing based on, for example, Bayes' theorem.

[0033] The current position detection unit 110 receives radio waves from GPS satellites and detects the current position of the vehicle. Because the accuracy of the position detected by radio waves from GPS satellites is poor, the current position detection unit 110 uses not only the information on the current position detected by receiving radio waves from GPS satellites, but also sensor output information from one or more sensors included in the sensor group 108, output information from the radar 106, and captured images (also using a navigation function) from one or more cameras included in the camera group 107, and performs processing based on, for example, Bayes' theorem, to detect and confirm the current position with higher accuracy.

[0034] In the autonomous driving mode, the autonomous vehicle 1 uses the current position detection unit 110 and the surrounding moving object grasping unit 109 to process various information such as position information obtained by receiving radio waves from the radar 106, the camera group 107, the sensor group 108, and GPS satellites, in other words, information corresponding to information obtained from the human eyes and ears, using Bayes' theory, etc. Based on this, the control unit 101 performs intelligent information processing (artificial intelligence) and control (artificial intelligence) such as changing the vehicle's course and avoiding obstacles, to generate autonomous driving operation information.

[0035] Display unit 111 is made up of, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). Touch panel 112 is configured by superimposing a touch sensor that allows touch input with a finger on the display screen of display unit 111 made up of an LCD. Under the control of control unit 101, a display image including software buttons (including character input buttons on a keyboard) is displayed on the display screen of display unit 111. When touch panel 112 detects a touch with a finger on a software button displayed on the display screen, it transmits the touch to control unit 101. In response to this, control unit 101 is configured to execute control processing corresponding to the software button.

[0036] Domestic map data and route guidance data are stored in advance in car navigation database 133 connected to car navigation function unit 113. Car navigation function unit 113 is a functional unit that provides guidance to assist autonomous vehicle 1 in traveling to a specified destination based on the map data and route guidance data stored in car navigation database 133, and has not only a route search function but also a surrounding area search function centered on a predetermined location. In this embodiment, car navigation function unit 113 is configured to perform slightly different processes in manual driving mode and autonomous driving mode.

[0037] That is, in the manual driving mode, the car navigation function unit 113 displays an image on the display screen of the display unit 111 in which the vehicle position detected and confirmed by the current position detection unit 110 is superimposed on a map that clearly displays the route to the destination, and also moves the vehicle position (current position) on the map as the vehicle moves, and provides voice guidance at points where route guidance is necessary, such as intersections and branching points on the route. This is the same as the normal car navigation function.

[0038] On the other hand, in the autonomous driving mode, when the current position of the vehicle is away from the route to the destination, the car navigation function unit 113 notifies the control unit 101 of information on the direction and distance of the departure, and when the current position of the vehicle is on the route to the destination, the car navigation function unit 113 notifies the control unit 101 of information instructing the control unit 101 to change the course direction along the route before an intersection or branch point on the route as the vehicle moves. Based on the information notified from the car navigation function unit 113, the current position confirmation result by the current position detection unit 110, and the recognition result by the surrounding moving object recognition unit 109, the control unit 101 controls the motor drive unit 131 via the motor drive control unit 102 so that the vehicle moves along the route as instructed, and generates autonomous driving operation information for controlling the steering drive unit 132 via the steering drive control unit 103. Therefore, thanks to route guidance to the destination by the car navigation function unit 113 and the control unit 101 in the autonomous driving mode, autonomous vehicle 1 can travel to the destination even when there are no passengers.

[0039] Furthermore, as will be described later, if attributes of a destination, such as "hospital," "gas station," or "convenience store (hereinafter abbreviated as "convenience store")," are registered as the destination when switching from manual driving mode to automatic driving mode (or forced automatic driving mode), the car navigation function unit 113 will perform a surrounding search for the attributes of the destination, centered on the current position detected by the current position detection unit 110, and set the facility or place found as a result of the surrounding search as the destination.

[0040] In this embodiment, the car navigation function unit 113 also has a function of detecting the place name, facility name, and address of the current location by referring to map information in the car navigation database 133 from the latitude and longitude information of the current location information detected by the current location detection unit 110. As will be described later, the car navigation function unit 113 also has a function of transferring the detected place name, facility name, and address of the current location to the synthetic speech generation unit 120 under the control of the control unit 101.

[0041] The image recognition unit 114 performs a matching process between the captured images from the cameras in the camera group 107 that capture images of the interior of the vehicle and the cameras that capture images of the exterior of the vehicle and the image information stored in the image information storage unit 134, thereby obtaining image recognition results for determining the interior situation of the vehicle, such as physical abnormalities of the driver or passengers, driver behavior such as drowsiness, eating, drinking, smoking, looking away, or distracted driving, and the driver's footwear. The image recognition unit 114 transfers the obtained recognition results to the interior situation determination unit 117.

[0042] Image information storage unit 134 connected to image recognition unit 114 stores image information of comparison images for image recognition. The comparison images stored in image information storage unit 134 include, for comparison with images captured by a camera capturing images of the interior of the vehicle, images of a person sitting in a seat who is unconscious, unconscious, or fainting, images of an epileptic seizure, images of someone dozing off (with their eyelids closed for a certain period of time or with their head nodding), images of a person looking away, images of a person eating or drinking, as well as images of objects to be eaten or drunk (rice balls, sandwiches, bento boxes, ice cream, plastic bottles and cans containing beverages (water, tea, coffee), etc., which aid in the detection of eating and drinking), images of cigarettes (which aid in the detection of smoking), images of footwear (footwear that may lead to driving errors, such as geta, slippers, and high heels), and images of bare feet (no footwear, which may lead to driving errors).

[0043] The comparative images stored in the image information storage unit 134 include images of scenery that may cause the driver to look away or distracted (for example, images of beautiful autumn leaves, images of famous places and historical sites, images of portable shrines at festivals, images of fireworks, images of store opening sales, etc.) and images of celebrities (images of famous entertainers, athletes, etc.), for comparison with images taken by a camera that takes pictures of the outside of the vehicle.

[0044] The automatic driving switching condition determination unit 115 determines whether the determination result of the vehicle interior situation by the vehicle interior situation determination unit 117 described later matches any of the switching conditions for switching from manual driving mode to automatic driving mode (including forced automatic driving mode) stored in the automatic driving switching condition memory unit 135, the contents of which will be described in detail later, and when it determines that the conditions match, it sends an instruction to switch from manual driving mode to automatic driving mode or forced automatic driving mode to the manual / automatic driving mode switching control unit 104.

[0045] The voice recognition unit 116 performs a matching process between the voice information from the microphone 137 and the voice information stored in the voice information storage unit 136, thereby obtaining a voice recognition result for determining the in-vehicle situation, such as a physical abnormality of the driver or passengers, or the driver or passengers' need to defecate or urinate. The voice recognition unit 116 transfers the obtained recognition result to the in-vehicle situation determination unit 117.

[0046] A voice information storage unit 136 connected to the voice recognition unit 116 stores, for comparison purposes for voice recognition by the voice recognition unit 116, voice information such as groans, gasping sounds, screams, or "It hurts," "Help," "Feeling sick," "Do something," "I feel nauseous," "I'm going to throw up," "Ugh," and "Ugh" that the driver or passenger utters when something physically unusual happens, as well as voice information of urgent voices (words) such as "Toilet," "Bathroom," "Restroom," "I'm at my limit," and "I'm going to leak" that the driver or passenger utters when they have to defecate or urinate. Furthermore, the voice information storage unit 136 also stores in advance sounds such as the crying of a child, the sound of a child falling from a car seat, and the barking of a pet.

[0047] The vehicle interior situation determination unit 117 determines the vehicle interior situation that serves as a switching condition for switching from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode, based on the image recognition result from the image recognition unit 114, the voice recognition result from the voice recognition unit 116, and the sensor output from one or more sensors that contribute to determining the vehicle interior situation among the sensor group 108. Then, the vehicle interior situation determination unit 117 transfers the determination result of the vehicle interior situation to the automatic driving switching condition determination unit 115.

[0048] In this example, the mobile phone function unit 118 is pre-installed in the autonomous vehicle 1, is registered as a subscriber, and is assigned a predetermined subscriber number. The driver and passengers of the autonomous vehicle 1 can make calls on their mobile phones in a so-called hands-free manner. As will be described later, the control unit 101 of the autonomous vehicle 1 has a function to make a call to 119 via the mobile phone function unit 118 when a call to 119 is stored as setting information related to the switching conditions stored in the autonomous driving switching condition storage unit 135. The report information in the call to 119 is composed of synthetic voice from the synthetic voice generation unit 120. The mobile phone function unit 118 also has an email function and an internet connection function.

[0049] The clock unit 119 has a calendar function to provide the current date and time, and also has a timer function to measure time from a predetermined timing point under the control of the control unit 101.

[0050] The synthetic voice generating unit 120 has a built-in memory for storing voice message data to be emitted externally, and also has a function for converting the place name of the current location, facility names, and addresses from the car navigation function unit 113 into synthetic voice. As will be described later, the voice messages stored by the synthetic voice generating unit 120 include, for example, driving mode switching notification messages such as "Switched to forced automatic driving mode" and "Switched to manual driving mode," as well as notification messages that prompt the user to set a destination when the autonomous vehicle 1 starts traveling.

[0051] As described above, the microphone 137 and the speaker 138 are connected to the audio input / output unit 121. The microphone 137 and the speaker 138 are used as a transmitter / receiver for hands-free calls using the mobile phone function unit 118. The audio input / output unit 121 not only has the function of transmitting and receiving audio for hands-free calls using the mobile phone function unit 118, but also has the function of collecting audio information inside the vehicle for determining the inside-vehicle situation with the microphone 137 and supplying the information to the audio recognition unit 116, and the function of emitting from the speaker 138 the above-described driving mode switching notification message, notification message prompting destination setting, and the like.

[0052] In this embodiment, the automatic driving switching condition memory unit 135 connected to the automatic driving switching condition determination unit 115 stores an automatic driving switching condition table TBL that includes switching conditions for switching the driving mode of the automatic driving vehicle 1 from manual driving mode to normal automatic driving mode or forced automatic driving mode when the automatic driving vehicle 1 is driving in manual driving mode, parked, or stopped, control contents when the switching conditions are met, destination information in the automatic driving mode or forced automatic driving mode, and conditions for canceling the automatic driving mode or forced automatic driving mode.

[0053] The switching conditions are defined as in-vehicle situations that would hinder ensuring safety if the driver continued driving in manual driving mode. In other words, when the in-vehicle situation of autonomous vehicle 1 matches this switching condition, there is a risk or safety is not guaranteed, so this switching condition is defined as a condition under which the vehicle should be switched from manual driving mode to normal autonomous driving mode or forced autonomous driving mode to achieve a driving state that maintains safe driving.

[0054] The control content when the switching conditions are met includes information specifying the autonomous driving mode, whether to switch to normal autonomous driving mode or forced autonomous driving mode when the switching conditions are met, and the control content that the autonomous vehicle 1 should perform in the autonomous driving mode (including forced autonomous driving mode) after switching, depending on the switching conditions that are met.

[0055] The cancellation conditions are conditions under which the forced automatic driving mode may be cancelled and the manual driving mode may be restored, or conditions for an operation to switch from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode.

[0056] The autonomous driving switching condition table TBL stored in the autonomous driving switching condition storage unit 135 is written and stored in advance by the manufacturer or sales company of the autonomous driving vehicle 1. Furthermore, these switching conditions can be additionally written and stored in the autonomous driving switching condition storage unit 135 later by the user of the autonomous driving vehicle 1, i.e., the driver or a passenger, performing a predetermined operation via the touch panel 112. The user of the autonomous driving vehicle 1, i.e., the driver, can also select whether or not to use some of the switching conditions.

[0057] The automatic driving switching condition table TBL may be set and registered in advance by each automobile company, or may be standardized by the automobile industry or determined by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. In this case, the user cannot change or erase the stored contents. The automatic driving switching condition table TBL may be updated with the latest condition table from the homepage of an automobile company, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, etc., using the Internet connection function provided in the mobile phone function unit 118.

[0058] 2 and 3 and 4, which are continuations of FIG. 2, show examples of the automatic driving switching condition table TBL, which is the stored contents of the automatic driving switching condition storage unit 135 in this embodiment. In the examples of FIG. 2, 3, and 4, the switching conditions are exemplified as conditions for ensuring safe driving by avoiding situations that are likely to lead to accidents, such as "anomaly 1 in the health condition of the driver or passenger," "anomaly 2 in the health condition of the driver or passenger," "driver falling asleep," "driver or passenger feeling unwell, such as car sickness or nausea," "driver or passenger feeling the need to defecate or urinate," "driving while fatigued," "driver drinking alcohol while driving (including when stopped at a red light or at a railroad crossing)," "driver looking away or inattentive driving," "driver eating, drinking, or smoking," "deterioration of the driving environment," "abnormal behavior of passenger children or pets," "driver's driving style or posture," and "driver wearing footwear that interferes with driving, or no footwear at all." Corresponding to each switching condition, the automatic driving mode or forced automatic driving mode to be switched to, the control content, the destination, and the conditions for canceling the automatic driving mode are each defined.

[0059] 2 and 3 are only a part of the contents stored in the automatic driving switching condition storage unit 135, and it goes without saying that various other predetermined switching conditions are registered therein.

[0060] As shown in Fig. 2, for example, emergency situations such as the driver or passenger losing consciousness, losing consciousness, or fainting are registered as switching conditions for "change 1 in the health condition of the driver or passenger." The automatic driving switching condition determination unit 115 determines whether or not the switching condition for "change 1 in the health condition of the driver or passenger" is met using the determination result of the in-vehicle situation determination unit 117. The in-vehicle situation determination unit 117 determines whether or not the driver or passenger is experiencing a physical abnormality such as losing consciousness, losing consciousness, or fainting, through image recognition by the image recognition unit 114.

[0061] For example, let us consider the case of a driver. As shown in FIG. 5(A), a camera 107a mounted next to the rearview mirror 2 of the autonomous vehicle 1 captures an image of the driver 3. When there is no physical abnormality in the driver 3, the captured image of the driver 3 shows the driver 3 with his eyes open, gazing ahead, and operating the steering wheel (handle) 4. On the other hand, when there is a physical abnormality in the driver 3 and the driver 3 becomes unconscious, loses consciousness, or faints, the captured image of the driver 3 shows the driver 3 with his eyes closed, his face facing downward (or upward in some cases) instead of gazing ahead, and a limp, motionless appearance, as shown in FIG. 5(B). The vehicle interior situation determination unit 117 determines the state shown in FIG. 5(B) from the recognition result from the image recognition unit 114 and transmits the state to the autonomous driving switching condition determination unit 115. Note that, for more precise medical image recognition, the image information storage unit 134 may be configured to store a wealth of medically distinctive and detailed comparison image information.

[0062] The automatic driving switching condition determination unit 115 receives the result of the determination of the in-vehicle situation and compares the result with the contents stored in the automatic driving switching condition memory unit 135 to determine that the switching condition for ``abnormal change in the health condition of the driver or passenger 1'' is met.

[0063] Although the above description has been made regarding the determination based only on the image recognition result of the image recognition unit 114, in this embodiment, the in-vehicle situation determination unit 117 determines this "abnormality 1 in the health condition of the driver or passenger" by taking into account not only the image recognition result but also the recognition of growls, groans, snoring (in the case of cerebral hemorrhage (cerebral hemorrhage) and the like by the voice recognition unit 116. This makes it possible to improve the accuracy of the determination by the in-vehicle situation determination unit 117.

[0064] The control content for the switching condition of "Change in the health condition of the driver or passenger 1" is to switch to forced automatic driving mode. Then, a hospital is specified as the destination. This specified hospital can be selected and specified in advance by the driver, etc.

[0065] That is, a specific hospital, for example, a family hospital, can be specified. In this case, the name, address, and telephone number of the family hospital are stored in the autonomous driving switching condition storage unit 135. The control unit 101 of the autonomous vehicle 1 uses the mobile phone function unit 118 to call the hospital using the hospital's telephone number, and notifies the hospital that the suddenly ill person will be taken there by providing information such as the characteristics of the vehicle and the driver's name. A message for this purpose is stored in advance in the synthetic voice generation unit 120. The hospital can also be notified by email rather than by phone. Furthermore, in order to accurately convey the patient's condition to doctors at the hospital, image and audio information of the suddenly ill person may be emailed as an attachment.

[0066] Alternatively, instead of a specific hospital, a destination attribute such as "an emergency hospital or general hospital close to the current location" may be stored. As described below, when a destination attribute such as "an emergency hospital or general hospital close to the current location" is specified as the destination, the car navigation function unit 113 performs a surrounding search for relevant hospitals around the current location and sets the surrounding search result as the destination. In this case, if the telephone number of the hospital can be obtained, the control unit 101 of the autonomous vehicle 1 uses the telephone number of the hospital via the mobile phone function unit 118, as described above, to call the hospital, provide the characteristics of the vehicle and the driver's name, and notify the hospital that the suddenly ill person will be taken there. As described above, notification can be made not only by telephone but also by email or a communication application such as LINE. Furthermore, image information and audio information of the suddenly ill person may be emailed as an attachment.

[0067] Furthermore, in this embodiment, rather than specifying a specific destination or destination attribute as the destination, the driver can choose to stop the vehicle on the shoulder of the road or the like and call 119. When calling 119, the characteristics of the vehicle, the driver's name, the fact that someone has suddenly fallen ill, the name of the current location, the address, etc. are generated by the synthetic voice generating unit 120 and included in the call to 119.

[0068] The autonomous vehicle 1 may also be equipped with a medical information storage unit (not shown) that stores various medical information (healthcare information) and a medical database (not shown). In this case, the medical information storage unit stores detailed medical information, such as disease names, symptoms, and treatment methods, for intracerebral hemorrhage, subarachnoid hemorrhage, cerebral infarction, myocardial infarction, and various other diseases. Symptoms may include image information specific to each disease, such as eye condition and facial expressions, and audio information, such as snoring and groaning, so that early symptoms of various diseases can be quickly and accurately identified using image and audio recognition. Naturally, the image information stored may include not only still images but also videos. Therefore, when an abnormality 1 occurs, the control details, treatment methods, and destination of the autonomous vehicle 1 can be determined based on the medical information stored in the medical information storage unit.

[0069] That is, when an abnormality 1 occurs, the self-driving car 1 determines whether it is appropriate to drive to a hospital, or whether it is better to stop the car on the side of the road, call 119, and wait for an ambulance to arrive. If driving to a hospital is appropriate, the self-driving car 1 can select an optimal driving speed (for example, 30 km / h or less) that will not put a strain on the suddenly ill person, or the car navigation function unit 113 can provide the suddenly ill person with an optimal route that will allow smooth driving while minimizing vibrations by storing information such as road irregularities in the car navigation database 133. In addition, if the medical information storage unit stores the medical history and medical history of the driver or passenger, a faster and more appropriate response can be made when an abnormality 1 occurs.

[0070] Of course, if a disease is identified, the destination will be a hospital with specialists and specialized equipment based on the type of disease. For example, in the case of intracerebral hemorrhage, subarachnoid hemorrhage, or cerebral infarction, the destination will be a hospital with neurosurgery specialists and specialized equipment, and in the case of myocardial infarction, the destination will be a hospital with cardiology and heart specialists and specialized equipment.

[0071] If a passenger (driver or passenger) is pregnant and goes into labor, it is not a state of unconsciousness, loss of consciousness, fainting, or illness, but it is a life-threatening emergency and is equivalent to Incident 1. In this case, autonomous vehicle 1 will head to the pregnant woman's regular obstetrician-gynecologist, obstetrics clinic, or maternity hospital, so that the pregnant woman can give birth safely. If the regular obstetrician-gynecologist, obstetrics clinic, or maternity hospital is far from the current location and there is a possibility that the patient will not arrive in time for the birth, the nearby search function of car navigation function unit 113 will search for a nearby obstetrician-gynecologist, obstetrics clinic, or maternity hospital, and the vehicle will head to the found obstetrician-gynecologist, obstetrics clinic, or maternity hospital. The same applies if the pregnant woman's water breaks; the vehicle will head to the regular or nearest obstetrician-gynecologist, obstetrics clinic, or maternity hospital.

[0072] The condition for canceling the forced automatic driving mode, which corresponds to the switching condition of "Change in the health condition of the driver or passenger 1," is when the driver "arrives at the destination" or when an "ambulance arrives."

[0073] Next, as a switching condition for "abnormality 2 in the health condition of the driver or passenger," a physical abnormality that makes manual driving difficult, such as convulsion, asthma attack, vomiting, etc., is registered as a condition in which the driver or passenger has not yet reached a state of unconsciousness, loss of consciousness, fainting, etc. The in-vehicle situation determination unit 117 determines this "abnormality 2 in the health condition of the driver or passenger," using the image recognition result from the image recognition unit 114 and the voice recognition result from the voice recognition unit 116.

[0074] The control content for this switching condition of "change in the driver's or passenger's health condition 2" is to switch to forced autonomous driving mode, and in this embodiment, taking into consideration that the driver or passenger will be awake even if a physical abnormality occurs, the control content is to inquire about the driver or passenger's destination. The destination can be selected and specified in advance by the driver, etc. from among "home (including address and location information)," "hospital (including hospital name, address, and location information)," and "stop on the shoulder of the road." The release condition for forced autonomous driving mode corresponding to this switching condition of "change in the driver's or passenger's health condition 2" is when the driver "arrives at the destination."

[0075] When the switching condition "Change in the driver's or passenger's health condition 2" is met, the control unit 101 sends a synthesized voice message, for example, "Are you OK?" to inquire about the driver's safety based on the match result of the automatic driving switching condition determination unit 115, and if the destination is pre-registered in the automatic driving switching condition storage unit 135, asks "Do you want to set the destination to the registered destination?" This takes into consideration the case where the driver or passenger determines that they should go to a hospital based on the severity of the physical abnormality, even if "home" or "parked on the shoulder" is selected in the pre-registration. Note that in this embodiment, if "parked on the shoulder" is pre-registered, the control unit 101 is configured to ask "Do you want to call 119?"

[0076] When the destination is not pre-registered, inquiry messages such as "Are you going back home?", "Are you heading to the hospital?", "Are you stopping?", etc. are generated by synthetic voice, and the driver's or passenger's responses to each message, such as "Yes" or "No", are recognized by voice, and the destination is determined according to the recognition results.

[0077] Furthermore, in this embodiment, if there is no pre-registration of a destination corresponding to the switching condition "Unusual change in the health condition of the driver or passenger 2" and there is no response to the inquiry by synthetic voice, the control unit 101 determines that the situation is dangerous, searches for an emergency hospital or general hospital close to the current location using the surrounding search function of the car navigation function unit 113, and heads to the hospital found. In this case, if no hospital is found, the vehicle is stopped on the side of the road or the like and an emergency call is made to 119. In the emergency call to 119, similar to the above, the synthetic voice generation unit 120 generates information such as the characteristics of the vehicle, the driver's name, the fact that someone has suddenly fallen ill, the name and address of the current location, and the like, and these information are included in the emergency call to 119.

[0078] The condition for canceling the forced automatic driving mode, which corresponds to the switching condition of "abnormal change in the health condition of the driver or passenger 2," is when the driver "arrives at the destination" or when an "ambulance arrives."

[0079] In addition, when abnormality 2 occurs, as with abnormality 1 described above, it is of course possible to determine the control content, countermeasures, and destination of the self-driving vehicle 1 based on the medical information stored in the medical information storage unit (not shown).

[0080] Next, the switching condition "driver dozing" will be described. In this case, the vehicle interior situation determination unit 117 determines whether the driver is dozing by recognizing a state in which the eyelids remain closed for a certain period of time or a state in which the head nods, etc., through image recognition of the image captured by the camera 107a that captures the image of the driver 3 by the image recognition unit 114.

[0081] The control content for this "driver dozing" switching condition is to switch to normal automated driving mode and to send out a voice call (synthesized voice) to wake the driver up. This is because the voice call is expected to return the driver to a conscious state. However, if the driver does not wake up even with the voice call (as determined by image recognition), it is likely that the driver is not dozing off, but has physical or mental trouble.

[0082] The destination for this "driver dozing" switching condition is the destination that was set when autonomous vehicle 1 started traveling. However, if the driver is not awakened by the voice call, the destination is set to an emergency hospital or general hospital close to the current location that is found by searching using the surrounding area search function of car navigation function unit 113. Furthermore, if no hospital is found by the surrounding area search, the vehicle will stop on the side of the road or the like and call 119, including the specified notification items as described above.

[0083] The condition for canceling the normal autonomous driving mode, which corresponds to the switching condition of "driver falling asleep," is "manual driving operation" if the destination is a "pre-set destination," and when the destination is "arrived at the destination" if the destination is a hospital or other destination.

[0084] Next, the switching condition "driver or passenger experiencing poor physical condition such as car sickness or nausea" will be described. In this case, the in-vehicle situation determination unit 117 determines the condition of "driver or passenger experiencing poor physical condition such as car sickness or nausea" from the image recognition result of the image of the driver or passenger taken by the image recognition unit 114 and the voice recognition result of the voice recognition unit 116, such as "feeling sick," "car sick," "nauseous," "about to vomit," "ugh," and "ugh."

[0085] The control content for this switching condition of "driver or passenger feeling unwell, such as car sickness or nausea" is to switch to forced autonomous driving mode. If the current location is on a highway, the destination is set to the nearest parking area (PA) or service area (SA), and if the current location is on a public road, the destination is set to "pull over to the shoulder and stop." It is also possible to register "return home" as a destination. The release condition for forced autonomous driving mode, which corresponds to this switching condition of "driver or passenger feeling unwell, such as car sickness or nausea," is set to "arrive at the destination."

[0086] Next, the switching condition "driver or passenger's urge to defecate or urinate" will be described. In this case, the in-vehicle situation determination unit 117 determines whether the driver or passenger is fidgeting by image recognition of the captured image of the driver or passenger by the image recognition unit 114, and also determines the situation of "driver or passenger's urge to defecate or urinate" from the voice recognition results of utterances such as "toilet" and "I'm about to leak" by the voice recognition unit 116.

[0087] The control content for this switching condition of "the driver's or passenger's need to defecate or urinate" is to switch to forced automated driving mode. The destination is set to the nearest PA (parking area) or SA (service area) if the current location is on a highway, and to the nearest "convenience store" or "gas station" or other location with a restroom if the current location is on a public road. This restroom location can be pre-registered based on the destination attribute, such as "convenience store" or "gas station." The release condition for forced automated driving mode, which corresponds to this switching condition of "the driver's or passenger's need to defecate or urinate," is set to "arrival at destination."

[0088] Next, the switching condition "overworked driving" will be explained. The switching condition in this case is one of three conditions. The first condition is that a single driver has continuously driven for a predetermined time or more, for example, two hours or more. The second condition is that the total driving time for a single driver has reached a predetermined time or more, for example, five hours or more. The third condition is that the number of times a single driver has switched between manual driving mode and automatic driving mode has reached a predetermined number or more, for example, 20 or more times in a single day. A situation in which any of the above three conditions is satisfied takes into consideration the possibility that the driver's safe driving may be impaired due to overwork. Note that the conditions for determining overwork are not limited to the above three conditions. For example, the driver's facial expression captured by the camera group 107 may be recognized to determine whether or not the driver has a fatigued expression, or the driver's biometric data may be measured to determine the degree of overwork.

[0089] The vehicle interior situation determination unit 117 determines that the vehicle interior situation has met the switching condition for the first or second condition by determining whether one driver has been driving continuously for two hours or more and whether the total driving time has exceeded five hours based on time information from the clock unit 119. The vehicle interior situation determination unit 117 also receives information about switching between the manual driving mode and the automatic driving mode from the manual / automatic driving mode switching control unit 104, counts the number of times this has occurred, and determines that the vehicle interior situation has met the switching condition for the third condition by determining that the number of times the vehicle has been switched between the manual driving mode and the automatic driving mode in one day while one driver is driving has reached 20 or more.

[0090] The control content for this "overwork driving" switching condition is to switch to forced automatic driving mode. The destination for this "overwork driving" switching condition is the destination set when the autonomous vehicle 1 starts traveling. The release condition for the forced automatic driving mode corresponding to this "overwork driving" switching condition is when the destination is reached.

[0091] Next, the switching condition "driver drinking" will be described. In this case, the vehicle interior situation determination unit 117 determines the vehicle interior situation of "driver drinking" based on the detection result of the alcohol concentration contained in the driver's breath by the breath sensor included in the sensor group 108. Furthermore, the image recognition unit 114 recognizes an image of the driver drinking inside the autonomous vehicle 1, and recognizes whether the bottle or can of the drink being drunk is an alcoholic beverage. The vehicle interior situation determination unit 117 receives the recognition result and determines the vehicle interior situation of "driver drinking."

[0092] The control content for this switching condition of "driver's drinking" is to switch to forced autonomous driving mode. The destination for this switching condition of "driver's drinking" is the destination set when the autonomous vehicle 1 is traveling (including when stopped at a red light or temporarily stopped at a railroad crossing, etc.). If the autonomous vehicle 1 is stopped in a parking lot or garage, the destination may be set to "not start," or the destination set when the vehicle started traveling may be set. The release condition for the forced autonomous driving mode corresponding to this switching condition of "driver's drinking" is set to "arrival at destination" or "elimination of switching condition." The switching condition is eliminated when the breath alcohol concentration of the driver measured by the breath sensor falls below a predetermined value, or after the time required for the driver to return to a normal state from a drunk state, for example, eight hours, has elapsed.

[0093] Next, the switching condition "driver looking away / inattentive" will be described. In this embodiment, the switching condition is when the driver continues to look away or inattentive for a predetermined period of time or more, for example, one minute or more. The in-vehicle situation determination unit 117 determines the in-vehicle situation of the driver looking away or inattentive from the image recognition results of the image of the driver captured by the camera, whether the driver is looking around for one minute or more and the direction of the driver's gaze. By taking into account the driver's looking around for one minute or more and the direction of the driver's gaze, it is possible to distinguish this from looking around to check left and right for safety while driving.

[0094] The following situations are likely to cause people to look away or distract themselves: Places of interest, historical sites, and spectacular scenery (including autumn leaves, etc.) In such places, drivers will want to enjoy the scenery and views, and may end up looking away or distracted, which could make it impossible to ensure safety in manual driving mode. Unusual events, such as festival portable shrines, fireworks, store opening sales, etc. Drivers will want to see these events, and may end up looking away or distracted, which could make it impossible to ensure safety in manual driving mode. Celebrities, such as famous entertainers, athletes, or people who have been in the news recently, can be tempting for drivers to look at such celebrities, which can lead to drivers looking away or distracting themselves, making it difficult to ensure safety in manual driving mode.

[0095] Taking the above-mentioned situations into consideration, the in-vehicle situation determination unit 117 can determine the in-vehicle situation of "the driver looking away or distracted" by detecting famous places, historical sites, and scenic views (including autumn leaves, etc.) using the surrounding search function of the car navigation function unit 113, in addition to detecting the state of looking around using the image recognition described above. Also, the in-vehicle situation determination unit 117 can access the Internet via the mobile phone function unit 118 to search for information on events in the vicinity of the current location, and can determine the in-vehicle situation of "the driver looking away or distracted" by detecting the results of events such as festivals, fireworks, and grand opening sales described above, in addition to detecting the state of looking around using the image recognition described above. Furthermore, by storing image information of famous entertainers, athletes, or people who have recently been in the news in the image information storage unit 134, the image recognition unit 114 can use the captured image information from a camera that takes pictures of the outside of the self-driving vehicle 1 and the image information of these people to detect the famous entertainers, athletes, or people who have recently been in the news, in addition to detecting the state of looking around using the image recognition unit 114, and determine the in-vehicle situation of ``the driver looking away or distracted.''

[0096] The control content for this switching condition of "driver looking away or inattentive" is to switch to forced autonomous driving mode. The destination for this switching condition of "driver looking away or inattentive" is the destination that was set when autonomous vehicle 1 started traveling.

[0097] If the driver is asked by a synthesized voice message whether they would like to stop by, and the answer is affirmative, the destination may be a famous place or historical site found in a nearby search, or an event venue found in an internet search, or the vehicle may be stopped on the side of the road for sightseeing.

[0098] The condition for canceling the forced automatic driving mode corresponding to the switching condition of "driver looking away or inattentive" is "arrival at destination" or "disappearance of the switching condition." The switching condition disappears after a predetermined time, for example, five minutes, has elapsed since the "driver looking away or inattentive" state ceased. Alternatively, it may disappear when the vehicle moves a predetermined distance, for example, 500 meters or more, from the location where the "driver looking away or inattentive" occurred.

[0099] Next, the switching condition "driver eating, drinking, or smoking" will be described. In this embodiment, the switching condition is that the driver continues to eat, drink, or smoke for a predetermined period of time or more, for example, three minutes or more. The vehicle interior situation determination unit 117 determines whether the driver is eating, drinking, or smoking based on the image recognition results of the image of the driver captured by the camera, and determines the vehicle interior situation of "driver eating, drinking, or smoking" based on the time information from the clock unit 119, depending on whether the state has continued for three minutes or more. Eating, drinking, or smoking by the driver for a short period of time less than three minutes is considered to be an acceptable level of interference with manual driving.

[0100] In this case, the image recognition unit 114 can determine whether the driver has eaten or drunk by recognizing rice balls, sandwiches, bento lunches, ice cream, water, tea, coffee, etc. included in the image of the driver captured by the camera, and can also recognize whether the driver is smoking if the driver is holding a cigarette. However, in this embodiment, the switching condition for "driver eating, drinking, or smoking" is configured to accept an expression of intent from the driver that they are willing to switch to automated driving when the switching condition is met, and this switching condition is only validated if the affirmative expression of intent is set.

[0101] The control content for this switching condition of "the driver eating, drinking, or smoking" is to switch to forced autonomous driving mode. The destination for this switching condition of "the driver eating, drinking, or smoking" is the destination set when autonomous vehicle 1 starts traveling.

[0102] The condition for canceling the forced automatic driving mode corresponding to the switching condition of "the driver eating, drinking, or smoking" is "the end of eating, drinking, or smoking," that is, "the termination of the switching condition."

[0103] Next, the switching condition "deterioration of the surrounding environment while driving" will be described. In this embodiment, the switching condition is a state in which the surrounding environment while driving is backlit, twilight (sunset), or bad weather (rain, snow, etc.) making it difficult for the driver to see the surroundings. The vehicle interior situation determination unit 117 determines the vehicle interior situation of "deterioration of the surrounding environment while driving" based on an image captured by a camera capturing an external image and sensor detection outputs from a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor. Note that the vehicle interior situation determination unit 117 may also determine the "deterioration of the surrounding environment while driving" by using the results of voice recognition by the voice recognition unit 116 when the driver vocally yells, "It's hard to see," "It's hard to drive," etc.

[0104] The control content for this switching condition of "the surrounding environment deteriorating while driving" is to switch to forced autonomous driving mode. Note that normal autonomous driving mode may be used instead of forced autonomous driving mode. The destination for this switching condition of "the surrounding environment deteriorating while driving" is the destination that was set when autonomous vehicle 1 started traveling.

[0105] The condition for canceling the forced automatic driving mode corresponding to the switching condition of "the surrounding environment worsens while driving" is "the disappearance of the switching condition", such as when the surrounding environment improves while driving.

[0106] Next, the switching condition "child and pet behavior" will be described. In this embodiment, if a child or baby behaves dangerously in the car, such as falling off the seat or suddenly starting to cry, the driver may become concerned and turn around in that direction, which may make it impossible to ensure safety in manual driving mode. The same applies to pet behavior, such as excretion or barking. Therefore, in this embodiment, these "child and pet behaviors" are used as switching conditions.

[0107] The in-vehicle situation determination unit 117 determines the above switching condition "child and pet behavior" from the image recognition results of the image captured by the camera capturing the passengers and the voice recognition results of the voice recognition unit 116, such as the crying of a child, the sound of a fall, and the barking of a pet.

[0108] The control content for this switching condition of "children's and pets' behavior" is to switch to forced autonomous driving mode, and the destination for this switching condition of "children's and pets' behavior" is the destination that was set when autonomous vehicle 1 started traveling.

[0109] The condition for canceling the forced automatic driving mode corresponding to the switching condition of "child and pet behavior" is set to "disappearance of the switching condition," such as when the child or pet returns to normal status.

[0110] Next, the switching condition "driver driving with one hand, hands-free driving" will be described. In this embodiment, the switching condition is that the driver continues to drive with one hand for a predetermined time or more, for example, two minutes or more, or that the driver continues to drive with hands-free driving for a predetermined time or more, for example, ten seconds or more. The vehicle interior situation determination unit 117 determines whether the driver is driving with one hand or hands-free driving based on the image recognition results of the image of the driver captured by the camera, and determines the vehicle interior situation of "driver driving with one hand, hands-free driving" based on the time information from the clock unit 119, depending on whether the state has continued for two minutes or more or ten seconds or more.

[0111] The control content for the switching condition of "one-handed driving by the driver, hands-free driving" is to switch to forced automatic driving mode. At this time, a voice message such as "One-handed driving and hands-free driving are dangerous, so we have switched to automatic driving mode" is emitted from speaker 138 to alert the driver.

[0112] The destination for this switching condition between "driving with one hand by the driver and hands-free driving" is the destination that was set when the autonomous vehicle 1 started traveling. The condition for canceling the forced autonomous driving mode, which corresponds to this switching condition between "driving with one hand by the driver and hands-free driving," is when the driver stops driving with one hand or hands-free driving and "the driver's driving posture becomes correct."

[0113] Next, the switching condition "driver's footwear is inappropriate" will be described. In this embodiment, the switching condition is when the driver's footwear is inappropriate for driving, such as geta (wooden clogs), slippers, or high heels, which may cause driving errors, or when the driver is barefoot.

[0114] The in-vehicle situation determination unit 117 determines whether the footwear is inappropriate, such as geta sandals, slippers, or high heels, or whether the driver is barefoot, based on the image recognition results of the footwear (or feet) in the image captured by the camera.

[0115] The control content for the switching condition of "driver's footwear is inappropriate" is to switch to forced automatic driving mode. At this time, a synthesized voice message is sent to the driver, warning them to change or put on shoes, saying "Your footwear is inappropriate for driving, so please change your footwear" or "Bare feet are inappropriate for driving, so please wear shoes."

[0116] The destination for this switching condition of "the driver's footwear is inappropriate" is the destination that was set when the autonomous vehicle 1 started traveling. The condition for canceling the forced autonomous driving mode corresponding to this switching condition of "the driver's footwear is inappropriate" is when the driver changes to appropriate footwear or puts on appropriate footwear, and the switching condition disappears.

[0117] The contents stored in the automatic driving switching condition storage unit 135 described above are configured to store the switching conditions, forced automatic driving details after switching, and cancellation conditions as corresponding processing programs. For the switching conditions, forced automatic driving details after switching, and cancellation conditions that the user will set later, the electronic control circuit unit 10 of the automatically driving vehicle 1 has a processing function that allows the user to enter the switching conditions, cancellation conditions, and control details in the forced automatic driving mode as described above, and automatically generate corresponding processing programs and store them in the automatic driving switching condition storage unit 135.

[0118] The electronic control circuit unit 10 of the autonomous vehicle 1 is configured as described above, but of the blocks shown in Figure 1, the processing functions of the motor drive control unit 102, steering drive control unit 103, manual / autonomous driving mode switching control unit 104, surrounding moving object recognition unit 109, current position detection unit 110, car navigation function unit 113, image recognition unit 114, autonomous driving switching condition determination unit 115, voice recognition unit 116, and in-vehicle situation determination unit 117 can be realized by the control unit 101 as software processing.

[0119] [Example of driving mode switching processing operation in the self-driving vehicle 1 according to the embodiment] Figure 6 and its sequel, Figure 7, are flowcharts illustrating the flow of processing operations when an autonomous vehicle 1 of an embodiment monitors switching conditions while driving in manual driving mode (which may also be while parked or stopped) and switches to normal autonomous driving mode or forced autonomous driving mode.

[0120] 6 and 7, the explanation will be given on the assumption that the control unit 101 realizes, as software processing, the processing functions of the motor drive control unit 102, steering drive control unit 103, manual / automatic driving mode switching control unit 104, surrounding moving object recognition unit 109, current position detection unit 110, car navigation function unit 113, image recognition unit 114, automatic driving switching condition determination unit 115, voice recognition unit 116, and in-vehicle situation determination unit 117, among the blocks shown in Fig. 1. The same applies to the explanation of the other flowcharts described below.

[0121] In consideration of the possibility that the automatic driving mode may be switched to the forced automatic driving mode against the driver's will while in the manual driving mode, the automatic driving vehicle 1 of this embodiment is configured so that the driver inputs a destination setting in the car navigation function when starting the engine of the automatic driving vehicle and starting off for the first time. Therefore, after switching to the forced automatic driving mode, the automatic driving vehicle 1 can control driving to head toward the destination using the route guidance function of the destination car navigation function unit 113, unless a destination other than the preset destination at the time of start is specified as the destination in the automatic driving switching condition storage unit 135.

[0122] For this reason, the destination information in the automatic driving switching condition table TBL in the above-mentioned Figures 2 to 4 includes the specification of a pre-set destination, but in this way, it is not necessary to store the specification information of a pre-set destination as the destination, and when there is no destination specification information for the switching conditions in the automatic driving switching condition table TBL, the destination can be automatically determined to be the pre-set destination at the time of departure.

[0123] 6, first, the control unit 101 sends a message prompting the driver to input a destination (destination) (step S1). Then, the control unit 101 waits for the driver to input and set a destination (step S2), and when it determines that the input of the destination has been accepted, it stores the input destination (step S3). When it determines that the input of the destination has not been accepted, it returns to step S2 and continues to monitor the input of the destination.

[0124] Next, the control unit 101 determines whether the driving mode is the manual driving mode (step S4). If it is determined in step S4 that the driving mode is the automatic driving mode rather than the manual driving mode, the control unit 101 proceeds to a processing routine for the automatic driving mode. In this processing routine for the automatic driving mode, the vehicle is caused to head to the destination stored in step S3 in the automatic driving mode.

[0125] If it is determined in step S4 that the driving mode is the manual driving mode, the control unit 101 monitors the conditions for switching to the automatic driving mode stored in the automatic driving switching condition storage unit 135 (step S5). Then, the control unit 101 determines whether the above-mentioned switching conditions are met (step S6), and if it determines that the conditions are not met, the process returns to step S5 and continues monitoring the switching conditions.

[0126] If it is determined in step S6 that the switching conditions are met, the control unit 101 determines whether the setting of the automatic driving mode to be switched from the manual driving mode due to the met switching conditions is the forced automatic driving mode (step S7).

[0127] If it is determined in step S7 that the setting is the forced automatic driving mode, the control unit 101 switches from the manual driving mode to the forced automatic driving mode and notifies the driver of this by means of a voice message via the speaker 138 (step S8).The control unit 101 then executes the control content after switching to the forced automatic driving mode in accordance with the matched switching condition (step S9).

[0128] Next, the control unit 101 starts monitoring the conditions for canceling the forced automatic driving mode (step S21 in FIG. 7). Then, the control unit 101 determines whether the conditions for canceling the forced automatic driving mode are met (step S22), and if it determines that the conditions are not met, the control unit 101 returns the process to step S21 and continues monitoring the conditions for canceling the forced automatic driving mode.

[0129] If it is determined in step S22 that the conditions for canceling the forced automatic driving mode are met, the control unit 101 switches the driving mode to the normal automatic driving mode and notifies the driver of this by means of a voice message via the speaker 138 (step S23).The control unit 101 then determines whether or not a manual driving operation has been detected (step S24), and if it determines that a manual driving operation has not been detected, it continues step S24 and waits for a manual driving operation.

[0130] If it is determined in step S24 that a manual driving operation has been detected, the control unit 101 switches from the normal automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode and notifies the driver of this by means of a voice message via the speaker 138 (step S25).Then, the control unit 101 returns the process to step S5 and repeats the processes from step S5 onwards.

[0131] Furthermore, if it is determined in step S7 that the setting is not the forced automatic driving mode but the normal automatic driving mode, the control unit 101 switches from the manual driving mode to the normal automatic driving mode and notifies the driver of this by means of a voice message via the speaker 138 (step S10).Then, the control unit 101 executes the control content after switching to the normal automatic driving mode in accordance with the matched switching condition (step S11).

[0132] Next, the control unit 101 shifts the process to step S24 and determines whether a manual driving operation has been detected (step S24). If it determines that a manual driving operation has not been detected, it continues this step S24 and waits for a manual driving operation. If it determines in step S24 that a manual driving operation has been detected, the control unit 101 switches from the normal automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode and notifies the driver of this by means of a voice message via the speaker 138 (step S25). Then, the control unit 101 returns the process to step S5 and repeats the processes from step S5 onwards.

[0133] In the above process, when the conditions for canceling the forced automatic driving mode are met, the vehicle switches from the forced automatic driving mode to the normal automatic driving mode and then to the manual driving mode. However, it is also possible to switch directly from the forced automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode without switching to the normal automatic driving mode.

[0134] The above is a description of the general operational flow of the main parts of the driving mode switching process in the automatically driven vehicle 1 of this embodiment. Next, an example of the processing operation from monitoring the switching conditions in step S5 of Fig. 6 to processing the control content in the automatically driven mode in step S9 or step S11 will be described in more detail with reference to the flowcharts of Figs. 8 to 13.

[0135] That is, the control unit 101 photographs the driver and passengers with a camera of the camera group 107 that photographs the interior of the vehicle, and performs image recognition and analysis on the photographed image (step S31). The processing of step S31 corresponds to the image recognition processing of the image recognition unit 114 and the processing of the image recognition result by the vehicle interior situation determination unit 117.

[0136] Next, the control unit 101 collects sounds and voices inside the vehicle using the microphone 137, and recognizes and analyzes the collected sounds and voices (step S32). The processing of step S32 corresponds to the voice recognition processing of the voice recognition unit 116 and the processing of the voice recognition result by the vehicle interior situation determination unit 117.

[0137] Next, the control unit 101 acquires and analyzes the output of sensors that contribute to determining the in-vehicle situation, such as a breath sensor provided in the vehicle, among the sensor group 108, and also acquires and analyzes other information necessary for determining the in-vehicle situation (step S33). Here, the other information necessary for determining the in-vehicle situation includes time information from the clock unit 119, information on the surrounding search results from the car navigation function unit 113, information acquired from the Internet via the mobile phone function unit 118, driving mode switching information from the manual / automatic driving mode switching control unit 104, etc.

[0138] Next, the control unit 101 determines the vehicle interior situation from the analysis result of the above information (step S34). The process of step S34 corresponds to the process of the vehicle interior situation determination unit 117.

[0139] Next, the control unit 101 compares the in-vehicle situation determined in step S34 with the switching conditions stored in the automatic driving switching condition memory unit 135 (step S35), and based on this comparison, determines whether the in-vehicle situation matches "Abnormality in the health condition of the driver or passenger 1" among the switching conditions (step S36).

[0140] If it is determined in step S36 that the in-vehicle situation matches the switching condition "abnormal change in the health condition of the driver or passenger 1," the control unit 101 switches to forced automatic driving mode in accordance with the control content of the switching condition "abnormal change in the health condition of the driver or passenger 1" stored in the automatic driving switching condition memory unit 135, and notifies the driver of this (step S37).

[0141] Next, the control unit 101 reads out the destination information for the switching condition "Change in Health Condition of Driver or Passenger 1" stored in the automatic driving switching condition storage unit 135 (step S38), and determines whether the destination is a specific hospital (step S41 in FIG. 9). If it is determined in step S41 that the destination is a specific hospital, the control unit 101 searches for a route from the current location to the specified hospital and sets the destination to the hospital (step S42). At this time, if the telephone number of the hospital is stored in the automatic driving switching condition storage unit 135, the control unit 101 calls the hospital via the mobile phone function unit 118, notifies the hospital of the characteristics of the vehicle, the name of the driver, and the like, and generates a synthesized voice message stating that the suddenly ill person will be taken there, and notifies the hospital. After step S42, the control unit 101 proceeds to step S21 in FIG. 7.

[0142] Furthermore, if it is determined in step S41 that a specific hospital is not designated as the destination, the control unit 101 determines whether a hospital close to the current location is designated as the destination (step S43). If it is determined in step S43 that a hospital close to the current location is designated as the destination, the control unit 101 performs a peripheral search for emergency hospitals or general hospitals close to the current location, centering on the current location (step S44), searches for a route from the current location to the emergency hospital or general hospital detected in the peripheral search, and sets the hospital as the destination (step S45). At this time, if the telephone number of the hospital is acquired through the peripheral search, the control unit 101 calls the hospital via the mobile phone function unit 118, provides the characteristics of the vehicle, the driver's name, etc., and generates a synthesized voice message to notify the hospital that the emergency patient is being taken there. After step S45, the control unit 101 proceeds to step S21 of FIG. 7.

[0143] If it is determined in step S43 that a hospital close to the current location has not been specified as the destination, the control unit 101 determines whether or not calling 119 has been specified (step S46). If it is determined in step S46 that calling 119 has been specified, the control unit 101 stops the vehicle at a parking or stopping location such as the shoulder of the road (step S47) and calls 119 via the mobile phone function unit 118 (step S48). In this call to 119, the characteristics of the vehicle, the driver's name, the driver's status (e.g., unconsciousness, loss of consciousness, fainting), the name and address of the current location, etc. are generated and notified as a synthesized voice. In this case, the destination is the location where the vehicle is to be stopped. In this case, the processing ends in step S48.

[0144] If it is determined in step S46 that calling 119 is not specified, the control unit 101 jumps the process to step S44.

[0145] If no emergency hospital or general hospital near the current location is detected in the surrounding area search in step S44, the process may jump to step S47, where an emergency call to emergency services is made.

[0146] Next, in step S36 of FIG. 8, when it is determined that the in-vehicle situation does not meet the switching condition "abnormality 1 in the health condition of the driver or passenger," the control unit 101 determines whether the in-vehicle situation meets the switching condition "abnormality 2 in the health condition of the driver or passenger" (step S51 of FIG. 10).

[0147] If it is determined in step S51 that the switching condition "abnormal change in the health condition of the driver or passenger 2" is met, the control unit 101 switches to forced automatic driving mode in accordance with the control content of the switching condition "abnormal change in the health condition of the driver or passenger 2" stored in the automatic driving switching condition memory unit 135, and notifies the driver of this (step S52).

[0148] Next, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a registered destination has been specified by referring to the destination information of the switching condition "Unusual change in health condition of driver or passenger 2" stored in the automatic driving switching condition storage unit 135 (step S53). If it is determined in step S53 that a registered destination has been specified, the control unit 101 transmits a voice inquiry asking whether the registered destination is acceptable (step S54). At this time, the inquiry is made so that the location of the registered destination can also be determined.

[0149] Next, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a response to this inquiry has been received indicating that the registered destination is acceptable (step S55). If it is determined in step S55 that a response has been received indicating that the registered destination is acceptable, the control unit 101 performs processing according to the registered destination, such as the above-mentioned steps S42, S44, and S45 (step S56). After this processing, the control unit 101 proceeds to step S21 in FIG. 7.

[0150] If the answer received in step S55 is that the destination is other than the registered destination, the control unit 101 generates a synthesized voice message inquiring of the driver or passenger about the destination and emits the message through the speaker 138 (step S57).

[0151] If it is determined in step S53 that no registered destination has been specified, the control unit 101 proceeds to step S57. The control unit 101 then determines whether a response to the inquiry in step S57 has been received (step S58). If it is determined that a response has been received, the control unit 101 performs voice recognition on the voice information of the response to identify the specified destination (step S59). The destination specification at this time may not only specify a specific destination, but may also specify a destination attribute such as "nearby hospital." The control unit 101 then performs processing for the specified destination according to the identified destination, such as steps S42, S44, and S45 described above (step S60). After completing this processing, the control unit 101 proceeds to step S21 in FIG. 7.

[0152] If it is determined in step S58 that there is no response to the inquiry in step S57, the control unit 101 stops the vehicle at a place where it can be parked or stopped, such as the shoulder of the road (step S61), and calls 119 via the mobile phone function unit 118 (step S62). In this call to 119, the characteristics of the vehicle, the occurrence of a sudden illness, the name and address of the current location, etc. are generated as a synthesized voice to notify the user. In this case, the destination is the place where the vehicle is to be stopped. In this case, the processing ends in step S62.

[0153] If it is determined in step S51 that the in-vehicle situation does not meet the switching condition "abnormal change in the health condition of the driver or passenger 2," the control unit 101 determines whether the in-vehicle situation meets the switching condition "driver dozing" (step S71 in FIG. 11). If it is determined in step S71 that the in-vehicle situation meets the switching condition "driver dozing," the control unit 101 switches to the autonomous driving mode in accordance with the control content of the switching condition "driver dozing" stored in the autonomous driving switching condition storage unit 135 (step S72), and emits a synthetic voice message to wake up the driver, such as "wake up" or "danger" at a loud volume, from the speaker 138 (step S73). Note that, as a means for waking up the driver, in addition to emitting a synthetic voice message, flashing lights for the driver, vibration of the driver's seat, or vibration of the steering wheel may be used, or a combination of these may be used.

[0154] Next, the control unit 101 checks whether the driver has been awakened by the voice call based on the image recognition results of the image of the driver captured by the camera and the voice recognition results of the reply voice from the driver (step S74). If it is determined in step S74 that the driver is awakened, the control unit 101 proceeds to step S24 in FIG.

[0155] Furthermore, if it is determined in step S74 that the driver's wakefulness cannot be confirmed, the control unit 101 determines that the driver is not simply dozing off, but that something physically unusual has happened to the driver, and stops the vehicle at a place where it can be parked or stopped, such as the shoulder of the road (step S75), and calls 119 via the mobile phone function unit 118 (step S76). In this call to 119, the characteristics of the vehicle, the occurrence of a sudden illness, the name and address of the current location, etc. are notified using synthesized voice. In this case, the destination is the place where the vehicle is to be stopped. In this case, the processing ends in step S76.

[0156] If it is determined in step S71 that the in-vehicle situation does not meet the switching condition of "driver dozing," the control unit 101 determines whether the in-vehicle situation meets the switching condition of "driver or passenger is in poor physical condition" (step S81 in FIG. 12). If it is determined in step S81 that the in-vehicle situation meets the switching condition of "driver or passenger is in poor physical condition," the control unit 101 switches to the forced automatic driving mode in accordance with the control content of the switching condition of "driver or passenger is in poor physical condition" stored in the automatic driving switching condition storage unit 135, and notifies the driver of this (step S82).

[0157] Next, the control unit 101 determines whether or not home is registered as a destination by referring to the destination information for the switching condition "ill health of the driver or passenger" stored in the automatic driving switching condition storage unit 135 (step S83). If it is determined in step S83 that home is registered as a destination, the control unit 101 generates a synthesized voice inquiring whether or not to return home, and emits the voice from the speaker 138 (step S84).

[0158] The control unit 101 determines whether to return home depending on whether an affirmative response (voice) to this inquiry is received from the driver (step S85). If it is determined in step S85 that an affirmative response to the inquiry has been received and that the driver will return home, the control unit 101 sets the destination to home, searches for a route from the current position back to home, and returns home in forced automatic driving mode (step S86). In this case, the process ends at step S86.

[0159] If it is determined in step S85 that the user will not return home because an affirmative response to the inquiry has not been received, the control unit 101 proceeds to step S87. Also, if it is determined in step S83 that the user's home is not registered as a destination, the control unit 101 proceeds to step S87.

[0160] In step S87, the control unit 101 determines whether the current location is on an expressway, and if it determines that the current location is on an expressway, it searches for the nearest PA (parking area) or SA (service area) in the direction of travel, and sets the PA (parking area) or SA (service area) found in the search result as the destination (step S88). Then, in step S88, this processing routine ends.

[0161] Furthermore, if it is determined in step S87 that the current location is not on an expressway but on an ordinary road, the control unit 101 stops the vehicle in a place where parking is possible, such as a road shoulder (step S89). Then, in step S88, this processing routine ends.

[0162] If it is determined in step S81 that the in-vehicle situation does not match the switching condition "the driver or passenger is in poor physical condition," the control unit 101 determines whether the in-vehicle situation matches the switching condition "the driver or passenger has the urge to defecate or urinate" (step S91 in FIG. 13). If it is determined in step S91 that the in-vehicle situation matches the switching condition "the driver or passenger has the urge to defecate or urinate," the control unit 101 switches to the forced automatic driving mode in accordance with the control content of the switching condition "the driver or passenger has the urge to defecate or urinate" stored in the automatic driving switching condition storage unit 135, and notifies the driver of this (step S92).

[0163] Next, the control unit 101 refers to the destination information for the switching condition "driver or passenger's need to defecate or urinate" stored in the automatic driving switching condition storage unit 135, and determines whether the current location is on an expressway (step S93). If it determines that the current location is on an expressway, it searches for the nearest PA (parking area) or SA (service area) in the direction of travel, and sets the PA (parking area) or SA (service area) found in the search result as the destination (step S94). Then, with this step S94, this processing routine ends.

[0164] Furthermore, if it is determined in step S93 that the current location is not on an expressway but on an ordinary road, the control unit 101 searches for a location with a toilet, such as the nearest convenience store or gas station, and sets the location detected as a result of the search as the destination (step S95). Then, in step S95, this processing routine ends.

[0165] Furthermore, if it is determined in step S91 that the in-vehicle situation does not satisfy the switching condition of "driver or passenger feeling the need to defecate or urinate," the control unit 101 determines whether or not other switching conditions stored in the automatic driving switching condition storage unit 135 are satisfied, such as "driving due to fatigue," "driving alcohol consumption," "looking away or inattentive driving by the driver," "eating, drinking, or smoking by the driver," "deterioration of the driving environment," "abnormal behavior of passenger children or pets," "driving style or posture of the driver," or "the driver wearing footwear that interferes with driving, or no footwear at all" (step S96). If it is determined in step S96 that the in-vehicle situation does not satisfy the other switching conditions, the control unit 101 returns the process to step S31 in Fig. 8 and repeats the processes from step S31 onward.

[0166] 7. Furthermore, if it is determined in step S96 that any of the other switching conditions stored in the automatic driving switching condition storage unit 135 is met, the control unit 101 executes the control content stored corresponding to the met switching condition, and determines the destination based on the destination information stored corresponding to the met switching condition (step S97).Then, the control unit 101 proceeds to step S21 in FIG.

[0167] [Effects of the embodiment] According to the self-driving vehicle of the embodiment described above, even if the self-driving vehicle is forcibly switched from manual driving mode to self-driving mode in order to prevent traffic accidents, etc., the self-driving vehicle 1 will continue to drive in self-driving mode to the destination that the driver has set in advance, so it will not end up driving on a route different from the route to the destination that the driver intended.

[0168] Furthermore, the self-driving vehicle of the above-described embodiment has the remarkable effect of being able to direct the self-driving vehicle to an appropriate destination in response to a physical abnormality occurring in the driver or passengers while ensuring safety so as to avoid traffic accidents, etc. That is, even if the driver loses consciousness, loses consciousness, or faints, a hospital is set as the destination, so it is expected that an appropriate response will be made quickly in response to the physical abnormality occurring in the driver. In particular, even if there is only one driver in the vehicle, the self-driving vehicle of this embodiment has the remarkable effect of being able to take appropriate action by transporting the driver to a hospital, etc.

[0169] [Other embodiments or modifications] In the above description of the embodiments, examples of switching conditions in the automatic driving switching condition table TBL of Figures 2, 3, and 4 include "abnormal change in the health condition of the driver or passenger 1," "abnormal change in the health condition of the driver or passenger 2," "driver falling asleep," "driver or passenger feeling unwell such as carsickness or nausea," "driver or passenger feeling the urge to defecate or urinate," "driving while fatigued," "driver drinking," "driver looking away or distracted while driving," "driver eating, drinking, or smoking," "deterioration of the driving environment," "abnormal behavior of children or pets in the car," "driver's driving style or posture," and "driver wearing footwear that interferes with driving, or no footwear at all," which are conditions for avoiding situations that are likely to lead to accidents and ensuring safe driving. These switching conditions are used when the self-driving vehicle is driving in manual driving mode, when parked, or when stopped. However, among these switching conditions, "driver falling asleep," "driver looking away or distracted while driving," "driver eating, drinking, or smoking," "deteriorating driving environment," "abnormal behavior of children or pets in the car," and "driver's driving style or posture" basically do not affect safety when the self-driving vehicle is stopped, so they can be set as switching conditions only when the vehicle is driving, and not when the vehicle is parked or stopped.

[0170] Furthermore, for "Abnormal change in the health condition of the driver or passenger 1" and "Abnormal change in the health condition of the driver or passenger 2," it is necessary to rush to a hospital or call 119 and pull over to the side of the road, etc., and wait for an ambulance to arrive, so these can be used as switching conditions not only when the vehicle is driving in manual driving mode, parked, or stopped, but also when the vehicle is driving, parked, or stopped in normal automated driving mode. For "Driver or passenger feeling unwell, such as car sickness or nausea," and "Driver or passenger feeling the need to defecate or urinate," these can also be used as switching conditions even when the vehicle is driving in normal automated driving mode, parked, or stopped, because they require moving to the nearest PA (parking area), SA (service area), or gas station, etc., to use the restroom or take a break.

[0171] In the above description of the embodiment, the switching conditions are determined serially, but the conditions may be determined in parallel.

[0172] Furthermore, in the above description of the embodiment, the in-vehicle conditions that serve as switching conditions are physical abnormalities in the driver or passengers, or situations in which manual driving of the vehicle is hindered due to the actions or behavior of the driver or passengers, but the in-vehicle conditions that include external factors that occur inside the vehicle may also be used as switching conditions.

[0173] For example, based on a fire or other abnormality occurring in the autonomous vehicle, a switching condition can be set to a burn or injury to the driver or passenger, and the destination can be set to, for example, a hospital. Furthermore, to prevent passengers from committing suicide by bringing charcoal briquettes into the vehicle, the switching conditions can be set to a predetermined level of carbon monoxide concentration inside the vehicle and the passenger being immobile and not driving. In this case, the carbon monoxide concentration can be detected by a carbon monoxide concentration sensor, and the passenger being immobile and not driving can be detected by image recognition of images captured by a camera included in the camera group 107. In this case, the destination can be set to a hospital, and the autonomous vehicle can start from a stopped state and transport the passenger, or call 119 and pull over to the side of the road or other location to wait for an ambulance to arrive. At the same time, the window can be opened to reduce the carbon monoxide concentration. The release conditions for these conditions can be set to "arrival at the destination (hospital)" or "arrival of an ambulance."

[0174] Alternatively, a switching condition may be when the door locks cannot be unlocked due to a malfunction of the self-driving vehicle, preventing passengers from exiting the vehicle. In this case, the situation inside the vehicle can be detected based on the detection of passengers uttering "help me" or "I can't get out" and the detection output of the door sensor. In this case, the destination is set to, for example, an auto repair shop or an auto dealership, and the door locks are unlocked there. The release condition is when "the door locks are unlocked" or "the passenger arrives at the destination (auto repair shop, etc.)."

[0175] Furthermore, if a self-driving car breaks out into a fire inside the car and is unable to extinguish it, it is dangerous to continue driving, so the condition for switching is to call 119 and stop the car on the shoulder of the road where there is no risk of other fires. The driver and passengers should get out of the self-driving car and wait for the arrival of a fire engine. This can be applied even if the self-driving car is unmanned (autonomous). The condition for switching off is when "the fire has been extinguished" or "a fire engine has arrived."

[0176] If an autonomous vehicle experiences an abnormality or malfunction while driving unmanned (autonomous), it can use this as a switching condition to change its destination to a location where the abnormality or malfunction can be repaired or fixed, such as an auto repair shop or car dealership. Depending on the severity and nature of the abnormality or malfunction, the vehicle may contact the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) and pull over to the side of the road to wait for the JAF to arrive. The cancellation condition is when the abnormality or malfunction is repaired or fixed, or when the vehicle arrives at the destination (such as an auto repair shop). If there is a problem with refueling or the battery, or if the remaining fuel is low, this can be used as a switching condition to direct the vehicle to a gas station or charging station. The cancellation condition is when the problem is resolved or refueling is completed, or when the vehicle arrives at the destination (such as a gas station).

[0177] This invention can also be applied to measures to control the temperature inside a car in the summer and to prevent heatstroke. There have been many tragic incidents reported in which parents have left their infants or children in the car while they went shopping at a supermarket or department store or while playing pachinko at a pachinko parlor, resulting in the death or serious injury of infants or children inside the car. In the summer, the temperature inside a car can be much higher than the outside temperature, sometimes exceeding 50°C.

[0178] In consideration of such dangers, an autonomous vehicle is equipped with a temperature sensor (thermometer), and when a predetermined temperature (e.g., 35°C) or higher continues for a predetermined period of time (e.g., 3 minutes), the autonomous vehicle parked or stopped in the sun can be moved to a shady spot and parked or stopped there. If no shade is found, the autonomous vehicle will search for a location with the lowest possible outside temperature and park or stop there. The air conditioner may also be turned on. This keeps the interior of the autonomous vehicle at a comfortable temperature. The release condition is when the temperature inside the vehicle drops below a predetermined temperature, or when the vehicle is parked or stopped in a shady spot, or when the vehicle is parked or stopped in a location with a low outside temperature.

[0179] Furthermore, the camera included in the camera group 107 captures images of passengers (people remaining in the vehicle) and recognizes their sweating, facial expressions, and body movements through image recognition, or the microphone 137 picks up the passengers' voices and recognizes words such as "hot," "painful," and "help me," as well as moans and gasps, to detect dangers such as heatstroke. If the passenger is in danger of heatstroke or other such danger, the system can use the condition for switching on to notify the driver of the abnormality via mobile phone and transport the passenger to a hospital. Alternatively, the system can call 119, stop the vehicle on the side of the road, or wait for an ambulance to arrive. The conditions for canceling the system in this case are "recovery from a dangerous condition such as heatstroke," "arrival at the destination (hospital)," or "arrival of an ambulance."

[0180] Furthermore, instead of using the temperature inside the self-driving car, a risk assessment index such as WBGT (Wet Bulb Globe Temperature), which is called a heat index, may be used. WBGT can be applied by equipping the self-driving car with a WBGT index meter. The method for calculating WBGT is as follows: Outdoor: 0.7 x wet bulb temperature + 0.2 x black bulb temperature + 0.1 x dry bulb temperature Indoor: 0.7 x wet bulb temperature + 0.3 x black bulb temperature The WBGT inside an autonomous vehicle is calculated according to the outdoor standard for open-top cars, and according to the indoor standard for other cars. WBGT is calculated as follows: Over 31℃: Danger 28℃~31℃ High alert 25℃~28℃ Caution 21℃~25℃ Caution Below 21℃: Almost safe Guidelines are provided.

[0181] When WBGT is used, a switching condition is when a predetermined WBGT (e.g., 25°C) or higher continues for a predetermined time (e.g., 10 minutes) or more, or when a predetermined WBGT (e.g., 30°C) is exceeded. A self-driving vehicle parked or stopped in the sun can be moved to a shady spot and parked or stopped there. As with the temperature case described above, if shade is not available, a location with the lowest possible outside temperature can be found and the vehicle can be parked or stopped there. The air conditioner may also be turned on. This maintains a comfortable WBGT inside the self-driving vehicle. Similarly to the above, a switching condition is when a passenger is in danger, and the passenger can be transported to a hospital, or 119 can be called, the vehicle can be parked on the side of the road, or an ambulance can be waited for. The release conditions are the same as those described above.

[0182] Infants and young children have underdeveloped thermoregulatory functions, and their body temperature can rise in a short period of time in high temperatures, potentially leading to death. Furthermore, because they are unable to open windows themselves, the temperature and WBGT settings for the switching conditions should be set lower to ensure safety compared to healthy adults. Elderly people also face similar risks, as their thermoregulatory functions decline with age, so the temperature and WBGT settings for the switching conditions should be set lower. The passenger's age can be input in advance or estimated using image recognition, and the above-mentioned predetermined temperature, WBGT, and time can be varied based on that age. Furthermore, sick people with weakened physical strength and immune systems are also at high risk of heatstroke, so the temperature and WBGT settings for the switching conditions should be set lower.

[0183] The above explanation is about measures to combat the heat, but it can also be applied to measures to combat the cold. In the case of cold weather, the opposite of the heat countermeasures is to move an autonomous vehicle parked or stopped in the shade into a sunny spot. Of course, the air conditioner will operate as a heater, not a cooler.

[0184] This invention can also be applied to cases where the switching condition is the driver's or passenger's ingestion of addictive drugs such as narcotics or stimulants, and the corresponding destination is set to the police or a hospital. In this case, the in-vehicle situation corresponding to the switching condition can be determined by, for example, recognizing the ingestion (injection or inhalation) of addictive drugs such as narcotics or stimulants by the driver or passenger through image recognition of images captured by a camera.

[0185] In the self-driving car of the above-described embodiment, the various databases and storage units are configured to be on-board the vehicle itself, but this is not a limitation and they may of course be located on the cloud.The camera group 107 also does not have to be on-board the vehicle itself, and the self-driving car may obtain images via communication from surveillance cameras installed on traffic lights, streetlights, etc., or obtain images from cameras in other vehicles via vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

[0186] In addition, when recognizing or determining the situation inside the vehicle, such as physical abnormalities in the driver or passengers, image information and audio information inside the vehicle can be sent to an expert (e.g., a doctor) or uploaded to the cloud to obtain recognition and determination results.

[0187] In the self-driving vehicle of the above-described embodiment, the mobile phone function unit 118 is pre-installed in the self-driving vehicle and registered to a subscriber, but a mobile phone, smartphone, or tablet owned by the driver or passenger can be attached to a storage pocket (station) of the self-driving vehicle and connected to the self-driving vehicle to have the same functions as the built-in mobile phone function unit 118.

[0188] Furthermore, instead of determining whether the determination result of the vehicle interior situation determination unit 117 matches the switching condition while driving, parked, or stopped in manual driving mode, the vehicle interior situation determination unit 117 may determine whether the determination result matches the switching condition while driving, parked, or stopped in normal automatic driving mode, and if so, change the destination to a hospital set according to the matched switching condition, or stop the vehicle on the shoulder of the road or the like and call 119. In this case, even when the vehicle interior situation matches the switching condition, the normal automatic driving mode may be continued, or the vehicle may be switched to forced automatic driving mode. However, in this case, since the autonomous vehicle does not have a manual driving mode, the forced automatic driving mode does not prevent manual driving operations for switching to manual driving mode, but rather prevents destination changes by the driver or passengers when the vehicle interior situation matches the switching condition.

[0189] This example is particularly effective when the autonomous vehicle does not have a manual driving mode and only has an autonomous driving mode. According to this example, even when the vehicle is running in normal autonomous driving mode, parked, or stopped, if an in-vehicle situation occurs, such as when the driver or passenger experiences a physical abnormality, the destination can be changed to a hospital, or the vehicle can be stopped on the side of the road and 911 can be called.

[0190] Furthermore, although the self-driving vehicle in the above-described embodiment is an electric vehicle, the present invention is also applicable to gasoline vehicles, hybrid vehicles, fuel cell vehicles, and vehicles with other drive systems.

[0191] Furthermore, the present invention is applicable not only to standard automobiles and light automobiles, but also to trucks, buses, taxis, police cars, ambulances, fire engines, training cars, tractors, dump trucks, excavators, forklifts, as well as single-occupancy automobiles, motorcycles, and tricycles. [Explanation of symbols]

[0192] 1...Autonomous driving vehicle, 10...Electronic control circuit section, 101...Control section, 104...Manual / automatic driving mode switching control section, 105...Manual driving operation detection section, 107...Camera group, 108...Sensor group, 114...Image recognition section, 115...Automatic driving switching condition determination section, 116...Speech recognition section, 117...In-vehicle situation determination section, 118...Mobile phone function section, 119...Clock section, 120...Synthesized voice generation section, 134...Image information storage section, 135...Automatic driving switching condition storage section, 136...Speech information storage section

Claims

1. In a vehicle equipped with an automatic driving mode in which the vehicle travels autonomously and a manual driving mode in which the driver drives the vehicle manually, a smoking time determination means for determining whether the driver has been smoking for a predetermined time or more in the manual operation mode; a driving mode switching means for switching from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode when the smoking time determination means determines that the driver has been smoking for the predetermined time or longer; A motor vehicle comprising:

2. a control means for controlling the vehicle to head toward a preset destination in the automatic driving mode switched by the driving mode switching means; 2. The vehicle according to claim 1 .

3. The vehicle is equipped with one or more cameras for photographing the driver and a clock unit, The smoking time determination means performs image recognition on the images taken by the one or more cameras to determine whether the driver is smoking, and determines whether the driver has been smoking for the predetermined time or longer based on the time information of the clock unit.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1 or 2.

4. a receiving means for receiving an instruction from the driver as to whether or not to permit switching from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode when it is determined that the smoking state has lasted for the predetermined time or longer; When the receiving means receives an instruction to permit the operation, the operation mode switching means is executed. The automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. a notification means for notifying a driver that the driving mode has been switched from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode by the driving mode switching means; The automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The automatic driving mode includes a normal automatic driving mode in which the automatic driving mode is switched to the manual driving mode based on a predetermined operation by the driver, and a forced automatic driving mode in which the automatic driving mode is continued without being switched to the manual driving mode even if the predetermined operation is performed by the driver, The operation mode switching means switches from the manual operation mode to the forced automatic operation mode. The automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. A cancellation condition determination means is provided for determining whether or not a cancellation condition for canceling the forced automatic driving mode is met, and means for switching from the forced automatic driving mode to the normal automatic driving mode or the manual driving mode when the cancellation condition determination means determines that the cancellation condition is met.

7. The vehicle according to claim 6.

8. The release condition determination means determines that the driver has stopped smoking as the release condition.

8. The vehicle according to claim 7.

9. The smoking time determining means and the driving mode switching means are executed only when the vehicle is running, and are not executed when the vehicle is parked or stopped. The automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. a drinking time determination means for determining whether the driver has been drinking or eating for a predetermined period of time or more; The driving mode switching means switches from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode when the eating and drinking time determining means determines that the driver has been eating and drinking for a predetermined time or more.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1 .

11. A computer equipped in a vehicle that has an automatic driving mode in which the vehicle runs autonomously and a manual driving mode in which the driver drives the vehicle manually, a smoking time determination means for determining whether the driver has been smoking for a predetermined period of time in the manual operation mode; a driving mode switching means for switching from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode when the smoking time determination means determines that the driver has been smoking for the predetermined time or more; Automotive program to function as.

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