Vehicle control method and vehicle control device

Abstract

To provide more suitable control for resuming autonomous traveling.SOLUTION: The control unit 11 of the vehicle control device 10 controls at least acceleration / deceleration and steering based on the external situation acquired by the sensor device 14 to cause the vehicle 1 to autonomously travel. When it is determined that the external situation acquired by the sensor device 14 satisfies the first condition during the autonomous traveling, the control unit 11 decelerates the vehicle 1 at a predetermined deceleration and stops the vehicle 1, cancels the autonomous traveling, and causes the display device 22 to display that the autonomous traveling is interrupted. When it is determined that the external situation acquired by the sensor device 14 satisfies the second condition after the autonomous traveling is canceled, the control unit 11 causes the display device 22 to display that the autonomous traveling restarts if the brake operation is canceled after the brake operation. When the operation device 20 receives the first operation of releasing the brake operation after the brake operation, the controller 11 resumes the autonomous traveling.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] A technology has been disclosed in which, when an obstacle is detected around a vehicle during autonomous driving such as automatic parking, the autonomous driving is cancelled and the vehicle is decelerated and brought to a stop (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6998358 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] After the autonomous driving of a vehicle is canceled and the vehicle slows down and stops, the passenger may wish to resume autonomous driving. However, conventional technologies do not provide an operation method for resuming autonomous driving, which can make it difficult to provide suitable control for resuming autonomous driving.

[0005] The present disclosure aims to provide a vehicle control method and a vehicle control device that can provide more suitable control for resuming autonomous driving. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The vehicle control method disclosed herein is a vehicle control method executed by a vehicle control device mounted on a vehicle that includes an operation device that accepts operations from a passenger, a sensor device that acquires external conditions, a display device that is visible to the passenger, and a movement control device that controls at least acceleration / deceleration and steering, wherein the vehicle is caused to drive autonomously by controlling at least acceleration / deceleration and steering based on the external conditions acquired by the sensor device, and during the autonomous driving, if it is determined that the external conditions acquired by the sensor device satisfy a first condition, the vehicle is decelerated at a predetermined deceleration rate to stop and the autonomous driving is canceled, and the display device is caused to display a message that the autonomous driving has been interrupted, and after the autonomous driving is canceled, if it is determined that the external conditions acquired by the sensor device satisfy a second condition, the display device is caused to display a message that the autonomous driving will resume if the brake operation is released after a brake operation, and if the operation device receives a first operation to release the brake operation after a brake operation, the autonomous driving is resumed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the vehicle control method and vehicle control device disclosed herein, it is possible to provide more suitable autonomous driving resumption control. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a vehicle. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the arrangement of the cameras. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a teacher route. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an example of the first screen. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an example of the second screen. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an example of the third screen. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an example of the fourth screen. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of an example of the fifth screen. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of information processing executed by the control unit in the autonomous driving mode. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of a vehicle control method and a vehicle control device according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a vehicle 1. As shown in FIG.

[0011] The vehicle 1 includes a vehicle control device 10 , a movement control device 12 , a sensor device 14 , a storage device 18 , an operation device 20 , and a display device 22 .

[0012] The vehicle control device 10 is connected to the travel control device 12, the sensor device 14, the storage device 18, the operation device 20, and the display device 22 so as to be able to exchange data or signals. In other words, the vehicle control device 10 is configured to be communicatively connected to at least the sensor device 14, the operation device 20, the display device 22, and the travel control device 12.

[0013] The mobility control device 12 controls at least the acceleration / deceleration and steering of the vehicle 1. The mobility control device 12 is a means for realizing the driving, braking, and turning movements required for the vehicle 1 to travel. For example, the mobility control device 12 is configured to include a drive motor, a power transmission mechanism, a brake device, a steering device, etc., and an electronic vehicle control device that controls them. The mobility control device 12 travels the vehicle 1, for example, by generating power using the drive motor and transmitting the power to the wheels via the power transmission mechanism. The power transmission mechanism is, for example, a propeller shaft, a differential gear, a drive shaft, etc.

[0014] Controlling at least acceleration and deceleration means that the mobile control device 12 controls at least one of driving and braking required for the travel of the vehicle 1. In other words, controlling acceleration and deceleration means that the mobile control device 12 controls the acceleration during acceleration and the deceleration acceleration, which is the acceleration during deceleration.

[0015] Controlling at least the steering means that the mobile control device 12 controls at least one of the driving, braking, and turning motions required for the running of the vehicle 1. In other words, controlling the steering means that the mobile control device 12 controls at least one of the turning direction by steering the steering wheel, the vehicle speed and acceleration by accelerator steering, and the deceleration and stopping by braking.

[0016] The sensor device 14 is mounted on the vehicle 1 and acquires at least the situation outside the vehicle 1. In detail, the sensor device 14 is a variety of sensors that detect the traveling state of the vehicle 1 and the situation outside the vehicle 1. The situation outside the vehicle 1 includes an image of the outside of the vehicle 1.

[0017] The sensor device 14 includes at least a camera 16. The sensor device 14 also includes at least one of a LiDAR (Light detection and ranging), radar, sonar, and ultrasonic sensor. The sensor device 14 also includes an accelerator opening sensor that detects an accelerator opening, a steering angle sensor that detects a steering angle of a steering device, a handle rotation operation angle detection sensor that detects an angle of a handle rotation operation of the handle, an acceleration sensor that detects acceleration and deceleration acceleration during acceleration of the vehicle 1, a torque sensor that detects torque acting on a power transmission mechanism between the wheels and the drive motor of the vehicle 1, a vehicle speed sensor that detects the vehicle speed of the vehicle 1, a wheel speed sensor, etc.

[0018] The camera 16 is a surrounding sensor mounted on the vehicle 1 and monitors the environment surrounding the vehicle 1. In this embodiment, the camera 16 captures images of the surroundings of the vehicle 1 and outputs the captured image data to the vehicle control device 10. Hereinafter, the captured image data may be simply referred to as image. In this embodiment, the camera 16 is also used to detect objects present around the vehicle 1 and estimate the location of the vehicle 1 from the positional relationship between the vehicle 1 and the objects present around the vehicle 1.

[0019] The positions, number of cameras 16 installed, and shooting directions are adjusted in advance so that the surroundings of the vehicle 1 can be photographed.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the arrangement of the cameras 16. As shown in FIG.

[0021] The vehicle 1 is provided with, for example, four cameras 16 so as to be able to capture the situation outside the vehicle 1 in at least four directions, namely, a first side S1, a second side S2, a front S3, and a rear S4 of the vehicle 1. The first side S1 is one side of the vehicle 1. The second side S2 is the side of the vehicle 1 opposite the first side S1.

[0022] Specifically, for example, the cameras 16 include a first camera 16A, a second camera 16B, a third camera 16C, and a fourth camera 16D. The first camera 16A is disposed at the front of the vehicle 1 and captures an image of the area in front of the vehicle 1 (S3). The second camera 16B is disposed at the right side of the vehicle 1 and captures an image of the area in front of the vehicle 1 (S1). The third camera 16C is disposed at the left side of the vehicle 1 and captures an image of the area in front of the vehicle 1 (S2). The fourth camera 16D is disposed at the rear of the vehicle 1 and captures an image of the area in rear of the vehicle 1 (S4). The number of cameras 16 provided on the vehicle 1 is not limited to four. In addition, it is preferable that the positions and the number of object detection sensors included in the sensor device 14, such as lidar, radar, sonar, and ultrasonic sensors, are adjusted in advance so that the external conditions of the first side S1, second side S2, front S3, and rear S4 of the vehicle 1 can be acquired.

[0023] Returning to Fig. 1, the explanation will be continued. The sensor device 14 outputs sensor information obtained by detection to the vehicle control device 10. The sensor information includes detection results by the sensor device 14, such as a lidar, radar, sonar, ultrasonic sensor, accelerator opening sensor, steering angle sensor, angle of steering wheel rotation operation, acceleration during acceleration of the vehicle 1, deceleration acceleration, torque, and vehicle speed.

[0024] The storage device 18 stores various types of data. In this embodiment, the storage device 18 stores data such as teacher route data 18A and map data 18B. Details of the teacher route data 18A and the map data 18B will be described later. The storage device 18 is, for example, an auxiliary storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a flash memory. Note that at least a portion of the data included in the storage device 18 may be stored in an external storage device such as a server device that is provided outside the vehicle 1 and communicably connected to the vehicle control device 10.

[0025] The operation device 20 accepts operations by a passenger of the vehicle 1. The operation device 20 includes operation mechanisms related to driving operations, such as a steering device such as a steering wheel, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a turn signal lever, and a push switch, as well as input devices such as a keyboard, a touch panel, and a switch. The operation device 20 may constitute at least a part of an HMI (Human Machine Interface) and / or an IVI (In-Vehicle Infotainment).

[0026] The display device 22 is a display that outputs various images. The display device 22 is installed in a position where it can be seen by passengers of the vehicle 1. Examples of the display include a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic electroluminescence (EL) display, and a projector. The display device 22 may be a touch panel display that is an integral configuration of the display device 22 and the operation device 20. The display device 22 is an example of an HMI.

[0027] The vehicle control device 10 is an electronic control unit that controls all parts of the vehicle 1. The vehicle control device 10 is mounted on the vehicle 1.

[0028] The vehicle control device 10 uses sensor information received from the sensor device 14 to control the movement control device 12 so as to optimize the traveling condition of the vehicle 1. The vehicle control device 10 also controls the movement control device 12 to make the vehicle 1 travel autonomously.

[0029] The vehicle control device 10 includes a control unit 11. Part or all of the control unit 11 may be a software configuration realized by cooperation between a processor and various programs stored in memory. Alternatively, part or all of the control unit 11 may be a hardware configuration realized by a dedicated circuit or the like.

[0030] The control unit 11 controls each part of the vehicle 1 in an integrated manner.

[0031] In this embodiment, the control unit 11 is configured to be able to switch the driving mode between the supervised driving mode and the autonomous driving mode based on an input operation by the passenger on the operation device 20. Note that the driving modes that can be executed by the vehicle 1 may include various driving modes other than the supervised driving mode and the autonomous driving mode.

[0032] The supervised driving mode is a mode for registering a supervised route when autonomously driving the vehicle 1. The supervised route is a route obtained by supervised driving from a predetermined position to a parking target position. In other words, the supervised route is an example of a parking route from a predetermined position to a parking target position.

[0033] In the supervised driving mode, the vehicle 1 is controlled to travel by the passenger's operation. That is, in the supervised driving mode, the control unit 11 controls the movement control device 12 so that the operation device 20 accepts a driving operation by the passenger and travels in accordance with the operation. In other words, in the supervised driving mode, the control unit 11 registers a supervised route based on the external conditions acquired by the sensor device 14 during the supervised driving in which the vehicle 1 travels from a predetermined position to a parking target position by the passenger's operation.

[0034] The autonomous driving mode is a mode in which the vehicle 1 travels autonomously. In this embodiment, the autonomous driving mode refers to a mode in which the vehicle 1 travels autonomously along a teacher route. In the autonomous driving mode, the control unit 11 controls at least acceleration / deceleration and steering to control the movement control device 12 so that the vehicle travels along the teacher route. In the autonomous driving mode, the vehicle 1 is automatically controlled to travel by the vehicle control device 10 without manual operation by the passenger. That is, in the autonomous driving mode, the control unit 11 controls at least acceleration / deceleration and steering to cause the vehicle 1 to travel autonomously from a predetermined position to a parking target position based on the teacher route and on external conditions acquired by the sensor device 14.

[0035] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of an example of the teacher route R1.

[0036] In the supervised driving mode, the vehicle is driven by the rider manually operating the operation device 20 to perform supervised driving from a predetermined position P1 to a target parking position P2. The target parking position P2 is, for example, a parking lot, but is not limited to this. The predetermined position P1 may be any position of the rider in real space.

[0037] The travel route R traveled during teacher driving is treated as a teacher route R1. Teacher route data 18A of the teacher route R1 is stored in the storage device 18. During teacher driving, for example, the passenger operates the operation device 20 to travel from the parking target position P2 toward a predetermined position P1. When the vehicle 1 travels from the predetermined position P1 toward the parking target position P2 during teacher driving, the control unit 11 creates teacher route data 18A of the teacher route R1 that follows the travel direction of the travel route R during teacher driving.

[0038] In the autonomous driving mode, the control unit 11 controls at least acceleration / deceleration and steering along the teacher route R1 obtained by teacher driving, and causes the vehicle 1 to autonomously drive from a predetermined position P1 to a parking target position P2 based on the teacher route R1 and external conditions acquired by the sensor device 14 during the autonomous driving. Note that in the autonomous driving mode, the control unit 11 controls the steering and front / rear acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle 1, but at least a part of the front / rear acceleration / deceleration control may be performed by operation of the driver.

[0039] Next, the control by the control unit 11 in the teacher driving mode and the autonomous driving mode will be described in detail.

[0040] [Teacher driving mode] First, the control of the control unit 11 in the teacher running mode will be described in detail.

[0041] When the control unit 11 receives a signal indicating an instruction to start the teacher-driven driving mode, for example, by a passenger operating the operation device 20, the control unit 11 switches the driving mode to the teacher-driven driving mode. Then, when the control unit 11 is in the teacher-driven driving mode, the control unit 11 executes the following processing.

[0042] The control unit 11 acquires sensor information indicating the traveling state of the vehicle 1 from the sensor device 14. Then, the control unit 11 estimates the current position of the vehicle 1 based on the temporal changes in the sensor values ​​represented by the sensor information. For example, the control unit 11 calculates the amount of movement of the vehicle 1 from a reference position, such as the traveling start position when the teacher traveling mode was started, based on the temporal changes in the vehicle speed and yaw rate represented by the sensor values, and estimates the current position of the vehicle 1 based on the amount of movement.

[0043] Note that the accuracy of estimating the current position based on the amount of movement may be low. Therefore, the control unit 11 may correct the estimated current position based on an image of the surroundings of the vehicle 1 acquired by the camera 16, and use the corrected result as the current position.

[0044] The control unit 11 sequentially stores the current position of the vehicle 1 estimated sequentially as the vehicle 1 travels in the storage device 18. In detail, the control unit 11 defines the travel route R during teacher travel represented by a group of current positions sequentially estimated from the time when an instruction to start the teacher travel mode is received until the time when an instruction to end the teacher mode is received as a teacher route R1, and stores teacher route data 18A representing the teacher route R1 in the storage device 18. The control unit 11 also stores map data 18B in the storage device 18.

[0045] The teacher route data 18A is composed of a group of driving information for each position, which is the current position that is sequentially estimated during teacher driving. The driving information includes an INDEX, a driving position, a bearing, a driving direction, and reference driving information. The INDEX is identification information for the driving information. The driving position is the estimated position of the vehicle 1. The bearing indicates the orientation of the vehicle 1 at that position. The driving direction indicates the direction of driving of the vehicle 1 at that position, and is expressed, for example, as forward or reverse. The reference driving information is information that indicates the driving state at that position. The reference driving information is, for example, information such as the steering angle and vehicle speed detected at each position during teacher driving.

[0046] Furthermore, when the vehicle 1 is traveling on a road map, the control unit 11 creates map data 18B for estimating the current position of the vehicle 1 from the image captured by the camera 16. The method for estimating the current position of the vehicle 1 from the image may be a SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) method or the like.

[0047] The map data 18B is map data in which a plurality of first feature points around the vehicle 1 when traveling along the teacher route R1 are registered.

[0048] The first feature point is a feature point obtained by analyzing the external situation acquired by the sensor device 14 during teacher driving, such as the video captured by the camera 16. That is, in this embodiment, the feature point identified in accordance with the external situation acquired by the sensor device 14 during teacher driving will be referred to as the first feature point in the following description.

[0049] For example, a feature point is a portion of an object (e.g., a tree, a wall, or a pillar) included in the actual scene, from which a characteristic image pattern can be obtained by analyzing the image. Such a portion is, for example, an edge portion of the object. As described above, in this embodiment, a feature point identified during teacher driving will be described as a first feature point. For this reason, map data 18B includes a plurality of first feature points, and each first feature point is assigned an identification number and registered so that it can be identified.

[0050] The feature points are represented by feature point data including three-dimensional positions and feature quantities.

[0051] The three-dimensional position of a feature point is the three-dimensional position of the feature point in real space, and is expressed, for example, in a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system (X, Y, Z).

[0052] The feature amount of a feature point is a characteristic amount of the feature point expressed by image analysis of the video. The feature amount of a first feature point is, for example, brightness or density in the video, SIFT (Scale Invariant Feature Transform) feature amount, SURF (Speeded Up Robust Features) feature amount, etc.

[0053] In map data 18B, one first feature point is registered for each identical three-dimensional position. Note that, for the same three-dimensional position, map data 18B may register multiple first feature points for each photographing position and photographing direction of the three-dimensional position by camera 16. Furthermore, the feature point data of the first feature point registered in map data 18B may further include image data of an object having the first feature point.

[0054] During supervised driving, the control unit 11, for example, uses stereo photogrammetry to identify the coordinates of the first feature point in the actual scene from the external situation acquired by the sensor device 14 during supervised driving. Specifically, the control unit 11 reads multiple captured images taken at different times that constitute an image of the external situation acquired by the sensor device 14 during supervised driving, and associates the same first feature point that appears in the multiple captured images. Then, for example, the control unit 11 estimates the virtual position of the vehicle 1 at the time the multiple captured images were taken, and identifies the virtual coordinates of the first feature point in the actual scene using the principle of triangulation. Then, for example, the control unit 11 performs bundle adjustment using the virtual position of the vehicle 1 and the virtual coordinates of the first feature point in the actual scene as reference information, and calculates the official position of the vehicle 1 and the official coordinates of the first feature point in the actual scene so as to minimize the reprojection error when each first feature point in the actual scene is projected onto all captured images. Then, the control unit 11 stores in the storage device 18 map data 18B in which the first feature points are registered, the first feature points being represented by feature point data including the formal coordinates of the first feature points in the actual scene as three-dimensional positions.

[0055] The three-dimensional position of the first feature point registered in the map data 18B may be a position measured in advance using a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) or a stereo camera, instead of using the SLAM method. However, from the viewpoint of suppressing a decrease in the accuracy of position estimation, it is preferable to use the SLAM method.

[0056] As described above, the control unit 11 executes the above process in the supervised driving mode. Therefore, in the supervised driving mode, the control unit 11 registers the supervised route data 18A and the map data 18B in the storage device 18 based on the external conditions acquired by the sensor device 14 during supervised driving. In other words, the control unit 11 generates the supervised route data 18A of the supervised route R1 obtained by supervised driving from a predetermined position P1 to a parking target position P2, and the map data 18B in which the three-dimensional positions of each of a plurality of first feature points around the vehicle 1 while traveling along the supervised route R1 and the feature quantities of the first feature points are registered, based on the external conditions acquired by the sensor device 14 during supervised driving, and stores them in the storage device 18. Therefore, the storage device 18 stores the supervised route data 18A, which is composed of a group of travel information for each position, which is the current position sequentially estimated during supervised driving, and the map data 18B in which the first feature points observed at each position are registered.

[0057] [Autonomous driving mode] Next, the control of the control unit 11 in the autonomous driving mode will be described in detail.

[0058] When the control unit 11 receives a signal indicating an instruction to start the autonomous driving mode by the passenger operating the operation device 20, the control unit 11 switches the driving mode to the autonomous driving mode. Then, when in the autonomous driving mode, the control unit 11 executes the following processing.

[0059] The control unit 11 controls at least acceleration / deceleration and steering based on the external situation acquired by the sensor device 14 to cause the vehicle 1 to travel autonomously.

[0060] In this embodiment, the control unit 11 reads the teacher route data 18A and the map data 18B from the storage device 18, and controls the mobile control device 12 to perform autonomous traveling along the teacher route R1 represented by the teacher route data 18A.

[0061] The control unit 11 estimates the current position of the vehicle 1 based on the map data 18B and an image of the surroundings of the vehicle 1 acquired by at least one camera 16.

[0062] For example, the control unit 11 uses pattern matching, feature search, etc. to compare a second feature point identified from the external situation acquired by the sensor device 14 during autonomous driving, including images from the camera 16, with a first feature point identified from the external situation acquired by the sensor device 14 during supervised driving stored in the map data 18B.

[0063] The second feature points are feature points obtained by analyzing the external situation acquired by the sensor device 14 during autonomous traveling, such as video captured by the camera 16 during autonomous traveling along the teacher route R1. That is, in this embodiment, feature points identified in accordance with the external situation acquired by the sensor device 14 during autonomous traveling along the teacher route R1 will be referred to as second feature points. The control unit 11 may identify the second feature points during autonomous traveling along the teacher route R1 using a method similar to the method used to identify the first feature points during autonomous traveling along the teacher route R1.

[0064] The control unit 11 randomly selects several (e.g., 3 to 6) second feature points from the second feature points identified during autonomous driving and that can be matched with the first feature points stored in the map data 18B.

[0065] Then, the control unit 11 estimates the current position of the vehicle 1 in the real space based on the positions of these several second feature points in the image and the three-dimensional positions in the real space of the first feature points registered in the map data 18B that correspond to the several second feature points. At this time, the control unit 11 estimates the current position of the vehicle 1 by solving the PnP problem using a known method such as Lambda Twist (for example, literature: Mikael Persson et al. “Lambda Twist: An Accurate Fast Robust Perspective Three Point (P3P) Solver.”, ECCV 2018, pp. 334-349, published in 2018, http: / / openaccess.thecvf.com / content_ECCV_2018 / papers / Mikael_Persson_Lambda_Twist_An_ECCV_2018_paper.pdf).

[0066] Through these processes, the control unit 11 estimates current position information representing the current position of the vehicle 1 based on the map data 18B and the image of the surroundings of the vehicle 1 acquired by at least one camera 16, and the current position information includes the two-dimensional position (X coordinate, Y coordinate) of the vehicle 1 in real space and information related to the attitude, which is the orientation of the vehicle 1.

[0067] The control unit 11 then controls the movement control device 12 so that the estimated current position of the vehicle 1 is a position on the teacher route R1 represented by the teacher route data 18A, thereby causing the vehicle 1 to autonomously travel along the teacher route R1 from a predetermined position P1 toward the parking target position P2. The control unit 11 then stops the vehicle 1 at the parking target position P2.

[0068] When the vehicle 1 is autonomously traveling along the teacher route R1, the control unit 11 feedback controls the movement control device 12 so that the vehicle 1 moves along the teacher route R1 based on the estimated current position of the vehicle 1 and each position on the teacher route R1 represented by the teacher route data 18A.

[0069] Here, in this embodiment, the control unit 11 further determines whether or not the external situation acquired by the sensor device 14 during autonomous driving satisfies a first condition.

[0070] The first condition means that the external situation acquired by the sensor device 14 during autonomous driving is a situation that requires deceleration or stopping of the vehicle 1. Specifically, the first condition means, for example, that an obstacle has been detected in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1.

[0071] An obstacle is something that hinders the travel of the vehicle 1. Specifically, for example, an obstacle is a person.

[0072] The control unit 11 determines whether the first condition is satisfied by determining whether the external situation acquired by the sensor device 14 during autonomous traveling is a situation that requires the vehicle 1 to slow down or stop. In this embodiment, a case will be described in which the first condition means that an obstacle has been detected in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1. Therefore, in this embodiment, the control unit 11 determines whether the first condition is satisfied by determining whether the external situation represented by the sensor information indicates that an obstacle has been detected in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1. The control unit 11 can determine whether an obstacle has been detected in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 by analyzing the sensor information representing the external situation acquired by the sensor device 14 during autonomous traveling of the vehicle 1 using a known method.

[0073] At this time, the control unit 11 also derives the distance between the vehicle 1 and the obstacle detected in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1. The control unit 11 can derive the distance between the vehicle 1 and the obstacle by analyzing the detection results by the sensor device 14, such as a lidar, radar, sonar, or ultrasonic sensor, included in the sensor information, using a known method.

[0074] If the control unit 11 determines that the external situation acquired by the sensor device 14 during autonomous driving satisfies the first condition, it causes the display device 22 to display that at least one of deceleration and stopping of the vehicle is possible by braking. Then, if the operation device 20 receives a second operation, which is a braking operation, the control unit 11 cancels the autonomous driving and causes the display device 22 to display that the autonomous driving has been interrupted.

[0075] In detail, when the control unit 11 determines that the external situation acquired by the sensor device 14 during autonomous driving satisfies the first condition, it causes the display device 22 to display that at least one of deceleration and stopping is possible by braking.

[0076] 4 is a schematic diagram of an example of the first screen 30 A. The first screen 30 A is an example of the screen 30 displayed on the display device 22.

[0077] During autonomous driving, when the control unit 11 determines that the external situation acquired by the sensor device 14 satisfies a first condition, the control unit 11 causes the display device 22 to display a first screen 30A indicating that at least one of deceleration and stopping of the vehicle by braking is possible. Fig. 4 shows an example of a situation in which an obstacle is detected in the vehicle's traveling direction, as the first condition. Fig. 4 also shows an example in which the obstacle is a person.

[0078] The first screen 30A includes at least a first display M1. The first display M1 is a display indicating that at least one of deceleration and stopping of the vehicle is possible by braking. FIG. 4 shows an example in which the first display M1 is a statement indicating that at least one of deceleration and stopping of the vehicle is possible by braking. The first display M1 may be a still image, an animated image, an icon, or the like indicating that at least one of deceleration and stopping of the vehicle is possible by braking, and is not limited to a statement.

[0079] Furthermore, the first screen 30A may further include an image V captured by the camera 16. FIG. 4 shows a configuration in which the first screen 30A includes images V1 and V2 as images V. The image V1 is an image V of the vehicle 1 in the traveling direction. The image V2 is a top-view image of the vehicle 1. A top view is an overhead image of the vehicle 1 as if looking down from above. In the scene shown in FIG. 4, the images V1 and V2 include a person Ib, which is an example of an obstacle located in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1. The control unit 11 may generate and display the image V2 by combining the images V captured by the camera 16 using a known method. The control unit 11 may also arrange and display an image Ia that schematically depicts the vehicle 1 at a position in the image V2 that corresponds to the current position of the vehicle 1. The control unit 11 may also arrange and display an image Ic that calls attention to the obstacle.

[0080] Moreover, the first screen 30A may further include a stop button image B for receiving a travel stop instruction from the passenger.

[0081] During autonomous driving, if the control unit 11 determines that the external conditions acquired by the sensor device 14 satisfy the first condition, the control unit 11 displays the first screen 30A on the display device 22, thereby enabling the control unit 11 to visually inform the passengers that at least one of slowing down and stopping the vehicle is possible by operating the brakes.

[0082] Then, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the second operation, which is a brake operation, has been accepted by the operation device 20. The control unit 11 determines whether or not the second operation has been accepted by the operation device 20 by determining whether or not a brake operation has been performed in which a brake pedal included in the operation device 20 is pressed by a passenger.

[0083] It is preferable that the control unit 11 determines whether or not the second operation is received within a predetermined time after the first screen 30A including the first display M1 is displayed on the display device 22. The predetermined time may be set in advance. The predetermined time may also be changeable as appropriate in response to an operation instruction from the passenger or the like on the operating device 20.

[0084] When the control unit 11 determines that the second operation has been received within a predetermined time after displaying the first screen 30A including the first display M1 on the display device 22, it cancels the autonomous driving and causes the display device 22 to display that the autonomous driving has been interrupted.

[0085] The control unit 11 cancels the autonomous driving by, for example, switching the autonomous driving mode to a normal driving mode in which the vehicle 1 is driven in accordance with manual operation by the passenger. Then, the control unit 11 causes the display device 22 to display that the autonomous driving has been interrupted.

[0086] Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of an example of the second screen 30B. The second screen 30B is an example of the screen 30 displayed on the display device 22. As with Fig. 4, Fig. 5 shows an example of a scene in which an obstacle is detected in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 as the first condition. Fig. 5 also shows an example of a case in which the obstacle is a person.

[0087] During autonomous driving, the control unit 11 determines that the external conditions acquired by the sensor device 14 satisfy the first condition, and causes the first screen 30A to be displayed on the display device 22. When the autonomous driving is canceled by the operation device 20 accepting the second operation, which is a braking operation, the control unit 11 causes the second screen 30B to be displayed on the display device 22.

[0088] The second screen 30B includes at least a second display M2. The second display M2 is a display indicating that autonomous traveling has been interrupted. FIG. 5 shows an example in which the second display M2 is a statement indicating that autonomous traveling has been interrupted. The second display M2 may be a still image, an animated image, an icon, or the like indicating that autonomous traveling has been interrupted, and is not limited to a statement.

[0089] The second screen 30B may further include an image V captured by the camera 16. FIG. 5 shows a configuration in which the second screen 30B includes images V1 and V2 as the image V. The definitions of images V1 and V2 are the same as those described above. In the scene shown in FIG. 5, images V1 and V2 include a person Ib, which is an example of an obstacle located in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1. The control unit 11 may also display an image Ia that schematically represents the vehicle 1 at a position in the image V2 that corresponds to the current position of the vehicle 1. The second screen 30B may further include a stop button image B for receiving an instruction to stop traveling from the passenger. The second screen 30B may also display a resume button C for receiving an instruction to resume autonomous traveling in a manner that cannot be selected by the user. The resume button C is a button image area that does not accept an operation instruction from the user at least while an obstacle is present in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1.

[0090] By causing the control unit 11 to display the second screen 30B on the display device 22, the control unit 11 can provide the passenger with a visual indication that the autonomous traveling has been suspended.

[0091] Returning to Figure 1, we continue the explanation.

[0092] After the autonomous traveling is canceled, if the vehicle 1 is stopped by the second operation and the control unit 11 determines that the external situation acquired by the sensor device 14 satisfies the second condition, the control unit 11 causes the display device 22 to display a message indicating that the autonomous traveling will resume when the brake operation is released. Then, if the operation device 20 receives a third operation to release the brake operation, the control unit 11 resumes the autonomous traveling.

[0093] In detail, when the control unit 11 determines that the vehicle 1 has stopped due to the second operation after the autonomous driving is terminated, the control unit 11 determines whether the external situation acquired by the sensor device 14 satisfies the second condition.

[0094] The control unit 11 determines whether the second operation, which is a brake operation, has been received by the operation device 20, and determines whether the vehicle 1 has stopped due to the second operation by determining whether the vehicle speed included in the sensor information is a vehicle speed that indicates that the vehicle 1 has stopped (for example, a vehicle speed of zero). Then, when the control unit 11 determines that the vehicle 1 has stopped due to the second operation, it determines whether the external situation acquired by the sensor device 14 satisfies a second condition.

[0095] The second condition means that the external situation acquired by the sensor device 14 indicates a situation in which autonomous driving of the vehicle 1 is possible. Specifically, the second condition indicates, for example, that an obstacle that was in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 is no longer detected.

[0096] When the control unit 11 determines that the vehicle 1 has stopped due to the second operation, it analyzes the sensor information obtained by the sensor device 14 indicating the external situation and the direction of travel of the vehicle 1 using a known method to determine whether the obstacle detected in the direction of travel of the vehicle 1 is no longer detected.

[0097] Then, when the control unit 11 determines that the external situation acquired by the sensor device 14 satisfies the second condition, it causes the display device 22 to display a message that autonomous traveling will resume when the brake operation is released.

[0098] 6 is a schematic diagram of an example of the third screen 30C. The third screen 30C is an example of the screen 30 displayed on the display device 22.

[0099] After the autonomous driving is cancelled, if the vehicle is stopped by the second operation and the control unit 11 determines that the external situation acquired by the sensor device 14 satisfies the second condition, the control unit 11 causes the display device 22 to display the third screen 30C. Fig. 6 shows an example of a scene in which an obstacle is no longer detected in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1, as the second condition. Fig. 6 also shows an example in which the obstacle is a person.

[0100] The third screen 30C includes at least a third display M3. The third display M3 is a display indicating that autonomous driving will resume when the brake operation is released. FIG. 6 shows an example in which the third display M3 is a statement indicating that autonomous driving will resume when the brake operation is released. The third display M3 may be a still image, an animated image, an icon, or the like indicating that autonomous driving will resume when the brake operation is released, and is not limited to a statement.

[0101] The third screen 30C may further include an image V captured by the camera 16. FIG. 6 shows a configuration in which the third screen 30C includes images V1 and V2 as the image V. The definitions of images V1 and V2 are the same as those described above. In the scene shown in FIG. 6, images V1 and V2 show a person Ib, an example of an obstacle, at a position off the traveling direction of the vehicle 1, and no obstacle is detected in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1. The control unit 11 may also display an image Ia that schematically depicts the vehicle 1 at a position in image V2 that corresponds to the current position of the vehicle 1. The third screen 30C may further include a stop button image B for receiving a travel stop instruction from the passenger.

[0102] By having the control unit 11 display the third screen 30C on the display device 22, the control unit 11 can visually inform the occupant that autonomous driving will resume when the occupant releases the brake operation, as a method of resuming autonomous driving of the vehicle 1, which has been terminated by the operation device 20 receiving the second operation, which is a brake operation.

[0103] Returning to Figure 1, we continue the explanation.

[0104] Then, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the operation device 20 has received a third operation to release the brake operation. The control unit 11 can determine whether or not the operation device 20 has received the third operation by determining whether or not the brake pedal included in the operation device 20 has been released from the state in which it was pressed by the passenger. Then, when the control unit 11 determines that the operation device 20 has received the third operation to release the brake operation, it resumes autonomous traveling.

[0105] By switching the mode to the autonomous driving mode, the control unit 11 resumes autonomous driving, controlling at least acceleration / deceleration and steering along the teacher path R1 based on the external conditions acquired by the sensor device 14 to cause the vehicle 1 to drive autonomously.

[0106] Furthermore, if the control unit 11G determines that the external conditions acquired by the sensor device 14 during autonomous driving satisfy the first condition, it decelerates the vehicle 1 at a predetermined deceleration acceleration, stops the vehicle 1, cancels the autonomous driving, and displays on the display device 22 that the autonomous driving has been interrupted.

[0107] In detail, when the control unit 11 determines that the external situation acquired by the sensor device 14 satisfies the first condition, it causes the display device 22 to display the first screen 30A including the first display M1 indicating that at least one of deceleration and stopping of the vehicle is possible by braking, as described above (FIG. 4). Then, when the control unit 11 determines that the second operation has not been accepted within a predetermined time after causing the display device 22 to display the first screen 30A including the first display M1, it causes the vehicle 1 to decelerate at a predetermined deceleration acceleration and stop the vehicle.

[0108] In this case, the control unit 11 controls the movement control device 12 to decelerate and stop the vehicle 1 at a predetermined deceleration acceleration. The predetermined deceleration acceleration may be determined in advance. The predetermined deceleration acceleration may be changeable by an operation instruction of the operation device 20 by a passenger or the like.

[0109] In this embodiment, when the sensor device 14 detects an obstacle at a first distance in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 during autonomous traveling, the control unit 11 decelerates the vehicle 1 at a first deceleration acceleration to stop the vehicle 1. Furthermore, when the sensor device 14 detects an obstacle at a second distance, which is shorter than the first distance, in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 during autonomous traveling, the control unit 11 decelerates the vehicle 1 at a second deceleration acceleration, which is greater than the first deceleration acceleration, to stop the vehicle 1.

[0110] The first distance may be within a range of distances less than the second distance. The second distance may be within a range of distances equal to or greater than the first distance. Information on the ranges of distances representing the first distance and the second distance may be set in advance and stored in the storage device 18. Furthermore, the information on the ranges of the first distance and the second distance may be changeable as needed by an operation instruction from the operating device 20 by a passenger or the like, within a range that satisfies the above conditions.

[0111] The control unit 11 determines whether the distance between the obstacle and the vehicle 1, which is derived when an obstacle is detected in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1, is a first distance or a second distance. If the determined distance is the first distance, the control unit 11 decelerates the vehicle 1 at a first deceleration acceleration to stop the vehicle 1. If the determined distance is the second distance, the control unit 11 decelerates the vehicle 1 at a second deceleration acceleration to stop the vehicle 1.

[0112] Then, control unit 11 cancels the autonomous traveling. As described above, control unit 11 cancels the autonomous traveling by switching the autonomous traveling mode to a normal traveling mode in which vehicle 1 travels in accordance with manual operation by the passenger. Then, control unit 11 causes display device 22 to display that the autonomous traveling has been interrupted.

[0113] For example, the control unit 11 causes the display device 22 to display the second screen 30B shown in Fig. 5. That is, during autonomous traveling, the control unit 11 determines that the external situation acquired by the sensor device 14 satisfies a first condition, causes the display device 22 to display the first screen 30A shown in Fig. 4, decelerates the vehicle 1 at a first deceleration rate to bring it to a stop, and cancels the autonomous traveling, and then causes the display device 22 to display the second screen 30B shown in Fig. 5.

[0114] By causing the control unit 11 to display the second screen 30B on the display device 22, the control unit 11 can provide the passenger with a visual indication that the autonomous traveling has been suspended.

[0115] Returning to Figure 1, we continue the explanation.

[0116] The control unit 11 decelerates and stops the vehicle 1 at a predetermined deceleration acceleration, cancels autonomous driving, and displays the second screen 30B on the display device 22, and then determines whether the external situation acquired by the sensor device 14 satisfies the second condition.

[0117] The control unit 11 may determine whether the second condition is satisfied in the same manner as described above. If the control unit 11 determines that the second condition is satisfied, it causes the display device 22 to display a message indicating that autonomous traveling will resume when the brake operation is released after the brake operation.

[0118] 7 is a schematic diagram of an example of the fourth screen 30D. The fourth screen 30D is an example of the screen 30 displayed on the display device 22.

[0119] After the control unit 11 decelerates and stops the vehicle 1 at a predetermined deceleration rate and cancels the autonomous traveling, if it determines that the external situation acquired by the sensor device 14 satisfies the second condition, it causes the display device 22 to display the fourth screen 30D. Fig. 7 shows an example of a scene in which an obstacle is no longer detected in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1, as the second condition. Fig. 7 also shows an example in which the obstacle is a person.

[0120] The fourth screen 30D includes at least a fourth display M4. The fourth display M4 is a display indicating that autonomous driving will resume when the brake operation is released after the brake operation. FIG. 7 shows an example in which the fourth display M4 is a statement indicating that autonomous driving will resume when the brake operation is released after the brake operation. The fourth display M4 may be a still image, an animated image, an icon, or the like indicating that autonomous driving will resume when the brake operation is released after the brake operation, and is not limited to a statement.

[0121] Furthermore, the fourth screen 30D may further include an image V captured by the camera 16. FIG. 7 shows a configuration in which the fourth screen 30D includes images V1 and V2 as the image V. The definitions of images V1 and V2 are the same as those described above. In the scene shown in FIG. 7, images V1 and V2 show a person Ib, an example of an obstacle, at a position off the traveling direction of the vehicle 1, and no obstacle is detected in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1. Furthermore, the control unit 11 may display an image Ia that schematically depicts the vehicle 1 at a position in image V2 that corresponds to the current position of the vehicle 1. Furthermore, the fourth screen 30D may further include a stop button image B for receiving a travel stop instruction from the passenger.

[0122] By having the control unit 11 display the fourth screen 30D on the display device 22, the control unit 11 can visually provide the occupant with a message that autonomous driving will resume when the occupant applies the brakes and then releases the brakes, as a method of resuming autonomous driving of the vehicle 1 that has been released after the autonomous driving has been cancelled by decelerating and stopping the vehicle 1 at a predetermined deceleration acceleration due to the detection of an obstacle.

[0123] Note that the control unit 11 may cause the display device 22 to display the fifth screen before displaying the fourth screen 30D, and then cause the display device 22 to display the fourth screen 30D.

[0124] 8 is a schematic diagram of an example of the fifth screen 30E. The fifth screen 30E is an example of the screen 30.

[0125] The fifth screen 30E includes at least a fifth display M5. The fifth display M5 is a display indicating that autonomous driving can be resumed. FIG. 8 shows an example in which the fifth display M5 is a statement indicating that autonomous driving can be resumed. The fifth display M5 may be a still image, an animated image, an icon, or the like indicating that autonomous driving can be resumed, and is not limited to a statement.

[0126] Furthermore, the fifth screen 30E may further include an image V captured by the camera 16. FIG. 8 shows a form in which the fifth screen 30E includes images V1 and V2 as the image V. The definitions of images V1 and V2 are the same as those described above. In the scene shown in FIG. 8, images V1 and V2 show a person Ib, an example of an obstacle, at a position off the traveling direction of the vehicle 1, and no obstacle is detected in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1. The control unit 11 may also display an image Ia that schematically depicts the vehicle 1 at a position corresponding to the current position of the vehicle 1 in image V2. The fifth screen 30E may further include a stop button image B for receiving an instruction to stop traveling from the passenger, and a resume button C for receiving an instruction to resume autonomous traveling. Note that the fifth screen 30E may not include the resume button C for receiving an instruction to resume autonomous traveling. In other words, the user's operation of the resume button C is not a required operation.

[0127] After the control unit 11 decelerates and stops the vehicle 1 at a predetermined deceleration acceleration and cancels autonomous driving, if it determines that the external situation acquired by the sensor device 14 satisfies the second condition, it may display the fifth screen 30E on the display device 22 and then display the fourth screen 30D on the display device 22.

[0128] Returning to Figure 1, we continue the explanation.

[0129] Then, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the operation device 20 has received a first operation to release the brake operation after the brake operation. The control unit 11 can determine whether or not the operation device 20 has received the first operation by determining whether or not the brake pedal included in the operation device 20 has been pressed by the passenger and then the pressing operation has been released. Then, when the control unit 11 determines that the operation device 20 has received the first operation to release the brake operation after the brake operation, it resumes autonomous traveling.

[0130] The control unit 11 switches the mode to the autonomous driving mode, and resumes autonomous driving by controlling at least the acceleration / deceleration and steering along the teacher path R1 based on the external conditions acquired by the sensor device 14 to cause the vehicle 1 to drive autonomously.

[0131] Next, an example of the flow of information processing executed by the control unit 11 of the vehicle control device 10 will be described.

[0132] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of information processing executed by the control unit 11 in the autonomous driving mode.

[0133] The control unit 11 determines whether or not a signal representing an instruction to start the autonomous driving mode has been received from the operation device 20 (step S200). If the determination in step S200 is negative (step S200: No), this routine ends. If the determination in step S200 is positive (step S200: Yes), the process proceeds to step S202.

[0134] In step S202, the control unit 11 reads the teacher route data 18A and the map data 18B from the storage device 18 (step S202). Then, the control unit 11 starts autonomous traveling along the teacher route R1 represented by the teacher route data 18A (step S204).

[0135] The control unit 11 controls the mobile control device 12 to cause the vehicle 1 to autonomously travel along the teacher route R1 represented by the teacher route data 18A read in step S202 (step S206). That is, the control unit 11 controls the mobile control device 12 so that the current position of the vehicle 1 included in the sensor information, which is the external situation acquired by the sensor device 14 during the autonomous travel, becomes a position on the teacher route R1 represented by the teacher route data 18A, thereby causing the vehicle 1 to autonomously travel along the teacher route R1 from a predetermined position P1 toward a parking target position P2.

[0136] The control unit 11 determines whether the external situation acquired by the sensor device 14 satisfies the first condition (step S208). In this embodiment, the control unit 11 makes the determination in step S208 by determining whether an obstacle has been detected in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1.

[0137] If the determination in step S208 is negative (step S208: No), the process proceeds to step S210. In step S210, the control unit 11 determines whether the vehicle 1 has reached the parking target position P2 (step S210). If the determination in step S210 is positive (step S210: Yes), the process ends. If the determination in step S210 is negative (step S210: No), the process returns to step S206.

[0138] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S208 that the first condition is met (step S208: Yes), the process proceeds to step S212.

[0139] In step S212, the control unit 11 causes the display device 22 to display that at least one of deceleration and stopping of the vehicle is possible by braking (step S212). By the processing of step S212, for example, the first screen 30A shown in FIG. 4 is displayed on the display device 22.

[0140] Next, the control unit 11 determines whether the operating device 20 has accepted the second operation, which is a brake operation (step S214). If the control unit 11 determines negatively in step S214 (step S214: No), the process proceeds to step S216. In step S216, the control unit 11 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed since the first screen 30A including the first display M1 was displayed on the display device 22 in step S212 (step S216). The control unit 11 repeats negative determinations (step S216: No) until a positive determination is made in step S216. If a positive determination is made in step S216 (step S216: Yes), the process proceeds to step S218.

[0141] In step S218, the control unit 11 executes control to decelerate the vehicle 1 at a predetermined deceleration acceleration and stop the vehicle 1 (step S218). If the distance between the vehicle 1 and the obstacle detected in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 in step S208 is a first distance, the control unit 11 decelerates the vehicle 1 at a first deceleration acceleration and stops the vehicle 1. Furthermore, if the distance between the vehicle 1 and the obstacle detected in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 in step S208 is a second distance shorter than the first distance, the control unit 11 decelerates the vehicle 1 at a second deceleration acceleration greater than the first deceleration acceleration and stops the vehicle 1.

[0142] The control unit 11 cancels the autonomous traveling (step S220). The control unit 11 cancels the autonomous traveling by switching the autonomous traveling mode to a normal traveling mode in which the vehicle 1 travels in accordance with manual operation by the passenger. Then, the control unit 11 causes the display device 22 to display a message that the autonomous traveling has been interrupted (step S222). By the processing of step S222, for example, the second screen 30B shown in FIG. 5 is displayed on the display device 22.

[0143] Next, the control unit 11 determines whether the vehicle 1 has stopped (step S224). The control unit 11 makes the determination in step S224 by determining whether the vehicle speed of the vehicle 1 represented by the sensor information has become zero and the positional movement has stopped. The control unit 11 repeats a negative determination (step S224: No) until a positive determination is made in step S224 (step S224: Yes). If the control unit 11 makes a positive determination in step S224 (step S224: Yes), the process proceeds to step S226.

[0144] The control unit 11 determines whether the external situation acquired by the sensor device 14 satisfies the second condition (step S226). The control unit 11 makes the determination in step S226 by determining whether an obstacle that was in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 is no longer detected. The control unit 11 repeats a negative determination (step S226: No) until a positive determination is made in step S226 (step S226: Yes). If the control unit 11 makes a positive determination in step S224 (step S226: Yes), the process proceeds to step S228.

[0145] In step S228, the control unit 11 causes the display device 22 to display that autonomous traveling can be resumed (step S228). By the processing of step S228, for example, the fifth screen 30E shown in Fig. 8 is displayed on the display device 22.

[0146] Next, the control unit 11 causes the display device 22 to display a message indicating that autonomous traveling will resume when the brake operation is released after the brake operation (step S230). By the processing of step S226, for example, the fourth screen 30D shown in Fig. 7 is displayed on the display device 22. That is, the control unit 11 causes the display device 22 to display the first operation of releasing the brake operation after the brake operation as the autonomous traveling resumption method.

[0147] Next, the control unit 11 determines whether the operation device 20 has received a first operation to release the brake operation after the brake operation (step S232). If the control unit 11 determines yes in step S232 (step S232: Yes), it switches the mode to the autonomous driving mode, returns to step S204, and resumes autonomous driving. If the control unit 11 determines no in step S230 (step S232: No), it ends this routine.

[0148] On the other hand, if the control unit 11 determines in step S214 that the second operation has been received within the predetermined time (step S214: Yes), the process proceeds to step S234.

[0149] In step S234, the control unit 11 cancels the autonomous traveling (step S234). The control unit 11 cancels the autonomous traveling, for example, by switching the autonomous traveling mode to a normal traveling mode in which the vehicle 1 travels in accordance with manual operation by the passenger. Then, the control unit 11 causes the display device 22 to display that the autonomous traveling has been interrupted (step S236). By the processing of step S236, for example, the second screen 30B shown in FIG. 5 is displayed on the display device 22.

[0150] Next, the control unit 11 determines whether the vehicle 1 has stopped (step S238). The control unit 11 executes the determination of step S238 in the same manner as step S224. The control unit 11 repeats a negative determination (step S238: No) until a positive determination is made in step S238 (step S238: Yes). If the control unit 11 makes a positive determination in step S238 (step S238: Yes), the process proceeds to step S240.

[0151] Next, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the external situation acquired by the sensor device 14 satisfies a second condition (step S240). The control unit 11 executes the determination of step S240 by determining whether or not an obstacle that was in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 is no longer detected.

[0152] The control unit 11 repeats the negative determination (step S240: No) until the positive determination is made in step S240 (step S240: Yes), If the positive determination is made in step S240 (step S240: Yes), the process proceeds to step S242.

[0153] In step S242, the control unit 11 causes the display device 22 to display a message that autonomous traveling can be resumed (step S242). By the processing of step S242, for example, the fifth screen 30E shown in Fig. 8 is displayed on the display device 22.

[0154] Next, the control unit 11 causes the display device 22 to display a message indicating that autonomous traveling will resume when the brake operation is released (step S244). By the processing of step S244, for example, the third screen 30C shown in Fig. 6 is displayed on the display device 22. That is, the control unit 11 causes the display device 22 to display the third operation, which is releasing the brake operation, as the autonomous traveling resumption method.

[0155] Next, the control unit 11 determines whether the operation device 20 has received a third operation to release the brake operation (step S246). If the control unit 11 determines affirmatively in step S246 (step S246: Yes), it switches the mode to the autonomous driving mode, returns to step S204, and resumes autonomous driving. If the control unit 11 determines negatively in step S246 (step S246: No), it ends this routine.

[0156] As described above, the vehicle control device 10 of this embodiment is a vehicle control method executed by the vehicle control device 10 mounted on a vehicle 1 equipped with an operation device 20 that accepts operations from a passenger, a sensor device 14 that acquires external conditions, a display device 22 visible to the passenger, and a mobility control device 12 that controls at least acceleration / deceleration and steering. The control unit 11 of the vehicle control device 10 controls at least acceleration / deceleration and steering based on the external conditions acquired by the sensor device 14 to cause the vehicle 1 to autonomously drive. If the control unit 11 determines that the external conditions acquired by the sensor device 14 satisfy a first condition during autonomous driving, the control unit 11 decelerates the vehicle 1 at a predetermined deceleration rate to bring it to a stop, cancels the autonomous driving, and causes the display device 22 to display a message that the autonomous driving has been interrupted. If the control unit 11 determines that the external conditions acquired by the sensor device 14 satisfy a second condition after the autonomous driving is canceled, the control unit 11 causes the display device 22 to display a message that the autonomous driving will resume when the brake operation is released after the brake operation is performed. When the operation device 20 receives a first operation for releasing the brake operation after the brake operation, the control unit 11 resumes the autonomous traveling.

[0157] In this way, when the control unit 11 of the vehicle control device 10 of this embodiment determines that the external situation satisfies a first condition during autonomous driving, it decelerates and stops the vehicle 1, cancels the autonomous driving, and displays on the display device 22 that the autonomous driving has been interrupted. Then, after the autonomous driving is canceled, if the external situation satisfies a second condition, the control unit 11 displays on the display device 22 a first operation of braking followed by releasing the brake operation as a method for resuming autonomous driving, and when the first operation is accepted, it resumes autonomous driving.

[0158] Therefore, the control unit 11 of the vehicle control device 10 of this embodiment can display on the display device 22 a method for resuming autonomous traveling that corresponds to the method for stopping the vehicle 1 when the autonomous traveling was canceled.

[0159] Therefore, the control unit 11 of the vehicle control device 10 of this embodiment can provide more suitable autonomous driving resumption control.

[0160] Next, the hardware configuration of the vehicle control device 10 of this embodiment will be described.

[0161] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the vehicle control device 10. As shown in FIG.

[0162] The vehicle control device 10 has a hardware configuration that utilizes a normal computer, with a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11A, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 11B, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 11C, an I / F 11D for connecting to various devices, and the like interconnected by a bus 11E.

[0163] The CPU 11A is a calculation device that controls the overall processing of the vehicle control device 10. The RAM 11C stores data necessary for various processes by the CPU 11A. The ROM 11B stores programs and the like that realize various processes by the CPU 11A. The I / F 11D is an interface that is connected to an external device or external terminal via a communication line or the like and transmits and receives data to and from the connected external device or external terminal.

[0164] The programs for executing the various processes described above executed by the vehicle control device 10 are provided by being pre-installed in the ROM 11B, etc. The programs for executing the vehicle control method executed in this embodiment may be configured to be provided by being recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R, or a digital versatile disc (DVD) in a format that can be installed or executed by these devices.

[0165] The program for executing the vehicle control method according to the present embodiment may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by being downloaded via the network. The program for executing the vehicle control method according to the present embodiment may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

[0166] Although an embodiment of the present disclosure has been described, this embodiment is presented as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. This embodiment can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. This embodiment is included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the invention described in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0167] 1 vehicle 10 Vehicle control device 11 Control section 12 Movement control device 14 Sensor device 16 Camera 20 Operating device 22 Display device

Claims

1. A vehicle control method executed by a vehicle control device mounted on a vehicle including an operation device that accepts operations by a passenger, a sensor device that acquires an external situation, a display device that is visible to the passenger, and a movement control device that controls at least acceleration / deceleration and steering, controlling at least acceleration / deceleration and steering based on the external situation acquired by the sensor device to autonomously drive the vehicle; During the autonomous driving, if it is determined that the external situation acquired by the sensor device satisfies a first condition, the vehicle is decelerated at a predetermined deceleration rate to stop, the autonomous driving is canceled, and a message that the autonomous driving has been interrupted is displayed on the display device; After the autonomous traveling is canceled, if it is determined that the external situation acquired by the sensor device satisfies a second condition, the display device displays a message that the autonomous traveling will resume when the brake operation is released after the brake operation, and if the operation device receives a first operation to release the brake operation after the brake operation, the autonomous traveling is resumed. Vehicle control method.

2. The first condition is that an obstacle is detected in the traveling direction of the vehicle, The second condition is that the obstacle that was in the traveling direction of the vehicle is no longer detected. The vehicle control method according to claim 1 .

3. The obstacle is a person. The vehicle control method according to claim 2 .

4. During the autonomous traveling, if the sensor device detects the obstacle at a first distance in the traveling direction of the vehicle, the vehicle is decelerated at a first deceleration rate to stop, the autonomous traveling is canceled, and a message that the autonomous traveling has been interrupted is displayed on the display device; After the autonomous traveling is canceled, if the sensor device no longer detects the obstacle, a message is displayed on the display device indicating that the autonomous traveling will resume when the brake operation is released after the brake operation is performed, and if the operation device receives the first operation, the autonomous traveling is resumed. The vehicle control method according to claim 2 .

5. During the autonomous traveling, when the sensor device detects the obstacle at a second distance in the traveling direction of the vehicle that is shorter than the first distance, the vehicle is decelerated at a second deceleration acceleration that is greater than the first deceleration acceleration and stopped. The vehicle control method according to claim 4.

6. After the autonomous traveling is canceled, if it is determined that the external situation acquired by the sensor device satisfies the second condition, the display device is caused to display that autonomous traveling is possible, and if the brake operation is subsequently released after a brake operation, the display device is caused to display that autonomous traveling will resume, and if the operation device receives the first operation, the autonomous traveling is resumed. The vehicle control method according to claim 1 .

7. During the autonomous traveling, when it is determined that the external situation acquired by the sensor device satisfies the first condition, the display device is caused to display that at least one of deceleration and stopping is possible by braking, and when the operation device receives a second operation which is a braking operation, the autonomous traveling is canceled and the display device is caused to display that the autonomous traveling has been interrupted; After the autonomous traveling is canceled, the vehicle is stopped by the second operation, and if it is determined that the external situation acquired by the sensor device satisfies the second condition, the display device displays a message that autonomous traveling will resume when the brake operation is released, and if the operation device receives a third operation to release the brake operation, the autonomous traveling is resumed. The vehicle control method according to claim 1 .

8. The sensor device includes at least one of a camera, a sonar, a radar, and a lidar. The vehicle control method according to claim 1 .

9. The autonomous driving is driving along a parking path from a predetermined position to a parking target position. The vehicle control method according to claim 1 .

10. The parking route is a pre-recorded route from the predetermined position to the parking target position. The vehicle control method according to claim 9.

11. A vehicle control device mounted on a vehicle including an operation device that receives operations from a passenger, a sensor device that acquires an external situation, a display device that can be seen by the passenger, and a movement control device that controls at least acceleration / deceleration and steering, controlling at least acceleration / deceleration and steering based on the external situation acquired by the sensor device to autonomously drive the vehicle; During the autonomous driving, if it is determined that the external situation acquired by the sensor device satisfies a first condition, the vehicle is decelerated at a predetermined deceleration rate to stop, the autonomous driving is canceled, and a message that the autonomous driving has been interrupted is displayed on the display device; After the autonomous traveling is canceled, if it is determined that the external situation acquired by the sensor device satisfies a second condition, the display device displays a message that the autonomous traveling will resume when the brake operation is released after the brake operation, and if the operation device receives a first operation to release the brake operation after the brake operation, the autonomous traveling is resumed. control unit, A vehicle control device comprising:

12. The first condition is that an obstacle is detected in the traveling direction of the vehicle, The second condition is that the obstacle that was in the traveling direction of the vehicle is no longer detected. The vehicle control device according to claim 11.

13. The obstacle is a person. The vehicle control device according to claim 12.

14. The control unit During the autonomous traveling, if the sensor device detects the obstacle at a first distance in the traveling direction of the vehicle, the vehicle is decelerated at a first deceleration rate to stop, the autonomous traveling is canceled, and a message that the autonomous traveling has been interrupted is displayed on the display device; After the autonomous traveling is canceled, if the sensor device no longer detects the obstacle, a message is displayed on the display device indicating that the autonomous traveling will resume when the brake operation is released after the brake operation is performed, and if the operation device receives the first operation, the autonomous traveling is resumed. The vehicle control device according to claim 12.

15. The control unit During the autonomous traveling, when the sensor device detects the obstacle at a second distance in the traveling direction of the vehicle that is shorter than the first distance, the vehicle is decelerated at a second deceleration acceleration that is greater than the first deceleration acceleration and stopped. The vehicle control device according to claim 14.

16. The control unit After the autonomous traveling is canceled, if it is determined that the external situation acquired by the sensor device satisfies the second condition, the display device is caused to display that autonomous traveling is possible, and if the brake operation is subsequently released after a brake operation, the display device is caused to display that autonomous traveling will resume, and if the operation device receives the first operation, the autonomous traveling is resumed. The vehicle control device according to claim 11.

17. The control unit During the autonomous traveling, when it is determined that the external situation acquired by the sensor device satisfies the first condition, the display device is caused to display that at least one of deceleration and stopping is possible by braking, and when the operation device receives a second operation which is a braking operation, the autonomous traveling is canceled and the display device is caused to display that the autonomous traveling has been interrupted; After the autonomous traveling is canceled, the vehicle is stopped by the second operation, and if it is determined that the external situation acquired by the sensor device satisfies the second condition, the display device displays a message that autonomous traveling will resume when the brake operation is released, and if the operation device receives a third operation to release the brake operation, the autonomous traveling is resumed. The vehicle control device according to claim 11.

18. The sensor device includes at least one of a camera, a sonar, a radar, and a lidar. The vehicle control device according to claim 11.

19. The autonomous driving is driving along a parking path from a predetermined position to a parking target position. The vehicle control device according to claim 11.

20. The parking route is a pre-recorded route from the predetermined position to the parking target position. The vehicle control device according to claim 19.

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