Automatic Operation Device

Abstract

To provide an automatic operation device and a merging vehicle response control method capable of improving convenience of automatic driving.SOLUTION: An automatic driving ECU 30 starts control to temporarily extend an inter-vehicle distance from a preceding vehicle by a predetermined amount when recognizing a merging vehicle. In addition, when the merging vehicle remains at a timing when the remaining distance to a merge start point is less than a predetermined reconfirmation threshold, a planned stop position is set near the merging start point, and deceleration control is started toward stopping at the planned stop position. When there are still merging vehicles remaining, even if a predetermined number or more of vehicles merge in front of a self vehicle after stopping, a driver is requested to change driving. The automatic driving ECU 30 can continue automatic driving control until the number of merging vehicles reaches a predetermined value or more, or until an override operation is performed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a technology for autonomous driving near a junction. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes an automatic operation device that prohibits the start of an automatic driving mode when the vehicle is traveling in a section that includes a merging point or a branching point. Patent Document 1 also discloses a configuration that allows the start of automatic driving even when the vehicle is traveling near a merging point if there is no merging vehicle or if the time to collision with the merging vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6817334 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1 is based on the premise that the vehicle is in a state before autonomous driving starts, i.e., during manual driving. Patent Document 1 does not mention anything about the system's response policy to a merging vehicle after autonomous driving starts, i.e., during autonomous driving.

[0005] This disclosure has been made with a focus on a novel situation in which an autonomous vehicle encounters a merging vehicle during autonomous driving. One of the objectives of this disclosure is to develop an autonomous driving system that can respond appropriately to a merging vehicle. Place The purpose is to provide. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The first automatic operation device disclosed herein includes a vehicle control unit (Fn) that executes automatic driving control to autonomously drive the vehicle along a predetermined planned driving route based on a signal from a perimeter monitoring sensor; a merging point recognition unit (F21) that recognizes a merging point where the road on which the vehicle is traveling is a main line based on at least one of map data, detection results of the perimeter monitoring sensor, and data acquired by wireless communication from an external device; and a surrounding vehicle recognition unit (F22) that recognizes a merging vehicle, which is another vehicle that is about to merge onto the main line at the merging point, based on the detection results of the perimeter monitoring sensor or the data acquired by wireless communication from an external device. The vehicle control unit executes control to change the driving position of the vehicle relative to surrounding vehicles on the main line based on the remaining distance to the merging point becoming less than a predetermined value while the automatic driving control is being executed, and the control to change the driving position of the vehicle relative to surrounding vehicles on the main line includes control to temporarily increase the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle by a predetermined amount based on the presence of a merging vehicle being recognized by the surrounding vehicle recognition unit while the automatic driving control is being executed. A second automatic operation device included in the present disclosure includes a vehicle control unit (Fn) that executes automatic driving control to autonomously drive the vehicle along a predetermined planned driving route based on a signal from a perimeter monitoring sensor, a merging point recognition unit (F21) that recognizes a merging point where the road on which the vehicle is traveling is a main line based on at least one of map data, detection results of the perimeter monitoring sensor, and data acquired by wireless communication from an external device, and a surrounding vehicle recognition unit (F22) that recognizes a merging vehicle that is another vehicle that is about to merge into the main line at the merging point based on the detection results of the perimeter monitoring sensor or data acquired by wireless communication from an external device, and the vehicle control unit: This control changes the vehicle's driving position relative to surrounding vehicles on the main line based on the fact that the remaining distance to the merging point becomes less than a predetermined value while automatic driving control is being executed. The control to change the vehicle's driving position relative to surrounding vehicles on the main line includes executing forward space shortening control, which is a control for temporarily shortening the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle by a predetermined amount, based on the presence of a merging vehicle being recognized by the surrounding vehicle recognition unit while automatic driving control is being executed. If there is no traffic jam, forward space shortening control is executed, and if there is traffic jam, forward space expansion control is executed, which is a control for increasing the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle by a predetermined amount based on the detection of a merging vehicle. A third automatic operation device included in the present disclosure includes a vehicle control unit (Fn) that executes automatic driving control to autonomously drive the vehicle along a predetermined planned driving route based on a signal from a perimeter monitoring sensor; a merging point recognition unit (F21) that recognizes a merging point on which the road on which the vehicle is traveling is a main line based on at least one of map data, detection results of the perimeter monitoring sensor, and data acquired by wireless communication from an external device; and a surrounding vehicle recognition unit (F22) that recognizes a merging vehicle, which is another vehicle that is about to merge onto the main line at the merging point, based on the detection results of the perimeter monitoring sensor or the data acquired by wireless communication from the external device. The vehicle control unit executes control to change the driving position of the vehicle relative to surrounding vehicles on the main line based on the fact that the remaining distance to the merging point becomes less than a predetermined value while executing automatic driving control on a general road, and when the surrounding vehicle recognition unit recognizes a merging vehicle while executing automatic driving control on a general road, it executes merging promotion control, which is control to encourage the merging vehicle to move in front of the vehicle, whereas when automatic driving control is being executed on a motor vehicle-only highway, it does not execute merging promotion control. A fourth automatic driving device included in the present disclosure includes a vehicle control unit (Fn) that executes automatic driving control to autonomously drive the vehicle along a predetermined planned driving route based on a signal from a perimeter monitoring sensor, a merging point recognition unit (F21) that recognizes a merging point where the road on which the vehicle is traveling is a main line based on at least one of map data, detection results of the perimeter monitoring sensor, and data acquired by wireless communication from an external device, a surrounding vehicle recognition unit (F22) that recognizes a merging vehicle that is another vehicle that is about to merge into the main line at the merging point based on the detection results of the perimeter monitoring sensor or the data acquired by wireless communication from an external device, and a surrounding vehicle recognition unit (F23) that recognizes a merging vehicle that is another vehicle that is about to merge into the main line at the merging point based on the detection results of the perimeter monitoring sensor or the data acquired by wireless communication from an external device. and a driver state determination unit (F6) that determines whether the driver is performing a second task based on an image of the driver captured by the vehicle control unit. The vehicle control unit performs control to change the driving position of the vehicle relative to surrounding vehicles on the main line based on the fact that the remaining distance to the merging point becomes less than a predetermined value while the automatic driving control is being performed. When the surrounding vehicle recognition unit recognizes a merging vehicle while the automatic driving control is being performed and the driver is performing the second task, the vehicle control unit performs merging promotion control, which is control to encourage the merging vehicle to move in front of the vehicle, and when the driver is not performing the second task, the vehicle control unit does not perform merging promotion control. 。

[0008] The above equipment Place In the case of the merging point, a control is executed to change the driving position of the vehicle relative to surrounding vehicles on the main line based on the fact that the remaining distance to the merging point is less than a predetermined value. Therefore, a space is created in front of / behind / beside the vehicle where a merging vehicle can easily merge. This allows the merging vehicle to merge while maintaining a sufficient distance from the vehicle, and the number of merging vehicles that may affect the driving of the vehicle can be reduced in advance. In addition, the occurrence of vehicles that try to forcibly merge in front of or behind the vehicle from the merging road can be suppressed. Therefore, the risk of the driving environment reaching a state where it is difficult to continue autonomous driving (so-called system limit) can be reduced. This makes it possible to improve the continuity of autonomous driving and, ultimately, the convenience of autonomous driving.

[0009] In addition, the symbols in parentheses in the claims indicate a correspondence with the specific means described in the embodiments described below as one aspect, and do not limit the technical scope of the present disclosure. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an autonomous driving system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a road structure at a junction. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of an autonomous driving ECU. [Figure 4] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a merging vehicle response process. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a deceleration notification image. [Figure 6] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a response policy confirmation process for a merging vehicle. [Figure 7] 13 is a flowchart showing another example of the merging vehicle response process. [Figure 8] 13 is a flowchart showing another example of the merging vehicle response process. [Figure 9] 13 is a flowchart showing another example of the merging vehicle response process. [Figure 10] 13 is a flowchart showing another example of the merging vehicle response process. [Figure 11] 13 is a flowchart showing another example of the merging vehicle response process. [Figure 12] 13 is a flowchart showing another example of the merging vehicle response process. [Figure 13] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of a processor for changing the allowable joining number. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen for a response policy for a merging vehicle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] <Introduction> An example of an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiment, and can be implemented with various modifications within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, various supplements and modifications can be implemented in appropriate combinations within the scope of no technical contradiction. Members having the same function may be assigned the same reference numerals and their description may be omitted. In addition, when only a part of the configuration is mentioned, the previous description may be applied to the other parts.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of the automatic driving system Sys according to the present disclosure. The automatic driving system Sys can be mounted on a vehicle capable of traveling on a road. The vehicle to which the automatic driving system Sys is applied may be a four-wheeled vehicle, a two-wheeled vehicle, a three-wheeled vehicle, a bus, a truck, a tanker truck, or the like. The vehicle to which the automatic driving system Sys is applied may be an owner's car owned by an individual, a shared car, or a rental car. A shared car is a vehicle provided for a car sharing service, and a rental car is a vehicle provided for a vehicle rental service. Hereinafter, a vehicle equipped with the automatic driving system Sys is also referred to as a self-vehicle. The automatic driving system Sys described below can be modified as appropriate to conform to the laws and customs of the region in which it is used, the characteristics / equipment of the vehicle, and the like. The system in the following refers to the automatic driving system Sys unless otherwise specified.

[0013] Here, as an example, the host vehicle is an electric vehicle. The host vehicle may be an engine vehicle. Electric vehicles can include not only electric vehicles, but also plug-in hybrid vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and fuel cell vehicles. An engine vehicle is a vehicle that has only an engine as a drive source, and corresponds to a vehicle that runs on fuel such as gasoline or diesel. An electric vehicle refers to a vehicle that has only a motor as a drive source. A plug-in hybrid vehicle and a hybrid vehicle refer to vehicles that have an engine and a motor as power sources.

[0014] The driver in this disclosure refers to a person who sits in the driver's seat, that is, a driver's seat occupant, regardless of whether or not the person is actually driving. For example, the driver in this disclosure may refer to a person who should receive the authority and responsibility of driving operation from the automatic driving system Sys when automatic driving ends. The description of the driver in this disclosure can be replaced with the driver's seat occupant. The vehicle may be a remote-operated vehicle that is remotely operated by an operator outside the vehicle. The person who takes over the driving operation from the automatic driving system Sys may be an operator outside the vehicle. The operator here refers to a person who has the authority to control the vehicle by remote control from outside the vehicle. The operator can also be included in the concept of the driver / driver's seat occupant. The target of notification of various information by the system may be the operator.

[0015] The automated driving system Sys provides a so-called automated driving function that allows the vehicle to autonomously drive along a predetermined route. There can be multiple levels of automation of driving operations (hereinafter referred to as automation levels), as defined by, for example, the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE International). The automation levels can be classified into six stages, for example, levels 0 to 5, as follows.

[0016] Level 0 is a level where the driver performs all driving tasks without system intervention. Driving tasks include, for example, steering and acceleration / deceleration. Driving tasks also include monitoring the surroundings of the vehicle, such as the area ahead of the vehicle. Level 0 corresponds to the so-called fully manual driving level. Level 1 is a level where the system supports either steering or acceleration / deceleration. Level 2 refers to a level where the system supports two or more of steering operations and acceleration / deceleration operations. Levels 1 and 2 correspond to so-called driving assistance levels.

[0017] Level 3 refers to a level where the system performs all driving tasks within the Operational Design Domain (ODD), while in the event of an emergency, the system transfers operational authority to the driver. The ODD specifies the conditions under which automated driving can be performed, such as the driving location being on a motorway. Level 3 corresponds to so-called conditional automated driving.

[0018] Level 4 is a level where the system performs all driving tasks except in specific situations such as on specified roads that the system cannot handle and in extreme environments. Level 4 corresponds to the level where the system performs all driving tasks within the ODD. Level 4 corresponds to so-called highly automated driving. Level 5 is a level where the system can perform all driving tasks in any environment. Level 5 corresponds to so-called fully automated driving.

[0019] Automation levels 3 to 5 are automation levels where the driver does not need to monitor the surroundings, in other words, levels that correspond to autonomous driving. The autonomous driving system Sys is configured to be able to implement autonomous driving control equivalent to automation level 3. Of course, the autonomous driving system Sys may also be configured to be able to implement autonomous driving control equivalent to automation level 4 or 5.

[0020] In this disclosure, a preceding vehicle refers to a vehicle that is in front of the host vehicle, travels in the same lane as the host vehicle, and is the closest vehicle to the host vehicle. In this disclosure, the road on which the host vehicle is traveling is referred to as the host vehicle road. In the following, the term host vehicle lane refers to the lane on which the host vehicle is traveling among the lanes of the host vehicle road. The host vehicle lane can also be called an ego lane.

[0021] Furthermore, a merging point in the present disclosure is a point where roads merge. Of the two roads connected at a merging point, the road that continues to exist after the merging point corresponds to the main line (in other words, the merging road). Also, the road that disappears after the merging point corresponds to the merging road. The merging road can be read as a branch line or a secondary line. Another vehicle traveling on the merging road corresponds to a merging vehicle. Hereinafter, a case where the vehicle's travel path corresponds to the main line will be mainly described. Note that whether the vehicle's travel path corresponds to the main line can be determined based on map data, etc. In general, the road with a larger road structure, such as road width, can be the main line.

[0022] Incidentally, a merging road may have a parallel section that runs alongside the main road, as shown in Fig. 2. The parallel section may also be called an acceleration section or a deceleration section. Due to the above section, the merging point may be realized as a merging section having a certain length to realize a smooth merging. In this disclosure, the expression "merging point" includes the concept of a section or area having a certain length.

[0023] In this disclosure, as an example, the start of the parallel running section is referred to as the merging start point Ps, and the end of the parallel running section is referred to as the merging end point Pe. If a pole or the like is placed at the boundary between the parallel running section and the main line to encourage merging at the end of the parallel running section (the so-called zipper method), the end of the section where the pole is placed corresponds to the merging start point Ps. The zipper method may also be called the fastener method.

[0024] When the merging point is realized as a section having a predetermined length, the position coordinates of the merging start point Ps, for example, can be used as the coordinates representatively indicating the position of the merging point. In another embodiment, the center of the merging section, in other words, the midpoint Pm between the merging start point Ps and the merging end point Pe, may be regarded as the representative position of the merging point. In addition, the representative position of the merging point may be a point 5 m before the merging end point Pe. In this disclosure, before corresponds to the opposite side of the traveling direction set on the road.

[0025] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of a road structure near a merging point. Ds in FIG. 2 indicates the remaining distance from the vehicle to the merging start point Ps. De indicates the remaining distance from the vehicle to the merging end point Pe. FIG. 2 shows a mode in which the point where the lane width of the parallel running section starts to decrease is set as the merging end point Pe. As another mode, as shown by Pf in FIG. 2, the point where the parallel running section completely disappears may be adopted as the merging end point. Also, a point 5 m before the point where the parallel running section completely disappears may be adopted as the merging end point. The coordinates of the merging point used in various controls described below may be any of the merging start point Ps, the merging end point Pe, and the representative position.

[0026] <Overall configuration of the Autonomous Driving System Sys> The autonomous driving system Sys includes various components as shown in Fig. 1 as an example. That is, the autonomous driving system Sys includes a surroundings monitoring sensor 11, a vehicle state sensor 12, a locator 13, a map storage unit 14, a wireless communication device 15, an occupant state sensor 16, a body ECU 17, an exterior display device 18, and a driving actuator 19. The autonomous driving system Sys also includes an in-vehicle HMI 20 and an autonomous driving ECU 30. Note that ECU is an abbreviation for Electronic Control Unit, which means an electronic control device. HMI is an abbreviation for Human Machine Interface.

[0027] The autonomous driving ECU 30 is connected to each of the above devices / sensors such as the periphery monitoring sensor 11 via an in-vehicle network IvN so that they can communicate with each other. The in-vehicle network IvN is a communication network built inside the vehicle. Various standards such as Controller Area Network (hereinafter, CAN: registered trademark) and Ethernet (registered trademark) can be adopted as standards for the in-vehicle network IvN. In addition, some of the devices / sensors may be directly connected to the autonomous driving ECU 30 by dedicated signal lines. The connection form between the devices can be changed as appropriate.

[0028] The perimeter monitoring sensor 11 is an autonomous sensor that monitors the environment around the vehicle. The perimeter monitoring sensor 11 can detect predefined moving objects and stationary objects from a detection range around the vehicle. The autonomous driving system Sys may include multiple types of perimeter monitoring sensors 11. The autonomous driving system Sys includes, for example, a camera 111 and a millimeter wave radar 112 as the perimeter monitoring sensors 11.

[0029] The camera 111 is a so-called front camera that is arranged to capture an image of the front of the vehicle at a predetermined angle of view. The camera 111 is arranged on the upper end of the windshield on the interior side of the vehicle, the front grill, the roof top, etc. The camera 111 may include a camera ECU that detects a predetermined detection target by performing recognition processing on the image frame in addition to a camera main body that generates an image frame. The camera main body includes at least an image sensor and a lens. The camera ECU is mainly composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The camera ECU detects and identifies an object registered as a detection target using, for example, a classifier to which deep learning is applied. Note that CNN (Convolutional Neural Network) and DNN (Deep Neural Network) can be adopted as a method of deep learning.

[0030] Objects detected by the camera 111 include, for example, moving objects such as pedestrians and other vehicles. Objects detected by the camera 111 also include features such as road edges, road markings, and structures installed along the road. Road markings include lane markings that indicate lane boundaries, crosswalks, stop lines, guidance strips, safety zones, and regulatory arrows. Structures installed along the road include road signs, guardrails, curbs, utility poles, and traffic lights. The camera 111 can also detect the lighting status of lighting devices such as hazard lights and direction indicators of a vehicle ahead.

[0031] The automatic driving system Sys may include a plurality of cameras 111. For example, the automatic driving system Sys may include, as the camera 111, a side camera that captures images of the sides of the vehicle and a rear camera that captures images of the rear of the vehicle, in addition to a front camera. The function of detecting a detection target object by analyzing camera images may be provided by another ECU, such as the automatic driving ECU 30. The functional arrangement in the automatic driving system Sys may be changed as appropriate. The camera 111 outputs at least one of image data captured around the vehicle and an analysis result of the image data as detection information to the in-vehicle network IvN. The data flowing through the in-vehicle network IvN is referred to by the automatic driving ECU 30 as appropriate.

[0032] The millimeter wave radar 112 is a device that detects the relative position and relative speed of an object with respect to the vehicle by transmitting a search wave such as a millimeter wave or a quasi-millimeter wave in a predetermined direction and analyzing the received data of the reflected wave that is reflected by the object. The autonomous driving system Sys may include a plurality of millimeter wave radars 112 that detect different areas. For example, the autonomous driving system Sys includes a forward millimeter wave radar and a rear millimeter wave radar as the millimeter wave radars 112. The forward millimeter wave radar 112 is a millimeter wave radar 112 that transmits a search wave toward the front of the vehicle and is installed, for example, on the front grill or the front bumper. The rear millimeter wave radar 112 is a millimeter wave radar 112 that transmits a search wave toward the rear of the vehicle and is installed, for example, on the rear bumper. Each millimeter wave radar 112 generates data indicating the relative position and relative speed of the detected object and outputs the data as a detection result to the autonomous driving ECU 30 or the like. Objects to be detected by the millimeter wave radar 112 may include, in addition to other vehicles and pedestrians, manholes (iron plates), three-dimensional structures serving as landmarks, and the like.

[0033] The autonomous driving system Sys may include, as the periphery monitoring sensor 11, a LiDAR, a sonar, etc., in addition to the camera 111 and the millimeter wave radar 112. LiDAR is an abbreviation for Light Detection and Ranging or Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging. LiDAR is a device that generates three-dimensional point cloud data indicating the position of a reflection point for each detection direction by irradiating a laser light. LiDAR is also called a laser radar. A sonar is a device that transmits ultrasonic waves in a predetermined direction and detects the relative position and relative speed of an object with respect to the vehicle by analyzing the received data of the reflected wave that is reflected by the object and returned. The autonomous driving system Sys may also include a plurality of LiDARs and sonars. Note that the camera 111 and the millimeter wave radar 112 are examples of the periphery monitoring sensor 11 and are not essential elements. The combination of the periphery monitoring sensors 11 included in the autonomous driving system Sys can be changed as appropriate. The detection results of each periphery monitoring sensor 11 are input to the autonomous driving ECU 30.

[0034] The vehicle state sensor 12 is a group of sensors that detect information related to the state of the host vehicle. The vehicle state sensor 12 includes a vehicle speed sensor, a steering angle sensor, an acceleration sensor, a yaw rate sensor, an accelerator pedal sensor, and the like. The vehicle speed sensor is a sensor that detects the vehicle speed of the host vehicle. The steering angle sensor is a sensor that detects the steering angle. The acceleration sensor is a sensor that detects the acceleration acting in the forward / rearward direction of the host vehicle, the lateral acceleration acting in the left / right direction, and the like. The yaw rate sensor is a sensor that detects the angular velocity of the host vehicle. The accelerator pedal sensor is a sensor that detects the depression amount / depression force of the accelerator pedal. The vehicle state sensor 12 outputs data indicating the current value (i.e., the detection result) of the physical state quantity to be detected to the in-vehicle network IvN. The type of sensor used by the autonomous driving system Sys as the vehicle state sensor 12 may be appropriately designed, and it is not necessary to have all of the above-mentioned sensors.

[0035] The locator 13 is a device that calculates and outputs the position coordinates of the vehicle using navigation signals transmitted from positioning satellites that constitute the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). The locator 13 includes a GNSS receiver and an inertial sensor, etc. The locator 13 combines the navigation signals received by the GNSS receiver, the measurement results of the inertial sensor, and the vehicle speed information flowing through the in-vehicle network IvN, and sequentially calculates the vehicle's own position, traveling direction, etc., and outputs them to the autonomous driving ECU 30 as locator information.

[0036] The map storage unit 14 is a storage device that stores so-called HD (High Definition) map data, including road information necessary for autonomous driving control. The map data stored in the map storage unit 14 includes the three-dimensional shape of the road, the installation positions of road markings such as lane markings, the installation positions of traffic signs, etc., with the accuracy required for autonomous driving, etc.

[0037] The map data stored in the map storage unit 14 can be updated, for example, by data received by the wireless communication device 15 from a map server or the like. The map server is a server that is disposed outside the vehicle and distributes map data. The map storage unit 14 may be a storage device that temporarily holds the map data received by the wireless communication device 15 from the map server until the validity period of the data expires. The map data held by the map storage unit 14 may be navigation map data, which is map data for navigation, on the condition that the map data includes feature data such as junctions, traffic lights, and landmarks. The function of the locator 13 may be provided in the navigation ECU.

[0038] The wireless communication device 15 is a device for the vehicle to perform wireless communication with other devices. The wireless communication device 15 is configured to be capable of performing cellular communication. Cellular communication is wireless communication that complies with a predetermined wide-area wireless communication standard. Various wide-area wireless communication standards, such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G, and 5G, can be adopted here.

[0039] The vehicle becomes a connected car that can connect to the Internet by mounting the wireless communication device 15. For example, the autonomous driving ECU 30 can download map data corresponding to the current location from a map distribution server in cooperation with the wireless communication device 15 and use the map data. The wireless communication device 15 may be configured to be capable of performing direct wireless communication with other devices without going through a wireless base station by a method conforming to a wide-area wireless communication standard. In other words, the wireless communication device 15 may be configured to perform cellular V2X (PC5 / SideLink / Uu).

[0040] Further, the wireless communication device 15 is configured to be capable of performing short-range communication. In the present disclosure, short-range communication refers to wireless communication in which the communication distance is limited to within several hundred meters. As a standard for short-range communication, for example, DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communications) corresponding to the IEEE802.11p standard, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), or the like can be adopted. The short-range communication method may be the above-mentioned Cellular V2X. The wireless communication device 15 may be configured to be capable of performing only one of cellular communication and short-range communication. The wireless communication device 15 may be configured to be capable of performing communication conforming to a standard such as BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy).

[0041] The wireless communication device 15 can receive dynamic map data related to the driving route of the vehicle from an external device such as a map server, a traffic information center, a roadside device, or another vehicle. The roadside device is a wireless communication device installed along a road. The dynamic map data is data on elements whose existence or position can change, for example, in units of one second, one minute, or one hour. For example, information indicating the position and speed of a merging vehicle corresponds to the dynamic map data. In addition, road surface conditions and weather at each point, fallen objects, lane restrictions, construction sections, and congested sections also correspond to dynamic map elements. Data on dynamic map elements may be received from the map server in the form of streaming distribution together with static map data.

[0042] The dynamic map data acquired by the wireless communication device 15 is temporarily stored in the map storage unit 14, and then appropriately read by the locator 13 and output to the autonomous driving ECU 30. The dynamic map data acquired by the wireless communication device 15 may be provided to the autonomous driving ECU 30 without going through the locator 13 or the map storage unit 14. In addition, the wireless communication device 15 may receive vehicle information from surrounding vehicles by vehicle-to-vehicle communication. The vehicle information may include speed, current position, turn signal operation state, acceleration, and the like. The surrounding vehicles here refer to vehicles that are present within a range where vehicle-to-vehicle communication is possible, for example, vehicles that are present within 200 m of the vehicle itself.

[0043] The occupant status sensor 16 is a sensor that detects the state of the driver. The automatic driving system Sys may include a plurality of types of occupant status sensors 16. For example, the automatic driving system Sys includes a driver status monitor (hereinafter, DSM). The DSM is a sensor that sequentially detects the state of the driver based on an image of the driver's face. Specifically, the DSM uses a near-infrared camera to capture the face of the driver, and performs image recognition processing on the captured image to sequentially detect the direction of the driver's face, the direction of the line of sight, the degree of opening of the eyelids, and the like. The infrared camera of the DSM is arranged on the upper surface of the steering column cover, the upper surface of the instrument panel, the upper end of the windshield, and the like, with the optical axis directed toward the headrest of the driver's seat so that the driver's face can be captured. The DSM as the occupant status sensor 16 sequentially outputs information indicating the direction of the driver's face, the direction of the line of sight, the degree of opening of the eyelids, and the like, identified from the captured image, as driver status data to the in-vehicle network IvN. The camera constituting the DSM may be a visible light camera.

[0044] The body ECU 17 is an ECU that comprehensively controls the body-related in-vehicle devices mounted on the vehicle. The body-related in-vehicle devices include, for example, an exterior display device 18, lighting devices such as headlights, and door lock motors. The exterior display device 18 is, for example, a projector that projects an image for communicating with drivers of other vehicles onto the road surface or a window glass. The exterior display device 18 is provided, for example, on the ceiling part (for example, near the upper end of the window frame part) in the vehicle cabin in a position where the irradiated light hits the side window. The exterior display device 18 may be provided on a side mirror so as to project an image onto the road surface near the vehicle. The headlights may be configured to operate as the exterior display device 18. The exterior display device 18 may be a liquid crystal display or the like arranged with the display surface facing the side or rear of the vehicle.

[0045] As images for communicating with the driver of the other vehicle, at a merging point, an entry permission image indicating an intention to give way and an entry prohibition image urging the driver to enter behind the vehicle are assumed. The entry permission image is an image indicating that the driver is permitted to enter between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle. The entry prohibition image corresponds to an image indicating that the driver is not permitted to enter between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle. The intention here may be determined by the driver's input or may be a control policy of the automatic driving system Sys. According to the above configuration, communication between the automatic driving vehicle and the other vehicle becomes smooth, and it is possible to reduce the risk that the distance between the vehicles will be reduced to a predetermined value (for example, 1 m) or less.

[0046] The external display device 18 may be a device that indicates the intention of permitting / prohibiting cutting in by the color of light it outputs. For example, it may be configured to output a green or blue light when permitting cutting in, and emit a yellow or red light when requesting cancellation of cutting in. Changing the display image / lighting color of the external display device 18 corresponds to changing the operation mode of the external display device 18. The external display device 18 may be a device for informing other traffic, such as other vehicles and pedestrians, whether or not the vehicle is in automatic driving mode. The external display device 18 may be understood as one of the devices that constitute the in-vehicle HMI 20.

[0047] The in-vehicle HMI 20 is a group of interfaces for exchanging information between the occupant and the automatic driving system Sys. The in-vehicle HMI 20 includes a display 21 and a speaker 22 as notification devices for notifying the driver of information. The in-vehicle HMI 20 also includes an input device 23 as an input interface for receiving operations from the occupant.

[0048] The autonomous driving system Sys includes one or more of a head-up display (HUD), a meter display, and a center display as the display 21. The HUD is a device that projects image light onto a predetermined area of ​​the windshield to display a virtual image that can be perceived by the driver. The meter display is a display arranged in an area of ​​the instrument panel located in front of the driver's seat. The center display is a display provided in the center of the instrument panel in the vehicle width direction. The meter display and the center display can be realized using a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. The display 21 displays an image according to the input signal based on the control signal and video signal input from the autonomous driving ECU 30.

[0049] The speaker 22 is a device that outputs a sound corresponding to a signal input from the autonomous driving ECU 30. The expression "sound" includes notification sounds, voices, music, and the like. The autonomous driving system Sys may also include a vibrator, an ambient light, and the like as an alert device. The ambient light is a lighting device that is realized by a plurality of LEDs (light emitting diodes) and is capable of adjusting the light emission color and light emission intensity, and is provided on the instrument panel, steering wheel, and the like.

[0050] The input device 23 is a device for receiving an instruction operation of the driver to the automatic driving system Sys. As the input device 23, a steering switch provided on the spoke part of the steering wheel, an operation lever provided on the steering column, a touch panel stacked on the center display, etc. can be adopted. The automatic driving system Sys may include the above-mentioned multiple types of devices as the input device 23. The input device 23 outputs an electric signal corresponding to the driver's operation as an operation signal to the in-vehicle network IvN. The operation signal includes information indicating the operation content of the driver. The automatic driving system Sys receives an instruction regarding the start and end of automatic driving via the input device 23. In addition, the automatic driving system Sys receives an instruction regarding permission / not permission of merging via the input device 23. The automatic driving system Sys may be configured to be able to obtain various instructions of the driver, including instructions to start / end automatic driving, by voice input. A device related to voice input such as a microphone can also be included in the input device 23. In addition, for example, an HCU (HMI Control Unit) may be interposed between the in-vehicle HMI 20 and the automatic driving ECU 30. The HCU is a device that comprehensively controls information notifications to the driver.

[0051] The autonomous driving ECU 30 is an ECU that controls the traveling actuator 19 based on the detection results of the surrounding monitoring sensor 11 and performs part or all of the driving operation on behalf of the driver. The autonomous driving ECU 30 is also called an automatic driving device. The traveling actuator 19 includes, for example, a brake actuator as a braking device, an electronic throttle, a steering actuator, and the like. The steering actuator includes an EPS (Electric Power Steering) motor. Note that other ECUs, such as a steering ECU that performs steering control, a power unit control ECU that performs acceleration / deceleration control, and a brake ECU, may be interposed between the autonomous driving ECU 30 and the traveling actuator 19.

[0052] The autonomous driving ECU 30 is mainly composed of a computer including a processor 31, a memory 32, a storage 33, a communication interface 34, and a bus connecting these. The memory 32 is a rewritable volatile storage medium. The memory 32 is, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory). The storage 33 is, for example, a rewritable nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory. The storage 33 stores a vehicle control program which is a program executed by the processor 31. The vehicle control program also includes a merging vehicle response program which plans a system response to a merging vehicle. The execution of the vehicle control program by the processor 31 corresponds to the execution of a merging vehicle response control method. The processor which executes the process related to the driving assistance may be provided separately from the processor which executes the process related to the autonomous driving. The autonomous driving ECU 30 may include multiple processors 31.

[0053] The autonomous driving ECU 30 has a plurality of operation modes with different automation levels. Here, as an example, the autonomous driving ECU 30 is configured to be switchable among a fully manual mode, a driving assistance mode, and an autonomous driving mode. Each operation mode has a different range of driving tasks that the driver is responsible for, in other words, a different range of driving tasks in which the system intervenes. Here, the system refers to the autonomous driving system Sys, as described above. The term "system" can also be read as the autonomous driving ECU 30. The operation mode can also be referred to as the driving mode.

[0054] The fully manual mode is an operation mode in which the driver performs all driving tasks. The fully manual mode corresponds to automation level 0. The driving assistance mode is an operation mode in which the system performs at least one of acceleration / deceleration and steering operations. In the driving assistance mode, the driver is the main actor in performing the steering operation, and the driver must at least monitor the surroundings, such as the area in front of the vehicle. The fully manual mode and the driving assistance mode are driving modes in which the driver performs at least some of the driving tasks. Therefore, in this disclosure, when there is no distinction between the fully manual mode and the driving assistance mode, they are also referred to as occupant-involved mode. The occupant-involved mode can also be called a manual driving mode, which is an antonym of the automated driving mode.

[0055] The autonomous driving mode is an operation mode in which the system executes all driving tasks. Here, as an example, the autonomous driving mode is an operation mode in which control corresponding to automation level 3 is executed. The autonomous driving mode corresponds to an operation mode in which the driver is permitted to execute a second task. The second task permitted in level 3 autonomous driving may be limited to one in which the driver can immediately return to driving operation, such as reading or operating a smartphone. The manual driving mode can be switched to the autonomous driving mode based on an operation signal input from the input device 23.

[0056] In the autonomous driving mode, the autonomous driving ECU 30 automatically steers, accelerates, and decelerates (in other words, brakes) the vehicle so that the vehicle travels along a planned driving route toward the destination set by the driver. The autonomous driving mode is terminated due to a driver operation (so-called override), a system limit, exit from the ODD, or the like. The autonomous driving ECU 30 may be a device that performs autonomous driving up to a planned authority transfer point that is set midway along the planned driving route toward the destination. The planned authority transfer point corresponds to a planned exit point from the ODD.

[0057] Examples of ODD include (a) the road is an expressway or a motor vehicle-only road with a median strip and guardrails, (b) the amount of rainfall is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, and (c) the vehicle is in a congested state. A motor vehicle-only road is a road where pedestrians and bicycles are prohibited from entering, and includes, for example, toll roads such as expressways. A congested state refers to, for example, a state in which the driving speed is equal to or less than a congestion judgment value (for example, about 30 km / h) and there are other vehicles within a predetermined distance (for example, 20 m) in front of and behind the vehicle. Other conditions that can be included in ODD include (d) all / a predetermined number or more of the surrounding monitoring sensors 11 operating normally, and (e) there are no vehicles parked on the road. The conditions for judging whether autonomous driving is possible / not possible, in other words, the detailed conditions for defining ODD, can be changed as appropriate.

[0058] <Configuration of Autonomous Driving ECU 30> The autonomous driving ECU 30 has the functional units shown in Fig. 3, which are realized by executing an autonomous driving program. That is, the autonomous driving ECU 30 has an information acquisition unit F1, an environment recognition unit F2, a mode control unit F3, a planning unit F4, and a control execution unit F5.

[0059] The information acquisition unit F1 is configured to acquire various information for implementing vehicle control such as autonomous driving and driving assistance. In this disclosure, "acquisition" also includes generation / detection by internal calculation based on data input from other devices / sensors. This is because the functional layout within the system is subject to change as appropriate.

[0060] For example, the information acquisition unit F1 acquires detection results (i.e., sensing information) from various surrounding monitoring sensors 11 including a camera 111. The sensing information includes the positions, moving speeds, types, etc. of other moving objects, features, obstacles, etc. present around the vehicle. The information acquisition unit F1 also acquires the running speed, acceleration, yaw rate, external illuminance, etc. of the vehicle from the vehicle state sensor 12. Furthermore, the information acquisition unit F1 acquires vehicle position information from the locator 13. The information acquisition unit F1 acquires surrounding map information by referring to the map storage unit 14.

[0061] The information acquisition unit F1 can acquire vehicle information transmitted from a preceding vehicle through vehicle-to-vehicle communication in cooperation with the wireless communication device 15. The information acquisition unit F1 also acquires dynamic map data for a road section that the vehicle is scheduled to pass through within a predetermined time in cooperation with the wireless communication device 15. The dynamic map data here includes traffic congestion information, merging vehicle information, and the like.

[0062] The information acquisition unit F1 also acquires driver operations for the automatic driving system Sys based on signals from the input device 23. For example, the information acquisition unit F1 acquires occupant instruction signals related to the start and end of automatic driving from the input device 23. The information acquisition unit F1 acquires the eye opening degree, line of sight direction, and the like as driver state data from the occupant state sensor 16.

[0063] Various pieces of information sequentially acquired by the information acquisition unit F1 are stored in a temporary storage medium such as the memory 32, and are used by the environment recognition unit F2, the mode control unit F3, etc. The various pieces of information may be classified by type and stored in the memory 32. The various pieces of information may be sorted and stored, for example, with the most recent data at the top. Data that has been acquired for a certain amount of time may be discarded.

[0064] The environment recognition unit F2 recognizes the driving environment of the vehicle based on the vehicle position information, surrounding object information, and map data acquired by the information acquisition unit F1. For example, the environment recognition unit F2 recognizes the driving environment of the vehicle by a sensor fusion process that integrates the detection results of multiple surrounding monitoring sensors 11, such as the camera 111 and the millimeter wave radar 112, with a predetermined weight.

[0065] The driving environment includes the curvature of the road, the number of lanes, the vehicle's lane number, weather, road surface condition, whether or not the road is congested, etc. The vehicle's lane number indicates which lane the vehicle is traveling in from the left or right edge of the road. The vehicle's lane number may be identified by the locator 13. The weather and road surface condition can be identified by combining the recognition result of the camera 111 and the weather information acquired by the information acquisition unit F1. The road structure may be identified using static map data in addition to the recognition result of the camera 111.

[0066] The environment recognition unit F2 acquires information related to the road structure, such as the curvature of the travel path, based on at least one of the recognition result of the camera 111, the detection result of the LiDAR, and the map data. The road structure includes the presence or absence of a merging point, whether the vehicle's travel path corresponds to the main line at the merging point, the remaining distance to the merging point, the length of the parallel running section, and the like. In addition, the environment recognition unit F2 acquires the position coordinates of the merging start point Ps and the merging end point Pe, and the remaining distance to them, as detailed information related to the merging point. The remaining distance to the merging point may be specified by recognizing a guide sign included in the camera image. The existence of the merging point itself may be detected based on the recognition of a traffic sign informing of a merging point / a decrease in the number of lanes by the front camera. A functional unit that acquires information related to the merging point in the environment recognition unit F2 corresponds to the merging point recognition unit F21.

[0067] The driving environment includes the positions, types, and moving speeds of objects around the vehicle. That is, the environment recognition unit F2 acquires information related to the preceding vehicle, the merging vehicle, and the following vehicle based on at least one of communication with an external device and the detection result of the surrounding monitoring sensor 11. The environment recognition unit F2 that recognizes surrounding vehicles such as the preceding vehicle, the merging vehicle, and the following vehicle corresponds to the surrounding vehicle recognition unit F22. In addition, the environment recognition unit F2 acquires outside vehicle environment information related to ODD and driver state data.

[0068] The mode control unit F3 controls the operation mode of the automatic driving ECU 30 based on various information acquired by the information acquisition unit F1. For example, when the mode control unit F3 is in the occupant involvement mode and the driving environment satisfies the ODD, and an automatic driving start instruction signal is input from the input device 23, the mode control unit F3 decides to transition to the automatic driving mode. Then, the mode control unit F3 outputs a signal requesting transition to the automatic driving mode to the planning unit F4. In addition, during the automatic driving mode, when the driving environment recognized by the environment recognition unit F2 no longer satisfies the ODD, or when it is predicted that the ODD will not be satisfied within a predetermined time, the mode control unit F3 decides to transition to the occupant involvement mode and notifies the planning unit F4 of that effect.

[0069] Furthermore, when an operation signal for terminating the automatic driving mode from the input device 23 or an override operation by the driver is detected during the automatic driving mode, the mode control unit F3 decides to terminate the automatic driving mode. Then, a signal indicating switching to manual driving is output to the planning unit F4 and the control execution unit F5. Here, manual driving includes semi-manual driving in which a driving assistance function is activated. An override operation refers to an operation by an occupant on an operating member such as a steering wheel / pedals. When the automatic driving ECU 30 detects that an override operation by the driver has been performed, it promptly transfers driving authority to the driver and notifies the driver by voice output or the like that the driving has been switched to manual driving. Note that the operation mode to which the automatic driving mode is transitioned at the end of the automatic driving mode may be a fully manual mode or a driving assistance mode. The transition destination at the end of the automatic driving mode may be dynamically determined according to the situation, or may be registered in advance by the driver.

[0070] The planning unit F4 is configured to plan the control content to be executed as driving assistance or autonomous driving. For example, when the autonomous driving mode is applied, the planning unit F4 generates a driving plan for autonomous driving based on the recognition result of the driving environment by the environment recognition unit F2. The driving plan can also be called a control plan. The driving plan includes a driving position for each time, a target speed, a steering angle, and the like. In other words, the driving plan can include schedule information of acceleration / deceleration for speed adjustment on the calculated route and schedule information of steering amount.

[0071] For example, the planning unit F4 performs a route search process as a mid- to long-term driving plan, and determines a planned driving route from the vehicle position to the destination. At that time, the planning unit F4 calculates an estimated arrival time, which is a planned time to arrive at the destination. In addition, the planning unit F4 generates a driving plan for lane change, a driving plan for driving in the center of the lane, a driving plan for following the preceding vehicle, and a driving plan for obstacle avoidance as a short-term control plan for driving according to the mid- to long-term driving plan. For example, the planning unit F4 generates a driving plan for driving in the center of the recognized lane of the vehicle as a short-term control plan, or generates a driving plan for a route along the behavior or driving trajectory of the recognized preceding vehicle as a driving plan. The planning unit F4 creates a control plan for starting / ending the automatic driving based on an input signal from the mode control unit F3. The control plan created by the planning unit F4 is input to the control execution unit F5.

[0072] In addition to control plans directly related to vehicle driving, the planning unit F4 also formulates plans related to notification processing for occupants using notification devices such as the display 21. For example, the planning unit F4 determines the timing of behavior notices indicating planned vehicle behaviors such as lane changes, overtaking, deceleration, etc., and notifications of merging vehicles, etc., taking into account the situation. In other words, the planning unit F4 also creates a control plan for notification devices related to notifications of merging vehicles.

[0073] The control execution unit F5 generates control commands based on the control plan formulated by the planning unit F4, and sequentially outputs them to the traveling actuator 19, the display 21, etc. The control execution unit F5 also controls the lighting state of turn signals, headlights, hazard lights, etc. according to the driving plan and the external environment, based on the plan of the planning unit F4 and the external environment.

[0074] The control execution unit F5 includes a notification processing unit F51 as a sub-functional unit for notifying / suggesting to the occupant using notification devices such as the display 21 and the speaker 22. Various notifications / suggestions can be realized by displaying an image on the display 21 or outputting a voice message from the speaker 22. For example, the notification processing unit F51 notifies information indicating a planned response of the vehicle to a merging point that is to be reached within a predetermined time, using at least one of the display 21 and the speaker 22, at a timing set by the planning unit F4. The response to the merging point is, for example, a temporary increase in the inter-vehicle distance, deceleration, giving way to a merging vehicle (so-called permission to cut in), etc., as described later. The response to the merging point can also be called a response to a merging vehicle.

[0075] The response policy for a merging vehicle may be dynamically changed according to the number of merging vehicles between the vehicle itself and the preceding vehicle, the behavior of the preceding vehicle, and the behavior of the following vehicle, as described below. When the response policy for a merging vehicle is changed, it is preferable that the notification processing unit F51 presents the changed response policy. The notification mode for the merging point / merging vehicle may be determined by the planning unit F4. The functional arrangement of the notification processing unit F51 and the planning unit F4 can be changed as appropriate. A configuration including the planning unit F4 and the control execution unit F5 corresponds to a configuration that executes a process for adjusting the inter-vehicle distance based on the presence of a merging vehicle. A module including the planning unit F4 and the control execution unit F5 corresponds to the vehicle control unit Fn.

[0076] <Responding to junctions during automated driving> Here, the merging vehicle response process performed by the autonomous driving ECU 30 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 4. The merging vehicle response process corresponds to a process for determining a control policy when traveling within a predetermined distance from a merging point during autonomous driving. The merging vehicle response process may include a process for temporarily changing autonomous driving parameters, which are control parameters for performing autonomous driving, based on the presence of a merging vehicle. The autonomous driving parameters may include, for example, a target value for the inter-vehicle distance, a target value for the driving speed, and an upper limit of allowable acceleration.

[0077] The merging vehicle response process may be executed based on the fact that the remaining distance to the merging point becomes less than a predetermined preparation start threshold while the automatic driving control is being executed. For example, the merging vehicle response process may be executed on the condition that the remaining distance to the merging point is less than 500 m. The preparation start threshold may be 250 m, 750 m, or the like. The preparation start threshold may be dynamically determined according to the traveling speed or the type of traveling road. The merging vehicle response process may be executed on the condition that the remaining time until the vehicle reaches the merging point is less than a predetermined value. In other words, the preparation start threshold may be defined by the concept of the length of time until the host vehicle reaches the merging start point Ps. For example, the preparation start threshold may be set to 10 seconds, 15 seconds, or the like. The preparation start threshold may be set to 10 seconds, 15 seconds, or the like.

[0078] The merging vehicle response process shown in Fig. 4 includes steps S101 to S109. The various flowcharts shown in this disclosure are all examples, and the number of steps constituting the flowcharts and the order of execution of the processes can be changed as appropriate.

[0079] First, step S101 is a step in which the information acquisition unit F1 acquires various information to be used in the subsequent processes. For example, information on surrounding vehicles, the behavior of the vehicle itself, the remaining distance to the merging point, etc. are acquired. Information on surrounding vehicles includes the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle and the relative speed. Information on surrounding vehicles also includes the positions and speeds of vehicles other than the preceding vehicle.

[0080] In step S102, the surrounding vehicle recognition unit F22 determines whether or not a merging vehicle is present based on the information acquired in step S101. As described above, the output of the surrounding monitoring sensor 11, data received from a roadside device, data received from a merging vehicle / preceding vehicle, etc. can be used as information for determining whether or not a merging vehicle is present.

[0081] If a merging vehicle is present (S102 YES), the processor 31 executes step S103. On the other hand, if a merging vehicle is not present (S102 NO), this flow ends. When this flow ends, if a predetermined pause time has elapsed since the end point and the vehicle has not yet passed the merging point, this flow may be executed again. The case where the vehicle has passed the merging point corresponds to the case where the vehicle has passed the merging end point Pe. The pause time may be set to, for example, 500 milliseconds, 1 second, 2 seconds, or the like.

[0082] The merging vehicle to be determined as being present in step S102 is preferably a vehicle that will have a moment when the distance between the vehicle and the vehicle at the merging point becomes less than a predetermined value, in other words, a vehicle that may be between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle. That is, step S102 can be a step for determining whether or not there is a merging vehicle that requires attention. In consideration of the relative speed and relative position of the merging vehicle, the processor 31 may exclude vehicles that are clearly likely to be coming behind the vehicle from the determination in S102. A vehicle that is clearly likely to be coming behind the vehicle is, for example, a vehicle that is predicted to be located at least a predetermined distance behind the vehicle when the vehicle reaches the merging start point Ps.

[0083] Furthermore, the processor 31 may exclude a merging vehicle that is clearly going to be ahead of the preceding vehicle in consideration of the relative speed and relative position from the determination in S102. A vehicle that is clearly going to be ahead of the preceding vehicle is, for example, a vehicle that is at a position equivalent to a predetermined distance or more ahead of the preceding vehicle on the merging road and has a speed greater than that of the preceding vehicle by a predetermined value or more. Note that during a traffic jam, depending on the customs of the area in which the automatic driving system Sys is used, all merging vehicles that are ahead of the merging start point Ps can be regarded as merging vehicles that require caution.

[0084] In step S103, control is executed to temporarily increase the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle by a predetermined amount from a point that is an arbitration distance before the merging point. The arbitration distance is set to, for example, the same as the preparation start threshold or shorter than the preparation start threshold. The arbitration distance may be adjusted according to the traveling speed. For example, when traveling at 100 km / h, the arbitration distance is set to, for example, 500 m or 400 m.

[0085] The control for temporarily increasing the distance from the preceding vehicle by a predetermined amount can be, for example, deceleration control for reducing the traveling speed by a predetermined amount from the current value. The deceleration control can also be realized by lowering the set value of the target speed in the automatic driving by a predetermined amount from the original value. The normal target speed, which is the original target value for the traveling speed, is a set value that is applied when traveling in a section that is a predetermined distance or more away from the merging point, and refers to, for example, a value set by the driver, a design value, or a value determined according to the speed of the preceding vehicle.

[0086] The deceleration amount as the merging vehicle response may be a fixed amount such as 3km / h, 5km / h, or 10km / h. The deceleration amount may be a value dynamically determined according to the normal target speed, such as 5% or 10% of the normal target speed. The deceleration control as the merging vehicle response may decelerate to a preset degenerate speed. The degenerate speed may be set according to the road type, and may be, for example, 60km / h on a highway and 40km / h on a general road. In the present disclosure, the target speed suppressed as the merging vehicle response is also referred to as a temporary target speed. By lowering the target value of the traveling speed by a predetermined amount, the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle naturally increases. Setting the target value of the traveling speed in the automatic driving to a value lower than the normal target speed by a predetermined amount corresponds to an example of the forward space expansion control. In the present disclosure, the forward space is the distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle. The forward space can be read as the forward distance.

[0087] In addition, when the processor 31 decides to suppress the vehicle speed toward the merging point, the processor 31 may cooperate with the in-vehicle HMI 20 to perform a process of notifying the driver that the vehicle speed will be suppressed. For example, the notification processing unit F51 causes the display 21 to display a deceleration notification image shown in FIG. 5. The notification regarding the deceleration may be performed by outputting a predetermined voice message from the speaker 22. The timing of the notification regarding the speed suppression may be the timing when the automatic driving ECU 30 actually starts deceleration, or may be 1 second or 3 seconds before the deceleration starts. For example, the notification processing unit F51 may display the deceleration notification image as a notice from a predetermined time before the deceleration starts. In addition to the deceleration icon E1, which is an icon indicating deceleration, the deceleration notification image may include an element image E2 indicating the deceleration amount and a merging car icon E3 indicating the presence of a merging point / merging car. Of course, the deceleration notification image may not include the merging car icon E3, and may be only the deceleration icon E1.

[0088] By including supplemental information such as the amount of deceleration in the deceleration notification image, it is expected that the driver's acceptability / sense of satisfaction in deceleration can be increased. As another aspect, the notification processing unit F51 may inquire of the driver whether it is OK to decelerate before starting deceleration. In this case, it may be confirmed that deceleration will be performed if the driver permits suppression of the vehicle speed. The driver's response to the inquiry may be acquired via the input device 23. Furthermore, the processor 31 may automatically determine that deceleration is permitted if there is no input (response) from the driver even after a predetermined response waiting time has elapsed since making an inquiry about whether deceleration is permitted. Of course, it may automatically determine that deceleration is rejected if there is no input (response) from the driver even after a predetermined response waiting time has elapsed since making an inquiry about whether deceleration is permitted.

[0089] In addition, the control for temporarily increasing the distance from the preceding vehicle by a predetermined amount may be a process for increasing the set value of the distance from the preceding vehicle, which is the control target in the automatic driving, by a predetermined amount from the original target value. The normal distance, which is the original target value for the distance, is a set value that is applied when the vehicle is traveling in a section that is a predetermined distance or more away from the merging point, and refers to, for example, a value set by the driver, a design value, or a value determined according to the speed of the preceding vehicle.

[0090] The amount of expansion of the inter-vehicle distance as a response to a merging vehicle can be a fixed amount, such as 100 m or 50 m. The amount of expansion may also be a value that is dynamically determined according to the normal inter-vehicle distance, such as 50%, 75%, or 100% of the normal inter-vehicle distance. In this disclosure, the inter-vehicle distance expanded as a response to a merging vehicle is also referred to as a temporary inter-vehicle distance. Changing the target value of the inter-vehicle distance in autonomous driving to a value larger than the normal inter-vehicle distance corresponds to another example of forward space expansion control.

[0091] Since different values ​​are applied to the normal inter-vehicle distance depending on whether the vehicle is in a traffic jam or not, different values ​​are also applied to the temporary inter-vehicle distance depending on whether the vehicle is in a traffic jam or not. If the normal inter-vehicle distance during a traffic jam is 5 m, the temporary inter-vehicle distance during a traffic jam is set to 10 m or 15 m, etc. The amount of extension of the inter-vehicle distance during a traffic jam may be dynamically determined according to the size or type of the other vehicle that is about to merge. When the merging vehicle is a passenger car, the amount of extension is set to 5 m or 10 m, while when the merging vehicle is a truck or a bus, the amount of extension is set to 15 m or 20 m, etc. The amount of extension may be determined according to the size of the merging vehicle detected by the surrounding monitoring sensor 11. By increasing the target value of the inter-vehicle distance by a predetermined amount, the inter-vehicle distance with the preceding vehicle in the real space naturally increases. The inter-vehicle distance may be expressed as a time distance. For example, when the normal inter-vehicle distance is set to 2 seconds, the temporary inter-vehicle distance may be set to 3 seconds, etc. The time distance for the preceding vehicle corresponds to the length of time until the host vehicle passes a point where the preceding vehicle has passed.

[0092] By executing control to increase the inter-vehicle distance in advance toward the merging point in step S103, the merging vehicle is more likely to come between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle in question. As a result, the risk of the merging vehicle approaching the vehicle from the side can be reduced. As a result, the risk of encountering a forceful cut-in can be reduced. With the above configuration, the risk of having to make a high-level judgment regarding a cutting-in vehicle can be reduced, and safety can be improved.

[0093] Step S104 is a step in which the processor 31 determines whether the merging start remaining distance Ds recognized by the environment recognition unit F2 is less than a predetermined reconfirmation threshold Ths. The reconfirmation threshold Ths is set to a value smaller than the preparation start threshold, such as 100 m or 200 m. The reconfirmation threshold Ths is set to a value that allows the vehicle to stop / quasi-stop at the merging start point Ps when decelerating at a predetermined acceleration such as -1.0 m / s^2 or -1.5 m / s^2. If the deceleration for stopping at the merging start point Ps is α and the current speed is Vo, then Ths is determined as Vo^2 / (2α). Vo can be a speed for maintaining a temporary inter-vehicle distance or a temporary target speed. The quasi-stop state refers to a state in which the vehicle can immediately stop (so-called slow-moving state), and for example, the speed is less than 5 km / h. The target stop position may be a point a predetermined distance (for example, 5 m) before the merging start point Ps. If the merging start remaining distance Ds has reached a value less than the predetermined reconfirmation threshold Ths, the processor 31 executes step S105. On the other hand, if the merging start remaining distance Ds is still equal to or greater than the predetermined reconfirmation threshold Ths, the processor 31 executes the determination of step S105 at predetermined time intervals, such as every 500 milliseconds or 1 second.

[0094] Step S105 is a step in which the environment recognition unit F2 determines whether or not a merging vehicle remains based on the same information as in step S102. As in step S102, the merging vehicles to be determined whether or not they exist in step S105 may be limited to merging vehicles that require caution. During a traffic jam, all vehicles that exist on the merging road, or all vehicles that exist on the merging road within a predetermined distance from the merging end point Pe, can be considered to be vehicles that require caution.

[0095] When it is determined in step S105 that a merging vehicle remains, the processor 31 executes step S107. On the other hand, when it is determined that a merging vehicle does not exist, the processor 31 executes step S106.

[0096] Step S106 is a step in which the planning unit F4 returns the control parameters changed as the merging vehicle response process to their original values. For example, if the traveling speed has been suppressed, the target speed used in the subsequent control plan is switched from the temporary target speed to the normal target speed. Also, if the inter-vehicle distance has been extended, the target inter-vehicle distance used in the subsequent control plan is switched from the temporary inter-vehicle distance to the normal inter-vehicle distance. In the present disclosure, a state in which a control setting for extending the inter-vehicle distance in response to a merging vehicle is applied is referred to as a temporary mode. Also, a state in which a control setting for extending the inter-vehicle distance in response to a merging vehicle is not applied is referred to as a normal mode. The normal mode corresponds to an automatic driving mode when the vehicle is away from the merging point by a predetermined distance or more. The temporary mode corresponds to an automatic driving mode when the vehicle is traveling within a predetermined distance from the merging point or when a merging vehicle is present diagonally ahead of the vehicle.

[0097] Step S107 is a step in which the processor 31 starts deceleration control for stopping the vehicle at a predetermined distance before the merging start point Ps so that the vehicle does not proceed beyond the merging start point Ps. For example, the planning unit F4 sets a point 2 m before the merging start point Ps as a tentative planned stop position, and creates a speed adjustment schedule for stopping the vehicle at the planned stop position. The control execution unit F5 starts deceleration control according to the plan generated by the planning unit F4. As long as the vehicle is located in front of the merging start point Ps, a merging vehicle will not approach the vehicle from the side of the vehicle. In addition, by the vehicle decelerating to stop, a space is created between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle, and the merging vehicle can enter in front of the vehicle. By executing step S107, the possibility that a merging vehicle will approach the vehicle from the side of the vehicle can be reduced. When the processor 31 determines to start deceleration control for stopping at the planned stop position, the processor 31 may notify the driver via an alarm device such as the display 21 that the driver will make a temporary stop at the merging point.

[0098] Step S108 is a step for determining whether the number of merging vehicles between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined merging allowance number. The preceding vehicle here is a preceding vehicle that was recognized before the merging vehicle entered in front of the vehicle, for example, a preceding vehicle that was identified when the merging start remaining distance Ds became the preparation start threshold or the reconfirmation threshold Ths. Note that the actual preceding vehicle may change every time a merging vehicle enters in front of the vehicle. The merging vehicle that entered in front of the vehicle may become a new preceding vehicle. In order to distinguish from a preceding vehicle that has been changed due to merging, in this disclosure, the preceding vehicle that was identified when the merging start remaining distance Ds became the preparation start threshold or the reconfirmation threshold Ths is also referred to as an initial preceding vehicle. The autonomous driving ECU 30 identifies the number of merging vehicles, which is the number of vehicles that entered between the initial preceding vehicle and the vehicle, from the detection result of the surrounding monitoring sensor 11. For example, the autonomous driving ECU 30 may identify the number of merging vehicles based on the number of times the preceding vehicle has changed after step S101 or step S104. Whether or not the preceding vehicle has changed can be identified by a sudden change in the distance between the preceding vehicle, a change in the color of the preceding vehicle, or a lane change / cut-in by the preceding vehicle. The merging allowance number can be set to, for example, 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. A specific value of the merging allowance number may be configured to be registered / changeable by the driver via a predetermined setting change screen.

[0099] When the number of merging vehicles between the vehicle itself and the preceding vehicle (i.e., the number of merging vehicles) is equal to or greater than the merging allowable number, the processor 31 executes step S109. Step S109 is a step of executing a driving change request that requests the driver to take over driving operations. The driving change request includes a process of outputting a message requesting the driver to perform driving operations from at least one of the display 21 and the speaker 22. In step S109, the processor 31 may display an entry prohibition image on the exterior display device 18 instead of / in addition to the driving change request. Also, when the number of merging vehicles is less than the merging allowable number, the processor 31 may display an entry permission image on the exterior display device 18. Communication with other vehicles regarding permission / prohibition of merging may be performed by vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

[0100] <Problems to be solved by the above configuration> The configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1 is based on the premise that the vehicle is in a state before automatic driving is started, i.e., during manual driving. Patent Document 1 does not consider at all whether automatic driving should be interrupted or continued depending on the presence or absence of a merging vehicle while automatic driving is being performed.

[0101] One possible configuration for an automated driving system is to end / temporarily suspend automated driving when it detects the presence of a merging vehicle during automated driving. This is because if the merging vehicle tries to forcibly (forcefully) merge in front of the vehicle, it may be difficult for the automated driving system to determine the appropriate response.

[0102] However, if autonomous driving is interrupted every time a merging vehicle is detected, the duration of autonomous driving will be shortened. This will result in more frequent situations requiring the driver to monitor the surroundings and operate the vehicle. As a result, the convenience of autonomous driving may be compromised.

[0103] In addition, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration that allows the start of automatic driving when there is no merging vehicle or when the time to collision with the merging vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, but both of these are assumed to be accidental cases. Patent Document 1 does not include any technical idea of ​​intentionally creating the above-mentioned situations to improve the continuity of automatic driving.

[0104] <Effects of this embodiment> According to the configuration of the above embodiment, when the automatic driving ECU 30 detects the presence of a merging vehicle ahead of the vehicle, it increases the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle before the vehicle reaches the merging point. Therefore, a space is formed in front of the vehicle for the merging vehicle to smoothly enter the main line. This allows the merging vehicle to merge with the vehicle while maintaining a sufficient distance from the vehicle, and the number of merging vehicles that may affect the running of the vehicle can be reduced in advance. In addition, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of vehicles that try to forcibly merge in front of or behind the vehicle from the merging road. As a result, it is possible to reduce the risk of the system reaching its limit and requesting the driver to take over driving or performing an emergency stop (so-called MRM: Minimal Risk Maneuver).

[0105] Moreover, if there is still a merging vehicle when the remaining distance to the merging start point Ps is less than the predetermined value, the host vehicle starts decelerating in preparation for a temporary stop just before the merging start point Ps. This configuration allows the remaining merging vehicle to also smoothly merge onto the main line, reducing the risk of the merging vehicle coming too close to the host vehicle.

[0106] Furthermore, the autonomous driving ECU 30 issues a driving handover request when the number of merging vehicles ahead of the vehicle reaches or exceeds a predetermined value. This configuration reduces the risk of causing discomfort to the driver of the vehicle and the drivers of the following vehicles by allowing an excessive number of merging vehicles to enter.

[0107] For example, in step S107 or later, when the vehicle reaches the planned stop position or when the remaining distance to the planned stop position becomes equal to or less than a predetermined update threshold, the processor 31 may reset the planned stop position to a position further ahead by a predetermined distance than the current planned stop position. In this case, the processor 31 resumes automatic driving toward the reset planned stop position. The update threshold may be 3 m, 10 m, or the like. The update threshold may be 0 m. The reset planned stop position may be a point 5 m or 10 m further ahead (in the direction of travel) from the currently set position. The setting interval of the planned stop position may be changed as appropriate. It is preferable to maintain a speed at which the vehicle can be stopped immediately, such as 5 km / h, as the travel speed toward the planned stop position. The above control may, as a whole, move the vehicle slowly without stopping completely, or may repeat stopping and moving forward a predetermined amount. In accordance with the above, the processor 31 may change the display of the external display device 18. For example, an entry permission image may be displayed when the vehicle is stopped, while an entry prohibition image may be displayed when the vehicle is moving forward. The forward movement from a stop may be performed each time a vehicle joins. This configuration can reduce the risk of multiple vehicles cutting in front of the vehicle in succession. This reduces the risk of causing discomfort to the drivers of the vehicle and the following vehicles. In other words, the configuration of the present disclosure can increase the convenience of automated driving.

[0108] In addition, starting from a stop during autonomous driving may require an operation by the driver. When the vehicle stops before the merging start point Ps / merging end point Pe, the processor 31 may resume autonomous driving in response to the driver's switch operation or accelerator pedal depression. Such a configuration allows the driver to resume autonomous driving with a single action, improving convenience. In addition, autonomous driving may be resumed on the condition that it is confirmed that the driver is looking ahead of the vehicle, based on an input signal from the occupant state sensor 16.

[0109] The processor 31 may automatically determine whether or not to execute deceleration control for stopping before the merging start point Ps depending on whether or not the driving environment is in a congested state. If deceleration control for stopping before the merging start point Ps is performed when the driving environment is not in a congested state, it may disrupt the traffic flow. Due to such concerns, the processor 31 may be configured not to execute the deceleration control for stopping when it is determined that the driving environment is not in a congested state. The scene in which deceleration control for stopping before the merging point is executed may be limited to the case where the driving environment is determined to be in a congested state.

[0110] If the presence of a merging vehicle is detected when the remaining merging start distance Ds reaches the preparation start threshold or the reconfirmation threshold Ths, the processor 31 may display an image or output a voice message indicating that there is a possibility of stopping before the merging point. With such a configuration, the driver can recognize in advance the possibility of stopping to accommodate a merging vehicle. Accordingly, the driver can consider taking measures such as voluntarily overriding the vehicle.

[0111] In the above, the operation of the automatic driving ECU 30 when an initial preceding vehicle exists has been described. However, in a real environment, it is possible that an initial preceding vehicle does not exist. When there is no preceding vehicle, it corresponds to, for example, when there is no other vehicle traveling in the same lane within 300 m ahead of the vehicle. When there is a merging vehicle and no preceding vehicle, the processor 31 may determine whether to maintain or decelerate the current speed according to the relative position and relative speed of the merging vehicle with respect to the vehicle. For example, when it is clear that the merging vehicle will enter behind the vehicle based on the relative position and relative speed of the merging vehicle, the current speed is maintained. At that time, the processor 31 may display an image on the external display device 18 requesting the vehicle to enter behind the vehicle. Also, when there is a possibility that the vehicle and the merging vehicle will run side by side near the merging start point based on the relative position and relative speed of the merging vehicle, or when there is a possibility that the merging vehicle will enter in front of the vehicle, a control to decelerate by a predetermined amount may be started. At that time, the processor 31 may display an image on the external display device 18 indicating that the vehicle should give way to the merging vehicle.

[0112] Although the above describes a configuration for executing the process for increasing the inter-vehicle distance on the condition that a merging vehicle is present (YES in S102), it may be difficult for the perimeter monitoring sensor 11 to recognize whether or not a merging vehicle is present from a point away from the merging start point Ps. Therefore, the processor 31 may start control for temporarily increasing the inter-vehicle distance based on the fact that the remaining merging start distance Ds becomes less than a predetermined value, without determining whether or not a merging vehicle is present.

[0113] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the processor 31 when the forward space expansion control is started based on the fact that the merging start remaining distance Ds is less than a predetermined value. According to the control example shown in FIG. 7, the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle can be expanded in an area where the merging vehicle is likely to exist, without performing a calculation process for recognizing the merging vehicle. As a result, the same effect as that of the above embodiment can be achieved. Step S301 shown in FIG. 7 is a step of determining whether the merging start remaining distance Ds for the next merging point is less than a predetermined confirmation threshold value Thx. Step S302 is a step of starting the forward space expansion control. Step S303 is a step of determining whether the merging point has been passed. Based on the fact that the merging point has been passed, the processor 31 performs control in step S304 to return the target value of the inter-vehicle distance or the target value of the traveling speed to an original value according to the driver's setting or the like.

[0114] The processor 31 may set the deceleration amount / inter-vehicle distance extension amount when the presence of a merging vehicle is not confirmed to be smaller than the deceleration amount / inter-vehicle distance extension amount when the merging vehicle is recognized. For example, the processor 31 sets the inter-vehicle distance extension amount when the merging vehicle is recognized to be 150 m. On the other hand, the inter-vehicle distance extension amount when the merging start remaining distance Ds is less than the preparation start threshold but the periphery monitoring sensor 11 cannot confirm whether or not the merging vehicle exists may be about 50 m or 100 m. In this way, the deceleration amount / inter-vehicle distance extension amount may be adjusted according to the recognition status of the merging vehicle by the periphery monitoring sensor 11. According to this disclosure, it is possible to reduce the risk of excessively extending the inter-vehicle distance / decelerating even when there is no merging vehicle. Also, when there is actually a merging vehicle, it is possible to smoothly bring the vehicle state closer to the control target state when a merging vehicle exists.

[0115] The processor 31 may perform a response policy confirmation process, which is a process of inquiring of the driver about the system's response policy to a merging vehicle, based on the start of automatic driving or the remaining distance to the merging point becoming equal to or less than a predetermined value. The response policy confirmation process includes, for example, displaying on the display 21 a response policy selection screen, which is a screen for selecting whether to continue automatic driving while slowing down or to have the driver drive temporarily, as a system response when a merging vehicle is detected. The response policy confirmation process also includes acquiring the driver's selection result based on a signal from the input device 23 while the response policy selection screen is being displayed.

[0116] In addition, if no driver input is obtained even after a predetermined input waiting time has elapsed since the response policy selection screen was displayed, it can be considered that a predetermined basic policy has been selected. The basic policy is, for example, to continue automatic driving while reducing the speed. The response policy selection process may be configured so that the driver can select the number of merging allowances and whether or not to allow the vehicle to finally stop near the merging start point Ps as detailed options for continuing automatic driving while reducing the speed. Such a response policy confirmation process corresponds to a process that requests the driver to select whether to stop before the merging point or to take over driving operation when a merging vehicle is present.

[0117] FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining a response policy confirmation process that embodies the above technical idea. FIG. 6 can be executed at a predetermined cycle during autonomous driving, for example. Note that the response policy confirmation process can be controlled so that it is not executed multiple times for the same junction. The response policy confirmation process can be executed for each junction and for each trip. A trip here refers to a series of trips from when the driving power source is turned on until it is set to off.

[0118] 6 includes steps S201 to S203. This process flow can be carried out in parallel with, in combination with, or in place of the various processes described above.

[0119] First, step S201 is a step for determining whether or not the merging start remaining distance Ds for the next merging point is less than a predetermined confirmation threshold Thx. The confirmation threshold Thx is set to a length that provides a remaining time of 20 to 30 seconds until the vehicle reaches the merging start point Ps. The confirmation threshold Thx may be dynamically determined according to the current vehicle speed or the normal target speed. When the merging start remaining distance Ds for a merging point for which the response policy confirmation process has not been performed is less than the predetermined confirmation threshold Thx, the processor 31 executes step S202. The confirmation threshold Thx may be the same as the above-mentioned preparation start threshold.

[0120] Step S202 is a step of requesting input of a response policy in cooperation with the in-vehicle HMI 20. For example, step S202 may include displaying a response policy selection screen. Step S203 is a step of applying a control setting corresponding to the response policy selected by the driver. Note that executing the response policy confirmation process for each junction may be bothersome for the driver. In view of such concerns, the processor 31 may be configured to apply the response policy input at that time to other junctions during the trip when the response policy confirmation process is executed once.

[0121] In addition, the processor 31 may be configured to temporarily stop the vehicle at a predetermined distance before the merging end point Pe when the remaining merging end distance De is less than a predetermined value (e.g., 10 m) and there is still a merging vehicle in the section diagonally ahead of the vehicle on the merging road. For example, the processor 31 may temporarily stop the vehicle at 5 m before the merging end point Pe in the above case. The temporary stop position may be adjusted according to the size of the merging vehicle diagonally ahead of the vehicle. By temporarily stopping before the merging end point Pe, the merging vehicle at the end of the merging road can smoothly enter the main lane.

[0122] The above-described merging vehicle response process may be executed on the condition that the host vehicle lane is a merged lane. The merged lane here refers to the lane that is closest to the merging road among the lanes that make up the main line, in other words, the lane to which the merging road is connected. When the host vehicle lane is not a merged lane, there is less possibility of being affected by a merging vehicle compared to when the host vehicle lane is a merged lane. The processor 31 may be configured not to execute control for increasing the inter-vehicle distance when the host vehicle lane is not a merged lane.

[0123] In the above, the processor 31 has been described as performing the forward space expansion control when it detects a merging vehicle. Conversely, the processor 31 may perform the forward space reduction control based on the detection of a merging vehicle. The forward space reduction control is a control for temporarily reducing the distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle. The forward space reduction control may be, for example, setting the target value of the traveling speed in the autonomous driving to a value larger by a predetermined amount than the normal target speed. The forward space reduction control may also be changing the target value of the inter-vehicle distance in the autonomous driving to a value smaller by a predetermined amount than the normal inter-vehicle distance.

[0124] If the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle (i.e., the front space) becomes smaller, it becomes difficult for a merging vehicle to enter in front of the vehicle. Also, if the front space becomes smaller, the rear space, which is the distance between the vehicle and the following vehicle, can naturally expand. As a result, the possibility that the merging vehicle will merge into the main line behind the vehicle increases. According to the configuration in which the processor 31 performs the front shortening control in response to the merging vehicle, it is expected to have the effect of encouraging the merging vehicle to merge behind the vehicle. The front space shortening control can be interpreted as control that encourages the merging vehicle to enter the main line behind the vehicle by expanding the rear space. The front space shortening control can also be interpreted as rear space expansion control. The rear space can be interpreted as the rear vehicle distance.

[0125] FIG. 8 is a flowchart corresponding to a case where the processor 31 performs the front space shortening control instead of the front space expanding control, and includes, for example, steps S401 to S405. Steps S401 to S402 are the same as S101 to S102. Step S403 is a step that is performed when a merging vehicle is present. The processor 31 executes the front space shortening control as step S403. The processor 31 may immediately start the front space shortening control upon detecting the merging vehicle. The processor 31 may also start the front space shortening control from a point that is a predetermined distance before the merging start point Ps. The predetermined distance here may be a constant value, for example, 200 m, or may be a value obtained by multiplying the traveling speed by a predetermined conversion coefficient.

[0126] In step S404, it is determined whether or not the vehicle has passed the merging point. In step S405, the processor 31 ends the forward space reduction control based on the fact that the vehicle has passed the merging point. That is, the processor 31 returns the target value of the inter-vehicle distance or the target value of the traveling speed to the original value according to the driver's setting or the like.

[0127] The processor 31 may start the front space shortening control based on the fact that the remaining distance Ds to start merging is less than a predetermined value, regardless of the presence or absence of a merging vehicle. The processor 31 may select whether to perform the front space expansion control or the front space shortening control according to the number, position, relative speed, and vehicle type of the detected merging vehicles. For example, the processor 31 may adopt the front space expansion control when two or more merging vehicles are detected, and may adopt the front space shortening control when there is only one merging vehicle. The processor 31 may also determine whether the merging vehicle will reach the merging end point before the vehicle itself based on the relationship between the relative speed between the detected merging vehicle and the vehicle itself and the current positions of the two vehicles, and change the response policy based on the result. For example, the processor 31 may select the front space expansion control when it is predicted that the merging vehicle will reach the merging end point before the vehicle itself, and may select the front space shortening control when it is predicted that the vehicle itself will reach the merging end point before the merging vehicle itself.

[0128] In addition, the processor 31 may determine a response policy when a merging vehicle is detected during automatic driving depending on whether or not the vehicle is in a traffic jam. For example, the processor 31 may execute a front space expansion control based on the detection of a merging vehicle when the surroundings of the vehicle are in a traffic jam state as shown in FIG. 9, while executing a front space shortening control when the surroundings of the vehicle are not in a traffic jam state. Step S501 shown in FIG. 9 is a step of determining whether or not a merging vehicle exists. Step S502 is a step of determining whether or not the surrounding environment is in a traffic jam state when a merging vehicle is detected. Step S503 is a step of executing a front space expansion control based on the detection of a merging vehicle during a traffic jam. Step S504 corresponds to a step of executing a front space shortening control based on the detection of a merging vehicle during a non-traffic jam.

[0129] The behavior of a merging vehicle may differ depending on whether the vehicle is in a traffic jam or in a flowing traffic state. For example, in a traffic jam, the possibility that a merging vehicle will slowly and aggressively (actively) cut in may be high. On the other hand, in a flowing traffic state, since there is a reasonable space in front of and behind the vehicle, the possibility that a merging vehicle will forcibly cut in front of the vehicle is relatively low. The above configuration was created based on such an idea. According to the above configuration, the system response to a merging vehicle in a traffic jam may be more appropriate. In addition, by setting the front space shortening control to have a priority during cruising, the risk of the driver feeling stressed can be reduced. In addition, the front space expansion control in a traffic jam state where the vehicle repeatedly stops and starts may be a control in which the vehicle maintains a stopped state even if the preceding vehicle moves forward until a predetermined time has passed, the distance between the vehicles ahead reaches a predetermined value, or one merging vehicle enters. The processor 31 may be configured to execute the front space shortening control on the condition that the vehicle is not in a traffic jam.

[0130] The processor 31 may perform the forward space expansion control based on the driver's instruction or pre-set data even when the vehicle is not in a traffic jam. The processor 31 may be configured not to perform either the forward space expansion control or the forward space reduction control in response to the detection of a merging vehicle when the vehicle is not in a traffic jam. In other words, step S504 may be omitted. The control sequence shown in FIG. 9 corresponds to an example of the setting for performing the forward space reduction control under the condition that the vehicle is not in a traffic jam.

[0131] The frequency of appearance of merging vehicles and the behavior of merging vehicles may differ depending on the road type, such as a general road or a freeway. For example, on a general road, a merging vehicle is expected to merge into the main road after temporarily stopping. On the other hand, on a highway, a merging vehicle attempts to enter the main road at a speed equal to or higher than a certain level, except during congestion. In addition, it is considered that the system response to a merging vehicle desired by the driver may differ depending on the road type. For such reasons, the processor 31 may change the response policy when a merging vehicle is detected depending on the type of the vehicle's driving path. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the processor 31 may be configured to implement a predetermined merging promotion control when a merging vehicle is detected during automatic driving on a general road, but not to implement the merging promotion control when a merging vehicle is detected while driving on a freeway.

[0132] The merging promotion control here is a control that encourages / assists a merging vehicle to enter in front of the vehicle. The merging promotion control may be the above-mentioned forward space expansion control. The merging promotion control may also be turning off headlights, temporarily stopping, etc. The merging promotion control in a state in which the headlights are originally off may be a control that turns on the headlights momentarily (so-called passing). The merging promotion control may also be a process of displaying an entry permission image on the external display device 18. The merging promotion control may also be a control that outputs a predetermined pattern of light or sound to the outside of the vehicle to convey that merging in front of the vehicle is permitted. The merging promotion control may also be a process of transmitting a message that permits merging through inter-vehicle communication. The merging promotion control may also be a control that actively gives the right to travel in front of the vehicle to the merging vehicle, or a control that gives the road in front of the vehicle to the merging vehicle in advance / voluntarily even without an explicit action for merging from the merging vehicle.

[0133] Step S601 shown in Fig. 10 is a step for determining whether or not a merging vehicle is present. Step S602 is a step for determining whether or not the vehicle is traveling on a general road when a merging vehicle is detected. Step S603 is a step for executing merging promotion control based on the detection of a merging vehicle while traveling on a general road. Step S604 is a step for halting the execution of merging promotion control if the vehicle is traveling on a motorway when a merging vehicle is detected.

[0134] Step S604 may not only not perform merging promotion control, but also may perform cut-in prevention control. Cut-in prevention control can be understood as control for encouraging a merging vehicle to merge behind the vehicle, not in front of the vehicle. Cut-in prevention control can be called rear merging guidance control. The processor 31 may perform the above-mentioned front space shortening control as the cut-in prevention control. The cut-in prevention control may be displaying a no-entry image on the external display device 18, or transmitting a message requesting the vehicle to enter behind the vehicle by vehicle-to-vehicle communication. The cut-in prevention control may be a process for displaying a no-entry image on the external display device 18. The cut-in prevention control may be control for outputting a predetermined pattern of light or sound to the outside of the vehicle, requesting the vehicle to merge behind the vehicle. Note that even if the cut-in prevention control is being performed, if the possibility of contact between the merging vehicle and the vehicle increases, the processor 31 may naturally perform deceleration, etc. to reduce the risk of contact, and form a space for the merging vehicle in front of the vehicle. The cut-in prevention control can also be understood as a control in which the vehicle passively gives up the road in front of the vehicle to the merging vehicle after receiving an explicit action from the merging vehicle.

[0135] According to the above configuration, the system operates to allow a merging vehicle to be in front of the vehicle on general roads as much as possible, thereby realizing a smooth traffic society. Of course, as another aspect, the processor 31 may be configured not to perform the merging promotion control when a merging vehicle is detected during automatic driving on a general road, but to perform the merging promotion control when a merging vehicle is detected while driving on a motorway. According to this configuration, the risk of vehicles moving at high speeds getting too close to each other can be further reduced. Also, by not performing the merging promotion control on general roads, the risk of causing stress to the driver of the following vehicle can be reduced.

[0136] The frequency of appearance of merging vehicles and the behavior of merging vehicles may differ not only depending on the road type but also depending on the region. Therefore, the processor 31 may change a response policy when a merging vehicle is detected depending on the region in which the host vehicle is traveling. For example, the processor 31 may be configured to implement a predetermined merging promotion control when a merging vehicle is detected while traveling in a specific region, but not to implement the merging promotion control when a merging vehicle is detected while traveling outside the specific region. The specific region in which the merging promotion control is implemented may be registered in advance in the storage 33 or the like as part of the map data.

[0137] Meanwhile, in the automation level 3 or higher, the driver's second task during autonomous driving may be permitted. The second task is a predefined action other than driving that is permitted for the user to perform. The second task may be called a secondary activity or other activity. For example, watching content such as a video, operating a smartphone, reading an e-book, eating with one hand, and other actions are assumed as second tasks. Note that actions that can be performed as the second task and prohibited actions are set based on the automation level and the laws and regulations of the area where the vehicle is used. The occupant status sensor 16 such as the DSM may determine whether the driver is performing the second task and output a signal indicating the determination result to the autonomous driving ECU 30. The information acquisition unit F1 may acquire data indicating whether the driver is performing the second task from the occupant status sensor 16 as driver status data.

[0138] The processor 31 may change a response policy when a merging vehicle is detected depending on whether the driver is performing the second task during automatic driving. This is because it is assumed that the system response to a merging vehicle desired by the driver may differ between when the driver is performing the second task and when the driver is not performing the second task. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the processor 31 may perform merging promotion control when the driver is performing the second task when a merging vehicle is detected, and may perform cut-in prevention control when the driver is not performing the second task. Since the driver is not concerned about the surroundings while performing the second task, it is expected that the driver is tolerant of the cut-in of a merging vehicle. According to a configuration in which the merging promotion control is performed on the condition that the second task is being performed, it is possible to make the traffic flow smoother while reducing the possibility of causing discomfort to the driver. Note that step S701 shown in FIG. 11 is a step of determining whether a merging vehicle exists. Step S702 is a step of determining whether the driver is performing the second task. Step S703 is a step of executing merging promotion control based on the fact that a merging vehicle is detected while the driver is performing the second task. Step S704 corresponds to a step of executing cut-in prevention control when a merging vehicle is detected in a situation where the driver is not performing the second task. Of course, step S704 may be a step in which neither the merging promotion control nor the cut-in prevention control is executed. Step S704 may be omitted.

[0139] When the processor 31 detects a merging vehicle / merging point while the driver is performing the second task, the processor 31 may perform a process of inquiring the driver about a response policy for the merging vehicle. For example, the processor 31 may display three options, merging promotion control, cut-in prevention control, and maintaining the current state, on the display 21 as the inquiry process to the driver. The driver's response to the inquiry may be acquired via the input device 23. When there is no input (response) from the driver even after a predetermined response waiting time has elapsed since the processor 31 made an inquiry about the response policy, the processor 31 may automatically determine that the merging promotion control is permitted. Note that maintaining the current state corresponds to not performing either the merging promotion control or the cut-in prevention control. Maintaining the current state means performing the same control as when the vehicle is away from the merging point by a predetermined distance or more, that is, maintaining the normal inter-vehicle distance and the normal target speed. Note that the processor 31 may perform the above inquiry process on the condition that the processor 31 detects a merging vehicle / merging point while the driver is not performing the second task. The processor 31 may automatically select the merging promotion control or the interruption prevention control in accordance with a preregistered policy while the driver is performing the second task.

[0140] The processor 31 may change the response policy according to the type / size of the vehicle that is about to merge. For example, the processor 31 may implement merge promotion control when the merging vehicle is a passenger vehicle, while implementing cut-in prevention control when the merging vehicle is a large vehicle such as a truck, a bus, or a tanker truck. This is because when a large vehicle becomes a leading vehicle, visibility ahead is poor and recognition performance of lane markings / road shapes may deteriorate. On the other hand, when the leading vehicle is a large vehicle, the risk of losing the leading vehicle can be reduced. In addition, since it is expected that large vehicles accelerate and decelerate slowly, it is also expected that the effect of improving driving stability can be achieved by making the large vehicle the leading vehicle. Therefore, the processor 31 may be set to implement merge promotion control when the merging vehicle is a large vehicle.

[0141] The processor 31 may be configured to perform merging promotion control on the condition that the merging vehicle is an advanced vehicle. An advanced vehicle here refers to a vehicle equipped with advanced safety equipment of a predetermined level or higher, such as an autonomous vehicle. With this configuration, advanced vehicles including the vehicle itself will travel in groups more frequently. As a result, the safety, stability, fuel efficiency (electricity cost), etc. of autonomous driving may be improved. The processor 31 may determine whether the merging vehicle is an advanced vehicle based on the result of identifying the vehicle model by image recognition or the contents of a message received by vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

[0142] The processor 31 may be configured to execute the merging promotion control under the condition that the host vehicle is stopped. Merging performed while the host vehicle is stopped may be safer than merging performed in a situation where both the host vehicle and the merging vehicle are moving. This configuration makes it possible to improve the safety of other vehicles merging. FIG. 12 is a flowchart corresponding to this technical idea. Steps S801 to S802 shown in FIG. 12 are the same as the above-mentioned S101 to S102. Step S803 is a step of determining whether the host vehicle is stopped. Steps S804 and after are a sequence that can be executed when the host vehicle is stopped, and include step S804 of executing the merging promotion control. Step S805 is a step of determining whether the number of merging vehicles that have entered between the initial preceding vehicle and the host vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The predetermined value here may be the above-mentioned merging allowable number. As shown in step S806 of FIG. 12, the processor 31 may execute the cut-in prevention control when the host vehicle is not stopped and when the number of merging vehicles reaches the merging allowable number.

[0143] Note that the merging allowable number may be set to a different value depending on the scene. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, the processor 31 may change the merging allowable number depending on whether or not a following vehicle exists. That is, when a following vehicle exists (YES in step S901), the processor 31 sets the merging allowable number to 1 (step S902). On the other hand, when no following vehicle exists (NO in step S901), the processor 31 may set the merging allowable number to 2 or 3, for example. That is, when no following vehicle exists, the processor 31 may be configured to apply a larger value as the merging allowable number compared to when a following vehicle exists. "Alwbl_Num" shown in FIG. 13 is a parameter that indicates the merging allowable number.

[0144] According to the above configuration, an appropriate merging allowance number is applied according to the driving scene. As a result, a smoother traffic society can be realized. In addition, the processor 31 may change the merging allowance number depending on whether or not there is a traffic jam. Specifically, the processor 31 may set the merging allowance number during a traffic jam to 1, while setting the merging allowance number during cruising to 2 or more. It is preferable that the setting of the merging allowance number is performed before the initial preceding vehicle or the host vehicle reaches the merging start point.

[0145] The driver may preregister whether to adopt the merging promotion control or the cut-in prevention control depending on the scene via a predetermined setting screen. The processor 31 may operate according to the preregistered policy. FIG. 14 is an example of a setting screen related to a response policy to a merging vehicle, and may include a button for selecting whether to give way actively or passively for each scene. The control of giving way actively to a merging vehicle corresponds to the merging promotion control. The control of giving way passively to a merging vehicle corresponds to the cut-in prevention control or maintaining a normal inter-vehicle distance or a normal target speed. FIG. 14 shows a screen in which the driver selects to perform a passive response to a merging vehicle when there is a following vehicle, and to perform a control of giving way actively to a merging vehicle in other cases. The setting screen may be displayed on the display 21 based on a signal from the input device 23.

[0146] In the above, a configuration has been described in which the processor 31 executes control to change the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle or the following vehicle, in other words, the traveling position of the vehicle in the longitudinal direction, triggered by the recognition of a merging vehicle / approaching to a merging point. In addition, the processor 31 may start control to temporarily move from the first lane to the second lane, triggered by the recognition of a merging vehicle / approaching to a merging point. Movement in the lateral direction is also included in the control to change the traveling position of the vehicle relative to surrounding vehicles on the main line. The merging promotion control may be control to move from the first lane to the second lane. The first lane here refers to a lane that connects to the merging road among the lanes that make up the main line. The first lane can also be called a merging lane. The second lane refers to a lane other than the first lane among the lanes that make up the main line.

[0147] <Additional remarks (1)> The scope of the present disclosure also includes a program for causing a computer to function as the autonomous driving ECU 30, and a non-transient physical recording medium such as a semiconductor memory on which the program is recorded. The present disclosure also includes the following technical ideas related to an autonomous driving device. Furthermore, the present disclosure also includes a merging vehicle response control method, control program, system, etc., corresponding to the autonomous driving device described below. The merging vehicle response control method refers to a method corresponding to a control sequence executed by the autonomous driving ECU 30.

[0148] [Technical philosophy A1] A vehicle control unit (Fn) that executes automatic driving control to autonomously drive the vehicle along a predetermined planned driving route based on signals from a surrounding monitoring sensor; a junction recognition unit (F21) that recognizes a junction with the road on which the vehicle is traveling as a main line based on at least one of map data, a detection result of the periphery monitoring sensor, and data acquired by wireless communication from an external device, The vehicle control unit is an automatic driving device that performs control to change the driving position of the vehicle relative to surrounding vehicles on the main line based on the remaining distance to the merging point becoming less than a predetermined value while the automatic driving control is being executed.

[0149] [Technical philosophy A2] A surrounding vehicle recognition unit (F22) that recognizes a merging vehicle that is another vehicle that is about to merge into the main line at the merging point based on the detection result of the surrounding monitoring sensor or data acquired by wireless communication from the external device, The automatic driving device described in technical idea A1, wherein the vehicle control unit, while executing the automatic driving control, executes control to temporarily increase the distance from the preceding vehicle by a predetermined amount based on the recognition by the surrounding vehicle recognition unit of the presence of the merging vehicle.

[0150] [Technical philosophy A3] The automatic driving device described in Technical Idea A2, in which, when the merging vehicle is recognized by the surrounding vehicle recognition unit while the automatic driving control is being executed, the vehicle control unit executes deceleration control to stop the vehicle at a predetermined distance before the merging point until at least one of the merging vehicles is between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle or until there are no more merging vehicles.

[0151] [Technical philosophy A4] The vehicle control unit includes: When the merging vehicle is recognized by the surrounding vehicle recognition unit while the automatic driving control is being executed, a planned stop position is set before the merging point; executing deceleration control for stopping at the planned stop position; resetting the planned stop position to a position a predetermined distance ahead of a currently set position based on the fact that the vehicle has arrived at the planned stop position or that a remaining distance to the planned stop position has become equal to or less than a predetermined value; and resuming automatic driving toward the re-set planned stop position.

[0152] [Technical philosophy A5] The automatic driving device described in Technical Idea A3 or A4, wherein the vehicle control unit displays an image or outputs audio of a message indicating that there is a possibility of stopping before the merging point when the merging vehicle is recognized by the surrounding vehicle recognition unit while the automatic driving control is being executed.

[0153] [Technical philosophy A6] The vehicle control unit is configured to use a display or speaker mounted on the vehicle to execute a response policy confirmation process to inquire of the driver whether it is acceptable to stop a predetermined distance before the merging point as a response policy in the event that a merging vehicle occurs while the automatic driving control is being executed. The automatic driving device described in any one of technical ideas A3 to A5.

[0154] [Technical philosophy A7] An environment recognition unit (F2) that determines whether the driving environment is a traffic jam state, The vehicle control unit is configured to, when the merging vehicle is recognized while executing the automatic driving control, execute control to temporarily stop a predetermined distance before the merging point if it is determined that the driving environment is in the congested state, but not to execute control to temporarily stop a predetermined distance before the merging point if it is determined that the driving environment is not in the congested state.An automatic driving device described in any one of Technical Ideas A3 to A5.

[0155] [Technical philosophy A8] The automatic driving device described in any one of technical ideas A2 to A7, wherein the vehicle control unit is configured to resume driving under the automatic driving control in response to a signal corresponding to a switch operation or depression of an accelerator pedal by the driver when the vehicle stops within a predetermined distance from the junction while the automatic driving control is being executed.

[0156] [Technical philosophy A9] The automatic driving device described in any one of technical ideas A2 to A8, wherein the vehicle control unit, while executing the automatic driving control, requests a driver's seat occupant to take over driving operations if a predetermined number of merging vehicles enter between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle, but the merging vehicles remain.

[0157] [Technical philosophy A10] The automatic operation device according to any one of technical ideas A2 to A9 is used in connection with an external display device (18) that displays an image in an area visible to the driver of the merging vehicle, The vehicle control unit is an automatic driving device configured to change the operating mode of the exterior display device depending on the number of merging vehicles that have entered between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle while the automatic driving control is being executed.

[0158] [Technical philosophy A11] The automatic driving device described in any one of technical ideas A2 to A10, wherein when the merging vehicle is recognized by the surrounding vehicle recognition unit while the automatic driving control is being executed, the vehicle control unit temporarily increases the set value of the inter-vehicle distance that is the control target in the automatic driving control by a predetermined amount.

[0159] [Technical philosophy A12] The automatic driving device described in any one of technical ideas A2 to A11, wherein the vehicle control unit temporarily decelerates by a predetermined amount when the merging vehicle is recognized by the surrounding vehicle recognition unit while the automatic driving control is being executed.

[0160] [Technical philosophy A13] the surrounding vehicle recognition unit is configured to recognize the preceding vehicle based on an input signal from the surrounding monitoring sensor, The vehicle control unit, while executing the automatic driving control, in a situation in which the merging vehicle is recognized, performs control to increase the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle by a predetermined amount if the preceding vehicle is present, while, when the preceding vehicle is not present, selecting whether to maintain or decelerate the current speed depending on the relative position and relative speed of the merging vehicle to the vehicle, the automatic driving device described in any one of technical ideas A2 to A12.

[0161] [Technical philosophy A14] A surrounding vehicle recognition unit (F22) that recognizes a merging vehicle that is another vehicle that is about to merge into the main line at the merging point based on the detection result of the surrounding monitoring sensor or data acquired by wireless communication from the external device, The automatic driving device described in any one of technical ideas A1 to A13, wherein the vehicle control unit executes forward space shortening control, which is a control for temporarily shortening the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle by a predetermined amount, based on the recognition of the presence of the merging vehicle by the surrounding vehicle recognition unit while executing the automatic driving control.

[0162] [Technical philosophy A15] The vehicle control unit includes: Executing the front space shortening control on the condition that there is no traffic jam, The automatic driving device described in Technical Idea A14 executes forward space expansion control, which is a control for increasing the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle by a predetermined amount, when there is a traffic jam based on the detection of the merging vehicle.

[0163] [Technical philosophy A16] A surrounding vehicle recognition unit (F22) that recognizes a merging vehicle that is another vehicle that is about to merge into the main line at the merging point based on the detection result of the surrounding monitoring sensor or data acquired by wireless communication from the external device, The vehicle control unit changes a response policy when the surrounding vehicle recognition unit recognizes the merging vehicle while executing the automatic driving control, depending on the type of road or area on which the vehicle is traveling.

[0164] [Technical philosophy A17] The vehicle control unit includes: When the surrounding vehicle recognition unit recognizes the merging vehicle while the automatic driving control is being executed on a general road, a merging promotion control is executed, which is a control to encourage the merging vehicle to enter in front of the vehicle. The automatic driving device according to technical idea A16, wherein the merging promotion control is not performed when the automatic driving control is being executed on a motorway.

[0165] [Technical philosophy A18] a surrounding vehicle recognition unit (F22) that recognizes a merging vehicle that is another vehicle that is about to merge into the main line at the merging point based on a detection result of the surrounding monitoring sensor or data acquired by wireless communication from the external device; a driver state determination unit (F6) that determines whether the driver is performing a second task based on an image of the driver captured by an in-vehicle camera, The vehicle control unit includes: When the surrounding vehicle recognition unit recognizes the merging vehicle while the automatic driving control is being executed and the driver is performing the second task, a merging promotion control is executed to encourage the merging vehicle to enter in front of the vehicle. An automatic driving device according to any one of technical ideas A1 to A17, wherein the merging promotion control is not performed when the driver is not performing the second task.

[0166] [Technical philosophy A19] a surrounding vehicle recognition unit (F22) that recognizes a merging vehicle that is another vehicle that is about to merge into the main line at the merging point based on a detection result of the surrounding monitoring sensor or data acquired by wireless communication from the external device; a driver state determination unit (F6) that determines whether the driver is performing a second task based on an image of the driver captured by an in-vehicle camera, The vehicle control unit includes: An automatic driving device as described in any one of technical ideas A1 to A18, in which, when the surrounding vehicle recognition unit recognizes the merging vehicle while the driver is performing the second task while the automatic driving control is being executed, a process is executed to inquire of the driver whether it is okay to execute merging promotion control, which is a control that encourages the merging vehicle to move in front of the vehicle.

[0167] [Technical philosophy A20] A surrounding vehicle recognition unit (F22) that recognizes a merging vehicle that is another vehicle that is about to merge into the main line at the merging point based on the detection result of the surrounding monitoring sensor or data acquired by wireless communication from the external device, The vehicle control unit includes: When the surrounding vehicle recognition unit recognizes the merging vehicle while the automatic driving control is being executed, a merging promotion control is executed, which is a control that prompts the merging vehicle to enter in front of the vehicle. Counting the number of merging vehicles, which is the number of the merging vehicles that have entered in front of the vehicle; An automatic operation device according to any one of technical ideas A1 to A19, wherein the merging promotion control is stopped when the number of merging vehicles reaches a predetermined merging allowable number.

[0168] [Technical philosophy A21] A surrounding vehicle recognition unit (F22) that recognizes a merging vehicle that is another vehicle that is about to merge into the main line at the merging point based on the detection result of the surrounding monitoring sensor or data acquired by wireless communication from the external device, The vehicle control unit includes: An automatic driving device as described in any one of technical ideas A1 to A20, which implements merging promotion control, which is a control that encourages the merging vehicle to move in front of the host vehicle, on the condition that the host vehicle is stopped in a situation where the surrounding vehicle recognition unit recognizes the merging vehicle while the automatic driving control is being executed.

[0169] [Technical philosophy A22] The vehicle control unit executes a vehicle distance adjustment control, which is a control for changing the vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle or the following vehicle, based on the remaining distance to the merging point becoming less than a predetermined value while the automatic driving control is being executed.

[0170] [Technical philosophy A23] The automatic driving device described in any one of technical ideas A1 to A22, wherein the vehicle control unit temporarily extends a set value of the inter-vehicle distance that is a control target in the automatic driving control based on the fact that the remaining distance to the merging point becomes less than a predetermined value while the automatic driving control is being executed.

[0171] [Technical philosophy A24] The automatic driving device described in any one of technical ideas A1 to A23, wherein the vehicle control unit temporarily shortens the set value of the inter-vehicle distance that is a control target in the automatic driving control based on the fact that the remaining distance to the merging point becomes less than a predetermined value while the automatic driving control is being executed.

[0172] [Technical philosophy A25] a setting acquisition unit that displays a screen for setting a response policy when a merging vehicle is detected based on a signal from an input device, and acquires response policy setting data that is data indicating a response policy for the merging vehicle for each scene based on an operation of the driver on the screen, An automatic driving device described in any one of technical ideas A1 to A24, wherein when the vehicle control unit recognizes the presence of a merging vehicle while executing the automatic driving control, the vehicle control unit refers to the response policy setting data and implements control according to the current scene.

[0173] [Technical philosophy A26] A vehicle control unit (Fn) that executes automatic driving control to autonomously drive the vehicle along a predetermined planned driving route based on signals from a surrounding monitoring sensor; a junction recognition unit (F21) that recognizes a junction with the road on which the vehicle is traveling as a main line based on at least one of map data, a detection result of the periphery monitoring sensor, and data acquired by wireless communication from an external device; A surrounding vehicle recognition unit (F22) that recognizes a merging vehicle that is another vehicle that is about to merge into the main line at the merging point based on the detection result of the surrounding monitoring sensor or data acquired by wireless communication from the external device, The vehicle control unit is an automatic driving device that performs forward space shortening control, which is a control for temporarily shortening the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle by a predetermined amount, based on the recognition of the presence of the merging vehicle by the surrounding vehicle recognition unit while the automatic driving control is being executed.

[0174] [Technical philosophy A27] A vehicle control unit (Fn) that executes automatic driving control to autonomously drive the vehicle along a predetermined planned driving route based on signals from a surrounding monitoring sensor; a junction recognition unit (F21) that recognizes a junction with the road on which the vehicle is traveling as a main line based on at least one of map data, a detection result of the periphery monitoring sensor, and data acquired by wireless communication from an external device; A surrounding vehicle recognition unit (F22) that recognizes a merging vehicle that is another vehicle that is about to merge into the main line at the merging point based on the detection result of the surrounding monitoring sensor or data acquired by wireless communication from the external device, The vehicle control unit is an automatic driving device that changes a response policy when the surrounding vehicle recognition unit recognizes the merging vehicle while the automatic driving control is being executed, depending on the type of road or area on which the vehicle is traveling.

[0175] [Technical philosophy A28] A vehicle control unit (Fn) that executes automatic driving control to autonomously drive the vehicle along a predetermined planned driving route based on signals from a surrounding monitoring sensor; a junction recognition unit (F21) that recognizes a junction with the road on which the vehicle is traveling as a main line based on at least one of map data, a detection result of the periphery monitoring sensor, and data acquired by wireless communication from an external device; a surrounding vehicle recognition unit (F22) that recognizes a merging vehicle that is another vehicle that is about to merge into the main line at the merging point based on a detection result of the surrounding monitoring sensor or data acquired by wireless communication from the external device; a driver state determination unit (F6) that determines whether or not the driver is performing a second task based on an image of the driver captured by an in-vehicle camera, The vehicle control unit includes: When the surrounding vehicle recognition unit recognizes the merging vehicle while the automatic driving control is being executed and the driver is performing the second task, a merging promotion control is executed to encourage the merging vehicle to enter in front of the vehicle. The automatic operation device according to claim 1, wherein the merging promotion control is not performed when the driver is not performing the second task.

[0176] [Technical philosophy A29] A vehicle control unit (Fn) that executes automatic driving control to autonomously drive the vehicle along a predetermined planned driving route based on signals from a surrounding monitoring sensor; a junction recognition unit (F21) that recognizes a junction with the road on which the vehicle is traveling as a main line based on at least one of map data, a detection result of the periphery monitoring sensor, and data acquired by wireless communication from an external device; A surrounding vehicle recognition unit (F22) that recognizes a merging vehicle that is another vehicle that is about to merge into the main line at the merging point based on the detection result of the surrounding monitoring sensor or data acquired by wireless communication from the external device, The vehicle control unit includes: When the surrounding vehicle recognition unit recognizes the merging vehicle while the automatic driving control is being executed, a merging promotion control is executed, which is a control that prompts the merging vehicle to enter in front of the vehicle. Counting the number of merging vehicles, which is the number of the merging vehicles that have entered in front of the vehicle; An automatic operation device that stops the merging promotion control when the number of merging vehicles reaches a predetermined merging allowable number.

[0177] [Technical philosophy A30] A vehicle control unit (Fn) that executes automatic driving control to autonomously drive the vehicle along a predetermined planned driving route based on signals from a surrounding monitoring sensor; a junction recognition unit (F21) that recognizes a junction with the road on which the vehicle is traveling as a main line based on at least one of map data, a detection result of the periphery monitoring sensor, and data acquired by wireless communication from an external device; A surrounding vehicle recognition unit (F22) that recognizes a merging vehicle that is another vehicle that is about to merge into the main line at the merging point based on the detection result of the surrounding monitoring sensor or data acquired by wireless communication from the external device, The vehicle control unit includes: An automatic driving device that implements merging promotion control, which is a control that encourages the merging vehicle to move in front of the vehicle, on the condition that the vehicle is stopped in a situation where the surrounding vehicle recognition unit recognizes the merging vehicle while the automatic driving control is being executed.

[0178] [Technical philosophy A31] A vehicle control unit (Fn) that executes automatic driving control to autonomously drive the vehicle along a predetermined planned driving route based on signals from a surrounding monitoring sensor; a junction recognition unit (F21) that recognizes a junction with the road on which the vehicle is traveling as a main line based on at least one of map data, a detection result of the periphery monitoring sensor, and data acquired by wireless communication from an external device; a surrounding vehicle recognition unit (F22) that recognizes a merging vehicle that is another vehicle that is about to merge into the main line at the merging point based on a detection result of the surrounding monitoring sensor or data acquired by wireless communication from the external device; The vehicle control unit is an automatic driving device that, while executing the automatic driving control, executes control to temporarily increase the distance from the preceding vehicle by a predetermined amount based on the recognition by the surrounding vehicle recognition unit of the presence of the merging vehicle.

[0179] <Additional remarks (2)> The device, system, and method thereof described in the present disclosure may be realized by a dedicated computer that configures a processor programmed to execute one or more functions embodied by a computer program. The device and method described in the present disclosure may also be realized by using a dedicated hardware logic circuit. Furthermore, the device and method described in the present disclosure may be realized by one or more dedicated computers configured by a combination of a processor that executes a computer program and one or more hardware logic circuits. For example, some or all of the functions of the processor 31 may be realized as hardware. The embodiment in which a certain function is realized as hardware includes an embodiment in which it is realized using one or more ICs, etc. As the processor (computation core), a CPU, an MPU, a GPU, a DFP (Data Flow Processor), etc. can be adopted. Furthermore, some or all of the functions of the processor 31 may be realized by combining multiple types of computation processing devices. Some or all of the functions of the processor 31 may be realized by using a system-on-chip (SoC), an FPGA, an ASIC, etc. FPGA is an abbreviation for Field-Programmable Gate Array. ASIC is an abbreviation for Application Specific Integrated Circuit. The computer program may be stored as instructions executed by a computer on a computer-readable non-transitive tangible storage medium. The program may be stored on a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a flash memory, or the like. [Explanation of symbols]

[0180] Sys autonomous driving system, 11 surrounding monitoring sensor, 18 external display device, 20 in-vehicle HMI, 21 display, 22 speaker, 30 autonomous driving ECU, 31 processor, F2 environment recognition unit, F21 junction point recognition unit, F22 surrounding vehicle recognition unit, Fn vehicle control unit, F4 planning unit, F5 control execution unit, F51 notification processing unit

Claims

1. A vehicle control unit (Fn) that executes automatic driving control to autonomously drive the vehicle along a predetermined planned driving route based on a signal from a surrounding monitoring sensor; a junction recognition unit (F21) that recognizes a junction with the road on which the vehicle is traveling as a main line based on at least one of map data, a detection result of the periphery monitoring sensor, and data acquired by wireless communication from an external device; A surrounding vehicle recognition unit (F22) that recognizes a merging vehicle that is another vehicle that is about to merge into the main line at the merging point based on the detection result of the surrounding monitoring sensor or data acquired by wireless communication from the external device, The vehicle control unit includes: A control is implemented to change a traveling position of the vehicle relative to surrounding vehicles on the main line based on the fact that the remaining distance to the junction becomes less than a predetermined value while the automatic driving control is being executed, the control for changing a traveling position of the host vehicle relative to surrounding vehicles on the main line includes control for temporarily increasing a distance between the host vehicle and a preceding vehicle by a predetermined amount based on the surrounding vehicle recognition unit recognizing the presence of the merging vehicle while the automatic driving control is being executed, The vehicle control unit, while executing the automatic driving control, requests a driver to take over driving operations if a predetermined number of merging vehicles are between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle, but there are still merging vehicles remaining.

2. 2. The automatic operation device according to claim 1, wherein the automatic operation device is connected to an external display device (18) that displays an image in an area visible to the driver of the merging vehicle, The vehicle control unit is an automatic driving device configured to change the operating mode of the exterior display device depending on the number of merging vehicles that have entered between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle while the automatic driving control is being executed.

3. 3. The automatic driving device according to claim 1, wherein when the merging vehicle is recognized by the surrounding vehicle recognition unit while the automatic driving control is being executed, the vehicle control unit temporarily increases a set value of the inter-vehicle distance that is a control target in the automatic driving control by a predetermined amount.

4. 3. The automatic operation device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle control unit temporarily decelerates the vehicle by a predetermined amount when the surrounding vehicle recognition unit recognizes the merging vehicle during execution of the automatic driving control.

5. the surrounding vehicle recognition unit is configured to recognize the preceding vehicle based on an input signal from the surrounding monitoring sensor, 3. The automatic driving device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, during execution of the automatic driving control, in a situation in which the merging vehicle is recognized, if the preceding vehicle is present, the vehicle control unit performs control to increase the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle by a predetermined amount, while, when the preceding vehicle is not present, selecting whether to maintain or decelerate the current speed depending on the relative position and relative speed of the merging vehicle with respect to the vehicle,

6. A vehicle control unit (Fn) that executes automatic driving control to autonomously drive the vehicle along a predetermined planned driving route based on a signal from a surrounding monitoring sensor; a junction recognition unit (F21) that recognizes a junction with the road on which the vehicle is traveling as a main line based on at least one of map data, a detection result of the periphery monitoring sensor, and data acquired by wireless communication from an external device; A surrounding vehicle recognition unit (F22) that recognizes a merging vehicle that is another vehicle that is about to merge into the main line at the merging point based on the detection result of the surrounding monitoring sensor or data acquired by wireless communication from the external device, The vehicle control unit includes: A control is implemented to change a traveling position of the vehicle relative to surrounding vehicles on the main line based on the fact that the remaining distance to the junction becomes less than a predetermined value while the automatic driving control is being executed, When the vehicle is not in a traffic jam, a front space shortening control is executed, which is a control for temporarily shortening a distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle by a predetermined amount, based on the fact that the surrounding vehicle recognition unit recognizes the presence of the merging vehicle while the automatic driving control is being executed, When there is congestion, an automatic driving device executes forward space expansion control, which is a control for increasing the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle by a predetermined amount, based on the detection of the merging vehicle.

7. A vehicle control unit (Fn) that executes automatic driving control to autonomously drive the vehicle along a predetermined planned driving route based on a signal from a surrounding monitoring sensor; a junction recognition unit (F21) that recognizes a junction with the road on which the vehicle is traveling as a main line based on at least one of map data, a detection result of the periphery monitoring sensor, and data acquired by wireless communication from an external device; A surrounding vehicle recognition unit (F22) that recognizes a merging vehicle that is another vehicle that is about to merge into the main line at the merging point based on the detection result of the surrounding monitoring sensor or data acquired by wireless communication from the external device, The vehicle control unit includes: A control is implemented to change a traveling position of the vehicle relative to surrounding vehicles on the main line based on the fact that the remaining distance to the junction becomes less than a predetermined value while the automatic driving control is being executed, When the surrounding vehicle recognition unit recognizes the merging vehicle while the automatic driving control is being executed on a general road, a merging promotion control is executed, which is a control to encourage the merging vehicle to enter in front of the vehicle. An automatic driving device that does not implement the merging promotion control when the automatic driving control is being executed on a motorway.

8. A vehicle control unit (Fn) that executes automatic driving control to autonomously drive the vehicle along a predetermined planned driving route based on a signal from a surrounding monitoring sensor; a junction recognition unit (F21) that recognizes a junction with the road on which the vehicle is traveling as a main line based on at least one of map data, a detection result of the periphery monitoring sensor, and data acquired by wireless communication from an external device; A surrounding vehicle recognition unit (F22) that recognizes a merging vehicle that is another vehicle that is about to merge into the main line at the merging point based on the detection result of the surrounding monitoring sensor or data acquired by wireless communication from the external device; a driver state determination unit (F6) that determines whether or not the driver is performing a second task based on an image of the driver captured by an in-vehicle camera, The vehicle control unit includes: A control is implemented to change a traveling position of the vehicle relative to surrounding vehicles on the main line based on the fact that the remaining distance to the junction becomes less than a predetermined value while the automatic driving control is being executed, When the surrounding vehicle recognition unit recognizes the merging vehicle while the automatic driving control is being executed and the driver is performing the second task, a merging promotion control is executed to encourage the merging vehicle to enter in front of the vehicle. The automatic driving device does not execute the merging promotion control when the driver is not executing the second task.

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