Driving assistance device, driving assistance method, and assistance recommendation program

Abstract

To provide a drive support device which can prevent complicated selection between effectiveness and ineffectiveness of drive support processing by a driver.SOLUTION: Twelve function unit support processing are defined on a left side of matrix data. The matrix data determines whether each of the twelve function unit support processing is made effective or ineffective for each of five mutually-different states determined by a drive state of a driver and a travel state of a vehicle. A CPU executes a proposal and the like for making an appropriate function unit support processing effective in the case pf a state defined by the matrix data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a driving assistance device, a driving assistance method, and an assistance recommendation program. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 listed below describes a device that switches to automatic driving when the driver's level of awareness decreases. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-315800 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The above device automatically turns on the safety function to deal with the driver's abnormality. Meanwhile, a number of safety functions that assist vehicle driving have been put into practical use. Some of these functions are executed when the driver manually switches them to an enabled state. However, it is cumbersome for the driver to select the appropriate process for the current situation from among the multiple driving assistance processes each time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] Means for solving the above problems and their effects will be described below. 1. A driving assistance device (40) that assists driving of a vehicle, comprising: a storage device (46) in which correspondence data (Dmx) is stored; and an execution device (42, 44), wherein the correspondence data is data that corresponds each of a plurality of driving situations to a plurality of situational assistance processes, and the situational assistance processes are driving assistance processes for a specific driving situation, and the execution device executes an acquisition process (S44; S64; S84) that acquires a value of a driving situation variable that is a variable that indicates the driving situation of the vehicle; a proposal process (S46; S66; S86) that operates a human interface (72) to propose to a driver of the vehicle to enable one or more of the situational assistance processes based on the value of the driving situation variable and in accordance with the correspondence data; and, when it is detected via the human interface that the driver has approved the proposal in response to the proposal process, an enable setting process (S50; S70; S90) that enables the setting of the approved situational assistance process.

[0006] In the above configuration, data that associates each of a plurality of driving situations with a plurality of situational support processes is stored in advance, and a proposal is made to enable the corresponding situational support process according to the driving situation. This makes it possible for the driver to determine whether to enable the driving support process when a proposal to enable the process is made according to the situation, instead of the driver having to select whether to enable each of the driving support processes. This makes it possible to prevent the driver from having to make a cumbersome selection of whether to enable or disable the driving support process. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle equipped with a driving assistance device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating matrix data according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] 4 is a flowchart showing the procedure of processing executed by the ADASECU according to the embodiment; [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing the procedure of processing executed by the ADASECU according to the embodiment; [Diagram 5] 4 is a flowchart showing the procedure of processing executed by the ADASECU according to the embodiment; [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart showing the procedure of processing executed by the ADASECU according to the embodiment; [Figure 7] 4 is a flowchart showing the procedure of processing executed by the ADASECU according to the embodiment; [Figure 8] 5A and 5B are diagrams showing an example of switching of driving assistance settings according to the embodiment; [Figure 9] 5A and 5B are diagrams showing an example of switching of driving assistance settings according to the embodiment; [Figure 10] 5A and 5B are diagrams showing an example of switching of driving assistance settings according to the embodiment; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] <First embodiment> Hereinafter, the first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a part of the configuration of a vehicle VC according to this embodiment.

[0009] 1, the radar device 12 transmits millimeter-wave radar signals to the surroundings of the vehicle VC, receives the millimeter-wave radar signals reflected from objects around the vehicle VC, and outputs a signal related to the distance to the object that reflected the millimeter-wave radar signals as millimeter-wave data Dmw. The millimeter-wave data Dmw is input to the millimeter-wave ECU 10. The millimeter-wave ECU 10 executes a process of recognizing objects around the vehicle VC based on the millimeter-wave data Dmw.

[0010] The outside-vehicle image data Dpo, which is data relating to an image captured by the outside-vehicle camera 22, is input to the image ECU 20. The image ECU 20 executes a recognition process of objects around the vehicle VC based on the outside-vehicle image data Dpo.

[0011] The sonar 32 outputs a sound wave signal around the vehicle VC and receives the sound wave signal reflected from an object around the vehicle VC, thereby outputting a signal related to the distance to the object that reflected the sound wave signal as reflected sound wave data Ds. The sonar ECU 30 executes a recognition process of the objects around the vehicle VC based on the reflected sound wave data Ds.

[0012] The ADASECU 40 is an electronic control device that assists the driver in driving the vehicle VC. The ADASECU 40 includes a CPU 42, a ROM 44, a RAM 45, a storage device 46, and a peripheral circuit 48, which are connected via a communication line 49.

[0013] The ROM 44 stores a functional unit program PRf and an assistance recommendation program PRr. The functional unit program PRf is a program that specifies instructions for the CPU 42 to execute each of a plurality of functional unit driving assistance processes. A functional unit driving assistance process (hereinafter, referred to as a functional unit assistance process) is a driving assistance process having one function according to a situation or purpose, such as collision avoidance or cruise control. The vehicle according to this embodiment is capable of executing a plurality of driving assistance processes because a plurality of functional unit driving assistance processes are specified by the functional unit program PRf. The assistance recommendation program PRr is a program that specifies instructions for the CPU 42 to execute a process that suggests to the driver to enable some of a plurality of functional unit assistance processes.

[0014] When performing driving assistance, the ADASECU 40 refers to the object recognition results by the millimeter wave ECU 10, the object recognition results by the image ECU 20, and the object recognition results by the sonar ECU 30 via the in-vehicle network 50. The ADASECU 40 also refers to in-vehicle image data Dpi from the in-vehicle camera 60 that captures an image of the driver. The ADASECU 40 also refers to the steering angle θs of the steered wheels detected by the steering angle sensor 62, and the steering torque Trqs detected by the torque sensor 64. The steering torque Trqs is a torque input to the steering wheel. The ADASECU 40 also refers to the longitudinal acceleration Gx and lateral acceleration Gy of the vehicle VC detected by the acceleration sensor 66. The ADASECU 40 also refers to the position data Dgps output by the global positioning system (GPS 68) and the map data 70. The ADASECU 40 then outputs various commands for driving assistance to the brake ECU 80, the steering ECU 90, the drive ECU 100, and the headlights 110.

[0015] Brake ECU 80 is an electronic control device that controls the braking force applied to vehicle VC by operating brake actuator 82. Steering ECU 90 is an actuator that controls steering angle θs by operating steering actuator 92. Drive ECU 100 is an electronic control device that controls the driving force of vehicle VC by operating prime mover 102 that generates thrust for vehicle VC.

[0016] The storage device 46 of the ADASECU 40 is an electrically rewritable memory. The storage device 46 stores setting information data Dis and matrix data Dmx. FIG. 2 shows the matrix data Dmx.

[0017] The matrix data Dmx is data used when the CPU 42 executes commands defined in the support recommendation program PRr. The matrix data Dmx defines the relationship between the functional unit support processes defined by the functional unit program PRf and some situations.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 2, the functional unit support process includes a front approach warning process. The front approach warning process is a process of operating the human interface 72 to issue a warning when it is determined that an obstacle that may come into contact with the vehicle VC exists ahead of the vehicle VC. The front approach warning process receives the output of the millimeter wave ECU 10 and the output of the image ECU 20 as inputs. The functional unit support process also includes an emergency brake process. The emergency brake process is a process of automatically operating the brakes independent of the brake operation by the driver when an obstacle that may come into contact with the vehicle VC exists ahead of the vehicle VC. More specifically, the emergency brake process is a process of outputting a command to the brake ECU 80 to apply a braking force by operating the brake actuator 82. The emergency brake process receives the output of the millimeter wave ECU 10 and the output of the image ECU 20 as inputs.

[0019] The center tracing process minutely controls the steering angle θs independent of the driver's steering wheel operation so that the vehicle VC travels near the center of the lane. More specifically, the center tracing process slightly corrects the steering angle θs so that the vehicle VC is located in the center of the lane while respecting the driver's steering wheel operation. Specifically, the center tracing process outputs the correction amount of the steering angle θs to the steering ECU 90. The center tracing process uses the output of the image ECU 20 as an input.

[0020] The functional unit support process also includes a departure warning process. The departure warning process is a process of operating the human interface 72 to issue a warning so that the vehicle VC does not deviate significantly from the lane. The departure warning process uses the output of the image ECU 20 as an input. The lane departure prevention support process is a process of minutely controlling the steering angle θs independently of the operation of the steering wheel by the driver so that the vehicle VC does not deviate significantly from the lane. More specifically, the lane departure prevention support process is a process of slightly correcting the steering angle θs so that the vehicle VC does not deviate significantly from the lane while respecting the operation of the steering wheel by the driver. Specifically, the lane departure prevention support process is a process of outputting a correction amount of the steering angle θs to the steering ECU 90. The lane departure prevention support process uses the output of the image ECU 20 as an input. The functional unit support process also includes a sway warning process. The sway warning process is a process of operating the human interface 72 to issue a warning when the vehicle VC does not travel straight along the lane but sways left and right. The sway warning process receives the output of the image ECU 20 and the lateral acceleration Gy as input.

[0021] The rear vehicle warning process is a process of operating the human interface 72 to issue a warning when there is a risk of contact with a vehicle traveling behind the vehicle VC due to a lane change or the like of the vehicle VC. The rear vehicle warning process uses the output of the millimeter wave ECU 10 and the output of the image ECU 20 as inputs. The functional unit support process also includes a rear vehicle support process. The rear vehicle support process is a process of automatically controlling the steering angle θs so that the vehicle VC does not contact the rear vehicle, independent of the driver's operation of the steering wheel, when there is a risk of contact with a vehicle traveling behind the vehicle VC due to a lane change or the like of the vehicle VC. Specifically, it is a process of outputting a command value of the steering angle θs to the steering ECU 90. At this time, a process of outputting a command to at least one of the brake ECU 80 and the drive ECU 100 may be added ... uses the output of the millimeter wave ECU 10 and the output of the image ECU 20 as inputs.

[0022] The functional unit support process also includes an auto high-low beam process. The auto high-low beam process is a process for automatically switching the headlights 110 between a high beam state and a low beam state according to the surrounding conditions of the vehicle VC. The auto high-low beam process receives the output of the image ECU 20, the position data Dgps, and the map data 70 as inputs. The functional unit support process also includes a cruise control process. The cruise control process is a process for automatically driving the vehicle VC along the lane on a motorway or the like without the driver performing any driving operation. The cruise control process receives the output of the millimeter wave ECU 10, the output of the image ECU 20, the position data Dgps, and the map data 70 as inputs. The cruise control process also includes a minimal risk maneuver process (MRM). The MRM is a process for automatically driving the vehicle VC to a safe area and stopping it when the driver is unconscious or otherwise unable to drive based on the in-vehicle image data Dpi.

[0023] The functional unit support processing also includes a reverse warning processing. The reverse warning processing is a processing for operating the human interface 72 to issue a warning when it is determined based on the output of the sonar ECU 30 that there is a risk of contact with an object when the vehicle VC is reversed in a parking lot or the like. The functional unit support processing also includes a reverse avoidance processing. The reverse avoidance processing is a processing for applying a braking force to the vehicle VC, independent of the driving operation by the driver, when it is determined based on the output of the sonar ECU 30 that there is a risk of contact with an object when the vehicle VC is reversed in a parking lot or the like. More specifically, it is a processing for outputting a command to the brake ECU 80.

[0024] The matrix data Dmx is data that specifies a process that is recommended to be enabled depending on a situation among the above 12 functional unit support processes. Here, five situations are exemplified as the situations. That is, as the driving situation of the driver, a situation in which the driver's driving ability is deteriorated and a situation in which the driver's attention is deteriorated are exemplified. In addition, as the driving situation of the vehicle VC, a situation in which the vehicle is driving on a highway, a situation in which the vehicle is driving on a snowy road, and a situation in which the vehicle is parking are exemplified.

[0025] Enabling the function-based support process means that the function-based support process is in a standby state. That is, for example, when the cruise control process is enabled, the cruise control process is started when a predetermined condition is satisfied. In this case, the predetermined conditions include, for example, a condition that the vehicle VC is traveling on a motorway, a condition that the driver is not operating the steering wheel, a condition that the driver is not stepping on the brake pedal, and a condition that the driver is not operating the accelerator pedal. Therefore, even if the cruise control process is enabled, when the vehicle VC is traveling on a general road, the conditions are not satisfied, and therefore the cruise control process is not executed. When the cruise control process is enabled, the cruise control process is started when the vehicle VC enters a highway and the driver stops operating the three pedals, namely the steering wheel, the brake pedal, and the accelerator pedal.

[0026] In Fig. 2, enabled is written as "ON." Also, a hyphen indicates that the state set by the driver through processing, which will be described later, is to be continued. As shown in FIG. 2, the state in which driving ability is degraded is linked to the effective states of all 12 functional unit support processes. Moreover, the state in which driving ability is degraded is linked to a setting that advances the timing of issuing a warning for the front approach warning process, the deviation warning process, and the rear vehicle warning process. Furthermore, the state in which driving is on an expressway is linked to 10 processes out of the 12 functional unit support processes, excluding the two processes, the back-up warning process and the back-up avoidance process. In FIG. 2, the front approach warning process, the deviation warning process, and the rear vehicle warning process are marked with "(-)" after "ON". This means that the timing of issuing a warning will adopt a value set by the driver through the process described below.

[0027] The ADASECU 40 executes a process for changing whether each of the functional unit assistance processes is enabled or disabled according to a setting made by the driver. Fig. 3 shows the procedure of the above-mentioned change process among the processes executed by ADASECU40. The process shown in Fig. 3 is realized by CPU42 repeatedly executing a program stored in ROM44, for example, at a predetermined interval. Note that, in the following, the step number of each process is represented by a number preceded by "S".

[0028] In the series of processes shown in FIG. 3, the CPU 42 first determines whether or not the travel permission switch of the vehicle VC has switched from an off state to an on state (S10). Here, the travel permission switch is a switch for switching the vehicle VC from a state in which it cannot be traveled to a state in which it can be traveled by the driver. For example, if the prime mover 102 is an engine only, the travel permission switch may be an ignition switch. Also, for example, if the prime mover 102 includes an electric motor, the travel permission switch may be a switch for switching a switch between a drive circuit connected to the electric motor and a battery to a closed state. The process of S10 is a process for determining whether or not the start of a trip, which is a period during which the travel permission switch is in an on state, has arrived.

[0029] When the CPU 42 determines that the switch has been switched from OFF to ON (S10: YES), the CPU 42 reads setting information indicating whether each of the 12 functional unit support processes is enabled or disabled by the driver, which is indicated by the setting information data Dis (S12). Next, the CPU 42 sets each state read by the processing of S12 as the state of the functional unit support process at the start of the trip (S14). This process is realized by the CPU 42 writing the state of each of the 12 functional unit support processes, whether it is enabled or disabled, to the RAM 45. That is, in this embodiment, whether the functional unit support process is enabled or disabled is determined depending on whether the state stored in the RAM 45 is enabled or disabled. The setting information data Dis also includes information that determines whether the timing of issuing an alarm is delayed, normal, or early for the front approach warning process, the deviation warning process, and the rear vehicle warning process. Then, in the process of S14, the CPU 42 writes in the RAM 45 the timing of issuing an alarm for the process that is in the valid state among the above three processes indicated by the setting information data Dis.

[0030] When the CPU 42 completes the process of S14 or when the CPU 42 makes a negative determination in the process of S10, the CPU 42 determines whether or not the driver operates the human interface 72 to manually set the states of some of the functional unit support processes (S16). This process may be realized, for example, by configuring the human interface 72 with a display and a touch panel arranged over the display. In this case, 12 functional unit support processes are displayed on the display, and the state of the functional unit support process instructed by the driver via the touch panel can be switched. When the CPU 42 determines that manual setting is to be performed (S16: YES), the CPU 42 updates the setting information data Dis stored in the storage device 46 (S18).

[0031] When completing the process of S18 or making a negative determination in the process of S16, the CPU 42 temporarily ends the series of processes shown in FIG. 4 shows a process for making some of the functional unit support processes effective depending on the driving situation. The process shown in FIG.

[0032] In the series of processes shown in FIG. 4, the CPU 42 first acquires the outside-vehicle image data Dpo (S20). Then, the CPU 42 judges whether the driving ability of the driver of the vehicle VC has deteriorated based on the time-series data of the outside-vehicle image data Dpo (S22). Here, the CPU 42 judges that the driving ability has deteriorated when the vehicle VC does not travel straight along the lane but travels while swaying from side to side from the time-series data of the outside-vehicle image data Dpo. In other words, the CPU 42 judges that the driving ability has deteriorated when the vehicle VC is driving in a zigzag manner. When the CPU 42 judges that the driving ability has deteriorated (S22: YES), it notifies the driver that the recommended support when the ability has deteriorated, which is the driving support process linked to the state of the first column of the matrix data Dmx shown in FIG. 2, is turned on (S24). Here, for example, a speaker may be provided in the human interface 72, and a voice guidance such as "It seems that you are worried about safe driving, so various driving support functions will be put into standby mode. If you refuse, please operate ..." may be given.

[0033] Then, the CPU 42 determines whether or not there is an input operation for refusing the notification process of S24 (S26). This process may be, for example, a process in which the human interface 72 is provided with a microphone, and if a negative voice input operation such as "NO" is made within a predetermined period, it is determined that an input operation for refusing has been made. If the CPU 42 determines that there is no input operation for refusing (S26: NO), it turns on the recommended support for reduced capability (S28). That is, the CPU 42 sets all of the states of the 12 functional unit support processes stored in the RAM 45 to an enabled state. At this time, the CPU 42 sets the values ​​of the variables indicating the timing of issuing a warning in each of the three processes, the front approach warning process, the deviation warning process, and the rear vehicle warning process, stored in the RAM 45, to values ​​indicating that the warning is issued early.

[0034] On the other hand, when the CPU 42 determines that the driving ability has not deteriorated (S22: NO), it acquires the in-vehicle image data Dpi (S30). Then, the CPU 42 monitors the in-vehicle image data Dpi to determine whether the driver's attention is below a predetermined level (S32). Here, the CPU 42 identifies the driver's line of sight from the in-vehicle image data Dpi, and determines that the driver's attention is below a predetermined level when the proportion of time that the line of sight deviates from the forward traveling direction of the vehicle VC is equal to or greater than a predetermined proportion (S32). When the CPU 42 determines that the driver's attention has deteriorated (S32: YES), it issues a notification to turn on the recommended support for impaired attention, which is a driving support process linked to the state of the second column of the matrix data Dmx shown in FIG. 2 (S34). Here, for example, a speaker may be provided in the human interface 72, and a voice guidance such as "It seems difficult to concentrate on driving, so some driving support functions will be put on standby. If you refuse, please operate ..." may be issued.

[0035] Then, the CPU 42 judges whether or not there is an input operation for refusing the notification process in the manner of the process of S26 (S36). When the CPU 42 judges that there is no input operation for refusing (S36: NO), the CPU 42 turns on the recommended support for reduced attention (S38). That is, the CPU 42 updates the states of the 12 functional unit support processes stored in the RAM 45 according to the state of the second column of the matrix data Dmx. In detail, since six functional unit support processes are ON in the second column of the matrix data Dmx shown in FIG. 2, among them, the state stored in the RAM 45 that is OFF is rewritten to ON. In contrast, the remaining six functional unit support processes are hyphenated, so the state stored in the RAM 45 is maintained. At this time, the CPU 42 sets the value of the variable indicating the timing of issuing the warning in each of the three processes, the front approach warning process, the deviation warning process, and the rear vehicle warning process, stored in the RAM 45, to a value indicating that the warning is issued early.

[0036] When the CPU 42 completes the processes of S28 and S38, or when a negative determination is made in the processes of S26, S32, and S36, the CPU 42 temporarily ends the series of processes shown in FIG. 5 shows the procedure for switching the state of the recommended support for expressways, which is the driving support process associated with the third column of the matrix data Dmx. The process shown in FIG. 5 is realized by the CPU 42 executing the support recommendation program PRr stored in the ROM 44.

[0037] In the series of processes shown in Fig. 5, the CPU 42 first acquires data of the vicinity of the position of the vehicle VC indicated by the position data Dgps from the map data 70 (S40). This process is a process of acquiring the value of a driving condition variable which is a variable indicating the driving condition of the vehicle VC specified by the map data. The CPU 42 then determines whether or not the recommended support for expressways has been turned ON by the process of S50 described later (S42). When the CPU 42 determines that the recommended support for expressways is OFF (S42: NO), it determines whether or not the logical product of the following two conditions is true (S44).

[0038] The condition is that it is determined to be an entrance to an expressway based on map data. In other words, the condition is that the value of a driving situation variable, which is a variable indicating the driving situation of the vehicle VC specified by the map data, is the value of a variable indicating the entrance to an expressway.

[0039] -This condition means that some of the functional unit support processes that are enabled by the recommended support for highways are disabled. When the CPU 42 determines that the logical product is true (S44: YES), it proposes to turn on the recommended support for expressways (S46). Here, for example, the human interface 72 may be provided with a speaker, and a voice prompt such as "Would you like to put the driving support process suitable for expressways into standby mode?" may be given.

[0040] Then, the CPU 42 judges whether the driver agrees to the proposal (S48). For example, this may be a process of equipping the human interface 72 with a microphone and judging whether the driver inputs voice such as "OK" within a predetermined time after the proposal. If the CPU 42 judges that the driver agrees (S48: YES), it enables the recommended support for expressways (S50). That is, the CPU 42 rewrites any of the disabled states stored in the RAM 45, other than the back-up warning process and the back-up avoidance process, among the 12 functional unit support processes shown in FIG. 2, to enabled states. At this time, for the three processes, the front approach warning process, the deviation warning process, and the rear vehicle warning process, when rewriting the disabled state to enabled states, the timing is set to the timing specified in the setting information data Dis. Note that if the timing is not set in the setting information data Dis, the default is set to "normal."

[0041] On the other hand, when the CPU 42 determines that the highway recommended support is ON (S42: YES), it determines whether or not there is a history of an inquiry to turn off the highway recommended support after the highway has ended (S52). If there is no history of the inquiry since the highway has ended (S52: YES), the CPU 42 inquires whether it is OK to turn off the highway recommended support (S54). Here, for example, the human interface 72 may be provided with a speaker, and audio guidance may be provided such as "May I return the driving support processing suitable for highways to disabled?"

[0042] The CPU 42 then determines whether the driver agrees to return to the disabled state (S56). This can be achieved, for example, by providing a microphone in the human interface 72 and determining whether the driver makes a voice input such as "OK" within a predetermined time after the inquiry. If the CPU 42 determines that the driver agrees (S56: YES), it disables the recommended support for expressways (S58). At this time, the functional unit support process that was enabled before the recommended support for expressways was switched to enabled is maintained in an enabled state. Furthermore, if another process that enables a predetermined functional unit support process is entered after the recommended support for expressways is enabled, the functional unit support process is also maintained in an enabled state.

[0043] When the processes of S50 and S58 are completed, or when a negative determination is made in the processes of S44, S48, S52, and S56, the CPU 42 temporarily ends the series of processes shown in FIG.

[0044] 6 shows the procedure for switching the state of the snowy road recommended support, which is the driving support process associated with the fourth column of the matrix data Dmx. The process shown in FIG. 6 is realized by the CPU 42 executing the support recommendation program PRr stored in the ROM 44.

[0045] In the series of processes shown in Fig. 6, the CPU 42 first acquires the output of the image ECU 20 (S60). This process is to acquire the value of a driving condition variable specified based on the output of the image ECU 20. Next, the CPU 42 determines whether the recommended support for snowy roads is in the ON state (S62). When the CPU 42 determines that the recommended support for snowy roads is in the OFF state (S62: NO), it determines whether the logical product of the following two conditions is true (S64).

[0046] A condition that determines, based on the output of the image ECU 20, that the road surface on which the vehicle VC is traveling has changed from a state in which it is not covered with snow to a state in which it is covered with snow. In other words, a condition that determines that the vehicle VC has changed to a state in which it is traveling on a snowy road. That is, a condition that determines that the value of the driving condition variable specified based on the output of the image ECU 20 has changed from a value that does not indicate a snowy road to a value that indicates a snowy road.

[0047] The condition is that at least a part of the state of the functional unit support process specified by the snowy road recommended support differs from the current state. When the CPU 42 determines that the logical product is true (S64: YES), it proposes turning on the recommended support for snowy roads (S66). Here, for example, the human interface 72 may be provided with a speaker, and a voice signal may be output saying, "Shall I put the driving support process suitable for snowy roads into standby?"

[0048] The CPU 42 then determines whether the driver agrees to the suggestion in the same manner as in the process of S48 (S68). If the CPU 42 determines that the driver agrees (S68: YES), it enables the recommended support for snowy roads (S70). That is, if there is an invalid state among the states stored in the RAM 45 for the front approach warning process, the emergency braking process, the deviation warning process, and the rear vehicle warning process, the CPU 42 rewrites it to an invalid state. At this time, the timing for issuing the warning in each of the three processes, the front approach warning process, the deviation warning process, and the rear vehicle warning process, is set earlier.

[0049] On the other hand, when the CPU 42 determines that the snowy road recommended support is ON (S62: YES), it determines whether or not there is a history of an inquiry to turn off the snowy road recommended support after the snowy road has ended (S72).When the CPU 42 determines that the snowy road has ended and there is no history of an inquiry yet (S72: YES), it inquires whether or not it is OK to turn off the snowy road recommended support (S74) in the manner of the processing of S54.

[0050] The CPU 42 then determines whether the driver agrees to return the support to disabled in the same manner as in the process of S56 (S76). If the CPU 42 determines that the driver agrees (S76: YES), the CPU 42 disables the recommended support for snowy roads (S78). At this time, the functional unit support process that was enabled before the recommended support for snowy roads was enabled is maintained in an enabled state. In addition, if another process that enables a predetermined functional unit support process is entered after the recommended support for snowy roads is enabled, the functional unit support process is also maintained in an enabled state.

[0051] When the CPU 42 completes the processes of S70 and S78, or when a negative determination is made in the processes of S64, S68, S72, and S76, the CPU 42 temporarily ends the series of processes shown in FIG.

[0052] 7 shows a procedure for switching the state of the parking recommendation support, which is a driving support process associated with the fifth column of the matrix data Dmx. The process shown in FIG. 7 is realized by the CPU 42 executing the support recommendation program PRr stored in the ROM 44.

[0053] In the series of processes shown in Fig. 7, the CPU 42 first acquires data of the location indicated by the position data Dgps in the map data 70 and the output of the image ECU 20 (S80). This process is a process of acquiring values ​​of driving situation variables specified based on the above data and the output of the image ECU 20. Next, the CPU 42 determines whether the parking recommendation assistance is in the ON state (S82). When the CPU 42 determines that the parking recommendation assistance is in the OFF state (S82: NO), it determines whether the logical product of the following two conditions is true (S84).

[0054] The condition is that it is determined that the vehicle VC has entered a parking lot based on the above data and the output of the image ECU 20. In other words, the condition is that the value of the driving situation variable determined based on the above data and the output of the image ECU 20 is a value indicating a parking lot.

[0055] This condition means that among the functional unit support processes that are enabled by the parking recommendation support, there is a process that is in an disabled state. When the CPU 42 determines that the logical product is true (S84: YES), it proposes switching the parking recommendation assistance to an ON state (S86). Here, for example, the human interface 72 may be provided with a speaker, and a voice signal may be output saying, "Shall we put the driving assistance process suitable for parking into standby?"

[0056] Then, the CPU 42 judges whether the driver agrees to the suggestion in the manner of the process of S48 (S88). If the CPU 42 judges that the driver agrees (S88: YES), the CPU 42 enables the parking recommendation support (S90). That is, the CPU 42 rewrites the invalid states of the backing up warning process and the backing up avoidance process stored in the RAM 45 to valid states.

[0057] On the other hand, when the CPU 42 determines that the parking recommended assistance is ON (S82: YES), the CPU 42 determines whether parking is completed (S92). When the CPU 42 determines that parking is completed (S92: YES), the CPU 42 inquires whether the parking recommended assistance may be turned OFF in the same manner as in the process of S54 (S94).

[0058] The CPU 42 then determines whether the driver agrees to return the parking recommendation support to disabled mode (S96), in the same manner as in the process of S56. If the CPU 42 determines that the driver agrees (S96: YES), the parking recommendation support is disabled (S98). At this time, the functional unit support processes that were in an enabled state before the parking recommendation support was turned on are maintained in an enabled state. That is, for example, if the reverse warning process is set to an enabled state by the process of S14 and was also in an enabled state immediately before the parking recommendation support was turned on, the enabled state is maintained.

[0059] When the processes of S90 and S98 are completed, or when a negative determination is made in the processes of S84, S88, S92, and S96, the CPU 42 temporarily ends the series of processes shown in FIG.

[0060] Here, the operation and effects of this embodiment will be described. When a trip starts, the CPU 42 writes to the RAM 45 whether each of the 12 functional unit support processes is enabled or disabled based on the setting information data Dis. Fig. 8(a) illustrates an example of a state thus set. In this example, the setting information data Dis enables two processes, the emergency brake process and the rear vehicle warning process. In particular, in this example, the timing of issuing the warning in the rear vehicle warning process is set to be delayed.

[0061] When the vehicle VC reaches the entrance to the expressway while traveling, the CPU 42 proposes to the driver to turn on the recommended support for highways. If the driver agrees to the proposal, the CPU 42 switches the states of all of the processes that should be enabled by the recommended support for highways, among the 12 functional unit support processes stored in the RAM 45, to the enabled state.

[0062] FIG. 8(b) shows the state stored in the RAM 45 when the high-speed recommended support is turned on. As shown in FIG. 8(b), ten functional unit support processes are enabled, excluding the two processes of the reverse warning process and the reverse avoidance process. Here, the timing for issuing the warning in the two processes of the forward approach warning process and the deviation warning process is set to "normal." This is because the setting information data Dis does not contain information on the timing, and so the standard timing is set by default.

[0063] Thereafter, when the vehicle VC moves onto a snowy road, the CPU 42 proposes to turn on the recommended snowy road support. If the driver agrees to the proposal, the CPU 42 updates the states of the 12 functional unit support processes stored in the RAM 45 in accordance with the snowy road driving support.

[0064] FIG. 9(a) shows the state before the recommended support for snowy roads is turned on, and FIG. 9(b) shows the state after the recommended support for snowy roads is turned on. In this example, all of the functional unit support processes that should be enabled by the recommended support for snowy roads were enabled before the update. However, the timing of issuing warnings in the three processes, the forward approach warning process, the deviation warning process, and the rear vehicle warning process, differs from the setting by the recommended support for snowy roads. In this case, the CPU 42 gives priority to the earlier timing and switches to the timing by the recommended support for snowy roads.

[0065] After that, when the vehicle VC leaves the snowy road, the CPU 42 inquires of the driver whether it is OK to turn off the recommended support for snowy roads. If the driver agrees to turn it off, the CPU 42 updates the states of the 12 functional unit support processes stored in the RAM 45 in accordance with the driving support for snowy roads. Here, the CPU 42 switches the functional unit support processes that are specified to be enabled by the recommended support for snowy roads to disabled. However, even if a functional unit support process is specified to be enabled by the recommended support for snowy roads, if the functional unit support process is enabled by a process other than the recommended support for snowy roads, the enabled state is maintained.

[0066] FIG. 10(a) shows the state before the snowy road recommended support is turned off, and FIG. 10(b) shows the state after the snowy road recommended support is turned off. In this case, all of the 10 functional unit support processes that were enabled before the snowy road recommended support was turned off are maintained in an enabled state. This is because, firstly, the 10 functional unit recommended supports are specified to be enabled by the high-speed recommended support. Secondly, the emergency brake process and the rear vehicle warning process were enabled at the start of the trip according to the setting information data Dis. However, the timing of issuing the warning is returned to normal for the two processes, the front approach warning process and the departure warning process. Also, the rear vehicle warning process is returned to "late."

[0067] According to the present embodiment described above, the following actions and effects can be obtained. (1) After turning on the highway recommendation support, snowy road recommendation support, and parking recommendation support, the CPU 42 proposes turning them back off when the situation in which they are proposed is resolved, and maintains the ON state if consent is not obtained. This allows the support process to be executed without making a re-proposal when the same driving situation occurs again.

[0068] (2) When the CPU 42 determines that the driver's driving ability is deteriorating, it notifies the driver to turn on the recommended support for reduced driving ability, and keeps the recommended support for reduced driving ability in the ON state unless the driver refuses. This makes it possible to maintain the vehicle VC in as safe a state as possible.

[0069] (3) All functional unit support processes are turned on by the recommended support for reduced capability. This makes it possible to maintain the vehicle VC in as safe a state as possible. In particular, in the case of this embodiment, when the cruise control process is turned on, the MRM is turned on. Therefore, when the driver's driving capability is further deteriorated, the MRM can be started.

[0070] (4) When the CPU 42 determines that the driver's attention is declining, it notifies the driver to turn on the recommended support for reduced attention, and keeps the recommended support for reduced attention in the ON state unless the driver refuses. This makes it possible to maintain the vehicle VC in as safe a state as possible.

[0071] (5) The CPU 42 updates the state of the functional unit assistance process stored in the RAM 45 to the state indicated by the setting information data Dis when the trip starts. This allows the process that was automatically switched to the enabled state by the processes in Figures 3 to 7 to be returned to the state set by the driver at the start of the trip.

[0072] <Other embodiments> This embodiment can be modified as follows: This embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other to the extent that no technical contradiction occurs.

[0073] "About situational support processing" (a) Assistance processing for specific driving situations The recommended support for low μ roads as a support process recommended when the friction coefficient of the road surface on which the vehicle is traveling is equal to or lower than a predetermined value is not limited to the recommended support for snowy roads. For example, it may be a process that is proposed when rainy weather, frozen roads, etc. are detected. Note that it is not essential that the recommended support for low μ roads corresponds to only one of the traveling road surface being a snowy road, a road surface in rainy weather, and a frozen road. For example, it may be a process that is proposed for snowy roads and frozen roads, but not proposed in rainy weather. Also, different types of functional unit support processes may be set to be effective for snowy roads and frozen roads, and for rainy weather.

[0074] The assistance process recommended when driving on a motorway is not limited to the recommended assistance process for expressways. The driving support process for the driving situation is not limited to the one exemplified in the above embodiment. For example, a situation support process for a situation where the vehicle starts backing up from a parking lot may be provided. This may be configured to include a reverse warning process and a reverse avoidance process.

[0075] The situation support process associated with the driving situation is not limited to a combination of a plurality of functional unit support processes, but may be, for example, a single specific functional unit support process. (b) Assistance processing for specific driving situations In the above embodiment, it is determined that the driver's attention is reduced when the driver's inattentive driving occurs a predetermined number of times or more per unit time, but this is not limited to the above. For example, it may be determined that the driver's attention is reduced when the driver's field of vision is narrow and a part of the necessary area is not included in the field of vision for a predetermined period of time. It may also be determined that the driver's attention is reduced when the logical sum of the case where the driver's inattentive driving occurs a predetermined number of times or more per unit time and the case where the above-mentioned state where the area is not included in the field of vision continues for a predetermined period of time is true.

[0076] In the above embodiment, MRM is enabled when cruise control processing is enabled, but this is not limiting. For example, MRM may be included in the functional unit assistance processing independent of cruise control processing, and may be enabled when driving ability is determined to be impaired. However, it is not essential that MRM is enabled when driving ability is determined to be impaired, and MRM may be enabled at all times by default.

[0077] In the above embodiment, two situation support processes are provided, one for dealing with a decline in driving ability and the other for dealing with a decline in attention, but this is not limited to this. For example, only one of the two may be provided.

[0078] The situation support process associated with the driving situation is not limited to a combination of a plurality of functional unit support processes, but may be, for example, a specific functional unit support process. "About sensors that detect objects" In the above embodiment, the radar device 12, the outside camera 22, and the sonar 32 are exemplified as sensors for detecting objects used in the function unit support process, but the present invention is not limited to these. For example, an optical sensor that receives reflected waves of light such as near-infrared rays may be used. However, it is not essential to use an optical sensor alone. In short, the input may be configured using one or more of various sensors such as the radar device 12, the outside camera 22, the sonar 32, and the optical sensor. In this case, it is also possible not to use at least some of the sensors exemplified in the above embodiment as inputs to each function unit support process. That is, for example, the front approach warning process may be a process that uses an optical sensor, or a process that uses an optical sensor and the outside camera 22, instead of a process that uses the radar device 12 and the outside camera 22.

[0079] "About Functional Unit Support Processing" The forward approach warning process, deviation warning process, and rear vehicle warning process are not limited to processes that can set the timing of issuing a warning in three ways according to the driver's instructions. For example, they may be processes that can set the timing in two ways, or four or more ways. However, the processes may not have the freedom to set the timing.

[0080] The reverse warning process is not limited to a process that issues a warning when there is a risk of collision with an object when the vehicle is reversed. For example, the process may issue a warning when there is a risk of collision with an object, particularly a moving object such as a person or a vehicle. Also, the process may issue a warning when there is a risk of contact with an object, particularly an obstacle such as a wall.

[0081] The reverse warning process is not limited to a process of intervening in the driving of the vehicle when there is a risk of collision with an object when the vehicle is reversed. For example, the process may be a process of intervening in the driving of the vehicle when there is a risk of collision with an object, particularly a moving object such as a person or a vehicle. Also, the process may be a process of intervening in the driving of the vehicle when there is a risk of contact with an object, particularly an obstacle such as a wall.

[0082] The functional unit support processes provided in the vehicle are not limited to those shown in Fig. 2. For example, of the 12 processes shown in Fig. 2, the vehicle may be provided with only one or more, or up to 11 of the processes. However, the more functional unit support processes the vehicle has, the greater the benefit of executing the commands defined by the support recommendation program PRr. Therefore, it is desirable for the vehicle to have more than one functional unit support process. In particular, it is more desirable for the vehicle to have five or more functional unit support processes, and it is even more desirable for the vehicle to have ten or more functional unit support processes.

[0083] "About the proposal process" In the above embodiment, when a state that was not a specific situation becomes a specific situation, a proposal is made each time even within the same trip, but this is not limited to this. For example, if consent is not obtained for the process of S46 in Fig. 5, the process of S46 may not be executed when exiting an expressway during the trip and re-entering the expressway. Also, not limited to within a trip, for example, if a proposal to enable a specific situation support process such as recommended support for expressways is not accepted, a proposal to enable the specific situation support process may not be made for a predetermined number of days.

[0084] In the above embodiment, the human interface 72 is provided with a speaker and makes suggestions by audio signals, but this is not limiting. For example, the human interface 72 may be provided with a head-up display and make suggestions by visual information. Note that the means for displaying visual information is not limited to a head-up display, and may be a display in an instrument panel.

[0085] "About inquiry processing" In the above embodiment, when moving from a specific situation to a non-specific situation, an inquiry about disabling the situation support process for a specific situation is made only if there is no history of an inquiry about disabling the situation support process for a specific situation within the same trip, but this is not limited to this. For example, after a negative judgment is made in the process of S56 in Fig. 5, if the vehicle re-enters and re-exits an expressway within the same trip, the process of S54 may be executed.

[0086] When parking is completed while the parking recommendation assistance is ON, the process of S94 does not need to be executed. In the above embodiment, the human interface 72 is provided with a speaker and queries are made by voice signals, but this is not limiting. For example, the human interface 72 may be provided with a head-up display and queries may be made by visual information.

[0087] "About Human Interface" In the above embodiment, a microphone is used as an example of a human interface for inputting operations by the driver, but this is not limiting. For example, a switch or the like may be used.

[0088] "Updating enablement or disablement of situational assistance processing for specific driving situations" In the above embodiment, the state of the functional unit support process is stored in the RAM 45, but this is not limiting. For example, it may be stored in the storage device 46.

[0089] In the above embodiment, the enabled / disabled setting state of each functional unit support process is initialized to the state determined by the setting information data Dis each time a trip is started, but this is not limited to the above. For example, the setting state may be initialized at the start of a trip on or after the day after the start of the previous trip. This allows the driver to use the setting state of the previous trip when, for example, the driver stops at a store or the like during driving and then starts driving again.

[0090] For example, the initialization may be performed under the condition that, in addition to the start of the trip, there is a history of the situation in which the vehicle was enabled being resolved. In this case, it is preferable to update only those functional support processes that have a history of the situation in which the vehicle was enabled being resolved, rather than updating all of the functional support processes to the state determined by the setting information data Dis. That is, for example, if there is a history of a negative determination in the processing of S56, the state of the functional support process related to the recommended support for expressways may be initialized under the condition that the vehicle VC is not on an expressway at the start of the trip. In this case, for those functional support processes that have no history of the situation in which the vehicle was enabled being resolved by the situation support process, the functional support process that is enabled by the recommended support for snowy roads remains enabled. That is, for example, if the recommended support for snowy roads is enabled and the vehicle is still on a snowy road at the start of the trip, the functional support process that is enabled by the recommended support for snowy roads remains enabled.

[0091] For example, for parking recommendation assistance, the process of S94 may be executed at the start of the next trip. The process of resetting the enabled / disabled setting state of each functional unit support process to the state determined by the setting information data Dis at the start of a trip is not limited to the process of initializing to the state determined by the setting information data Dis at the start of a trip. For example, the process may be initialized to the state determined by the setting information data Dis at the end of a trip. In that case, however, the state of the functional unit support process is stored in the storage device 46 instead of in the RAM 45.

[0092] For example, when a specific driving situation is resolved, an inquiry is made as to whether the assistance process for the specific driving situation should be disabled, and if the result of the inquiry is that the assistance process should not be disabled, initialization may not be performed. In other words, for example, if a negative judgment is made in the processing of S56, the functional unit assistance process that is enabled by the recommended assistance process for expressways may be excluded from the targets of initialization.

[0093] "About Behavior Detection" In the above embodiment, the vehicle behavior is detected based on the shaking of the image of the area ahead of the vehicle captured from the outside-vehicle image data Dpo captured by the outside-vehicle camera 22, but this is not limiting. For example, the vehicle behavior may be detected based on at least one of the steering angle θs detected by the steering angle sensor 62 and the steering torque Trqs detected by the torque sensor 64. Also, for example, the vehicle behavior may be detected based on the lateral acceleration Gy detected by the acceleration sensor 66.

[0094] "About driving assistance devices" The driving assistance device is not limited to the ADASECU 40. For example, the ADASECU 40 may be integrated with at least a part of an ECU that executes a process for detecting an object based on the output of a sensor that detects the object. That is, for example, the ADASECU 40 may be integrated with the millimeter wave ECU 10, the image ECU 20, and the sonar ECU 30.

[0095] Further, for example, ADASECU 40 and at least some of brake ECU 80, steering ECU 90 and drive ECU 100 may be formed integrally. "About the execution device" The execution device is not limited to a device equipped with a CPU and a program storage device for storing a program and executing software processing. For example, the execution device may be equipped with a dedicated hardware circuit, such as an ASIC, for performing hardware processing of at least a part of what was processed by software in the above embodiment. That is, the execution device may have any of the following configurations (a) to (c). (a) A processing device that executes all of the above processing according to a program, and a program storage device. (b) A processing device and a program storage device that execute a part of the above processing according to a program, and a dedicated hardware circuit that executes the remaining processing. (c) A dedicated hardware circuit that executes all of the above processing. Here, there may be a plurality of software execution devices equipped with a processing device and a program storage device, and a dedicated hardware circuit.

[0096] "About Computers" The computer that performs the driving assistance is not limited to the CPU 42 illustrated in Fig. 1. For example, the processes in Figs. 5 to 7 may be executed by a user's mobile terminal, and the processes in Figs. 3 and 4 may be executed by the CPU 42. Here, for example, the processes in S50 and S58 in Fig. 5 are processes in which the mobile terminal requests the ADASECU 40 to enable or disable the ADASECU 40. [Explanation of symbols]

[0097] 40…ADASECU 42…CPU 44...ROM 45…RAM 46...Storage device 48...Peripheral circuit 50…In-vehicle network

Claims

1. A driving assistance device (40) for assisting driving of a vehicle, The system includes a storage device (46) in which association data (Dmx) is stored, and an execution device (42, 44), The association data is data that associates each of a plurality of driving situations with a plurality of situation support processes, The situational support process is a driving support process for a specific driving situation, The execution device is An acquisition process (S44; S64; S84) for acquiring values ​​of driving condition variables which are variables indicating the driving conditions of the vehicle; a suggestion process (S46; S66; S86) for operating a human interface (72) to suggest to a driver of the vehicle that one or more of the situation support processes be enabled based on the values ​​of the driving situation variables and in accordance with the association data; When it is detected through the human interface that the driver has approved the proposal in response to the proposal process, a valid setting process (S50; S70; S90) is executed to validate the setting of the approved situational support process, the suggestion process includes a process of suggesting to activate a predetermined situation support process among the plurality of situation support processes when a value of the driving situation variable indicates a predetermined situation, The execution device is an inquiry process (S54; S74; S94) for inquiring of the driver as to whether or not to disable the predetermined situation support process when the value of the driving situation variable does not indicate the predetermined situation after the predetermined situation support process is enabled by the enable setting process; If the driver instructs to disable the process as a result of the inquiry process, an invalid setting process (S58; S78; S98) is performed to disable the predetermined situation support process. a continuation process of continuing the setting of the predetermined situation support process in a case where the driver does not instruct the process to be disabled as a result of the inquiry process; A driving assistance device that performs the following:

2. A driving assistance device (40) for assisting driving of a vehicle, The system includes a storage device (46) in which association data (Dmx) is stored, and an execution device (42, 44), The association data is data that associates each of a plurality of driving situations with a plurality of situation support processes, The situational support process is a driving support process for a specific driving situation, The execution device is An acquisition process (S44; S64; S84) for acquiring values ​​of driving condition variables which are variables indicating the driving conditions of the vehicle; a suggestion process (S46; S66; S86) for operating a human interface (72) to suggest to a driver of the vehicle that one or more of the situation support processes be enabled based on the values ​​of the driving situation variables and in accordance with the association data; When it is detected through the human interface that the driver has approved the proposal in response to the proposal process, a valid setting process (S50; S70; S90) is executed to validate the setting of the approved situational support process, The situation support process includes a process consisting of a combination of two or more types of functional unit support processes, The plurality of types of the functional unit support processes are processes that are different from each other in at least one of the following three: an electronic device (82, 92, 102, 110) to be operated, an input signal, and an output operation in response to the input; the plurality of situational support processes include a first situational support process and a second situational support process, the plurality of types of functional unit support processes include an alarm support process which is a process for issuing a predetermined alarm, the first situation support process and the second situation support process include the warning support process, The first situation support process is set so that the timing of issuing the predetermined warning by the warning support process is earlier than that of the second situation support process, The execution device is a driving assistance device that, when the first situation support processing and the second situation support processing are enabled by the enable setting processing, adopts timing related to the setting of the first situation support processing as the timing for issuing the specified alert by the alert support processing.

3. A driving assistance device (40) for assisting driving of a vehicle, The system includes a storage device (46) in which association data (Dmx) is stored, and an execution device (42, 44), The association data is data that associates each of a plurality of driving situations with a plurality of situation support processes, The situational support process is a driving support process for a specific driving situation, The execution device is An acquisition process (S44; S64; S84) for acquiring values ​​of driving condition variables which are variables indicating the driving conditions of the vehicle; a suggestion process (S46; S66; S86) for operating a human interface (72) to suggest to a driver of the vehicle that one or more of the situation support processes be enabled based on the values ​​of the driving situation variables and in accordance with the association data; When it is detected through the human interface that the driver has approved the proposal in response to the proposal process, a valid setting process (S50; S70; S90) is executed to validate the setting of the approved situational support process, The situation support process includes a process consisting of a combination of two or more types of functional unit support processes, The plurality of types of the functional unit support processes are processes that are different from each other in at least one of the following three: an electronic device (82, 92, 102, 110) to be operated, an input signal, and an output operation in response to the input; the plurality of situational support processes include a first situational support process and a second situational support process, the plurality of types of functional unit support processes include a predetermined functional unit support process, the first situation support process includes the predetermined function unit support process, The second situation support process does not include the predetermined function unit support process, The execution device is a driving assistance device that enables the predetermined functional unit assistance process when the first situation assistance process and the second situation assistance process are enabled by the enable setting process.

4. A driving assistance device (40) for assisting driving of a vehicle, The system includes a storage device (46) in which association data (Dmx) is stored, and an execution device (42, 44), The association data is data that associates each of a plurality of driving situations with a plurality of situation support processes, The situational support process is a driving support process for a specific driving situation, The execution device is An acquisition process (S44; S64; S84) for acquiring values ​​of driving condition variables which are variables indicating the driving conditions of the vehicle; a suggestion process (S46; S66; S86) for operating a human interface (72) to suggest to a driver of the vehicle that one or more of the situation support processes be enabled based on the values ​​of the driving situation variables and in accordance with the association data; When it is detected through the human interface that the driver has approved the proposal in response to the proposal process, a valid setting process (S50; S70; S90) is executed to validate the setting of the approved situational support process, The situation support process includes a process consisting of a combination of two or more types of functional unit support processes, The plurality of types of the functional unit support processes are processes that are different from each other in at least one of the following three: an electronic device (82, 92, 102, 110) to be operated, an input signal, and an output operation in response to the input; The situational assistance process is a driving assistance device that includes at least one of three processes: a process of determining a situation in which the vehicle is driving on a highway as the specific driving situation; a process of determining a situation in which the friction coefficient of the road surface on which the vehicle is driving is equal to or lower than a predetermined value as the specific driving situation; and a process of determining a situation in which the vehicle is located in a parking lot as the specific driving situation.

5. A driving assistance device (40) for assisting driving of a vehicle, The system includes a storage device (46) in which association data (Dmx) is stored, and an execution device (42, 44), The association data is data that associates each of a plurality of driving situations with a plurality of situation support processes, The situational support process is a driving support process for a specific driving situation, The execution device is An acquisition process (S44; S64; S84) for acquiring values ​​of driving condition variables which are variables indicating the driving conditions of the vehicle; a suggestion process (S46; S66; S86) for operating a human interface (72) to suggest to a driver of the vehicle that one or more of the situation support processes be enabled based on the values ​​of the driving situation variables and in accordance with the association data; When it is detected through the human interface that the driver has approved the proposal in response to the proposal process, a valid setting process (S50; S70; S90) is executed to validate the setting of the approved situational support process, The situation support process includes a process consisting of a combination of two or more types of functional unit support processes, The plurality of types of the functional unit support processes are processes that are different from each other in at least one of the following three: an electronic device (82, 92, 102, 110) to be operated, an input signal, and an output operation in response to the input; The situation support process includes, in addition to a support process for a specific driving situation, an unstable situation support process which is a driving support process for dealing with an unstable driving situation when the behavior of the vehicle is unstable, the unstable situation support process is comprised of one or more predetermined processes among the plurality of functional unit support processes, The execution device is A behavior detection process (S22) for detecting a behavior of the vehicle; If the behavior of the vehicle is unstable, a notification process (S24) is executed to notify the driver that the unstable situation assistance process is enabled; The execution device maintains the current state of the one or more predetermined processes if the driver refuses to enable the notification process, but enables the unstable situation assistance process (S28) if the driver does not prohibit the enablement.

6. A driving assistance device (40) for assisting driving of a vehicle, The system includes a storage device (46) in which association data (Dmx) is stored, and an execution device (42, 44), The association data is data that associates each of a plurality of driving situations with a plurality of situation support processes, The situational support process is a driving support process for a specific driving situation, The execution device is An acquisition process (S44; S64; S84) for acquiring values ​​of driving condition variables which are variables indicating the driving conditions of the vehicle; a suggestion process (S46; S66; S86) for operating a human interface (72) to suggest to a driver of the vehicle that one or more of the situation support processes be enabled based on the values ​​of the driving situation variables and in accordance with the association data; When it is detected through the human interface that the driver has approved the proposal in response to the proposal process, a valid setting process (S50; S70; S90) is executed to validate the setting of the approved situational support process, The situation support process includes a process consisting of a combination of two or more types of functional unit support processes, The plurality of types of the functional unit support processes are processes that are different from each other in at least one of the following three: an electronic device (82, 92, 102, 110) to be operated, an input signal, and an output operation in response to the input; The situational support process includes, in addition to the support process for a specific driving situation, a deteriorating situation support process which is a driving support process for dealing with a driving situation in which the driver's attention is deteriorating when the driver's attention is deteriorating, The degradation situation support process includes one or more predetermined processes among the plurality of functional unit support processes, The execution device is a determination process (S32) for determining whether or not the driver's attention is equal to or lower than a predetermined level based on image data of the driver output by an imaging device (60); When it is determined that the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than the predetermined level, a notification process (S34) is executed to notify the driver that the degradation situation support process is enabled. The execution device maintains the current state of the one or more default processes if the driver prohibits the notification process from being enabled, but enables the deterioration situation assistance process (S38) if the driver does not prohibit the process from being enabled.

7. A driving assistance device (40) for assisting driving of a vehicle, The system includes a storage device (46) in which association data (Dmx) is stored, and an execution device (42, 44), The association data is data that associates each of a plurality of driving situations with a plurality of situation support processes, The situational support process is a driving support process for a specific driving situation, The execution device is An acquisition process (S44; S64; S84) for acquiring values ​​of driving condition variables which are variables indicating the driving conditions of the vehicle; a suggestion process (S46; S66; S86) for operating a human interface (72) to suggest to a driver of the vehicle that one or more of the situation support processes be enabled based on the values ​​of the driving situation variables and in accordance with the association data; When it is detected through the human interface that the driver has approved the proposal in response to the proposal process, a valid setting process (S50; S70; S90) is executed to validate the setting of the approved situational support process, The situation support process includes a process consisting of a combination of two or more types of functional unit support processes, The plurality of types of the functional unit support processes are processes that are different from each other in at least one of the following three: an electronic device (82, 92, 102, 110) to be operated, an input signal, and an output operation in response to the input; A reception process (S16) of receiving an input for setting the driving assistance process by the driver to either enabled or disabled; A storage process (S18) for storing the settings received by the reception process in a storage device; A driving assistance device that executes an initialization process (S14) that sets each of the functional unit assistance processes to be enabled or disabled in accordance with the settings stored in the storage device, even if there is an inconsistency between the state of the multiple functional unit assistance processes indicated by the situation assistance process that was effective at the start of a trip or the end of a previous trip and the settings stored in the storage device.

8. The plurality of types of functional unit support processes include a front approach warning process for issuing a warning when an obstacle is present in front of the vehicle; an emergency braking process for applying a braking force to the vehicle when an obstacle is present in front of the vehicle; A center trace process for controlling the vehicle to travel in the center of a lane; A departure warning process that issues a warning when the vehicle deviates from a lane; a lane departure prevention support process for operating a steering actuator to return the vehicle to the lane when the vehicle deviates from the lane; a swerving warning process for issuing a warning that the vehicle is swerving when the vehicle is swerving relative to a lane; a rear vehicle warning process for issuing a warning when there is a risk of collision with a vehicle located behind the vehicle; a rear vehicle assistance process for operating the steering actuator when there is a risk of collision with a vehicle located behind the vehicle in order to avoid the risk; Auto high / low beam processing automatically switches the headlights between high beam and low beam, Cruise control processing, a reverse warning process for issuing a warning when an obstacle is present in the traveling direction of the vehicle while the vehicle is reversed; a reverse avoidance process for applying a braking force to the vehicle when an obstacle is present in a traveling direction of the vehicle while the vehicle is reversed; The driving support device according to any one of claims 2 to 7, comprising at least two of the processes above.

9. A driving assistance method comprising the step of executing each of the processes in a driving assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. 9. An assistance recommendation program for causing a computer to execute each of the processes in the driving assistance device according to claim 1.

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