Information processing device, method, and vehicle

Abstract

To reduce discomfort felt by a driver in guidance on switching from automatic driving control to manual driving control.SOLUTION: An information processing device executes the steps of: detecting occurrence of a request for switch to manual driving during automatic driving control of a first vehicle; when a request for switching to manual driving has occurred, acquiring content of a driver's utterance; and presenting the driver with a part of description related to a reason for the occurrence of the request for switching to manual driving in accordance with the content of the driver's utterance.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device, a method, and a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] An autonomous driving assistance system has been disclosed that, when it is determined that autonomous driving control cannot be implemented, obtains the reason why autonomous driving control cannot be implemented and informs the driver that autonomous driving control cannot be implemented as well as the reason why autonomous driving control cannot be implemented (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-28927 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] One aspect of the disclosure has an objective of providing an information processing device, method, and vehicle that can reduce the discomfort felt by the driver when guiding the driver to switch from automatic driving control to manual driving control. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure is Detecting a request to switch to manual driving during automatic driving control of a first vehicle; If the switch is requested, presenting a portion of an explanation for the switch to a driver of the first vehicle; and A control unit that executes The information processing device includes:

[0006] Another aspect of the present disclosure is An information processing device, Detecting a request to switch to manual driving during automatic driving control of a first vehicle; If the switch is requested, presenting a portion of an explanation for the switch to a driver of the first vehicle; and The method includes:

[0007] Another aspect of the present disclosure is Detecting a request to switch to manual driving during automatic driving control of a first vehicle; performing, when the switch is requested, presenting a portion of an explanation for the switch to a driver of the first vehicle; A control unit that executes It is a vehicle equipped with. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to reduce the discomfort felt by the driver when guiding the driver to switch from automatic driving control to manual driving control. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration of a takeover guidance system and a system configuration of a vehicle 10 according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 shows an example of the hardware configuration of a multimedia ECU. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a vehicle and a center server. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an example of the intent number table. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a dialogue scenario that occurs regarding an explanation of the reason for the occurrence of a takeover request. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an example of a correspondence table for dialogue level 1 when the cause of the takeover request is difficulty in receiving GNSS signals. [Figure 7]FIG. 7 is an example of a correspondence table for dialogue level 2 when the cause of the takeover request is difficulty in receiving GNSS signals. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an example of a correspondence table for dialogue level 3 when the cause of the takeover request is difficulty in receiving GNSS signals. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is an example of a correspondence table for dialogue level 4 when the cause of the takeover request is difficulty in receiving GNSS signals. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an example of a flowchart of a vehicle takeover guidance process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is an example of a flowchart of a takeover notification process of the center server according to the first embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is an example of a time chart of downloading of the correspondence tables and interactive processing. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is an example of a time chart of downloading of the correspondence tables and interactive processing. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a vehicle and a center server according to the second embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is an example of a flowchart of a vehicle takeover guidance process according to the second embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is an example of a flowchart of a takeover notification process of a center server according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] In a vehicle that runs while switching between an automatic driving mode and a manual driving mode, the switch from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode is called a takeover. The longer a driver experiences driving such a vehicle, the more the driver will empirically recognize in what situation a takeover request occurs. A takeover request is a request to the driver to switch from automatic driving to manual driving. In addition, whether or not the driver wants to know the reason for the takeover request may depend on the driver's personality, mood, or driving state. For example, if the driver has been driving the same automatic driving vehicle for many years and understands the conditions under which a takeover request occurs, if the driver is listening to music in the automatic driving vehicle, or if the driver is talking to other passengers, the driver may feel bothered by the guidance on the reason for the takeover request. On the other hand, the driver may want to know more details about the reason for the takeover request.

[0011] One aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing device including a control unit that, when a request to switch to manual driving occurs during automatic driving control of a first vehicle, presents a part of an explanation regarding the reason for the request to a driver of the first vehicle. The information processing device is, for example, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) or an in-vehicle device mounted on the first vehicle. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the information processing device may be, for example, a server capable of communicating with the first vehicle. The control unit may be, for example, a processor such as a CPU (Control Processing Unit). The method of presenting the reason for the request to switch to manual driving may be, for example, a voice output from a speaker in the first vehicle, or a message output to a display in the first vehicle. The request to switch to manual driving is also called a takeover request.

[0012] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, when a request to switch to manual driving occurs during automatic driving control, a partial but not complete explanation of the reason for the request is presented, thereby reducing discomfort to the driver.

[0013] In one aspect of the present disclosure, the control unit may acquire the speech content of the driver of the first vehicle when the request occurs. In this case, the control unit may present to the driver a part of the explanation regarding the reason for the request according to the speech content of the driver. The speech content of the driver is acquired, for example, by a voice recognition process. The speech content of the driver reflects the driver's level of interest in the explanation regarding the reason for the request to switch to manual driving. For example, if the driver wants to know the reason for the request, the speech content of the driver indicates that, and a more detailed explanation is presented. For example, if the driver does not want to know the reason for the request, the speech content of the driver indicates that, and a brief explanation is presented. Therefore, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, an explanation is presented according to the driver's level of interest in the explanation regarding the reason for the request to switch to manual driving.

[0014] In one aspect of the present disclosure, the information processing device may further include a storage unit that stores an association between the first utterance content and a part of the explanation regarding the reason why the request was made. When the driver's utterance content is at least similar to the first utterance content, the control unit may present the driver with the part of the explanation regarding the reason why the request was made, which is associated with the first utterance content. At least similar includes a case where the driver's utterance content is similar to the first utterance content and a case where the content is the same as the first utterance content. The information processing device can further reduce a response delay to the driver's utterance by retaining an association between the utterance content expected in advance and the part of the explanation regarding the reason why the request was made, which is a response content thereto.

[0015] In one aspect of the present disclosure, the information processing device may be mounted on the first vehicle. That is, for example, the information processing device may be one of a plurality of ECUs mounted on the first vehicle, or an on-board device. When the request occurs, the control unit may further execute downloading an association between the driver's utterance content and a part of the explanation regarding the reason for the request from a predetermined device and storing the association in the storage unit. This allows the resources of the storage unit to be used effectively, since it is sufficient to download an association between the driver's utterance content and a part of the explanation regarding the reason for the request and store the association in the storage unit when necessary.

[0016] In one aspect of the present disclosure, the control unit may further acquire the cause of the request. The control unit may download a correspondence between the driver's speech content and a part of the explanation regarding the reason for the request, depending on the cause of the request. This makes it possible to save communication bandwidth and memory capacity of the storage unit, since it is not necessary to download correspondences other than the correspondence corresponding to the cause of the request to switch to manual driving.

[0017] The control unit may also download from a specific device a correspondence between the driver's speech content, which corresponds to the cause of the request to switch to manual driving, and a part of the explanation regarding the reason for the request. This makes it possible to improve the response speed for each speech when the driver speaks multiple times.

[0018] The correspondence between the driver's speech content and a part of the explanation regarding the reason for the request may include a first correspondence and at least one second correspondence. The first correspondence corresponds a plurality of second speech contents assumed when asking about the cause of the request to switch to manual driving, and the cause of the request, as a part of the explanation regarding the reason for the switch. The second correspondence corresponds a plurality of third speech contents including a question assumed to be further generated in response to the cause of the request, and an answer to the question, as a part of the explanation regarding the reason for the request.

[0019] In this case, after the request is generated, the control unit may refer to the first association and present to the driver the cause of the request, which is associated with a second utterance similar to the utterance of the driver. Furthermore, after presenting to the driver the cause of the request, the control unit may refer to at least one second association and present to the driver a response to the question, which is associated with a third utterance similar to the utterance of the driver. This makes it possible to gradually present to the driver an explanation of the reason why a request to switch to manual driving was generated.

[0020] In one aspect of the present disclosure, the information processing device may be mounted on the first vehicle. The control unit may transmit the driver's speech content to a predetermined device and receive from the predetermined device a part of the explanation on the reason why the request to switch to manual driving was generated according to the driver's speech content. This allows the information processing device to receive only a part of the explanation on the reason why the request to switch to manual driving was generated according to the driver's speech content from the predetermined device, thereby reducing the use of the storage area of ​​the storage device.

[0021] In one aspect of the present disclosure, the control unit may repeatedly execute a process of acquiring the driver's speech content and presenting a part of the explanation for the reason why the request was made according to the speech content until the driver starts manual driving. Whether or not the driver has started manual driving is detected, for example, by monitoring an image captured by a camera installed in the first vehicle or steering operation. In one aspect of the present disclosure, the control unit may repeatedly execute a process of acquiring the driver's speech content and presenting a part of the explanation for the reason why the request was made according to the speech content until the driver's speech content indicates that the driver accepts switching to manual driving. This makes it possible to end the process of presenting a part of the explanation for the reason why the request for switching was made when switching from automatic driving to manual driving.

[0022] Another aspect of the present disclosure can be specified as a method executed by the information processing device. The method includes the information processing device detecting that a request to switch to manual driving has occurred during automatic driving control of the first vehicle, and, when the request has occurred, presenting a part of an explanation regarding the reason for the request to the driver of the first vehicle. Also, another aspect of the present disclosure can be specified as a program for causing a computer to execute the method, and a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium for recording the program. Also, another aspect of the present disclosure can be specified as a vehicle equipped with the information processing device.

[0023] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The configurations of the following embodiments are merely examples, and the present disclosure is not limited to the configurations of the embodiments.

[0024] First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration of a takeover guidance system 100 according to the first embodiment and a system configuration of a vehicle 10. The takeover guidance system 100 provides a driver of the vehicle 10 with a command when a request for switching from autonomous driving to manual driving occurs. The system guides the driver to switch from automatic driving to manual driving. The switching of the vehicle 10 from automatic driving to manual driving is called a takeover.

[0025] The takeover guidance system 100 includes a vehicle 10 and a center server 50. The vehicle 10 is a connected vehicle equipped with a DCM (Data Communication Module) 1 capable of communication. The vehicle 10 is a vehicle that travels while switching between an automatic driving mode and a manual driving mode. The vehicle 10 may be driven by an engine or a motor. The vehicle 10 is an example of a "first vehicle."

[0026] The center server 50 is a server that supports the automatic driving control of the vehicle 10 and provides predetermined services to the vehicle 10 through communication. The vehicle 10 and the center server 50 can communicate with each other through a network N1. The network N1 is, for example, the Internet. The DCM 1 of the vehicle 10 can be connected to a mobile wireless communication system such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), 5G (5th Generation), and 6G (6th Generation), Wi-Fi, or The device connects to a wireless network using a wireless communication method such as DSCR, and then connects to the Internet through the wireless network.

[0027] The vehicle 10 includes a DCM 1, a multimedia ECU 2, an automatic driving control ECU 3, a microphone 4, a speaker 5, a sensor 6, and other ECUs 9. However, in Fig. 1, devices related to the processing according to the first embodiment are extracted and shown as the system configuration of the vehicle 10, and the system configuration of the vehicle 10 is not limited to that shown in Fig. 1.

[0028] The DCM 1, the multimedia ECU 2, the automatic driving control ECU 3, and the other ECUs 9 are connected to each other via, for example, a CAN (Controller Area Network) or an Ethernet network (registered The other ECUs 9 are, for example, various ECUs related to driving control, and an ECU related to position management.

[0029] The DCM 1 includes devices such as an antenna, a transceiver, and a modulator / demodulator, and is responsible for the communication functions of the vehicle 10. The DCM 1 accesses the network N1 and communicates with the center server 50 via wireless communication.

[0030] The multimedia ECU 2 is connected to and controls, for example, a microphone 4 and a speaker 5. The multimedia ECU 2 includes, for example, a car navigation system and an audio system. In the first embodiment, the multimedia ECU 2 receives an input of a driver's speech input through the microphone 4. The multimedia ECU 2 outputs a voice related to a takeover guidance to the vehicle 10 through the speaker 5.

[0031] The automatic driving control ECU 3 performs automatic driving control of the vehicle 10. The automatic driving control ECU 3 is connected to various sensors 6 mounted on the vehicle 10, and receives input of signals from the various sensors 6. The various sensors 6 include, for example, a camera, Lidar, Radar, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver, a GNSS receiving antenna, an acceleration sensor, a yaw rate sensor, and a rain sensor. The various sensors 6 may include an HMI (Human Machine Interface) device. The automatic driving control ECU 3 receives various sensors 6. The vehicle is connected to the sensor 6 via a network in the vehicle or directly.

[0032] The autonomous driving control ECU 3 executes the autonomous driving control algorithm based on input signals from various sensors 6, and outputs control signals to actuators that drive the brake, accelerator, steering wheel, headlights, turn signals, stop lights, and hazard lights, as well as to drive circuits, to realize autonomous driving. In addition to the signal, it outputs information to HMI devices such as meter panels and displays.

[0033] In the first embodiment, the autonomous driving control ECU 3 judges, from the input signals of the various sensors 6, whether autonomous driving will become technically difficult in the driving environment in the near future (for example, in a few seconds). When the autonomous driving control ECU 3 judges that autonomous driving will become technically difficult, it generates a takeover request signal that requests the driver to switch to manual driving together with the reason for the same. The takeover request signal is transmitted to the multimedia ECU 2 is input.

[0034] When the multimedia ECU 2 receives the takeover request signal, it outputs a voice through the speaker 5 to guide the driver to switch to manual driving. In the first embodiment, the explanation as to why the takeover request occurred is performed in a dialogue format. The multimedia ECU 2 downloads from the center server 50 a correspondence table between the driver's speech content expected to request an explanation as to why the takeover request occurred and the response content including a part of the explanation as to why the takeover request occurred. Thereafter, the multimedia ECU 2 monitors the driver's speech content, obtains the response content to the driver's speech content from the correspondence table, creates voice data from the obtained response content, and outputs the voice data through the speaker 5.

[0035] In the first embodiment, a part of the explanation regarding the reason for the occurrence of the takeover request is presented in response to the driver's utterance regarding the occurrence of the takeover request. The correspondence table acquired from the center server 50 is prepared step by step regarding the explanation regarding the reason for the occurrence of the takeover request. Therefore, if the driver thinks that the presented content is insufficient, the driver makes an utterance requesting a more in-depth explanation, and in response, a further explanation is presented. On the other hand, if the driver thinks that the presented content is sufficient, the driver accepts the takeover request. Therefore, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to present the driver with an explanation that is neither too much nor too little regarding the reason for the occurrence of the takeover request, and the discomfort given to the driver can be reduced.

[0036] 2 shows an example of a hardware configuration of the multimedia ECU 2. The hardware configuration of the multimedia ECU 2 includes a CPU 201, a memory 202, an auxiliary storage device 203, an input interface 204, an output interface 205, and an interface 206. The memory 202 and the auxiliary storage device 203 are computer-readable recording media.

[0037] The auxiliary storage device 203 stores various programs and data used by the CPU 201 when executing each program. The auxiliary storage device 203 is, for example, an EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM) or a flash memory. The programs to be executed include, for example, a voice recognition program, a voice signal processing program, and a takeover guidance control program. The voice signal processing program is a program for performing digital / analog conversion processing of voice signals, and conversion processing between voice signals and data in a predetermined format. The takeover guidance control program is a program for controlling the guidance for switching to manual driving.

[0038] The memory 202 is a storage device that provides the CPU 201 with a storage area for loading programs stored in the auxiliary storage device 203 and a working area, and is used as a buffer. The memory 202 may be, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), or the like. This includes semiconductor memories such as IEEE 802.11b / g and IEEE 802.11b / g.

[0039] The CPU 201 executes various processes by loading the OS and various other programs stored in the auxiliary storage device 203 into the memory 202 and executing them. The number of CPUs 201 is not limited to one, and may be multiple. The CPU 201 includes a cache memory 201M.

[0040] The input interface 204 is an interface for connecting the microphone 4. The output interface 205 is an interface for connecting the speaker 5. The interface 206 is a circuit having a port used for connecting to, for example, Ethernet (registered trademark), CAN, or other networks. Note that the hardware configuration of the multimedia ECU 2 is not limited to that shown in FIG.

[0041] Like the multimedia ECU 2, the autonomous driving control ECU 3 also includes a CPU, memory, auxiliary storage device, and an interface. The autonomous driving control ECU 3 stores, for example, various programs related to autonomous driving control and a takeover judgment program in the auxiliary storage device. Like the multimedia ECU 2, the DCM 1 also includes a CPU, memory, auxiliary storage device, and an interface. The DCM 1 further includes a wireless communication unit. The wireless communication unit supports, for example, 5G (5th Generation), 6G, 4G, and LTE (Long Term Evolution). Mobile communication systems such as LTE (Term Evolution), wireless communication systems such as WiMAX and WiFi The wireless communication unit is connected to the network N1 by wireless communication, and enables communication with the center server 50.

[0042] 3 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the vehicle 10 and the center server 50. The vehicle 10 includes, as functional components, a communication unit 11, a control unit 21, a natural language processing unit 22, a correspondence table storage unit 23, an autonomous driving control unit 31, and a takeover determination unit 32. The communication unit 11 is a functional component equivalent to the DCM 1. The communication unit 11 is an interface for communication with an external server.

[0043] The automatic driving control unit 31 and the takeover determination unit 32 are functional components equivalent to the automatic driving control ECU 3. The processing of the automatic driving control unit 31 and the takeover determination unit 32 is achieved by the CPU of the automatic driving control ECU 3 executing a predetermined program. The automatic driving control unit 31 performs automatic driving control of the vehicle 10. In the automatic driving control, for example, engine or motor control, brake control, steering control, position management, obstacle detection, etc. are performed.

[0044] While the vehicle 10 is traveling in the autonomous driving mode, the takeover determination unit 32 determines whether or not autonomous driving can be continued at a predetermined cycle based on the detection values ​​by the various sensors 6. For the vehicle 10 to continue autonomous driving, for example, it is necessary to accurately recognize the surrounding environment of the vehicle 10. For example, when the weather is bad, when the road maintenance is not good, and when the driving conditions of the surrounding vehicles are not good, such as traffic congestion, the sensor 6 cannot accurately recognize the surrounding environment of the vehicle 10. In such a case, the takeover determination unit 32 determines that it is difficult to continue autonomous driving. Note that the determination conditions of the takeover determination unit 32 for determining whether or not autonomous driving can be continued depend on the configuration of the autonomous driving control of the vehicle 10 and are not limited to specific conditions. In addition, the logic for identifying the cause of the occurrence of a takeover request by the takeover determination unit 32 is not limited to a specific method, and may be any of a method according to a predetermined rule, a logic using a machine learning model, and the like.

[0045] When the takeover determination unit 32 determines that it is difficult to continue the autonomous driving, it outputs a takeover request signal to the control unit 21. Furthermore, when the takeover determination unit 32 determines that it is difficult to continue the autonomous driving, it outputs a takeover request occurrence notification that notifies the occurrence of a takeover request and an event that indicates the cause of the occurrence of the takeover request. The takeover determination unit 32 transmits the intent number and the takeover request signal to the center server 50 through the communication unit 11. The intent number is acquired, for example, by referring to an intent number table 32p described later. The takeover determination unit 32 may output the intent number to the control unit 21 together with the takeover request signal.

[0046] The control unit 21, the natural language processing unit 22, and the correspondence table storage unit 23 are a multimedia ECU 2. The control unit 21 controls the takeover guidance. The control unit 21 receives a takeover request signal and an intent number from the takeover determination unit 32. When the control unit 21 receives the takeover request signal, it outputs a voice prompting the driver to switch to manual driving from the speaker 5. The voice data prompting the driver to switch to manual driving is held in the cache memory 201M, for example, to reduce response delay. Outputting the voice data prompting the driver to switch to manual driving is also referred to as outputting a takeover request.

[0047] Furthermore, when the control unit 21 receives an input of a takeover request signal, it downloads a group of correspondence tables corresponding to the intent number corresponding to the cause of the takeover request from the center server 50 through the communication unit 11, and stores the group of correspondence tables in the correspondence table storage unit 23. The group of correspondence tables is a collection of correspondence tables that associates the expected utterance content of the driver in a dialogue explaining the reason for the takeover request with the response content thereto. The number of correspondence tables prepared corresponds to the expected depth of the dialogue. The depth of the dialogue indicates the number of sets of utterances and responses that occur on one topic, when an utterance and a response are regarded as one set. The details of the correspondence tables will be described later. The correspondence table storage unit 23 corresponds to the cache memory 201M in the multimedia ECU 2.

[0048] After outputting the voice prompting the driver to switch to manual driving, the control unit 21 starts a dialogue process to present the driver with an explanation of the reason for the occurrence of the takeover request in a dialogue format. In the dialogue process, the control unit 21 acquires the driver's utterance, acquires response data that is a response to the driver's utterance, and outputs the response data as a voice.

[0049] The contents of the driver's speech are acquired, for example, by collecting the voice of the driver through the microphone 4 to acquire the driver's voice data, and the control unit 21 performs a voice recognition process on the driver's voice data. The contents of the driver's speech acquired as a result of the voice recognition of the driver's voice data may be acquired, for example, as text data.

[0050] The response data indicating the response to the driver's utterance is acquired, for example, by the control unit 21 outputting the acquired data of the utterance to the natural language processing unit 22 and receiving the response data indicating the response to the utterance from the natural language processing unit 22. The response data to the driver's utterance may be acquired, for example, as text data.

[0051] The control unit 21 generates voice data from response data to the speech content by voice synthesis, and outputs the voice data to the microphone 4. The microphone 4 outputs the voice data as a voice.

[0052] The control unit 21 repeats the dialogue process until the driver's utterance indicates that the driver accepts the switch to manual driving, or until it is detected that the driver starts manual driving. The driver's utterance indicating that the driver accepts the switch to manual driving is, for example, "I understand," "I'll drive," etc. The correspondence tables described below include a correspondence table between the driver's utterance that is assumed when indicating that the driver accepts the switch to manual driving and the corresponding response content. For example, the control unit 21 determines that the driver has accepted the switch to manual driving by detecting that the driver's utterance matches or is similar to the driver's utterance in the correspondence table. Detect whether the spoken content indicates an acceptance of switching to manual driving.

[0053] When the dialogue process starts, the control unit 21 monitors the driver's behavior, for example, by using a sensor that monitors the interior of the vehicle 10. In this way, the control unit 21 detects that the driver has started manual driving. For example, the control unit 21 detects that the driver has started manual driving by detecting behavior such as the driver gripping the steering wheel and the driver's line of sight facing forward of the vehicle 10. Note that the method of detecting that the driver has started manual driving is not limited to a specific method, and any well-known method may be used.

[0054] If the takeover is not performed even after a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the dialogue processing, the control unit 21 executes a process to request the driver to take over, such as by again outputting a voice prompting the driver to switch to manual driving, outputting a warning sound, or fastening the seat belt.

[0055] The natural language processing unit 22 searches the correspondence tables stored in the correspondence table storage unit 23 for the data of the driver's utterance content input from the control unit 21, obtains response data, and outputs it to the control unit 21.

[0056] Next, the center server 50 has, as its functional configuration, a control unit 51 and a dialogue database 52. These functional components are achieved by the CPU of the center server 50 executing a predetermined program. The control unit 51 receives a notice of the occurrence of a takeover request from the vehicle 10. An intent number is also received together with the notice of the occurrence of the takeover request. Upon receiving the notice of the occurrence of a takeover request, the control unit 51 identifies a correspondence table group corresponding to the received intent number and transmits it to the vehicle 10. The dialogue database 52 is created, for example, in a storage area of ​​an auxiliary storage device of the center server 50. The dialogue database 52 holds a correspondence table group for each intent number.

[0057] In the first embodiment, the center server 50 holds the correspondence table group in advance in the dialogue database 52. However, this is not limited to this, and for example, the center server 50 may be provided with a machine learning model instead of the dialogue database 52, and may create the correspondence table group using the machine learning model. Specifically, when the control unit 51 receives a notice of the occurrence of a takeover request from the vehicle 10, it may create a correspondence table group corresponding to the received intent number using the machine learning model, and transmit the correspondence table group to the vehicle 10.

[0058] 4 is an example of the intent number table 32p. The intent number table 32p is held in an auxiliary storage device of the autonomous driving control ECU 3. The intent number table 32p holds an assignment of an intent number to a cause of occurrence of a takeover request.

[0059] In the example shown in FIG. 4, when the takeover request is generated due to difficulty in receiving a GNSS signal, intent number 1 is assigned. When the takeover request is generated due to heavy rain, intent number 2 is assigned. When the takeover request is generated due to snowfall, intent number 3 is assigned. When the takeover request is generated due to a speed exceeding a threshold, intent number 4 is assigned. When the takeover request is generated due to difficulty in recognizing the center line, intent number 5 is assigned. Note that the intent number assignment shown in FIG. 4 is just an example, and the assignment of intent numbers to the causes of the takeover request may be arbitrarily set by, for example, an administrator of the takeover guidance system 100.

[0060] <About the compatibility table> 5 is a diagram showing an example of a dialogue scenario that occurs with respect to an explanation of the reason for the occurrence of a takeover request. In the example shown in FIG. 5, a dialogue scenario will be described in which the cause of the occurrence of a takeover request is difficulty in receiving a GNSS signal.

[0061] When a takeover request occurs, first, a voice CV101 "Please switch to manual driving" is presented as a message urging the driver to switch to manual driving. In response to this, if the driver wants to know the reason for the occurrence of the takeover request, an utterance asking the reason for the occurrence of the takeover request is assumed. In the example shown in FIG. 5, "Why?" is shown as an example of an utterance asking the reason for the occurrence of the takeover request. As a response to the utterance asking the reason for the occurrence of the takeover request, a voice CV102 "Because the GNSS signal cannot be received well" is output, which describes the cause of the occurrence of the takeover request. In the first embodiment, an utterance and a response thereto constitute one set of dialogue. In addition, the depth of the dialogue is assumed to increase with each set of dialogue. Hereinafter, the depth of the dialogue is referred to as a dialogue level. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the driver's utterance "Why?" and the voice CV102 responding thereto constitute a dialogue level 1.

[0062] If the driver requests a more detailed explanation of voice CV102, which describes the reason for the takeover request, "This is because the GNSS signal cannot be received properly," it is expected that derivative utterances will be generated, such as utterances asking about the GNSS signal and utterances asking about the reason why the GNSS signal cannot be received.

[0063] In the example shown in FIG. 5, it is assumed that the driver will make a speech inquiring about the GNSS signal after the speech CV102 describing the cause of the takeover request. In the example shown in FIG. 5, "What is GNSS?" is shown as a speech inquiring about the GNSS signal. In response to this, speech CV103 explaining GNSS is output as a response to the speech inquiring about the GNSS signal. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the set of the speech inquiring about the GNSS signal and the speech CV103 in response thereto increases the dialogue level by one, becoming dialogue level 2.

[0064] In the example shown in FIG. 5, it is assumed that after the voice CV103 explaining GNSS, the driver will make an utterance asking why the GNSS signal cannot be received. In the example shown in FIG. 5, "Why can't you receive it?" is shown as an utterance asking why the GNSS signal cannot be received. In response to this, a voice CV104 explaining why the GNSS signal cannot be received is output. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the set of the utterance asking why the GNSS signal cannot be received and the response voice CV104 to that utterance raises the dialogue level by one level to dialogue level 3.

[0065] In the example shown in FIG. 5, after the voice CV104 explaining the reason why the GNSS signal cannot be received, it is assumed that the driver will make an utterance indicating that he / she will accept the switch to manual driving. In the example shown in FIG. 5, "I understand" is shown as the utterance indicating that the switch to manual driving will be accepted. In response to this, the voice CV105 confirming that the switch to manual driving has been accepted is output. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the dialogue level is further increased by one to dialogue level 4 due to the utterance indicating that the switch to manual driving will be accepted and the voice CV105 in response thereto.

[0066] In the example of the dialogue scenario shown in FIG. 5, there are dialogue levels 1 to 4, so a correspondence table is prepared for each dialogue level. However, the dialogues are not necessarily performed in the order shown in FIG. 5. In the dialogue scenario shown in FIG. 5, there is a voice CV101 of a message urging the driver to switch to manual driving, a voice CV102 of a response for dialogue level 1, and a dialogue It is also assumed that after the output of the level 2 response voice CV103, an utterance such as "I understand" is made indicating that the switch to manual driving is accepted. When the utterance "I understand" is made indicating that the switch to manual driving is accepted, the dialogue level 4 response voice CV105 is output.

[0067] In addition, for example, after output of the voice CV102 of the response of dialogue level 1, a voice may be spoken to ask why the GNSS signal cannot be received, such as "Why can't you receive it?" In this case, the voice CV103 of the response of dialogue level 3 is output.

[0068] 6 to 9 are examples of correspondence tables included in the correspondence table group when the cause of the takeover request is difficulty in receiving GNSS signals, corresponding to the dialogue scenario shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 6 is an example of a dialogue level 1 correspondence table when the cause of the takeover request is difficulty in receiving GNSS signals. When a voice prompting the driver to switch to manual driving is output, and the driver asks about the reason for the takeover request, it is considered that the driver first asks about the cause of the takeover request. Therefore, in the first embodiment, regardless of the cause of the takeover request, the response content in the dialogue level 1 correspondence table will be the content indicating the cause of the takeover request.

[0069] In the example shown in Fig. 6, the driver's expected utterance when inquiring about the cause of the takeover request is associated with a message indicating that the cause of the takeover request is difficulty in receiving a GNSS signal as a response. In the example shown in Fig. 6, for example, "Why?", "Please tell me the reason", "Why?", etc. are set as the driver's expected utterance when inquiring about the cause of the takeover request. In the example shown in Fig. 6, "Because the GNSS signal cannot be received well" is set as the message indicating that the cause of the takeover request is difficulty in receiving a GNSS signal.

[0070] 7 is an example of a correspondence table for dialogue level 2 when the cause of the takeover request is difficulty in receiving GNSS signals. The correspondence tables for dialogue levels 2 and onwards correspond to questions derived from the response content of dialogue level 1 and their answers.

[0071] In the correspondence table of dialogue level 2 shown in Fig. 7, the expected utterance contents of the driver when asking about the GNSS signal are associated with an explanatory message about the GNSS signal as a response. In the example shown in Fig. 7, for example, "What is GNSS?", "What is GNSS?", "Please tell me the meaning of GNSS" are set as the expected utterance contents of the driver when asking about the GNSS signal. In the example shown in Fig. 7, "GNSS is an artificial satellite system. It estimates the latitude and longitude of your current position with high accuracy" is set as the explanatory message about the GNSS signal.

[0072] FIG. 8 is an example of a correspondence table of dialogue level 3 in the case where the cause of the occurrence of a takeover request is difficulty in receiving a GNSS signal. In the correspondence table of dialogue level 3 shown in FIG. 8, the expected utterance content of the driver when asking about the cause of not being able to receive a GNSS signal is associated with a message explaining the cause of not being able to receive a GNSS signal as a response. In the example shown in FIG. 8, for example, "Why can't you receive it?", "Why can't you receive it?", and "What is the cause of not being able to receive it" are set as the expected utterance content of the driver when asking about the cause of not being able to receive a GNSS signal. In the example shown in FIG. 8, "The received signal level is too weak. Your receiving device itself is operating normally" is set as the message explaining the cause of not being able to receive a GNSS signal.

[0073] FIG. 9 is an example of a correspondence table of dialogue level 4 in the case where the cause of the occurrence of the takeover request is difficulty in receiving a GNSS signal. In the correspondence table of dialogue level 4 shown in FIG. 9, the expected utterance content of the driver when accepting the switch to manual driving is associated with a message confirming the acceptance of the switch to manual driving as a response. In the example shown in FIG. 9, for example, "I understand," "I'll drive," and "I understand" are set as the expected utterance content of the driver when accepting the switch to manual driving. In the example shown in FIG. 9, "Thank you. Please drive safely" is set as the message confirming the acceptance of the switch to manual driving. In the case where the cause of the occurrence of the takeover request is difficulty in receiving a GNSS signal, when the utterance content of the driver matches or is similar to the utterance content included in the correspondence table of dialogue level 4 and a response is made with the response content included in the correspondence table of dialogue level 4, x21 determines the end of the dialogue process.

[0074] For example, if the cause of the takeover request is difficulty in receiving a GNSS signal and the correspondence table group includes the correspondence tables of Fig. 6 to Fig. 9, the response content to the driver's utterance content in the dialogue processing is acquired as follows. After the dialogue processing starts, the natural language processing unit 22 searches at least the correspondence tables for each of dialogue levels 1 and 4 when the driver's utterance content is input for the first time. If a response content is acquired to the input driver's utterance content, it is counted as one dialogue. If a response content is not acquired to the input driver's utterance content, an error occurs and it is not counted as one dialogue.

[0075] When the driver's utterance contents are input for the second or subsequent times, the natural language processing unit 22 may obtain the response contents to the input driver's utterance contents by excluding the correspondence table that used the response contents once and referring to the remaining correspondence tables. For example, if the driver's utterance contents for the first time match the utterance contents included in the correspondence table for dialogue level 1 and a response is made using the response contents included in the correspondence table for dialogue level 1, the correspondence tables for dialogue levels 2 to 4 are referred to when the driver's utterance contents are input for the second time. When a response is made using the response contents in the correspondence table for dialogue level 4, the dialogue process ends.

[0076] The driver's utterance contents in each correspondence table may be obtained from past performance data, or may be set by the administrator of the takeover guidance system 100. The actual driver's utterance contents do not necessarily match the utterance contents included in the correspondence table. Therefore, in the first embodiment, the natural language processing unit 22 obtains the response contents included in the correspondence table as a response to the actual driver's utterance not only when the actual driver's utterance contents match the utterance contents included in the correspondence table, but also when the actual driver's utterance contents are similar.

[0077] Note that the correspondence tables included in the correspondence table group when the cause of the takeover request is difficulty in receiving GNSS signals are not limited to the four dialogue levels 1 to 4, but are set appropriately according to the embodiment. Also, the correspondence tables for each dialogue level when the cause of the takeover request is difficulty in receiving GNSS signals are not limited to the correspondence tables shown in Figures 6 to 9.

[0078] The correspondence tables are prepared in the dialogue database 52 of the center server 50 according to the cause of the takeover request. The maximum dialogue level differs depending on the cause of the takeover request. However, for any cause of the takeover request, the correspondence table for dialogue level 1 is a correspondence between the expected utterances of the driver when asking about the cause of the takeover request, and a message indicating the cause of the takeover request as a response. Even if the dialogue level is higher than the maximum, the correspondence table shows the correspondence between the expected driver utterances when accepting manual driving and the message confirming the acceptance of manual driving as a response. The response contents included in each correspondence table correspond to "part of the explanation regarding the reason for the request to switch to manual driving."

[0079] <Processing flow> Fig. 10 is an example of a flowchart of a takeover guidance process of the vehicle 10 according to the first embodiment. The process shown in Fig. 10 is repeatedly executed at a predetermined cycle while the vehicle 10 is traveling in the autonomous driving mode. The autonomous driving control ECU 3 is the entity that executes the process shown in Fig. 10, but for convenience, the following description will be given focusing on the functional components.

[0080] In OP101, the control unit 21 determines whether or not a takeover request has occurred. The control unit 21 detects that a takeover request has occurred when a takeover request signal is input from the takeover determination unit 32. If a takeover request has occurred (OP101: YES), the process proceeds to OP102. If a takeover request has not occurred (OP101: NO), the process shown in Fig. 10 ends.

[0081] In OP102, the control unit 21 outputs a takeover request. Outputting a takeover request means outputting a message prompting switching to manual operation. In OP103, the control unit 21 starts downloading, from the center server 50, a correspondence table group of intent numbers corresponding to the cause of the occurrence of the takeover request. The downloaded correspondence table is stored in the takeover determination unit 32.

[0082] The process from OP104 to OP108 corresponds to dialogue processing. In OP104, the control unit 21 determines whether or not the driver's speech has been input from the microphone 4. If the driver's speech has been input from the microphone 4 (OP104: YES), the process proceeds to OP105. If the driver's speech has not been input (OP104: NO), the process proceeds to OP108.

[0083] In OP105, the control unit 21 performs voice recognition on the input speech voice data and acquires the speech content. In OP106, the control unit 21 outputs the driver's speech content to the natural language processing unit 22 and acquires response data corresponding to the driver's speech content from the natural language processing unit 22. The control unit 21 generates voice data from the response data by voice synthesis and outputs a voice corresponding to the voice data from the speaker 5. The natural language processing unit 22 searches the correspondence table stored in the correspondence table storage unit 23 for the driver's speech content, and outputs to the control unit 21 the response data included in the correspondence table that matches or is similar to the driver's speech content.

[0084] In OP107, the control unit 21 determines whether the response content output in OP106 is obtained from the correspondence table with the maximum dialogue level among the correspondence tables for the intent number corresponding to the cause of the takeover request. If the response content output in OP106 is obtained from the correspondence table with the maximum dialogue level among the correspondence tables for the intent number corresponding to the cause of the takeover request (OP107: YES), the dialogue process ends, and the process proceeds to OP109. If the response content output in OP106 is obtained from the correspondence table other than the correspondence table with the maximum dialogue level among the correspondence tables for the intent number corresponding to the cause of the takeover request (OP107: NO), the process proceeds to OP104.

[0085] In OP108, the control unit 21 determines whether or not the driver has started manual driving. The fact that the driver has started manual driving may be determined, for example, by detecting an image captured by a camera that captures an image of the interior of the vehicle 10. This is determined by detecting, from the image, that the driver has gripped the steering wheel, or that the driver's line of sight is directed forward of the vehicle 10. If it is detected that the driver has started manual driving (OP108: YES), the dialogue process ends, and the process proceeds to OP109. If it is not detected that the driver has started manual driving (OP108: NO), the process proceeds to OP104.

[0086] In OP109, the control unit 21 deletes the correspondence tables stored in the correspondence table storage unit 23. After that, the process shown in Fig. 10 ends. Note that the process of the vehicle 10 is not limited to the process shown in Fig. 10. For example, in Fig. 10, the dialogue process is performed until the driver's utterance indicates that the driver accepts the switch to manual driving (OP107) or until the start of manual driving is detected (OP108). However, the dialogue process may be ended only when the driver's utterance indicates that the driver accepts the switch to manual driving or when the driver has started driving.

[0087] Fig. 11 is an example of a flowchart of a takeover notification process of the center server 50 according to the first embodiment. The process shown in Fig. 11 is executed repeatedly at a predetermined cycle. The process shown in Fig. 11 is executed by the CPU of the center server 50, but for convenience, the process will be described mainly with respect to functional components.

[0088] In OP201, the control unit 51 determines whether or not a notice of the occurrence of a takeover request has been received from the vehicle 10. An intent number is also received together with the notice of the occurrence of a takeover request. If a notice of the occurrence of a takeover request has been received from the vehicle 10 (OP201: YES), the process proceeds to OP202. If a notice of the occurrence of a takeover request has not been received from the vehicle 10 (OP201: NO), the process shown in FIG. 11 ends.

[0089] In OP202, the control unit 51 reads out from the dialogue database 52 a correspondence table group that corresponds to the intent number received from the vehicle 10, and transmits it to the vehicle 10. After that, the process shown in FIG.

[0090] <Download the compatibility table> Figures 12 and 13 are examples of time charts of downloading the correspondence tables and dialogue processing. Figures 12 and 13 show an example in which a takeover request is generated due to difficulty in receiving GNSS signals, and the correspondence tables for dialogue levels 1 to 4 shown in Figures 6 to 9 are downloaded from the center server 50.

[0091] In the example shown in FIG. 12, the correspondence tables are downloaded from the center server 50 on a correspondence table basis. In S11, it is determined that it is difficult to continue autonomous driving in the vehicle 10 (takeover determination). In S12, a notice of the occurrence of a takeover request and intent number 1 (see FIG. 4, for example) indicating that the cause of the takeover request is difficulty in receiving GNSS signals are transmitted from the vehicle 10 to the center server 50. In S13, in the vehicle 10, a takeover request signal is output from the autonomous driving control ECU 3 to the multimedia ECU 2 (FIG. 10, OP101). In S14, a voice message urging the vehicle 10 to switch to manual driving (in FIG. 12, "Switch to manual driving") is output. Please switch." is output (Figure 10, OP102).

[0092] In S21, while a voice message urging the driver to switch to manual driving is being output, the vehicle 10 downloads correspondence tables for dialogue levels 1 and 4 corresponding to intent number 1 from the center server 50. The correspondence table for dialogue level 4 is the correspondence table with the highest dialogue level among the correspondence tables corresponding to intent number 1. In S22, a takeover request is issued from the driver. The vehicle 10 then makes an utterance asking about the cause of the problem ("Why?" in FIG. 12). Since the download of the correspondence tables for dialogue levels 1 and 4 has been completed at the point in time of S22, in S23 the vehicle 10 outputs by voice the response content included in the correspondence table for dialogue level 1 (see FIG. 6, in FIG. 12 "It is because the GNSS signal cannot be received properly").

[0093] In S31, after outputting a voice message encouraging switching to manual driving, the vehicle 10 downloads the correspondence table of dialogue level 2 corresponding to intent number 1 from the center server 50 while waiting for or performing voice recognition for the driver's speech. In S32, the driver makes an utterance asking about the GNSS signal (in FIG. 12, "What is GNSS?"). Since the download of the correspondence table of dialogue level 2 is completed at the time of S32, in S33, the vehicle 10 outputs the response content included in the correspondence table of dialogue level 2 by voice (see FIG. 7, in FIG. 12, "GNSS is an artificial satellite system (omitted)").

[0094] In S41, while the response contents included in the correspondence table for dialogue level 1 are being output by voice in S23, the vehicle 10 downloads the correspondence table for dialogue level 3 corresponding to intent number 1 from the center server 50. In S42, the driver makes an utterance asking why the GNSS signal cannot be received (in FIG. 12, "Why can't you receive it?"). At the point in time of S42, the download of the correspondence table for dialogue level 3 is completed, so in S43, the vehicle 10 outputs the response contents included in the correspondence table for dialogue level 3 by voice (see FIG. 8, in FIG. 12, "The received signal level is too weak... (omitted)"). After that, the vehicle 10 holds a group of correspondence tables corresponding to intent number 1, and the same process is repeated until the response contents included in the correspondence table for dialogue level 4 are output as a response or until it is detected that manual driving has started.

[0095] In the example shown in FIG. 12, the delay time in the response to the driver's utterance can be reduced by downloading in advance the correspondence table that is likely to be uttered next.

[0096] In the example shown in Fig. 13, the download of the correspondence table group from the center server 50 is performed all at once for all of the correspondence tables included in the correspondence table group corresponding to the cause of the occurrence of the takeover request. S11 to S14 are the same as in Fig. 12. In S51 in Fig. 13, while a voice message prompting switching to manual driving is being output, the vehicle 10 downloads all of the correspondence tables included in the correspondence table group corresponding to intent number 1 from the center server 50 all at once.

[0097] After that, even if a question is uttered in S52, S61, and S71, the vehicle 10 can respond with a shorter delay time as in S53, S62, and S72 because the vehicle 10 holds all the correspondences in the correspondence table group corresponding to the intent number 1. The contents of the driver's utterances in S52, S61, and S71 are the same as S22, S32, and S42 in FIG. 12, respectively. The contents of the responses to the driver's utterances in S53, S62, and S72 are the same as S23, S33, and S43 in FIG. 12, respectively. By downloading the correspondence table group all at once, the effect of network delays can be reduced, and a faster response to the driver's utterances can be made.

[0098] The administrator of the takeover guidance system 100 may arbitrarily set whether the correspondence tables corresponding to the cause of the occurrence of the takeover request are downloaded on a correspondence table basis or all at once.

[0099] <Effects of the First Embodiment> In the first embodiment, when a takeover request occurs, a part of the explanation regarding the reason for the takeover request is presented to the driver in accordance with the contents of the driver's utterance. This makes it possible to present just the right amount of explanation depending on the driver's level of interest in the reason why the takeover request occurred, thereby reducing discomfort to the driver.

[0100] In the first embodiment, the vehicle 10 downloads a correspondence table group according to the cause of the takeover request from the center server 50 before the driver's utterance, and stores the table group in the cache memory 201M. This allows the vehicle 10 to respond more quickly to the driver's utterance.

[0101] <Second embodiment> In the first embodiment, the vehicle 10 acquires response data that is a response to the driver's utterance. Therefore, in the first embodiment, the vehicle 10 downloads a correspondence table group according to the cause of the takeover request from the center server 50 prior to the driver's utterance, and stores the group in the cache memory 201M.

[0102] Instead, in the second embodiment, the center server acquires the response data that is the response content to the driver's utterance content. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the vehicle does not download the correspondence table group according to the cause of the takeover request from the center server. Note that in the second embodiment, the description common to the first embodiment is omitted.

[0103] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a vehicle 10B and a center server 50B according to the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the system configuration of the takeover guidance system 100 and the hardware configuration of the vehicle 10B and the center server 50B are similar to those in the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, the vehicle 10B is equipped with a communication unit 11, a control unit 21B, an automatic driving control unit 31, and a takeover determination unit 32 as functional configurations. The communication unit 11, the automatic driving control unit 31, and the takeover determination unit 32 are similar to those in the first embodiment.

[0104] The control unit 21B is a functional component equivalent to the multimedia ECU 2. When the control unit 21B receives an input of a takeover request signal, it outputs a voice from the speaker 5 urging the driver to switch to manual driving, and starts monitoring the voice input through the microphone 4. When the driver's voice is input from the microphone 4, the control unit 21B executes a voice recognition process on the voice data and acquires the driver's voice. The control unit 21B transmits the data of the driver's voice to the center server 50B through the communication unit 11. After that, when the control unit 21B receives response data from the center server 50B through the communication unit 11, it generates voice data by voice synthesis from the response data to the driver's voice, and outputs the voice data to the microphone 4. The microphone 4 outputs the voice data as a voice. The data of the driver's voice transmitted to the center server 50B is, for example, text data.

[0105] Furthermore, when the control unit 21B receives the input of the takeover request signal, it starts monitoring the driver's behavior, for example, by using a sensor that monitors the interior of the vehicle 10B. When the control unit 21B detects that the driver has started manual driving, it transmits a manual driving start notification to the center server 50B, indicating that the driver has started manual driving. The control unit 21B executes the process of acquiring the contents of the driver's utterance and the monitoring of the driver's behavior until it receives a dialogue end notification from the center server 50B. Other than these points, the process of the control unit 21B is the same as that of the control unit 21 in the first embodiment.

[0106] In the second embodiment, the center server 50B includes, as functional components, a control unit 51B, a dialogue database 52, and a natural language processing unit 53. When the control unit 51B receives data on the contents of the driver's utterance from the vehicle 10B, the control unit 51B outputs the data to the natural language processing unit 53 and converts the data into a natural language. The control unit 51B acquires response data to the driver's utterance from the word processing unit 53. The control unit 51B transmits the acquired response data to the vehicle 10B. The response data may be, for example, text data or voice data in a predetermined format.

[0107] The natural language processing unit 53 searches for a correspondence table group corresponding to the intent number stored in the natural language processing unit 53 for data of the driver's utterance content input from the control unit 51B, acquires response data, and outputs the response data to the control unit 51B. The correspondence table group is the same as that in the first embodiment.

[0108] The control unit 51B sends a dialogue end notification to vehicle 10B when the driver's utterance indicates acceptance of the switch to manual driving, i.e., when the response content to the driver's utterance content is obtained from the correspondence table with the maximum dialogue level among the correspondence tables, and when a manual driving start notification is received from vehicle 10B.

[0109] Fig. 15 is an example of a flowchart of a takeover guidance process of the vehicle 10B according to the second embodiment. The process shown in Fig. 15 is repeatedly executed at a predetermined cycle while the vehicle 10B is traveling in the autonomous driving mode.

[0110] In OP301, the control unit 21B determines whether or not a takeover request has occurred. If a takeover request has occurred (OP301: YES), the process proceeds to OP302. If a takeover request has not occurred (OP301: NO), the process shown in FIG. 15 ends.

[0111] In OP302, the control unit 21B outputs a takeover request. In OP303, the control unit 21B determines whether or not the driver's speech has been input from the microphone 4. If the driver's speech has been input from the microphone 4 (OP303: YES), the process proceeds to OP304. If the driver's speech has not been input (OP303: NO), the process proceeds to OP308.

[0112] In OP304, the control unit 21B performs voice recognition on the input speech voice data and acquires data on the speech content. In OP305, the control unit 21B transmits the data on the speech content to the center server 50B. In OP306, the control unit 21B determines whether or not response data has been received from the center server 50B. If response data has been received from the center server 50B (OP306: YES), the process proceeds to OP307. Until response data is received from the center server 50B (OP306: NO), the process is in a standby state, and if no response data is received even after a predetermined time has elapsed, an error occurs.

[0113] In OP307, the control unit 21B generates voice data from the response data by voice synthesis, and causes the speaker 5 to output a voice corresponding to the voice data.

[0114] In OP308, the control unit 21B determines whether or not the driver has started manual driving. When it is detected that the driver has started manual driving (OP308: YES), the process proceeds to OP309. In OP309, the control unit 21B transmits a manual driving start notification to the center server 50B. When it is not detected that the driver has started manual driving (OP308: NO), the process proceeds to OP303.

[0115] In OP310, the control unit 21B determines whether or not a dialogue end notification has been received from the center server 50B. If a dialogue end notification has been received from the center server 50B (OP310: YES), the process shown in Fig. 15 ends. If a dialogue end notification has not been received from the center server 50B (OP310: NO), the process proceeds to OP303.

[0116] Fig. 16 is an example of a flowchart of a takeover notification process of the center server 50B according to the second embodiment. The process shown in Fig. 16 is repeatedly executed at a predetermined cycle. The process shown in Fig. 16 is executed by the CPU of the center server 50B, but for convenience, the process will be described mainly with respect to the functional components.

[0117] In OP401, the control unit 51B determines whether or not a notice of the occurrence of a takeover request has been received from the vehicle 10B. An intent number is also received together with the notice of the occurrence of a takeover request. If a notice of the occurrence of a takeover request has been received from the vehicle 10B (OP401: YES), the process proceeds to OP402. If a notice of the occurrence of a takeover request has not been received from the vehicle 10B (OP401: NO), the process shown in FIG. 16 ends.

[0118] In OP402, the control unit 51B determines whether or not data on the driver's utterance contents has been received from the vehicle 10B. If data on the driver's utterance contents has been received from the vehicle 10B (OP402: YES), the process proceeds to OP403. If data on the driver's utterance contents has not been received from the vehicle 10B (OP402: NO), the process proceeds to OP406.

[0119] In OP403, the control unit 51B outputs data of the driver's utterance content to the natural language processing unit 53, and acquires response data corresponding to the driver's utterance content from the natural language processing unit 53. The natural language processing unit 53 searches for a correspondence table group corresponding to the received intent number stored in the natural language processing unit 53, based on the driver's utterance content, and outputs response data included in the correspondence table that matches or is similar to the driver's utterance content to the control unit 51B. In OP404, the control unit 51B transmits the response data to the vehicle 10B.

[0120] In OP405, the control unit 51B determines whether the content of the response data acquired in OP403 is acquired from the correspondence table with the maximum dialogue level among the correspondence tables for the received intent numbers. If the content of the response data is acquired from the correspondence table with the maximum dialogue level among the correspondence tables for the received intent numbers (OP405: YES), the process proceeds to OP407. If the content of the response data is acquired from a correspondence table other than the correspondence table with the maximum dialogue level among the correspondence tables for the received intent numbers (OP405: NO), the process proceeds to OP402.

[0121] In OP407, the control unit 51B transmits a dialogue end notification to the vehicle 10B. After that, the process shown in Fig. 16 ends. Note that the processes shown in Fig. 15 and Fig. 16 are merely examples, and the processes of the vehicle 10B and the center server 50B according to the second embodiment are not limited to these.

[0122] In the second embodiment, when the driver speaks, the vehicle 10B transmits the driver's utterance to the center server 50B and acquires response data to the driver's utterance from the center server 50. This eliminates the need for the vehicle 10B to download the correspondence tables from the center server 50 and store them in the cache memory 201M, thereby saving resources of the cache memory 201M.

[0123] <Other Modifications> The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and the present disclosure can be modified and implemented as appropriate without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0124] In the first and second embodiments, the multimedia ECU 2 executes the dialogue processing and the like. However, instead of this, for example, the DCM 1 or an in-vehicle device such as a car navigation system may execute the dialogue processing and the like. In this case, the vehicle-mounted device is an example of an "information processing device."

[0125] In the first and second embodiments, the explanation as to why the takeover request occurred is presented to the driver by voice from the speaker 5, but is not limited to this. For example, the explanation as to why the takeover request occurred may be presented to the driver in text on a display in the vehicle 10. The method of presenting the explanation as to why the takeover request occurred is not limited to a predetermined method.

[0126] The processes and means described in this disclosure can be freely combined and implemented as long as no technical contradiction occurs.

[0127] Furthermore, a process described as being performed by one device may be shared and executed by multiple devices. Alternatively, a process described as being performed by different devices may be executed by one device. In a computer system, the hardware configuration (server configuration) by which each function is realized can be flexibly changed.

[0128] The present disclosure can also be realized by supplying a computer program implementing the functions described in the above embodiments to a computer, and having one or more processors of the computer read and execute the program. Such a computer program may be provided to the computer by a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium connectable to the system bus of the computer, or may be provided to the computer via a network. Non-transitory computer-readable storage media include, for example, any type of disk, such as a magnetic disk (floppy disk, hard disk drive (HDD), etc.), an optical disk (CD-ROM, DVD disk, Blu-ray disk, etc.), a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), an EPROM, an EEPROM, a magnetic card, a flash memory, an optical card, and any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0129] 1··DCM 2. Multimedia ECU 3. Autonomous driving control ECU 4. Microphone 5. Speaker 10. Vehicle 11. Communications Department 21 Control section 22 Natural Language Processing Unit 23 Correspondence table storage section 31 Automatic driving control unit 32 Takeover decision section 50 Center Server 51 Control section 52. Conversation Database 53 Natural Language Processing Unit 100··Takeover Guidance System 201··CPU 201M cache memory 202 Memory 203...Auxiliary storage device

Claims

1. Detecting that a request for switching to manual driving has occurred during automatic driving control of a first vehicle; when the request occurs, presenting to the driver of the first vehicle a portion of an explanation as to why the request occurred; A control unit that executes An information processing device comprising: The control unit is When the request occurs, the vehicle further executes acquiring a speech content of the driver; presenting to the driver a portion of an explanation regarding the reason for the request in accordance with the content of the driver's utterance; repeatedly executing a process of acquiring the driver's speech content and presenting a part of an explanation regarding the reason for the occurrence of the request according to the speech content until the driver's speech content indicates that the driver will accept switching to manual driving; Information processing device.

2. A storage unit that stores a correspondence between the first utterance content and a portion of an explanation regarding a reason why the request is generated, The control unit is When the driver's utterance content is at least similar to the first utterance content, presenting to the driver a part of an explanation regarding the reason for the occurrence of the request, which is associated with the first utterance content; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. the information processing device is mounted on the first vehicle, The control unit is and when the request is generated, downloading from a predetermined device an association between the speech content of the driver and a portion of the explanation regarding the reason for the switching and storing the association in the storage unit. The information processing device according to claim 2 .

4. The control unit is The method further includes obtaining a cause for the request; downloading the association according to the cause; The information processing device according to claim 3 .

5. The control unit is downloading the associations according to the causes from the predetermined device in a batch; The information processing device according to claim 4.

6. The association is a first correspondence that associates a plurality of second utterance contents assumed when inquiring about a cause of the request with the cause of the request as a part of an explanation regarding the reason for the request; a plurality of third utterance contents including questions assumed to be further generated in response to the cause of the occurrence of the request, and at least one second correspondence that corresponds answers to the questions as a part of an explanation regarding the reason for the occurrence of the request; and The control unit is After the request is made, the first correspondence is referred to, and a cause of the request that is associated with a second utterance content similar to the utterance content of the driver is presented to the driver; after presenting to the driver the cause of the occurrence of the request, referring to the at least one second association, presenting to the driver an answer to the question associated with a third utterance content similar to the utterance content of the driver; The information processing device according to claim 2 .

7. the information processing device is mounted on the first vehicle, The control unit is Transmitting the driver's speech to a predetermined device; receiving, from the predetermined device, a portion of an explanation regarding the reason why the request was made in accordance with the content of the utterance; Further execute The information processing device according to claim 1 .

8. The control unit is when the request is made, presenting the request to the driver, acquiring the contents of the driver's speech, and starting a process of presenting a part of an explanation of the reason why the request is made according to the contents of the speech; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

9. An information processing device, Detecting that a request for switching to manual driving has occurred during automatic driving control of a first vehicle; when the request occurs, presenting to the driver of the first vehicle a portion of an explanation as to why the request occurred; A method comprising: The information processing device, The method further includes acquiring a speech content of the driver when the request is generated; A part of the explanation regarding the reason for the request corresponding to the contents of the driver's utterance is Present it to the driver, repeatedly executing a process of acquiring the driver's speech content and presenting a part of an explanation regarding the reason for the occurrence of the request according to the speech content until the driver's speech content indicates that the driver will accept switching to manual driving; method.

10. The information processing device, a storage unit that stores a correspondence between the first utterance content and a portion of an explanation regarding a reason why the request was made, When the driver's utterance content is at least similar to the first utterance content, presenting to the driver a part of an explanation regarding the reason for the occurrence of the request, which is associated with the first utterance content; 10. The method of claim 9.

11. The information processing device, The first vehicle is equipped with when the request is made, downloading from a predetermined device an association between the contents of the driver's speech and a portion of an explanation regarding the reason for the request being made and storing the association in the storage unit; The method of claim 10.

12. The information processing device, Obtaining the cause of the request; downloading the association according to the cause; The method of claim 11.

13. The information processing device, downloading the associations according to the causes from the predetermined device in a batch; The method of claim 12.

14. The association is a first correspondence that associates a plurality of second utterance contents assumed when inquiring about a cause of the request with the cause of the request as a part of an explanation regarding the reason for the request; a plurality of third utterance contents including questions assumed to be further generated in response to the cause of the occurrence of the request, and at least one second correspondence that corresponds answers to the questions as a part of an explanation regarding the reason for the occurrence of the request; and The information processing device, After the request is generated, referring to the first correspondence, a cause of the request that is associated with a second utterance content similar to the utterance content of the driver is presented to the driver; after presenting to the driver the cause of the occurrence of the request, referring to the at least one second association, presenting to the driver an answer to the question associated with a third utterance content similar to the utterance content of the driver; 14. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 13.

15. The information processing device, The first vehicle is equipped with Transmitting the driver's speech to a predetermined device; receiving, from the predetermined device, a portion of an explanation regarding the reason why the request was made in accordance with the content of the utterance; 10. The method of claim 9.

16. A vehicle comprising the information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

17. Detecting that a request to switch to manual driving has occurred during automatic driving control of a first vehicle; when the request occurs, presenting to the driver of the first vehicle a portion of an explanation as to why the request occurred; A control unit that executes the above. a storage unit that stores a correspondence between the first utterance content and a portion of an explanation regarding the reason why the request was made; An information processing device comprising: The control unit is When the request occurs, the vehicle further executes acquiring a speech content of the driver; presenting to the driver a portion of an explanation regarding the reason for the request in accordance with the content of the driver's utterance; When the driver's speech content is at least similar to the first speech content, presenting to the driver a part of an explanation regarding the reason for the occurrence of the request, the explanation being associated with the first speech content; The association is a first correspondence that associates a plurality of second utterance contents assumed when inquiring about a cause of the request with the cause of the request as a part of an explanation regarding the reason for the request; a plurality of third utterance contents including questions assumed to be further generated in response to the cause of the occurrence of the request, and at least one second correspondence that corresponds answers to the questions as a part of an explanation regarding the reason for the occurrence of the request; and The control unit is After the request is made, the first correspondence is referred to, and a cause of the request that is associated with a second utterance content similar to the utterance content of the driver is presented to the driver; after presenting to the driver the cause of the occurrence of the request, referring to the at least one second association, presenting to the driver an answer to the question associated with a third utterance content similar to the utterance content of the driver; Information processing device.

18. An information processing device comprising: Detecting that a request for switching to manual driving has occurred during automatic driving control of a first vehicle; when the request occurs, presenting to the driver of the first vehicle a portion of an explanation as to why the request occurred; A method comprising: The information processing device, When the request occurs, the vehicle further executes acquiring a speech content of the driver; presenting to the driver a portion of an explanation regarding the reason for the request in accordance with the content of the driver's utterance; storing in a storage unit a correspondence between the first utterance content and a portion of an explanation regarding the reason for the occurrence of the request; When the driver's speech content is at least similar to the first speech content, presenting to the driver a part of an explanation regarding the reason for the occurrence of the request, the explanation being associated with the first speech content; The association is a first correspondence that associates a plurality of second utterance contents assumed when inquiring about a cause of the request with the cause of the request as a part of an explanation regarding the reason for the request; a plurality of third utterance contents including questions assumed to be further generated in response to the cause of the occurrence of the request, and at least one second correspondence that corresponds answers to the questions as a part of an explanation regarding the reason for the occurrence of the request; and The information processing device, After the request is generated, referring to the first correspondence, a cause of the request that is associated with a second utterance content similar to the utterance content of the driver is presented to the driver; after presenting to the driver the cause of the occurrence of the request, referring to the at least one second association, presenting to the driver an answer to the question associated with a third utterance content similar to the utterance content of the driver; method.

19. Detecting that a request to switch to manual driving has occurred during automatic driving control of a first vehicle; when the request occurs, presenting to the driver of the first vehicle a portion of an explanation as to why the request occurred; A control unit that executes An information processing device comprising: The control unit is When the request occurs, the vehicle further executes acquiring a speech content of the driver; presenting to the driver a portion of an explanation regarding the reason for the request in accordance with the content of the driver's utterance; repeatedly executing a process of acquiring the driver's utterance content and presenting a part of an explanation regarding the reason for the occurrence of the request according to the utterance content until the driver starts manual driving; Information processing device.

20. An information processing device comprising: Detecting that a request for switching to manual driving has occurred during automatic driving control of a first vehicle; when the request occurs, presenting to the driver of the first vehicle a portion of an explanation as to why the request occurred; A method comprising: The information processing device, When the request occurs, the vehicle further executes acquiring a speech content of the driver; presenting to the driver a portion of an explanation regarding the reason for the request in accordance with the content of the driver's utterance; repeatedly executing a process of acquiring the driver's utterance content and presenting a part of an explanation regarding the reason for the occurrence of the request according to the utterance content until the driver starts manual driving; method.

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