Automatic driving control device and automatic driving control program

Abstract

To provide a presentation control device and the like capable of presenting information having high convenience.SOLUTION: An HCU 100 controls presentation of information to a driver of a vehicle capable of executing automatic driving. The HCU 100 includes a driving state control part 120 for determining transition between a monitoring unnecessary state of permitting interruption of periphery monitoring by the driver during execution of automatic driving, and a monitoring necessary state of prohibiting the interruption of the periphery monitoring by the driver during execution of the automatic driving. A driving state control part 120 further determines whether to permit interruption of gripping of a steering handle by the driver, in the monitoring necessary state. The HCU 100 includes a presentation information adjustment part 140 for permitting the interruption of the gripping in the monitoring necessary state, after a request to grip the steering handle to the driver has been executed, in a state in which it is transited from the monitoring unnecessary state to the monitoring necessary state capable of permitting the interruption of the gripping.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The disclosure in this specification , own This relates to a technology that enables dynamic driving. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a control system for an autonomous vehicle. In this system, when switching from autonomous driving to manual driving, the system notifies the driver of a request to change from a hands-off state to a hands-on state. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-27726 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the control of autonomous driving, there is a possibility that a situation may occur in which the driver is permitted to stop monitoring the surroundings and a situation in which the driver is prohibited from stopping monitoring the surroundings. Furthermore, during autonomous driving, a situation may occur in which the driver is permitted to release the steering wheel while the driver is prohibited from stopping monitoring the surroundings. Patent Document 1 does not disclose the provision of information to encourage the driver to ensure driving stability in such a change in the autonomous driving state.

[0005] The disclosed purpose is to promote driving stability thing is possible Self The present invention provides an automatic driving control device and an automatic driving control program. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The various aspects disclosed in this specification employ different technical means to achieve their respective objectives. The reference symbols in parentheses in the claims and in this section are merely examples showing the corresponding relationship with the specific means described in the embodiments below as one aspect, and do not limit the technical scope.

[0007] One of the disclosed automatic driving control devices is an automatic driving control device capable of performing automatic driving in a vehicle (A), a state control unit (74a) that executes a transition between a monitoring-free state that permits the driver to stop monitoring the surroundings while the autonomous driving is being performed and a monitoring-required state that prohibits the driver from stopping monitoring the surroundings while the autonomous driving is being performed; The state control unit is in a monitoring-unnecessary state. Monitoring is not required based on the decision to end the monitoring When executing a transition from a monitoring-required state in which the driver is permitted to stop gripping the steering wheel to a monitoring-required state in which the driver is permitted to stop gripping the steering wheel, a transition from a monitoring-not required state to manual driving is executed, and then a direct transition from the manual driving to a monitoring-required state in which the driver is permitted to stop gripping the steering wheel is executed.

[0008] One of the disclosed automatic driving control programs is an automatic driving control program stored in a storage medium (71) and including instructions to be executed by a processor (72) in order to enable automatic driving in a vehicle (A), The command is, A state control process that executes a transition between a monitoring-free state that permits the driver to suspend monitoring of the surroundings while the autonomous driving is being performed and a monitoring-required state that prohibits the driver from suspending monitoring of the surroundings while the autonomous driving is being performed; Monitoring is not required in the state control process. Monitoring is not required based on the decision to end the monitoring When executing a transition from a monitoring-required state in which the driver is permitted to stop gripping the steering wheel to a monitoring-required state in which the driver is permitted to stop gripping the steering wheel, a transition from a monitoring-not required state to manual driving is executed, and then a direct transition from the manual driving to a monitoring-required state in which the driver is permitted to stop gripping the steering wheel is executed.

[0009] According to these disclosures , SupervisedWhen the vehicle transitions from a state where no visual contact is required to a state where monitoring is required, the driver is prompted to hold the steering wheel. This helps ensure driving stability. It becomes possible obtain.

[0010] One of the disclosed automatic driving control devices is an automatic driving control device capable of performing automatic driving in a vehicle (A), a state control unit (74a) that executes a transition between a monitoring-free state that permits the driver to stop monitoring the surroundings while the autonomous driving is being performed and a monitoring-required state that prohibits the driver from stopping monitoring the surroundings while the autonomous driving is being performed; When it is determined that the driver can be permitted to stop gripping the steering wheel within a predetermined time after the transition from the monitoring-free state to the manual driving is executed, the state control unit omits the transition to the monitoring-required state in which the driver is not permitted to stop gripping, and executes a direct transition from the manual driving to the monitoring-required state in which the driver can stop gripping. death, After executing the transition from the monitoring-free state to manual driving, if it is determined that the driver can stop gripping the steering wheel after a predetermined time has elapsed, a gradual transition is executed from manual driving to the monitoring-required state in which gripping can be stopped. do.

[0011] One of the disclosed automatic driving control programs is an automatic driving control program stored in a storage medium (71) and including instructions to be executed by a processor (72) in order to enable automatic driving in a vehicle (A), The command is, a state control process that executes a transition between a monitoring-free state that permits the driver to suspend monitoring of the surroundings while the autonomous driving is being performed and a monitoring-required state that prohibits the driver from suspending monitoring of the surroundings while the autonomous driving is being performed; and a state return process that, when it is determined that the driver can be permitted to stop gripping the steering wheel within a predetermined time after the state control process has executed a transition from the monitoring required state to manual driving, skips the transition to the monitoring required state in which gripping is not permitted to be stopped, and executes a direct transition from manual driving to the monitoring required state in which gripping is permitted to be stopped; a gradual return process for performing a gradual transition from manual driving to a monitoring-required state in which the driver is permitted to stop gripping the steering wheel after a predetermined time has elapsed after the transition from the monitoring-free state to manual driving is performed; Includes.

[0012] According to these disclosures: After executing the transition from the monitoring-free state to the manual driving, if it is determined that the gripping interruption can be permitted within a predetermined time, the direct transition from the manual driving to the monitoring-required state in which the gripping interruption can be permitted is executed. As a result, it is possible to promote the securing of driving stability while ensuring the convenience of the driver.

[0013]

[0014]

[0015]

[0016]

[0017]

[0018] [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates a system including an HCU. [Diagram 2] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of functions of an HCU. FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] 1 is a time chart showing an example of a transition of an autonomous driving level. [Diagram 5] 1 is a time chart showing an example of a transition of an autonomous driving level. [Figure 6] 1 is a time chart showing an example of a transition of an autonomous driving level. [Figure 7] 1 is a time chart showing an example of a transition of an autonomous driving level. [Figure 8] 1 is a time chart showing an example of a transition of an autonomous driving level. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of information presentation. [Figure 10] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a presentation control method executed by the HCU. [Figure 11] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a presentation control method executed by the HCU. [Figure 12] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a presentation control method executed by the HCU. [Figure 13] 1 is a time chart showing an example of a transition of an autonomous driving level. [Figure 14]13 is a flowchart showing an example of a presentation control method executed by an HCU in the third embodiment. [Figure 15] 1 is a time chart showing an example of a transition of an autonomous driving level. [Figure 16] 1 is a time chart showing an example of a transition of an autonomous driving level. [Figure 17] 1 is a time chart showing an example of a transition of an autonomous driving level. [Figure 18] 1 is a time chart showing an example of a transition of an autonomous driving level. [Figure 19] 1 is a time chart showing an example of a transition of an autonomous driving level. [Figure 20] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a presentation control method executed by an HCU in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 21] 21 is a flowchart continuing from FIG. 20. [Figure 22] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a control method executed by the control system in the fifth embodiment. [Figure 23] FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing an example of functions of an automatic driving control system according to a sixth embodiment. [Figure 24] 1 is a time chart showing an example of a transition of an autonomous driving level. [Diagram 25] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a control method executed by the automatic driving control system in the sixth and seventh embodiments. [Figure 26] 1 is a time chart showing an example of a transition of an autonomous driving level. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] (First embodiment) The presentation control device of the first embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 12. The presentation control device of the first embodiment is provided by an HCU (Human Machine Interface Control Unit) 100 mounted on a vehicle A. The HCU 100 constitutes an HMI (Human Machine Interface) system used in the vehicle A together with a plurality of display devices, an audio device 24, an operation device 26, and the like. The HMI system has an input interface function for accepting operations by an occupant (e.g., a driver, etc.) of the vehicle A, and an output interface function for presenting information to the driver. The HCU 100 is connected to a locator 30, a surroundings monitoring sensor 40, an in-vehicle communication device 50, a first automatic driving ECU 60, a second automatic driving ECU 70, a DSM 27, and a vehicle control ECU 80 via a communication bus 99, etc.

[0021] Locator 30 generates vehicle position information and the like by composite positioning that combines multiple pieces of acquired information. Locator 30 includes a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 31, an inertial sensor 32, a map database (hereinafter, "map DB") DB 33, and a locator ECU 34. GNSS receiver 31 receives positioning signals from multiple positioning satellites. Inertial sensor 32 is a sensor that detects an inertial force acting on vehicle A. Inertial sensor 32 includes, for example, a gyro sensor and an acceleration sensor.

[0022] The map DB 33 is a non-volatile memory and stores map data such as link data, node data, road shapes, structures, etc. The map data may be a three-dimensional map consisting of a point cloud of characteristic points of road shapes and structures. The three-dimensional map may be generated based on captured images by REM (Road xperience Management). The map data may also include traffic regulation information, road construction information, weather information, traffic signal information, etc. The map data stored in the map DB is updated periodically or as needed based on the latest information received by the in-vehicle communication device 50 described later.

[0023] The locator ECU 34 is mainly configured to include a microcomputer equipped with a processor, a memory, an input / output interface, and a bus connecting these. The locator ECU 34 sequentially locates the position of the vehicle A (hereinafter, the vehicle position) by combining the positioning signal received by the GNSS receiver 31, the map data of the map DB 33, and the measurement results of the inertial sensor 32. The vehicle position may be expressed by, for example, latitude and longitude coordinates. The vehicle position may be located using a travel distance calculated from a signal sequentially output from a vehicle speed sensor mounted on the vehicle A. When a three-dimensional map consisting of a point cloud of characteristic points of road shapes and structures is used as the map data, the locator ECU 34 may be configured to identify the vehicle position using the three-dimensional map and the detection results of the periphery monitoring sensor 40 without using the GNSS receiver 31.

[0024] The perimeter monitoring sensor 40 is an autonomous sensor that monitors the environment around the vehicle A. The perimeter monitoring sensor 40 can detect moving objects such as pedestrians, cyclists, non-human animals, and other vehicles from a detection range around the vehicle A, as well as fallen objects on the road, road markings such as guardrails, curbs, road signs, and lane lines, and stationary objects such as roadside structures. The perimeter monitoring sensor 40 provides detection information on objects around the vehicle A to the first automatic driving ECU 60, the second automatic driving ECU 70, and the like via the communication bus 99.

[0025] The perimeter monitoring sensor 40 has a front camera 41 and a millimeter wave radar 42 as detection components for object detection. The front camera 41 outputs at least one of imaging data of the front range of the vehicle A and an analysis result of the imaging data as detection information. For example, a plurality of millimeter wave radars 42 are arranged at intervals from each other on each of the front and rear bumpers of the vehicle A. The millimeter wave radar 42 irradiates millimeter waves or quasi-millimeter waves toward the front range, front side range, rear range, rear side range, etc. of the vehicle A. The millimeter wave radar 42 generates detection information by processing to receive reflected waves reflected by moving objects, stationary objects, etc. Note that other detection components such as LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging / Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging) that detects a point cloud of feature points of the ground, and sonar that receives reflected waves of ultrasonic waves may be included in the perimeter monitoring sensor 40.

[0026] The in-vehicle communication device 50 is a communication module mounted on the vehicle A. The in-vehicle communication device 50 has at least a function of V2N (Vehicle to cellular Network) communication according to communication standards such as LTE (Long Term Evolution) and 5G, and transmits and receives radio waves to and from base stations around the vehicle A. The in-vehicle communication device 50 may further have functions such as vehicle to roadside infrastructure (hereinafter "V2I") communication and vehicle to vehicle (hereinafter "V2V") communication. The in-vehicle communication device 50 enables cooperation between the cloud and the in-vehicle system (Cloud to Car) through V2N communication. By mounting the in-vehicle communication device 50, the vehicle A becomes a connected car that can be connected to the Internet. The in-vehicle communication device 50 acquires traffic congestion information distributed from a traffic information center or the like, and provides the information to the second automatic driving ECU 70, the HCU 100, and the like.

[0027] The first automatic driving ECU 60 and the second automatic driving ECU 70 are mainly composed of a computer equipped with a processor 62, 72, a memory 61, 71, an input / output interface, and a bus connecting these, etc. The first automatic driving ECU 60 and the second automatic driving ECU 70 are ECUs capable of executing automatic driving control that controls part or substantially all of the driving of the vehicle A.

[0028] The first automatic driving ECU 60 has a partial automatic driving function that partially takes over the driving operation of the driver. The second automatic driving ECU 70 has an automatic driving function that can take over the driving operation of the driver. As an example, in the automatic driving levels defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers, the first automatic driving ECU 60 enables partial automatic driving control (advanced driving assistance) of level 2 or lower. In other words, the first automatic driving ECU 60 makes it possible to implement automatic driving control that requires the driver to monitor the surroundings. In other words, the first automatic driving ECU 60 makes it possible to implement automatic driving in which the second task described below is prohibited.

[0029] For example, the first automatic driving ECU 60 can execute one or both of longitudinal control and lateral control of vehicle A. Here, the longitudinal direction is the direction that coincides with the front-to-rear direction of vehicle A, and the lateral direction is the direction that coincides with the width direction of vehicle A. The first automatic driving ECU 60 executes control of acceleration and deceleration of vehicle A as longitudinal control. Also, the first automatic driving ECU 60 executes steering angle control of the steering wheels of vehicle A as lateral control.

[0030] The first automatic driving ECU 60 constructs a plurality of functional units that realize the above-mentioned advanced driving assistance by causing the processor 62 to execute a plurality of commands in accordance with the driving assistance program stored in the memory 61. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 2, the first automatic driving ECU 60 constructs an environment recognition unit 63, an ACC control unit 64, an LTA control unit 65, etc. as functional units.

[0031] The environment recognition unit 63 recognizes the driving environment around the vehicle A based on the detection information acquired from the periphery monitoring sensor 40. The environment recognition unit 63 provides the analysis result of the detection information carried out for the driving environment recognition to the ACC control unit 64 and the LTA control unit 65 as analyzed detection information. As an example, the environment recognition unit 63 generates information (lane information) indicating the relative positions and shapes of the left and right dividing lines or road edges of the lane in which the vehicle A is currently traveling (hereinafter, the current lane) as analyzed detection information. In addition, the environment recognition unit 63 generates information (preceding vehicle information) indicating the presence or absence of a preceding vehicle preceding the vehicle A in the current lane and, if there is a preceding vehicle, its position and speed as analyzed detection information. The environment recognition unit 63 sequentially provides the preceding vehicle information to the ACC control unit 64 and sequentially provides the lane information to the LTA control unit 65. The environment recognition unit 63 may be configured to recognize MD areas, AD areas, and sections in which periphery monitoring is not required and sections in which periphery monitoring is required, which will be described later.

[0032] The ACC control unit 64 executes ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) control to realize constant speed driving of the vehicle A at a target speed or driving to follow the preceding vehicle based on the preceding vehicle information. The LTA control unit 65 executes LTA (Lane Tracing Assist) control to keep the vehicle A traveling within the lane based on the lane information. Specifically, each of the control units 64, 65 generates control commands for acceleration / deceleration or steering angle, and sequentially provides them to the vehicle control ECU 80 described later. The ACC control is an example of longitudinal control, and the LTA control is an example of lateral control.

[0033] The first automatic driving ECU 60 executes both the ACC control and the LTA control to realize automatic driving of Level 2. Note that the first automatic driving ECU 60 may be capable of realizing automatic driving of Level 1 by executing either the ACC control or the LTA control.

[0034] On the other hand, the second automatic driving ECU 70 enables automatic driving control of level 3 or higher among the above-mentioned automatic driving levels. That is, the second automatic driving ECU 70 enables automatic driving in which the driver is permitted to suspend surrounding monitoring. In other words, the second automatic driving ECU 70 enables automatic driving in which the second task is permitted.

[0035] Here, the second task is an action other than driving permitted to the driver, and is a specific action that is specified in advance. During the automatic driving period in which the vehicle A is automatically driven by the level 3 automatic driving function of the second automatic driving ECU 70, the driver in this case is a person (passenger) who takes over the driving control from the automatic driving system when leaving a limited area or in an emergency. The driver may be legally permitted to perform the second task until a request to perform driving operation by the automatic driving system, that is, a request to take over driving (Take Over Request) occurs.

[0036] The second task may be called a secondary activity or other activity. The second task must not prevent the driver from responding to a request from the automated driving system to take over the driving operation. As an example, watching content such as a video, operating a smartphone, reading, eating, and other activities are assumed as the second task.

[0037] The second automatic driving ECU 70 constructs a plurality of functional units that realize the above-mentioned automatic driving by causing the processor 72 to execute a plurality of commands by the automatic driving program stored in the memory 71. Specifically, the second automatic driving ECU 70 constructs an environment recognition unit 73, an action planning unit 74, a trajectory generation unit 75, etc. as functional units.

[0038] The environment recognition unit 73 recognizes the driving environment around the vehicle A based on the detection information acquired from the perimeter monitoring sensor 40, the vehicle position and map data acquired from the locator ECU 34, the communication information acquired from the in-vehicle communication device 50, etc. As an example, the environment recognition unit 73 recognizes the current lane position of the vehicle A, the shape of the current lane, and the relative positions and relative speeds of moving objects around the vehicle A, etc. The environment recognition unit 73 sequentially provides the above recognition results to the action planning unit 74 and the trajectory generation unit 75.

[0039] In addition, the environment recognition unit 73 distinguishes between manual driving areas (MD areas) and automatic driving areas (AD areas) in the area where the vehicle A is traveling, and sequentially provides the recognition results to the HCU 100.

[0040] The MD area is an area where automated driving is prohibited. In other words, the MD area is an area where the driver is required to perform all of the longitudinal control, lateral control, and periphery monitoring of the vehicle A. For example, the MD area is an area where the driving route is a general road.

[0041] An AD area is an area where autonomous driving is permitted. In the following, it is assumed that at least autonomous driving level 3 is permitted in an AD area. In other words, an AD area is an area where vehicle A can take over one or more of longitudinal control, lateral control, and periphery monitoring. An AD area is assumed to be a predefined area. The environment recognition unit 73 distinguishes between an AD area and an MD area based on map data. For example, an AD area is assumed to be an area where the driving road is an expressway or a motorway.

[0042] AD areas are divided into sections where automated driving of level 2 or lower is possible (sections requiring perimeter monitoring) and sections where automated driving of level 3 or higher is possible (sections not requiring perimeter monitoring). Sections requiring perimeter monitoring are sections that are defined based on the road structure, such as merging sections and branching sections. Sections not requiring perimeter monitoring are sections of AD areas other than sections requiring perimeter monitoring, and straight sections in particular are included in sections not requiring perimeter monitoring.

[0043] In addition, the environment recognition unit 73 determines whether or not the vehicle A is in a traffic jam. The environment recognition unit 73 determines that the vehicle A is in a traffic jam when the state in which the traveling speed of the vehicle A is within the threshold range continues for a predetermined period of time. Alternatively, the environment recognition unit 73 may determine whether or not the vehicle A is in a traffic jam by combining the vehicle position and the traffic jam information acquired from the in-vehicle communication device 50. The environment recognition unit 73 may use detection information from the periphery monitoring sensor 40 to determine whether or not the vehicle A is in a traffic jam.

[0044] The action planning unit 74 plans future actions scheduled for the vehicle A based on the recognition result of the driving environment. Specifically, when the action planning unit 74 acquires an instruction to start autonomous driving in cooperation with the HCU 100 described later, the action planning unit 74 determines a type of behavior that the vehicle A should take to arrive at the destination as a future action. The future action is, for example, going straight, turning right, turning left, changing lanes, etc. In addition, when the action planning unit 74 determines that it is necessary to transfer the driving control to the driver, it generates a handover request and provides it to the HCU 100.

[0045] The trajectory generation unit 75 generates a driving trajectory of the vehicle A in a section where autonomous driving is possible, based on the recognition result of the driving environment and the determined future action. The driving trajectory includes, for example, a target position of the vehicle A according to the progress and a target speed at each target position. The trajectory generation unit 75 sequentially provides the generated driving trajectory to the vehicle control ECU 80 as a control command to be followed by the vehicle A during autonomous driving.

[0046] The autonomous driving system including the autonomous driving ECUs 60, 70 described above enables vehicle A to perform at least autonomous driving equivalent to level 2 and level 3.

[0047] The vehicle control ECU 80 is an electronic control device that performs acceleration / deceleration control and steering control of the vehicle A. Examples of the vehicle control ECU 80 include a steering ECU that performs steering control, a power unit control ECU that performs acceleration / deceleration control, and a brake ECU. The vehicle control ECU 80 acquires detection signals output from each sensor mounted on the vehicle A, such as a steering angle sensor and a vehicle speed sensor, and outputs control signals to each driving control device, such as an electronically controlled throttle, a brake actuator, and an EPS (Electric Power Steering) motor. The vehicle control ECU 80 acquires a control instruction for the vehicle A from the first automatic driving ECU 60 or the second automatic driving ECU 70, and controls each driving control device to realize automatic driving according to the control instruction.

[0048] The vehicle control ECU 80 is also connected to an on-board sensor 81 that detects driving operation information of the driving members by the driver. The on-board sensor 81 includes, for example, a pedal sensor that detects the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal, and a steer sensor that detects the amount of steering. Note that the on-board sensor 81 may also include a grip sensor that detects the grip of the steering wheel. The vehicle control ECU 80 sequentially provides the detected driving operation information to the HCU 100.

[0049] The DSM 27 includes a near-infrared light source, a near-infrared camera, and a control unit for controlling them. The DSM 27 is installed, for example, on the upper surface of the steering column or the upper surface of the instrument panel 9 with the near-infrared camera facing the headrest of the driver's seat. The DSM 27 uses the near-infrared camera to capture an image of the driver's head illuminated with near-infrared light by the near-infrared light source. The image captured by the near-infrared camera is analyzed by the control unit. The control unit extracts information such as the position and line of sight of the driver from the captured image, and provides the extracted driver's state information to the HCU 100, etc., via the communication bus 99.

[0050] Next, the multiple display devices, the audio device 24, the operation device 26, and the HCU 100 included in the HMI system will be described in detail.

[0051] The multiple display devices include a head-up display (hereinafter, HUD) 21, a meter display 22, and a center information display (hereinafter, CID) 23. The multiple display devices may further include displays EMB, EML, and EMR of the electronic mirror system shown in Fig. 3. The HUD 21, the meter display 22, and the CID 23 are displays that present image content, such as still images or videos, to the driver as visual information.

[0052] Based on the control signal and image data acquired from the HCU 100, the HUD 21 projects the light of the image formed in front of the driver onto a projection area PA defined on the windshield WS or the like. The light of the image reflected by the windshield WS into the interior of the vehicle is perceived by the driver sitting in the driver's seat. In this way, the HUD 21 displays a virtual image in the space in front of the projection area PA. The driver visually recognizes the virtual image within the angle of view VA displayed by the HUD 21 superimposed on the foreground of the vehicle A.

[0053] The meter display 22 and the CID 23 are mainly configured to include, for example, a liquid crystal display or an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) display. The meter display 22 and the CID 23 display various images on the display screen based on the control signal and video data acquired from the HCU 100. The meter display 22 is installed, for example, in front of the driver's seat. The CID 23 is provided in a central area in the vehicle width direction in front of the driver. For example, the CID 23 is installed above the center cluster in the instrument panel 9. The CID 23 has a touch panel function and detects, for example, touch operations and swipe operations on the display screen by the driver or the like. The CID 23 is an example of a "center display".

[0054] The audio device 24 has a plurality of speakers installed in the vehicle cabin. The audio device 24 presents an alarm sound, a voice message, or the like as auditory information to the driver based on a control signal and voice data acquired from the HCU 100. In other words, the audio device 24 is an information presentation device capable of presenting information in a manner different from visual information.

[0055] The operation device 26 is an input unit that accepts a user device by a driver or the like. User operations related to starting and stopping each level of an autonomous driving function, for example, are input to the operation device 26. The operation device 26 includes, for example, a steering switch provided on the spokes of the steering wheel, an operation lever provided on the steering column, and a voice input device that recognizes the contents of the driver's speech.

[0056] The HCU 100 controls the presentation of information to the driver based on information from the above-mentioned first automatic driving ECU 60 and second automatic driving ECU 70, etc. The HCU 100 mainly includes a computer equipped with a memory 101, a processor 102, an input / output interface, and a bus connecting these. The processor 102 is hardware for arithmetic processing. The processor 102 includes at least one type of core among a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and a RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer)-CPU, for example.

[0057] The memory 101 is at least one type of non-transitory tangible storage medium, such as a semiconductor memory, a magnetic medium, an optical medium, etc., that non-temporarily stores or stores computer-readable programs and data, etc. The memory 101 stores various programs executed by the processor 102, such as a presentation control program described below.

[0058] The processor 102 executes a plurality of instructions included in the presentation control program stored in the memory 101. In this way, the HCU 100 constructs a plurality of functional units for controlling presentation to the driver. In this manner, in the HCU 100, a plurality of functional units are constructed by the presentation control program stored in the memory 101 causing the processor 102 to execute a plurality of instructions. Specifically, in the HCU 100, functional units such as a surrounding state grasping unit 110, a driving state control unit 120, a driver state estimation unit 130, and a presentation information adjustment unit 140 are constructed as shown in FIG. 2.

[0059] The surrounding state grasping unit 110 acquires the recognition result of the driving environment from the environment recognition unit 63 of the first automatic driving ECU 60 or the environment recognition unit 73 of the second automatic driving ECU 70. The surrounding state grasping unit 110 grasps the surrounding state of the vehicle A based on the acquired recognition result. Specifically, the surrounding state grasping unit 110 grasps the approach to an AD area, the entry into an AD area, whether or not the vehicle is involved in a traffic jam, and the like. The surrounding state grasping unit 110 sequentially provides the grasped surrounding state information to the driving state control unit 120. Note that the surrounding state grasping unit 110 may grasp the surrounding state based on information acquired directly from the locator ECU 34, the surrounding monitoring sensor 40, etc., instead of the recognition result acquired from each automatic driving ECU 60, 70.

[0060] The driver state estimation unit 130 estimates the driver state based on information from the DSM 27, the vehicle control ECU 80, and the like. For example, the driver state estimation unit 130 estimates whether or not each body part of the driver is involved in the driving operation as the driver state. Specifically, the driver state estimation unit 130 determines whether or not the driver's eyes are monitoring the surroundings based on state information related to the line of sight direction of the driver acquired from the DSM 27. In addition, the driver state estimation unit 130 determines whether or not the driver is gripping the steering wheel with his / her hands based on the steering amount acquired from the vehicle control ECU 80. That is, the driver state estimation unit 130 distinguishes between a hands-on state in which the driver grips the steering wheel and a hands-off state in which the driver stops gripping the steering wheel. The driver state estimation unit 130 may distinguish between a hands-on state and a hands-off state based on detection information from a grip sensor, and the like. The driver state estimation unit 130 sequentially provides the estimated driver state to the driving state control unit 120.

[0061] In addition, the driver state estimation unit 130 estimates the driver's readiness. Here, readiness is the degree of preparation of the driver for automatic driving. Readiness can also be said to be a criterion for measuring whether or not the driver is in a state in which automatic driving can be permitted.

[0062] The driver state estimation unit 130 classifies the driver's readiness into a plurality of levels. For example, the driver state estimation unit 130 classifies the readiness into an acceptable level where the driver is ready for at least level 3 automated driving, and an unacceptable level where the driver is not ready for level 3 or higher automated driving. Furthermore, the driver state estimation unit 130 classifies the unacceptable level into an unacceptable level 1 where the driver is ready for level 2 automated driving, and an unacceptable level 2 where the driver is not ready for all levels of automated driving.

[0063] The driver state estimation unit 130 estimates readiness according to the degree of concentration on the driver's driving operation, particularly on surrounding monitoring. Specifically, the driver state estimation unit 130 estimates readiness according to the degree of inattentiveness, thinking, and alertness. The driver state estimation unit 130 judges the degree of inattentiveness, thinking, and alertness based on state information from the DSM 27. For example, the driver state estimation unit 130 makes a judgment regarding inattentiveness based on the driver's line of sight. In addition, the driver state estimation unit 130 makes a judgment regarding thinking based on the number of times the driver blinks, the line of sight, and the degree of eyelid opening. The driver state estimation unit 130 makes a judgment regarding alertness based on the degree of eyelid opening, etc.

[0064] As an example, when the driver state estimation unit 130 determines that the driver is not looking aside or thinking a lot or the degree of looking aside or thinking a lot is within a tolerable range and the driver is awake, the driver state estimation unit 130 estimates that the readiness is at an acceptable level. When the driver state estimation unit 130 determines that the degree of looking aside and thinking a lot is outside the acceptable range and within a level 1 range that is larger than the acceptable range, the driver state estimation unit 130 estimates that the readiness is at an unacceptable level 1. Furthermore, when the driver state estimation unit 130 determines that the degree of looking aside and thinking a lot is outside the level 1 range, the driver state estimation unit 130 estimates that the readiness is at an unacceptable level 2.

[0065] The driver state estimation unit 130 accumulates the state data of the driver during manual driving as reference data for estimating readiness. The driver state estimation unit 130 identifies the driver seated in the driver's seat, and if there is state data accumulated up to the last time, reuses the data. The driver may be identified by extracting the driver's physical characteristics or by personal authentication based on the driver's input, etc.

[0066] The driver state estimation unit 130 accumulates imaging data for a predetermined time during manual driving as reference data.Then, the driver state estimation unit 130 accumulates imaging data for a similar measurement time during autonomous driving as state data for judgment.The driver state estimation unit 130 estimates readiness by comparing the above reference data with the judgment target data.

[0067] When the vehicle temporarily shifts from the previous automatic driving to manual driving and then shifts to the current automatic driving, the driver state estimation unit 130 determines whether the previous state data for judgment can be used to estimate the current readiness. In particular, when the vehicle shifts to manual driving due to the fact that it is no longer possible to obtain state data, such as when the DSM 27 is no longer able to detect the line of sight, the driver state estimation unit 130 performs the above-mentioned determination. Specifically, the driver state estimation unit 130 determines whether the length of the period in which the vehicle was in a manual driving state is within an allowable range. If it is determined to be within the allowable range, the driver state estimation unit 130 uses the previous state data for judgment to estimate the current readiness.

[0068] In addition, the driver state estimation unit 130 determines whether the readiness during the measurement period of the previous state data was at an acceptable level or at a non-acceptable level 1. Even when the driver state estimation unit 130 determines that the readiness was at an acceptable level, it uses the previous state data for judgment in estimating the current readiness.

[0069] For example, the driver state estimation unit 130 determines the measurement time of the state data for the current judgment based on the measurement time of the state data for the previous judgment. Specifically, the driver state estimation unit 130 sets the measurement time of the state data for the current judgment so that the sum of the previous measurement time and the current measurement time becomes the accumulated time. Note that the driver state estimation unit 130 may reset the accumulation of the imaging data when the driver's posture or behavior changes significantly when the driving mode is shifted to manual driving. The driver state estimation unit 130 sequentially provides the estimated readiness to the driving state control unit 120.

[0070] On the other hand, if the driver state estimation unit 130 determines that the length of the period in which the vehicle was in a manual driving state is outside the allowable range, or that the readiness during the measurement period of the previous state data was at unacceptable level 1, the driver state estimation unit 130 does not use the previous state data for judgment in estimating the current readiness. In this case, the driver state estimation unit 130 measures the current state data, and uses only the measured state data in estimating the readiness.

[0071] The driving state control unit 120, in cooperation with the second automatic driving ECU 70 and the first automatic driving ECU 60, controls changes to the automatic driving state.

[0072] Specifically, the driving state control unit 120 controls permission for transition of autonomous driving levels and transition to the permitted autonomous driving level. In particular, the driving state control unit 120 controls transition between autonomous driving level 2 and autonomous driving level 3 in the AD area. Since the location of control authority for driving operations differs between autonomous driving levels 2 and 3, it can also be said that the driving state control unit 120 controls driving changeover. The driving state control unit 120 controls the autonomous driving level based on the driver's readiness. Specifically, the driving state control unit 120 determines the autonomous driving level to which the driver will transition based on the readiness at the autonomous driving level before the transition.

[0073] The control of the transition from autonomous driving level 2 to level 3 will be described. In this case, the driving state control unit 120 requests the driver to take their hands off at autonomous driving level 2, and then permits the transition to autonomous driving level 3. In detail, the driving state control unit 120 first determines whether or not readiness is at an acceptable level in the hands-on state of autonomous driving level 2.

[0074] When the readiness is determined to be at an acceptable level, the driving state control unit 120 generates hands-off possible information. The driving state control unit 120 provides the hands-off possible information to the presentation information adjustment unit 140. After the hands-off possible notification (described later) by the presentation information adjustment unit 140 that has acquired the hands-off possible information, the driving state control unit 120 determines whether the driver has performed hands-off based on the driver state information. Note that when the driving state control unit 120 determines that the readiness is at an unacceptable level 1, it maintains the hands-on state of autonomous driving level 2. Also, when the driving state control unit 120 determines that the readiness is at an unacceptable level 2, it determines to transition to autonomous driving level 0, i.e., manual driving mode.

[0075] When it is determined that the hands-off has been performed, the driving state control unit 120 again determines whether or not the readiness is at an acceptable level in the hands-off state. When it is determined that the readiness is at an acceptable level, the driving state control unit 120 permits a transition from autonomous driving level 2 to level 3. At this time, the driving state control unit 120 generates level 3 feasible information. The driving state control unit 120 provides the level 3 feasible information to the presentation information adjustment unit 140. After the presentation information adjustment unit 140, which has acquired the level 3 feasible information, issues a level 3 feasible notification (described later), the driving state control unit 120 determines whether or not an instruction to execute autonomous driving level 3 has been acquired from the driver.

[0076] When the driving state control unit 120 determines that it has acquired an instruction to execute autonomous driving level 3, it starts execution of autonomous driving level 3. At this time, the driving state control unit 120 generates second task feasibility information and provides it to the presentation information adjustment unit 140.

[0077] On the other hand, when the driving state control unit 120 determines that the readiness is unacceptable level 1 in a hands-off state of autonomous driving level 2, it decides to transition to a hands-on state of autonomous driving level 2. At this time, the driving state control unit 120 generates hands-on transition information and provides it to the presentation information adjustment unit 140. Also, when the driving state control unit 120 determines that the readiness is unacceptable level 2 in a hands-off state of autonomous driving level 2, it decides to transition to autonomous driving level 0, that is, a manual driving mode. At this time, the driving state control unit 120 generates manual driving transition information and provides it to the presentation information adjustment unit 140.

[0078] Next, the control of the transition from autonomous driving level 3 to level 2 will be described. The driving state control unit 120 decides to transition from autonomous driving level 3 to level 2 when vehicle A moves from a section where periphery monitoring is not required to a section where periphery monitoring is required, when the vehicle A leaves a congested line of vehicles, etc. When deciding to transition to autonomous driving level 2, the driving state control unit 120 judges whether or not hands-off can be permitted after the transition.

[0079] When the driving state control unit 120 determines that hands-off can be permitted after transition to autonomous driving level 2, it requests the driver to perform hands-on and then permits hands-off at autonomous driving level 2. In detail, when the driving state control unit 120 determines the transition from autonomous driving level 3 to level 2, it first generates level 2 transition information and provides it to the presentation information adjustment unit 140. After the presentation information adjustment unit 140 acquires the level 2 transition information and notifies the driver of a change of driving (described later), the driving state control unit 120 determines whether or not the hands-on state has been entered before the transition to autonomous driving level 2. Since the transition from autonomous driving level 3 to level 2 can occur due to external factors such as the elimination of traffic congestion, there is a high possibility that a relatively large vehicle behavior will occur. Therefore, the driving state control unit 120 prepares for manual driving in an emergency by requesting the driver to hold the steering wheel as described above.

[0080] When it is determined that the vehicle has transitioned to a hands-on state, the driving state control unit 120 determines readiness in the hands-on state. When the readiness in the hands-on state is at an acceptable level, the driving state control unit 120 permits hands-off in autonomous driving level 2. At this time, the driving state control unit 120 generates hands-off possible information and provides it to the presentation information adjustment unit 140. When a hands-off operation is detected after a hands-off possible notification (described later) by the presentation information adjustment unit 140 that has acquired the hands-off possible information, the driving state control unit 120 determines that the vehicle has transitioned to a hands-off state.

[0081] Note that the driving state control unit 120 permits hands-off at autonomous driving level 2 even when readiness is unacceptable level 1 in a hands-on state. In this case, the driving state control unit 120 provides unacceptable level 1 information to the presentation information adjustment unit 140. However, when readiness is unacceptable level 2 in a hands-on state, the driving state control unit 120 prohibits autonomous driving level 2. In this case, the driving state control unit 120 decides to transition to the manual driving mode, generates manual driving transition information, and provides it to the presentation information adjustment unit 140.

[0082] The driving state control unit 120 requests the driver to keep the hands on as a recommended action during the transition from autonomous driving level 3 to level 2 described above. Therefore, even if it is determined that the driver did not transition to a hands-on state before transitioning to autonomous driving level 2 after the driving changeover notification, that is, the driver transitioned to level 2 while remaining in a hands-off state, the driving state control unit 120 allows the hands-off state at autonomous driving level 2.

[0083] When the driving state control unit 120 receives an instruction from the driver to execute autonomous driving level 3 in a state in which transition to autonomous driving level 3 is permitted, the driving state control unit 120 actually executes a transition from autonomous driving level 2 to autonomous driving level 3.

[0084] In addition, when it is determined that level 2 autonomous driving is permitted, the driving state control unit 120 determines whether or not to permit hands-off at level 2. Specifically, the driving state control unit 120 determines whether or not to permit hands-off when certain conditions are met based on the execution state of LTA, the presence or absence of high-precision map data around vehicle A, lane conditions, the driver's surrounding monitoring state, the road shape around vehicle A, and the like.

[0085] The specific conditions include, for example, that LTA control is being executed, that high-precision map data is available around vehicle A, and that at least one of the left and right dividing lines of the current lane can be detected. Further, the specific conditions include that it is possible to determine that the driver is monitoring the surroundings, and that the driving section is not a section with a complex road structure. Note that a section with a complex road structure is, for example, a merging section or a branching section. The driving state control unit 120 may determine that hands-off is permitted when at least one of the above conditions is satisfied.

[0086] The driving state control unit 120 determines the autonomous driving level to actually be executed based on the currently permitted autonomous driving level, the driver's state information, and input information to the operation device 26. That is, when an instruction to start the currently permitted autonomous driving level is acquired as input information, the driving state control unit 120 decides to execute the autonomous driving level. However, when level 3 autonomous driving is permitted while level 2 autonomous driving is being executed and the vehicle is in a hands-on state, the driving state control unit 120 determines to execute level 3 without acquiring any input information.

[0087] The presentation information adjustment unit 140 controls the presentation of content related to autonomous driving based on information acquired from the surrounding state grasping unit 110, the driving state control unit 120, and the driver state estimation unit 130.

[0088] Specifically, the presentation information adjustment unit 140 first selects content to be presented on each presentation device based on various information. Then, the presentation information adjustment unit 140 arbitrates the content to be displayed on each display device. Specifically, the presentation information adjustment unit 140 comprehensively judges the priority of each content based on various information, and selects the content judged to have a high priority as the content to be presented. In addition, the presentation information adjustment unit 140 can sequentially change the display size and display layout of each content to be displayed on each display device according to the priority. As an example, the presentation information adjustment unit 140 increases the display size of content with a higher priority. As another example, the presentation information adjustment unit 140 positions content with a higher priority toward the front of each display area.

[0089] Based on the above selection results and arbitration results, the presentation information adjustment unit 140 generates a control signal and video data to be provided to each display device, and a control signal and audio data to be provided to the audio device 24. The presentation information adjustment unit 140 outputs the generated control signal and each data to each presentation device, thereby presenting information on each presentation device. The presentation information adjustment unit 140 is an example of an "permission state control unit."

[0090] Next, the contents presented by the presentation information adjustment unit 140 will be described below with reference to Fig. 9. The HCU 100 performs notifications related to autonomous driving, such as a hands-off possible notification, a level 3 possible notification, a second task possible notification, a driving change notification, a hands-on request notification, a readiness NG notification, a readiness measurement in progress notification, and a manual driving transition notification.

[0091] The hands-off possible notification is presented based on the hands-off possible information. In the hands-off possible notification, for example, a content is displayed on the HUD 21 and the meter display 22 to notify that hands-off is possible. For example, in the hands-off possible notification, a message content CTm is displayed on the HUD 21 and the meter display 22. The message content CTm includes text information such as "Hands-off is now possible."

[0092] The level 3 possible notification is presented based on the level 3 possible information. In the level 3 possible notification, for example, the fact that level 3 is possible is notified by displaying the content on the HUD 21 and the meter display 22. For example, in the level 3 possible notification, the message content CTm is displayed in the same manner as the hands-off possible notification. In this case, the message content CTm may include text information indicating that the autonomous driving level 3 is possible, such as "Autonomous driving level 3 is now possible" or "Eyes-off is now possible". In addition, in the level 3 possible notification, the presentation information adjustment unit 140 displays a level 3 transition possibility button that inquires the driver about the possibility of transitioning to level 3. The presentation information adjustment unit 140 may display the level 3 transition possibility button by illuminating the corresponding input part of the operation device 26, or may display the level 3 transition possibility button as content on any of the display devices.

[0093] The second task possible notification is presented based on the second task possible information. In the second task possible notification, for example, the fact that the second task is possible is notified by displaying content on the HUD 21, the meter display 22, and the CID 23. For example, in the second task possible notification, a message content CTm is displayed, similar to the hands-off possible notification, etc. In this case, the message content CTm may include text information indicating that the second task is possible, such as "The second task is possible."

[0094] The driving change notification is presented based on the level 2 transition information. In the driving change notification, for example, the vehicle A notifies the driver of the driving change by displaying the contents on the HUD 21, the meter display 22, and the CID 23. Furthermore, the driving change notification may also include a hands-on request notification that requests the driver to put his hands on the vehicle. For example, in the driving change notification, the message content CTm is displayed, as in the hands-off possible notification. In this case, the message content CTm may include text information indicating that a driving change is necessary, such as "Please take over the driving" or "Autonomous driving level 3 will be canceled," and text information encouraging a hands-on driving, such as "Please hold the steering wheel." Alternatively, the driving change notification and the hands-on request notification may be displayed separately in different message contents CTm. In addition, the hands-on request notification is presented together with the readiness NG notification described later, even when the readiness is at a non-acceptable level 1 in a state in which a transition to autonomous driving level 3 is permitted if the readiness is at an acceptable level. Note that the hands-on request notification is not executed when transitioning from level 2 to level 3 autonomous driving.

[0095] The readiness NG notification is presented based on the readiness information. In the readiness NG notification, for example, a notification that the readiness has not reached an acceptable level is given by displaying content on the HUD 21, the meter display 22, and the CID 23. In the readiness NG notification, a message content CTm including text information indicating that the readiness has not reached an acceptable level is displayed.

[0096] The readiness measurement in progress notification notifies the user that readiness measurement is in progress when the readiness measurement is in progress. Specifically, the presentation information adjustment unit 140 issues the readiness measurement in progress notification when the state data accumulated up to the last time cannot be used for the current readiness estimation, that is, when the state data required for the readiness estimation is to be accumulated again. In the readiness measurement in progress notification, a message content CTm including text information indicating that the readiness is being measured is displayed.

[0097] The manual driving transition notification is presented based on the manual driving transition information from the driver state estimation unit 130. In the manual driving transition notification, for example, the transition from automatic driving to manual driving is notified by displaying content on the HUD 21, the meter display 22, and the CID 23. In the manual driving transition notification, for example, a message content CTm including text information indicating the transition to manual driving is displayed. The manual driving transition notification can also be expressed as a level 0 transition notification.

[0098] In addition, in at least one of the above notifications, display may be performed using visual content other than text information, such as symbols and patterns. For example, in the hands-off possible notification and hands-on request notification, the content of each notification may be displayed using icons resembling a steering wheel and hands. In addition, in at least one of the above notifications, instead of or in addition to displaying content, information may be presented using sound, vibration, or the like.

[0099] Next, a specific example of the transition of the autonomous driving level and the associated information presentation will be described with reference to the time charts of Figs. 4 to 8.

[0100] FIG. 4 shows the transition from autonomous driving level 2 to level 3. In the example of FIG. 4, it is assumed that readiness is always at an acceptable level. In this case, before the transition to autonomous driving level 3, a hands-off possible notification is issued in the hands-on state of autonomous driving level 2. After that, when the driver's action transitions to the hands-off state, a level 3 possible notification is issued. Here, when the driver issues an instruction to transition to level 3, the vehicle transitions to autonomous driving level 3, and then a second task possible notification is issued.

[0101] FIG. 5 shows the transition from autonomous driving level 3 to level 2 where hands-off is possible. In the example of FIG. 5, it is assumed that the readiness is always at an acceptable level. In this case, when the transition to autonomous driving level 2 is decided, a driving change notification is first implemented. The driving change notification includes a hands-on request notification as described above. When the driver performs a hands-on operation in response to this, a hands-off possible notification is implemented. When the driver receives this and performs a hands-off operation, the transition to the hands-off state of autonomous driving level 2 is made. Note that even if the driver does not perform a hands-on operation after the driving change notification is presented, the transition to autonomous driving level 2 is made.

[0102] Fig. 6 shows a case where readiness is unacceptable level 1 in a hands-off state of autonomous driving level 2. In the example of Fig. 6, it is assumed that vehicle A enters a section where perimeter monitoring is not required or joins a congested queue, and if readiness is at an acceptable level, it would be possible to transition to autonomous driving level 3. In this case, in the hands-off state of autonomous driving level 2, a readiness NG notification and a hands-on request notification are presented.

[0103] Then, assume that after the above-mentioned notification, the vehicle transitions to a hands-on state of automated driving level 2, and then the readiness changes to unacceptable level 2. In this case, after a readiness NG notification and a notification of transition to manual driving are presented, the vehicle transitions to manual driving.

[0104] Figure 7 shows the case where readiness becomes unacceptable level 1 after transitioning from autonomous driving level 3 to a level 2 hands-on state. When readiness becomes unacceptable level 1 in a level 2 hands-on state, a readiness NG notification is displayed while the autonomous driving level is maintained.

[0105] Fig. 8 is a time chart regarding a method of measuring state data accompanying a transition of the autonomous driving level. In the example of Fig. 8, the autonomous driving level changes in sequence from level 0 (manual driving) to autonomous driving 2 (hands-off state), and then the vehicle temporarily transitions to manual driving due to factors such as the inability to detect the driver's line of sight.

[0106] First, the driver state estimation unit 130 accumulates the driver's state data as reference data during manual driving. After that, when transitioning to the hands-on state of autonomous driving level 2, the driver state estimation unit 130 estimates readiness based on the state data at this time and the reference data. When the readiness is at an acceptable level and transitioning to the hands-on state of autonomous driving level 2 occurs, the driver state estimation unit 130 accumulates the state data at this time (data B) as state data for judgment. At this time, if the driver's line of sight cannot be detected, the presentation information adjustment unit 140 issues a readiness NG notification, and then the driving state control unit 120 executes a transition to manual driving.

[0107] After that, when the driver's line of sight becomes detectable again, the driving state control unit 120 returns the autonomous driving level to the hands-on state of level 2. At this time, the driver state estimation unit 130 determines whether or not data B, which is the previous state data, is available. If it is determined that data B is unavailable, the driver state estimation unit 130 starts accumulating state data for determination again, and the presentation information adjustment unit 140 issues a notification that readiness measurement is in progress.

[0108] Next, the flow of the presentation control method executed by the HCU 100 in cooperation with the functional blocks will be described below with reference to Figures 10 to 12. In the flow described below, "S" means multiple steps of the flow that are executed by multiple commands included in the presentation control program.

[0109] First, a flow for transitioning from a hands-on state of autonomous driving level 2 to autonomous driving level 3 will be described. First, in S101 of Fig. 10, the driving state control unit 120 waits until autonomous driving level 3 becomes tolerable. If it is determined that autonomous driving level 3 has become tolerable, in S102, the driver state estimation unit 130 determines whether or not readiness is at an acceptable level.

[0110] If it is determined that the readiness is not at the acceptable level, the process proceeds to S103, where the driver state estimation unit 130 determines whether the readiness is at unacceptable level 1. If it is determined that the readiness is at unacceptable level 1, the presentation information adjustment unit 140 executes a readiness NG notice and a hands-on request notice in S104, and returns to S102. If it is determined in S103 that the readiness is not at unacceptable level 1, that is, at unacceptable level 2, the process proceeds to S105, where the presentation information adjustment unit 140 executes a readiness NG notice. Next, in S106, the driving state control unit 120 determines to transition to manual driving, prohibits automatic driving for a predetermined period of time, and then ends the series of processes.

[0111] On the other hand, if it is determined in S102 that the readiness is at an acceptable level, the process proceeds to S110. In S110, the presentation information adjustment unit 140 executes a hands-off possible notification. Then, in S111, the driver state estimation unit 130 determines whether the driver has executed a hands-off operation.

[0112] Next, in S112, the driver state estimation unit 130 determines whether or not the readiness is at an acceptable level. If it is determined that the readiness is at an unacceptable level, the process proceeds to S103. On the other hand, if it is determined that the readiness is at an acceptable level in S112, the presentation information adjustment unit 140 executes a level 3 possible notification in S113.

[0113] Next, in S114, the driving state control unit 120 determines whether or not a level 3 execution instruction has been acquired. If it is determined that a level 3 execution instruction has not been acquired, the driving state control unit 120 waits until the instruction is acquired. If it is determined that the instruction has been acquired, the process proceeds to S115, where the driving state control unit 120 executes a transition to level 3. After that, in S116, the presentation information adjustment unit 140 executes a second task possible notification. After executing S116, the series of processes ends.

[0114] Next, a flow for transitioning from autonomous driving level 3 to autonomous driving level 2 will be described. First, in S201 of Fig. 11, the driving state control unit 120 determines whether or not a transition to autonomous driving level 2, which allows hands-off driving, is imminent. If it is determined that a transition is imminent, in S202, the driving state control unit 120 determines whether the reason for the transition is the resolution of congestion or an exit from a section where perimeter monitoring is not required (Lv3 area).

[0115] When it is determined in S202 that the reason for the transition is the resolution of the traffic jam, in S203, the presentation information adjustment unit 140 executes a driving change notification without a hands-on notification. In other words, in S203, the request to the driver to hold the steering wheel is interrupted. After executing S203, the process proceeds to S206.

[0116] On the other hand, when it is determined that the reason for the transition is an exit from a section where periphery monitoring is not required, in S204, the presentation information adjustment unit 140 executes a driving change notification with a hands-on notification.

[0117] Then, in S205, the driver state estimation unit 130 determines whether or not the driver has performed a hands-on state before transitioning to autonomous driving level 2. If the driver does not perform a hands-on state before the transition, that is, if the driver maintains a hands-off state while transitioning to autonomous driving level 2, the series of processes ends without requesting the driver to perform a hands-on state again.

[0118] On the other hand, if it is determined in S204 that the hands-on state has been performed before the transition to the autonomous driving level 2, the process proceeds to S206. In S206, the driver state estimation unit 130 determines whether or not the readiness is at an acceptable level. If it is determined that the readiness is at an acceptable level, the presentation information adjustment unit 140 executes a hands-off possible notification in S207. After executing the process of S207, the process proceeds to S211.

[0119] On the other hand, if it is determined in S206 that the readiness is not at the acceptable level, then in S208, the driver state estimation unit 130 determines whether the readiness is at unacceptable level 1. If it is determined that the readiness is at unacceptable level 2, the process proceeds to S209, in which the presentation information adjustment unit 140 issues a readiness NG notice, and the driving state control unit 120 transitions to manual driving, after which the series of processes ends.

[0120] On the other hand, if it is determined in S207 that the readiness is unacceptable level 1, then in S210 the presentation information adjustment unit 140 executes a readiness NG notification. After the process of S210 is executed, the process proceeds to S211. In S211, the driver state estimation unit 130 determines whether or not the driver has performed a hands-off operation. If it is determined that the hands-off operation has not been performed, the process returns to S206, and the readiness determination is repeated. On the other hand, if it is determined that the hands-off operation has been performed, the process ends.

[0121] Next, a flow related to readiness estimation will be described with reference to Fig. 12. First, in S301, the driver state estimation unit 130 determines whether or not the vehicle has temporarily transitioned to manual driving while autonomous driving level 2 is being performed and has then returned to level 2. If a positive determination is made in S301, the process proceeds to S302, where the driver state estimation unit 130 determines whether or not the driver state data from the previous autonomous driving level 2 can be used for the current readiness estimation. If it is determined that the data can be used, in S304, the driver state estimation unit 130 estimates readiness using the previous state data, and then ends the series of processes.

[0122] On the other hand, if it is determined in S302 that the previous state data cannot be used for the current readiness estimation, the process proceeds to S305, where the presentation information adjustment unit 140 issues a readiness measurement in progress notification. Then, in S306, the driver state estimation unit 130 performs readiness estimation using only the current state data, and then ends the series of processes.

[0123] Note that the above-mentioned S201 is an example of a "determination process", and S204 and S207 are an example of a "permission state control process".

[0124] According to the first embodiment described above, when transitioning from autonomous driving level 3 to autonomous driving level 2 where hands-off is permitted, a request to the driver to hold the steering wheel is executed, and hands-off is permitted at autonomous driving level 2. Therefore, when transitioning from autonomous driving level 3 to level 2, the driver is prompted to hold the steering wheel. As a result, it may be possible to provide information that encourages ensuring driving stability.

[0125] In the above embodiment, the driving state control unit 120 is an example of a "determination unit", and the driver state estimation unit 130 is an example of a "readiness degree determination unit". The presentation information adjustment unit 140 is an example of an "permission state control unit". Autonomous driving level 3 or higher is an example of a "monitoring-free state", and autonomous driving level 2 or lower is an example of a "monitoring-required state". Readiness is an example of a "readiness degree", and a section where peripheral monitoring is not required is an example of a "driving area where interruption of peripheral monitoring is permitted".

[0126] Second embodiment In the second embodiment, a modified example of the HCU 100 in the first embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, the presentation information adjustment unit 140 stops the hands-on notification when the reason for the transition from autonomous driving level 3 to level 2 is exiting a section where periphery monitoring is not required. In this case, in S202 of the flow in Fig. 11, the steps to be taken are reversed depending on whether the presentation information adjustment unit 140 determines that the reason for the transition is clearance of traffic congestion or exiting a section where periphery monitoring is not required.

[0127] Third embodiment In the third embodiment, a modified example of the HCU 100 in the first embodiment will be described. When transition to autonomous driving level 3 is permitted, the HCU 100 of the third embodiment transitions to autonomous driving level 3 after requesting the driver to put hands on in a hands-off state at autonomous driving level 2.

[0128] In this case, when the presentation information adjustment unit 140 acquires the level 3 possible information, it executes a level 3 possible notification and a hands-on request notification. When the driver performs a hands-on in this state and then acquires an instruction to execute level 3 autonomous driving, the driving state control unit 120 executes a transition to level 3 autonomous driving.

[0129] The transition from autonomous driving level 2 to level 3 in this embodiment will be described with reference to the time chart in FIG. 13. In the example of FIG. 13, it is assumed that the readiness is always at an acceptable level. In this case, before the transition to autonomous driving level 3, a hands-off possible notification is implemented in the hands-on state of autonomous driving level 2. After that, when the driver's action transitions to the hands-off state, a level 3 possible notification and a hands-on request notification are implemented. Here, when the driver transitions to the hands-on state and then issues an instruction to transition to level 3, the vehicle transitions to autonomous driving level 3, and then a second task possible notification is implemented.

[0130] Next, a flow of the presentation control method executed by the HCU 100 will be described below with reference to Fig. 14. Note that for S101 to S112 and S114 to S116 in Fig. 14, the explanations of the steps with the same reference numerals in Fig. 10 are cited.

[0131] If the driver state estimation unit 130 determines in S112 that the readiness is at an acceptable level, the process proceeds to S113A. In S113A, the presentation information adjustment unit 140 executes a level 3 possible notification and a hands-on request notification. After that, in S113B, the driver state estimation unit 130 determines whether the driver has put his hands on the vehicle. If it is determined that the driver has put his hands on the vehicle, the process executes S114 to S116, and then ends the series of processes.

[0132] (Fourth embodiment) In the fourth embodiment, a modified example of the HCU 100 in the first embodiment will be described. When a transition from autonomous driving level 4 to level 3 or lower is permitted, the HCU 100 of the fourth embodiment transitions to autonomous driving level 3 after requesting the driver to put hands on in a hands-off state at autonomous driving level 2.

[0133] In the fourth embodiment, when switching from autonomous driving level 4 to level 3 or lower, the driving state control unit 120 switches to level 2 hands-on state and then to level 3 or lower. The driving state control unit 120 judges whether or not a securing condition that requires the driver to secure the operation time of the steering wheel is satisfied. The driving state control unit 120 changes the flow of the transition of the autonomous driving level between a case where the driving state is switched from a state where the securing condition is satisfied at level 4 to level 3 or lower, and a case where the driving state is switched from a state where the securing condition is not satisfied at level 4 to level 3 or lower. The transition from autonomous driving level 4 to level 3, level 2 in the hands-off state, level 1, or level 0 (manual driving) corresponds to a "level down transition". The mode in which autonomous driving level 4 is performed is an example of a "level 4 mode", and the mode in which autonomous driving level 3 is performed is an example of a "level 3 mode". In the following, the transition of the driving state can also be rephrased as a transition of the driving state.

[0134] For example, the securing condition is satisfied when the driver sleeps within a predetermined time (for example, about 5 minutes) before the driver takes over. That is, the driving state control unit 120 determines that the securing condition is not satisfied if the driver is awake by the predetermined time before the driver takes over. The securing condition may be that driving at level 4 autonomous driving continues for a predetermined period of time, or that the vehicle is traveling on a road of a specific road type (such as an expressway). The securing condition may be satisfied when at least one of these individual conditions is satisfied, or may be satisfied only when two or more of them are satisfied. The securing condition may have exception conditions set, such as not being satisfied when a surrounding vehicle is present within a predetermined range of the vehicle A, or not being satisfied when the driver's stress exceeds a threshold value.

[0135] In the following description, it is assumed that the securing condition is satisfied when the driver sleeps. When the driver changes from a sleeping state at level 4 to a driving state at level 3 or lower, the driving state control unit 120 makes a decision to transition to level 3 or lower via a level 2 hands-on state (see FIG. 15).

[0136] On the other hand, when the driving state control unit 120 switches to level 3 or lower without sleeping at level 4 and transitions to level 3 or level 2 hands-off, the driving state control unit 120 transitions to the destination level without passing through the level 2 hands-on state (see FIG. 16). In other words, the driving state control unit 120 makes a cancellation decision to cancel the transition to the level 2 hands-on state.

[0137] Then, when the driving state control unit 120 switches to level 3 or lower without sleeping at level 4, and transitions to level 1 or level 0 (manual driving), the driving state control unit 120 transitions to the destination level via level 2 hands-on state (see FIG. 17).

[0138] However, if the driving state control unit 120 determines that the readiness at level 2 is not at an acceptable level, it continues at level 2 (see FIG. 18). Note that, if the driving state control unit 120 determines that there is not enough headway to the MD area, it transitions to level 1 via automatic driving level 2 (FIG. 19).

[0139] In addition, the driving state control unit 120 changes the way of transitioning to level 3 or lower depending on the cause of the need for a driving changeover. Specifically, when a driving changeover from level 4 to level 3 or lower is caused by an external factor such as rain or fog, the driving state control unit 120 transitions to level 2 or lower regardless of whether the vehicle is traveling in an AD area or not, since there is a high possibility that an emergency operation by the driver is required. On the other hand, when a driving changeover occurs due to the end of an AD area where level 4 is possible, the driving state control unit 120 transitions to level 3, since no emergency operation by the driver is required.

[0140] The driver state estimation unit 130 changes the threshold value of readiness determination between a case where the driver changes from a sleeping state at level 4 to level 3 or lower and a case where the driver changes from a sleeping state at level 4 to level 3 or lower without sleeping at level 4. Specifically, the driver state estimation unit 130 sets a larger threshold value of the allowable level of readiness when the driver changes from a sleeping state at level 4 to level 3 or lower than when the driver changes from a sleeping state at level 4 to level 3 or lower without sleeping at level 4. That is, the readiness is determined more strictly when the driver changes from a sleeping state at level 4 to level 3 or lower. For example, the driver state estimation unit 130 may change at least one of the conditions for determining readiness, such as the length of time required to determine readiness as OK, the threshold value for inattentiveness, the threshold value for absentmindedness, and the threshold value for wakefulness.

[0141] Next, a presentation control method executed by the HCU 100 in the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts of Figures 20 and 21. It is assumed that the vehicle A is traveling at autonomous driving level 4 at the start of the flow of Figure 20.

[0142] First, in S401, the driving state control unit 120 determines whether or not it is necessary to transition to autonomous driving level 3 or lower. In S402, the driving state control unit 120 determines the driving state to transition to. If it is determined to transition to autonomous driving level 3 or a hands-off state of level 2, the process proceeds to S403.

[0143] In S403, it is determined whether or not the driver slept while performing autonomous driving level 4. If it is determined that the driver slept, the process proceeds to S404, where the presentation information adjustment unit 140 presents a driving change notification including a hands-on request notification.

[0144] In S405, the surrounding state grasping unit 110 judges whether or not the switching point has been passed. If it is judged that the switching point has been passed, in S406, the driving state control unit 120 executes a transition to level 2. Next, in S407, the driver state estimation unit 130 judges whether or not the readiness is at an acceptable level, that is, whether or not a transition to automated driving level 3 is possible.

[0145] If it is determined that the transition is possible, in S408, the presentation information adjustment unit 140 presents a transition possible notification. Thereafter, in S409, the operating state control unit 120 determines whether or not a transition permission operation has been performed. If it is determined that the transition permission operation has been performed, in S410, the operating state control unit 120 executes the transition. If it is determined that the readiness is at an unacceptable level in S407, the operating state control unit 120 interrupts the transition in S411. Note that if it is determined that the readiness is at an unacceptable level in S407, a process according to the degree of the unacceptable level may be executed, similar to S208 to S210 of the first embodiment.

[0146] On the other hand, if it is determined in S402 that the autonomous driving level should be shifted to level 1 or lower, the flow proceeds to S415 in Fig. 21. The processes of S415, S416, and S417 are similar to the processes of S404, S405, and S406, respectively. In S418 following S417, the driver state estimation unit 130 determines whether the readiness is at an acceptable level, that is, whether it is possible to shift to autonomous driving level 1 or level 0.

[0147] If it is determined that the level is at the allowable level, the presentation information adjustment unit 140 presents a transition possible notification in S419. Then, in S420, the driving state control unit 120 determines whether or not a transition permission operation has been performed. If it is determined that the transition permission operation has been performed, in S421, the driving state control unit 120 executes the transition.

[0148] In addition, in S422, the driving state control unit 120 judges whether there is a margin to the manual driving section. If it is judged that there is a margin, in S423, the driving state control unit 120 stops the transition. After the process of S423, the flow returns to S418.

[0149] On the other hand, if it is determined in S422 that there is no margin, the process proceeds to S424, where the presentation information adjustment unit 140 presents a notification that transition to level 1 is possible. Then, in S425, the driving state control unit 120 determines whether or not a transition permission operation has been performed. If it is determined that the transition permission operation has been performed, in S426, the driving state control unit 120 executes a transition to level 1.

[0150] Fifth embodiment In the fifth embodiment, a modified example of the automatic driving control system 1 in the first embodiment will be described.

[0151] In the fifth embodiment, when the driver state estimation unit 130 determines that the readiness has not reached the permissible level, the autonomous driving control system 1 increases the degree of caution in the control related to the autonomous driving compared to when the readiness is determined to be at the permissible level. Here, increasing the degree of caution in the control corresponds to executing a lower-risk control in the autonomous driving.

[0152] Control related to autonomous driving includes, for example, a warning against lane departure, a warning against approaching surrounding objects such as other vehicles and pedestrians, deceleration control, adjustment of the distance between vehicles, etc. The warning against lane departure and the warning against approaching surrounding objects may be executed by the presentation information adjustment unit 140. When the presentation information adjustment unit 140 determines that the distance to the white line of the current lane is below a threshold, it may cause the display devices and the audio device 24 to present a warning against lane departure. Furthermore, when the presentation information adjustment unit 140 determines that the distance to the surrounding objects is below a threshold, it may cause the display devices and the audio device 24 to present an approach warning.

[0153] If the driver state estimation unit 130 determines that the readiness has not reached an acceptable level, the presentation information adjustment unit 140 sets the above-mentioned threshold values ​​for presenting each warning lower than when it is determined that the readiness has reached an acceptable level.

[0154] The deceleration control and the adjustment of the inter-vehicle distance may be executed by the behavior planning unit 74 or the ACC control unit 64. For example, the behavior planning unit 74 may execute the deceleration control when the environment recognition unit 73 determines that the distance to the surrounding object is below a threshold. The ACC control unit 64 may execute the deceleration control when the environment recognition unit 63 determines that the distance to the surrounding object is below a threshold.

[0155] Then, when the driver state estimation unit 130 determines that the readiness has not reached an acceptable level, the action planning unit 74 or the ACC control unit 64 sets each of the above-mentioned thresholds for executing deceleration control lower than when it is determined that the readiness has reached an acceptable level.

[0156] The behavior planning unit 74 or the ACC control unit 64 may adjust the following distance by executing acceleration / deceleration control so as to maintain a preset following distance. When the driver state estimation unit 130 determines that the readiness has not reached the allowable level, the behavior planning unit 74 or the ACC control unit 64 sets the set following distance lower than when it is determined that the readiness has reached the allowable level.

[0157] The process executed by the autonomous driving control system 1 in the fifth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 22. The process in Fig. 22 is repeatedly executed while autonomous driving control of autonomous driving level 1 or higher is being executed.

[0158] First, in S501, the driver state estimation unit 130 determines whether the driver's readiness has reached an acceptable level. If it is determined that the readiness has reached an acceptable level, in S502, at least one of the presentation information adjustment unit 140, the action planning unit 74, and the ACC control unit 64 sets the degree of control caution to a normal level. On the other hand, if it is determined in S501 that the readiness has not reached the acceptable level, in S503, at least one of the action planning unit 74 and the ACC control unit 64 increases the degree of control caution to a level higher than the normal level.

[0159] Next, the technical concept that can be understood from the fifth embodiment will be described below.

[0160] (Appendix 1) A control system for controlling an autonomous driving in a vehicle (A) capable of autonomous driving, a readiness level determination unit (130) that determines whether the driver's readiness level for the automated driving has reached an acceptable level; a control execution unit (64, 74, 140) that executes related control related to the automatic driving, and when it is determined that the level of preparation has reached the permissible level, increases the degree of caution of the related control compared to when it is determined that the level has not reached the permissible level; A control system comprising:

[0161] (Appendix 2) A control program stored in a storage medium (101) and including instructions to be executed by a processor (102) for controlling automatic driving in a vehicle (A) capable of performing automatic driving, The instruction: A judgment process (S501) for judging whether the driver's degree of preparation for the automated driving has reached an acceptable level; A control execution process (S502, S503) for executing related control related to the automated driving, and when it is determined that the level of preparation has reached the allowable level, for increasing the degree of caution of the related control compared to when it is determined that the level has not reached the allowable level; A presentation control program including:

[0162] When autonomous driving is performed, there may be cases where the driver is not sufficiently prepared for autonomous driving. If the same autonomous driving control is performed when the driver is sufficiently prepared for autonomous driving and when the driver is not sufficiently prepared, the driver may feel uncomfortable with the autonomous driving control when the driver is not sufficiently prepared.

[0163] According to the aspects of Supplementary Note 1 and Supplementary Note 2, when it is determined that the driver's level of preparation for automatic driving has reached an acceptable level, the degree of caution in the control related to automatic driving is higher than when it is determined that the level has not reached the acceptable level. Therefore, the driver may be less likely to feel uncomfortable with the related control. Therefore, it is possible to provide a control system and a control program that can reduce the driver's discomfort with the control of automatic driving.

[0164] Sixth embodiment In the sixth embodiment, a modified example of the automatic driving control system 1 in the first embodiment will be described.

[0165] In the autonomous driving control system 1 of the sixth embodiment shown in Fig. 23, the process of determining the autonomous driving level and whether or not to allow hands-off is mainly performed by the action planning unit 74 of the second autonomous driving ECU 70. The action planning unit 74 cooperates with the first autonomous driving ECU 60 and the driving state control unit 120 to transition the autonomous driving control state.

[0166] The action planning unit 74 has a state control unit 74a, a gripping judgment unit 74b, and a request output unit 74c as sub-functional units related to the transition of the control state of autonomous driving based on the execution by the processor 72 of the autonomous driving program stored in the memory 71.

[0167] The state control unit 74a executes a state control process (see S601 in FIG. 25) and executes a transition between autonomous driving level 3 or higher and autonomous driving level 2 or lower. For example, the state control unit 74a determines a transition from autonomous driving level 3 to level 2 when vehicle A moves from a section where periphery monitoring is not required to a section where periphery monitoring is required, when vehicle A leaves the queue of vehicles in a traffic jam, etc. Conversely, the state control unit 74a determines a transition from autonomous driving level 2 to level 3 when vehicle A moves from a section where periphery monitoring is required to a section where periphery monitoring is not required, when vehicle A becomes part of the queue of vehicles in a traffic jam, etc.

[0168] The grip determination unit 74b executes a grip determination process (see S602 in FIG. 25) and determines whether or not to permit the driver to stop gripping the steering wheel in a monitoring required state of autonomous driving level 2. When a transition to autonomous driving level 2 is decided by the state control unit 74a, the grip determination unit 74b determines whether or not hands-off is permitted after transition to autonomous driving level 2, before the transition to autonomous driving level 2.

[0169] When the holding determination unit 74b determines that hands-off is permitted, it grasps the reason for transition from autonomous driving level 3 to autonomous driving level 2. In other words, the reason for transition to autonomous driving level 2 is the reason for canceling autonomous driving level 3. Assumed reasons for transition to autonomous driving level 2 include exiting a section where peripheral monitoring is not required, clearing of traffic congestion, and satisfaction of an interruption condition while driving in traffic congestion. The holding determination unit 74b sets a transition pattern from autonomous driving level 3 to the hands-off state of autonomous driving level 2 based on the grasped transition reason.

[0170] If the reason for the transition is exiting a section where perimeter monitoring is not required or clearing congestion, the gripping determination unit 74b sets a hands-on state of autonomous driving level 2 during the transition from autonomous driving level 3 to the hands-off state of autonomous driving level 2. In this transition pattern, after the transition from autonomous driving level 3 to the hands-on state of autonomous driving level 2, a transition from the hands-on state to the hands-off state is further performed.

[0171] On the other hand, if the reason for the transition is the establishment of an interruption condition while driving in a traffic jam, the transition from Level 3 autonomous driving to the hands-on state of Level 2 autonomous driving is implemented in stages. In this transition pattern, the transition from Level 3 autonomous driving to the hands-off state of Level 2 autonomous driving is implemented, and then the transition from the hands-off state to the hands-on state is further implemented.

[0172] In addition, even in a scene other than the scene where the interruption condition is satisfied while driving in a traffic jam, the gripping determination unit 74b performs a gradual transition to a hands-on state. For example, when the duration of the autonomous driving level 3 is shorter than a predetermined time, the gripping determination unit 74b performs a transition from the autonomous driving level 3 to the hands-off state of level 2. Furthermore, even if there is a future prediction of returning to the autonomous driving level 3, such as knowing that a traffic jam will occur again after the autonomous driving level 3 is released, the gripping determination unit 74b performs a transition from the autonomous driving level 3 to the hands-off state of level 2.

[0173] The request output unit 74c outputs various kinds of notification implementation requests to the driving state control unit 120 so that notifications synchronized with the state transition of the autonomous driving are implemented by the presentation information adjustment unit 140 by implementing a request output process (see FIG. 25 S604, S608, etc.). The request output unit 74c cooperates with the driving state control unit 120 to cause the presentation information adjustment unit 140 to implement a hands-off possible notification, a level 3 possible notification, a second task possible notification, a driving change notification, a hands-on request notification, a manual driving transition notification, and the like, similar to the first embodiment. For example, the request output unit 74c outputs a notification implementation request (hold request) that requests the driver to hold the steering wheel to the driving state control unit 120. In addition, the request output unit 74c outputs a notification implementation request that requests the implementation of a hands-off possible notification when a transition from a hands-on state to a hands-off state is executed.

[0174] Next, specific driving changeover scenes 1 to 3 in which a transition from autonomous driving level 3 to autonomous driving level 2 is executed will be described in detail below. In driving changeover scenes 1 to 3, the reasons for transitioning to autonomous driving level 2 are different from each other.

[0175] <Driver changeover scene 1: Exiting an area where monitoring of the surrounding area is not required> Driving changeover scene 1 (see Figure 5) is a driving changeover scene in which vehicle A is scheduled to exit a section where perimeter monitoring is not required (or an AD area). In driving changeover scene 1, a hands-on state is temporarily set during the transition to a hands-off state. That is, when the transition from autonomous driving level 3 to the hands-off state of level 2 is executed, this hands-off state is temporarily not permitted.

[0176] In detail, when the state control unit 74a decides to transition to autonomous driving level 2, a notification implementation request for requesting implementation of a driving change notification is output from the request output unit 74c to the driving state control unit 120. In driving change scene 1, the request output unit 74c causes the HCU 100 to implement a driving change notification including a hands-on request notification (see FIG. 25 S604). Note that even if the driver does not perform a hands-on operation after the hands-on request notification is presented, the transition to autonomous driving level 2 is executed.

[0177] After the driving change notification is issued, the state control unit 74a and the gripping determination unit 74b transition the control state from autonomous driving level 3 to a hands-on state of level 2. The purpose of setting the hands-on state is to allow the driver to regain a sense of driving. Therefore, the duration of the hands-on state is changed according to the duration of autonomous driving level 3. That is, as the duration of autonomous driving level 3 expires, the gripping determination unit 74b sets the duration of the hands-on state to be longer continuously or stepwise.

[0178] The grip determination unit 74b allows the driver to stop gripping the steering wheel after continuing the hands-on state for a specific time. As a result, the request output unit 74c outputs a notification implementation request to the driving state control unit 120 to request the implementation of a hands-off possible notification. If the driver who recognized the hands-on request notification is performing a hands-on operation, the presentation information adjustment unit 140 executes the hands-off possible notification based on the acquisition of the notification implementation request by the driving state control unit 120. When the driver who received the hands-off possible notification performs a hands-off operation, a transition to the hands-off state of autonomous driving level 2 is implemented.

[0179] <Driver change scene 2: Resolving traffic jam> Driving change scene 2 (see FIG. 5) is a driving change scene in which congestion around the vehicle is scheduled to be resolved within the AD area. In driving change scene 2, as in driving change scene 1, a hands-on state is temporarily set during the transition to a hands-off state. That is, the holding determination unit 74b transitions the autonomous driving control to a level 2 hands-on state after issuing a driving change notification. Furthermore, the holding determination unit 74b transitions the autonomous driving control to a level 2 hands-off state after issuing a hands-on possible notification.

[0180] On the other hand, unlike the above driving change scene 1, the driving change notification implemented in driving change scene 2 does not include a hands-on request notification (see FIG. 25 S603). That is, if the reason for the transition is the resolution of traffic congestion, the request to the driver to hold the steering wheel is canceled. Note that, based on the driver's settings, etc., the driving change notification in driving change scene 2 may also include a hands-on request notification.

[0181] <Driving change scene 3: interruption condition met while driving in traffic jam> In the driving change scene 3 (see FIG. 24), a driving change becomes necessary even though the traffic jam continues in the AD area. During the implementation of the autonomous driving level 3 for driving in the traffic jam, for example, when there is no vehicle behind the vehicle traveling in the same lane as the vehicle itself or when the vehicle behind is not detected by the surrounding monitoring sensor 40, the state control unit 74a establishes the interruption condition for the level 3 in the traffic jam. In this case, as described above, the transition from the autonomous driving level 3 for driving in the traffic jam (hereinafter, the level 3 in the traffic jam) to the hands-on state of the autonomous driving level 2 is implemented in stages.

[0182] In detail, when the state control unit 74a determines to transition to autonomous driving level 2, a notification implementation request for requesting implementation of a driving change notification is output from the request output unit 74c to the driving state control unit 120 in driving change scene 3. In driving change scene 3, the request output unit 74c causes the HCU 100 to implement a driving change notification including a hands-on standby notification (see FIG. 25 S608).

[0183] The hands-on waiting notification is a notification that is issued when there is a direct (continuous) transition from level 3 autonomous driving to a hands-off state of level 2 autonomous driving, and requests the driver to prepare to hold the steering wheel.

[0184] Specifically, in the hands-on standby notification of <Pattern 1>, the driver is requested to change his / her arm position in anticipation of the transition to the hands-on state by a notification to prompt the driver to temporarily grip the steering wheel or to place his / her arms on the elbow rest, etc. In this case, a notification execution request for executing the operation request to change the arm position is output from the request output unit 74c to the driving state control unit 120.

[0185] In addition, in the hands-on standby notification of <Pattern 2>, a notification is issued to the driver requesting the driver to monitor the surroundings and to take an ideal posture in a gripping interrupted state (hands-off state). In this case, a notification execution request for executing the monitoring request and the posture request is output from the request output unit 74c to the driving state control unit 120.

[0186] After the driving change notification including the hands-on waiting notification is implemented, the state control unit 74a and the grip determination unit 74b transition the control state from autonomous driving level 3 to the hands-off state of level 2. Note that even if the driver does not put his / her eyes on after the hands-on waiting notification is presented, the transition to autonomous driving level 2 is executed.

[0187] After transitioning to a hands-off state of autonomous driving level 2, if this hands-off state continues for a predetermined time or more, a gripping request (hands-on request notification) may be executed even if the state in which gripping of the steering wheel can be stopped continues. In this case, the hands-on request notification is also a notification to prevent the driver from losing the sense of driving operation. The predetermined time may be measured from the start time of autonomous driving level 3, or may be measured from the end time of autonomous driving level 3. As an example, if the elapsed time from the start time of autonomous driving level 3 exceeds one hour, transition control to the hands-on state and transition notification are implemented even if the condition for continuing hands-off is satisfied.

[0188] Furthermore, after transition to the hands-off state of the autonomous driving level 2, when a condition occurs that requires transition to the hands-on state, the gripping determination unit 74b determines the transition from the hands-off state to the hands-on state. As an example, when the road environment during driving deteriorates, such as blurring of the lane markings on the vehicle's side, the gripping determination unit 74b determines the transition to the hands-on state. In this case, too, a hands-on request notification is executed by cooperation between the request output unit 74c and the HCU 100. The driver who recognizes the hands-on request notification performs a hands-on operation, and the transition from the hands-off state to the hands-on state is executed.

[0189] In driving change scene 3, if the condition for returning to autonomous driving level 3 is met (the interruption condition is resolved) (see S610 in FIG. 25) after transitioning to the hands-off state of autonomous driving level 2, the state control unit 74a transitions from autonomous driving level 2 to autonomous driving level 3. For example, if detection of a rear vehicle is resumed, the state control unit 74a determines that the interruption condition has been resolved and decides to transition to autonomous driving level 3 (see dashed line in FIG. 24). In this case, a notification implementation request for a level 3 possible notification is output from the request output unit 74c to the driving state control unit 120.

[0190] Next, the details of the control flow that realizes the transition from autonomous driving level 3 to autonomous driving level 2 through cooperation between the functional blocks of the second autonomous driving ECU 70 and the HCU 100 will be described below in accordance with Figure 25, with reference to Figures 1 and 24.

[0191] In S601, the state control unit 74a determines whether or not a transition to autonomous driving level 2, which allows hands-off driving, is imminent. If it is determined in S601 that a transition is imminent, in S602, the grip determination unit 74b determines the reason for the transition to autonomous driving level 2. The above processing contents of S601 and S602 are substantially the same as the processing contents of S201 and S202 (see FIG. 11) in the first embodiment.

[0192] If it is determined in S602 that the reason for the transition is exit from a section not requiring peripheral monitoring (end of level 3 area, driving change scene 1), then in S604 the request output unit 74c cooperates with the HCU 100 to execute a driving change notification including a hands-on request notification. If it is determined in S602 that the reason for the transition is clearance of traffic congestion (driving change scene 2), then in S603 the request output unit 74c cooperates with the HCU 100 to execute a driving change notification not including a hands-on request notification. In S603, the request to the driver to hold the steering wheel is discontinued.

[0193] After the driver change notification is executed in S603 and S604, a transition is executed from autonomous driving level 3 to a hands-on state of level 2 (see FIG. 5). Then, when the grip determination unit 74b determines that the timing for transition to the hands-off state has arrived in S605, the presentation information adjustment unit 140 determines whether or not the driver is gripping the steering wheel in S606. When it is determined that the steering wheel is being gripped in S606, the presentation information adjustment unit 140 executes a hands-off possible notification based on the notification execution request input from the request output unit 74c in S607. On the other hand, if the driver is not gripping the steering wheel, the hands-off possible notification is omitted. Then, the grip determination unit 74b executes a transition from the hands-on state to the hands-off state.

[0194] Furthermore, if it is determined in S602 that the reason for the transition is a reason other than the end of the level 3 area and the end of the traffic jam (driving change scene 3), the action planning unit 74 transitions from the autonomous driving level 3 to a hands-off state, and then transitions to an eyes-on state. In this case, in S608, the request output unit 74c cooperates with the HCU 100 to execute a driving change notification including a hands-on waiting notification. Then, the transition from the autonomous driving level 3 to the hands-off state of level 2 is executed (see FIG. 24).

[0195] In S609, the state control unit 74a determines whether a condition for returning to autonomous driving level 3 (level 3 during traffic jam) is satisfied. If it is determined in S609 that the return condition is satisfied, the state control unit 74a decides to transition from the eyes-off state to autonomous driving level 3. On the other hand, if it is determined in S609 that the return condition is not satisfied, in S610, the grip determination unit 74b determines whether or not a transition to a hands-on state is imminent. If the hands-off state continues, the determination of whether the return condition is satisfied in S609 is repeated.

[0196] On the other hand, if it is determined in S610 that a transition is imminent, in S611 the presentation information adjustment unit 140 determines whether or not the driver is gripping the steering wheel. If the driver is not gripping the steering wheel, in S612 the presentation information adjustment unit 140 issues a hands-on request notification based on the notification execution request input from the request output unit 74c. On the other hand, if it is determined that the steering wheel is being gripped, the hands-on request notification is omitted. Then, the grip determination unit 74b executes a transition from the hands-off state to the hands-on state.

[0197] Next, a detailed description will be given of a scene (see FIG. 26) in which autonomous driving level 3 transitions to autonomous driving level 1 or manual driving without passing through autonomous driving level 2. As an example, when an object that needs to be avoided appears in front of vehicle A, the action planning unit 74 cancels autonomous driving level 3 and hands over driving to the driver.

[0198] The action planning unit 74 can execute a state restoration process that directly transitions from manual driving to a hands-off state of level 2. In detail, if the action planning unit 74 determines that hands-off can be permitted within a predetermined time (for example, about ten seconds to several tens of seconds) after transition from autonomous driving level 3 to manual driving is executed, the action planning unit 74 omits the process of gradually increasing the autonomous driving level. Specifically, the action planning unit 74 omits the transition to the hands-on state of autonomous driving levels 1 and 2 in the state restoration process, and determines the start of autonomous driving level 2 in the hands-off state. Even in this case, the request output unit 74c and the driving state control unit 120 cooperate to execute a transition from manual driving to a hands-off state after the presentation information adjustment unit 140 issues a hands-off possible notification.

[0199] The action planning unit 74 can skip at least one transition stage by the state restoration process. As an example, the action planning unit 74 may omit the transition through the autonomous driving level 1 after transitioning from the autonomous driving level 3 to the manual driving. In this case, transition from the manual driving to the hands-on state of the autonomous driving level 2 is further performed to transition to the hands-off state. As another example, even when switching directly from the autonomous driving level 3 to the level 1, the action planning unit 74 can omit the transition through the hands-on state of the autonomous driving level 2 and directly transition from the autonomous driving level 1 to the hands-off state of the level 2.

[0200] According to the sixth embodiment described above, when transitioning from autonomous driving level 3 to autonomous driving level 2 where hands-off is permitted, a request to the driver to hold the steering wheel is executed, and hands-off is permitted at autonomous driving level 2. Therefore, the driver is prompted to hold the steering wheel when transitioning from autonomous driving level 3 to level 2. As a result, it may be possible to provide information that encourages ensuring driving stability.

[0201] In addition, in the sixth embodiment, the hands-off state of the level 2 autonomous driving is permitted after the request output unit 74c outputs a gripping request. Therefore, it becomes easier to transition to the hands-off state after the driver grips the steering wheel. As a result, the driver can temporarily regain the driving sensation when the level 3 autonomous driving ends.

[0202] In the sixth embodiment, when the reason for transition to autonomous driving level 2 is to resolve traffic congestion, the action planning unit 74 temporarily transitions from autonomous driving level 3 to the hands-on state of level 2, and then transitions from the hands-on state to the hands-off state. This also allows the transition to the hands-off state to be implemented after the driver grasps the steering wheel. As a result, the driver can temporarily regain his driving sense when autonomous driving level 3 ends.

[0203] Furthermore, in the sixth embodiment, the reason for transition to autonomous driving level 2 is different from the resolution of the traffic jam, and if the traffic jam continues, a gripping request is executed to the driver after transition from autonomous driving level 3 to the eyes-off state of level 2. In this way, if the traffic jam continues, the driving speed of the vehicle also slows down, making it easier for the driver to regain driving sensation. Therefore, it is possible to ensure driving stability even if the hands-on state is omitted and the inconvenience to the driver is reduced.

[0204] Additionally, in the sixth embodiment, if the reason for the transition is the disappearance of a rear vehicle, a hold request is issued to the driver after transition from autonomous driving level 3 to the eyes-off state of level 2. When driving in a traffic jam, even if the rear vehicle is temporarily not detected, the detection of the rear vehicle is likely to resume and autonomous driving level 3 is likely to resume. Therefore, by omitting the hold request accompanying the transition to the eyes-off state, notifications that are bothersome to the driver can be effectively reduced.

[0205] In the sixth embodiment, if the hands-off state continues for a predetermined time or more, a request to the driver to hold the steering wheel is executed even if the hands-off state can be continued. As a result, it is possible to appropriately interrupt the continuation of the state in which the steering wheel is not held, so that the driver does not lose the sense of driving operation.

[0206] Furthermore, in the sixth embodiment, when a direct transition from autonomous driving level 3 to a hands-off state is made, a hands-on waiting notification is executed to request the driver to change his / her arm position. If the driver is only made to start monitoring the surroundings when the state transitions to a hands-off state, the driver will not realize that the driving role has been taken over. Therefore, by requesting a change in arm position, it becomes possible to make the driver realize that the control of the driving operation has been taken over.

[0207] In addition, in the sixth embodiment, when a direct transition from autonomous driving level 3 to a hands-off state is made, a hands-on waiting notification is executed. This hands-on waiting notification includes a monitoring request that requests the driver to monitor the surroundings, and a posture request that requests the driver to take an ideal posture in a hands-off state. As described above, by making a request regarding posture as well as performing surrounding monitoring, it is possible to make the driver realize that the control of the driving operation has been taken over.

[0208] In the sixth embodiment, if autonomous driving in a hands-off state becomes possible after transition from autonomous driving level 3 to a manual driving state, the process of going through autonomous driving level 1 and the hands-on state is omitted. As a result, it is possible to quickly transition from manual driving to the hands-off state of autonomous driving level 2. As a result, it is possible to improve the user's convenience regarding autonomous driving.

[0209] Furthermore, in the sixth embodiment, when a transition from autonomous driving level 3 to level 2 is executed during a traffic jam, a transition to a hands-on state is executed after transitioning to a hands-off state of autonomous driving level 2. As described above, since a hands-off state is temporarily provided, when a transition from autonomous driving level 3 to level 2 is interrupted, it is possible to return to autonomous driving level 3 before encouraging the driver to grip the steering wheel. As a result, it may be possible to encourage driving stability while ensuring convenience for the driver.

[0210] In addition, in the sixth embodiment, if it is determined that a hands-off state can be permitted within a predetermined time after the transition from autonomous driving level 3 to level 2 is executed, the transition to the hands-on state of autonomous driving level 2 is omitted. As a result, since a direct transition from manual driving to the hands-off state of autonomous driving level 2 is executed, the driver can stop gripping the steering wheel early. As a result, it may be possible to promote driving stability while ensuring convenience for the driver.

[0211] Next, the technical concept that can be understood from the sixth embodiment will be added below.

[0212] (Appendix 3) An automatic driving control device capable of performing automatic driving in a vehicle (A), a state control unit (74a) that executes a transition between a monitoring-unnecessary state that permits a driver to stop monitoring the surroundings while the autonomous driving is being performed and a monitoring-required state that prohibits the driver from stopping monitoring the surroundings while the autonomous driving is being performed; a grip determination unit (74b) that determines whether or not to permit the driver to stop gripping the steering wheel in the monitoring required state, The grasping judgment unit is an automatic driving control device that temporarily does not permit the interruption of grasping when a transition is executed from the monitoring-free state to the monitoring-required state in which the interruption of grasping can be permitted.

[0213] (Appendix 4) An automatic driving control program that is stored in a storage medium (71) and includes instructions to be executed by a processor (72) in order to enable automatic driving in a vehicle (A), The instruction: A state control process (S601) that executes a transition between a monitoring-free state that permits the driver to suspend surrounding monitoring during execution of the autonomous driving and a monitoring-required state that prohibits the driver from suspending surrounding monitoring during execution of the autonomous driving; a grip determination process (S602, S604, S607) for determining whether or not the driver is permitted to stop gripping the steering wheel in the monitoring required state; In the grasping judgment process, an automatic driving control program in which the grasping interruption is temporarily not permitted when a transition is executed from the monitoring-free state to the monitoring-required state in which the grasping interruption can be permitted.

[0214] In the aspects of Supplementary Note 3 and Supplementary Note 4, the driver is prompted to hold the steering wheel when shifting from autonomous driving level 3 to level 2. As a result, it may be possible to encourage the driver to ensure driving stability.

[0215] Seventh embodiment In the seventh embodiment, a modified example of the automatic driving control system 1 in the sixth embodiment will be described.

[0216] In the autonomous driving control system 1 of the seventh embodiment, the processes executed by the state control unit 74a, the grip determination unit 74b, and the request output unit 74c in the sixth embodiment are mainly executed by the driving state control unit 120 of the HCU 100. The driving state control unit 120 executes the control transition and information presentation explained in the driving change scenes 1 to 3 according to the reason for the transition from autonomous driving level 3 to level 2 (see FIG. 25). In the seventh embodiment described above, it is possible to achieve the same effects as in the sixth embodiment.

[0217] (Other embodiments) The disclosure in this specification is not limited to the exemplified embodiments. The disclosure includes the exemplified embodiments and modifications based thereon by those skilled in the art. For example, the disclosure is not limited to the combination of parts and / or elements shown in the embodiments. The disclosure can be implemented by various combinations. The disclosure can have additional parts that can be added to the embodiments. The disclosure includes the omission of parts and / or elements of the embodiments. The disclosure includes the substitution or combination of parts and / or elements between one embodiment and another embodiment. The disclosed technical scope is not limited to the description of the embodiments. Some disclosed technical scopes are indicated by the description of the claims, and should be interpreted as including all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the description of the claims.

[0218] The HCU 100 may be a dedicated computer including at least one of a digital circuit and an analog circuit as a processor. Here, the digital circuit is at least one of ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), SOC (System on a Chip), PGA (Programmable Gate Array), and CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device). Such a digital circuit may also include a memory that stores a program.

[0219] The HCU 100 may be provided by one computer or a set of computer resources linked by a data communication device. For example, some of the functions provided by the HCU 100 in the above-mentioned embodiment may be realized by another ECU.

[0220] In the above embodiment, the HCU 100 requests the driver to put his hands on the vehicle when transitioning from autonomous driving level 3 to autonomous driving level 2 where hands-off is permitted. Alternatively or in addition to this, the HCU 100 may request the driver to put his hands on the vehicle when transitioning from autonomous driving level 4 or higher to autonomous driving level 2 where hands-off is permitted. [Technical feature 29] An automatic driving control device capable of performing automatic driving in a vehicle (A), a state control unit (74a) that executes a transition between a monitoring-unnecessary state that permits a driver to stop monitoring the surroundings while the autonomous driving is being performed and a monitoring-required state that prohibits the driver from stopping monitoring the surroundings while the autonomous driving is being performed; a grip determination unit (74b) that determines whether or not to permit the driver to stop gripping the steering wheel in the monitoring required state, The grasping judgment unit is an automatic driving control device that, when the state control unit transitions from the monitoring-not required state to the monitoring-required state during a traffic jam, transitions to a state in which the grasping interruption is permitted, and then transitions to a state in which the grasping interruption is not permitted. [Technical feature 30] An automatic driving control program that is stored in a storage medium (71) and includes instructions to be executed by a processor (72) in order to enable automatic driving in a vehicle (A), The instruction: A state control process (S601) that executes a transition between a monitoring-free state that permits the driver to suspend surrounding monitoring during execution of the autonomous driving and a monitoring-required state that prohibits the driver from suspending surrounding monitoring during execution of the autonomous driving; and a grip determination process (S602) for determining whether or not the driver is permitted to stop gripping the steering wheel in the monitoring required state, When the transition from the monitoring-free state to the monitoring-required state is executed during a traffic jam, the grasping judgment process is an automatic driving control program that determines to execute a transition to transition from a state in which the grasping interruption is permitted to a state in which the grasping interruption is not permitted. [Technical feature 31] An automatic driving control device capable of performing automatic driving in a vehicle (A), a state control unit (74a) that executes a transition between a monitoring-unnecessary state that permits a driver to stop monitoring the surroundings while the autonomous driving is being performed and a monitoring-required state that prohibits the driver from stopping monitoring the surroundings while the autonomous driving is being performed; a grip determination unit (74b) that determines whether or not to permit the driver to stop gripping the steering wheel in the monitoring required state, An automatic driving control device in which, if the state control unit and the grasping judgment unit determine that the grasping interruption can be permitted within a predetermined period after executing a transition from the monitoring-free state to manual operation, the state control unit omits the transition to the monitoring-required state in which the grasping interruption is not permitted, and executes a transition from the manual operation to the monitoring-required state in which the grasping interruption is permitted. [Technical feature 32] An automatic driving control program that is stored in a storage medium (71) and includes instructions to be executed by a processor (72) in order to enable automatic driving in a vehicle (A), The instruction: a state control process that executes a transition between a monitoring-free state that permits the driver to suspend monitoring of the surroundings while the autonomous driving is being performed and a monitoring-required state that prohibits the driver from suspending monitoring of the surroundings while the autonomous driving is being performed; and a grip determination process for determining whether or not the driver is permitted to stop gripping the steering wheel in the monitoring required state; a state return process that omits the transition to the monitoring-required state in which the interruption of gripping is not permitted and executes a transition from the manual operation to the monitoring-required state in which the interruption of gripping is permitted, when the gripping determination process determines that the interruption of gripping can be permitted within a predetermined time after the transition from the monitoring-required state to the manual operation by the state control process is executed; Autonomous driving control program including. [Explanation of symbols]

[0221] 70 second automatic driving ECU (automatic driving control device), 71 memory (storage medium), 72 processor, 74a state control unit, 74b grasping judgment unit, 74c request output unit, 100 HCU (presentation control device), 101 memory (storage medium), 102 processor, 120 driving state control unit (judgment unit), 130 driver state estimation unit (readiness degree judgment unit), 140 presentation information adjustment unit (permission state control unit), A vehicle.

Claims

1. An automatic driving control device capable of performing automatic driving in a vehicle (A), a state control unit (74a) that executes a transition between a monitoring-unnecessary state that permits a driver to suspend monitoring of the surroundings while the autonomous driving is being performed and a monitoring-required state that prohibits the driver from suspending monitoring of the surroundings while the autonomous driving is being performed; An automatic driving control device, wherein when the state control unit executes a transition from the monitoring-free state to the monitoring-required state in which the driver can stop holding the steering wheel based on a decision to end the monitoring-free state, the state control unit executes a transition from the monitoring-free state to manual driving, and then executes a direct transition from the manual driving to the monitoring-required state in which the driver can stop holding the steering wheel.

2. An automatic driving control program that is stored in a storage medium (71) and includes instructions to be executed by a processor (72) in order to enable automatic driving in a vehicle (A), The instruction: a state control process for executing a transition between a monitoring-free state that permits a driver to suspend monitoring of the surroundings while the autonomous driving is being performed and a monitoring-required state that prohibits the driver from suspending monitoring of the surroundings while the autonomous driving is being performed; An automatic driving control program in which, in the state control process, when a transition from the monitoring-free state to the monitoring-required state in which the driver can stop holding the steering wheel is executed based on a decision to end the monitoring-free state, a transition from the monitoring-free state to manual driving is executed, and then a direct transition from the manual driving to the monitoring-required state in which the driver can stop holding the steering wheel is executed.

3. An automatic driving control device capable of performing automatic driving in a vehicle (A), a state control unit (74a) that executes a transition between a monitoring-unnecessary state that permits a driver to suspend monitoring of the surroundings while the autonomous driving is being performed and a monitoring-required state that prohibits the driver from suspending monitoring of the surroundings while the autonomous driving is being performed; The state control unit is When it is determined that the driver can be permitted to stop gripping the steering wheel within a predetermined time after the transition from the monitoring-not required state to the manual driving is executed, the transition to the monitoring-required state in which the driver is not permitted to stop gripping is omitted, and a direct transition from the manual driving to the monitoring-required state in which the driver can stop gripping is executed; An automatic driving control device that, after executing the transition from the monitoring-free state to the manual driving, if it is determined that the driver can be permitted to stop holding the steering wheel after the specified time has elapsed, executes a gradual transition from the manual driving to the monitoring-required state in which the driver can stop holding the steering wheel.

4. An automatic driving control program that is stored in a storage medium (71) and includes instructions to be executed by a processor (72) in order to enable automatic driving in a vehicle (A), The instruction: a state control process that executes a transition between a monitoring-free state that permits the driver to suspend monitoring of the surroundings while the autonomous driving is being performed and a monitoring-required state that prohibits the driver from suspending monitoring of the surroundings while the autonomous driving is being performed; and a state return process that, when it is determined that the driver can be permitted to stop gripping the steering wheel within a predetermined time after the state control process executes a transition from the monitoring required state to manual driving, omits the transition to the monitoring required state in which the driver is not permitted to stop gripping, and executes a direct transition from the manual driving to the monitoring required state in which the driver can stop gripping; a gradual return process for performing a gradual transition from the manual driving to the monitoring required state in which the driver can be permitted to stop gripping the steering wheel after the predetermined time has elapsed after the transition from the monitoring-unnecessary state to the manual driving is performed; Autonomous driving control program including.

Images