Vehicle control device and vehicle control method

Abstract

To enable a vehicle to automatically avoid an obstacle more smoothly, even when the vehicle has to avoid the obstacle during automatic driving and when it is difficult for the vehicle to avoid the obstacle by action set forth in a traffic regulation.SOLUTION: An automatic driving ECU 10, which can be used in a vehicle that executes automatic driving not required to be monitored, comprises: an obstacle identifying part 111 that identifies an obstacle disturbing travelling of a vehicle; an avoidance countermeasures identifying part 131 that identifies an avoidance route that is a route for the vehicle to be able to avoid the obstacle, when the obstacle identifying part 111 identifies the obstacle; and a permitting part 134 that, when the avoidance route identified by the avoidance countermeasures identifying part 131 is a route exempted from a regulation which is outside the reach of a traffic regulation, permits the vehicle to travel on the route exempted from the regulation during the automatic driving not required to be monitored.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an autonomous driving control unit that has autonomous driving functions from level 1 to level 5 in addition to a manual driving function of level 0.

[0003] As the automation level, for example, the automation levels 0 to 5 defined by SAE are known. Level 0 is a level where the driver performs all driving tasks without intervention of the system. Level 0 corresponds to so-called manual driving. Level 1 is a level where the system assists with either steering or acceleration / deceleration. Level 2 is a level where the system assists with both steering and acceleration / deceleration. Autonomous driving at levels 1 to 2 is an automated driving where the driver has the supervisory responsibility (hereinafter simply supervisory responsibility) for safe driving. Level 3 is a level where the system can perform all driving tasks in specific locations such as highways. Level 4 is a level where the system can perform all driving tasks except under specific circumstances such as incompatible roads and extreme environments. Level 5 is a level where the system can perform all driving tasks in all environments. Autonomous driving at levels 3 and above is an automated driving where the driver does not have the supervisory responsibility. Autonomous driving at levels 4 and above is an automated driving where the driver is allowed to sleep. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2019-101453 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Patent Document 1 discloses technology for performing automated driving at a high level of automation, such as automated driving where the driver has no monitoring obligation and where the driver is allowed to sleep, but does not anticipate cases where it is difficult to avoid an obstacle by acting within traffic laws. Therefore, with the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, when an obstacle needs to be avoided during automated driving and it is difficult to avoid the obstacle by acting within traffic laws, it may be difficult to automatically avoid the obstacle. In this way, there may be situations where it is not desirable to continue automated driving that is too caught up in traffic laws or traffic manners.

[0006] One object of this disclosure is to provide a vehicle control device and a vehicle control method that enable driving outside the scope of traffic laws or traffic etiquette when driving within the scope of traffic laws or traffic etiquette is undesirable during automated driving. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The above object is achieved by the combination of features recited in the independent claims, and the subclaims define further advantageous embodiments of the disclosure. The reference characters in parentheses in the claims indicate a correspondence with specific means described in the following embodiment as one aspect, and do not limit the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, a first vehicle control device disclosed herein is a vehicle control device that can be used in a vehicle that performs autonomous driving without a monitoring obligation, which is autonomous driving without a monitoring obligation for the surroundings, and includes an obstacle identification unit (111, 111a) that identifies an obstacle that impedes vehicle travel, an avoidance countermeasure identification unit (131, 131a) that identifies an avoidance countermeasure that is a countermeasure of the vehicle that can avoid the obstacle when an obstacle is identified by the obstacle identification unit, and a first permission unit (134, 134a) that permits avoidance using the deviation countermeasure identified by the avoidance countermeasure identification unit during autonomous driving without a monitoring obligation, based on the fact that the avoidance countermeasure is a deviation countermeasure that falls outside the scope of traffic laws. the avoidance countermeasure identification unit (131) is configured to, when an obstacle is identified by the obstacle identification unit, identify an avoidance route that is a route of the vehicle that can avoid the obstacle as an avoidance countermeasure; the first permission unit (134) is configured to, during the autonomous driving without a monitoring obligation, permit avoidance to the non-legal route based on the avoidance route identified by the avoidance countermeasure identification unit being a non-legal route that falls outside the scope of traffic laws among the deviation countermeasures; and a stop control unit (141) that temporarily stops the vehicle when the avoidance route identified by the avoidance countermeasure identification unit is a non-legal route and it is possible to temporarily stop the vehicle; The vehicle driver is provided with a confirmation instruction unit (1211) for inquiring of whether or not to avoid the vehicle to the non-legal route when the avoidance route identified by the avoidance countermeasure identification unit is a non-legal route and the vehicle can be stopped temporarily, and a response acquisition unit (122) for acquiring a response from the driver to the response to the inquiry made by the confirmation instruction unit, and the first permission unit is provided with a confirmation instruction unit for inquiring of whether or not to avoid the vehicle to the non-legal route when the avoidance route identified by the avoidance countermeasure identification unit is a non-legal route and the vehicle can be stopped temporarily, and the first permission unit is provided with a confirmation instruction unit for inquiring of whether or not to avoid the vehicle to the non-legal route when the response acquisition unit acquires a response to approve the avoidance to the non-legal route. do. In order to achieve the above object, a second vehicle control device disclosed herein is a vehicle control device that can be used in a vehicle that performs autonomous driving without a monitoring obligation, which is autonomous driving without a monitoring obligation, and includes an obstacle identification unit (111, 111a) that identifies an obstacle that impedes vehicle traveling, an avoidance countermeasure identification unit (131, 131a) that identifies an obstacle that impedes vehicle traveling when an obstacle is identified by the obstacle identification unit, and an avoidance countermeasure that is a vehicle countermeasure that can avoid the obstacle, and a first permission unit (134, 134a) that permits avoidance using the deviation countermeasure during autonomous driving without a monitoring obligation, based on the avoidance countermeasure identified by the avoidance countermeasure identification unit being a deviation countermeasure that falls outside the scope of traffic laws. When an obstacle is identified by the obstacle identification unit, the avoidance countermeasure identification unit (131) specifies an avoidance route that is a route of the vehicle that can avoid the obstacle as the avoidance countermeasure, and the first permission unit (134) permits avoidance using the avoidance countermeasure identified by the avoidance countermeasure identification unit during autonomous driving without a monitoring obligation. The system permits avoidance to the non-legal route based on the route being a non-legal route that falls outside the scope of traffic laws, among the deviation response measures, and can be used in vehicles that at least implement sleep-permitting autonomous driving, in which the driver of the vehicle is permitted to sleep, and sleep-non-permitting autonomous driving, in which the driver is not permitted to sleep, among the autonomous driving measures without monitoring obligation, and the areas that fall outside the scope of traffic laws differ depending on the automation level of the sleep-permitting autonomous driving and the sleep-non-permitting autonomous driving. When the system is in sleep-permitting autonomous driving, the first permission unit permits avoidance to the non-legal route based on the avoidance route specified by the avoidance countermeasure specification unit being a non-legal route that falls outside the scope of traffic laws corresponding to the sleep-permitting autonomous driving, while when the system is in sleep-non-permitting autonomous driving, the first permission unit permits avoidance to the non-legal route based on the avoidance route specified by the avoidance countermeasure specification unit being a non-legal route that falls outside the scope of traffic laws corresponding to the sleep-non-permitting autonomous driving. In order to achieve the above object, a third vehicle control device disclosed herein is a vehicle control device that can be used in a vehicle that performs autonomous driving without a monitoring obligation, which is autonomous driving without a monitoring obligation in the surrounding area, and includes an obstacle identification unit (111, 111a) that identifies an obstacle that impedes vehicle travel, an avoidance countermeasure identification unit (131, 131a) that, when an obstacle is identified by the obstacle identification unit, identifies an avoidance countermeasure that is a countermeasure of the vehicle that can avoid the obstacle, and, based on the fact that the avoidance countermeasure identified by the avoidance countermeasure identification unit during autonomous driving without a monitoring obligation is a deviation countermeasure that falls outside the scope of traffic laws, The vehicle is provided with a first permission unit (134, 134a) that permits avoidance using deviation countermeasures, and a driving environment identification unit (101a) that identifies the driving environment of the vehicle, and when an obstacle is identified by the obstacle identification unit, the avoidance countermeasure identification unit (131a) identifies passing through the stop line without stopping as the avoidance countermeasure, and when the avoidance countermeasure identified by the avoidance countermeasure identification unit is passing through the stop line without stopping, the first permission unit (134a) permits passing through the stop line without stopping based on the fact that the driving environment identification unit has identified that no obstacle exists within a predetermined range from the stop line.

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, a first vehicle control method disclosed herein is a vehicle control method usable in a vehicle performing autonomous driving without a monitoring obligation, which is autonomous driving without a monitoring obligation, and includes an obstacle identification step executed by at least one processor, which identifies an obstacle that impedes vehicle travel; an avoidance countermeasure identification step, which identifies an avoidance countermeasure that is a countermeasure of the vehicle that can avoid the obstacle when an obstacle is identified in the obstacle identification step; and a first permission step, which permits avoidance using the deviation countermeasure during autonomous driving without a monitoring obligation, based on the avoidance countermeasure identified in the avoidance countermeasure identification step being a deviation countermeasure that falls outside the scope of traffic laws. When an obstacle is identified in the obstacle identification step, the avoidance countermeasure identification step specifies an avoidance route that is a route of the vehicle that can avoid the obstacle as the avoidance countermeasure, and the first permission step permits avoidance using the deviation countermeasure identified in the avoidance countermeasure identification step during autonomous driving without a monitoring obligation. The method permits avoidance to the non-legal route based on the fact that the avoidance route is a non-legal route that falls outside the scope of traffic laws among the deviation countermeasures, and includes a stop control process for temporarily stopping the vehicle when the avoidance route specified in the avoidance countermeasure specification process is a non-legal route and the vehicle can be temporarily stopped; a confirmation instruction process for inquiring of the driver of the vehicle whether or not to avoid the non-legal route when the avoidance route specified in the avoidance countermeasure specification process is a non-legal route and the vehicle can be temporarily stopped; and a response acquisition process for acquiring a response from the driver to the response to the response inquired in the confirmation instruction process. In a first permission process, when the avoidance route specified in the avoidance countermeasure specification process is a non-legal route and the vehicle can be temporarily stopped, if a response approving the avoidance to the non-legal route is obtained in the response acquisition process, the method permits avoidance to the non-legal route. In order to achieve the above object, a second vehicle control method disclosed herein is a vehicle control method usable in a vehicle that performs automated driving without a monitoring obligation, which is automated driving without a monitoring obligation, and includes an obstacle identification step executed by at least one processor, which identifies an obstacle that impedes vehicle travel, an avoidance countermeasure identification step, which identifies an avoidance countermeasure that is a countermeasure of the vehicle that can avoid the obstacle when an obstacle is identified in the obstacle identification step, and a first permission step, during automated driving without a monitoring obligation, for permitting avoidance using the deviation countermeasure on the basis that the avoidance countermeasure identified in the avoidance countermeasure identification step is a deviation countermeasure that falls outside the scope of traffic laws. In the avoidance countermeasure identification step, when an obstacle is identified in the obstacle identification step, an avoidance route that is a route of the vehicle that can avoid the obstacle is identified as the avoidance countermeasure, and in the first permission step, The method permits avoidance to the non-legal route based on the fact that the non-legal route is outside the scope of traffic laws, and can be used in vehicles that implement at least sleep-permitting autonomous driving, in which the driver of the vehicle is permitted to sleep, and sleep-non-permitting autonomous driving, in which the driver is not permitted to sleep, among the autonomous driving methods without a monitoring obligation, and the areas that are outside the scope of traffic laws differ depending on the level of automation between sleep-permitting autonomous driving and sleep-non-permitting autonomous driving. In the first permission step, when sleep-permitting autonomous driving is in progress, avoidance to the non-legal route is permitted based on the fact that the avoidance route identified in the avoidance countermeasure identification step is outside the scope of traffic laws corresponding to sleep-permitting autonomous driving, whereas when sleep-non-permitting autonomous driving is in progress, avoidance to the non-legal route is permitted based on the fact that the avoidance route identified in the avoidance countermeasure identification step is outside the scope of traffic laws corresponding to sleep-non-permitting autonomous driving. In order to achieve the above object, a third vehicle control method disclosed herein is a vehicle control method that can be used in a vehicle that performs automatic driving without a monitoring obligation, which is automatic driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings, and includes an obstacle identification process executed by at least one processor, which identifies an obstacle that impedes driving of the vehicle, an avoidance countermeasure identification process which identifies an avoidance countermeasure that is a countermeasure for the vehicle that can avoid the obstacle when an obstacle is identified in the obstacle identification process, a first permission process which, during automatic driving without a monitoring obligation, permits avoidance using the deviation countermeasure based on the avoidance countermeasure identified in the avoidance countermeasure identification process being a deviation countermeasure that falls outside the scope of traffic laws, and a driving environment identification process which specifies the driving environment of the vehicle, in which, when an obstacle is identified in the obstacle identification process, the avoidance countermeasure identification process specifies passing through a stop line without stopping as the avoidance countermeasure, and in the first permission process, if the avoidance countermeasure identified in the avoidance countermeasure identification process is passing through a stop line without stopping, permits passing through the stop line without stopping based on the driving environment identification process specifying that no obstacle exists within a predetermined range from the stop line.

[0010] According to the above configuration, even if the avoidance countermeasure capable of avoiding an obstacle that impedes the running of the vehicle during automatic driving without a monitoring obligation is a deviation countermeasure that falls outside the scope of traffic laws, the obstacle can be avoided by the deviation countermeasure. Therefore, when driving within the scope of traffic laws or traffic manners during automatic driving is not desirable, driving outside the scope of traffic laws or traffic manners becomes possible. Furthermore, even if it is necessary to avoid an obstacle during automatic driving and avoidance is difficult by actions within the traffic laws, it becomes possible to automatically avoid the obstacle more smoothly. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a vehicle system 1. FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of an autonomous driving ECU 10. [Diagram 3] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of obstacle avoidance-related processing in the autonomous driving ECU 10. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a vehicle system 1a. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of an autonomous driving ECU 10a. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of an autonomous driving ECU 10b. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of an autonomous driving ECU 10c. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of an autonomous driving ECU 10d. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] A number of embodiments for disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. For convenience of description, in a number of embodiments, parts having the same functions as parts shown in the drawings used in the previous description may be given the same reference numerals and their description may be omitted. For parts given the same reference numerals, the description in other embodiments may be referred to.

[0016] (Embodiment 1) <Overall configuration of vehicle system 1> Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. A vehicle system 1 shown in FIG. 1 can be used in a vehicle capable of automatic driving (hereinafter, an automatic driving vehicle). As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle system 1 includes an automatic driving ECU 10, a communication module 11, a locator 12, a map database (hereinafter, a map DB) 13, a vehicle state sensor 14, a surroundings monitoring sensor 15, a vehicle control ECU 16, a body ECU 17, a direction indicator 18, an in-vehicle notification device 19, a user input device 20, and an HCU (Human Machine Interface Control Unit) 21. For example, the automatic driving ECU 10, the communication module 11, the locator 12, the map DB 13, the vehicle state sensor 14, the surroundings monitoring sensor 15, the vehicle control ECU 16, the body ECU 17, and the HCU 21 may be configured to be connected to an in-vehicle LAN (see the LAN in FIG. 1). Although the vehicle using the vehicular system 1 is not necessarily limited to an automobile, the following description will be given taking an example in which the system is used in an automobile.

[0017] There can be multiple levels of autonomous driving for autonomous vehicles (hereinafter referred to as "automation levels"), as defined by, for example, the SAE. The automation levels are classified into LV0 to 5, for example, as follows:

[0018] LV0 is the level at which the driver performs all driving tasks without the system intervening. The driving task may be rephrased as a dynamic driving task. The driving task may be, for example, steering, acceleration / deceleration, and surrounding monitoring. LV0 corresponds to so-called manual driving. LV1 is the level at which the system assists with either steering or acceleration / deceleration. LV1 corresponds to so-called driving assistance. LV2 is the level at which the system assists with both steering and acceleration / deceleration. LV2 corresponds to so-called partial driving automation. Note that LV1-2 are also considered to be part of autonomous driving.

[0019] For example, LV1-2 autonomous driving is autonomous driving in which the driver has a duty to monitor safe driving (hereinafter, simply referred to as the duty to monitor). In other words, it corresponds to autonomous driving with a duty to monitor. The duty to monitor includes visual monitoring of the surroundings. LV1-2 autonomous driving can be rephrased as autonomous driving in which a second task is not permitted. A second task is an act other than driving that is permitted for the driver, and is a specific act that is specified in advance. A second task can also be rephrased as a secondary activity, other activity, etc. It is considered that a second task must not prevent the driver from responding to a request from the autonomous driving system to take over driving operations. As an example, actions such as watching content such as videos, operating a smartphone, reading, and eating are assumed to be second tasks.

[0020] LV3 autonomous driving is a level where the system can perform all driving tasks under certain conditions, and the driver takes over driving operations in an emergency. LV3 autonomous driving requires the driver to be able to respond quickly when the system requests a handover of driving. This handover of driving can also be said to be a transfer of the responsibility of monitoring the surroundings from the vehicle's system to the driver. LV3 corresponds to so-called conditional driving automation. LV3 includes area-limited LV3, which is limited to a specific area. The specific area referred to here may be an expressway. The specific area may be, for example, a specific lane. LV3 also includes traffic jam-limited LV3, which is limited to traffic jams. Traffic jam-limited LV3 may be configured to be limited to traffic jams on an expressway, for example. The expressway may include a motorway.

[0021] Level 4 autonomous driving is a level where the system can perform all driving tasks except under certain circumstances such as on unmanageable roads or in extreme environments. Level 4 corresponds to what is known as highly automated driving. Level 5 autonomous driving is a level where the system can perform all driving tasks in any environment. Level 5 corresponds to fully automated driving. Level 4 and Level 5 autonomous driving can be implemented, for example, on driving sections where high-precision map data has been developed. High-precision map data will be discussed later.

[0022] For example, autonomous driving at LV3 to 5 is autonomous driving where the driver does not have a monitoring obligation. In other words, it corresponds to autonomous driving without monitoring obligation. Autonomous driving at LV3 to 5 can be said as autonomous driving where a second task is permitted. Among the autonomous driving at LV3 to 5, autonomous driving at LV4 or higher corresponds to autonomous driving where the driver is permitted to sleep. In other words, it corresponds to sleep-permitted autonomous driving. Autonomous driving at LV4 or higher can be said as autonomous driving where the driver does not need to take over driving even in an emergency. Among the autonomous driving at LV3 to 5, autonomous driving at level 3 corresponds to autonomous driving where the driver is not permitted to sleep (hereinafter, sleep-non-permitted autonomous driving). The autonomous driving vehicle of this embodiment is assumed to be capable of switching the automation level. The automation level may be configured to be switchable only between some levels among LV0 to 5. The autonomous driving vehicle of this embodiment is assumed to be capable of at least autonomous driving without monitoring obligation.

[0023] The communication module 11 transmits and receives information to and from a center outside the vehicle via wireless communication. That is, it performs wide-area communication. The communication module 11 receives congestion information and the like from the center via wide-area communication. The communication module 11 may transmit and receive information to and from other vehicles via wireless communication. That is, it may perform vehicle-to-vehicle communication. The communication module 11 may transmit and receive information to and from a roadside device installed on the roadside via wireless communication. That is, it may perform road-to-vehicle communication. When performing road-to-vehicle communication, the communication module 11 may receive information on surrounding vehicles transmitted from surrounding vehicles of the vehicle via the roadside device. Also, the communication module 11 may receive information on surrounding vehicles transmitted from surrounding vehicles of the vehicle via the center via wide-area communication.

[0024] Locator 12 includes a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver and an inertial sensor. The GNSS receiver receives positioning signals from a plurality of positioning satellites. The inertial sensor includes, for example, a gyro sensor and an acceleration sensor. Locator 12 sequentially measures the position of the vehicle (hereinafter, the vehicle position) on which locator 12 is mounted, by combining the positioning signals received by the GNSS receiver with the measurement results of the inertial sensor. The vehicle position may be expressed, for example, in latitude and longitude coordinates. Note that the vehicle position may also be measured using a travel distance calculated from a signal sequentially output from a vehicle speed sensor (described later) mounted on the vehicle.

[0025] The map DB 13 is a non-volatile memory and stores high-precision map data. The high-precision map data is map data with higher precision than map data used for route guidance in the navigation function. The map DB 13 may also store map data used for route guidance. The high-precision map data includes information that can be used for automatic driving, such as three-dimensional shape information of roads, information on the number of lanes, and information indicating the travel direction permitted for each lane. In addition, the high-precision map data may include node point information indicating the positions of both ends of road markings such as dividing lines. The locator 12 may be configured not to use a GNSS receiver by using the three-dimensional shape information of the road. For example, the locator 12 may be configured to specify the vehicle position using the three-dimensional shape information of the road and the detection results of a perimeter monitoring sensor 15 such as a LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging / Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging) or a perimeter monitoring camera that detects a point cloud of characteristic points of the road shape and structures. The three-dimensional shape information of the road may be generated based on a captured image by REM (Road Experience Management).

[0026] Map data distributed from an external server may be received by wide area communication via the communication module 11 and stored in the map DB 13. In this case, the map DB 13 may be a volatile memory, and the communication module 11 may successively acquire map data of an area corresponding to the vehicle position.

[0027] The vehicle state sensor 14 is a group of sensors for detecting various states of the vehicle. The vehicle state sensor 14 includes a vehicle speed sensor. The vehicle speed sensor detects the speed of the vehicle. The vehicle state sensor 14 outputs the detected sensing information to an in-vehicle LAN. The sensing information detected by the vehicle state sensor 14 may be configured to be output to the in-vehicle LAN via an ECU mounted in the vehicle.

[0028] The perimeter monitoring sensor 15 monitors the environment around the vehicle. As an example, the perimeter monitoring sensor 15 detects obstacles around the vehicle, such as moving objects such as pedestrians and other vehicles, and stationary objects such as objects fallen on the road. In addition, the perimeter monitoring sensor 15 detects road markings such as lane markings around the vehicle. The perimeter monitoring sensor 15 is, for example, a perimeter monitoring camera that captures a predetermined range around the vehicle, a millimeter wave radar that transmits a search wave to a predetermined range around the vehicle, a sonar, a LIDAR, or other sensor. The predetermined range may be a range that at least partially includes the front, rear, left, and right of the vehicle. The perimeter monitoring camera sequentially outputs the captured images as sensing information to the automatic driving ECU 10. The sensor that transmits the search wave, such as the sonar, millimeter wave radar, or LIDAR, sequentially outputs the scan result based on the received signal obtained when receiving the reflected wave reflected by the obstacle to the automatic driving ECU 10 as sensing information. The sensing information detected by the perimeter monitoring sensor 15 may be configured to be output to the automatic driving ECU 10 without going through the in-vehicle LAN.

[0029] The vehicle control ECU 16 is an electronic control device that performs driving control of the vehicle. Examples of driving control include acceleration / deceleration control and / or steering control. The vehicle control ECU 16 includes 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 16 performs driving control by outputting control signals to each driving control device mounted on the vehicle, such as an electronically controlled throttle, a brake actuator, and an EPS (Electric Power Steering) motor.

[0030] The body ECU 17 is an electronic control device that controls the electrical equipment of the vehicle. The body ECU 17 controls the direction indicators 18 of the vehicle. The direction indicators 18 are also called turn signal lamps, turn lamps, or blinker lamps. The direction indicators 18 are provided on the left and right sides of the vehicle. Illumination of only one of the left and right direction indicators 18 is a sign that the vehicle is changing direction. Illumination of both the left and right direction indicators 18 is a hazard lamp, which is a sign that an emergency has occurred. The direction indicators 18 are an exterior notification device that notifies the outside of the vehicle.

[0031] The in-vehicle notification device 19 issues a notification to the interior of the vehicle. The in-vehicle notification device 19 has a display 191 and an audio output device 192. The display 191 presents information by displaying the information. The display 191 presents information according to an instruction from the HCU 21. As the display 191, for example, a meter MID (Multi Information Display), a CID (Center Information Display), or a HUD (Head-Up Display) can be used.

[0032] The meter MID is a display device provided in front of the driver's seat in the vehicle cabin. As an example, the meter MID may be configured to be provided in a meter panel. The CID is a display device arranged in the center of the instrument panel of the vehicle. The HUD is provided in the vehicle cabin, for example, in the instrument panel. The HUD projects a display image formed by a projector onto a projection area that is set on the front windshield as a projection member. The light of the image reflected by the front windshield into the vehicle cabin is perceived by the driver sitting in the driver's seat. This allows the driver to view a virtual image of the display image formed in front of the front windshield, superimposed on a part of the foreground. The HUD may be configured to project a display image onto a combiner provided in front of the driver's seat instead of the front windshield.

[0033] The audio output device 192 presents information by outputting audio. An example of the audio output device 192 is a speaker provided in the cabin of the vehicle.

[0034] The user input device 20 accepts input from a user. The user input device 20 may be an operation device that accepts operation input from a user. The operation device may be a mechanical switch or a touch switch integrated with a display. Note that the user input device 20 is not limited to an operation device that accepts operation input, so long as it is a device that accepts input from a user. For example, the user input device 20 may be a voice input device that accepts voice command input from a user.

[0035] The HCU 21 is mainly composed of a computer including a processor, a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory, an I / O, and a bus connecting these. The HCU 21 executes various processes related to the interaction between the occupant and the vehicle's system by executing a control program stored in the non-volatile memory. The HCU 21 accepts input from an occupant such as the driver of the vehicle via the user input device 20. The HCU 21 controls notifications by the in-vehicle notification device 19.

[0036] The autonomous driving ECU 10 is mainly configured as a computer including a processor, a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory, an I / O, and a bus connecting these. The autonomous driving ECU 10 executes processes related to autonomous driving by executing a control program stored in the non-volatile memory. This autonomous driving ECU 10 corresponds to a vehicle control device. In this embodiment, the autonomous driving ECU 10 is used in a vehicle that can perform at least autonomous driving without a monitoring obligation. The configuration of the autonomous driving ECU 10 will be described in detail below.

[0037] <Outline of Autonomous Driving ECU 10> Next, a schematic configuration of the automatic driving ECU 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the automatic driving ECU 10 includes a driving environment recognition unit 101, an HCU communication unit 102, an action determination unit 103, a control execution unit 104, and an exterior notification instruction unit 105 as functional blocks. The execution of processing of each functional block of the automatic driving ECU 10 by a computer corresponds to the execution of a vehicle control method. Note that some or all of the functions executed by the automatic driving ECU 10 may be configured as hardware using one or more ICs or the like. Also, some or all of the functional blocks included in the automatic driving ECU 10 may be realized by a combination of software execution by a processor and hardware members.

[0038] The driving environment recognition unit 101 recognizes the driving environment of the vehicle from the vehicle position acquired from the locator 12, the map data acquired from the map DB 13, and the sensing information acquired from the surrounding monitoring sensor 15. This driving environment recognition unit 101 corresponds to a driving environment specification unit. As an example, the driving environment recognition unit 101 uses these pieces of information to recognize the positions, shapes, and movement states of objects around the vehicle, and generates a virtual space that reproduces the actual driving environment.

[0039] The driving environment recognition unit 101 may recognize the presence, relative position to the vehicle, relative speed to the vehicle, and the like of surrounding vehicles and pedestrians as the driving environment from the sensing information acquired from the surrounding monitoring sensor 15. The surrounding vehicles may be vehicles that are subject to traffic laws around the vehicle. For example, the surrounding vehicles may include not only automobiles but also motorcycles, mopeds, bicycles, and the like. The pedestrians may be pedestrians that are subject to traffic laws. For example, the pedestrians may include electric wheelchairs. The driving environment recognition unit 101 may recognize the vehicle position on the map from the vehicle position and map data. When the driving environment recognition unit 101 can acquire position information, speed information, and the like of surrounding vehicles, etc. via the communication module 11, it may recognize the driving environment using this information as well.

[0040] The driving environment recognition unit 101 includes an obstacle identification unit 111 as a sub-functional block. The obstacle identification unit 111 identifies an obstacle that impedes the driving of the vehicle. The processing in the obstacle identification unit 111 corresponds to an obstacle identification step. Examples of obstacles that impede the driving of the vehicle identified by the obstacle identification unit 111 include a vehicle ahead that has suddenly decelerated, a vehicle on the side that has pulled over, and objects that have fallen on the road. Note that the obstacles that impede the driving of the vehicle identified by the obstacle identification unit 111 are not limited to three-dimensional objects. For example, depressions on the road, frozen areas on the road, oil spills on the road, and the like may also be targeted. Areas without irregularities, such as frozen areas and oil spills, may be identified from the brightness, etc., of the captured image.

[0041] The driving environment recognition unit 101 may also determine whether the driving area is a manual driving area (hereinafter, MD area) in the driving area of ​​the vehicle. The driving environment recognition unit 101 may also determine whether the driving area is an automatic driving area (hereinafter, AD area) in the driving area of ​​the vehicle. The driving environment recognition unit 101 may also determine whether the AD area is an ST section and a non-ST section, which will be described later.

[0042] An MD area is an area where automated driving is prohibited. In other words, an MD area is an area where it is specified that the driver is to perform all of the longitudinal control, lateral control, and surrounding monitoring of the vehicle. The longitudinal direction is the direction that coincides with the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle. The lateral direction is the direction that coincides with the width direction of the vehicle. The longitudinal control corresponds to the acceleration / deceleration control of the vehicle. The lateral control corresponds to the steering control of the vehicle. For example, the MD area may be a general road. The MD area may also be a driving section of a general road for which high-precision map data is not available.

[0043] An AD area is an area where autonomous driving is permitted. In other words, an AD area is an area where it is specified that the vehicle can substitute for one or more of longitudinal control, lateral control, and periphery monitoring. For example, an AD area may be a highway. An AD area may be a driving section where high-precision map data is available. For example, area-limited LV3 autonomous driving may be permitted only on highways. Traffic jam-limited LV3 autonomous driving may be permitted only when there is a traffic jam in an AD area.

[0044] AD areas are divided into ST sections and non-ST sections. ST sections are sections where area-limited LV3 autonomous driving (hereinafter, area-limited autonomous driving) is permitted. Non-ST sections are sections where LV2 or lower autonomous driving and congestion-limited LV3 autonomous driving are possible. In this embodiment, there is no distinction between non-ST sections where LV1 autonomous driving is permitted and non-ST sections where LV2 autonomous driving is permitted. Non-ST sections may be sections of AD areas that do not fall under the ST section category.

[0045] The HCU communication unit 102 performs processing for outputting information to the HCU 21 and processing for acquiring information from the HCU 21. The HCU communication unit 102 includes a notification processing unit 121 and a response acquisition unit 122 as sub-functional blocks. The notification processing unit 121 indirectly controls notifications from the in-vehicle notification device 19. The notification processing unit 121 includes a confirmation instruction unit 1211 and an indoor notification instruction unit 1212 as sub-functional blocks. The processing in the confirmation instruction unit 1211, the indoor notification instruction unit 1212, and the response acquisition unit 122 will be described later.

[0046] The behavior determination unit 103 switches the control entity of the driving operation between the driver and the system of the vehicle. When the control right of the driving operation is on the system side, the behavior determination unit 103 determines a driving plan for driving the vehicle based on the recognition result of the driving environment by the driving environment recognition unit 101. As the driving plan, a long-term and medium-term driving plan and a short-term driving plan are generated. In the long-term and medium-term driving plan, a route for directing the vehicle to a set destination is generated. This route is a route consisting of a plurality of links. The autonomous driving ECU 10 may generate this route in the same manner as the route search of the navigation function. This route search may be performed by cost calculation using the Dijkstra algorithm, for example.

[0047] In the short-term driving plan, the behavior determination unit 103 generates a planned driving trajectory for realizing driving according to the long-term and mid-term driving plan by using the generated virtual space around the vehicle. Specifically, it determines the execution of steering for lane changes, acceleration / deceleration for speed adjustment, steering and braking for obstacle avoidance, etc.

[0048] Furthermore, the behavior determination unit 103 switches the automation level of the autonomous driving of the vehicle as necessary. The behavior determination unit 103 determines whether or not the automation level can be increased. For example, when the vehicle moves from an MD area to an AD area, it may determine that autonomous driving can be switched from LV4 or lower to LV4 or higher. When it is determined that the automation level can be increased and the increase in the automation level is approved by the driver, the behavior determination unit 103 may increase the automation level.

[0049] When the behavior determination unit 103 determines that the automation level needs to be lowered, it may lower the automation level. Examples of cases where it is determined that the automation level needs to be lowered include when an override is detected, when a planned driving changeover occurs, and when an unplanned driving changeover occurs. An override is an operation by which the driver of the vehicle spontaneously acquires control of the vehicle. In other words, an override is an operation intervention by the driver of the vehicle. Examples of override operations include steering the steering wheel, depressing the accelerator pedal, depressing the brake pedal, and the like. A planned driving changeover is a planned driving changeover determined by the system. As an example, when moving from a driving section in an AD area where high-precision map data is available to a driving section where high-precision map data is not available, it may be determined that the automatic driving of LV4 or higher is switched to automatic driving of LV3. An unplanned driving changeover is an unexpected and unexpected driving changeover determined by the system.

[0050] The behavior determining unit 103 includes a avoidance countermeasure identifying unit 131, a law determining unit 132, a stop determining unit 133, and a permission unit 134 as sub-functional blocks.

[0051] When the obstacle identifying unit 111 identifies an obstacle, the avoidance countermeasure identifying unit 131 identifies a countermeasure for the vehicle capable of avoiding the obstacle (hereinafter, avoidance countermeasure). When the obstacle identifying unit 111 identifies an obstacle, the avoidance countermeasure identifying unit 131 identifies a route as a planned travel trajectory of the vehicle capable of avoiding the obstacle (hereinafter, avoidance route) as an avoidance countermeasure. This processing in the avoidance countermeasure identifying unit 131 corresponds to an avoidance countermeasure identifying step. The avoidance countermeasure identifying unit 131 may identify the avoidance route based on the recognition result of the travel environment by the travel environment recognizing unit 101.

[0052] The legal regulation determination unit 132 determines whether the avoidance countermeasure specified by the avoidance countermeasure specification unit 131 is a deviation countermeasure that is outside the scope of traffic laws or traffic manners. For example, traffic manners include ensuring a sufficient distance between the vehicle and the vehicle ahead. The sufficient distance between the vehicles is a distance that is estimated to be unlikely to give a feeling of oppression to the vehicle ahead and may be set in advance. This distance may be varied according to the vehicle speed of the vehicle. The legal regulation determination unit 132 may determine whether the avoidance route specified by the avoidance countermeasure specification unit 131 is a non-legal route that is outside the scope of traffic laws. The legal regulation determination unit 132 may determine whether the avoidance route is a non-legal route based on whether the avoidance route passes through an area where vehicles are prohibited from passing in principle under traffic laws (hereinafter, a prohibited area). The prohibited area may be an oncoming lane, a road edge divided by an outer lane of a roadway, a road edge of a highway, or the like. In the case where the prohibited area varies depending on the automation level of the vehicle, the legality determination unit 132 may determine whether the avoidance route is a non-legal route based on whether the avoidance route passes through a prohibited area corresponding to the automation level of the vehicle. As an example, the following may be performed. When the automation level is LV4 or higher, adjacent lanes in the same direction of travel as the vehicle's lane are not treated as prohibited areas. On the other hand, when the automation level is LV3, adjacent lanes in the same direction of travel as the vehicle's lane are also treated as prohibited areas.

[0053] When the legality determination unit 132 determines that the avoidance route is a non-legal route, the stop determination unit 133 determines whether or not the host vehicle can be stopped temporarily. The stop here may be, for example, a stop with a margin. The margin refers to having a margin in the distance between the host vehicle and the following vehicle. For example, the stop determination unit 133 may determine that the host vehicle can be stopped temporarily when the periphery monitoring sensor 15 does not detect a vehicle following the host vehicle. The stop determination unit 133 may determine that the host vehicle cannot be stopped temporarily when the periphery monitoring sensor 15 detects a vehicle following the host vehicle. Even when the periphery monitoring sensor 15 detects a vehicle following the host vehicle, the stop determination unit 133 may determine that the host vehicle can be stopped temporarily if it is estimated that the following vehicle can be stopped in accordance with the host vehicle's temporary stop. This determination may be made based on the distance between the host vehicle and the following vehicle, the relative speed of the following vehicle with respect to the host vehicle, and the like.

[0054] When the avoidance route identified by the avoidance countermeasure identification unit 131 is a non-legal route and the vehicle can be stopped temporarily, the confirmation instruction unit 1211 of the HCU communication unit 102 inquires of the driver of the vehicle whether or not to allow avoidance to the non-legal route (hereinafter, avoidance acceptance / rejection). Whether or not the avoidance route is a non-legal route may be judged by the law determination unit 132. Whether or not the vehicle can be stopped temporarily may be judged by the stop determination unit 133. The confirmation instruction unit 1211 may make an inquiry about whether or not to allow avoidance by outputting an instruction to the HCU 21 to inquire about whether or not to allow avoidance (hereinafter, acceptance / rejection inquiry instruction).

[0055] The confirmation instruction unit 1211 may start the inquiry as to whether or not to accept avoidance after the host vehicle is temporarily stopped, or may start the inquiry as to whether or not to accept avoidance before the host vehicle is temporarily stopped. In order to automatically and smoothly avoid obstacles, it is preferable that the confirmation instruction unit 1211 starts the inquiry as to whether or not to accept avoidance before the host vehicle is temporarily stopped.

[0056] Upon receiving the acceptance / rejection inquiry instruction, the HCU 21 causes the in-vehicle notification device 19 to make an announcement inquiring about the acceptance / rejection of avoidance (hereinafter, avoidance acceptance / rejection notification). The avoidance acceptance / rejection notification may be made by display on the display device 191, or by audio output from the audio output device 192. For example, the avoidance acceptance / rejection notification may be a text display or audio output of content confirming whether or not it is acceptable to pass through a route outside the scope of traffic regulations in order to avoid an obstacle. When the vehicle is in autonomous driving without a monitoring obligation, the driver may be concentrating on the second task, so it is preferable to make the avoidance acceptance / rejection notification not only by display on the display device 191, but also by audio output from the audio output device 192.

[0057] The driver who receives the avoidance acceptance / rejection notification inputs a response to the avoidance acceptance / rejection (hereinafter, the acceptance / rejection response) to the user input device 20. The HCU 21 outputs the acceptance / rejection response received by the user input device 20 to the autonomous driving ECU 10. The response acquisition unit 122 of the HCU communication unit 102 acquires the acceptance / rejection response output from the HCU 21, thereby acquiring the response from the driver to the avoidance acceptance / rejection inquired by the confirmation instruction unit 1211.

[0058] During autonomous driving without a monitoring obligation of the vehicle, the permission unit 134 permits avoidance using the deviation countermeasure, based on the fact that the avoidance countermeasure specified by the avoidance countermeasure specification unit 131 is a deviation countermeasure that falls outside the scope of traffic laws. This allows driving outside the scope of traffic laws or traffic manners when driving within the scope of traffic laws or traffic manners is not desirable during autonomous driving.

[0059] The permission unit 134 may permit avoidance to the non-legal route based on the fact that the avoidance route specified by the avoidance countermeasure specification unit 131 is a non-legal route during autonomous driving without a monitoring obligation of the vehicle. According to this, even if the avoidance route is a non-legal route during autonomous driving without a monitoring obligation, avoidance to the non-legal route is possible. Therefore, even if it is necessary to avoid an obstacle during autonomous driving and it is difficult to avoid the obstacle by actions within the traffic laws, it is possible to automatically avoid the obstacle more smoothly. This permission unit 134 corresponds to a first permission unit. Moreover, the processing in this permission unit 134 corresponds to a first permission step.

[0060] When the avoidance route specified by the avoidance countermeasure specification unit 131 is a non-legal route and requires entry into the oncoming lane of the vehicle's driving lane (hereinafter, simply referred to as the oncoming lane) or the road edge, the permission unit 134 preferably permits the vehicle to avoid the non-legal route based on the fact that the driving environment recognition unit 101 has specified that there are no other vehicles or pedestrians at the approach destination. It is preferable that the road edge referred to here excludes the road edge of an expressway. For example, the road edge referred to here may be the road edge separated by the outer roadway line. This makes it possible to automatically avoid the non-legal route by avoiding other vehicles and pedestrians even when the avoidance is an area where other vehicles or pedestrians may exist.

[0061] In the case where the avoidance route identified by the avoidance countermeasure identification unit 131 is a non-legal route and the host vehicle can be stopped temporarily, the permission unit 134 preferably permits the host vehicle to avoid the non-legal route when the answer acquisition unit 122 acquires an acceptance / rejection answer approving the avoidance to the non-legal route. The permission unit 134 may specify whether the host vehicle can be stopped temporarily from the judgment result of the stop judgment unit 133. According to this, when the driver has time to confirm whether or not the driver accepts the avoidance, it becomes possible to automatically perform the avoidance to the non-legal route after confirming whether or not the driver accepts the avoidance. Therefore, it becomes possible to avoid the host vehicle to the non-legal route approved by the driver.

[0062] In addition, when the answer acquisition unit 122 acquires an approval / denial answer that does not approve the avoidance to the non-legal route, the permission unit 134 may not permit the avoidance to the non-legal route. When the permission unit 134 does not permit the avoidance to the non-legal route, the behavior determination unit 103 may generate a driving plan to stop the host vehicle in an area where the vehicle is permitted to pass under traffic regulations. When the permission unit 134 does not permit the avoidance to the non-legal route, the behavior determination unit 103 may generate a driving plan to stop the host vehicle even if, for example, a sufficient stop is not possible. In addition, when the permission unit 134 does not permit the avoidance to the non-legal route, the behavior determination unit 103 may cause the system to request the driver to take over driving.

[0063] When the avoidance route identified by the avoidance countermeasure identification unit 131 is a non-legal route and temporary stopping of the vehicle is not possible, it is preferable that the permission unit 134 permits avoidance to the non-legal route without inquiring about the acceptance or rejection of the avoidance by the confirmation instruction unit 1211. According to this, when the driver does not have time to confirm the acceptance or rejection of the avoidance, it is possible to automatically perform avoidance to the non-legal route without confirming the acceptance or rejection of the avoidance to the driver.

[0064] When sleep-permitting autonomous driving is in progress, the permission unit 134 preferably permits avoidance to a non-legal route based on the avoidance route specified by the avoidance countermeasure specification unit 131 being a non-legal route that falls outside the scope of traffic laws corresponding to sleep-permitting autonomous driving. On the other hand, when sleep-non-permitting autonomous driving is in progress, the permission unit 134 permits avoidance to a non-legal route based on the avoidance route specified by the avoidance countermeasure specification unit 131 being a non-legal route that falls outside the scope of traffic laws corresponding to sleep-non-permitting autonomous driving. This makes it possible to permit avoidance to a non-legal route according to the difference in automation level, even if the areas that fall outside the scope of traffic laws differ depending on the difference in automation level between sleep-permitting autonomous driving and sleep-non-permitting autonomous driving.

[0065] When the permission unit 134 permits avoidance to the non-legal route, the interior notification instruction unit 1212 of the HCU communication unit 102 issues a notification to the interior of the vehicle that the avoidance to the non-legal route will be performed (hereinafter, avoidance notification). The interior notification instruction unit 1212 may issue an avoidance notification by outputting an instruction to issue an avoidance notification (hereinafter, avoidance notification instruction) to the HCU 21. This makes it possible to make the driver aware that avoidance to the non-legal route will be automatically performed.

[0066] The HCU 21, which has received the avoidance notification instruction, causes the in-vehicle notification device 19 to issue an avoidance notification. The avoidance notification may be issued by displaying on the display device 191, or by outputting an audio signal from the audio output device 192. For example, the avoidance notification may be issued by displaying a text, an icon, or outputting an audio signal indicating that a route outside the scope of traffic regulations will be taken to avoid an obstacle.

[0067] When the legal regulation determination unit 132 determines that the avoidance route is not a non-legal route, the behavior determination unit 103 generates a planned travel trajectory corresponding to the avoidance route as a short-term travel plan.

[0068] When the confirmation instruction unit 1211 has not made an inquiry about the acceptance or rejection of the avoidance, the indoor notification instruction unit 1212 preferably makes the avoidance notification by not only displaying on the display unit 191 but also by audio output from the audio output device 192. On the other hand, when the confirmation instruction unit 1211 has made an inquiry about the acceptance or rejection of the avoidance, the indoor notification instruction unit 1212 preferably makes the avoidance notification by displaying on the display unit 191, without making the avoidance notification by audio output from the audio output device 192. This is because, when the driver has already confirmed the acceptance or rejection of the avoidance, making the avoidance notification by audio may be bothersome for the driver. When the confirmation instruction unit 1211 has made an inquiry about the acceptance or rejection of the avoidance, the indoor notification instruction unit 1212 may simplify the display on the display unit 191 compared to when the inquiry about the acceptance or rejection of the avoidance has not been made. For example, the avoidance notification may be simplified by making the avoidance notification by icon display rather than text display.

[0069] When the permission unit 134 permits the avoidance to the non-legal route, the exterior notification instruction unit 105 causes a notification to the effect that the avoidance to the non-legal route will be performed (i.e., an avoidance notification) to be made to the outside of the vehicle. For example, the avoidance notification to the outside of the vehicle may be realized by turning on the hazard lamps. In this case, the exterior notification instruction unit 105 may send an instruction to the body ECU 17 to turn on the hazard lamps, and turn on the hazard lamps. Note that, when the vehicle has an exterior display that displays information to the outside of the vehicle, the exterior notification instruction unit 105 may be configured as follows. For example, the exterior notification instruction unit 105 may cause the exterior display to display a text display or an icon display indicating that the vehicle will pass through a route that is outside the scope of traffic regulations to avoid an obstacle. With the above configuration, it is possible to make the drivers of other vehicles and pedestrians around the vehicle recognize that the avoidance to the non-legal route will be automatically performed.

[0070] In addition, the autonomous driving ECU 10 may be configured to issue only one of an avoidance alert directed toward the inside of the vehicle cabin and an avoidance alert directed toward the outside of the vehicle when the permission unit 134 permits avoidance to the non-legal route.

[0071] When the control authority of the driving operation is on the side of the vehicle's system, the control execution unit 104 executes acceleration / deceleration control, steering control, etc. of the vehicle in accordance with the driving plan determined by the action determination unit 103 in cooperation with the vehicle control ECU 16. The control execution unit 104 executes, for example, ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) control, LTA (Lane Tracing Assist) control, and LCA (Lane Change Assist) control.

[0072] ACC control is a control that allows the host vehicle to travel at a constant speed at a set vehicle speed, or to follow a preceding vehicle. In following travel, acceleration / deceleration control is performed to maintain the distance between the host vehicle and the nearest preceding vehicle at a target distance. The target distance may be set according to the speed of the host vehicle, for example. LTA control is a control that keeps the host vehicle traveling within its lane. In LTA control, steering control is performed to keep the host vehicle traveling within its lane. LCA control is a control that automatically changes lanes from the host vehicle's lane to an adjacent lane. In LCA control, lane changes are made by performing acceleration / deceleration control and steering control.

[0073] The control execution unit 104 includes a stop control unit 141 as a sub-functional block. When the avoidance route identified by the avoidance countermeasure identification unit 131 is a non-legal route and when it is possible to temporarily stop the vehicle, the stop control unit 141 temporarily stops the vehicle. The control execution unit 104 may identify whether it is possible to temporarily stop the vehicle from the determination result of the stop determination unit 133.

[0074] <Obstacle avoidance related processing in autonomous driving ECU 10> Here, an example of the flow of processing related to avoidance of obstacles during autonomous driving without a monitoring obligation in the autonomous driving ECU 10 (hereinafter, obstacle avoidance related processing) will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 3. The flowchart in Fig. 3 may be configured to be started, for example, when the host vehicle starts autonomous driving without a monitoring obligation for surroundings.

[0075] First, in step S1, if the fault identifying unit 111 identifies a fault (YES in S1), the process proceeds to step S2. On the other hand, if the fault identifying unit 111 does not identify a fault (NO in S1), the process proceeds to step S12. In step S2, the avoidance measure identifying unit 131 identifies an avoidance path.

[0076] In step S3, the legality determination unit 132 determines whether the avoidance route identified in S2 is a non-legal route. If it is a non-legal route (YES in S3), the process proceeds to step S5. On the other hand, if it is not a non-legal route (NO in S3), the process proceeds to step S4. In step S4, the behavior determination unit 103 generates a planned driving trajectory corresponding to the avoidance route identified in S2 as a short-term driving plan. Next, the control execution unit 104 automatically drives the vehicle along this planned driving trajectory. In other words, the obstacle identified in S1 is avoided by driving in an area complying with traffic laws. Then, the process proceeds to step S12.

[0077] In step S5, if the avoidance route, which is a non-legal route identified in S2, is a route that requires entering an oncoming lane or a road edge, and if there are no other vehicles or pedestrians at the approach destination (YES in S5), the process proceeds to step S7. In other words, if it is possible to enter the non-legal route, the process proceeds to step S7. Whether or not it is possible to enter the non-legal route may be determined by the permission unit 134 based on the recognition result by the driving environment recognition unit 101. On the other hand, if it is not possible to enter the non-legal route (NO in S5), the process proceeds to step S6.

[0078] In step S6, the control execution unit 104 stops the host vehicle in an area covered by traffic regulations, and the process proceeds to step S12. In S6, the host vehicle may be stopped in an area covered by traffic regulations by allowing the stop control unit 141 to continue stopping the host vehicle.

[0079] In step S7, if the legality determination unit 132 determines that the avoidance route is a non-legal route, the stop determination unit 133 determines whether or not the vehicle can be stopped temporarily. If it is determined that the vehicle can be stopped temporarily (YES in S7), the process proceeds to step S8. On the other hand, if it is determined that the vehicle cannot be stopped temporarily (NO in S7), the process proceeds to step S10.

[0080] In step S8, the stop control unit 141 temporarily stops the vehicle, and the confirmation instruction unit 1211 inquires whether or not to accept the avoidance. In step S9, if the permission unit 134 is able to confirm the approval of the avoidance (YES in S9), the process proceeds to step S10. On the other hand, if the permission unit 134 is unable to confirm the approval of the avoidance (NO in S9), the process proceeds to step S6. As an example, if the response acquisition unit 122 acquires a response permitting the avoidance within a set time, the permission unit 134 may confirm the approval of the avoidance. Examples of when the permission unit 134 cannot confirm the approval of the avoidance include the following. The first example is when the response acquisition unit 122 is unable to acquire a response permitting the avoidance within the set time. The second example is when the response acquisition unit 122 acquires a response not permitting the avoidance within the set time.

[0081] In step S10, the permission unit 134 permits avoidance to the non-legal route. In step S11, the behavior determination unit 103 generates a planned driving trajectory corresponding to the avoidance route, which is the non-legal route identified in S2, as a short-term driving plan. Next, the control execution unit 104 automatically drives the vehicle along this planned driving trajectory. In other words, the obstacle identified in S1 is avoided by driving the non-legal route.

[0082] In step S12, if it is time to end the obstacle avoidance-related processing (YES in S12), the obstacle avoidance-related processing is terminated. On the other hand, if it is not time to end the obstacle avoidance-related processing (NO in S12), the process returns to S1 and is repeated. Examples of timing to end the obstacle avoidance-related processing include when the power switch of the host vehicle is turned off, when the automation level of the host vehicle falls below LV3, etc.

[0083] In addition, in the flowchart of Fig. 3, the processes of S5 to S9 may be omitted. In this case, if YES is determined in S3, the process may proceed to S10. In the flowchart of Fig. 3, the processes of S7 to S9 may be omitted. In this case, if YES is determined in S5, the process may proceed to S10. In the flowchart of Fig. 3, the process of S5 may be performed after the process of S9.

[0084] The configuration of the first embodiment is intended to enable driving outside the scope of traffic laws when driving within the scope of traffic laws during automated driving is not desirable. The configuration of the first embodiment is intended to enable smoother automatic obstacle avoidance, particularly when obstacle avoidance is necessary during automated driving and avoidance is difficult within the scope of traffic laws.

[0085] (Embodiment 2) The configuration is not limited to that of the above-described embodiment, and may be that of the following embodiment 2. An example of the configuration of embodiment 2 will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0086] <Schematic configuration of vehicle system 1a> Here, a schematic configuration of the vehicle system 1a will be described with reference to FIG. 4. The vehicle system 1a shown in FIG. 4 can be used in an autonomous vehicle. As shown in FIG. 4, the vehicle system 1a includes an autonomous driving ECU 10a, a communication module 11, a locator 12, a map DB 13, a vehicle state sensor 14, a surrounding monitoring sensor 15, a vehicle control ECU 16, a body ECU 17, a direction indicator 18, an in-vehicle notification device 19, a user input device 20, an HCU 21a, and an interior camera 22. The vehicle system 1a includes the autonomous driving ECU 10a instead of the autonomous driving ECU 10. The vehicle system 1a includes the HCU 21a instead of the HCU 21. The vehicle system 1a includes the interior camera 22. Except for these points, the vehicle system 1a is similar to the vehicle system 1 of the first embodiment.

[0087] The indoor camera 22 captures an image of a predetermined range within the cabin of the vehicle. The indoor camera 22 captures an image of an area including at least the driver's seat of the vehicle. The indoor camera 22 is composed of, for example, a near-infrared light source and a near-infrared camera, and a control unit that controls them. The indoor camera 22 captures an image of an occupant of the vehicle irradiated with near-infrared light by the near-infrared light source using the near-infrared camera. The image captured by the near-infrared camera is subjected to image analysis by the control unit. The control unit performs image analysis on the captured image to detect the facial features of the driver. The control unit detects the driver's facial direction, line of sight, etc. based on the detected facial features of the driver.

[0088] The HCU 21a is similar to the HCU 21 of the first embodiment, except for some different processing. The following describes these differences. The HCU 21a judges whether the driver is monitoring the surroundings based on the driver's facial direction and line of sight direction successively detected by the indoor camera 22. The HCU 21a preferably outputs the judgment result of whether the driver is monitoring the surroundings to the autonomous driving ECU 10a. The judgment result of whether the driver is monitoring the surroundings is hereinafter referred to as the monitoring judgment result.

[0089] <Outline of the Autonomous Driving ECU 10a> Next, a schematic configuration of the automatic driving ECU 10a will be described with reference to FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 5, the automatic driving ECU 10a includes a driving environment recognition unit 101a, an HCU communication unit 102a, a behavior determination unit 103a, a control execution unit 104a, an exterior notification instruction unit 105, and a driver state identification unit 106 as functional blocks. The automatic driving ECU 10a includes the driving environment recognition unit 101a instead of the driving environment recognition unit 101. The automatic driving ECU 10a includes the HCU communication unit 102a instead of the HCU communication unit 102. The automatic driving ECU 10a includes the behavior determination unit 103a instead of the behavior determination unit 103. The automatic driving ECU 10a includes the control execution unit 104a instead of the control execution unit 104. The automatic driving ECU 10a includes the driver state identification unit 106. Except for these points, the autonomous driving ECU 10a is similar to the autonomous driving ECU 10 of the first embodiment. The autonomous driving ECU 10a also corresponds to a vehicle control device. In addition, the execution of the processing of each functional block of the autonomous driving ECU 10a by a computer corresponds to the execution of a vehicle control method.

[0090] The driving environment recognition unit 101a is the same as the driving environment recognition unit 101 of the first embodiment, except for some different processing. The following describes the differences. The driving environment recognition unit 101a specifies whether or not an obstacle exists within a predetermined range from a stop line. The stop line referred to here is a stop line where stopping is mandatory under traffic regulations. Examples of such stop lines include a stop line at an intersection with a stop sign. The obstacle may be an obstacle that is estimated to obstruct the passage of the vehicle. The obstacle may be limited to a moving object. The predetermined range may be arbitrarily set. The predetermined range may be a range where the above-mentioned obstacle is estimated to be unlikely to obstruct the passage of the vehicle. This driving environment recognition unit 101a also corresponds to a driving environment specification unit.

[0091] The driving environment recognition unit 101a includes an obstacle identification unit 111a as a sub-functional block. The obstacle identification unit 111a identifies the approach of an emergency vehicle to the vehicle as an obstacle that impedes the driving of the vehicle. Except for this point, the obstacle identification unit 111a is similar to the obstacle identification unit 111 of the first embodiment. The processing in the obstacle identification unit 111a also corresponds to an obstacle identification process. An emergency vehicle is a vehicle that is required by traffic regulations to give way to the vehicle when approaching the vehicle. Examples of emergency vehicles include an ambulance, a fire engine, and a police car. The approach of an emergency vehicle to the vehicle may be an approach in which the distance between the emergency vehicle and the vehicle is less than a specified distance. The specified distance may be set arbitrarily. The obstacle identification unit 111a may identify the approach of an emergency vehicle to the vehicle from the position information, speed information, etc. of the emergency vehicle acquired via the communication module 11.

[0092] The HCU communication unit 102a includes an alarm processing unit 121a and a response acquisition unit 122 as sub-functional blocks. The HCU communication unit 102a is similar to the HCU communication unit 102 of the first embodiment, except that the HCU communication unit 102a includes an alarm processing unit 121a instead of the alarm processing unit 121. The alarm processing unit 121a includes a confirmation instruction unit 1211, an indoor alarm instruction unit 1212, and a monitoring promotion unit 1213 as sub-functional blocks. The alarm processing unit 121a is similar to the alarm processing unit 121 of the first embodiment, except that the alarm processing unit 121a includes the monitoring promotion unit 1213. The processing in the monitoring promotion unit 1213 will be described later.

[0093] The behavior determination unit 103 includes a avoidance countermeasure identification unit 131a, a law determination unit 132, a stop determination unit 133, and a permission unit 134a as sub-functional blocks. The behavior determination unit 103a includes the avoidance countermeasure identification unit 131a instead of the avoidance countermeasure identification unit 131. The behavior determination unit 103a includes the permission unit 134a instead of the permission unit 134. Except for these points, the behavior determination unit 103a is similar to the behavior determination unit 103 of the first embodiment.

[0094] The avoidance countermeasure identification unit 131a is similar to the avoidance countermeasure identification unit 131 of the first embodiment, except for some different processing. The following describes these differences. When the obstacle identification unit 111a identifies that an emergency vehicle is approaching the vehicle, the avoidance countermeasure identification unit 131a identifies passing through the stop line without stopping as an avoidance countermeasure. The processing in the avoidance countermeasure identification unit 131a also corresponds to an avoidance countermeasure identification step.

[0095] The permission unit 134a is the same as the permission unit 134 of the first embodiment, except for some different processing. The following describes this difference. When the avoidance countermeasure specified by the avoidance countermeasure specification unit 131a is passing through the stop line without stopping, the permission unit 134a permits passing through the stop line without stopping based on the fact that the driving environment recognition unit 101a specifies that there is no obstacle within a predetermined range from the stop line. According to this, when it is necessary to pass through the stop line without stopping in order to avoid an obstacle, and the possibility of contact with an obstacle other than the obstacle can be reduced, passing through the stop line without stopping is made possible even during automatic driving without a monitoring obligation. The processing by the permission unit 134a also corresponds to the first permission step.

[0096] When the permission unit 134a permits passing through the stop line without stopping, the monitoring promotion unit 1213 of the HCU communication unit 102a preferably issues a notification to the driver of the vehicle to encourage him / her to monitor the surroundings. The notification to encourage monitoring of the surroundings (hereinafter, monitoring promotion notification) is a display, a voice output, etc., that encourages the driver to monitor the surroundings. An example of the monitoring promotion notification is a text display or a voice output such as "Please check the surroundings of your vehicle." This makes it possible to encourage the driver to monitor the surroundings even during automatic driving without a monitoring obligation, and to avoid obstacles by the driver's intervention. Therefore, even when passing through a stop line without stopping to avoid an obstacle, it is possible to further reduce the possibility of contact with obstacles other than the obstacle.

[0097] When the permission unit 134a permits passing through a stop line without stopping, the interior notification instruction unit 1212 of the HCU communication unit 102a preferably causes a notification regarding passing through a stop line without stopping (hereinafter, a stop mitigation related notification) to be made to the driver of the vehicle. This allows the driver to recognize information regarding passing through a stop line without stopping. The stop mitigation related notification preferably includes a reason for permitting passing through a stop line without stopping. For example, if the reason is the approach of an emergency vehicle, an icon of the emergency vehicle may be displayed as the stop mitigation related notification. This allows the driver to recognize the reason for passing through a stop line without stopping, and the driver's sense of security regarding the system of the vehicle can be increased.

[0098] The control execution unit 104a includes a stop control unit 141 and a passage control unit 142 as sub-functional blocks. The control execution unit 104a is similar to the control execution unit 104 of the first embodiment, except for the passage control unit 142. When the permission unit 134a allows the vehicle to pass through the stop line without stopping, the passage control unit 142 preferably controls the speed of the vehicle to be equal to or lower than a specified value before the vehicle reaches the stop line. The specified value may be a speed that corresponds to the so-called slowest speed. In other words, the speed may be a speed at which the vehicle can immediately stop. As an example, the speed may be equal to or lower than 5 km / h. When the vehicle is an automatic transmission vehicle using a torque converter, the running speed may be a creeping speed. In addition, the passage control unit 142 preferably drives the vehicle at a speed equal to or lower than the specified value while the vehicle is crossing the stop line. The period during which the vehicle is crossing the stop line may be the period until the vehicle body of the vehicle has completely passed the stop line. Whether the vehicle is straddling a stop line may be determined, for example, by the control execution unit 104a, based on the position of the stop line relative to the vehicle recognized by the driving environment recognition unit 101a and the behavior of the vehicle. This makes it possible to further reduce the possibility of contact with obstacles other than the stop line, even if the vehicle passes through the stop line without stopping to avoid an obstacle.

[0099] The driver state identification unit 106 identifies the state of the driver of the vehicle. The driver state identification unit 106 identifies whether the driver of the vehicle is monitoring the surroundings based on the monitoring determination result acquired from the HCU 21a via the HCU communication unit 102a.

[0100] When the avoidance countermeasure identified by the avoidance countermeasure identification unit 131a is passing through the stop line without stopping, it is preferable that the permission unit 134a permits passing through the stop line without stopping on condition that the driving environment recognition unit 101a has identified that no obstacle exists within a predetermined range from the stop line and the driver state identification unit 106 has identified that the driver is monitoring the surroundings. This makes it possible to particularly reduce the possibility of contact with obstacles other than the stop line, even when passing through the stop line without stopping to avoid an obstacle.

[0101] (Embodiment 3) The configuration of the embodiment 3 described below may be adopted without being limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment. An example of the configuration of the embodiment 3 will be described below with reference to the drawings. The vehicle system 1 of the embodiment 3 is similar to the vehicle system 1 of the embodiment 1, except that the vehicle system 1 of the embodiment 3 includes an autonomous driving ECU 10b instead of the autonomous driving ECU 10.

[0102] <Outline of the configuration of the autonomous driving ECU 10b> Next, a schematic configuration of the automatic driving ECU 10b will be described with reference to FIG. 6. As shown in FIG. 6, the automatic driving ECU 10b includes a driving environment recognition unit 101b, an HCU communication unit 102, an action determination unit 103b, a control execution unit 104, and an exterior notification instruction unit 105 as functional blocks. The automatic driving ECU 10b includes the driving environment recognition unit 101b instead of the driving environment recognition unit 101. The automatic driving ECU 10b includes the action determination unit 103b instead of the action determination unit 103. Except for these points, the automatic driving ECU 10b is similar to the automatic driving ECU 10 of the first embodiment. This automatic driving ECU 10b also corresponds to a vehicle control device. In addition, the execution of the processing of each functional block of the automatic driving ECU 10b by a computer corresponds to the execution of a vehicle control method.

[0103] The driving environment recognition unit 101b includes an obstacle identification unit 111 and a target situation identification unit 112 as sub-functional blocks. The driving environment recognition unit 101b is similar to the driving environment recognition unit 101 of the first embodiment, except for the fact that the driving environment recognition unit 101b includes the target situation identification unit 112. The target situation identification unit 112 identifies a target situation that is set in advance as being preferable for the vehicle to perform deviation driving, which is driving outside the scope of traffic laws or traffic manners, during automatic driving without monitoring obligation. The processing in the target situation identification unit 112 corresponds to a target situation identification step. The target situation identification unit 112 identifies that the vehicle ahead of the vehicle is in automatic driving as the target situation. The fact that the vehicle ahead is in automatic driving may be identified as follows. If the vehicle ahead is a vehicle that displays outside the vehicle indicating that it is in automatic driving, the vehicle ahead may be identified by image recognition of the display outside the vehicle. If the vehicle ahead is a vehicle that transmits information indicating that it is in automatic driving by vehicle-to-vehicle communication, the vehicle ahead may be identified by acquiring this information via the communication module 11. In addition, the autonomous driving of the vehicle ahead here may be configured to be limited to autonomous driving without a monitoring obligation.

[0104] The behavior determination unit 103b includes a avoidance countermeasure specification unit 131, a law determination unit 132, a stop determination unit 133, and a permission unit 134b as sub-functional blocks. The behavior determination unit 103b is similar to the behavior determination unit 103 of the first embodiment, except that the behavior determination unit 103b includes the permission unit 134b instead of the permission unit 134.

[0105] The permission unit 134b is the same as the permission unit 134 of the first embodiment, except for some differences in processing. The following describes these differences. When the target situation is identified by the target situation identification unit 112 during autonomous driving without a monitoring obligation, the permission unit 134b permits deviation driving according to the target situation. This allows driving outside the range of traffic laws or traffic manners even during autonomous driving without a monitoring obligation when driving within the range of traffic laws or traffic manners is not desirable. This permission unit 134b corresponds to a second permission unit. Also, the processing in this permission unit 134b corresponds to a second permission step.

[0106] When the target situation identification unit 112 identifies that the vehicle ahead of the vehicle is driving automatically during automatic driving without a monitoring obligation, the permission unit 134b permits the vehicle distance between the vehicle ahead of the vehicle to be less than a threshold value that is preset as a range of traffic manners. The vehicle distance between the vehicle ahead of the vehicle and the vehicle ahead of the vehicle is hereinafter referred to as the forward vehicle distance. The threshold value referred to here is a distance that is estimated to be unlikely to give the vehicle ahead a sense of pressure, and may be set arbitrarily. This threshold value may be varied according to the vehicle speed of the vehicle ahead of the vehicle. When the vehicle ahead of ...

[0107] The permission unit 134b may be configured to permit the forward inter-vehicle distance to be set below the aforementioned threshold value when the target situation identification unit 112 identifies that the vehicle ahead of the vehicle is driving autonomously during autonomous driving without monitoring obligation, and when it is preferable to set the forward inter-vehicle distance below the aforementioned threshold value in order to avoid an obstacle identified by the obstacle identification unit 111. This makes it possible to reduce the forward inter-vehicle distance to a distance outside the range of traffic manners only in a situation where it is considered easy to avoid approaching the vehicle ahead and where it is necessary to avoid an obstacle.

[0108] (Embodiment 4) The configuration of the embodiment 4 described below may be adopted without being limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment. An example of the configuration of the embodiment 4 will be described below with reference to the drawings. The vehicle system 1 of the embodiment 4 is similar to the vehicle system 1 of the embodiment 1, except that the vehicle system 1 of the embodiment 4 includes an autonomous driving ECU 10c instead of the autonomous driving ECU 10.

[0109] <Outline of the autonomous driving ECU 10c> Next, a schematic configuration of the automatic driving ECU 10c will be described with reference to FIG. 7. As shown in FIG. 7, the automatic driving ECU 10c includes a driving environment recognition unit 101c, an HCU communication unit 102, an action determination unit 103c, a control execution unit 104, and an exterior notification instruction unit 105 as functional blocks. The automatic driving ECU 10c includes the driving environment recognition unit 101c instead of the driving environment recognition unit 101b. The automatic driving ECU 10c includes the action determination unit 103c instead of the action determination unit 103b. Except for these points, the automatic driving ECU 10c is similar to the automatic driving ECU 10b of the third embodiment. This automatic driving ECU 10c also corresponds to a vehicle control device. In addition, the execution of the processing of each functional block of the automatic driving ECU 10b by a computer corresponds to the execution of a vehicle control method.

[0110] The traveling environment recognition unit 101c includes an obstacle identification unit 111 and a target situation identification unit 112c as sub-functional blocks. The traveling environment recognition unit 101c is similar to the traveling environment recognition unit 101b of the third embodiment, except that the traveling environment recognition unit 101c includes the target situation identification unit 112c instead of the target situation identification unit 112. The target situation identification unit 112c is similar to the target situation identification unit 112 of the third embodiment, except that some processing is different. The following describes this difference.

[0111] The target situation identification unit 112c identifies, as a target situation, that the speed of the surrounding vehicles of the vehicle exceeds the speed limit set by the traffic regulations. This process in the target situation identification unit 112c corresponds to a target situation identification step. The speed limit set by the traffic regulations is hereinafter simply referred to as the speed limit. In this case, the surrounding vehicles may be vehicles located within a predetermined range from the vehicle. The predetermined range may be, for example, a range of several tens of meters from the vehicle, and may be arbitrarily set. The surrounding vehicles may be limited to vehicles located in the same lane in which the vehicle is traveling and adjacent lanes in the same traveling direction as the lane in which the vehicle is traveling. The target situation identification unit 112c may identify, from map data, the speed limit set by the traffic regulations. In this case, the map data may include the speed limit for each link. The target situation identification unit 112c may be configured to identify, as a target situation, that the speeds of multiple vehicles among the surrounding vehicles of the vehicle exceed the speed limit set by the traffic regulations.

[0112] The behavior determination unit 103c includes a avoidance countermeasure identification unit 131, a law determination unit 132, a stop determination unit 133, and a permission unit 134c as sub-functional blocks. The behavior determination unit 103c is similar to the behavior determination unit 103b of the third embodiment, except that the behavior determination unit 103c includes the permission unit 134c instead of the permission unit 134b.

[0113] The permission unit 134c is the same as the permission unit 134b of the third embodiment, except for some different processing. The following describes this difference. When the target situation identification unit 112c identifies that the speed of the vehicle surrounding the vehicle exceeds the speed limit during autonomous driving without monitoring obligation, the permission unit 134c permits the vehicle to match the speed of the surrounding vehicle even if the speed exceeds the speed limit. Matching the speed of the surrounding vehicle here means matching the speed of the surrounding vehicle to be approximately the same. Approximately the same includes a difference of the degree of error. If the speed of the vehicle is significantly slower than the surrounding vehicles by complying with the speed limit, it may disrupt traffic or increase the risk of contact with the surrounding vehicles. In contrast, according to the above configuration, it is possible to make such a malfunction less likely to occur even during autonomous driving without monitoring obligation. This permission unit 134c also corresponds to the second permission unit. In addition, the processing in this permission unit 134c also corresponds to the second permission step.

[0114] The permission unit 134c may be configured to permit the speed of the vehicle to be adjusted to match the speed of the surrounding vehicles even if the speed exceeds the speed limit when the target situation identification unit 112c identifies that the speeds of multiple vehicles surrounding the vehicle exceed the speed limit during autonomous driving without monitoring obligation. According to this, when only one of the surrounding vehicles is driving in an incompatible manner, it is possible to prevent the vehicle from exceeding the speed limit by adjusting the speed of the surrounding vehicle.

[0115] (Embodiment 5) The configuration of the embodiment 5 may be adopted without being limited to the above-described embodiment. An example of the configuration of the embodiment 5 will be described below with reference to the drawings. The vehicle system 1 of the embodiment 5 is similar to the vehicle system 1 of the embodiment 1, except that the vehicle system 1 of the embodiment 5 includes an autonomous driving ECU 10d instead of the autonomous driving ECU 10.

[0116] <Outline of the autonomous driving ECU 10d> Next, a schematic configuration of the automatic driving ECU 10d will be described with reference to FIG. 8. As shown in FIG. 8, the automatic driving ECU 10d includes a driving environment recognition unit 101d, an HCU communication unit 102, an action determination unit 103d, a control execution unit 104, and an exterior notification instruction unit 105 as functional blocks. The automatic driving ECU 10d includes the driving environment recognition unit 101d instead of the driving environment recognition unit 101b. The automatic driving ECU 10d includes the action determination unit 103d instead of the action determination unit 103b. Except for these points, the automatic driving ECU 10d is similar to the automatic driving ECU 10b of the third embodiment. This automatic driving ECU 10d also corresponds to a vehicle control device. In addition, the execution of the processing of each functional block of the automatic driving ECU 10d by a computer corresponds to the execution of a vehicle control method.

[0117] The traveling environment recognition unit 101d includes an obstacle identification unit 111 and a target situation identification unit 112d as sub-functional blocks. The traveling environment recognition unit 101d is similar to the traveling environment recognition unit 101b of the third embodiment, except that the traveling environment recognition unit 101d includes the target situation identification unit 112d instead of the target situation identification unit 112. The target situation identification unit 112d is similar to the target situation identification unit 112 of the third embodiment, except that some processing is different. The following describes this difference.

[0118] The target situation identification unit 112d identifies a target situation that is preset as being preferable to go the wrong way through a section that is determined as a one-way section by traffic regulations. The processing by the target situation identification unit 112d corresponds to a target situation identification step. A section that is determined as a one-way section by traffic regulations will be referred to as a one-way section below. As an example, such a target situation may be a situation in which it is necessary to enter a one-way section to avoid an obstacle identified by the obstacle identification unit 111. As another example, a situation in which it is confirmed that there is no oncoming vehicle in the one-way section, and going the wrong way through the one-way section allows the vehicle to reach the destination faster. The target situation identification unit 112d may confirm that there is no oncoming vehicle in the one-way section by acquiring position information of other vehicles, for example, through vehicle-to-vehicle communication or road-to-vehicle communication. Whether or not going the wrong way through the one-way section allows the vehicle to reach the destination faster may be determined by the target situation identification unit 112d based on a route search by the action determination unit 103.

[0119] The behavior determining unit 103d includes a avoidance countermeasure identifying unit 131, a law determining unit 132, a stop determining unit 133, and a permission unit 134d as sub-functional blocks. The behavior determining unit 103d is similar to the behavior determining unit 103b of the third embodiment, except that the behavior determining unit 103d includes the permission unit 134d instead of the permission unit 134b.

[0120] The permission unit 134d is similar to the permission unit 134b of the third embodiment, except for some differences in processing. The following describes these differences. When the target situation identification unit 112d identifies a target situation that is set in advance as favorable for reverse driving in a one-way section during autonomous driving without monitoring obligation, the permission unit 134d permits the vehicle to travel in reverse in the one-way section. According to this, when reverse driving in a one-way section is favorable, reverse driving in the one-way section is made possible even during autonomous driving without monitoring obligation. This permission unit 134d also corresponds to a second permission unit. In addition, the processing in this permission unit 134d also corresponds to a second permission step.

[0121] (Embodiment 6) In the above-described embodiment 1, a configuration is shown in which avoidance using deviation countermeasures is permitted during autonomous driving with an automation level of LV3 or higher, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which avoidance using deviation countermeasures is not permitted during autonomous driving with an automation level of less than LV3, and avoidance using deviation countermeasures is permitted when the automation level of the host vehicle is LV4 or higher (hereinafter, embodiment 6).

[0122] In embodiment 6, the configuration may be the same as embodiments 1 and 2, except that, during autonomous driving where the vehicle's automation level is LV4 or higher, the permission units 134, 134a permit avoidance using the deviation countermeasure identified by the avoidance countermeasure identification units 131, 131a based on the fact that the avoidance countermeasure is a deviation countermeasure.

[0123] Autonomous driving at level 4 or higher is an autonomous driving in which the driver is permitted to sleep. Therefore, during autonomous driving at level 4 or higher, it is required that the system performs avoidance control even in an emergency. In contrast, according to the configuration of the sixth embodiment, even if the avoidance countermeasure is a deviation countermeasure, it is possible to automatically avoid an obstacle by the deviation countermeasure. Therefore, it is possible to automatically and more smoothly avoid an obstacle only on the system side without the driver having to take over driving.

[0124] (Embodiment 7) In the above embodiment, the automatic driving ECU 10, 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d is provided with the notification processing unit 121, 121a, but this is not necessarily limited to the above. For example, the function of the notification processing unit 121, 121a may be performed by a unit other than the automatic driving ECU 10, 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d. As an example, the HCU 21, 21a may perform the function of the notification processing unit 121, 121a. In this case, the configuration including the automatic driving ECU 10, 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d and the HCU 21, 21a corresponds to a vehicle control device.

[0125] (Embodiment 8) In the above embodiment, the configuration in which the automatic driving ECU 10, 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d is provided with the exterior notification instruction unit 105 has been described, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the function of the exterior notification instruction unit 105 may be performed by a unit other than the automatic driving ECU 10, 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d. As an example, the body ECU 17 may perform the function of the exterior notification instruction unit 105. In this case, the configuration including the automatic driving ECU 10, 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d and the body ECU 17 corresponds to a vehicle control device.

[0126] (Embodiment 9) In the above embodiment, the autonomous driving ECU 10, 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d is provided with the driving environment recognition unit 101, 101a, 101b, 101c, 101d, but this is not necessarily limited to the above. For example, an ECU other than the autonomous driving ECU 10, 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d may be configured to perform the functions of the driving environment recognition unit 101, 101a, 101b, 101c, 101d. In this case, the autonomous driving ECU 10, 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d may acquire information on the driving environment recognized by the ECU performing the functions of the driving environment recognition unit 101, 101a, 101b, 101c, 101d, and identify the driving environment and the obstacle that hinders the driving of the vehicle. In this case, the functional block that identifies the driving environment in the autonomous driving ECU 10, 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d corresponds to the driving environment identification unit and the obstacle identification unit.

[0127] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. The embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in the different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure. The control unit and the method described in the present disclosure may be realized by a dedicated computer constituting a processor programmed to execute one or more functions embodied by a computer program. Alternatively, the device and the method described in the present disclosure may be realized by a dedicated hardware logic circuit. Alternatively, the device and the method described in the present disclosure may be realized by one or more dedicated computers configured by a combination of a processor that executes a computer program and one or more hardware logic circuits. The computer program may be stored in a computer-readable non-transient tangible recording medium as instructions executed by the computer.

[0128] (Disclosed technical idea) This specification discloses multiple technical ideas described in the following multiple dependent claims. Some of the claims may be described in a multiple dependent form, where the subsequent claim alternatively refers to the preceding claim. Furthermore, some of the claims may be described in a multiple dependent form, where the subsequent claim alternatively refers to the preceding claim. The claims described in these multiple dependent forms define multiple technical ideas.

[0129] (Technical thought 1) A vehicle control device that can be used in a vehicle that performs automatic driving without a monitoring obligation, which is automatic driving without a surrounding monitoring obligation, An obstacle identification unit (111, 111a) that identifies an obstacle that impedes travel of the vehicle; an avoidance measure specification unit (131, 131a) that specifies an avoidance measure that is a countermeasure for the vehicle that can avoid the fault when the fault specification unit specifies the fault; and a first permission unit (134, 134a) that, during the autonomous driving without monitoring obligation, permits avoidance using the avoidance countermeasure identified by the avoidance countermeasure identification unit, based on the fact that the avoidance countermeasure is a deviation countermeasure that falls outside the scope of traffic regulations.

[0130] (Technical thought 2) A vehicle control device according to Technical Concept 1, the avoidance measure specification unit (131) specifies, as the avoidance measure, an avoidance route that is a route of the vehicle that can avoid the obstacle when the obstacle specification unit specifies the obstacle, The first permission unit (134) is a vehicle control device that, during the autonomous driving without monitoring obligation, permits avoidance to the non-legal route identified by the avoidance countermeasure identification unit, based on the fact that the avoidance route is a non-legal route that falls outside the scope of traffic laws among the deviation countermeasures.

[0131] (Technical Thought 3) A vehicle control device according to Technical Concept 2, A driving environment identification unit (101) is provided for identifying a driving environment of the vehicle, The first permission unit is a vehicle control device that, when the avoidance route identified by the avoidance countermeasure identification unit is the non-legal route and requires the vehicle to enter an oncoming lane or the edge of a road in the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, permits the vehicle to avoid the non-legal route based on the fact that the driving environment identification unit has identified that there are no other vehicles or pedestrians in the approach destination.

[0132] (Technical Thought 4) The vehicle control device according to Technical Concept 2 or 3, a stop control unit (141) that temporarily stops the vehicle when the avoidance route identified by the avoidance countermeasure identification unit is the non-legal route and the vehicle can be temporarily stopped; a confirmation instruction unit (1211) that inquires of a driver of the vehicle whether or not to allow the driver to avoid the vehicle to the non-legal route when the avoidance route identified by the avoidance countermeasure identification unit is the non-legal route and the vehicle can be temporarily stopped; a response acquisition unit (122) for acquiring a response from the driver to the question of whether or not the driver agrees to the request made by the confirmation instruction unit, The first permission unit is a vehicle control device that, when the avoidance route identified by the avoidance countermeasure identification unit is the non-legal route and when it is possible to temporarily stop the vehicle, permits avoidance to the non-legal route when the answer acquisition unit acquires an answer approving avoidance to the non-legal route.

[0133] (Technical Thought 5) A vehicle control device according to Technical Concept 4, The first permission unit is a vehicle control device that, when the avoidance route identified by the avoidance countermeasure identification unit is a non-legal route that falls outside the scope of traffic laws and when it is not possible to stop the vehicle, permits avoidance to the non-legal route without inquiring about the approval or disapproval by the confirmation instruction unit.

[0134] (Technical Thought 6) A vehicle control device according to any one of Technical Ideas 2 to 5, The present invention can be used in a vehicle that performs a sleep-permitted autonomous driving in which the driver of the vehicle is permitted to sleep, among the autonomous driving without a monitoring obligation. The first permission unit is a vehicle control device that, during the sleep-permitted autonomous driving, permits avoidance to the non-legal route based on the avoidance route identified by the avoidance countermeasure identification unit being the non-legal route.

[0135] (Technical Thought 7) A vehicle control device according to any one of Technical Ideas 2 to 5, The present invention can be used in a vehicle that performs at least a sleep-permitted autonomous driving in which the driver of the vehicle is permitted to sleep and a sleep-non-permitted autonomous driving in which the driver is not permitted to sleep, among the autonomous driving without a monitoring obligation, The difference in the level of automation between sleep-permitted and sleep-non-permitted automated driving means that the areas outside the scope of traffic laws are different. The first permission unit, when the sleep-permitting autonomous driving is in progress, permits avoidance to a non-legal route based on the avoidance route identified by the avoidance countermeasure identification unit being a non-legal route that falls outside the scope of traffic laws corresponding to the sleep-permitting autonomous driving, whereas, when the sleep-disallowing autonomous driving is in progress, permits avoidance to a non-legal route based on the avoidance route identified by the avoidance countermeasure identification unit being a non-legal route that falls outside the scope of traffic laws corresponding to the sleep-disallowing autonomous driving.

[0136] (Technical Thought 8) A vehicle control device according to any one of Technical Ideas 1 to 7, A driving environment identification unit (101a) is provided for identifying a driving environment of the vehicle, the avoidance measure specification unit (131a) specifies, when the fault specification unit specifies the fault, passing through the stop line without stopping, as the avoidance measure; The first permission unit (134a) is a vehicle control device that, when the avoidance measure identified by the avoidance measure identification unit is passing through a stop line without stopping, permits passing through the stop line without stopping based on the fact that the driving environment identification unit has identified that no obstacle exists within a predetermined range from the stop line.

[0137] (Technical Thought 9) A vehicle control device according to Technical Concept 8, A vehicle control device including a passage control unit (142) that, when the first permission unit permits passage at the stop line without stopping, controls the speed of the vehicle to be equal to or less than a specified value before the vehicle reaches the stop line, and causes the vehicle to travel at a speed equal to or less than the specified value while the vehicle is crossing the stop line.

[0138] (Technical Thought 10) A vehicle control device according to Technical Concept 8 or 9, The obstacle identification unit (111a) identifies an approach of an emergency vehicle to the vehicle as an obstacle that hinders the travel of the vehicle, the avoidance measure identification unit, when the obstacle identification unit identifies an approach of the emergency vehicle to the vehicle, identifies passing through a stop line without stopping as the avoidance measure; The first permission unit is a vehicle control device that, when the avoidance measure identified by the avoidance measure identification unit is passing through a stop line without stopping, permits passing through the stop line without stopping based on the fact that the driving environment identification unit has identified that no obstacles exist within a predetermined range of the stop line.

[0139] (Technical Thought 11) A vehicle control device according to any one of Technical Ideas 8 to 10, A vehicle control device comprising: a monitoring promotion unit (1213) that issues a notification to a driver of the vehicle to encourage the driver to monitor the surroundings when the first permission unit permits the driver to pass through the stop line without stopping.

[0140] (Technical Thought 12) A vehicle control device according to any one of Technical Ideas 8 to 11, A driver state identification unit (106) for identifying a state of a driver of the vehicle, The first permission unit is a vehicle control device that permits passing through a stop line without stopping when the avoidance measure identified by the avoidance measure identification unit is passing through the stop line without stopping, on condition that the driving environment identification unit has identified that no obstacles exist within a predetermined range from the stop line and the driver state identification unit has identified that the driver is monitoring the surroundings.

[0141] (Technical Thought 13) A vehicle control device according to any one of Technical Ideas 1 to 12, an interior notification instruction unit (1212) that, when the first permission unit permits the vehicle to avoid the illegal vehicle from passing through the illegal route, issues a notification to the vehicle interior that the vehicle will avoid the illegal vehicle from passing through the illegal vehicle route; and an exterior notification instruction unit (105) that, when the first permission unit permits avoidance to the non-legal route, causes a notification to be made to the exterior of the vehicle that the avoidance will be made to the non-legal route.

[0142] (Technical Thought 14) A vehicle control device that can be used in a vehicle that performs automatic driving without a monitoring obligation, which is automatic driving without a surrounding monitoring obligation, A target situation identification unit (112, 112c, 112d) that identifies a target situation that is preset as being preferable for the vehicle to perform a deviation driving, which is a driving that deviates from the scope of traffic laws or traffic manners, during the autonomous driving without a monitoring obligation; and a second permission unit (134b, 134c, 134d) that, when the target situation is identified by the target situation identification unit during the autonomous driving without monitoring obligation, permits the deviation driving according to the target situation.

[0143] (Technical Thought 15) A vehicle control device according to Technical Concept 14, the target situation identification unit (112) is configured to identify, as the target situation, a situation in which a vehicle ahead of the vehicle is autonomously driving; The second permission unit (134b) is a vehicle control device that permits the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle and the vehicle in front to be less than a threshold value that is preset as the range of traffic manners when the target situation identification unit identifies a target situation during the autonomous driving without monitoring obligation.

[0144] (Technical Thought 16) A vehicle control device according to Technical Idea 14 or 15, the target situation identification unit (112c) is configured to identify, as the target situation, a situation in which the speed of a vehicle surrounding the vehicle exceeds a speed limit set by the traffic regulations; The second permission unit (134c) is a vehicle control device that permits the vehicle speed to be adjusted to match the speed of the surrounding vehicles even if it exceeds the speed limit when the target situation identification unit identifies a target situation during the autonomous driving without monitoring obligation.

[0145] (Technical Thought 17) A vehicle control device according to any one of Technical Ideas 14 to 16, the target situation identification unit (112d) identifies the target situation that is preset such that it is preferable to travel in the wrong direction in a section that is specified as one-way in the traffic regulations, The second permission unit (134d) is a vehicle control device that permits the vehicle to travel in the opposite direction on a section specified as one-way by the traffic regulations when the target situation identification unit identifies a target situation during the autonomous driving without monitoring obligation. [Explanation of symbols]

[0146] 1, 1a Vehicle system, 10, 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d Autonomous driving ECU (vehicle control device), 101, 101a Driving environment recognition unit (driving environment identification unit), 105 Outdoor notification instruction unit, 106 Driver state identification unit, 111, 111a Fault identification unit, 112, 112c, 112d Target situation identification unit, 122 Answer acquisition unit, 131, 131a Avoidance countermeasure identification unit, 134, 134a Permission unit (first permission unit), 134b, 134c, 134d Permission unit (second permission unit), 141 Stop control unit, 142 Passage control unit, 1211 Confirmation instruction unit, 1212 Indoor notification instruction unit, 1213 Monitoring promotion unit

Claims

1. A vehicle control device that can be used in a vehicle that performs automatic driving without a monitoring obligation, which is automatic driving without a surrounding monitoring obligation, An obstacle identification unit (111, 111a) that identifies an obstacle that impedes travel of the vehicle; an avoidance countermeasure specification unit (131, 131a) that specifies an avoidance countermeasure that is a countermeasure for the vehicle that can avoid the fault when the fault is specified by the fault specification unit; a first permission unit (134, 134a) that, during the autonomous driving without a monitoring obligation, permits avoidance using the deviation countermeasure identified by the avoidance countermeasure identification unit, based on the avoidance countermeasure being a deviation countermeasure that falls outside the scope of traffic laws; the avoidance measure specification unit (131) specifies, as the avoidance measure, an avoidance route that is a route of the vehicle that can avoid the obstacle when the obstacle specification unit specifies the obstacle, the first permission unit (134) permits avoidance to a non-legal route on the basis that the avoidance route identified by the avoidance countermeasure identification unit during the autonomous driving without monitoring obligation is a non-legal route that falls outside the scope of traffic laws among the deviation countermeasures, a stop control unit (141) that temporarily stops the vehicle when the avoidance route identified by the avoidance countermeasure identification unit is the non-legal route and when it is possible to temporarily stop the vehicle; a confirmation instruction unit (1211) that inquires of a driver of the vehicle whether or not to allow the driver to avoid the vehicle to the non-legal route when the avoidance route identified by the avoidance countermeasure identification unit is the non-legal route and when the vehicle can be temporarily stopped; a response acquisition unit (122) for acquiring a response from the driver to the question of whether or not the driver agrees to the request made by the confirmation instruction unit, The first permission unit is a vehicle control device that, when the avoidance route identified by the avoidance countermeasure identification unit is the non-legal route and when it is possible to temporarily stop the vehicle, permits avoidance to the non-legal route when the answer acquisition unit acquires an answer approving avoidance to the non-legal route.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, A driving environment identification unit (101) for identifying a driving environment of the vehicle, The first permission unit is a vehicle control device that, when the avoidance route identified by the avoidance countermeasure identification unit is a non-legal route and requires entering an oncoming lane of the vehicle's driving lane or the edge of the road, permits avoidance to the non-legal route based on the driving environment identification unit having identified that there are no other vehicles or pedestrians in the approach destination.

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, The first permission unit is a vehicle control device that, when the avoidance route identified by the avoidance countermeasure identification unit is a non-legal route that falls outside the scope of traffic regulations and when it is not possible to stop the vehicle, permits avoidance to the non-legal route without inquiring whether or not to accept the avoidance route by the confirmation instruction unit.

4. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, The present invention can be used in a vehicle that performs a sleep-permitted autonomous driving in which the driver of the vehicle is permitted to sleep, among the autonomous driving without a monitoring obligation, The first permission unit is a vehicle control device that, during the sleep-permitted autonomous driving, permits avoidance to the non-legal route based on the avoidance route identified by the avoidance countermeasure identification unit being the non-legal route.

5. A vehicle control device that can be used in a vehicle that performs automatic driving without a monitoring obligation, which is automatic driving without a surrounding monitoring obligation, An obstacle identification unit (111, 111a) that identifies an obstacle that impedes travel of the vehicle; an avoidance countermeasure specification unit (131, 131a) that specifies an avoidance countermeasure that is a countermeasure for the vehicle that can avoid the fault when the fault is specified by the fault specification unit; a first permission unit (134, 134a) that, during the autonomous driving without a monitoring obligation, permits avoidance using the deviation countermeasure identified by the avoidance countermeasure identification unit, based on the avoidance countermeasure being a deviation countermeasure that falls outside the scope of traffic laws; the avoidance measure specification unit (131) specifies, as the avoidance measure, an avoidance route that is a route of the vehicle that can avoid the obstacle when the obstacle specification unit specifies the obstacle, the first permission unit (134) permits avoidance to a non-legal route on the basis that the avoidance route identified by the avoidance countermeasure identification unit during the autonomous driving without monitoring obligation is a non-legal route that falls outside the scope of traffic laws among the deviation countermeasures, The present invention can be used in a vehicle that performs at least a sleep-permitted autonomous driving in which the driver of the vehicle is permitted to sleep and a sleep-non-permitted autonomous driving in which the driver is not permitted to sleep, among the autonomous driving without a monitoring obligation, The difference in the level of automation between sleep-permitted and sleep-non-permitted automated driving means that the areas outside the scope of traffic laws are different. The first permission unit, when the sleep-permitting autonomous driving is in progress, permits avoidance to a non-legal route based on the avoidance route identified by the avoidance countermeasure identification unit being a non-legal route that falls outside the scope of traffic laws corresponding to the sleep-permitting autonomous driving, whereas, when the sleep-disallowing autonomous driving is in progress, permits avoidance to a non-legal route based on the avoidance route identified by the avoidance countermeasure identification unit being a non-legal route that falls outside the scope of traffic laws corresponding to the sleep-disallowing autonomous driving.

6. The vehicle control device according to claim 5, A driving environment identification unit (101) for identifying a driving environment of the vehicle, The first permission unit is a vehicle control device that, when the avoidance route identified by the avoidance countermeasure identification unit is a non-legal route and requires entering an oncoming lane of the vehicle's driving lane or the edge of the road, permits avoidance to the non-legal route based on the driving environment identification unit having identified that there are no other vehicles or pedestrians in the approach destination.

7. A vehicle control device that can be used in a vehicle that performs automatic driving without a monitoring obligation, which is automatic driving without a surrounding monitoring obligation, An obstacle identification unit (111, 111a) that identifies an obstacle that impedes travel of the vehicle; an avoidance countermeasure specification unit (131, 131a) that specifies an avoidance countermeasure that is a countermeasure for the vehicle that can avoid the fault when the fault is specified by the fault specification unit; a first permission unit (134, 134a) that permits avoidance using the deviation countermeasure identified by the avoidance countermeasure identification unit during the autonomous driving without a monitoring obligation, based on the avoidance countermeasure being a deviation countermeasure that falls outside the scope of traffic laws; A driving environment identification unit (101a) that identifies a driving environment of the vehicle, the avoidance countermeasure specification unit (131a) specifies, when the fault specification unit specifies the fault, passing through a stop line without stopping, as the avoidance countermeasure; The first permission unit (134a) is a vehicle control device that, when the avoidance measure identified by the avoidance measure identification unit is passing through a stop line without stopping, permits passing through the stop line without stopping based on the fact that the driving environment identification unit has identified that no obstacles exist within a predetermined range of the stop line.

8. The vehicle control device according to claim 7, A vehicle control device including a passage control unit (142) that, when the first permission unit permits passage at the stop line without stopping, controls the speed of the vehicle to be equal to or less than a specified value before the vehicle reaches the stop line, and causes the vehicle to travel at a speed equal to or less than the specified value while the vehicle is crossing the stop line.

9. The vehicle control device according to claim 7, The obstacle identification unit (111a) identifies an approach of an emergency vehicle to the vehicle as an obstacle that hinders the travel of the vehicle, the avoidance measure identification unit, when the obstacle identification unit identifies an approach of the emergency vehicle to the vehicle, identifies passing through a stop line without stopping as the avoidance measure; The first permission unit is a vehicle control device that, when the avoidance measure identified by the avoidance measure identification unit is passing through a stop line without stopping, permits passing through the stop line without stopping based on the driving environment identification unit having identified that no obstacles exist within a predetermined range of the stop line.

10. The vehicle control device according to claim 7, A vehicle control device comprising: a monitoring promotion unit (1213) that issues an alert to a driver of the vehicle to encourage the driver to monitor the surroundings when the first permission unit permits passage at the stop line without stopping.

11. The vehicle control device according to claim 7, A driver state identification unit (106) for identifying a state of a driver of the vehicle, The first permission unit is a vehicle control device that permits passing through a stop line without stopping when the avoidance measure identified by the avoidance measure identification unit is passing through the stop line without stopping, on condition that the driving environment identification unit has identified that no obstacles exist within a predetermined range of the stop line and the driver state identification unit has identified that the driver is monitoring the surroundings.

12. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, an interior notification instruction unit (1212) that, when the first permission unit permits the avoidance by the deviation countermeasure, issues a notification to an interior of the vehicle that the avoidance by the deviation countermeasure will be performed; and an exterior notification instruction unit (105) that, when the first permission unit permits avoidance using the deviation countermeasure, causes a notification to be made to the exterior of the vehicle that the deviation countermeasure will be used to avoid the deviation.

13. A vehicle control method that can be used in a vehicle that performs automatic driving without a monitoring obligation, which is automatic driving without a surrounding monitoring obligation, Executed by at least one processor, an obstacle identification step of identifying an obstacle that impedes travel of the vehicle; an avoidance countermeasure specification step of specifying, when the fault is specified in the fault specification step, an avoidance countermeasure which is a countermeasure of the vehicle capable of avoiding the fault; a first permission step of permitting avoidance using the deviation countermeasure identified in the avoidance countermeasure identification step during the autonomous driving without a monitoring obligation, based on the avoidance countermeasure being a deviation countermeasure that falls outside the scope of traffic laws; In the avoidance measure specification step, when the obstacle is specified in the obstacle specification step, an avoidance route which is a route of the vehicle that can avoid the obstacle is specified as the avoidance measure, In the first permission step, during the automated driving without monitoring obligation, the avoidance route identified in the avoidance countermeasure identification step is a non-legal route that is outside the scope of traffic laws among the deviation countermeasures, and on the basis of this non-legal route, a stop control process for temporarily stopping the vehicle when the avoidance route identified in the avoidance countermeasure identification process is the non-legal route and the vehicle can be temporarily stopped; a confirmation instruction process for inquiring of a driver of the vehicle as to whether or not the driver should avoid the vehicle to the non-legal route when the avoidance route identified in the avoidance countermeasure identification process is the non-legal route and when the vehicle can be temporarily stopped; a response acquisition step of acquiring a response from the driver to the question of whether or not the driver agrees to the request in the confirmation instruction step, In the first permission step, when the avoidance route identified in the avoidance countermeasure identification step is the non-legal route and when it is possible to temporarily stop the vehicle, if a response agreeing to avoidance to the non-legal route is obtained in the response acquisition step, the vehicle control method permits avoidance to the non-legal route.

14. A vehicle control method that can be used in a vehicle that performs automatic driving without a monitoring obligation, which is automatic driving without a surrounding monitoring obligation, Executed by at least one processor, an obstacle identification step of identifying an obstacle that impedes travel of the vehicle; an avoidance countermeasure specification step of specifying, when the fault is specified in the fault specification step, an avoidance countermeasure which is a countermeasure of the vehicle capable of avoiding the fault; a first permission step of permitting avoidance using the deviation countermeasure identified in the avoidance countermeasure identification step during the autonomous driving without a monitoring obligation, based on the avoidance countermeasure being a deviation countermeasure that falls outside the scope of traffic laws; In the avoidance measure specification step, when the obstacle is specified in the obstacle specification step, an avoidance route which is a route of the vehicle that can avoid the obstacle is specified as the avoidance measure, In the first permission step, during the automated driving without monitoring obligation, the avoidance route identified in the avoidance countermeasure identification step is a non-legal route that is outside the scope of traffic laws among the deviation countermeasures, and on the basis of this non-legal route, The present invention can be used in a vehicle that performs at least a sleep-permitted autonomous driving in which the driver of the vehicle is permitted to sleep and a sleep-non-permitted autonomous driving in which the driver is not permitted to sleep, among the autonomous driving without a monitoring obligation, The difference in the level of automation between sleep-permitted and sleep-non-permitted automated driving means that the areas outside the scope of traffic laws are different. A vehicle control method in which, in the first permission step, when the sleep-permitting autonomous driving is in progress, the avoidance route identified in the avoidance countermeasure identification step is a non-legal route that falls outside the scope of traffic laws corresponding to the sleep-permitting autonomous driving, and therefore avoidance to the non-legal route is permitted, whereas, when the sleep-disallowing autonomous driving is in progress, the avoidance route identified in the avoidance countermeasure identification step is a non-legal route that falls outside the scope of traffic laws corresponding to the sleep-disallowing autonomous driving, and therefore avoidance to the non-legal route is permitted.

15. A vehicle control method that can be used in a vehicle that performs automatic driving without a monitoring obligation, which is automatic driving without a surrounding monitoring obligation, Executed by at least one processor, an obstacle identification step of identifying an obstacle that impedes travel of the vehicle; an avoidance countermeasure specification step of specifying, when the fault is specified in the fault specification step, an avoidance countermeasure which is a countermeasure of the vehicle capable of avoiding the fault; a first permission step of permitting avoidance using the deviation countermeasure identified in the avoidance countermeasure identification step during the autonomous driving without a monitoring obligation, based on the avoidance countermeasure being a deviation countermeasure that falls outside the scope of traffic laws; A driving environment specification step of specifying a driving environment of the vehicle, In the avoidance countermeasure specification step, when the fault is specified in the fault specification step, passing through a stop line without stopping is specified as the avoidance countermeasure; In the first permission step, when the avoidance measure identified in the avoidance measure identification step is passing through a stop line without stopping, the vehicle is permitted to pass through the stop line without stopping based on the fact that the driving environment identification step has identified that no obstacles exist within a predetermined range of the stop line.

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