Function control device and function control program

Abstract

To provide a function controller, etc. which can reduce anxiety of an occupant when a driver becomes an abnormal condition.SOLUTION: An automatic driving ECU is used in an own vehicle which can travel by an automatic driving function, and functions as a function controller which performs control related to the automatic driving function. The automatic driving ECU grasps an abnormal condition of a body condition that has occurred in a driver of the own vehicle and grasps a travel control mode under execution by the automatic driving function among a plurality of travel control modes included in autonomous travel control without a peripheral monitoring obligation by the driver. Then, the automatic driving ECU changes a content of at least one of vehicle control of the own vehicle and information provision control toward the driver according to the travel control mode under the execution by the automatic driving function, when the abnormal condition is grasped in a period in which the own vehicle travels by the autonomous travel control.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The disclosure in this specification relates to a function control device related to an automatic driving function. and Function Control Program To Regarding. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a control device that enables autonomous driving without the driver having to monitor the surroundings by performing all driving operations. When an abnormality occurs in the driver that makes it difficult to continue autonomous driving, this control device performs vehicle control to stop the vehicle at an evacuation site such as a roadside or a parking area as a stopping event. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-158090 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Occupants of the vehicle are likely to feel uneasy about a stopping event based on the occurrence of an abnormal state such as that in Patent Document 1. However, the control device in Patent Document 1 does not perform processing to reduce the anxiety of the occupants when the driver is in an abnormal state. Therefore, there is a risk that the occupants may easily feel uneasy about vehicle control such as a stopping event.

[0005] The present disclosure relates to a function control device capable of reducing the anxiety of passengers when a driver is in an abnormal state. and Function Control Program M The purpose is to provide. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, one disclosed aspect is a function control device used in a host vehicle (Am) capable of traveling by an autonomous driving function, and performing control related to the autonomous driving function, the function including: a physical condition abnormality grasping unit (72, 86) grasping an abnormal state of a physical condition occurring in a driver of the host vehicle; a control state grasping unit (77, 82) grasping a traveling control mode in which the autonomous driving function is executing among a plurality of traveling control modes included in autonomous traveling control in which the driver is not required to monitor the surroundings; and a control content changing unit (73, 79, 88) changing the content of at least one of the vehicle control of the host vehicle and the information presentation control directed to the driver in accordance with the traveling control mode in which the autonomous driving function is executing when an abnormal state is grasped during a period in which the host vehicle is traveling by the autonomous traveling control. The control state grasping unit grasps whether or not a traffic jam limited control that is implemented only when driving in a traffic jam is being executed as one of the driving control modes, and the control content changing unit changes the content of at least one of the vehicle control and the information presentation control depending on whether or not the traffic jam limited control is being executed when an abnormal state is grasped, and issues an improvement request notification to request the driver to improve the state when an abnormal state is grasped during a period in which the vehicle is traveling by the autonomous driving control, and extends the period for which the improvement request notification is implemented when an abnormal state is grasped during the execution of the traffic jam limited control compared to when an abnormal state is grasped during the execution of a driving control mode other than the traffic jam limited control. It is considered to be a functional control device.

[0007] Another disclosed aspect is a function control program used in a host vehicle (Am) capable of traveling by an automatic driving function, which performs control related to the automatic driving function, and causes at least one processing unit (11, 51) to execute processing including: grasping an abnormal state of physical condition occurring in a driver of the host vehicle (S101); grasping a driving control mode being executed by the automatic driving function among a plurality of driving control modes included in the autonomous driving control in which the driver is not required to monitor the surroundings (S107); and, when the abnormal state is grasped during a period in which the host vehicle is traveling by the autonomous driving control, changing the contents of at least one of the vehicle control of the host vehicle and the information presentation control directed to the driver in accordance with the driving control mode being executed by the autonomous driving function (S108, S110). In the process of grasping the driving control mode, it is grasped whether or not congestion limiting control, which is implemented only when driving in a traffic jam, is being executed as one of the driving control modes, and in the process of changing the contents of at least one of the vehicle control and the information presentation control, when an abnormal state is grasped, the contents of at least one of the vehicle control and the information presentation control are changed depending on whether congestion limiting control is being executed or not, and when an abnormal state is grasped during a period in which the vehicle is traveling by autonomous driving control, an improvement request notification is issued to request the driver to improve the state, and when an abnormal state is grasped while congestion limiting control is being executed, the period for which the improvement request notification is implemented is made longer than when an abnormal state is grasped while a driving control mode other than the congestion limiting control is being executed. It is considered to be a functional control program.

[0008] In these aspects, the contents of the vehicle control or the information presentation control when an abnormal state is detected during the period when the host vehicle is traveling by the autonomous traveling control without the obligation to monitor the surroundings are changed according to the traveling control mode being executed. Therefore, the vehicle control or the information presentation control can be adjusted according to the situation in which the host vehicle is traveling. As a result, it is possible to reduce the anxiety of the passengers when the driver is in an abnormal state.

[0009] Another disclosed aspect is a function control device used in a host vehicle (Am) capable of traveling by an autonomous driving function, which performs control related to the autonomous driving function, and includes: a physical condition abnormality grasping unit (72, 86) that grasps an abnormal state of the physical condition of the driver of the host vehicle; a control state grasping unit (77, 82) that grasps the control being executed by the autonomous driving function, between driving assistance control in which the driver is obligated to monitor the surroundings, and autonomous driving control in which the driver is not obligated to monitor the surroundings; and a control content changing unit (73, 79, 88) that changes the content of at least one of the vehicle control of the host vehicle and the information presentation control for the driver when an abnormal state is grasped during the execution of driving assistance control and when an abnormal state is grasped during the execution of autonomous driving control; an evacuation control unit (78) that performs automatic evacuation control to stop the host vehicle at an evacuation location as vehicle control when an abnormal state is detected; Equipped with The control content change unit, when an abnormal state is detected during execution of the autonomous driving control, ensures a longer duration for continuing driving in the same lane in the automatic evacuation control than when an abnormal state is detected during execution of the driving assistance control. It is considered to be a functional control device.

[0010] Another disclosed aspect is a function control program used in a host vehicle (Am) capable of driving using an automatic driving function, which performs control related to the automatic driving function, and grasps an abnormal physical condition that has occurred in the driver of the host vehicle (S101), grasps the control being executed by the automatic driving function between driving assistance control in which the driver is obligated to monitor the surroundings and autonomous driving control in which the driver is not obligated to monitor the surroundings (S103), and changes at least one of the contents of the vehicle control of the host vehicle and the information presentation control directed to the driver when the abnormal condition is grasped during the execution of driving assistance control and when the abnormal condition is grasped during the execution of autonomous driving control. death (S106, S108, S110), When an abnormal state is detected, automatic evacuation control is performed to stop the vehicle at an evacuation location. and causing at least one processing unit (11, 51) to execute a process including the steps of: In the process of changing the contents of at least one of the vehicle control and the information presentation control, when an abnormal state is detected during the execution of the autonomous driving control, the duration for continuing driving in the same lane in the automatic evacuation control is secured longer than when an abnormal state is detected during the execution of the driving assistance control. It is considered to be a functional control program.

[0011] In these aspects, when an abnormal state is detected during the execution of the driving assistance control and when an abnormal state is detected during the execution of the autonomous driving control, at least one of the vehicle control and the information presentation control is changed. Therefore, the vehicle control or the information presentation control can be adjusted to a content according to the situation in which the host vehicle is traveling. As a result, it is possible to reduce the anxiety of the passengers when the driver is in an abnormal state.

[0030] The reference numbers in parentheses above and in the claims merely indicate an example of a corresponding relationship with a specific configuration in an embodiment described later, and do not limit the technical scope in any way. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0031] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an overall view of an in-vehicle network including an autonomous driving ECU according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing details of an autonomous driving ECU. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing details of an HCU. [Figure 4] 5 is a flowchart showing details of an operation control switching process. [Diagram 5] 10 is a flowchart showing details of a vehicle distance setting process; [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing details of MRM control in a traffic jam scene 1. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing details of MRM control in traffic jam scene 2. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing details of MRM control in traffic jam scene 3. [Figure 9] 13 is a flowchart showing details of an MRM transition process. [Figure 10] 13 is a flowchart showing details of a determination switching process performed in a deadman determination unit of a third embodiment. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart showing details of a state determination process that is performed when a driver has a holding obligation. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart showing details of a state determination process that is performed when the driver has no gripping obligation. [Figure 13] 13 is a flowchart showing details of a migration preparation process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0032] Hereinafter, a number of embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, by assigning the same reference numerals to corresponding components in each embodiment, duplicated descriptions may be omitted. When only a part of the configuration is described in each embodiment, the configuration of the other embodiment described above can be applied to the other parts of the configuration. In addition to the combination of configurations explicitly stated in the description of each embodiment, configurations of multiple embodiments can be partially combined together even if not explicitly stated, as long as there is no particular problem with the combination.

[0033] First embodiment The function of the automatic driving control device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure is realized by an automatic driving ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 50b shown in Fig. 1. The automatic driving ECU 50b is mounted on a vehicle (hereinafter, the host vehicle Am) together with a driving assistance ECU 50a. The automatic driving ECU 50b, together with the driving assistance ECU 50a and the like, configures an automatic driving system 50 of the host vehicle Am. By mounting the automatic driving system 50, the host vehicle Am becomes an automatic driving vehicle equipped with an automatic driving function, and is capable of traveling by the automatic driving function.

[0034] The driving assistance ECU 50a is an in-vehicle ECU that realizes a driving assistance function that assists the driver in driving operations in the automated driving system 50. The driving assistance ECU 50a enables advanced driving assistance of about level 2 or partial automated driving in the automated driving levels defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers. The automated driving performed by the driving assistance ECU 50a is an automated driving with a surrounding monitoring obligation that requires the driver to visually monitor the surroundings of the vehicle.

[0035] The autonomous driving ECU 50b is an in-vehicle ECU that realizes an autonomous driving function that can take over driving operations from the driver. The autonomous driving ECU 50b can perform autonomous driving of level 3 or higher, where the system is the main controller. The autonomous driving performed by the autonomous driving ECU 50b does not require monitoring of the surroundings of the vehicle, that is, it is eyes-off autonomous driving with no obligation to monitor the surroundings.

[0036] In the autonomous driving system 50, the driving control state of the autonomous driving function is switched among a plurality of states including at least driving assistance control by the driving assistance ECU 50a with the obligation to monitor the surroundings, and autonomous driving control by the autonomous driving ECU 50b without the obligation to monitor the surroundings. In the following description, autonomous driving control of level 2 or lower by the driving assistance ECU 50a is referred to as "driving assistance control," and autonomous driving control of level 3 or higher by the autonomous driving ECU 50b is referred to as "autonomous driving control." Note that the autonomous driving ECU 50b may be capable of implementing autonomous driving of level 4 or higher.

[0037] During the autonomous driving period in which the host vehicle Am is driven by the autonomous driving control by the autonomous driving ECU 50b, the driver may be permitted to perform a specific action other than driving that is prescribed in advance (hereinafter, a second task). The second task is legally permitted to the driver until a request for execution of a driving operation performed by the autonomous driving ECU 50b in cooperation with the HCU (Human Machine Interface Control Unit) 100 described later, that is, a request for a change of driving occurs. For example, actions such as watching entertainment content such as video content, operating a device such as a smartphone, and eating are assumed as second tasks.

[0038] The driving assistance ECU 50a and the autonomous driving ECU 50b are communicatively connected to a communication bus 99 of an in-vehicle network 1 mounted on the host vehicle Am. As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the grip sensor 28, the driver monitor 29, the surroundings monitoring sensor 30, the locator 35, the in-vehicle communication device 39, the cruise control ECU 40, the steering ECU 43, the HCU 100, and the like are connected to the communication bus 99. These nodes connected to the communication bus 99 are capable of communicating with each other. Certain nodes among these ECUs, etc. may be directly electrically connected to each other and capable of communicating with each other without going through the communication bus 99.

[0039] The grip sensor 28 is, for example, a capacitance type touch sensor. The grip sensor 28 is provided on the rim of the steering wheel. The grip sensor 28 detects whether or not the driver is gripping the steering wheel. The grip sensor 28 provides the HCU 100 and the like with grip detection information indicating whether or not the driver is gripping the steering wheel.

[0040] The driver monitor 29 includes a near-infrared light source, a near-infrared camera, and a control unit for controlling them. The driver monitor 29 is installed, for example, on the upper surface of the steering column or the upper surface of the instrument panel with the near-infrared camera facing the headrest of the driver's seat. The driver monitor 29 is configured integrally with the meter display 21 or the center information display (hereinafter, CID) 22, which will be described later, and may be provided on either screen.

[0041] The driver monitor 29 uses a near-infrared camera to capture an image of the driver's head illuminated with near-infrared light from a near-infrared light source. The image captured by the near-infrared camera (driver image) is analyzed by the control unit. The control unit extracts information such as the position of the driver's eye point and the line of sight from the captured image. The driver monitor 29 provides the driver status information extracted by the control unit to the HCU 100, the autonomous driving ECU 50b, etc.

[0042] The periphery monitoring sensor 30 is an autonomous sensor that monitors the environment surrounding the host vehicle Am. The periphery monitoring sensor 30 can detect moving objects and stationary objects within a detection range around the host vehicle. The periphery monitoring sensor 30 can detect at least other vehicles traveling around the host vehicle Am, specifically, a vehicle ahead, a vehicle behind, a vehicle on one side, etc. The periphery monitoring sensor 30 provides detection information of objects around the host vehicle to the driving assistance ECU 50a, the autonomous driving ECU 50b, etc.

[0043] The periphery monitoring sensor 30 includes, for example, one or more of a camera unit 31, a millimeter wave radar 32, a lidar 33, and a sonar 34. The camera unit 31 may be configured to include a monocular camera or may be configured to include a compound eye camera. The camera unit 31 is mounted on the host vehicle Am so as to be able to capture an image of the range ahead of the host vehicle Am. The host vehicle Am may also be equipped with a camera unit 31 capable of capturing images of the lateral and rear ranges of the host vehicle Am. The camera unit 31 outputs at least one of the imaging data capturing the image of the surroundings of the host vehicle and the analysis result of the imaging data as detection information.

[0044] The millimeter wave radar 32 irradiates millimeter waves or quasi-millimeter waves toward the surroundings of the vehicle. The millimeter wave radar 32 outputs detection information generated by a process of receiving waves reflected by moving objects, stationary objects, etc. The lidar 33 irradiates laser light toward the surroundings of the vehicle. The lidar 33 outputs detection information generated by a process of receiving laser light reflected by moving objects, stationary objects, etc. present within the irradiation range. The sonar 34 emits ultrasonic waves toward the surroundings of the vehicle. The sonar 34 outputs detection information generated by a process of receiving ultrasonic waves reflected by moving objects, stationary objects, etc. present in the vicinity of the vehicle.

[0045] Locator 35 includes a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver, an inertial sensor, etc. Locator 35 sequentially determines the position and traveling direction of host vehicle Am by combining the positioning signal received by the GNSS receiver, the measurement results of the inertial sensor, and the vehicle speed information output to communication bus 99, etc. Locator 35 sequentially outputs position information and direction information of host vehicle Am based on the positioning results to communication bus 99 as locator information.

[0046] Locator 35 further has a map database (hereinafter, map DB) 36 that stores map data. Map DB 36 is mainly composed of a large-capacity storage medium that stores a large amount of 3D map data and 2D map data. The 3D map data includes information necessary for advanced driving assistance and automated driving, such as 3D shape information of roads and detailed information on each lane. Locator 35 reads map data of the area around the current position from map DB 36, and provides it to driving assistance ECU 50a, automated driving ECU 50b, etc. together with locator information.

[0047] The in-vehicle communication device 39 is an external communication unit mounted on the host vehicle Am, and functions as a V2X (Vehicle to Everything) communication device. The in-vehicle communication device 39 transmits and receives information to and from roadside devices installed on the side of the road via wireless communication. As an example, the in-vehicle communication device 39 receives congestion information around the current position of the host vehicle Am and in the traveling direction from the roadside device. The congestion information is VICS (registered trademark) information or the like. The in-vehicle communication device 39 provides the received congestion information to the autonomous driving ECU 50b or the like.

[0048] The driving control ECU 40 is an electronic control device mainly including a microcontroller. The driving control ECU 40 has at least the functions of a brake control ECU, a drive control ECU, and a steering control ECU. The driving control ECU 40 continuously performs brake force control for each wheel, output control of the in-vehicle power source, and steering angle control based on one of an operation command based on the driver's driving operation, a control command from the driving assistance ECU 50a, and a control command from the automatic driving ECU 50b. In addition, the driving control ECU 40 generates vehicle speed information indicating the current driving speed of the host vehicle Am based on detection signals from wheel speed sensors provided at the hubs of each wheel, and sequentially outputs the generated vehicle speed information to the communication bus 99.

[0049] The steering ECU 43 is an ECU provided in the steering control system of the host vehicle Am, and mainly includes a microcontroller. The steering ECU 42 controls the operation of the steering actuator based on at least one of the steering operation by the driver and a control command obtained from the driving assistance ECU 50a, and determines the direction of the steering wheels and thus the traveling direction of the host vehicle Am. The steering ECU 43 sequentially outputs to the communication bus 99 the input torque (hereinafter, steering torque) to the steering wheel detected by the steering sensor 44, and operation information (hereinafter, steering information) indicating the rotation direction and rotation angle (handle angle) of the steering wheel.

[0050] The HCU 100, together with a plurality of display devices, an audio device 24, an operation device 26, etc., constitutes an HMI (Human Machine Interface) system 10. The HMI system 10 has an input interface function that accepts operations by an occupant such as a driver of the host vehicle Am, and an output interface function that presents information to the driver.

[0051] The display device presents information to the driver's vision by displaying images or the like. The display devices include a meter display 21, a CID 22, and a head-up display (hereinafter, HUD) 23. The CID 22 has a touch panel function and detects touch operations on the display screen by the driver or the like. The audio device 24 has multiple speakers installed in the vehicle cabin in an arrangement surrounding the driver's seat, and reproduces notification sounds, voice messages, or the like through the speakers in the vehicle cabin.

[0052] The operation device 26 is an input unit that accepts user operations by a driver or the like. For example, user operations related to activation and deactivation of an automatic driving function are input to the operation device 26. As an example, a driver input instructing a transition from driving assistance control to autonomous driving control is input to the operation device 26. The operation device 26 includes a steer switch provided on the spokes of the steering wheel, an operation lever provided on the steering column, and a voice input device that recognizes the contents of the driver's speech.

[0053] The HCU 100 functions as a presentation control device and comprehensively manages the presentation of information related to autonomous driving to the driver. The HCU 100 requests the driver to take over driving based on a request to perform driving operations by the autonomous driving ECU 50b. In addition, the HCU 100 cooperates with the autonomous driving ECU 50b to allow the driver to perform a second task, and can play video content related to the second task without interfering with the request to take over driving.

[0054] The HCU 100 mainly includes a processing unit 11, a RAM 12, a storage unit 13, an input / output interface 14, and a control circuit including a bus connecting these. The processing unit 11 is hardware for arithmetic processing coupled to the RAM 12. The processing unit 11 includes at least one arithmetic core such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The processing unit 11 may further include an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), an NPU (Neural network Processing Unit), and an IP core having other dedicated functions. The RAM 12 may include a video RAM for generating video data. The processing unit 11 accesses the RAM 12 to execute various processes for the presentation control process. The storage unit 13 includes a non-volatile storage medium. The storage unit 13 stores various programs (presentation control programs, etc.) executed by the processing unit 11.

[0055] The HCU 100 has a plurality of functional units that perform integrated control of information presentation to the driver by executing a presentation control program stored in the storage unit 13 using the processing unit 11. Specifically, the HCU 100 has functional units such as an information acquisition unit 81, an information linking unit 82, a driver information grasping unit 86, and a presentation control unit 88 (see FIG. 3).

[0056] The information acquisition unit 81 acquires vehicle information indicating the state of the host vehicle Am from the communication bus 99. The vehicle information includes, for example, vehicle speed information provided to the communication bus 99 by the cruise control ECU 40. In addition, the information acquisition unit 81 acquires operation information indicating the content of a user operation from the CID 22, the operation device 26, etc.

[0057] The information linking unit 82 links with an information linking unit 61 (described later) of the autonomous driving ECU 50b, and enables information sharing between the autonomous driving system 50 and the HCU 100. The information linking unit 82 provides the autonomous driving ECU 50b with operation information grasped by the information acquisition unit 81, driver monitoring information (described later) grasped by a driver information grasping unit 86, and the like.

[0058] The information linking unit 82 obtains control status information indicating the state of the autonomous driving function to grasp the operating state of autonomous driving by the autonomous driving system 50. Based on the control status information, the information linking unit 82 grasps whether the driving control being performed is driving assistance control or autonomous driving control, in other words, whether the driver is obligated to monitor the surroundings in the driving control performed by the autonomous driving function.

[0059] The information linking unit 82 acquires a request for notification output by a notification request unit 73 (described later) of the autonomous driving ECU 50b. The information linking unit 82 acquires a request for requesting the driver to take over driving, a request for control transition notification, and the like from the autonomous driving ECU 50b. The control transition notification is, for example, a notification related to a transition from manual driving to driving assistance control, and a transition from driving assistance control to autonomous driving control. The information linking unit 82 controls the content and timing of each notification in cooperation with the presentation control unit 88 based on the request for each notification.

[0060] The driver information grasping unit 86 grasps the state and behavior of the driver based on the grip detection information acquired from the grip sensor 28 and the driver status information acquired from the driver monitor 29. The driver information grasping unit 86 may acquire steering information from the steering ECU 43 instead of or together with the grip detection information. The driver information grasping unit 86 grasps whether the driver is gripping the steering wheel and whether the driver is monitoring the surroundings of the host vehicle Am based on the grip detection information and the driver status information acquired successively. In addition, the driver information grasping unit 86 grasps an abnormal state that has occurred in the physical condition of the driver based on abnormality detection information acquired from the deadman determination unit 46 (described later) during the manual driving period, the driving assistance period, and the automatic driving period. Information indicating whether the steering wheel is being gripped, whether surrounding monitoring is being performed, and whether an abnormal state has occurred are provided to the information linking unit 82 and the presentation control unit 88 as driver monitoring information.

[0061] The presentation control unit 88 performs integrated control of the provision of information to the driver using each display device and the audio device 24. The presentation control unit 88 provides content and presents information according to the operating state of the autonomous driving, based on the control status information and implementation request acquired by the information linking unit 82 and the driver monitoring information, etc., grasped by the driver information grasping unit 86. Specifically, when the information linking unit 82 grasps that the autonomous driving ECU 50b is performing autonomous driving control, the presentation control unit 88 enables the display device to play video content, etc. Furthermore, when the autonomous driving control without the obligation to monitor the surroundings is scheduled to be released, the presentation control unit 88 performs a driving change request to request the driver to take over driving.

[0062] Next, the driving assistance ECU 50a and the autonomous driving ECU 50b will be described in detail in turn.

[0063] The driving assistance ECU 50a is a computer mainly including a control circuit including a processing unit 51a, a RAM 52a, a storage unit 53a, an input / output interface 54a, and a bus connecting these. The driving assistance ECU 50a realizes a plurality of driving assistance functions by executing a program in the processing unit 51a. Specifically, the driving assistance functions realized include ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control), LTC (Lane Trace Control), and LCA (Lane Change Assist). As an example, the driving assistance ECU 50a performs driving assistance control to drive the host vehicle Am along the host vehicle lane Lns in which the host vehicle Am is traveling by cooperation between the ACC and LTC functions.

[0064] The driving assistance ECU 50a includes a deadman determination unit 46 (see FIG. 3). The deadman determination unit 46 is a functional unit constructed based on a deadman determination program stored in the storage unit 53a as one of the functional control programs. The deadman determination unit 46 automatically detects when the driver has difficulty driving due to a reason that is difficult to predict in advance, such as sudden illness, and functions as an abnormality detection device that diagnoses that the driver has fallen into a driving difficulty state. In the deadman determination unit 46, an information acquisition unit 47 and an abnormality detection unit 48 are further constructed as sub-functional units.

[0065] The information acquisition unit 47 acquires driver status information (hereinafter, driver status information) based on a captured driver image of the driver of the host vehicle Am from the driver monitor 29. The information acquisition unit 47 acquires steering information related to the steering operation of the steering wheel by the driver from the steering ECU 43. In addition, the information acquisition unit 47 acquires grip detection information indicating whether or not the driver is gripping the steering wheel from the grip sensor 28 as one piece of steering information.

[0066] The abnormality detection unit 48 detects an abnormality of the driver based on a plurality of driver information including at least the driver status information and the steering information. The abnormality detection unit 48 detects the inclination of the driver's upper body and the inclination of the head relative to the upper body based on the driver status information, and grasps the driver's posture disorder. The abnormality detection unit 48 grasps the degree of eye opening or the degree of awakening of the driver based on the driver status information. The abnormality detection unit 48 grasps whether the driver continues the steering operation appropriately based on the steering information. The abnormality detection unit 48 detects the occurrence of posture disorder, the decrease of the degree of eye opening or the degree of awakening to a predetermined level or lower, the interruption of the steering operation, and the like as the driver's abnormality. When the abnormality detection unit 48 detects an abnormality of the driver, it provides abnormality detection information indicating the abnormality detection to the driver information grasping unit 86 via the communication bus 99. The abnormality detection state is a state in which the occurrence of an abnormality in the driver's physical condition is suspected.

[0067] When the abnormality detection unit 48 continues to detect an abnormality in the driver, in other words, when the abnormality in the driver is detected multiple times in succession, the abnormality detection unit 48 judges that an abnormal condition has occurred in the physical condition of the driver and that the driver is in a difficult driving state. When the abnormality detection unit 48 diagnoses the driver's difficult driving state, it provides abnormality detection information indicating the occurrence of the abnormal condition to the driver information grasping unit 86 via the communication bus 99. As described above, when the deadman determination unit 46 grasps a state in which the driver's posture has deteriorated to a posture inappropriate for driving, it outputs abnormality detection information indicating the occurrence of an abnormal condition. Furthermore, when the abnormal condition (deterioration of posture) that has occurred continues for a predetermined time, the deadman determination unit 46 outputs abnormality detection information indicating the confirmation of the difficult driving state.

[0068] The deadman determination unit 46 may be implemented in the autonomous driving ECU 50b or the HCU 100 as a functional unit of these ECUs. Alternatively, a separate in-vehicle ECU having the function of the deadman determination unit 46 may be connected to the communication bus 99 separately from the driving assistance ECU 50a, etc.

[0069] The autonomous driving ECU 50b has a higher computing power than the driving assistance ECU 50a, and can at least perform driving control equivalent to ACC, LTC, and LCA. In addition, when the deadman determination unit 46 determines that the driver has fallen into a difficult driving state, the autonomous driving ECU 50b performs MRM (Minimal Risk Maneuver) control as vehicle control. The MRM control is an automatic evacuation control that stops the host vehicle Am at an evacuation location. The evacuation location is set within the lane in which the vehicle is traveling or on the side of the road (shoulder) of the road in which the vehicle is traveling. For example, an emergency parking area, a shoulder strip, a parking area, etc. may be set as an evacuation location.

[0070] The autonomous driving ECU 50b is a computer mainly including a processing unit 51, a RAM 52, a storage unit 53, an input / output interface 54, and a control circuit including a bus connecting these units. The processing unit 51 executes various processes for realizing the autonomous driving control method of the present disclosure by accessing the RAM 52. The storage unit 53 stores various programs (autonomous driving control program, function control program, etc.) executed by the processing unit 51. By executing the programs by the processing unit 51, the autonomous driving ECU 50b is configured with a plurality of function units for realizing the autonomous driving function and controlling functions related to the autonomous driving function. Specifically, the autonomous driving ECU 50b is configured with an information linking unit 61, an environment recognition unit 62, a behavior determination unit 63, a control execution unit 64, etc. (see FIG. 2).

[0071] The information linking unit 61 provides information to the information linking unit 82 of the HCU 100 and acquires information from the information linking unit 82. Through the linkage between these information linking units 61, 82, the autonomous driving ECU 50b and the HCU 100 share the information they have acquired. The information linking unit 61 generates control status information indicating the operation state of the autonomous driving function, and provides the generated control status information to the information linking unit 82. The information linking unit 61 has an input grasping unit 71, an abnormality grasping unit 72, and a notification request unit 73 as sub-functional units for information linkage.

[0072] The input grasping unit 71 acquires operation information from the information linking unit 82. Based on the operation information, the input grasping unit 71 grasps user operations (driver operations) input to the CID 22 and the operation device 26, etc. The input grasping unit 71 grasps a driver operation that instructs the start of driving assistance control (hereinafter, level 2 transition operation), a driver operation that instructs the start of autonomous driving control (hereinafter, level 3 transition operation), and the like.

[0073] The abnormality grasping unit 72 acquires the driver monitoring information from the information linking unit 82. Based on the driver monitoring information, the abnormality grasping unit 72 grasps the driver's behavior and grasps an abnormal physical condition that has occurred in the driver. Specifically, the abnormality grasping unit 72 grasps whether the steering wheel is being gripped, whether the driver is monitoring the surroundings, the contents of the second task being performed, and the occurrence of an abnormal state of the driver and a state of driving difficulty.

[0074] The abnormality grasping unit 72 may have the same function as the driver information grasping unit 86 of the HCU 100. In detail, the abnormality grasping unit 72 may acquire the driver status information and the abnormality detection information from the driver monitor 29 and the deadman determination unit 46, respectively, and grasp the driver's behavior, physical condition, and the like in the same manner as the driver information grasping unit 86.

[0075] The notification request unit 73 enables the HCU 100 to issue a notification synchronized with the operation state of the autonomous driving function by outputting a request for issuing a notification to the information linking unit 82. That is, the notification request unit 73 cooperates with the action determination unit 63 and can change the content of the information presentation control by the HCU 100 in accordance with the content of the vehicle control by the autonomous driving function. As described above, the notification request unit 73 transmits a request for issuing a driving change request, a request for issuing a control transition notification, and the like to the information linking unit 82 as a request for issuing a notification related to autonomous driving.

[0076] The environment recognition unit 62 acquires vehicle information, such as vehicle speed information, from the communication bus 99 to grasp the current traveling state of the host vehicle Am. In addition, the environment recognition unit 62 recognizes the traveling environment of the host vehicle Am by combining locator information and map data acquired from the locator 35 with detection information acquired from the surrounding monitoring sensor 30. The environment recognition unit 62 grasps the relative positions and relative speeds of dynamic targets around the host vehicle Am, such as other vehicles traveling around the host vehicle Am. The environment recognition unit 62 grasps at least the front vehicle Af and the rear vehicle Ab traveling in the same lane as the host vehicle Am, and the side vehicles As traveling in the adjacent lanes on the left and right (see FIG. 6). The environment recognition unit 62 has a lane grasping unit 74 and a traffic jam grasping unit 75 as sub-functional units for recognizing the traveling environment.

[0077] The lane grasping unit 74 grasps information about the road on which the host vehicle Am is traveling. The lane grasping unit 74 determines whether the road on which the host vehicle Am is traveling or the road on which the host vehicle Am is scheduled to travel is a preset automatic driving possible area (hereinafter, AD area) or a restricted AD area. Information indicating whether the road is an AD area or a restricted AD area may be recorded in the map data stored in the map DB 36, or may be included in the received information received by the in-vehicle communication device 39.

[0078] The AD area and the restricted AD area may correspond to an operational design domain where autonomous driving without the driver's obligation to monitor the surroundings is legally permitted. The autonomous driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings includes, as a plurality of driving control modes, a congestion limited control (hereinafter, congestion level 3) that is implemented only during driving in a congestion, and an area limited control (hereinafter, area level 3) that is implemented only within a specific area. On roads within an AD area, both congestion level 3 and area level 3 are permitted to be implemented, and on roads within a restricted AD area, only congestion level 3 is permitted to be implemented. In a manual driving area (hereinafter, MD area) that is not included in either an AD area or a restricted AD area, driving with level 3 autonomous driving is prohibited in principle. In an MD area, driving with level 2 or higher autonomous driving may be prohibited. The AD area or the restricted AD area is set, for example, on a highway or a motorway.

[0079] When the host vehicle Am travels on a road including multiple lanes, the lane grasping unit 74 grasps the position of the lane (hereinafter, the host vehicle lane Lns) in which the host vehicle Am travels among the multiple lanes. Specifically, when the host vehicle lane Lns is adjacent to the shoulder of the road on a road including two or more lanes in one direction, the lane grasping unit 74 determines that the host vehicle lane Lns is the shoulder side lane Ln1 (see FIG. 6). On the other hand, when the host vehicle lane Lns is not adjacent to the shoulder of the road but is adjacent to the median strip, the lane grasping unit 74 determines that the host vehicle lane Lns is the overtaking lane Ln3 (see FIG. 7). Furthermore, when another lane exists on both sides of the host vehicle lane Lns on a road including three or more lanes in one direction, the lane grasping unit 74 determines that the host vehicle lane Lns is the center lane Ln2 (see FIG. 8).

[0080] Specifically, on roads in countries where vehicles drive on the left side, the leftmost lane is the shoulder lane Ln1 and the rightmost lane is the passing lane Ln3. Conversely, on roads in countries where vehicles drive on the right side, the rightmost lane is the shoulder lane Ln1 and the leftmost lane is the passing lane Ln3.

[0081] The traffic jam grasping unit 75 grasps traffic congestion around the host vehicle Am by combining the vehicle speed information grasped by the environment recognition unit 62 and information on other vehicles, etc. The traffic jam grasping unit 75 may use traffic congestion information received by the in-vehicle communication device 39 to grasp traffic congestion around the host vehicle. When the traffic congestion grasping unit 75 grasps traffic congestion around the host vehicle Am within an AD area or a restricted AD area, automatic driving by autonomous driving control at traffic congestion level 3 becomes possible.

[0082] The traffic jam grasping unit 75 determines that the surroundings of the vehicle are in a traffic jam state when the current traveling speed of the vehicle Am is equal to or lower than the traffic jam speed (for example, about 30 km / h) and there are both a front vehicle Af and a rear vehicle Ab traveling in the vehicle lane Lns (see FIG. 6). After determining that the surroundings of the vehicle are in a traffic jam state, the traffic jam grasping unit 75 predicts that the traffic jam around the vehicle will be resolved when the traveling speed of the vehicle Am exceeds the traffic jam speed. After predicting that the traffic jam will be resolved, the traffic jam grasping unit 75 cancels the prediction that the traffic jam will be resolved when the vehicle speed of the vehicle Am again becomes equal to or lower than the traffic jam speed. On the other hand, the traffic jam grasping unit 75 determines that the traffic jam has been resolved when the traveling speed of the vehicle Am exceeds the traffic jam resolution speed (for example, about 50 km / h) after predicting that the traffic jam will be resolved around the vehicle.

[0083] The behavior determination unit 63 cooperates with the HCU 100 to control the autonomous driving system 50 and the driving changeover between the driver. When the autonomous driving system 50 has control of the driving operation, the behavior determination unit 63 generates a planned driving line along which the host vehicle Am will travel based on the recognition result of the driving environment by the environment recognition unit 62, and outputs the generated planned driving line to the control execution unit 64. The behavior determination unit 63 has a control switching unit 77, an MRM control unit 78, and a setting change unit 79 as sub-functional units for controlling the operating state of the autonomous driving function.

[0084] The control switching unit 77 has a function of grasping the control state of the autonomous driving executed by the autonomous driving system 50, and a function of switching the control state of the autonomous driving among a plurality of levels and driving control modes. Specifically, the control switching unit 77 grasps the control in which the autonomous driving function is being executed, between the driving assistance control with the obligation to monitor the surroundings and the autonomous driving control without the obligation to monitor the surroundings. In addition, during the autonomous driving period, the control switching unit 77 grasps the driving control mode in which the autonomous driving function is being executed, among the plurality of driving control modes included in the autonomous driving control. That is, during the autonomous driving period, the control switching unit 77 grasps whether the congestion level 3 or the area level 3 is being executed.

[0085] The control switching unit 77 controls the start and end of driving assistance control and autonomous driving control. The control switching unit 77 switches between driving assistance control with the driver's obligation to monitor the surroundings and autonomous driving control without the driver's obligation to monitor the surroundings. Furthermore, when the host vehicle Am is driven by the autonomous driving control, the control switching unit 77 switches the driving control mode among a plurality of modes including area level 3 and congestion level 3. In detail, the control switching unit 77 switches the driving control state of the automatic driving function among a plurality of modes in cooperation with the driving assistance ECU 50a by carrying out the driving control switching process (see FIG. 4). The control switching unit 77 starts the driving control switching process, for example, based on the start of driving assistance control by the driving assistance ECU 50a.

[0086] In the driving control switching process, the control switching unit 77 determines whether or not the start permission condition of level 3 is satisfied (S11). The start permission condition is a condition for permitting a transition to the autonomous driving control, and a plurality of start permission conditions are set in advance in the control switching unit 77. The plurality of start permission conditions include a driver condition related to the state of the driver, a vehicle condition related to the state of the host vehicle Am, and an environmental condition related to the driving environment around the host vehicle. For example, when the host vehicle Am is traveling in an MD area or when the driver is in an inappropriate driving posture, the control switching unit 77 determines that the start permission condition is not satisfied (S11: NO). In this case, the control switching unit 77 does not permit the autonomous driving control to be performed, and continues the driving assistance control by the driving assistance ECU 50a (S17).

[0087] On the other hand, when all of the above-mentioned driver conditions, vehicle conditions, and environmental conditions are satisfied, the control switching unit 77 determines that the start permission condition is established (S11: YES). In this case, it is determined whether the input grasping unit 71 has grasped the level 3 shift operation (S12). When the input grasping unit 71 has grasped the level 3 shift operation (S12: YES), the control switching unit 77 permits the start of the autonomous driving control based on the input of the level 3 shift operation, and selects the driving control mode to be executed.

[0088] When the traffic congestion around the host vehicle is detected by the traffic congestion detection unit 75 (S13: YES), the control switching unit 77 performs autonomous driving control at level 3 during traffic congestion (S15). On the other hand, when the traffic congestion around the host vehicle is not detected (S13: NO), the control switching unit 77 determines whether the host vehicle Am is traveling in an AD area (S14). When the host vehicle Am is traveling in a restricted AD area (S14: NO), the control switching unit 77 cancels the permission to start the autonomous driving control and continues the driving assistance control by the driving assistance ECU 50a (S17). On the other hand, when the host vehicle Am is traveling in an AD area (S14: YES), the control switching unit 77 performs autonomous driving control at area level 3 (S16).

[0089] When an abnormal state of the driver is detected, the MRM control unit 78 performs the above-mentioned MRM control as vehicle control. The MRM control unit 78 starts preparation for transition to MRM control based on abnormality detection information indicating the occurrence of an abnormal state, and starts MRM control based on abnormality detection information indicating the confirmation of a difficult-to-drive state. In the transition preparation, for example, a process of searching for and setting an evacuation site is executed.

[0090] The MRM control unit 78 can change the content of a series of controls executed in the MRM control. As one implementation pattern, the MRM control unit 78 executes MRM control (hereinafter also referred to as second evacuation control) in which an evacuation place is set in the host vehicle lane Lns during travel and the host vehicle Am is stopped in the host vehicle lane Lns. As another implementation pattern, the MRM control unit 78 executes MRM control (hereinafter also referred to as first evacuation control) in which the host vehicle Am is stopped on the road shoulder. In the first evacuation control when the host vehicle lane Lns is not adjacent to the road shoulder, a lane change to the road shoulder side lane Ln1 (see FIG. 6) is executed. The MRM control unit 78 can switch the implementation pattern of the MRM control among a plurality of patterns including at least the first evacuation control and the second evacuation control according to the respective conditions of the host vehicle Am and the driving environment.

[0091] The setting change unit 79 changes the settings of parameters related to autonomous driving control based on information grasped by the information linking unit 61 and the environment recognition unit 62. The setting change unit 79 sets the inter-vehicle distance to the forward vehicle Af during following driving as one of the parameters related to autonomous driving control. The setting change unit 79 changes the setting of the inter-vehicle distance in accordance with the driving control state in cooperation with the driving assistance ECU 50a by performing inter-vehicle setting processing (see FIG. 5). The inter-vehicle setting processing is started by the setting change unit 79 based on the start of driving assistance control by the driving assistance ECU 50a, for example.

[0092] In the vehicle distance setting process, the setting change unit 79 judges whether or not the abnormality grasping unit 72 has grasped an abnormal state of the driver's physical condition (bad posture) (S31). If the abnormality of the driver's physical condition has been grasped (S31: YES), the setting change unit 79 sets a target vehicle distance time linked to MRM control (S32). The setting of the vehicle distance when an abnormal state is grasped is made wider than the setting of the vehicle distance in each of the driving assistance control and the autonomous driving control. As described above, at the stage of preparation for transition to MRM control, the increase in the vehicle distance between the host vehicle Am and the forward vehicle Af is started. In addition, as will be described later, in the transition preparation when area level 3 is executed, the setting of the vehicle distance is made wider than the transition preparation when congestion level 3 is executed.

[0093] If the driver's physical condition is not abnormal (S31: NO), it is determined whether or not there is a periphery monitoring obligation in the current driving control state (S33). If the driving control state has a periphery monitoring obligation (S33: YES), the setting change unit 79 cooperates with the driving assistance ECU 50a to set a target inter-vehicle time linked to the driving assistance control (S34). On the other hand, if the driving control state does not have a periphery monitoring obligation (S33: NO), the setting change unit 79 sets a target inter-vehicle time linked to level 3 autonomous driving control (S35). The inter-vehicle distance setting in autonomous driving control is wider than the inter-vehicle distance setting in driving assistance control.

[0094] Here, the above description of "the setting of the inter-vehicle distance is wide" means that the control is performed so that a wider inter-vehicle distance is ensured under the same conditions of the parameters such as the traveling speed of the host vehicle Am that affect the inter-vehicle distance. For example, the set inter-vehicle distance during following driving can be switched by the driver among three levels such as "long (far), medium, short (close)" or five levels such as "long, slightly long, medium, slightly short, short." The process of automatically adjusting the setting of the inter-vehicle distance in the inter-vehicle distance setting process may be a process of switching the above set inter-vehicle distance.

[0095] When the autonomous driving ECU 50b has control of driving operations, the control execution unit 64 cooperates with the cruise control ECU 40 to execute acceleration / deceleration control, steering control, and the like of the host vehicle Am according to the planned driving line generated by the action determination unit 63. Specifically, the control execution unit 64 generates control commands based on the planned driving line and sequentially outputs the generated control commands to the cruise control ECU 40.

[0096] Next, a series of processes from detection of an abnormal state by the deadman determination unit 46 to start of MRM control based on a definitive determination of a difficult-to-drive state will be described in further detail.

[0097] When the autonomous driving ECU 50b detects an abnormal state of the driver's physical condition (deterioration of posture) based on the abnormality detection information, it sets a grace period until the MRM control is started. During the grace period, as described above, preparations for transition to MRM control are performed. In addition, during the grace period, an improvement request notification is performed to request the driver to improve the condition through cooperation between the autonomous driving ECU 50b and the HCU 100. In the improvement request notification, for example, a voice message such as "Please maintain a correct driving posture" is played by the audio device 24. In addition, in the improvement request notification, a message image having the same content as the voice message is displayed by the display device. The improvement request notification may be presented only to the driver, or may be presented to passengers other than the driver.

[0098] If the driver's abnormal condition is improved before the grace period has elapsed, the autonomous driving ECU 50b does not transition to MRM control. In this case, the autonomous driving ECU 50b starts autonomous driving control at a lower level than when the abnormal condition was detected, for example. On the other hand, if the grace period has elapsed without the driver's abnormal condition being improved, the autonomous driving ECU 50b decides to transition to MRM control.

[0099] The autonomous driving ECU 50b determines the control to be executed by the autonomous driving function at the timing when the driver's physical condition is detected as abnormal. The autonomous driving ECU 50b changes the contents of the vehicle control and the information presentation control after the grace period and the transition to MRM control depending on whether the abnormal state is detected during the execution of the driving assistance control or the autonomous driving control. Furthermore, when the autonomous driving ECU 50b detects the driver's abnormal state during the autonomous driving period, it changes the contents of the vehicle control and the information presentation control after the grace period and the transition to MRM control according to the driving control mode being executed. Specifically, the length of the grace period, the setting of the inter-vehicle distance during the grace period, the implementation pattern of the MRM control, etc. are changed according to the control contents of the autonomous driving being executed.

[0100] <Change the length of the grace period> The grace period when an abnormal state is detected while driving assist control is being executed (hereinafter, the first grace period) is different from the grace period when an abnormal state is detected while autonomous driving control is being executed (hereinafter, the second grace period). The setting change unit 79 makes the second grace period longer than the first grace period. With the above-mentioned grace period settings, the implementation period of the improvement request notification implemented during the grace period also differs depending on whether driving assist control is being executed or autonomous driving control is being executed. Specifically, the implementation period of the improvement request notification when autonomous driving control is being executed is made longer than the implementation period when driving assist control is being executed.

[0101] Furthermore, the setting change unit 79 makes the grace period when an abnormal state is recognized during execution of congestion level 3 longer than the grace period when an abnormal state is recognized during execution of area level 3, which is a driving control mode different from congestion level 3. By setting such a grace period, when an abnormal state is recognized during execution of congestion level 3, the implementation period for the improvement request notification is longer than when an abnormal state is recognized during execution of area level 3.

[0102] <Changing the distance setting during the grace period> When an abnormal state is detected during the execution of Area Level 3, the setting change unit 79 changes the setting to widen the inter-vehicle distance more than when an abnormal state is detected during the execution of Congestion Level 3, which is a driving control mode different from Area Level 3.

[0103] <Change in the execution pattern of MRM control> When an abnormal state of the driver is detected during the execution of the driving support control, the MRM control unit 78 selects to execute the first evacuation control to move the host vehicle Am closer to the road shoulder and stop it. Similarly, even when an abnormal state of the driver is detected during the execution of Area Level 3, the MRM control unit 78 selects to execute the first evacuation control to move the host vehicle Am closer to the road shoulder and stop it. When the driving support control or Area Level 3 is being executed, the MRM control unit 78 stops the host vehicle Am on the road shoulder regardless of the position of the host vehicle lane Lns.

[0104] Here, in the first evacuation control, when the host vehicle lane Lns is not the shoulder-side lane Ln1, the MRM control unit 78 performs a lane change to move the host vehicle Am to the shoulder-side lane Ln1. The setting change unit 79 changes the duration of continuing to drive in the same lane in the lane change toward the shoulder-side lane Ln1 depending on whether an abnormal state is detected during the execution of Area Level 3 or during the execution of the driving support control. Specifically, the duration of continuing to drive in the same lane when an abnormal state is detected during the execution of Area Level 3 is made longer than the duration of continuing to drive in the same lane when an abnormal state is detected during the execution of the driving support control.

[0105] On the other hand, when an abnormal state of the driver is detected during the execution of Congestion Level 3, the MRM control unit 78 changes the content of the MRM control according to the position of the host vehicle lane Lns on the road (see FIGS. 6 to 8). Specifically, when the host vehicle lane Lns when an abnormal state of the driver is detected is the shoulder-side lane Ln1 facing the road shoulder (see Congestion Scene 1 in FIG. 6), the MRM control unit 78 selects to execute the first evacuation control and stops the host vehicle Am on the road shoulder.

[0106] On the other hand, if the host vehicle lane Lns when the driver's abnormal state is recognized is not the shoulder lane Ln1, the MRM control unit 78 selects to implement the second evacuation control and stops the host vehicle Am in the host vehicle lane Lns. That is, in a scene where the vehicle is traveling in a traffic jam, lane changing is avoided. Specifically, if the host vehicle lane Lns when the driver's abnormal state is recognized is the overtaking lane Ln3 (see traffic jam scene 2 in FIG. 7), the MRM control unit 78 moves the host vehicle Am to the center side of the road (the center reservation side) and stops it in the overtaking lane Ln3. Also, if the host vehicle lane Lns when the driver's abnormal state is recognized is the center lane Ln2 (see traffic jam scene 2 in FIG. 8), the MRM control unit 78 selects to implement the second evacuation control and stops the host vehicle Am in the overtaking lane Ln3. In the traffic jam scene 3, the MRM control unit 78 stops the host vehicle Am in the center lane Ln2 by moving it to either the left or right side of the center lane Ln2. As an example, the MRM control unit 78 stops the host vehicle Am on the left side of the lane so that the host vehicle Am can be easily overtaken from the overtaking lane Ln3 side.

[0107] Next, in order to realize the transition to the MRM control described above, the MRM transition process performed by the autonomous driving ECU 50b will be described in detail below based on Fig. 9 and with reference to Figs. 1 to 3. The MRM transition process is started, for example, when the host vehicle Am becomes in a state in which it is capable of traveling, and continues until the host vehicle Am stops traveling.

[0108] In S101 of the MRM transition process, the abnormality grasping unit 72 grasps an abnormal physical condition that has occurred in the driver. The abnormal condition grasped in S101 is a difficult driving state diagnosed by the deadman determination unit 46. If it is determined in S101 that the driver is not abnormal in physical condition, the abnormality grasping unit 72 continues grasping the abnormal condition of the driver. On the other hand, if it is determined that the driver is abnormal in physical condition, the process proceeds to S102.

[0109] In S102, the grace period starts. In addition, in S102, based on the start of the grace period, the notification request unit 73 outputs an implementation request to the HCU 100 to start an improvement request notification using the audio device 24 and the display device.

[0110] In S103, the control switching unit 77 determines whether or not level 3 autonomous driving control is being executed. If it is determined in S103 that autonomous driving control is being executed, the process proceeds to S107. On the other hand, if it is determined in S103 that autonomous driving control is not being executed, the process proceeds to S104.

[0111] In S104, the control switching unit 77 determines whether or not the start permission conditions, excluding the driver condition, are satisfied among the multiple start permission conditions. If it is determined in S104 that the start permission conditions, excluding the driver condition, are satisfied, the process proceeds to S105. In S105, an automatic transition to autonomous driving control is performed, and the process proceeds to S107. In S105, the autonomous driving control is started even if the driver's input of the level 3 transition operation is not recognized.

[0112] On the other hand, when it is determined in S104 that the start permission condition is not satisfied, the process proceeds to S106. In S106, the grace period and the MRM control settings associated with the driving assistance control are selected. When the host vehicle Am is in a manual driving period, the driving assistance control may be automatically started in S106.

[0113] In S107, the control switching unit 77 grasps the driving control mode being executed, and judges whether or not congestion level 3 is being executed. If it is judged in S107 that area level 3 is being executed, the process proceeds to S108. In S108, the grace period and MRM control settings associated with area level 3 are selected. On the other hand, if it is judged in S107 that congestion level 3 is being executed, the process proceeds to S109.

[0114] In S109, the lane grasping unit 74 grasps the position of the host vehicle lane Lns, and proceeds to S110. In S110, the grace period and MRM control settings associated with congestion level 3 are selected according to the position of the host vehicle lane Lns grasped in S109. In the above S106, S108, and S110, as described above, the length of the grace period, the setting of the inter-vehicle distance during the grace period, the implementation pattern of MRM control, and the like are set to contents according to the autonomous driving level and the driving control mode.

[0115] In S111, the abnormality grasping unit 72 judges whether the abnormal state of the driver has been resolved. If it is judged in S111 that the abnormal state has been resolved, the process returns to S101. On the other hand, if it is judged in S111 that the abnormal state continues, the process proceeds to S112.

[0116] In S112, the behavior determination unit 63 determines whether or not it is time to transition to MRM control. When abnormality detection information indicating a definite determination of a difficult-to-drive state by the deadman determination unit 46 is acquired and the grace period set in any of S106, S108, and S110 has elapsed, the behavior determination unit 63 determines that the transition timing has arrived. When it is determined in S112 that the transition timing has not arrived, S111 and S112 are repeated.

[0117] On the other hand, if it is determined in S112 that the transition timing has arrived, the process proceeds to S113. In S113, the notification request unit 73 cooperates with the HCU 100 to end the improvement request notification started in S102. Then, in S114, the MRM control unit 78 reflects the setting selected in any one of S106, S108, and S110, and starts MRM control with the content corresponding to the autonomous driving level and driving control mode. With this, a series of MRM transition processes is ended.

[0118] In the first embodiment described above, the contents of the vehicle control or the information presentation control when an abnormal state is detected during an automatic driving period in which the host vehicle Am is driven by the autonomous driving control without the obligation to monitor the surroundings are changed according to the driving control mode being executed. Therefore, the vehicle control or the information presentation control can be adjusted according to the situation in which the host vehicle Am is driving. As a result, it is possible to reduce the anxiety of the passengers when the driver is in an abnormal state.

[0119] In addition, the control switching unit 77 of the first embodiment grasps whether or not the autonomous driving control of congestion level 3, which is implemented only when driving in a traffic jam, is being executed as one of the driving control modes. Then, when the abnormal state of the driver is grasped, the setting change unit 79 changes the contents of the vehicle control or the information presentation control depending on whether congestion level 3 is being executed. As a result, the vehicle control or the information presentation control can be adjusted to the contents suitable for a traffic jam driving scene with a low driving speed. Therefore, even if other vehicles are approaching around the vehicle in a traffic jam, it is possible to reduce the anxiety of the occupants.

[0120] In the first embodiment, when an abnormal state of the driver is detected during an automatic driving period in which the vehicle Am is driven by the autonomous driving control, the display control unit 88 performs an improvement request notification. When an abnormal state is detected during execution of the congestion level 3, the display control unit 88 extends the period for the improvement request notification compared to when an abnormal state is detected during execution of the area level 3. As described above, in a traffic jam driving scene with a low driving speed, the vehicle Am can continue to drive stably even if the time for improving the driver's condition is set long. Therefore, a situation in which the MRM control is erroneously started even if the driver's physical condition is normal is avoided.

[0121] Furthermore, the control switching unit 77 of the first embodiment grasps whether or not the autonomous driving control of area level 3, which is limited to the AD area, is being executed as one of the driving control modes. Then, when an abnormal state is detected during the execution of area level 3, the setting change unit 79 changes the setting to make the inter-vehicle distance to the forward vehicle Af wider than when the abnormal state is detected during the execution of congestion level 3. By increasing the distance to the forward vehicle Af in this way, even if the traveling speed of the host vehicle Am is high, a sense of security for the occupants can be ensured. In addition, since the inter-vehicle distance is increased before the start of MRM control, it becomes easier to smoothly change lanes to head to a shelter after the start of MRM control.

[0122] In addition, in the first embodiment, the contents of the vehicle control or the information presentation control are changed depending on whether an abnormal state is detected during the execution of the driving assistance control or the autonomous driving control. Therefore, the vehicle control or the information presentation control can be adjusted to the contents according to the situation in which the host vehicle Am is traveling. As a result, it is possible to reduce the anxiety of the passengers when the driver is in an abnormal state.

[0123] In the first embodiment, when an abnormal state of the driver is detected, the MRM control unit 78 performs MRM control to stop the host vehicle Am at an evacuation site as vehicle control. By automatically evacuating the host vehicle Am to an evacuation site, it is possible to reduce the anxiety of the occupants even if an abnormality occurs in the physical condition of the driver.

[0124] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the second grace period from when an abnormal state is detected during execution of the autonomous driving control to when the automatic evacuation control is started is longer than the first grace period from when an abnormal state is detected during execution of the driving assistance control to when the MRM control is started. When the autonomous driving control is being executed, the host vehicle Am can continue to run more stably than when the driving assistance control is being executed. Therefore, even if the grace period for transitioning to MRM control is set long, the transition to MRM control can be performed stably.

[0125] In addition, in the first embodiment, when an abnormal state is detected during execution of the autonomous driving control, a longer duration for continuing driving in the same lane is ensured in the MRM control than when an abnormal state is detected during execution of the driving assistance control. As described above, when the autonomous driving control is being executed, the host vehicle Am can continue to drive stably than when the driving assistance control is being executed. Therefore, even if a longer duration for continuing driving in the same lane is ensured in the MRM control, the host vehicle Am can continue to drive stably. As a result, movement to a shelter can also be smoothly performed.

[0126] In the first embodiment, the following distance is set wider when an abnormal state is detected than the following distance in the autonomous driving control and the driving assistance control. As a result, after an abnormal state is detected, the following distance to the forward vehicle Af is gradually increased. By increasing the following distance in this manner, it is possible to reduce the anxiety of the occupants even if the driver is in an abnormal state.

[0127] In addition, in the first embodiment, the content of the MRM control when an abnormal state is detected during execution of the autonomous driving control at level 3 in a traffic jam is changed according to the position of the host vehicle lane Lns on the road on which the vehicle is traveling. Therefore, the MRM control can be adjusted to the content according to the surrounding situation, which differs depending on the position of the host vehicle lane Lns. As a result, it is possible to reduce the anxiety of the passengers when the driver is in an abnormal state.

[0128] In the first embodiment, if the host vehicle lane Lns when the driver's abnormal state is recognized is the center lane Ln2 with other lanes on both sides, MRM control is implemented to stop the host vehicle Am in the center lane Ln2. In a traffic jam driving scene, other vehicles are crowded in each lane, making it difficult to automatically change lanes. On the other hand, in a traffic jam driving scene, the traveling speeds of the host vehicle Am and the rear vehicle Ab are low, so the risk of a rear-end collision by the rear vehicle Ab can be suppressed to a low level. As a result, if the host vehicle Am is traveling in the center lane Ln2, MRM control to stop the host vehicle Am in the center lane Ln2 is suitable for reducing the anxiety of the occupants.

[0129] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, in the MRM control for stopping the host vehicle Am in the central lane Ln2, the host vehicle Am is stopped to the left or right side in the central lane Ln2. Such an offset stop of the host vehicle Am makes it easier for the rear vehicle Ab to overtake the stopped host vehicle Am. As a result, the anxiety of the occupants after stopping can be reduced. Furthermore, the driver of the rear vehicle Ab can easily recognize the presence of the host vehicle Am.

[0130] In addition, in the first embodiment, if the host vehicle lane Lns when the driver's abnormal state is recognized is the overtaking lane Ln3, MRM control is performed to move the host vehicle Am to the center of the road and stop it in the overtaking lane Ln3. When traveling in the overtaking lane Ln3, it becomes more difficult to move to the shoulder. On the other hand, in a traffic jam driving scene, the traveling speed of each vehicle is low even in the overtaking lane Ln3, so the risk of rear-end collision can be suppressed to a low level. Furthermore, if the host vehicle Am is stopped by moving it to the center, the rear vehicle Ab can easily overtake the stopped host vehicle Am. From the above, when traveling in the overtaking lane Ln3, control to move the host vehicle Am to the center and stop it in the lane is an MRM control suitable for suppressing the anxiety of the occupants.

[0131] In the first embodiment, if an abnormal state is detected while area level 3 is being executed, MRM control is performed to stop the host vehicle Am on the shoulder of the road on which the vehicle is traveling, regardless of the position of the host vehicle lane Lns. When traveling in area level 3, the traveling speed of the host vehicle Am and surrounding vehicles is relatively high, so other vehicles around the host vehicle are unlikely to be in a crowded state. Therefore, lane changes are likely to be performed. On the other hand, the risk of a rear-end collision when stopping within the lane is likely to be high. For the above reasons, when traveling in area level 3, control to move the host vehicle Am to the shoulder is an MRM control suitable for suppressing the anxiety of the occupants.

[0132] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, when an abnormal state of the driver is detected, if the start permission conditions other than the driver condition are satisfied, the autonomous driving control is started even if the input of the level 3 transition operation by the driver is not detected. Therefore, after the occurrence of an abnormal state, driving by the autonomous driving control can be started quickly. As a result, it is possible to reduce the anxiety of the passengers when the driver becomes abnormal.

[0133] In the first embodiment, the behavior determination unit 63 corresponds to the "travel control unit", the abnormality grasping unit 72 corresponds to the "abnormal physical condition grasping unit", the notification request unit 73 and the setting change unit 79 correspond to the "control content change unit", and the control switching unit 77 corresponds to the "control state grasping unit" and the "permission determination unit". In addition, the MRM control unit 78 corresponds to the "evacuation control unit", and the autonomous driving ECU 50b corresponds to the "function control unit" and the "autonomous driving control unit".

[0134] Second Embodiment The second embodiment of the present disclosure is a modified example of the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, the process of changing the implementation pattern of the MRM control according to the position of the host vehicle lane Lns (see FIG. 9 S109, S110) is omitted. As in the first embodiment, when an abnormal state is detected during the execution of the driving assistance control and the area level 3, the MRM control unit 78 selects the implementation of the first evacuation control and moves the host vehicle Am to the side of the road on which the vehicle is traveling. On the other hand, when an abnormal state is detected during the execution of the congestion level 3, the MRM control unit 78 selects the implementation of the second evacuation control and stops the host vehicle Am in the host vehicle lane Lns on which the vehicle is traveling, regardless of the position of the host vehicle lane Lns.

[0135] In the second embodiment described so far, in the first evacuation control when an abnormal state is detected during the execution of driving assistance control or the like, the host vehicle Am is moved to the side of the road on which the vehicle is traveling, so that the risk of a rear-end collision after the host vehicle Am stops at an evacuation location can be reduced. On the other hand, in the second evacuation control when an abnormal state is detected during the execution of congestion level 3, the host vehicle Am is stopped in the host vehicle lane Lns in which the vehicle is traveling. If the vehicle is in a traffic jam, the traveling speed of other vehicles around the host vehicle is low, so that even if the host vehicle Am stops in the host vehicle lane Lns, the risk of a rear-end collision can be reduced.

[0136] As described above, by changing the control content of the MRM control according to the driving conditions of the host vehicle Am, the same effect as in the first embodiment is achieved, making it possible to reduce the anxiety of passengers when the driver falls into an abnormal state.

[0137] Third embodiment The third embodiment of the present disclosure is another modified example of the first embodiment. The driving assistance ECU 50a (see FIG. 1) of the third embodiment can perform not only driving assistance control in which the driver is obligated to hold the steering wheel (hereinafter, referred to as hands-on level 2), but also driving assistance control in which the driver is not obligated to hold the steering wheel (hereinafter, referred to as hands-off level 2). Therefore, in the autonomous driving system 50, in addition to the control transfer between hands-on level 2 and autonomous driving control, the control transfer between hands-off level 2 and autonomous driving control can be performed.

[0138] The deadman determination unit 46 (see FIG. 3) changes the contents of the state determination process (see FIGS. 11 and 12) for diagnosing abnormal physical condition of the driver in accordance with the automatic driving control being executed by the automatic driving system 50. For example, based on the start of traveling of the host vehicle Am, the deadman determination unit 46 starts a determination switching process (see FIG. 10) for switching the contents of the state determination process together with the normal state determination process (see FIG. 11). The deadman determination unit 46 repeatedly executes the determination switching process and the state determination process until the power supply of the host vehicle Am is turned off.

[0139] <Judgment switching process> The information acquisition unit 47 acquires control status information indicating the state of the autonomous driving function in addition to the driver status information and steering information. The control status information may be acquired directly from the autonomous driving ECU 50b or may be acquired from the HCU 100. The information acquisition unit 47 acquires the control status information in the judgment switching process (S41).

[0140] In the judgment switching process, the abnormality detection unit 48 judges whether or not the driving state is one in which the driver is obligated to hold the steering wheel based on the control steering information acquired by the information acquisition unit 47 (S42). When the driving assistance control is not operating, when the driving control of the autonomous driving level 1 is being executed, or when the hands-on level 2 is being executed, the abnormality detection unit 48 judges that the driving state is one in which the driver is obligated to hold the steering wheel (S42: YES). In this case, the abnormality detection unit 48 selects to execute the state judgment process (see FIG. 11) associated with the hands-on state (S43).

[0141] On the other hand, if hands-off level 2 and autonomous driving control are being executed by the automatic driving system 50 (S42: NO), the abnormality detection unit 48 determines whether or not the driver is gripping the steering wheel based on the grip detection information acquired by the information acquisition unit 47 (S44). If the driver is gripping the steering wheel (S44: YES), the abnormality detection unit 48 selects the implementation of a state determination process associated with hands-on (S43). On the other hand, if the driver is not gripping the steering wheel (S44: NO), the abnormality detection unit 48 selects the implementation of a state determination process (see FIG. 12) associated with hands-off (S45).

[0142] <Status Judgment Processing: Hands-on> In a state determination process (see FIG. 11) associated with a hands-on state, the information acquisition unit 47 acquires driver status information and steering information as driver information indicating the state of the driver (S51). The abnormality detection unit 48 detects an abnormality in the driver based on the driver information acquired by the information acquisition unit 47 (S52). As an example, the driver's posture is disrupted, the driver's level of alertness is reduced, and an inappropriate interruption of steering operation is detected as an abnormality in the driver. When the abnormality detection unit 48 detects an abnormality in the driver (S52: YES), it outputs abnormality detection information indicating the abnormality detection to the HCU 100, etc. (S53).

[0143] The information acquisition unit 47 continues acquiring driver information even after the abnormality detection unit 48 detects an abnormality in the driver (S54). The abnormality detection unit 48 determines whether the detection of an abnormality in the driver has continued for a predetermined time (or a predetermined number of times) based on the newly acquired driver information (S55). When it is determined that the detection of an abnormality in the driver has continued (S55: YES), the abnormality detection unit 48 outputs abnormality detection information indicating an abnormal state of the driver's physical condition to the HCU 100, etc. (S58).

[0144] When the abnormality detection unit 48 determines that the driver abnormality detection is not continuing (S55: NO), it further determines whether or not the state of no abnormality detection has continued for a predetermined time (or a predetermined number of times) (S56). When it determines that the state of no abnormality detection is not continuing (S56: NO), the acquisition of the driver information and the determination of the continuation of the abnormality detection are repeated. On the other hand, when it determines that the state of no abnormality detection is continuing (S56: YES), the abnormality detection unit 48 outputs abnormality resolution information indicating the resolution of the abnormality to the HCU 100, etc. (S57).

[0145] <Status Judgment Processing: Hands Off> In the state determination process associated with the hands-off state (see FIG. 12), the information acquisition unit 47 acquires driver status information as driver information indicating the state of the driver (S61). When the hands-off state, acquisition of steering information does not need to be performed. The abnormality detection unit 48 detects an abnormality of the driver based on the driver status information (S62). When the driver is not required to hold the steering wheel, the steering information is excluded from the driver information used for abnormality detection. In this case, for example, the driver's posture is disrupted and the driver's alertness is reduced, and the like are detected as abnormalities of the driver.

[0146] When the abnormality detection unit 48 detects an abnormality in the driver (S62: YES), it outputs abnormality detection information indicating the abnormality detection to the HCU 100, etc. (S63). Based on the abnormality detection information indicating the abnormality detection, the HCU 100 issues a gripping request notification to encourage the driver to grip the steering wheel (see FIG. 13, S93). Based on the gripping detection information acquired after the gripping request notification, the abnormality detection unit 48 determines whether or not the driver has resumed gripping the steering wheel (S64). When the abnormality detection unit 48 determines that a predetermined time has passed without the driver resuming gripping the steering wheel (S64: NO, S65: YES), it determines that the driver's physical condition is abnormal (S70).

[0147] On the other hand, if the grip of the steering wheel is resumed (S64: YES), the information acquisition unit 81 acquires the steering information together with the driver status information as the driver information (S66). The abnormality detection unit 48 ends the process of removing the steering information from the driver information used for abnormality detection, and determines whether the abnormality detection of the driver has continued for a predetermined time (or a predetermined number of times) based on the latest driver status information and steering information (S67). If it is determined that the abnormality detection of the driver has continued (S67: YES), the abnormality detection unit 48 outputs abnormality detection information indicating an abnormal state of the driver's physical condition to the HCU 100, etc. (S70).

[0148] On the other hand, if it is determined that the driver's abnormality detection is not continuing (S67: NO), the abnormality detection unit 48 further determines whether or not the state without abnormality detection has continued for a predetermined time (or a predetermined number of times) in the same manner as the processing during hands-on (S68). If it is determined that the state without abnormality detection has continued (S68: YES), the abnormality detection unit 48 outputs abnormality resolution information indicating that the abnormality has been resolved to the HCU 100, etc. (S69).

[0149] Next, the details of the transition preparation process that is performed during the grace period until the start of MRM control based on abnormality detection information indicating abnormality detection by the driver will be described below based on Fig. 13 and with reference to Figs. 1 to 3. The transition preparation process is started by the autonomous driving ECU 50b based on the host vehicle Am becoming in a state in which it is possible to travel, for example, and is continued until the travel of the host vehicle Am is terminated.

[0150] The abnormality grasping unit 72 grasps that an abnormality has been detected in the driver based on the driver monitoring information acquired from the HCU 100 (S91). The HCU 100 sequentially outputs the abnormality detection information acquired by the driver information grasping unit 86 from the deadman determination unit 46 from the information linking unit 82 to the abnormality grasping unit 72. When the abnormality grasping unit 72 grasps the detection of an abnormality in the driver (S91: YES), the control switching unit 77 grasps the control state of the automatic driving system 50 and judges whether or not level 3 autonomous driving control is being executed (S92).

[0151] When an abnormality of the driver is detected during the autonomous driving period in which the host vehicle Am is driven by the autonomous driving control (S92: YES), the autonomous driving ECU 50b and the HCU 100 cooperate with each other to perform a gripping request notification in addition to the above-mentioned improvement request notification (S93). In this case, the notification request unit 73 outputs a request for each notification to the HCU 100. In the gripping request notification, for example, a voice message such as "Please hold the steering wheel" is played by the audio device 24. In addition, in the gripping request notification, a message image and an icon image having the same content as the voice message are displayed by the display device. In addition, the control switching unit 77 determines to continue the autonomous driving control of level 3 even if an abnormality of the driver is detected during the autonomous driving period (S94). As a result, the host vehicle Am continues to travel without the driver having to monitor the surroundings.

[0152] On the other hand, if a driver abnormality is detected during the period when the host vehicle Am is traveling by driving assistance control or manual driving (S92: NO), an improvement request notification is implemented (S95). At this time, if the driving assistance control is operating, it is determined to continue the operating driving assistance control. Also, if the driving assistance control is not operating, the driving assistance control (ACC and LTC) is automatically started (S96).

[0153] The abnormality grasping unit 72 grasps whether the abnormality detection of the driver has been resolved (S97). When the abnormality grasping unit 72 grasps that the abnormality detection of the driver has been resolved (S97: YES), the improvement request notification and the grip request notification that were started based on the grasping of the abnormality detection are terminated (S99). At this time, the automatically started driving assistance control may be terminated. As a result, the transition preparation process is temporarily terminated.

[0154] On the other hand, if the elimination of the abnormality detection of the driver is not grasped (S97: NO), the abnormality grasping unit 72 grasps whether or not a judgment indicating a definite abnormal state of the physical condition (deadman judgment) has been made by the deadman judgment unit 46 (S98). If the definite judgment of the abnormal state has not been grasped (S98: NO), the judgment of the elimination of the abnormality detection is continued. On the other hand, if the definite judgment of the abnormal state has been grasped (S98: NO), the MRM transition process (see FIG. 9) similar to that of the first embodiment is started.

[0155] In the third embodiment described above, when the vehicle Am is traveling without the driver having to hold the steering wheel, the driver's abnormality is detected based on the driver information excluding the steering information. Therefore, even in a situation where the driver is not holding the steering wheel, it is possible to avoid a situation where the steering information is used for abnormality detection and an abnormality is erroneously detected. As a result, it is difficult for the occupants to become anxious due to an erroneous detection of an abnormality.

[0156] In addition, in the third embodiment, when the host vehicle Am is traveling without the driver being required to grip the steering wheel, a gripping request notification is issued to encourage the driver to grip the steering wheel based on abnormality detection by the abnormality detection unit 48. Then, when the driver is confirmed to be gripping the steering wheel after the gripping request notification, the abnormality detection unit 48 resumes abnormality detection using the steering information. Therefore, when the driver resumes gripping the steering wheel, the abnormality detection unit 48 can determine whether the driver's abnormality continues by using the steering information more accurately than when the steering information is not used.

[0157] In the third embodiment, if the abnormality detection continues after the abnormality detection using the steering information is resumed, the abnormality detection unit 48 determines that the driver is in an abnormal physical condition. According to such a determination of the abnormality, even if the driver is leaning on the steering wheel due to an abnormality in physical condition, the abnormality detection unit 48 can determine that the driver is in an abnormal physical condition because the steering operation is not continuous. Therefore, it is possible to reliably detect the occurrence of a serious abnormality in physical condition.

[0158] Furthermore, in the third embodiment, when an abnormality of the driver is detected during an autonomous driving period in which the host vehicle Am is traveling without the driver's obligation to monitor the surroundings, a grip request notification is issued to encourage the driver to grip the steering wheel. Therefore, if the driver is normal, the abnormality detection can be resolved. Furthermore, even if an abnormality of the driver is detected during the autonomous driving period, the vehicle continues to travel without the obligation to monitor the surroundings. As a result, stable travel continues even if the driver's physical condition becomes abnormal, making it possible to reduce the anxiety of the occupants.

[0159] In addition, in the above third embodiment, the steering wheel corresponds to the "steering unit", the notification request unit 73 corresponds to the "notification implementation unit", the control switching unit 77 corresponds to the "control continuation unit", and the driving assistance ECU 50a corresponds to the "function control device".

[0160] (Other embodiments) Although several embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure should not be construed as being limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be applied to various embodiments and combinations within the scope not departing from the gist of the present disclosure.

[0161] In the above embodiment, the improvement request notification was implemented throughout the entire grace period. Therefore, when the grace period was extended, the implementation period of the improvement request notification was also extended. However, the grace period and the implementation period of the improvement request notification do not have to be the same. As an example, the length of the implementation period of the improvement request notification may be fixed, while the length of the grace period may be changed depending on the autonomous driving level or the driving control mode. Also, the length of the grace period may be fixed, while the length of the implementation period of the improvement request notification may be changed depending on the autonomous driving level or the driving control mode.

[0162] In the first modification of the first embodiment, the automatic transition to level 3 when an abnormal condition is detected is limited. For example, the automatic transition to level 3 is implemented only when the driving assistance control of level 2, specifically, both ACC and LTC, are being executed when the abnormal condition is detected. On the other hand, if the driving assistance control is manual when the abnormal condition is detected, the automatic transition to level 3 is not implemented.

[0163] In variant example 2 of the second embodiment described above, when the vehicle is traveling in a traffic jam due to driving assistance control, if an abnormal state of the driver is detected, the vehicle Am is stopped in the vehicle lane Lns in the same manner as when an abnormal state is detected while level 3 in a traffic jam is being executed.

[0164] In the third modification of the above embodiment, the function of the function control device is realized by cooperation between the autonomous driving ECU 50b and the HCU 100. In the fourth modification of the above embodiment, the functions of the autonomous driving ECU 50b and the HCU 100 are provided by one in-vehicle ECU. In the fourth modification, the functional units corresponding to the information linking units 61 and 82 are omitted.

[0165] In the fifth modified example of the above embodiment, among the vehicle control and the information presentation control, only the content of the vehicle control is changed according to the autonomous driving level or the driving control mode. On the other hand, in the sixth modified example of the above embodiment, among the vehicle control and the information presentation control, only the content of the information presentation control is changed according to the autonomous driving level or the driving control mode. In the sixth modified example, the HCU 100 may correspond to the "function control device". In this case, the information linking unit 82 corresponds to the "control state grasping unit", the driver information grasping unit 86 corresponds to the "physical condition abnormality grasping unit", and the presentation control unit 88 corresponds to the "control content changing unit".

[0166] In the seventh modification of the above embodiment, each function of the autonomous driving ECU 50b and the HCU 100 is provided by one in-vehicle ECU. In this in-vehicle ECU, in addition to the environment recognition unit 62, the behavior determination unit 63, and the control execution unit 64 of the above embodiment, functional units corresponding to the information acquisition unit 81, the driver information grasping unit 86, and the presentation control unit 88 are constructed based on each program. In this seventh modification, the functional units corresponding to the information linking units 61 and 82 are omitted. In the seventh modification, the driver information grasping unit 86 corresponds to the "abnormal physical condition grasping unit", the presentation control unit 88 corresponds to the "notification execution unit", and the in-vehicle ECU corresponds to the "autonomous driving control device".

[0167] In the eighth modification of the above embodiment, the functions of the driving assistance ECU 50a and the automatic driving ECU 50b are provided by one automatic driving ECU. That is, the automatic driving ECU 50b of the eighth modification is equipped with the functions of the driving assistance ECU 50a. In the eighth modification, the integrated automatic driving ECU corresponds to the "function control device" and the "automatic driving control device."

[0168] The steering unit through which the driver inputs a steering operation is not limited to a circular configuration like the above-mentioned steering wheel, and may be a lever-like or stick-like configuration.

[0169] In the above embodiment, each function provided by the autonomous driving ECU and HCU can be provided by software and hardware that executes the software, software only, hardware only, or a combination of these. Furthermore, when such a function is provided by an electronic circuit as hardware, each function can also be provided by a digital circuit including a large number of logic circuits, or an analog circuit.

[0170] Each processing unit in the above-mentioned embodiment may be individually mounted on a printed circuit board, or may be mounted on an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) and an FPGA. The form of a storage medium (non-transitory tangible storage medium) for storing various programs and the like may also be changed as appropriate. Furthermore, the storage medium is not limited to a configuration provided on a circuit board, but may be provided in the form of a memory card or the like, inserted into a slot, and electrically connected to a control circuit such as an autonomous driving ECU or HCU. The storage medium may also be an optical disk or a hard disk drive that is a source from which a program is copied to the autonomous driving ECU or HCU.

[0171] The vehicle equipped with the above-mentioned automatic driving system and HMI system is not limited to a general private passenger car, but may be a rental car vehicle, a manned taxi vehicle, a ride-sharing vehicle, a freight vehicle, a bus, etc. In addition, the vehicle equipped with the automatic driving system and HMI system may be a right-hand drive vehicle or a left-hand drive vehicle. Furthermore, the traffic environment in which the vehicle runs may be a traffic environment based on left-hand traffic or a traffic environment based on right-hand traffic. The automatic driving control and the function control related to automatic driving according to the present disclosure may be appropriately optimized according to the road traffic laws of each country and region, and further the steering wheel position of the vehicle, etc.

[0172] The control unit and the method described herein may be implemented by a special-purpose computer having a processor programmed to execute one or more functions embodied in a computer program. Alternatively, the device and the method described herein may be implemented by a special-purpose hardware logic circuit. Alternatively, the device and the method described herein may be implemented by one or more special-purpose computers configured by a combination of a processor that executes a computer program and one or more hardware logic circuits. The computer program may also be stored in a computer-readable non-transitory tangible recording medium as instructions to be executed by the computer. [Technical feature 12] An automatic driving control device that enables a vehicle (Am) to travel using an automatic driving function, an abnormal physical condition grasping unit (72) for grasping an abnormal physical condition occurring in the driver of the vehicle; A control state grasping unit (77) that grasps the control being executed by the automatic driving function among a driving assistance control in which the driver is obligated to monitor the surroundings and an autonomous driving control in which the driver is not obligated to monitor the surroundings; a control content change unit (79) that sets a setting of a distance to a forward vehicle (Af) in the autonomous driving control to be wider than a setting of the distance to the forward vehicle (Af) in the driving assistance control, The control content change unit is an automatic driving control device that sets the inter-vehicle distance when the abnormal state is detected to be wider than the inter-vehicle distance set in the autonomous driving control. [Technical feature 13] An automatic driving control program that enables a vehicle (Am) to travel using an automatic driving function, An abnormal physical condition of the driver of the vehicle is grasped (S101); The control being executed by the automatic driving function is identified between a driving assistance control in which the driver is required to monitor the surroundings and an autonomous driving control in which the driver is not required to monitor the surroundings (S103), The setting of the distance to the forward vehicle (Af) in the autonomous driving control is made wider than the setting of the distance to the forward vehicle (Af) in the driving assistance control (S35), The setting of the inter-vehicle distance when the abnormal state is detected is made wider than the setting of the inter-vehicle distance in the autonomous driving control (S32). The automatic driving control program causes at least one processing unit (51) to execute a process including the steps of: [Technical feature 14] An automatic driving control device that enables a vehicle (Am) to travel using an automatic driving function, an abnormal physical condition grasping unit (72) for grasping an abnormal physical condition occurring in the driver of the vehicle; A driving control unit (63) that controls the driving of the vehicle by a congestion limited control that is an autonomous driving control that does not require the driver to monitor the surroundings and is performed only when the vehicle is in a congestion state; a lane grasping unit (74) configured to grasp a host vehicle lane (Lns) in which the host vehicle is traveling when the host vehicle is traveling on a road including a plurality of lanes under the congestion limiting control; The traveling control unit is When the abnormal state is detected during execution of the congestion limiting control, an automatic evacuation control is executed to stop the host vehicle at an evacuation location, An automatic driving control device that changes the content of the automatic evacuation control depending on the position of the vehicle's lane on the road. [Technical feature 15] The automatic driving control device according to Technical Feature 14, wherein the driving control unit performs the automatic evacuation control to stop the vehicle in the center lane if the vehicle lane at the time the abnormal state is detected is a center lane (Ln2) with other lanes on both sides. [Technical feature 16] The automatic driving control device according to Technical Feature 15, wherein the driving control unit, during the automatic evacuation control, stops the host vehicle by pulling over to either the left or right side of the center lane. [Technical feature 17] The automatic driving control device according to any one of technical features 14 to 16, wherein the driving control unit, when the vehicle lane at the time the abnormal state is detected is an overtaking lane (Ln3) that is not adjacent to the shoulder of the road, performs the automatic evacuation control to move the vehicle toward the center of the road and stop the vehicle in the overtaking lane. [Technical feature 18] The traveling control unit is Executing an area limited control implemented within a specific area as the autonomous driving control, The automatic driving control device according to any one of technical features 14 to 17, wherein if the abnormal state is detected during execution of the area-limited control, the automatic evacuation control is executed to pull over to the shoulder of the road and stop the host vehicle, regardless of the position of the host vehicle's lane. [Technical feature 19] An automatic driving control program that enables a vehicle (Am) to travel using an automatic driving function, An abnormal physical condition of the driver of the vehicle is grasped (S101); Controlling the driving of the host vehicle by a traffic jam limited control that is an autonomous driving control that does not require the driver to monitor the surroundings and is limited to driving in a traffic jam (S15); When the vehicle is traveling on a road including a plurality of lanes under the congestion limiting control, the vehicle lane (Lns) in which the vehicle is traveling is identified (S109); When the abnormal state is detected during execution of the congestion limiting control, an automatic evacuation control is performed to stop the host vehicle at an evacuation location, and the content of the automatic evacuation control is changed according to the position of the host vehicle lane on the road (S110, S114). The automatic driving control program causes at least one processing unit (51) to execute a process including the steps of: [Explanation of symbols]

[0173] Am: vehicle; Af: vehicle ahead; Lns: vehicle lane; Ln2: center lane; Ln3: overtaking lane; 11, 51, 51a: processing unit; 47: information acquisition unit; 48: abnormality detection unit; 50a: driving assistance ECU (function control device); 50b: autonomous driving ECU (function control device, autonomous driving control device); 63: action determination unit (driving control unit); 71: input recognition unit; 72: abnormality recognition unit (physical condition abnormality recognition unit); 73: notification request unit (control content change unit, notification implementation unit); 74: lane recognition unit; 77: control switching unit (control state recognition unit, permission determination unit, control continuation unit); 78: MRM control unit (evacuation control unit); 79: setting change unit (control content change unit); 82: information linking unit (control state recognition unit); 86: driver information recognition unit (physical condition abnormality recognition unit); 88: presentation control unit (control content change unit); 100: HCU (function control device)

Claims

1. A function control device used in a vehicle (Am) capable of running by an automatic driving function, which performs control related to the automatic driving function, an abnormal physical condition grasping unit (72, 86) for grasping an abnormal physical condition occurring in the driver of the vehicle; A control state grasping unit (77, 82) that grasps the driving control mode in which the automatic driving function is being executed among a plurality of driving control modes included in the autonomous driving control in which the driver is not required to monitor the surroundings; and a control content change unit (73, 79, 88) that changes the content of at least one of vehicle control of the host vehicle and information presentation control for the driver in accordance with the driving control mode in which the automatic driving function is being executed when the abnormal state is detected during a period in which the host vehicle is traveling by the autonomous driving control, The control state grasping unit grasps whether a traffic jam limited control that is executed only when the vehicle is traveling in a traffic jam is being executed as one of the driving control modes, The control content change unit is When the abnormal state is grasped, the content of at least one of the vehicle control and the information presentation control is changed depending on whether the congestion limiting control is being executed, When the abnormal state is detected during a period in which the vehicle is traveling under the autonomous traveling control, an improvement request notification is issued to request the driver to improve the state; When the abnormal condition is detected while the congestion limiting control is being executed, the function control device extends the period during which the improvement request notification is issued, compared to when the abnormal condition is detected while the driving control mode other than the congestion limiting control is being executed.

2. The control state grasping unit grasps whether an area limited control that is implemented within a specific area is being executed as one of the driving control modes, The function control device according to claim 1, wherein when the abnormal condition is detected while the area-limited control is being executed, the control content change unit changes the setting to make the inter-vehicle distance to the forward vehicle (Af) in the autonomous driving control wider than when the abnormal condition is detected while the driving control mode other than the area-limited control is being executed.

3. A function control program used in a vehicle (Am) capable of running by an automatic driving function, which performs control related to the automatic driving function, An abnormal physical condition of the driver of the vehicle is grasped (S101); Among a plurality of driving control modes included in the autonomous driving control in which the driver is not required to monitor the surroundings, the driving control mode in which the automatic driving function is being executed is identified (S107); When the abnormal state is detected during the period in which the vehicle is traveling by the autonomous traveling control, at least one of the contents of the vehicle control of the vehicle and the information presentation control for the driver is changed according to the traveling control mode in which the automatic driving function is being executed (S108, S110). causing at least one processing unit (11, 51) to execute a process including In the process of grasping the driving control mode, it is grasped whether or not a congestion limited control that is executed only when driving in a congestion is being executed as one of the driving control modes, In the process of changing at least one of the vehicle control and the information presentation control, When the abnormal state is grasped, the content of at least one of the vehicle control and the information presentation control is changed depending on whether the congestion limiting control is being executed, When the abnormal state is detected during a period in which the vehicle is traveling under the autonomous traveling control, an improvement request notification is issued to request the driver to improve the state; A functional control program that extends the period during which the improvement request notification is issued when the abnormal condition is detected while the congestion limiting control is being executed, compared to when the abnormal condition is detected while the driving control mode other than the congestion limiting control is being executed.

4. A function control device used in a vehicle (Am) capable of running by an automatic driving function, which performs control related to the automatic driving function, an abnormal physical condition grasping unit (72, 86) for grasping an abnormal physical condition occurring in the driver of the vehicle; A control state grasping unit (77, 82) that grasps the control that the automatic driving function is executing among a driving assistance control in which the driver is obligated to monitor the surroundings and an autonomous driving control in which the driver is not obligated to monitor the surroundings; a control content change unit (73, 79, 88) that changes at least one of the vehicle control of the host vehicle and the information presentation control for the driver when the abnormal state is recognized during the execution of the driving assistance control and when the abnormal state is recognized during the execution of the autonomous driving control; an evacuation control unit (78) that performs automatic evacuation control to stop the host vehicle at an evacuation location as the vehicle control when the abnormal state is detected; The control content change unit is a function control device that, when the abnormal condition is detected while the autonomous driving control is being executed, ensures a longer duration for continuing driving in the same lane in the automatic evacuation control than when the abnormal condition is detected while the driving assistance control is being executed.

5. 5. The function control device according to claim 4, wherein the control content change unit makes a second grace period from when the abnormal condition is detected during execution of the autonomous driving control to when the automatic evacuation control is started longer than a first grace period from when the abnormal condition is detected during execution of the driving assistance control to when the automatic evacuation control is started.

6. The control content change unit is A setting of a distance to a forward vehicle (Af) in the autonomous driving control is made wider than a setting of the distance to the forward vehicle (Af) in the driving assistance control, The function control device according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the setting of the inter-vehicle distance in the automatic evacuation control is made wider than the setting of the inter-vehicle distance in the autonomous driving control.

7. A function control program used in a vehicle (Am) capable of running by an automatic driving function, which performs control related to the automatic driving function, An abnormal physical condition of the driver of the vehicle is grasped (S101); The control being executed by the automatic driving function is identified between a driving assistance control in which the driver is required to monitor the surroundings and an autonomous driving control in which the driver is not required to monitor the surroundings (S103), When the abnormal state is recognized during the execution of the driving assistance control and when the abnormal state is recognized during the execution of the autonomous driving control, at least one of the vehicle control of the host vehicle and the information presentation control for the driver is changed (S106, S108, S110). When the abnormal state is detected, an automatic evacuation control is performed as the vehicle control to stop the host vehicle at an evacuation location. causing at least one processing unit (11, 51) to execute a process including A functional control program that, in a process of changing the content of at least one of the vehicle control and the information presentation control, ensures a longer duration for continuing driving in the same lane in the automatic evacuation control when the abnormal condition is detected while the autonomous driving control is being executed than when the abnormal condition is detected while the driving assistance control is being executed.

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