Vehicle notification control device and vehicle notification control method

Abstract

To provide a vehicle notification control device capable of clearly indicating which one should be focused on between a display and an indicator lamp for notifying the outside of the vehicle other than the display even when the state of the self-driving vehicle is displayed outside the vehicle.SOLUTION: A vehicle notification control device includes: a state identification unit 103 that identifies an automatic driving-related status; an outside notification control unit 105 that controls a vehicle outside display device 191 which performs automatic driving vehicle outside information by a display, which is a notification of information related to automatic driving to the outside of the own vehicle; and a lighting detection unit 104 that is placed on the own vehicle to detect start of lighting of a specific indicator light to notify an outside of the own vehicle of a notification being different from the automatic driving vehicle outside notification. The outside notification control unit 105 controls to perform the notification outside the automatic driving vehicle using the automatic driving-related status identified by the state identification unit 103 during automatic driving of the own vehicle, and controls the autonomous vehicle outside notification to change its direction to make the display difficult to see on the basis of a fact that the lighting detection unit 104 has detected the start of lighting of a specific indicator lamp.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for displaying "automatic driving in progress" on a display device attached to the roof of a vehicle when the vehicle is in automatic driving mode. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2017-7417 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] A vehicle is provided with various lighting devices (hereinafter, indicator lights). Indicator lights provided on a vehicle include turn signals, brake lights, emergency flashers, and other indicator lights for notifying the outside of the vehicle. In contrast, Patent Document 1 only considers that the display device attached to the roof of the vehicle always displays "automatic driving" during automatic driving. However, if the display "automatic driving" is always displayed during automatic driving, it may be difficult for people around to know which should be emphasized, between the display and the indicator light for notifying the outside of the vehicle. It may also be possible to notify the outside of the vehicle of the automatic driving status of the vehicle by displaying light. In this case, the risk that people around will have difficulty knowing which should be emphasized, between the light emission and the indicator light for signaling the outside of the vehicle other than the light emission, becomes more pronounced.

[0005] One objective of this disclosure is to provide a vehicle notification control device and a vehicle notification control method that, even when the status of the vehicle's autonomous driving is notified to the outside of the vehicle through a display, make it easy for people in the vicinity to know which to give more importance to, between the display or an indicator light that notifies the outside of the vehicle other than the display. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The above object is achieved by the combination of features recited in the independent claims, and the subclaims define further advantageous embodiments of the disclosure. The reference characters in parentheses in the claims indicate a correspondence with specific means described in the following embodiment as one aspect, and do not limit the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, a first vehicle notification control device of the present disclosure is a vehicle notification control device that can be used in a vehicle capable of autonomous driving, and includes a state identification unit (103) that identifies an autonomous driving related state, which is a state of the vehicle related to autonomous driving, an exterior notification control unit (105, 105a, 105c, 105d) that controls an exterior display (191, 191c) that performs an autonomous driving exterior notification, which is a notification of information related to autonomous driving, by displaying the notification outside the vehicle, and a lighting detection unit (104, 104c) that detects the start of lighting of a specific indicator light (BL, TL, EL) that is a specific indicator light provided in the vehicle for providing notifications other than the autonomous driving exterior notification to the outside of the vehicle, and the exterior notification control unit uses the autonomous driving related state identified by the state identification unit to notify the vehicle of the autonomous driving exterior notification. During autonomous driving of the vehicle, an external notification is provided, and based on the detection by the lighting detection unit that a specific indicator light has started to light, the lighting detection unit detects the start of lighting of at least the brake lights (BL), turn indicators (TL), and hazard flashers (EL) of the vehicle as the start of lighting of the specific indicator lights, and when the lighting detection unit detects the start of lighting of the turn indicators during autonomous driving of the vehicle, the external notification control unit does not change the display of the external notification of the autonomous driving vehicle in a direction that makes it difficult to see, while based on the detection by the lighting detection unit that the brake lights have started to light during autonomous driving of the vehicle, the external notification control unit changes the display of the autonomous driving vehicle external notification in a direction that makes it difficult to see. In order to achieve the above object, a second vehicle notification control device disclosed herein is a vehicle notification control device that can be used in a vehicle capable of autonomous driving, and includes a state identification unit (103) that identifies an autonomous driving related state, which is a state of the vehicle related to autonomous driving, an exterior notification control unit (105, 105a, 105c, 105d) that controls an exterior display (191, 191c) that performs an autonomous driving exterior notification, which is a notification of information related to autonomous driving, by displaying the notification outside the vehicle, and a lighting detection unit (104, 104c) that detects the start of lighting of specific indicator lights (BL, TL, EL) that are specific indicator lights provided in the vehicle for providing notifications other than the autonomous driving exterior notification to the outside of the vehicle, and the exterior notification control unit uses the autonomous driving related state identified by the state identification unit to perform an autonomous driving exterior notification during autonomous driving of the vehicle, and changes the autonomous driving exterior notification in a direction that makes the display difficult to see based on the detection of the start of lighting of the specific indicator light by the lighting detection unit, A vehicle can be used in which area-limited autonomous driving, in which autonomous driving is permitted in a limited area and with no obligation for the driver to monitor the vehicle, and traffic jam-limited autonomous driving, in which autonomous driving is permitted only during traffic jams and with no obligation for the driver to monitor the vehicle, can be switched between these modes. The lighting detection unit detects the start of lighting of at least the vehicle's brake lights (BL) as the start of lighting of a specific indicator light, and the state identification unit at least distinguishes between area-limited autonomous driving and traffic jam-limited autonomous driving as an autonomous driving-related state, and the vehicle exterior notification control unit (105) uses the autonomous driving-related state identified by the state identification unit to not change the autonomous driving exterior notification in a direction that makes the display of the autonomous driving exterior notification difficult to see when the lighting detection unit detects the start of lighting of the brake lights during the traffic jam-limited autonomous driving of the vehicle, while changing the autonomous driving exterior notification in a direction that makes the display of the autonomous driving exterior notification difficult to see when the lighting detection unit detects the start of lighting of the brake lights during area-limited autonomous driving of the vehicle. In order to achieve the above object, a third vehicle notification control device of the present disclosure is a vehicle notification control device that can be used in a vehicle capable of autonomous driving, and includes a state identification unit (103) that identifies an autonomous driving related state, which is a state of the vehicle related to autonomous driving, an exterior notification control unit (105, 105a, 105c, 105d) that controls an exterior display (191, 191c) that performs an autonomous driving exterior notification, which is a notification of information related to autonomous driving, by displaying the exterior of the vehicle, and a lighting detection unit (104, 104c) that detects the start of lighting of a specific indicator light (BL, TL, EL) that is a specific indicator light provided in the vehicle for providing notifications other than the autonomous driving exterior notification to the outside of the vehicle, and the exterior notification control unit uses the autonomous driving related state identified by the state identification unit to perform an autonomous driving exterior notification during autonomous driving of the vehicle, and controls the lighting detection unit to detect the start of lighting of the specific indicator light (BL, TL, EL). Based on detection of the start of illumination of the lights, the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification is changed in a direction that makes the display difficult to see, and the illumination detection unit detects the start of illumination of at least the brake lights (BL) of the vehicle as the start of illumination of a specific indicator light, and is provided with a vehicle speed identification unit (106) that identifies the vehicle speed of the vehicle, and the vehicle exterior notification control unit (105a) uses the autonomous driving-related state identified by the state identification unit to change the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification in a direction that makes the display of the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification difficult to see when the illumination detection unit detects the start of illumination of the brake lights during autonomous driving of the vehicle and the vehicle speed identified by the vehicle speed identification unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, while not changing the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification in a direction that makes the display of the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification difficult to see when the vehicle speed identified by the vehicle speed identification unit is less than the threshold, even if the illumination detection unit detects the start of illumination of the brake lights during autonomous driving of the vehicle. In order to achieve the above object, a fourth vehicle notification control device of the present disclosure is a vehicle notification control device that can be used in a vehicle capable of autonomous driving, and includes a state identification unit (103) that identifies an autonomous driving related state, which is a state of the vehicle related to autonomous driving, an exterior notification control unit (105, 105a, 105c, 105d) that controls an exterior display (191, 191c) that performs an autonomous driving exterior notification, which is a notification of information related to autonomous driving, by displaying the information outside the vehicle, and a lighting detection unit (104, 104c) that detects the start of lighting of a specific indicator light (BL, TL, EL) that is a specific indicator light provided in the vehicle for providing notifications other than the autonomous driving exterior notification to the outside of the vehicle, and the exterior notification control unit uses the autonomous driving related state identified by the state identification unit to detect the autonomous driving exterior notification during autonomous driving of the vehicle. and, based on the detection by the lighting detection unit of the start of illumination of the specific indicator light, changes the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification in a direction that makes the display difficult to see. The exterior display (191c) is provided at the rear of the vehicle and at least one of the front and side of the vehicle, and the lighting detection unit (104c) detects at least the start of illumination of the vehicle's brake lights (BL) as the start of illumination of the specific indicator light, and the exterior notification control unit (105c) changes the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification of the exterior display provided at the rear in a direction that makes the display difficult to see, based on the detection by the lighting detection unit of the start of illumination of the brake lights, while, even if the lighting detection unit detects the start of illumination of the brake lights, displays the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification of the exterior display provided at the non-rear without changing the display in a direction that makes it difficult to see. In order to achieve the above object, a fifth vehicle notification control device of the present disclosure is a vehicle notification control device that can be used in a vehicle capable of autonomous driving, and includes a state identification unit (103) that identifies an autonomous driving related state, which is a vehicle state related to autonomous driving, an exterior notification control unit (105, 105a, 105c, 105d) that controls an exterior display (191, 191c) that displays an autonomous driving exterior notification, which is a notification of information related to autonomous driving, to the outside of the vehicle, and a special indicator (105, 105a, 105c, 105d) that is a specific indicator light provided in the vehicle for making notifications other than the autonomous driving exterior notification to the outside of the vehicle. The vehicle exterior notification control unit is equipped with a lighting detection unit (104, 104c) that detects the start of lighting of certain indicator lights (BL, TL, EL), and the vehicle exterior notification control unit uses the autonomous driving related state identified by the state identification unit to issue an autonomous driving exterior notification during autonomous driving of the vehicle, and is equipped with an interior notification control unit (102) that controls an interior notification device (18, 181, 182) that changes the autonomous driving exterior notification in a direction that makes it difficult to see, based on detection of the start of lighting of the specific indicator light by the lighting detection unit, and issues an interior notification toward the interior of the vehicle, which is a notification indicating that an autonomous driving exterior notification is being issued. In order to achieve the above object, a sixth vehicle notification control device of the present disclosure is a vehicle notification control device that can be used in a vehicle capable of autonomous driving, and includes a state identification unit (103) that identifies an autonomous driving-related state, which is a vehicle state related to autonomous driving, and an exterior notification control unit (105, 106) that controls exterior display devices (191, 191c) provided in a limited area adjacent to at least one of the brake lights and the turn signal of the vehicle and that display an autonomous driving exterior notification, which is a notification of information related to autonomous driving, outside the vehicle. The vehicle exterior notification control unit is equipped with a vehicle control unit (104, 104c) that detects the start of illumination of specific indicator lights (BL, TL, EL) which are specific indicator lights provided on the vehicle for making notifications other than autonomous driving exterior notifications to the outside of the vehicle, and the vehicle exterior notification control unit uses the autonomous driving related state identified by the state identification unit to make autonomous driving exterior notifications while the vehicle is autonomously driving, and changes the autonomous driving exterior notification in a direction that makes the display difficult to see based on the detection by the lighting detection unit of the start of illumination of the specific indicator light. In order to achieve the above object, a seventh vehicle notification control device of the present disclosure is a vehicle notification control device that can be used in a vehicle capable of autonomous driving, and includes a state identification unit (103) that identifies an autonomous driving related state, which is a vehicle state related to autonomous driving, and a vehicle status indicator (104) that displays an autonomous driving outside notification, which is a notification of information related to autonomous driving, toward the outside of the vehicle, in a position adjacent to at least one of the brake lights and the turn signal of the vehicle. only The vehicle is equipped with an exterior notification control unit (105, 105a, 105c, 105d) that controls exterior displays (191, 191c) provided in the vehicle, and a lighting detection unit (104, 104c) that detects the start of lighting of specific indicator lights (BL, TL, EL) that are specific indicator lights provided in the vehicle for providing notifications other than autonomous driving exterior notifications to the outside of the vehicle. The exterior notification control unit uses the autonomous driving related state identified by the state identification unit to provide autonomous driving exterior notifications while the vehicle is autonomously driven, and changes the autonomous driving exterior notification in a direction that makes the display difficult to see based on the detection by the lighting detection unit that the specific indicator light has started to light up.

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, a first vehicle notification control method of the present disclosure is a vehicle notification control method usable in a vehicle capable of autonomous driving, and includes a state identification step executed by at least one processor, which identifies an autonomous driving related state, which is a state of the vehicle related to autonomous driving; an exterior notification control step of controlling an exterior display (191, 191c) that displays an autonomous driving exterior notification, which is a notification of information related to autonomous driving, to the outside of the vehicle; and a lighting detection step of detecting the start of lighting of specific indicator lights (BL, TL, EL), which are specific indicator lights provided in the vehicle for providing notifications other than the autonomous driving exterior notification, to the outside of the vehicle. In the exterior notification control step, during autonomous driving of the vehicle, the autonomous driving related state identified in the state identification step is used to The autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification is performed, and based on the detection of the start of illumination of a specific indicator light in the illumination detection process, the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification is changed in a direction that makes it difficult to see. In the illumination detection process, the start of illumination of at least the brake lights (BL), turn indicators (TL), and hazard flashers (EL) of the vehicle is detected as the start of illumination of the specific indicator lights. In the vehicle exterior notification control process, if the start of illumination of the turn indicator is detected in the illumination detection process during autonomous driving of the vehicle, the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification is not changed in a direction that makes it difficult to see, while based on the detection of the start of illumination of the brake lights in the illumination detection process during autonomous driving of the vehicle, the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification is changed in a direction that makes it difficult to see. In order to achieve the above object, a second vehicle notification control method of the present disclosure is a vehicle notification control method usable in a vehicle capable of autonomous driving, and includes a state identification step executed by at least one processor of identifying an autonomous driving related state, which is a state of the vehicle related to autonomous driving; an exterior notification control step of controlling an exterior display (191, 191c) that displays an autonomous driving exterior notification, which is a notification of information related to autonomous driving, to the outside of the vehicle; and a lighting detection step of detecting the start of lighting of specific indicator lights (BL, TL, EL) that are specific indicator lights provided in the vehicle for providing notifications other than the autonomous driving exterior notification to the outside of the vehicle. In the exterior notification control step, the autonomous driving related state identified in the state identification step is used to perform an autonomous driving exterior notification during autonomous driving of the vehicle, and based on the detection of the start of lighting of the specific indicator light in the lighting detection step, the autonomous driving exterior notification is changed in a direction that makes the display difficult to see, thereby notifying the driver of the autonomous driving. A vehicle can be used that is switchable between area-limited autonomous driving, in which autonomous driving is permitted in a limited area and with no obligation for the driver to monitor the vehicle, and traffic jam-limited autonomous driving, in which autonomous driving is permitted only during traffic jams and with no obligation for the driver to monitor the vehicle, and in the light-on detection process, the start of illumination of at least the vehicle's brake lights (BL) is detected as the start of illumination of a specific indicator light, and in the state identification process, the autonomous driving-related state identified in the state identification process is identified by at least distinguishing between area-limited autonomous driving and traffic jam-limited autonomous driving, and in the vehicle exterior notification control process, using the autonomous driving-related state identified in the state identification process, when the start of illumination of the brake lights is detected in the light-on detection process during the traffic jam-limited autonomous driving of the vehicle, the autonomous driving exterior notification is not changed in a direction that makes the display of the autonomous driving exterior notification difficult to see, whereas during the area-limited autonomous driving of the vehicle, when the start of illumination of the brake lights is detected in the light-on detection process, the autonomous driving exterior notification is changed in a direction that makes the display of the autonomous driving exterior notification difficult to see. In order to achieve the above object, a third vehicle notification control method of the present disclosure is a vehicle notification control method usable in a vehicle capable of autonomous driving, and includes a state identification step executed by at least one processor, for identifying an autonomous driving related state, which is a state of the vehicle related to autonomous driving; an exterior notification control step for controlling an exterior display (191, 191c) for displaying an autonomous driving exterior notification, which is a notification of information related to autonomous driving, to the outside of the vehicle; and a lighting detection step for detecting the start of lighting of specific indicator lights (BL, TL, EL), which are specific indicator lights provided in the vehicle for providing notifications other than the autonomous driving exterior notification, to the outside of the vehicle. In the exterior notification control step, an autonomous driving exterior notification is performed during autonomous driving of the vehicle using the autonomous driving related state identified in the state identification step, and the lighting detection step detects the start of lighting of the specific indicator lights. Based on detection of the start of illumination, the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification is changed in a direction that makes the display difficult to see, and the illumination detection process detects the start of illumination of at least the brake lights (BL) of the vehicle as the start of illumination of a specific indicator light, and includes a vehicle speed identification process that identifies the vehicle speed, and the vehicle exterior notification control process uses the autonomous driving-related state identified in the state identification process to change the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification in a direction that makes the display difficult to see if the start of illumination of the brake lights is detected in the illumination detection process during autonomous driving of the vehicle and the vehicle speed identified in the vehicle speed identification process is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, while the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification is not changed in a direction that makes the display difficult to see if the vehicle speed identified in the vehicle speed identification process is less than the threshold, even if the start of illumination of the brake lights is detected in the illumination detection process during autonomous driving of the vehicle. In order to achieve the above object, a fourth vehicle notification control method of the present disclosure is a vehicle notification control method usable in a vehicle capable of autonomous driving, and includes a state identification step executed by at least one processor of identifying an autonomous driving-related state, which is a state of the vehicle related to autonomous driving; an exterior notification control step of controlling an exterior display (191, 191c) that displays an autonomous driving exterior notification, which is a notification of information related to autonomous driving, to the outside of the vehicle; and a lighting detection step of detecting the start of lighting of specific indicator lights (BL, TL, EL), which are specific indicator lights provided in the vehicle for providing notifications other than the autonomous driving exterior notification, to the outside of the vehicle. In the exterior notification control step, the autonomous driving-related state identified in the state identification step is used to issue an autonomous driving exterior notification during autonomous driving of the vehicle. and based on the detection of the start of illumination of the specific indicator light in the illumination detection process, the autonomously driven vehicle exterior alert is changed in a direction that makes it difficult to see. The exterior indicator (191c) is provided at the rear of the vehicle and at least one of the front and side of the vehicle, and in the illumination detection process, at least the start of illumination of the vehicle's brake lights (BL) is detected as the start of illumination of the specific indicator light, and in the exterior alert control process, based on the detection of the start of illumination of the brake lights in the illumination detection process, the autonomously driven vehicle exterior alert of the exterior indicator provided at the rear is changed in a direction that makes it difficult to see, while even if the start of illumination of the brake lights is detected in the illumination detection process, the autonomously driven vehicle exterior alert of the exterior indicator provided at the non-rear is displayed without being changed in a direction that makes it difficult to see. In order to achieve the above object, a fifth vehicle notification control method of the present disclosure is a vehicle notification control method usable in a vehicle capable of autonomous driving, and includes a state identification process executed by at least one processor to identify an autonomous driving-related state, which is a vehicle state related to autonomous driving; an exterior notification control process to control an exterior display (191, 191c) that displays an autonomous driving exterior notification, which is a notification of information related to autonomous driving, to the outside of the vehicle; and a specific display provided in the vehicle for providing notifications other than the autonomous driving exterior notification to the outside of the vehicle. The method includes a lighting detection step of detecting the start of lighting of specific indicator lights (BL, TL, EL), which are lights, and an exterior notification control step of using the autonomous driving related state identified in the state identification step to provide an autonomous driving exterior notification during autonomous driving of the vehicle, and an interior notification control step of controlling an interior notification device (18, 181, 182) that changes the autonomous driving exterior notification in a direction that makes it difficult to see, based on detection of the start of lighting of the specific indicator light in the lighting detection step, and provides an interior notification, which is a notification toward the interior of the vehicle cabin indicating that the autonomous driving exterior notification is being performed. In order to achieve the above object, a sixth vehicle notification control method of the present disclosure is a vehicle notification control method that can be used in a vehicle capable of autonomous driving, and includes a state identification process executed by at least one processor to identify an autonomous driving-related state, which is a vehicle state related to autonomous driving, and an autonomous driving outside notification, which is a notification of information related to autonomous driving, by displaying a notification signal outside the vehicle in a position adjacent to at least one of the vehicle's brake lights and turn signals. only The vehicle exterior notification control process includes a vehicle exterior display device (191, 191c) provided in the vehicle, and a lighting detection process for detecting the start of lighting of specific indicator lights (BL, TL, EL), which are specific indicator lights provided in the vehicle for providing notifications other than autonomous driving exterior notifications to the outside of the vehicle. In the vehicle exterior notification control process, an autonomous driving-related state identified in the state identification process is used to provide an autonomous driving exterior notification during autonomous driving of the vehicle, and based on the detection of the start of lighting of the specific indicator light in the lighting detection process, the autonomous driving exterior notification is changed in a direction that makes the display difficult to see. In order to achieve the above object, a seventh vehicle notification control method of the present disclosure is a vehicle notification control method that can be used in a vehicle capable of autonomous driving, and includes a state identification process executed by at least one processor to identify an autonomous driving-related state, which is a vehicle state related to autonomous driving, and an autonomous driving outside vehicle notification, which is a notification of information related to autonomous driving, by displaying a notification outside the vehicle, at a position along a left-right axis of the vehicle passing through at least one of the brake lights and turn signals, or along a vertical axis of the vehicle passing through at least one of the brake lights and turn signals, on at least one of the front and rear surfaces of the vehicle where the vehicle's brake lights and turn signals are provided. only The vehicle exterior notification control process includes a vehicle exterior display device (191, 191c) provided in the vehicle, and a lighting detection process for detecting the start of lighting of specific indicator lights (BL, TL, EL), which are specific indicator lights provided in the vehicle for providing notifications other than autonomous driving exterior notifications to the outside of the vehicle. In the vehicle exterior notification control process, an autonomous driving-related state identified in the state identification process is used to provide an autonomous driving exterior notification during autonomous driving of the vehicle, and based on the detection of the start of lighting of the specific indicator light in the lighting detection process, the autonomous driving exterior notification is changed in a direction that makes the display difficult to see.

[0009] According to these, it is possible to change the display of the autonomous driving outside notification, which is a notification of information related to autonomous driving performed by display during autonomous driving of the vehicle, in a direction that makes the display difficult to see based on the start of illumination of a specific indicator light for making a notification other than the autonomous driving outside notification to the outside of the vehicle. Therefore, when the specific indicator light starts to light up, it is possible to make the autonomous driving outside notification difficult to see, and to make it easier for people around to understand that they should place importance on the specific indicator light. On the other hand, it is possible to perform the autonomous driving outside notification that does not change the display in a direction that makes it difficult to see until the specific indicator light starts to light up, and to make it easier for people around to understand that they should place importance on the autonomous driving outside notification. As a result, even when the autonomous driving status of the host vehicle is notified by display to the outside of the vehicle, it is possible to make it easier for people around to understand which of the display and the indicator light for making a notification to the outside of the vehicle other than the display should be given importance.

[0012] According to these, it is possible to perform the autonomous driving external notification, which is a notification of information related to autonomous driving by display during autonomous driving of the vehicle, at a lower brightness than when the specific indicator light for making a notification other than the autonomous driving external notification is turned on. Therefore, even if the specific indicator light starts to turn on, by making the brightness of the autonomous driving external notification lower than that of the specific indicator light, it is possible to make it easier for people around to understand that they should place importance on the specific indicator light. As a result, even when the autonomous driving status of the host vehicle is notified by display to the outside of the vehicle, it is possible to make it easier for people around to understand which should be given more importance, between the display or the indicator light for making a notification to the outside of the vehicle other than the display. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a vehicle system 1. FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining an example of how an exterior display device 191 is provided. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining an example of how an exterior display device 191 is provided. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining an example of how an exterior display device 191 is provided. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining an example of how an exterior display device 191 is provided. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining an example of how an exterior display device 191 is provided. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining an example of how an exterior display device 191 is provided. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of an HCU 10. [Figure 9] 13 is a diagram for explaining an example of a foreground image displayed on a display 181. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of a host vehicle. [Figure 11] 13 is a diagram showing an example of a case where an in-vehicle notification is performed in a foreground image. FIG. [Figure 12]13 is a diagram showing an example of a case where an in-vehicle notification is performed in a foreground image. FIG. [Figure 13] 11 is a diagram for explaining an example of a mode of external notification of an autonomous driving vehicle when it is detected that a turn lamp TL has started to light up during autonomous driving. FIG. [Figure 14] 11 is a diagram for explaining an example of a mode of external notification of an autonomously driven vehicle when it is detected that the brake lights BL have started to light up during autonomous driving. FIG. [Figure 15] 11 is a diagram for explaining an example of a mode of external notification of an autonomously driven vehicle when it is detected that the brake lights BL have started to light up during autonomous driving. FIG. [Figure 16] 11 is a diagram for explaining an example of a flow of notification control-related processing in the HCU 10. FIG. [Figure 17] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of an HCU 10a. [Figure 18] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining an example of a configuration in which the back lamps RL are also used for external notification of an autonomous driving vehicle. [Figure 19] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of an HCU 10b. [Figure 20] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a vehicle system 1c. [Figure 21] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of an HCU 10c. [Figure 22] 13 is a diagram for explaining an example of a change in autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification depending on the installation location of the vehicle exterior display 191c when it is detected that the brake lights BL have started to light up. [Figure 23] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a vehicle system 1d. [Figure 24] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of an HCU 10d. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] A number of embodiments for disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. For convenience of description, in a number of embodiments, parts having the same functions as parts shown in the drawings used in the previous description may be given the same reference numerals and their description may be omitted. For parts given the same reference numerals, the description in other embodiments may be referred to.

[0015] (Embodiment 1) <Overall configuration of vehicle system 1> Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The vehicle system 1 shown in FIG. 1 can be used in a vehicle capable of automatic driving (hereinafter, an automatic driving vehicle). As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle system 1 includes an HCU (Human Machine Interface Control Unit) 10, a communication module 11, a locator 12, a map database (hereinafter, a map DB) 13, a vehicle state sensor 14, a surroundings monitoring sensor 15, a vehicle control ECU 16, an automatic driving ECU 17, an in-vehicle presentation device 18, and a vehicle exterior notification device 19. For example, the HCU 10, the communication module 11, the locator 12, the map DB 13, the vehicle state sensor 14, the surroundings monitoring sensor 15, the vehicle control ECU 16, and the automatic driving ECU 17 may be configured to be connected to an in-vehicle LAN (see the LAN in FIG. 1). The vehicle using the vehicle system 1 is not necessarily limited to an automobile, but the following description will be given taking the case of using the system in an automobile as an example.

[0016] There are multiple levels of autonomous driving for autonomous vehicles (hereinafter referred to as "automation levels"), as defined by the SAE, for example. Automation levels are classified into LV0 to 5, for example, as follows:

[0017] LV0 is a level where the driver performs all driving tasks without intervention from the vehicle's system. The driving task may be rephrased as a dynamic driving task. The driving task may be, for example, steering, acceleration / deceleration, and surrounding monitoring. LV0 corresponds to so-called manual driving. LV1 is a level where the system assists with either steering or acceleration / deceleration. LV1 corresponds to so-called driving assistance. LV2 is a level where the system assists with both steering and acceleration / deceleration. LV2 corresponds to so-called partial driving automation. LV1-2 are also considered to be part of autonomous driving.

[0018] For example, LV1-2 autonomous driving is autonomous driving in which the driver has a duty to monitor safe driving (hereinafter, simply referred to as the duty to monitor). The duty to monitor includes visual monitoring of the surroundings. LV1-2 autonomous driving can be rephrased as autonomous driving in which a second task is not permitted. A second task is an act other than driving that is permitted for the driver and is a specific act that is specified in advance. A second task can also be rephrased as a secondary activity, other activity, etc. It is considered that a second task must not prevent the driver from responding to a request from the autonomous driving system to take over driving operations. As an example, actions such as watching content such as videos, operating a smartphone, reading, and eating are assumed to be second tasks.

[0019] LV3 autonomous driving is a level where the system can perform all driving tasks under certain conditions, and the driver operates the vehicle in an emergency. In LV3 autonomous driving, the driver is required to be able to respond quickly when the system requests a driver to take over. This driver handover can also be said to be a transfer of monitoring duties from the vehicle's system to the driver. LV3 corresponds to so-called conditional driving automation. LV3 includes area-limited LV3, which is limited to a specific area. The specific area referred to here may be a motorway or an expressway. The specific area may be, for example, a specific lane. LV3 includes specific situation-limited LV3, which is limited to specific surrounding circumstances that are specific surrounding circumstances. An example of a specific surrounding situation is traffic congestion. In the following, the specific situation-limited LV3 will be described using traffic congestion-limited LV3, which is limited to traffic congestion. The traffic congestion-limited LV3 may be configured to be limited to traffic congestion on a motorway or an expressway, for example.

[0020] Level 4 autonomous driving is a level where the system can perform all driving tasks, except in some situations such as on unmanageable roads and in extreme environments. Level 4 corresponds to what is known as highly automated driving. Level 5 autonomous driving is a level where the system can perform all driving tasks in any environment. Level 5 corresponds to what is known as fully automated driving.

[0021] For example, autonomous driving levels 3 to 5 are autonomous driving levels where the driver has no obligation to monitor. In other words, they are equivalent to autonomous driving without a monitoring obligation. Autonomous driving levels 3 to 5 can be rephrased as autonomous driving in which a second task is permitted. Of autonomous driving levels 3 to 5, autonomous driving levels 4 and above are autonomous driving levels where the driver is permitted to sleep (hereinafter referred to as sleep-enabled autonomous driving). Of autonomous driving levels 3 to 5, autonomous driving levels 3 are autonomous driving levels where the driver is not permitted to sleep (hereinafter referred to as sleep-disabled autonomous driving).

[0022] In the autonomous vehicle of this embodiment, the automation level is switchable. The automation level may be switchable only between some of LV0 to 5. In this embodiment, a case will be described as an example in which the autonomous vehicle can switch between LV3 autonomous driving, LV2 or lower autonomous driving, and LV0 manual driving.

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

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

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

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

[0027] The vehicle state sensor 14 is a group of sensors for detecting various states of the vehicle. The vehicle state sensor 14 includes a vehicle speed sensor for detecting the vehicle speed, a steering sensor for detecting the steering angle, and the like. The vehicle state sensor 14 includes a steering torque sensor, an accelerator sensor, a brake sensor, and the like. The steering torque sensor detects the steering torque applied to the steering wheel. The accelerator sensor detects whether or not the accelerator pedal is depressed. The accelerator sensor may be an accelerator depression force sensor that detects the depression force applied to the accelerator pedal. The accelerator sensor may be an accelerator stroke sensor that detects the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal. The accelerator sensor may be an accelerator switch that outputs a signal according to whether or not the accelerator pedal is depressed. The brake sensor detects whether or not the brake pedal is depressed. The brake sensor may be a brake switch that outputs a signal according to whether or not the brake pedal is depressed.

[0028] The vehicle state sensor 14 includes a direction indicator switch, a hazard switch, and the like. The direction indicator switch is a switch for detecting the operation of turning on the turn lamp, which is a direction indicator. The direction indicator switch can also be called a turn signal switch or a blinker switch. The turn lamp can also be called a turn signal lamp or a blinker lamp. The hazard switch is a switch for detecting the operation of turning on the hazard lamp, which is an emergency flashing indicator lamp. Turning on the hazard lamp corresponds to turning on all the turn lamps of the vehicle. The vehicle state sensor 14 outputs the detected sensing information to an in-vehicle LAN. The sensing information detected by the vehicle state sensor 14 may be configured to be output to the in-vehicle LAN via an ECU mounted in the vehicle.

[0029] The perimeter monitoring sensor 15 monitors the environment around the vehicle. As an example, the perimeter monitoring sensor 15 detects obstacles around the vehicle, such as moving objects such as pedestrians and other vehicles, and stationary objects such as objects fallen on the road. In addition, the perimeter monitoring sensor 15 detects road markings around the vehicle, such as lane markings. The perimeter monitoring sensor 15 is, for example, a perimeter monitoring camera that captures an image of a predetermined range around the vehicle, a millimeter wave radar that transmits a search wave to a predetermined range around the vehicle, a sonar, a LIDAR, or other sensor. The perimeter monitoring camera sequentially outputs the captured images as sensing information to the automatic driving ECU 17. The sonar, millimeter wave radar, LIDAR, or other sensor that transmits a search wave sequentially outputs a scan result based on a received signal obtained when receiving a reflected wave reflected by an obstacle to the automatic driving ECU 17 as sensing information. The sensing information detected by the perimeter monitoring sensor 15 may be configured to be output to an in-vehicle LAN via the automatic driving ECU 17.

[0030] The vehicle control ECU 16 is an electronic control device that performs driving control of the vehicle. Examples of driving control include acceleration / deceleration control and / or steering control. The vehicle control ECU 16 includes a steering ECU that performs steering control, a power unit control ECU that performs acceleration / deceleration control, and a brake ECU. The vehicle control ECU 16 performs driving control by outputting control signals to each driving control device mounted on the vehicle, such as an electronically controlled throttle, a brake actuator, and an EPS (Electric Power Steering) motor.

[0031] The autonomous driving ECU 17 includes, for example, a processor, a memory, an I / O, and a bus connecting these, and executes processes related to autonomous driving by executing a control program stored in the memory. The memory referred to here is a non-transitory tangible storage medium that non-temporarily stores computer-readable programs and data. The non-transitory tangible storage medium is realized by a semiconductor memory or a magnetic disk. The autonomous driving ECU 17 includes, as functional blocks, a driving environment recognition unit, an action determination unit, and a control execution unit.

[0032] The driving environment recognition unit recognizes the driving environment around the vehicle based on sensing information acquired from the periphery monitoring sensor 15. The driving environment recognition unit may recognize the driving environment around the vehicle based on the vehicle position acquired from the locator 12 and map data acquired from the map DB 13, in addition to the sensing information acquired from the periphery monitoring sensor 15. As an example, the driving environment recognition unit uses these pieces of information to generate a virtual space that reproduces the actual driving environment.

[0033] The driving environment recognition unit may also determine whether the driving area is a manual driving area (hereinafter, MD area) in the driving area of ​​the vehicle. The driving environment recognition unit may also determine whether the driving area is an automatic driving area (hereinafter, AD area) in the driving area of ​​the vehicle. The driving environment recognition unit may also determine whether the AD area is an ST section and a non-ST section, which will be described later.

[0034] An MD area is an area where automated driving is prohibited. In other words, an MD area is an area where the driver is required to perform all of the vehicle's longitudinal control, lateral control, and surrounding monitoring. The longitudinal direction is the direction that coincides with the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle. The lateral direction is the direction that coincides with the vehicle's width direction. The longitudinal control corresponds to the acceleration / deceleration control of the vehicle. The lateral control corresponds to the steering control of the vehicle. For example, an MD area may be an ordinary road.

[0035] An AD area is an area where autonomous driving is permitted. In other words, an AD area is an area where it is specified that the vehicle can take over one or more of longitudinal control, lateral control, and periphery monitoring. For example, an AD area may be an expressway or a road for automobiles only. Autonomous driving limited to traffic jams LV3 (hereinafter, "autonomous driving limited to traffic jams") may be configured to be permitted only when there is a traffic jam in an AD area, for example.

[0036] AD areas are divided into ST sections and non-ST sections. ST sections are sections where area-limited LV3 autonomous driving (hereinafter, area-limited autonomous driving) is permitted. Area-limited autonomous driving may be permitted only in specific lanes within the ST section. Non-ST sections are sections where LV2 or lower autonomous driving is possible. In this embodiment, non-ST sections where LV1 autonomous driving is permitted are not separated from non-ST sections where LV2 autonomous driving is permitted. ST sections may be, for example, driving sections for which high-precision map data has been developed. Non-ST sections may be sections within the AD area that do not fall under the ST section.

[0037] The behavior determination unit switches the control of driving operations between the driver and the vehicle's system. When the control of driving operations is on the system's side, the behavior determination unit determines a driving plan for driving the vehicle based on the recognition results of the driving environment by the driving environment recognition unit. The driving plan may determine the route to the destination and the behavior that the vehicle should take to arrive at the destination. Examples of behavior include going straight, turning right, turning left, changing lanes, etc.

[0038] In addition, the behavior determination unit switches the automation level of the autonomous driving of the vehicle as necessary. The behavior determination unit determines whether or not the automation level can be increased. For example, when the vehicle moves from an MD area to a non-ST section of an AD area, it may be determined that manual driving can be switched to autonomous driving of LV2 or lower. When the vehicle moves from an MD area to a ST section of an AD area, it may be determined that manual driving of LV0 can be switched to area-limited autonomous driving of LV3. When the vehicle moves from a non-ST section of an AD area to a ST section, it may be determined that autonomous driving of LV2 or lower can be switched to autonomous driving of LV3. When the vehicle is located in an AD area and the automation level is LV2 or lower, and all the conditions for congestion-limited LV3 are met, it may be determined that autonomous driving of LV2 or lower can be switched to congestion-limited LV3 autonomous driving.

[0039] The behavior determination unit may lower the automation level when it determines that a lowering of the automation level is necessary. Examples of cases where it is determined that a lowering of the automation level is necessary include when an override is detected, when a planned driving changeover is performed, and when an unplanned driving changeover is performed. An override is an operation by which the driver of the vehicle spontaneously acquires control of the vehicle. In other words, an override is an operation intervention by the driver of the vehicle. The behavior determination unit may detect an override from sensing information obtained from the vehicle state sensor 14. For example, the behavior determination unit may detect an override when the steering torque detected by the steering torque sensor exceeds a threshold value. The behavior determination unit may detect an override when the accelerator sensor detects depression of the accelerator pedal. Alternatively, the behavior determination unit may detect an override when the brake sensor detects depression of the brake pedal.

[0040] A planned driving changeover is a planned driving changeover determined by the system. For example, a planned driving changeover is performed when the vehicle moves from an ST section in an AD area to a non-ST section or an MD area. In this case, the automation level is lowered from area-limited LV3 to LV2 or lower. A planned driving changeover may be performed when the vehicle moves from a non-ST section in an AD area to an MD area. In this case, the automation level is lowered from area-limited LV3 to LV0. An unplanned driving changeover is an unplanned, sudden driving changeover determined by the system. For example, an unplanned driving changeover is performed when the conditions of the traffic jam limited LV3 are no longer met during automated driving at the traffic jam limited LV3. In this case, the automation level is lowered from the traffic jam limited LV3 to LV2 or lower. There may be multiple types of conditions as the conditions for the traffic jam limited LV3. Examples of the conditions may include being within an AD area, the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle or the vehicle being equal to or lower than a threshold estimated to be a traffic jam, and the section being a traffic jam section in the traffic jam information. An unplanned driving shift may be performed when the automation level cannot be maintained due to a malfunction in the driving environment recognition unit.

[0041] When the automation level is lowered by an override, the autonomous driving ECU 17 lowers the automation level after an assistance period in which the system of the vehicle performs more driving assistance than the automation level after the lowering. The driving assistance during the assistance period may be, for example, less than the automation level before the lowering, but more than the automation level after the lowering. In addition, when the automation level is lowered by a driving change determined by the system of the vehicle, the autonomous driving ECU 17 performs a driving change request to request the driver of the vehicle to change driving, and then lowers the automation level. The driving change request is presented to the driver by the in-vehicle presentation device 18 described later. When the driver receives the driving change request, the driver takes preparatory action required for lowering the automation level, such as gripping the steering wheel. The autonomous driving ECU 17 lowers the automation level after confirming that this preparatory action has been taken. If this preparatory action is not taken, measures such as pulling to the shoulder of the road and stopping the vehicle may be taken.

[0042] The in-vehicle presentation device 18 presents information to the interior of the vehicle. The in-vehicle presentation device 18 has a display 181 and an audio output device 182. The display 181 presents information by displaying the information. The display 181 presents information according to an instruction from the HCU 10. As the display 181, for example, a meter MID (Multi Information Display), a CID (Center Information Display), or a HUD (Head-Up Display) can be used.

[0043] The meter MID is a display device provided in front of the driver's seat in the vehicle cabin. As an example, the meter MID may be configured to be provided in a meter panel. The CID is a display device arranged in the center of the instrument panel of the vehicle. The HUD is provided in the vehicle cabin, for example, in the instrument panel. The HUD projects a display image formed by a projector onto a projection area that is set on the front windshield as a projection member. The light of the image reflected by the front windshield into the vehicle cabin is perceived by the driver sitting in the driver's seat. This allows the driver to view a virtual image of the display image formed in front of the front windshield, superimposed on a part of the foreground. The HUD may be configured to project a display image onto a combiner provided in front of the driver's seat instead of the front windshield.

[0044] The audio output device 182 presents information by outputting sound. An example of the audio output device 182 is a speaker provided in the cabin of the vehicle.

[0045] The vehicle exterior notification device 19 performs vehicle exterior notification (hereinafter, autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification), which is a notification of information related to autonomous driving to the outside of the vehicle. The vehicle exterior notification device 19 has an exterior display 191 and an audio output device 192. The exterior display 191 is provided outside the vehicle and displays information to the outside of the vehicle. The exterior display 191 may perform the notification by emitting light from a lamp. In the following, an example will be described in which the exterior display 191 is a lamp. The exterior display 191 may be a display that displays text, images, etc.

[0046] An LED lamp, for example, may be used as the exterior display 191. It is preferable that the exterior display 191 is capable of changing various notification modes. The notification mode corresponds to the light emission mode when the notification is performed by emitting light. For example, it is preferable that the exterior display 191 is capable of switching the illumination color in addition to switching between on and off. The switching of the illumination color may be realized by changing the combination of the illumination of multiple colors of LEDs. The exterior display 191 may be capable of flashing. The exterior display 191 may be capable of switching the flashing cycle. The exterior display 191 may be capable of switching the ratio of the on time to the off time.

[0047] The LED lamps as the exterior display 191 are preferably provided at the four corners of the vehicle as shown in Fig. 2. This is because the exterior display 191 is easily visible from any direction around the vehicle. The exterior display 191 may be provided, for example, at the left and right corners of the front bumper and the left and right corners of the rear bumper. HV in Fig. 2 indicates the vehicle.

[0048] The LED lamp serving as the exterior display 191 may be provided as one unit near the center of the vehicle width at the rear of the vehicle, as shown in Fig. 3. This makes it possible to make the exterior display 191 easier to see, at least, from vehicles following the vehicle that are most susceptible to the influence of the vehicle's behavior.

[0049] FIG. 3 also shows an example of an indicator light for making a notification to the outside of the vehicle other than the vehicle exterior display 191. The notification here can be rephrased as a signal that conveys the intention of the vehicle's action. BL in FIG. 3 indicates a brake lamp. The brake lamp can also be rephrased as a brake light or a brake light. In FIG. 3, which is a view from the rear of the vehicle, brake lamps are provided on the left and right sides of the rear of the vehicle. TL in FIG. 3 indicates a turn lamp. In FIG. 3, turn lamps are provided on the left and right sides of the rear of the vehicle. EL in FIG. 3 indicates a hazard lamp. The hazard lamp can also be rephrased as a hazard light or an emergency flashing indicator light. As described above, the hazard lamp is realized by the turn lamps of all the vehicles. RL in FIG. 3 indicates a back lamp. The back lamp can also be rephrased as a back light or a reverse light. In FIG. 3, back lamps are provided on the left and right sides of the rear of the vehicle. Note that the back lamp may be configured to be provided in a single unit near the center of the vehicle width direction at the rear of the vehicle. The same applies to the following drawings in which the same symbols are used for the members.

[0050] The arrangement of the indicator lights shown in Fig. 3 is merely one example. The arrangement of the indicator lights may be other than that shown in Fig. 3. Note that there are indicator lights (hereinafter, non-alert indicator lights) other than indicator lights for issuing notifications to the outside of the vehicle (hereinafter, notification indicator lights). Examples of non-alert indicator lights include vehicle width lights, tail lights, license plate lights, and rear fog lights.

[0051] The exterior display 191 may be configured to be provided at a position where the license plate of the vehicle is provided, as shown in Fig. 4. In this way, since the license plate is provided at a position where it is easily visible from the surroundings of the vehicle, the exterior display 191 is also easily visible from the surroundings of the vehicle. NP in Fig. 4 indicates the license plate. An LED lamp may be used as the exterior display 191, for example. The exterior display 191 may be configured to be provided integrally with the license plate. The exterior display 191 may also be configured to be provided separately from the license plate at a position where the license plate is provided.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 5, the exterior indicator 191 may be provided at a position in contact with at least one of the brake lamps BL and the turn lamps TL of the vehicle. According to this, the exterior indicator 191 and the brake lamps BL and / or the turn lamps TL are located close to each other, so that the wiring between them can be easily arranged. Therefore, the wiring between the exterior indicator 191 and the brake lamps BL and / or the turn lamps TL can be simplified. For example, an LED lamp may be used as the exterior indicator 191. In the example of FIG. 5, an example in which a plurality of exterior indicators 191 are provided is shown, but this is not necessarily limited to this. The exterior indicator 191 may be provided in one vehicle. In addition, in the example of FIG. 5, an example in which the exterior indicator 191 is provided at a position in contact with both the brake lamps BL and the turn lamps TL is shown, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the exterior indicator 191 may be provided at a position in contact with only one of the brake lamps BL and the turn lamps TL. Even in this case, since the brake lamps BL and the turn lamps TL are provided in close proximity to each other, it is possible to simplify the wiring between the exterior display device 191 and the brake lamps BL and turn lamps TL.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 6, the exterior display 191 may be provided at a position along the left-right axis (see LRA in FIG. 6) of the vehicle that passes through at least one of the brake lamps BL and the turn lamps TL on the rear surface of the vehicle. In this way, the exterior display 191 and the brake lamps BL and / or the turn lamps TL are arranged in the left-right direction on the same surface of the vehicle, so that it is easy to organize the wiring. Therefore, it is possible to simplify the wiring between the exterior display 191 and the brake lamps BL and / or the turn lamps TL. For example, an LED lamp may be used as the exterior display 191. In the example of FIG. 6, the exterior display 191 is provided on the rear surface of the vehicle, but this is not necessarily limited to this. The exterior display 191 may be provided on the front surface of the vehicle, or on the front and rear surfaces of the vehicle. In addition, in the example of FIG. 6, the axis LRA that passes only the turn lamps TL out of the brake lamps BL and the turn lamps TL is shown, but this is not necessarily limited to this. The axis LRA may pass only the brake lamp BL out of the brake lamps BL and the turn lamps TL. In addition, if there is an area in which the brake lamps BL and the turn lamps TL are lined up on the left and right of the vehicle, the axis LRA may pass both the brake lamps BL and the turn lamps TL.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 7, the exterior display 191 may be provided at a position along the vertical axis of the vehicle (see TBA in FIG. 7) passing through at least one of the brake lamps BL and the turn lamps TL on the rear surface of the vehicle. In this way, the exterior display 191 and the brake lamps BL and / or the turn lamps TL are arranged in the vertical direction on the same surface of the vehicle, so that it is easy to organize the wiring. Therefore, it is possible to simplify the wiring between the exterior display 191 and the brake lamps BL and / or the turn lamps TL. For example, an LED lamp may be used as the exterior display 191. In the example of FIG. 7, a plurality of exterior display devices 191 are provided on the rear surface of the vehicle, but this is not necessarily limited to this. The exterior display device 191 may be provided on the rear surface of the vehicle. In addition, in the example of FIG. 7, the exterior display device 191 is provided on the rear surface of the vehicle, but this is not necessarily limited to this. The exterior display 191 may be provided on the front of the vehicle, or on the front and rear of the vehicle. In the example of Fig. 7, the axis TBA passing through both the brake lamp BL and the turn lamp TL is shown, but this is not necessarily limited to this. The axis TBA may be an axis passing only the brake lamp BL of the brake lamp BL and the turn lamp TL. Alternatively, the axis TBA may be an axis passing only the turn lamp TL of the brake lamp BL and the turn lamp TL.

[0055] The audio output device 192 presents information by outputting audio. An example of the audio output device 192 is a speaker provided outside the cabin of the vehicle.

[0056] The HCU10 is mainly composed of a computer including a processor, a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory, I / O, and a bus connecting these. The HCU10 is connected to the in-vehicle display device 18 and the out-vehicle notification device 19. By executing the control program stored in the non-volatile memory, the HCU10 executes processes related to the control of the in-vehicle display device 18 and the out-vehicle notification device 19. This HCU10 corresponds to the vehicle notification control device. The configuration of the HCU10 will be described in detail below. Also, the execution of the processes of each functional block of the HCU10 by a computer corresponds to the execution of the vehicle notification control method.

[0057] <Schematic Configuration of HCU10> Subsequently, the schematic configuration of the HCU10 will be described with reference to FIG. 8. As shown in FIG. 8, with respect to the control of the in-vehicle display device 18 and the out-vehicle notification device 19, the HCU10 includes an information acquisition unit 101, an in-vehicle display control unit 102, a state identification unit 103, a lighting detection unit 104, and an out-vehicle notification control unit 105 as functional blocks. Note that part or all of the functions executed by the HCU10 may be configured hardware-wise by one or more ICs or the like. Also, part or all of the functional blocks included in the HCU10 may be realized by a combination of software execution by a processor and hardware components.

[0058] The information acquisition unit 101 acquires information input from outside the HCU10. The information acquisition unit 101 acquires, for example, the recognition result of the driving environment recognition unit of the automatic driving ECU 17. The information acquisition unit 101 acquires the determination result of the action determination unit of the automatic driving ECU 17. The information acquisition unit 101 acquires the sensing information detected by the vehicle state sensor 14.

[0059] The in-vehicle presentation control unit 102 controls the in-vehicle presentation device 18. The in-vehicle presentation control unit 102 displays an image showing the view in front of the vehicle (hereinafter, a foreground image) on the display 181. The in-vehicle presentation control unit 102 may display the foreground image on the display 181 using the recognition result obtained by the information acquisition unit 101 from the driving environment recognition unit. For example, the foreground image may be an overhead view seen from a virtual viewpoint above the vehicle.

[0060] An example of a foreground image will now be described with reference to FIG. 9. Sc in FIG. 9 indicates the display screen of display device 181. HVI in FIG. 9 indicates an image representing the host vehicle (hereinafter, host vehicle image). OVI in FIG. 9 indicates an image representing vehicles surrounding the host vehicle (hereinafter, surrounding vehicle image). PLI in FIG. 9 indicates an image representing lane markings (hereinafter, marking line image). VI in FIG. 9 indicates an image representing the vehicle speed of the host vehicle (hereinafter, host vehicle speed image). In the foreground image, as shown in FIG. 9, it is sufficient to display the host vehicle image, surrounding vehicle image, marking line image, and host vehicle speed image. In the foreground image, it is sufficient to display the host vehicle image and surrounding vehicle image that mimic the actual positional relationship between the host vehicle and the surrounding vehicles.

[0061] The state identification unit 103 identifies the state of the vehicle related to autonomous driving (hereinafter, autonomous driving-related state). The processing in the state identification unit 103 corresponds to a state identification step. The state identification unit 103 may identify an autonomous driving-related state based on information such as the recognition result in the driving environment recognition unit and the judgment result in the action judgment unit acquired by the information acquisition unit 101. The state identification unit 103 may identify a current automation level as the autonomous driving-related state. The state identification unit 103 may identify the current automation level by monitoring the autonomous driving ECU 17. The state identification unit 103 may identify whether the automation level is increasing or decreasing as the autonomous driving-related state. Whether the automation level is increasing or decreasing may be identified from the judgment result in the action judgment unit. The state identification unit 103 may identify whether the autonomous driving-related state is area-limited autonomous driving or traffic jam-limited autonomous driving by distinguishing between the area-limited autonomous driving and traffic jam-limited autonomous driving. The state identification unit 103 may identify whether the area-limited autonomous driving or traffic jam-limited autonomous driving is being performed by monitoring the autonomous driving ECU 17.

[0062] The lighting detection unit 104 detects the start of lighting of a specific indicator light (hereinafter, specific indicator light) provided in the vehicle for making a notification other than an autonomous driving vehicle external notification to the outside of the vehicle. This processing by the lighting detection unit 104 corresponds to a lighting detection step. The specific indicator light may be, for example, at least one of the brake lamp BL, the turn lamp TL, and the hazard lamp EL. In the example of this embodiment, the specific indicator lights are the brake lamp BL, the turn lamp TL, and the hazard lamp EL. The lighting detection unit 104 may detect the start of lighting of the specific indicator light from the sensing result of the vehicle state sensor 14 acquired by the information acquisition unit 101. For the brake lamp BL, the lighting detection unit 104 may detect the start of lighting from the signal of the brake switch. For the brake lamp BL, the lighting detection unit 104 may detect the start of lighting from the signal of the brake switch. For the turn lamp TL, the lighting detection unit 104 may detect the start of lighting from the signal of the direction indicator switch. The lighting detection unit 104 may detect the start of lighting of the hazard lamps EL from a signal from the hazard switch.

[0063] The vehicle exterior notification control unit 105 controls the vehicle exterior notification device 19 to perform an autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification. In other words, the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105 controls the vehicle exterior display 191 to perform an autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification. This processing by the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105 corresponds to an autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification control step. The vehicle exterior notification control unit 105 may be configured to also perform an autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification from the audio output device 192, or may be configured not to perform an autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification from the audio output device 192. The autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification from the vehicle exterior display 191 will be described below.

[0064] The in-vehicle presentation control unit 102 controls the in-vehicle presentation device 18 to make a notification (hereinafter, in-vehicle notification) to the inside of the vehicle, indicating that an autonomous driving vehicle outside notification is being performed. Thus, the in-vehicle presentation device 18 corresponds to the in-vehicle notification device, and the in-vehicle presentation control unit 102 corresponds to the in-vehicle notification control unit.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 11, the in-vehicle presentation control unit 102 may perform in-vehicle notification by displaying the same information as the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification in an area (see FIG. 11) of the host vehicle image displayed on the display 181 where the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification is performed on the vehicle exterior display 191. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the actual appearance of the host vehicle. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a case where an in-vehicle notification is performed in the foreground image described in FIG. 9. FIG. 10 shows the appearance of the host vehicle as seen from behind. FIG. 10 shows an example of a case where the vehicle exterior display 191 is provided at the four corners of the host vehicle. The example in FIG. 10 shows the vehicle exterior display 191 provided at the left and right corners of the rear of the host vehicle. OLI in FIG. 11 shows an image showing the vehicle exterior display 191 in the host vehicle image (hereinafter, vehicle exterior notification lamp image).

[0066] When an in-vehicle notification indicating that an autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification is being performed is performed using an image of the vehicle itself, an image emphasizing the vehicle exterior notification lamp image (see HLI in FIG. 12) may be displayed around the vehicle image as shown in Fig. 12. This makes it easier for the driver to understand that an autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification is being performed, even if it is difficult for the driver to understand that an autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification is being performed only from the vehicle exterior notification lamp image.

[0067] The in-vehicle presentation control unit 102 may perform an in-vehicle notification in cooperation with the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105 performing an autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification. For example, the in-vehicle presentation control unit 102 may perform an in-vehicle notification at the same timing as the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105 performs an autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification. As an example of a case where an LED lamp is used as the vehicle exterior display 191, the vehicle exterior notification lamp image in the foreground image may be turned on at the same timing as the LED lamp is turned on. For example, the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification indicating that the automation level has changed and the in-vehicle notification indicating that the automation level has changed may be made at the same timing. This allows the driver to know the timing when the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification is made.

[0068] In addition, the in-vehicle presentation control unit 102 may cause the in-vehicle notification to be performed earlier than the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification control unit 105 causes the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification. In an example of using an LED lamp as the vehicle exterior display 191, the vehicle exterior notification lamp image in the foreground image may be turned on earlier than the lighting of the LED lamp. For example, the in-vehicle notification indicating that the automation level has changed may be performed earlier than the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification indicating that the automation level has changed. This allows the driver to know that the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification will be performed earlier than the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification. In the following, an example will be described in which the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification indicating that the automation level has changed and the in-vehicle notification indicating that the automation level has changed are performed at the same time.

[0069] Here, an example of the case where the in-vehicle notification is performed in the foreground image has been described, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the in-vehicle notification may not be a foreground image as long as the same display as the autonomous driving vehicle outside notification is performed in the area in the image simulating the appearance of the vehicle. In addition, the in-vehicle notification is not limited to a configuration where the in-vehicle notification is performed by an image. For example, the in-vehicle notification may be performed by a meter lamp or indicator. In this case, the meter lamp or indicator may be turned on in conjunction with the autonomous driving vehicle outside notification. In addition, although an example of the case where the in-vehicle notification is performed by a display has been described here, this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the in-vehicle notification by voice may be performed in conjunction with the autonomous driving vehicle outside notification.

[0070] The vehicle exterior notification control unit 105 uses the autonomous driving related state identified by the state identification unit 103 to perform autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification during autonomous driving of the vehicle. In this case, the identification result of the current automation level may be used as the autonomous driving related state. This makes it possible to notify the surroundings of the vehicle that the vehicle is autonomously driving. As an example, when the automation level of the vehicle is LV3 or higher, the vehicle exterior display 191 may be turned on. In other words, when the vehicle is autonomously driving without a monitoring obligation, the vehicle exterior display 191 may be turned on. If the vehicle exterior display 191 is a lamp, the lamp is turned on. If the vehicle exterior display 191 is a display or a display panel, the display or the display panel is turned on. The vehicle exterior notification control unit 105 may be configured to turn on the vehicle exterior display 191 when the vehicle automation level is LV1 or higher. The vehicle exterior notification control unit 105 may be configured to turn on the vehicle exterior display 191 when the vehicle automation level is LV2 or higher.

[0071] The vehicle exterior notification control unit 105 may change the type of vehicle exterior notification depending on the automation level of the vehicle. For example, the hue of the lighting color may be changed or the color shade may be changed depending on the automation level. The color shade may be changed by changing the luminance of the lamp.

[0072] The vehicle exterior notification control unit 105 may perform an exterior notification (hereinafter, advance notification) to notify the driver in advance of a possibility that the automation level of the vehicle may change when the automation level of the vehicle increases or decreases, using the autonomous driving-related state identified by the state identification unit 103. When a lamp is used as the vehicle exterior display 191, the advance notification may be indicated by, for example, blinking.

[0073] During autonomous driving of the host vehicle, the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105 changes the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification in a direction that makes the display difficult to see, based on detection by the lighting detection unit 104 of the start of lighting of a specific indicator light. For example, when the lighting detection unit 104 detects the start of lighting of a specific indicator light during autonomous driving of the host vehicle, the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105 may change the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification in a direction that makes the display difficult to see.

[0074] The change in the direction in which the display of the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification becomes difficult to see may be performed by turning off the display of the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification. In other words, the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105 may change the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification in the direction in which the display becomes difficult to see by turning off the display of the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification. In this way, since the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification is turned off, it becomes clear to those around that they should place importance on the specific indicator light. When a lamp is used as the vehicle exterior display 191, the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105 may make the display of the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification difficult to see by turning off the lamp. When a display or a display panel is used as the vehicle exterior display 191, the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105 may make the display of the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification difficult to see by turning off the display or the display panel.

[0075] In addition, the change in the direction in which the display of the autonomous vehicle exterior notification becomes difficult to see may be performed by lowering the brightness of the autonomous vehicle exterior notification. In other words, the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105 may change the autonomous vehicle exterior notification in the direction in which the display becomes difficult to see by lowering the brightness of the autonomous vehicle exterior notification. In this case, the brightness of the autonomous vehicle exterior notification is lowered without erasing the display of the autonomous vehicle exterior notification. According to this, since the brightness of the autonomous vehicle exterior notification is lowered, it becomes easy for the surroundings to understand that the specific indicator light should be emphasized while the autonomous vehicle exterior notification can be confirmed from the surroundings. When a lamp is used as the vehicle exterior display 191, the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105 may make the display of the autonomous vehicle exterior notification difficult to see by lowering the brightness of the lamp. When a display or a display panel is used as the vehicle exterior display 191, the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105 may make the display of the autonomous vehicle exterior notification difficult to see by lowering the brightness of the display or the display panel.

[0076] When the lighting detection unit 104 detects that a specific indicator light has started to light up during autonomous driving of the vehicle, the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105 changes the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification in a direction that makes the display difficult to see, regardless of the type of specific indicator light that has detected that lighting has started. This makes it possible to make it easier for people around to understand that they should place importance on the specific indicator light by making the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification difficult to see when the specific indicator light starts to light up.

[0077] When the lighting detection unit 104 detects the start of lighting of a specific indicator lamp during autonomous driving of the vehicle, the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105 may switch whether or not to change the display of the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification in a direction that makes it difficult to see, depending on the type of the specific indicator lamp that has detected the start of lighting. For example, the following may be performed.

[0078] When the lighting detection unit 104 detects the start of lighting of the turn lamp TL during the autonomous driving of the vehicle, the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105 preferably does not change the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification in a direction that makes the display of the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification difficult to see. Here, with reference to FIG. 13, an example of the mode of the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification when the start of lighting of the turn lamp TL is detected during autonomous driving will be described. Be in FIG. 13 shows the state before the turn lamp TL is lit during autonomous driving. Af in FIG. 13 shows the time when the turn lamp TL is lit during autonomous driving. As shown in FIG. 13, even if the turn lamp TL starts to be lit, the mode of the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification is not changed. In other words, even if the turn lamp TL starts to be lit, the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification is not turned off and the brightness is not lowered.

[0079] On the other hand, it is preferable that the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105 changes the autonomous vehicle exterior notification in a direction in which the display of the autonomous vehicle exterior notification becomes difficult to see, based on the detection by the lighting detection unit 104 of the start of lighting of the brake lamps BL during autonomous driving of the vehicle itself. Here, an example of the mode of the autonomous vehicle exterior notification when the start of lighting of the brake lamps BL is detected during autonomous driving will be described with reference to Figs. 14 and 15. Be in Figs. 14 and 15 shows before the brake lamps BL are lit during autonomous driving. Af in Figs. 14 and 15 shows when the brake lamps BL are lit during autonomous driving. As an example, as shown in Fig. 14, when the brake lamps BL start to be lit, the autonomous vehicle exterior notification may be turned off. Also, as shown in Fig. 15, when the brake lamps BL start to be lit, the brightness of the autonomous vehicle exterior notification may be lowered compared to before the brake lamps BL start to be lit.

[0080] The brake lights BL start to light when braking, whereas the turn lights TL start to light before turning. Therefore, when the turn lights TL start to light, the following vehicle has more time to judge the situation than when the brake lights BL start to light. In contrast, with the above configuration, even when a specific indicator light starts to light, when a type of indicator light that gives surrounding people more time to judge the situation starts to light, it is made easier to recognize the external notification of the autonomous vehicle, while when a type of indicator light that gives surrounding people less time to judge the situation starts to light, it is made easier to understand that they should place importance on that indicator light.

[0081] Furthermore, when the lighting detection unit 104 detects that the hazard lights EL have started to light up during autonomous driving of the vehicle, the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105 may change the autonomously-driving vehicle exterior notification, for example, in a direction that makes the display of the autonomously-driving vehicle exterior notification hard to see. This is because, since the vehicle is stopped when the hazard lights EL start to light up, there is little need for the surroundings to recognize the autonomously-driving vehicle exterior notification, and it is considered better to have the surroundings place more importance on the hazard lights EL than on the autonomously-driving vehicle exterior notification.

[0082] When the outside-vehicle notification control unit 105 uses the automatic driving-related state identified by the state identification unit 103 and detects the start of lighting of the brake lamp BL by the lighting detection unit 104 during the traffic jam-limited automatic driving of the host vehicle, it is preferable not to change the automatic driving outside-vehicle notification in a direction in which the display of the automatic driving outside-vehicle notification becomes difficult to see. On the other hand, when the host vehicle is in area-limited automatic driving, the outside-vehicle notification control unit 105 preferably changes the automatic driving outside-vehicle notification in a direction in which the display of the automatic driving outside-vehicle notification becomes difficult to see when the lighting detection unit 104 detects the start of lighting of the brake lamp BL.

[0083] Vehicles in traffic jams are likely to brake frequently. Therefore, the brake lamp BL will frequently start lighting during traffic jams. Here, if the display of the automatic driving outside-vehicle notification is changed in a direction in which it becomes difficult to see when the brake lamp BL starts lighting, the situation where the display of the automatic driving outside-vehicle notification becomes difficult to see will occur frequently, and there is a risk that the opportunity for the surrounding area to recognize the automatic driving outside-vehicle notification will be reduced too much. On the contrary, according to the above configuration, during traffic jam-limited automatic driving, even when the start of lighting of the brake lamp BL is detected, the display of the automatic driving outside-vehicle notification is not changed in a direction in which it becomes difficult to see, so it is possible to prevent the opportunity for the surrounding area to recognize the automatic driving outside-vehicle notification from being reduced too much. Note that during traffic jams, since the vehicle is also traveling at a low speed, it is easy for the surrounding area to judge the situation with a margin. Therefore, there is little need to clearly inform the surrounding area that it is sufficient to pay attention to the brake lamp BL. Therefore, during traffic jam-limited automatic driving, even when the brake lamp BL starts lighting, it is not necessary to clearly inform the surrounding area that it is sufficient to pay attention to the brake lamp BL.

[0084] <Notification control-related processing in HCU10> Here, an example of the flow of processing related to the control of autonomous driving vehicle outside notification in the HCU10 (hereinafter, notification control related processing) will be described using the flowchart of FIG. 16. The flowchart of FIG. 16 may be configured to be started when, for example, a switch for starting the internal combustion engine or motor generator of the vehicle (hereinafter, a power switch) is turned on. In the example of FIG. 16, a case where the state in which the automation level is LV3 is considered to be autonomous driving will be described as an example. Although omitted in the flowchart of FIG. 16, when the automation level of the vehicle changes, the above-mentioned advance notification may be performed.

[0085] First, in step S1, if the state identification unit 103 identifies that the current automation level is LV3 (YES in S1), the process proceeds to step S2. In other words, if it is identified that the vehicle is in autonomous driving, the process proceeds to step S2. On the other hand, if the state identification unit 103 identifies that the current automation level is LV2 or lower (NO in S1), the process proceeds to step S9. In other words, if it is identified that the vehicle is not in autonomous driving, the process proceeds to step S9.

[0086] In step S2, the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105 starts an autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification. In step S3, if the lighting detection unit 104 detects that the specific indicator light has started to light (YES in S3), the process proceeds to step S4. On the other hand, if the lighting detection unit 104 has not detected that the specific indicator light has started to light (NO in S3), the process proceeds to step S9.

[0087] In step S4, if the state identification unit 103 identifies that the vehicle is in traffic jam-limited autonomous driving (YES in S4), the process proceeds to step S5. On the other hand, if the state identification unit 103 does not identify that the vehicle is in traffic jam-limited autonomous driving (NO in S4), the process proceeds to step S6. An example of a case in which the state identification unit 103 does not identify that the vehicle is in traffic jam-limited autonomous driving is when the state identification unit 103 identifies that the vehicle is in area-limited autonomous driving. In step S5, in addition to turning on the specific indicator light whose turn-on was detected in S3, the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105 continues the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification in the same manner as before the specific indicator light was turned on, and the process proceeds to step S9.

[0088] In step S6, if the specific indicator lamp whose lighting start is detected in S3 is a turn lamp TL (YES in S6), the process proceeds to step S7. On the other hand, if the specific indicator lamp whose lighting start is detected in S3 is not a turn lamp TL (NO in S6), the process proceeds to step S8. Examples of when the specific indicator lamp whose lighting start is detected in S3 is not a turn lamp TL include the brake lamp BL and the hazard lamp EL.

[0089] In step S7, in addition to turning on the turn lamps TL, the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105 continues the autonomous vehicle exterior notification in the same manner as before the specific indicator lamp was turned on, and then the process proceeds to step S9. The lighting of the turn lamps TL is assumed to be a blinking lamp. Meanwhile, in step S8, in response to the lighting of the specific indicator lamp whose lighting start was detected in S3, the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105 changes the display of the autonomous vehicle exterior notification in a direction that makes it difficult to see, and then the process proceeds to step S9. For example, when the brake lamps BL or hazard lamps EL are turned on, the autonomous vehicle exterior notification may be turned off.

[0090] In step S9, if the state identification unit 103 continues to identify that the vehicle is in automatic driving (YES in S9), the process returns to S3 and is repeated. On the other hand, if the state identification unit 103 identifies that the vehicle is not in automatic driving (NO in S9), the process proceeds to step S9. In other words, if it is identified that the vehicle is not in automatic driving, the process returns to S3 and is repeated.

[0091] In step S10, if it is time to end the notification control related process (YES in S10), the notification control related process is ended. On the other hand, if it is not time to end the notification control related process (NO in S10), the process returns to S1 and is repeated. An example of the timing to end the notification control related process is when the power switch is turned off.

[0092] In FIG. 16, an example has been described in which the state in which the automation level is LV3 is regarded as being in autonomous driving, but this is not necessarily limited to this. The state in which the automation level is LV3 or higher may be regarded as being in autonomous driving. In this case, if the automation level is LV4 or higher, the process of S4 may move to S6. Alternatively, the state in which the automation level is LV1 or higher or LV2 or higher may be regarded as being in autonomous driving. In this case, if the automation level is LV1 to LV2, the process of S4 may move to S6.

[0093] FIG. 16 shows a configuration in which whether or not to change the mode of the autonomous driving vehicle external notification is switched depending on whether or not the vehicle is in traffic jam limited autonomous driving, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, a configuration may be used in which whether or not to change the mode of the autonomous driving vehicle external notification is not switched depending on whether or not the vehicle is in traffic jam limited autonomous driving. In addition, FIG. 16 shows a configuration in which whether or not to change the mode of the autonomous driving vehicle external notification is switched depending on the type of the specific indicator light that has been detected to start turning on, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, a configuration may be used in which whether or not to change the mode of the autonomous driving vehicle external notification is not switched regardless of the type of the specific indicator light that has been detected to start turning on.

[0094] According to the configuration of the first embodiment, it is possible to change the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification in a direction that makes the display difficult to see based on the start of illumination of the specific indicator light. Therefore, when the specific indicator light starts to light up, it is possible to make the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification difficult to see, and to make it easier for the surroundings to understand that the specific indicator light should be emphasized. On the other hand, until the specific indicator light starts to light up, it is possible to perform the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification in a manner that does not make the display difficult to see, and to make it easier for the surroundings to understand that the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification should be emphasized. As a result, even when the autonomous driving status of the host vehicle is notified by a display toward the outside of the vehicle, it is possible to make it easier for the surroundings to understand which should be emphasized, between the display or the indicator light for notifying the outside of the vehicle other than the display.

[0095] (Embodiment 2) In the first embodiment, the HCU 10 is configured to perform the functions of the state identification unit 103, the lighting detection unit 104, and the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105, but this is not necessarily limited to the above. For example, the functions of the state identification unit 103, the lighting detection unit 104, and the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105 may be performed by an ECU other than the HCU 10. As an example, the functions of the state identification unit 103, the lighting detection unit 104, and the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105 may be performed by the autonomous driving ECU 17.

[0096] (Embodiment 3) The configuration is not limited to that described in the first embodiment, and may be that of the following third embodiment. An example of the third embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. The vehicle system 1 of the third embodiment is similar to the vehicle system 1 of the first embodiment, except that the vehicle system 1 of the third embodiment includes an HCU 10a instead of the HCU 10.

[0097] First, a schematic configuration of the HCU 10a will be described with reference to Fig. 17. As shown in Fig. 17, the HCU 10a includes an information acquisition unit 101, an in-vehicle presentation control unit 102, a state identification unit 103, a lighting detection unit 104, an outside-vehicle notification control unit 105a, and a vehicle speed identification unit 106 as functional blocks for controlling the in-vehicle presentation device 18 and the outside-vehicle notification device 19. The HCU 10a is similar to the HCU 10 of the first embodiment, except that the HCU 10a includes the outside-vehicle notification control unit 105a instead of the outside-vehicle notification control unit 105, and that the HCU 10a includes the vehicle speed identification unit 106. This HCU 10a also corresponds to a vehicle notification control device. Moreover, the execution of the processing of each functional block of the HCU 10a by a computer corresponds to the execution of a vehicle notification control method.

[0098] The vehicle speed identification unit 106 identifies the vehicle speed of the host vehicle from the sensing result of the vehicle speed sensor, which is one of the vehicle state sensors 14 and which is acquired by the information acquisition unit 101.

[0099] The vehicle exterior notification control unit 105a is similar to the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105 of embodiment 1, except that instead of switching whether or not to change the manner of the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification depending on whether or not traffic congestion-limited autonomous driving is in progress, the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105a switches whether or not to change the manner of the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification depending on the vehicle speed identified by the vehicle speed identification unit 106.

[0100] When the lighting detection unit 104 detects that a specific indicator light has started to light during the autonomous driving of the vehicle, and the vehicle speed identification unit 106 identifies the vehicle speed at or above a predetermined threshold, the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105a uses the autonomous driving-related state identified by the state identification unit 103 to change the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification in a direction that makes the display of the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification difficult to see. The predetermined threshold may be a value that distinguishes whether the vehicle speed is in a traffic jam or not. As an example, an average vehicle speed in a traffic jam may be used. On the other hand, even if the lighting detection unit 104 detects that a specific indicator light has started to light during the autonomous driving of the vehicle, the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105a does not change the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification in a direction that makes the display of the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification difficult to see if the vehicle speed identification unit 106 identifies the vehicle speed at or above the threshold.

[0101] A vehicle with a low vehicle speed is likely to brake frequently, for example, during traffic jams. If the display of the autonomous vehicle external notification is changed in a direction that makes it difficult to see when the brake lights BL start to light up, the display of the autonomous vehicle external notification may frequently become difficult to see, and there is a risk that the opportunities for the autonomous vehicle external notification to be recognized by others around the vehicle may become too few. In contrast, during autonomous driving when the vehicle speed is less than a predetermined threshold, even if the start of illumination of the brake lights BL is detected, the display of the autonomous vehicle external notification is not changed in a direction that makes it difficult to see, so that it is possible to prevent the opportunities for the autonomous vehicle external notification to be recognized by others around the vehicle from becoming too few.

[0102] When the configuration of the third embodiment is adopted, for example, the process of S4 in the flowchart of Fig. 16 may be changed to the following process. For example, in S4, if the vehicle speed identification unit 106 identifies that the vehicle speed is less than a predetermined threshold, the process may proceed to step S5. On the other hand, if the vehicle speed identification unit 106 identifies that the vehicle speed is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold, the process may proceed to step S6.

[0103] (Embodiment 4) In the third embodiment, the configuration is shown in which the HCU 10a performs the functions of the state identification unit 103, the lighting detection unit 104, the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105a, and the vehicle speed identification unit 106, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the functions of the state identification unit 103, the lighting detection unit 104, the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105a, and the vehicle speed identification unit 106 may be performed by an ECU other than the HCU 10a. As an example, the functions of the state identification unit 103, the lighting detection unit 104, the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105a, and the vehicle speed identification unit 106 may be performed by the autonomous driving ECU 17.

[0104] (Embodiment 5) Furthermore, the vehicle exterior display 191 may be configured to use lamps that are turned on for purposes other than the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification, which is a notification of information related to autonomous driving, toward the outside of the vehicle. In other words, the vehicle exterior display 191 may be configured to use existing lamps for the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification as well (hereinafter, referred to as embodiment 5). Examples of existing lamps include vehicle width lamps, turn lamps TL, tail lamps, brake lamps BL, back lamps RL, license plate lamps, and back fog lights.

[0105] As an existing lamp that is also used for the external notification of an autonomous vehicle, a lamp that is lit infrequently for purposes other than the external notification of an autonomous vehicle is preferable. This is to make it difficult to create a situation where an external notification of an autonomous vehicle cannot be made at the timing when it should be made. As an existing lamp that is also used for the external notification of an autonomous vehicle, for example, a back lamp RL, a width lamp, a license plate lamp, a back fog light, etc., excluding the above-mentioned specific indicator lamp, are preferable. As for an existing lamp that is also used for the external notification of an autonomous vehicle, confusion can be avoided by, for example, making the hue of the light different between the external notification of an autonomous vehicle and the purposes other than the external notification of an autonomous vehicle.

[0106] Here, an example of a configuration in which the back lamp RL is also used for the autonomous vehicle external notification will be described with reference to FIG. 18. For example, the light color of the back lamp RL may be white, while the light color of the autonomous vehicle external notification may be blue. The back lamp RL and the vehicle exterior display 191 may be used by switching the light color of the same lamp. Alternatively, the back lamp RL and the vehicle exterior display 191 may be used by switching which of the light-emitting elements of different colors provided in the same area is to be illuminated. Be in FIG. 18 shows the state before the back lamp RL is illuminated during autonomous driving. Af in FIG. 18 shows the start of illumination of the back lamp RL during autonomous driving. As an example, as shown in FIG. 18, the light color of the vehicle exterior display 191 may be illuminated to perform the autonomous vehicle external notification until the back lamp RL is illuminated. When the back lamp RL is illuminated, the light color of the vehicle exterior display 191 may be switched to be illuminated, and the light color of the back lamp RL may be illuminated.

[0107] According to the configuration of the fifth embodiment, since an existing lamp is also used for the external notification of an autonomous vehicle, it is possible to reduce the cost for performing the external notification of an autonomous vehicle. In addition, since an existing lamp is also used, it is possible to save the effort of designing the installation location.

[0108] (Embodiment 6) The configuration is not limited to that described in the first embodiment, and may be that of the following sixth embodiment. An example of the sixth embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. The vehicle system 1 of the sixth embodiment is similar to the vehicle system 1 of the first embodiment, except that the vehicle system 1 of the sixth embodiment includes an HCU 10b instead of the HCU 10.

[0109] First, a schematic configuration of the HCU 10b will be described with reference to Fig. 19. As shown in Fig. 19, the HCU 10b includes an information acquisition unit 101, an in-vehicle presentation control unit 102, a state identification unit 103b, and an outside-vehicle notification control unit 105b as functional blocks for controlling the in-vehicle presentation device 18 and the outside-vehicle notification device 19. The HCU 10b is similar to the HCU 10 of the first embodiment, except that the HCU 10b includes the state identification unit 103b and the outside-vehicle notification control unit 105b instead of the state identification unit 103 and the outside-vehicle notification control unit 105, and does not include the lighting detection unit 104. This HCU 10b also corresponds to a vehicle notification control device. Moreover, the execution of the processing of each functional block of the HCU 10b by a computer corresponds to the execution of a vehicle notification control method.

[0110] The state identification unit 103b identifies an autonomous driving-related state, which is the state of the vehicle related to autonomous driving. The processing in the state identification unit 103b also corresponds to a state identification step. The state identification unit 103b identifies the current automation level as the autonomous driving-related state. The state identification unit 103b may identify the current automation level by monitoring the autonomous driving ECU 17.

[0111] The vehicle exterior notification control unit 105b controls the vehicle exterior notification device 19 to perform an autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification. In other words, the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105b controls the vehicle exterior display 191 to perform an autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification. This processing in the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105b also corresponds to the vehicle exterior notification control step. The vehicle exterior notification control unit 105b may be configured to also perform an autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification from the audio output device 192, or may be configured not to perform an autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification from the audio output device 192. The autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification from the vehicle exterior display 191 will be described below.

[0112] The vehicle exterior notification control unit 105b, like the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105 in the first embodiment, uses the autonomous driving related state identified by the state identification unit 103b to perform autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification while the vehicle is autonomously driving.

[0113] The vehicle exterior notification control unit 105b uses the autonomous driving related state identified by the state identification unit 103b to perform autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification with lower brightness than when the specific indicator light is on during autonomous driving of the vehicle. When a lamp is used as the vehicle exterior indicator 191, the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105 may turn on the lamp during autonomous driving while suppressing the brightness of the lamp lower than when the specific indicator light is on. When a display and a display panel are used as the vehicle exterior indicator 191, the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105 may turn on the display and the display panel during autonomous driving while suppressing the brightness of the display and the display panel lower than when the specific indicator light is on. As an example, a control value that makes the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification lower in brightness than when the specific indicator light of the vehicle is on is stored in advance in the non-volatile memory of the HCU 10b, and the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105b may use this control value to perform autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification with lower brightness than when the specific indicator light is on.

[0114] According to the configuration of the sixth embodiment, it is possible to perform the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification at a lower brightness than when the specific indicator light is turned on. Therefore, even if the specific indicator light starts to light up, by making the brightness of the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification lower than that of the specific indicator light, it is possible to make it easier for the surroundings to understand that the specific indicator light should be emphasized. As a result, even when the autonomous driving status of the vehicle is notified by a display toward the outside of the vehicle, it is possible to make it easier for the surroundings to understand which should be emphasized, between the display or an indicator light other than the display for notifying the outside of the vehicle.

[0115] (Embodiment 7) In the sixth embodiment, the HCU 10b performs the functions of the state identification unit 103b and the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105b, but this is not necessarily limited to the above. For example, the state identification unit 103b and the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105b may be performed by an ECU other than the HCU 10b. As an example, the autonomous driving ECU 17 may perform the functions of the state identification unit 103b and the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105b.

[0116] (Embodiment 8) Not limited to the configuration of Embodiment 1, the configuration of the following Embodiment 8 may also be used. Hereinafter, an example of the configuration of Embodiment 8 will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0117] <Schematic Configuration of Vehicle System 1c> The vehicle system 1c shown in FIG. 20 can be used in an autonomous vehicle. As shown in FIG. 20, the vehicle system 1c includes an HCU 10c, a communication module 11, a locator 12, a map DB 13, a vehicle state sensor 14, a surrounding monitoring sensor 15, a vehicle control ECU 16, an autonomous driving ECU 17, an in-vehicle display device 18, and an out-vehicle notification device 19c. The vehicle system 1c is the same as the vehicle system 1 of Embodiment 1 except that it includes an HCU 10c and an out-vehicle notification device 19c instead of the HCU 10 and the out-vehicle notification device 19. The vehicle using the vehicle system 1c is not necessarily limited to an automobile, but hereinafter, the case of using it in an automobile will be taken as an example for explanation.

[0118] The out-vehicle notification device 19c includes an out-vehicle display 191c and an audio output device 192. The out-vehicle display 191c is the same as the out-vehicle notification device 19 of Embodiment 1 except that it has an out-vehicle display 191c instead of the out-vehicle display 191. The out-vehicle display 191c is the same as the out-vehicle display 191 of Embodiment 1 except that it is provided at at least one of the rear part of the host vehicle and the front part and side parts of the host vehicle (hereinafter, non-rear part). For example, the out-vehicle display 191c at the front part of the host vehicle may be configured to be provided at the left and right corner parts of the front bumper. The out-vehicle display 191c at the front part of the host vehicle may also be configured to be provided with one near the center in the vehicle width direction at the front part of the vehicle. The out-vehicle display 191c at the side part of the host vehicle may be configured to be provided on the left and right side surfaces of the host vehicle. As the out-vehicle display 191c at the side part of the host vehicle, a configuration using the out-vehicle display 191c provided at the left and right corner parts of the front bumper and / or the rear bumper may be adopted.

[0119] <Schematic Configuration of HCU 10c> 21, the HCU 10c includes an information acquisition unit 101, an in-vehicle presentation control unit 102, a state identification unit 103, a lighting detection unit 104c, and an exterior notification control unit 105c as functional blocks for controlling the in-vehicle presentation device 18 and the exterior notification device 19c. The HCU 10c is similar to the HCU 10 of the first embodiment, except that the HCU 10c includes the lighting detection unit 104c and the exterior notification control unit 105c instead of the lighting detection unit 104 and the exterior notification control unit 105. This HCU 10c also corresponds to a vehicle notification control device. In addition, the execution of the processing of each functional block of the HCU 10c by a computer also corresponds to the execution of a vehicle notification control method.

[0120] The lighting detection unit 104c is similar to the lighting detection unit 104 of the first embodiment, except that the lighting detection unit 104c at least detects the start of lighting of the brake lamps BL of the vehicle as the start of lighting of the specific indicator lamp.

[0121] The vehicle exterior notification control unit 105c, like the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105 of the first embodiment, changes the display of the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification on the vehicle exterior display 191c provided at the rear of the vehicle in a direction that makes the display difficult to see, based on the fact that the lighting detection unit 104c detects the start of lighting of the brake lights BL. On the other hand, even if the lighting detection unit 104c detects the start of lighting of the brake lights BL, the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105c displays the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification on the vehicle exterior display 191c provided at the non-rear part without changing the display in a direction that makes the display difficult to see. For example, the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105c may display the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification without changing the display in a direction that makes the display difficult to see by not turning off the display. Alternatively, the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105c may display the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification without changing the display in a direction that makes the display difficult to see, by not reducing the brightness of the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification.

[0122] The brake lights BL are provided at the rear of the vehicle. Therefore, the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification of the vehicle exterior display 191c provided at a non-rear portion is unlikely to distract surrounding people from the lighting of the brake lights BL. Therefore, even when the brake lights BL are on, there is little need to make the display difficult to see. According to the configuration of the eighth embodiment, even when the brake lights BL are on, it is possible to continue to notify information related to autonomous driving to the outside of the vehicle without making the display of the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification, which is unlikely to be difficult to see, difficult to see.

[0123] Here, an example of a change in the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification depending on the installation location of the vehicle exterior display 191c when the start of illumination of the brake lamps BL is detected will be described with reference to Fig. 22. When the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105c detects the start of illumination of the brake lamps BL as shown in Fig. 22, the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification of the vehicle exterior display 191c provided at the rear of the vehicle may be turned off. On the other hand, when the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105c detects the start of illumination of the brake lamps BL as shown in Fig. 22, the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification of the vehicle exterior display 191c provided at a non-rear of the vehicle may be kept on.

[0124] (Embodiment 9) The configuration is not limited to that of the first embodiment, and may be that of the following 9th embodiment. An example of the configuration of the 9th embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0125] <Schematic configuration of vehicle system 1d> The vehicle system 1c shown in Fig. 20 can be used in an autonomous vehicle. As shown in Fig. 23, the vehicle system 1d includes an HCU 10d, a communication module 11, a locator 12, a map DB 13, a vehicle state sensor 14, a peripheral monitoring sensor 15, a vehicle control ECU 16, an autonomous driving ECU 17, an in-vehicle display device 18, an out-vehicle notification device 19, and a user input device 20. The vehicle system 1d is the same as the vehicle system 1 of Embodiment 1, except that it includes an HCU 10d instead of the HCU 10 and includes a user input device 20. The vehicle using the vehicle system 1d is not necessarily limited to an automobile, but hereinafter, the case of using it in an automobile will be taken as an example for explanation.

[0126] The user input device 20 receives an input from the user. The user input device 20 may be an operation device that receives an operation input from the user. The operation device may be a mechanical switch or a touch switch integrated with the display 181. Note that the user input device 20 is not limited to an operation device that receives an operation input as long as it is a device that receives an input from the user. For example, it may be a voice input device that receives an input of a command by voice from the user. This user input device 20 corresponds to the user input unit.

[0127] <Schematic Configuration of HCU 10d> As shown in Fig. 24, the HCU 10d includes an information acquisition unit 101, an in-vehicle display control unit 102, a state identification unit 103, a lighting detection unit 104, and an out-vehicle notification control unit 105d as functional blocks for controlling the in-vehicle display device 18 and the out-vehicle notification device 19. The HCU 10d is the same as the HCU 10 of Embodiment 1, except that it includes an out-vehicle notification control unit 105d instead of the out-vehicle notification control unit 105. This HCU 10d also corresponds to the vehicle notification control device. Also, the execution of the processing of each functional block of the HCU 10d by a computer corresponds to the execution of the vehicle notification control method.

[0128] The vehicle exterior notification control unit 105d is similar to the vehicle exterior notification control unit 105 of the first embodiment, except that the autonomous vehicle exterior notification can be switched in response to an input from the driver of the vehicle received by the user input device 20. This allows the driver to use the autonomous vehicle exterior notification for communication with the surroundings. An example of switching the autonomous vehicle exterior notification is switching the autonomous vehicle exterior notification from a lit state to a flashing state in response to an input to the user input device 20. Another example is switching from a lit state to an extinguished state in response to an input to the user input device 20. The user input device 20 used for switching the autonomous vehicle exterior notification may be, for example, a mechanical switch dedicated to switching the autonomous vehicle exterior notification.

[0129] (Embodiment 10) In the above embodiment, the autonomous driving vehicle outside notification is performed by both the vehicle exterior display 191, 191c and the audio output device 192, but this is not necessarily limited to the above. For example, the autonomous driving vehicle outside notification may be performed by only the vehicle exterior display 191, 191c of the vehicle exterior display 191, 191c and the audio output device 192.

[0130] (Embodiment 11) In the above-described embodiment, a configuration has been shown in which an external notification of an autonomous vehicle is performed by emitting light from a lamp, but this is not necessarily limited to this configuration except for embodiment 5. For example, an external notification of an autonomous vehicle may be performed by displaying text or an image on a display, a display panel, or the like, instead of emitting light from a lamp.

[0131] (Embodiment 12) In the above-described embodiment, a configuration in which in-vehicle notification can be performed by both the display device 181 and the audio output device 182 has been shown, but this is not necessarily limited to the above. For example, a configuration in which in-vehicle notification can be performed by only the display device 181 out of the display device 181 and the audio output device 182 may be used. Also, a configuration in which in-vehicle notification can be performed by only the audio output device 182 out of the display device 181 and the audio output device 182 may be used.

[0132] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. The embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in the different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure. The control unit and the method described in the present disclosure may be realized by a dedicated computer constituting a processor programmed to execute one or more functions embodied by a computer program. Alternatively, the device and the method described in the present disclosure may be realized by a dedicated hardware logic circuit. Alternatively, the device and the method described in the present disclosure may be realized by one or more dedicated computers configured by a combination of a processor that executes a computer program and one or more hardware logic circuits. The computer program may be stored in a computer-readable non-transient tangible recording medium as instructions executed by the computer.

[0133] (Disclosed technical idea) This specification discloses multiple technical ideas described in the following multiple dependent claims. Some of the claims may be described in a multiple dependent form, where the subsequent claim alternatively refers to the preceding claim. Furthermore, some of the claims may be described in a multiple dependent form, where the subsequent claim alternatively refers to the preceding claim. The claims described in these multiple dependent forms define multiple technical ideas. (Technical thought 1) A vehicle notification control device that can be used in an autonomous vehicle, A state identification unit (103) that identifies an automatic driving-related state, which is a state of the vehicle related to the automatic driving; an exterior notification control unit (105, 105a, 105c, 105d) for controlling an exterior display (191, 191c) for displaying an exterior notification of automatic driving, which is a notification of information related to the automatic driving, toward the outside of the vehicle; a lighting detection unit (104, 104c) provided in the vehicle, which detects the start of lighting of specific indicator lights (BL, TL, EL) that are specific indicator lights for making a notification other than the autonomous driving vehicle outside notification to the outside of the vehicle; The vehicle exterior notification control unit uses the autonomous driving-related state identified by the state identification unit to provide the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification during autonomous driving of the vehicle, and based on the detection by the lighting detection unit of the start of lighting of the specific indicator light, changes the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification in a direction that makes the display difficult to see. (Technical thought 2) A vehicle notification control device according to Technical Concept 1, The vehicle exterior notification control unit is a vehicle notification control device that changes the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification in a direction that makes the display difficult to see by erasing the display of the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification. (Technical Thought 3) A vehicle notification control device according to Technical Concept 1, The vehicle exterior notification control unit is a vehicle notification control device that changes the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification in a direction that makes the display difficult to see by reducing the brightness of the display of the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification. (Technical Thought 4) A vehicle notification control device according to any one of technical concepts 1 to 3, The illumination detection unit detects illumination start of at least one of a brake light (BL), a direction indicator (TL), and an emergency flasher (EL) of the vehicle as illumination start of the specific indicator light. (Technical Thought 5) A vehicle notification control device according to Technical Concept 4, The lighting detection unit detects lighting starts of at least the brake lights and the direction indicators as lighting starts of the specific indicator lights, The vehicle exterior notification control unit, when the lighting detection unit detects that the turn signal has started to light during the autonomous driving of the vehicle, does not change the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification in a direction that makes the display of the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification difficult to see, while, based on the lighting detection unit detecting that the brake lights have started to light during the autonomous driving of the vehicle, changes the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification in a direction that makes the display of the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification difficult to see. (Technical Thought 6) A vehicle notification control device according to any one of Technical Ideas 1 to 5, The autonomous driving can be used in a vehicle that can switch between area-limited autonomous driving, in which autonomous driving is permitted in a limited area and the driver of the vehicle is not required to monitor the vehicle, and congestion-limited autonomous driving, in which autonomous driving is permitted only during congestion and the driver is not required to monitor the vehicle. The lighting detection unit detects the start of lighting of at least a brake light (BL) of the vehicle as the start of lighting of the specific indicator light, The state identification unit identifies, as the autonomous driving-related state, at least whether the area-limited autonomous driving is in progress or the traffic congestion-limited autonomous driving is in progress, The vehicle exterior notification control unit (105) uses the autonomous driving-related state identified by the state identification unit to, when the lighting detection unit detects that the brake lights have started to be turned on during the congestion-limited autonomous driving of the vehicle, not change the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification in a direction that makes the display of the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification difficult to see, while, when the lighting detection unit detects that the brake lights have started to be turned on during the area-limited autonomous driving of the vehicle, change the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification in a direction that makes the display of the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification difficult to see. (Technical Thought 7) A vehicle notification control device according to any one of Technical Ideas 1 to 5, The lighting detection unit detects the start of lighting of at least a brake light (BL) of the vehicle as the start of lighting of the specific indicator light, A vehicle speed determination unit (106) for determining a vehicle speed of the vehicle, The vehicle exterior notification control unit (105a) uses the autonomous driving-related state identified by the state identification unit to change the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification in a direction that makes the display of the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification difficult to see when the lighting detection unit detects that the brake lights have started to be turned on during autonomous driving of the vehicle and the vehicle speed identified by the vehicle speed identification unit is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold, while not changing the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification in a direction that makes the display of the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification difficult to see when the vehicle speed identified by the vehicle speed identification unit is less than the threshold, even if the lighting detection unit detects that the brake lights have started to be turned on during the autonomous driving of the vehicle. (Technical Thought 8) A vehicle notification control device according to any one of Technical Ideas 1 to 4, The exterior display is a vehicle notification control device that is installed in the vehicle and emits light toward the outside of the vehicle, and is also used as an indicator light (BL, TL, EL, RL) that is used for purposes other than the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification. (Technical Thought 9) A vehicle notification control device according to any one of Technical Ideas 1 to 7, The exterior indicator is a vehicle notification control device that is installed in the vehicle, emits light toward the outside of the vehicle, and is also used as an indicator light (RL) that is used for purposes other than the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification other than the specific indicator light. (Technical Thought 10) A vehicle notification control device according to any one of Technical Ideas 1 to 8, The exterior display device (191c) is provided at a rear portion of the vehicle and at least one of a front portion and a side portion of the vehicle, which is a non-rear portion of the vehicle; The lighting detection unit (104c) detects at least the start of lighting of a brake light (BL) of the vehicle as the start of lighting of the specific indicator light, The vehicle exterior notification control unit (105c) changes the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification of the vehicle exterior display provided at the rear in a direction that makes the display difficult to see based on the light-on detection unit detecting the start of illumination of the brake lights, while even if the light-on detection unit detects the start of illumination of the brake lights, the vehicle notification control device displays the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification of the vehicle exterior display provided at the non-rear without changing the display in a direction that makes it difficult to see. (Technical Thought 11) A vehicle notification control device that can be used in an autonomous vehicle, A state identification unit (103b) that identifies an automatic driving-related state, which is a state of the vehicle related to the automatic driving; an exterior notification control unit (105b) for controlling an exterior display (191) for displaying an exterior notification of automatic driving, which is a notification of information related to the automatic driving, toward the outside of the vehicle; The exterior display device is provided separately from specific indicator lights (BL, TL, EL) which are specific indicator lights provided in the vehicle for providing notifications other than the autonomous driving exterior notification to the outside of the vehicle, The vehicle exterior notification control unit uses the autonomous driving-related state identified by the state identification unit to provide the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification at a lower brightness than when the specific indicator light is lit during autonomous driving of the vehicle. (Technical Thought 12) A vehicle notification control device according to any one of Technical Ideas 1 to 11, A vehicle notification control device including an interior notification control unit (102) that controls an interior notification device (18, 181, 182) that issues an interior notification to the interior of the vehicle, which is an indication that the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification is being performed. (Technical Thought 13) A vehicle notification control device according to Technical Concept 12, The vehicle interior notification device (181) displays an image showing the vehicle, The in-vehicle notification control unit is a vehicle notification control device that performs the in-vehicle notification by displaying an image showing the vehicle on the in-vehicle notification device in an area in the image showing the vehicle where the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification is performed on the exterior display, in a manner similar to the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification. (Technical Thought 14) A vehicle notification control device according to any one of technical concepts 1 to 13, The vehicle exterior display device is a vehicle notification control device that provides the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification by emitting light. (Technical Thought 15) A vehicle notification control device according to any one of technical concepts 1 to 8 and 10 to 14, The vehicle exterior display device is a vehicle notification control device that is provided at a position where the license plate of the vehicle is located. (Technical Thought 16) A vehicle notification control device according to any one of technical concepts 1 to 8 and 10 to 14, The vehicle exterior indicator is provided in a position adjacent to at least one of a brake light and a turn signal of the vehicle. (Technical Thought 17) A vehicle notification control device according to any one of technical concepts 1 to 8 and 10 to 14, The exterior display is a vehicle warning control device that is provided on at least one of the front and rear surfaces of the vehicle, where the vehicle's brake lights and turn signals are provided, at a position along a left-right axis of the vehicle passing through at least one of the brake lights and turn signals, or along a vertical axis of the vehicle passing through at least one of the brake lights and turn signals. (Technical Thought 18) A vehicle notification control device according to any one of Technical Ideas 1 to 17, The vehicle exterior notification control unit (105d) is a vehicle notification control device that is capable of switching the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification in response to input received by a user input unit (20) that receives input from the driver of the vehicle. (Technical Thought 19) A vehicle notification control method that can be used in an autonomous vehicle, comprising: Executed by at least one processor, A state identification step of identifying an autonomous driving-related state, which is a state of the vehicle related to the autonomous driving; An exterior notification control process for controlling an exterior display (191, 191c) that displays an exterior notification of automatic driving, which is a notification of information related to the automatic driving, toward the outside of the vehicle; and a lighting detection step of detecting the start of lighting of specific indicator lights (BL, TL, EL) that are specific indicator lights provided in the vehicle for providing a notification other than the autonomous driving vehicle outside notification to the outside of the vehicle, In the vehicle exterior notification control process, the autonomous driving-related state identified in the state identification process is used to issue the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification while the vehicle is autonomously driving, and based on the detection of the start of illumination of the specific indicator light in the illumination detection process, the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification is changed in a direction that makes the display difficult to see. (Technical Thought 20) A vehicle notification control method that can be used in an autonomous vehicle, comprising: Executed by at least one processor, A state identification step of identifying an autonomous driving-related state, which is a state of the vehicle related to the autonomous driving; and a vehicle exterior notification control step of controlling an exterior display (191) that displays an autonomous driving exterior notification, which is a notification of information related to the autonomous driving, toward the outside of the vehicle, The exterior display device is provided separately from specific indicator lights (BL, TL, EL) which are specific indicator lights provided in the vehicle for providing notifications other than the autonomous driving exterior notification to the outside of the vehicle, In the vehicle exterior notification control process, the autonomous driving-related state identified in the state identification process is used to provide the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification with a lower brightness than when the specific indicator light is lit during autonomous driving of the vehicle. [Explanation of symbols]

[0134] 1, 1c, 1d Vehicle system, 10, 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d HCU (vehicle notification control device), 18 In-vehicle presentation device (in-vehicle notification device), 19, 19c Vehicle exterior notification device, 20 User input device (user input unit), 102 In-vehicle presentation control unit (in-vehicle notification control unit), 103, 103b State identification unit, 104, 104c Illumination detection unit, 105, 105a, 105b, 105c, 105d Vehicle exterior notification control unit, 106 Vehicle speed identification unit, 181 Display (in-vehicle notification device), 182 Audio output device (in-vehicle notification device), 191, 191c Vehicle exterior display, BL Brake lamp (specific indicator light, indicator light), TL Turn lamp (specific indicator light, indicator light), EL Hazard lamp (specific indicator light, indicator light), RL Back lamp (indicator light)

Claims

1. A vehicle notification control device that can be used in an autonomous vehicle, A state identification unit (103) that identifies an autonomous driving-related state, which is a state of the vehicle related to the autonomous driving; an exterior notification control unit (105, 105a, 105c, 105d) for controlling an exterior display (191, 191c) that displays an exterior notification of autonomous driving, which is a notification of information related to the autonomous driving, toward the outside of the vehicle; a lighting detection unit (104, 104c) provided in the vehicle, which detects the start of lighting of specific indicator lights (BL, TL, EL) that are specific indicator lights for providing a notification other than the autonomous driving vehicle outside notification to the outside of the vehicle; the vehicle exterior notification control unit performs the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification during autonomous driving of the vehicle by using the autonomous driving-related state identified by the state identification unit, and changes the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification in a direction that makes the display difficult to see based on detection by the lighting detection unit of start of lighting of the specific indicator lamp; The lighting detection unit detects the start of lighting of at least the brake lights (BL), the direction indicators (TL), and the hazard flasher (EL) of the vehicle as the start of lighting of the specific indicator lights, The vehicle exterior notification control unit, when the lighting detection unit detects that the turn signal has started to light during the autonomous driving of the vehicle, does not change the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification in a direction that makes the display of the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification difficult to see, while, based on the lighting detection unit detecting that the brake lights have started to light during the autonomous driving of the vehicle, changes the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification in a direction that makes the display of the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification difficult to see.

2. A vehicle notification control device that can be used in an autonomous vehicle, A state identification unit (103) that identifies an autonomous driving-related state, which is a state of the vehicle related to the autonomous driving; an exterior notification control unit (105, 105a, 105c, 105d) for controlling an exterior display (191, 191c) that displays an exterior notification of autonomous driving, which is a notification of information related to the autonomous driving, toward the outside of the vehicle; a lighting detection unit (104, 104c) provided in the vehicle, which detects the start of lighting of specific indicator lights (BL, TL, EL) that are specific indicator lights for providing a notification other than the autonomous driving vehicle outside notification to the outside of the vehicle; the vehicle exterior notification control unit performs the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification during autonomous driving of the vehicle by using the autonomous driving-related state identified by the state identification unit, and changes the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification in a direction that makes the display difficult to see based on detection by the lighting detection unit of start of lighting of the specific indicator lamp; The autonomous driving can be used in a vehicle that can switch between area-limited autonomous driving, in which autonomous driving is permitted in a limited area and the driver of the vehicle is not required to monitor the vehicle, and congestion-limited autonomous driving, in which autonomous driving is permitted only during congestion and the driver is not required to monitor the vehicle. The lighting detection unit detects the start of lighting of at least a brake light (BL) of the vehicle as the start of lighting of the specific indicator light, The state identification unit identifies, as the autonomous driving-related state, at least whether the area-limited autonomous driving is in progress or the traffic congestion-limited autonomous driving is in progress, The vehicle exterior notification control unit (105) uses the autonomous driving-related state identified by the state identification unit to, when the lighting detection unit detects that the brake lights have started to be turned on during the congestion-limited autonomous driving of the vehicle, not change the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification in a direction that makes the display of the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification difficult to see, while, when the lighting detection unit detects that the brake lights have started to be turned on during the area-limited autonomous driving of the vehicle, change the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification in a direction that makes the display of the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification difficult to see.

3. A vehicle notification control device that can be used in an autonomous vehicle, A state identification unit (103) that identifies an autonomous driving-related state, which is a state of the vehicle related to the autonomous driving; an exterior notification control unit (105, 105a, 105c, 105d) for controlling an exterior display (191, 191c) that displays an exterior notification of autonomous driving, which is a notification of information related to the autonomous driving, toward the outside of the vehicle; a lighting detection unit (104, 104c) provided in the vehicle, which detects the start of lighting of specific indicator lights (BL, TL, EL) that are specific indicator lights for providing a notification other than the autonomous driving vehicle outside notification to the outside of the vehicle; the vehicle exterior notification control unit performs the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification during autonomous driving of the vehicle by using the autonomous driving-related state identified by the state identification unit, and changes the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification in a direction that makes the display difficult to see based on detection by the lighting detection unit of start of lighting of the specific indicator lamp; The lighting detection unit detects the start of lighting of at least a brake light (BL) of the vehicle as the start of lighting of the specific indicator light, A vehicle speed determination unit (106) that determines the vehicle speed of the vehicle, The vehicle exterior notification control unit (105a) uses the autonomous driving-related state identified by the state identification unit to change the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification in a direction that makes the display of the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification difficult to see when the lighting detection unit detects that the brake lights have started to be turned on during autonomous driving of the vehicle and the vehicle speed identified by the vehicle speed identification unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, while not changing the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification in a direction that makes the display of the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification difficult to see when the vehicle speed identified by the vehicle speed identification unit is less than the threshold, even if the lighting detection unit detects that the brake lights have started to be turned on during the autonomous driving of the vehicle.

4. A vehicle notification control device that can be used in an autonomous vehicle, A state identification unit (103) that identifies an autonomous driving-related state, which is a state of the vehicle related to the autonomous driving; an exterior notification control unit (105, 105a, 105c, 105d) for controlling an exterior display (191, 191c) that displays an exterior notification of autonomous driving, which is a notification of information related to the autonomous driving, toward the outside of the vehicle; a lighting detection unit (104, 104c) provided in the vehicle, which detects the start of lighting of specific indicator lights (BL, TL, EL) that are specific indicator lights for providing a notification other than the autonomous driving vehicle outside notification to the outside of the vehicle; the vehicle exterior notification control unit performs the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification during autonomous driving of the vehicle by using the autonomous driving-related state identified by the state identification unit, and changes the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification in a direction that makes the display difficult to see based on detection by the lighting detection unit of start of lighting of the specific indicator lamp; The exterior display device (191c) is provided at a rear portion of the vehicle and at least one of a front portion and a side portion of the vehicle, which is a non-rear portion of the vehicle; The lighting detection unit (104c) detects at least the start of lighting of a brake light (BL) of the vehicle as the start of lighting of the specific indicator light, The vehicle exterior notification control unit (105c) changes the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification of the vehicle exterior display provided at the rear in a direction that makes the display difficult to see based on the light-on detection unit detecting the start of illumination of the brake lights, while even if the light-on detection unit detects the start of illumination of the brake lights, the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification of the vehicle exterior display provided at the non-rear is displayed without being changed in a direction that makes the display difficult to see.

5. A vehicle notification control device that can be used in an autonomous vehicle, A state identification unit (103) that identifies an autonomous driving-related state, which is a state of the vehicle related to the autonomous driving; an exterior notification control unit (105, 105a, 105c, 105d) for controlling an exterior display (191, 191c) that displays an exterior notification of autonomous driving, which is a notification of information related to the autonomous driving, toward the outside of the vehicle; a lighting detection unit (104, 104c) provided in the vehicle, which detects the start of lighting of specific indicator lights (BL, TL, EL) that are specific indicator lights for providing a notification other than the autonomous driving vehicle outside notification to the outside of the vehicle; the vehicle exterior notification control unit performs the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification during autonomous driving of the vehicle by using the autonomous driving-related state identified by the state identification unit, and changes the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification in a direction that makes the display difficult to see based on detection by the lighting detection unit of start of lighting of the specific indicator lamp; A vehicle notification control device including an in-vehicle notification control unit (102) that controls an in-vehicle notification device (18, 181, 182) that issues an in-vehicle notification, which is a notification indicating that the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification is being performed, toward the interior of the vehicle.

6. A vehicle notification control device that can be used in an autonomous vehicle, A state identification unit (103b) that identifies an autonomous driving-related state, which is a state of the vehicle related to the autonomous driving; an exterior notification control unit (105b) that controls an exterior display (191) that displays an exterior notification of autonomous driving, which is a notification of information related to the autonomous driving, toward the outside of the vehicle; The vehicle exterior indicator is provided separately from specific indicator lights (BL, TL, EL) that are specific indicator lights provided in the vehicle for providing notifications other than the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification to the outside of the vehicle, the vehicle exterior notification control unit performs the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification with a lower luminance than when the specific indicator lamp is lit, during autonomous driving of the vehicle, by using the autonomous driving-related state identified by the state identification unit; A vehicle notification control device including an in-vehicle notification control unit (102) that controls an in-vehicle notification device (18, 181, 182) that issues an in-vehicle notification, which is a notification indicating that the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification is being performed, toward the interior of the vehicle.

7. 7. The vehicle notification control device according to claim 5, The vehicle interior notification device (181) displays an image showing the vehicle, The in-vehicle notification control unit is a vehicle notification control device that performs the in-vehicle notification by displaying an image showing the vehicle on the in-vehicle notification device in an area in the image showing the vehicle where the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification is performed on the exterior display, in a manner similar to the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification.

8. A vehicle notification control method that can be used in an autonomous vehicle, comprising: Executed by at least one processor, A state identification step of identifying an autonomous driving-related state, which is a state of the vehicle related to the autonomous driving; An exterior notification control process for controlling an exterior display (191, 191c) that displays an exterior notification of autonomous driving, which is a notification of information related to the autonomous driving, toward the outside of the vehicle; a lighting detection step of detecting the start of lighting of specific indicator lights (BL, TL, EL) that are specific indicator lights provided on the vehicle for providing a notification other than the autonomous driving vehicle outside notification to the outside of the vehicle, In the vehicle exterior notification control step, the autonomous driving-related state identified in the state identification step is used to perform the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification during autonomous driving of the vehicle, and based on detection of start of illumination of the specific indicator lamp in the illumination detection step, the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification is changed in a direction that makes the display difficult to see, In the lighting detection step, at least the start of lighting of the brake lights (BL), the direction indicators (TL), and the emergency flasher (EL) of the vehicle is detected as the start of lighting of the specific indicator lights, In the vehicle exterior notification control process, if the lighting detection process detects that the turn signal has started to light during the autonomous driving of the vehicle, the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification is not changed in a direction that makes the display of the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification difficult to see, while, based on the lighting detection process detecting that the brake lights have started to light during the autonomous driving of the vehicle, the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification is changed in a direction that makes the display of the autonomously driven vehicle exterior notification difficult to see.

9. A vehicle notification control method that can be used in an autonomous vehicle, comprising: Executed by at least one processor, A state identification step of identifying an autonomous driving-related state, which is a state of the vehicle related to the autonomous driving; An exterior notification control process for controlling an exterior display (191, 191c) that displays an exterior notification of autonomous driving, which is a notification of information related to the autonomous driving, toward the outside of the vehicle; a lighting detection step of detecting the start of lighting of specific indicator lights (BL, TL, EL) that are specific indicator lights provided on the vehicle for providing a notification other than the autonomous driving vehicle outside notification to the outside of the vehicle, In the vehicle exterior notification control step, the autonomous driving-related state identified in the state identification step is used to perform the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification during autonomous driving of the vehicle, and based on detection of start of illumination of the specific indicator lamp in the illumination detection step, the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification is changed in a direction that makes the display difficult to see, The autonomous driving can be used in a vehicle that can switch between area-limited autonomous driving, in which autonomous driving is permitted in a limited area and the driver of the vehicle is not required to monitor the vehicle, and congestion-limited autonomous driving, in which autonomous driving is permitted only during congestion and the driver is not required to monitor the vehicle. In the lighting detection step, a start of lighting of at least a brake light (BL) of the vehicle is detected as a start of lighting of the specific indicator light, In the state identification step, the autonomous driving-related state is identified by at least distinguishing whether the area-limited autonomous driving state is in progress or the traffic jam-limited autonomous driving state, The vehicle exterior notification control step uses the autonomous driving-related state identified in the state identification step to not change the autonomous driving exterior notification in a direction that makes the display of the autonomous driving exterior notification difficult to see when the lighting detection step detects that the brake lights have started to be turned on during the congestion-limited autonomous driving of the vehicle, while changing the autonomous driving exterior notification in a direction that makes the display of the autonomous driving exterior notification difficult to see when the lighting detection step detects that the brake lights have started to be turned on during the area-limited autonomous driving of the vehicle.

10. A vehicle notification control method that can be used in an autonomous vehicle, comprising: Executed by at least one processor, A state identification step of identifying an autonomous driving-related state, which is a state of the vehicle related to the autonomous driving; An exterior notification control process for controlling an exterior display (191, 191c) that displays an exterior notification of autonomous driving, which is a notification of information related to the autonomous driving, toward the outside of the vehicle; a lighting detection step of detecting the start of lighting of specific indicator lights (BL, TL, EL) that are specific indicator lights provided on the vehicle for providing a notification other than the autonomous driving vehicle outside notification to the outside of the vehicle, In the vehicle exterior notification control step, the autonomous driving-related state identified in the state identification step is used to perform the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification during autonomous driving of the vehicle, and based on detection of start of illumination of the specific indicator lamp in the illumination detection step, the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification is changed in a direction that makes the display difficult to see, In the lighting detection step, a start of lighting of at least a brake light (BL) of the vehicle is detected as a start of lighting of the specific indicator light, A vehicle speed determination step of determining a vehicle speed of the vehicle, The vehicle exterior notification control process uses the autonomous driving-related state identified in the state identification process to change the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification in a direction that makes the display of the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification difficult to see when the lighting detection process detects that the brake lights have started to be illuminated during autonomous driving of the vehicle and the vehicle speed identified in the vehicle speed identification process is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, while the vehicle exterior notification is not changed in a direction that makes the display of the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification difficult to see when the vehicle speed identified in the vehicle speed identification process is less than the threshold value, even if the lighting detection process detects that the brake lights have started to be illuminated during autonomous driving of the vehicle.

11. A vehicle notification control method that can be used in an autonomous vehicle, comprising: Executed by at least one processor, A state identification step of identifying an autonomous driving-related state, which is a state of the vehicle related to the autonomous driving; An exterior notification control process for controlling an exterior display (191, 191c) that displays an exterior notification of autonomous driving, which is a notification of information related to the autonomous driving, toward the outside of the vehicle; a lighting detection step of detecting the start of lighting of specific indicator lights (BL, TL, EL) that are specific indicator lights provided on the vehicle for providing a notification other than the autonomous driving vehicle outside notification to the outside of the vehicle, In the vehicle exterior notification control step, the autonomous driving-related state identified in the state identification step is used to perform the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification during autonomous driving of the vehicle, and based on detection of start of illumination of the specific indicator lamp in the illumination detection step, the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification is changed in a direction that makes the display difficult to see, The exterior display device (191c) is provided at a rear portion of the vehicle and at least one of a front portion and a side portion of the vehicle, which is a non-rear portion of the vehicle; In the lighting detection step, at least the start of lighting of a brake light (BL) of the vehicle is detected as the start of lighting of the specific indicator light, In the vehicle exterior alarm control process, based on the detection of the start of illumination of the brake lights in the illumination detection process, the autonomously driven vehicle exterior alarm of the vehicle exterior display device provided at the rear is changed in a direction that makes the display difficult to see, while even if the illumination detection process detects the start of illumination of the brake lights, the autonomously driven vehicle exterior alarm of the vehicle exterior display device provided at the non-rear is displayed without being changed in a direction that makes it difficult to see.

12. A vehicle notification control method that can be used in an autonomous vehicle, comprising: Executed by at least one processor, A state identification step of identifying an autonomous driving-related state, which is a state of the vehicle related to the autonomous driving; An exterior notification control process for controlling an exterior display (191, 191c) that displays an exterior notification of autonomous driving, which is a notification of information related to the autonomous driving, toward the outside of the vehicle; a lighting detection step of detecting the start of lighting of specific indicator lights (BL, TL, EL) that are specific indicator lights provided on the vehicle for providing a notification other than the autonomous driving vehicle outside notification to the outside of the vehicle, In the vehicle exterior notification control step, the autonomous driving-related state identified in the state identification step is used to perform the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification during autonomous driving of the vehicle, and based on detection of start of illumination of the specific indicator lamp in the illumination detection step, the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification is changed in a direction that makes the display difficult to see, A vehicle notification control method including an in-vehicle notification control step of controlling an in-vehicle notification device (18, 181, 182) that issues an in-vehicle notification to the interior of the vehicle, which is a notification indicating that the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification is being performed.

13. A vehicle notification control method that can be used in an autonomous vehicle, comprising: Executed by at least one processor, A state identification step of identifying an autonomous driving-related state, which is a state of the vehicle related to the autonomous driving; and a vehicle exterior notification control step of controlling an exterior display (191) that displays an autonomous driving exterior notification, which is a notification of information related to the autonomous driving, toward the outside of the vehicle, The vehicle exterior indicator is provided separately from specific indicator lights (BL, TL, EL) that are specific indicator lights provided in the vehicle for providing notifications other than the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification to the outside of the vehicle, In the vehicle exterior notification control step, the autonomous driving-related state identified in the state identification step is used to perform the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification with a lower brightness than when the specific indicator lamp is lit during autonomous driving of the vehicle, A vehicle notification control method including an in-vehicle notification control step of controlling an in-vehicle notification device (18, 181, 182) that issues an in-vehicle notification to the interior of the vehicle, which is a notification indicating that the autonomous driving vehicle exterior notification is being performed.

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