vehicle

Abstract

To provide a vehicle configured so that some or all of various types of driving control that are necessary in travelling can be automatically executed without requiring operation by a driver, which enables some or all of driving control in automatic execution to be forcibly stopped at an appropriate timing.SOLUTION: An automatic driving control device, which is mounted on a vehicle, comprises a driving mode setting part and an automatic control part. The driving mode setting part sets a driving mode of the vehicle to either of an advanced automatization mode or a basic mode. When the driving mode is set to the advanced automatization mode, the automatic control part automatically executes automatic driving operation which is driving operation set to be automatically executed, and when a predetermined event requiring cancellation occurs, stops at least one of the automatic driving operation in execution.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This international application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2014-234665, filed with the Japan Patent Office on November 19, 2014, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. [Technical field]

[0002] The present disclosure relates to an automatic driving control device that can automatically perform at least a portion of the various driving actions of a driver required to drive a vehicle, such as various judgments and operations by the driver, without requiring operation by the driver. [Background technology]

[0003] Various technologies for realizing autonomous driving of vehicles have been proposed, and some have been put to practical use. The following Patent Document 1 discloses an autonomous vehicle capable of autonomous driving according to a preset driving plan. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-59274 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] One of the ultimate goals of autonomous driving technology is to enable a vehicle to reach its destination simply by setting the destination, without any driver involvement in driving. However, the current situation is that the vehicle has not yet reached a level of reliability that would make this possible.

[0006] In addition, the more advanced the autonomous driving technology becomes, the more desirable it is to be able to respond appropriately to abnormalities in the on-board computer that realizes autonomous driving. Specifically, when adopting autonomous driving technology, it is desirable to be able to disable at least a part of the control that is being automatically performed and leave it to the driver's operation, or to forcibly control the vehicle's behavior in a safe direction, as necessary.

[0007] In one aspect of the present disclosure, in a vehicle capable of automatically executing at least a portion of the various driving controls necessary for driving without the need for driver operation, it is desirable to be able to forcibly stop at least a portion of the controls that are being automatically executed at an appropriate time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] An autonomous driving control device in one aspect of the present disclosure is mounted on a vehicle and includes a surrounding information acquisition unit, a driving mode setting unit, an automatic control unit, and a cancellation-requiring event determination unit. The surrounding information acquisition unit acquires surrounding information, which is information about the surroundings of the vehicle. More specifically, the surrounding information is information that indicates the state of the surroundings of the vehicle and is necessary for automatically executing a plurality of types of driving operations required for driving the vehicle without requiring an operation by the driver.

[0009] The driving mode setting unit sets the driving mode of the vehicle to either a highly automated mode or a basic mode. The highly automated mode is a driving mode in which at least a part of the above-mentioned multiple types of driving operations required for driving the vehicle is automatically executed based on surrounding information. The basic mode is a driving mode in which the types of automatic driving operations, which are driving operations to be automatically executed, are fewer or slightly fewer than those in the highly automated mode. This is an operating mode where the power dissipation is almost zero.

[0010] The automatic control unit executes the automatic driving operation set in the driving mode based on the driving mode set by the driving mode setting unit. The cancellation-required event determination unit determines whether or not a predetermined cancellation-required event has occurred at least when the driving mode is the highly automated mode. The cancellation-required event is a predetermined event that requires cancellation (stopping execution) of at least one of the automatic driving operations that are set to be executed.

[0011] When the driving mode is set to at least the highly automated mode, the automatic control unit stops the execution of at least one of the automatic driving operations that are set to be executed if the cancellation-required event determination unit determines that a cancellation-required event has occurred.

[0012] According to the automatic driving control device configured in this manner, when the driving mode is set to at least the highly automated mode (i.e., when at least one automatic driving operation is set to be executed), if a cancellation event occurs, at least one of the automatic driving operations that should be executed is cancelled from the list of operations to be executed and will no longer be executed by the automatic control unit.

[0013] Therefore, even if a disabling event occurs that may cause the automatic driving operation to not be performed normally, it is possible to prevent the vehicle's driving from becoming unintentionally unstable. When the driving mode is set to a driving mode having at least one automatic driving operation to be executed, if the cancellation event determination unit determines that a cancellation event has occurred, the automatic control unit may stop all automatic driving operations to be executed in that driving mode. In other words, if a cancellation event occurs, the automatic control unit is prevented from executing an automatic driving operation. In this way, even if a cancellation event occurs that may cause the automatic driving operation to be unable to be executed normally, it is possible to more reliably prevent the vehicle's running from becoming unintentionally unstable.

[0014] Here, the vehicle may include an alarm unit and a release permission determination unit. When the release event determination unit determines that a release event has occurred, the alarm unit issues an alarm to an occupant of the vehicle indicating that a release event has occurred. The release permission determination unit determines whether or not a specific release permission operation has been performed by an occupant of the vehicle after the alarm unit issues the alarm. When the release permission determination unit determines that a release permission operation has been performed, the automatic control unit may stop the execution of an automatic driving operation that should be stopped. Then, when the release permission determination unit does not determine that a release permission operation has been performed, the automatic control unit may execute a predetermined automatic stop process to stop the traveling of the vehicle.

[0015] In the automatic driving control device configured in this way, when a cancellation event occurs, the automatic driving operation is not stopped unconditionally, but a warning is given in advance. Then, when the vehicle occupant expresses his / her intention in response to the warning, the automatic driving operation is stopped. In this way, it is possible to prevent the running state of the vehicle from becoming unstable due to the stopping of the automatic driving operation. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1A is a side view of a vehicle according to an embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a top view of the vehicle according to the embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a vehicle according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3A is an explanatory diagram showing the autonomous driving levels of each driving mode, and FIG. 3B is an explanatory diagram showing that the control contents at each autonomous driving level may be set arbitrarily. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an overview of autonomous driving. [Diagram 5] 4 is a flowchart of an autonomous driving level setting process. [Figure 6] 6 is a flowchart showing details of an autonomous driving cancellation confirmation process in the autonomous driving level setting process of FIG. 5. [Figure 7]7 is a flowchart showing details of a system monitoring process in the automatic driving cancellation confirmation process of FIG. 6. [Figure 8] 7 is a flowchart showing details of the interior / exterior behavior monitoring process in the autonomous driving cancellation confirmation process of FIG. 6. [Figure 9] 7 is a flowchart showing details of an environment monitoring process in the automatic driving cancellation confirmation process of FIG. 6. [Figure 10] FIG. 10A is a flowchart of the driving history recording process, and FIG. 10B is a flowchart showing details of the self-diagnosis process in the automatic driving cancellation confirmation process of FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of a vehicle according to a second embodiment. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart of a control state monitoring process according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. [First embodiment] (1) Configuration of Vehicle 1 Fig. 1A shows a side view of a vehicle 1 according to this embodiment, and Fig. 1B shows a top view of the vehicle 1. However, Fig. 1A and Fig. 1B show a simplified illustration of the arrangement of various cameras, radars, sensors, etc. in the vehicle 1, mainly for the purpose of clearly showing the arrangement of these devices.

[0018] 1A and 1B, vehicle 1 is equipped with at least a front camera 2, a rear camera 3, a left side camera 4, a right side camera 5, and an interior camera 6 as cameras for capturing images of the inside and outside of vehicle 1. Each of the cameras 2 to 6 is a camera capable of capturing color images and videos. Each of the cameras 2 to 6 may be a monocular camera, or may be a stereo camera equipped with multiple lenses to obtain information in the depth direction.

[0019] The front camera 2 is provided at the front end of the ceiling in the vehicle interior so as to face forward. This front camera 2 can capture a wide range of images in front of the vehicle 1. The rear camera 3 is provided at the rear end of the ceiling in the vehicle interior so as to face backward. This rear camera 3 can capture a wide range of images in the rear of the vehicle 1.

[0020] The left side camera 4 is provided on the left side of the vehicle 1 so as to face left. This left side camera 4 can capture a wide range of the left side of the vehicle 1. The right side camera 5 is provided on the right side of the vehicle 1 so as to face right. This right side camera 5 can capture a wide range of the right side of the vehicle 1.

[0021] The interior camera 6 is provided at the front end side of the ceiling in the vehicle interior so as to face rearward (into the vehicle interior). The interior camera 6 is capable of capturing an image of at least the upper half of the driver's body in the vehicle interior.

[0022] 1A and 1B, the vehicle 1 is equipped with a front radar device 11, a rear radar device 12, a left side radar device 13, and a right side radar device 14. In this embodiment, each of the radar devices 11 to 14 is a millimeter wave radar. As is well known, a millimeter wave radar is a radar that transmits millimeter wave radio waves and receives the reflected waves with multiple receiving antennas, and is capable of detecting target information regarding targets around the vehicle 1 based on the relationship between the transmitted waves and each received wave and the relationship between each received wave. The target information that can be detected by each of the radar devices 11 to 14 includes the presence or absence of a target in the detection direction, the distance to the target, the direction of the target relative to the vehicle 1, the moving speed of the target (relative speed to the vehicle 1), and the like.

[0023] Specifically, the front radar device 11 is provided at the front end of the vehicle 1 and transmits and receives millimeter waves of a predetermined frequency to the front of the vehicle 1. The front radar device 11 can acquire target information related to targets in front of the vehicle 1. The rear radar device 12 is provided at the rear end of the vehicle 1 and transmits and receives millimeter waves of a predetermined frequency to the rear of the vehicle 1. The rear radar device 12 can acquire target information related to targets in the rear of the vehicle 1. The left side radar device 13 is provided on the left side of the vehicle 1 and transmits and receives millimeter waves of a predetermined frequency to the left side of the vehicle 1. The left side radar device 13 can acquire target information related to targets on the left side of the vehicle 1. The right side radar device 14 is provided on the right side of the vehicle 1 and transmits and receives millimeter waves of a predetermined frequency to the right side of the vehicle 1. The right side radar device 14 can acquire target information related to targets on the right side of the vehicle 1.

[0024] 1A and 1B, the vehicle 1 is also equipped with a solar radiation sensor 16 and a rainfall sensor 17. The solar radiation sensor 16 is installed at the bottom of the windshield 9 at the front of the vehicle interior. The solar radiation sensor 16 can detect the amount of solar radiation on the vehicle 1 and, in turn, the brightness around the vehicle 1. The rainfall sensor 17 is installed at an upper part of the windshield 9 on the inside of the vehicle interior. The rainfall sensor 17 can detect the presence or absence of rainfall and the amount of rainfall.

[0025] (2) Electrical configuration of vehicle 1 The electrical configuration of the vehicle 1 will be specifically described with reference to FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle 1 is equipped with an automatic driving control device 30. The automatic driving control device 30 mainly has a mode switching function and an automatic driving function. The mode switching function is a function for setting the driving mode of the vehicle 1 to either the highly automated mode or the basic mode. The automatic driving function is a function for executing automatic driving according to the automatic driving level (see FIG. 3A; details will be described later) of the set driving mode. As will be described later, the automatic driving control device 30 appropriately switches the driving mode of the vehicle 1 according to various factors such as the running state of the vehicle 1, the surrounding conditions of the vehicle 1, and the state of the driver of the vehicle 1.

[0026] Types of autonomous driving of vehicles include partial autonomous driving and fully autonomous driving. Partial autonomous driving is an autonomous driving form in which some of the various driving actions of the driver required to drive the vehicle are automated. Note that automation here means that the vehicle can be executed without the need for driver operation. Fully autonomous driving is an autonomous driving form in which the vehicle is fully automated from the start to the set destination without the need for driver operation. Hereinafter, a parameter indicating the degree of the types and number of driving actions automated in autonomous driving is referred to as the autonomous driving level. Fully autonomous driving has a higher autonomous driving level than partial autonomous driving. In addition, there are various levels of partial autonomous driving depending on the types and number of driving actions automated.

[0027] The vehicle 1 of this embodiment is configured to be capable of not only partial autonomous driving but also full autonomous driving by the autonomous driving control device 30. In this embodiment, the driver can arbitrarily change the setting of the autonomous driving level, that is, which operations among various driving operations required for driving are automated and which operations are performed by the driver.

[0028] More specifically, in this embodiment, there are seven main automatic control functions for achieving fully automatic driving: automatic start / stop control, lane keeping control, vehicle distance control, lane change control, right / left turn control, collision prevention control, and parking control. The automatic driving control device 30 can execute these seven automatic control functions, and can achieve fully automatic driving by executing all of these seven automatic control functions.

[0029] Conversely, by executing any six or less of the seven types of automatic control functions, partial automatic driving is realized. In this embodiment, it is possible to arbitrarily set which of the seven types of automatic control functions is to be executed in the highly automated mode.

[0030] The specific contents of the seven automatic control functions will be explained in detail later. The more of the seven types of automatic control functions that are executed, the higher the level of autonomous driving becomes. Specifically, when none of the seven types of automatic control functions are executed, the autonomous driving level is level 0. When n types of the seven types of automatic control functions are executed, the autonomous driving level is level n. Therefore, in the level 0 driving mode, the driver is required to determine and operate the control operations corresponding to the seven types of automatic control functions. On the other hand, the driving modes from level 1 to level 6 are driving modes in which partial autonomous driving is performed. The level 7 driving mode is a driving mode in which fully autonomous driving is performed.

[0031] In this embodiment, the highly automated mode is a driving mode in which automated driving is performed at an automated driving level of level 1 or higher. On the other hand, the basic mode is a driving mode in which the automated driving level is relatively lower than that of the highly automated mode. For example, when the highly automated mode is level n, the basic mode can be set to any of levels n-1 to 0.

[0032] In this embodiment, for the sake of simplicity and ease of understanding, the basic mode will be described assuming that the autonomous driving level is set to level 0. Level 0 is a level in which none of the seven types of automatic control functions described above are executed, and the driver must perform most of the various driving operations required for driving.

[0033] The automatic driving control device 30 includes a control unit 30a and a memory 30b. The memory 30b specifically includes a ROM, a RAM, and various other storage media (e.g., an EEPROM, a flash memory). The control unit 30a executes various programs stored in the memory 30b to realize various functions including the mode switching function and the automatic driving function described above. The control unit 30a includes at least a CPU.

[0034] The various programs stored in the memory 30b include a program (so-called security software) capable of detecting external unauthorized operations, computer viruses, unauthorized software and data, etc. (hereinafter collectively referred to as "unauthorized factors"). The control unit 30a monitors the presence or absence of unauthorized factors at all times by making the security software resident during startup. When an unauthorized factor occurs, various unauthorized response processes are executed. The unauthorized response processes include a process of forcibly setting the automatic driving level to level 0 so as not to operate any automatic control functions. In addition, various specific contents of the unauthorized response processes are conceivable, and for example, a warning may be output to the driver by voice or the like, or the vehicle 1 may be forcibly decelerated or stopped. In addition, the connection between the control unit 30a and each communication unit 31 to 35 may be physically cut off so that the automatic driving control device 30 cannot be accessed from the outside via wireless communication.

[0035] The cameras 2-6, radar devices 11-14, and sensors 21-23 shown in Figures 1A and 1B are connected to the automatic driving control device 30. The control unit 30a of the automatic driving control device 30 individually controls the operation of the cameras 2-6, and acquires the photographing results (image data) from the cameras 2-6 and stores them in the memory 30b. The acquisition and storage of the image data are repeated at predetermined time intervals.

[0036] The control unit 30a can recognize various conditions inside and outside the vehicle based on the image data of each camera 2 to 6. For example, the image data of the interior camera 6 can recognize the actions, facial expressions, line of sight, eye state, etc. of the occupants (mainly the driver).

[0037] This allows the control unit 30a to determine whether or not the driver is behaving abnormally based on the image data of the interior camera 6. This means that the driver is in one of two states: either he / she is in a state where he / she may not be able to operate the vehicle 1 normally, or he / she is feeling anxious about the operation of the vehicle 1 due to the autonomous driving function not working normally. Examples of the former include the driver looking away from the vehicle for too long, falling asleep, or fainting. Examples of the latter include the driver having an expression of surprise, worry, or fear.

[0038] In addition, the control unit 30a can recognize, through various image recognition processes, vehicles ahead, oncoming vehicles, vehicles in adjacent lanes traveling diagonally ahead, lane markings, pedestrian crossings, pedestrians, intersections, other vehicles entering crossroads at intersections, road signs, traffic lights, signboards, etc. in the travel direction, rainfall conditions, snowfall conditions, fog conditions, surrounding brightness, and other objects around the vehicle, based on image data from the forward camera 2. Note that recognizable road signs also include letters and marks painted on the road surface.

[0039] Thus, the control unit 30a can recognize the behavior of pedestrians, the behavior and gaze of pedestrians, the presence or absence of flashing lights from oncoming vehicles, weather conditions, and the like, based on the image data of the front camera 2. More specifically, as weather conditions, it is possible to recognize that a certain amount of rain or snow is falling, that thick fog is occurring, and the like. From the behavior of pedestrians, it is possible to recognize whether or not the pedestrian feels uneasy about the vehicle 1. More specifically, when a pedestrian is looking at the vehicle 1 and his / her facial expression expresses a specific emotion such as surprise, worry, or fear, it is possible to determine that the pedestrian feels uneasy about the vehicle 1. In addition, when the gazes of a certain number or more pedestrians are directed at the vehicle 1, it is possible to recognize that the vehicle 1 may not be operating normally.

[0040] In addition, the control unit 30a can recognize the distance and relative speed to the vehicle ahead, recognize the running state of the vehicle relative to the road, and recognize the contents of road signs and billboards based on the image data of the front camera 2. Therefore, based on the recognition results of the contents of road signs and billboards, various kinds of sign information such as speed limits, whether or not to stop, and whether or not parking is possible can be recognized. In addition, for example, it can recognize areas with high accident rates, school zones, and other specific environments (for example, areas where animals are frequently seen).

[0041] In addition, based on the image data from the rear camera 3, the control unit 30a can recognize rear vehicles, vehicles in the adjacent lane traveling diagonally rearward, the surrounding brightness, pedestrians, sign information painted on the road surface, and other objects around the vehicle through various types of image recognition processing.

[0042] This allows the control unit 30a to recognize, for example, the relative distance and relative speed between the vehicle itself and the vehicle behind, and whether or not the vehicle behind is flashing its lights, based on the image data from the rear camera 3. Also, like the image data from the front camera 2, the image data from the rear camera 3 can also recognize the behavior of pedestrians, their behavior and line of sight, weather conditions, and the like.

[0043] In addition, based on image data from the left side camera 4 and the right side camera 5, the control unit 30a can recognize vehicles to the sides of the vehicle (including vehicles on the front left, rear left, front right, and rear right), road signs on the side of the road on which the vehicle is traveling, lane markings, pedestrians, surrounding brightness, and other objects around the vehicle through various types of image recognition processing.

[0044] This allows the control unit 30a to recognize, for example, the relative distance and relative speed between the vehicle itself and the vehicle on the side, based on the image data of the side cameras 4 and 5. As with the image data of the front camera 2, the image data of the side cameras 4 and 5 also allows the control unit 30a to recognize the behavior of pedestrians, their behavior and line of sight, weather conditions, and the like.

[0045] In addition, the control unit 30a of the automatic driving control device 30 controls each of the radar devices 11 to 14 individually, obtains target detection results from each of the radar devices 11 to 14, and stores the results in a memory 30b. The acquisition and storage of the detection results from each of the radar devices 11-14 is repeated at predetermined time intervals. Based on the detection results from each of the radar devices 11-14, the control unit 30a can calculate and acquire the presence or absence of a target, the distance to the target, the direction of the target, the relative speed of the target as viewed from the vehicle 1, and the like.

[0046] From the detection result of the front radar device 11, it is possible to obtain mainly information on targets in front of the vehicle (including diagonally forward to the left and right). From the detection result of the rear radar device 12, it is possible to obtain mainly information on targets behind the vehicle (including diagonally backward to the left and right). From the detection result of the left side directional radar device 13, it is possible to obtain mainly information on targets on the left side of the vehicle (including the front left and rear left). From the detection result of the right side directional radar device 14, it is possible to obtain mainly information on targets on the right side of the vehicle (including the front right and rear right).

[0047] In addition, the control unit 30a of the automatic driving control device 30 can determine the brightness of the driving environment based on the detection signal from the solar radiation sensor 16, and can determine whether the brightness is that of nighttime or a similar situation (hereinafter simply referred to as "nighttime"). The vehicle 1 is equipped with headlights (not shown). The headlights can be turned on and off by the driver's operation, and can also be turned on and off automatically by setting the light mode to the auto mode. When the light mode is set to the auto mode, the control unit 30a automatically turns on the headlights when it is determined that it is nighttime based on the detection signal from the solar radiation sensor 16, and automatically turns off the headlights when it is not nighttime. In addition, in this embodiment, when the driving mode is set to the highly automated mode, the light mode is configured to be forcibly set to the auto mode.

[0048] In addition, the control unit 30a of the automatic driving control device 30 can determine the presence or absence of rain and the amount of rain based on a detection signal from the rainfall sensor 17. In addition, as components connected to the automatic driving control device 30, the vehicle 1 is equipped with a wheel speed sensor 18, a current sensor 19, a steering amount sensor 20, an interior contact sensor 21, an engine room temperature sensor 22, an engine room sound sensor 23, a tire pressure sensor 24, a suspension sensor 25, an exterior sound sensor 26, and an impact sensor 27, as shown in FIG. 2.

[0049] The wheel speed sensors 18 are provided on the front, rear, left and right four wheels of the vehicle 1, and output detection signals (wheel speed signals) indicating the rotational speeds of the corresponding wheels. The wheel speed signals from the wheel speed sensors 18 are input to the automatic driving control device 30.

[0050] The control unit 30a can detect the rotation speed of each wheel based on the wheel speed signal from each wheel speed sensor 18. Then, from the detection result, it can detect, for example, whether or not slipping is occurring.

[0051] The current sensor 19 is provided for one or more of the many electric wirings provided in the vehicle 1, and outputs a detection signal (current detection signal) indicating the current flowing through the electric wiring. The current detection signal from the current sensor 19 is input to the automatic driving control device 30.

[0052] The control unit 30a can detect the current in the corresponding electric wiring based on the current detection signal from the current sensor 19. Then, from the detection result, it can detect, for example, whether an overcurrent is flowing in a specific electric wiring. The overcurrent here refers to a large current that theoretically should not flow when the vehicle 1 is operating normally, and can be, for example, a large current or a surge current that may be generated by a lightning strike.

[0053] The current sensor 19 may be provided on the body of the vehicle 1 so as to detect the current flowing through the body. In this way, when the vehicle 1 is struck by lightning, the current is transmitted to the ground through the vehicle 1. Where and how the current sensor 19 is installed may be determined appropriately so that it can detect that the vehicle 1 has been struck by lightning.

[0054] The steering amount sensor 20 is provided to directly or indirectly detect the steering amount of the steering wheels. The steering amount sensor 20 may be provided, for example, on a column shaft connecting the steering wheel 10 (see Figs. 1A and 1B) and a steering mechanism. However, the vehicle 1 of this embodiment is provided with an electric power steering device capable of controlling the steering of the steering wheels by a motor, and is provided with a rotation sensor for detecting the rotation position of the motor (and thus the steering state) for steering control. Therefore, the steering amount sensor 20 may not be provided separately, and the rotation sensor may be used as the steering amount sensor 20. In other words, the specific configuration and installation location of the steering amount sensor 20 may be appropriately determined so that the steering amount can be detected.

[0055] The control unit 30a can detect the steering amount of the steering wheel based on the detection signal from the steering amount sensor 20. Then, from the detection result, for example, the change state and the change rate of the steering amount can be detected. This makes it possible to determine whether the automatic control of steering is being performed properly when the driving level is set so that the steering is performed automatically (i.e., when the driving level is set so that at least one of lane keeping control, lane change control, and right / left turn control is executed). Specifically, for example, when the change rate of the steering amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (i.e., when the change rate is excessive), it can be determined that the automatic control of steering is not being performed normally. Alternatively, it can also be determined that the automatic control of steering is not being performed normally when the vehicle is not traveling along the lane (for example, the vehicle is going beyond the lane markings) or when the vehicle goes straight when it should turn right or left.

[0056] The interior contact sensor 21 is a sensor for detecting when an occupant of the vehicle 1 touches a specific part inside the vehicle, and is provided at the specific part (hereinafter also referred to as the "interior specific contact part"). The interior specific contact part can be determined as appropriate, and may be, for example, a specific part on the driver's seat, the steering wheel 10 or its vicinity.

[0057] As described below, the interior contact sensor 21 is provided so that the driver can quickly (emergently) cancel the autonomous driving when the autonomous driving level of the vehicle 1 is set to level 1 or higher. That is, when the autonomous driving level is level 1 or higher and the driver wishes to cancel the autonomous driving for some reason, the autonomous driving is forcibly canceled if the driver touches a specific contact part in the vehicle. Therefore, the specific configuration and installation location of the interior contact sensor 21 may be appropriately determined so as to detect that the driver has touched a specific contact part in the vehicle.

[0058] In this embodiment, "cancellation" of autonomous driving means setting the autonomous driving level to level 0. However, this is merely an example. For example, stopping at least one of the currently executed automatic control functions may be defined as "cancellation" of autonomous driving. For example, when a certain automatic control function is in operation, if the driver senses that the automatic control function may not be operating normally and touches a specific contact point in the vehicle, forcibly stopping one or more automatic control functions including at least that automatic control function may be defined as "cancellation" of autonomous driving.

[0059] The engine room temperature sensor 22 is provided in a predetermined location in or near the engine room of the vehicle 1, and outputs a detection signal corresponding to the temperature of the engine room. The control unit 30a can detect the temperature of the engine room based on the detection signal from the engine room temperature sensor 22. If the detected temperature of the engine room is excessively high (for example, equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature threshold), it can be determined that some abnormality has occurred in the engine or its surroundings.

[0060] The engine room sound sensor 23 is provided in a predetermined location in or near the engine room of the vehicle 1 for the purpose of detecting sounds mainly generated in the engine room, and outputs a detection signal according to the volume of the sound around the installation location. The control unit 30a can detect the sound generated in the engine room based on the detection signal from the engine room sound sensor 23. If the detected sound in the engine room is excessively loud (for example, if it is above a predetermined volume threshold), it can be determined that some abnormality has occurred in the engine or its surroundings.

[0061] The tire pressure sensors 24 are provided on the front, rear, left and right four wheels of the vehicle 1, and output detection signals (air pressure signals) indicating the air pressure of the tires of the corresponding wheels. The air pressure signals from the tire pressure sensors 24 are input to the automatic driving control device 30.

[0062] The control unit 30a can detect the air pressure of the tires of each wheel based on the air pressure signal from each tire pressure sensor 24. Then, from the detection result, it can detect, for example, whether or not an abnormality (e.g., a puncture) has occurred in any of the tires.

[0063] The suspension sensor 25 outputs a detection signal indicating the amount of expansion and contraction of the suspension of the vehicle 1 (for example, the amount of expansion and contraction of a shock absorber or a spring). The control unit 30a can detect the behavior of the vehicle 1 (mainly the behavior in the vertical direction) based on the detection signal from the suspension sensor 25. When the automatic driving level of the vehicle 1 is set to level 1 or higher, if the automatic control function to be executed is not operating normally, the behavior of the vehicle 1 may become unstable. For example, unstable behavior such as sudden starting, sudden stopping, and sudden turning may automatically occur. Such unstable behavior appears as suspension behavior. Therefore, the control unit 30a can determine the stability of the behavior of the vehicle 1 based on the detection signal from the suspension sensor 25 (i.e., based on the amount of expansion and contraction of the suspension itself or its rate of change), and can therefore determine whether the automatic control function is operating normally when the automatic control function is operating.

[0064] The external sound sensor 26 is provided mainly for the purpose of detecting sounds generated around the vehicle 1. The control unit 30a can detect the type and volume of sounds generated around the vehicle 1 based on the detection signal from the external sound sensor 26. For example, when another vehicle is honking its horn, the control unit 30a can detect this.

[0065] When an impact is applied to the vehicle 1 from outside the vehicle 1, the impact sensor 27 outputs a detection signal according to the level of the impact. The control unit 30a can detect the presence or absence and the level of an external impact on the vehicle 1 based on the detection signal from the impact sensor 27. The impacts to be detected by the impact sensor 27 include a wide range of levels of impact, from a relatively large level of impact such as a collision with another vehicle or a road structure, to a relatively low level of impact such as an impact caused by a person outside the vehicle 1 hitting the vehicle 1.

[0066] In addition, as components connected to the automatic driving control device 30, the vehicle 1 is equipped with a GPS communication unit 31, a vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit 32, a road-to-vehicle communication unit 33, a pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit 34, and an LTE communication unit 35, as shown in FIG. 2.

[0067] The GPS communication unit 31 receives radio waves from a plurality of GPS (Global Positioning System) satellites, and outputs information contained in the received radio waves (GPS information) to the automatic driving control device 30. The control unit 30a of the automatic driving control device 30 can calculate the current position of the vehicle 1 based on the information received by the GPS communication unit 31.

[0068] The automatic driving control device 30 also has a route guidance function, which is one of various element functions for realizing the automatic driving function. The route guidance function is a function that calculates an appropriate route from the current position to the destination based on the current position of the vehicle 1 calculated based on GPS information and the destination set by the driver, and guides and controls the vehicle 1 so that the vehicle 1 travels along the route to the destination.

[0069] The route guidance function includes a function to recognize the road conditions around the vehicle 1 (for example, the shape of the route to the destination, the vehicle width, etc.), and a function to recognize the presence or absence of infrastructure in the travel direction and its operating status (for example, the status of traffic lights in the travel direction, the presence or absence of intersections, the presence or absence of pedestrian crossings, speed limits, regulation information, etc.). The control unit 30a realizes the above-mentioned guidance control using these various recognition results.

[0070] The content of the guidance control of the vehicle 1 in the route guidance function varies depending on the autonomous driving level. For example, when the autonomous driving level is set to fully autonomous driving level 7, the guidance control is to provide route information (information on which direction and which route the vehicle should travel) necessary for executing multiple types of automatic control functions (seven types as described above in this embodiment) for achieving fully autonomous driving. Also, for example, when the autonomous driving level is set to predetermined levels 1 to 6 (partially autonomous driving) that are lower than fully autonomous driving, the guidance control is to provide route information for automatic control functions necessary for partial autonomous driving out of the multiple types of automatic control functions, and to guide the driver on the driving route (for example, voice guidance) as necessary.

[0071] When the autonomous driving level is set to any of levels 1 to 6, i.e., when one or more of the seven types of autonomous control functions are set to be executed, the control unit 30a provides at least the information necessary for the set autonomous control function as guidance control.

[0072] Map data and other various data required for the route guidance function are stored in the memory 30b. The control unit 30a executes a program for the route guidance function stored in the memory 30b while referring to the various data, thereby realizing the route guidance function (i.e., the above-mentioned guidance control).

[0073] The vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit 32 is a communication module for wirelessly transmitting and receiving various data to and from other vehicles other than the vehicle itself. The control unit 30a of the automatic driving control device 30 can obtain information about other surrounding vehicles (e.g., driving direction, driving speed, position, etc.) via the vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit 32. Conversely, information about the vehicle itself 1 can also be transmitted to other vehicles.

[0074] The control unit 30a can also know the relative relationship between the host vehicle and the other vehicles by acquiring the positions and driving conditions of the other vehicles through vehicle-to-vehicle communication. For example, the control unit 30a can detect the relative distance and relative speed between the host vehicle and the other vehicles.

[0075] In addition, information that can be transmitted and received through vehicle-to-vehicle communication includes information about the driving mode. The control unit 30a can also transmit and receive information about whether the driving mode is set to the highly automated mode or the basic mode, and the automated driving level in the set driving mode.

[0076] The road-to-vehicle communication unit 33 is a communication module for receiving various information wirelessly transmitted from a road communication device 81 (see FIG. 4) installed on the road (ground side). The various information received by the road-to-vehicle communication unit 33 is input to the automatic driving control device 30.

[0077] The roadside communication device 81 is connected to a server (not shown) and receives various information from the server. The server collects various road traffic information such as various infrastructure information (e.g., traffic light information, road regulation information, and other various information related to the roadway) and information on the presence of other vehicles and pedestrians. The server transmits individual road information related to each road communication device 81 based on the collected road traffic information. The individual road information is information targeted at vehicles traveling within the communication area of ​​the road communication device 81, and includes various road traffic information within the communication area and various contemporaneous traffic information ahead of the area (in the direction of travel). Each road communication device 81 wirelessly transmits the individual road information transmitted from the server within a specified communication area.

[0078] The control unit 30a of the automatic driving control device 30 can acquire various road traffic information related to the surroundings of the vehicle and the traveling road in the traveling direction via the road-vehicle communication unit 33. The information that the control unit 30a can acquire via the road-vehicle communication unit 33 includes section information related to a driving section where driving caution is required (hereinafter also referred to as a "caution section") such as an accident-prone area, a school zone, an area where animals are infested, etc. By linking the acquired section information with a route guidance function, the control unit 30a can recognize the relative relationship between the caution section and the vehicle 1, such as whether the vehicle 1 is traveling in the caution section indicated by the section information or how much further it will travel before entering the caution section. Information related to other sections or points other than the caution section may be acquired as the section information.

[0079] Each roadside communication device 81 illustrated in Fig. 4 is equipped with a camera 82. Each camera 82 captures an image of the road and transmits the captured image data to a server via a network.

[0080] The server can obtain road traffic information around each camera 82 from the photographed data transmitted from the camera. Specifically, the server can recognize the shape of the road, the lanes, and the status of the traffic lights from the photographed data. The server can also recognize the running status and license plate number of a vehicle that is running. The server can also determine whether the vehicle in the photographed data is running normally based on the photographed data. For example, if a vehicle passes through a traffic light that is red without stopping, it can be determined that the vehicle is not running normally.

[0081] In addition, the vehicle 1 can also transmit various information related to the state of the vehicle 1 via the road-vehicle communication unit 33. The transmitted information transmitted from the vehicle 1 is received by the road communication device 81 and collected in the server. The server can individually recognize and manage the states of multiple vehicles including the vehicle 1, and can also notify a specific vehicle of the state of other vehicles other than the vehicle itself as necessary. Therefore, for example, it is possible to know information such as what level the autonomous driving level is set to in other vehicles around the vehicle, that is, to what extent the automatic control function is operating in the other surrounding vehicles.

[0082] The pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit 34 is a communication module for wireless communication with a communication terminal (e.g., a mobile phone or a smartphone) carried by a pedestrian on the ground. When the communication terminal carried by the pedestrian is configured to be capable of wirelessly transmitting terminal position information indicating the position of the communication terminal (i.e., the pedestrian's position), the pedestrian-to-pedestrian communication unit 34 can receive the terminal position information transmitted from the communication terminal. The terminal position information received by the pedestrian-to-pedestrian communication unit 34 is input to the automatic driving control device 30. The automatic driving control device 30 can also inform the pedestrian of the position information of the vehicle 1, etc., by wirelessly transmitting various information such as the position information of the vehicle 1 from the pedestrian-to-pedestrian communication unit 34 to the pedestrian's communication terminal.

[0083] The control unit 30a of the automatic driving control device 30 can know the position and movement of pedestrians based on the terminal position information received via the pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit 34. Detection can be achieved by the above-mentioned cameras and radar devices, but in addition, the presence or absence of pedestrians and the sudden appearance of pedestrians can also be detected from information obtained via pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit 34.

[0084] The LTE communication unit 35 is a communication module for realizing wireless communication according to LTE, which is a well-known mobile phone communication standard. The control unit 30a can obtain various information necessary for autonomous driving of the vehicle 1 and update existing information (e.g., update map data) via the LTE communication unit 35 (i.e., by LTE wireless communication). Note that it is not essential to obtain or update such various information by LTE wireless communication, and other wireless communication may be used.

[0085] In addition, as components connected to the automatic driving control device 30, the vehicle 1 is equipped with an operation unit 36, a display unit 37, a speaker 38, an automatic driving switch 41, a level setting operation unit 42, an emergency stop lever 43, and a release reset switch 44, as shown in FIG. 2.

[0086] The operation unit 36 ​​is an input interface for receiving various input operations for the vehicle 1 by the occupants of the vehicle 1, including the driver. The display unit 37 is an output interface for visually providing various information to the occupants of the vehicle 1, including the driver. Various information including map information in the route guidance function is also displayed on the display unit 37. The speaker 38 outputs sounds based on various audio signals output from the automatic driving control device 30.

[0087] The autonomous driving switch 41 is a switch for setting the driving mode of the vehicle 1 to the highly automated mode. In order to set the driving mode to the highly automated mode and execute autonomous driving, the driver of the vehicle 1 must switch the autonomous driving switch 41 to the on side. On the other hand, when the autonomous driving switch 41 is switched to the off side, the driving mode is set to the basic mode.

[0088] The emergency stop lever 43 is an operating means for forcibly canceling the autonomous driving when the autonomous driving level of the vehicle 1 is level 1 or higher (i.e., forcibly switching the autonomous driving level to level 0), and is provided in a predetermined location in the vehicle cabin (for example, on the ceiling). When the emergency stop lever 43 is operated while the autonomous driving level of the vehicle 1 is set to level 1 or higher, the autonomous driving is forcibly canceled. If the driver recognizes that a fraudulent factor such as a computer virus or unauthorized operation has occurred, or that the automatic control function is not working properly, the driver can forcibly cancel the autonomous driving by operating the emergency stop lever 43, and drive the vehicle 1 by the driver's own driving operation.

[0089] The level setting operation unit 42 is a user interface for accepting an operation for setting the autonomous driving level by the driver (details will be described later). The release reset switch 44 is a switch for resetting the released state after autonomous driving is forcibly released and the autonomous driving level is forcibly set to level 0. In this embodiment, as described below, when the autonomous driving level is set to level 1 or higher, if a predetermined event requiring release that should release the autonomous driving occurs, the autonomous driving is forcibly released. Specifically, an autonomous driving release flag, described below, is set.

[0090] When automatic driving is forcibly cancelled, the cancelled state is maintained in principle (the set state of the automatic driving cancellation flag is maintained), but the cancelled state can be reset (the automatic driving cancellation flag is reset) by pressing the cancellation reset switch 44. When the cancelled state is reset, the driving mode is set to a mode corresponding to the operation state of the automatic driving switch, and the automatic driving level is set to a level corresponding to the set driving mode (the level set by the level setting operation unit 42).

[0091] Further, the vehicle 1 includes, as components connected to the automatic driving control device 30, a travel drive control unit 46, a brake control unit 47, and a steering control unit 48, as shown in FIG.

[0092] The driving control unit 46 controls the driving of the vehicle 1 by controlling the engine and transmission (not shown) based on various information such as the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal (not shown), the operating position of the shift lever (not shown), vehicle speed, and engine speed.

[0093] On the other hand, when the automatic driving level is set to level 1 or higher, that is, when any of the seven types of automatic control functions is executed, the automatic driving control device 30 outputs control information required to realize the automatic control function to be executed to the driving control unit 46. In this case, the driving control unit 46 automatically controls the engine and the transmission in accordance with the control information from the automatic driving control device 30 even if the accelerator pedal is not depressed. Note that the vehicle 1 of this embodiment is equipped with an engine as a driving source for driving, but the automatic driving control device of the present disclosure can also be applied to a vehicle equipped with a driving source for driving other than an engine (for example, an electric motor). In that case, the driving control unit 46 shown in FIG. 2 has a function of controlling the driving source for driving of the vehicle. In addition, when a driving source for driving other than an engine is included, the above-mentioned engine room temperature sensor 22 and engine room sound sensor 23 may be installed for the purpose of detecting the temperature and sound of the driving source for driving or its surroundings, respectively.

[0094] The brake control unit 47 controls a brake device (not shown) based on the depression amount of a brake pedal (not shown). On the other hand, when the autonomous driving level is set to level 1 or higher, that is, when any of the seven types of autonomous control functions is executed, the autonomous driving control device 30 outputs control information required to realize the autonomous control function to be executed to the travel drive control unit 46. In this case, the brake control unit 47 automatically controls the brake device in accordance with the control information from the autonomous driving control device 30 even if the brake pedal is not depressed.

[0095] The steering control unit 48 has two main functions. One is a so-called electric power steering function. That is, the steering control unit 48 assists the driver in operating the steering wheel 10 by using a motor. The other is an automatic steering function that automatically steers the steering wheels (for example, the front wheels) of the vehicle 1 without the driver's operation. The steering of the steering wheels is basically performed by the driver operating the steering wheel 10, but when at least any of the above seven types of automatic control functions except for the automatic start / stop control and the following distance control is executed, the steering control unit 48 automatically controls the steering of the steering wheels by controlling the motor according to control information from the automatic driving control device 30, even if the driver is not operating the steering wheel 10.

[0096] (3) Explanation of the autonomous driving function In the vehicle 1 of this embodiment, the automatic driving control device 30 can acquire and detect various pieces of information necessary to realize the automatic driving function described above.

[0097] Information that can be used to realize an autonomous driving function includes, first, information such as the vehicle's position and speed (vehicle information). The vehicle's position can be acquired by calculation based on GPS information. The vehicle's speed can be acquired by calculation based on a vehicle speed signal from a vehicle speed sensor (not shown), a detection signal from the steering amount sensor 20, a yaw rate signal from a yaw rate sensor (not shown), and the like. The vehicle's speed can also be calculated from the rate of change of the vehicle's position.

[0098] Information about surrounding objects can also be used to realize the autonomous driving function. Specifically, information about various objects around the vehicle, such as vehicles in front, behind, to the side, oncoming vehicles, vehicles crossing the intersection at the approaching intersection, pedestrians, bicycles, buildings and fixed installations on the road, and obstacles. This information is about the relative position, distance, and speed of objects (including people and animals) in relation to the vehicle.

[0099] Information about these surrounding objects can be acquired based on the image capturing data from the cameras 2 to 5 and the detection results from the radar devices 11 to 14. Various techniques for recognizing surrounding objects based on the image capturing data and the detection results from the radar devices have been proposed and put to practical use, so a description thereof will be omitted here.

[0100] Information about surrounding objects can also be obtained by vehicle-to-vehicle communication, road-to-vehicle communication, and pedestrian-to-vehicle communication. For example, by performing vehicle-to-vehicle communication with surrounding vehicles, it is possible to recognize not only surrounding vehicles visible from the vehicle itself, but also the positions and movements of surrounding vehicles that are in blind spots and cannot be seen directly from the vehicle itself. As described above, road-to-vehicle communication can obtain information about the presence of surrounding vehicles and pedestrians. As described above, pedestrian-to-vehicle communication can know the positions and movements of pedestrians based on terminal position information received via the pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit 34.

[0101] By using one or more of vehicle-to-vehicle communication, road-to-vehicle communication, and vehicle-to-pedestrian communication, it is possible, for example, to obtain information about oncoming vehicles during normal driving (especially on curves) or when turning right in order to prevent head-on collisions with oncoming vehicles, to obtain information about motorcycles on the left side or rear in order to prevent motorcycles from being hit when turning left, to obtain information about vehicles on the side (rear) when changing lanes, to obtain information about vehicles in front to prevent or suppress rear-end collisions, to obtain information about other vehicles traveling on the side of the intersection in order to prevent head-on collisions at intersections, and to obtain information about pedestrians, etc. in order to prevent collisions with pedestrians, etc.

[0102] Additionally, information that can be used to realize an autonomous driving function also includes information about various road markings painted directly on the road, such as lane markings (including parking markings), pedestrian crossings, and stop lines. Information about road markings includes the position and content of the road markings. This information about road markings can be acquired based on the photographic data of the cameras 2 to 6. Various technologies for recognizing road markings from photographic data have been proposed and put to practical use, so a description of these will be omitted here.

[0103] Information about road signs in the traveling direction can also be obtained by road-to-vehicle communication. Although the vehicle 1 of the present embodiment is not equipped with a laser radar, it is also possible to obtain information about various road signs.

[0104] Information that can be used to realize the autonomous driving function also includes information on traffic lights, railroad crossings, signs (including billboards), intersections, junctions / diverging points, sidewalks, obstacles, dangerous areas, and other above-ground structures (collectively referred to as "infrastructure-related information" below). In addition to the presence and location of the various objects described above, infrastructure-related information includes information on the color of traffic lights, the operating status of railroad crossings, and the display content of signs, billboards, etc. Infrastructure-related information can also be recognized and acquired based on the photographic data of the cameras 2 to 6, and can also be acquired by road-to-vehicle communication. Various types of infrastructure information can also be acquired from the above-mentioned route guidance function based on GPS information, map data, etc.

[0105] In addition, traffic regulation information can also be used to realize the autonomous driving function. For example, when there are traffic regulations in place in the direction of travel due to construction, accidents, natural disasters, etc., the traffic regulation information can be obtained through road-to-vehicle communication.

[0106] Among various types of information necessary for realizing the autonomous driving function (the seven types of autonomous control functions described above in this embodiment), such as the information about surrounding objects, the information about road signs, the infrastructure-related information, and the regulatory information, the information about the surroundings of the vehicle 1 is an example of the surrounding information of the present disclosure. Equivalent.

[0107] The automatic driving control device 30 can realize automatic driving by acquiring the various information described above and controlling the travel drive control unit 46, the brake control unit 47, the steering control unit 48, and other necessary in-vehicle devices based on the information. Specifically, the automatic driving control device 30 can execute the seven types of automatic control functions described above. As described above, the seven types of automatic control functions in this embodiment are automatic start / stop control, lane keeping control, vehicle distance control, lane change control, right / left turn control, collision prevention control, and parking control.

[0108] The automatic start / stop control is a control that automatically stops the vehicle 1 when a condition for stopping is satisfied while traveling, and automatically starts the vehicle 1 when the condition for stopping is released after stopping. This control is performed using the vehicle information, as well as information on surrounding objects obtained from the cameras 2-5 and the radar sensors 11-14, infrastructure-related information and regulation information obtained by road-to-vehicle communication, and the like. With this automatic start / stop control, for example, when the color of the traffic light at an intersection is green, the vehicle continues to run, and when the color of the traffic light is red or yellow, the vehicle stops when a railroad crossing is recognized ahead and a barrier is recognized to be down, and when the barrier is not down, the vehicle stops once and then starts again. In addition, the vehicle automatically stops when an obstacle or the like is recognized ahead.

[0109] Lane keeping control is a control configured to automatically steer the steering wheels so that the vehicle travels along the lane without deviating from the lane markings. This control is performed in cooperation with the route guidance function, using information on the road markings (especially lane markings) obtained from the cameras 2-5 and the radar sensors 11-14, in addition to the vehicle information.

[0110] The vehicle distance control is a control in which, when another vehicle is traveling ahead of the vehicle, the vehicle speed is controlled to keep a constant distance from the other vehicle, and when there is no other vehicle ahead, the vehicle travels at a set vehicle speed. This control is performed using information on the vehicle itself as well as information on surrounding objects (especially the vehicle ahead) obtained mainly from the cameras 2-5 and the radar sensors 11-14.

[0111] Lane change control is a control that, when a lane change (steering for lane change) is necessary, detects other vehicles in the adjacent lane to which the vehicle is to be changed, and automatically changes lanes while controlling the driving force, braking force, and steering to avoid colliding with the other vehicles, depending on the presence, position, speed, etc. of the other vehicles. This control is performed using information about the vehicle itself, as well as information about surrounding objects (particularly other vehicles in adjacent lanes), information about lane markings, and information about other vehicles (vehicles traveling in adjacent lanes) obtained from the cameras 2-5 and the radar sensors 11-14, and information about other vehicles obtained through vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

[0112] The right / left turn control is a control for automatically turning right or left when a right or left turn is required, without colliding with oncoming vehicles, vehicles traveling at an intersection, other vehicles around the vehicle, pedestrians, etc. This control is performed using information on the vehicle itself, as well as information on surrounding objects obtained from the cameras 2-5 and the radar sensors 11-14, information on other vehicles obtained by vehicle-to-vehicle communication, information on pedestrians, etc. obtained by pedestrian-to-vehicle communication, etc.

[0113] Collision prevention control is a control that automatically steers or brakes / stops the vehicle to avoid colliding with an obstacle when an obstacle exists on the road in the vehicle's traveling direction. It is performed using information on surrounding objects obtained from the cameras 2-5 and the radar sensors 11-14, infrastructure-related information and regulation information obtained by road-to-vehicle communication, etc.

[0114] In the parking control, when a specific target parking position (for example, within a parking space in a specific parking lot) is set as a destination, the driving trajectory to the target parking position is calculated, and the vehicle is moved along the driving trajectory. This is a control that automatically parks the vehicle by controlling driving force, braking force and steering.

[0115] The driver or the like is configured to be able to arbitrarily set which of the seven types of control functions is to be executed, i.e., the autonomous driving level. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3A, the autonomous driving level can be arbitrarily set in both the highly automated mode and the basic mode. However, in the basic mode, level 7 cannot be set, and any of levels 0 to 6 can be set. On the other hand, in the highly automated mode, level 0 cannot be set, and any of levels 1 to 7 can be set. Furthermore, the level of the basic mode can be set within a range of levels lower than the level of the highly automated mode. Conversely, the level of the highly automated mode can be set within a range of levels higher than the level of the basic mode.

[0116] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A, at level 1, control A (e.g., lane keeping control) is executed. At level 2, in addition to control A, control B (e.g., vehicle distance control) is executed. At level 3, in addition to controls A and B, control C (e.g., automatic start / stop control) is executed. At level 4, in addition to controls A, B, and C, control D (e.g., collision prevention control) is executed. At level 5, in addition to controls A, B, C, and D, control E (e.g., lane change control) is executed. At level 6, in addition to controls A, B, C, D, and E, control F (e.g., right / left turn control) is executed. At level 7, in addition to controls A, B, C, D, E, and F, control G (e.g., parking control) is executed. In other words, the higher the level, the more types of automatic control functions are executed, and at level 7, the vehicle is fully automated.

[0117] The level setting for each driving mode can be performed by operating the level setting operation unit 42 provided near the driver's seat for each driving mode individually. In this embodiment, the automatic driving level of the basic mode is set to level 0 by default, and the automatic driving level of the highly automated mode is set to level 1 by default. The currently set automatic driving level can be arbitrarily changed for each driving mode. For example, when the basic mode is set to level 0, the highly automated mode can be arbitrarily changed between levels 1 to 7. Also, for example, when the basic mode is set to level 1, the highly automated mode can be arbitrarily changed between levels 2 to 7. Also, for example, when the highly automated mode is set to level 4, the basic mode can be arbitrarily changed between levels 0 to 3.

[0118] It should be noted that which automatic control function is executed at which level is not limited to the content exemplified in Fig. 3A. For example, it is not essential that the number of automatic control functions executed increases by one every time the level increases by one. Which automatic control function is executed at which level may be determined as appropriate.

[0119] In addition, while assuming that the number of automatic control functions executed increases by one each time the level increases by one as shown in FIG. 3A, the contents of control A to control G may be set arbitrarily by the driver or the like as shown in FIG. 3B.

[0120] In the vehicle 1 of this embodiment, when the automatic driving switch 41 is turned off, the driving mode is set to the basic mode. On the other hand, when the automatic driving switch 41 is turned on, the driving mode becomes the highly automated mode under certain conditions. When lane change control, right / left turn control, and parking control are set, it is necessary to set a destination (a target parking position in the case of parking control). Specifically, the route guidance function is started and the destination is input via the touch panel. When a destination is set, automatic driving is basically performed along the calculated route to the destination while checking the position of the vehicle in cooperation with the route guidance function.

[0121] Various control examples in the highly automated mode when the automated driving level of the highly automated mode is set to level 7 will be described with reference to FIG. 4. Each of the vehicles 61 to 67 shown in FIG. 4 has the same configuration as the vehicle 1 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. A vehicle traveling within the communication area of ​​the road communication device 81 can receive individual road information from the road communication device 81. At least four of the vehicles 61, 65, 66, and 67 in FIG. 4 can receive individual road information from at least two road communication devices 81a and 81b in their vicinity. Specifically, information on the traffic light 71 ahead, information on the oncoming vehicle 62, information on pedestrians 76, and the like can be obtained.

[0122] At least the vehicle 63 can receive individual road information from at least the roadside communication device 81c in its vicinity. Specifically, the vehicle 63 can obtain information such as the presence of a stop sign 73 (i.e., that the vehicle should stop), and that another vehicle 64 is approaching from the right.

[0123] Furthermore, at least the vehicle 64 can receive individual road information from at least the road communication device 81d in its vicinity. Specifically, information such as the fact that another vehicle 63 is approaching from the left side can be obtained.

[0124] At least the vehicle 62 can receive individual road information from at least the roadside communication device 81e in its vicinity. Specifically, the vehicle 62 can obtain information such as information about the traffic light 72 ahead, the presence of an oncoming vehicle 61 about to turn right, the presence of a pedestrian crossing in the direction of the left turn, and the presence of a pedestrian 76 at the pedestrian crossing.

[0125] In addition, each vehicle 61-66 can obtain various information from each camera 2-6 and each radar device 11-14 that it is equipped with, and can also obtain various information through vehicle-to-vehicle communication and pedestrian-to-vehicle communication. For example, the vehicle 65 can detect the vehicle 67 ahead and the vehicle 66 on the right side by using the camera or radar device, and can thus run while keeping an appropriate distance from the vehicle 67 ahead, and when a lane change is required, can change lanes at an appropriate timing while taking into account the positional relationship with the vehicle 66 on the right side. The vehicle 65 can also detect a pedestrian 77 jumping out by using the camera or radar device, and in that case, can perform appropriate deceleration control so as not to collide with the pedestrian 77 while taking into account the distance from the vehicle 65 behind.

[0126] As a result, each vehicle 61-66 can automatically travel appropriately along the travel route to the destination while using various information such as various information obtained by the vehicle itself and various information obtained from the road. Specifically, each vehicle 61-66 can automatically travel appropriately along the travel route while avoiding contact with other vehicles, pedestrians, and other road structures and obeying traffic signals and traffic regulations by mainly automatically controlling the travel drive control unit 46, the brake control unit 47, and the steering control unit 48.

[0127] (4) Autonomous driving level setting process Next, the autonomous driving level setting process executed by the control unit 30a of the autonomous driving control device 30 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. The autonomous driving level setting process in Fig. 5 is a process for switching the driving mode of the vehicle 1 to either the highly automated mode or the basic mode, and forcibly setting the autonomous driving level to level 0 if it is determined that the autonomous driving should be cancelled when the autonomous driving level is level 1 or higher.

[0128] When the control unit 30a is started by turning on a power switch (e.g., an ignition switch) not shown in the figure of the vehicle 1, it reads the program for the autonomous driving level setting process of FIG. 5 from the memory 30b and executes it repeatedly at a predetermined control period.

[0129] When the control unit 30a starts the automatic driving level setting process of FIG. 5, the automatic driving level setting process is performed in S10. The automatic driving cancellation flag is a flag that is set when it is determined that the automatic driving should be cancelled, and specifically, is set in S119 in FIG.

[0130] If the autonomous driving cancellation flag is set (S10: YES), in S70, the autonomous driving level is set to level 0. That is, regardless of whether the driving mode is set to the highly automated mode or the basic mode, the autonomous driving level is forcibly set to level 0, and all of the seven types of automatic control functions described above are prevented from being executed. Then, in S80, a predetermined error notification is issued to notify the occupants of vehicle 1 that autonomous driving has been forcibly cancelled, and the autonomous driving level setting process is terminated.

[0131] While the automatic driving release flag is set, none of the seven types of automatic control functions are activated, and therefore the driver must perform all driving operations corresponding to the seven types of automatic control functions (driving operations that can be automatically executed by each automatic control function). Note that the automatic driving release flag can be reset by pressing the release reset switch 44, as described above.

[0132] If the automatic driving cancellation flag is not set in S10 (S10: NO), it is determined in S20 whether or not the emergency stop flag is set. The emergency stop flag is a flag that is set when it is determined that the vehicle 1 should be stopped urgently, and specifically, it is a flag that is set in S120 in FIG. 6, which will be described later.

[0133] If the emergency stop flag is set (S20: YES), emergency stop processing is executed in S90. The emergency stop processing is processing for stopping the vehicle 1 as quickly as possible while maintaining safety. The specific processing content of the emergency stop processing may be appropriately determined so as to stop the vehicle as quickly as possible while maintaining safety. For example, a processing content may be considered in which the vehicle 1 is decelerated and pulled over to the road shoulder and stopped while monitoring with each camera and each radar device so as not to come into contact with objects outside the vehicle (including other vehicles, pedestrians, etc.).

[0134] If the emergency stop flag is not set in S20 (S20: NO), then in S30 it is determined whether the automatic operation switch 41 is on. If the automatic operation switch 41 is on (S30: YES), then in S40 the operation mode is set to the highly automated mode, and the process proceeds to S60. If the automatic operation switch 41 is off (S30: NO), then in S50 the operation mode is set to the basic mode, and the process proceeds to S60.

[0135] When the driving mode is set to the highly automated mode in S40, the control unit 30a executes an automatic control function based on the automated driving level set as the highly automated mode in S55. For example, when level 6 is set as the highly automated mode, six types of automatic control functions, control A to control F (see FIG. 3A), are executed. Also, when level 7 is set as the highly automated mode, all seven types of automatic control functions, control A to control G, are executed to realize fully automated driving. Also, the execution of the automatic control function in S55 is performed based on various types of information, including the above-mentioned surrounding information, while acquiring various types of information as necessary.

[0136] When the driving mode is set to the basic mode in S50, the control unit 30a executes an automatic control function based on the automatic driving level set as the basic mode in S50. For example, when level 1 is set as the basic mode, the automatic control function of control A (see FIG. 3A) is executed. In this case, the automatic control function is also executed based on various information, including the above-mentioned surrounding information, while acquiring the various information as necessary. However, in the basic mode, If level 0 is set as the mode, no automatic control functions are executed.

[0137] In S60, an autonomous driving cancellation confirmation process is executed. This autonomous driving cancellation confirmation process has two main purposes. One is to determine whether or not it is necessary to forcibly set the autonomous driving level to level 0 when the autonomous driving level is set to level 1 or higher, and to set an autonomous driving cancellation flag if it is necessary to forcibly set it to level 0. The other is to determine whether or not it is necessary to make an emergency stop of the vehicle 1 when the autonomous driving level is set to level 1 or higher, and to set an emergency stop flag if it is necessary to make an emergency stop.

[0138] Details of the autonomous driving cancellation confirmation process of S60 are as shown in Fig. 6. When the control unit 30a proceeds to the autonomous driving cancellation confirmation process of S60, it determines in S111 whether the autonomous driving level set in the current driving mode is level 1 or higher, as shown in Fig. 6. If the autonomous driving level is not level 1 or higher (i.e., level 0) (S111: NO), the autonomous driving cancellation confirmation process of Fig. 6 is terminated, and the autonomous driving level setting process of Fig. 5 is thereby terminated.

[0139] If the autonomous driving level set in the current driving mode is 1 or higher (S111: YES), a system monitoring process is executed in S112. The system monitoring process in S112 is a process for monitoring the operating state of the vehicle 1 (including the execution state of the automatic control function) and determining whether or not a predetermined event (a deactivation event) has occurred that requires the autonomous driving level to be forcibly switched to level 0. The details of the system monitoring process in S112 will be described later with reference to FIG. 7.

[0140] In S113, an inside / outside behavior monitoring process is executed. The inside / outside behavior monitoring process in S113 is a process for monitoring the behavior of vehicle occupants in the cabin of the vehicle 1, and the behavior of pedestrians and other vehicles outside the vehicle 1, and determining whether or not a cancellation event has occurred that requires the autonomous driving level to be forcibly switched to level 0. The inside / outside behavior monitoring process in S113 will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. 8.

[0141] In S114, an environment monitoring process is executed. The environment monitoring process in S114 is a process for monitoring the environment around the vehicle 1 and determining whether or not a cancellation event has occurred that requires the autonomous driving level to be forcibly switched to level 0. The details of the environment monitoring process in S114 will be described later with reference to FIG.

[0142] In S115, a self-diagnosis process is executed. The self-diagnosis process in S115 is a process for self-diagnosing whether or not the execution state of the automatic control function by the control unit 30a itself is normal by comparing it with the past execution result. The details of the self-diagnosis process in S115 will be described later with reference to FIG. 10B.

[0143] In S116, it is determined whether or not a cancellation-requiring event has occurred in any of the processes from S112 to S115. If it is not determined that a cancellation-requiring event has occurred (S116: NO), the automatic driving cancellation confirmation process in FIG. 6 is terminated. If it is determined that a cancellation-requiring event has occurred in any of the processes from S112 to S115 (S116: YES), in S117, an automatic driving cancellation advance notification is given to the occupants of the vehicle 1. This notification is given based on the occurrence of a cancellation-requiring event that requires the automatic driving to be cancelled, and is given to the occupants in advance to that effect, so that the automatic driving will be cancelled. This notification may be given by various methods that can make the occupants of the vehicle 1 aware that a cancellation-requiring event has occurred and that the automatic driving should be cancelled. Specific notification methods include, for example, issuing a predetermined message by voice, or displaying a visual message to the occupants using the display unit 37. Alternatively, a method of transmitting a signal or vibrating the seat may be adopted.

[0144] In S118, it is determined whether the automatic driving can be cancelled. In other words, this determination is a process for determining whether the driver can perform the driving operation by himself when the driving operation that was performed automatically until then is no longer performed automatically due to the cancellation of the automatic driving. The basis for determining whether the automatic driving can be cancelled may be determined appropriately. For example, the determination may be made based on whether a specific cancellation permission action is performed by the driver based on the state and behavior of the driver. The cancellation permission action is an action that indicates that the driver is in a state where he or she can perform the driving operation by himself or herself. The cancellation permission action also includes a stationary state in which the driver is stationary in a specific state. As the cancellation permission action, for example, at least one of a plurality of actions and states may be set, such as the driver gripping the steering wheel 10 with at least one hand, the driver gripping the steering wheel 10 with both hands, the driver's eyes being open, the driver's gaze being directed toward the front of the vehicle, and the driver's behavior being normal (for example, a state that is determined to be affirmative in the determination process of S204 described later). The control unit 30a may determine, for example, based on image data from the indoor camera 6, whether or not the release permission operation is being performed.

[0145] When it is determined that the autonomous driving can be cancelled (S118: YES), the autonomous driving cancellation flag is set in S119. As a result, when the determination process of S10 in FIG. 5 is executed next time, a positive determination is made and the process proceeds to S70, where the autonomous driving level is forcibly set to level 0.

[0146] If it is determined in S118 that the autonomous driving cannot be cancelled (S118: NO), an emergency stop flag is set in S120. As a result, when the determination process of S20 in Fig. 5 is executed next time, a positive determination is made and the process proceeds to S90, where the emergency stop process is executed.

[0147] Next, the system monitoring process of S112 in the autonomous driving cancellation confirmation process of Fig. 6 will be specifically described with reference to Fig. 7. When the process proceeds to the system monitoring process of S112, as shown in Fig. 7, in S161, it is determined whether or not the distance to the other vehicle is normal. The distance to the other vehicle can be detected based on the detection results of the other vehicles around the vehicle by the cameras 2-5 and the radar devices 11-14. It can also be detected based on the position information of the other vehicles and the vehicle's position information acquired via vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

[0148] The determination of whether the distance to the other vehicle is normal may be made, for example, by setting a distance threshold and determining that the distance to the other vehicle is normal if the distance is equal to or greater than the threshold. In this case, the threshold may be set individually depending on the position of the other vehicle relative to the vehicle (for example, whether the other vehicle is in front of, behind, or to the side of the vehicle). Of course, the determination of whether the distance to the other vehicle is normal may be made by a method other than the above example.

[0149] If the distance to the other vehicle is not normal (S161: NO), proceed to S169. If the distance to the other vehicle is not normal, the risk of colliding with the other vehicle increases. This may be caused by the automatic control function not working properly. Therefore, if the distance to the other vehicle is not normal, it is determined in S169 that a cancellation-requiring event has occurred in order to forcibly cancel the automatic driving and leave driving operation of the vehicle 1 to the driver himself. In other words, an abnormal distance to the other vehicle is one of the cancellation-requiring events.

[0150] If the distance to the other vehicle is normal (S161: YES), it is determined in S162 whether the relative speed to the other vehicle is normal. As with the distance to the other vehicle, the relative speed to the other vehicle can be detected based on the detection results of the other vehicles around the vehicle by the cameras 2-5 and the radar devices 11-14.

[0151] The determination of whether the relative speed with respect to another vehicle is normal may be made, for example, by setting a threshold value for the relative speed, and determining that the relative speed with respect to another vehicle is normal if the relative speed with respect to the vehicle is equal to or lower than the threshold value. In this case, the threshold value may be set individually depending on the position of the other vehicle relative to the vehicle (for example, whether the other vehicle is in front of, behind, or to the side of the vehicle). Of course, the determination of whether the relative speed with respect to another vehicle is normal may be made by a method other than the above example.

[0152] If the relative speed with respect to the other vehicle is not normal (S162: NO), proceed to S169. If the relative speed with respect to the other vehicle is not normal, there is a possibility of a collision with the other vehicle. There is also a possibility that the vehicle is not following the flow of surrounding traffic. The cause of this may be that the automatic control function is not operating normally. Therefore, if the relative speed with respect to the other vehicle is not normal, it is determined in S169 that a cancellation-requiring event has occurred in order to forcibly cancel automatic driving and leave driving operation of the vehicle 1 to the driver himself. In other words, an abnormal relative speed with respect to the other vehicle is one of the cancellation-requiring events.

[0153] If the relative speed with respect to the other vehicle is normal (S162: YES), then in S163 it is determined whether the behavior of the suspension is normal. The behavior of the suspension can be detected based on the detection result of the suspension sensor 25.

[0154] The judgment as to whether the behavior of the suspension is normal may be made, for example, by setting a threshold value for the amount of expansion / contraction of the suspension, and judging that the behavior of the suspension is normal if the amount of expansion / contraction is equal to or less than the threshold value. Alternatively, a threshold value may be set for the rate of change of the amount of expansion / contraction, and judging that the behavior of the suspension is normal if the rate of change of the amount of expansion / contraction is equal to or less than the threshold value. Note that, when multiple suspension sensors 25 are provided, the method of making an overall judgment based on the detection results from the multiple suspension sensors 25 may be appropriately determined. For example, the behavior of the suspension may be judged to be abnormal if the amount of expansion / contraction of any one of the multiple suspension sensors 25 exceeds a threshold value.

[0155] If the suspension behavior is not normal (S163: NO), proceed to S169. If the suspension behavior is not normal, it is possible that the automatic control function is not operating normally. In other words, if the automatic control function is not operating normally, unstable behavior such as sudden starts, sudden stops, and sharp turns may occur, which may cause the suspension to expand and contract significantly. Therefore, if the suspension behavior is not normal, it is determined in S169 that a cancellation-requiring event has occurred in order to forcibly cancel the automatic driving and leave driving operation of the vehicle 1 to the driver himself. In other words, abnormal suspension behavior is one of the cancellation-requiring events.

[0156] If the suspension behavior is normal (S163: YES), in S164, it is determined whether or not the engine room is normal. Specifically, it is determined whether or not the state inside the engine room is such that the temperature inside the engine room is normal and no abnormal noise is occurring. The temperature inside the engine room can be detected based on the detection result of the engine room temperature sensor 22, and the sound generated from the engine room can be detected based on the detection result of the engine room sound sensor 23.

[0157] The determination of whether the engine room is normal or not may be made, for example, by setting a temperature threshold for the temperature in the engine room and a volume threshold for the sound in the engine room, and determining that the engine room is normal when the temperature in the engine room is equal to or lower than the temperature threshold and the sound in the engine room is equal to or lower than the volume threshold. The sound quality of the engine room sound may be analyzed, and when sound quality equivalent to that which may occur when an abnormality occurs is detected, it may be determined that the engine room is abnormal.

[0158] If the engine room is not normal (S164: NO), the process proceeds to S169. If the engine room is not normal, the automatic control function may not be operating normally. That is, if the automatic control function is not operating normally, the automatic driving control device 30 may not be able to control the driving control unit 46 normally, and as a result, the driving control unit 46 may not be able to control the engine, the transmission, and the like normally. Therefore, if the engine room is not normal, it is determined in S169 that a cancellation-requiring event has occurred in order to forcibly cancel the automatic driving and leave driving operation of the vehicle 1 to the driver himself. In other words, an engine room that is not normal is one of the cancellation-requiring events.

[0159] If the engine room is normal (S164: YES), in S165 it is determined whether or not an abnormal current is occurring. The abnormal current here means the above-mentioned overcurrent (for example, an excessive current that may occur during a lightning strike). The determination of whether or not an abnormal current is occurring can be made based on the detection result of the current sensor 19. For example, a threshold value may be set for the current to be detected, and if the detected current is equal to or greater than the threshold value, it may be determined that an abnormal current has occurred.

[0160] If an abnormal current is occurring (S165: YES), the process proceeds to S169. If an abnormal current is occurring, the automatic control function may not operate normally due to the abnormal current. Therefore, if an abnormal current occurs, it is determined in S169 that a deactivation event has occurred in order to forcibly deactivate the automatic driving and leave driving operation of the vehicle 1 to the driver himself. In other words, the occurrence of an abnormal current due to various factors such as a lightning strike is one type of deactivation event.

[0161] If no abnormal current is occurring (S165: NO), then in S166 it is determined whether or not a tire has been punctured. Whether or not a tire has been punctured can be detected based on the detection result of the tire pressure sensor 24.

[0162] To determine whether or not a tire has a puncture, for example, a threshold value may be set for the air pressure, and it may be determined that a puncture has occurred if the air pressure of any one of the four tires is below the threshold value.

[0163] If a flat tire has occurred (S166: YES), the process proceeds to S169. If a flat tire has occurred, the flat tire may cause the automatic control function to be unable to normally control the vehicle 1. Therefore, if a flat tire has occurred, it is determined in S169 that a cancellation-requiring event has occurred in order to forcibly cancel the automatic driving and leave driving operation of the vehicle 1 to the driver himself. In other words, a flat tire is one of the cancellation-requiring events.

[0164] If no tire puncture has occurred (S166: NO), it is determined in S167 whether or not slippage has occurred. Whether or not slippage has occurred can be detected based on the detection results of the wheel speed sensors 18 of the respective wheels. For example, the detection results of the wheel speed sensors 18 may be compared, and if the difference between the highest and lowest wheel speeds is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, it may be determined that slippage has occurred.

[0165] If a slip has occurred (S167: YES), the process proceeds to S169. If a slip has occurred, the slip may cause the automatic control function to be unable to normally control the vehicle 1. Therefore, if a slip has occurred, it is determined in S169 that a cancellation-requiring event has occurred in order to forcibly cancel the automatic driving and leave driving operation of the vehicle 1 to the driver himself. In other words, the occurrence of a slip is one of the cancellation-requiring events.

[0166] If slippage is not occurring (S167: NO), in S168, the steering state is checked to see if it is normal. The steering state can be detected based on the detection result of the steering amount sensor 20. For example, a threshold value may be set for the steering amount based on the neutral position, and the steering state may be determined to be normal if the steering amount from the neutral position is equal to or less than the threshold. Also, for example, a threshold value may be set for the rate of change in the steering amount, and the steering state may be determined to be normal if the rate of change in the steering amount is equal to or less than the threshold.

[0167] If the steering state is not normal (S163: NO), proceed to S169. If the steering state is not normal, it is possible that the automatic control function is not operating normally. Therefore, if the steering state is not normal, it is determined in S169 that a cancellation-requiring event has occurred in order to forcibly cancel the automatic driving and leave driving operation of the vehicle 1 to the driver himself. In other words, an abnormal steering state is one of the cancellation-requiring events.

[0168] If the steering state is normal (S168: YES), the system monitoring process in FIG. 7 (that is, the process of S112 in FIG. 6) ends. Next, the interior / exterior behavior monitoring process of S113 in the autonomous driving cancellation confirmation process of Fig. 6 will be specifically described with reference to Fig. 8. When proceeding to the interior / exterior behavior monitoring process of S113, as shown in Fig. 8, it is determined in S201 whether or not contact with a specific contact part in the vehicle interior by an occupant of the vehicle 1 has been detected. The presence or absence of contact with the specific contact part in the vehicle interior can be determined based on the detection result of the interior contact sensor 21.

[0169] If contact with the specific contact part inside the vehicle is detected (S201: YES), the process proceeds to S210. In the instruction manual for the vehicle 1 of this embodiment, it is explained that if the operating state of the automatic control function is felt to be abnormal or uneasy, the automatic driving can be forcibly cancelled by touching the specific contact part inside the vehicle or by operating the emergency stop lever 43. Therefore, the detection of contact with the specific contact part inside the vehicle can be judged to indicate that the occupant of the vehicle 1 has expressed an intention to forcibly cancel the automatic driving.

[0170] Therefore, when contact with a specific contact part inside the vehicle is detected, it is determined in S210 that a cancellation-requiring event has occurred in order to forcibly cancel the autonomous driving and leave the driving operation of the vehicle 1 to the driver. In other words, the detection of contact with a specific contact part inside the vehicle is one of the cancellation-requiring events.

[0171] If no contact with the specific contact part inside the vehicle is detected (S201: NO), in S202, it is determined whether the emergency stop lever 43 has been operated. If the emergency stop lever 43 has been operated (S202: YES), the process proceeds to S210. When the emergency stop lever 43 has been operated, it can be determined that an occupant of the vehicle 1 has expressed an intention to forcibly cancel the automatic driving.

[0172] Therefore, when the emergency stop lever 43 is operated, it is determined in S210 that a cancellation-requiring event has occurred in order to forcibly cancel the automatic driving and leave the driving operation of the vehicle 1 to the driver. In other words, the operation of the emergency stop lever 43 is one of the cancellation-requiring events.

[0173] If the emergency stop lever 43 has not been operated (S202: NO), it is determined in S203 whether or not an external impact has been detected. As described above, the external impact here includes a large impact such as a collision with another vehicle, and a small impact such as a pedestrian or other outside person hitting the vehicle 1.

[0174] The presence or absence of an external impact can be determined based on the detection result of the impact sensor 27. If an external impact is detected (S203: YES), the process proceeds to S210. If an external impact is detected, it means that damage has occurred to the vehicle 1 and the vehicle 1 cannot run normally. It is also possible that the automatic control function of vehicle 1 has stopped working properly, causing vehicle 1 to behave abnormally, or that someone outside the vehicle has noticed something unusual happening to the driver of vehicle 1, and so the person outside the vehicle may have tried to alert the occupants of vehicle 1 by, for example, hitting vehicle 1.

[0175] Therefore, when an external impact is detected, it is determined that a cancellation-requiring event has occurred in S210 in order to forcibly cancel the automated driving and leave the driver in charge of driving the vehicle 1. In other words, the detection of an external impact is one of the cancellation-requiring events.

[0176] If no external impact is detected (S203: NO), in S204, it is determined whether the driver's behavior is normal. The driver's behavior can be recognized by analyzing the captured data of the interior camera 6. For example, if the driver continues to look aside for a certain period of time or more, the driver's eyes are closed for a certain period of time or more, or the driver has an expression of surprise, worry, or fear, it can be determined that the driver's behavior is abnormal. Of course, it may be determined whether the driver's behavior is normal or not based on other criteria.

[0177] If it is determined that the driver's behavior is not normal (S204: YES), the process proceeds to S210. If it is determined that the driver's behavior is not normal, it is possible that something unusual has happened to the driver, or that the automatic control function of the vehicle 1 is not operating normally.

[0178] Therefore, if it is determined that the driver's behavior is not normal, it is determined in S210 that a cancellation-requiring event has occurred in order to forcibly cancel the automated driving and leave driving operation of the vehicle 1 to the driver himself, or to perform an emergency stop of the vehicle 1. In other words, the fact that the driver's behavior is determined to be abnormal is one of the cancellation-requiring events.

[0179] If the driver's behavior is determined to be normal (S204: NO), then in S205 it is determined whether or not the pedestrian is looking at the vehicle. As described above, whether or not the pedestrian is looking at the vehicle can be determined by analyzing the photographic data of the cameras 2 to 5.

[0180] If pedestrians are looking at the vehicle (S205: YES), in S208, it is determined whether a predetermined number of pedestrians or more are looking at the vehicle (i.e., whether the vehicle is attracting a lot of attention from pedestrians). If the number of pedestrians looking at the vehicle is less than the predetermined number (i.e., the vehicle is not attracting a lot of attention) (S208: NO), the process proceeds to S209.

[0181] In S209, it is determined whether the behavior of the pedestrian who is looking at the vehicle is normal. The criteria for determining whether the behavior of the pedestrian who is looking at the vehicle is normal may be determined appropriately. For example, if the pedestrian has a specific facial expression or behavior such as surprise, worry, or fear, the pedestrian's behavior may be determined to be abnormal.

[0182] If it is determined in S208 that a predetermined number or more of pedestrians are looking at the vehicle (S208: YES), and if it is determined in S209 that the behavior of the pedestrians looking at the vehicle is not normal (S209: NO), the process proceeds to S210.

[0183] The fact that many pedestrians are focusing their gaze on the vehicle itself may indicate that the automatic control function of vehicle 1 is not functioning properly, causing vehicle 1 to behave abnormally, or that something unusual is happening to the driver of vehicle 1. Even if the number of pedestrians looking at the vehicle itself is small, if the pedestrians are behaving abnormally, this may also indicate that the automatic control function of vehicle 1 is not functioning properly. It is possible that vehicle 1 is behaving abnormally or that something unusual is happening to the driver of vehicle 1.

[0184] Therefore, when the gazes of many pedestrians are concentrated on one vehicle or when the behavior of the pedestrians who are looking at the vehicle is abnormal, it is determined in S210 that a cancellation-requiring event has occurred in order to forcibly cancel the automated driving and leave driving operation of the vehicle 1 to the driver himself, or to perform an emergency stop of the vehicle 1. In other words, when the gazes of many pedestrians are concentrated on one vehicle or when the behavior of the pedestrians who are looking at the vehicle is abnormal, both of these are types of cancellation-requiring events.

[0185] If pedestrians are not looking at the vehicle (S205: NO), or if pedestrians are looking at the vehicle but the number of pedestrians is small and their behavior is normal (S209: YES), the process proceeds to S206.

[0186] In S206, it is determined whether or not another vehicle (mainly an oncoming vehicle or a vehicle behind) has flashed its light. Whether or not another vehicle has flashed its light can be determined mainly by analyzing the image data captured by the front camera 2 and the rear camera 3. If another vehicle has flashed its light (S206: YES), the process proceeds to S210.

[0187] When another vehicle flashes its light, it is possible that the automatic control function of vehicle 1 is not functioning properly, causing vehicle 1 to behave abnormally, and that the driver of the other vehicle has noticed the abnormal behavior and alerted the driver. Therefore, when another vehicle flashes its light, it is determined in S210 that an event requiring deactivation has occurred so that the automatic driving can be forcibly deactivated and the driver can take control of vehicle 1, or vehicle 1 can be brought to an emergency stop. In other words, being flashed by another vehicle is one of the events requiring deactivation.

[0188] If the other vehicle has not honked its horn (S206: NO), then in S207 it is determined whether the other vehicle has honked its horn. Whether the other vehicle has honked its horn can be determined mainly based on the detection result of the external sound sensor 26. If the other vehicle has honked its horn (S207: YES), the process proceeds to S210.

[0189] When another vehicle honks its horn, it is possible that the automatic control function of vehicle 1 is not functioning normally, causing vehicle 1 to behave abnormally, and the driver of the other vehicle may have noticed the abnormal behavior and alerted the driver. Therefore, when another vehicle honks its horn, it is determined in S210 that a deactivation event has occurred in order to forcibly deactivate the automatic driving and leave vehicle 1 in the driver's control, or to bring vehicle 1 to an emergency stop. In other words, being honked by another vehicle is one of the deactivation events.

[0190] Next, the environmental monitoring process of S114 in the automatic driving cancellation confirmation process of FIG. 6 will be specifically described with reference to FIG. 9. When proceeding to the environmental monitoring process of S114, as shown in FIG. 9, in S251, it is determined whether the weather around the vehicle 1 is in a heavy rain state. The determination of whether the weather is in a heavy rain state can be made based on the detection signal from the rainfall sensor 17, for example, by setting a threshold value for the amount of detection and comparing with the threshold value. Of course, the determination of whether the weather is in a heavy rain state may be made by other methods. For example, the determination may be made by analyzing the amount of rain from the photographed data of each of the cameras 2 to 5.

[0191] If it is determined that heavy rain is occurring (S251: YES), the process proceeds to S256. If it is not determined that heavy rain is occurring (S251: NO), the process proceeds to S252. In S252, it is determined whether the weather around the vehicle 1 is in a heavy snow condition. The determination of whether the weather is in a heavy snow condition may be made, for example, by analyzing the amount of snowfall from the photographing data of each of the cameras 2 to 5. Of course, the determination of whether the weather is in a heavy snow condition may be made by other methods.

[0192] If it is determined that heavy snow is present (S252: YES), the process proceeds to S256. If it is not determined that heavy snow is present (S252: NO), the process proceeds to S253. In S253, it is determined whether or not the surroundings of the vehicle 1 are in a dense fog state. The determination of whether or not the surroundings are in a dense fog state may be performed in the same manner as the method of determining a heavy snow state, for example, by analyzing the fog generation state from the photographing data of each of the cameras 2 to 5. Of course, it is also possible to determine whether or not the surroundings are in a dense fog state by using other methods.

[0193] If it is determined that the vehicle is in a dense fog state (S253: YES), the process proceeds to S256. If it is not determined that the vehicle is in a dense fog state (S253: NO), the process proceeds to S254. When it is determined that it is a heavy rain state, a heavy snow state, or a dense fog state (hereinafter collectively referred to as "bad weather"), visibility ahead of the vehicle is poor, and there is a risk that the automatic control function will not operate normally. Therefore, in the case of bad weather, in order to forcibly cancel the automatic driving and leave driving operation of the vehicle 1 to the driver himself, it is determined in S256 that a cancellation event has occurred. In other words, bad weather is one of the cancellation events.

[0194] In S254, it is determined whether the vehicle 1 is traveling through a caution section. In this embodiment, the caution section includes at least an accident-prone area, a school zone, an area where animals are likely to appear, etc., as described above. The determination of whether the vehicle 1 is traveling through a caution section can be made based on section information obtained through road-to-vehicle communication. Alternatively, if the photographed data of the front camera 2 includes a signboard or road sign indicating the caution section, the determination can be made based on the signboard or road sign.

[0195] If it is determined that the vehicle 1 is traveling in a caution section (S254: YES), the process proceeds to S256. When the vehicle 1 is traveling in a caution section, it may be preferable for the driver to operate the vehicle while paying attention to the direction of travel, rather than relying on the automatic control function. Therefore, when the vehicle 1 is traveling in a caution section, it is determined in S256 that an event requiring cancellation has occurred in order to forcibly cancel the automatic driving and leave driving operation of the vehicle 1 to the driver himself. In other words, the fact that the vehicle 1 is traveling in a caution section is one of the events requiring cancellation.

[0196] If the vehicle 1 is not traveling in a caution section (S254: NO), proceed to S255. In S255, it is determined whether the average autonomous driving level of other surrounding vehicles (hereinafter referred to as the "surrounding average level") is equal to or lower than a predetermined level (for example, level 1 or lower). If the surrounding average level is higher than the predetermined level (S255: NO), the environment monitoring process is terminated. On the other hand, if the surrounding average level is equal to or lower than the predetermined level (S255: YES), proceed to S256.

[0197] The surrounding average level can be derived by acquiring the autonomous driving levels set in the other vehicles traveling around the host vehicle and calculating the average of the acquired autonomous driving levels. The autonomous driving levels of the other vehicles around the host vehicle can be acquired directly through vehicle-to-vehicle communication or indirectly through road-to-vehicle communication.

[0198] When the surrounding average level is equal to or lower than a predetermined level, it means that many of the surrounding other vehicles are keeping the autonomous driving level low. This means that it is highly likely that the drivers of many of the surrounding vehicles are driving by their own driving operation without relying on the autonomous control function. If many of the surrounding drivers are driving without relying on the autonomous control function, it is possible that the area in which the vehicle is currently traveling is an area where, for some reason, it is preferable for the driver to drive by his / her own driving operation rather than autonomous driving.

[0199] Therefore, when the surrounding average level is equal to or lower than a predetermined level, it is determined in S256 that a cancellation event has occurred in order to forcibly cancel the automatic driving and leave the driving operation of the vehicle 1 to the driver himself. In other words, the surrounding average level being below a certain level is one of the events that require release.

[0200] Next, the self-diagnosis process of S115 in the autonomous driving cancellation confirmation process of FIG. 6 will be described. Prior to the description of the self-diagnosis process, the driving history recording process shown in FIG. 10A will first be described.

[0201] The driving history recording process in Fig. 10A is a process for storing various specific control operations (however, control operations that are automatically performed by the automatic control function) performed while the vehicle 1 is driving as history, in association with the location where the specific control operation was performed. The type and number of specific control operations to be stored as history may be determined appropriately. For example, an operation of temporarily stopping while driving, an operation of decelerating even though there is no other vehicle ahead, etc. may be determined as specific control operations.

[0202] If the automatic control function is operating normally, vehicle 1 should automatically stop where there is a stop road sign or a stop line. Also, for safety reasons, it should slow down in front of a pedestrian crossing even if there is no vehicle ahead. On the other hand, if the automatic control function is not operating normally, there is a possibility that the vehicle will pass through a stop road sign without stopping, or pass through a pedestrian crossing without slowing down. In other words, if the automatic control function is not operating normally, the vehicle may drive differently than before, even when driving through the same place it has driven through before.

[0203] Therefore, in this embodiment, past driving history is linked to the location and stored, and the next time the vehicle travels through the same location, it is compared with the past operating conditions. If the vehicle performs driving operations differently from the past (for example, the vehicle stopped temporarily in the past but simply passed through this time), it is determined that the automatic control function is not operating normally and that automatic driving should be canceled.

[0204] When the control unit 30a starts its operation, it executes the driving history recording process of Fig. 10A in parallel with the autonomous driving level setting process of Fig. 5. When the control unit 30a starts the driving history recording process of Fig. 10A, it determines in S301 whether the vehicle 1 has traveled a certain distance. It continues the determination of S301 until the certain distance has been traveled. If the certain distance has been traveled (S301: YES), it proceeds to S302.

[0205] In S302, the specific control operation performed in the travel section of the certain distance is stored as specific control information together with the position information of the specific control operation. If a specific control operation at the same position has already been stored, the stored content is updated. After storing the specific control information performed in the travel section of the certain distance, the process returns to S301. In this way, each time a certain distance is traveled, the storage process of the specific control information is performed for the travel section of the certain distance.

[0206] Next, the self-diagnosis process of S115 in Fig. 6 will be described with reference to Fig. 10B. When the self-diagnosis process of S115 is started, as shown in Fig. 10B, in S351, it is determined whether the current traveling position is a position that has been traveled in the past. This determination can be made by comparing the current position based on the GPS information with the position information linked to the specific control information stored in the memory 30b.

[0207] If the current driving position is not linked to any of the specific control information stored in the memory 30b, the current driving position is deemed to have not been driven to in the past (S351: NO), and the self-diagnosis process ends. If the current driving position matches or is close to the position information linked to any of the specific control information stored in the memory 30b, the current driving position is deemed to have been driven to in the past (S351: YES), and the process proceeds to S352.

[0208] In S352, past specific control information corresponding to the current driving position is read from memory 30b. That is, it is confirmed whether or not a specific control operation was performed in the past at the current driving location. In S353, it is determined whether or not the current driving state is different from the past. More specifically, it is determined whether or not a specific control operation performed in the past at the same location was performed this time. If the driving state is different from the past, that is, if the specific control operation performed in the same location in the past was not performed this time (S353: YES), proceed to S354 and determine that a release-required event has occurred. If the driving state is not different from the past, that is, if the specific control operation performed in the same location in the past was performed this time (S353: NO), the self-diagnosis process is terminated.

[0209] (5) Effects of the First Embodiment According to the vehicle 1 of the present embodiment described above, when the autonomous driving level is level 1 or higher (i.e., when the automatic control function is operating), it is determined whether or not a cancellation event has occurred that requires cancellation of the autonomous driving (S112 to S115 in FIG. 6). If a cancellation event has occurred, the autonomous driving level is forcibly set to level 0. In other words, if a cancellation event has occurred, regardless of the setting state of the driving mode, all operation of the automatic control function is stopped and driving operation of the vehicle 1 is handed over to the driver.

[0210] Therefore, when a release-requiring event occurs, the driver can drive the vehicle 1 by himself / herself. This makes it possible to suppress the occurrence of unstable operation of the vehicle 1 caused by malfunction of the automatic control function, etc.

[0211] In addition, in this embodiment, a large number of events are assumed that may be considered as events requiring release, and a determination is made for each event one by one. Specifically, as shown in S161 of Fig. 7, the distance to another vehicle is judged, and if the distance to the other vehicle is not normal, the automatic driving is forcibly cancelled. Therefore, even if the vehicle 1 is about to collide with another vehicle due to a malfunction of the automatic control function, etc., the driver can avoid this by operating the vehicle himself.

[0212] Also, as shown in S162 of Fig. 7, the relative speed with respect to other vehicles is judged, and if the relative speed with respect to other vehicles is not normal, the automatic driving is forcibly cancelled. Therefore, even if the vehicle 1 is about to collide with another vehicle due to a malfunction of the automatic control function, etc., the driver can avoid this by operating the vehicle himself. Also, even if the traveling speed of the vehicle 1 is different from the speed of many surrounding vehicles due to a malfunction of the automatic control function, etc., and is not following the flow of surrounding traffic, the driver can avoid this by operating the vehicle himself.

[0213] In addition, as shown in S163 of Fig. 7, the behavior of the suspension is judged, and if the behavior is not normal, the automatic driving is forcibly cancelled. Therefore, even if the vehicle 1 starts to exhibit abnormal behavior due to a malfunction of the automatic control function, the driver can avoid this by operating the vehicle himself.

[0214] Also, as shown in S164 in Figure 7, the condition of the engine room (temperature and sound) is judged, and if it is not normal, the automatic driving is forcibly cancelled. Therefore, if an abnormality occurs in the engine room due to a malfunction of the automatic control function, the driver can minimize the impact by operating the vehicle himself.

[0215] Also, as shown in S165 of FIG. 7, if an abnormal current occurs in the electrical wiring in the vehicle 1 (where the current sensor 19 is installed), the automatic driving is forcibly cancelled. Therefore, even if an excessive current flows due to a lightning strike or the like, the automatic control function is not cancelled. This makes it possible to prevent the running state of the vehicle 1 from becoming unstable due to a malfunction of the control unit.

[0216] Also, as shown in S166 and S167 of Fig. 7, if a tire gets punctured or a slip occurs, the automatic driving is forcibly cancelled. Therefore, if the reliability of driving by the automatic control function is reduced due to a tire puncture or a slip, the driver can appropriately operate the vehicle 1 by his / her own driving operation (for example, to stop the vehicle while slowly decelerating, or to smoothly recover from the slip state).

[0217] In addition, as shown in S168 of Fig. 7, if the steering state of the steering wheel is not normal, the automatic driving is forcibly cancelled. Therefore, even if the steering wheel of the vehicle 1 exhibits abnormal behavior due to a malfunction of the automatic control function, the driver can avoid this by operating the vehicle himself.

[0218] 8, when contact with a specific contact part inside the vehicle by an occupant is detected, or when an emergency stop lever is operated by an occupant, the autonomous driving is forcibly cancelled. Therefore, when a situation arises in which the autonomous driving needs to be cancelled, such as when the behavior of the vehicle 1 becomes unstable, the driver can quickly cancel the autonomous driving of his / her own will.

[0219] Furthermore, as shown in S203 of Fig. 8, if an external impact is detected, the automatic driving is forcibly cancelled. Therefore, even if there is a risk that the automatic control function will not operate normally due to an external impact, the driver can operate the vehicle 1 appropriately by his / her own driving operation.

[0220] 8, if the driver's behavior is not normal (for example, if the driver has a look of surprise or fear), the automatic driving is forcibly cancelled. Therefore, even if the driving state of the vehicle 1 becomes unstable to the extent that the driver shows a look of surprise or fear due to a malfunction of the automatic control function, the driver can quickly avoid this by operating the vehicle himself.

[0221] Also, as shown in S205, S206, and S207 in Fig. 8, if the vehicle attracts the gaze of pedestrians, if a pedestrian looking at the vehicle behaves abnormally (for example, pointing at the vehicle with a surprised expression), or if another vehicle honks the horn or flashes its lights, the automatic driving is forcibly cancelled. This is because such actions taken by pedestrians or other vehicles against the vehicle may indicate that the vehicle's driving condition is unstable, and a malfunction of the automatic control function may be the cause.

[0222] 9, the automatic driving is forcibly cancelled in bad weather such as heavy rain, heavy snow, thick fog, etc. Therefore, even if the automatic control function does not operate normally due to bad weather and the running of the vehicle 1 may become unstable, the automatic driving is forcibly cancelled, so that the driver can drive the vehicle 1 appropriately by operating the vehicle himself.

[0223] In addition, as shown in S254 of Fig. 9, when the vehicle 1 is traveling in a caution section, the automatic driving is forcibly cancelled. This enables the driver to drive the vehicle appropriately through the caution section by himself / herself without relying on the automatic control function.

[0224] Also, as shown in FIG. 10B, when the vehicle travels again in a place where it has traveled before, if a specific control action that was previously performed is not performed this time, the automatic control function operates normally. The system assumes that the driver is not operating the vehicle and forcibly cancels automatic driving. This makes it possible to prevent problems that may occur due to malfunctions of the automatic control function.

[0225] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when a cancellation-requiring event occurs, the automatic driving is not cancelled unconditionally, but the occupant is notified that the automatic driving is cancelled (S117 in FIG. 6). Then, when it is confirmed that the automatic driving can be cancelled, such as when there is a predetermined reaction from the occupant (YES in S118 in FIG. 6), the automatic driving is cancelled. Therefore, the automatic driving can be cancelled smoothly and appropriately, allowing the driver to take over driving operations.

[0226] On the other hand, if there is no predetermined reaction from the occupant even after the automatic driving is cancelled (NO in S118), the vehicle 1 is automatically brought to an emergency stop. Therefore, for example, if the driver falls asleep or faints and it becomes difficult for the driver to drive the vehicle 1, the vehicle 1 can be stopped quickly and appropriately, and the occurrence of an unexpected situation can be prevented.

[0227] The control unit 30a corresponds to an example of a surrounding information acquisition unit, a driving mode setting unit, an automatic control unit, a cancellation-required event determination unit, a notification unit, and a cancellation permission determination unit. The processes of S40 and S50 in FIG. 5 correspond to an example of a process of the driving mode setting unit. The process of S55 in FIG. 5 corresponds to an example of a process of the surrounding information acquisition unit. The processes of S55 in FIG. 5 and S118 to S120 in FIG. 6 correspond to an example of a process of the automatic control unit. The process of S120 in FIG. 6 corresponds to an example of an automatic stop process among the processes of the automatic control unit. The processes of S112, S113, S114, and S115 in FIG. 6 correspond to an example of a process of the cancellation-required event determination unit. The process of S117 in FIG. 6 corresponds to an example of a process of the notification unit, and the process of S118 in FIG. 6 corresponds to an example of a process of the cancellation permission determination unit.

[0228] [Second embodiment] The electrical configuration of the vehicle of the second embodiment is shown in Fig. 11. In Fig. 11, the same components as those of the vehicle 1 of the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0229] As shown in Fig. 11, the vehicle of the second embodiment includes an automatic driving control device 101 and a monitoring device 102. The automatic driving control device 101 has basically the same configuration and operates in the same manner as the automatic driving control device 101 of the first embodiment, except that it has a function of performing data communication with the monitoring device 102 via a network 100. That is, the control unit 101a of the automatic driving control device 101 executes an automatic driving level setting process (see Fig. 5) in accordance with various programs stored in the memory 101b, similar to the vehicle 1 of the first embodiment. In addition, it also executes an automatic control function based on the set automatic driving level.

[0230] 11, the cameras 2-6, the radar devices 11-14, and the sensors 16-27 in the vehicle 1 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2 are collectively illustrated as a detection means group 111. Also, in FIG. 11, the communication units 31-35 in the vehicle 1 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2 are collectively illustrated as a communication means group 112.

[0231] The autonomous driving control device 101 of this embodiment further transmits the execution state (result of control calculation) of the automatic control function corresponding to the autonomous driving level as one piece of control information to the monitoring device 102 via the network 100 periodically. Furthermore, if a cancellation-requiring event occurs as a result of the autonomous driving level setting process, the autonomous driving control device 101 transmits at least that fact (the fact that a cancellation-requiring event has occurred) as one piece of control information to the monitoring device 102 via the network 100 periodically.

[0232] The monitoring device 102 is provided to monitor whether or not various controls by the automatic driving control device 101 are operating normally. That is, the monitoring device 102 basically has the same configuration as the automatic driving control device 101, and like the automatic driving control device 101, the control unit 102a executes control calculations for the automatic control functions based on the set automatic driving level.

[0233] That is, the monitoring device 102 does not actually execute the automatic control function, but performs the control calculations for the automatic control function in the same manner as the automatic driving control device 101. That is, both the automatic driving control device 101 and the monitoring device 102 execute the control calculations required to realize the automatic control function according to the set automatic driving level.

[0234] Therefore, assuming that the monitoring device operates normally, and if the automatic driving control device 101 is normal, the results of the control calculations of both should be the same. On the other hand, if an abnormality occurs in the automatic driving control device 101 and the automatic control function does not operate normally, the results of the control calculations of both may differ (the calculation result of the automatic driving control device 101 may be abnormal).

[0235] Therefore, the monitoring device 102 compares its own control calculation result with the control calculation result by the automatic driving control device 101, and if the two do not match, it forcibly cancels the automatic control function by the automatic driving control device 101. Specifically, the control unit 102a of the monitoring device 102 executes a control state monitoring process shown in FIG.

[0236] 12, the control unit 102a of the monitoring device 102 executes a calculation process of the automatic control function corresponding to the set automatic driving level in S501. In S502, the control unit 102a acquires the calculation result of the control calculation of the automatic control function in the automatic driving control device 101 from the automatic driving control device 101 via the network 100.

[0237] In S503, the result of its own calculation in S501 is compared with the result of calculation by the automatic driving control device 101 acquired in S502 to determine whether or not the two match. If the two do not match (S503: NO), it is determined that the result of calculation by the automatic driving control device 101 is not normal, and in S508, a forced release process is executed to forcibly release the automatic control function by the automatic driving control device 101.

[0238] There are various possible specific contents of the forced cancellation process of S508. For example, the monitoring device 102 may instruct the travel drive control unit 46, the brake control unit 47, and the steering control unit 48 to ignore control commands from the automatic driving control device 101, so that each of these control units 46 to 48 operates independently of the automatic driving control device 101 (i.e., automatic driving is cancelled).

[0239] Also, for example, by transmitting determination information to the effect that the calculation results do not match to the automatic driving control device 101 via the network 100, the automatic driving control device 101 may be forced to cancel automatic driving.

[0240] Also, for example, switches for connecting / disconnecting an electrical connection between the automatic driving control device 101 and the travel drive control unit 46, between the automatic driving control device 101 and the brake control unit 47, and between the automatic driving control device 101 and the steering control unit 48 may be provided. Then, by turning off at least one of the switches (i.e., disconnecting the electrical connection), it may be possible to prevent control from the automatic driving control device 101.

[0241] Also, a possible cause of abnormal calculation results by the automatic driving control device 101 is unauthorized access from outside to the automatic driving control device 101. For this reason, a switch for connecting / disconnecting the electrical connection between the communication means group 112 and the automatic driving control device 101 may be provided between the communication means group 112 and the automatic driving control device 101, and physical access from outside may be prevented by turning off this switch (i.e., disconnecting the electrical connection).

[0242] In S503, if the calculation results match (S503: YES), it is determined whether or not a cancellation-requiring event has occurred in S504. Specifically, it is determined whether or not a cancellation-requiring event has occurred by performing processes exactly the same as the processes in S112 to S115 in the automatic driving cancellation confirmation process of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

[0243] In S505, it is determined whether or not a cancellation event has occurred based on the determination result of S504. If a cancellation event has not occurred (S505: NO), the control state monitoring process is terminated. If a cancellation event has occurred (S505: YES), in S506, the determination result of the presence or absence of a cancellation event in the automatic driving control device 101 is obtained from the automatic driving control device 101 via the network 100.

[0244] In S507, based on the result acquired in S506, it is determined whether or not the automatic driving control device 101 has also determined that a cancellation-requiring event has occurred. If the automatic driving control device 101 has also determined that a cancellation-requiring event has occurred, it is determined that the automatic driving control device 101 is operating normally, and the control state monitoring process is terminated. On the other hand, if the automatic driving control device 101 has not determined that a cancellation-requiring event has occurred, it is determined that the automatic driving control device 101 is not operating normally for some reason, and the process proceeds to S508, where the forced release process is executed as described above.

[0245] According to the vehicle of the second embodiment described above, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. That is, in the second embodiment, a monitoring device 102 is provided in addition to the automatic driving control device 101. The monitoring device 102 also performs control calculations substantially similar to those of the automatic driving control device 101, and compares the calculation results with those of the automatic driving control device 101, and judges whether the automatic driving control device 101 is operating normally depending on whether the two match.

[0246] In other words, two independent computers are made to execute the same control calculations, and by checking whether the results of the two calculations match, it is possible to determine whether the operation of one of the computers (here, the automatic driving control device 101) is normal.

[0247] Then, if the two calculation results do not match, the monitoring device 102 executes a forced cancellation process (S508 in FIG. 12) to forcibly cancel the autonomous driving. Note that, similar to the first embodiment, the autonomous driving control device 101 cancels the autonomous driving by itself when a cancellation-requiring event occurs. In the second embodiment, in addition, the monitoring device 102 also performs a forced cancellation process to cancel the autonomous driving. Therefore, when a situation arises in which autonomous driving should be cancelled, it is possible to more reliably cancel the autonomous driving.

[0248] [Other embodiments] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments and may take various forms.

[0249] (1) The specific examples of events requiring cancellation shown in the above embodiments are merely examples. It is also possible to determine whether or not other events that are considered to require cancellation of the autonomous driving have occurred, and to cancel the autonomous driving if they have occurred.

[0250] For example, in the above first embodiment, an example was shown in which autonomous driving is cancelled when the driver behaves abnormally, but autonomous driving may also be cancelled based on the behavior of other occupants other than the driver.

[0251] In addition, whether or not to deactivate the autonomous driving may be determined not only based on the behavior of the occupants (including the driver) but also based on what the occupants say. For example, if someone says, "An ambulance is approaching from behind!", the autonomous driving may be deactivated and the driver may be responsible for driving. In other words, the autonomous driving may be deactivated in response to a specific phrase or sentence.

[0252] In addition, the infrastructure may monitor the vehicle's driving state, and if the driving state is unstable (i.e., if there is a possibility that the automatic control function is not operating normally), the vehicle may be notified of this via road-to-vehicle communication, etc. Then, when the vehicle receives the notification from the infrastructure, the automatic driving may be forcibly cancelled.

[0253] (2) In the above embodiment, the autonomous driving level is forcibly set to level 0 if any event requiring deactivation occurs when the autonomous driving level is level 1 or higher, but the autonomous driving level may be set to 0 if an event requiring deactivation occurs when the autonomous driving level is equal to or higher than a predetermined level n that is higher than level 1 (i.e., ignored if the level is less than n). Alternatively, if an event requiring deactivation occurs when the driving mode is in highly automated mode, the autonomous driving level may be forcibly set to level 0, and if the driving mode is in basic mode, the basic mode setting may be maintained even if an event requiring deactivation occurs.

[0254] In addition, when a deactivation event occurs, it is not necessary to set the autonomous driving level to level 0, and the autonomous driving level may be lowered to at least a level lower than the current autonomous driving level. For example, when a deactivation event occurs in the highly automated mode, the mode may be switched to the basic mode.

[0255] (3) The cameras and radar devices necessary to realize autonomous driving may be installed anywhere in the vehicle 1, and any number of cameras and radar devices may be installed. The installation locations and numbers of cameras and radar devices may be appropriately determined so as to realize the desired automatic control functions. In addition, the on-vehicle devices necessary to realize autonomous driving are not limited to the various devices shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

[0256] (4) In addition, the function of one component in the above embodiments may be distributed as multiple components, or the functions of multiple components may be integrated into one component. At least a part of the configuration of the above embodiments may be replaced with a known configuration having a similar function. A part of the configuration of the above embodiments may be omitted. At least a part of the configuration of the above embodiments may be added to or substituted for the configuration of another of the above embodiments. Any aspect included in the technical idea identified only by the wording described in the claims is an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0257] [Technical concept understood from the embodiment] At least the following technical ideas can be understood from the various embodiments described above in detail. (A) An automatic driving control device mounted on a vehicle, a surrounding information acquisition unit that acquires surrounding information that is information about the surroundings of the vehicle; A driving mode setting unit sets a driving mode of the vehicle to either a highly automated mode in which at least a part of a plurality of types of driving operations required for driving the vehicle is automatically executed based on the surrounding information, or a basic mode in which the types of automatic driving operations, which are the driving operations to be automatically executed, are fewer than those in the highly automated mode or are zero; Based on the operation mode set by the operation mode setting unit, An automatic control unit that executes the automatic driving operation set in accordance with the a cancellation-required event determination unit that, when the operation mode is set to an operation mode having at least one of the automatic driving operations to be executed, determines whether or not a predetermined cancellation-required event has occurred that requires cancellation of at least one of the automatic driving operations set in the operation mode; Equipped with When the operation mode is set to an operation mode having at least one of the automatic operation operations to be executed, if the cancellation-required event determination unit determines that the cancellation-required event has occurred, the automatic control unit stops the execution of at least one of the set automatic operation operations. Automatic driving control device.

[0258] In the automatic driving control device of the above configuration, not only does the cancel-required event judgment unit judge whether or not a cancel-required event has occurred when the driving mode is set to the highly automated mode, but also, even when the driving mode is set to the basic mode, if the basic mode is set to execute at least one of multiple types of automatic driving operations, the cancel-required event judgment unit judges whether or not a cancel-required event has occurred.

[0259] In other words, regardless of the type of operation mode that is set, when at least one of the multiple types of automatic driving operations is set to be executed, the cancellation event determination unit determines whether or not a cancellation event has occurred. If it is determined that a cancellation event has occurred, at least one of the automatic driving operations to be executed is stopped.

[0260] An event requiring deactivation is an event that may occur due to the autonomous driving operation currently being performed not being performed normally, or an event in which the autonomous driving operation is currently being performed normally but the occurrence of the event may cause a disruption to the execution of the autonomous driving operation.

[0261] One or more cancellation-requiring events may be set in advance. When multiple cancellation-requiring events are set, the cancellation-requiring event determination unit may determine whether or not all of the multiple cancellation-requiring events have occurred, or may determine whether or not some of the multiple cancellation-requiring events have occurred. In the latter case, which of the multiple cancellation-requiring events is to be determined as the determination target may be determined as appropriate. For example, at least one of a cancellation-requiring event that occurs when an automatic driving operation set to be executed in the current driving mode is not executed normally and a cancellation-requiring event that may cause an interruption to the automatic driving operation may be included in the determination target.

[0262] In addition, the timing at which the release-required event determination unit determines whether or not a release-required event has occurred may be determined as appropriate, other than the above. For example, depending on the number and type of automatic driving operations set to be executed in the current driving mode, it may be determined whether or not the release-required event determination unit should determine whether or not a release-required event has occurred, and if so, at what specific timing the determination should be made. (B) In (A) above: An automatic driving control device, in which the event requiring deactivation is set to be at least one of the following operating states: at least one operating state that may occur when there is a possibility that the automatic driving operation set as the target for execution is not being executed normally; and at least one operating state that may cause the automatic driving operation set as the target for execution to not be executed normally.

[0263] In this way, by appropriately setting the vehicle operation state in which the autonomous driving operation is not being performed normally (or may not be performed normally) as a cancellation event, the autonomous driving operation that is being performed can be It is possible to appropriately determine whether or not the rolling operation should be stopped. (C) In (A) or (B) above, An automatic driving control device, in which the event requiring deactivation is set to at least one of the following: an occupant of the vehicle exhibiting a specific first behavior, a person around the vehicle exhibiting a specific second behavior, and another vehicle around the vehicle performing a specific third action.

[0264] If an autonomous driving operation currently being performed is no longer performed normally, the effect will be reflected in the operating state of the vehicle, which may cause the vehicle occupants to exhibit specific behaviors (e.g., expressions of surprise or anxiety), people around the vehicle to exhibit specific behaviors (e.g., many people's gazes are focused on the vehicle, or fingers are pointed at the vehicle), or other vehicles (more specifically, occupants of other vehicles) to perform specific actions toward the vehicle (e.g., honking the horn or flashing their lights). Therefore, by setting at least one of the first behavior, the second behavior, and the third behavior as a cancellation-requiring event, it is possible to appropriately determine whether or not the autonomous driving operation currently being performed should be stopped. (D) In ​​any one of (A) to (C) above, An automatic driving control device, wherein the event requiring cancellation is set to be a specific environment set in advance around the vehicle.

[0265] A specific environment refers to an environment in which the autonomous driving operation being executed may not be executed normally, or an environment in which one or more specific autonomous driving operations should not be executed, such as bad weather such as heavy rain or thick fog, or when the vehicle is traveling in an area where it is considered preferable to leave the vehicle to the driver's own driving operation rather than the autonomous driving operation, such as a school zone or an area where accidents frequently occur.

[0266] By setting the presence of a vehicle in such a specific environment as a cancellation-requiring event, it is possible to appropriately determine whether or not the ongoing autonomous driving operation should be stopped. [Explanation of symbols]

[0267] 1...vehicle, 2...front camera, 3...rear camera, 4...left side camera, 5...right side camera, 6...interior camera, 9...front window, 10...steering wheel, 11...front radar device, 12...rear radar device, 13...left side radar device, 14...right side radar device, 16...sun radiation sensor, 17...rainfall sensor, 18...wheel speed sensor, 19...current sensor, 20...steering amount sensor, 21...interior contact sensor, 22...engine room temperature sensor, 23...engine room sound sensor, 24...tire pressure sensor, 25...suspension sensor, 26...exterior sound sensor, 27...impact sensor, 30,101...auto automatic driving control device, 30a, 101a, 102a...control unit, 30b, 101b, 102b...memory, 31...GPS communication unit, 32...vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit, 33...road-to-vehicle communication unit, 34...pedestrian-to-vehicle communication unit, 35...LTE communication unit, 36...operation unit, 37...display unit, 38...speaker, 41...automatic driving switch, 42...level setting operation unit, 43...emergency stop lever, 44...release reset switch, 46...driving control unit, 47...brake control unit, 48...steering control unit, 81...road communication device, 82...camera, 100...network, 102...monitoring device, 111...detection means group, 112...communication means group.

Claims

1. an electric motor as a driving source for traveling; An impact sensor; A vehicle comprising: Obtain surrounding information that is information about the surroundings of the vehicle; A driving mode of the vehicle is set to either a highly automated mode in which at least a part of a plurality of types of driving operations required for driving the vehicle is automatically executed based on the surrounding information, or a basic mode in which the types of the automatic driving operations, which are the driving operations to be automatically executed, are fewer than those of the highly automated mode; Executing the automatic driving operation set in the set driving mode based on the set driving mode; Detecting an impact applied to the vehicle from outside the vehicle based on a detection signal from the impact sensor; When the driving mode is set to at least the highly automated mode and the following automated driving operation (b) is set to be executed, when the impact is detected, the execution of the automated driving operation (b) is stopped and the vehicle is brought to an emergency stop; The basic mode includes the following automatic driving operation (f): vehicle. (b) Lane keeping control, which automatically steers the steering wheels so that the vehicle stays within the lane without deviating from the lane markings. (f) Collision prevention control, which automatically steers the vehicle to avoid colliding with an obstacle when an obstacle is present on the road in the direction of travel of the vehicle.

2. an electric motor as a driving source for traveling; An impact sensor; A vehicle comprising: Obtain surrounding information that is information about the surroundings of the vehicle; A driving mode of the vehicle is set to either a highly automated mode in which at least a part of a plurality of types of driving operations required for driving the vehicle is automatically executed based on the surrounding information, or a basic mode in which the types of the automatic driving operations, which are the driving operations to be automatically executed, are fewer than those of the highly automated mode; Executing the automatic driving operation set in the set driving mode based on the set driving mode; Detecting an impact applied to the vehicle from outside the vehicle based on a detection signal from the impact sensor; When the driving mode is set to at least the highly automated mode and the autonomous driving operation of the following (d) is set to be executed, when the impact is detected, the execution of the autonomous driving operation of (d) is stopped and the vehicle is brought to an emergency stop; The basic mode includes the following automatic driving operation (b) or (f), vehicle. (d) When a lane change is necessary, this detects other vehicles in the adjacent lane to which the vehicle will be changed, and automatically changes lanes while controlling the driving force, braking force, or steering to avoid colliding with the other vehicles depending on the presence, position, or speed of the other vehicles. (b) Lane keeping control, which automatically steers the steering wheels so that the vehicle stays within the lane without deviating from the lane markings. (f) Collision prevention control, which automatically steers the vehicle to avoid colliding with an obstacle when an obstacle is present on the road in the direction of travel of the vehicle.

3. an electric motor as a driving source for traveling; An impact sensor; A vehicle comprising: Obtain surrounding information that is information about the surroundings of the vehicle; A driving mode of the vehicle is set to either a highly automated mode in which at least a part of a plurality of types of driving operations required for driving the vehicle is automatically executed based on the surrounding information, or a basic mode in which the types of the automatic driving operations, which are the driving operations to be automatically executed, are fewer than those of the highly automated mode; Executing the automatic driving operation set in the set driving mode based on the set driving mode; Detecting an impact applied to the vehicle from outside the vehicle based on a detection signal from the impact sensor; When the driving mode is set to at least the highly automated mode and the autonomous driving operation of the following (e) is set to be executed, when the impact is detected, the execution of the autonomous driving operation of (e) is stopped and the vehicle is brought to an emergency stop; The basic mode includes the following automatic driving operation (b) or (f), vehicle. (e) Right- or left-turn control that automatically turns right or left when a right or left turn is required without colliding with oncoming vehicles, vehicles traveling at an intersection, other vehicles around the vehicle, or pedestrians. (b) Lane keeping control, which automatically steers the steering wheels so that the vehicle stays within the lane without deviating from the lane markings. (f) Collision prevention control, which automatically steers the vehicle to avoid colliding with an obstacle when an obstacle is present on the road in the direction of travel of the vehicle.

4. an electric motor as a driving source for traveling; An impact sensor; A vehicle comprising: Obtain surrounding information that is information about the surroundings of the vehicle; A driving mode of the vehicle is set to either a highly automated mode in which at least a part of a plurality of types of driving operations required for driving the vehicle is automatically executed based on the surrounding information, or a basic mode in which the types of the automatic driving operations, which are the driving operations to be automatically executed, are fewer than those of the highly automated mode; Executing the automatic driving operation set in the set driving mode based on the set driving mode; Detecting an impact applied to the vehicle from outside the vehicle based on a detection signal from the impact sensor; When the driving mode is set to at least the highly automated mode and the autonomous driving operation of the following (f) is set to be executed, when the impact is detected, the execution of the autonomous driving operation of (f) is stopped and the vehicle is brought to an emergency stop; The basic mode includes the following automatic driving operation (b): vehicle. (f) Collision prevention control, which automatically steers the vehicle to avoid colliding with an obstacle when an obstacle is present on the road in the direction of travel of the vehicle. (b) Lane keeping control, which automatically steers the steering wheels so that the vehicle stays within the lane without deviating from the lane markings.

5. an electric motor as a driving source for traveling; An impact sensor; A vehicle comprising: Obtain surrounding information that is information about the surroundings of the vehicle; A driving mode of the vehicle is set to either a highly automated mode in which at least a part of a plurality of types of driving operations required for driving the vehicle is automatically executed based on the surrounding information, or a basic mode in which the types of the automatic driving operations, which are the driving operations to be automatically executed, are fewer than those of the highly automated mode; Executing the automatic driving operation set in the set driving mode based on the set driving mode; Detecting an impact applied to the vehicle from outside the vehicle based on a detection signal from the impact sensor; When the driving mode is set to at least the highly automated mode and the autonomous driving operation of (g) below is set to be executed, when the impact is detected, the execution of the autonomous driving operation of (g) is stopped and the vehicle is brought to an emergency stop; The basic mode includes the following automatic driving operation (b) or (f), vehicle. (g) When a specific target parking position is set as a destination, parking control calculates a driving trajectory to the target parking position and controls the driving force, braking force or steering of the vehicle along the driving trajectory to automatically park the vehicle. (b) Lane keeping control, which automatically steers the steering wheels so that the vehicle stays within the lane without deviating from the lane markings. (f) Collision prevention control, which automatically steers the vehicle to avoid colliding with an obstacle when an obstacle is present on the road in the direction of travel of the vehicle.

6. A vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 5, When the vehicle is brought to an emergency stop, the vehicle is stopped on a road shoulder so as not to come into contact with an object outside the vehicle. vehicle.

7. A vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 6, Detecting a fraudulent factor including at least one of a fraudulent operation from outside the vehicle, a computer virus, fraudulent software, and fraudulent data; Executing a fraud response process when the fraud factor is detected. vehicle.

8. 8. A vehicle according to claim 7, The fraud response process includes at least one of the following (i) to (iii): vehicle. (a) Forcibly decelerating the vehicle (b) Forcibly stopping the vehicle (c) stopping the automatic execution of the driving operation that is set to be automatically executed in the driving mode;

9. A vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 8, Cameras provided on the left and right sides of the vehicle; A radar device provided on a left side surface and a right side surface of the vehicle; Further comprising: vehicle.

10. A vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 9, A vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit that transmits and receives data to and from other vehicles; a road-to-vehicle communication unit that receives information transmitted from a road communication device installed on a road; Further comprising: vehicle.

11. A vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 10, When the operation mode is set to the highly automated mode, if any of the following (2a) to (2h) occurs, the highly automated mode is cancelled. vehicle. (2a) The relative speed with other vehicles is abnormal (2b) Abnormal suspension behavior (2c) There is something wrong with the engine room. (2d) Abnormal current occurs (2e) A tire goes flat. (2f) Occurrence of slip (2g) Steering condition is abnormal (2h) The weather around the vehicle is bad.

12. A vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 11, When the driving mode is set to the highly automated mode, if it is determined that the driver's behavior is abnormal, the vehicle is brought to an emergency stop. vehicle.

13. A vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 12, determining whether the vehicle is traveling in a caution section; When the driving mode is set to the highly automated mode, if it is determined that the vehicle is traveling in a caution section, the highly automated mode is cancelled. vehicle.

14. A vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 13, A process of storing a control operation that is automatically performed during the automatic driving operation as a history in association with a location where the control operation was performed. vehicle.

15. A vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 14, When a cancellation event occurs that requires the automatic driving operation to be cancelled, the passenger of the vehicle is notified. If there is no response from the occupant to which the notification has been given, the vehicle is brought to an emergency stop. vehicle.

16. A vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 15, Equipped with facilities to receive notifications from the infrastructure side, vehicle.

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