Information processing method and information processing system

Abstract

This information processing method is to be executed by a computer, and includes: acquiring a departure point and a destination (S11); acquiring driving information relating to driving, by a passenger or a remote operator, of a moving body which is capable of switching between automated driving and manual driving (S12); calculating, in accordance with the departure point, the destination, and the driving information, a transfer route, which is at least one of a first route including a manual sector in which driving by the passenger or the remote operator is required, and a second route which does not include a manual sector (S15); and outputting the calculated transfer route (S16).

Description

Information processing method and information processing system

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing method and an information processing system for a mobile body that can switch between automatic driving and manual driving.

[0002] In recent years, various studies have been conducted on autonomous vehicles that can switch between autonomous driving and manual driving. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses an information processing device that presents manual driving sections and autonomous driving sections of a driving route to passengers.

[0003] International Publication No. 2019 / 082774

[0004] However, the information processing device of Patent Document 1 may not propose a driving route that is suited to the needs of manual driving of a moving body such as an autonomous vehicle. For example, according to Patent Document 1, although passengers are notified of manual driving sections, it may happen that there is no passenger on board who can drive the autonomous vehicle.

[0005] Therefore, the present disclosure provides an information processing method and an information processing device that can output a driving route that meets needs regarding manual driving of a mobile object.

[0006] An information processing method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing method executed by a computer, which acquires a departure point and a destination, acquires driving information related to driving by a passenger or a remote worker of a mobile body that can switch between automatic driving and manual driving, calculates a travel route that is at least one of a first route that includes a manual section that requires driving by the passenger or the remote worker, and a second route that does not include the manual section, based on the departure point, the destination, and the driving information, and outputs the calculated travel route.

[0007] An information processing system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a first acquisition unit that acquires a departure point and a destination, a second acquisition unit that acquires driving information related to driving by a passenger or a remote worker of a mobile body that can switch between automatic driving and manual driving, a calculation unit that calculates a travel route that is at least one of a first route that includes a manual section that requires driving by the passenger or the remote worker and a second route that does not include the manual section based on the departure point, the destination, and the driving information, and an output unit that outputs the calculated travel route.

[0008] According to an information processing method and the like according to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to output a driving route that meets needs regarding manual driving of a mobile object.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an information processing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an input result by a passenger according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of route information according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation before a vehicle starts traveling in the information processing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation for searching for a candidate route shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a route search result according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation for extracting a candidate route shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a candidate route according to the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an operation for determining whether manual intervention by a driver is appropriate during traveling in the information processing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an operation for resetting a traveling route in the information processing system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation for updating the route information shown in FIG. 10. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a table in which road conditions and necessary manual interventions are associated with each other according to the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation for resetting the traveling route shown in FIG. 10. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of an input result by a passenger according to a first variation of the first embodiment. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of route information according to Modification 1 of Embodiment 1. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a route search result according to Modification 1 of Embodiment 1. FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation for extracting a candidate route according to Modification 1 of Embodiment 1. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a candidate route according to Modification 1 of Embodiment 1. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a passenger input result according to Modification 2 of Embodiment 1. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of route information according to Modification 2 of Embodiment 1. FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation for extracting a candidate route according to Modification 2 of Embodiment 1. FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of a candidate route according to Modification 2 of Embodiment 1. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information processing system according to Embodiment 2. FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing an operation for setting a monitoring priority in the information processing system according to Embodiment 2.

[0010] An information processing method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing method executed by a computer, which acquires a departure point and a destination, acquires driving information related to driving by a passenger or a remote worker of a mobile body that can switch between automatic driving and manual driving, calculates a travel route that is at least one of a first route that includes a manual section that requires driving by the passenger or the remote worker, and a second route that does not include the manual section, based on the departure point, the destination, and the driving information, and outputs the calculated travel route.

[0011] As a result, the travel route is calculated according to the driving information of the passenger or the remote operator, making it possible to output a route that reflects the passenger's needs regarding manual driving.

[0012] Furthermore, for example, the driving information may include a driving skill indicating whether the passenger or the remote worker is capable of driving the vehicle.

[0013] As a result, the travel route is calculated according to the driving skill, and therefore the route reflects the presence or absence of a driver or a remote operator. For example, if the driving skill indicates that the passenger or the remote operator can drive the mobile vehicle, that is, if the passenger has a driver or the remote operator can remotely operate the mobile vehicle, a first route including a manual section can be output. Therefore, a travel route according to the driving skill of the passenger or the remote operator riding in the mobile vehicle can be output.

[0014] Also, for example, when calculating the travel route, if the driving skill indicates that the driver is unable to drive, only the second route may be calculated, and if the driving skill indicates that the driver is able to drive, at least one of the first route and the second route may be calculated.

[0015] This makes it possible to output a travel route according to the driving skill, i.e., a travel route according to the presence or absence of a driver or a remote operator. For example, if the driving skill indicates that the driver is unable to drive, only a second route not including a manual section is calculated, thereby making it possible to calculate a travel route that can reach the destination even when a driver or a remote operator is not present. Furthermore, for example, if the driving skill of the passenger or the remote operator indicates that the driver is able to drive, calculating at least one of the first route and the second route increases the number of travel route options compared to calculating only one of the first route and the second route. For example, calculating the first route makes it possible to reach the destination even when the destination cannot be reached using only the automated sections. Furthermore, calculating the first route may make it possible to reach the destination in a short time by traveling through the automated sections even when the destination cannot be reached using only the automated sections without traveling through a detour, etc. Furthermore, for example, even when the mobile vehicle has a driver or a remote operator who remotely monitors or operates the mobile vehicle, a second route not including a manual section may be calculated.

[0016] Furthermore, for example, the driving information may include driving content permitted by the passenger or the remote operator.

[0017] As a result, a travel route is calculated according to the driving content, so that a travel route according to driving information including the driving needs of the passenger or remote worker can be output. For example, if a vehicle has a driver but the driver does not want to drive, a second route is calculated, so that a travel route according to the driver's willingness to drive can be calculated. Also, a first route according to the driving content that the driver is willing to accept can be calculated.

[0018] Also, for example, when calculating the travel route, a tentative route may be calculated according to the departure point and the destination, the manual section included in the tentative route may be extracted, and it may be determined whether the extracted manual section is a section corresponding to the driving content, and if it is determined that it is the corresponding section, the tentative route may be calculated as the first route.

[0019] This allows the first route to be calculated from the tentative routes that can reach the destination based on whether the section corresponds to the driving content included in the driving information. In other words, a travel route that corresponds to the driving content that the driver is willing to accept can be calculated as the first route.

[0020] Also, for example, the driving content may include driving operations permitted by the passenger or the remote worker, and the corresponding section may include a section where the driving operations required for the moving body to move correspond to the driving operations included in the driving content.

[0021] As a result, a section corresponding to the driving operation permitted by the driver or remote operator is calculated as the first route. In other words, a travel route that can be traveled by manually intervening in the driving operation permitted by the driver or remote operator is calculated as the first route. Therefore, a travel route that corresponds to the driving operation that the driver or remote operator can perform can be output.

[0022] Also, for example, the driving content may include driving operations permitted by the passenger or the remote worker, and the corresponding section may include a section where a driving operation that improves the movement of the moving body corresponds to a driving operation included in the driving content.

[0023] As a result, a section corresponding to a driving operation that improves the movement of the moving object is calculated as the first route. For example, if the driving operation that improves the movement is a driving operation that shortens the movement time of the moving object, a first route that shortens the movement time can be calculated.

[0024] Furthermore, for example, task information of the remote operator may be acquired, and the driving content that the remote operator is allowed to drive may be determined based on the task information.

[0025] This allows the route of the vehicle to be calculated based on the driving content according to the task status of the remote worker, thereby balancing the burden on the remote worker with the needs of the passengers.

[0026] Also, for example, when the moving body reaches the manual section of the output first route or a location a predetermined distance before the manual section, a driving request may be notified to the passenger or the remote worker who is able to drive via a presentation device.

[0027] This allows the driver or remote operator to be notified of the driving request in the manual section or at a location a predetermined distance before the manual section, making it possible to make the driver or remote operator aware that the manual section is about to switch, thereby enabling a smooth switch from automated driving to manual driving.

[0028] Further, for example, in the manual section of the output first route, it may be determined whether the mobile body is being driven by the passenger or the remote worker who is capable of driving in the manual section of the first route.

[0029] This makes it possible to determine whether the driver or the remote operator is driving while moving through the manual section. For example, if the driver or the remote operator is not driving while moving through the manual section, the moving body can be stopped, etc., thereby ensuring the safety of the moving body.

[0030] Further, for example, the driving content may include driving operations that can be performed by the passenger or the remote worker, and in the manual section of the output first route, it may be determined whether the moving body is being driven by the passenger or the remote worker who is capable of driving in the manual section of the first route, and determining whether the passenger or the remote worker is driving may further include determining whether the driving operations included in the driving content are being performed.

[0031] This makes it possible to determine whether the driver or remote operator is performing appropriate driving operations while traveling in the manual section, i.e., to obtain the status of the driver's or remote operator's driving operations in the manual section.

[0032] Also, for example, if it is determined that the mobile object is not being driven by the passenger or the remote worker who is capable of driving on the manual section of the first route, an instruction to restrict the movement of the mobile object may be output.

[0033] This restricts the movement of the mobile body when the driver or remote operator is not driving the manual section, thereby further ensuring the safety of the movement of the mobile body.

[0034] Furthermore, for example, the monitoring priority of the moving object may be set in accordance with the driving information, and the set monitoring priority may be output.

[0035] As a result, when the movement of a mobile object is monitored by a remote worker (operator), the driving skill can be used to set the monitoring priority. Setting the monitoring priority according to the driving skill reduces the operator's monitoring burden. For example, when the monitoring priority is set high if the driving skill is drivable (i.e., when manual driving is considered to be riskier than autonomous driving), the operator only needs to focus on monitoring autonomous vehicles with drivers, thereby reducing the operator's monitoring burden. Note that when the monitoring priority is set low if the driving skill is drivable (i.e., when manual driving is considered to be riskier than autonomous driving), the operator only needs to focus on monitoring autonomous vehicles without drivers, thereby reducing the operator's monitoring burden.

[0036] Furthermore, for example, traffic environment information may be acquired, and based on the traffic environment information, it may be determined whether a change in the traffic environment has occurred on the travel route after the travel route has been output; if it is determined that a change in the traffic environment has occurred, it may be determined whether the change in the traffic environment has resulted in the addition or modification of the manual section on the travel route; if it is determined that the manual section has been added or modified, it may be determined whether the passenger or the remote worker is capable of driving the manual section that has been added or modified in accordance with the driving information; and if it is determined that the passenger or the remote worker is not capable of driving, the travel route may be changed.

[0037] As a result, if a change occurs in the traffic environment of the travel route and the driver or remote operator is unable to drive the added or changed manual section, the travel route can be changed to one that reflects the change. Therefore, even if the traffic environment has changed, a travel route can be output that corresponds to the driving skill of the passengers on the mobile object or the remote operator who remotely monitors or remotely operates the mobile object.

[0038] Furthermore, for example, in the calculation of the travel route, a plurality of travel routes may be calculated, and in the output of the travel route, the plurality of travel routes may be presented as candidate routes via a presentation device.

[0039] This allows the passenger or remote worker to select a travel route for the mobile object from among the candidate routes, thereby improving the degree of freedom in selecting a travel route.

[0040] Also, for example, an interface for receiving input of the driving details may be presented via a presentation device.

[0041] This allows passengers or remote workers to input driving details while checking an interface such as an image.

[0042] In addition, an information processing system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a first acquisition unit that acquires a departure point and a destination, a second acquisition unit that acquires driving information related to driving by a mobile body that can switch between automatic driving and manual driving or by a remote worker, a calculation unit that calculates a travel route that is at least one of a first route that includes a manual section that requires driving by the passenger or the remote worker and a second route that does not include the manual section, based on the departure point, the destination, and the driving information, and an output unit that outputs the calculated travel route.

[0043] This provides the same effect as the above-described information processing method.

[0044] Furthermore, these comprehensive or specific aspects may be realized as a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a non-transitory recording medium such as a computer-readable CD-ROM, or may be realized as any combination of a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium.

[0045] Specific examples of an information processing method and an information processing system according to one aspect of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Each of the embodiments shown here represents a specific example of the present disclosure. Therefore, the numerical values, shapes, components, steps, and order of steps shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Furthermore, among the components in the following embodiments, components that are not recited in independent claims will be described as optional components. Furthermore, the contents of each of the embodiments can be combined.

[0046] Furthermore, each figure is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily an exact illustration. Therefore, for example, the scales of the figures do not necessarily match. Furthermore, in each figure, substantially the same components are given the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations are omitted or simplified.

[0047] Furthermore, in this specification, numerical values ​​and numerical ranges are not expressions that express only the strict meaning, but are expressions that mean that a substantially equivalent range, for example, a difference of about several percent, is also included.

[0048] First Embodiment An information processing method according to the present embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS.

[0049] [1-1. Configuration of Information Processing System] First, the configuration of an information processing system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of an information processing system 1 according to this embodiment.

[0050] 1 , the information processing system 1 includes a vehicle 10 and a server device 20. The vehicle 10 and the server device 20 are communicatively connected via a network (not shown). The information processing system 1 is a vehicle information processing system for setting a driving route for the vehicle 10.

[0051] Vehicle 10 is an example of a moving body that can switch between automatic driving and manual driving. That is, vehicle 10 has an automatic driving mode and a manual driving mode. In the present embodiment, vehicle 10 is an automatically driven vehicle that can switch between automatic driving and manual driving. Note that automatically driven vehicles include what are generally called vehicles, such as automobiles, trains, taxis, and buses. Furthermore, the moving body may be an aircraft such as a drone, a hovercraft, or a ship, in addition to a vehicle. Furthermore, traveling is an example of movement, and a traveling route is an example of a travel route.

[0052] The vehicle 10 includes a reception unit 11 , a control unit 12 , a display unit 13 , a sensor 14 , and a communication unit 15 .

[0053] The reception unit 11 receives input from passengers. The reception unit 11 receives a departure point and a destination from the passengers. The reception unit 11 also receives driving information related to the driving of the vehicle 10 by the passengers. The driving information includes, for example, driving skills indicating whether the passengers are capable of driving the vehicle 10. That is, the reception unit 11 receives input indicating whether any passengers are capable of driving the vehicle 10. The driving skills may include driving operations that can be performed by passengers who are capable of driving. For example, the driving operations that the passengers can perform may be input by the passengers, such as the driving content that the passengers allow, as described below, or may be estimated from past driving history. The driving skills may also include the accuracy or proficiency of driving operations.

[0054] Hereinafter, a passenger who is capable of driving the vehicle 10 will also be referred to as a "driver." Being capable of driving means being qualified to drive the vehicle 10, and may mean, for example, having a driver's license or having taken a driving course. Furthermore, if a driver is present among the passengers, the reception unit 11 receives input of driving content permitted by the driver. In other words, the driving content permitted by the driver is information indicating the extent to which the driver plans to intervene in driving during manual driving. The driving content includes at least one of operation content and operation time (manual driving time). The reception unit 11 receives driving content such as "all manual," "automatic braking only," "automatic accelerator and brake," "automatic accelerator, brake, and steering with supervisory obligation," "automatic accelerator, brake, and steering with no supervisory obligation," and "10 minutes of driving time." The driving content is included in the driving information. The driving information may further include information identifying the passenger (e.g., a passenger ID), the passenger's name, contact information, etc. The driving content can also be said to include driving operations permitted by the driver.

[0055] The receiving unit 11 may receive at least one of driving skills and driving details as driving information.

[0056] Furthermore, when the route determination unit 40 calculates multiple travel routes as candidate routes, the reception unit 11 receives from the passenger a selection of a travel route to travel from among the candidate routes. The candidate routes are one or more travel routes that are used for allowing the passenger to select a travel route.

[0057] The reception unit 11 functions as a first acquisition unit and a second acquisition unit.

[0058] The reception unit 11 is realized by, for example, a touch panel, but may also be realized by hardware keys (hardware buttons), a slide switch, etc. The reception unit 11 may also receive various inputs based on information such as voice and gestures.

[0059] Here, the information received by the reception unit 11 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a passenger input result according to this embodiment. The information showing the passenger input result shown in Fig. 2 is included in the operation information.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 2 , the input result of the passenger includes the presence or absence of a driver, a degree of willingness to manually intervene, and a destination point section ID. The presence or absence of a driver indicates whether or not the passenger aboard the vehicle 10 is capable of driving the vehicle 10. For example, the presence or absence of a driver indicates whether or not a driver is present among the passengers aboard the vehicle 10. When the reception unit 11 receives that a driver is present among the passengers, the input result is "present." The input result of the presence or absence of a driver is an example of driving skill.

[0061] The degree of proactiveness of manual intervention indicates the driver's proactiveness in manually intervening in driving, based on an input indicating the degree to which the driver plans to intervene in driving during manual driving. In this embodiment, the degree of proactiveness of manual intervention is defined by the autonomous driving level, and the input result is "equivalent to autonomous driving level 3." The autonomous driving level indicated by the degree of proactiveness of manual intervention is an example of a driving operation that the driver is permitted to perform, and can be identified by the operation content. The destination section ID indicates the ID of the section in which the destination is located. "Equivalent to autonomous driving level 3" means that the input result corresponds to autonomous driving level 3. In the following, "equivalent to autonomous driving level 3" will also be simply referred to as "autonomous driving level 3." The same applies to other autonomous driving levels. The degree of proactiveness of manual intervention is an example of a permitted driving content.

[0062] The autonomous driving levels in this embodiment are defined as follows.

[0063] Autonomous driving level 1 is a level at which one of the operations of the accelerator (acceleration), steering (steering angle), and braking (control) is performed automatically. Autonomous driving level 2 is a level at which two or more of the operations of the accelerator, steering, and braking are performed automatically. Autonomous driving level 3 is a level at which all operations of the accelerator, steering, and braking are performed automatically, with the driver only taking action when necessary. Autonomous driving level 4 is a level at which all operations of the accelerator, steering, and braking are performed automatically, and the driver is not involved in driving. Autonomous driving level 3 is, for example, a level at which the driver is required to monitor, while autonomous driving level 4 is, for example, a level at which the driver is not required to monitor. Autonomous driving levels 3 and 4 are levels at which autonomous driving to a destination can be performed without the driver needing to perform any driving operation. Note that the autonomous driving levels are not limited to the four levels described above, and may be defined as five levels, for example.

[0064] In the following, sections with autonomous driving levels 1 and 2 will also be referred to as manual sections, and sections with autonomous driving levels 3 and 4 will also be referred to as automatic sections.

[0065] "Equivalent to autonomous driving level 3" shown in Figure 2 means, for example, that input has been made via the reception unit 11 indicating that the driver will not operate the accelerator, steering, or brakes, but will only take action when necessary, such as in an emergency.

[0066] Referring back to FIG. 1 , the control unit 12 controls each component of the vehicle 10. The control unit 12 controls, for example, transmission and reception of various information. The control unit 12 also performs various processes based on the sensing results of the sensor 14. For example, the control unit 12 may identify the passenger through authentication processing such as facial authentication based on an image of the passenger acquired from the sensor 14. Note that information required for facial authentication is stored in advance in the storage unit 50. The control unit 12 may also determine whether the driver is performing the necessary driving operation based on, for example, pressure data on the steering wheel acquired from the sensor 14.

[0067] The control unit 12 may also control the traveling of the vehicle 10. For example, the control unit 12 may stop or decelerate the traveling vehicle 10 based on control information from the server device 20.

[0068] The control unit 12 is realized by, for example, a microcomputer or a processor.

[0069] The display unit 13 displays information for passengers to input driving information and the like, and information about the driving route. The display (image) of information for passengers to input driving information and the like is an example of an interface. The display unit 13 provides, as an interface, a display for accepting input of at least one of driving skill and acceptable driving content, for example. The display is a display for accepting input of at least one of the presence or absence of a driver, driving operations that the driver can perform, driving operations that the driver is allowed to perform, and operation time. The display may be a display for acquiring at least the driving skill of the passenger. Furthermore, the interface is not limited to an image, and may be audio, etc.

[0070] The display unit 13 displays candidate routes for selecting a driving route as information related to the driving route. For example, the display unit 13 displays candidate routes and the time required to reach the destination as information related to the driving route. The time required is set in advance for each section. The display unit 13 may also display the degree of manual intervention required for manual sections (e.g., the level of autonomous driving) as information related to the driving route. The display unit 13 displays information related to the driving route using text, a table, a diagram, or the like. The display unit 13 may also display information related to the driving route by superimposing it on a map.

[0071] The display unit 13 also displays a driving route selected by a passenger from among the candidate routes. The display unit 13 also displays a notification (e.g., an alert) indicating that the driving mode will switch from one of automatic driving and manual driving to the other while the vehicle is traveling. The display unit 13 is an example of a presentation device that provides predetermined notifications to the driver. The display unit 13 also functions as an output unit that outputs the driving route.

[0072] The display unit 13 is realized by, for example, a liquid crystal panel, but may be realized by other display panels such as an organic EL panel, etc. The display unit 13 may also include a backlight.

[0073] The sensors 14 detect the status of the passengers and at least the status of the driver, for example the driver's position in the vehicle, whether the driver is ready to drive, and whether the driver is making any necessary manual interventions.

[0074] The sensor 14 is realized by, for example, a camera that captures images inside the vehicle, a sensor (for example, a pressure sensor) that is provided on the steering wheel and detects whether or not a passenger is gripping the steering wheel, or the like.

[0075] The sensor 14 may further include various sensors for autonomous driving of the vehicle 10. The sensor 14 may include one or more cameras that capture images of the surroundings of the vehicle 10, and one or more sensors that detect at least one of the position, speed, acceleration, jerk (jerk), steering angle, fuel level, remaining battery level, etc. of the vehicle 10.

[0076] The communication unit 15 communicates with the server device 20. The communication unit 15 is realized by, for example, a communication circuit (communication module). The communication unit 15 transmits input information indicating the input received by the reception unit 11 to the server device 20. The communication unit 15 may also transmit the sensing results of the sensor 14 to the server device 20. The communication unit 15 also acquires information indicating the driving route from the server device 20. Note that the driving information is included in the input information.

[0077] At least one of the components of the vehicle 10 may be realized by a component of a navigation system installed in the vehicle 10. For example, the reception unit 11 and the display unit 13 may be realized by a display panel provided with a touch panel function that is included in the navigation system.

[0078] The server device 20 performs a process of calculating a driving route of the vehicle 10 and a process of monitoring the driving of the vehicle 10. The server device 20 is a server configured by, for example, a personal computer, etc. The server device 20 has a communication unit 30, a route determination unit 40, a storage unit 50, and a driving monitoring unit 60.

[0079] The communication unit 30 communicates with the vehicle 10. The communication unit 30 is realized by, for example, a communication circuit (communication module).

[0080] The route determination unit 40 calculates a driving route for the vehicle 10. Because the vehicle 10 can switch between automatic driving and manual driving, the route determination unit 40 calculates a driving route that is at least one of a driving route that includes a manual section that requires driving by the driver and a driving route that does not include a manual section. Hereinafter, a driving route that includes a manual section will also be referred to as a first route, and a driving route that does not include a manual section will also be referred to as a second route. The route determination unit 40 is an example of a calculation unit that calculates the driving route for the vehicle 10.

[0081] The route determination unit 40 includes an update unit 41 , a route search unit 42 , a determination unit 43 , a route setting unit 44 , and a route change unit 45 .

[0082] The update unit 41 updates the route information (see FIG. 3 , described later) stored in the storage unit 50. The update unit 41 acquires road conditions from an external device via the communication unit 30 and updates the route information based on the acquired road conditions. The external device may be, for example, a server device that manages road conditions. The route information includes information about multiple sections that form the travel route and is used, for example, when the determination unit 43 extracts a travel route. The road conditions are road conditions that dynamically change as the vehicle 10 travels, such as congestion, accidents, natural disasters, and traffic restrictions. The road conditions may be road conditions indicated by road traffic information. The road conditions may also include, for example, an increase or decrease in the number of people around the road in the section, the presence or absence of emergency vehicles or stopped vehicles, etc. The road conditions are an example of a traffic environment, and information indicating the road conditions is an example of traffic environment information.

[0083] The route search unit 42 searches for routes that can be candidates for the travel route based on the map information stored in the storage unit 50 and the departure point and destination. The route search unit 42 searches for, for example, multiple routes. Note that, hereinafter, the travel route searched by the route search unit 42 will also be referred to as a tentative route.

[0084] The determination unit 43 extracts a driving route that can reach the destination from the tentative routes searched by the route search unit 42 based on the passenger's input results. In the present embodiment, the determination unit 43 extracts, from the tentative routes, a tentative route that satisfies the passenger's input results as a candidate route. For example, the determination unit 43 determines whether the autonomous driving level required for a manual section included in the tentative route satisfies the autonomous driving level indicated by the passenger's input results, and extracts, as a candidate route, a tentative route that includes a manual section that is determined to satisfy the autonomous driving level. Note that the determination unit 43 performs the above processing based on at least the input result regarding the presence or absence of a driver among the passenger's input results. The determination unit 43 may also perform the above processing based on information indicating the degree of manual intervention willingness among the passenger's input results.

[0085] The route setting unit 44 sets a travel route for the vehicle 10. For example, the route setting unit 44 sets a travel route for the vehicle 10 by registering a travel route selected by a passenger from among candidate routes as the travel route for the vehicle 10. Note that, when the determination unit 43 extracts only one candidate route, the route setting unit 44 may set the candidate route as the travel route for the vehicle 10.

[0086] The route change unit 45 changes the driving route set by the route setting unit 44. For example, if road conditions have changed since the route setting unit 44 set the driving route, the route change unit 45 determines whether or not a change of the driving route is necessary, and changes the driving route if a change is necessary. For example, if route information has changed since the route setting unit 44 set the driving route, the route change unit 45 performs processing to change the driving route.

[0087] As described above, the route determination unit 40 calculates a driving route (candidate route) to be proposed to a passenger based on driving information (e.g., driving skill, or driving skill and the degree of willingness to manually intervene). The route determination unit 40 calculates a driving route to be proposed to a passenger based on, for example, whether a driver is present or, if a driver is present, the degree of willingness to manually intervene of the driver.

[0088] The storage unit 50 stores information necessary for processing by each processing unit in the information processing system 1. The storage unit 50 stores, for example, route information. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of route information according to this embodiment.

[0089] As shown in Figure 3, the route information is a table in which section IDs, the degree of manual intervention required for each section, and the required time are associated with each other. The section ID is identification information for identifying a specific area of ​​a road. The required degree of manual intervention indicates the driving operation that the driver is allowed to perform when manually driving in the section, and in this embodiment, is indicated by the automated driving level. In other words, an automated driving level for traveling through that section is set for each section. The required time indicates the time required to travel through the section according to the degree of manual intervention corresponding to that section. For example, this indicates that it would take 10 minutes to travel through the section with section ID "1" at automated driving level 3.

[0090] The table may include the distance for each section instead of or in addition to the required time. The distance may also be the distance for manual driving.

[0091] The storage unit 50 may store information about passengers, map information, and the like. The storage unit 50 may store, for example, a table that associates passengers identified by facial recognition or the like with driving information about the passengers (for example, at least one of driving skills and driving details). The table may further associate standard information about the passengers' willingness to manually intervene while driving. The standard information is, for example, standard information about the operations performed by the passengers while driving, the manual driving time during manual driving, and the like. The standard information may be generated based on a history of driving information in the past, or may be generated by input from the passengers. The standard information may include, for example, the operation details, such as operating the accelerator, steering, etc., and may include the fact that the manual driving time is within 15 minutes.

[0092] In the information processing system 1, for example, the sensor 14 is a camera, and the passenger is identified by facial recognition based on an image captured by the sensor 14, and the driving information of the identified passenger is obtained from a table stored in the storage unit 50, thereby making it possible to obtain the driving information of the passenger without receiving input from the passenger. Furthermore, by including the standard information in the table, the information processing system 1 can display the standard information of the passenger identified by facial recognition on the display unit 13. This allows passengers to smoothly input driving information.

[0093] The storage unit 50 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory.

[0094] The travel monitoring unit 60 monitors the travel of the vehicle 10. The travel monitoring unit 60 monitors whether the vehicle 10 is traveling normally. Furthermore, if the vehicle 10 is not traveling normally, the travel monitoring unit 60 notifies the driver that the vehicle 10 is not traveling normally, or performs processing to restrict the travel of the vehicle 10. The travel monitoring unit 60 has a position acquisition unit 61, an intervention degree acquisition unit 62, an intervention status acquisition unit 63, an intervention request unit 64, a status monitoring unit 65, and a travel control unit 66.

[0095] The position acquisition unit 61 acquires the current position of the vehicle 10. The position acquisition unit 61 is realized, for example, by a GPS (Global Positioning System) module that acquires a GPS signal (i.e., a radio wave transmitted from a satellite) and measures the current position of the vehicle 10 based on the acquired GPS signal to acquire the current position. Note that the method by which the position acquisition unit 61 acquires the current position of the vehicle 10 is not limited to the above. The position acquisition unit 61 may acquire the current position by matching (point cloud matching) using an NDT (Normal Distributions Transform). Furthermore, the position acquisition unit 61 may acquire the current position by a SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) process, or by another method.

[0096] The current position is acquired by the position acquisition unit 61, and thus the section (area) in which the vehicle 10 is currently traveling can be identified in the map information.

[0097] If the section currently being traveled is a manual section, the intervention level acquisition unit 62 acquires the level of manual intervention required for that manual section. The intervention level acquisition unit 62 acquires the level of manual intervention corresponding to the section of the current position of the vehicle 10 acquired by the position acquisition unit 61, based on the route information. In this embodiment, the intervention level acquisition unit 62 acquires the autonomous driving level as the level of manual intervention for the manual section.

[0098] The intervention state acquisition unit 63 acquires the driver's current state of manual intervention. The state of manual intervention may be gripping the steering wheel, looking ahead at the vehicle 10, etc. The intervention state acquisition unit 63 acquires the driver's current state of manual intervention based on sensing results acquired from the vehicle 10. The intervention state acquisition unit 63 may acquire the driver's current state of manual intervention by image analysis of an image of the driver, or may acquire the driver's current state of manual intervention based on pressure data of the driver gripping the steering wheel. Note that images, pressure data, etc. are examples of sensing results.

[0099] The intervention request unit 64 determines whether the driver's current state of manual intervention satisfies the degree of manual intervention required for the manual section currently being traveled. If the required degree of manual intervention is not met, the intervention request unit 64 requests the driver to prompt the driver to satisfy the required degree of manual intervention for the manual section. It can also be said that the intervention request unit 64 presents a manual intervention request if the required degree of manual intervention is not met. Satisfied means that the autonomous driving level based on the driver's current state of manual intervention is equal to or lower than the autonomous driving level based on the route information. For example, if the autonomous driving level based on the route information is 3, the intervention request unit 64 determines that the autonomous driving level is satisfied if the autonomous driving level based on the driver's current state of manual intervention is any one of 1 to 3, and determines that the autonomous driving level is not satisfied if the autonomous driving level based on the driver's current state of manual intervention is 4.

[0100] The state monitoring unit 65 monitors whether the driver is in a state where he or she can drive. The state monitoring unit 65 determines whether the driver is in a state where he or she can drive, for example, by image analysis of an image of the driver. In other words, when the intervention request unit 64 requests manual intervention, the state monitoring unit 65 monitors whether the driver is able to accept the request. Note that an inability to drive may be, for example, when the driver is asleep or sitting in a seat other than the driver's seat.

[0101] The driving control unit 66 restricts the driving of the vehicle 10 when manual intervention based on the route information has not been performed. The absence of manual intervention based on the route information means, for example, that the driver has not performed the manual intervention required for the manual section or is not in a state where the driver is able to perform the required manual intervention. When manual intervention based on the route information has not been performed, the driving control unit 66 may stop or slow down the vehicle 10. In this case, the vehicle 10 may be stopped after a safety operation, such as pulling over to the shoulder of the road. In this case, the driving control unit 66 transmits control information for restricting the driving of the vehicle 10 to the vehicle 10 via the communication unit 30. Furthermore, when manual intervention based on the route information has not been performed, the driving control unit 66 may cause the route change unit 45 to change the driving route to one that is drivable even with the current state of manual intervention. Changing the driving route is also included in restricting the driving of the vehicle 10.

[0102] As described above, the information processing system 1 according to the present embodiment includes the reception unit 11 that receives a departure point, a destination, and driving information before the vehicle 10 travels, the route determination unit 40 that calculates a driving route, which is at least one of a first route and a second route, based on the departure point, the destination, and the driving information, and the display unit 13 that displays the calculated driving route. The driving route calculated in this way is a route that corresponds to the driving information of the passenger. For example, the driving route corresponds to the presence or absence of a driver of the vehicle 10.

[0103] [1-2. Operation of Information Processing System] Next, the operation of the information processing system 1 described above will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0104] <Operations before traveling> First, operations before traveling of the vehicle 10 in the information processing system 1 will be described. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing operations before traveling of the vehicle 10 in the information processing system 1 according to the present embodiment. Fig. 4 mainly shows operations in the vehicle 10 and the route determination unit 40. Note that, hereinafter, the operations shown in Fig. 4 will be described as operations performed from when a passenger gets into the vehicle 10 until the vehicle 10 starts moving, but are not limited to this.

[0105] 4, the reception unit 11 receives input of a departure point and a destination before the vehicle 10 starts traveling (S11). When the reception unit 11 is mounted on the vehicle 10, it is sufficient for the reception unit 11 to receive input of at least the destination. In this case, for example, the current location acquired by the location acquisition unit 61 may be used as the departure point.

[0106] Next, the reception unit 11 receives input of whether or not the passenger has a driver (S12). It can also be said that the reception unit 11 acquires driving skills indicating whether or not the passenger is capable of driving the vehicle 10. Step S12 is an example of acquiring driving information including driving skills indicating whether or not the passenger is capable of driving the vehicle 10.

[0107] Next, if a driver is present (Yes in S13), the reception unit 11 further receives input of the driver's degree of manual intervention (S14). In the present embodiment, the reception unit 11 receives input of the degree of manual intervention vigor. The reception unit 11 receives, for example, the operation content described above. Instead of the above operation content, the reception unit 11 may also receive input of the autonomous driving level as the degree of manual intervention vigor. Note that the operation content is information that can identify the driving operation that the passenger is willing to accept, and in the present embodiment, is information that can identify the autonomous driving level.

[0108] The receiving unit 11 may also receive an input such as a manual driving time as the degree of manual intervention willingness. Step S14 can also be considered a step for confirming the driver's willingness to drive. Step S14 can also be considered a step for acquiring the driving content that the driver is willing to allow.

[0109] Furthermore, if there is no driver (No in S13), the reception unit 11 does not perform the process of step S14.

[0110] The control unit 12 transmits the information input in each of the above steps to the server device 20 via the communication unit 15. For example, the control unit 12 transmits information indicating the passenger's input results shown in FIG. 2 to the server device 20. At this time, the control unit 12 sets the degree of manual intervention aggressiveness based on the operation content acquired in step S14. The control unit 12 may set the autonomous driving level corresponding to the operation content acquired in step S14 using a table based on the definitions of the autonomous driving levels described above.

[0111] The degree of proactiveness of manual intervention may be set by the server device 20. In this case, the control unit 12 transmits to the server device 20 information corresponding to the operation content acquired in step S14.

[0112] Next, the route search unit 42 searches for candidate routes based on the information indicating the passenger's input results and the map information (S15). Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of searching for candidate routes (S15) shown in Fig. 4.

[0113] As shown in Fig. 5, the route search unit 42 acquires the passenger's input results transmitted from the vehicle 10 via the communication unit 30 (S21). Then, the route search unit 42 searches for a route to the destination based on the departure point, destination, and map information (S22). The route search unit 42 may search for multiple routes. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a route search result according to this embodiment. Note that Fig. 6 shows a route search result in which the departure point has section ID "1" and the destination has section ID "5." Note that step S22 is an example of calculating a tentative route.

[0114] As shown in Fig. 6, the route search result includes a route ID for identifying the searched route, a travel section ID, and a required time. The example in Fig. 6 shows an example in which three tentative routes are searched. The route search unit 42 outputs the route search result to the determination unit 43. Note that the number of sections between the departure point and the destination point is not limited to one, and may be two or more.

[0115] Referring again to FIG. 5 , the determination unit 43 acquires route information from the storage unit 50 (S23). This allows the determination unit 43 to acquire the degree of manual intervention required for each section included in the tentative route searched by the route search unit 42. The determination unit 43 then extracts candidate routes that satisfy the passenger's input from the route search results (S24). The determination unit 43 extracts candidate routes (travel routes) that satisfy the passenger's input from the route search results. The determination unit 43 extracts candidate routes by, for example, determining whether there is a tentative route that satisfies the passenger's input and allows the passenger to reach the destination. Note that in step S24, the determination unit 43 may extract one or more candidate routes as candidate routes. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation (S24) of extracting candidate routes shown in FIG. 5 .

[0116] As shown in FIG. 7 , the determination unit 43 extracts a manual section included in the tentative route (S31) and determines whether the extracted manual section corresponds to the driving content. For example, the determination unit 43 determines whether the section corresponds to the driving operation required for the vehicle 10 to travel and the driving operation included in the driving content. In this embodiment, the determination unit 43 determines whether the autonomous driving level based on the degree of manual intervention vigor included in the passenger's input is equal to or lower than the autonomous driving level based on the required degree of manual intervention (S32). In step S32, it is determined whether the required degree of manual intervention in the manual section satisfies the passenger's input.

[0117] For example, taking the tentative route with route ID "1" shown in Figure 6 as an example, section ID "3" is extracted as a manual section in step S31. Then, for section ID "3," the autonomous driving level based on the degree of manual intervention included in the passenger's input (e.g., equivalent to autonomous driving level 3 shown in Figure 2) is higher than the autonomous driving level based on the required degree of manual intervention (e.g., equivalent to autonomous driving level 1 shown in Figure 3), so step S32 returns No, and the tentative route with route ID "1" that includes section ID "3" is not extracted as a candidate route.

[0118] 6, section ID "4" is extracted as a manual section in step S31. Then, for section ID "4," the autonomous driving level based on the degree of manual intervention included in the passenger's input (e.g., equivalent to autonomous driving level 3 shown in FIG. 2) is lower than the autonomous driving level based on the required degree of manual intervention (e.g., equivalent to autonomous driving level 4 shown in FIG. 3), so step S32 returns Yes, and the tentative route with route ID "2" that includes section ID "4" is extracted as a candidate route (S33).

[0119] Note that a Yes result in step S32 is an example of a correspondence between the driving operations required for the vehicle 10 to travel and the driving operations included in the driving content. Also, a section determined as Yes in step S32, i.e., a section that satisfies the autonomous driving level based on the degree of manual intervention aggressiveness included in the passenger's input results, is an example of a section where the driving operations required for the vehicle 10 to travel and the driving operations included in the driving content correspond. A section determined as Yes in step S32 is an example of a section that corresponds to driving content that the driver allows.

[0120] In the above description, in step S32, the determination is made using the driving operations permitted by the driver included in the driving content, but this is not limited to this. For example, in step S32, it may be determined whether the two driving operations correspond to each other based on the driving operations required for the vehicle 10 to travel and the driving operations that the driver can perform included in the driving skills.

[0121] Next, the determination unit 43 determines whether all tentative routes have been determined (S34). If all tentative routes have been determined (Yes in S34), the determination unit 43 ends the process of extracting candidate routes, and if all tentative routes have not been determined (No in S34), the determination unit 43 returns to step S31 and performs the processes from step S31 on the remaining tentative routes.

[0122] In this way, the determination unit 43 performs the determination in step S32 for all tentative routes. The determination unit 43 identifies sections that cannot be traveled before the candidate routes are presented to the passenger, and extracts candidate routes based on those sections. Specifically, the determination unit 43 extracts a tentative route that does not include those sections as a candidate route. The point in time before the candidate routes are presented to the passenger is a point in time before the vehicle 10 starts traveling.

[0123] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, route IDs "2" and "3" are extracted as candidate routes. Note that FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a candidate route according to this embodiment. In the example of FIG. 8, there are two candidate routes, but the number of candidate routes is not particularly limited. There may be one candidate route, or three or more candidate routes. Furthermore, route IDs "2" and "3" are examples of a second route.

[0124] For example, when the degree of manual intervention aggressiveness is autonomous driving level 1, the determination unit 43 determines that the tentative route with route ID "1" including section ID "3" shown in FIG. 6 is a candidate route. In this case, route ID "3" is a section corresponding to the driving content, and the tentative route with route ID "1" is extracted as a candidate route. Route ID "1" is a tentative route (driving route) including a manual section, and is an example of a first route.

[0125] In the above description, the determination unit 43 extracts candidate routes using both the presence or absence of a driver and the degree of manual intervention willingness (e.g., operation content) in the passenger's input results in step S24. However, this is not limiting. For example, the determination unit 43 may extract candidate routes based on the presence or absence of a driver in the passenger's input results in step S24. In other words, the determination unit 43 may extract candidate routes based on driving skills. That is, the determination unit 43 may extract candidate routes based on at least one of driving skills and driving content in step S24.

[0126] In the above description, an example has been described in which the route search unit 42 searches for multiple tentative routes (e.g., all tentative routes) and then the determination unit 43 determines whether to extract each of the multiple tentative routes as a candidate route, but this is not limiting. For example, the route search by the route search unit 42 and the determination by the determination unit 43 may be repeated. For example, each time the route search unit 42 detects a tentative route, the determination unit 43 may determine whether to extract that tentative route as a candidate route.

[0127] If a driver is present, the determination unit 43 extracts at least one of a tentative route including a manual section and a tentative route not including a manual section as a candidate route. For example, if the driving information indicates that driving is possible, that is, if step S13 is Yes, at least one of a first route and a second route is calculated in step S15. Furthermore, if a driver is not present, the determination unit 43 extracts, as a candidate route, a tentative route not including a manual section from among a tentative route including a manual section and a tentative route not including a manual section. For example, if the driving information indicates that driving is not possible, that is, if step S13 is No, at step S15, the determination unit 43 calculates only the second route from among the first route and the second route. Step S15 is an example of calculating a driving route.

[0128] 4, when the candidate routes are searched for in step S15, the search results including the candidate routes are output. In other words, the search results are presented to the passengers. In this embodiment, since multiple travel routes are extracted as candidate routes, the determination unit 43 outputs the multiple candidate routes and time information indicating the required times to the vehicle 10.

[0129] When the control unit 12 of the vehicle 10 acquires the candidate routes and the time information, it presents the acquired candidate routes and time information to the passengers (S16). In the present embodiment, the control unit 12 causes the display unit 13 to display a plurality of candidate routes and time information. It can also be said that the control unit 12 causes the display unit 13 to display a plurality of travel routes as candidate routes. For example, the control unit 12 may cause the display unit 13 to display a table of candidate routes shown in FIG. 8. Note that, in step S16, the control unit 12 only needs to present at least the candidate routes to the passengers. Furthermore, step S16 is an example of outputting a travel route.

[0130] Next, the control unit 12 receives the selection of the travel route via the reception unit 11 (S17) and outputs information indicating the received travel route to the server device 20. Upon receiving the information, the route setting unit 44 sets the travel route selected by the passenger as the travel route of the vehicle 10 (S18). As a result, when the vehicle 10 starts traveling, guidance according to the set travel route (for example, guidance by a navigation system) is provided.

[0131] <Determining Whether Manual Intervention is Appropriate> Next, a description will be given of an operation for determining whether manual intervention is appropriate in the information processing system 1. Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing an operation for determining whether manual intervention by the driver is appropriate while the vehicle 10 is traveling in the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment. Fig. 9 mainly shows the operation of the traveling monitoring unit 60.

[0132] 9, the position acquisition unit 61 acquires the current position of the vehicle 10 (S41). The position acquisition unit 61 outputs information indicating the acquired current position to the intervention degree acquisition unit 62.

[0133] Next, the intervention level acquisition unit 62 acquires the degree of manual intervention required for the acquired current location (S42). The intervention level acquisition unit 62 acquires the degree of manual intervention required, for example, based on route information. For example, if the section ID of the current location is "3," the intervention level acquisition unit 62 acquires "equivalent to autonomous driving level 1" as the degree of manual intervention required. Then, the intervention level acquisition unit 62 determines whether the current location is in an area (section) where manual intervention is required (S43). In this embodiment, the intervention level acquisition unit 62 determines that manual intervention is required if the autonomous driving level set for the section of the current location is autonomous driving level 1 or 2, and determines that manual intervention is not required if the autonomous driving level set for the section of the current location is autonomous driving level 3 or 4. The intervention level acquisition unit 62 outputs the determination result to the intervention status acquisition unit 63. Note that the operations from step S44 onwards are performed when the current driving route is the first route.

[0134] Next, when the intervention status acquisition unit 63 acquires a determination result indicating that manual intervention is necessary from the intervention degree acquisition unit 62 (Yes in S43), it determines whether the driver is currently performing appropriate manual intervention (S44). The intervention status acquisition unit 63 may, for example, determine whether the vehicle 10 is being driven by a driver who is capable of driving the manual section of the current driving route (first route). The intervention status acquisition unit 63 may make the determination in step S44 based on, for example, an input result from a passenger. The intervention status acquisition unit 63 may, for example, make the above determination based on whether the vehicle 10 is being driven by a passenger who is incapable of driving the manual section, based on the presence or absence of a driver. Furthermore, the intervention status acquisition unit 63 may, for example, determine the driver's current degree of manual intervention and make the determination in step S44 based on whether the degree of manual intervention indicated by the determination result satisfies the required degree of manual intervention acquired in step S42. In the present embodiment, the intervention status acquisition unit 63 determines that appropriate manual intervention is being performed when the driver's current degree of manual intervention is equal to or lower than the autonomous driving level set for the section of the current location, and determines that appropriate manual intervention is not being performed when the degree of manual intervention is higher than the autonomous driving level set for the section of the current location. The intervention status acquisition unit 63 outputs the determination result to the status monitoring unit 65 and the driving control unit 66. For example, the intervention status acquisition unit 63 outputs the determination result indicating that at least appropriate manual intervention is not being performed to the status monitoring unit 65 and the driving control unit 66.

[0135] The intervention status acquisition unit 63 determines the current degree of manual intervention by the driver based on the sensing results of the sensor 14. In this embodiment, the intervention status acquisition unit 63 determines the current autonomous driving level to determine the degree of manual intervention. This makes it possible to acquire the current degree of manual intervention by the driver.

[0136] In this way, in step S44, the intervention status acquisition unit 63 determines whether the vehicle 10 is being driven in the manual section of the first route by a driver who is capable of driving the manual section of the first route. Furthermore, in step S44, the intervention status acquisition unit 63 may further determine whether a driving operation according to the required autonomous driving level is being performed. In other words, the intervention status acquisition unit 63 may determine whether a driving operation specified by the operation content is being performed. Note that the determination in step S44 is an example of determining whether or not a passenger is driving.

[0137] Next, when the status monitoring unit 65 acquires a determination result indicating that appropriate manual intervention has not been performed from the intervention status acquisition unit 63 (No in S44), it determines whether or not the driver is capable of driving (S45). The status monitoring unit 65 determines whether or not the driver is currently capable of driving based on the sensing result of the sensor 14. The status monitoring unit 65 outputs the determination result to the intervention request unit 64 and the driving control unit 66. For example, the status monitoring unit 65 outputs a determination result indicating that the driver is capable of driving to the intervention request unit 64, and outputs a determination result indicating that the driver is not capable of driving to the driving control unit 66.

[0138] Next, when the intervention requesting unit 64 obtains from the state monitoring unit 65 a determination result indicating that the driver is capable of driving (Yes in S45), it presents an alert for manual intervention to the driver (S46). The intervention requesting unit 64, for example, causes the display unit 13 to present an alert urging the driver to perform the necessary manual intervention. In this embodiment, the intervention requesting unit 64 causes the display unit 13 to display an alert notifying the driver of a driving request. Note that the intervention requesting unit 64 may present the alert by at least one of sound, light, vibration, etc., in addition to or instead of a display by the display unit 13.

[0139] Next, the intervention status acquisition unit 63 again determines whether or not the driver has performed an appropriate manual intervention (S47). The process of step S47 is the same as step S44, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted. The intervention status acquisition unit 63 outputs the determination result to the driving control unit 66.

[0140] When the driving control unit 66 acquires from the state monitoring unit 65 a determination result indicating that the driver is not capable of driving (No in S45), or when the driving control unit 66 acquires from the intervention state acquisition unit 63 a determination result indicating that appropriate manual intervention has not been performed (No in S47), the driving control unit 66 restricts the driving of the vehicle 10 (S48). The driving control unit 66 may restrict the driving of the vehicle 10, for example, by outputting control information for stopping or decelerating the vehicle 10 via the communication unit 30. Furthermore, the driving control unit 66 may restrict the driving of the vehicle 10, for example, by causing the route change unit 45 to change the driving route.

[0141] In this way, when it is determined that the vehicle 10 is not being driven by a passenger who is capable of driving the manual section of the first route (No in S45 or No in S47), the driving control unit 66 outputs an instruction to restrict the driving of the vehicle 10. In this way, the driving control unit 66 ensures the safety of the vehicle 10 during driving.

[0142] Furthermore, the traveling control unit 66 acquires from the intervention degree acquisition unit 62 a determination result indicating that manual intervention is not necessary (No in S43), acquires from the intervention status acquisition unit 63 a determination result indicating that appropriate manual intervention is being performed (Yes in S47), or, if the traveling of the vehicle 10 is restricted, determines whether the vehicle has arrived at the destination or whether traveling has stopped (S49). If the traveling control unit 66 determines that the vehicle 10 has arrived at the destination or has stopped traveling (Yes in S49), the traveling monitoring unit 60 ends the traveling operation shown in Fig. 9. If the traveling control unit 66 determines that the vehicle 10 has not arrived at the destination or has not stopped traveling (No in S49), the traveling monitoring unit 60 returns to step S41 and repeats the traveling operation shown in Fig. 9.

[0143] The timing of performing the operations shown in FIG. 9 above is not particularly limited, and may be performed sequentially, periodically, or each time automatic driving and manual driving are switched over.

[0144] In addition, for example, when the driving route is the first route, the intervention request unit 64 may notify the driver of a driving request by displaying an alert via the display unit 13 when the vehicle arrives at a manual section of the first route or at a location a predetermined distance before the manual section.

[0145] <Resetting of Traveling Route> Next, an operation of resetting a traveling route in the information processing system 1 will be described. Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing an operation of resetting a traveling route in the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment. Fig. 10 mainly shows the operation in the route determination unit 40. The operation shown in Fig. 10 is performed after the operation shown in Fig. 4 is completed. In the following, the operation shown in Fig. 10 will be described as being performed while the vehicle 10 is traveling, but is not limited to this.

[0146] As shown in FIG. 10 , the update unit 41 acquires road conditions via the communication unit 30 (S51). Step S51 is an example of acquiring traffic environment information. Then, the update unit 41 determines whether road conditions have changed since the time the driving information was received (S52). The update unit 41 determines that road conditions on the driving route have changed when conditions such as congestion, accidents, natural disasters, and traffic restrictions on the driving route have changed since the time the driving information was received. A change in conditions includes, for example, the occurrence or resolution of congestion, accidents, natural disasters, and traffic restrictions on the driving route since the time the driving information was received.

[0147] Next, if the road conditions have changed (Yes in S52), the update unit 41 updates the route information (S53). The update unit 41 determines whether a manual section has been added or changed in the travel route due to the change in road conditions, and updates the route information based on the determination result. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation (S53) of updating the route information shown in FIG. 10. Note that the determination processes of steps S61, S62, S64, and S67 shown in FIG. 11 are performed using, for example, the table shown in FIG. 12. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a table in which road conditions are associated with required manual interventions according to this embodiment.

[0148] 11 , the update unit 41 first determines whether autonomous driving is possible (S61). For example, if a traffic jam or an accident occurs, the update unit 41 determines that autonomous driving is possible because there is no manual driving item in the required manual intervention, and if a natural disaster occurs, the update unit 41 determines that autonomous driving is not possible because there is a manual driving item in the required manual intervention.

[0149] Next, if autonomous driving is possible (Yes in S61), the update unit 41 determines whether driver monitoring (e.g., driver monitoring of the road ahead) is unnecessary when autonomous driving is performed (S62). For example, if an accident occurs, the update unit 41 determines that driver monitoring is unnecessary because there is no item for driver monitoring in the required manual intervention, and if traffic congestion occurs, the update unit 41 determines that driver monitoring is necessary because there is an item for driver monitoring.

[0150] Next, if driver monitoring is not required (Yes in S62), the update unit 41 sets the required degree of manual intervention for the section to autonomous driving level 4 (S63). Furthermore, if driver monitoring is required (No in S62), the update unit 41 determines whether or not operation of any of the steering wheel, accelerator, or brake is required (S64). For example, in the event of an accident, since there are items for operation of the steering wheel, accelerator, and brake, the update unit 41 determines that operation of all of the steering wheel, accelerator, and brake is required, rather than just one of them.

[0151] Next, if no operation of the steering wheel, accelerator, or brake is required (Yes in S64), the update unit 41 sets the required degree of manual intervention for that section to autonomous driving level 3 (S65).Furthermore, if operation of all of the steering wheel, accelerator, and brake is required (No in S64), the update unit 41 sets the required degree of manual intervention for that section to autonomous driving level 2 (S66).

[0152] Furthermore, if automatic driving is not possible (No in S61), the update unit 41 determines whether manual driving is possible (S67). The update unit 41 may determine whether manual driving is possible, for example, based on whether the section can be driven manually. For example, if the section is closed to traffic, the update unit 41 determines that manual driving is not possible.

[0153] Next, if manual driving is possible (Yes in S67), the update unit 41 sets the required degree of manual intervention to autonomous driving level 1 (S68), and if manual driving is not possible (No in S67), the update unit 41 sets the required degree of manual intervention to driving not possible (S69). Note that it is possible that the autonomous driving level will not change even if the road conditions change.

[0154] Next, the update unit 41 determines whether a manual section has been added or changed in the section based on the degree of manual intervention set above and the degree of manual intervention required included in the route information (S70). The addition of a manual section includes a change of a section from an automated section to a manual section. The change of a manual section includes a change in the automated driving level of a manual section, such as a decrease in the automated driving level (an increase in the manual driving load). In this way, the update unit 41 determines that a manual section has been added or changed in a section when the manual driving load increases.

[0155] Next, if a manual section has been added or changed (Yes in S70), the update unit 41 stores the section (S71) and updates the degree of intervention required for the section (S72). The update unit 41 then determines whether all sections have been processed (S73). If all sections have been processed (Yes in S73), the update unit 41 ends the process of updating the route information. If all sections have not been processed (No in S73), the process from step S61 is performed on the remaining sections.

[0156] Referring again to FIG. 10 , the route changing unit 45 determines whether the vehicle 10 is currently traveling (S54). The route changing unit 45 may determine whether the vehicle 10 is currently traveling based on the measurement results of the speed sensor of the vehicle 10. If the vehicle 10 is currently traveling (Yes in S54), the route changing unit 45 determines whether a change in the traveling route of the vehicle 10 is necessary (S55). For example, when it is determined that a manual section has been added or changed, the route changing unit 45 determines whether the passenger can drive the added or changed manual section in accordance with the driving information. If the required intervention level for the added or changed manual section satisfies the manual intervention positivity level included in the driving information, that is, if the passenger can drive the added or changed manual section, the route changing unit 45 determines that a change in the traveling route of the vehicle 10 is not necessary. In addition, the route change unit 45 determines that a change in the driving route of the vehicle 10 is necessary if the degree of intervention required for the added or changed manual section does not satisfy the degree of manual intervention positivity included in the driving information, that is, if the passenger is not able to drive the added or changed manual section.

[0157] If the travel route needs to be changed (Yes in S55), the route change unit 45 resets the travel route (S56). The route change unit 45 resets the travel route by performing the operation shown in FIG. 13 based on the updated route information. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation (S56) for resetting the travel route shown in FIG. 10. Note that the operation shown in FIG. 13 includes steps S81 and S82 in addition to the operation shown in FIG. 4, but does not include step S18. Note that in FIG. 13, the same operations as those in FIG. 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof will be omitted or simplified.

[0158] As shown in FIG. 13 , the control unit 12 presents candidate routes and time information to passengers ( S16 ), and then determines whether a predetermined condition is satisfied and whether a selection of a travel route has been accepted ( S81 ). The predetermined condition may be, for example, the time elapsed between the presentation of candidate routes and time information to passengers and the acceptance of the selection of a travel route, or the current location of the vehicle 10 not having reached a predetermined location. The predetermined location may be, for example, any location where the travel route can be safely reset, such as a location between the current location and the changed section of the travel route. The predetermined location may also be a location where the vehicle 10 does not reach a section where it cannot travel (e.g., a section where autonomous driving is not possible), such as a location on the travel route that travels before that section. The predetermined condition may also be, for example, both the time elapsed between the presentation of candidate routes and time information to passengers and the acceptance of the selection of a travel route, and the current location of the vehicle 10 not having reached a predetermined location, or any other condition as long as the safety of the travel of the vehicle 10 is ensured.

[0159] When the control unit 12 receives a selection of a travel route via the reception unit 11 while satisfying predetermined conditions (Yes in S81), the control unit 12 transmits information indicating the received travel route to the server device 20. Upon receiving the information, the route setting unit 44 sets the travel route selected by the passenger as the travel route of the vehicle 10 (S18). Furthermore, when the control unit 12 does not receive a selection of a travel route via the reception unit 11 while satisfying predetermined conditions (No in S81), the control unit 12 outputs information indicating that a selection of a travel route while satisfying predetermined conditions has not been received to the server device 20. Upon receiving the information, the travel control unit 66 restricts the travel of the vehicle 10 (S82). The travel control unit 66 may stop or decelerate the vehicle 10. In this case, the travel control unit 66 transmits control information for restricting the travel of the vehicle 10 to the vehicle 10 via the communication unit 30.

[0160] Referring again to FIG. 10 , next, the route change unit 45 determines whether the vehicle 10 has arrived at the destination (S57). The route change unit 45 determines whether the vehicle 10 has arrived at the destination, for example, based on the driving information and the current position of the vehicle 10. When the route change unit 45 determines that the vehicle 10 has arrived at the destination (Yes in S57), the route determination unit 40 ends the operation of resetting the driving route. When the route change unit 45 determines that the vehicle 10 has not arrived at the destination (No in S57), the route determination unit 40 returns to step S51 and continues the operation of resetting the driving route. The operation shown in FIG. 10 is performed continuously, for example, while the vehicle 10 is traveling. This allows the route determination unit 40 to reflect road conditions in the driving route in real time.

[0161] In the above description, the update unit 41 determines that a manual section has been added or changed when the manual driving load increases. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The update unit 41 may also determine that a manual section has been added or changed when the manual driving load decreases. Examples of cases in which the manual driving load decreases include cases in which congestion, accidents, natural disasters, traffic restrictions, etc. are resolved. In this case, the update unit 41 determines, for example, that autonomous driving is possible and driver monitoring is unnecessary. As a result, a driving route that was not extracted as a candidate route in the route setting before driving may be extracted as a candidate route because the degree of manual intervention required is reduced. Resetting such a candidate route as a driving route may reduce the driver's driving load or shorten the required travel time.

[0162] (Variation 1 of Embodiment 1) Hereinafter, an information processing method etc. according to this variation will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 to 18. The information processing method etc. according to this variation differs from the information processing method according to Embodiment 1 in that it also proposes a driving route for manual driving in sections where automatic driving is possible. Note that the configuration of the information processing system according to this variation is the same as the configuration of the information processing system 1 according to Embodiment 1, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted. Furthermore, operations similar to those of Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to the drawings of Embodiment 1. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a passenger input result according to this variation. The passenger input result shown in FIG. 14 is acquired by the input acceptance in steps S11 to S14 of FIG. 4. Furthermore, information indicating the passenger input result shown in FIG. 14 is included in the driving information.

[0163] In this modification, the degree of willingness to manually intervene as a result of the passenger's input includes the automated driving level and the manual driving time. The manual driving time indicates the time the driver is willing to drive, which is within 15 minutes in the example of FIG. 14 .

[0164] Route information according to this modification will be described with reference to Fig. 15. Fig. 15 is a diagram showing an example of route information according to this modification. In the example of Fig. 15, sections with section IDs "1," "2," "4," and "5" are sections where automated driving is possible.

[0165] As shown in FIG. 15 , the route information includes information on the degree of intervention required and the required time when manually driving a section where autonomous driving is possible. For example, taking section ID "1" as an example, the degree of manual intervention required when driving this section autonomously is equivalent to autonomous driving level 3, and the required time is 10 minutes. Furthermore, when driving this section manually with a degree of manual intervention equivalent to autonomous driving level 1, the required time is 5 minutes. For section ID "1", manual driving can shorten the required time more than autonomous driving. Reducing the required time is an example of improving the driving performance of the vehicle 10. Furthermore, autonomous driving equivalent to level 1 is an example of a driving operation that improves the driving performance of the vehicle 10. Note that improved driving is not limited to reducing the required time.

[0166] In Figure 15, an example is described in which manual driving is equivalent to autonomous driving level 1, but it may also be equivalent to autonomous driving level 2, or it may include both autonomous driving levels 1 and 2.

[0167] Next, the route search result based on the passenger input result and the route information will be described with reference to Fig. 16. Fig. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the route search result according to this modified example. The route search result shown in Fig. 16 is obtained in step S22 shown in Fig. 5.

[0168] As shown in FIG. 16 , the route search results include a route ID for identifying the searched route, a travel section ID, and a required time. The brackets next to the travel section ID indicate the degree of manual intervention required, which in this modified example is the automated driving level. The brackets next to the required time indicate the manual driving time out of the required time. Looking at route IDs "1" and "2," the travel sections are the same, but the required degree of manual intervention and the required time are different. In this way, in step S22, multiple travel routes that have the same travel route but different required degrees of manual intervention and required times are searched for as tentative routes.

[0169] Next, the process of searching for candidate routes according to this modification will be described with reference to FIG. 5 of the first embodiment.

[0170] 5, the route search unit 42 acquires the passenger input results (see, for example, FIG. 14) transmitted from the vehicle 10 via the communication unit 30. In addition, in step S22, the route search unit 42 searches for a route to the destination (see, for example, FIG. 16) based on the departure point, destination, and map information. In addition, the determination unit 43 acquires route information (see, for example, FIG. 15) from the storage unit 50.

[0171] Then, the determination unit 43 performs the operation of step S124 shown in Fig. 17 instead of step S24 shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 17 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of extracting candidate routes according to this modified example. Note that the flowchart shown in Fig. 17 is the same as the flowchart shown in Fig. 7 except that a determination of step S134 has been added.

[0172] 17 , for the tentative route for which the answer in step S32 is No, the determination unit 43 determines whether the manual driving time based on the required degree of manual intervention is within the manual driving time based on the degree of active manual intervention (S134). The determination unit 43 makes the above determination based on the manual driving time included in the route search result and the manual driving time based on the degree of active manual intervention that may be included in the input result of the passenger.

[0173] If the manual driving time included in the route search result is less than or equal to the manual driving time based on the degree of manual intervention aggressiveness that may be included in the passenger's input result (Yes in S134), the determination unit 43 proceeds to step S33. A Yes result in step S134 is an example of a situation in which the operation time during a driving operation that improves the driving of the vehicle 10 corresponds to the operation time included in the driving content. Furthermore, the section for which a Yes result in step S134 is determined is an example of a section for which the operation time during a driving operation that improves the driving of the vehicle 10 corresponds to the operation time included in the driving content. The section for which a Yes result in step S134 is determined is an example of a section for which the operation time during a driving operation that improves the driving of the vehicle 10 corresponds to the operation time included in the driving content.

[0174] Furthermore, if the manual driving time included in the route search result is longer than the manual driving time based on the degree of manual intervention aggressiveness that may be included in the passenger's input result (No in S134), the determination unit 43 proceeds to step S34.

[0175] In this way, the determination unit 43 performs the determination in step S134 for all tentative routes for which a No determination was made in step S32. In this modified example, as shown in FIG. 18, route IDs "1," "4," and "7" are set as candidate routes. Note that FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of candidate routes according to this modified example. Route IDs "1," "4," and "6" are examples of first routes, and route IDs "1" and "6" are routes that include only manual sections. Route IDs "2," "5," and "7" are examples of second routes.

[0176] 18 , the determination unit 43 can extract both the first route and the second route as candidate routes for the same travel route, as indicated by route IDs "1" and "4," for example. When selecting either route ID "1" or "4," a passenger can select route ID "1" if they want to arrive at their destination quickly, or route ID "4" if they want to shorten the manual driving time. Furthermore, when selecting either route ID "6" or "7," a passenger can select whether to operate the entire route under automatic driving or manual driving.

[0177] As described above, in step S33, the tentative route for which the answer to step S31 or S134 is Yes is extracted as a candidate route. The candidate route for which the answer to step S134 is Yes may include, for example, a driving route for manual driving in a section where automatic driving is possible. This allows the route determination unit 40 to propose candidate routes to passengers that increase the passenger's freedom in selecting a driving route.

[0178] (Variation 2 of Embodiment 1) Hereinafter, an information processing method, etc. according to this variation will be described with reference to FIGS. 19 to 22. The information processing method, etc. according to this variation differs from the information processing method according to Embodiment 1 in that a driving task that the driver does not want to perform is acquired and a candidate route is searched for based on the task. The candidate route searched in this manner is a driving route that does not require the driver to perform operations that the driver does not want to perform. Note that the configuration of the information processing system according to this variation is the same as the configuration of the information processing system 1 according to Embodiment 1, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted. Furthermore, operations similar to those of Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to the drawings of Embodiment 1. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a passenger input result according to this variation. The passenger input result shown in FIG. 19 is acquired by the input acceptance in steps S11 to S14 of FIG. 4. Furthermore, information indicating the passenger input result shown in FIG. 19 is included in the driving information.

[0179] As shown in FIG. 19 , the passenger's input results include the presence or absence of a driver, an unwilling driving task, and a destination section ID. In the example of FIG. 19 , "right turn" is input as the unwilling driving task. "Right turn" is an example of an operation content that can identify a driving operation that the driver will tolerate. In this case, the driving operation that the driver will tolerate is anything other than a right turn. The unwilling driving task is an example of a degree of willingness to manually intervene.

[0180] In the above, an example was described in which the passenger's input result includes a driving task that the passenger does not want to perform, but it may also include a driving task that the passenger would like to perform instead of the driving task that the passenger does not want to perform (for example, an acceptable driving task).

[0181] The route information according to this modification will be described with reference to Fig. 20. Fig. 20 is a diagram showing an example of the route information according to this modification.

[0182] As shown in FIG. 20 , the route information includes a section ID, driving tasks required to travel the section, and the required time for the section. For example, the driving task required to travel section ID "1" is straight driving, and the required time is 10 minutes. Also, for example, the driving task required to travel section ID "2" is turning left, and the required time is 12 minutes. Note that the required driving tasks for section ID "2" may include straight driving. The required driving tasks are an example of driving operations required for the vehicle 10 to travel.

[0183] Next, the process of searching for candidate routes based on the passenger input results and route information will be described with reference to FIG. 5 of the first embodiment.

[0184] 5, the route search unit 42 acquires the passenger input results (see, for example, FIG. 19) transmitted from the vehicle 10 via the communication unit 30. In addition, in step S22, the route search unit 42 searches for a route to the destination (see, for example, FIG. 6) based on the departure point, destination, and map information. In addition, the determination unit 43 acquires route information (see, for example, FIG. 20) from the storage unit 50.

[0185] Then, the determination unit 43 performs the operation of step S224 shown in Fig. 21 instead of step S24 shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 21 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of extracting candidate routes according to this modified example. Note that the flowchart shown in Fig. 21 performs the determination of step S232 instead of step S32 in the flowchart shown in Fig. 7.

[0186] As shown in FIG. 21 , the determination unit 43 determines whether the necessary driving tasks for the extracted manual section include a driving task that the driver does not want to perform (S232). The determination unit 43 makes this determination based on the route search results, route information, and the passenger's input results. If the necessary driving tasks do not include a driving task that the driver does not want to perform (No in S232), the determination unit 43 proceeds to step S33. A No result in step S232 is an example of a section in which the driving operations required for the vehicle 10 to travel correspond to the driving operations included in the driving content. Furthermore, the section in which a No result in step S232 is determined ...

[0187] Furthermore, if the necessary driving tasks include a driving task that the driver does not want to perform (Yes in S232), the determination unit 43 proceeds to step S34.

[0188] In this way, the determination unit 43 performs the determination in step S232 for all tentative routes. In this modification, as shown in FIG. 22, route IDs "2" and "3" that do not include "right turn" in the required driving tasks are extracted as candidate routes. Note that FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of candidate routes according to this modification. Also, route IDs "2" and "3" are examples of first routes.

[0189] Second Embodiment Hereinafter, an information processing method and the like according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0190] [2-1. Configuration of Information Processing System] First, the configuration of the information processing system 1a according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 23. Fig. 23 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the information processing system 1a according to this embodiment.

[0191] As shown in FIG. 23 , the information processing system 1a includes a remote monitoring system 100, a network 300, a wireless base station 310, and a monitored vehicle 200. The information processing system 1a is a system that communicatively connects the monitored vehicle 200 and the remote monitoring system 100 (specifically, the remote monitoring device 130) via the wireless base station 310, such as a wireless LAN or a communication terminal, and the network 300. The wireless base station 310 and the network 300 are an example of a communication network. The monitored vehicle 200 is an example of a vehicle that is at least remotely monitored by an operator H, who is a remote worker. The monitored vehicle 200 may also be a vehicle that is remotely monitored and remotely operated by the operator H. In this way, remote work includes at least one of remote monitoring and remote operation.

[0192] The remote monitoring system 100 is a system that allows an operator H at a remote location to monitor the traveling of a monitored vehicle 200. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the remote monitoring system 100 is capable of remotely operating the monitored vehicle 200, but this is not limiting. The remote monitoring system 100 includes a display device 110, an operation input device 120, and a remote monitoring device 130.

[0193] The display device 110 is a monitor connected to the remote monitoring device 130 and displays video related to the monitored vehicle 200. The display device 110 displays video captured by an imaging unit provided in the monitored vehicle 200. The display device 110 may also display the status of the monitored vehicle 200 and obstacles around the monitored vehicle 200 to the operator H, thereby enabling the operator H to recognize the status of the monitored vehicle 200 and the obstacles. The video includes video and still images. The obstacle refers to a vehicle other than the monitored vehicle 200, a person, etc., and primarily refers to a moving object that obstructs the travel of the monitored vehicle 200. The obstacle may also be real estate fixed to the ground.

[0194] The display device 110 may also display the set driving route of the monitored vehicle 200. For example, the display device 110 may distinguish between automatic sections and manual sections in the driving route and display them. The display device 110 is an example of a presentation device. The display device 110 also functions as an output unit that outputs the driving route to the operator H.

[0195] The operation input device 120 is connected to the remote monitoring device 130 and is a device into which remote operations by the operator H are input. The operation input device 120 is, for example, a steering wheel, foot pedals (e.g., an accelerator pedal and a brake pedal), etc., and is a device for operating the monitored vehicle 200. The operation input device 120 outputs the input vehicle operation information to the remote monitoring device 130. Note that if the monitored vehicle 200 is not remotely operated, the remote monitoring system 100 does not need to be equipped with an operation input device 120 for remotely operating the monitored vehicle 200.

[0196] The remote monitoring device 130 is a device that allows an operator H at a remote location to remotely monitor the monitored vehicle 200 via a communication network. In this embodiment, the remote monitoring device 130 is connected to the operation input device 120, and also functions as a remote operation device for remotely operating the monitored vehicle 200.

[0197] The remote monitoring device 130 may have at least some of the functions of the server device 20 of the first embodiment. The remote monitoring device 130 may have, for example, the functions of at least one of the route determination unit 40 and the travel monitoring unit 60. The server device 20 may also be realized by the remote monitoring device 130.

[0198] The monitored vehicle 200 is an example of a mobile body in which passengers ride, and is at least remotely monitored by an operator H. The monitored vehicle 200 is an autonomous vehicle that can switch between autonomous driving and manual driving. In other words, the monitored vehicle 200 has an autonomous driving mode and a manual driving mode. The monitored vehicle 200 may be, for example, the vehicle 10 described in the first embodiment, etc.

[0199] In such a remote monitoring system 100, it has been proposed that one operator H monitors multiple monitored vehicles 200. In this case, in order to reduce the monitoring burden on the operator H, it has been considered to set a monitoring priority indicating the degree of monitoring priority for each of the multiple monitored vehicles 200, and have the operator H monitor based on the set monitoring priority.

[0200] It is desirable to set the monitoring priority appropriately from the viewpoint of the driving safety of multiple monitored vehicles 200. The monitoring priority is set, for example, based on vehicle information acquired from the monitored vehicle 200. The vehicle information includes sensing results from various sensors possessed by the monitored vehicle 200 (for example, sensors that detect the position, speed, acceleration, jerk (jerk), steering angle, etc. of the monitored vehicle 200).

[0201] In this embodiment, the remote monitoring system 100 sets the monitoring priority of the monitored vehicle 200 based on driving information related to the driver's driving of the monitored vehicle 200. The remote monitoring system 100 may set the monitoring priority of the monitored vehicle 200 based on, for example, at least the driving skill. In other words, the remote monitoring system 100 sets the monitoring priority of the monitored vehicle 200 based at least on the presence or absence of a driver. Furthermore, the remote monitoring system 100 may set the monitoring priority using driving information in addition to vehicle information, for example.

[0202] [2-2. Operation of Information Processing System] Next, the operation of the information processing system 1a described above will be described with reference to Fig. 24. Fig. 24 is a flowchart showing the operation of setting monitoring priorities in the information processing system 1a according to this embodiment. Fig. 24 mainly shows the operation in the remote monitoring system 100. Note that in the following description, the first priority is assumed to be a higher monitoring priority than the second priority.

[0203] 24 , the remote monitoring device 130 acquires the passenger input result from the monitored vehicle 200 via the communication network (S310). If the monitored vehicle 200 has a driver (Yes in S311), the remote monitoring device 130 sets the monitoring priority of the monitored vehicle 200 to the first priority (S312). If the monitored vehicle 200 does not have a driver (No in S311), the remote monitoring device 130 sets the monitoring priority of the monitored vehicle 200 to the second priority (S313). The remote monitoring device 130 sets the monitoring priority of the monitored vehicle 200 with a driver higher than the monitoring priority of the monitored vehicle 200 without a driver.

[0204] Next, the remote monitoring device 130 outputs the set monitoring priority (S314). The remote monitoring device 130, for example, displays the set monitoring priority to the operator H via the display device 110. Then, the remote monitoring device 130 may, for example, cause the display device 110 to display images of one or more monitored vehicles 200 selected by the operator H based on the monitoring priority. Furthermore, the remote monitoring device 130 may cause the display device 110 to display images of one or more monitored vehicles 200 with high monitoring priorities based on the set monitoring priority.

[0205] As a result, the information processing system 1a can reduce the monitoring burden on the operator H. Furthermore, the operator H can effectively find the occurrence of a human error caused by the driver's driving.

[0206] 24 illustrates an example in which the remote monitoring device 130 sets a high monitoring priority for the monitored vehicle 200 in which a driver is riding, but the present invention is not limited to this. The remote monitoring device 130 may also set a high monitoring priority for the monitored vehicle 200 in which no driver is riding.

[0207] In FIG. 24 , the monitoring priority is set according to whether or not a driver is present. However, if a driver is present, the monitoring priority may be further set according to the degree of proactive manual intervention. For example, the remote monitoring device 130 may set a higher monitoring priority the more proactive the degree of proactive manual intervention. Three or more monitoring priorities may be set according to the driving information. Note that a high degree of proactive manual intervention includes, for example, a low corresponding autonomous driving level or a long manual driving time.

[0208] The remote monitoring device 130 may set the monitoring priority of the monitored vehicle 200 with a driver high only while the driver is driving.

[0209] The remote monitoring device 130 may set the monitoring priority of the monitored vehicle 200 by correcting the provisional monitoring priority, which is set based on the vehicle information, based on the driving information. In this case, the correction value for the provisional monitoring priority is changed depending on whether the driver is present.

[0210] (Embodiment 3) An information processing method etc. according to this embodiment will be described below. The information processing method etc. according to this embodiment differs from the information processing methods according to Embodiments 1 and 2 in that a driver is a remote operator. The configuration of the information processing system according to this embodiment is the same as the configuration of the information processing system 1a according to Embodiment 2, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted. The remote monitoring device 130 included in the information processing system 1a may be replaced with the server device 20 according to Embodiment 1. An example in which the information processing system 1a includes the server device 20 instead of the remote monitoring device 130 will be described below, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0211] In this embodiment, the passenger driver in the first and second embodiments can be replaced with a remote operator. For example, remote operation of the monitored vehicle 200 by a remote operator is an example of manual driving.

[0212] Furthermore, the server device 20 acquires task information of the remote worker assigned to the monitored vehicle 200. The task information is information about a task, such as remote monitoring or remote operation, assigned to the remote worker. For example, the information about the task is individual task information, such as the type of task, the time required for the task, or the difficulty of the task. The task information may also be overall task information, such as the amount of tasks assigned, the amount of tasks to be assigned, and the task schedule. The task information is stored in the memory unit 50. The task information or driving details may be received by the reception unit 11.

[0213] Furthermore, the server device 20 determines driving content acceptable to the remote worker based on the task information. Specifically, the route determination unit 40 determines driving content that the remote worker can perform based on the task information acquired from the storage unit 50. For example, the operation content or operation time is determined as the driving content according to the type of task, the length of time required for the task, or the level of difficulty of the task (the difficulty may be relative to the skill of the remote worker). For example, the higher the difficulty of the task, the easier the operation is determined. Furthermore, the operation content or operation time may be determined as the driving content according to the amount of task or the availability of the task schedule. For example, the greater the amount of task, the easier the operation is determined. In this way, in the present embodiment, for example, the more leeway the remote worker has, the more stressful driving content is determined, and the less leeway the remote worker has, the less stressful driving content is determined.

[0214] (Other Embodiments) The present disclosure has been described above based on the embodiments and modified examples (hereinafter also referred to as embodiments, etc.), but the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, etc. As long as it does not deviate from the spirit of the present disclosure, various modifications that a person skilled in the art can conceive of to the present embodiments, etc., and forms constructed by combining components of different embodiments, etc. may also be included within the scope of one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

[0215] For example, the route determination unit in the above-described embodiments may further acquire the driving acceptability of a passenger (driver) who is capable of driving, and search for a driving route based on the acquired driving acceptability. The driving acceptability indicates the driver's acceptability for a driving request, for example, whether the driver is willing to drive the vehicle. The passenger's input result may include an input result regarding driving acceptability, for example, instead of or in addition to the manual intervention willingness degree. For example, if there is no driving acceptability, i.e., the driver is not willing to drive, the determination unit may calculate only the second route out of the first route and the second route, even if the driver is in the vehicle. Note that the driving acceptability is acquired, for example, via the reception unit, before the vehicle starts traveling.

[0216] Furthermore, in the information processing method and information processing system according to the above-described embodiments, the route determination unit may calculate a driving route based on the physical condition of each passenger who is capable of driving. The route determination unit, for example, acquires the driver's current physical condition input by the driver. The physical condition may include the driver's state of health, the presence or absence or degree of drunkenness, etc. The physical condition may be estimated through image analysis of an image of the driver's face. The determination unit extracts candidate routes from the route search results based on the passenger's input results and the driver's physical condition. For example, the determination unit may correct the manual intervention aggressiveness included in the passenger's input results based on the passenger's physical condition and use the corrected manual intervention aggressiveness to make a determination to extract a candidate route. When the driver's physical condition is poor, the determination unit corrects the manual intervention aggressiveness included in the passenger's input results to increase the autonomous driving level (e.g., increase from autonomous driving level 2 to autonomous driving level 3) in order to reduce the driver's driving burden. The timing of acquiring the physical condition is not particularly limited and may be before driving, while riding, or during driving.

[0217] In addition, when there are multiple drivers in the vehicle, the display unit in the above embodiments may display a message encouraging the driver who is in good physical condition to drive. The control unit may determine a driver to drive the manual section of the driving route based on the physical condition of each driver acquired from the sensor, and notify the driver of a driving request including information indicating the determined driver via the display unit.

[0218] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments, the display unit may display a message guiding a passenger (driver) who has input that he / she will drive to sit in the driver's seat when the passenger is not seated in the driver's seat. Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments, the display unit may display a message guiding a passenger who has input that he / she will not drive (a passenger other than the driver) to sit in a seat other than the driver's seat when the passenger is seated in the driver's seat. Whether a passenger sitting in the driver's seat is the driver is determined, for example, based on the sensing results of a vehicle sensor (for example, a camera) and information for identifying the passenger stored in the memory unit of the server device. This determination is performed, for example, by facial recognition or the like.

[0219] In the above-described embodiments, when the information processing system acquires reservation information including driving information when reserving a vehicle, that is, when the information processing system acquires driving information before a passenger gets into the vehicle, the display unit may display a message guiding a passenger (driver) who has input that he will drive to sit in the driver's seat when the passenger gets into the vehicle. Also, when a passenger (passenger other than the driver) who has input that he will not drive gets into the vehicle, the display unit may display a message guiding the passenger to sit in a seat other than the driver's seat.

[0220] Guiding the passenger to sit in the driver's seat may be achieved by a presentation device other than the display unit. The presentation device may be a device that provides guidance using at least one of sound, light, vibration, etc. Alternatively, the presentation device may be a device that provides guidance using a combination of display, sound, light, vibration, etc.

[0221] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiments, examples have been described in which the input unit and the display unit are mounted on a vehicle, but this is not limiting. At least one of the input unit and the display unit may be provided, for example, in a terminal device carried by a passenger. The terminal device is not particularly limited as long as it is communicably connected to the server device, and may be, for example, a portable terminal device such as a smartphone or tablet. In this case, the passenger's input may be included in the reservation information when reserving a vehicle. In other words, the passenger's input may be acquired before the passenger boards the vehicle. Furthermore, when the information processing system acquires the reservation information, the operation shown in FIG. 4 may be completed before the passenger boards the vehicle.

[0222] In the above-described embodiment, the operation shown in Fig. 10 is described as being performed while the vehicle is traveling, but this is not limiting. For example, when the information processing system acquires reservation information, the operation shown in Fig. 10 may also be performed during the period from when the reservation information is acquired until the passenger boards the vehicle. In this case, the determinations in steps S55 and S57 do not need to be performed. The operation shown in Fig. 10 only needs to be performed while the vehicle is traveling.

[0223] Furthermore, all or part of the information processing system according to the above embodiments may be realized by a cloud server or as edge devices mounted in a mobile object. For example, at least some of the components of the server device according to the above embodiments may be realized as part of an autonomous driving device mounted in a mobile object. For example, at least one of the route determination unit and the travel monitoring unit may be realized as part of the autonomous driving device mounted in the mobile object.

[0224] The order of the processes described in the above embodiments is merely an example. The order of the processes may be changed, the processes may be executed in parallel, or some of the processes may not be executed.

[0225] Furthermore, at least some of the processes performed by the server device described in the above embodiments may be performed in the vehicle. The vehicle may, for example, acquire information necessary for processing, such as route information, from the server device and perform at least some of the processes performed by the server device based on the acquired information. For example, the vehicle may perform at least one of the processes of the route determination unit and the travel monitoring unit.

[0226] Furthermore, each component described in the above embodiments may be implemented as software or, typically, as an LSI, which is an integrated circuit. These components may be individually integrated into a single chip, or some or all of them may be integrated into a single chip. While the term "LSI" is used here, it may also be referred to as an IC, system LSI, super LSI, or ultra LSI depending on the level of integration. Furthermore, the integrated circuit implementation is not limited to LSIs, and may be implemented using dedicated circuits or general-purpose processors. A field programmable array (FPGA), which can be programmed after LSI fabrication, or a reconfigurable processor, which can reconfigure the connections or settings of circuit cells within an LSI, may also be used. Furthermore, if an integrated circuit implementation technology that replaces LSIs emerges due to advances in semiconductor technology or other derived technologies, that technology may naturally be used to integrate the components.

[0227] The division of functional blocks in the block diagram is an example, and multiple functional blocks may be realized as a single functional block, one functional block may be divided into multiple blocks, or some functions may be moved to another functional block.Furthermore, the functions of multiple functional blocks having similar functions may be processed in parallel or time-shared by a single piece of hardware or software.

[0228] Furthermore, the server device included in the information processing system may be realized as a single device or may be realized by multiple devices. For example, each processing unit of the server device may be realized by two or more server devices. When the information processing system is realized by multiple server devices, the components included in the information processing system may be distributed among the multiple server devices in any manner. Furthermore, the communication method between the multiple server devices is not particularly limited.

[0229] Furthermore, the technology of the present disclosure may be the above-mentioned program, or a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium on which the above-mentioned program is recorded. It goes without saying that the above-mentioned program can be distributed via a transmission medium such as the Internet. For example, the above-mentioned program and a digital signal comprising the above-mentioned program may be transmitted via a telecommunications line, a wireless or wired communication line, a network such as the Internet, data broadcasting, etc. Furthermore, the above-mentioned program and a digital signal comprising the above-mentioned program may be executed by another independent computer system by being recorded on a recording medium and transferred, or by being transferred via a network, etc.

[0230] In each embodiment, each component may be configured with dedicated hardware, or may be realized by executing a software program suitable for that component. Each component may be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU or processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory.

[0231] The present disclosure is widely applicable to systems that operate mobile objects that can switch between automatic driving and manual driving.

[0232] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1, 1a Information processing system 10 Vehicle 11 Reception unit 12 Control unit 13 Display unit 14 Sensor 15, 30 Communication unit 20 Server device 40 Route determination unit 41 Update unit 42 Route search unit 43 Determination unit 44 Route setting unit 45 Route change unit 50 Memory unit 60 Travel monitoring unit 61 Position acquisition unit 62 Intervention degree acquisition unit 63 Intervention status acquisition unit 64 Intervention request unit 65 Status monitoring unit 66 Travel control unit 100 Remote monitoring system 110 Display device 120 Operation input device 130 Remote monitoring device 200 Monitored vehicle 300 Network 310 Wireless base station H Operator

Claims

1. An information processing method executed by a computer, comprising: acquiring a departure point and a destination; acquiring driving information relating to driving by a passenger or a remote operator of a mobile body capable of switching between automatic driving and manual driving; calculating a travel route that is at least one of a first route including a manual section that requires driving by the passenger or the remote operator, and a second route that does not include the manual section, according to the departure point, the destination, and the driving information; and outputting the calculated travel route.

2. The information processing method according to claim 1, wherein the driving information includes a driving skill indicating whether the passenger or the remote worker is capable of driving the vehicle.

3. The information processing method of claim 2, wherein in calculating the travel route, if the driving skill indicates that the driver is unable to drive, only the second route is calculated, and if the driving skill indicates that the driver is able to drive, at least one of the first route and the second route is calculated.

4. The information processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the driving information includes driving content permitted by the passenger or the remote operator.

5. The information processing method of claim 4, wherein the calculation of the travel route includes calculating a tentative route according to the departure point and the destination, extracting the manual section included in the tentative route, determining whether the extracted manual section is a section corresponding to the driving content, and if it is determined that it is the corresponding section, calculating the tentative route as the first route.

6. The information processing method according to claim 5, wherein the driving content includes driving operations permitted by the passenger or the remote operator, and the corresponding section includes a section where the driving operations required for the moving body to move correspond to the driving operations included in the driving content.

7. The information processing method described in claim 5, wherein the driving content includes driving operations permitted by the passenger or the remote operator, and the corresponding section includes a section where driving operations that improve the movement of the mobile body correspond to driving operations included in the driving content.

8. The information processing method according to any one of claims 4 to 7, further comprising: acquiring task information of the remote worker; and determining the operation content that the remote worker is allowed to perform based on the task information.

9. An information processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein when the moving object reaches the manual section of the output first route or a location a predetermined distance before the manual section, a driving request is notified to the passenger or the remote worker who is able to drive via a presentation device.

10. An information processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein it is determined whether the vehicle is being driven in the manual section of the output first route by the passenger or the remote operator who is capable of driving.

11. An information processing method according to any one of claims 4 to 8, wherein the driving content includes driving operations that can be performed by the passenger or the remote worker, and determining whether or not the moving object is being driven by the passenger or the remote worker who is capable of driving in the manual section of the output first route, and determining whether or not the moving object is being driven by the passenger or the remote worker further includes determining whether or not the driving operation included in the driving content is being performed.

12. An information processing method as described in claim 10 or 11, wherein when it is determined that the mobile object is not being driven by the passenger or the remote operator who is capable of driving on the manual section of the first route, an instruction to restrict the movement of the mobile object is output.

13. An information processing method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, further comprising: setting a monitoring priority of the moving object in accordance with the driving information; and outputting the set monitoring priority.

14. An information processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, further comprising: acquiring traffic environment information; determining based on the traffic environment information whether a change in the traffic environment has occurred on the travel route after the travel route has been output; if it is determined that a change in the traffic environment has occurred, determining whether the change in the traffic environment has resulted in the addition or modification of the manual section on the travel route; if it is determined that the manual section has been added or modified, determining whether the passenger or the remote worker is capable of driving the manual section that has been added or modified in accordance with the driving information; and if it is determined that the passenger or the remote worker is not capable of driving, modifying the travel route.

15. An information processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the calculation of the travel route includes calculating a plurality of the travel routes, and the output of the travel route includes presenting the plurality of the travel routes as candidate routes via a presentation device.

16. The information processing method according to any one of claims 4 to 8, wherein the interface for receiving input of the driving details is presented via a presentation device.

17. An information processing system comprising: a first acquisition unit that acquires a departure point and a destination; a second acquisition unit that acquires driving information related to driving by a passenger or a remote operator of a mobile body that can switch between automatic driving and manual driving; a calculation unit that calculates a travel route that is at least one of a first route that includes a manual section that requires driving by the passenger or the remote operator, and a second route that does not include the manual section, according to the departure point, the destination, and the driving information; and an output unit that outputs the calculated travel route.

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