Automotive and Automotive Programs

Abstract

To provide an automobile which can certainly avoid a traffic accident to safely perform an another-vehicle affection behavior when the another-vehicle affection behavior is attempted to be executed.SOLUTION: An automobile comprises: a manual driving mode; and an automatic driving mode by which autonomous travel is possible. The automobile comprises: a radio communication unit having a transmission / reception function for performing radio communication between vehicles; monitoring means of monitoring reception of an inter-vehicle communication request from another vehicle through the radio communication unit; and communication path generation means of determining whether or not a self vehicle is in a state of the automatic driving mode to generate a communication path between the self vehicle and another vehicle which transmits the inter-vehicle communication request in the case where the self vehicle is in the state of the automatic driving mode when the inter-vehicle communication request from another vehicle is received by the monitoring means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to automobiles and automobile programs. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, automobiles equipped with an automatic driving mode that allows autonomous driving without driver operation have been appearing (for example, see Patent Document 1 (JP Patent Publication 2012-48563 A)). In addition to automobiles that can switch between a manual driving mode and an automatic driving mode, it is expected that automatic driving cars that only have an automatic driving mode and automatic driving cars that can drive autonomously without a driver will also appear.

[0003] Currently, autonomous driving of this type of vehicle in self-driving mode is often restricted, such as being permitted only in places and environments where safety can be easily ensured, but it is expected that in the near future it will be possible for these vehicles to be driven freely on public roads.

[0004] When automobiles with an autonomous driving mode are allowed to travel freely on public roads, automobiles that can only be driven manually (manual-spec vehicles) and automobiles with an autonomous driving mode (for convenience, in the following explanation, automobiles with an autonomous driving mode will be referred to as autonomous vehicles) will be able to travel on the same roads at the same time.

[0005] In the case of a manual vehicle, it is inevitable that the driver will not strictly follow traffic laws or will behave in an unpredictable manner, but in the automatic driving mode of an automatic vehicle, it is predicted that the driver will strictly follow traffic laws and will always avoid obstacles. In other words, it is predicted that a manual vehicle and an automatic vehicle will have different driving behaviors.

[0006] Therefore, if it were possible to know whether a nearby car was a manual car or an autonomous car, it would be more likely that pedestrians, drivers, and cars (autonomous cars) themselves would be able to predict the movements and behavior of those cars and ensure safety and be careful about their own behavior and driving, which is expected to contribute to road safety, such as preventing accidents from occurring. In other words, if it were possible to know whether a car in motion is a manual car or an autonomous car, it would be possible to refer to that information when deciding on one's own actions and behavior, which is desirable from the perspective of road safety.

[0007] Therefore, for example, Patent Document 2 (JP Patent Publication 2015-228152A) proposes a system in which vehicles communicate with each other to determine whether their own vehicle is in an automatic driving mode or a manual driving mode, thereby making it possible to grasp the operating modes of other vehicles around the vehicle. This technology in Patent Document 2 is convenient because it makes it possible to increase or decrease the attention paid to other vehicles around the vehicle depending on the grasped operating mode. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-48563 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2015-228152 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] However, the technology of Patent Document 2 only allows the vehicle to know the operation mode of the vehicle while it is moving and to drive safely by referring to the known operation mode, but it does not guarantee that the vehicle will safely execute the behavior it is about to perform without causing a traffic accident. In particular, it does not guarantee that other vehicle-influenced behaviors that affect the behavior of other vehicles, such as right and left turns, lane changes, and merging, can be performed safely while reliably avoiding traffic accidents.

[0010] In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle that can ensure that traffic accidents are avoided and that the vehicle can be safely driven when attempting to perform other-vehicle-impacting behavior. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In order to solve the above problem, the invention of claim 1 is as follows: A car having a manual driving mode and an autonomous driving mode capable of autonomous driving, a wireless communication unit having a transmission / reception function for wireless communication between vehicles; a monitoring means for monitoring reception of a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request from another vehicle via the wireless communication unit; a communication path generating means for determining whether or not the vehicle is in the automatic driving mode when the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request is received from the other vehicle by the monitoring means, and generating a communication path between the vehicle and the other vehicle that has transmitted the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request if the vehicle is in the automatic driving mode; Equipped with 、 When the vehicle is in the manual driving mode, the communication path is not generated. The present invention provides a vehicle characterized by the above features.

[0012] In the automobile of claim 1 having the above configuration, the monitoring means monitors the reception of a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request from another vehicle via the wireless communication unit. When the monitoring means receives a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request from another vehicle, it determines whether the vehicle is in an automatic driving mode or not, and if it is in the automatic driving mode, creates a communication path between the vehicle and the other vehicle that has transmitted the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request.

[0013] Therefore, according to the automobile of claim 1, a communication path can be generated with other vehicles that have requested vehicle-to-vehicle communication only in the autonomous driving mode. As a result, even if a notification of an other-vehicle-influencing behavior that affects the behavior of other vehicles, such as a right or left turn, lane change, or merging, is received from another vehicle through the communication path, the behavior of the own vehicle in the autonomous driving mode can be determined, and it is expected that the other-vehicle-influencing behavior can be safely performed while avoiding traffic accidents. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the automobile of the present invention, a communication path is generated with other vehicles that have requested vehicle-to-vehicle communication only when the automobile is in automatic driving mode, which has the remarkable effect of preventing traffic accidents and enabling the automobile to safely interact with other vehicles. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an electronic control circuit section of an embodiment of a vehicle according to the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2 is a functional block diagram for explaining a configuration example of a main part of an electronic control circuit unit of the automobile in the example of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing operation of an electronic control circuit unit of the automobile in the example of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining an example of a processing operation of an electronic control circuit unit of the automobile in the example of FIG. 1. [Diagram 5] 2 is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining an example of a processing operation of an electronic control circuit unit of the automobile in the example of FIG. 1. [Figure 6] 2 is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining an example of a processing operation of an electronic control circuit unit of the automobile in the example of FIG. 1. [Figure 7] 2 is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining an example of a processing operation of an electronic control circuit unit of the automobile in the example of FIG. 1. [Figure 8]FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining an example of other vehicle influence behavior executed by an embodiment of the automobile according to the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining another example of other vehicle influence behavior executed by an embodiment of the automobile according to the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining yet another example of other vehicle influence behavior executed by an embodiment of the automobile according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the automobile according to the present invention will be described as an autonomous vehicle equipped with an autonomous driving mode that autonomously executes the behavior of the vehicle. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of an example of an electronic control circuit unit 10 of an autonomous vehicle 1 as an embodiment of the automobile according to the present invention. The autonomous vehicle 1 of this embodiment is an example of an electric vehicle. However, the battery is not shown in FIG. 1.

[0017] The self-driving car 1 of this embodiment also has an automatic driving mode in which the vehicle autonomously executes its own behavior, and a manual driving mode. The manual driving mode is a mode in which the vehicle can travel in response to the driver's accelerator pedal operation, brake pedal operation, shift lever operation, and steering operation (handle operation) in the same way as a normal automobile that is not a self-driving car. The automatic driving mode is a driving mode in which the self-driving car 1 itself automatically (autonomously) changes course while avoiding obstacles, even if the driver does not operate the accelerator pedal operation, brake pedal operation, shift lever operation, or steering operation.

[0018] The driver of the autonomous vehicle 1 can switch the autonomous vehicle 1, which is traveling in manual driving mode, to autonomous driving mode by performing a specified operation, for example through the touch panel 112 described below.The autonomous vehicle 1 is also configured to automatically return to manual driving mode if the driver performs a specified operation, such as operating the accelerator pedal, brake pedal, shift lever, or steering wheel, while traveling in autonomous driving mode.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, in the electronic control circuit unit 10, a wireless communication unit 102, a motor drive control unit 103, a steering drive control unit 104, a manual / automatic driving mode switching control unit 105, a radar group 106, a camera group 107, a sensor group 108, a surrounding situation grasping unit 109, a current position detection unit 110, a display unit 111, a touch panel 112, a car navigation function unit 113, a vehicle information memory unit 114, a driving speed and direction detection unit 115, a clock unit 116, a vehicle-to-vehicle communication control processing unit 117, a behavior control unit 118, and a voice input / output unit 119 are each connected to a control unit 101 via a system bus 100.

[0020] A motor drive unit 121 is connected to the motor drive control unit 103. A steering drive unit 122 is connected to the steering drive control unit 104. A manual driving operation detection unit 123 is connected to the manual / automatic driving mode switching control unit 105. A car navigation database 124 is connected to the car navigation function unit 113. A microphone 125 and a speaker 126 are connected to the audio input / output unit 119.

[0021] The control unit 101 is configured with a computer mounted thereon, and controls the entire autonomous vehicle 1.

[0022] The wireless communication unit 102 is for performing inter-vehicle communication, and is usually in a reception standby mode. Then, as described later, under the control of the inter-vehicle communication control processing unit 117, when a transmission trigger occurs, the wireless communication unit 102 broadcasts an inter-vehicle communication request signal, and when response information is received from the communication partner, performs inter-vehicle communication. Also, under the control of the inter-vehicle communication control processing unit 117, when the wireless communication unit 102 receives an inter-vehicle communication request signal in the reception standby mode, the wireless communication unit 102 performs inter-vehicle communication through a communication path created with the vehicle that transmitted the inter-vehicle communication request signal.

[0023] Under the control of the control unit 101, the motor drive control unit 103 controls the supply of a drive signal to the motor drive unit 121 of the autonomous vehicle 1, which is composed of the electric vehicle of this embodiment, so as to control the start of driving of the autonomous vehicle 1, driving speed control (including brake control and accelerator control), stopping of driving, etc.

[0024] Under the control of the control unit 101, the steering drive control unit 104 controls the supply of a drive control signal to the steering drive unit 122 of the autonomous vehicle 1 of this embodiment, thereby controlling the course change of the autonomous vehicle 1.

[0025] The manual / automatic driving mode switching control unit 105 switches the driving mode of the autonomous vehicle 1 between a manual driving mode and an automatic driving mode in response to a selection operation input via the touch panel 112. The manual driving operation detection unit 123 receives operation information of the accelerator pedal operation, brake pedal operation, shift lever operation, and steering operation by the driver, and supplies the manual driving operation information to the manual / automatic driving mode switching control unit 105.

[0026] When the autonomous vehicle 1 is in manual driving mode, the manual / autonomous driving mode switching control unit 105 supplies manual driving operation information from the manual driving operation detection unit 123 to the motor driving control unit 103 and the steering driving control unit 104, and controls the motor driving unit 121 and the steering driving unit 122 in accordance with the driver's pedal operation, shift lever operation, and steering operation (handle operation).

[0027] Furthermore, when the autonomous vehicle 1 is in the autonomous driving mode, the manual / autonomous driving mode switching control unit 105 supplies autonomous driving operation information generated by the control unit 101 based on the outputs of the radar group 106, the camera group 107, the sensor group 108, and the surrounding situation grasping unit 109 to the motor driving control unit 103 and the steering driving control unit 104, as described below, and controls the driving of the motor driving unit 121 and the steering driving unit 122 by the autonomous driving operation information. Note that in the autonomous driving mode, the car navigation function unit 113 searches for a route from the current position to a destination (destination) set by the driver or the like, and controls the vehicle to travel along the searched route.

[0028] In addition, in the case of a fully autonomous vehicle that does not have a manual driving mode and only has an autonomous driving mode, it does not, of course, have the manual / autonomous driving mode switching control unit 105 and the manual driving operation detection unit 123. In addition, it may not have an accelerator pedal, brake pedal, shift lever, steering wheel (handle), etc., which are necessary for manual driving operation. However, to ensure safety, it may have a brake pedal (brake button, touch panel input or voice input corresponding to braking may also be possible), and only the brake operation may be handled manually.

[0029] The radar group 106 is for measuring the distance to people and objects around the autonomous vehicle 1, and is composed of laser radar (lidar) and millimeter wave radar. The laser radar is embedded, for example, in the ceiling or near the bumper, and the millimeter wave radar is provided, for example, in the front and rear of the vehicle. The vehicle may be equipped with both laser radar and millimeter wave radar, or only one of them. Other radars, such as submillimeter wave radar and microwave radar, may also be used. Furthermore, sonar (not shown) using sound waves or ultrasonic waves may be used for the same purpose as radar.

[0030] The camera group 107 corresponds to the camera group 207 in the first embodiment, and includes one or more cameras that capture images of the interior of the autonomous vehicle 1, and one or more cameras that capture images of the surroundings outside the vehicle, such as the front, sides, and rear of the autonomous vehicle 1.

[0031] The sensor group 108 includes an opening / closing detection sensor for detecting the opening / closing of doors and windows, a sensor for detecting the fastening of a seat belt, a seating sensor for detecting that a passenger is seated in a seat such as the driver's seat or the passenger seat, a human presence sensor (infrared sensor) for detecting a person nearby outside the vehicle, and various sensors for acquiring information that assists in automatic driving. The various sensors for acquiring information that assists in automatic driving include, for example, a vibration sensor for detecting vibrations of the vehicle or tires, a rotation speed sensor for detecting the number of tire rotations, a geomagnetic sensor for detecting a direction, an acceleration sensor for detecting acceleration, a gyro sensor (gyroscope) for detecting an angle or angular velocity, and the like. In this embodiment, the sensor group 108 also includes sensors that detect the blinking of right and left turn signals (directional indicators) and hazard lights (emergency flashing lights), and the lighting of backlights, brake lights, and the like.

[0032] The surrounding situation grasping unit 109 grasps the surrounding environment such as moving objects (including people) around the vehicle, the number of lanes on the road, the lane the vehicle is traveling on, uphill and downhill, etc., by using images captured by the radar group 106, the sensor group 108, and the camera group 107. The surrounding situation grasping unit 109 grasps surrounding obstacles and moving objects by performing processing based on Bayes' theory, for example. The information on the surrounding environment, surrounding obstacles and moving objects grasped by the surrounding situation grasping unit 109 is used by the inter-vehicle communication control processing unit 117 and the behavior control unit 118, which will be described later, to determine behavior that complies with traffic laws and ensures safety.

[0033] In this embodiment, the surrounding situation recognition unit 109 has a function of recognizing traffic signs and traffic symbols from images of the surroundings of the vehicle captured by the camera group 107. The traffic signs and traffic symbols recognized by the surrounding situation recognition unit 109 are used by the behavior control unit 118, which will be described later, to make the vehicle behave in accordance with traffic laws and regulations.

[0034] The current position detection unit 110 corresponds to the current position detection unit 204 of the in-vehicle device 2 of the first embodiment, and receives radio waves from GPS satellites to detect the current position of the vehicle. In order to further improve the accuracy of the position detected by radio waves from GPS satellites, the current position detection unit 110 uses not only the information on the current position detected by receiving radio waves from GPS satellites, but also images captured by one or more sensors included in the sensor group 108, the radar group 106, and the camera group 107 (also using a navigation function), and performs processing based on Bayes' theorem, for example, to detect and confirm the current position with higher accuracy.

[0035] In the autonomous driving mode, the autonomous vehicle 1 processes various information such as position information acquired by receiving radio waves from the radar group 106, the camera group 107, the sensor group 108, and GPS satellites, that is, information corresponding to information obtained from the human eyes and ears, using Bayes' theory or the like in the current position detection unit 110 and the surrounding situation grasping unit 109, and based on this, the control unit 101 performs intelligent information processing (AI (artificial intelligence)) and control (AI (artificial intelligence)) such as changing the course of the vehicle and avoiding obstacles, to generate autonomous driving operation information. Then, based on the generated autonomous driving operation information, the motor drive control unit 103 drives the motor drive unit 121, and the steering drive control unit 104 drives the steering drive unit 122, thereby performing autonomous movement control. Therefore, in this embodiment, the autonomous movement control means is composed of a control unit 101, a radar group 106, a camera group 107, a sensor group 108, a surrounding situation grasping unit 109, a current position detection unit 110, a motor drive control unit 103, a motor drive unit 121, a steering drive control unit 104, a steering drive unit 122, and a car navigation function unit 113 described later.

[0036] Display unit 111 is, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). Touch panel 112 is a device in which a touch sensor capable of receiving touch input by a finger is superimposed on the display screen of display unit 111 made of an LCD. On the display screen of display unit 111, a display image including software buttons (including character input buttons of a keyboard) is displayed under the control of control unit 101. When touch panel 112 detects a touch by a finger on a software button displayed on the display screen, it transmits the touch to control unit 101. Receiving this, control unit 101 is configured to execute a control process corresponding to the software button. Note that the software button may be handled by using a separate keyboard or the like.

[0037] Domestic maps and route guidance data are stored in advance in car navigation database 124 connected to car navigation function unit 113. Car navigation function unit 113 is a functional unit for providing guidance to assist autonomous vehicle 1 in moving to a specified destination, based on the maps and route guidance data stored in car navigation database 124. Car navigation function unit 113 performs a route search based on the departure point, intermediate points, destination, and search conditions set and input by the user (driver or passenger), creates route guidance data, and executes route guidance processing using this route guidance data. In this embodiment, car navigation function unit 113 is configured to perform route guidance processing that differs slightly between manual driving mode and autonomous driving mode.

[0038] That is, in the manual driving mode, the car navigation function unit 113 displays an image on the display screen of the display unit 111 in which the vehicle position detected and confirmed by the current position detection unit 110 is superimposed on a map that clearly displays the route to the destination, and also moves the vehicle position (current position) on the map as the vehicle moves, and provides voice guidance at points where route guidance is necessary, such as intersections and branching points on the route. This is the same as the normal car navigation function.

[0039] On the other hand, in the autonomous driving mode, when the current position of the vehicle is away from the route to the destination, the car navigation function unit 113 notifies the behavior control unit 118 described later of information on the direction and distance of the departure, and when the current position of the vehicle is on the route to the destination, the car navigation function unit 113 notifies the behavior control unit 118 of information instructing the vehicle to change the direction of travel along the route just before an intersection or branching point on the route as the vehicle moves.

[0040] Under the control of control unit 101, behavior control unit 118 controls motor drive unit 121 via motor drive control unit 103 so that the vehicle moves along the route as instructed, based on the information notified from car navigation function unit 113, the current position confirmation result from current position detection unit 110, and the grasping result from surrounding situation grasping unit 109, and generates autonomous driving operation information for controlling steering drive unit 122 via steering drive control unit 104. Therefore, autonomous vehicle 1 can move to the destination even when there are no passengers, thanks to route guidance to the destination by car navigation function unit 113 and control unit 101 in the autonomous driving mode.

[0041] In this embodiment, the car navigation function unit 113 also includes in the route guidance data indicator control information regarding the location where the turn indicators are to be blinked when turning right or left, and the hazard lights are to be blinked during an emergency stop, etc., and the indicators to be blinked (whether the left indicator, the right indicator, or both) in the automatic driving mode. Based on the indicator control information included in the route guidance data, the behavior control unit 118 executes the blinking control of the indicated indicator at the location where the current position becomes the indicator control point.

[0042] The indicator control information is not limited to information on a location where blinking or the like is performed and an indicator to be blinked, but may be information on a location where lighting or the like is performed and an indicator to be turned on. For example, indicator control information on a location where the backlight (backing light) is turned on (white light) when backing up, or the brake light (brake light) is turned on (red light) when braking, and information on an indicator to be turned on (backlight, brake light, or both) can be included in the route guidance data. As in the case of blinking control, the behavior control unit 118 executes lighting control of the indicated indicator at a position where the current position becomes the indicator control point, based on the indicator control information included in this route guidance data.

[0043] Furthermore, in this embodiment, behaviors that affect the behavior of other vehicles in the vicinity (hereinafter referred to as other-vehicle affecting behaviors) are determined in advance, and other-vehicle affecting behavior occurrence information is included in the route guidance data of the search results in correspondence with points where the other-vehicle affecting behavior needs to be executed, by car navigation function unit 113. This other-vehicle affecting behavior includes behaviors of the autonomous vehicle making right or left turns, behaviors of changing driving lanes, behaviors of merging on general roads or expressways, behaviors of entering a queue of vehicles in a traffic jam, and the like, which are determined in advance and registered in autonomous vehicle 1.

[0044] The other-vehicle affecting behavior occurrence information includes information on what other-vehicle affecting behavior occurs and information on the location where the other-vehicle affecting behavior is performed. This other-vehicle affecting behavior occurrence information is inserted in correspondence with the same location as or a location just before the location on the route where the other-vehicle affecting behavior is actually performed. For example, as described later, right turns, left turns, merging, and the like are set in advance in the autonomously driven vehicle 1 as other-vehicle affecting behaviors, and the car navigation function unit 113 inserts the other-vehicle affecting behavior occurrence information in correspondence with an intersection on the route where these behaviors are required, or a location just before the merging point. As described later, this other-vehicle affecting behavior occurrence information is used as information for a transmission trigger of vehicle-to-vehicle communication. Note that the insertion location of the other-vehicle affecting behavior occurrence location information may be the same location as or a location just before the location where the turn indicator or hazard lamp is instructed to blink, or the location where the backlight or brake light is instructed to be turned on.

[0045] The vehicle information storage unit 114 stores vehicle information consisting of mode information including information on whether the vehicle has an autonomous driving mode and information for distinguishing and identifying the vehicle from other vehicles. This vehicle information is input by an operator at a manufacturing plant for the autonomous vehicle 1 and stored. In addition, when the autonomous vehicle 1 is sold, the vehicle information is input by a seller at a sales outlet such as a dealer and stored. Of course, the vehicle information may be input by an operator or seller directly or by downloading the vehicle information from a predetermined server such as an automobile company. Furthermore, when the vehicle information is input after the sale of the autonomous vehicle 1, the vehicle information is input and stored by the owner or user of the autonomous vehicle 1, or by an administrator or management company.

[0046] In this example, the mode information stored in the vehicle information storage unit 114 includes information on whether the vehicle is a manual specification vehicle or an autonomous vehicle equipped with an autonomous driving mode, and if the vehicle is an autonomous vehicle, information on which of multiple types such as a type that can switch between a manual driving mode and an autonomous driving mode, a type that has only an autonomous driving mode, or a type that can be driven unmanned. In addition, when it is possible to specify the source and the level of the AI ​​(Artificial Intelligence) installed and used in the autonomous vehicle, such as the developer and version, such information may be included as the vehicle information. In addition, since AI generally evolves through learning and improves safety and driving performance, there is a high correlation between the driving time and driving distance and the safety and driving performance that depend on AI, so the driving time and driving distance may be included as the vehicle information. In addition, AI may be installed in hardware such as an LSI or in software.

[0047] Furthermore, it goes without saying that the information stored in the own vehicle information storage unit 114 for distinguishing and identifying the own autonomous vehicle 1 from other vehicles may include not only information different from other vehicles, but also information on the specifications of the autonomous vehicle 1. Examples of the own vehicle information stored in the own vehicle information storage unit 114 include, for example, the country code (which country the car is from), the manufacturer (automobile company), the model, the vehicle name, the body color, the engine displacement, the drive system (gasoline vehicle, PHV (Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle), EV (Electric Vehicle), fuel cell vehicle, etc.), whether or not an autonomous driving mode is enabled, the number of passengers that can be accommodated, the license plate number, whether the vehicle is a general vehicle or a special vehicle (ambulance, fire engine, police car, taxi, bus, etc.), other manufacturer options (which can be freely set by the manufacturer), etc.

[0048] Traveling speed and direction detection unit 115 detects the traveling speed of autonomous vehicle 1 from the sensor output of the speed sensor in sensor group 108, or from a change in the current position detected by current position detection unit 110 during a time change from clock unit 116, and also detects the moving speed of autonomous vehicle 1 from the sensor outputs of the acceleration sensor, gyro sensor, and orientation sensor in sensor group 108. Clock unit 116 generates time information in the form of year, month, day, hour, minute, and second.

[0049] The inter-vehicle communication control processing unit 117 controls the reception standby operation, the transmission operation and the reception operation of the inter-vehicle communication using the wireless communication unit 102 in this embodiment. The inter-vehicle communication control processing unit 117 will be described in detail later.

[0050] Behavior control unit 118 controls the execution of the behavior of the vehicle in the autonomous driving mode. That is, in the autonomous driving mode, autonomous vehicle 1 of this embodiment travels while executing the behavior that should be performed at the current position detected by current position detection unit 110, according to route guidance information to the destination determined by a route search by car navigation function unit 113. Behavior control unit 118 is a functional unit that determines the behavior that autonomous vehicle 1 should perform at the current position detected by current position detection unit 110, based on the route guidance information, and controls the execution of the behavior.

[0051] Furthermore, in the autonomous vehicle 1 of this embodiment, when the behavior to be performed at that time is determined by the vehicle-to-vehicle communication control processing unit 117 as described below, the behavior control unit 118 controls the execution of the determined behavior as a priority.

[0052] The audio input / output unit 119 takes in an audio signal of surrounding sounds picked up by the microphone 125, and supplies an audio signal for informing the driver, etc. to the speaker 126 to emit the sound. In this embodiment, among the surrounding sounds picked up by the microphone 125, for example, the sound of a siren of an emergency vehicle (ambulance, fire engine, police car, etc.) is used in the behavior determination process in the vehicle-to-vehicle communication control processing unit 117 and the behavior control unit 118, and in this case too, the behavior is determined so that the emergency vehicle is given priority. In this embodiment, a message audio signal required to notify the driver is generated by the control unit 101, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication control processing unit 117, etc., and the message audio signal is emitted through the speaker 126.

[0053] The electronic control circuit unit 10 of the autonomous vehicle 1 is configured as described above, and among the processing blocks shown in FIG. 1, the processing functions of the motor drive control unit 103, steering drive control unit 104, manual / autonomous driving mode switching control unit 105, surrounding conditions awareness unit 109, current position detection unit 110, car navigation function unit 113, driving speed and direction detection unit 115, vehicle-to-vehicle communication control processing unit 117, and behavior control unit 118 can be realized as software processing performed by the control unit 101 executing a program.

[0054] [Example of the configuration of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication control processing unit 117] 2 is a functional block diagram for explaining the processing functions of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication control processing unit 117. That is, in this embodiment, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication control processing unit 117 is configured to include a communication monitoring unit 1170, a transmission processing unit 200, and a reception processing unit 300 as functional units.

[0055] When the vehicle-to-vehicle communication application program is launched, the communication monitoring unit 1170 waits for and monitors whether a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request has been received from another vehicle, and also monitors whether a trigger for transmitting a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request has occurred in the vehicle itself.

[0056] The trigger for issuing a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request occurs when it is time for the autonomous vehicle 1 to perform a predetermined other-vehicle influencing behavior that affects the behavior of other vehicles in the vicinity. In this example, as described above, behaviors such as when the autonomous vehicle makes a right or left turn, when it changes lanes, when it merges onto a general road or an expressway, when it enters a queue of vehicles in a traffic jam, and so on are predetermined as other-vehicle influencing behaviors, and the communication monitoring unit 1170 monitors the occurrence of these other-vehicle influencing behaviors.

[0057] In this embodiment, as described above, when creating route guidance data, the car navigation function unit 113 inserts other-vehicle affecting behavior occurrence information at the same point as or a point before a point where the other-vehicle affecting behavior is required on the route. In this embodiment, the communication monitoring unit 1170 detects the occurrence of a call trigger when the current position becomes a point where other-vehicle affecting behavior occurrence information is inserted when route guidance is being executed by the car navigation function unit 113 in the autonomously driven vehicle 1, regardless of whether the mode is manual driving mode or autonomous driving mode. Then, when the communication monitoring unit 1170 detects the occurrence of a call trigger, it activates the call time processing unit 200 and controls the call time processing unit 1170 to supply a call trigger occurrence notification and information on the detected other-vehicle affecting behavior to the call time processing unit 200.

[0058] In addition, in the manual driving mode, when route guidance is not being performed by the car navigation function unit 113, the communication monitoring unit 1170 detects the occurrence of a transmission trigger when the driver starts flashing the turn indicators or hazard lights (which may involve braking), and recognizes the behavior of other vehicles at that time based on the flashing operation of the turn indicators or hazard lights that have been operated to start flashing.

[0059] In this case, since the other-vehicle-influencing behavior may not be specified by the direction indicator alone, the driver's operation through the touch panel may be involved. For example, when the right turn indicator of the right direction indicator is blinked, it may mean a right turn or a lane change. Therefore, when the driver operates the right direction indicator, the display screen of the display unit 111 displays operation buttons (icon buttons) for turning right and changing lanes. Also, when the left turn indicator of the left direction indicator is blinked, it may mean a left turn or a vehicle stopping by moving to the left side. In this case, the display screen of the display unit 111 displays operation buttons (icon buttons) for turning left and stopping the vehicle by moving to the left side. The driver operates one of the operation buttons displayed on the display screen of the display unit 111. This operation is detected by the touch panel 112. The other-vehicle-influencing behavior can be reliably recognized by the driver's button operation in addition to the operation of the direction indicator.

[0060] Of course, when a predetermined situation, such as when entering an intersection or when entering an expressway, is recognized from images captured by the camera group 107, the occurrence of a transmission trigger may be detected, or a transmission trigger may be generated, and the behavior affecting other vehicles at that time may be recognized. Also, when a predetermined situation, such as when entering an intersection or when entering an expressway, is recognized by receiving radio wave information from traffic lights installed at intersections or beacons installed at predetermined intervals along roads, the occurrence of a transmission trigger may be detected, or a transmission trigger may be generated, and the behavior affecting other vehicles at that time may be recognized.

[0061] When the communication monitoring unit 1170 detects that a call trigger has occurred, it activates the call processing unit 200 and controls it to supply a call trigger occurrence notification and information on the recognized other-vehicle affecting behavior.

[0062] In addition, when the communication monitoring unit 1170 detects receipt of a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request from another vehicle, it activates the reception time processing unit 300 and controls the reception time processing unit 300 to supply a notification of the receipt of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request.

[0063] The outgoing call processing unit 200 executes outgoing call processing, which will be described later, and when the processing is completed, notifies the communication monitoring unit 1170 of this fact. The reception processing unit 300 executes reception processing, which will be described later, and when the processing is completed, notifies the communication monitoring unit 1170 of this fact. Upon receiving this notification of completion, the communication monitoring unit 1170 performs standby monitoring for reception of a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request from another vehicle, and returns to a state of monitoring whether or not a transmission trigger for a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request has occurred in the vehicle itself.

[0064] <<Outgoing call processing unit 200>> As shown in Figure 2, the outgoing call processing unit 200 includes a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request unit 201, a communication path generation management unit 202, a behavior schedule information generation and transmission unit 203, a reply information analysis unit 204, a other vehicle behavior confirmation unit 205, and a behavior determination unit 206.

[0065] When the inter-vehicle communication request unit 201 receives a notification of the occurrence of a transmission trigger from the communication monitor unit 1170, it sends out a request for inter-vehicle communication via the wireless communication unit .

[0066] The communication path generation management unit 202 monitors response information from other vehicles responding to the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request, and generates a communication path with one or more other vehicles that have sent the response information. The communication path generation management unit 202 then manages the subsequent vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and when it detects that the vehicle-to-vehicle communication has ended, notifies the communication monitoring unit 1170 of the end of the communication.

[0067] The behavior schedule information generating and transmitting unit 203 generates behavior schedule information including information on the other-vehicle affecting behavior to be performed by the vehicle itself and the location (point) of the other-vehicle affecting behavior to be performed from the information on the other-vehicle affecting behavior transmitted together with the notification of the occurrence of the transmission trigger, and transmits the behavior schedule information to the other vehicle through the communication path generated by the communication path generating and managing unit 202. In this embodiment, the behavior schedule information transmitted to the other vehicle further includes the current position of the vehicle itself detected by the current position detecting unit 110, information for identifying the vehicle itself stored in the vehicle information storage unit 114, and information on the vehicle's running speed and running direction detected by the running speed and direction detecting unit 115.

[0068] The reply information analysis unit 204 analyzes reply information sent from the other vehicle that has received the behavior schedule information, and analyzes the behavior of the other vehicle with respect to the other vehicle influencing behavior of the own vehicle.

[0069] The other vehicle behavior confirmation unit 205 identifies the behavior of other vehicles that is involved in the other vehicle affecting behavior of the own vehicle from the behaviors of other vehicles detected by the analysis results in the reply information analysis unit 204, and when it determines that the other vehicle affecting behavior of the own vehicle can be safely executed based on the behavior of the other vehicles, it transmits a confirmation notification to the other vehicle indicating that the behavior of the other vehicles has been confirmed.

[0070] The behavior determination unit 206 determines a behavior to be safely executed in response to the behavior of the other vehicle for which a confirmation notice has been sent by the other vehicle behavior confirmation unit 205. When processing the behavior determination by this behavior determination unit 206, the results of the grasping by the surrounding situation grasping unit 109 are also referred to. That is, for example, when an emergency vehicle is present, the behavior is determined to be such that the emergency vehicle is given priority, and when a traffic sign or traffic sign is detected, the behavior is determined to be in accordance with the traffic rules based on the traffic sign or traffic sign.

[0071] The behavior determination unit 206 performs different processing depending on whether the vehicle is in a manual driving mode or an automatic driving mode. That is, when the vehicle is in a manual driving mode, the behavior determination unit 206 determines a behavior for notifying the driver of the behavior of the other vehicle, for example, by a display message on the display screen of the display unit 111 or by a voice message through the speaker 126, and passes information on the determined behavior to the behavior control unit 118 to be executed. From this notification, the driver can recognize that the other vehicle affecting behavior can be executed safely, and can execute the other vehicle affecting behavior by manual operation.

[0072] Furthermore, when the vehicle is in the autonomous driving mode, the behavior determination unit 206 determines the behavior of autonomous driving to be safely performed in response to the behavior of the other vehicle for which a confirmation notice has been sent by the other vehicle behavior confirmation unit 205, and passes the information of the determined behavior to the behavior control unit 118 to have it executed. This allows the behavior control unit 118 to safely execute the other vehicle-influenced behavior.

[0073] <<Reception Processing Unit 300>> As shown in FIG. 2, the reception time processing unit 300 is configured to include a communication path generation management unit 301, a behavior schedule information analysis unit 302, a communication path maintenance necessity judgment unit 303, a behavior determination unit 304, a reply information generation and transmission unit 305, and a confirmation notification reception detection unit 306.

[0074] When the communication path generation management unit 301 receives a reception notification of a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request from the communication monitoring unit 1170, it determines whether the vehicle is in an automatic driving mode, and if it is in an automatic driving mode, it generates response information that responds to the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request, transmits it to the originating vehicle that issued the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request, and generates a communication path with the originating vehicle. Note that the control unit 101 controls so that the automatic driving mode cannot be switched to the manual driving mode while this communication path is being generated.

[0075] On the other hand, if the vehicle is in manual driving mode when receiving the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request reception notification, in this embodiment, the communication path generation management unit 301 does not respond to the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request and does not generate a communication path to the sending vehicle. Then, when the communication path generation management unit 202 generates a communication path, it manages the subsequent vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and when it detects that the vehicle-to-vehicle communication has ended, it notifies the communication monitoring unit 1170 to that effect.

[0076] In addition, if the vehicle is in manual driving mode when a reception notification of a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request is received, the vehicle may be forcibly switched to automatic driving mode, or the driver may be asked for permission to switch to automatic driving mode, and when the driver's response of permission is obtained, the vehicle may be switched to automatic driving mode. Once the vehicle is in automatic driving mode, response information responding to the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request may be generated and transmitted to the sending vehicle, thereby creating a communication path with the sending vehicle.

[0077] The behavior plan information analysis unit 302 analyzes the behavior plan information sent from the sending vehicle through the communication path generated by the communication path generation management unit 301, and detects what other-vehicle affecting behavior the sending vehicle plans to execute, as well as the sending vehicle's current position, driving speed, driving direction, the position of the point where the other-vehicle affecting behavior will be executed, and the affected lanes, etc., and supplies the detected analysis results to the communication path maintenance necessity judgment unit 303.

[0078] The communication path maintenance necessity determination unit 303 determines, from the analysis results of the behavior schedule information analysis unit 302, whether or not the vehicle itself will actually be affected when the other-vehicle affecting behavior of the originating vehicle is executed. If it is determined that the vehicle will be affected, it decides to maintain the generated communication path, and if it is determined that the vehicle will not be affected, it disconnects the generated communication path and terminates vehicle-to-vehicle communication with the originating vehicle at this point.

[0079] When the communication path maintenance necessity judgment unit 303 decides to maintain the generated communication path, the behavior decision unit 304 decides the behavior of the host vehicle based on the analysis result of the behavior schedule information by the behavior schedule information analysis unit 302. For example, when it is determined that it is better for the host vehicle to pass the point where the transmitting vehicle performs the other-vehicle affecting behavior first, rather than prioritizing the other-vehicle affecting behavior of the transmitting vehicle, based on the current position and running speed of the host vehicle, the current position and running speed of the transmitting vehicle, and the position of the point where the transmitting vehicle performs the other-vehicle affecting behavior of the transmitting vehicle, the behavior decision unit 304 decides to "pass first as it is". Also, when it is determined that the other-vehicle affecting behavior of the transmitting vehicle can be prioritized based on the above information, the behavior decision unit 304 decides, for example, to "slow down and prioritize the other-vehicle affecting behavior of the transmitting vehicle". The behavior decision unit 304 supplies information on the determined behavior to the reply information generation and transmission unit 305.

[0080] In addition, when the behavior determination unit 304 determines the behavior, it also refers to the results of the surrounding situation determination unit 109. That is, for example, if an emergency vehicle is present, it is determined that the emergency vehicle is given priority, and if a traffic sign or traffic sign is detected, the behavior is determined to comply with the traffic rules based on the traffic sign or traffic sign.

[0081] The reply information generating and transmitting unit 305 generates reply information including the behavior information determined from the behavior determining unit 304, the vehicle's location information, and the vehicle information for identifying the vehicle, and transmits the generated reply information to the transmitting vehicle.

[0082] The confirmation notification reception confirmation unit 306 determines whether or not a confirmation notification has been received from the originating vehicle in response to the reply information sent from the reply information generating and transmitting unit 305, and when a confirmation notification has been received, it determines that the originating vehicle has confirmed the behavior of its own vehicle, and supplies information on the behavior of its own vehicle to the behavior control unit 118 so that the behavior of its own vehicle determined by the behavior determination unit 304 is executed.

[0083] Thus, when the automatically driven vehicle 1 of this embodiment receives a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request from another vehicle, it accepts the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request if its own vehicle is in an automatic driving mode, and performs vehicle-to-vehicle communication with the originating vehicle that issued the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request to determine the behavior of its own vehicle. Then, when the behavior of its own vehicle is determined in the vehicle-to-vehicle communication by giving priority to the other-vehicle influencing behavior of the originating vehicle, it receives a confirmation notification from the originating vehicle via vehicle-to-vehicle communication and executes the behavior of its own vehicle.

[0084] In this case, the sending vehicle can expect that the other vehicle that has sent the response information indicating a behavior that prioritizes the other-vehicle-influencing behavior of the vehicle itself will reliably execute the behavior because the other vehicle is in an automatic driving mode, so the sending vehicle can reliably and safely execute the other-vehicle-influencing behavior of the vehicle itself.

[0085] On the other hand, the autonomous vehicle 1 that sent the behavior that prioritizes the other-vehicle affecting behavior of its own vehicle through reply information receives a confirmation notification about the behavior of its own vehicle from the sending vehicle and executes the behavior of its own vehicle. Therefore, it is predicted that the sending vehicle will confirm and understand the behavior of its own vehicle through vehicle-to-vehicle communication and then execute the other-vehicle affecting behavior, and the behavior of its own vehicle can be executed while ensuring safety.

[0086] [Example of processing operations in the self-driving vehicle 1 according to the embodiment] Next, the processing operation of the inter-vehicle communication control processing unit 117 of the autonomously driving vehicle 1 according to the embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowcharts of Figures 3 to 7. Note that the following description will be given on the assumption that the control unit 101 realizes the processing function of the inter-vehicle communication control processing unit 117 as software processing by executing a program.

[0087] First, an example of the processing operation in the communication monitoring unit 1170 of the inter-vehicle communication control processing unit 117 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0088] The control unit 101 waits for and monitors the reception of a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request from another vehicle through the wireless communication unit 102, and monitors whether or not a transmission trigger has occurred in the vehicle (step S101).The control unit 101 then determines whether or not a transmission trigger has been detected (step S102), and when it determines that a transmission trigger has been detected, starts the transmission time processing unit 200 and controls so as to supply a transmission trigger occurrence notification and information on the detected other vehicle affecting behavior to the transmission time processing unit 200 (step S103).

[0089] Then, the control unit 101 determines whether the outgoing call processing in the outgoing call processing unit 200 has been completed (step S104), and if it has been determined that the outgoing call processing has not been completed, the process returns to step S103 to continue the outgoing call processing. If it has been determined in step S104 that the outgoing call processing has been completed, the control unit 101 returns the process to step S101 to repeat the processes from step S101 onward.

[0090] Furthermore, when it is determined in step S102 that a transmission trigger has not been detected, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request has been detected (step S105), and when it is determined that a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request has been detected, it activates the reception time processing unit 300 and controls the reception time processing unit 300 to supply a notification of the reception of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request to the reception time processing unit 300 (step S106).

[0091] Then, the control unit 101 determines whether the reception processing in the reception processing unit 300 has ended (step S107), and if it has determined that the reception processing has not ended, the process returns to step S106 to continue the reception processing. If it has determined in step S107 that the reception processing has ended, the control unit 101 returns the process to step S101 and repeats the processes from step S101 onwards.

[0092] If it is determined in step S105 that the reception of a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request has not been detected, the control unit 101 returns the process to step S101, and repeats the processes from step S101 onwards.

[0093] Next, an example of the processing operation of the outgoing call processing unit 200 of the inter-vehicle communication control processing unit 117 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

[0094] 4 and transmits a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request through the wireless communication unit 102 (step S111). Then, the control unit 101 monitors whether or not it detects reception of response information from another vehicle (step S112), and when it determines that it has not received response information from another vehicle for, for example, a predetermined time or longer, it does not create a communication path, but generates a message to the effect that there is no other vehicle in the vicinity that is capable of vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and displays this on the display screen of the display unit 111 and also emits a sound through the speaker 126 to notify the driver (step S114). Then, this outgoing call processing routine ends.

[0095] Furthermore, when it is determined in step S112 that the reception of response information from another vehicle has been detected, the control unit 101 creates a communication path with the other vehicle (step S113). In this case, when the response information is received from a plurality of other vehicles, a communication path is created with each of the plurality of other vehicles.

[0096] Next, the control unit 101 generates behavior plan information including information on the other-vehicle affecting behavior sent from the communication monitoring unit 1170 along with the call trigger occurrence notification, information on the location (point) where the other-vehicle affecting behavior is scheduled to be executed, and information on the vehicle's driving speed and driving direction, and transmits the behavior plan information to the other vehicle via the generated communication path (step S115).

[0097] Next, the control unit 101 waits to receive reply information from the other vehicle (step S116), and when it determines that it has detected the reception of reply information from the other vehicle, it analyzes the received reply information to identify the other vehicle that has replied (step S117), performs any further vehicle-to-vehicle communication required with the identified other vehicle, and obtains information on the behavior determined by the other vehicle (step S118).

[0098] Next, when the control unit 101 confirms the behavior decided by the other vehicle, it generates a confirmation notification thereof and transmits it to the other vehicle (step S119).

[0099] Next, the control unit 101 determines whether the host vehicle is in a manual driving mode or an automatic driving mode (step S121 in FIG. 5). If it is determined in this step S121 that the host vehicle is in a manual driving mode, the control unit 101 generates a notification message of the confirmed behavior of the other vehicle, displays it on the display screen of the display unit 111, and also emits a sound through the speaker 126 to notify the driver and prompt him or her to perform a behavior corresponding to the behavior of the other vehicle (step S122).

[0100] Furthermore, when it is determined in step S121 that the host vehicle is in the autonomous driving mode, the control unit 101 determines a behavior of the host vehicle that enables the host vehicle to safely execute other-vehicle affecting behavior according to the confirmed behavior of the other vehicle, and transmits the behavior to the behavior control unit 118 (step S123). When the control unit 101 executes the function of the behavior control unit 118 as a program process, the control unit 101 executes the determined behavior.

[0101] After steps S122 and S123, the control unit 101 waits for the execution of the vehicle's behavior (other-vehicle affecting behavior) to end (step S124), and when it determines that the execution has ended, it transmits a notification of the end of execution of the other-vehicle affecting behavior to the other vehicle through the communication path (step S125). Then, the control unit 101 disconnects the communication path with the other vehicle (step S126), and notifies the driver's vehicle of the end of the behavior processing by vehicle-to-vehicle communication by displaying a message on the display screen of the display unit 111 and emitting a voice message through the speaker 126 (step S127). With the above, the call processing routine ends.

[0102] Next, an example of the processing operation of the reception time processing unit 300 of the inter-vehicle communication control processing unit 117 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

[0103] When the control unit 101 detects receipt of a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request from another vehicle, it activates the reception time processing unit 300 and starts the flowchart of Fig. 6. First, the control unit 101 determines whether the vehicle is an autonomous vehicle that has only an autonomous driving mode (step S131). Then, when it is determined in step S131 that the vehicle is an autonomous vehicle that has only an autonomous driving mode, the control unit 101 sends response information to the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request to the sending vehicle that has sent the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request, and creates a communication path between the sending vehicle and the sending vehicle (step S132).

[0104] Furthermore, when it is determined in step S131 that the vehicle is not an autonomous vehicle that has only an autonomous driving mode, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the vehicle is in the autonomous driving mode (step S133). When it is determined in step S133 that the vehicle is in the autonomous driving mode, the control unit 101 transmits response information to the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request to the sending vehicle that has sent the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request, and creates a communication path between the sending vehicle and the sending vehicle (step S132).

[0105] If it is determined in step S133 that the vehicle is not in the automatic driving mode, the control unit 101 determines whether or not it is possible to switch to the automatic driving mode (step S134). In this step S134, for example, the control unit 101 inquires of the driver, "There is a request for inter-vehicle communication, so may I switch to the automatic driving mode?" and determines whether or not the driver has responded to the inquiry by granting permission to switch to the automatic driving mode.

[0106] If it is determined in step S133 that switching to the automatic driving mode is not possible (the driver refuses to switch), the control unit 101 does not create a communication path (step S135) and ends this processing routine.

[0107] Furthermore, when it is determined in step S134 that switching to the autonomous driving mode is possible (the driver has permitted the switching), the control unit 101 switches to the autonomous driving mode (step S136), sends response information to the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request to the sending vehicle that has issued the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request, and creates a communication path between the sending vehicle and the sending vehicle (step S132).

[0108] After step S132, the control unit 101 receives and analyzes behavior schedule information from the transmitting vehicle (step S137). Then, the control unit 101 determines from the analysis result whether the other-vehicle-influencing behavior indicated in the behavior schedule information from the transmitting vehicle affects the behavior of the own vehicle (step S138). If it determines that there is no influence, the control unit 101 disconnects the created communication path (step S139) and ends this processing routine.

[0109] In step S138, the behavior of the sending vehicle is determined to affect the behavior of the own vehicle. If it is determined that the vehicle has been detected as the transmitting vehicle, the control unit 101 generates reply information including vehicle information for identifying the vehicle, and the current position, traveling speed, traveling direction, etc. of the vehicle, and transmits the reply information to the transmitting vehicle (step S141 in FIG. 7).

[0110] Then, the control unit 101 performs further vehicle-to-vehicle communication with the originating vehicle, if necessary, to determine the behavior of the host vehicle (step S142).Then, the control unit 101 determines the behavior of the host vehicle based on the result of the vehicle-to-vehicle communication with the originating vehicle, and transmits the determined behavior of the host vehicle to the originating vehicle (step S143).

[0111] Then, the control unit 101 waits to receive a confirmation notification from the sending vehicle (step S144), and when it determines that a confirmation notification has been received, it notifies the behavior control unit 118 to execute the determined behavior of the vehicle (step S145).

[0112] Next, the control unit 101 waits for the reception of a notification of the end of execution of the behavior affecting other vehicles from the transmitting vehicle (step S146), and when it determines that the notification of the end of execution has been received, it disconnects the communication path with the transmitting vehicle (step S147). Then, the control unit 101 releases the prohibition of switching to the manual driving mode (step S148), and notifies the driver of the end of the behavior processing by the vehicle-to-vehicle communication through the display screen of the display unit 111 and by sound output from the speaker (step S149). Then, this reception processing routine is terminated.

[0113] [Example of behavior that affects other vehicles and is executed through vehicle-to-vehicle communication] For the sake of convenience, the following description will be given assuming that all vehicles have the vehicle-to-vehicle communication control processing unit 117 of the autonomous vehicle 1 of the embodiment. Note that the autonomous vehicle 1 of the embodiment cannot communicate with vehicles that do not have the vehicle-to-vehicle communication control processing unit 117 installed, and therefore such vehicles are excluded from target vehicles that determine behavior in response to other-vehicle-influencing behavior.

[0114] <Meeting> Figure 8 shows a case where vehicle A merges from a side road 2 onto a wide road 3 with two lanes on each side, which is an example of behavior that affects other vehicles. This situation is similar to a case where vehicle A merges from a road 2 for merging onto a main road onto a two-lane main road 3 on a highway.

[0115] In the example of FIG. 8, it is assumed that vehicle B is traveling in the left lane 3L of the wide road 3 in the direction of travel, and vehicle C is traveling in the right lane 3R.

[0116] When vehicle A approaches the junction, a transmission trigger occurs and the vehicle A sends out a request for vehicle-to-vehicle communication. As described above, this transmission trigger occurs when the driver operates a turn signal or the like, when a specific situation is recognized from images captured by the camera group 107, or based on other vehicle influence behavior occurrence information included in the route guidance data in the car navigation function unit 113.

[0117] The vehicle-to-vehicle communication request issued by vehicle A is received by vehicles B and C, and a communication path is temporarily created between vehicle A and each of vehicles B and C. Vehicle B receives the information on "merging" as the other-vehicle-influencing behavior of vehicle A sent through the communication path, and since vehicle B is traveling just before the merging point in the left lane 3L that is affected by the "merging," vehicle B determines that the other-vehicle-influencing behavior of vehicle A, "merging," will affect the behavior of its own vehicle, and maintains the communication path.

[0118] In contrast, vehicle C is traveling in the right lane 3R, which does not directly affect the "merging". Therefore, even though it is just before the merging point, it determines that the "merging", which is vehicle A's behavior affecting other vehicles, does not affect its own vehicle's behavior, and cuts off the communication path.

[0119] Then, vehicle B, which has maintained the communication path, determines whether vehicle A can merge in front of its own vehicle based on vehicle A's current position, vehicle A's driving speed, vehicle A's driving direction, its own vehicle's current position, its own vehicle's driving speed, its own vehicle's driving direction, and also images of vehicle A and its surroundings taken by its own vehicle's camera.If vehicle B determines that merging is possible, it takes safety into consideration and decides to behave in a manner that, for example, "slows down and gives priority to vehicle A's merging" and notifies vehicle A of this.

[0120] Vehicle A receives and confirms the information of the determined behavior from vehicle B, transmits a confirmation notification to vehicle B, and executes the merging behavior as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 8. Vehicle B receives the confirmation notification from vehicle A and executes the behavior determined by itself while predicting that vehicle A will perform the "merging" behavior. As described above, vehicle A can safely perform the "merging" behavior, which is an other-vehicle-influenced behavior. If there is a following vehicle (not shown) behind vehicle B, vehicle A communicates with the following vehicle in the same manner as vehicle B, as in the case shown in FIG. 9 described later, and when vehicle A completes the merging behavior in response to vehicle B's behavior of allowing vehicle A to merge, the following vehicle also ends the inter-vehicle communication together with vehicle B.

[0121] <Entering during traffic jams> Next, the example of FIG. 9 shows, as an example of other-vehicle-influenced behavior, a case in which vehicle A enters a congested lane 4 from a side road 21 or enters an oncoming lane 5 of the congested road 4.

[0122] In this case, when vehicle A approaches the merging point, a transmission trigger occurs and the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request is sent. As described above, in manual driving mode, this transmission trigger occurs based on the driver operating the turn signal. Also, when the car navigation function is operating, it occurs based on other-vehicle affecting behavior occurrence information included in the route guidance data. However, as for the other-vehicle affecting behavior in this case, the autonomous vehicle 1 determines from the images captured by the camera group 107 that there is a queue of vehicles in a traffic jam, and the autonomous vehicle 1 interprets a "left turn" as "entering the queue of vehicles in a traffic jam (left turn)" and a "right turn" into the oncoming lane 5 as "entering beyond the queue of vehicles in a traffic jam (right turn)."

[0123] The vehicle-to-vehicle communication request issued by vehicle A is received by vehicles B, C, D, E, F, and G in congested lane 4, and vehicles H and I traveling in oncoming lane 5, and a communication path is temporarily established between vehicle A and vehicle A. The subsequent operations differ depending on whether the vehicle is entering (turning left) into congested lane 4 or entering (turning right) into oncoming lane 5 from congested lane 4, and will be explained separately.

[0124] <<Entering a congested line of vehicles (turning left)>> Vehicles B and C receive "entering a congested line of vehicles" as the other-vehicle affecting behavior of vehicle A sent through the communication path, and because their own vehicles are in lane 4 that is affected by the other-vehicle affecting behavior but have already passed the entry point, they determine that the other-vehicle affecting behavior of vehicle A does not affect their own vehicle's behavior, and cut off the communication path. Vehicles D to G then receive "entering a congested line of vehicles" as the other-vehicle affecting behavior of vehicle A sent through the communication path, and because their own vehicles are in lane 4 that is affected by the other-vehicle affecting behavior and are traveling just before the entry point, they determine that vehicle A's other-vehicle affecting behavior, "entering a congested line of vehicles", will affect their own vehicle's behavior, and maintain the communication path.

[0125] In addition, vehicles H and I in the oncoming lane 5 determine that vehicle A's other-vehicle impacting behavior of "entering a line of vehicles in a traffic jam" is an event in lane 4, and therefore vehicle A's other-vehicle impacting behavior does not affect the behavior of their own vehicle, and so cut off the communication path.

[0126] Vehicles D to G, which maintain the communication path, then determine whether vehicle A is allowed to enter ahead of their own vehicle based on the current position of vehicle A, the running speed and direction of vehicle A, the current position of their own vehicle, the running speed and direction of their own vehicle, and images of vehicle A and its surroundings taken by their own vehicle's camera. As vehicle D is now in a position that blocks the entry of vehicle A, it decides on a behavior such as "allow vehicle A to enter after its own vehicle passes the entry point" and notifies vehicle A of this. Vehicles E to G also determine that vehicle A is allowed to enter ahead of their own vehicle, and decide on a behavior such as "allow vehicle A to enter in front of their own vehicle" and notify vehicle A of this.

[0127] Having received the above notification, car A determines that it is possible to enter the queue of cars stuck in a traffic jam in front of car E after car D has passed, and executes the relevant behavioral action. When this behavioral action ends, car A notifies cars D through G that the behavior has ended, so the communication paths between car A and each of cars D through G are cut off, and inter-vehicle communication ends.

[0128] <<Entering beyond a line of cars in a traffic jam (turning right)>> In this case, vehicles B to G on lane 4 behave in the same way as in the above-mentioned case of "entering a queue of vehicles in a traffic jam." That is, vehicles E to G decide to behave in such a way that "vehicle A is permitted to enter in front of their own vehicles," and notify vehicle A of this.

[0129] In this case, vehicle H on lane 5 is traveling at a position earlier than the entry point of vehicle A on lane 5, so it determines that the behavior of its own vehicle will be affected by the other-vehicle influencing behavior of vehicle A, and so maintains the communication path. Vehicle I is on lane 5 where vehicle A is about to enter, but is traveling past the entry point of vehicle A, so it determines that the behavior of its own vehicle will not be affected by the other-vehicle influencing behavior of vehicle A, and so disconnects the communication path.

[0130] Then, vehicle H, which has maintained the communication path, judges whether vehicle A can enter in front of its own vehicle based on the current position of vehicle A, the traveling speed and direction of vehicle A, its own vehicle's current position, traveling speed and direction of its own vehicle, and also images of vehicle A and the surroundings of vehicle A captured by its own vehicle's camera, etc. Then, when vehicle H judges that vehicle A can enter in front of its own vehicle, it decides on a behavior such as "allowing vehicle A to enter in front of its own vehicle" and notifies vehicle A of this behavior.

[0131] Car A, which has received this notification from car H together with the notifications from cars E to G described above, executes the other-vehicle-affecting behavior of crossing the queue of cars in the traffic jam and entering lane 5. When this behavior operation ends, car A notifies car H, in addition to cars D to G, that the behavior has ended, so the communication paths between car A and each of cars D to G and H are cut off, and inter-vehicle communication ends.

[0132] If car H decides to behave in a manner that "does not permit car A to enter in front of its own car" and notifies car A of this, car A will enter lane 4 and wait in front of lane 5, and will perform vehicle-to-vehicle communication with another vehicle (not shown) following car H, and will wait until that other vehicle decides to behave in a manner that "permits car A to enter in front of its own car" and notifies car A of this. Of course, even if there is a notification from cars E to G as described above, car A may determine that it will obstruct the passage of cars E to G unless car H gives permission to enter, and may wait in front of lane 4 without entering lane 4.

[0133] <Turning right or left at an intersection> Next, the example of FIG. 10 shows, as an example of behavior influenced by other vehicles, a case in which vehicle A traveling in lane 6 turns right at an intersection and enters lane 9.

[0134] In this case, when vehicle A approaches the intersection where it is to turn right, a transmission trigger occurs and the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request is sent. In manual driving mode, this transmission trigger occurs when the driver operates the right turn indicator. Also, when the car navigation function is operating, it occurs based on the occurrence information of behavior that affects other vehicles included in the route guidance data.

[0135] The vehicle-to-vehicle communication request issued by vehicle A is received by vehicles B, C, D, E, and F surrounding vehicle A, and a communication path is temporarily established between vehicle A and vehicle A.

[0136] Then, vehicle B, which exists on the road 8 on the left side in front of vehicle A and intersects with lane 6 in which vehicle A is traveling, is located immediately before the intersection, so vehicle A's other-vehicle-influencing behavior "turn right at the intersection" affects the behavior of the vehicle itself, and so the generated communication path is maintained. Vehicle C, which is traveling behind vehicle A in lane 6, determines that vehicle A's other-vehicle-influencing behavior "turn right at the intersection" does not directly affect the behavior of the vehicle itself, and so disconnects the communication path. Vehicles D and E, which are traveling just before the intersection in the oncoming lane 7, maintain the generated communication path because vehicle A's other-vehicle-influencing behavior "turn right at the intersection" affects the behavior of the vehicle itself. Vehicle F, which is traveling past the intersection in the oncoming lane 7, disconnects the generated communication path because vehicle A's other-vehicle-influencing behavior "turn right at the intersection" does not affect the behavior of the vehicle itself.

[0137] Then, vehicle B, which maintains the communication path, has priority over lanes 6 and 7 over the road on which the vehicle is located, so if there is a stop sign or traffic sign, it decides to behave in such a way that it will "stop temporarily and give priority to your right turn" to vehicle A and notifies vehicle A of this.

[0138] In addition, vehicles D and E, which maintain the communication path, determine whether vehicle A is able to make a right turn in front of their own vehicle based on the current position of vehicle A, the driving speed of vehicle A, the driving direction of vehicle A, their own vehicle's current position, the driving speed of their own vehicle, the driving direction of their own vehicle, and even images of vehicle A and the surrounding area captured by their own vehicle's camera.If they determine that a right turn is possible, they take safety into consideration and decide on behavior such as "slowing down and giving priority to vehicle A's right turn" and notify vehicle A of this.

[0139] Vehicle A receives and confirms the information of the determined behavior from vehicles B, D, and E, sends a confirmation notification to vehicles B, D, and E, and executes the behavior of turning right as shown by the dotted lines in Figure 10. Vehicles B, D, and E receive the confirmation notification from vehicle A and execute the behavior they have determined while predicting that vehicle A will perform the behavior of "turning right." As a result, vehicle A can safely perform the behavior of "turning right," which is a behavior that affects other vehicles.

[0140] When this right turn behavior is completed, vehicle A notifies vehicles B, D, and E that the behavior has ended, so that the communication paths between vehicle A and each of vehicles B, D, and E are cut off, and inter-vehicle communication ends.

[0141] In the above example of turning right, it is assumed that there is no traffic light at the intersection. However, if a traffic light is installed, the behavior of vehicles A to E is restricted by the priority given to the traffic light, and the behavior of vehicles A to E may change. In this example, vehicle B, which exists on the road 8 on the left side in front of vehicle A and intersects with the lane 6 in which vehicle A is traveling, is located just before the intersection, but at the timing of vehicle A's other vehicle-influencing behavior of "turning right at the intersection", vehicle B is temporarily stopped just before the intersection due to the traffic light (red light). Therefore, vehicle B determines that the communication path does not affect the behavior of its own vehicle, and cuts off the created communication path. Note that in this example, vehicles C to F behave the same as if there were no traffic lights.

[0142] The presence or absence of traffic lights and the instructions indicated by the traffic lights (red light, green light, yellow light, right turns only allowed, left turns only allowed, straight ahead only allowed, etc.) can be recognized from images captured by the camera group 107. In addition, the presence or absence of traffic lights and the instructions indicated by the traffic lights can be acquired by receiving radio waves emitted by the traffic lights.

[0143] In the above example, the behavior of a right turn was explained, but in the case of a left turn, vehicles D and E are not affected by vehicle A, so the behavior of a left turn is different in that respect. If the road onto which vehicle A is trying to turn left is a wide road with a center line or median strip, vehicle B is in a lane different from the lane onto which vehicle A is trying to turn, so the left turn in this case does not need to be considered as behavior influenced by other vehicles. However, if the road onto which vehicle A is trying to turn left is a narrow road with no center line or median strip, the left turn of vehicle A will be considered as behavior influenced by other vehicles with respect to vehicle B.

[0144] First, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request issued by vehicle A is received by vehicles B, C, D, E, and F surrounding vehicle A, and until a communication path is created between vehicle A and vehicle A, it does not matter whether the vehicle is turning right or left.

[0145] Vehicle B, which is on road 8 ahead of and to the left of vehicle A, intersects with lane 6 in which vehicle A is traveling, and is located just before the intersection, so vehicle A's other-vehicle-influencing behavior of "turn left at the intersection" affects the behavior of the vehicle itself, and so the generated communication path is maintained.

[0146] Also, car C, which is traveling behind car A in lane 6, determines that car A's other-vehicle-influencing behavior, "turn left at the intersection," does not directly affect the behavior of its own vehicle, and cuts off the communication path. Also, cars D and E, which are traveling just before the intersection in oncoming lane 7, determine that car A's other-vehicle-influencing behavior, "turn left at the intersection," does not directly affect the behavior of its own vehicle, and cut off the communication path. Furthermore, car F, which is traveling just past the intersection in oncoming lane 7, cuts off the communication path it created, since car A's other-vehicle-influencing behavior, "turn left at the intersection," does not affect the behavior of its own vehicle.

[0147] Then, vehicle B, which maintained the communication path, decides to behave in a way that vehicle A will slow down, so please be careful when making your left turn, as vehicle A will enter the oncoming lane after turning left, and notifies vehicle A of this.

[0148] Vehicle A receives and confirms the information on the determined behavior from vehicle B, sends a confirmation notification to vehicle B, and although not shown, executes the behavior of turning left. Vehicle B receives the confirmation notification from vehicle A and executes the behavior determined by itself while predicting that vehicle A will perform the behavior of "turning left". As a result, vehicle A can safely perform the behavior of "turning left", which is a behavior that affects other vehicles.

[0149] When this left turn behavior is completed, vehicle A notifies vehicle B that the behavior has ended, so that the communication path between vehicles A and B is cut off and inter-vehicle communication ends.

[0150] In the above example of turning left, it is assumed that there is no traffic light at the intersection. However, if a traffic light is installed, priority is given to responding to the traffic light, which restricts the behavior and operation of vehicles A to E, and therefore the behavior and operation of turning left may change. In this example, vehicle B, which exists on the road 8 on the left side in front of vehicle A and intersects with the lane 6 in which vehicle A is traveling, is located just before the intersection, but at the timing of vehicle A's other vehicle-influencing behavior of "turning left at the intersection", vehicle B must stop temporarily just before the intersection due to the traffic light (red light). Therefore, vehicle B determines that the behavior of its own vehicle will not be affected, and cuts off the generated communication path. Alternatively, vehicle B may recognize from the image captured by the camera that the road on which its own vehicle is located is narrow, and may perform the behavior of stopping temporarily on the left shoulder so as not to obstruct vehicle A's left turn. In this example, vehicles C to F do not change their behavior and operation when there is no traffic light.

[0151] Note that the above examples of right and left turns are for countries such as Japan, the UK, and India where vehicles drive on the left side of the road. However, in countries such as the US, France, Germany, Italy, and China where vehicles drive on the right side of the road, when turning left, other vehicle influence behavior is required for vehicles in the oncoming lane, but when turning right, other vehicle influence behavior is not required for vehicles in the oncoming lane, so the behavior setting must be changed.

[0152] The driver may manually set the country and whether vehicles drive on the right or left, but autonomous vehicle 1 itself may determine whether vehicles drive on the right or left as follows. That is, autonomous vehicle 1 stores in a memory unit the countries in which vehicles drive on the left and the countries in which vehicles drive on the right. Then, autonomous vehicle 1 identifies the country in which the vehicle is currently traveling from the current position detected by current position detection unit 110, and determines whether vehicles drive on the right or left by referring to the memory unit based on the identified country in which the vehicle is currently traveling.

[0153] Instead of autonomous vehicle 1 itself identifying the country in which it is currently traveling and deciding whether to drive on the right or left depending on the identified country, information on the current location of autonomous vehicle 1 detected by current location detection unit 110 may be sent, for example via the Internet, to a server equipped with a memory unit that stores countries in which the vehicle drives on the left and countries in which the vehicle drives on the right, and information on whether the country identified from the current location in which it is currently traveling drives on the left or right may be received from the server device.

[0154] [Other embodiments or modifications] In the above-described embodiment, the reception processing unit responds to a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request only when the vehicle itself is an autonomous vehicle or in autonomous driving mode, thereby limiting other vehicles that communicate with the sending vehicle to autonomous vehicles that are autonomous vehicles or in autonomous driving mode.

[0155] However, the response information to the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request may be configured to include information indicating whether the other vehicle is an autonomous vehicle or in autonomous driving mode, so that the sending vehicle can determine from that information whether the other vehicle is an autonomous vehicle or in autonomous driving mode, and based on the determination result, generate a communication path only with vehicles that are autonomous vehicles or in autonomous driving mode, thereby limiting the other vehicles that communicate with the sending vehicle to autonomous vehicles or vehicles in autonomous driving mode.

[0156] In the above embodiment, the other-vehicle-influenced behavior is only the behavior accompanied by an instruction by a turn signal. However, for example, going straight at an intersection without a traffic light is also another vehicle-influenced behavior, so there are cases where the other-vehicle-influenced behavior does not involve an instruction by a turn signal. Also, there are cases where there are no lanes at a roundabout at a station, and it is not clear how to move. In such a case, in the manual driving mode, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication button may be operated. In the automatic driving mode, such other-vehicle-influenced behavior may be set in advance as the other-vehicle-influenced behavior included in the route guidance data as a transmission trigger generation point. Regardless of whether the driving mode is manual or automatic, when the vehicle recognizes the entrance to an intersection or the entrance to a roundabout at a station from the captured image of the camera group 107, a transmission trigger may be generated, vehicle-to-vehicle communication may be started, and the other-vehicle-influenced behavior at that time may be recognized.

[0157] In addition, the above-described embodiment does not explain the priority relationships between vehicles based on the existence of priority roads, priority relationships based on road width, priority relationships based on whether the vehicle is going up or down a slope, etc., as stipulated in traffic regulations such as the Road Traffic Act. However, when the priority relationships between these vehicles are grasped by the surrounding situation grasping unit 109, it goes without saying that the other vehicle influence behavior is determined based on the grasped priority relationships between the vehicles.

[0158] Note that traffic laws and priority relationships between vehicles may differ depending on the country, or even within the same country depending on the region, such as a state (USA), province (China), or prefecture (Japan). In such cases, the self-driving vehicle 1 can identify the country, state, province, prefecture, or other region in which the vehicle is currently traveling from the current position detected by current position detection unit 110, and determine the behavior affecting other vehicles based on the traffic laws and priority relationships between vehicles that correspond to the identified country or region in which the vehicle is currently traveling.

[0159] The example described in the above embodiment is merely an example, and can be applied to various situations. For example, when a car is taken out of a garage at home or the like onto a road, or when a car is taken out of a parking lot onto a road, the other-vehicle-influence behavior based on vehicle-to-vehicle communication works effectively. In particular, when a car is taken out of a garage or parking lot onto a road while backing up, it may be necessary to turn around, and the other-vehicle-influence behavior that maintains a certain distance between the cars is required. In this case, a transmission trigger may be generated by the backlights being turned on while backing up, and vehicle-to-vehicle communication may be started, and the other-vehicle-influence behavior at that time may be recognized.

[0160] In addition, when the driver accelerates suddenly or brakes suddenly, there is a danger to other vehicles, so the system may detect the operation, generate a transmission trigger, start vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and recognize the behavior that affects other vehicles at that time. In the case of sudden braking, the backlights turn on when the brakes are applied, so the system may generate a transmission trigger when the brake lights turn on, start vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and recognize the behavior that affects other vehicles at that time.

[0161] In the above example, the operation is described assuming that all the automobiles have the inter-vehicle communication function, but it is considered that there may be automobiles that do not have the inter-vehicle communication function. In consideration of such a case, an automobile that has the inter-vehicle communication function and is in the vicinity of the point where the other-vehicle affecting behavior is about to be performed sends information of the automobiles traveling in front and behind the own automobile, such as images taken by a camera, to the automobile that is about to perform the other-vehicle affecting behavior. By analyzing this information, the automobile that is about to perform the other-vehicle affecting behavior can obtain information of the vehicles in the vicinity of the point where the other-vehicle affecting behavior is about to be performed, and this information can be useful when performing the other-vehicle affecting behavior safely.

[0162] In addition, the autonomous vehicle in the above-described embodiment is configured to have an autonomous driving mode and a manual driving mode, but the autonomous vehicle may be one that only has an autonomous driving mode, or may be an unmanned autonomous vehicle.

[0163] The automobile of the present invention is not limited to four-wheeled automobiles, but includes motorcycles, three-wheeled automobiles, and the like. The automobile of the present invention may be not only a regular automobile, a light automobile, and a truck, but also a bus, a tractor, a dump truck, a shovel, a forklift, a one-seater automobile, a motorized bicycle, an electric wheelchair, and the like. Of course, traffic regulations and priority relationships between vehicles differ depending on the type of vehicle, such as a general four-wheeled automobile, a public vehicle such as a bus, a large vehicle or a special vehicle such as a truck or a tractor, a motorcycle, a motorized bicycle, an electric wheelchair, and the like. Therefore, the automobile of the present invention can determine the other vehicle influence behavior based on the traffic regulations and priority relationships between vehicles according to the type of vehicle. [Explanation of symbols]

[0164] 1...Autonomous driving vehicle, 101...Control unit, 102...Wireless communication unit, 105...Manual / automatic driving mode switching control unit, 107...Camera group, 108...Sensor group, 109...Surrounding situation grasping unit, 110...Current position detection unit, 111...Display unit, 113...Car navigation function unit, 114...Vehicle information storage unit, 115...Driving speed and direction detection unit, 117...Vehicle-to-vehicle communication control processing unit, 118...Behavior control unit

Claims

1. A car having a manual driving mode and an autonomous driving mode capable of autonomous driving, a wireless communication unit having a transmission / reception function for wireless communication between vehicles; a monitoring means for monitoring reception of a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request from another vehicle via the wireless communication unit; a communication path generating means for determining whether or not the vehicle is in the automatic driving mode when the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request is received from the other vehicle by the monitoring means, and generating a communication path between the vehicle and the other vehicle that has transmitted the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request if the vehicle is in the automatic driving mode; Equipped with When the vehicle is in the manual driving mode, the communication path is not generated. A vehicle characterized by:

2. A car having a manual driving mode and an autonomous driving mode capable of autonomous driving, a wireless communication unit having a transmission / reception function for wireless communication between vehicles; a monitoring means for monitoring reception of a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request from another vehicle via the wireless communication unit; a communication path generating means for determining whether or not the vehicle is in the automatic driving mode when the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request is received from the other vehicle by the monitoring means, and generating a communication path between the vehicle and the other vehicle that has transmitted the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request if the vehicle is in the automatic driving mode; Equipped with When the vehicle is in the manual driving mode, the vehicle is switched to the automatic driving mode, and the communication path is generated by the communication path generating means. A vehicle characterized by:

3. A car having a manual driving mode and an autonomous driving mode capable of autonomous driving, a wireless communication unit having a transmission / reception function for wireless communication between vehicles; a monitoring means for monitoring reception of a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request from another vehicle via the wireless communication unit; a communication path generating means for determining whether or not the vehicle is in the automatic driving mode when the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request is received from the other vehicle by the monitoring means, and generating a communication path between the vehicle and the other vehicle that has transmitted the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request if the vehicle is in the automatic driving mode; a vehicle-to-vehicle communication requesting means for making a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request to other vehicles in the vicinity via the wireless communication unit; Equipped with The vehicle-to-vehicle communication request means detects the reception of radio wave information from a beacon installed on a road as trigger information for the vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and issues a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request to other vehicles in the vicinity. do A vehicle characterized by:

4. A car having a manual driving mode and an autonomous driving mode capable of autonomous driving, a wireless communication unit having a transmission / reception function for wireless communication between vehicles; a monitoring means for monitoring reception of a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request from another vehicle via the wireless communication unit; a communication path generating means for determining whether or not the vehicle is in the automatic driving mode when the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request is received from the other vehicle by the monitoring means, and generating a communication path between the vehicle and the other vehicle that has transmitted the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request if the vehicle is in the automatic driving mode; a vehicle-to-vehicle communication requesting means for making a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request to other vehicles in the vicinity via the wireless communication unit; Equipped with The vehicle-to-vehicle communication request means detects at least one of backlight illumination, brake light illumination, sudden acceleration, and sudden braking as trigger information for the vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and issues a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request to other vehicles in the vicinity. A vehicle characterized by:

5. Equipped with a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request button, When the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request button is operated, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request means issues a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request to other vehicles in the vicinity via the wireless communication unit.

5. A vehicle according to claim 3 or 4.

6. A car having a manual driving mode and an autonomous driving mode capable of autonomous driving, a wireless communication unit having a transmission / reception function for wireless communication between vehicles; a monitoring means for monitoring reception of a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request from another vehicle via the wireless communication unit; a communication path generating means for determining whether or not the vehicle is in the automatic driving mode when the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request is received from the other vehicle by the monitoring means, and generating a communication path between the vehicle and the other vehicle that has transmitted the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request if the vehicle is in the automatic driving mode; a means for receiving, in response to a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request from the other vehicle, response information including information as to whether the other vehicle is an autonomous vehicle that autonomously executes the behavior of the vehicle itself, or is in an autonomous driving mode in which the other vehicle autonomously executes the behavior of the vehicle itself; A determination means for determining, from the received response information, whether the other vehicle is an autonomous driving vehicle that autonomously executes the behavior of the vehicle itself, or whether the other vehicle is in an autonomous driving mode that autonomously executes the behavior of the vehicle itself; Equipped with The communication path generating means generates a communication path between the other vehicle that is determined to be an autonomous driving vehicle that autonomously executes the behavior of the own vehicle, or the other vehicle that is determined to be in an autonomous driving mode that autonomously executes the behavior of the own vehicle, based on the determination result of the determining means. A vehicle characterized by:

7. a behavior schedule information analysis means for analyzing behavior schedule information for notifying the other vehicle of an influencing behavior of the other vehicle that influences the behavior of the surrounding other vehicles and that is transmitted from the other vehicle through the communication path generated by the communication path generation means; A behavior determination means for determining a behavior of the host vehicle corresponding to the behavior schedule information based on an analysis result by the behavior schedule information analysis means; A reply information transmitting means for transmitting reply information including information on the behavior of the host vehicle determined by the behavior determining means to the other vehicle through the communication path; The automobile according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising:

8. The behavior schedule information includes current position information of the other vehicle and information on a driving route related to the other vehicle influence behavior, The behavior schedule information analysis means judges whether or not the traveling of the vehicle is affected based on the current position information of the other vehicle included in the behavior schedule information and the information on the traveling route related to the other vehicle's affecting behavior, and when it is judged that there is no influence, disconnects the communication path generated by the communication path generation means.

8. The vehicle according to claim 7.

9. The behavior determination means acquires information on the traveling speed of the other vehicle in vehicle-to-vehicle communication with the other vehicle, and determines the behavior of the host vehicle based on the traveling speed of the other vehicle detected from the acquired information and the traveling speed of the host vehicle.

9. A vehicle according to claim 7 or 8.

10. Equipped with a camera that captures the surroundings of the vehicle, The behavior determination means recognizes traffic signs and / or traffic signals from the image captured by the camera, determines traffic laws in the vicinity of the vehicle based on the recognition result, and determines the behavior of the vehicle in consideration of the determined traffic laws. The automobile according to any one of claims 7 to 9.

11. Equipped with a camera that captures the surroundings of the vehicle, The behavior determining means determines a surrounding situation of the host vehicle from an image captured by the camera, and determines a behavior of the host vehicle in consideration of the determined surrounding situation. The automobile according to any one of claims 7 to 9.

12. The behavior schedule information includes information for identifying the other vehicle, and the reply information includes information for identifying the vehicle. The automobile according to any one of claims 7 to 11.

13. The other vehicle influence behavior differs depending on whether the vehicle is driving on the left or right side of the road. The vehicle according to any one of claims 7 to 12.

14. The other vehicle influence behavior is set based on the presence or absence of traffic lights. The automobile according to any one of claims 7 to 13.

15. The other vehicle influence behavior is set based on the priority relationship between vehicles. The automobile according to any one of claims 7 to 14.

16. The vehicle is provided with a camera for capturing images of the surroundings of the vehicle and / or a microphone for collecting sounds of the surroundings of the vehicle, and is provided with a means for detecting an emergency vehicle from the images of the surroundings of the vehicle captured by the camera and / or the sounds of the surroundings of the vehicle collected by the microphone, The behavior determining means determines a behavior of the host vehicle that gives priority to the emergency vehicle. The automobile according to any one of claims 7 to 15.

17. When a notification of completion of the other-vehicle-influencing behavior is received from the other vehicle, the communication path is disconnected. The automobile according to any one of claims 7 to 16.

18. A car having a manual driving mode and an autonomous driving mode capable of autonomous driving, a wireless communication unit having a transmission / reception function for wireless communication between vehicles; a monitoring means for monitoring reception of a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request from another vehicle via the wireless communication unit; a communication path generating means for determining whether or not the vehicle is in the automatic driving mode when the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request is received from the other vehicle by the monitoring means, and generating a communication path between the vehicle and the other vehicle that has transmitted the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request if the vehicle is in the automatic driving mode; a behavior schedule information analysis means for analyzing behavior schedule information for notifying the other vehicle of an influencing behavior of the other vehicle that influences the behavior of the surrounding other vehicles and that is transmitted from the other vehicle through the communication path generated by the communication path generation means; A behavior determination means for determining a behavior of the host vehicle corresponding to the behavior schedule information based on an analysis result by the behavior schedule information analysis means; A reply information transmitting means for transmitting reply information including information on the behavior of the host vehicle determined by the behavior determining means to the other vehicle through the communication path; A vehicle comprising:

19. The behavior schedule information includes current position information of the other vehicle and information on a driving route related to the other vehicle influence behavior, The behavior schedule information analysis means judges whether or not the traveling of the vehicle is affected based on the current position information of the other vehicle included in the behavior schedule information and the information on the traveling route related to the other vehicle's affecting behavior, and when it is judged that there is no influence, disconnects the communication path generated by the communication path generation means.

20. The vehicle according to claim 18.

20. The behavior determination means acquires information on the traveling speed of the other vehicle in vehicle-to-vehicle communication with the other vehicle, and determines the behavior of the host vehicle based on the traveling speed of the other vehicle detected from the acquired information and the traveling speed of the host vehicle.

20. A motor vehicle as claimed in claim 18 or 19.

21. Equipped with a camera that captures the surroundings of the vehicle, The behavior determination means recognizes traffic signs and / or traffic signals from the image captured by the camera, determines traffic laws in the vicinity of the vehicle based on the recognition result, and determines the behavior of the vehicle in consideration of the determined traffic laws. The vehicle according to any one of claims 18 to 20.

22. Equipped with a camera that captures the surroundings of the vehicle, The behavior determining means determines a surrounding situation of the host vehicle from an image captured by the camera, and determines a behavior of the host vehicle in consideration of the determined surrounding situation. The automobile according to any one of claims 18 to 21.

23. The behavior schedule information includes information for identifying the other vehicle, and the reply information includes information for identifying the vehicle. The vehicle according to any one of claims 18 to 22.

24. The other vehicle influence behavior differs depending on whether the vehicle is driving on the left or right side of the road. The vehicle according to any one of claims 18 to 23.

25. The other vehicle influence behavior is set based on the presence or absence of traffic lights. The vehicle according to any one of claims 18 to 24.

26. The other vehicle influence behavior is set based on the priority relationship between vehicles. The vehicle according to any one of claims 18 to 25.

27. The vehicle is provided with a camera for capturing images of the surroundings of the vehicle and / or a microphone for collecting sounds of the surroundings of the vehicle, and is provided with a means for detecting an emergency vehicle from the images of the surroundings of the vehicle captured by the camera and / or the sounds of the surroundings of the vehicle collected by the microphone, The behavior determining means determines a behavior of the host vehicle that gives priority to the emergency vehicle. The vehicle according to any one of claims 18 to 26.

28. When a notification of completion of the other-vehicle-influencing behavior is received from the other vehicle, the communication path is disconnected. The vehicle according to any one of claims 18 to 27.

29. While performing inter-vehicle communication with the other vehicle, switching from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode is disabled. A vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 28.

30. The vehicle is provided with a car navigation function unit that forms route guidance data including trigger information for vehicle-to-vehicle communication in response to a point on a route where it is necessary to execute an other-vehicle influence behavior that affects the behavior of other surrounding vehicles.

30. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a vehicle having a front end and a rear end.

31. During route guidance using the route guidance data by the car navigation function unit, at a point on the route where the trigger information is detected, a request for vehicle-to-vehicle communication is made to other vehicles in the vicinity via the wireless communication unit.

31. The vehicle of claim 30.

32. Equipped with a camera that captures the surroundings of the vehicle, When a predetermined situation is recognized from the image captured by the camera, it is detected as trigger information for inter-vehicle communication, and a request for inter-vehicle communication is made to other vehicles in the vicinity. A vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 31.

33. The predetermined situation includes entering an intersection, entering a highway, or entering a roundabout at a station.

33. The vehicle of claim 32.

34. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication request is sent to the other vehicles in the vicinity, and if no response information is received from the other vehicles in the vicinity within a predetermined time, a message is sent to the driver to the effect that there are no other vehicles in the vicinity that are capable of vehicle-to-vehicle communication. The vehicle according to any one of claims 31 to 33.

35. A computer provided in an automobile having a manual driving mode and an automatic driving mode capable of autonomous driving, a wireless communication unit having a transmission / reception function, and for wireless communication between vehicles, a monitoring means for monitoring reception of a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request from another vehicle via the wireless communication unit; a communication path generating means for determining whether or not the vehicle is in the automatic driving mode when the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request is received from the other vehicle by the monitoring means, and generating a communication path between the vehicle and the other vehicle that has transmitted the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request if the vehicle is in the automatic driving mode; A program for a vehicle to function as When the vehicle is in the manual driving mode, the communication path is not generated. A program for an automobile, comprising:

36. A computer provided in an automobile having a manual driving mode and an automatic driving mode capable of autonomous driving, a wireless communication unit having a transmission / reception function, and for wireless communication between vehicles, a monitoring means for monitoring reception of a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request from another vehicle via the wireless communication unit; a communication path generating means for determining whether or not the vehicle is in the automatic driving mode when the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request is received from the other vehicle by the monitoring means, and generating a communication path between the vehicle and the other vehicle that has transmitted the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request if the vehicle is in the automatic driving mode; A program for a vehicle to function as When the automobile is in the manual driving mode, the mode is switched to the automatic driving mode, and the communication path generating means generates the communication path. A program for an automobile, comprising:

37. A computer provided in an automobile having a manual driving mode and an automatic driving mode capable of autonomous driving, a wireless communication unit having a transmission / reception function, and for wireless communication between vehicles, a monitoring means for monitoring reception of a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request from another vehicle via the wireless communication unit; a communication path generating means for determining whether or not the vehicle is in the automatic driving mode when the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request is received from the other vehicle by the monitoring means, and generating a communication path between the vehicle and the other vehicle that has transmitted the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request if the vehicle is in the automatic driving mode; a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request means for making a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request to other vehicles in the vicinity via the wireless communication unit; A program for a vehicle to function as The vehicle-to-vehicle communication request means detects the reception of radio wave information from a beacon installed on a road as trigger information for the vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and issues a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request to other vehicles in the vicinity. do A program for an automobile, comprising:

38. A computer provided in an automobile having a manual driving mode and an automatic driving mode capable of autonomous driving, a wireless communication unit having a transmission / reception function, and for wireless communication between vehicles, a monitoring means for monitoring reception of a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request from another vehicle via the wireless communication unit; a communication path generating means for determining whether or not the vehicle is in the automatic driving mode when the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request is received from the other vehicle by the monitoring means, and generating a communication path between the vehicle and the other vehicle that has transmitted the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request if the vehicle is in the automatic driving mode; a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request means for making a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request to other vehicles in the vicinity via the wireless communication unit; A program for a vehicle to function as The vehicle-to-vehicle communication request means detects at least one of backlight illumination, brake light illumination, sudden acceleration, and sudden braking as trigger information for the vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and issues a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request to other vehicles in the vicinity. A program for an automobile, comprising:

39. A computer provided in an automobile having a manual driving mode and an automatic driving mode capable of autonomous driving, a wireless communication unit having a transmission / reception function, and for wireless communication between vehicles, a monitoring means for monitoring reception of a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request from another vehicle via the wireless communication unit; a communication path generating means for determining whether or not the vehicle is in the automatic driving mode when the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request is received from the other vehicle by the monitoring means, and generating a communication path between the vehicle and the other vehicle that has transmitted the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request if the vehicle is in the automatic driving mode; a means for receiving, in response to a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request from the other vehicle, response information including information as to whether the other vehicle is an autonomous driving vehicle that autonomously executes the behavior of the vehicle itself, or is in an autonomous driving mode that autonomously executes the behavior of the vehicle itself; a discrimination means for discriminating, from the received response information, whether the other vehicle is an autonomous vehicle that autonomously executes the behavior of the vehicle itself, or whether the other vehicle is in an autonomous driving mode that autonomously executes the behavior of the vehicle itself; A program for a vehicle to function as The communication path generating means generates a communication path between the other vehicle that is determined to be an autonomous driving vehicle that autonomously executes the behavior of the own vehicle, or the other vehicle that is determined to be in an autonomous driving mode that autonomously executes the behavior of the own vehicle, based on the determination result of the determining means. A program for an automobile, comprising:

40. A computer provided in an automobile having a manual driving mode and an automatic driving mode capable of autonomous driving, a wireless communication unit having a transmission / reception function, and for wireless communication between vehicles, a monitoring means for monitoring reception of a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request from another vehicle via the wireless communication unit; a communication path generating means for determining whether or not the vehicle is in the automatic driving mode when the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request is received from the other vehicle by the monitoring means, and generating a communication path between the vehicle and the other vehicle that has transmitted the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request if the vehicle is in the automatic driving mode; a behavior schedule information analysis means for analyzing behavior schedule information for notifying the other vehicle of an other vehicle influence behavior that influences the behavior of the surrounding other vehicles, the behavior schedule information being transmitted from the other vehicle through the communication path generated by the communication path generation means; A behavior determination means for determining a behavior of the host vehicle corresponding to the behavior schedule information based on an analysis result by the behavior schedule information analysis means; A reply information transmitting means for transmitting reply information including information on the behavior of the host vehicle determined by the behavior determining means to the other vehicle through the communication path; A program for automobiles to function as.

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