Vehicle control method and vehicle control device

Abstract

To reduce discomfort given to a driver or the like during execution of assistance control for assisting in driving a vehicle.SOLUTION: A control device 100 comprises: an assistance control unit 134 that executes assistance control for assisting in driving a vehicle 1 when it is determined that an index indicating a possibility that the vehicle 1 collides with an obstacle is higher than a predetermined value; a discomfort determination unit 135 that determines whether discomfort for an occupant with respect to the assistance control is present or not, and when it is determined that there is discomfort, causes a storage unit 140 to store discomfort information indicating that it has been determined that there is discomfort at a location on a road where the assistance control was executed; and a correction unit 133 that executes correction processing for correcting the index for the location on the road where it was determined in the past that there was discomfort so as to be lower or correcting the predetermined value so as to be higher on the basis of discomfort information 70. The assistance control unit 134 determines whether assistance control is necessary or not by using a value corrected by the correction unit 133 at a location on the road where it was determined that there was discomfort in the past.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control method and a vehicle control device for assisting vehicle driving.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a vehicle that performs assist control to assist driving so as to avoid a collision with an obstacle existing in front when there is a high possibility of a collision between the obstacle and the vehicle. However, depending on the driving conditions of the vehicle, there is a risk of malfunction of the collision avoidance assist control. Therefore, for example, a technique has been proposed to prohibit the execution of the collision avoidance assist control when an off-road driving mode is selected by the driver (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the above-described conventional technology, it is possible to suppress malfunction of the collision avoidance assist control during off-road driving when an off-road driving mode is selected by the driver. However, it is difficult to suppress malfunction of the collision avoidance assist control during driving on roads other than off-road. Also, on a normal road, when there is a position where the collision avoidance assist control operates and gives a sense of discomfort to the driver or the like, it is important to eliminate the sense of discomfort at that position.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to reduce the sense of discomfort given to the driver or the like when executing assist control for assisting vehicle driving.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is a vehicle control method for controlling a vehicle. This vehicle control method performs a support control process for assisting the driving of the vehicle by performing a collision avoidance operation or an emergency braking operation when an obstacle existing in the traveling direction of the vehicle is detected and it is determined that an index indicating the possibility of the vehicle colliding with the obstacle is higher than a predetermined value, and determines the presence or absence of discomfort of an occupant with respect to the support control. When it is determined that there is discomfort, a determination process is included in which discomfort information indicating that discomfort has been determined at the position on the road where the support control has been executed is stored in the storage unit. In the support control process, based on the discomfort information stored in the storage unit, a first correction process for lowering the index at the position on the road where it has been determined that there is discomfort, or a second correction process for raising the predetermined value at that position is executed, and at that position, the necessity of support control is determined using the corrected value.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the discomfort given to a driver or the like when executing support control for assisting the driving of a vehicle.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 10

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0010] [Configuration Example of Vehicle Control Device] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a control device 100 of a vehicle 1 (see FIG. 2). The vehicle 1 is a vehicle such as an internal combustion engine vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, or an electric vehicle.

[0011] The control device 100 includes an image acquisition unit 111, sensors 112, a position information acquisition unit 113, a communication unit 120, a driving support controller 130, a storage unit 140, a UI (User Interface) unit 150, a steering control unit 160, a brake control unit 170, a combination meter 180, an alarm buzzer 181, a brake warning lamp 182, a brake warning display 183, a brake hold relay 190, and a stop lamp 191. Note that the exchange of information between these units can be performed by CAN (Controller Area Network) communication.

[0012] The sensors 112 are various sensors installed in the vehicle 1 to detect obstacles in front of the vehicle 1, and output their detection information to the driving assistance controller 130. The sensors 112 are, for example, millimeter-wave radar, LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), sonar, stroke sensor, acceleration sensor, wheel measurement sensor, and lateral G sensor. Note that the millimeter-wave radar is a radar system capable of detecting the situation around the vehicle 1 using radio waves in the millimeter-wave band, and is attached to, for example, a bumper or the like. Also, the millimeter-wave radar irradiates millimeter waves in front of the vehicle 1 to detect reflected waves from objects (preceding vehicles, pedestrians, etc.) existing around the vehicle 1, and transmits information on the presence or absence of the object, the direction of the object, and the position information of the object based on the reflected waves to the driving assistance controller 130. Note that these are just examples, and other sensors may be used.

[0013] The image acquisition unit 111 is provided inside or outside the vehicle 1, and generates an image (image data) by imaging a subject based on the control of the driving assistance controller 130, and outputs information regarding the generated image to the driving assistance controller 130. The image acquisition unit 111 is composed of, for example, one or a plurality of camera devices and image sensors capable of imaging subjects around or inside the vehicle 1. For example, a camera device for imaging a subject in front of the vehicle 1 is attached near the center of the upper part of the front windshield, and a camera device for imaging the face of the occupant of the vehicle 1 is attached to the steering wheel. Note that these attachment positions are just examples, and they may be attached at other positions.

[0014] The position information acquisition unit 113 acquires position information regarding the position where the vehicle 1 is located, and outputs the acquired position information to the driving support controller 130. The position information acquisition unit 113 can be realized, for example, by a GNSS receiver that acquires position information using GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System). Further, the position information includes various data regarding the position such as latitude, longitude, and altitude at the time of receiving the GNSS signal. Further, position information may be acquired by other methods of acquiring position information. For example, position information may be derived using information from access points or base stations existing in the surroundings. Further, for example, position information may be derived using a position estimation technique by a navigation device.

[0015] The driving support controller 130 controls each unit based on various programs stored in the storage unit 140. The driving support controller 130 is realized, for example, by a processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). Note that the vehicle ECU (Electronic Control Unit) of the vehicle 1 may also be used as the driving support controller 130, or a processing device different from the vehicle ECU may be provided as the driving support controller 130.

[0016] Further, the driving support controller 130 performs driving support control such as automatic brake control and automatic steering control. Specifically, the driving support controller 130 acquires information from the image acquisition unit 111 and the sensors 112. Further, the driving support controller 130 acquires various vehicle information such as wheel speed, accelerator opening, brake switch, brake hydraulic pressure, shift position, steering angle, steering angular velocity, acceleration, yaw rate, and system ON / OFF state from other controllers (not shown).

[0017] In addition, the driving assistance controller 130, which is also called the "ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) control unit (ADAS C / U)", has an integrated controller function that supports a plurality of driving operations including an automatic braking control function (FEB function) and an automatic steering control function. As driving assistance control functions other than the automatic braking control function and the automatic steering control function, for example, there are an adaptive cruise control function (ACC function), a lane keeping control function (LKS function), a vehicle behavior control function (VDC function), and the like.

[0018] Specifically, when an obstacle that may collide with the front of the vehicle 1 is detected, the driving assistance controller 130 executes processing for automatically operating at least one of the brakes and the steering wheel to avoid the collision, along with notification by image display and sound output. Note that the obstacle to be detected is an object existing in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1, and for example, it is a fallen object on the road, an animal, a pedestrian, a vehicle, a bicycle, another vehicle, or the like. Note that a system for automatically operating the brakes to avoid a collision is also referred to as an emergency braking control system or an automatic braking control system. In addition, a system for automatically operating the steering wheel to avoid a collision is also referred to as an emergency steering avoidance support system or an emergency avoidance operation system.

[0019] For example, in the emergency braking control system, when it is determined that there is a possibility of colliding with an obstacle in front of the vehicle 1, a weak brake is automatically actuated to prompt the driver to perform an operation to avoid the collision. Further, when no avoidance operation is performed by the driver and it is determined that the possibility of colliding with an obstacle in front of the vehicle 1 is equal to or greater than a threshold value, a strong brake is automatically actuated immediately before the collision to avoid the collision.

[0020] In addition, for example, in the emergency steering avoidance support system, when it is determined that there is a possibility of colliding with an obstacle in front of the vehicle 1, an avoidance location in the direction where the obstacle does not exist is extracted, and the steering wheel is automatically operated to move the vehicle 1 to the avoidance location to avoid the collision.

[0021] Specifically, the driving assistance controller 130 includes an obstacle detection unit 131, a collision determination unit 132, a correction unit 133, a support control unit 134, and a discomfort determination unit 135.

[0022] The obstacle detection unit 131 detects an obstacle existing in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 based on each detection information output from the sensors 112 or the image acquisition unit 111, and outputs the detection result to the collision determination unit 132. Further, when performing the obstacle detection process, the obstacle detection unit 131 specifies the position, direction, and speed (or relative speed with respect to the vehicle 1) of the detected obstacle with respect to the vehicle 1. For this obstacle detection process, a known object detection technique can be used. In this example, an example in which the driving assistance controller 130 performs the obstacle detection process is shown, but the detection results of obstacles by an image sensor, LIDAR, or the like may also be used.

[0023] The collision determination unit 132 determines the possibility of collision between the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit 131 and the vehicle 1, and outputs the determination result to the correction unit 133. For example, the collision determination unit 132 can determine the possibility of collision between the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit 131 and the vehicle 1 based on the distance between the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit 131 and the vehicle 1, the speeds of both the obstacle and the vehicle 1, and the traveling directions of both the obstacle and the vehicle 1.

[0024] For example, the collision determination unit 132 can calculate the collision time between the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit 131 and the vehicle 1, and determine the presence or absence of collision between the obstacle and the vehicle 1 based on the collision time. The collision time is a value used when determining after how many seconds the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit 131 and the vehicle 1 will collide, and is calculated based on the relative speed between the obstacle and the vehicle 1. Specifically, the collision time T can be a value obtained by dividing the relative speed between the vehicle 1 and the obstacle by the inter-vehicle distance. For example, it can be obtained by the following formula 1. Collision time T = {Vehicle speed of vehicle 1 - Moving speed of target object (speed in the moving direction of vehicle 1)} / Distance between vehicle 1 and target object... Formula 1

[0025] For example, assume that there is a preceding vehicle in front of the vehicle 1. In this case, normally, it is rare for the preceding vehicle to become an obstacle. However, if the preceding vehicle applies sudden braking, the preceding vehicle can become an obstacle. Therefore, in the present embodiment, assuming a case where the preceding vehicle applies sudden braking, the collision time T is calculated including the preceding vehicle as an obstacle.

[0026] In addition, when there are a plurality of obstacles detected by the obstacle detection unit 131, it is possible to calculate the collision time T for all of them, or it is also possible to calculate the collision time T only for some of the obstacles. For example, among the plurality of obstacles, it is also possible to calculate the collision time T only for the obstacle assumed to have the highest risk, for example, the obstacle with the shortest distance from the vehicle 1.

[0027] Based on the collision time T calculated in this way, an index indicating the possibility of the vehicle 1 colliding with the obstacle can be obtained. For example, a value that increases in response to a decrease in the collision time T can be used as an index. For example, 1 / T can be used as an index. Note that the index shown here is a simple value for ease of explanation, and other indices may be used. Also, the method of calculating the index is an example, and the index may be obtained by other calculation methods.

[0028] The correction unit 133 corrects the determination factors used when determining the necessity of assistance control based on the discomfort information 70 (see FIG. 5) stored in the storage unit 140, and outputs the corrected value to the assistance control unit 134. Specifically, the correction unit 133 corrects the index calculated by the collision determination unit 132 (an index indicating the possibility of the vehicle 1 colliding with an obstacle), or the threshold value used when determining the necessity of assistance control. For example, the correction unit 133 uses the graph shown in FIG. 6 to determine a correction coefficient according to the number of discomfort information corresponding to the current location of the vehicle 1 among the discomfort information 70 stored in the storage unit 140, and multiplies the correction coefficient by the index to calculate the corrected index. Note that the example of index correction will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 6. Also, for example, the correction unit 133 uses the graph shown in FIG. 9 to determine a correction coefficient according to the number of discomfort information corresponding to the current location of the vehicle 1 among the discomfort information 70 stored in the storage unit 140, and multiplies the correction coefficient by the preset threshold value to calculate the corrected threshold value. Note that the example of threshold value correction will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 9.

[0029] The assistance control unit 134 calculates a control command based on the corrected index or threshold value output from the correction unit 133, and outputs a command signal to the steering control unit 160, the brake control unit 170, the combination meter 180, and the brake hold relay 190.

[0030] For example, when the index output from the correction unit 133 is higher than the threshold value, the assistance control unit 134 outputs a steering control command signal to the steering control unit 160. Also, when the index output from the correction unit 133 is higher than the threshold value, the assistance control unit 134 outputs a brake hydraulic pressure command signal to the brake control unit 170. Further, when the index output from the correction unit 133 is higher than the threshold value, the assistance control unit 134 outputs a buzzer output signal for sounding the warning buzzer 181, a warning display signal for flashing or lighting the brake warning light 182, and a meter display signal for lighting the brake warning display 183 to the combination meter 180. Also, when the index output from the correction unit 133 is higher than the threshold value, the assistance control unit 134 outputs a stop lamp drive signal for bypassing the stop lamp circuit and lighting the stop lamp 191 to the brake hold relay 190.

[0031] Note that the threshold value used when determining the necessity of assistance control is a reference value indicating that there is a high possibility of a collision between the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit 131 and the vehicle 1, and can be appropriately set based on experimental data and the like.

[0032] In this embodiment, an example is shown in which it is determined whether to execute the assistance control by the assistance control unit 134 according to whether an index indicating the possibility of the vehicle 1 colliding with an obstacle is higher than one threshold value. However, based on the comparison result between the index indicating the possibility of the vehicle 1 colliding with an obstacle and a plurality of threshold values, the assistance control by the assistance control unit 134 may be executed in multiple stages. For example, when the index indicating the possibility of the vehicle 1 colliding with an obstacle is greater than the first threshold value TH1, preliminary braking by a gentle brake is performed, and when the index is greater than the second threshold value TH2 (TH1 < TH2), main braking by a sudden brake can be performed.

[0033] When the support control is executed by the support control unit 134, the discomfort determination unit 135 determines the presence or absence of discomfort of the occupant of the vehicle 1 at the time of execution of the support control based on information from the image acquisition unit 111 and the UI unit 150. When the discomfort determination unit 135 determines that the occupant of the vehicle 1 has discomfort at the time of execution of the support control, it causes the storage unit 140 to store each piece of information related to the execution of the support control as discomfort information 70 (see FIG. 5). The method for determining discomfort will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 3.

[0034] The storage unit 140 is a storage medium that stores various types of information. For example, the storage unit 140 stores various types of information (e.g., control programs, discomfort information 70 (see FIG. 5)) necessary for the driving support controller 130 to perform various processes. Also, the storage unit 140 stores various types of information (e.g., discomfort information 70 related to other vehicles) acquired via the communication unit 120. As the storage unit 140, various storage media such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and an SSD (Solid State Drive) can be used.

[0035] The UI unit 150 receives inputs from the occupants in the vehicle 1 and outputs an operation signal corresponding to the input to the driving support controller 130. The UI unit 150 is, for example, an operation member, a sound output unit (speaker), a sound acquisition unit (microphone), and a display unit. The operation member is, for example, a touch panel such as a car navigation system and various operation panels, a switch (steering switch) installed in the steering wheel portion, and the like.

[0036] The steering control unit 160 is a unit that controls the steering angle of the vehicle 1. When the steering control unit 160 receives a steering control command signal from the driving support controller 130, it drives the power steering actuator based on the steering control command signal to control the steering angle of the vehicle 1.

[0037] The brake control unit 170 is a unit that integrates a control unit, a master cylinder, and an electric booster (corresponding to regenerative cooperative braking in an electric vehicle) and controls the hydraulic pressure sent to the ABS / VDC actuator. When the brake control unit 170 receives a brake hydraulic pressure command signal from the driving assistance controller 130, it drives the motor of the electric booster, moves the piston, and generates master cylinder hydraulic pressure.

[0038] When the combination meter 180 receives a buzzer output signal from the driving assistance controller 130, it sounds the warning buzzer 181. Further, when the combination meter 180 receives a warning display signal and a meter display signal from the driving assistance controller 130, it blinks or lights up the brake warning light 182 and lights up the brake warning display 183.

[0039] When the brake hold relay 190 receives a stop lamp drive signal from the driving assistance controller 130, it bypasses the stop lamp circuit and lights up the stop lamp 191.

[0040] [Configuration example of vehicle management system] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the system configuration of a vehicle management system 10 that manages a plurality of vehicles 1 to 7.

[0041] The vehicle management system 10 includes a network 20 and a management server 30, and is configured to be communicable with each control device (including the control device 100) of the vehicles 1 to 7. Note that since each control device of the vehicles 2 to 7 is substantially the same as the control device 100 of the vehicle 1, the description here is omitted.

[0042] The network 20 is a network such as a public line network or the Internet. Further, each device constituting the vehicle management system 10 is connected to the network 20 by either a communication method using wireless communication or a communication method using wired communication, or both methods.

[0043] The management server 30 includes a communication unit 31, a control unit 32, and a storage unit 33. For example, the management server 30 can be a server that provides various information in response to requests from the control devices of vehicles 1 to 7.

[0044] Based on the control of the control unit 32, the communication unit 31 exchanges various information with other devices using wired communication or wireless communication.

[0045] The control unit 32 controls each unit based on various programs stored in the storage unit 33. The control unit 32 is realized by a processing device such as a CPU, for example.

[0046] The storage unit 33 is a storage medium that stores various information. For example, the storage unit 33 stores various information (for example, a control program, discomfort information 70 (see FIG. 5)) necessary for the control unit 32 to perform various processes. In addition, the storage unit 33 stores various information acquired via the communication unit 31. As the storage unit 33, for example, a ROM, a RAM, an HDD, an SSD, or a combination thereof can be used.

[0047] For example, after the support control is executed by the support control unit 134 in the control device 100 of vehicle 1, if the occupant determines that there is a discomfort with respect to the support control, the discomfort information 70 (see FIG. 5) indicating that is stored in the storage unit 140. In this case, the control device 100 of vehicle 1 stores the discomfort information in the storage unit 140 and transmits the discomfort information to the management server 30 via the network 20. Note that, regarding the timing of transmitting the discomfort information to the management server 30, it may be transmitted every time the discomfort information is stored in the storage unit 140, or may be transmitted periodically or irregularly. Similarly, for the control devices of vehicles 2 to 7, the discomfort information is also transmitted to the management server 30. Note that the discomfort information may be transmitted to the management server 30 on the condition that the number of times of determining that there is a discomfort at the same position exceeds a threshold value.

[0048] When the management server 30 receives the discomfort information transmitted from the control devices of vehicles 1 to 7, it stores and manages the discomfort information in the storage unit 33. Then, in response to requests from the control devices of vehicles 1 to 7, the management server 30 supplies the discomfort information stored in the storage unit 33 to the control devices of vehicles 1 to 7. Note that the management server 30 may store the discomfort information in association with the road information included in the map information based on the position information 71 included in the discomfort information transmitted from each control device. Thereby, when each control device downloads the map information, it becomes possible to easily download the discomfort information related to the map information together with the map information to be downloaded.

[0049] For example, the control device 100 of vehicle 1 can download the discomfort information regarding the roads around the set route from the management server 30 at the timing when the route is set by the occupant of vehicle 1.

[0050] Also, for example, the control device 100 of vehicle 1 can download the discomfort information regarding the roads within a predetermined range with respect to vehicle 1 from the management server 30 at regular timings or in real time. The predetermined range with respect to vehicle 1 is, for example, within the range assumed for vehicle 1 to travel, that is, within the action range of vehicle 1.

[0051] Also, for example, the control device 100 of vehicle 1 can download the discomfort information regarding the roads included in the updated map information from the management server 30 at the timing when the map information of vehicle 1 is updated. That is, as a kind of map information to be updated, the discomfort information can be downloaded.

[0052] [Example of false detection of obstacles by vehicle] FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing vehicles 1 and 7 traveling on road 50. It is assumed that road 50 is a straight road with good visibility, and fields and grasslands spread around it. Also, it is assumed that a signboard 51 depicting a child in a posture of jumping out onto the road is installed along road 50 in the traveling direction indicated by arrow 52. Note that no signboard or the like is installed along road 50 in the traveling direction indicated by arrow 53.

[0053] Generally, depending on the sensors installed in the vehicle, the detection accuracy of obstacles may decrease due to changes in the surrounding environment, or may decrease during a specific time period. For example, when detecting an obstacle using an image acquired by an image sensor, it is assumed that the surroundings of the vehicle become dark during the time period from evening to night, and the detection accuracy of the obstacle decreases.

[0054] For example, as shown in FIG. 3, when a signboard 51 is installed along road 50, it is assumed that the surroundings of the signboard 51 become dark during the time period from evening to night, and the picture of the child drawn on the signboard 51 is detected as a pedestrian who is an obstacle. In this case, when vehicle 1 traveling in the traveling direction indicated by arrow 52 approaches the signboard 51, the picture of the child may be detected as an obstacle by the obstacle detection unit 131, and there is a possibility that support control is executed by the support control unit 134. Thus, when the support control is executed by the support control unit 134, although there is no obstacle in front of vehicle 1, the support control is executed, so it is also assumed that the passenger in vehicle 1 feels discomfort. Also, when another vehicle travels on road 50 under the same conditions, similarly, when approaching the signboard 51, the support control is executed, and it is assumed that the passenger feels discomfort. Therefore, in the present embodiment, at the position of the signboard 51, based on the discomfort of past passengers, an index or a threshold value is corrected to determine the necessity of support control. For this reason, even when the signboard 51 is detected as an obstacle, it is possible to reduce the execution of the support control. That is, it is possible to reduce the discomfort felt by the passenger when the support control is executed.

[0055] Even at the position where the signboard 51 is installed on the road 50, for the vehicle 7 traveling in the traveling direction indicated by the arrow 53, a picture of a child does not appear in the traveling direction. For this reason, even at the position where the signboard 51 is installed, such a phenomenon does not occur for the vehicle 7 traveling in the traveling direction indicated by the arrow 53. Therefore, it is preferable to extract the sense of incongruity information for correcting the index or threshold value using at least the position on the road, the direction of the road, and the time.

[0056] [Examples of determination of sense of incongruity] Here, a determination example of whether the passenger of the vehicle 1 has a sense of incongruity regarding the support control when the support control is executed by the support control unit 134 will be described.

[0057] [Determination example using the UI unit] For example, the presence or absence of a sense of incongruity of the passenger of the vehicle 1 can be determined using the UI unit 150. The UI unit 150 is, for example, an operation member that is operated when it is determined that there is a sense of incongruity, a sound output unit (speaker), a sound acquisition unit (microphone), and a display unit.

[0058] For example, when the support control is executed by the support control unit 134, a message or the like indicating that the support control has been executed is output. For example, it can be output by the output of a message sound from the sound output unit, the display of a message on the display unit, or the display of an image. At the time of this output, if a sense of incongruity is felt during the execution of the support control, a message or image indicating that a predetermined operation is to be performed at a predetermined timing is output. The predetermined operation can be, for example, an operation of pressing a predetermined steering switch immediately after the support control is executed, or an operation of pressing a predetermined button on the touch panel at a predetermined timing after the support control is executed. In this way, when a predetermined operation is performed at a predetermined timing after the support control is executed, it is possible to obtain that the passenger has determined that there is a sense of incongruity.

[0059] Further, for example, based on the voice of the occupant acquired by the voice acquisition unit, the presence or absence of discomfort may be determined. For example, keywords that are assumed to be uttered when the occupant determines that there is discomfort are stored in the storage unit 140. Then, when the support control is executed by the support control unit 134, the presence or absence of discomfort can be determined based on the degree of coincidence between the voice of the occupant acquired by the voice acquisition unit and the keyword. The keywords are, for example, "What are you doing?", "Huh? What's wrong?", etc. These keywords can be appropriately set based on experimental data and the like.

[0060] [Example of determination using the facial expression of the occupant] For example, the camera device constituting the image acquisition unit 111 is installed so that the face of the occupant (driver) sitting in the vehicle 1 is included in the imaging range, and the presence or absence of discomfort can be determined using the facial expression of the face image captured by the camera device. The installation location of this camera can be, for example, the upper part of the front windshield, on the dashboard, on the steering wheel, etc.

[0061] Regarding the facial expression included in the image, a known facial expression recognition technique can be used. For example, artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to determine the facial expression included in the image. For example, a face that is assumed to feel discomfort when the support control is executed is learned in advance, and this learning data is used for the determination. The face that is assumed to feel discomfort is, for example, a surprised face, a startled face, an angry face, a wry smile face, etc. Then, for the face of the occupant included in the image captured by the camera device when the support control is executed by the support control unit 134, an evaluation value for determining the presence or absence of discomfort of the face of the occupant is calculated using the learning data, and based on the evaluation value, the presence or absence of discomfort of the occupant can be determined.

[0062] [Example of determination based on the degree of coincidence between the driving operation of the occupant and the support control] For example, based on whether or not the driving operation of the occupant when the support control is executed matches the control content of the support control, it is possible to determine whether or not the occupant has a sense of discomfort with respect to the support control. For example, when the support control is executed by performing an automatic steering control operation (collision avoidance operation), if the steering operation of the occupant when the support control is executed matches the steering control based on the support control, it can be determined that the occupant has no sense of discomfort with respect to the support control. Also, when the support control is executed by performing an automatic brake control operation (emergency brake operation), if the brake operation of the occupant when the support control is executed matches the brake control based on the support control, it can be determined that the occupant has no sense of discomfort with respect to the support control.

[0063] [Example of an image recorded at the time of execution of support control] FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing an image 60 generated by a vehicle 1 traveling on a road 50. A dotted frame 61 included in the image 60 is a frame indicating an object detected as an obstacle by an obstacle detection unit 131 when support control is executed by a support control unit 134. That is, after the support control is executed, the occupant of the vehicle 1 can easily grasp that the support control has been executed by seeing the image 60 and the presence of the object surrounded by the dotted frame 61.

[0064] The image 60 is an image captured immediately before the position where a sign 51 is installed in the vehicle 1 traveling on the road 50 shown in FIG. 3.

[0065] The image 60 is generated by an image acquisition unit 111 and stored in a storage unit 140 included in the discomfort information. Also, the image 60 may be transmitted to a management server 30 via a communication unit 120 and stored in a storage unit 33 of the management server 30. Note that the image included in the discomfort information may be transmitted to the management server 30 on the condition that the number of times a sense of discomfort is determined to exist at the same position exceeds a threshold value.

[0066] [Example of storage of discomfort information] FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing the discomfort emotion information 70 stored in the storage unit 140.

[0067] The discomfort emotion information 70 is stored with the position information 71, the traveling direction 72, the time 73, the type of obstacle 74, the type of sensor 75, and the image information 76 associated therewith. Note that each of these pieces of information is an example, and a part of them, for example, the type of obstacle 74, the type of sensor 75, or the image information 76 may be omitted, or other information may be stored.

[0068] The position information 71 is information indicating the position on the road where the support control is executed by the support control unit 134. Further, the position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit 113 is stored in the position information 71. As the position information 71, for example, latitude and longitude are stored. Note that other information capable of specifying the position on the road, for example, information for specifying the position on the map may be stored as the position information 71.

[0069] The traveling direction 72 is information indicating the direction in which the vehicle 1 was traveling on the road including the position where the support control was executed by the support control unit 134. Note that the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 can be determined based on the transition of the position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit 113. Further, the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 may be determined based on each detection information detected by the sensors 112. As the traveling direction 72, for example, information capable of specifying the direction of the road such as the north direction or the south direction, the west direction or the east direction, the direction toward Town A or the direction toward Town B, etc. is stored.

[0070] For example, on road 50 shown in FIG. 3, vehicle 1 traveling in the direction of arrow 52 can see signboard 51, but vehicle 7 traveling in the direction of arrow 53 cannot see signboard 51. Therefore, for vehicle 1 traveling in the direction of arrow 52, support control may be executed by signboard 51, but for vehicle 7 traveling in the direction of arrow 53, support control will not be executed by signboard 51. Thus, even at the same position on the road, the possibility of executing support control differs depending on the traveling direction of the vehicle. Therefore, it is preferable to store the traveling direction 72 as discomfort information 70 and use the traveling direction of the vehicle together with the position on the road to determine the necessity of support control. Note that depending on the type of object detected as an obstacle, the size of the road, etc., it is also assumed that support control that causes the occupants to feel discomfort may be executed for vehicles traveling in the opposite direction as well as for vehicles traveling in one direction of the road. Therefore, depending on the type of object detected as an obstacle, the size of the road, etc., it is possible to appropriately determine the necessity of support control using only the position on the road.

[0071] Time 73 is information indicating the time when support control was executed by support control unit 134. Note that the time can be acquired using the timekeeping function provided in driving support controller 130.

[0072] For example, on road 50 shown in FIG. 3, during the daytime, vehicle 1 traveling in the direction of arrow 52 can clearly see signboard 51. However, in the evening or at night, due to the relationship with the setting sun and the surrounding brightness, etc., it is also assumed that it becomes difficult for vehicle 1 traveling in the direction of arrow 52 to see signboard 51. In this case, for example, when detecting an obstacle based on the image acquired by image acquisition unit 111, there is a possibility that the detection accuracy will decrease in the evening or at night. Therefore, it is preferable to store time 73 as discomfort information 70 and use the time together with the position on the road and the traveling direction of the vehicle to determine the necessity of support control.

[0073] The obstacle type 74 is information indicating the type of the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit 131 when the support control is executed by the support control unit 134. The type of the obstacle is, for example, a person, a vehicle such as a bicycle, an animal, or the like.

[0074] The sensor type 75 is information indicating the type of the sensor used for detecting the obstacle when the support control is executed by the support control unit 134. The type of the sensor is, for example, an image sensor, a millimeter-wave radar, or the like.

[0075] Here, among the image acquisition unit 111 and the sensors 112 used for detecting the obstacle, it is also assumed that there are obstacles that are likely to be misdetected. For example, sensors that are likely to misdetect a person, sensors that are likely to misdetect a bicycle, sensors that are likely to misdetect an automobile, and the like can be considered. Therefore, the obstacle type 74 and the sensor type 75 are associated and stored as the discomfort information 70, and these pieces of information can be used for the correction process of the index or threshold value when determining the necessity of the support control. For example, among the discomfort information in which the position information 71, the traveling direction 72, and the time 73 match, only the discomfort information including the sensor type 75 that matches the sensor type mainly used when the obstacle detection unit 131 detects the obstacle may be used for the correction process. Also, among the discomfort information in which the position information 71, the traveling direction 72, and the time 73 match, only the discomfort information in which the type of the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit 131 matches the obstacle type 74 may be used for the correction process.

[0076] The image information 76 is information indicating the image in front of the vehicle 1 acquired by the image acquisition unit 111 when the support control is executed by the support control unit 134. For example, the image 60 shown in FIG. 4 is stored as the image information 76.

[0077] Regarding the images stored in the image information 76, after the support control is executed by the support control unit 134, the passengers of the vehicle 1 can visually confirm them. As a result, passengers who felt discomfort when the support control was executed can easily confirm what kind of obstacles were detected and the support control was executed. In addition, the images stored in the image information 76 can be transmitted to the management server 30 and managed by the management server 30. Thereby, related companies of the vehicle 1, such as the manufacturing company and the sales company, can analyze the images and improve the accuracy of the support control.

[0078] Note that the discomfort information 70 shown in FIG. 5 is an example, and other information may be stored in the storage unit 140 as discomfort information. For example, in rainy weather, sensors that are likely to misdetect obstacles, and sensors that are likely to misdetect obstacles when the environment around the vehicle changes rapidly are also assumed. Therefore, for example, environmental information regarding the environment around the vehicle 1 or weather information regarding the weather may be stored in the storage unit 140 as the discomfort information 70. For example, among the discomfort information where the position information 71, the traveling direction 72, and the time 73 match, only the discomfort information that matches the current environment and weather may be used for the correction process.

[0079] [Example of calculating the correction coefficient of the index] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a simplified example of calculating a correction coefficient used for the index correction process by the correction unit 133. In the graph shown in FIG. 6, the horizontal axis represents the number of times the discomfort information is stored for the same position and traveling direction on the road, and the vertical axis represents the correction coefficient of the index. The relationship between the number of times and the correction coefficient is indicated by a line L1. Note that 0 < N1 < N2 < N3 < N4 and 0 < C1 < 1.0.

[0080] As shown in FIG. 6, when the number of times is 0, the correction coefficient is set to 1.0. That is, at the position on the road where it has not been determined by the passengers of the vehicle 1 that there is discomfort, the index indicating the possibility of collision with an obstacle is not corrected. Similarly, when the number of times is N1 or less, the correction coefficient is set to 1.0. That is, at the position on the road where it has been determined by the passengers of the vehicle 1 that there is discomfort, but the number of times is small, the index indicating the possibility of collision with an obstacle is not corrected.

[0081] Also, when the number of times is more than N1 and less than or equal to N2, the correction coefficient is decreased within the range from C1 to 1.0 according to the number of times. That is, when it is determined that the occupant of Vehicle 1 feels discomfort and at a position on the road where the number of times is moderate, the index indicating the possibility of collision with an obstacle is corrected so as to decrease.

[0082] Also, when the number of times is more than N2 and less than or equal to N3, the correction coefficient is set to C1. That is, when it is determined that the occupant of Vehicle 1 feels discomfort and at a position on the road where the number of times is relatively large, the index indicating the possibility of collision with an obstacle is corrected so as to decrease.

[0083] Also, when the number of times is more than N3 and less than or equal to N4, the correction coefficient is decreased within the range from 0 to C1 according to the number of times. That is, when it is determined that the occupant of Vehicle 1 feels discomfort and at a position on the road where the number of times is even larger, the index indicating the possibility of collision with an obstacle is corrected so as to further decrease.

[0084] Also, when the number of times is more than N4, the correction coefficient is set to 0. That is, when it is determined that the occupant of Vehicle 1 feels discomfort and at a position on the road where the number of times is very large, the index indicating the possibility of collision with an obstacle is corrected to be 0.

[0085] Note that the method for calculating the correction coefficient shown in FIG. 6 is an example, and the correction coefficient may be obtained by other calculation methods. For example, when the number of times is at least 1 time, the correction coefficient may be less than 1.0, and the correction coefficient may be sequentially decreased according to the increase in the number of times. Also, regardless of the number of times, the correction coefficient may be determined. For example, when the number of times is 0 time, the correction coefficient may be set to 1.0, and when the number of times is at least 1 time, the correction coefficient may be set to a predetermined value less than 1.0.

[0086] [Operation Example of Support Control Processing] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the support control process in the control device 100. Further, this support control process is executed by the driving support controller 130 based on a program stored in the storage unit 140. Further, this support control process is constantly executed while the vehicle 1 is running.

[0087] In step S201, the obstacle detection unit 131 determines whether an obstacle is detected in front of the vehicle 1 based on the detection information output from the image acquisition unit 111 or the sensors 112. If an obstacle is detected in front of the vehicle 1, the process proceeds to step S202. On the other hand, if no obstacle is detected in front of the vehicle 1, the obstacle detection process is repeated.

[0088] In step S202, the collision determination unit 132 calculates an index indicating the possibility of the obstacle detected in step S201 colliding with the vehicle 1. For example, a value based on the collision time T calculated using the above-described formula 1 can be used as the index.

[0089] In step S203, the correction unit 133 acquires the current location of the vehicle 1 based on the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit 113. Then, the correction unit 133 acquires the discomfort feeling information corresponding to the current location of the vehicle 1 from among the discomfort feeling information stored in the storage unit 140 based on the location information 71 (see FIG. 5). Note that the discomfort feeling information corresponding to the current location of the vehicle 1 is, for example, the discomfort feeling information included within a predetermined range with the current location of the vehicle 1 as a reference. The predetermined range can be, for example, a circle with a radius of several meters. Further, the correction unit 133 acquires the discomfort feeling information using the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 on the current road and the current time. That is, the correction unit 133 acquires the discomfort feeling information in which the traveling direction 72 matches the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 on the current road and the difference between the time 73 and the current time is within a predetermined range from among the discomfort feeling information corresponding to the current location of the vehicle 1. Regarding the time, for times in the same season, they can be used as they are, and for times in different seasons, times adjusted according to the time zones of sunrise and sunset may be used. For example, between winter and summer, since the time of sunset and the location of sunset are greatly different, even at the same location at the same time, the actual scenery seen from the vehicle 1 will be greatly different between winter and summer. Therefore, the time may be appropriately adjusted according to the change in the actual scenery according to the season. Also, when there are a plurality of pieces of discomfort feeling information, all of them are acquired.

[0090] Also, when the discomfort feeling information acquired from the management server 30 is stored in the storage unit 140, the discomfort feeling information corresponding to the current location of the vehicle 1 is acquired from both the discomfort feeling information acquired from the management server 30 and the discomfort feeling information stored in the vehicle 1. Thereby, even for roads that the vehicle 1 has not traveled on, the index can be appropriately corrected. Also, the calculation accuracy of the index can be improved by using the discomfort feeling information acquired by other vehicles other than the vehicle 1. Note that the process of step S203 may be executed before step S201, may be executed between steps S201 and S202, or may be executed in parallel with each of the processes of steps S201 and S202.

[0091] In step S204, the correction unit 133 corrects the index calculated in step S202 based on the discomfort information acquired in step S203. For example, using the graph shown in FIG. 6, a correction coefficient is determined according to the number of times of discomfort information acquired in step S203, that is, the number of times, and the corrected index is calculated by multiplying the correction coefficient by the index.

[0092] In addition to the number of times, the index may be corrected in consideration of probability or weight. For example, weighting may be performed based on the ratio between the number of times vehicle 1 travels in the C direction at position B on road A and the number of times the occupant determines that there is discomfort when vehicle 1 travels in the C direction at that position B. For example, when the number of times vehicle 1 travels in the C direction at position B is 100 and the number of times the occupant determines that there is discomfort when vehicle 1 travels in the C direction at that position B is 2 times, the ratio is 2 / 100. In this case, the weight is reduced to correct the index.

[0093] On the other hand, when the number of times vehicle 1 travels in the F direction at position E on road D is 10 and the number of times the occupant determines that there is discomfort when vehicle 1 travels in the F direction at that position E is 8 times, the ratio is 8 / 10. In this case, the weight is increased to correct the index.

[0094] Also, as described above, a correction coefficient may be calculated using only the discomfort information in which the type 74 of the obstacle and the type 75 of the sensor match, or the discomfort information in which the environmental information and the weather information match, and the index may be corrected using the correction coefficient.

[0095] In step S205, the support control unit 134 determines whether the index corrected in step S204 is greater than the threshold value. If the corrected index is greater than the threshold value, the process proceeds to step S206. On the other hand, if the corrected index is less than or equal to the threshold value, the process returns to step S201.

[0096] In step S206, the assistance control unit 134 executes assistance control. Specifically, the assistance control unit 134 executes at least one of an automatic braking control operation (emergency braking operation) and an automatic steering control operation (collision avoidance operation) based on the magnitude of the index corrected in step S204 and the position and direction of the obstacle detected in step S201. Further, the assistance control unit 134 outputs to the discomfort determination unit 135 that it executes the assistance control.

[0097] Further, the assistance control unit 134 may execute at least one of a process of reducing the operation amount of the assistance control and a process of delaying the start of the operation of the assistance control based on the discomfort information used in the correction process of the index. For example, at the current location of the vehicle 1, at least one of a process of reducing the operation amount of the assistance control and a process of delaying the start of the operation of the assistance control can be executed in accordance with an increase in the number of times it is determined that there is discomfort. The process of reducing the operation amount of the assistance control is, for example, a process of reducing the control amount of the brake or a process of reducing the control amount of the steering wheel. Further, the process of delaying the start of the operation of the assistance control is, for example, a process of delaying the control start timing of the brake by a predetermined time, or a process of delaying the control start timing of the steering wheel by a predetermined time.

[0098] [Example operation of discomfort determination process] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the discomfort determination process in the control device 100. Further, this discomfort determination process is executed by the driving assistance controller 130 based on a program stored in the storage unit 140. Further, this discomfort determination process is executed after the assistance control by the assistance control unit 134 is executed.

[0099] In step S211, the discomfort determination unit 135 determines whether the occupant of the vehicle 1 has determined that there is discomfort. For example, when a predetermined input operation is performed by operating the UI unit 150 at the timing when the support control by the support control unit 134 is executed, it can be determined that there is discomfort. Further, the presence or absence of discomfort may be determined based on the facial expression of the occupant included in the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 111. If it is determined that the occupant of the vehicle 1 has discomfort, the process proceeds to step S212. On the other hand, if it is not determined that the occupant of the vehicle 1 has discomfort, the operation of the discomfort determination process ends.

[0100] In step S212, the discomfort determination unit 135 stores the discomfort information including the position on the road where the support control is executed by the support control unit 134, the traveling direction of the road, and the time in the storage unit 140. Further, the discomfort determination unit 135 transmits the discomfort information to the management server 30 via the communication unit 120 at a predetermined timing.

[0101] [Example of correcting and using other elements] In FIG. 7, an example is shown in which, based on the discomfort information, an index indicating the possibility of the vehicle 1 colliding with an obstacle is corrected, and the necessity of the support control is determined using the corrected index. However, the present embodiment is not limited to this, and other elements may be corrected based on the discomfort information, and the necessity of the support control may be determined using the corrected element. For example, the threshold value used when determining the necessity of the support control can be corrected based on the discomfort information, and the necessity of the support control can be determined using the corrected threshold value. Therefore, below, an example of correcting and using the threshold value used when determining the necessity of the support control based on the discomfort information is shown.

[0102] [Example of calculating the correction coefficient of the threshold value] FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically showing an example of calculating a correction coefficient used in the threshold correction process by the correction unit 133. In the graph shown in FIG. 9, the horizontal axis represents the number of times that the discomfort information is stored for the same position and traveling direction on the road, and the vertical axis represents the threshold correction coefficient. The relationship between the number of times and the correction coefficient is indicated by a line L11. Note that 0 < N11 < N12 < N13 < N14 and 0 < 1.0 < C11 < C12.

[0103] As shown in FIG. 9, when the number of times is 0, the correction coefficient is set to 1.0. That is, at a position on the road where it has not been determined by the occupant of the vehicle 1 that there is a sense of discomfort, the threshold is not corrected. Similarly, when the number of times is N11 or less, the correction coefficient is set to 1.0.

[0104] Also, when the number of times is more than N11 and N12 or less, the correction coefficient is increased within the range from C11 to 1.0 according to the number of times. Also, when the number of times is more than N12 and N13 or less, the correction coefficient is set to C11. That is, at a position on the road where it has been determined by the occupant of the vehicle 1 that there is a sense of discomfort and the number of times is relatively large, the threshold is corrected so as to be increased.

[0105] Also, when the number of times is more than N13 and N14 or less, the correction coefficient is increased within the range from C11 to C12 according to the number of times. Also, when the number of times is more than N4, the correction coefficient is set to C12.

[0106] Note that the method of calculating the correction coefficient shown in FIG. 9 is an example, and the correction coefficient may be obtained by other calculation methods. For example, when the number of times is at least 1, the correction coefficient may be set to a value larger than 1.0, and the correction coefficient may be sequentially increased as the number of times increases. Also, the correction coefficient may be determined regardless of the number of times. For example, when the number of times is 0, the correction coefficient may be set to 1.0, and when the number of times is at least 1, the correction coefficient may be set to a predetermined value larger than 1.0.

[0107] [Operation Example of Support Control Process] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the support control process in the control device 100. Further, this support control process is executed by the driving support controller 130 based on a program stored in the storage unit 140. Further, this support control process is constantly executed while the vehicle 1 is running. Note that since the support control process shown in FIG. 10 is a modified example of the support control process shown in FIG. 8, the same reference numerals are given to the processing procedures common to FIG. 8, and the descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0108] In step S221, the correction unit 133 corrects a preset threshold value based on the discomfort information acquired in step S203. For example, using the graph shown in FIG. 9, a correction coefficient is determined according to the number, that is, the number of times of the discomfort information acquired in step S203, and the corrected threshold value is calculated by multiplying the correction coefficient by the threshold value. Note that, similar to the example shown in FIG. 7, the threshold value may be corrected in consideration of probability and weight in addition to the number of times. Further, as described above, the correction coefficient may be calculated using only the discomfort information in which the type 74 of the obstacle and the type 75 of the sensor match, or the discomfort information in which the environmental information and the weather information match, and the threshold value may be corrected using the correction coefficient.

[0109] In step S222, the support control unit 134 determines whether or not the index calculated in step S202 (an index indicating the possibility of the obstacle colliding with the vehicle 1) is greater than the threshold value corrected in step S221. If the index is greater than the corrected threshold value, the process proceeds to step S206. On the other hand, if the index is less than or equal to the corrected threshold value, the process returns to step S201.

[0110] In this way, the discomfort information can be stored inside or outside the vehicle 1 and used for determining the necessity of the assistance control during the running of the vehicle 1. Thereby, even when there is a position on the road on which the vehicle 1 travels where the assistance control operates to give discomfort to the driver or the like, the discomfort at that position can be eliminated. That is, the discomfort given to the driver or the like during the execution of the assistance control can be reduced. Also, the position where the assistance control operates to give discomfort to the driver or the like can be shared with the passengers of other vehicles.

[0111] For example, in the example shown in FIG. 3, assume a case where a passenger using the vehicle 1 for commuting uses the road 50 every day so as to travel in the direction of arrow 52 in the evening time zone. In this case, it is also assumed that the signboard 51 is detected as an obstacle by the obstacle detection unit 131 and the assistance control is executed by the assistance control unit 134. If such a phenomenon occurs repeatedly every day, for example, the passenger of the vehicle 1 will feel discomfort at the same location every day. In this case, it is also assumed that it is determined that the assistance control system is difficult to use and the assistance control system is not used. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the position where discomfort is felt during the execution of the assistance control by the assistance control unit 134 is stored, and when the vehicle 1 passes through that position, appropriate assistance control considering that discomfort is executed. Thereby, the unpleasant phenomenon during daily commuting can be eliminated. Also, the assistance control system can be effectively utilized.

[0112] Also, the discomfort information can be stored in the management server 30, and the phenomenon of feeling discomfort due to the signboard 51 on the road 50 can be shared with the passengers of other vehicles. Thereby, even when the passenger of the vehicle that first travels on the road 50 in the direction of arrow 52 in the evening time zone passes the signboard 51, it is possible to execute appropriate assistance control considering the discomfort of the passengers of other vehicles. That is, at a specific location where the assistance control is executed and causes discomfort, for example, near the signboard 51, the discomfort can be eliminated.

[0113] [Configuration and Effects of the Present Embodiment] The control method of the vehicle 1 according to this embodiment executes assist control processing (steps S201 to S206, S221, S222) for assisting the driving of the vehicle 1 by performing a collision avoidance operation or an emergency braking operation when an obstacle existing in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 is detected and it is determined that an index indicating the possibility of the vehicle 1 colliding with the obstacle is higher than a threshold value (an example of a predetermined value). It also includes a determination process (steps S211, S212) for determining the presence or absence of discomfort of the occupant with respect to the assist control, and when it is determined that there is discomfort, storing in the storage unit 140 discomfort information 70 (see FIG. 5) indicating that discomfort has been determined at the position on the road where the assist control was executed. In the assist control processing (steps S204, S205, S221, S222), based on the discomfort information 70 stored in the storage unit 140, a first correction process (step S204) for lowering the index at the position on the road where it has been determined that there is discomfort, or a second correction process (step S221) for raising the threshold value at that position is executed, and at that position, the necessity of the assist control is determined using the corrected value.

[0114] According to this configuration, since it is possible to correct the index or the threshold value (an example of a predetermined value) at the position on the road where it has been determined that there is discomfort in the past and determine the necessity of the assist control, it is possible to reduce the discomfort given to the driver or the like when the assist control is executed.

[0115] Also, in the control method of the vehicle 1 according to this embodiment, in the assist control processing (steps S205, S206), when it is determined that the index corrected by the first correction process is higher than the threshold value (an example of a predetermined value) at the position on the road where it has been determined that there is discomfort, the assist control is executed.

[0116] According to this configuration, since it is possible to correct the index at the position on the road where it has been determined that there is discomfort in the past and determine the necessity of the assist control, it is possible to reduce the discomfort given to the driver or the like when the assist control is executed.

[0117] In addition, in the control method of the vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment, in the support control process (steps S222, S206), when it is determined that the index is higher than the threshold value (an example of a predetermined value) corrected by the second correction process at the position on the road where a sense of discomfort has been determined to exist, support control is executed.

[0118] According to this configuration, since it is possible to determine the necessity of support control by correcting the threshold value at the position on the road where a sense of discomfort has been determined to exist in the past to be high, it is possible to reduce the sense of discomfort given to the driver or the like when the support control is executed.

[0119] In addition, in the control method of the vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment, in the determination process (steps S211, S212), the discomfort information 70 (see FIG. 5) associating the position on the road where the support control determined to have a sense of discomfort is executed and the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 on that road when the support control is executed is stored in the storage unit 140. Further, in the support control process (steps S204, S205, S221, S222), when the vehicle 1 traveling on the road including the position (position information 71) included in the discomfort information 70 travels in the traveling direction 72 associated with that position at that position, the necessity of support control is determined using the corrected value.

[0120] According to this configuration, since it is possible to calculate the index or the threshold value (an example of a predetermined value) using the discomfort information 70 extracted using the position information 71 and the traveling direction 72, it is possible to more appropriately determine the necessity of support control.

[0121] Also, in the control method of the vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment, in the determination process (steps S211 and S212), the number of times (for example, the number of discomfort information at the same position stored in the storage unit 140) determined to have discomfort with respect to the support control for the position on the road where the support control was executed is stored in the storage unit 140 as discomfort information 70 in association with that position. Further, in the support control process (steps S204 and S221), the degree of correction at that position is increased according to the increase in the number of times determined to have discomfort at the position on the road where it has been determined that there is discomfort (see FIGS. 6 and 9).

[0122] According to this configuration, in order to execute the first correction process of correcting so that the index becomes lower according to the increase in the number of times determined to have discomfort, or the second correction process of correcting so that the threshold value (an example of a predetermined value) becomes higher according to the increase in the number of times, an appropriate index or threshold value based on the past experience of the occupant can be calculated. Therefore, it is possible to more appropriately determine the necessity of the support control.

[0123] Also, in the control method of the vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment, in the determination process (steps S211 and S212), when the support control is executed, it is output for storing the discomfort information 70 including information on the situation at the time of execution of the support control in the storage unit 33 of the management server 30 (an example of an external device). Further, in the support control process (steps S204, S205, S221, and S222), the necessity of the support control is determined using the discomfort information 70 regarding vehicles other than the vehicle 1 acquired from the management server 30.

[0124] According to this configuration, since an appropriate index or threshold value (an example of a predetermined value) based on the experience of the occupants of vehicles other than the occupants of the vehicle 1 can be calculated, the necessity of the support control can be more appropriately determined.

[0125] In addition, in the control method of the vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment, in the support control process (steps S204, S205, S221, S222), the necessity of the support control is determined using the discomfort information 70 (see FIG. 5) downloaded at any one of the timing when the route is set in the vehicle 1, the regular timing, and the timing when the map information is updated in the vehicle 1.

[0126] According to this configuration, when determining the necessity of the support control, since the index or threshold value (an example of a predetermined value) can be corrected using the discomfort information 70 downloaded at a predetermined timing, the necessity of the support control can be determined more appropriately.

[0127] In addition, in the control method of the vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment, the discomfort information includes the position on the road where the support control was executed, the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 on the road where the support control was executed, the time when the support control was executed, the type of obstacle detected at the time of execution of the support control, and the type of sensor used at the time of determination of the support control.

[0128] According to this configuration, since the index or threshold value (an example of a predetermined value) can be corrected using each piece of information included in the discomfort information, the necessity of the support control can be determined more appropriately.

[0129] In addition, in the control method of the vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment, the vehicle 1 includes an image acquisition unit 111 that captures an image of an object in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 and acquires an image. In the determination process (steps S211, S212), the image 60 (see FIG. 4) captured at the position on the road where the support control determined to have discomfort was executed is included in the discomfort information 70 corresponding to that position and stored in the storage unit 140.

[0130] According to this configuration, after the support control is executed, the passenger of the vehicle 1 can visually confirm the image 60, so that the passenger who felt discomfort at the time of execution of the support control can easily confirm what kind of obstacle was detected and the support control was executed.

[0131] Further, in the vehicle control method according to the present embodiment, in the determination process (steps S211 and S212), in order to store the discomfort information 70 including the image 60 (see FIG. 4) in the storage unit 33 of the management server 30 (an example of an external device), it is output.

[0132] According to this configuration, it is possible for a company other than the passenger who felt discomfort at the time of executing the support control, such as the vehicle manufacturing company or the sales company of the vehicle 1, to easily confirm what kind of obstacle was detected and the support control was executed.

[0133] Further, in the vehicle control method according to the present embodiment, in the support control process (steps S205, S206, and S222), at a position on the road where it has been determined that there is discomfort, when it is determined that support control is required, at least one of a process of reducing the operation amount of the support control and a process of delaying the start of the operation of the support control is executed in accordance with an increase in the number of times it has been determined that there is discomfort at that position.

[0134] According to this configuration, the content of the support control can be changed and executed according to the number of times it has been determined that there is discomfort.

[0135] Further, in the vehicle control method according to the present embodiment, the vehicle 1 includes an image acquisition unit 111 that captures an image of a subject in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 to acquire an image, and a discomfort determination unit 135 (an example of an expression determination unit) that determines the expression of the face included in the image. Further, in the determination process (steps S211 and S212), based on the expression of the passenger when the support control is executed, it is determined whether the passenger has discomfort with respect to the support control at the position on the road where the support control is executed.

[0136] According to this configuration, since it is possible to determine whether the passenger has discomfort with respect to the support control based on the expression of the passenger, there is no need for the passenger to perform operations or the like, and it is possible to quickly determine whether there is discomfort.

[0137] In addition, in the control method of the vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment, in the determination process (steps S211 and S212), when the braking operation of the occupant when the assistance control is executed matches the braking control based on the assistance control, or when the steering operation of the occupant when the assistance control is executed matches the steering control based on the assistance control, it is determined that there is no discomfort of the occupant with respect to the assistance control at the position on the road where the assistance control is executed. That is, in the determination process (steps S211 and S212), when the driving content of the occupant when the assistance control is executed matches the control content of the assistance control, it is determined that there is no discomfort of the occupant with respect to the assistance control at the position on the road where the assistance control is executed.

[0138] According to this configuration, based on the braking operation or steering operation of the occupant, it is possible to determine the presence or absence of discomfort of the occupant with respect to the assistance control. Therefore, it is not necessary for the occupant to perform operations other than driving, and the presence or absence of discomfort can be determined quickly.

[0139] In addition, in the control method of the vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment, the vehicle 1 includes a UI unit 150 (an example of a user interface) that receives an input from the occupant. Also, in the determination process (steps S211 and S212), based on the input content of the occupant when the assistance control is executed or after the assistance control is executed, the presence or absence of discomfort of the occupant with respect to the assistance control at the position on the road where the assistance control is executed is determined.

[0140] According to this configuration, based on the input of the occupant himself / herself, it is possible to determine the presence or absence of discomfort of the occupant with respect to the assistance control. Therefore, it is possible to determine the presence or absence of the exact discomfort of the occupant.

[0141] Further, when an obstacle existing in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 is detected and it is determined that an index indicating the possibility of the vehicle 1 colliding with the obstacle is higher than a threshold value (an example of a predetermined value), the support control unit 134 that executes support control for assisting the driving of the vehicle 1 by performing a collision avoidance operation or an emergency braking operation, a discomfort determination unit 135 (an example of a determination unit) that determines the presence or absence of discomfort of the occupant with respect to the support control, and when it is determined that there is discomfort, stores discomfort information 70 (see FIG. 5) indicating that discomfort has been determined at the position on the road where the support control has been executed in the storage unit 140, and a correction unit 133 that executes a correction process for lowering the index at the position on the road where it has been determined that there is discomfort based on the discomfort information 70 stored in the storage unit 140, or a correction process for raising the threshold value (an example of a predetermined value) at that position. The support control unit 134 determines the necessity of support control using the value corrected by the correction unit 133 at the position on the road where it has been determined that there is discomfort.

[0142] According to this configuration, since it is possible to correct the index or the threshold value (an example of a predetermined value) at the position on the road where it has been determined that there is discomfort in the past and determine the necessity of support control, it is possible to reduce the discomfort given to the driver or the like when the support control is executed.

[0143] Note that each process shown in this embodiment is executed based on a program for causing a computer to execute each process procedure. Therefore, this embodiment can also be understood as an embodiment of a program that realizes the functions of executing those processes and a recording medium that stores the program. For example, the program can be stored in the storage device of the vehicle control device by an update process for adding a new function to the vehicle control device. Thereby, it becomes possible to cause the updated vehicle control device to execute each process shown in this embodiment.

[0144] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above embodiments merely show some application examples of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention to the specific configurations of the above embodiments.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0145] 1 to 7 Vehicles, 10 Vehicle Management System, 20 Network, 30 Management Server, 31 Communication Unit, 32 Control Unit, 33 Storage Unit, 70 Abnormal Feeling Information, 100 Control Device, 111 Image Acquisition Unit, 112 Sensors, 113 Position Information Acquisition Unit, 120 Communication Unit, 130 Driving Support Controller, 140 Storage Unit, 150 UI Unit, 160 Steering Control Unit, 170 Brake Control Unit, 180 Combination Meter, 181 Alarm Buzzer, 182 Brake Warning Light, 183 Brake Warning Display, 190 Brake Hold Relay, 191 Stop Lamp

Claims

1. A vehicle control method for controlling a vehicle, comprising: When an obstacle existing in the traveling direction of the vehicle is detected and it is determined that an index indicating the possibility of the vehicle colliding with the obstacle is higher than a predetermined value, executing a support control process for assisting the driving of the vehicle by performing a collision avoidance operation or an emergency braking operation; Determining whether there is a sense of discomfort of the occupant with respect to the support control, and when it is determined that there is a sense of discomfort, storing, in a storage unit, discomfort information indicating that there is a sense of discomfort at the position on the road where the support control was executed; In the support control process, based on the discomfort information stored in the storage unit, performing a first correction process of lowering the index at the position on the road where it has been determined that there is a sense of discomfort, or a second correction process of raising the predetermined value at the position, and at the position, determining the necessity of the support control using the corrected value; A vehicle control method.

2. The vehicle control method according to claim 1, wherein: In the support control process, when it is determined that the index corrected by the first correction process is higher than the predetermined value at the position on the road where it has been determined that there is a sense of discomfort, the support control is executed; A vehicle control method.

3. The vehicle control method according to claim 1, wherein: In the support control process, when it is determined that the index is higher than the predetermined value corrected by the second correction process at the position on the road where it has been determined that there is a sense of discomfort, the support control is executed; A vehicle control method.

4. The vehicle control method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: In the determination process, storing, in the storage unit, the discomfort information associating the position on the road where the support control determined to have a sense of discomfort was executed with the traveling direction of the vehicle on the road when the support control was executed; In the support control process, when the vehicle traveling on the road including the position included in the discomfort information travels in the traveling direction associated with the position at the position, determining the necessity of the support control using the corrected value; A vehicle control method.

5. The vehicle control method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: In the determination process, the number of times that a sense of discomfort is determined to exist with respect to the support control at the position on the road where the support control is executed is stored in the storage unit as the discomfort information in association with the position. In the support control process, the degree of correction at the position is increased in accordance with an increase in the number of times that a sense of discomfort is determined to exist at the position on the road where a sense of discomfort has been determined to exist before. A vehicle control method.

6. A vehicle control method according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, in the determination process, when the support control is executed, output is made to store the discomfort information including information on the situation at the time of execution of the support control in an external device. In the support control process, the necessity of the support control is determined using the discomfort information regarding another vehicle other than the vehicle, which is acquired from the external device. A vehicle control method.

7. A vehicle control method according to Claim 6, wherein in the support control process, the necessity of the support control is determined using the discomfort information downloaded at any one of the timing when a route is set in the vehicle, a regular timing, and the timing when map information is updated in the vehicle. A vehicle control method.

8. A vehicle control method according to any one of Claims 1 to 7, wherein the discomfort information includes the position on the road where the support control is executed, the traveling direction of the vehicle on the road where the support control is executed, the time when the support control is executed, the type of an obstacle detected at the time of execution of the support control, and the type of a sensor used at the time of determination of the support control. A vehicle control method.

9. A vehicle control method according to any one of Claims 1 to 8, wherein the vehicle includes an image acquisition unit that acquires an image by imaging a subject in the traveling direction of the vehicle. In the determination process, the image captured at the position on the road where the support control is executed and where a sense of discomfort is determined to exist is stored in the storage unit included in the discomfort information corresponding to the position. A vehicle control method.

10. A vehicle control method according to Claim 9, wherein in the determination process, output is made to store the discomfort information including the image in an external device. A vehicle control method.

11. A vehicle control method according to Claim 5, In the support control process, when it is determined that support control is required at a position on a road where it has been determined that there is a sense of discomfort, at least one of a process of reducing the operation amount of the support control in accordance with an increase in the number of times the sense of discomfort has been determined at that position and a process of delaying the start of the operation of the support control is executed. Vehicle control method.

12. A vehicle control method according to any one of Claims 1 to 11, wherein the vehicle includes an image acquisition unit that captures an object in the traveling direction of the vehicle to acquire an image, and an expression determination unit that determines the expression of a face included in the image. In the determination process, based on the expression of the occupant when the support control is executed, it is determined whether the occupant has a sense of discomfort with respect to the support control at the position on the road where the support control is executed. Vehicle control method.

13. A vehicle control method according to any one of Claims 1 to 11, in the determination process, when the brake operation of the occupant when the support control is executed matches the brake control based on the support control, or when the steering operation of the occupant when the support control is executed matches the steering control based on the support control, it is determined that the occupant has no sense of discomfort with respect to the support control at the position on the road where the support control is executed. Vehicle control method.

14. A vehicle control method according to any one of Claims 1 to 11, wherein the vehicle includes a user interface that receives an input from an occupant. In the determination process, based on the input content of the occupant when the support control is executed or after the support control is executed, it is determined whether the occupant has a sense of discomfort with respect to the support control at the position on the road where the support control is executed. Vehicle control method.

15. A vehicle control device for controlling a vehicle, wherein when an obstacle existing in the traveling direction of the vehicle is detected and it is determined that an index indicating the possibility of the vehicle colliding with the obstacle is higher than a predetermined value, a support control unit that executes support control for assisting the driving of the vehicle by performing a collision avoidance operation or an emergency brake operation, a determination unit that determines whether the occupant has a sense of discomfort with respect to the support control, and when it is determined that there is a sense of discomfort, stores in a storage unit discomfort information indicating that it has been determined that there is a sense of discomfort at the position on the road where the support control is executed. A correction unit that executes a correction process for lowering the index at a position on a road where it has been determined that there is a sense of discomfort based on the sense-of-discomfort information stored in the memory unit, or a correction process for raising the predetermined value at the position; The support control unit determines the necessity of the support control using the value corrected by the correction unit at a position on a road where it has been determined that there is a sense of discomfort. A control device for a vehicle.

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