Vehicle control device

Abstract

To provide a vehicular control device which can switch operation modes of a vehicle at an appropriate timing.SOLUTION: A vehicular control device comprises: a reception part which receives, when an operation mode of a vehicle is an automatic operation mode, a first changeover input of the operation mode through user operation and a second changeover of the operation mode through user voice; a changeover part which changes over the operation mode regardless of status of the vehicle from the automatic operation mode to a manual operation mode when the reception part receives the first changeover input; and a mode control part which keeps, when the reception part receives the second changeover input and when the status of the vehicle satisfies a mode maintenance condition, the automatic operation mode of the operation mode, and changes over, when the status of the vehicle does not satisfy the mode maintenance condition, the operation mode from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a technique for switching between an automatic driving mode in which a vehicle is automatically driven and a manual driving mode in which a driver manually drives the vehicle is known. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a technique for switching the driving mode to the manual driving mode when the difference between the manual operation amounts of the accelerator and the brake and the operation amounts corresponding to the automatic driving is within a predetermined range when an instruction to cancel the automatic driving mode is input.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, there is a time lag between the timing when the driver attempts to switch the driving mode of the vehicle and the timing when the vehicle system switches the driving mode. Therefore, if there is a change in the vehicle situation while this time lag occurs, it may be better not to switch the driving mode of the vehicle. In the technique described in Patent Document 1, since the driving mode is switched regardless of the vehicle situation, there is a possibility that the driving mode may be switched at an inappropriate timing.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and one of its exemplary objects is to provide a vehicle control device that enables switching of the driving mode of a vehicle at an appropriate timing.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above problems, a vehicle control device according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a reception unit that receives a first switching input of the driving mode by a user operation or a second switching input of the driving mode by a user voice when the driving mode of the vehicle is the automatic driving mode; a switching unit that switches the driving mode from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode regardless of the vehicle situation when the reception unit receives the first switching input; and a mode control unit that maintains the driving mode in the automatic driving mode when the vehicle situation satisfies the mode maintenance condition and switches the driving mode from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode when the vehicle situation does not satisfy the mode maintenance condition when the reception unit receives the second switching input.

[0007] In addition, any combination of the above components, and those obtained by converting the expression of the present invention among methods, devices, systems, recording media, computer programs, etc., are also effective as aspects of the present invention.

Effects of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle control device that can switch the driving mode of a vehicle at an appropriate timing.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] [Embodiment] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted as appropriate. In addition, the configurations described below are examples and do not limit the scope of the present invention in any way.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a vehicle 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment includes a vehicle control device 10, a camera 12, a millimeter-wave radar 14, a vehicle speed sensor 16, and a device to be controlled 20.

[0012] The camera 12 acquires an image around the vehicle 1 and transmits the acquired image to the vehicle control device 10. The camera 12 may acquire, for example, images related to other vehicles, pedestrians, roadways, lanes, tunnels, and weather (such as rain).

[0013] The millimeter-wave radar 14 detects the position and speed of an object around the vehicle 1 using a radar in a frequency band of, for example, 30 GHz to 300 GHz, and transmits the detection result to the vehicle control device 10. The millimeter-wave radar 14 may detect, for example, the distance between the vehicle 1 and another vehicle or the relative speed between the vehicle 1 and another vehicle.

[0014] The vehicle speed sensor 16 detects the speed of the vehicle 1 and transmits the detection result to the vehicle control device 10.

[0015] The vehicle control device 10 is a device that controls the device to be controlled 20. The vehicle control device 10 may include a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Read Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and the like.

[0016] The vehicle control device 10 according to the present embodiment controls the device to be controlled 20 according to the driving mode of the vehicle 1. Specifically, in the case of the automatic driving mode, the vehicle control device 10 controls the device to be controlled 20 regardless of the driver's operations (such as operations of the steering wheel, accelerator pedal, and brake pedal) to automatically drive the vehicle 1. In the case of the manual driving mode, the vehicle 1 is driven by the driver's operations using the steering wheel and pedals. The vehicle control device 10 according to the present embodiment includes an input unit 100, a storage unit 120, and a control unit 140.

[0017] The input unit 100 acquires various inputs according to the speech and operations of the passengers in the vehicle 1, and transmits the acquired inputs to the control unit 140. The input unit 100 according to the present embodiment includes a voice acquisition unit 102, a voice recognition unit 103, and an operation unit 104.

[0018] The voice acquisition unit 102 is a device that acquires voice, and may be composed of various known microphones and the like. The voice acquisition unit 102 may acquire, for example, the voice of a passenger (user voice) instructing the switching of the driving mode of the vehicle 1. Specifically, the voice acquisition unit 102 may acquire a voice instructing the switching of the driving mode from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode, or may acquire a voice instructing the switching of the driving mode from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode. The voice acquisition unit 102 converts the acquired voice into a signal and transmits it to the voice recognition unit 103.

[0019] The voice recognition unit 103 can recognize a signal based on voice using various known voice recognition technologies and transmit the recognition result to the control unit 140. Specifically, the voice recognition unit 103 may convert the signal transmitted from the voice acquisition unit 102 into, for example, text, and recognize the content of the instruction to switch the driving mode.

[0020] The operation unit 104 acquires an input according to the operation of the passenger in the vehicle (user operation). The operation unit 104 according to the present embodiment has a button-type switch for switching the driving mode. When the switch is operated, the operation unit 104 may transmit an instruction to switch the driving mode to the control unit 140 as an input.

[0021] The storage unit 120 stores various information, and the information is referred to by the control unit 140 as needed. The storage unit 120 may store, for example, mode maintenance conditions. As will be described later, in the present embodiment, when there is an instruction to switch the driving mode from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode by voice, if this mode maintenance condition is satisfied, the driving mode is maintained in the automatic driving mode, and if the mode maintenance condition is not satisfied, the driving mode is switched to the manual driving mode.

[0022] The mode maintenance condition may be, for example, that the vehicle 1 is approaching another vehicle (such as the preceding vehicle of the vehicle 1). Specifically, the mode maintenance condition may be that the distance between the vehicle 1 and the other vehicle is equal to or less than a predetermined distance, or alternatively, based on the fact that the vehicle 1 is approaching the other vehicle, an approach alarm (not shown) provided in the vehicle 1 may be operating.

[0023] Further, the mode maintenance condition may be that the vehicle 1 has deviated from the lane. Alternatively, the mode maintenance condition may be that a deviation alarm (not shown) provided in the vehicle 1 is operating in response to the vehicle 1 having deviated from the lane. Note that the fact that the vehicle 1 has deviated from the lane may be detected based on the image of the camera 12.

[0024] Further, the mode maintenance condition may be that the speed of the vehicle 1 exceeds a predetermined speed limit. Alternatively, the mode maintenance condition may be that a speed limiter is operating in response to the speed of the vehicle 1 exceeding the speed limit. Here, the speed limiter controls a controlled device 20 or the like so that the vehicle 1 does not travel at a speed exceeding a preset speed limit. The speed limiter may be implemented, for example, by the control unit 140. Further, the mode maintenance condition may be that the speed of the vehicle 1 is greater than a value obtained by subtracting a predetermined threshold from the speed limit.

[0025] Further, the mode maintenance condition may be a condition based on the time to collision (TTC), for example, the time to collision being equal to or less than a predetermined time. The time to collision is the time until the vehicle 1 collides with the preceding vehicle assuming that the relative speed between the vehicle 1 and the preceding vehicle is kept constant.

[0026] Furthermore, the mode maintenance condition may be that the situation around the vehicle 1 is predicted to become a predetermined situation within a predetermined time. The predetermined situation may be, for example, the vehicle 1 turning a curve and entering a tunnel.

[0027] The control unit 140 controls the device 20 to be controlled. Specifically, the control unit 140 controls the device 20 to be controlled when the driving mode of the vehicle 1 is the automatic driving mode. The control unit 140 includes a reception unit 142, a prediction unit 144, a determination unit 146, a switching unit 148, a mode control unit 149, and a drive control unit 150.

[0028] The reception unit 142 receives an input for switching the driving mode. Specifically, the reception unit 142 receives an input for switching the driving mode from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode and an input for switching the driving mode from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode. The reception unit 142 according to the present embodiment receives a first switching input of the driving mode by a user operation or a second switching input of the driving mode by a user voice when the driving mode of the vehicle is the automatic driving mode. The reception unit 142 transmits the received first switching input to the switching unit 148 and transmits the received second switching input to the mode control unit 149.

[0029] In the present embodiment, the reception unit 142 receives, as the first switching input, an instruction for switching the driving mode from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode, which is input by a user operation of the operation unit 104. Further, in the present embodiment, the reception unit 142 receives, as the second switching input, an instruction for switching the driving mode from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode, which is recognized by the voice recognition unit 103 based on a user voice.

[0030] The prediction unit 144 predicts information related to the situation around the vehicle 1 and can transmit the prediction result to the determination unit 146. The prediction unit 144 according to the present embodiment can predict the situation around the vehicle 1 based on an image acquired by the camera 12, a detection result of the millimeter wave radar, and a detection result of the vehicle speed sensor 16.

[0031] For example, the prediction unit 144 may predict that the vehicle 1 will turn a curve or enter a tunnel several seconds later based on, for example, an image acquired by the camera 12 and a detection result of the vehicle speed sensor 16. Further, the prediction unit 144 may predict a collision prediction time based on the vehicle speed of the vehicle 1 acquired by the vehicle speed sensor 16, the speed of the preceding vehicle acquired by the millimeter wave radar 14, the distance to the preceding vehicle, and the like.

[0032] The determination unit 146 determines whether the situation of the vehicle 1 satisfies the mode maintenance condition, and can transmit the determination result to the mode control unit 149. The determination unit 146 can determine whether the mode maintenance condition is satisfied based on, for example, an image acquired by the camera 12, the position and speed of an object acquired by the millimeter wave radar 14, the speed of the vehicle 1 acquired by the vehicle speed sensor 16, and a prediction result by the prediction unit 144.

[0033] The determination unit 146 may determine whether the mode maintenance condition is satisfied based on the prediction result of the prediction unit 144. For example, when the prediction result of the prediction unit 144 matches the mode maintenance condition, the determination unit 146 may determine that the mode maintenance condition is satisfied. Alternatively, when the collision prediction time predicted by the prediction unit 144 is equal to or less than a predetermined time defined in the mode maintenance condition, the determination unit 146 may determine that the mode maintenance condition is satisfied.

[0034] Further, when the speed limiter is operating and the speed of the vehicle 1 is greater than a value obtained by subtracting a predetermined threshold from the speed limit, the determination unit 146 may determine that the mode maintenance condition is satisfied. Alternatively, when, for example, a proximity alarm or a deviation alarm is operating, the determination unit 146 may determine that the mode maintenance condition is satisfied.

[0035] The switching unit 148 switches the driving mode of the vehicle 1 according to the input received by the reception unit 142. Specifically, when the reception unit 142 receives the first switching input, the switching unit 148 switches the driving mode from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode regardless of the situation of the vehicle 1. Note that the switching unit 148 can also switch the driving mode from the manual driving mode to the automatic driving mode.

[0036] When the reception unit 142 receives the second switching input, the mode control unit 149 maintains the driving mode in the automatic driving mode if the situation of the vehicle 1 satisfies the mode maintenance condition, and switches the driving mode from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode if the situation of the vehicle 1 does not satisfy the mode maintenance condition. Even when the mode maintenance condition is satisfied and the driving mode is maintained in the automatic driving mode, the mode control unit 149 may switch the driving mode to the manual driving mode at that time if the mode maintenance condition is satisfied later.

[0037] When the driving mode is the automatic driving mode, the drive control unit 150 can control the controlled device 20. When the driving mode is switched from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode by the switching unit 148 or the mode control unit 149, the drive control unit 150 according to the present embodiment stops the control of the controlled device 20. In this case, the controlled device 20 is controlled by an operation such as a steering wheel by the driver. When the driving mode is maintained in the automatic driving mode by the mode control unit 149, the drive control unit 150 can continue to control the controlled device 20.

[0038] The controlled device 20 is a device controlled by the vehicle control device 10 and the operation of the driver of the vehicle 1. The controlled device 20 according to the present embodiment includes a driving force output device 22, a brake device 24, and a steering device 26. Note that the driving force output device 22 may include a motor that outputs torque for driving the wheels of the vehicle 1.

[0039] FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the vehicle control device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, the operation flow of the vehicle control device 10 will be described according to the flowchart of FIG. 2. Here, the operation shown in FIG. 2 is started in a state where the driving mode is the automatic driving mode.

[0040] First, the reception unit 142 determines whether or not a switching input has been received (S101). When the reception unit 142 has received the first switching input or the second switching input, the reception unit 142 determines that a switching input has been received and proceeds to S103. On the other hand, when the reception unit 142 has not received any switching input, the reception unit 142 determines that no switching input has been received, and the operation shown in FIG. 2 ends.

[0041] When the reception unit 142 determines in S101 that a switching input has been received, the reception unit 142 determines whether the received switching input is the second switching input (S103). When the reception unit 142 has received the second switching input, it proceeds to S105. On the other hand, when the reception unit 142 has received the first switching input and determines in S103 that the reception unit 142 has not received the second switching input, it proceeds to S111.

[0042] When it is determined in S103 that the reception unit 142 has received the second switching input, the determination unit 146 determines whether the mode maintenance condition is satisfied (S105). For example, the determination unit 146 may determine that the mode maintenance condition is satisfied when the approach alarm is operating. When it is determined in S105 that the mode maintenance condition is satisfied, it proceeds to S107. On the other hand, when it is determined in S105 that the mode maintenance condition is not satisfied, it proceeds to S111.

[0043] When it is determined in S105 that the mode maintenance condition is satisfied, the mode control unit 149 instructs the drive control unit 150 to maintain the operation mode in the automatic operation mode (S107). In response to the instruction from the mode control unit 149 in S107, the drive control unit 150 continues the automatic operation mode (S109), and the operation shown in FIG. 2 ends. Incidentally, after this, when it is determined that the mode maintenance condition is satisfied while the automatic operation mode is continued, the mode control unit 149 may instruct the drive control unit 150 to switch the operation mode from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode.

[0044] When it is determined in S103 that the second switching input has not been received (that is, the first switching input has been received), the switching unit 148 instructs the drive control unit 150 to switch the operation mode from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode (S111). Further, when it is determined in S105 that the mode maintenance condition is not satisfied, the mode control unit 149 instructs the drive control unit 150 to switch the operation mode from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode.

[0045] In response to the instruction from the switching unit 148 or the mode control unit 149 in S111, the drive control unit 150 stops the automatic operation mode (S113), and the operation shown in FIG. 2 ends. After this, the vehicle 1 comes to be driven by an operation by the driver.

[0046] The configuration and operation example of the vehicle control device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention have been described above. When the second switching input of the driving mode is received, the vehicle control device 10 according to this embodiment can switch the driving mode according to the situation of the vehicle 1. For example, when the situation of the vehicle 1 is suitable for the manual driving mode, the driving mode can be switched to the manual driving mode, and when the situation of the vehicle 1 is not suitable for the manual driving mode, the driving mode can be maintained in the automatic driving mode. Further, when the first switching input is received, the driving mode is switched to the manual driving mode regardless of the situation of the vehicle 1, so that the driver can quickly switch the driving mode to the manual driving mode as needed. Thus, according to the vehicle control device 10 according to this embodiment, it is possible to switch the driving mode of the vehicle at an appropriate timing.

[0047] When the driving mode is commanded by voice, it takes time from the command by speech to the system execution. For this reason, there may be a significant difference in the situation of the vehicle between the timing when the driver starts to issue a command and the timing when the vehicle system receives a command to stop the automatic driving mode and switch to the manual driving mode (hereinafter, also referred to as "control stop command"). Therefore, even if there is a control stop command, there may be a case where the automatic driving mode should be maintained. For example, when there are other vehicles around the host vehicle, there may be a situation that imposes a load on the driver's manual driving when the driving mode is switched from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode. Therefore, it may be better to appropriately determine whether the vehicle system executes the voice-based control stop command.

[0048] According to the vehicle control device 10 according to this embodiment, when there is a command to switch the driving mode by the voice acquisition unit 102, the vehicle control device 10 determines the situation of the surroundings (or the vehicle 1 itself), and if the situation is not suitable for stopping the automatic driving mode, the automatic driving mode can be temporarily continued to support the safe operation of the vehicle 1. Thus, according to the vehicle control device 10 according to this embodiment, it is possible to perform driving that appropriately responds to changes in the surroundings of the vehicle 1.

[0049] Further, according to the present embodiment, if it is an operation of the operation unit 104 (for example, a switch), the automatic driving mode can be stopped in any situation. Therefore, the requirement that the driver wants to immediately stop the automatic driving mode during driving can also be satisfied.

[0050] [Modification Example] In the above embodiment, an example in which the first switching input is performed by operating a switch and the second switching input is performed by voice has been described. In the following modification examples, mainly, examples in which the input methods of the first switching input and the second switching input are different from those in the above embodiment will be described.

[0051] (First Modification Example) In the first modification example, an example in which the first switching input and the second switching input are realized by operating a single switch will be described. In this case, the switch may be provided in the vehicle control device as an element constituting the input unit 100 instead of the voice acquisition unit 102, the voice recognition unit 103, and the operation unit 104 shown in FIG. 1.

[0052] In this case, when the switch is long-pressed, the first switching input may be received, and when the switch is short-pressed, the second switching input may be received. Thereby, when the switch is long-pressed, the automatic driving mode is immediately stopped, and when the switch is short-pressed, it is determined whether to stop the automatic driving mode by the vehicle control device. However, when the automatic driving mode is stopped by long-pressing the switch in this way, it takes more time to stop the automatic driving mode than when the automatic driving mode is stopped simply by pressing the switch as in the above embodiment.

[0053] Also, the method of input using one switch is not limited to this. When the switch is briefly pressed, a first switching input may be accepted, and when the switch is long-pressed, a second switching input may be accepted. Also, based on the number of times the switch is pressed, a first switching input and a second switching input may be accepted. For example, when the switch is pressed once, a first switching input may be accepted, and when the switch is pressed twice, a second switching input may be accepted.

[0054] (Second Modification Example) In the second modification example, an example will be described in which a first switching input and a second switching input are realized by operating two switches (a first switch and a second switch). In this case, the two switches may be provided in the vehicle control device as elements constituting the input unit 100, instead of the voice acquisition unit 102, the voice recognition unit 103, and the operation unit 104 shown in FIG. 1.

[0055] In this case, when the first switch is pressed, a first switching input may be accepted, and when the second switch is pressed, a second switching input may be accepted. Thereby, when the first switch is pressed, the automatic driving mode is immediately stopped, and when the second switch is pressed, it is determined whether or not to stop the automatic driving mode by the vehicle control device.

[0056] (Third Modification Example) In the third modification example, an example will be described in which the mode of the switch is preset using a touch panel or the like, and an input corresponding to the switch (a first switching input and a second switching input) is realized by operating one switch. In this case, the one switch and the touch panel may be provided in the vehicle control device as elements constituting the input unit 100, instead of the voice acquisition unit 102, the voice recognition unit 103, and the operation unit 104 shown in FIG. 1.

[0057] In the third modification example, the driver can operate the touch panel to display the car navigation screen on the touch panel. At this time, an item "Operation at the time of control stop" is displayed on the screen, and by operating this item, the switch can be set to the control stop mode. When the switch is in the control stop mode, the determination to stop the automatic driving mode according to the vehicle situation by the vehicle control device can be aborted.

[0058] Specifically, when the switch is in the control stop mode, a first switching input may be received when the switch is pressed. Thereby, the automatic driving mode is immediately stopped. Also, when the switch is in a mode other than the control stop mode (for example, the control execution mode), a second switching input may be received when the switch is pressed. Thereby, it is determined whether to stop the automatic driving mode by the vehicle control device.

[0059] [Supplementary Explanation] As described above, the present invention has been described based on the embodiments. These embodiments are illustrative, and it is understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications are possible for each of these constituent elements and combinations of each processing process, and such modifications are also within the scope of the present invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0060] 1 Vehicle, 10 Vehicle control device, 12 Camera, 14 Millimeter-wave radar, 16 Vehicle speed sensor, 20 Controlled device, 100 Input unit, 102 Voice acquisition unit, 103 Voice recognition unit, 104 Operation unit, 120 Storage unit, 140 Control unit, 142 Reception unit, 144 Prediction unit, 146 Judgment unit, 148 Switching unit, 150 Drive control unit.

Claims

A first operation unit that receives a first user operation for switching the driving mode of a vehicle from an automatic driving mode to a manual driving mode; When the driving mode is the automatic driving mode, a reception unit that receives a first switching input for the driving mode or a second switching input for the driving mode in response to the first user operation; A second operation unit that receives a second user operation for mutually switching between a first control mode in which the reception unit receives the first switching input in response to the first user operation and a second control mode in which the reception unit receives the second switching input in response to the first user operation; A switching unit that switches the driving mode from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode regardless of the vehicle situation when the reception unit receives the first switching input; When the reception unit receives the second switching input, a mode control unit that maintains the driving mode in the automatic driving mode when the vehicle situation satisfies a mode maintenance condition, and switches the driving mode from the automatic driving mode to the manual driving mode when the vehicle situation does not satisfy the mode maintenance condition; and The first user operation when the reception unit receives the first switching input is the same as the first user operation when the reception unit receives the second switching input. A control device for a vehicle.

Images