Information processing apparatus, vehicle, and program

Abstract

To provide information useful when a driver of a vehicle capable of switching between automatic driving and manual driving selects a travel route of the vehicle.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus extracts one or more automatic driving allowed sections on a travel route of a vehicle to a destination. The information processing apparatus specifies a first section having the longest automatic driving continuable time on the travel route. The information processing apparatus outputs the automatic driving continuable time in the first section.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a technology for providing a driver of a vehicle with information regarding a driving route to a destination.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology related to output of a moving route of a moving body that can switch between automatic driving and manual driving. In Patent Document 1, a first route and a second route are calculated based on a departure place and a destination of the moving body and the degree to which an operator of the moving body intervenes in the driving of the moving body. The first route is a moving route including a manual section where driving is required of the operator. The second route is a moving route not including a manual section. Then, the calculated moving route is output within the moving body.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] An object of the present disclosure is to provide useful information when a driver of a vehicle that can switch between automatic driving and manual driving selects a driving route of the vehicle.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] An information processing apparatus according to a first aspect of the present disclosure extracts one or more automatically drivable sections in a driving route of a vehicle to a destination, identifies a first section having the longest continuously drivable time for automatic driving in the driving route, outputs the continuously drivable time for automatic driving in the first section, and includes a control unit that executes the above.

[0006] A vehicle according to a second aspect of the present disclosure is a vehicle capable of switching between autonomous driving and manual driving, and includes an information processing apparatus according to the first aspect.

[0007] A program according to a third aspect of the present disclosure causes a computer to extract one or more autonomously drivable sections in a driving route of a vehicle to a destination, specify a first section in which the autonomously drivable time is the longest in the driving route, output the autonomously drivable time in the first section, and execute.

Advantages of the Invention

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide useful information when a driver of a vehicle capable of switching between autonomous driving and manual driving selects a driving route of the vehicle.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] On a road on which a vehicle capable of switching between automatic driving and manual driving travels, it is assumed that a section where automatic driving is possible and a section where it is impossible are set. Here, the section where automatic driving is impossible may include not only a section where automatic driving is technically impossible but also a section where automatic driving is not permitted by laws and regulations or the like. And when the vehicle travels in a section where automatic driving is possible (automatic driving possible section), the driver of the vehicle can select automatic driving. On the other hand, when the vehicle travels in a section where automatic driving is impossible, the driver of the vehicle needs to perform manual driving.

[0011] In the information processing apparatus according to the present invention, the control unit extracts one or a plurality of automatic driving possible sections in the traveling route of the vehicle to the destination. Further, the control unit specifies, as a first section, a section in the traveling route of the vehicle where the automatic driving continuous possible time is the longest. Here, the automatic driving continuous possible time is the planned traveling time of the vehicle in the automatic driving possible section. There may be a plurality of automatic driving possible sections included in the traveling route of the vehicle. In this case, the control unit may specify the first section by calculating the planned traveling time of the vehicle in each automatic driving possible section.

[0012] And the control unit outputs the automatic driving continuous possible time in the specified first section. As a result, the driver can grasp the time during which it is not necessary to perform manual driving for the longest period when the vehicle travels the traveling route to the destination. As a result, it becomes possible for the driver to select the traveling route of the vehicle based on the time during which it is not necessary to perform manual driving for the longest period.

[0013] Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative arrangements of the components described in this embodiment are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present disclosure only to those, unless otherwise specified.

[0014] <Embodiment> (Outline of the system) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an information providing system according to the present embodiment. The information providing system according to the present embodiment is a system for providing information regarding a driving route of the vehicle 10 to the driver of the vehicle 10. Here, the vehicle 10 is a vehicle capable of switching between autonomous driving and manual driving. It is assumed that the road on which the vehicle 10 travels includes an autonomous driving enabled section and a section where autonomous driving is not possible.

[0015] The information providing system 1 includes an in-vehicle device 100 and a management server 200. The in-vehicle device 100 is a device mounted on the vehicle 10 and includes a computer. The management server 200 is a server that manages traffic information. Here, the traffic information is information regarding the traffic situation of vehicles in each section of each road. The traffic information includes, for example, traffic jam information and speed limit information.

[0016] In the information providing system 1, the in-vehicle device 100 and the management server 200 are interconnected via a network N1. The network N1 may be, for example, a WAN (Wide Area Network), which is a worldwide public communication network such as the Internet, or a telephone communication network such as a mobile phone or a telephone network.

[0017] The in-vehicle device 100 includes a processor 101, a main memory unit 102, an auxiliary storage unit 103, a communication interface (communication I / F) 104, and a display 105. Here, the processor 101 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). The main memory unit 102 is, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory). The auxiliary storage unit 103 is, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory), an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), or a flash memory. Also, the auxiliary storage unit 103 may include a removable medium (portable recording medium). Here, the removable medium is, for example, a USB memory, an SD card, or a disk recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a DVD disk, or a Blu-ray disk.

[0018] The communication I / F 104 is an interface for connecting the in-vehicle device 100 to the network N1. The communication I / F 104 connects the in-vehicle device 100 to the network N1 using a predetermined wireless communication standard such as 3G (3rd Generation) or LTE (Long Term Evolution). The communication I / F 104 includes, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) interface board or a wireless communication circuit for wireless communication. Then, information is transmitted and received between the communication I / F 104 and the management server 200 via the network N1. The display 105 displays information regarding the driving route of the vehicle 10 provided to the driver of the vehicle 10. Also, the display 105 has a touch panel function and accepts input operations by the driver (or a passenger) of the vehicle 10.

[0019] And in the in-vehicle device 100 configured as described above, an auxiliary storage unit 103 stores an operating system (OS), various programs, and various information tables. By the processor 101 loading and executing the programs stored in the auxiliary storage unit 103 into the main storage unit 102, display processing for displaying information regarding the travel route on a display 105, as described later, is realized. However, some or all of the functions in the in-vehicle device 100 may be realized by a hardware circuit such as an ASIC or an FPGA. Note that the in-vehicle device 100 does not necessarily have to be realized by a single physical configuration and may be configured by a plurality of computers that cooperate with each other. Also, in the present embodiment, the in-vehicle device 100 corresponds to the "information processing device" according to the first aspect of the present disclosure. However, the "information processing device" according to the first aspect of the present disclosure does not necessarily have to be an in-vehicle device.

[0020] The in-vehicle device 100 transmits route information indicating the travel route of the vehicle 10 to the destination to the management server 200 via the network N1. When the management server 200 receives the route information from the in-vehicle device 100, it extracts traffic information for each section of the travel route. Then, the management server 200 transmits the extracted traffic information for each section to the in-vehicle device 100 via the network N1.

[0021] The in-vehicle device 100 calculates the estimated travel time of the vehicle 10 to the destination based on the traffic information for each section of the travel route received from the management server 200. The estimated travel time to the destination is the time it takes for the vehicle 10 to travel the travel route and reach the destination. At this time, the in-vehicle device 100 calculates the estimated travel time of the vehicle 10 for each section based on the traffic information for each section of the travel route. Then, the in-vehicle device 100 calculates the estimated travel time to the destination by summing up the estimated travel times for each section.

[0022] Further, the in-vehicle device 100 calculates the total time during which the vehicle 10 can be automatically driven until it reaches the destination by traveling on the travel route (hereinafter, may also be referred to as the "total automatic driving time") by summing up the planned travel times of the respective autonomously drivable sections included in the travel route. Further, the vehicle mounted device 100 identifies, based on the planned travel times of the respective autonomously drivable sections, the section with the longest continuous automatic driving time on the travel route to the destination as the first section. In the following, the continuous automatic driving time in the first section may also be referred to as the "longest continuous time".

[0023] Then, the in-vehicle device 100 displays the planned travel time to the destination on the display 105 as information regarding the travel route. Further, the in-vehicle device 100 displays the total automatic driving time and the longest continuous time on the display 105 as information regarding the travel route.

[0024] Furthermore, the in-vehicle device 100 displays the travel route of the vehicle 10 on the map on the display 105. At this time, the in-vehicle device 100 displays the autonomously drivable section on the map showing the travel route in a distinguishable manner from the section where automatic driving is impossible.

[0025] (Functional Configuration) Next, the functional configuration of the in-vehicle device 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing an example of the functional configuration of the in-vehicle device 100. The in-vehicle device 100 includes a control unit 110, a communication unit 120, an input / output unit 130, and a map information database (map information DB) 140. The control unit 110 has a function of performing arithmetic processing for controlling the in-vehicle device 100. The control unit 110 can be realized by a processor 101.

[0026] The communication unit 120 has a function of connecting the in-vehicle device 100 to the network N1. The communication unit 120 includes a communication I / F 104. The communication unit 120 can communicate with the management server 200 via the network N1. The input / output unit 130 includes a display 11. The input / output unit 130 has a function of displaying information regarding the traveling route of the vehicle 10 on the display 11. Also, the input / output unit 130 has a function of receiving information input to the display 11. The map information DB 140 stores map information to be displayed on the display 11. The map information DB 140 is constructed in the auxiliary storage unit 103. The map information DB 140 stores information indicating which roads are toll roads. Also, the map information DB 140 stores information indicating which sections are automatic driving enabled sections.

[0027] In the in-vehicle device 100, the control unit 110 searches for the traveling route of the vehicle 10. When searching for the traveling route of the vehicle 10, the control unit 110 first acquires the current position of the vehicle 10 detected by the GPS receiver mounted on the vehicle 10. Note that the control unit 110 may acquire the departure place of the vehicle 10 input by the driver (or a passenger) instead of the current position of the vehicle 10. Also, the control unit 110 acquires the destination of the vehicle 10 input by the driver (or a passenger). Then, the control unit 110 searches for the traveling route of the vehicle 10 from the current position to the destination based on the acquired current position and destination of the vehicle 10 and the map information stored in the map information DB 140.

[0028] At this time, the control unit 110 searches for a plurality of traveling routes with different route selection conditions. Examples of the route selection conditions include giving priority to toll roads, giving priority to general roads (roads that are not toll roads), or giving priority to the traveling distance to the destination. Further, the control unit 110 generates route information indicating the plurality of traveling routes searched. Then, the control unit 110 executes a process of transmitting the generated route information to the management server 200 using the communication unit 120.

[0029] The management server 200 has a traffic information database (traffic information DB) 210. The traffic information DB 210 stores traffic information for each section of each road. When the management server 200 receives route information indicating a plurality of driving routes from the vehicle-mounted device 100, the management server 200 stores the route information for each driving route. Traffic information about the road is extracted from the traffic information DB 210. Then, the management server 200 transmits the extracted traffic information to the vehicle-mounted device 100. In the vehicle-mounted device 100, the control unit 110 executes a process of receiving the traffic information transmitted from the management server 200 using the communication unit 120.

[0030] The control unit 110 also has an extraction unit 111, a calculation unit 112, and an identification unit 113 as functional units for implementing a display process for displaying information related to the driving routes of the vehicle 10 on the display 105. The extraction unit 111 extracts one or more sections where automatic driving is possible for each of the multiple driving routes that have been searched, based on information stored in the map information DB 140. Note that with respect to a driving route that does not include a section where automatic driving is possible, the section where automatic driving is possible is not extracted.

[0031] The calculation unit 112 calculates a planned driving time to the destination for each of the multiple driving routes based on the traffic information received from the management server 200. The calculation unit 112 also calculates a total autonomous driving time for each of the multiple driving routes. At this time, the calculation unit 112 extracts a planned driving time for each autonomous driving possible section for each of the multiple driving routes. Then, the calculation unit 112 calculates a total autonomous driving time for each of the multiple driving routes by summing up the planned driving times for each autonomous driving possible section. Furthermore, the identification unit 113 identifies a first section and a longest duration for each of the multiple driving routes.

[0032] Then, the control unit 110 displays, via the input / output unit 130, the planned travel time to the destination, the total autonomous driving time, and the longest continuous time for each travel route on the display 105. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the display of the planned travel time to the destination, the total autonomous driving time, and the longest continuous time for Route 1-3 on the display 105.

[0033] Furthermore, the control unit 110 displays, via the input / output unit 130, the travel route of the vehicle 10 on the map on the display 105. At this time, the control unit 110 displays the autonomous driving possible section and the non-autonomous driving possible section distinguishable from each other on the map. Also, the control unit 110 displays the first section distinguishable from other sections on the map.

[0034] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the map and the travel route displayed on the display 105 when one of the routes 1-3 shown in FIG. 3 is selected by the driver (or a passenger) of the vehicle 10. In FIG. 4, P0 represents the current position of the vehicle 10, and P5 represents the destination of the vehicle 10. Also, in FIG. 4, P1-P4 represent the points on the way of the travel route of the vehicle 10. And in FIG. 4, the travel route of the vehicle 10 is represented by a solid line, a one-dot chain line, and a broken line.

[0035] In FIG. 4, the section from P0 to P1, the section from P2 to P3, and the section from P4 to P5 are non-autonomous driving possible sections. And as shown in FIG. 4, the travel route is represented by a solid line in these non-autonomous driving possible sections. On the other hand, in FIG. 4, the section from P1 to P2 and the section from P3 to P4 are autonomous driving possible sections. Also, the section from P1 to P2 is the first section in the travel route shown in FIG. 4. And as shown in FIG. 4, the travel route is represented by a one-dot chain line in the section from P1 to P2 which is the first section, and the travel route is represented by a broken line in the section from P3 to P4 which is an autonomous driving possible section other than the first section.

[0036] By displaying the travel route as shown in FIG. 4, the section where automatic driving is possible can be distinguished from the section where automatic driving is impossible, and the first section can be distinguished from other sections. When displaying the travel route on the map, the section where automatic driving is possible may be displayed in a color different from the section where automatic driving is impossible, and the first section may be displayed in a color different from other sections. Yes.

[0037] (Flow of display processing) Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 5, a flow of display processing for displaying information on the travel route of the vehicle 10 according to the present embodiment on the display 11 will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of display processing according to the present embodiment. This flow is executed after a plurality of travel routes are searched by the control unit 110.

[0038] In this flow, first, in S101, traffic information for each travel route received from the management server 200 is acquired. Next, in S102, one or more automatic driving possible sections in each of the plurality of travel routes are extracted based on the information stored in the map information DB 140. Next, in S103, for each of the plurality of travel routes, the travel scheduled time Te to the destination and the total automatic driving time Tt are calculated.

[0039] At this time, the travel scheduled time for each section in each travel route is calculated based on the traffic information. Then, by summing up the travel scheduled times of the sections in one travel route, the travel scheduled time Te for one travel route is calculated. Also, by summing up the travel scheduled times of the automatic driving possible sections in one travel route, the total automatic driving time Tt for one travel route is calculated.

[0040] Next, in S104, the first section and the longest continuous time Tl in each travel route are specified. Next, in S105, a display signal for executing the display of the travel scheduled time Te, the total automatic driving time Tt, and the longest continuous time Tl to the destination for each travel route as illustrated in FIG. 3 is transmitted to the display 105.

[0041] Also, when any one of a plurality of driving routes is selected on the display 105, a display signal for executing the display of a map and the selected driving route, as illustrated in FIG. 4, is transmitted to the display 105. Note that the display of the estimated driving time Te, the total autonomous driving time Tt, and the longest continuous time Tl to the destination for each driving route and the display of each driving route on the map may be superimposed on the display 105.

[0042] (Function and Effect) By the above-described display process, information regarding the driving route of the vehicle 10 is output to the display 105, so that the driver of the vehicle 10 can grasp the time during which manual driving is not required and the longest continuous time for each driving route. As a result, the driver can select the driving route of the vehicle 10 based on the time during which manual driving is not required and the longest continuous time.

[0043] Also, according to the above-described display process, the driver of the vehicle 10 can also grasp the total autonomous driving time, that is, the total time during which manual driving is not required, for each driving route. In the display process, the ratio of the total autonomous driving time to the estimated driving time to the destination for each driving route may be calculated, and the calculated ratio may be displayed on the display 105.

[0044] Furthermore, according to the above-described display process, the driver of the vehicle 10 can grasp, on the map, not only the time during which manual driving is not required for each driving route but also the position of the section where manual driving is not required on the driving route. Then, the driver can select the driving route of the vehicle 10 based on the grasped information.

[0045] (Notification Process) Here, while the vehicle 10 is traveling on the driving route selected by the driver of the vehicle 10, the vehicle As the traffic conditions in the first section of the driving route change, the longest duration Tl may change from the time when the driver selected the driving route. In this embodiment, in such a case, a notification process for notifying the driver that the longest duration Tl in the first section has changed is executed.

[0046] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of the notification process according to this embodiment. This flow is repeatedly executed by the control unit 110 while the vehicle 10 is traveling on the driving route selected by the driver.

[0047] In this flow, first, in S201, traffic information about the driving route on which the vehicle 10 is currently traveling, received from the management server 200, is acquired. Note that the traffic information acquired at this time is updated from the information acquired when the driver selected the driving route. Next, in S202, the longest duration Tl in the first section is calculated based on the traffic information acquired in S201.

[0048] Next, in S203, it is determined whether the longest duration Tl calculated in S202 has changed from the time when the driver selected the driving route. Note that in S203, an affirmative determination may be made when the change amount of the longest duration Tl is greater than a predetermined threshold. If a negative determination is made in S203, the execution of this flow ends. In this case, no notification to the driver is executed.

[0049] On the other hand, if an affirmative determination is made in S203, then, in S204, a notification to the driver is executed. That is, the driver is notified that the longest duration Tl has changed from the time when the driver selected the current driving route. As a notification method at this time, display on the display 105 can be exemplified. Also, a voice notification may be executed.

[0050] By executing the notification process as described above, it is possible to grasp that the longest continuous time Tl in the driving route on which the vehicle 10 is currently traveling has changed from the time when the driver selected the driving route. Thereby, for example, the driver can reselect the driving route to the destination.

[0051] <Other Embodiments> The above-described embodiments are merely examples, and the present disclosure can be appropriately modified and implemented without departing from the gist thereof. Also, the processes and means described in the present disclosure can be freely combined and implemented as long as no technical contradiction occurs.

[0052] Also, the processes described as being performed by one device may be shared and executed by a plurality of devices. Alternatively, the processes described as being performed by different devices may be executed by one device. In a computer system, how each function is realized by a hardware configuration (server configuration) can be flexibly changed.

[0053] The present disclosure can also be realized by supplying a computer program that implements the functions described in the above embodiments to a computer and causing one or more processors included in the computer to read and execute the program. Such a computer program may be provided to the computer by a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium connectable to the system bus of the computer, or may be provided to the computer via a network. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium includes, for example, any type of disk such as a magnetic disk (floppy (registered trademark) disk, hard disk drive (HDD), etc.), an optical disk (CD-ROM, DVD disk, Blu-ray disk, etc.), a read-only me mory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), an EPROM, an EEPROM, a magnetic card, a flash memory, or any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions, such as an optical card.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0054] 1... Information providing system 10... Vehicle 100... On-vehicle device 105... Display 110... Control unit 120... Communication unit 130... Input / output unit 140... Map information database 200... Management server

Claims

1. extracting one or more automatically drivable sections in a driving route of a vehicle to a destination; identifying a first section having the longest continuously automatically drivable time in the driving route; outputting the continuously automatically drivable time in the first section; after a driver of the vehicle selects a driving route including the first section as the driving route of the vehicle, when the continuously automatically drivable time in the first section changes by more than a predetermined threshold from the time when the driving route including the first section is selected as the driving route of the vehicle while the vehicle is driving on the driving route including the first section, notifying the driver; An information processing apparatus including a control unit that executes the above.

2. The control unit further executes: outputting the total of the automatically drivable times in each of the extracted one or more automatically drivable sections. The information processing apparatus according to Claim 1.

3. The control unit further executes: outputting a ratio of the total of the automatically drivable times in each of the extracted one or more automatically drivable sections to the planned driving time to the destination. The information processing apparatus according to Claim 1.

4. The control unit further executes: on a map showing the driving route, displaying the extracted one or more automatically drivable sections so as to be distinguishable from sections where automatic driving is impossible. The information processing apparatus according to Claim 1.

5. The control unit further executes: on a map showing the driving route, displaying the first section so as to be distinguishable from other sections. The information processing apparatus according to Claim 4.

6. The control unit further executes: calculating the automatically drivable time in each of the extracted one or more automatically drivable sections based on traffic information for each section in the driving route. The information processing apparatus according to Claim 1.

7. The control unit further executes: searching for a plurality of driving routes, and for each driving route, outputting the continuously automatically drivable time in the first section. The information processing apparatus according to Claim 1.

8. A vehicle capable of switching between automatic driving and manual driving, the vehicle comprising the information processing apparatus according to any one of Claims 1 to 7.

9. Causing a computer to: extract one or more automatically drivable sections in a driving route of a vehicle to a destination; ​ Identifying a first section in the driving route where the automatic driving continuous time is the longest; Outputting the automatic driving continuous time in the first section; After the driver of the vehicle selects a driving route including the first section as the driving route of the vehicle, when the automatic driving continuous time in the first section changes by more than a predetermined threshold value from the time when the driving route including the first section is selected as the driving route of the vehicle while the vehicle is driving on the driving route including the first section, notifying the driver; A program for causing the above to be executed.

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