Vehicle control device

Abstract

To provide a technique enabling a consideration as to how appropriate a condition related to the state of a vehicle and an environment surrounding the vehicle is when proposing a use of functionality incorporated in the vehicle as the aforementioned condition is established.SOLUTION: A functionality proposal device 14 includes: a determination part 142 for determining whether to suggest, to an occupant of a vehicle 10, a use of functionality incorporated in the vehicle 10 depending on whether a condition is established, the condition related to at least one of a state of the vehicle 10 and an environment surrounding the vehicle 10 in which the usage of the functionality of the vehicle is preferred (or recommended); a use proposal part 144 for proposing, to the occupant of the vehicle 10, a use of target functionality in a case where the determination part 142 makes a positive determination; and a storage part 143 for storing information (information on priority) related to a usage situation of other functionality in the vehicle 10 and whether the condition is established. Further, the determination part 142 determines whether to propose a use of the functionality to the occupant of the vehicle 10 in consideration of the information (information on priority) stored in the storage part 143.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle control device. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, a technology is known that suggests to a user to use a function of a vehicle when conditions related to the vehicle's state or the environment around the vehicle are met to determine that using the function is desirable (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-16765 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, Patent Document 1 does not take into consideration the appropriateness of the conditions for determining whether the use of a vehicle function is desirable. Therefore, for example, even if the use of a target function is suggested to a vehicle occupant in response to the establishment of the conditions, if the conditions are not very appropriate, the occupant may not use the function or may find the suggestion annoying. Furthermore, for example, under the assumption that the number of functions that can be suggested at one time is limited, if the conditions are met for multiple functions, a function with relatively inappropriate conditions may be suggested to the occupant.

[0005] Therefore, in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, the object is to provide a technology that can take into account the appropriateness of conditions related to the state of the vehicle and the environment around the vehicle when proposing the use of the vehicle's functions depending on the conditions. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a determination unit that determines whether to recommend use of a function of a vehicle to a passenger of the vehicle based on whether a first condition related to at least one of a state of the vehicle and an environment around the vehicle is satisfied, in which use of the function is recommended; a suggestion unit that suggests use of the function to a passenger of the vehicle when a positive determination is made by the determination unit; a storage unit that stores information regarding a relationship between whether or not the function has been used in the past in a vehicle other than the vehicle and whether or not the first condition is satisfied; The first condition is predetermined, When the first condition is satisfied, the determination unit determines whether to suggest use of the function to the passenger of the vehicle depending on whether a second condition regarding the information stored in the storage unit is satisfied. death, a ratio of the use of the function when the first condition is satisfied and a ratio of the non-use of the function when the first condition is not satisfied are defined as a first compliance rate and a second compliance rate for the vehicle and the other vehicle, respectively; The second condition is that the number of the functions for which the first condition is satisfied at the same time is equal to or less than a first threshold, which is a positive value; or that the number of the functions for which the first condition is satisfied at the same time exceeds the first threshold, and the sum of the first precision rate and the second precision rate of the target function among the functions for which the first condition is satisfied at the same time is in the upper ranks defined by the first threshold; or that the sum of the first precision rate and the second precision rate is equal to or greater than a second threshold, which is a positive value. , A vehicle control device is provided. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the above-described embodiment, when suggesting the use of a vehicle's functions depending on the establishment of conditions related to the vehicle's state or the vehicle's surrounding environment, it is possible to take into consideration how appropriate those conditions are. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a configuration of a function proposal system. [Figure 2] 10 is a diagram showing the results of tabulating the usage status of the vehicle's functions and the status of fulfillment of the usage compatibility conditions. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] [Overview of the feature suggestion system] An overview of a function proposal system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a function proposal system 1. As shown in FIG.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, the function proposal system 1 includes a plurality of vehicles 10 and a server 20.

[0013] Since the plurality of vehicles 10 have the same configuration with respect to the function proposal system 1, one vehicle 10 is shown as a representative in FIG.

[0014] The function suggestion system 1 suggests to the user (passenger) of the vehicle 10 to use various functions of the vehicle 10 depending on the state of the vehicle 10, the environment around the vehicle 10, and the like.

[0015] The functions of the vehicle 10 are functions that are activated in response to requests (predetermined inputs) from the user of the vehicle 10 (passengers including the driver). The functions of the vehicle 10 include, for example, various driving modes. The various driving modes include, for example, a sport mode, an eco mode, and a snow mode. The sport mode is a driving mode that achieves sporty driving by setting the dynamic performance of the vehicle 10, such as response to accelerator operation, acceleration performance, response to braking operation, braking performance, response to steering, and turning performance, relatively high. The eco mode is a driving mode that reduces energy consumption by slowing down the response to accelerator operation, braking operation, steering, etc. The snow mode is a driving mode that prevents brake lock, skidding, etc. of the vehicle 10 on snowy roads, for example. The functions of the vehicle 10 also include, for example, a brake hold function. The brake hold function is a function that can maintain the vehicle 10 in a stopped state without maintaining the brake operation when the vehicle 10 is stopped. The functions of the vehicle 10 also include, for example, adaptive cruise control (ACC). ACC is a function that maintains a constant distance from a preceding vehicle ahead of the vehicle 10 and follows the preceding vehicle, regardless of accelerator operation by the driver. The functions of the vehicle 10 also include, for example, a lane departure prevention function. The lane departure prevention function includes, for example, a lane departure warning (LDW) that outputs an alarm when the vehicle 10 deviates from its lane, and a lane keeping assist system (LKAS) that prevents the vehicle 10 from deviating from its lane and assists the vehicle 10 in staying in its lane.

[0016] Hereinafter, functions that can be suggested for use to occupants of vehicle 10 by function suggestion system 1 (function suggestion device 14 described below) may be referred to as "functions that can be suggested for use," and functions that are actually suggested for use may be referred to as "functions that are the subject of suggestion for use."

[0017] The vehicle 10 runs by driving drive wheels with the power of a prime mover such as an engine (internal combustion engine) or a motor (electric motor). The vehicle 10 may run under the driving operation of a user (passenger), or may run autonomously without the operation of a user.

[0018] Furthermore, the vehicle 10 uses a function suggestion device 14, which will be described later, to suggest to the user (passenger) the use of functions of the vehicle 10 in accordance with the state of the vehicle 10 and the environment around the vehicle 10. Specifically, for each function of the vehicle 10, if the use of the target function is preferable (recommended) and conditions related to the state of the vehicle 10 and the environment around the vehicle 10 (hereinafter referred to as "use suitability conditions") are met, the vehicle 10 suggests the use of the function to the user.

[0019] For example, in the case of snow mode, the usage suitability condition is that "snow is falling or there is snow accumulation exceeding a predetermined standard within a predetermined range including the driving location of the vehicle 10." Furthermore, for example, in the case of sport mode, the usage suitability condition is that "a steering angle exceeding a predetermined standard occurs a predetermined number of times or more within a predetermined period at a vehicle speed equal to or greater than a predetermined standard (e.g., 30 km / h)." Furthermore, for example, in the case of a brake hold function, the usage suitability condition is that "the number of times the vehicle 10 repeatedly starts and stops within a predetermined period of time exceeds a predetermined standard." Furthermore, for example, in the case of an ACC, the usage suitability condition is that "the vehicle 10 is driving on a specific road section such as an expressway." Furthermore, for example, in the case of a lane departure prevention function, the usage suitability condition is that "the vehicle 10 deviates from the lane" or "the distance between the vehicle 10 and the white line that divides the lane is equal to or less than a predetermined standard."

[0020] Furthermore, the vehicle 10 is communicably connected to the server 20 via a predetermined communication line, and transmits various information (data) related to the vehicle 10 to the server 20. For example, the vehicle 10 transmits to the server 20 information related to the usage status (whether or not the functions of the vehicle 10 are being used) and the status of whether or not the usage compatibility conditions for the functions of the vehicle 10 are met.

[0021] The predetermined communication line includes, for example, a wide area network (WAN). The wide area network includes, for example, a mobile communication network with a base station as a terminal, a satellite communication network, etc. The predetermined communication line includes a satellite communication network, the Internet, etc. The predetermined communication line also includes, for example, a local area network (LAN). The predetermined communication line also includes, for example, a short-distance communication line based on a predetermined communication standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or WiFi.

[0022] The server 20 is communicably connected to the vehicle 10 and acquires (collects) various pieces of information related to the vehicle 10 from the vehicle 10.

[0023] The server 20 also provides (transmits) information about other vehicles 10 to the vehicle 10. The information about other vehicles 10 transmitted from the server 20 to the vehicle 10 may be the information itself acquired from the other vehicles 10, or may be information that has been processed or edited from the information acquired from the other vehicles 10. For example, the server 20 transmits to the vehicle 10 information about the usage status of functions in a plurality of other vehicles 10 and the success or failure status of usage compatibility conditions.

[0024] [Configuration of the function proposal system] Next, the configuration of the function proposal system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 2 in addition to FIG.

[0025] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the results of tabulation of the usage status of the functions of the vehicle 10 and the status of fulfillment of the usage compatibility conditions.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle 10 includes a sensor 11, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 12, a communication device 13, and a function suggestion device 14.

[0027] The sensor 11 acquires measurement information (measurement data), detection information (detection data), and the like relating to the state of the vehicle 10 and the environment around the vehicle 10. The measurement information, detection information, and the like acquired by the sensor 11 are input into the function proposal device 14 via an in-vehicle network such as a one-to-one communication line, a CAN (Controller Area Network), or an in-vehicle Ethernet (registered trademark).

[0028] The sensors 11 include, for example, various sensors (hereinafter referred to as "vehicle state sensors" for convenience) that acquire measurement information (measurement data) and detection information (detection data) related to the state of the vehicle 10. The various vehicle state sensors include, for example, a wheel speed sensor that measures the rotational speed of the wheels of the vehicle 10, an acceleration sensor that measures the acceleration of the vehicle 10, a gyro sensor (angular velocity sensor) that measures the angular velocity of the vehicle 10, etc. The various vehicle state sensors also include a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) sensor that measures the position of the vehicle 10, etc.

[0029] The sensors 11 also include, for example, various sensors (hereinafter referred to as "surrounding environment sensors" for convenience) that acquire measurement information (measurement data) and detection information (detection data) related to the environment around the vehicle 10. The various surrounding environment sensors include, for example, an outside air temperature sensor that measures the temperature around the vehicle 10, a raindrop sensor that detects raindrops at the location where the vehicle 10 is located, and an illuminance sensor that measures the illuminance at the location where the vehicle 10 is located. The various surrounding environment sensors also include, for example, a camera (image sensor) that detects objects around the vehicle 10. The various surrounding environment sensors also include, for example, a distance sensor that measures the distance to objects around the vehicle 10, such as a LIDAR (Light Detecting and Ranging) or millimeter-wave radar.

[0030] The ECU 12 is a control device that performs control related to the vehicle 10. One or more ECUs 12 are mounted on the vehicle 10. The ECU 12 is, for example, an ECU that controls an engine or a motor serving as a prime mover of the vehicle 10, an ECU that controls a braking device of the vehicle 10, or an ECU that controls a steering device of the vehicle 10.

[0031] The ECU 12 acquires (generates), for example, control information (control data) relating to the state of the vehicle 10. The control information relating to the state of the vehicle 10 acquired (generated) by the ECU 12 is taken into the function proposal device 14 via a one-to-one communication line, an in-vehicle network, or the like.

[0032] The communication device 13 communicates with an external device such as the server 20 through a predetermined communication line. The communication device 13 is, for example, a DCM (Data Communication Module).

[0033] Furthermore, the communication device 13 acquires external information (external data) relating to the environment around the vehicle 10 through a predetermined communication line. The external information includes, for example, information relating to the weather around the vehicle 10 and information relating to traffic congestion on roads around the vehicle 10. The external information relating to the environment around the vehicle 10 acquired by the communication device 13 is input into the function proposal device 14.

[0034] The function suggestion device 14 (an example of a vehicle control device) suggests to the occupant the use of functions of the vehicle 10 in accordance with information about the state of the vehicle 10 and information about the environment around the vehicle 10, which information is acquired from the sensors 11, the ECU 12, and the communication device 13. The function suggestion device 14 is, for example, a navigation device mounted on the vehicle 10, and suggests to the occupant the use of functions of the vehicle 10 in a visual or auditory manner through a display device mounted on the device itself or a speaker installed in the cabin of the vehicle 10.

[0035] The function suggestion device 14 includes, as functional units, an information acquisition unit 141, a determination unit 142, a storage unit 143, a use suggestion unit 144, a situation acquisition unit 145, a storage unit 146, and an information transmission unit 147.

[0036] The functions of the function proposal device 14 may be realized by any hardware or a combination of any hardware and software. For example, the function proposal device 14 is mainly configured with a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory device, an auxiliary storage device, an interface device, an input device, a display device, etc. The functions of the information acquisition unit 141, the determination unit 142, the use suggestion unit 144, the situation acquisition unit 145, and the information transmission unit 147 are realized, for example, by loading a program installed in the auxiliary storage device into the memory device and executing it on the CPU. The functions of the storage units 143 and 146 are realized, for example, by storage areas defined in the memory device or the auxiliary storage device. The memory device is, for example, a static random access memory (SRAM). The auxiliary storage device is, for example, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) or a flash memory. The interface device includes, for example, an external interface for connecting to a recording medium and a communication interface for communicating with other devices inside the vehicle 10. As a result, the function proposal device 14 can, for example, load various programs from a recording medium via an external interface, or load various programs from other devices via a communication interface. Furthermore, the function proposal device 14 can communicate with the sensor 11, the ECU 12, and the communication device 13 inside the vehicle 10 via the communication interface. The display device is, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electroluminescence) display. The input device includes, for example, an operation input device capable of mechanical operation, such as a button, a toggle, a lever, or a touch panel. Furthermore, the input device includes, for example, a voice input device capable of voice input, a gesture input device capable of gesture input, or a biometric input device capable of biometric input using fingerprint authentication, iris authentication, or the like.

[0037] The information acquisition unit 141 acquires information about the state of the vehicle 10 and information about the environment around the vehicle 10, which are acquired from the sensor 11, the ECU 12, and the communication device 13 at predetermined intervals.

[0038] The determination unit 142 determines, for each of the functions (functions that can be suggested for use) of the vehicle 10, whether to suggest use of the function to the occupants of the vehicle 10 at each predetermined processing cycle. The predetermined processing cycle may be the same as or different from the cycle at which information about the state of the vehicle 10 is acquired (received) from the sensor 11, the ECU 12, and the communication device 13.

[0039] Specifically, the determination unit 142 determines whether the use suitability conditions are met for all functions that can be suggested for use at each predetermined processing cycle, based on information about the state of the vehicle 10 and information about the environment around the vehicle 10 acquired by the information acquisition unit 141. Then, the determination unit 142 determines to make a suggestion regarding the use of a function that is not currently operating, satisfies the use suitability conditions, and has a relatively high priority, where the number of functions that can be suggested for use is within a predetermined threshold Nth or less. On the other hand, the determination unit 142 determines not to make a suggestion regarding the use of a function that is currently operating, does not satisfy the use suitability conditions, or satisfies the use suitability conditions but has a relatively low priority, among all functions that can be suggested for use. The threshold Nth is the maximum number of functions that can be suggested for use at the same time, and is set to, for example, "1" or "2." This makes it possible to prevent a situation in which passengers in the vehicle 10 feel annoyed by multiple functions being suggested for use at the same time.

[0040] For example, if, in a certain processing cycle, there is at least one function that is currently inactive and for which the suitability for use condition is satisfied, and the total number of functions for which the suitability for use condition is equal to or less than the threshold Nth, the determination unit 142 determines to make a proposal for use of all functions for which the suitability for use condition is satisfied. On the other hand, if, in a certain processing cycle, the total number of functions that are currently inactive and for which the suitability for use condition is satisfied exceeds the threshold Nth, the determination unit 142 determines to make a proposal for use of only the same number of functions as the threshold Nth, in descending order of priority, among the functions for which the suitability for use condition is satisfied. In other words, the determination unit 142 determines not to make a proposal for use of functions that are currently inactive and for which the suitability for use condition is satisfied, but whose priority is lower than the threshold Nth, in descending order, among the functions for which the suitability for use condition is satisfied.

[0041] The storage unit 143 stores priority information for each function that can be suggested for use, which is used by the determination unit 142. The priority information is distributed from the server 20 to the vehicle 10 and is taken into the function suggestion device 14 via the communication device 13. The priority information is also updated with the latest priority information distributed from the server 20 to the vehicle 10. This allows the determination unit 142 to make an appropriate determination using the latest priority information.

[0042] The usage suggestion unit 144 (an example of a suggestion unit) suggests to the occupants of the vehicle 10 the use of a function among the functions possessed by the vehicle 10 that the determination unit 142 has determined should be suggested for use to the occupants of the vehicle 10, through a display device, speaker, etc.

[0043] The status acquisition unit 145 acquires information on the usage status (whether or not the function is being used) of the vehicle 10 and whether or not the suitability conditions for use are met at each predetermined processing cycle. Specifically, the status acquisition unit 145 acquires, for each function (function that can be suggested for use) of the vehicle 10, information on whether or not the function is being used and information on whether or not the suitability conditions for use of the function are met. The information on whether or not the function is being used is acquired, for example, from the ECU 12 that controls the function via a one-to-one communication line or an in-vehicle network. The information on whether or not the suitability conditions for use of the function are met is acquired from the determination unit 142.

[0044] The storage unit 146 stores information on the usage status of the functions of the vehicle 10 and information on whether the use suitability conditions are met, which are acquired by the status acquisition unit 145, together as information on the usage status of the functions of the vehicle 10 and whether the use suitability conditions are met. Specifically, the storage unit 146 stores record information in chronological order, including identification information of the target function, whether the function is being used, and whether the use suitability conditions for the function are met. Furthermore, the storage unit 146 may be partitioned into storage areas for each function of the vehicle 10 (functions that can be suggested for use), and record information in chronological order, including whether the function is being used and whether the use suitability conditions for the function are met, may be divided into corresponding storage areas.

[0045] The information transmission unit 147 transmits information about the usage status of the functions of the vehicle 10 and the satisfaction status of the usage suitability conditions, which is stored in the storage unit 146, to the server 20 via the communication device 13. The information transmission unit 147 may transmit the latest information to the server 20 every time the latest information is stored (recorded) in the storage unit 146, or may collectively transmit the latest information group to the server 20 when a certain amount of information has been accumulated in chronological order in the storage unit 146. For example, the information transmission unit 147 collectively transmits the latest information group for the latest one trip of the vehicle 10 (i.e., from the start to the stop of the vehicle 10) to the server 20 when the vehicle 10 is stopped (e.g., the ignition is off) or started (e.g., the ignition is on).

[0046] The information stored in the storage unit 146 may be deleted at a predetermined timing after being transmitted (uploaded) to the server 20 by the information transmission unit 147. This is because the memory resources of the vehicle 10 are very limited.

[0047] The server 20 includes, as functional units, a status acquisition unit 201, a storage unit 202, a priority calculation unit 203, and a priority transmission unit 204.

[0048] The functions of the server 20 may be realized by any hardware or any combination of hardware and software. For example, the server 20 is mainly composed of a computer including a CPU, a memory device, an auxiliary storage device, an interface device, an input device, a display device, etc. The server 20 may also include a high-speed calculation device that works in conjunction with the CPU. The functions of the status acquisition unit 201, the priority calculation unit 203, and the priority transmission unit 204 are realized, for example, by loading a program installed in the auxiliary storage device into the memory device and running it on the CPU. The storage unit 202 is realized, for example, by a storage area defined in the memory device or the auxiliary storage device. The memory device may be, for example, SRAM or DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory). andom AccessThe auxiliary storage device may be, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), or a flash memory. The interface device may include, for example, an external interface for connecting to a recording medium and a communication interface for communicating with an external device of the server 20. This allows the server 20 to, for example, import various programs from a recording medium via the external interface or download various programs from an external device via the communication interface. The server 20 may also communicate with the vehicle 10 or the terminal device 30 via the communication interface. The input device may include, for example, an operation input device capable of mechanical operation, such as a keyboard, a mouse, or a touch panel. The input device may also include, for example, a voice input device capable of voice input, a gesture input device capable of gesture input, or a biometric input device capable of biometric input using fingerprint authentication, iris authentication, or the like. The display device may be, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic electroluminescence (EL) display. Examples of high-speed computing devices include a graphics processing unit (GPU), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0049] The status acquisition unit 201 acquires information (record information) received from the vehicle 10 regarding the usage status of the functions (functions that can be suggested for use) possessed by the vehicle 10 and the status of success or failure of the usage compatibility conditions.

[0050] The storage unit 202 stores, in chronological order, information (record information) relating to the usage status of the functions (functions that can be suggested for use) of the vehicle 10 and the status of whether the usage suitability conditions are met, which information is acquired by the status acquisition unit 201. Similar to the storage unit 146 described above, the storage unit 202 may be divided into storage areas for each function of the vehicle 10, and record information including whether the function is being used and whether the usage suitability conditions of the function are met may be stored in chronological order in the corresponding storage areas.

[0051] The priority calculation unit 203 calculates the priority of each of the functions (functions that can be suggested for use) possessed by the vehicle 10 based on information stored in the storage unit 202 about the usage status of the target function in multiple vehicles 10 and the success or failure status of the usage suitability conditions. For example, the priority calculation unit 203 periodically (for example, every day or every few days) calculates the latest priority by batch processing in a manner that reflects the latest information in the storage unit 202.

[0052] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the priority calculation unit 203 counts, for each function of the vehicle 10, whether or not the target function was used and the number of occurrences of combinations of whether or not the use suitability conditions were met during the most recent predetermined period, based on information about the multiple vehicles 10 stored in the storage unit 202. Specifically, the number of times N11 the function was used when the use suitability conditions were met and the number of times N21 the function was not used, as well as the number of times N12 the function was used when the use suitability conditions were not met and the number of times N22 the function was not used, are counted. The most recent predetermined period may be the entire period from the start of collection of information about the use status of the vehicle 10 and the status of whether or not the use suitability conditions were met to the present, or it may be a certain period going back from the present. In the latter case, older information is not reflected in the priority, so the most recent information can be reflected in the priority.

[0053] Next, the priority calculation unit 203 calculates suitability rates R1 and R2, which indicate the suitability of the conditions for use of each function (function that can be suggested for use) possessed by the vehicle 10, based on the results of the previous counting. The priority calculation unit 203 can calculate the suitability rates R1 and R2 using the following equations (1) and (2).

[0054]

number

[0055] The relevance rate R1 represents the proportion (ratio) at which the target function was used when the usage suitability conditions for the target function were met for multiple vehicles 10. The relevance rate R2 represents the proportion (ratio) at which the target function was not used when the usage suitability conditions for the target function were not met for multiple vehicles 10. This indicates that the higher the relevance rates R1 and R2, the more appropriate the usage suitability conditions are, and the more useful the target function is to the user of the vehicle 10.

[0056] The priority calculation unit 203, for example, calculates the sum of the compatibility rates R1 and R2 for each function (function that can be suggested for use) of the vehicle 10, and sets the priority (for example, order of priority) so that the priority increases from the function with the largest sum of the compatibility rates R1 and R2. This allows the function suggestion device 14 (use suggestion unit 144) of the vehicle 10 to preferentially suggest the use of a function that has more appropriate use compatibility conditions and is more useful to the passengers of the vehicle 10 when the number of currently inactive functions that meet the use compatibility conditions exceeds the threshold Nth.

[0057] For example, when the vehicle 10 is traveling on a winding road, there is a possibility that the conditions for using both the sport mode and the lane departure prevention function may be met.

[0058] If the threshold Nth is set to 1 and the function whose usage suitability condition is met first is prioritized, for example, the lane departure prevention function may be continuously suggested from the start of a winding road. In this case, the opportunity to suggest the use of the sport mode, which has a relatively low frequency of satisfying the usage suitability condition, may be missed.

[0059] On the other hand, if the priority of the sport mode is higher than that of the lane departure prevention function, the function suggestion device 14 can suggest the use of the sport mode in preference to the lane departure prevention function when the conditions for suitability for use of the sport mode are met while traveling on a winding road. Therefore, the function suggestion device 14 can have an opportunity to suggest to the occupant of the vehicle 10 the use of a relatively useful function (sport mode) for which the conditions for suitability for use are met relatively infrequently.

[0060] Instead of using the priority, the function suggestion device 14 (determination unit 142) of the vehicle 10 may use the sum of the relevance rates R1 and R2 to determine which functions to actually suggest for use from among the number of functions exceeding the threshold Nth for which the suitability for use condition is satisfied. Furthermore, the determination unit 142 may determine whether to suggest the use of each function that can be suggested for use by using an absolute evaluation of each function that can be suggested for use based on the relevance rates R1 and R2. For example, for each function that can be suggested for use, the determination unit 142 may determine to suggest the use of the function if the function is not operating, the suitability for use condition for the function is satisfied, and the sum of the relevance rates R1 and R2 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold; otherwise, the determination unit 142 may determine not to suggest the use of the function.

[0061] The priority transmission unit 204 transmits information about the priority calculated by the priority calculation unit 203 to the vehicle 10. This allows the function proposal device 14 of the vehicle 10 to more appropriately propose the use of functions possessed by the vehicle 10 using the latest priority.

[0062] The priority may be calculated by the vehicle 10 (for example, the function suggestion device 14). In this case, the server 20 may transmit information on the relevance rates R1 and R2 for each function (function that can be suggested for use) possessed by the vehicle 10 to the vehicle 10. In this case, the server 20 may also transmit raw information for calculating the relevance rates R1 and R2 to the vehicle 10.

[0063] [Effect] Next, the functions of the function proposal system 1 (function proposal device 14) of this embodiment will be described.

[0064] In this embodiment, the function suggestion device 14 includes a determination unit 142 that determines whether or not use of a function of the vehicle 10 is preferable (recommended) and that determines whether or not to suggest use of the function to the occupant of the vehicle 10 based on whether or not conditions (use suitability conditions) related to at least one of the state of the vehicle 10 and the environment around the vehicle 10 are met, a use suggestion unit 144 that suggests use of the function to the occupant of the vehicle 10 when a positive determination is made by the determination unit 142, and a storage unit 143 that stores information (priority information) related to the use status of the function in other vehicles 10 and the fulfillment status of the use suitability conditions. The determination unit 142 then determines whether or not to suggest use of the function to the occupant of the vehicle 10, taking into consideration the information (priority information) stored in the storage unit 143.

[0065] This allows the function suggestion device 14 to determine the degree of suitability of the use suitability conditions of the function from the relationship between the usage status of the function and the fulfillment status of the use suitability conditions in other vehicles 10. Therefore, by taking into account information related to the usage status of the function and the fulfillment status of the use suitability conditions in other vehicles 10, the function suggestion device 14 can consider how appropriate the use suitability conditions of the target function are and make a more appropriate suggestion for using the target function.

[0066] Although the embodiments have been described in detail above, the present disclosure is not limited to such specific embodiments, and various modifications and improvements are possible within the scope of the gist described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 1. Feature suggestion system 10 vehicles 11 Sensors 12 ECU 13. Communications equipment 14 Function proposal device (vehicle control device) 20 servers 30 Terminal Equipment 136 Transmitter 141 Information Acquisition Department 142 Judgment section 143 Storage section 144 Usage Proposal Department (Proposal Department) 145 Status Acquisition Unit 146 Storage section 147 Information Transmission Department 201 Status Acquisition Department 202 Storage section 203 Priority calculation section 204 Priority Transmission Unit

Claims

[Claim 1] a determination unit that determines whether to recommend use of a function of a vehicle to a passenger of the vehicle based on whether a first condition related to at least one of a state of the vehicle and an environment around the vehicle is satisfied, in which use of the function is recommended; a suggestion unit that suggests use of the function to a passenger of the vehicle when a positive determination is made by the determination unit; a storage unit that stores information regarding a relationship between whether or not the function has been used in the past in a vehicle other than the vehicle and whether or not the first condition is satisfied; the first condition is predetermined, when the first condition is satisfied, the determination unit determines whether to suggest to the occupant of the vehicle to use the function depending on whether a second condition regarding the information stored in the storage unit is satisfied; and a ratio of the use of the function when the first condition is satisfied and a ratio of the non-use of the function when the first condition is not satisfied are defined as a first conformance rate and a second conformance rate for the vehicle and the other vehicle, respectively; The second condition is that the number of the functions for which the first condition is satisfied at the same time is equal to or less than a first threshold value which is a positive value, or that the number of the functions for which the first condition is satisfied at the same time exceeds the first threshold value and, among the functions for which the first condition is satisfied at the same time, the sum of the first precision rate and the second precision rate of the target function is in the upper ranks defined by the first threshold value, or that the sum of the first precision rate and the second precision rate is equal to or greater than a second threshold value which is a positive value. Vehicle control device.

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