Vehicle Control System

Abstract

To prevent a vehicle after an occupant has emergently evacuated from being robbed.SOLUTION: A vehicle control system according to the present invention includes one or a plurality of processors, and a storage medium in which a program to be executed by the processor is stored. The program includes one or the plurality of commands. The command causes the one or a plurality of processors to execute key lock-in prevention processing and vehicle protection processing. In the key lock-in prevention processing, when a key that actuates a lock mechanism of a door of a vehicle itself is located inside a vehicle, the lock mechanism is controlled to be in a non-lock state. In the vehicle protection processing, after the automatic stop of the vehicle itself, when an occupant is not detected in the inside of the vehicle and the key is located inside the vehicle, the key lock-in prevention processing is not executed and the lock mechanism is controlled to be in a lock state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of a vehicle control system that controls a vehicle after an emergency evacuation. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART There is known a technique for preventing subsequent accidents by safely stopping a vehicle when a driver becomes unable to drive the vehicle while it is traveling. For example, Patent Document 1 below discloses a technology that realizes an emergency stop function that automatically stops the vehicle when an abnormality in the driver's condition is detected. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-301963 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, if the driver is transported to a hospital after the emergency stop function is activated and the occupants evacuate the vehicle, the vehicle may be left near the accident scene for a certain period of time or longer, which could result in the vehicle being stolen.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to prevent theft of a vehicle after its occupants have made an emergency evacuation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The vehicle control system of the present invention comprises one or more processors and a storage medium on which a program executed by the processor is stored, the program including one or more instructions that cause the one or more processors to execute a key confinement prevention process that controls the locking mechanism to an unlocked state when a key that operates the locking mechanism of the vehicle's doors is located inside the vehicle, and a vehicle protection process that controls the locking mechanism to a locked state without executing the key confinement prevention process when, after the vehicle has automatically stopped, no occupant is detected inside the vehicle and the key is located inside the vehicle. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent theft of a vehicle after an occupant has made an emergency evacuation. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a vehicle equipped with a vehicle control system. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle control system. [Figure 3] 5 is an example of a flowchart relating to a vehicle protection process shown in conjunction with FIG. 4. [Figure 4] 10 is an example of a flowchart relating to a vehicle protection process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] <1. Vehicle control system configuration> The configuration of a vehicle control system 1 provided in a vehicle 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0010] The vehicle 100 can be applied to various types of vehicles, such as a vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine, an electric vehicle, or a hybrid vehicle.

[0011] The vehicle 100 is equipped with a vehicle control system 1 that performs various processes for controlling the vehicle 100 (see FIG. 1). The vehicle control system 1 includes a processor P such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a storage medium M such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a RAM (Random Access Memory), and so on. The vehicle 100 is equipped with a plurality of ECUs (Electronic Control Units) as information processing devices, and each ECU is configured to include a processor P and a storage medium M. In Fig. 1, the plurality of processors P and the plurality of storage media M included in the plurality of ECUs are comprehensively illustrated.

[0012] The vehicle control system 1 detects whether an occupant has escaped from the vehicle compartment R, or whether a key K (described later) for locking and unlocking the vehicle's door D is present in the vehicle compartment R, and performs various processes described later accordingly.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle control system 1 includes an automatic driving control unit 2, a power source 3, a steering actuator 4, a brake-related actuator 5, a position information acquisition unit 6, and sensors 7.

[0014] The power source 3 corresponds to an engine in a vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine, an engine and motor in a hybrid vehicle, a motor in an electric vehicle, or the like.

[0015] The steering actuator 4 is an actuator, such as a power steering motor, that is provided so as to be able to change the steering angle, and is the object to be controlled by the steering angle.

[0016] The brake-related actuator 5 is, for example, a hydraulic pressure control actuator for controlling the output hydraulic pressure from the brake booster to the master cylinder and the hydraulic pressure in the brake fluid pipes, and various other brake-related actuators.

[0017] The location information acquisition unit 6 performs processing to acquire information for identifying the current location of the vehicle 100 as the host vehicle. The location information acquisition unit 6 acquires location information by using, for example, a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) such as a Global Positioning System (GPS). The location information acquisition unit 6 may be capable of acquiring location information by road-to-vehicle communication, vehicle-to-vehicle communication, or image processing.

[0018] The sensors 7 collectively refer to various sensors necessary for controlling the vehicle 100. The sensors 7 include, for example, an external sensor 21 that senses the vicinity of the vehicle 100, and other sensors 22 that include sensors that acquire operating information about the vehicle 100, sensors that sense the interior conditions of the vehicle, and sensors used for vehicle control.

[0019] The external sensor 21 is a sensor provided to sense the conditions outside the vehicle 100, and includes, for example, a road surface sensor that detects road surface conditions, sensors such as image sensors that capture images of the front, rear, and sides, an outside air temperature sensor, millimeter wave radar, and other sensors.

[0020] The sensors included in other sensors 22 and used for vehicle control are sensors necessary for controlling vehicle 100, and include, for example, an engine speed sensor in a vehicle 100 equipped with an engine, an accelerator opening sensor that detects the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal as the accelerator opening, an intake pressure sensor that detects the intake pressure of the engine, and an exhaust pressure sensor that detects the exhaust pressure. In the vehicle 100 equipped with a motor, the other sensors 22 include a current sensor and a voltage sensor for monitoring the state of the driving battery.

[0021] In this example, a driver monitoring sensor 23 for monitoring the driver is provided as a sensor for sensing the inside of the vehicle, which is included in the other sensors 22. The driver monitoring sensor 23 will be described later.

[0022] In addition to these, the other sensors 22 include an air pressure sensor that detects the air pressure of the tires, an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, and the like.

[0023] The vehicle 100 is enabled to travel by controlling the power source 3, the steering actuator 4, and the brake-related actuator 5 in response to the driver's operation.

[0024] Furthermore, the vehicle 100 may be automatically controlled by an ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) function or the like provided in the automatic driving control unit 2. For example, the automatic driving control unit 2 may enable the vehicle 100 to travel and stop by controlling the power source 3, the steering actuator 4, the brake-related actuator 5, etc. based on information obtained from the external sensor 21 and other sensors 22 provided in the sensors 7, the position information acquisition unit 6, etc.

[0025] The automatic driving control unit 2 in this embodiment includes a vehicle stop processing unit 31. When it is determined that the driver of the vehicle 100 cannot continue driving due to illness or disease, the vehicle stop processing unit 31 performs processing to safely decelerate and stop the vehicle 100. That is, the vehicle stop processing unit 31 performs processing to realize a so-called Minimum Risk Maneuver (MRM). In the following description, automatic stopping of the vehicle 100 by MRM will be referred to as an "emergency stop."

[0026] The vehicle stop processing unit 31 uses the driver monitoring sensor 23 included in the sensors 7 to execute the emergency vehicle stop processing.

[0027] The driver monitoring sensor 23 is a sensor such as an imaging element provided for monitoring the driver, and detects the driver's condition by, for example, image analysis processing. Image analysis processing makes it possible to, for example, detect whether the driver's eyes are closed, detect their pulse, detect their surface temperature, and detect their posture.

[0028] In addition, the driver monitoring sensor 23 may include a pulse sensor for detecting the driver's pulse or a body temperature sensor for detecting the driver's body temperature, in which case it may be configured without including sensors such as an imaging element.

[0029] The driver monitoring sensor 23 may also include a microphone for detecting the driver's speech, a steering angle sensor for detecting abnormalities in steering operation, and the like.

[0030] After the vehicle 100 is stopped on the shoulder of the road or the like by the emergency stop processing by the stop processing unit 31, the driver may be transported to a medical institution by an ambulance or the like. The evacuation of occupants from inside the vehicle 100 after an emergency stop is referred to as "emergency evacuation." Note that "emergency evacuation" includes not only cases where the driver is helped out of the vehicle by emergency personnel or the like, but also cases where the driver escapes out of the vehicle on his or her own.

[0031] After emergency evacuation, vehicle 100 may be subject to theft or break-in. To prevent this, vehicle 100 is provided with protection control unit 8 that executes vehicle protection processing to protect vehicle 100.

[0032] The protection control unit 8 controls the door D of the vehicle 100 to a locked state when a predetermined condition is met after emergency evacuation, thereby preventing the vehicle 100 from being theft or break-in.

[0033] Here, protection control unit 8 performs control to turn off the key lock-in prevention function. First, the key lock-in prevention function will be described.

[0034] In vehicle 100, by communicating with a smart key (hereinafter simply referred to as "key"), locking and unlocking operations as key operations by the user are accepted, and processes for controlling door D to a locked state and for releasing the locked state are performed.

[0035] If the door D is controlled to be locked while the key K is located inside the vehicle 100, a situation known as key lock-in occurs, and the user may not be able to unlock the vehicle 100.

[0036] Vehicle 100 is provided with key locking prevention unit 9 to realize a function for preventing the key from being locked inside.

[0037] The key lock-in prevention unit 9 receives a detection signal from the key position detection unit 24 included in the sensors 7, and estimates the position of the key K based on the detection signal. The estimation of the position of the key K includes, for example, estimating whether the key K is located inside or outside the vehicle. The key confinement prevention unit 9 determines whether or not to accept a locking operation for controlling the door D to a locked state, depending on the estimated position of the key K.

[0038] If the key locking prevention unit 9 estimates that the key K is located inside the vehicle, it will not accept certain locking operations, such as pressing a button on an outer handle attached to the outside of the door.

[0039] In order to realize the key confinement prevention function, the key confinement prevention unit 9 transmits a command to the lock mechanism control unit 10 to prevent the door D from being controlled to the locked state.

[0040] The lock mechanism control unit 10 outputs a control signal to the lock mechanism 11 provided for each door D for controlling it to a locked state or a control signal to control it to an unlocked state.

[0041] Therefore, when the key locking prevention unit 9 sends a command to the lock mechanism control unit 10 not to control the door D to the locked state, the lock mechanism control unit 10 either does not output a control signal to the lock mechanism 11 to control it to the locked state, or outputs a control signal to the lock mechanism 11 to control it to the unlocked state.

[0042] The locking mechanism 11 controls the door D to be in a locked state or an unlocked state based on the input control signal.

[0043] Returning to the explanation of the protection control unit 8. If the key K is left inside the vehicle even after emergency evacuation, the above-mentioned key lock-in prevention function will be activated and the door D will no longer be able to be controlled to the locked state.

[0044] Therefore, when a predetermined condition is met, the key locking prevention function of the key locking prevention unit 9 is controlled to be turned off, thereby making it possible to control the lock mechanism 11 of the door D to be in the locked state.

[0045] In order to determine whether or not the predetermined condition is met, the protection control unit 8 receives detection signals output from the key position detection unit 24 and the occupant detection unit 25 provided in the sensors 7.

[0046] The occupant detection unit 25 is provided as a sensor that detects whether or not an occupant is present inside the vehicle 100, and may be, for example, an image sensor that can obtain captured images, or a pressure sensor provided on the seat to detect an occupant seated in the seat.

[0047] When an emergency stop process is executed, the protection control unit 8 controls the key lock-in prevention function to OFF if it receives a signal from the key position detection unit 24 indicating that the key K is located inside the vehicle, but receives a signal from the occupant detection unit 25 indicating that no occupant is located inside the vehicle.

[0048] As a result, the key locking prevention unit 9 no longer sends commands to the lock mechanism control unit 10. Instead, the protection control unit 8 sends a command to the lock mechanism control unit 10 at a predetermined timing to control the door D to a locked state. In response to this, the lock mechanism control unit 10 outputs a control signal to control the lock mechanism 11 to a locked state.

[0049] Since a command to control the locking mechanism 11 to the unlocked state is not sent from the key locking prevention unit 9, but a command to control the locking mechanism 11 to the locked state is sent from the protection control unit 8, the door D is locked by the locking mechanism 11 in the vehicle 100 left behind after the driver has been transported, and the vehicle 100 can be protected after an emergency stop.

[0050] The vehicle control system 1 includes a communication unit 12 as shown in FIG. The communication unit 12 transmits and receives information to and from other information processing devices such as a server device outside the vehicle 100, other vehicles, and the like.

[0051] The protection control unit 8 is capable of performing processing to release the locked state of the lock mechanism 11 by the vehicle protection function. Specifically, the protection control unit 8 is capable of transmitting release information for releasing the locked state of the lock mechanism 11 via the communication unit 12. When the unlocking information is input, the protection control unit 8 performs processing to unlock the door D locked by the vehicle protection function. As a result, the locking state of the lock mechanism 11 is unlocked, and the door D can be opened.

[0052] The unlocking information is transmitted to, for example, a predetermined towing company. When towing or towing the vehicle 100, the towing company can unlock the locked state of the door D by inputting or transmitting the unlocking information to the vehicle 100. This allows the vehicle 100 to be towed or towed efficiently.

[0053] The setting of the destination of the release information is executed, for example, when a setting process for setting the vehicle protection function to ON is performed. If the information on the destination of the release information is not set, the vehicle protection function may not be set to ON.

[0054] The above-mentioned automatic driving control unit 2, protection control unit 8, key locking prevention unit 9, lock mechanism control unit 10, and communication unit 12 are each an information processing device such as an ECU equipped with a processor P, a storage medium M, etc. Each unit may be configured as an independent ECU, or one ECU may be configured to have the functions of multiple units.

[0055] <2. Processing flow> The flow of processing that the processor P of the protection control unit 8 of the vehicle control system 1 provided in the vehicle 100 executes to perform each of the above-mentioned functions will be described with reference to Figures 3 and 4. Figures 3 and 4 show a single flowchart divided into sections, and the connection between processes is indicated by a connector C1.

[0056] In step S101, the processor P of the protection control unit 8 determines whether or not emergency stop processing has been executed. The emergency stop processing is executed by the automatic driving control unit 2, for example, when it is detected that the driver has become unable to drive or has become unable to continue driving. In addition, the detection of an inability to drive state or the like is performed, for example, based on the output of the driver monitoring sensor 23.

[0057] The process of step S101 is repeatedly executed at predetermined time intervals, such as several msec or several hundred msec, until the emergency stop process is executed.

[0058] If it is determined that the emergency stop process has been executed, the processor P of the protection control unit 8 determines in step S102 whether the vehicle protection function is set to ON. If the vehicle protection function is set to OFF, the remaining processes shown in Figures 3 and 4 are not executed and the process ends. In this case, the vehicle 100 is not protected by locking the door D.

[0059] On the other hand, if the vehicle protection function is set to ON, after waiting until the emergency stop processing of the vehicle 100 is completed, the processor P of the protection control unit 8 determines in step S103 whether the stopping location is a location where parking is permitted, i.e., whether parking is prohibited.

[0060] The determination of whether or not parking is possible may be made using a GPS or a map locator, or by detecting no parking signs or the like by analyzing images obtained from an imaging device serving as the external vehicle sensor 21.

[0061] If it is determined that the location is suitable for parking, the processor P of the protection control unit 8 determines in step S104 whether or not an occupant is detected inside the vehicle 100.

[0062] If an occupant is being detected inside the vehicle, the determination process of step S104 is repeatedly executed.

[0063] On the other hand, if it is determined that no occupant is detected inside the vehicle, that is, if it is determined that the occupant has already been evacuated in an emergency, the processor P of the protection control unit 8 determines in step S105 whether or not the key K is detected inside the vehicle. If the key K is detected inside the vehicle, the processor P of the protection control unit 8 determines in step S106 whether or not the time that has passed since the door D was closed is equal to or greater than the threshold value Th1.

[0064] If the time that has elapsed since the door D was closed is less than the threshold value Th1, the processor P of the protection control unit 8 repeatedly executes the process of step S106. That is, the process of step S106 is a process of waiting until a time that is equal to or greater than the threshold value Th1 has elapsed since the door D was closed.

[0065] If the time equal to or longer than the threshold value Th1 has not elapsed since the door D was closed, it is possible that there is still a person around the vehicle 100, and that the person may come to retrieve luggage from inside the vehicle. Therefore, it is preferable to set the threshold value Th1 in the processing of step S106 to the time required for people to leave the area around the vehicle 100, such as 10 minutes or 30 minutes, or the time when the transported occupants are unlikely to return to retrieve their luggage.

[0066] If it is determined that the time that has elapsed since the door D was closed is equal to or greater than the threshold value Th1, the processor P of the protection control unit 8 controls the key locking prevention function to OFF in step S107, and then performs processing to control the lock mechanism 11 of the door D to the locked state in step S108.

[0067] By controlling the key locking prevention function to OFF, it is possible to control the lock mechanism 11 of the door D to the locked state, thereby preventing theft and break-ins of the vehicle 100.

[0068] Returning to the explanation of the branching process in step S105. If the key K is not detected inside the vehicle in step S105, the processor P of the protection control unit 8 proceeds to step S109.

[0069] In step S109, the processor P of the protection control unit 8 determines whether or not the time that has passed since the key K was no longer detected inside the vehicle is equal to or greater than a threshold value Th2. The processor P of the protection control unit 8 waits in the processing of step S109 until the elapsed time since the key K was no longer detected inside the vehicle becomes equal to or greater than the threshold value Th2, and then in step S110, determines whether the elapsed time since the door D was closed is equal to or greater than the threshold value Th1.

[0070] Then, if it is determined in step S109 that the time elapsed since the key K was no longer detected inside the vehicle is equal to or greater than the threshold value Th2, and if it is determined in step S110 that the time elapsed since the door D was closed is equal to or greater than the threshold value Th1, the processor P of the protection control unit 8 performs processing in step S108 to control the lock mechanism 11 of the door D to the locked state.

[0071] The processes in steps S109 and S110 are provided in consideration of situations such as when someone comes to retrieve luggage from the vehicle, etc. In other words, these processes are performed to avoid inconvenience caused by the lock mechanism 11 being locked the moment the key K is taken out of the vehicle and the door D is closed.

[0072] Return to the description of step S103. If it is determined in step S103 that the parking location is not permitted, for example, if it is determined that the vehicle has parked in a location where parking is prohibited, the processor P of the protection control unit 8 proceeds to step S111 in Figure 4 and transmits release information to the specified destination.

[0073] Subsequently, in step S112, the processor P of the protection control unit 8 controls the lock mechanism 11 of the door D to the locked state.

[0074] Note that a waiting time may be set until a predetermined time has elapsed before executing the processes of steps S111 and S112. Furthermore, the process of step S104 in Fig. 3 may be executed before the process of step S111, so that the process of step S111 is executed when an occupant is no longer detected inside the vehicle.

[0075] Furthermore, before executing the processes of steps S111 and S112, the process of step S105 may be performed, and if the key K is detected inside the vehicle, the process of steps S106 and S107 may be performed to turn off the key lock-in prevention function.

[0076] The cancellation information may be set to an expiration date, which is preferably set to several hours or several tens of hours, taking into consideration the time it takes for a towing company to arrive at the scene. In addition, the time may be set according to the location of the vehicle to be towed.

[0077] After executing the process of step S112, the processor P of the protection control unit 8 waits for the input of release information in step S113. If it is determined that the release information has been input, the processor P of the protection control unit 8 performs a process of controlling the lock mechanism 11 of the door D to an unlocked state in step S114. This allows the towing company or the like who input the release information to release the locked state of the door D, making it easier to perform towing work.

[0078] Note that some or all of the above-described processes may be executed by a processor P provided in an ECU other than the processor P of the protection control unit 8. For example, the processes of steps S108, S112, and S114 may be executed by the processor P of the ECU serving as the lock mechanism control unit 10. In that case, the processor P of the protection control unit 8 may issue instructions to the lock mechanism control unit 10 in each process. The process of step S111 may be executed by the processor P of the ECU as the communication unit 12 that performs communication processing. In this case, the processor P of the protection control unit 8 may issue a transmission instruction to the communication unit 12 in step S111.

[0079] <3. Summary> As described above, the vehicle control system 1 provided in the vehicle 100 includes one or more processors (processor P of the protection control unit 8) and a storage medium (storage medium M of the protection control unit 8) on which a program executed by the processor is stored, and the program includes one or more instructions that cause the one or more processors to execute a key locking prevention process that controls the locking mechanism 11 to an unlocked state when a key K (smart key) that activates the locking mechanism 11 of the door D of the vehicle (vehicle 100) is located inside the vehicle, and a vehicle protection process that controls the locking mechanism 11 to a locked state without executing the key locking prevention process when, after the vehicle has automatically stopped, no occupant is detected inside the vehicle and the key K is located inside the vehicle. This allows the key to be locked away and the vehicle to be protected at the same time. Therefore, for example, the possibility of the vehicle 100 being stolen when the occupant leaves the vehicle 100 after the vehicle 100 has been automatically stopped can be reduced.

[0080] As described above, the command may cause one or more processors to execute a process to control the locking mechanism 11 to a locked state after a predetermined time (threshold Th1) has elapsed as a vehicle protection process if, after the vehicle automatically stops, neither an occupant nor the key K is detected inside the vehicle and the locking mechanism 11 is in an unlocked state. As a result, for example, if the driver has a seizure and is unable to continue driving and is taken to the hospital by ambulance, the door D of the vehicle 100 is controlled to be in a locked state even if the vehicle 100 is left at the scene. This reduces the possibility of the vehicle 100 being stolen or broken into. Note that "after a predetermined time has elapsed" refers to the time when a predetermined time has elapsed from a certain reference timing. The reference timing may be the timing when the execution of the automatic stopping process of the vehicle 100 is started, the timing when the vehicle 100 is stopped, the timing when all occupants have left the vehicle, or the timing when the door D of the vehicle 100 is closed. Furthermore, the specified time may be, for example, several tens of minutes to several hours if the reference timing is the timing when the automatic stopping process of vehicle 100 is started or when vehicle 100 is stopped, or may be several minutes to several hours if the reference timing is the timing when all occupants have left the vehicle or when door D is closed.

[0081] As described above, the command may cause one or more processors to execute the following processes: a process of determining whether the stopping position of the vehicle (vehicle 100) is a no-parking position in an automatic stopping process (emergency stopping process) that automatically stops the vehicle (vehicle 100); and a transmission process of transmitting, if it is determined that the stopping position is a no-parking position, release information that can release the locked state of the lock mechanism 11 to a specified destination along with a vehicle protection process. When the vehicle 100 is stopped in a no-parking zone, it is appropriate to move the vehicle 100. With this configuration, when the vehicle is stopped in a no-parking zone, it is possible to transmit information that enables the locking mechanism 11 to be unlocked to a towing company or the like. The towing operator who receives the release information can release the parking brake by opening the door D, making the towing operation easier.

[0082] As described above, the instruction may cause one or more processors to execute a setting process for setting whether or not to execute the vehicle protection process. The setting process may be, for example, a process for setting the vehicle protection function to ON or a process for setting a destination for sending the cancellation information. This allows the user to decide in advance whether or not to execute vehicle protection processing to prevent theft of vehicle 100 after automatic vehicle stop processing is performed when, for example, the driver falls into a serious condition. Therefore, the vehicle protection process is prevented from being executed for a user who does not want the vehicle protection process, and appropriate processing that meets the user's needs can be realized.

[0083] As described above, the instruction may cause one or more processors to execute vehicle protection processing when the vehicle (vehicle 100) automatically stops due to automatic stopping processing (emergency stopping processing) executed upon detection of the driver's inability to drive. By executing an automatic vehicle stop process when it is detected that the driver is unable to drive, subsequent accidents can be prevented. Furthermore, the vehicle protection process can be executed to lock the door D after the automatic vehicle stop process, thereby preventing theft of the vehicle 100 and the like.

[0084] In the above example, when it is determined that the vehicle has stopped in a no-parking location, cancellation information is transmitted to a designated destination in step S111 of FIG. In addition, even if the door lock mechanism is controlled to the locked state in the processing of step S108 after the vehicle has stopped in a location where parking is not prohibited, the vehicle 100 may be made to be able to move to a more appropriate location.

[0085] Specifically, in conjunction with the execution of the process of step S108, the cancellation information may be sent to a destination such as the contact details of a person or facility that the driver can trust. Furthermore, such destination information may be preset by the driver.

[0086] The various examples described above can be combined as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0087] 1. Vehicle control system 11 Locking mechanism 100 Vehicles (own vehicle) D-door K key P processor M storage medium Th1 threshold (predetermined time)

Claims

1. one or more processors; a storage medium storing a program to be executed by the processor; The program includes one or more instructions, The instructions may cause the one or more processors to: a key confinement prevention process for controlling the locking mechanism to an unlocked state when a key for operating the door locking mechanism of the vehicle is located inside the vehicle; and a vehicle protection process for controlling the lock mechanism to a locked state without executing the key confinement prevention process when an occupant is not detected inside the vehicle and the key is located inside the vehicle after the vehicle is automatically stopped by the automatic stop process executed upon detection of the driver's inability to drive. Vehicle control system.

2. The command, as the vehicle protection process, After the automatic stopping of the vehicle, if neither an occupant nor a key is detected inside the vehicle and the locking mechanism is in an unlocked state, the one or more processors are caused to execute a process of controlling the locking mechanism to a locked state after a predetermined time has elapsed. The vehicle control system of claim 1 .

3. The instruction: a process of determining whether or not the stopping position of the host vehicle in the automatic stopping process for automatically stopping the host vehicle is a no-parking position; and a transmission process of transmitting, to a designated destination, release information capable of releasing the locked state of the lock mechanism together with the vehicle protection process when the parking position is determined to be a no-parking position.

3. A vehicle control system according to claim 1.

4. The instruction: causing the one or more processors to execute a setting process for setting whether or not the vehicle protection process is to be executed; 4. A vehicle control system according to claim 1.

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