Automatic driving control device and automatic driving control program

Abstract

To provide an automatic driving control device and the like capable of ensuring the convenience of automated driving which is no obligation to monitor surroundings.SOLUTION: A self-driving electronic control unit (ECU) functions as an automatic driving control device capable of driving an own vehicle Am by autonomous driving control without the obligation of a driver to monitor the surroundings. The self-driving ECU is configured to recognize division lines BL1, BL2 left and right of own lane Lns on which the own vehicle Am run and determine a deviation of peripheral vehicles traveling on the own lane Lns, i.e. a preceding vehicle Af and a following vehicle Ab. The self-driving ECU is configured so as to, when a peripheral vehicle deviates while the own vehicle Am travels under autonomous driving control, and determine whether the continuation of the autonomous driving control based on information on the division lines BL1 and BL2 is possible. When the continuation of the autonomous driving control based on the information of the division lines BL1 and BL2 is possible, the self-driving ECU continues the autonomous driving control based on the information of the division lines BL1 and BL2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The disclosure in this specification relates to autonomous driving technology. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a vehicle control device that starts automatic driving when a traffic jam occurs that is longer than a predetermined length. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-324661 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In recent years, not only automated driving requiring the driver to monitor the surroundings, but also technology enabling automated driving without the driver's obligation to monitor the surroundings is being realized. Such automated driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings may be discontinued if an abnormality occurs in the driving conditions of surrounding vehicles, for example, if the surrounding vehicles in front of or behind the vehicle deviate from the same direction within the lane. Such interruption of automated driving could impair convenience for the driver, etc.

[0005] The present disclosure aims to provide an autonomous driving control device and an autonomous driving control program that can ensure the convenience of autonomous driving without the obligation to monitor surroundings. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, one disclosed aspect is an automatic driving control device capable of driving a host vehicle (Am) by autonomous driving control without the driver having to monitor the surroundings, the automatic driving control device comprising: a lane marking recognition unit (72) that recognizes lane markings (BL1, BL2) on the left and right of a host vehicle lane (Lns) in which the host vehicle is driving; a deviation determination unit (73) that determines deviations of surrounding vehicles traveling in the host vehicle lane; a continuation determination unit (77) that determines whether or not autonomous driving control can be continued based on information about the lane markings when deviations occur in surrounding vehicles while the host vehicle is driving by autonomous driving control; and a control continuation unit (78) that continues autonomous driving control based on information about the lane markings when continuation of autonomous driving control based on information about the lane markings is possible. The control continuation unit controls the host vehicle so as to widen the gap between the host vehicle and the surrounding vehicle ahead when both the surrounding vehicles ahead and the host vehicle deviate from the lane. It is said to be an automatic driving control device.

[0007] Another disclosed aspect is an automated driving control program that can drive a host vehicle (Am) using autonomous driving control without the driver having to monitor the surroundings, and recognizes the left and right lane markings (BL1, BL2) of the host vehicle's lane (Lns) in which the host vehicle is traveling (S11), determines whether a surrounding vehicle traveling in the host vehicle's lane has deviated (S12), and, if a surrounding vehicle has deviated while the host vehicle is traveling using autonomous driving control, determines whether autonomous driving control can be continued based on the information about the lane markings (S14, S19), If the surrounding vehicles traveling in front and behind the host vehicle are both deviating, the host vehicle is controlled to widen the gap between the surrounding vehicles in front and the host vehicle (S18). The automatic driving control program causes at least one processing unit (51) to execute processing including continuing autonomous driving control based on information about the lane markings (S21) if it is possible to continue autonomous driving control based on information about the lane markings.

[0008] In these aspects, even if a surrounding vehicle deviates while the vehicle is traveling under autonomous driving control, the autonomous driving control continues if it is possible to continue autonomous driving control based on information about the lane markings of the vehicle's lane. This can prevent the interruption of autonomous driving control due to changes in the behavior of surrounding vehicles. As a result, the convenience of autonomous driving can be ensured by enabling the vehicle to use autonomous driving for a longer period without the need to monitor the surroundings.

[0012] Note that the reference numbers in parentheses above and in the claims merely indicate an example of the correspondence with the specific configurations in the embodiments described below, and do not in any way limit the technical scope. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall view of an in-vehicle network including an autonomous driving ECU according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing details of an autonomous driving ECU. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing details of an HCU. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining interruption avoidance control in a first departure scene. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining interruption avoidance control in a second departure scene. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining interruption avoidance control in a third departure scene. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining interruption avoidance control in a fourth departure scene. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing details of a deviation response process. [Figure 9] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining the position adjustment control in the third departure scene performed in the second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining position adjustment control in a fourth departure scene. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the position adjustment control in the fifth departure scene. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart showing details of a deviation response process. [Figure 13] 10 is a diagram for explaining the position adjustment control in the third departure scene performed in the first modified example. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Hereinafter, several embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that corresponding components in each embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and redundant description may be omitted. When only a portion of the configuration is described in each embodiment, the configuration of another embodiment described previously can be applied to the remaining portion of the configuration. Furthermore, in addition to the combinations of configurations explicitly stated in the description of each embodiment, configurations of several embodiments can also be partially combined together even if not explicitly stated, as long as there is no particular problem with the combination.

[0015] (First embodiment) The functions of the automatic driving control device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure are realized by an automatic driving ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 50b shown in Fig. 1. The automatic driving ECU 50b is mounted on a vehicle (hereinafter referred to as the host vehicle Am) together with a driving assistance ECU 50a. The automatic driving ECU 50b, together with the driving assistance ECU 50a and the like, configures an automatic driving system 50 for the host vehicle Am. By mounting the automatic driving system 50, the host vehicle Am becomes an automatic driving vehicle equipped with an automatic driving function and is able to travel using the automatic driving function.

[0016] The driving assistance ECU 50a is an in-vehicle ECU that realizes a driving assistance function that assists the driver in driving operations in the automated driving system 50. The driving assistance ECU 50a enables advanced driving assistance or partial automated driving at approximately Level 2 of the automated driving levels defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers. The automated driving performed by the driving assistance ECU 50a is automated driving with a periphery monitoring obligation, which requires the driver to visually monitor the area around the vehicle.

[0017] The autonomous driving ECU 50b is an in-vehicle ECU that realizes an autonomous driving function that can take over driving operations from the driver. The autonomous driving ECU 50b is capable of autonomous driving at level 3 or higher, where the system is the main controller. The autonomous driving performed by the autonomous driving ECU 50b does not require monitoring of the surroundings of the vehicle, that is, it is eyes-off autonomous driving with no obligation to monitor the surroundings.

[0018] In the autonomous driving system 50, the control state of the autonomous driving function is switched among a plurality of control states including at least autonomous driving control by the driving assistance ECU 50a with the obligation to monitor the surroundings, and autonomous driving control by the autonomous driving ECU 50b without the obligation to monitor the surroundings. In the following description, autonomous driving control of level 2 or lower by the driving assistance ECU 50a will be referred to as "driving assistance control," and autonomous driving control of level 3 or higher by the autonomous driving ECU 50b will be referred to as "autonomous driving control." Note that the autonomous driving ECU 50b may be capable of autonomous driving of level 4 or higher.

[0019] During the autonomous driving period in which the host vehicle Am is driven by the autonomous driving control of the autonomous driving ECU 50b, the driver may be permitted to perform a specific action (hereinafter referred to as a second task) other than driving as specified in advance. The second task is legally permitted to the driver until a request for execution of a driving operation performed by the autonomous driving ECU 50b in cooperation with the HCU (Human Machine Interface Control Unit) 100 (described later) occurs, i.e., a request for a driver handover occurs. For example, actions such as watching entertainment content such as video content, operating a device such as a smartphone, and eating are considered as second tasks.

[0020] The driving assistance ECU 50a and the autonomous driving ECU 50b are communicatively connected to a communication bus 99 of an in-vehicle network 1 mounted on the host vehicle Am. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , the periphery monitoring sensor 30, the locator 35, the cruise control ECU 40, the HCU 100, etc. are connected to the communication bus 99. These nodes connected to the communication bus 99 can communicate with each other. Certain nodes among these ECUs, etc. may be electrically connected directly to each other and can communicate without going through the communication bus 99.

[0021] The perimeter monitoring sensor 30 is an autonomous sensor that monitors the environment surrounding the host vehicle Am. The perimeter monitoring sensor 30 includes, for example, one or more of a camera unit 31, a millimeter-wave radar 32, a lidar 33, and a sonar 34. The perimeter monitoring sensor 30 is capable of detecting moving objects and stationary objects within a detection range around the host vehicle. The perimeter monitoring sensor 30 provides detection information of objects around the host vehicle to the driving assistance ECU 50a, the autonomous driving ECU 50b, etc.

[0022] The locator 35 includes a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver, an inertial sensor, etc. The locator 35 sequentially determines the position and traveling direction of the host vehicle Am by combining positioning signals received from multiple positioning satellites by the GNSS receiver, measurement results from the inertial sensor, and vehicle speed information output to the communication bus 99, etc. The locator 35 has a map database 36 that stores three-dimensional map data and two-dimensional map data. The locator 35 reads map data around the current position from the map database 36 and provides this as locator information to the driving assistance ECU 50a, the autonomous driving ECU 50b, etc., together with the host vehicle position information and direction information of the host vehicle Am.

[0023] The cruise control ECU 40 is an electronic control device that mainly includes a microcontroller. The cruise control ECU 40 has at least the functions of a brake control ECU, a drive control ECU, and a steering control ECU. The cruise control ECU 40 continuously controls the braking force of each wheel, the output of the on-board power source, and the steering angle based on one of an operation command based on the driver's driving operation, a control command from the driving assistance ECU 50a, and a control command from the autonomous driving ECU 50b.

[0024] The HCU 100, together with a plurality of display devices, an audio device 24, an ambient light 25, an operation device 26, etc., constitutes an HMI (Human Machine Interface) system 10. The HMI system 10 has an input interface function that accepts operations by an occupant such as a driver of the host vehicle Am, and an output interface function that presents information to the driver.

[0025] The display device presents information to the driver's vision by displaying an image or the like. The display device includes a meter display 21, a CID 22, and a head-up display (hereinafter referred to as HUD) 23. The CID 22 has a touch panel function and detects touch operations on the display screen by the driver or the like.

[0026] The audio device 24 has multiple speakers installed in the vehicle cabin surrounding the driver's seat, and reproduces alarm sounds, voice messages, etc. through the speakers within the vehicle cabin. The ambient light 25 is provided on the instrument panel, steering wheel, etc. The ambient light 25 presents information using the driver's peripheral vision through an ambient display that changes the light emission color.

[0027] The operation device 26 is an input unit that accepts user operations by the driver or the like. User operations related to, for example, activation and deactivation of an autonomous driving function are input to the operation device 26. As an example, a driver input instructing a transition from driving assistance control to autonomous driving control is input to the operation device 26. The operation device 26 includes a steering switch provided on the spokes of the steering wheel, an operation lever provided on the steering column, and a voice input device that recognizes what the driver is saying.

[0028] The HCU 100 functions as a presentation control device and comprehensively manages the presentation of information related to autonomous driving to the driver. The HCU 100 requests the driver to take over driving based on a request to perform driving operations from the autonomous driving ECU 50b. In addition, the HCU 100 cooperates with the autonomous driving ECU 50b to allow the driver to perform a second task, and can play video content related to the second task without interfering with the request to take over driving.

[0029] The HCU 100 is a computer that mainly includes a processing unit 11, a RAM 12, a storage unit 13, an input / output interface 14, and a control circuit that includes a bus connecting these. The processing unit 11 accesses the RAM 12 to execute various processes for presentation control processing. The RAM 12 may include a video RAM for generating video data. The storage unit 13 includes a non-volatile storage medium. The storage unit 13 stores various programs (such as a presentation control program) that are executed by the processing unit 11. The HCU 100 configures multiple functional units by having the processing unit 11 execute the programs stored in the storage unit 13. The HCU 100 is configured with functional units such as an information acquisition unit 81, an information linkage unit 82, and a presentation control unit 88 (see FIG. 3).

[0030] The information acquisition unit 81 acquires operation information indicating the content of a user operation from the CID 22, the operation device 26, etc. The information acquisition unit 81 provides the operation information of the user operation related to the autonomous driving function to the information linking unit 82.

[0031] The information linking unit 82 links with an information linking unit 61 (described later) of the autonomous driving ECU 50b, enabling information to be shared between the autonomous driving system 50 and the HCU 100. The information linking unit 82 provides the autonomous driving ECU 50b with operation information and the like grasped by the information acquisition unit 81. In addition, the information linking unit 82 grasps the operating status of autonomous driving by the autonomous driving system 50 by acquiring control status information that indicates the state of the autonomous driving function. Furthermore, the information linking unit 82 acquires, from the autonomous driving ECU 50b, requests to request the driver to take over driving, requests to notify the driver of control transition, and the like. Based on the requests to implement each notification, the information linking unit 82 links with the presentation control unit 88 to control the content and timing of each notification.

[0032] The presentation control unit 88 comprehensively provides information to the driver using each display device, the audio device 24, the ambient light 25, etc. The presentation control unit 88 provides content and presents information in accordance with the operating state of the autonomous driving, based on the control status information and implementation request acquired by the information linking unit 82. For example, when a deviation of a nearby vehicle, which will be described later, is detected, the presentation control unit 88 performs a deviation occurrence notification, a control change notification, etc., based on an implementation request from the autonomous driving ECU 50b (see FIG. 8).

[0033] Next, the driving assistance ECU 50a and the autonomous driving ECU 50b will be described in detail in order.

[0034] The driving assistance ECU 50a is a computer that mainly includes a control circuit equipped with a processing unit, RAM, a storage unit, an input / output interface, and a bus connecting these. The driving assistance ECU 50a realizes driving assistance functions such as ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) and LTC (Lane Trace Control) by executing a program in the processing unit. As an example, the driving assistance ECU 50a performs driving assistance control to drive the host vehicle Am along the host vehicle's lane Lns by coordinating the functions of ACC and LTC.

[0035] The autonomous driving ECU 50b has a higher computing capacity than the driving assistance ECU 50a and can at least perform driving control equivalent to ACC, LTC, etc. The autonomous driving ECU 50b is a computer that mainly includes a processing unit 51, a RAM 52, a storage unit 53, an input / output interface 54, and a control circuit that includes a bus connecting these. The processing unit 51 accesses the RAM 52 to execute various processes for implementing the autonomous driving control method of the present disclosure. The storage unit 53 stores various programs (e.g., autonomous driving control programs) executed by the processing unit 51. Execution of the programs by the processing unit 51 configures the autonomous driving ECU 50b with multiple functional units for implementing the autonomous driving function, such as an information linking unit 61, an environment recognition unit 62, an action determination unit 63, and a control execution unit 64 (see FIG. 2).

[0036] The information linking unit 61 provides information to the information linking unit 82 of the HCU 100 and acquires information from the information linking unit 82. Through the cooperation between these information linking units 61, 82, the autonomous driving ECU 50b and the HCU 100 share the information they have acquired. The information linking unit 61 generates control status information indicating the operation status of the autonomous driving function and provides the generated control status information to the information linking unit 82. In addition, the information linking unit 61 outputs a request to the information linking unit 82 to perform notification, thereby enabling the HCU 100 to issue a notification synchronized with the operation status of the autonomous driving function. Meanwhile, the information linking unit 61 acquires driver operation information and the like from the information linking unit 82. Based on the operation information, the information linking unit 61 understands the content of the user operation input to the HMI system 10 and the like.

[0037] The environment recognition unit 62 recognizes the driving environment of the host vehicle Am by combining locator information acquired from the locator 35 and detection information acquired from the perimeter monitoring sensor 30. Specifically, the environment recognition unit 62 grasps information about the road on which the host vehicle Am is traveling, and the relative positions and relative speeds of dynamic targets (surrounding vehicles, etc.) around the host vehicle. In addition, the environment recognition unit 62 acquires vehicle information indicating the state of the host vehicle Am from the communication bus 99. As an example, the environment recognition unit 62 acquires vehicle speed information indicating the current driving speed of the host vehicle Am.

[0038] The environment recognition unit 62 combines information about other vehicles around the host vehicle with vehicle speed information, etc., to determine whether there is congestion around the host vehicle Am. As an example, if the current traveling speed of the host vehicle Am is equal to or less than the congestion speed (e.g., approximately 30 km / h) and there are other vehicles traveling in the same lane as the host vehicle Am, both before and after the host vehicle Am, the environment recognition unit 62 determines that there is congestion around the host vehicle. In addition, the environment recognition unit 62 determines whether the road on which the host vehicle Am is traveling or the road on which the host vehicle Am is scheduled to travel is a predetermined autonomous driving area (hereinafter referred to as an AD area) or a restricted AD area. An AD area or a restricted AD area is set, for example, on an expressway, including a freeway for automobiles only.

[0039] The behavior determination unit 63 cooperates with the driving assistance ECU 50a and the HCU 100 to control the automatic driving system 50 and the driving changeover between the driver. In addition, when the automatic driving ECU 50b has control over the driving operation, the behavior determination unit 63 generates a planned driving line for the host vehicle Am to travel based on the recognition result of the driving environment by the environment recognition unit 62, and outputs the generated planned driving line to the control execution unit 64.

[0040] The behavior determination unit 63 has a control switching unit 77 as a sub-functional unit for controlling the operating state of the autonomous driving function. The control switching unit 77 cooperates with the driving assistance ECU 50a to switch between driving assistance control, in which the driver is required to monitor the surroundings, and autonomous driving control, in which the driver is not required to monitor the surroundings. Additionally, when driving the host vehicle Am using autonomous driving control, the control switching unit 77 switches among multiple control modes of the autonomous driving control. The control modes of the autonomous driving control include at least congestion-limited control (hereinafter, congestion level 3), which is implemented only when driving in congestion, and area-limited control (hereinafter, area level 3), which is implemented only within a specific area. The control switching unit 77 permits the implementation of congestion level 3 or area level 3 on roads within the above-mentioned AD area, and permits the implementation of only congestion level 3 on roads within a restricted AD area. The control switching unit 77 generally prohibits driving under level 3 autonomous driving control in manual driving areas (hereinafter, MD areas), which are not included in either AD areas or restricted AD areas.

[0041] When the autonomous driving ECU 50b has control of driving operations, the control execution unit 64 cooperates with the cruise control ECU 40 to execute acceleration / deceleration control, steering control, and the like of the host vehicle Am in accordance with the planned driving line generated by the behavior determination unit 63. Specifically, the control execution unit 64 generates control commands based on the planned driving line and outputs the generated control commands to the cruise control ECU 40 one after another.

[0042] Here, autonomous driving control, in which the driver is not required to monitor the surroundings, may be forcibly terminated if an abnormality occurs in the driving condition of a nearby vehicle in front of or behind the host vehicle Am traveling in the same lane (hereinafter referred to as the host vehicle lane Lns). The autonomous driving ECU 50b of the present disclosure controls the driving condition of the host vehicle Am so that autonomous driving control can continue even if an abnormality occurs in the driving condition of a nearby vehicle. Below, details of interruption avoidance control that deals with abnormalities in the driving condition of nearby vehicles and makes it possible to avoid interruption of autonomous driving control will be described. Note that the front-rear and left-right directions in the following description are defined based on the host vehicle Am stationary on a horizontal plane.

[0043] The environment recognition unit 62 has a lane recognition unit 72 and another vehicle recognition unit 73 as sub-functional units related to the recognition of the driving environment.

[0044] The lane recognition unit 72 recognizes information about the road on which the host vehicle Am is traveling, particularly information about the host vehicle's lane Lns (see FIGS. 4 to 7). The lane recognition unit 72 recognizes the left and right dividing lines BL1, BL2 that divide the host vehicle's lane Lns, mainly based on detection information from the camera units 31 that capture images of the front and rear of the host vehicle Am. The lane recognition unit 72 recognizes the relative positions of the dividing lines BL1, BL2 and the shapes of the dividing lines BL1, BL2 in the traveling direction, and identifies the range that constitutes the host vehicle's lane Lns. The information about the dividing lines BL1, BL2 recognized by the lane recognition unit 72 is used by the behavior determination unit 63 to generate a planned driving line.

[0045] The lane recognition unit 72 may be capable of recognizing road edges as boundaries of the host vehicle's lane Lns instead of the dividing lines BL1 and BL2. However, it is desirable that the autonomous driving control be performed substantially only on roads on which dividing lines exist.

[0046] The other vehicle grasping unit 73 grasps, among information about dynamic targets around the host vehicle, particularly the relative positions and relative speeds of the leading vehicle Af and the trailing vehicle Ab (see FIGS. 4 to 7) traveling in front of and behind the host vehicle Am in the host vehicle lane Lns. In addition, the other vehicle grasping unit 73 detects deviations of the leading vehicle Af and the trailing vehicle Ab.

[0047] More specifically, the other vehicle grasping unit 73 determines whether a nearby vehicle has deviated in the longitudinal direction based on the proximity of the nearby vehicle to the host vehicle Am. As an example, the other vehicle grasping unit 73 sets a reference position of the nearby vehicle in the longitudinal direction relative to the host vehicle Am based on the traveling speed of the host vehicle Am (or the nearby vehicle). The higher the traveling speed of the host vehicle Am, the farther the other vehicle grasping unit 73 sets the reference position in the longitudinal direction from the host vehicle Am. When a nearby vehicle approaches the host vehicle Am beyond a predetermined range from the reference position, the other vehicle grasping unit 73 determines that the nearby vehicle has deviated in the longitudinal direction. The reference position in the longitudinal direction is associated with, for example, the rear end of the leading vehicle Af or the rear end of the trailing vehicle Ab.

[0048] As another example, the other vehicle grasping unit 73 sets the approach determination distances of the surrounding vehicles relative to the host vehicle Am in the forward / backward direction based on the traveling speed of the host vehicle Am, etc. The other vehicle grasping unit 73 sets the approach determination distances in the forward / backward direction longer as the traveling speed of the host vehicle Am, etc. The other vehicle grasping unit 73 determines that the surrounding vehicles have deviated in the forward / backward direction when the surrounding vehicles approach the host vehicle Am beyond the approach determination distance.

[0049] Furthermore, the other vehicle recognition unit 73 determines whether the nearby vehicle has deviated in the left-right direction based on the nearby vehicle's approach to the left and right lane markings BL1, BL2. As an example, the other vehicle recognition unit 73 sets a reference position in the left-right direction of the nearby vehicle within the lane based on position information of the left and right lane markings BL1, BL2 recognized by the lane recognition unit 72. If the nearby vehicle approaches the left and right lane markings BL1, BL2 beyond a predetermined range from the reference position, the other vehicle recognition unit 73 determines that the nearby vehicle has deviated in the left-right direction. Note that the reference position in the left-right direction may be associated with, for example, the left and right ends of the nearby vehicle, or may be associated with the center position of the nearby vehicle in the left-right direction.

[0050] As another example, the other vehicle recognition unit 73 sets approach determination distances in the left and right directions for each of the lane lines BL1 and BL2. When a nearby vehicle approaches a lane line BL1 or BL2 beyond the approach determination distance, the other vehicle recognition unit 73 determines that the nearby vehicle has deviated in the left or right direction. The reference position and approach determination distance used for determining deviation in the left or right direction may be substantially constant regardless of the traveling speed of the host vehicle Am.

[0051] The other vehicle recognition unit 73 detects departure of surrounding vehicles in, for example, the first departure scene Sn1 to the fourth departure scene Sn4. In the first departure scene Sn1 (see FIG. 4), the rear vehicle Ab is traveling at a position that is shifted to the right. In this case, the other vehicle recognition unit 73 detects departure in the left-right direction (to the right) of the rear vehicle Ab. In the second departure scene Sn2 (see FIG. 5), the rear vehicle Ab is abnormally close to the host vehicle Am. In this case, the other vehicle recognition unit 73 detects departure in the front-to-rear direction (forward direction) of the rear vehicle Ab. In the third departure scene Sn3 (see FIG. 6), the front vehicle Af and the rear vehicle Ab are both traveling at positions that are shifted to the left. In this case, the other vehicle recognition unit 73 detects departure in the same direction (to the left) of the front vehicle Af and the rear vehicle Ab. In the fourth departure scene Sn4 (see FIG. 7), the leading vehicle Af and the trailing vehicle Ab are traveling at positions that are offset from each other in different left and right directions. In this case, the other vehicle recognition unit 73 detects that the leading vehicle Af and the trailing vehicle Ab have departed in different directions. Note that the first departure scene Sn1 to the fourth departure scene Sn4 described so far may be scenes in which the vehicle is traveling in a traffic jam or in which the vehicle is not traveling in a traffic jam.

[0052] The behavior determination unit 63 has a setting change unit 78 in addition to the control switching unit 77 described above as a sub-function unit for controlling the operating state of the autonomous driving control.

[0053] When the host vehicle Am is traveling under autonomous driving control and at least one of the leading vehicle Af and the trailing vehicle Ab has deviated, the control switching unit 77 determines whether or not it is possible to continue autonomous driving control based on the information of each of the lane markings BL1, BL2. If the control switching unit 77 determines that it is not possible to continue autonomous driving control based on the information of each of the lane markings BL1, BL2, it instructs the setting change unit 78 to change the driving control. After the setting change unit 78 changes the driving control, the control switching unit 77 again determines whether or not it is possible to continue autonomous driving control based on the information of each of the lane markings BL1, BL2.

[0054] If the control switching unit 77 determines in its initial continuation feasibility determination based on the detection of a deviation of a nearby vehicle that it is possible to continue autonomous driving control based on the information of each lane marking BL1, BL2, the setting change unit 78 continues the autonomous driving control based on the information of each lane marking BL1, BL2. On the other hand, if the control switching unit 77 determines in its initial continuation feasibility determination based on the detection of a deviation of a nearby vehicle that it is not possible to continue autonomous driving control based on the information of each lane marking BL1, BL2, the setting change unit 78 changes the settings of the autonomous driving control. Specifically, the setting change unit 78 adjusts, among the parameters used for autonomous driving control, parameters related to the driving position of the host vehicle Am within the host vehicle lane Lns. The setting change unit 78 changes the driving position of the host vehicle Am to move away from the nearby vehicle whose deviation has been detected so that the nearby vehicle does not interfere with the recognition of the lane marks BL1, BL2 by the nearby vehicle.

[0055] Specifically, when only one of the leading vehicle Af and the trailing vehicle Ab has deviated, the setting change unit 78 controls the traveling of the host vehicle Am to increase the interval between the deviating nearby vehicle and the host vehicle Am. For example, when only the departure of the leading vehicle Af is detected, the setting change unit 78 controls the traveling of the host vehicle Am to increase the interval between the leading vehicle Af and the host vehicle Am (hereinafter referred to as the forward inter-vehicle distance). In this case, the setting change unit 78 sets the traveling speed of the host vehicle Am to be slightly slower than the traveling speed of the leading vehicle Af.

[0056] On the other hand, when only the departure of the following vehicle Ab is detected, as in the first departure scene Sn1 (see FIG. 4) and the second departure scene Sn2 (see FIG. 5), the setting change unit 78 controls the driving so as to increase the distance between the following vehicle Ab and the host vehicle Am (hereinafter referred to as the following inter-vehicle distance). In this case, the setting change unit 78 sets the traveling speed of the host vehicle to be slightly faster than the traveling speed of the following vehicle Ab.

[0057] Furthermore, when both the leading vehicle Af and the trailing vehicle Ab deviate, as in the third departure scene Sn3 (see FIG. 6) and the fourth departure scene Sn4 (see FIG. 7), the setting change unit 78 controls the driving of the host vehicle Am to increase the distance between the vehicles ahead. In this way, when both the leading vehicle Af and the trailing vehicle Ab deviate, the setting change unit 78 prioritizes ensuring a distance between the vehicles ahead over ensuring a distance between the vehicles behind.

[0058] After changing the autonomous driving control settings, if the control switching unit 77 determines again that the autonomous driving control can be continued in its continuation feasibility determination, the setting change unit 78 maintains the changed settings and continues the autonomous driving control based on the information on each of the lane lines BL1 and BL2. In this case, the setting change unit 78 returns the driving control settings to the state before they were changed based on the elimination of the deviation of the surrounding vehicle. On the other hand, if the control switching unit 77 determines again that the autonomous driving control cannot be continued in its continuation feasibility determination after changing the autonomous driving control settings, the setting change unit 78 cooperates with the control switching unit 77 to terminate the autonomous driving control. In this case, the autonomous driving level of the host vehicle Am is changed from level 3 to level 1 or level 0 (manual driving).

[0059] Next, the details of the departure response processing, including the implementation of the interruption avoidance control described above, will be explained below based on Fig. 8 and with reference to Figs. 1 to 7. The departure response processing is started when the autonomous driving control is started, and is continuously performed by the autonomous driving ECU 50b until the autonomous driving control is ended.

[0060] In S11 of the departure response processing, the other vehicle recognition unit 73 detects departure of the leading vehicle Af and the trailing vehicle Ab based on the recognition of the driving environment by the environment recognition unit 62. Furthermore, in S12, it is determined whether departure of the leading vehicle Af or the trailing vehicle Ab was detected in the immediately preceding S11. If it is determined in S12 that neither the leading vehicle Af nor the trailing vehicle Ab have deviated, the process returns to S11 and continues to monitor the occurrence of departure of the leading vehicle Af and the trailing vehicle Ab. On the other hand, if departure of at least one of the leading vehicle Af and the trailing vehicle Ab is detected in S12, the process proceeds to S13.

[0061] In S13, the information linking unit 61 outputs a request to execute deviation occurrence notification to the HCU 100. The presentation control unit 88 executes deviation occurrence notification based on the execution request acquired by the information linking unit .

[0062] The deviation occurrence notification notifies a driver or other occupant that a deviation has occurred around the subject vehicle and which nearby vehicle has deviated. The deviation occurrence notification is implemented, for example, using a status image that is constantly displayed on the meter display 21. The status image is formed around the subject vehicle icon. The deviation occurrence notification is implemented by a display change in which an other vehicle icon indicating the deviated nearby vehicle is added to the status image. The other vehicle icon displayed in association with the subject vehicle icon allows the driver to understand that a deviation has occurred in the nearby vehicles and the relative position of the deviated nearby vehicle.

[0063] In S14, the control switching unit 77 determines whether or not autonomous driving control (autonomous driving level 3) can be continued based on information about the currently recognized left and right lane markings BL1 and BL2. If the initial determination in S14 determines that autonomous driving control can be continued, the process proceeds to S21, where it is decided to continue autonomous driving control. As a result, the setting change unit 78 continues autonomous driving control based on information about each lane marking BL1 and BL2. At this time, the setting change unit 78 does not substantially change the settings of the autonomous driving control.

[0064] On the other hand, if it is determined in the continuation possibility determination in S14 that continuation of autonomous driving control based on the information of each lane marking BL1, BL2 is currently impossible, the process proceeds to S15. In S15, the information linking unit 61 outputs an implementation request for control change notification to the HCU 100. The presentation control unit 88 implements the control change notification based on the implementation request acquired by the information linking unit 82.

[0065] The control change notification is initiated before the driving control parameters are adjusted by the setting change unit 78. The control change notification notifies a driver or other occupant that the driving control of the host vehicle Am has been changed, resulting in a change in the position of the host vehicle Am within the host vehicle lane Lns, etc. As an example, an animation display of another vehicle icon moving away from the host vehicle icon, etc., is presented as the control change notification in the status image of the meter display 21.

[0066] In S16, the other vehicle recognition unit 73 determines whether deviation has occurred in both the leading vehicle Af and the trailing vehicle Ab. If it is determined in S16 that deviation has occurred in only one of the leading vehicle Af and the trailing vehicle Ab, the process proceeds to S17. In S17, the setting change unit 78 adjusts the traveling speed of the host vehicle Am so as to maintain a sufficient distance from the deviating surrounding vehicle. When only the trailing vehicle Ab has deviated, as in the first deviation scene Sn1 and the second deviation scene Sn2, the trailing distance is increased while preventing the host vehicle from getting too close to the leading vehicle Af.

[0067] On the other hand, if it is determined in S16 that both the leading vehicle Af and the trailing vehicle Ab have deviated, the process proceeds to S18. In S18, the setting change unit 78 adjusts the traveling speed of the host vehicle Am so as to ensure a sufficient distance between the vehicles ahead. When both the leading vehicle Af and the trailing vehicle Ab have deviated, as in the third departure scene Sn3 and the fourth departure scene Sn4, the host vehicle Am gradually moves away from the leading vehicle Af.

[0068] In S19, the control switching unit 77 again determines whether the driving control in the previous S17 or S18 has made it possible to continue autonomous driving control based on information about the left and right lane lines BL1, BL2. If the re-determination of whether to continue in S19 determines that it is not possible to continue autonomous driving control, the process proceeds to S20. In S20, it is decided to suspend autonomous driving control, and the departure response process for this time is terminated.

[0069] On the other hand, if it is determined in the re-determination of whether or not to continue in S19 that it is possible to continue autonomous driving control, the process proceeds to S21. In S21, it is decided to continue autonomous driving control, and the current departure response process ends. In this case, the host vehicle Am continues traveling under autonomous driving control based on information about each of the lane markings BL1 and BL2, while maintaining a greater distance than usual from the deviating surrounding vehicle.

[0070] In the first embodiment described so far, when the host vehicle Am is traveling under autonomous driving control and the leading vehicle Af or the trailing vehicle Ab deviates, if it is possible to continue autonomous driving control based on information about the lane markings BL1, BL2, the autonomous driving control continues. As a result, it is possible to prevent the autonomous driving control from being interrupted due to changes in the behavior of the leading vehicle Af or the trailing vehicle Ab, etc. In other words, in a departure scene where the leading vehicle Af or the trailing vehicle Ab, etc., are traveling incorrectly, a situation in which the autonomous driving control of the host vehicle Am is interrupted due to the influence of these surrounding vehicles is avoided. As a result, it becomes possible to use autonomous driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings for a long period of time, thereby ensuring the convenience of autonomous driving.

[0071] Additionally, in the first embodiment, when only one of the leading vehicle Af and the trailing vehicle Ab traveling before and after the host vehicle Am deviates, the host vehicle Am's travel is controlled to increase the distance between the deviating vehicle and the host vehicle Am. In this way, travel control that moves away from the deviating vehicle makes it less likely that the recognition of the lane markings BL1 and BL2 will be obstructed by the deviating vehicle. As a result, autonomous travel control based on information about the lane markings BL1 and BL2 can be more easily continued, further improving the convenience of automated driving.

[0072] In the first embodiment, when a preceding vehicle Af traveling ahead of the host vehicle Am deviates, the traveling of the host vehicle Am is controlled to increase the distance (forward inter-vehicle distance) between the preceding vehicle Af and the host vehicle Am. As a result, the preceding vehicle Af is less likely to interfere with the host vehicle Am's ability to grasp the shape of the lane markings BL1 and BL2 in the traveling direction, making it easier to continue autonomous traveling control based on information about the lane markings BL1 and BL2. As a result, the convenience of automated driving can be further improved.

[0073] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, when the preceding vehicle Af and the following vehicle Ab traveling in front and behind the host vehicle Am both deviate from the lane, the traveling of the host vehicle Am is controlled to increase the distance between the preceding vehicle Af and the host vehicle Am (forward inter-vehicle distance). As a result, the preceding vehicle Af is less likely to interfere with the recognition of the shape of the lane markings BL1, BL2 in the traveling direction.

[0074] In addition, the deceleration of the host vehicle Am to move away from the leading vehicle Af may also prompt the rear vehicle Ab to decelerate. If the distance between the rear vehicle Ab and the host vehicle Am (rear inter-vehicle distance) increases as a result of the rear vehicle Ab slowing down, it will become easier to grasp the lane markings BL1 and BL2 behind. As described above, control that prioritizes maintaining a front inter-vehicle distance makes it easier to continue autonomous driving control based on information about the lane markings BL1 and BL2, which in turn can ensure the convenience of automated driving.

[0075] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the information-coordination units 61, 82 cooperate to provide a departure occurrence notification indicating a departure of a nearby vehicle and a control change notification indicating a change in the driving position of the vehicle Am. Therefore, even when a driver or other occupant is not required to monitor the surrounding area, the driver can easily recognize the occurrence of a departure of a nearby vehicle and the planned change in the driving position of the vehicle Am resulting from the departure. This reduces anxiety about the autonomous driving control, which, combined with the control to prevent interruptions of the autonomous driving control, can improve the convenience of automated driving perceived by the driver.

[0076] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, if the rear vehicle Ab deviates in a direction approaching the host vehicle Am, a departure occurrence notification is issued to indicate the approach of the rear vehicle Ab. In this way, by showing the driver and the like that the surrounding vehicles are being properly monitored, the sense of trust in the autonomous driving function can be improved.

[0077] In the first embodiment, the information linking unit 61 corresponds to the "notification control unit", the lane grasping unit 72 corresponds to the "land marking recognition unit", the other vehicle grasping unit 73 corresponds to the "departure determination unit", the control switching unit 77 corresponds to the "continuation determination unit", and the setting change unit 78 corresponds to the "control continuation unit". Furthermore, the autonomous driving ECU 50b corresponds to the "autonomous driving control device".

[0078] Second Embodiment The second embodiment of the present disclosure is a modified example of the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, even if a nearby vehicle deviates, the traveling position of the host vehicle Am is adjusted to ensure reliable recognition of the lane markings BL1 and BL2, assuming that autonomous driving control continues. Details of the position adjustment control by the other vehicle recognition unit 73 and the setting change unit 78 of the second embodiment will be described below based on FIGS. 9 to 12 and with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

[0079] The other vehicle recognition unit 73 detects not only deviations of surrounding vehicles within the host vehicle lane Lns but also deviations of surrounding vehicles from the host vehicle lane Lns. When a surrounding vehicle straddles either the left or right lane marking BL1 or BL2 and at least a portion of the surrounding vehicle is located outside the host vehicle lane Lns, the other vehicle recognition unit 73 determines that the surrounding vehicle has deviated from the host vehicle lane Lns. The other vehicle recognition unit 73 estimates that a surrounding vehicle that has deviated from the host vehicle lane Lns is, for example, a vehicle that is changing lanes from the host vehicle lane Lns to an adjacent lane.

[0080] When a departure of only one of the surrounding vehicles is detected, the setting change unit 78 performs travel control in a direction away from the deviating surrounding vehicle, as in the first embodiment. At this time, the traveling position of the host vehicle Am in the lateral direction is not substantially changed before and after the detection of the departure, and is maintained approximately in the center of the host vehicle's lane Lns.

[0081] When both the front and rear surrounding vehicles are deviating, the setting change unit 78 determines the left-right traveling position of the host vehicle Am in accordance with the left-right traveling positions of the front vehicle Af and the rear vehicle Ab. The setting change unit 78 changes the left-right traveling position of the host vehicle Am in the host vehicle lane Lns depending on whether the left-right departure directions of the front vehicle Af and the rear vehicle Ab are the same or different.

[0082] Specifically, as in the third departure scene Sn3 (see FIG. 9), when the leading vehicle Af and the trailing vehicle Ab deviate in the same lateral direction (leftward), the setting change unit 78 causes the traveling position of the host vehicle Am within the host vehicle lane Lns to follow the surrounding vehicles. That is, the setting change unit 78 shifts the traveling position of the host vehicle Am in the same lateral direction (leftward in FIG. 9) as the leading vehicle Af and the trailing vehicle Ab. The setting change unit 78 continues the autonomous traveling control with the host vehicle Am approaching the left lane marking BL1 until the departure of at least one of the leading vehicle Af and the trailing vehicle Ab is resolved.

[0083] On the other hand, when the left and right departure directions of the leading vehicle Af and the trailing vehicle Ab are different from each other, as in the fourth departure scene Sn4 (see FIG. 10), the setting change unit 78 adjusts the traveling position of the host vehicle Am in the host vehicle lane Lns to be midway between the surrounding vehicles in the front and rear in the left-right direction. In such a fourth departure scene Sn4, the setting change unit 78 may set the traveling position of the host vehicle Am to approximately the center of the host vehicle lane Lns, in other words, midway between the left and right dividing lines BL1, BL2.

[0084] The setting change unit 78 stops changing the driving position when at least one of the front and rear surrounding vehicles (in FIG. 11, the rear vehicle Ab) deviates from the host vehicle lane Lns, as in the fifth departure scene Sn5 (see FIG. 11), for example. In this case, the setting change unit 78 sets the driving position of the host vehicle Am to approximately the center of the host vehicle lane Lns. As described above, the adjustment of the driving position of the host vehicle Am is performed only for surrounding vehicles traveling within the host vehicle lane Lns, and surrounding vehicles that deviate from the host vehicle lane Lns are essentially excluded from the deviation detection targets.

[0085] Next, the details of the departure response processing, including the implementation of the position adjustment control described above, will be explained below based on Fig. 12 and with reference to Figs. 1 to 3 and 9 to 11. As with the first embodiment, the departure response processing of the second embodiment is initiated when autonomous driving control is activated and is continuously executed by the autonomous driving ECU 50b until autonomous driving control is terminated. Note that if the behavior determination unit 63 determines that it is difficult to continue autonomous driving control after adjusting the driving position through position adjustment control, it can decide to have the driver take over driving.

[0086] In S211 and S212, similarly to S11 and S12 (see FIG. 8) in the first embodiment, the other vehicle recognition unit 73 monitors the deviation of the leading vehicle Af and the trailing vehicle Ab. If deviation of at least one of the leading vehicle Af and the trailing vehicle Ab is detected, the process of S213 is carried out.

[0087] In S213, the information linking unit 61 outputs a request to issue a departure occurrence notification and a control change notification to the HCU 100. The presentation control unit 88 sequentially issues the departure occurrence notification and the control change notification based on the implementation requests acquired by the information linking unit 82. When the traveling position of the host vehicle Am changes to the left or right in the position adjustment control described below, an animation display, such as moving a white line icon closer to the host vehicle icon, may be presented as a control change notification in the status image of the meter display 21.

[0088] In S214, the other vehicle recognition unit 73 determines whether or not deviation has occurred in both the leading vehicle Af and the trailing vehicle Ab. If it is determined in S214 that deviation has occurred in only one of the leading vehicle Af and the trailing vehicle Ab, the process proceeds to S215. In S215, the setting change unit 78 adjusts the traveling speed of the host vehicle Am so as to secure a distance between the host vehicle Am and the deviating nearby vehicle. The host vehicle Am continues traveling under autonomous traveling control with a larger distance between the host vehicle Am and the leading vehicle than usual secured.

[0089] On the other hand, if it is determined in S215 that both the leading vehicle Af and the trailing vehicle Ab have deviated, the process proceeds to S216. In S216, the other vehicle recognition unit 73 determines whether the deviated surrounding vehicle has protruded outside the host vehicle's lane Lns. If it is determined in S216 that at least one of the leading vehicle Af and the trailing vehicle Ab has protruded outside the host vehicle's lane Lns (see FIG. 11), the process proceeds to S217. In S217, the setting change unit 78 sets the traveling position of the host vehicle Am to approximately the center of the host vehicle's lane Lns, and continues autonomous traveling control.

[0090] If it is determined in S216 that neither the leading vehicle Af nor the trailing vehicle Ab has deviated from the host vehicle's lane Lns, the process proceeds to S218. In S218, the other vehicle recognition unit 73 determines the direction of departure of the leading vehicle Af and the trailing vehicle Ab. If it is determined in S218 that the leading vehicle Af and the trailing vehicle Ab have deviated in the same direction, the process proceeds to S219. In S219, the setting change unit 78 offsets the traveling position of the host vehicle Am in the same direction as the departure direction of the leading vehicle Af and the trailing vehicle Ab (see FIG. 9), and continues autonomous traveling control.

[0091] On the other hand, if it is determined in S218 that the leading vehicle Af and the trailing vehicle Ab have deviated in different directions, the process proceeds to S220. In S220, the setting change unit 78 controls the traveling position of the host vehicle Am to a position midway between the leading vehicle Af and the trailing vehicle Ab in the left-right direction (see FIG. 10), and continues the autonomous traveling control.

[0092] In the second embodiment described so far, when both the leading vehicle Af and the trailing vehicle Ab are deviating, the lateral position of the host vehicle Am in the host vehicle's lane Lns is changed depending on whether the left and right departures are in the same direction or different directions. This makes it possible to grasp the surrounding conditions necessary for autonomous driving control, thereby reducing the need to interrupt autonomous driving control. As a result, autonomous driving can be used for a longer period of time without the obligation to monitor the surroundings, ensuring the convenience of autonomous driving.

[0093] Additionally, in the second embodiment, when the leading vehicle Af and the trailing vehicle Ab deviate in the same direction, the setting change unit 78 shifts the traveling position of the host vehicle Am in the host vehicle lane Lns in the same direction as the departure direction of the leading vehicle Af and the trailing vehicle Ab. In this way, by controlling the host vehicle Am to be offset in the same direction as the surrounding vehicles in front and behind, it is possible to reduce discomfort felt by occupants such as the driver.

[0094] In the second embodiment, when the leading vehicle Af and the trailing vehicle Ab deviate in different directions, the setting change unit 78 adjusts the traveling position of the host vehicle Am in the host vehicle lane Lns to a position midway between the leading vehicle Af and the trailing vehicle Ab in the left-right direction. This position adjustment makes it easier to grasp information about the left and right lane markings BL1 and BL2 by combining information acquired from the front and rear of the host vehicle Am. As a result, the autonomous driving control is less likely to be interrupted, which may improve the convenience of automated driving.

[0095] Furthermore, in the second embodiment, if at least one of the front vehicle Af and the rear vehicle Ab deviates from the host vehicle lane Lns, the setting change unit 78 stops changing the driving position of the host vehicle Am. A nearby vehicle that deviates from the host vehicle lane Lns may be a vehicle that is currently changing lanes. Therefore, by early excluding a nearby vehicle that is currently changing lanes from targets used for adjusting the driving position, large changes in the driving position are suppressed. As a result, driving under autonomous driving control becomes smoother, which may improve the convenience of automated driving.

[0096] (Other embodiments) Although several embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure should not be construed as being limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be applied to various embodiments and combinations within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present disclosure.

[0097] In Modification 1 of the second embodiment, in a third departure scenario Sn3 (see FIG. 13 ) in which the preceding and following vehicles depart in the same direction, position adjustment control is implemented to shift the traveling position of the host vehicle Am in the host vehicle lane Lns to the left or right in the direction opposite to the departure direction of each of the surrounding vehicles. For example, if the leading vehicle Af and the trailing vehicle Ab are both deviating to the left, the host vehicle Am continues traveling under autonomous traveling control while being offset to the right in the host vehicle lane Lns. In Modification 1, by performing control to offset the host vehicle Am in the opposite direction to the departure direction of the leading and following vehicles, the surrounding vehicles are less likely to interfere with the detection of the lane markings BL1 and BL2. As a result, the host vehicle can continue traveling under autonomous traveling control for a longer period of time.

[0098] In the second modification of the first embodiment, the interruption avoidance control of the departure response processing implements travel control that is substantially the same as the position adjustment control of the second embodiment. More specifically, if it is determined that both the front and rear surrounding vehicles have departed (see S14: YES in FIG. 8), the same processing as S216 to S220 of the second embodiment is implemented. Then, after the travel position of the host vehicle Am is adjusted, the control switching unit 77 re-determines whether or not to continue (see S19 in FIG. 8). As described above, the interruption avoidance control may be an adjustment that offsets the travel position of the host vehicle Am to the left or right.

[0099] Furthermore, in the third modification of the above embodiment, even in a departure scene in which only one of the leading vehicle Af and the trailing vehicle Ab deviates, the interruption avoidance control or the position adjustment control accompanied by an offset in the left and right direction is performed.

[0100] In a fourth modification of the above embodiment, in a third departure scene Sn3 in which the front and rear peripheral vehicles depart in different left and right directions, the traveling position of the host vehicle Am is adjusted to a direction opposite to the departure direction of the forward vehicle Af. Also, in a fifth modification of the above embodiment, in a third departure scene Sn3 in which the front and rear peripheral vehicles depart in different left and right directions, the traveling position of the host vehicle Am is adjusted to the same direction as the forward vehicle Af.

[0101] The setting change unit 78 of the sixth modified example of the above embodiment can continue autonomous driving control with only information on one of the left and right lane markings BL1, BL2. The other vehicle recognition unit 73 of the seventh modified example of the above embodiment determines whether a nearby vehicle traveling in an adjacent lane has deviated. The setting change unit 78 of the seventh modified example adjusts the driving position of the host vehicle Am so as to move away from the nearby vehicle that has deviated from the adjacent lane.

[0102] In the eighth modification of the above embodiment, deviation of the surrounding vehicle in the left-right direction is detected, but deviation of the surrounding vehicle in the front-rear direction is not detected. In contrast, in the ninth modification of the above embodiment, deviation of the surrounding vehicle in the front-rear direction is detected, but deviation of the surrounding vehicle in the front-rear direction is not detected. As in the eighth and ninth modifications, the deviation of the surrounding vehicle to be detected may be in only one of the front-rear direction or the left-right direction.

[0103] The departure response processing of the above embodiment may be implemented only during the period of automated driving at congestion level 3, or may be implemented during both the automated driving periods at congestion level 3 and area level 3.

[0104] The manner of the deviation occurrence notification and the control change notification in the above embodiment may be changed as appropriate. As an example, the presentation control unit 88 may use a display device other than the meter display 21 and the ambient light 25 for the deviation occurrence notification and the control change notification. For example, a virtual image display by the HUD 23 may be used for the control change notification. Furthermore, the display color, display size, display brightness, and the presence or absence of animation and blinking of the content used for the deviation occurrence notification and the control change notification may be changed as appropriate. In addition, the playback of a voice message may be implemented as the deviation occurrence notification and the control change notification.

[0105] In a tenth modification of the above embodiment, the functions of the driving assistance ECU 50a and the autonomous driving ECU 50b are provided by a single autonomous driving ECU. That is, the autonomous driving ECU 50b of the tenth modification is equipped with the functions of the driving assistance ECU 50a. In this tenth modification, the integrated autonomous driving ECU corresponds to the "autonomous driving control device." Furthermore, the autonomous driving ECU may further be equipped with the functions of the HCU 100. In this embodiment, the presentation control unit 88 corresponds to the "notification control unit."

[0106] In the above embodiments, the functions provided by the driving assistance ECU, autonomous driving ECU, and HCU can be provided by software and hardware that executes the software, software alone, hardware alone, or a combination of these. Furthermore, when such functions are provided by electronic circuits as hardware, the functions can also be provided by digital circuits including multiple logic circuits or analog circuits.

[0107] Each processing unit in the above embodiments is hardware for arithmetic processing coupled to a RAM. The processing unit includes at least one arithmetic core, such as a central processing unit (CPU) and a graphics processing unit (GPU). The processing unit may further include a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a neural network processing unit (NPU), and an IP core with other dedicated functions. Such processing units may be individually mounted on a printed circuit board, or may be mounted on an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an FPGA, or the like.

[0108] The form of the storage medium (non-transitory tangible storage medium) that stores various programs and the like may also be changed as appropriate. Such storage media are not limited to being mounted on a circuit board, but may be provided in the form of a memory card or the like, inserted into a slot, and electrically connected to a control circuit such as an autonomous driving ECU or HCU. Furthermore, the storage medium may be an optical disk or hard disk drive, from which programs are copied to the autonomous driving ECU or HCU.

[0109] Vehicles equipped with the above-described autonomous driving system and HMI system are not limited to ordinary private passenger cars, but may also be rental cars, manned taxis, ride-sharing vehicles, freight vehicles, buses, etc. Furthermore, vehicles equipped with the autonomous driving system and HMI system may be right-hand drive vehicles or left-hand drive vehicles. Furthermore, the traffic environment in which the vehicle travels may be one based on left-hand traffic or one based on right-hand traffic. The information presentation control and autonomous driving control according to the present disclosure may be optimized as appropriate according to the road traffic laws of each country and region, as well as the position of the vehicle's steering wheel.

[0110] The controller and methods described herein may be implemented by a special-purpose computer comprising a processor programmed to perform one or more functions embodied in a computer program. Alternatively, the apparatus and methods described herein may be implemented by special-purpose hardware logic circuitry. Alternatively, the apparatus and methods described herein may be implemented by one or more special-purpose computers comprising a processor executing a computer program in combination with one or more hardware logic circuits. Furthermore, the computer program may be stored as instructions executed by a computer on a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium. The technical ideas that can be understood from the embodiments and modifications described above will be described below as supplementary notes. (Appendix 1-1) An automatic driving control device that can drive a vehicle (Am) by autonomous driving control without the driver having to monitor the surroundings, a lane marking recognition unit (72) that recognizes left and right lane markings (BL1, BL2) of the lane (Lns) in which the vehicle is traveling; a deviation determination unit (73) that determines deviation of a surrounding vehicle traveling in the own vehicle lane; a continuation determination unit (77) that, when the surrounding vehicle deviates while the host vehicle is traveling under the autonomous traveling control, determines whether or not the autonomous traveling control can be continued based on information about the lane markings; a control continuation unit (78) that continues the autonomous driving control based on the information on the lane markings when the autonomous driving control based on the information on the lane markings is possible; An automatic driving control device equipped with: (Appendix 1-12) An automatic driving control program that can drive a vehicle (Am) by autonomous driving control without the driver having to monitor the surroundings, The left and right lane markings (BL1, BL2) of the lane (Lns) in which the vehicle is traveling are recognized (S11). Determining deviation of a surrounding vehicle traveling in the lane of the own vehicle (S12); When the surrounding vehicle deviates while the host vehicle is traveling under the autonomous traveling control, it is determined whether or not the autonomous traveling control can be continued based on the information on the lane markings (S14, S19); If it is possible to continue the autonomous driving control based on the information on the lane markings, continue the autonomous driving control based on the information on the lane markings (S21). An automatic driving control program that causes at least one processing unit (51) to execute processing including the above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0111] Am: host vehicle, Lns: host vehicle lane, BL1, BL2: lane markings, 50b: autonomous driving ECU (autonomous driving control device), 51: processing unit, 61: information linking unit (notification control unit), 72: lane recognition unit (lane marking recognition unit), 73: other vehicle recognition unit (deviation determination unit), 77: control switching unit (continuation determination unit), 78: setting change unit (control continuation unit)

Claims

1. An automatic driving control device capable of driving a vehicle (Am) by autonomous driving control without requiring a driver to monitor the surroundings, a lane marking recognition unit (72) that recognizes left and right lane markings (BL1, BL2) of the lane (Lns) in which the vehicle is traveling; a deviation determination unit (73) that determines deviation of a surrounding vehicle traveling in the own vehicle lane; a continuation determination unit (77) that, when the surrounding vehicle deviates while the host vehicle is traveling under the autonomous traveling control, determines whether or not the autonomous traveling control can be continued based on information about the lane markings; a control continuation unit (78) that continues the autonomous driving control based on the information on the lane markings when the autonomous driving control based on the information on the lane markings is possible, The control continuation unit is an automatic driving control device that controls the host vehicle to increase the distance between the host vehicle and the surrounding vehicles in front when both the surrounding vehicles traveling in front and behind the host vehicle are deviating.

2. The automatic driving control device according to claim 1, wherein the control continuation unit controls the host vehicle to widen the gap between the host vehicle and one of the surrounding vehicles that is deviating when only one of the surrounding vehicles traveling in front of or behind the host vehicle is deviating.

3. The automatic driving control device according to claim 2, wherein the control continuation unit controls the host vehicle to increase the distance between the host vehicle and the surrounding vehicle ahead when the surrounding vehicle ahead of the host vehicle deviates.

4. The automatic driving control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a notification control unit (61) that issues a notification indicating a deviation of the surrounding vehicle and a notification indicating a change in the driving position of the vehicle due to the deviation of the surrounding vehicle.

5. The automatic driving control device according to claim 4, wherein the notification control unit issues a notification indicating the approach of the surrounding vehicle behind the host vehicle when the surrounding vehicle traveling behind the host vehicle deviates in a direction approaching the host vehicle.

6. An automatic driving control program that can drive a vehicle (Am) by autonomous driving control without requiring a driver to monitor the surroundings, The left and right lane markings (BL1, BL2) of the lane (Lns) in which the vehicle is traveling are recognized (S11). A deviation of a surrounding vehicle traveling in the own vehicle lane is determined (S12); When the surrounding vehicle deviates while the host vehicle is traveling under the autonomous traveling control, it is determined whether or not the autonomous traveling control can be continued based on the information on the lane markings (S14, S19). If the surrounding vehicles traveling in front and behind the host vehicle are both deviating, the host vehicle is controlled to widen the gap between the surrounding vehicles ahead and the host vehicle (S18). If it is possible to continue the autonomous driving control based on the information about the lane markings, the autonomous driving control is continued based on the information about the lane markings (S21). An automatic driving control program that causes at least one processing unit (51) to execute processing including the above.

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