Autonomous driving assistance device, control method, program, and storage medium

Abstract

To provide an automatic driving support device capable of suitably determining a function and a degree of executable automatic driving.SOLUTION: A driving support device 1 performs automatic driving based on output of a sensor part 13 which acquires information around a vehicle or information on a state of the vehicle, and stores an automatic driving determination table Tj based on automatic driving correspondence information 24, etc. Then, the driving support device 1 refers to the automatic driving determination table Tj to determine a set of an automatic driving function Fc and an automated level Lv executable in a predetermined road section based on sensor information 23 regarding the sensor part 13 and road element information Ie regarding a road in the above predetermined road section.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to automated driving technology. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, so-called autonomous driving technologies for automatically controlling the driving of a vehicle have been known. When autonomous driving is performed, it is necessary to recognize information about the surroundings of the vehicle, such as white lines and vehicles ahead, using external sensors such as cameras, and to grasp the attitude and state of the vehicle using internal sensors such as acceleration sensors and gyros. Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for recognizing lanes and stationary targets while the vehicle is traveling, based on images from a camera installed in the vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-093018 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Even if a vehicle itself is equipped with sensors for autonomous driving, autonomous driving using the sensors cannot be performed in places where there are no "objects" that the sensors are meant to recognize, or in situations where they cannot be detected even if they exist. For example, in road sections where there are no white lines, autonomous driving that uses white line information to control the vehicle cannot be performed. Furthermore, the type and accuracy of sensors required vary depending on the autonomous driving function and level. Therefore, the executable autonomous driving function and level differ for each vehicle. Patent Document 1 does not disclose any of these problems.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its main purpose is to provide an autonomous driving assistance device that can appropriately determine the functions and degree of autonomous driving that can be performed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The claimed invention is a first acquisition unit that acquires or stores sensor information related to a sensor that acquires information about the surroundings of the vehicle; a second acquisition unit that acquires road information related to roads; Based on the sensor information and the road information, functions related to autonomous driving that the vehicle can achieve and the functions during autonomous driving The automation level that the vehicle can achieve among the multiple automation levels and a determination unit that determines whether Equipped with R This is an automatic driving assistance device characterized by the above.

[0008] The claimed invention also includes: Multiple autonomous driving functions that the vehicle can perform and the function of Multiple Automation Levels Regarding Autonomous driving compatible a first acquisition unit that acquires or stores information; a second acquisition unit that acquires road information related to roads; The aforementioned Autonomous driving compatible Based on the information and the road information, for each function of autonomous driving, functions related to the autonomous driving that the vehicle can achieve are calculated. automation level A determination unit that determines The automatic driving assistance device is characterized by comprising:

[0009] The claimed invention also includes: A control method executed by an automatic driving assistance device, a first acquisition step of acquiring or storing sensor information related to a sensor that acquires information about the surroundings of the vehicle; a second acquisition step of acquiring road information relating to roads; Based on the sensor information and the road information, functions related to autonomous driving that the vehicle can achieve and the functions during autonomous driving The automation level that the vehicle can achieve among the multiple automation levels and a determination step of determining whether The present invention is characterized by having the following.

[0010] The claimed invention also includes: A computer-executable program, a first acquisition unit that acquires or stores sensor information related to a sensor that acquires information about the surroundings of the vehicle; a second acquisition unit that acquires road information related to roads; Based on the sensor information and the road information, functions related to autonomous driving that the vehicle can achieve and the functions during autonomous driving The automation level that the vehicle can achieve among the multiple automation levels A determination unit that determines The present invention is characterized in that the computer functions as follows. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a schematic configuration of an autonomous driving system. [Figure 2] 1 shows a block diagram of a driving assistance device. [Figure 3] 10 is an example of the data structure of a driving section conversion table and an automatic driving data element table. [Figure 4] Specific examples of an autonomous driving judgment table and autonomous driving data elements are shown below. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart of a route search process. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart of an automatic driving process. [Figure 7] 10 is an example of a display of a driving assistance device. [Figure 8] 10 is a display example of a route selection screen. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the autonomous driving assistance device includes a first acquisition unit that acquires or stores first information regarding a surrounding information acquisition unit that acquires information regarding the surroundings of the vehicle or information regarding the state of the vehicle, a second acquisition unit that acquires second information regarding roads in a specified section, and a determination unit that determines the degree of the autonomous driving function that the vehicle can achieve in the specified section for each autonomous driving function based on the first information and the second information.

[0013] In the present invention, "autonomous driving" refers not only to "fully autonomous driving," in which the driver does not intervene in driving operations at all under any circumstances, but also to "temporary autonomous driving," in which the driver does not need to perform driving operations only when certain environmental and / or conditions are met. Furthermore, in the present invention, "autonomous driving" also refers to "partially autonomous driving" (driving assistance function) in which, even when the driver performs driving operations, the system automatically controls part of the driving (e.g., vehicle steering) for the purpose of reducing the driver's driving burden or maintaining the vehicle's driving stability. With this aspect, the autonomous driving assistance device can appropriately determine the degree of autonomous driving functionality that can be realized in a specified section for each autonomous driving function based on the first information regarding the surrounding information acquisition unit and the second information regarding the road.

[0014] In one aspect of the above-described automated driving assistance device, the determination unit makes the determination based on table information indicating conditions related to the second information for each level of the function. With this aspect, the automated driving assistance device can accurately determine the level of automated driving functionality that can be realized in a predetermined section.

[0015] In another aspect of the autonomous driving assistance device, the determination unit determines the degree of the autonomous driving functions that the vehicle can achieve in the predetermined section from among the plurality of autonomous driving functions. With this aspect, the autonomous driving assistance device can preferably determine the functions and the degree that can be achieved in the predetermined section from among the plurality of autonomous driving functions.

[0016] In another aspect of the above-described automated driving assistance device, the automated driving assistance device includes an automated driving control unit that performs automated driving of the vehicle based on surrounding information acquired by the surrounding information acquisition unit, and the second information is information about an object detected by the surrounding information acquisition unit for performing the automated driving. Generally, automated driving cannot be performed on a road where there are no objects for automated driving. Therefore, in this aspect, the automated driving assistance device can preferably determine the degree of automated driving functionality that can be realized in a predetermined section.

[0017] In another aspect of the above-mentioned autonomous driving assistance device, the autonomous driving assistance device includes an autonomous driving control unit that performs autonomous driving of the vehicle based on the peripheral information acquired by the peripheral information acquisition unit, the second acquisition unit acquires the second information for a section corresponding to the current location of the vehicle, the determination unit determines the degree of autonomous driving functionality that the vehicle can achieve in the section corresponding to the current location, and the autonomous driving control unit determines the functions and degree of autonomous driving to be performed in the section corresponding to the current location based on the determination result by the determination unit. With this aspect, the autonomous driving assistance device can determine the functions and degree of autonomous driving that can be performed in the section in which the vehicle is currently traveling and perform autonomous driving.

[0018] According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, an automated driving assistance device includes a first acquisition unit that acquires or stores first information related to the type or performance of a surrounding information acquisition unit that acquires information about the vehicle's surroundings, a second acquisition unit that acquires second information related to roads in a predetermined section, and a determination unit that determines the level of automated driving functionality that the vehicle can achieve in the predetermined section based on the first information and the second information. Generally, the automated driving functionality and level that can be achieved vary depending on the type and performance of the surrounding information acquisition unit. Therefore, in this aspect, the automated driving assistance device can preferably determine the level of automated driving functionality that can be achieved in the predetermined section based on the first information and the second information.

[0019] In another aspect of the above-mentioned autonomous driving assistance device, the autonomous driving assistance device further includes a route search unit that searches for candidate routes to a destination specified by an external input, and a recommended route determination unit that selects a recommended route from the candidate routes, wherein the second acquisition unit acquires second information corresponding to each section included in the candidate routes, the determination unit determines the level of autonomous driving functionality that the vehicle can achieve in each section included in the candidate routes, and the recommended route determination unit selects the recommended route based on the determination result by the determination unit. This aspect allows the autonomous driving assistance device to suitably select a recommended route taking into account the level of autonomous driving functionality in each section.

[0020] According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, an automated driving assistance device includes a first acquisition unit that acquires or stores first information regarding the degree of automated driving functionality that a vehicle can implement, a second acquisition unit that acquires second information regarding roads in a predetermined section, and a determination unit that determines, for each automated driving function, the degree of the automated driving functionality that the vehicle can implement in the predetermined section based on the first information and the second information. With this aspect, the automated driving assistance device can take into account the degree of automated driving functionality that the vehicle can implement and preferably determine, for each automated driving function, the degree of automated driving functionality that the vehicle can implement in the predetermined section.

[0021] According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a control method executed by an automated driving assistance device, the control method including a determination step of determining, for each automated driving function, the degree of automated driving function that the vehicle can achieve in a predetermined section, based on first information related to a surrounding information acquisition unit that acquires information related to the surroundings of the vehicle or information related to the state of the vehicle, and second information related to roads in the predetermined section. By executing this control method, the automated driving assistance device can preferably determine, for each automated driving function, the degree of automated driving function that the vehicle can achieve in the predetermined section.

[0022] According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a program executed by a computer, which causes the computer to function as a determination unit that determines, for each autonomous driving function, the degree of autonomous driving functionality that the vehicle can achieve in a predetermined section, based on first information about a surrounding information acquisition unit that acquires information about the vehicle's surroundings or the vehicle's state, and second information about roads in the predetermined section. By executing this program, the computer can preferably determine, for each autonomous driving function, the degree of autonomous driving functionality that can be achieved in the predetermined section. Preferably, the program is stored in a storage medium. [Example]

[0023] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

[0024] [Autonomous Driving System Overview] 1 shows a schematic configuration of an autonomous driving system according to this embodiment. The autonomous driving system includes a driving assistance device 1 that travels with each vehicle, and a server device 2 that communicates with each driving assistance device 1 via a network 9. The autonomous driving system causes the driving assistance device 1 to optimally perform route search taking into account the feasibility of executing each function related to autonomous driving, and autonomous driving according to road conditions during travel.

[0025] The driving assistance device 1 is a stationary driving assistance device or a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, and acquires map data "D1" for an area in accordance with the area to which the vehicle belongs from a delivery map DB 21 of the server device 2 and stores the data as a partial map DB 20. The driving assistance device 1 then refers to the partial map DB 20 to search for a route to a destination set by the user, provide guidance based on the set route, and so on.

[0026] Furthermore, the driving assistance device 1 performs automated driving, performing some or all driving operations semi-automatically or fully automatically, based on the output of sensors 13, which are composed of cameras and the like. Here, the driving assistance device 1 determines whether automated driving can be performed for each driving function to be automated (also referred to as "automated driving function Fc"). Each automated driving function Fc is specified with a level (also referred to as "automation level Lv") according to the degree of automation, and the driving assistance device 1 determines the executable automation level Lv for each automated driving function Fc, and performs automated driving and route search based on the determination result. The driving assistance device 1 is an example of the "automated driving assistance device" in the present invention.

[0027] The automated driving function Fc includes, for example, a lane keeping function (LKA: Lane Keeping Assist), an automatic steering function, a speed adjustment function, etc. The automation level Lv is, for example, level 1 when only warnings and notifications are given, level 2 when driving related to the function is temporarily automated under certain conditions, and level 3 when driving related to the function is fully automated; the higher the level, the more advanced the functionality.

[0028] The server device 2 stores a delivery map DB 21, and in response to a request from a driving assistance device 1, extracts map data D1 from the delivery map DB 21 that corresponds to the area in which the requesting driving assistance device 1 is located, and transmits the map data D1.

[0029] [Block configuration] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the driving assistance device 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the driving assistance device 1 mainly includes a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, a sensor unit 13, an input unit 14, a control unit 15, and an output unit 16.

[0030] Under the control of the control unit 15, the communication unit 11 acquires map data D1 from the server device 2 and registers the acquired map data D1 in the partial map DB 20. In this case, for example, when the communication unit 11 is planning to enter or is approaching an area for which map data is not registered in the partial map DB 20, the communication unit 11 that acquires map data acquires map data D1 for the area by transmitting information specifying the area to the server device 2. Furthermore, under the control of the control unit 15, the communication unit 11 acquires weather information from a server device that distributes weather information, etc.

[0031] The memory unit 12 stores programs executed by the control unit 15 and information necessary for the control unit 15 to execute predetermined processes. In this embodiment, the memory unit 12 stores a partial map DB 20 including an autonomous driving data element table Te, sensor information 23, autonomous driving support information 24, a road section conversion table Tc, and an autonomous driving determination table Tj.

[0032] The sensor information 23 is information that indicates the type and performance of each sensor of the sensor unit 13. The sensor information 23 is, for example, information that associates a hardware ID, which is identification information for each sensor of the sensor unit 17, with type information and performance information of the sensor indicated by the hardware ID. The sensor information 23 is an example of "first information" in the present invention. The autonomous driving compatibility information 24 is information that indicates the autonomous driving function Fc that is compatible with the vehicle equipped with the driving assistance device 1 and its automation level Lv. The autonomous driving compatibility information 24 is incorporated into the autonomous driving determination table Tj, which will be described later. The autonomous driving compatibility information 24 is an example of "first information" in the present invention.

[0033] The autonomous driving data element table Te is a table that registers information about roads (also referred to as "road element information Ie") necessary to determine the automation level Lv of each autonomous driving function Fc that can be executed for each road section. The road sections mentioned above refer to unit sections that arbitrarily divide roads, and may correspond, for example, to links that represent roads on map data. The road section conversion table Tc is a table that specifies the latitude and longitude ranges corresponding to each road section and lane. The autonomous driving judgment table Tj is a table for determining the automation level Lv of each executable autonomous driving function Fc based on the road element information Ie and sensor information 23 that correspond to the road section that is the target of autonomous driving judgment. The data structures of the autonomous driving data element table Te, road section conversion table Tc, and autonomous driving judgment table Tj will be described later. The memory unit 12 is an example of a "first acquisition unit" in the present invention.

[0034] The sensor unit 13 is composed of internal sensors that detect the vehicle state and external sensors that recognize the vehicle's surrounding environment, and includes a camera 31, a LIDAR (Laser Illuminated Detection And Ranging) (or / and radar) 32, a GPS receiver 33, an acceleration sensor 34, and a speed sensor 35. The camera 31 generates color images that represent the external situation. The LIDAR 32 discretely measures the distance to an object in the external world and recognizes the position of the object as a three-dimensional point cloud. The GPS receiver 33 generates position information of latitude and longitude that represents the current vehicle position. The acceleration sensor 34 detects the acceleration of the vehicle. The speed sensor 35 detects the vehicle speed. The sensor unit 13 may also include an inertial measurement unit (IMU) or a gyro sensor that recognizes the vehicle's attitude (orientation, etc.) and corrects data acquired by other sensors. The sensor unit 13 may also include sensors that measure weather conditions, such as a rain sensor or a fog sensor. In this case, the control unit 15 determines the current weather conditions based on the output of the sensor unit 13 and generates weather information in addition to or instead of the weather information acquired from the communication unit 11. The sensor unit 13 is an example of the "surrounding information acquisition unit" in the present invention.

[0035] The input unit 14 may be a button, touch panel, remote controller, voice input device, or the like operated by a user, and may accept inputs such as those specifying a destination for route search and those specifying whether autonomous driving is on or off. The input unit 14 may also accept information regarding the driving ability of the person in the vehicle (e.g., whether the person has a driver's license, driving skills, etc.). The information accepted by the input unit 14 may be stored in the storage unit 12 under the control of the control unit 15. Instead of acquiring information regarding driving ability based on a user input to the input unit 14, the control unit 15 may perform personal authentication of the driver using authentication means and electronically acquire information regarding the driving ability associated with the authenticated user. In this case, for example, the control unit 15 acquires an ID or the like identifying the driver by biometric authentication or by reading a personal IC card, etc., and transmits a request signal specifying the ID acquired by biometric authentication, etc., via the communication unit 11 to a server device that manages information associated with individuals, such as driving operation history information and license acquisition information. The control unit 15 then receives, via the communication unit 11, information regarding the driving ability of the driver corresponding to the ID specified in the request signal from the server device. In this way, the control unit 15 may obtain information about driving ability electronically.

[0036] The control unit 15 includes a CPU that executes programs and controls the entire driving assistance device 1. In this embodiment, the control unit 15 executes a process (also referred to as a "route search process") to search for a recommended route that takes into account the automation level Lv of the autonomous driving function Fc that can be executed in each road section. The control unit 15 also executes a process (also referred to as an "autonomous driving process") to recognize the automation level Lv of the autonomous driving function Fc that can be executed in the road section on which the vehicle is traveling and perform autonomous driving according to the automation level Lv. The control unit 15 includes a route search unit 51, a candidate route section designation unit 52, a driving section determination unit 53, a road element information extraction unit 54, an autonomous driving function determination unit 55, a recommended route identification unit 56, and an autonomous driving control unit 57.

[0037] When a destination is input via the input unit 14, the route search unit 51 searches for candidates for a guidance route from the current location to the destination (also referred to as a "candidate route"). In this case, for example, the route search unit 51 searches for multiple candidate routes based on conditions other than conditions related to autonomous driving. The candidate route section designation unit 52 recognizes each road section belonging to the candidate route searched by the route search unit 51, and supplies identification information of the recognized road sections to the road element information extraction unit 54.

[0038] The driving section determination unit 53 recognizes the road section (also referred to as the "driving section") and lane (also referred to as the "driving lane") on which the vehicle is currently traveling from information indicating the current position (also referred to as the "current position information") recognized based on the output of the sensor unit 13 and information from the partial map DB 20, etc. Then, the driving section determination unit 53 supplies the recognized information on the driving section and driving lane to the road element information extraction unit 54.

[0039] The road element information extraction unit 54 refers to the autonomous driving data element table Te and extracts road element information Ie, etc. corresponding to the road sections of each candidate route specified by the candidate route section designation unit 52. Similarly, when the road element information extraction unit 54 receives information designating a driving section and a driving lane from the driving section determination unit 53, it extracts road element information Ie, etc. corresponding to the specified driving section and driving lane from the autonomous driving data element table Te. The road element information extraction unit 54 then transmits the extracted road element information Ie, etc. to the autonomous driving function determination unit 55. The road element information extraction unit 54 is an example of the "second acquisition unit" in the present invention, and the road element information Ie is an example of the "second information" in the present invention.

[0040] The autonomous driving function determination unit 55 refers to the autonomous driving determination table Tj and determines a pair of executable autonomous driving functions Fc and automation level Lv for each road section or driving section of the candidate route based on the road element information Ie received from the road element information extraction unit 54 and the type of sensor indicated by the sensor information 23. The autonomous driving function determination unit 55 may also determine at least one of the executable autonomous driving functions Fc or the automation level Lv of a predetermined autonomous driving function Fc for each road section or driving section of the candidate route. Depending on the data structure of the autonomous driving determination table Tj and the road element information Ie received from the road element information extraction unit 54, the autonomous driving function determination unit 55 may also determine a pair of executable autonomous driving functions Fc and automation level Lv for each lane corresponding to each road section or driving section of the candidate route (i.e., for each lane). The autonomous driving function determination unit 55 may also determine a pair of executable autonomous driving functions Fc and automation level Lv by further taking into consideration weather information indicating the weather in each road section or driving section of the corresponding candidate route. In this case, for example, when bad weather is predicted, the automation level Lv may be determined to be lower than when good weather is predicted. This is because, in general, when bad weather occurs, it is expected that automated driving will be more difficult than when the weather is good due to factors such as reduced detection accuracy of sensors used for automated driving. Furthermore, when each road section or driving section of the corresponding candidate route is a lane reserved for automated vehicles, the automated driving function determination unit 55 may determine the automation level Lv to be higher than when each road section or driving section of the corresponding candidate route is not a lane reserved for automated vehicles.

[0041] Furthermore, when the autonomous driving function determination unit 55 receives information about the driving ability of the passenger (driver) via the input unit 14, it may further consider the information about the driving ability to determine a set of executable autonomous driving functions Fc and automation level Lv. For example, if the passenger's driving ability is low, it may prohibit control at automation level Lv of level 3 or lower, and only allow control at automation level Lv of level 4 to be executed. The autonomous driving function determination unit 55 then supplies the determination results regarding the autonomous driving functions Fc and automation level Lv that can be executed for each road section of the candidate route to the recommended route identification unit 56. The autonomous driving function determination unit 55 also supplies the determination results of the automation level Lv that can be executed for each autonomous driving function Fc for the driving section to the autonomous driving control unit 57. The autonomous driving function determination unit 55 is an example of the "determination unit" in the present invention.

[0042] The recommended route identification unit 56 determines a recommended route to be presented to the user based on the determination result of the automation level Lv for each road section of the candidate route by the autonomous driving function determination unit 55. In this case, the recommended route identification unit 56 may, for example, set the candidate route with the highest average number of executable autonomous driving functions Fc as the recommended route among the candidate routes. In another example, the recommended route identification unit 56 may set the candidate route with the highest average automation level Lv of the autonomous driving functions Fc specified by the user via the input unit 14 as the recommended route among the candidate routes. Then, the recommended route identification unit 56 causes the output unit 16 to display information about the set recommended route.

[0043] The autonomous driving control unit 57 performs autonomous driving of the vehicle based on the set route and using the output information of the sensor unit 13. In this embodiment, the autonomous driving control unit 57 determines the autonomous driving functions Fc that can be executed in the current driving section and the corresponding automation level Lv based on the determination result by the autonomous driving function determination unit 55. Then, the recommended route identification unit 56 executes, for example, the executable autonomous driving functions Fc at the highest level among the executable automation levels Lv.

[0044] The output unit 16 is, for example, a display, a speaker, or the like, and outputs information necessary for route guidance to the set destination. The output unit 16 also displays the recommended route identified by the recommended route identification unit 56. When an input to start guidance along the recommended route displayed by the output unit 16 is made to the input unit 14, the driving assistance device 1 starts automatic driving along the recommended route.

[0045] [Data Structure] Fig. 3(A) shows an example of the data structure of the road section conversion table Tc. In the road section conversion table Tc shown in Fig. 3(A), at least current position information, road section information indicating the road section located at the position indicated by the current position information, and lane information indicating the lane located at the position indicated by the current position information are associated with each other. The driving section determination unit 53 refers to the road section conversion table Tc shown in Fig. 3(A) to recognize the driving section and driving lane in which the vehicle is located based on the current position information indicating the current position acquired from the sensor unit 13, the partial map DB 20, etc.

[0046] 3(B) shows an example of the data structure of the autonomous driving data element table Te. The autonomous driving data element table Te shown in FIG. 3(B) associates at least road section information, lane information, road element information Ie, and road attribute information (described later). Here, the road attribute information is information indicating the road condition of the corresponding road section, and includes, for example, information such as the elevation difference, average bank angle, and road surface condition (gravel road, paved road, etc.) of the road section. The road element information extraction unit 54 references the autonomous driving data element table Te shown in FIG. 3(B) to extract the road element information Ie and road attribute information, etc., corresponding to the road section specified by the candidate route section designation unit 52 or the driving section determination unit 53.

[0047] Fig. 3(C) shows an example of the data structure of road element information Ie associated with a certain road section. The road element information Ie shown in Fig. 3(C) has a "category" item indicating the classification of road information used to determine whether autonomous driving is possible, a "subcategory" item that further classifies each category, a "presence / absence" item indicating the presence or absence of information or objects indicated by the subcategory, and an "attribute information" item indicating detailed information about the information or objects indicated by the subcategory. Note that, for ease of explanation, some of the "attribute information" items shown in Fig. 3(C) are examples of types of information that can be registered in the attribute information, but in reality, specific information that identifies the example types is registered.

[0048] In the example of Figure 3(C), the category "Paint Information" has four subcategories: "Center Line," "Shoulder Line," "Text, Graphics, and Arrow," and "Crosswalk." The target road section has a center line and a shoulder line. In this case, the road element information Ie includes attribute information such as color, line type, and width for the center line and shoulder line in the target road section. Similarly, the category "Lane Information" has seven subcategories, of which only information on the number of lanes is present in the target road section. In this case, the road element information Ie includes information on the number of lanes as attribute information for the subcategory "Number of Lanes." The category "Landmark Information" has four subcategories, of which information on utility poles and road signs is present in the target road section. In this case, the road element information Ie includes attribute information for the subcategory "Utility Poles," such as the location, height, width, and average spacing of utility poles, and attribute information for the subcategory "Road Signs" that indicates the type of road sign. In addition, the "center line," "shoulder line," "letters, shapes, arrows," "crosswalk," "electric pole," "guardrail," "road sign," and "traffic signal" in Figure 3(C) are examples of "objects" in the present invention.

[0049] FIG. 4(A) shows an example of the data structure of the autonomous driving determination table Tj. In the autonomous driving determination table Tj shown in FIG. 4(A), the items "Vehicle compatibility," "Sensor used," and "Application conditions" are associated with each automation level Lv of the autonomous driving function Fc. Here, the "Vehicle compatibility" item is an item generated based on the autonomous driving compatibility information 24, and indicates whether the vehicle equipped with the driving assistance device 1 is compatible with each combination of the autonomous driving function Fc and the automation level Lv. Furthermore, the "Sensor used" item indicates the sensor used when executing the corresponding combination of the autonomous driving function Fc and the automation level Lv. The "Application conditions" item indicates the conditions related to the road element information Ie required to execute the corresponding combination of the autonomous driving function Fc and the automation level Lv. In the "Application conditions" item in FIG. 4(A), for ease of explanation, the conditions related to the road element information Ie are abstracted and represented by alphabets (here, A to D). In addition, in Figure 4(A), the autonomous driving function Fc is defined as function α, which has three automation levels Lv, and function β, which has two automation levels Lv, and in this example, it is shown that the vehicle of the driving assistance device 1 is compatible with all levels of function α and level 2 of function β.

[0050] Here, we will explain a specific example in which the autonomous driving function determination unit 55 determines whether or not the automation level Lv of each autonomous driving function Fc can be executed by referring to the autonomous driving determination table Tj shown in Figure 4(A). Figure 4(B) shows an autonomous driving data element table Te that abstracts the road element information Ie, similar to Figure 4(A). In the example of Figure 4(B), there are four subcategories of the road element information Ie, A to D, and the presence or absence of correspondence for each subcategory (i.e., the information for the item "Presence / Absence" in Figure 3(C)) is represented by "○" or "×".

[0051] For example, when targeting lane 1 of road section A, the autonomous driving function determination unit 55 references the autonomous driving data element table Te and recognizes that, among the road element information Ie, subcategories A, B, and D are present, but subcategory C is not present. Therefore, the autonomous driving function determination unit 55 references the autonomous driving determination table Tj in FIG. 4(A) and determines that levels 1 and 2 of function α and level 1 of function β satisfy the application conditions. Furthermore, the autonomous driving function determination unit 55 recognizes from the sensor information 23 that the sensor unit 13 has a camera 31 and a lidar 32, and determines that the vehicle has sensors capable of executing levels 1 and 2 of function α and level 1 of function β. Meanwhile, the autonomous driving function determination unit 55 determines that level 1 of function β cannot be executed because the vehicle does not support level 1 of function β. Therefore, the autonomous driving function determination unit 55 determines that levels 1 and 2 of function α are executable on lane 1 of road section A. Therefore, when traveling on lane 1 of road section A, the automatic driving control unit 57 executes, for example, level 2 of function α, which has a high degree of automation.

[0052] As another example, when targeting lane 2 in road section A, the autonomous driving function determination unit 55 references the autonomous driving data element table Te and recognizes that, in the road element information Ie, subcategories A and D are present, but subcategories B and C are not. Therefore, the autonomous driving function determination unit 55 references the autonomous driving determination table Tj in FIG. 4(A) and determines that level 1 of function α and level 1 of function β satisfy the application conditions. Furthermore, since the autonomous driving function determination unit 55 has a camera 31 and a lidar 32 as the sensor unit 13, it determines that the vehicle has sensors capable of executing level 1 of function α and level 1 of function β. On the other hand, since the vehicle does not support level 1 of function β, it determines that level 1 of function β cannot be executed. Therefore, the autonomous driving function determination unit 55 determines that level 1 of function α is executable in lane 1 in road section A. Therefore, when traveling on lane 1 in road section A, the autonomous driving control unit 57 executes level 1 of function α.

[0053] When determining whether the autonomous driving function is available for each road section of a candidate route, only the road section is specified without specifying lanes. In this case, for example, the autonomous driving function determination unit 55 may determine a recommended route by considering any lanes from among the passable lanes in each road section of the candidate route as lanes that would be passed when using the target candidate route. In another example, the autonomous driving function determination unit 55 may select a recommended route by considering, among the passable lanes in the target road section, the lane with the most available autonomous driving functions Fc or the lane with the highest automation level Lv of the available autonomous driving functions Fc as the lane that would be passed when using the target candidate route.

[0054] [Processing flow] (1) Route search processing FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the route search process executed by the driving assistance device 1.

[0055] First, the driving assistance device 1 receives an input specifying a destination via the input unit 14 (step S101). Then, the route search unit 51 of the driving assistance device 1 searches for candidate routes to the input destination (step S102). In this case, the route search unit 51 searches for a predetermined number of candidate routes, taking into account general conditions (e.g., distance, toll, etc.) other than the conditions related to whether autonomous driving is possible. Then, the road element information extraction unit 54 obtains road element information Ie corresponding to each road section of the candidate routes searched by the route search unit 51 by extracting it from the autonomous driving data element table Te (step S103).

[0056] Next, the autonomous driving function determination unit 55 refers to the road element information Ie acquired by the road element information extraction unit 54, the sensor information 23, and the autonomous driving determination table Tj stored in the memory unit 12, and recognizes the combination of autonomous driving function Fc and automation level Lv that can be executed for each road section of the candidate route (step S104).

[0057] Then, based on the determination result in step S104, the recommended route identification unit 56 selects a recommended route to be presented to the user from the candidate routes and presents the recommended route to the user via the output unit 16 (step S105). In this case, for example, the recommended route identification unit 56 selects, as the recommended route, a candidate route consisting of road sections with many executable autonomous driving functions Fc or with a high automation level Lv of the autonomous driving functions Fc to be executed. Thereafter, based on user input, the driving assistance device 1 sets the recommended route as a guide route to the destination and starts autonomous driving based on the guide route. This allows the driving assistance device 1 to preferentially guide the user to routes that place less strain on the user's driving operations.

[0058] (2) Autonomous driving processing FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the automatic driving process executed by the driving assistance device 1.

[0059] First, the driving section determination unit 53 recognizes the driving section and driving lane in which the vehicle is traveling by referring to the road section conversion table Tc from the current position information obtained by the sensor unit 13 and the partial map DB 20, etc. (step S201). Then, the road element information extraction unit 54 obtains road element information Ie corresponding to the driving section and lane identified in step S201 by extracting it from the autonomous driving data element table Te (step S202).

[0060] Next, the autonomous driving function determination unit 55 refers to the road element information Ie acquired by the road element information extraction unit 54, the sensor information 23, and the autonomous driving determination table Tj stored in the storage unit 12, and recognizes a pair of autonomous driving functions Fc and automation levels Lv that are executable for the driving section and lane currently being traveled (step S203).The autonomous driving control unit 57 then performs autonomous driving by executing the autonomous driving functions Fc determined to be executable in step S203 at the executable automation levels Lv (step S204).In this case, for example, if there are multiple executable autonomous driving functions Fc with different automation levels Lv, the autonomous driving control unit 57 may execute the autonomous driving function Fc at the highest automation level Lv.

[0061] As described above, the driving assistance device 1 according to this embodiment performs autonomous driving based on the output of the sensor unit 13, which acquires information about the vehicle's surroundings or the vehicle's state, and stores an autonomous driving determination table Tj based on autonomous driving support information 24, etc. The driving assistance device 1 then references the autonomous driving determination table Tj and determines a set of autonomous driving functions Fc and automation level Lv that the vehicle can achieve in the specified road section based on sensor information 23 related to the sensor unit 13 and road element information Ie related to the road in the specified road section. In this way, the driving assistance device 1 can appropriately recognize a set of autonomous driving functions Fc and automation level Lv that the vehicle can achieve for each road section.

[0062] [Display example] Next, a description will be given of a display example of the driving support device 1 in the embodiment. Fig. 7 shows an example of a display of the driving support device 1 after the guide route has been determined.

[0063] In the display example of FIG. 7, the destination accepted in S101 of the above-described route search process is point G, and the starting point in the route search (the current position or a point designated as the starting point, etc.) is S.

[0064] FIG. 7 also shows that the recommended route determined in S105 is roads L1, L2, L3, and L4. FIG. 7 also shows the automation level Lv at which the vehicle can operate on each road when the autonomous driving function Fc is function α. ​​The control unit 15 displays the roads L1 to L4 that make up the recommended route in a display mode that corresponds to the automation level Lv at which each road can operate. In FIG. 7, the automation level Lv at which roads L1 and L4 can operate is level 1, the automation level Lv at which road L3 can operate is level 2, and the automation level Lv at which road L2 can operate is level 3. The control unit 15 displays each of the roads L1 to L4 that make up the recommended route in a darker color as the automation level Lv at which each road can operate increases. Additionally, the control unit 15 may change the color of the roads or lanes that make up the recommended route depending on the automation level Lv. In other words, the control unit 15 may clearly indicate the automation level Lv of each road or lane that makes up the recommended route on the map so that an observer can visually recognize it.

[0065] 7, the control unit 15 displays the feasible automation level Lv in text form in speech bubbles 61 to 64 in association with each of the roads L1 to L4 that make up the recommended route. In addition, the control unit 15 provides an area 68 in the lower right corner that indicates which automation level Lv each color (intensity) corresponds to. The control unit 15 may display the speech bubbles 61 to 64 and the area 68 simultaneously, or may display either one of them.

[0066] Furthermore, the control unit 15 may be configured to allow the user to switch the autonomous driving function Fc for which the executable automation level Lv should be displayed. In the example of FIG. 7, the control unit 15 displays a display field 66 that displays the currently set autonomous driving function Fc (function α in FIG. 7) and a select box 65 that has a button 67 for selecting the autonomous driving function Fc to be set. In this case, for example, when the user selects button 67 in FIG. 7, the control unit 15 switches to the corresponding other autonomous driving function Fc. Then, the control unit 15 also switches the display of the automation level Lv of each of the roads L1 to L4 that make up the recommended route in accordance with the switched autonomous driving function Fc.

[0067] [Variations] Next, preferred modifications of the embodiment will be described. The following modifications may be applied to the above-described embodiment in any combination.

[0068] (Variation 1) 2 is an example, and the block configuration to which the present invention can be applied is not limited to this. For example, the server device 2 may determine the combination of the executable autonomous driving function Fc and the automation level Lv instead of the driving assistance device 1.

[0069] In this case, the server device 2 pre-stores an autonomous driving data element table Te and an autonomous driving determination table Tj that specifies conditions related to road element information Ie for each combination of autonomous driving function Fc and automation level Lv. The server device 2 also receives sensor information 23 and autonomous driving support information 24 from the driving assistance device 1. When the server device 2 receives a route search request specifying a destination from the driving assistance device 1, it searches for candidate routes. For each road section of each candidate route, the server device 2 determines a combination of an autonomous driving function Fc and automation level Lv that can be executed for the target road section based on the received sensor information 23 and autonomous driving support information 24, the road element information Ie corresponding to the target road section, and the autonomous driving determination table Tj. Based on the above-described determination result, the server device 2 determines a recommended route by performing processing similar to that of the recommended route identification unit 56 of the embodiment, and transmits information about the determined recommended route to the driving assistance device 1 that requested the route search. In this case, the driving assistance device 1 displays the recommended route based on the information received from the server device 2.

[0070] Furthermore, while the vehicle is traveling, the server device 2 receives location information indicating the current location from the driving assistance device 1, and determines the autonomous driving functions Fc and automation level Lv that the vehicle equipped with the driving assistance device 1 can execute for the road section and lane corresponding to the current location. The server device 2 then transmits information on the executable autonomous driving functions Fc and automation level Lv to the driving assistance device 1. In this case, the driving assistance device 1 executes the executable autonomous driving functions Fc at the executable automation level Lv based on the information received from the server device 2.

[0071] In this modified example, the server device 2 functions as the "autonomous driving assistance device" of the present invention, and the CPU of the server device 2 and the like function as the "first acquisition unit," "second acquisition unit," and "determination unit" of the present invention, and a computer that executes the program of the present invention.

[0072] The processing of the server device 2 in this modification may be executed by a server system consisting of multiple server devices. In this case, each server appropriately receives information necessary to execute a pre-assigned processing from other servers and executes the predetermined processing. In this case, the server system is an example of the "automated driving assistance device" of the present invention.

[0073] (Variation 2) The driving assistance device 1 may acquire and store the autonomous driving data element table Te separately from the partial map DB 20. In this case, the driving assistance device 1 may, for example, pre-store the autonomous driving data element table Te corresponding to all road sections, or may acquire the autonomous driving data element table Te from the server device 2 at a timing different from the timing at which the map data D1 is acquired from the server device 2.

[0074] (Variation 3) 4A, the autonomous driving determination table Tj specifies the types of sensors required to execute each automation level Lv of the autonomous driving function Fc in the "Sensor in Use" section. In addition, the autonomous driving determination table Tj may further specify the performance of the sensors required to execute each automation level Lv of the autonomous driving function Fc.

[0075] In this case, the autonomous driving determination table Tj has an item specifying the required performance information for each sensor specified in the "sensor used" item. For example, if a camera is registered in the "sensor used" item, information on the required camera performance (e.g., number of pixels, angle of view, etc.) is recorded in the item specifying the performance information. When determining whether the autonomous driving function Fc can be executed, the autonomous driving function determination unit 55 of the driving assistance device 1 determines a pair of executable autonomous driving function Fc and automation level Lv based on the performance information of each sensor unit 13 included in the sensor information 23.

[0076] (Variation 4) The driving assistance device 1 may display each candidate route in a different display mode for each road section so that the executable automated driving function Fc can be identified for each road section of each candidate route. Furthermore, the driving assistance device 1 may further change the display mode for each executable automation level Lv so that the executable automation level Lv can be identified. In this case, if there are multiple executable automation levels Lv, the driving assistance device 1 determines the display mode by, for example, adjusting it to the highest level among them. Then, the driving assistance device 1 sets one candidate route selected by the user from the displayed candidate routes as the guidance route and starts route guidance.

[0077] (Variation 5) Instead of receiving map data D1 corresponding to a portion of the delivery map DB 21, the driving assistance device 1 may receive and store all of the data in the delivery map DB 21 from the server device 2. In this case, the driving assistance device 1 may store the delivery map DB 21 at a predetermined time in advance, and receive only the data necessary for updating from the server device 2. In this case, the driving assistance device 1 queries the server device 2 at predetermined time intervals as to whether or not the stored map data needs to be updated, and downloads the data necessary for updating from the server device 2 as appropriate.

[0078] (Variation 6) Instead of recognizing the type of sensor equipped in the sensor unit 13 by referring to the sensor information 23, the autonomous driving function determination unit 55 may acquire information such as the type of sensor equipped in the sensor unit 13 by communicating with the sensor unit 13.

[0079] (Variation 7) In the embodiment, the autonomous driving compatibility information 24 was incorporated into the autonomous driving determination table Tj as an item of "vehicle type compatibility." Alternatively, the autonomous driving compatibility information 24 may not be incorporated into the autonomous driving determination table Tj. In this case, the driving assistance device 1 refers to the autonomous driving compatibility information 24 and recognizes a pair of autonomous driving function Fc and automation level Lv that the vehicle equipped with the driving assistance device 1 can support.

[0080] Furthermore, the autonomous driving determination table Tj does not have to include the fields "vehicle compatibility" and "sensor used." That is, the autonomous driving determination table Tj may preliminarily exclude pairs of autonomous driving functions Fc and automation levels Lv that are not compatible with the vehicle, and pairs of autonomous driving functions Fc and automation levels Lv that require sensors that the sensor unit 13 does not have. In this case, the autonomous driving determination table Tj is generated based on the sensor information 23 and the autonomous driving compatibility information 24, and specifies the application conditions for pairs of autonomous driving functions Fc and automation levels Lv whose executable status changes depending only on the road element information Ie.

[0081] (Variation 8) In step S105 of Figure 5, the control unit 15 may search for recommended routes for each autonomous driving level set based on a combination of executable autonomous driving function Fc and automation level Lv, and allow the user to select a recommended route to set as a guidance route from the recommended routes for each autonomous driving level.

[0082] Fig. 8 shows an example of the route selection screen displayed in step S105 of Fig. 5. In the display example of Fig. 8, similar to Fig. 7, the destination accepted in S101 of the above-described route search processing is point G, and the starting point in the route search (such as the current location or a point designated as the starting point) is S. In the example of Fig. 8, the control unit 15 searches for recommended routes 1 to 3 corresponding to the autonomous driving levels "high," "medium," and "low," respectively, and displays the recommended routes 1 to 3 on a map, while displaying detailed descriptions of each of the recommended routes 1 to 3, such as the travel distance, in a window 69. Then, when the control unit 15 detects that one of the recommended routes 1 to 3 has been selected by operating the input unit 14, such as a touch panel, the control unit 15 sets the selected recommended route as the guidance route.

[0083] In the example of FIG. 8, the control unit 15 considers a candidate route consisting of road sections that can be traveled when the function α of the autonomous driving function Fc is set to level "Z" as a candidate route with a "high" autonomous driving level, a candidate route consisting of road sections that can be traveled when the function α is set to level "X" (Z>X) as a candidate route with a "medium" autonomous driving level, and a candidate route consisting of road sections that can be traveled when the function β of the autonomous driving function Fc is set to level X as a candidate route with a "low" autonomous driving level. Note that the control unit 15 may store in advance a table or the like that indicates the combination of the autonomous driving function Fc and the automation level Lv that are requirements for certifying each autonomous driving level, and determine the autonomous driving level of each candidate route by referring to the table. Then, the control unit 15 selects the most recommended candidate route from among the candidate routes with a "high" autonomous driving level, taking into account other conditions such as the required time and driving distance, as the recommended route 1. Similarly, the control unit 15 selects recommended route 2 from the candidate routes with an autonomous driving level of "medium", and selects recommended route 3 from the candidate routes with an autonomous driving level of "low", and displays the selected recommended routes 1 to 3 on the screen so that they can be selected.

[0084] When displaying multiple recommended routes on the route selection screen, the control unit 15 may prioritize the display of a recommended route that has the best conditions that the user values. For example, when there is a setting or input to prioritize the autonomous driving level, the control unit 15 displays a route with an autonomous driving level of "high" and a driving distance of "201 km" at the top as recommended route 1, a route with an autonomous driving level of "medium" and a driving distance of "180 km" as recommended route 2, and a route with an autonomous driving level of "low" and a driving distance of "160 km" as recommended route 3, as shown in the display example of Fig. 8. In another example, when there is a setting or input to prioritize the driving distance, the control unit 15 displays the recommended routes in ascending order of driving distance. In this case, instead of the display example of Figure 8, the control unit 15 displays the route with a driving distance of "160 km" at the top as recommended route 1, the route with a driving distance of "180 km" at the driving level of "medium" as recommended route 2, and the route with a driving distance of "201 km" at the driving level of "high" as recommended route 3.

[0085] (Variation 9) When determining the recommended route in step S105 of FIG. 5, the control unit 15 may search for a route that is always executable for the combination of the automatic driving function Fc and automation level Lv specified by the user as the recommended route.

[0086] In this case, for example, in step S101, the control unit 15 receives an input specifying a destination as well as an input specifying a desired combination of an autonomous driving function Fc and an automation level Lv. Then, in step S104, the control unit 15 recognizes the combination of an autonomous driving function Fc and an automation level Lv that can be implemented in each road section of each candidate route, and then selects, as a recommended route, a candidate route consisting of road sections that can implement the combination of an autonomous driving function Fc and an automation level Lv specified by user input. Note that, if there are multiple candidate routes consisting of road sections that can implement the combination of an autonomous driving function Fc and an automation level Lv specified by user input, the control unit 15 may display a route selection screen as in (Variant 8) and allow the user to select one route from the multiple candidate routes as the recommended route. [Explanation of symbols]

[0087] 1 Driving assistance devices 2. Server device 9 Network 11 Communications Department 12 Storage section 13 Sensor section 14 Input section 15 Control Unit 16 Output section

Claims

1. a first acquisition unit that acquires or stores sensor information related to a sensor that acquires information about the surroundings of the vehicle; a second acquisition unit that acquires road information related to roads; a determination unit that determines, based on the sensor information and the road information, a function related to autonomous driving that can be realized by the vehicle and an automation level that can be realized by the vehicle among multiple automation levels of the function during autonomous driving; An automatic driving assistance device comprising:

2. The automatic driving assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit makes the determination based on table information indicating conditions related to the road information for each automation level.

3. an automatic driving control unit that performs automatic driving of the vehicle based on the surrounding information acquired by the sensor; 3. The automatic driving assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the road information is information about an object detected by the sensor for performing the automatic driving.

4. An automatic driving control unit that performs automatic driving of the vehicle based on the surrounding information acquired by the sensor. Equipped with the second acquisition unit acquires the road information for a section corresponding to a current position of the vehicle; the determination unit determines an automation level that can be achieved by the vehicle in the section corresponding to the current location; The autonomous driving assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the autonomous driving control unit determines the autonomous driving functions and automation level to be executed in the section corresponding to the current location based on the judgment result by the judgment unit.

5. A route search unit that searches for route candidates to a specified destination; a recommended route determination unit that selects a recommended route from the route candidates, the second acquisition unit acquires road information corresponding to each section included in the candidate; the determination unit determines an automation level that can be achieved by the vehicle in each section included in the candidate; The automatic driving assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the recommended route determination unit selects the recommended route based on a determination result by the determination unit.

6. The first acquisition unit acquires or stores autonomous driving support information relating to a plurality of functions related to autonomous driving that the vehicle can perform and a plurality of automation levels of the functions; The automatic driving assistance device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the determination unit determines the automation level of the automatic driving function that the vehicle can achieve for each automatic driving function based on the sensor information, the road information, and the automatic driving support information.

7. a first acquisition unit that acquires or stores autonomous driving support information related to a plurality of functions related to autonomous driving that can be performed by a vehicle and a plurality of automation levels of the functions; a second acquisition unit that acquires road information related to roads; a determination unit that determines an automation level of the autonomous driving function that can be realized by the vehicle for each autonomous driving function based on the autonomous driving support information and the road information; An automatic driving assistance device comprising:

8. A control method executed by an automatic driving assistance device, a first acquisition step of acquiring or storing sensor information related to a sensor that acquires information about the surroundings of the vehicle; a second acquisition step of acquiring road information relating to a road; a determination step of determining, based on the sensor information and the road information, a function related to autonomous driving that can be realized by the vehicle and an automation level that can be realized by the vehicle among multiple automation levels of the function during autonomous driving; A control method comprising:

9. A computer-executable program, a first acquisition unit that acquires or stores sensor information related to a sensor that acquires information about the surroundings of the vehicle; a second acquisition unit that acquires road information related to roads; a determination unit that determines, based on the sensor information and the road information, a function related to autonomous driving that can be realized by the vehicle and an automation level that can be realized by the vehicle among a plurality of automation levels of the function during autonomous driving. A program causing the computer to function as a

10. A storage medium storing the program according to claim 9.

Images