Automotive and Automotive Programs

Abstract

To provide an automobile which is user-friendly as an automatic driving vehicle.SOLUTION: An automatic driving vehicle performs autonomous travel and comprises: a travel purpose providing unit including a travel drive system for providing a travel purpose of the own vehicle; a non-travel purpose providing unit for providing purposes except the travel of the own vehicle; wireless communication means for performing wireless communication; and emergency disaster purpose execution means for executing an emergency disaster purpose including the travel purpose and / or non-travel purposes according to emergency disaster notification when the emergency disaster notification is received by using the wireless communication means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to motor vehicles and programs for motor vehicles. [Background technology]

[0002] The primary purpose of an automobile is to drive, and generally, when the passenger first activates the automobile, the onboard battery supplies power to the main drivetrain, enabling the automobile to start driving. The power supply also supplies power to accessory function units, such as the car audio unit and car navigation unit, enabling these accessory function units to be used. In other words, in a conventional automobile, when the passenger gets into the automobile, the passenger first activates the automobile to drive the automobile. Then, after powering on by the activation, the passenger then performs detailed settings on the accessory function units, such as setting the music source to be played on the car audio unit or setting a destination using the car navigation unit.

[0003] Recently, automobiles have begun to be equipped with accessory functions for purposes other than driving, such as television viewing functions and DVD playback and viewing functions, as well as massage functions (see Patent Document 1), and the possibility of installing a wide variety of accessories for purposes other than driving is increasing.

[0004] Furthermore, in recent years, there has been progress in the development of automobiles equipped with an autonomous driving mode that allows the vehicle to travel autonomously without the driver having to perform any manual driving operations. In the future, it is expected that fully autonomous vehicles that do not require any manual driving operations by the driver will also be introduced (see Non-Patent Document 1). With the advent of such automobiles equipped with an autonomous driving mode (autonomous vehicles), passengers will no longer need to be involved in driving operations.

[0005] Coupled with the advent of self-driving cars, it is expected that accessory functions that can be used in the car regardless of whether the car is moving will be increasingly used even when the car is parked and not moving. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-071237 [Non-patent literature]

[0007] [Non-Patent Document 1] Magazine "Newsweek Newsweek Japan Edition" October 18, 2016 issue, pp. 21-30 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] Given the above background, automobiles will no longer be used solely for driving, but will also be used for other purposes, such as enjoying audio, watching AV on TV or DVDs, playing games, receiving massages, sleeping, or other quiet resting spaces.

[0009] Considering this background, even when a passenger gets into a car, the passenger's use of the car is not limited to driving the car, and there are cases where the passenger will only use the car for purposes other than driving. Therefore, the conventional situation in which accessory functions cannot be selected or set until after the start-up operation is performed and power supply voltage is supplied to the driving system to start it up is very inconvenient, and the power supply to the driving system by the start-up operation may be wasted.

[0010] In view of the above problems, the present invention aims to provide an autonomous vehicle that has both driving and non-driving uses and that is easy for passengers to use. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In order to solve the above problem, the invention of claim 1 is as follows: An autonomous driving vehicle that performs autonomous driving, a driving purpose providing unit including a driving drive system that provides driving purposes for the host vehicle; a non-driving use providing unit that provides uses other than driving of the vehicle; wireless communication means for performing wireless communication; When an emergency disaster notification is received through the wireless communication means, at least whether it is safe inside the vehicle, whether it should be driven, and if so, where to drive are prioritized over the use of the vehicle including the driving purpose and the non-driving purpose. Tension an emergency disaster use execution means for determining an emergency disaster use and selecting and executing the determined emergency disaster use; An autonomous vehicle equipped with the above is provided.

[0012] The self-driving vehicle of the invention of claim 1 having the above-mentioned configuration is equipped with a wireless communication means capable of receiving an emergency disaster notification, and when the self-driving vehicle receives an emergency disaster notification through this wireless communication means, At a minimum, the emergency disaster use that takes priority over the intended use of the vehicle, including driving and non-driving uses, is determined based on whether the vehicle is safe, whether it should be driven, and if so, where to drive. For emergency disaster use Choose for yourself It is equipped with emergency disaster application execution means to execute.

[0013] Therefore, in the self-driving vehicle of the invention of claim 1 configured as described above, when an emergency disaster notification such as an emergency earthquake notification, tsunami advisory, or tsunami warning is received, the emergency disaster application is executed and a response is made in accordance with the emergency disaster notification. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the self-driving vehicle of the present invention, when an emergency disaster notification is received, an emergency disaster application corresponding to the emergency disaster notification is executed, which is convenient. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an electronic control circuit unit of an autonomous driving vehicle as an embodiment of the automobile according to the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is a diagram showing an example of history contents of a history memory provided in an electronic control circuit unit of the autonomous driving vehicle in the example of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3]2 is a flowchart illustrating a part of the flow of an example of processing operations of an electronic control circuit unit of the autonomous driving vehicle in the example of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is a flowchart illustrating a part of the flow of an example of processing operations of an electronic control circuit unit of the autonomous driving vehicle in the example of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 5] 2 is a flowchart illustrating a part of the flow of an example of processing operations of an electronic control circuit unit of the autonomous driving vehicle in the example of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 6] 2 is a flowchart illustrating a part of the flow of an example of processing operations of an electronic control circuit unit of the autonomous driving vehicle in the example of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 7] 2 is a flowchart illustrating a part of the flow of an example of processing operations of an electronic control circuit unit of the autonomous driving vehicle in the example of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 8] 2 is a flowchart illustrating a part of the flow of an example of processing operations of an electronic control circuit unit of the autonomous driving vehicle in the example of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 9] 2 is a flowchart illustrating a part of the flow of an example of processing operations of an electronic control circuit unit of the autonomous driving vehicle in the example of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 10] 2 is a flowchart illustrating a part of the flow of an example of processing operations of an electronic control circuit unit of the autonomous driving vehicle in the example of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 11] 2 is a flowchart illustrating a part of the flow of an example of processing operations of an electronic control circuit unit of the autonomous driving vehicle in the example of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 12] 2 is a diagram showing an example of a display for explaining an example of a processing operation of an electronic control circuit unit of the automatically driven vehicle in the example of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 13] 2 is a diagram showing an example of a display for explaining an example of a processing operation of an electronic control circuit unit of the automatically driven vehicle in the example of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 14] 2 is a diagram showing an example of a display for explaining an example of a processing operation of an electronic control circuit unit of the automatically driven vehicle in the example of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 15] 2 is a diagram showing an example of a display for explaining an example of a processing operation of an electronic control circuit unit of the automatically driven vehicle in the example of FIG. 1. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of a vehicle according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The first embodiment of the vehicle described below is a vehicle (autonomous vehicle) that has a manual driving mode in which the vehicle travels in accordance with manual driving operations by the driver as before, and an autonomous driving mode in which the vehicle travels autonomously without any driving operations by the driver. Of course, the present invention can also be implemented in a vehicle (fully autonomous vehicle) that only has an autonomous driving mode in which the vehicle travels autonomously and does not require any manual driving operations by the driver (manual driving operations are not possible).

[0017] The autonomous vehicle of the embodiment described below takes the following into consideration. That is, in a fully autonomous vehicle that does not require any manual driving operation by the driver, even if it does not consider any use other than driving, if a destination is not set, it is unclear what route the vehicle should take. For this reason, setting a destination is always necessary after startup. However, in conventional procedures, the passenger must set a destination using the car navigation unit after starting the vehicle, which is cumbersome. The autonomous vehicle of the embodiment described below improves this point.

[0018] In addition, in an autonomous vehicle that has a manual driving mode in addition to an autonomous driving mode, which allows driving operations similar to those of the conventional mode, when driving the vehicle in manual driving mode and not using the car navigation unit, there is no need to set a destination. However, even while driving in manual driving mode, there are cases where the driver wants to switch to autonomous driving mode for some reason, such as wanting to perform an operation other than driving.

[0019] Furthermore, some self-driving cars have the function of forcibly switching from a manual driving mode operated by the driver to an autonomous driving mode to ensure traffic safety (for example, if there is a pedestrian crossing the road, the car may forcibly switch to autonomous driving mode and stop, or if the car detects that the driver is dozing or driving under the influence of alcohol, the car may forcibly switch to autonomous driving mode). In such cases, if the destination is not set in advance, the car will not know which route to take in autonomous driving mode. The autonomous driving cars of the following embodiments are designed to solve this problem.

[0020] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an electronic control circuit unit 10 of an autonomous vehicle 1 according to a first embodiment. The autonomous vehicle 1 of this embodiment is an example of an electric vehicle, and is equipped with a battery 11 as a drive source.

[0021] The self-driving vehicle 1 of this embodiment has a manual driving mode and an self-driving mode. The manual driving mode is a mode in which the vehicle can be driven in response to the driver's accelerator pedal operation, brake pedal operation, shift lever operation, and steering operation (handle operation), just like a normal vehicle that is not a self-driving vehicle.

[0022] The autonomous driving mode is a driving mode in which the autonomous vehicle 1 automatically (autonomously) changes course while avoiding obstacles without the driver having to operate the accelerator pedal, brake pedal, shift lever, or steering, and can be automatically switched to the manual driving mode by a predetermined action by the driver. Here, the predetermined action by the driver includes predetermined operations such as driving by the driver, operation input by the driver via a touch panel described below, and voice input by the driver.

[0023] For example, the driver of the autonomous vehicle 1 can switch the autonomous vehicle 1, which is traveling in manual driving mode, to normal autonomous driving mode by performing a specific operation via the touch panel 112 described below.In addition, if the driver operates the accelerator pedal, brake pedal, shift lever, or steering while traveling in normal autonomous driving mode, the autonomous vehicle 1 will automatically return to manual driving mode.

[0024] The autonomous vehicle 1 may also have a forced autonomous driving mode, which performs autonomous driving in the same way as the autonomous driving mode described above, but does not switch to manual driving mode even if the driver takes a specific action. This forced autonomous driving mode is switched from manual driving mode or normal autonomous driving mode by control of the autonomous vehicle when, for example, predetermined switching conditions are met, and is switched back to manual driving mode or normal autonomous driving mode after a situation meets predetermined cancellation conditions. During this forced autonomous driving mode, the driver's driving operations are disabled. Furthermore, switching from other modes to forced autonomous driving mode and canceling forced autonomous driving mode are also disabled by the driver's actions and are controlled by the autonomous vehicle itself.

[0025] An example of the above-mentioned predetermined switching condition is when it is detected that a pedestrian is crossing a crosswalk, in which case the autonomous vehicle 1 switches to forced autonomous driving mode and temporarily stops. Another example of a switching condition is when it is detected that the driver is dozing off or driving under the influence of alcohol, in which case the autonomous vehicle 1 switches to forced autonomous driving mode and, if a destination has been set, travels to the destination by autonomous driving, or, if a destination has not been set, automatically stops the vehicle, for example, on the shoulder of the road.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic control circuit unit 10 has a control unit 101 configured to be equipped with a computer, and via a system bus 100, the following are connected: a motor drive control unit 102; a steering drive control unit 103; a manual / automatic driving mode switching control unit 104; a manual driving operation detection unit 105; a radar group 106; a camera group 107; a sensor group 108; a surrounding moving object recognition unit 109; a current position detection unit 110; a display unit 111; a touch panel 112; a car navigation (hereinafter abbreviated as "car navigation") function unit 113; an image recognition unit 114; a voice recognition unit 115; an application navigation (hereinafter abbreviated as "application navigation") function unit 116; an AV (Audio-Visual) entertainment function unit 117; a massage mechanism drive unit 118; a history memory 119; a history analysis unit 120; an audio input / output unit 121; a clock unit 122; a battery remaining capacity detection unit 123; a wireless communication unit 124; and a game function unit 125.

[0027] The motor drive control unit 102 is connected to a motor drive unit 131. The steering drive control unit 103 is connected to a steering drive unit 132. The car navigation function unit 113 is connected to a car navigation database 133. The image recognition unit 114 is connected to a user image information storage unit 134. The audio input / output unit 121 is connected to a speaker 135 and a microphone 136.

[0028] Under the control of the control unit 101, the motor drive control unit 102 controls the supply of drive signals to the motor drive unit 131 of the self-driving vehicle 1, which is an electric vehicle of this embodiment, to control the start of driving of the self-driving vehicle 1, driving speed control (including brake control and accelerator control), driving stop, etc.

[0029] Under the control of the control unit 101, the steering drive control unit 103 controls the supply of a drive control signal to the steering drive unit 132 of the autonomous vehicle 1 of this embodiment, thereby controlling the course change of the autonomous vehicle 1.

[0030] The manual / automatic driving mode switching control unit 104 controls switching of the driving mode of the autonomous vehicle 1 between the manual driving mode and the automatic driving mode in response to a selection operation input via the touch panel 112. Furthermore, the manual / automatic driving mode switching control unit 104 controls switching to the manual driving mode when a predetermined action by the driver, in this example a manual driving operation described later, is detected in the automatic driving mode.

[0031] Note that the input that triggers manual / automatic driving mode switching control unit 104 to switch the driving mode of autonomous vehicle 1 between the manual driving mode and the automatic driving mode is not limited to a selection operation input via touch panel 112, but may also be a voice input of a switching instruction via microphone 136. In the case of a voice input, the voice input of the switching instruction via microphone 136 is recognized by voice recognition unit 115, and the recognition result is supplied to manual / automatic driving mode switching control unit 104. Manual / automatic driving mode switching control unit 104 switches the driving mode based on the received voice recognition result.

[0032] The manual driving operation detection unit 105 receives operation information such as accelerator pedal operation, brake pedal operation, shift lever operation, and steering operation by the driver, and supplies the manual driving operation information to the manual / automatic driving mode switching control unit 104.

[0033] When the autonomous vehicle 1 is in manual driving mode, the manual / autonomous driving mode switching control unit 104 supplies manual driving operation information from the manual driving operation detection unit 105 to the motor driving control unit 102 and the steering driving control unit 103, and controls the motor driving unit 131 and the steering driving unit 132 in accordance with the driver's pedal operation, shift lever operation, and steering operation (handle operation).

[0034] Furthermore, when the autonomous vehicle 1 is in the autonomous driving mode, the manual / autonomous driving mode switching control unit 104 supplies autonomous driving operation information generated by the control unit 101 based on the outputs of the radar group 106, the camera group 107, the sensor group 108, and the surrounding moving object recognition unit 109 to the motor drive control unit 102 and the steering drive control unit 103, as will be described later, and controls the drive of the motor drive unit 131 and the steering drive unit 132 using the autonomous driving operation information, so that the vehicle travels autonomously. Note that in the autonomous driving mode, the car navigation function unit 113 searches for a route from the current position to a destination (destination) set by the driver or the like, and controls the vehicle to travel along the searched route.

[0035] In the automatic driving mode, when the driver performs a predetermined operation such as operating the accelerator pedal, brake pedal, shift lever, or steering (handle operation), the manual / automatic driving mode switching control unit 104 performs mode switching control so that the driving mode of the automatic driving vehicle 1 is automatically returned to the manual driving mode based on the detection information of the manual driving operation by the manual driving operation detection unit 105.

[0036] In the case of a fully autonomous vehicle, since there is only an autonomous driving mode, there is no need for control to switch between manual driving mode and autonomous driving mode, and neither the manual / autonomous driving mode switching control unit 104 nor the manual driving operation detection unit 105 exists.

[0037] The radar group 106 is used to measure the distance to people and objects around the autonomous vehicle 1, and is made up of one or more laser radars (officially known as LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging or Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging)) and millimeter-wave radars. The laser radars are embedded, for example, in the ceiling or near the bumper, and the millimeter-wave radars are installed, for example, at the front and rear of the vehicle. The vehicle may be equipped with both laser radar and millimeter-wave radar, or with only one of them. Other radars, such as microwave radar, may also be used. Furthermore, sonar (not shown) can be used for the same purpose as radar.

[0038] Camera group 107 includes one or more cameras that capture images of the interior of autonomous vehicle 1, and one or more cameras that capture images of the surroundings outside the vehicle, such as the front, sides, and rear of autonomous vehicle 1. The cameras that capture images of the interior of the vehicle include cameras that are attached, for example, to the rearview mirror (rearview mirror, room mirror) installed between the driver's seat and the passenger seat or to the top of the front windshield, and capture images of the person sitting in the driver's seat (driver), as well as cameras that capture images of passengers sitting in the passenger seat or back seat. The cameras that capture images of the surroundings of autonomous vehicle 1 include, for example, two cameras (stereo cameras) that are attached, for example, to the left and right sides of the rearview mirror and that mainly capture images of the left and right front of autonomous vehicle 1, cameras that are attached, for example, to door mirrors or fender mirrors of autonomous vehicle 1 and capture images of the left and right sides, and cameras that capture images behind autonomous vehicle 1.

[0039] The sensor group 108 includes an open / close detection sensor that detects whether a door or window is open or closed, a sensor that detects whether a seat belt is fastened, a seating sensor (e.g., a weight sensor) that detects whether a passenger is seated in a seat such as the driver's seat or passenger seat, a touch sensor (e.g., a capacitance sensor) that detects whether a person touches the steering wheel of the driver's seat, a human presence sensor (e.g., an infrared sensor) that detects a person nearby outside the vehicle, and various other sensors for acquiring information that assists autonomous driving. The various sensors for acquiring information that assists autonomous driving include, for example, a vibration sensor that detects vibrations of the vehicle or tires, a rotation speed sensor that detects the number of tire rotations, a geomagnetic sensor that detects direction, an acceleration sensor that detects acceleration, and a gyro sensor (gyroscope) that detects angles and angular velocities. In this embodiment, the sensor group 108 also includes sensors that detect the illumination of right and left turn signals (direction indicators) and hazard lights (emergency flashers).

[0040] The surrounding moving object recognition unit 109 recognizes moving objects (including people) around the vehicle using images captured by the radar group 106, the sensor group 108, and the camera group 107. The surrounding moving object recognition unit 109 recognizes surrounding obstacles and moving objects by performing processing based on machine learning such as Bayes' theory or deep learning.

[0041] The current position detection unit 110 receives radio waves from GPS satellites to detect the current position of the vehicle. Because the accuracy of the position detected by radio waves from GPS satellites is poor, the current position detection unit 110 uses not only the information on the current position detected by receiving radio waves from GPS satellites, but also images captured by one or more sensors included in the sensor group 108, the radar group 106, and the camera group 107 (also using a navigation function), and performs processing based on machine learning such as Bayes' theorem or deep learning, thereby detecting and confirming the current position with higher accuracy.

[0042] In the autonomous driving mode, the autonomous vehicle 1 uses the current position detection unit 110 and the surrounding moving object grasping unit 109 to process various information such as location information obtained by receiving radio waves from the radar group 106, the camera group 107, the sensor group 108, and GPS satellites, in other words, information corresponding to information obtained from the human eyes and ears, using machine learning such as Bayes' theory and deep learning, and based on this, the control unit 101 performs intelligent information processing (artificial intelligence) and control (artificial intelligence) such as changing the vehicle's course and avoiding obstacles, to generate autonomous driving operation information.

[0043] Display unit 111 is made up of, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). Touch panel 112 is configured by superimposing a touch sensor on the display screen of display unit 111 made up of LCD, which allows touch input with a finger, a touch pen, or the like. On the display screen of display unit 111, a display image including software buttons (including character input buttons of a keyboard) is displayed based on the control of control unit 101. Then, when touch panel 112 detects a touch with a finger, a touch pen, or the like on a software button displayed on the display screen, it transmits the touch to control unit 101. In response to this, control unit 101 is configured to execute a control process corresponding to the software button.

[0044] Domestic maps and route guidance data are stored in advance in car navigation database 133 connected to car navigation function unit 113. Car navigation function unit 113 is a functional unit that provides guidance to assist autonomous vehicle 1 in traveling to a specified destination based on the maps and route guidance data stored in car navigation database 133. In this embodiment, car navigation function unit 113 is configured to perform slightly different processes in manual driving mode and autonomous driving mode.

[0045] That is, in the manual driving mode, the car navigation function unit 113 displays an image on the display screen of the display unit 111 in which the vehicle position detected and confirmed by the current position detection unit 110 is superimposed on a map that clearly displays the route to the destination, and also moves the vehicle position (current position) on the map as the vehicle moves, and provides voice guidance at points where route guidance is necessary, such as intersections and branching points on the route. This is the same as the normal car navigation function.

[0046] On the other hand, in the autonomous driving mode, when the current position of the vehicle is away from the route to the destination, the car navigation function unit 113 notifies the control unit 101 of information on the direction and distance of the departure, and when the current position of the vehicle is on the route to the destination, the car navigation function unit 113 notifies the control unit 101 of information instructing the control unit 101 to change the course direction along the route before an intersection or branch point on the route as the vehicle moves. Based on the information notified from the car navigation function unit 113, the current position confirmation result by the current position detection unit 110, and the recognition result by the surrounding moving object recognition unit 109, the control unit 101 controls the motor drive unit 131 via the motor drive control unit 102 so that the vehicle moves along the route as instructed, and generates autonomous driving operation information for controlling the steering drive unit 132 via the steering drive control unit 103. Therefore, thanks to route guidance to the destination by the car navigation function unit 113 and the control unit 101 in the autonomous driving mode, autonomous vehicle 1 can travel to the destination even when there are no passengers.

[0047] Image recognition unit 114 recognizes passengers by capturing images from a camera in camera group 107 that captures the interior of the vehicle. User image information storage unit 134 connected to image recognition unit 114 stores image information for specifying (identifying) users (e.g., facial images of users who are registered as users of autonomous vehicle 1 (e.g., family members, car-sharing members, acquaintances, friends, etc.)) in advance, which is associated with the identification information of each user (hereinafter referred to as user ID (Identification)). When the passenger is a registered user from images captured by a camera in camera group 107 that captures the interior of the vehicle, image recognition unit 114 recognizes each user based on the image information stored in user image information storage unit 134, and sends the user ID to control unit 101 as the recognition result.

[0048] Image recognition unit 114 also has a function to recognize, for example, a person standing on a pedestrian crossing from images captured by a camera in camera group 107 that captures images outside the vehicle, or to recognize railroad crossings by recognizing crossing barriers, etc. Furthermore, image recognition unit 114 also has a function to extract road signs and road markings from images captured by one or more cameras in camera group 107 that capture images of the front, side, rear, etc. outside of autonomous vehicle 1.

[0049] The voice recognition unit 115 receives voice information of the voice picked up by the microphone 136 via the voice input / output unit 121 and recognizes the voice language spoken by the speaker (passenger). The control unit 101 receives the voice language recognized by this voice recognition unit 115 as a voice input and recognizes the meaning and content of the voice language.

[0050] The purpose navigation function unit 116 is activated by the control unit 101 when a door sensor in the sensor group 108 detects that a door is open or closed, and when a camera in the camera group 107 detects that a passenger has boarded the vehicle. When the purpose navigation function unit 116 detects that a passenger has boarded the vehicle, it inquires of the passenger about the purpose of use of the autonomous vehicle 1 before starting the autonomous vehicle 1, and determines the purpose of use based on the passenger's response regarding the purpose of use.

[0051] In this case, "when a passenger is detected getting into the car" means when a passenger is detected getting into the car while the car is not started, and basically, it is assumed that the first passenger gets into the car when there are no passengers in the car. In this case, the first passenger can be one or more passengers, and if there are more than one passenger, a representative passenger will answer the question about the purpose of use.

[0052] Also, if the vehicle is not started, it may be possible for a passenger to already be present. In this case, an inquiry is made to the new passenger, and if a response regarding a new intended use is received, the newly set intended use will be executed. Note that if an intended use has been set by a passenger already in the vehicle and the intended use is not to be changed, the previous intended use may be continued by replying, for example, "Continue with the previous intended use (without setting a new intended use)."

[0053] In this embodiment, two types of usage purposes are defined: driving usage and non-driving usage.

[0054] In this embodiment, when the intended use is a driving use, two types are defined: "a specific destination is determined (destination known)" and "a specific destination is not determined (destination undetermined)." The intended use navigation function unit 116 inquires the passenger about which of these two modes to select, and also inquires whether the selected driving use will be used in automatic driving mode or manual driving mode. Furthermore, if the automatic driving modes include a normal automatic driving mode in which the vehicle can be switched to manual driving mode based on a predetermined action by the driver, and a forced automatic driving mode in which the vehicle cannot be switched to manual driving mode even if the driver takes a predetermined action, the passenger may be inquired about whether the vehicle will be used in normal automatic driving mode or forced automatic driving mode. Note that in the case of a fully automatic vehicle that does not require any manual driving operation by the driver, i.e., does not have a manual driving mode, the selected driving use will be used in automatic driving mode. Use in this automatic driving mode is the same as use in forced automatic driving mode in the sense that it is not possible to switch to manual driving mode.

[0055] When a destination-known use is selected, the use navigation function unit 116 accepts a destination setting from the passenger.

[0056] Furthermore, when a use for which a destination is not yet determined is selected, in this embodiment, the use navigation function unit 116 inquires whether to "select a destination attribute" such as "mountain," "river," "ocean," "lake," or "amusement park," or to "specify only the usage time." When "select a destination attribute" is selected, the use navigation function unit 116 presents a list of destination attributes to the passenger and accepts a selection from the list. The destination attribute may be directly input and specified by the passenger as a free keyword. Note that even when a use for which a destination is known is selected, it is also possible to "select a route attribute" such as "mountain," "river," "ocean," "lake," or "amusement park" as a route to the destination.

[0057] Furthermore, when "Specify only the travel time to be used" is selected, the purpose navigation function unit 116 allows the passenger to specify and accept the travel time to be used. Note that instead of specifying the travel time, the travel end time when travel starts from the current time may be set.

[0058] In this embodiment, an AV entertainment function unit 117, a game function unit 125, and a massage mechanism drive unit 118 are provided as uses other than driving. When a use other than driving is specified by the passenger, the use navigation function unit 116 presents the passenger with various AV-related functions, game-related functions, and massage functions (to be described later) that can be provided by the AV entertainment function unit 117, asks the passenger about their use, and receives a selection as a response.

[0059] Then, after the passenger has confirmed the selected setting of the intended use, the intended use navigation function unit 116 prompts the passenger to input a start-up command. After confirming that the passenger has input a start-up command, the control unit 101 controls the power supply from the battery 11 and controls the electronic control circuit unit 10 of the autonomous vehicle 1 so as to execute the intended use confirmed by the intended use navigation function unit 116. The processing flow in the intended use navigation function unit 116 will be described in detail later.

[0060] The AV entertainment function unit 117, the game function unit 125, and the massage mechanism drive unit 118 are examples of function units that provide uses other than driving, and of course, uses other than driving include quiet rest such as sleeping, enjoying eating and drinking, reading, concentrating on work or study, and are not limited to these.

[0061] For purposes such as sleeping and resting quietly, the self-driving car 1 is equipped with a car air conditioner that keeps the temperature inside the car at a comfortable 20-21 degrees Celsius in winter and 27-28 degrees Celsius in summer, and also has functions to block out sunlight and other outside light by lowering window curtains or putting the windows in blackout mode, and to turn off or darken the lights inside the car to ensure conditions conducive to sound sleep, etc. Furthermore, the seats can be reclined or flattened to suit sound sleep, etc.

[0062] Furthermore, for purposes of enjoying food and drink, autonomous vehicle 1 will have the function of setting a table inside the vehicle, allowing passengers to select drinks and food from a refrigerator if one is provided, and adjusting the lighting to a preferred illumination level suitable for the passenger's eating and drinking. When selecting drinks, it will also be possible to select alcoholic beverages, and the ability to select alcoholic beverages will be limited to "purposes other than driving" or when the "driving purpose" is also "autonomous driving."

[0063] When used for reading, the self-driving vehicle 1 is configured to allow the user to select an electronic book (e-book) (the electronic book may be obtained by accessing an electronic book provider server on the Internet via the wireless communication unit 124), and to display the contents of the selected electronic book on the display screen of the display unit 111 and, if necessary, to read aloud through the speaker 135.

[0064] When the vehicle is used to concentrate on work or study, the self-driving vehicle 1 is configured to close the window curtains or put the windows in blackout mode to block out the outside scenery and to brighten the interior lights, ensuring an environment in which the driver can concentrate on work or study. The self-driving vehicle 1 is also configured to display materials necessary for work or study on a personal computer (not shown).

[0065] The AV entertainment function unit 117 is a function unit that plays back audio information, music information, and / or image information, and includes, for example, a television broadcast receiving function unit, an AM and FM radio broadcast receiving function unit, and a disc playback function unit for CDs, DVDs, BDs (Blu-ray Discs), etc. Although not shown, the AV entertainment function unit 117 includes an antenna for receiving television broadcasts, an antenna for receiving AM and FM radio broadcasts, and a multi-disc drive for the disc playback function unit.

[0066] The audio information and music information reproduced by the AV entertainment function unit 117 is output through the speaker 135, and the image information reproduced by the AV entertainment function unit 117 is displayed on the display screen of the display unit 111 for use by passengers.

[0067] The game function unit 125 is a function unit that plays various games such as action games, simulation games, shooting games, role-playing games, and fighting games. One or more game controllers (not shown) are provided for the game function unit 125, and the user operates the game using the game controller. Audio information and music information of the game are output through a speaker 135, and image information of the game is displayed on the display screen of the display unit 111 for use by passengers.

[0068] The massage mechanism drive unit 118 drives a massage mechanism incorporated in, for example, the driver's seat or the passenger seat. The massage mechanism is, for example, a mechanism that provides a massage to a passenger seated in the seat in which it is incorporated. Of course, the seat may be movable by a mechanism, for example, so that it can be reclined or laid flat to suit a massage. The massage mechanism drive unit 118 may also incorporate a mechanism that rotates the seat. In this case, the massage mechanism drive unit 118 can rotate the seat not only for massage purposes but also for enjoying food and drink, so that multiple passengers face each other, or for players in a competitive game, so that they face each other. Furthermore, the user can rotate the seat in their preferred direction for various purposes, such as reading, concentrating on work or study, etc.

[0069] In addition, the AV entertainment function unit 117, the game function unit 125, and the massage mechanism drive unit 118 are not only available when the autonomous vehicle 1 is stopped and the driving drive system including the motor drive unit 131 is not activated, but can also be used when the autonomous vehicle 1 is moving, upon instruction from the passenger to start using them.

[0070] The power supply from battery 11 is configured so that it can be supplied independently to each of the TV broadcast receiving function section, AM and FM radio broadcast receiving function section, and disc playback function section for CD, DVD, BD, etc. of AV entertainment function section 117, and also to game function section 125 and massage mechanism drive section 118. Of course, the power supply to the traveling drive system and the power supply to AV entertainment function section 117, game function section 125, and massage mechanism drive section 118 are also configured so that they can be supplied independently.

[0071] The history memory 119 stores information on past uses of the autonomous vehicle 1 by users (passengers) whose identification images (e.g., facial images) are stored and registered in the user image information storage unit 134, and the information is stored in association with the user ID.

[0072] Fig. 2 shows an example of information stored in this history memory 119. As shown in Fig. 2, for each pre-registered user, the user name and usage history information are stored in association with the user ID. In this embodiment, the usage history information consists of the date and day of use, as well as the above-mentioned items such as the type of use, content of use, details of use, and time of use.

[0073] As the use type of the usage history, one of two types, the aforementioned driving use and non-driving use, is stored in the history memory 119. In this case, if the use type is driving use, it is stored together with information on whether driving is in automatic driving mode or manual driving mode. In the example of FIG. 2, "Driving; Automatic" indicates driving in automatic driving mode, and "Driving; Manual" indicates driving in manual driving mode. Note that in this example, whether driving is in automatic driving mode or manual driving mode is determined as the driving mode at the start of driving. Of course, if the driving mode is switched during the trip, the switch may also be recorded as history.

[0074] In this embodiment, when the use type is a driving use, the use content is stored as either "use with a specific destination set (destination known)" or "use with no specific destination set (destination undetermined)." When the use content is a use with a known destination, the use details store the departure point (current location) and destination, for example, "home - XX station," as shown in FIG. 2. The departure point (current location) is recorded as the current location at the start of travel, detected by the current location detection unit 110. When the use content is a use with no destination set, the use details store the duration of use, for example, "return in 30 minutes," the end time of use, for example, "return by 3 p.m.", and attributes of the destination, for example, "to the nearby sea," as shown in FIG. 2.

[0075] Furthermore, when the use type is a use other than driving, the use content is stored as either "AV / game related" using the AV entertainment function unit 117 or the game function unit 125, or a massage use using the massage mechanism driving unit 118, or "massage and other" which indicates other uses. When the use content is "AV / game related," the use details store, for example, one of the AV entertainment functions of the AV entertainment function unit 117 or the game function of the game function unit 125, such as "music playback" or "game," as shown in Fig. 2. When the use content is "massage and other," the use details store, for example, "massage" or "other," as shown in Fig. 2.

[0076] In addition, the history memory 119 may store information on each of the above items as history information for ``other users'' even for passengers who have not been assigned a user ID, without distinguishing between individual passengers.

[0077] The user or passenger may be allowed to erase part or all of the information stored in the history memory 119. However, security must be ensured so that information other than that of the user or passenger cannot be erased.

[0078] The history analysis unit 120 analyzes the history information for each user (for each user ID) stored in the history memory 119, and detects any habitual uses (hereinafter referred to as habitual uses). Furthermore, the frequency of use may also be detected. In this case, habitual uses may be notified by preferentially inquiring. Furthermore, the more frequently used a use is, the higher the presentation order (higher ranking) may be, for example, so that it is displayed preferentially. Here, in this embodiment, the habitual uses are targeted at the "Use Details" item in the information stored in the history memory 119.

[0079] In this embodiment, the history analysis unit 120 detects, as habitual uses, uses (detailed uses) that are habitually used repeatedly on specific days of the week or uses (detailed uses) that are habitually used repeatedly at specific times of the day. The detection of habitual uses is not limited to this. For example, uses (detailed uses) that are habitually used repeatedly during specific periods of the year, such as New Year's Day, Chinese New Year (Spring Festival), Easter, Obon, etc., or on specific dates in specific months of the year, such as birthdays, Valentine's Day, Halloween, Christmas Eve, Christmas, etc., may be detected as habitual uses. Uses (detailed uses) that are cyclically used every one to several days may also be detected as habitual uses. Of course, uses (detailed uses) that are habitually used repeatedly on specific days of the month, such as eating at a specific restaurant on payday in the case of a monthly salary, may also be detected as habitual uses.

[0080] It is also possible to allow users to provide feedback on the evaluation of the uses they have used, so that from the next time onwards, uses with high evaluations are presented preferentially.

[0081] A speaker 135 and a microphone 136 are connected to the audio input / output unit 121. In the first embodiment, the speaker 135 is used for voice inquiries about the intended use in the intended use navigation function unit 116, for warnings, etc. In this embodiment, the speaker 135 is also used to notify the driver and passengers when switching from manual driving mode to automatic driving mode, and when switching from automatic driving mode to manual driving mode.

[0082] As described above, microphone 136 is used to collect voice input from passengers for voice recognition, and in this embodiment, as described above, is also used to collect the sounds of sirens from emergency vehicles such as police cars and railroad crossing sounds. In this example, microphone 136 is made up of multiple microphones, including one installed inside autonomous vehicle 1 and one installed on the exterior, such as the ceiling or door mirrors, of autonomous vehicle 1 to collect the sounds of sirens from emergency vehicles such as police cars.

[0083] Although not shown, the voice input / output unit 121 has a built-in memory for storing voice message data to be emitted externally, as well as a built-in voice synthesizer and DA converter for converting the voice message data read from the memory into an analog voice signal. The voice input / output unit 121 supplies a voice message selected under the control of the control unit 101 to the speaker 135 so that the voice message is emitted externally as a voice. Note that examples of voice messages to be stored include driving mode switching notification messages such as "Switched to automatic driving mode" and "Switched to manual driving mode," and inquiry messages prompting the user to set a destination in the application navigation function unit 116.

[0084] The clock unit 122 has a calendar function to provide the year, month, date, day of the week, and current date and time, and also has a timer function to measure time from a predetermined timing based on the control of the control unit 101.

[0085] The battery 11 is connected to the battery remaining capacity detection unit 123. The battery remaining capacity detection unit 123 constitutes a drive source remaining capacity detection unit, and in this embodiment, detects the remaining capacity of the battery 11 as the drive source. In this embodiment, the battery remaining capacity detection unit 123 has a function to detect, in the case of driving applications, how far or how long the vehicle can travel with the remaining capacity, and in the case of applications other than driving, has a function to detect how long each of the AV entertainment functions of the AV entertainment function unit 117, the game function unit 125, and the massage mechanism drive unit 118 can be continuously used with the remaining capacity. In this embodiment, the control unit 101 has a function to notify the passenger of the detected remaining battery capacity information.

[0086] The wireless communication unit 124 is used to connect to an AV information provider server, a game content provider server, a surrounding area search server, and the like via the Internet. That is, in this embodiment, the control unit 101 is configured to access an AV information provider server on the Internet via the wireless communication unit 124 and play the AV information acquired from the provider server in the AV entertainment function unit 117. The control unit 101 is also configured to access a game content provider server on the Internet via the wireless communication unit 124 and use game content downloaded from the provider server in the game function unit 125, or to enable the game function unit 125 to participate in an online game via the game content provider server. Furthermore, the control unit 101 has a function of accessing a surrounding area search server via the wireless communication unit 124 to request a search for places matching specified destination attributes in the vicinity of the current location, acquiring the search results from the surrounding area search server, and presenting them to the passenger.

[0087] The electronic control circuit unit 10 of the autonomous vehicle 1 is configured as described above, but of the blocks shown in FIG. 1 , the processing functions of the motor drive control unit 102, steering drive control unit 103, manual / autonomous driving mode switching control unit 104, surrounding moving object recognition unit 109, current position detection unit 110, car navigation function unit 113, image recognition unit 114, voice recognition unit 115, application navigation function unit 116, AV entertainment function unit 117, massage mechanism drive unit 118, remaining battery capacity detection unit 123, and game function unit 125 can be realized by the control unit 101 as software processing.

[0088] [Example of processing flow by the application navigation function unit 116] Next, an example of the flow of processing by the purpose navigation function unit 116 when a passenger gets into the autonomously driven vehicle 1 will be described with reference to the flowcharts in Figures 3 to 11 and display examples on the display screen of the display unit 111 in Figures 12 to 15. Note that in the following description, it is assumed that the control unit 101 realizes the processing functions of the purpose navigation function unit 116, motor drive control unit 102, steering drive control unit 103, manual / autonomous driving mode switching control unit 104, surrounding moving object recognition unit 109, current position detection unit 110, car navigation function unit 113, image recognition unit 114, voice recognition unit 115, AV entertainment function unit 117, massage mechanism drive unit 118, remaining battery power detection unit 123, and game function unit 125 as software processing.

[0089] In the electronic control circuit unit 10 of the self-driving vehicle 1, even before it is started up, the control unit 101 and the sensor group 108 are in a standby state in which power supply voltage is supplied from the battery 11, and in this standby state, the control unit 101 monitors whether a passenger has boarded the vehicle (step S101 in Figure 3).

[0090] Then, when it is determined in step S101 that a passenger has boarded the vehicle, the control unit 101 supplies power voltage to at least one of the cameras inside the vehicle, which then captures a facial image of the passenger, and the image recognition unit 114 determines whether the passenger is a registered user whose facial image is stored in the user image information storage unit 134 (step S102).

[0091] If it is determined in step S102 that the passenger is a registered user, the control unit 101 acquires the passenger's user ID and refers to the history information stored in the history memory 119 in association with the user ID (step S103).The control unit 101 then acquires information on the current year, month, date, and day of the week from the clock unit 122, and analyzes, using the function of the history analysis unit 120, whether or not there is a habitual use of the passenger related to the current time (step S104).

[0092] Then, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the passenger has a habitual use purpose based on the analysis results in step S104 (step S105), and if it determines that a habitual use purpose exists, it inquires of the passenger as to whether or not to carry out the habitual use purpose by displaying an inquiry message on the display screen of the display unit 111 and by emitting an audio message through the speaker 135 (step S106).

[0093] For example, if the current time is 7:00 a.m. on a weekday and the passenger is driving self-driving vehicle 1 from their home to the parking lot of the nearest station to commute to work, control unit 101 will determine that this is a habitual use and, as shown in Figure 12(A), will display an inquiry message on display screen 111D of display unit 111 asking, "At this time, I usually drive to XX station in self-driving mode. Would you like to do it again today?" and will also play a sound through speaker 135 to execute the inquiry.

[0094] Also, for example, if the current time is 3:00 PM on a Saturday and the passenger usually receives a massage for purposes other than driving, the control unit 101 will determine that this is a habitual use and, as shown in FIG. 12(B), will display an inquiry message on the display screen 111D of the display unit 111 saying, "I usually receive a massage at this time. Would you like to receive one today as well?" and will also play a sound through the speaker 135 to execute the inquiry.

[0095] 12(A) and 12(B), the control unit 101 displays the answer options "execute" and "do not execute" on the display screen, and the passenger can select either option on the display screen and can also select which option by voice input. When the passenger answers, the answer information is transmitted to the control unit 101 via the touch panel 112 or the voice recognition unit 115.

[0096] Therefore, the control unit 101 determines whether the passenger's response information is "execute" (step S107), and if it determines that the response information is "execute," executes the passenger's habitual use determined in step S104 (step S108).

[0097] That is, when the habitual use is a driving use as shown in the example of FIG. 12(A), the control unit 101 controls the vehicle to supply power supply voltage from the battery 11 to the driving drive system and other components necessary for driving the vehicle, to start them up, and to drive in manual driving mode or automatic driving mode. When the habitual use is a use other than driving as shown in the example of FIG. 12(B), the control unit 101 provides the use other than driving of the habitual use, in this example, controls the AV entertainment function unit 117, the game function unit 125, or the massage mechanism drive unit 118 to supply power supply voltage from the battery 11 to start them up, and to execute the use other than driving. The history of the executed uses is associated with the user ID of the passenger, and the contents shown in FIG. 2 are stored in the history memory 119.

[0098] When it is determined in step S102 that the passenger is not a registered user, when it is determined in step S105 that the passenger has no habitual use, and when it is received in step S107 from the passenger that the habitual use will not be performed, the control unit 101 inquires of the passenger about the use of the vehicle by displaying an inquiry message on the display screen of the display unit 111 and by emitting an audio message through the speaker 135 (step S111 in Figure 4).

[0099] In this step S111, the type of use is displayed on the display screen 111D of the display unit 111 as shown in FIG. 13(A), for example, as "1. Driving a car" for driving purposes, and as "2. Other than driving" for purposes other than driving purposes, and the type is also audibly presented through the speaker 135 to prompt the passenger.

[0100] In response to this inquiry, the passenger can select one of the options on the display screen, and can also select one of the options by voice input. When the passenger responds, the response information is transmitted to the control unit 101 via the touch panel 112 or the voice recognition unit 115.

[0101] Therefore, the control unit 101 determines whether the passenger's response information is for driving a car (step S112), and if it determines that the response information is for driving a car, it inquires whether the destination is known or not, and whether the driving mode to be used is manual driving mode or automatic driving mode (step S113). An example of a display on the display screen 111D of the display unit 111 for the inquiry in step S113 is shown in Fig. 13(B). The inquiry can also be made by voice through the speaker 135, as described above.

[0102] In response to the inquiry in step S113, the passenger can respond by selecting either "destination known" or "destination undetermined" on the display screen 111D of the display unit 111, and can also respond by selecting either the manual driving mode or the automatic driving mode. When the passenger responds, the response information is transmitted to the control unit 101 via the touch panel 112 or the voice recognition unit 115.

[0103] Therefore, the control unit 101 determines whether the passenger's response information indicates that the destination is known (step S114), and if it determines that the destination is known, executes a destination setting routine by the car navigation function unit 113 (step S115). That is, the control unit 101 displays a destination setting reception screen, for example, as shown in FIG. 13(C), on the display screen 111D of the display unit 111, and receives destination setting input. As shown in FIG. 13(C), when receiving this destination setting, in addition to the destination, it is possible to set priority conditions such as intermediate points, time priority, distance priority, general road priority, or toll road priority. Setting input can be made not only through the touch panel 112 superimposed on the display screen 111D, but also by voice input through the microphone 136.

[0104] When the destination setting input is accepted in step S115, the control unit 101 detects the remaining charge of the battery 11 using the function of the battery remaining charge detection unit 123 (step S116). Then, the control unit 101 determines whether the detected remaining charge of the battery 11 is sufficient for traveling to the set destination (step S117).

[0105] If it is determined in step S117 that the remaining charge of the battery 11 is sufficient for traveling to the set destination, the control unit 101 notifies the passenger of this fact through the display screen 111D of the display unit 111, as shown in Fig. 13(D), and also notifies the passenger of this fact through the speaker 135, urging the passenger to start the vehicle (step S118). As shown in Fig. 13(D), a "start" button icon 201 for issuing a start instruction is displayed on the display screen 111D.

[0106] Next, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a startup instruction has been received by operating the button icon 201 via the touch panel 112, or a startup instruction by voice via the voice recognition unit 115 (step S121 in FIG. 5), and if a startup instruction has not been received, the process returns to step S121 and waits for a startup instruction to be received.

[0107] If it is determined in step S121 that a start instruction has been received, the control unit 101 refers to the response result acquired in step S113 and determines whether the manual driving mode is set as the driving mode (step S122). If it is determined in step S122 that the manual driving mode is set, the control unit 101 executes the car navigation function for the manual driving mode and sets the driving mode to the manual driving mode so that the vehicle travels in accordance with the manual driving operation of the passenger (step S123).

[0108] Furthermore, when it is determined in step S122 that the automatic driving mode has been set instead of the manual driving mode, the control unit 101 executes the car navigation function for the automatic driving mode and sets the driving mode to the automatic driving mode to drive the vehicle (step S124).

[0109] The history of the usage executed in step S123 or step S124 is associated with the user ID of the passenger, and the contents shown in FIG. 2 are stored in the history memory 119.

[0110] Furthermore, when it is determined in step S117 that the remaining charge of the battery 11 is insufficient, the control unit 101 notifies the passenger through the display screen 111D of the display unit 111 and through the speaker 135 that the remaining charge of the battery 11 is insufficient to travel to the destination, as shown in, for example, FIG. 13(E) (step S131 in FIG. 6).

[0111] In this case, the passenger can select three response operations in response to the notification in step S131: canceling the execution of the selected purpose of use, redoing the setting of the purpose of use, and forcibly executing the selected purpose of use. As shown in Figure 13(E), the display screen 111D of the display unit 111 displays button icons 202, 203, and 204 for making these selections.

[0112] Then, the control unit 101 determines whether or not an "execution stop instruction" has been received by operating the button icon 202 via the touch panel 112, or an "execution stop instruction" by voice via the voice recognition unit 115 (step S132), and if it determines that an "execution stop instruction" has been received, ends this processing routine.

[0113] Furthermore, when it is determined in step S132 that an "execution cancellation instruction" has not been received, the control unit 101 determines whether or not an "instruction to start over" has been received by operating the button icon 203 via the touch panel 112, or whether or not an "instruction to start over" has been received by voice via the voice recognition unit 115 (step S133), and when it is determined that an "instruction to start over" has been received, the process returns to step S111 in FIG. 4, and the usage setting is redone.

[0114] Furthermore, when it is determined in step S133 that a "redo instruction" has not been received, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a "forced execution instruction" has been received by operating the button icon 204 via the touch panel 112 or a "forced execution instruction" by voice via the voice recognition unit 115 (step S134), and when it is determined that a "forced execution instruction" has been received, the process returns to step S121 in Fig. 5, and the processes from step S121 onwards are performed. When it is determined that a "forced execution instruction" has not been received, the process returns to step S132, and the processes from step S132 onwards are performed.

[0115] Also, when it is determined in step S114 of FIG. 4 that the destination is not known but is undecided, the control unit 101 refers to the response result acquired in step S113 and determines whether the driving mode is set to manual driving mode (step S141 of FIG. 7).

[0116] If it is determined in step S141 that the manual driving mode has been set, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a start instruction has been received via the touch panel 112 or a voice start instruction via the voice recognition unit 115 (step S142), and if a start instruction has not been received, the process returns to step S142 and waits for a start instruction to be received. If it is determined in step S142 that a start instruction has been received, the control unit 101 sets the driving mode to the manual driving mode and causes the vehicle to travel in accordance with the manual driving operation of the passenger (step S143).

[0117] Also, when it is determined in step S141 that the automatic driving mode has been set, the control unit 101 displays a menu for when the destination is not yet determined on the display screen 111D of the display unit 111, and accepts the selection of an item from the menu (step S144).

[0118] An example of the display of the usage menu for when the destination is undecided in this case is shown in Fig. 14(B). That is, when the passenger selects the usage for driving a car and then selects the usage for when the destination is undecided, the display screen 111D of the display unit 111 changes from the inquiry screen for driving a car in Fig. 14(A), which is the same as Fig. 13(B), to the menu for when the destination is undecided, as shown in Fig. 14(B). The menu contents are also presented to the passenger by voice through the speaker 135.

[0119] In the example of FIG. 14(B), the menu for an undecided destination includes a list of selectable destination attributes and a field for accepting a travel time setting. If the passenger has not decided on a specific destination but has decided on a desired destination attribute, such as going to the sea, seeing the mountains, or going to a river, the passenger can select the desired destination attribute from the list of destination attributes. Furthermore, if the passenger has not decided on a specific destination but would like to drive autonomous vehicle 1 for a predetermined time, the passenger can set the desired travel time. The selection from the list of destination attributes and the setting of the travel time are accepted via touch panel 112 or voice recognition unit 115.

[0120] Next, the control unit 101 determines whether the passenger has selected an attribute of the destination in this menu for when the destination is not yet determined (step S145), and if it determines that an attribute of the destination has been selected, it detects the remaining charge of the battery 11 (step S146). Then, the control unit 101 searches for candidate destinations that match the attributes of the selected destination within the range that can be traveled with the detected remaining charge of the battery 11, and displays one or more candidate destinations as a result of the search on the display screen 111D of the display unit 111, as shown in FIG. 14(C), and also presents them to the passenger by sounding them through the speaker 135 (step S147). Note that the display of the search results is not limited to a text display, and may also be an image display or a video display. Furthermore, a guide or explanation of the candidate destinations may be added.

[0121] The search for places that match the attributes of this destination is performed using the car navigation database 133 and the functions of the car navigation function unit 113, and if an appropriate search result is obtained, the processing is terminated within that range, but if an appropriate search result is not obtained, the wireless communication unit 124 accesses a surrounding search server via the Internet and obtains the search result from the surrounding search server.

[0122] After step S147, the control unit 101 determines whether or not one destination candidate has been selected from the destination candidates displayed on the display screen 111D (step S148), and if not selected, determines whether or not a cancel instruction has been given by the passenger through the touch panel 112 or the voice recognition unit 115 (step S149). If it is determined in step S149 that a cancel instruction has been given, the control unit 101 ends this processing routine. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S149 that a cancel instruction has not been given, the control unit 101 returns the processing to step S148.

[0123] Furthermore, when it is determined in step S148 that one destination candidate has been selected, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a startup instruction has been received by operating the button icon 201 via the touch panel 112 or by voice via the voice recognition unit 115 (step S150), and if a startup instruction has not been received, the process returns to step S150 and waits for the reception of a startup instruction.

[0124] If it is determined in step S150 that a startup command has been received, the control unit 101 executes the car navigation function for the automatic driving mode and causes the vehicle to travel in the automatic driving mode (step S151). At this time, the control unit 101 causes the car navigation function unit to search for a route from the current location to the location of one of the candidate destinations determined to have been selected in step S148, and provides route guidance for the automatic driving mode according to the route search results. The history of the executed uses is associated with the user ID of the passenger, and the contents shown in Figure 2 are stored in the history memory 119.

[0125] Furthermore, when it is determined in step S145 that the attribute of the destination has not been selected, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a setting of a travel time has been accepted (step S161 in FIG. 8). Here, the travel time in this example means the time from departing from the current location, traveling along an arbitrary route, and returning to the current location.

[0126] If it is determined in step S161 that the setting of the driving time has not been accepted, the control unit 101 then determines whether or not an instruction to stop use has been accepted via the touch panel 112 based on the operation of the button icon 205 on the display screen 111D (see FIG. 14(C)) or an instruction to stop use of the autonomously driven vehicle 1 by voice via the voice recognition unit 115 (step S162). If it is determined in step S162 that an instruction to stop use has been accepted, the control unit 101 ends this processing routine, and if it is determined that an instruction to stop use has not been accepted, the control unit 101 returns the processing to step S144 in FIG. 7 and performs the processing from step S144 onwards.

[0127] If it is determined in step S161 that the setting of the travel time has been accepted, the control unit 101 detects the remaining charge of the battery 11 and calculates the remaining travel time (step S163).Then, the control unit 101 determines whether the remaining travel time is shorter than the travel time set by the rider (step S164).

[0128] If it is determined in step S164 that the available driving time is longer than the driving time set by the passenger, the control unit 101 searches for and determines a route for the set driving time using the functions of the car navigation function unit 113, and notifies the passenger of the route thus searched for by displaying it on the display screen 111D of the display unit 111, as shown in FIG. 14(D) (step S165).

[0129] Next, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a startup instruction has been received by operating the button icon 206 (see FIG. 14(D)) via the touch panel 112, or by voice via the voice recognition unit 115 (step S166). If a startup instruction has not been received, the control unit 101 returns to step S166 and waits for a startup instruction to be received.

[0130] When it is determined in step S166 that the activation instruction has been received, the control unit 101 executes the car navigation function for the automatic driving mode, sets the driving mode to the automatic driving mode, and drives the vehicle for the set driving time (step S167). Note that the history of the executed uses is associated with the user ID of the passenger, and the contents shown in Fig. 2 are stored in the history memory 119.

[0131] Then, when it is determined in step S164 that the available driving time is shorter than the driving time set by the passenger, the control unit 101 notifies the passenger through the display screen 111D of the display unit 111 and through the speaker 135 that "the set driving time cannot be used," along with displaying the driving time that is possible with the remaining charge of the battery 11, as shown in FIG. 14(E) (step S171 in FIG. 9).

[0132] In this case, the passenger can select three response actions in response to the notification in step S171: resetting the driving time, ceasing use of the self-driving vehicle 1, or running the vehicle for the remaining driving time of the battery 11. As shown in Figure 14(E), the display screen 111D of the display unit 111 displays button icons 207, 208, and 209 for selecting these options.

[0133] Then, the control unit 101 determines whether or not an instruction to "reset" the running time has been received by operating the button icon 207 via the touch panel 112, or an instruction to "reset" the running time by voice via the voice recognition unit 115 (step S172), and if it determines that an instruction to "reset" has been received, the control unit 101 returns the process to step S161 in FIG. 8 and repeats the process of step S161.

[0134] Furthermore, when it is determined in step S172 that the instruction to "reset" has not been received, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the instruction to "execute" has been received by operating the button icon 207 via the touch panel 112, or by voice via the voice recognition unit 115 (step S173).

[0135] Then, when it is determined that the "execute" command has been received, the control unit 101 searches for and determines a route for the driving time corresponding to the remaining charge of the battery 11 using the functions of the car navigation function unit 113, and notifies the passenger of the route thus searched for by displaying it on the display screen 111D of the display unit 111 in the same manner as the display image shown in Fig. 14(D) (step S174). In this case, the display portion relating to the driving time on the display screen 111D is changed to, for example, "Driving time of remaining battery charge: 25 minutes" instead of "Driving time of 30 minutes" in Fig. 14(D).

[0136] Next, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a startup instruction has been received by operating the button icon 206 (see FIG. 14(D)) via the touch panel 112, or by voice via the voice recognition unit 115 (step S175). If a startup instruction has not been received, the control unit 101 returns to step S175 and waits for a startup instruction to be received.

[0137] When it is determined in step S175 that the activation instruction has been received, the control unit 101 executes the car navigation function for the automatic driving mode, sets the driving mode to the automatic driving mode, and drives the vehicle for the driving time corresponding to the remaining charge of the battery 11 (step S176). Note that the history of the executed uses is associated with the user ID of the passenger, and the contents shown in Fig. 2 are stored in the history memory 119.

[0138] Furthermore, if it is determined in step S173 that an instruction to "execute" has not been received, control unit 101 determines whether or not an instruction to "stop use" of autonomously driven vehicle 1 has been received (step S177). If control unit 101 determines in step S177 that an instruction to "stop use" has been received, it terminates this processing routine, and if it determines that an instruction to "stop use" has not been received, it returns the processing to step S172 and repeats the processing from step S172 onwards.

[0139] Next, in step S112 of FIG. 4, when it is determined that the response to the inquiry about the intended use is not for driving the vehicle but for a purpose other than driving, the control unit 101 detects the remaining charge of the battery 11 (step S181 of FIG. 10), and then, using the determination result in step S102, the control unit 101 determines whether the passenger is a registered user (step S182).

[0140] If it is determined in step S182 that the passenger is a registered user, the control unit 101 presents uses other than driving that can be provided with the remaining charge of the battery 11 detected in step S181 in order of priority based on the passenger's usage history (step S183). For example, the more frequently the passenger has used the non-driving uses in the passenger's past, the higher the presentation order.

[0141] An example of the display of uses other than driving in this case is shown in Figure 15(B). That is, when the passenger selects a use other than driving, the display screen 111D of the display unit 111 changes from the inquiry screen for use in Figure 15(A), which is the same as Figure 13(A), to a list screen of uses other than driving shown in Figure 15(B). Note that the contents of this list of uses other than driving may also be presented to the passenger by voice through the speaker 135.

[0142] Next, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a selection of a use other than driving has been accepted (step S184), and if it determines that a selection of a use other than driving has not been accepted, it determines whether or not an instruction to stop use of the autonomous vehicle 1 has been accepted based on operation of the button icon 210 (see Figure 15 (B)) on the display screen 111D via the touch panel 112, or an instruction to stop use of the autonomous vehicle 1 by voice via the voice recognition unit 115 (step S185).

[0143] If the control unit 101 determines in step S185 that a usage stop instruction has been received, it terminates this processing routine. If the control unit 101 determines in step S185 that a usage stop instruction has not been received, it determines whether a redo instruction based on the operation of the button icon 211 (see FIG. 15(B)) on the display screen 111D via the touch panel 112, or a voice redo instruction via the voice recognition unit 115, has been received (step S186). If the control unit 101 determines in step S186 that a redo instruction has not been received, it returns the processing to step S184, and repeats the processing from step S184 onward. If the control unit 101 determines in step S186 that a redo instruction has been received, it returns the processing to step S111 in FIG. 4, and performs the processing from step S111 onward.

[0144] Next, when it is determined in step S184 that the selection of a use other than driving has been accepted, the control unit 101 displays a list of the selected use items for the use other than driving on the display screen 111D in order based on the passenger's use history, and also notifies the passenger by voice through the speaker 135 (step S187). That is, the use items for the use other than driving that have been used more frequently in the passenger's past use purposes are presented with a higher priority.

[0145] Display examples of the display screen 111D at this time are shown in Figures 15(C) and 15(D). That is, Figure 15(C) is a list of usage items when AV / game-related functions are selected as uses other than driving, and Figure 15(D) is a list of usage items when massage and other functions are selected as uses other than driving. In this case, as shown in Figures 15(C) and 15(D), information on the available time with the remaining battery power detected in step S181 for each use other than driving is also displayed on the display screen 111D.

[0146] Next, the control unit 101 waits for a use item to be selected (step S188), and when it determines that a use item has been selected, it determines whether or not a start instruction (execution instruction) based on operation of the button icon 212 (see FIG. 15(C)) or the button icon 213 (see FIG. 15(D)) on the display screen 111D via the touch panel 112, or a start instruction (execution instruction) by voice via the voice recognition unit 115 has been received (step S189).

[0147] Then, when it is determined in step S189 that a start instruction (execution instruction) has been received, the control unit 101 executes the selected use item for a purpose other than traveling (step S190). Note that the history of the executed use purposes is associated with the user ID of the passenger, and the contents shown in Fig. 2 are stored in the history memory 119.

[0148] Furthermore, if it is determined in step S182 that the passenger is not a registered user, the control unit 101 presents uses other than driving that can be provided with the remaining charge of the battery 11 detected in step S181 (step S201 in FIG. 11). In this case, since there is no past use of the passenger, uses other than driving are presented in an arbitrary priority order (see, for example, FIG. 15(B)).

[0149] Next, the control unit 101 determines whether or not a selection of a use other than driving has been accepted (step S202), and if it determines that a selection of a use other than driving has not been accepted, it determines whether or not an instruction to stop use of the autonomous vehicle 1 has been accepted based on operation of the button icon 210 (see Figure 15 (B)) on the display screen 111D via the touch panel 112, or an instruction to stop use of the autonomous vehicle 1 by voice via the voice recognition unit 115 (step S203).

[0150] If the control unit 101 determines in step S203 that a usage stop instruction has been received, it terminates this processing routine. If the control unit 101 determines in step S203 that a usage stop instruction has not been received, it determines whether a redo instruction based on the operation of the button icon 211 (see FIG. 15(B)) on the display screen 111D via the touch panel 112, or a voice redo instruction via the voice recognition unit 115, has been received (step S204). If the control unit 101 determines in step S204 that a redo instruction has not been received, it returns the processing to step S202, and repeats the processing from step S202 onward. If the control unit 101 determines in step S204 that a redo instruction has been received, it returns the processing to step S111 in FIG. 4, and performs the processing from step S111 onward.

[0151] Next, when it is determined in step S202 that a selection of a use other than driving has been accepted, the control unit 101 displays a list of the usage items for the selected use other than driving on the display screen 111D in an arbitrary order, for example, in a default order, and notifies the user by voice through the speaker 135 (step S205).

[0152] At this time, the display examples of the display screen 111D are as shown in FIG. 15(C) and FIG. 15(D).

[0153] Next, the control unit 101 waits for a use item to be selected (step S206), and when it determines that a use item has been selected, it determines whether or not a start instruction (execution instruction) based on operation of the button icon 212 (see FIG. 15(C)) or the button icon 213 (see FIG. 15(D)) on the display screen 111D via the touch panel 112, or a start instruction (execution instruction) by voice via the voice recognition unit 115 has been received (step S207).

[0154] Then, when it is determined in step S207 that a start instruction (execution instruction) has been accepted, the control unit 101 executes the selected use item for a purpose other than traveling (step S208).

[0155] [Effects of the embodiment] As explained above, in the invention of the self-driving car 1 of the above-mentioned embodiment, the use of the car is not limited to driving, but is regarded as a device that provides uses other than driving, and when a passenger is about to start using the car, the car is asked whether it will be used for driving or for a purpose other than driving, and the use specified based on the response is activated in response to the passenger's activation command.

[0156] In other words, according to the self-driving vehicle 1 of the above-described embodiment, when a passenger gets into the vehicle, the vehicle inquires about the intended use of the passenger, including uses other than driving, and depending on the passenger's response to the inquiry, the vehicle identifies the intended use of the passenger and behaves to carry out the identified intended use, thereby making it possible to realize a vehicle that is very easy for passengers to use.

[0157] Moreover, according to the above-described embodiment, the vehicle usage history of a pre-registered user is accumulated not only for driving purposes but also for non-driving purposes, so that the passenger's habitual usage purposes can be identified and presented to the passenger preferentially at an appropriate timing. This allows the passenger to carry out their habitual usage purposes in accordance with recommendations from autonomous vehicle 1, which is extremely convenient.

[0158] Furthermore, according to the self-driving vehicle 1 of the above-described embodiment, once the intended use is determined, the vehicle waits for a start instruction from the passenger before driving for the intended use, thereby reducing wasteful consumption of power sources such as batteries.

[0159] Furthermore, according to the autonomous vehicle 1 of the above-described embodiment, when the vehicle is used for driving purposes, the destination is always set before the vehicle is started for that purpose, eliminating the need for the passenger to perform the procedure of setting the destination after the vehicle is started, and there is no risk of forgetting to set the destination, making the vehicle easy to use. Furthermore, when the vehicle is used for driving purposes, if the destination is known, the destination is always set before the vehicle is started for that purpose, not only when the autonomous driving mode is selected, but also when the manual driving mode is selected. Therefore, even if the driving mode is switched from the manual driving mode to the autonomous driving mode while the vehicle is traveling, the destination will not become unknown, and the vehicle can be reliably reached at the destination.

[0160] [Modifications of the above embodiment] If it is determined in step S114 that the destination is undecided and the mode is manual driving in step S141, the system is configured to immediately start up upon waiting for an activation instruction from the passenger. However, even if it is determined in step S114 that the destination is undecided and the mode is manual driving in step S141, the processes of steps S144 to S148 and steps S161 to S168 may be executed before step S142, which waits for an activation instruction, in the same way as when automatic driving mode is selected in step S141, to detect the remaining charge of battery 11 and accept settings of destination attributes and driving time.

[0161] In the above embodiment, the habitual use is targeted at the detailed use, but the type of use and the content of use may be presented to the passenger as the habitual use. In that case, however, when the habitual use is selected, it is necessary to further inquire the passenger about the detailed use and have the passenger set it.

[0162] In the above-described embodiment, the remaining charge of the battery 11 is not taken into consideration when performing habitual use applications. However, even in this case, it is possible to detect the remaining charge of the battery 11 and notify the user whether the battery 11 can be used for the usual purpose or that the remaining charge of the battery 11 is insufficient and only the remaining charge can be used.

[0163] In the above-described embodiment, when the battery is low, the passenger is only notified of this fact, but when the vehicle is being used for purposes other than driving that can be used while the vehicle is stopped, the passenger may be suggested to use the vehicle while charging.

[0164] In the above embodiment, the passenger's activation instruction is received after the intended use is determined, but the intended use may also be determined after the passenger issues an activation instruction.

[0165] [Other embodiments or modifications] It goes without saying that uses other than driving are not limited to the examples of the above-mentioned embodiments, and it is also possible to configure the vehicle so that the rider can select and activate the functions while driving for driving purposes.

[0166] The vehicle may also suggest recommended uses from among driving uses and uses other than driving uses according to the remaining battery power.The vehicle may also suggest recommended driving routes as driving uses according to the remaining battery power.

[0167] In the above embodiment, the rider selects one specific item as a non-driving use, but it may be possible to simultaneously use multiple non-driving use items, such as listening to music while getting a massage or playing a game while listening to music. In this case, a dedicated selection button may be provided to simultaneously select multiple non-driving use items. It may also be possible to select multiple non-driving use items in a conversational (interactive) format using voice through the voice recognition unit 115.

[0168] In the above embodiment, when "2. Other than driving" is selected as the intended use on the intended use inquiry screen of FIG. 15(A), the screen changes to a list screen of uses other than driving shown in FIG. 15(B). However, when "1. Driving a car" is selected, the screen may also change to a list screen of uses other than driving shown in FIG. 15(B). In this case, however, in addition to "A. AV / game related" and "B. Massage etc.", "C. Only driving a car" which does not require any use other than driving is added. Of course, the list screen of uses other than driving is not limited to this, and may also include rest-related such as sleep, eating and drinking, reading, work / study, etc.

[0169] Conversely, a list screen of uses other than driving may be presented first, and then the user may be prompted to select whether or not to drive the car.

[0170] In the above-described embodiment, the attributes of the passengers were not taken into consideration. However, personal attributes such as the passenger's age, gender, and nationality may be stored in association with the user ID, and the purpose and content items to be presented for purposes other than driving may be varied depending on the passenger's personal attributes such as age, gender, and nationality. For example, massages are essential for the elderly but less necessary for school children and teenagers, so age is a major factor. Whether DVDs or Blu-rays are rated for adults or not also depends on age. Furthermore, since preferences for AV / games vary greatly depending on gender, the genre of presented content may be changed depending on gender.

[0171] Although the above-described embodiment does not describe the use of makeup, it may, of course, be used for makeup. While makeup use is primarily an option for women, in this case, the display unit 111 can be configured as a mirror display, converting the display screen into a mirror surface for use with makeup. Furthermore, nationality has a particular impact on language-dependent applications, and is effective for DVD and BD playback, such as subtitles and dubbing. The passenger's personal attributes, such as age, gender, and nationality, are stored as a user ID or linked to the user ID. Of course, personal attributes are not limited to age, gender, and nationality, and may also include religion, place of residence or birthplace, occupation, hobbies, and the like.

[0172] In the above-described embodiment, the purpose of the ride, other than travel, is not changed depending on the number of passengers, but in the case of games, for example, competitive games such as shogi, go, and chess can be played by two people, and mahjong can be played by four people. Therefore, the content presented may be changed by counting the number of passengers. For example, if there are initially three passengers but one more passenger joins the ride, bringing the total to four, mahjong will be added as a purpose at that point.

[0173] For example, the number and / or composition of passengers in the vehicle may be detected from images captured by the cameras in the camera group 107, and the purpose and content items of the purpose to be presented may be varied depending on whether the detected number and / or composition of passengers is, for example, one person, a couple, friends of the same sex, a group of three or more people, or a family.

[0174] For example, when the number and / or composition of the detected passengers is, for example, a passenger holding a crying baby, the system queries the passenger about the purpose of the predetermined journey time with no destination set, for example, to calm the baby down, and in the case of a family trip, the system queries mainly about the purpose of the journey, particularly the purpose of the journey with a known destination.

[0175] In addition, in order to detect the number and / or composition of passengers in the vehicle, in addition to the image captured by the camera, the voices of the passengers picked up by microphone 136, opening / closing sensors of the vehicle's doors (driver's door, passenger's door, rear seat door, etc.), and seating sensors installed in the seats may also be used.

[0176] The automobile in the above-described embodiment is an example of an electric automobile, and the only power source is a battery. However, in the case of a gasoline engine automobile or a diesel engine automobile, the power source is not only a battery but also gasoline or diesel. In such a case, when used for driving, the remaining amount to be detected is of course not only the remaining battery amount but also the remaining amount of fuel such as gasoline or diesel. Furthermore, the automobile according to the present invention may be a fuel cell vehicle, etc.

[0177] The automobile in the above-described embodiment is an automatically driven automobile capable of autonomous driving, but it goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied to automobiles that only have a manual driving mode, or automobiles that have both a manual driving mode and a mode that allows for specific automatic driving such as automatic tracking.

[0178] Furthermore, the present invention is applicable not only to standard automobiles and light vehicles but also to trucks, buses, taxis, and single-occupancy vehicles in the above-described embodiments. Of course, the automobiles in the above-described embodiments may also be amphibious vehicles or air-land vehicles (flying cars). In the case of amphibious vehicles or air-land vehicles (flying cars), navigation is added to the driving purpose, and further, underwater photography, aerial photography, and the like can be selected as uses other than driving and navigation.

[0179] The automobile of the above-described embodiment may externally display or audio notification of in-use information indicating whether the automobile is providing the vehicle for driving or for a purpose other than driving. In this case, the automobile may be provided with a display unit visible from the outside, such as on a door, or with a speaker for emitting audio to the outside. The automobile may also transmit the in-use information to other vehicles in the vicinity that are driving, stopped, or parked, or to nearby smartphones via wireless communication. In this case, the automobile may be provided with a means for wirelessly communicating with other nearby vehicles or nearby smartphones. Furthermore, the in-use information may be uploaded to the cloud via the wireless communication unit 124. By notifying or transmitting the in-use information, it appears to the outside that the automobile is not driving if it is providing the vehicle for a purpose other than driving, eliminating the need to worry about sudden acceleration and enabling the safety of the automobile to be determined.

[0180] The vehicle of the above-described embodiment can also be configured with a function to receive emergency disaster notifications, such as emergency earthquake notifications (breaking news), tsunami advisories and warnings, river flood advisories and warnings, landslide advisories and warnings, and volcanic eruption advisories and warnings, via the wireless communication unit 124, to support emergency disaster applications. In this case, when an emergency disaster notification is received, the emergency disaster application takes priority over the vehicle's intended use, including its intended use for driving and non-driving purposes. In the case of an emergency disaster application, the vehicle determines whether the vehicle is safe, whether it should drive, and if so, where and how to drive. If the vehicle is an autonomous vehicle, it selects and executes the determined purpose and presents it to the passengers. If the vehicle is not autonomous and only has a manual driving mode, it presents the determined purpose to the passengers, and, if driving, uses the car navigation function to guide the passengers through driving. This is performed not only while the passenger is in the vehicle but also after the passenger has boarded, interrupting any ongoing applications.

[0181] In emergency disaster applications, the automobile selects and executes the driving application, for example, in the case of an emergency earthquake notification, not driving (not starting), or turning on hazard lights and pulling to the shoulder of the road and stopping (in the case of an autonomous vehicle), or guiding the automobile in that direction (in the case of a manually driven vehicle). In addition, in the case of a tsunami warning, the car navigation function unit 113 selects and executes the driving application, such as setting a destination to a place safe from tsunamis, such as high ground, as a destination, to drive to (in the case of an autonomous vehicle), or guiding the automobile in that direction (in the case of a manually driven vehicle). Furthermore, in the case of a landslide or volcanic eruption warning, the car navigation function unit 113 selects and executes the driving application, such as setting a destination to a safe place that is not affected by debris flows, pyroclastic flows, or volcanic ash, as a destination, to drive to (in the case of an autonomous vehicle), or guiding the automobile in that direction (in the case of a manually driven vehicle).

[0182] For uses other than driving in an emergency disaster, the vehicle selects and executes a purpose depending on the content of the emergency disaster report received, such as watching television broadcasts related to the emergency disaster using the television broadcast receiving function unit and listening to radio broadcasts related to the emergency disaster using the AM and FM radio broadcast receiving function unit.

[0183] Of course, in the case of disasters, it can be used not only in emergency situations, but also in situations where disasters or damage occur continuously over several days, such as typhoons, volcanic eruptions, and wildfires, in the same way as for emergency disaster applications.

[0184] Furthermore, when the automobile receives an air pollution advisory or warning about photochemical smog, yellow sand, PM2.5, or the like via the wireless communication unit 124, it selects and executes a driving or non-driving purpose in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment, but prohibits any use that requires opening the windows, and closes any open windows so that the windows cannot be opened in order to avoid damage from air pollution. This is a similar measure to take in the event of a sandstorm or dust storm, but the automobile can determine this by image recognition from the camera group 107 without using the wireless communication unit 124. This also applies to the case of severe air pollution such as yellow sand, and it can be determined by image recognition from the camera group 107 in the same way. [Explanation of symbols]

[0185] 1...Autonomous driving vehicle, 10...Electronic control circuit section, 11...Battery, 101...Control section, 102...Motor drive control section, 104...Manual / automatic driving mode switching control section, 107...Camera group, 108...Sensor group, 110...Current position detection section, 111...Display section, 111D...Display screen, 112...Touch panel, 113...Car navigation function section, 114...Image recognition section, 115...Speech recognition section, 116...Application navigation function section, 117...AV entertainment function section, 118...Massage mechanism drive section, 119...History memory, 120...History analysis section, 121...Audio input / output section, 122...Clock section, 123...Battery remaining capacity detection section, 134...User image information storage section, 135...Speaker, 136...Microphone

Claims

1. An autonomous driving vehicle that performs autonomous driving, a driving purpose providing unit including a driving drive system that provides driving purposes for the host vehicle; a non-driving use providing unit that provides uses other than driving of the vehicle; wireless communication means for performing wireless communication; an emergency disaster use execution means for, when receiving an emergency disaster report through the wireless communication means, determining at least whether it is safe inside the vehicle, whether the vehicle should be driven, and if so, where to drive, as an emergency disaster use that takes priority over the vehicle's use uses including the driving use and uses other than the driving use, and for selecting and executing the determined emergency disaster use; An autonomous vehicle equipped with

2. The emergency disaster use execution means selects and executes the driving use and / or the non-driving use of the emergency disaster use in accordance with the content of the received emergency disaster report.

2. The self-driving vehicle according to claim 1 .

3. The emergency disaster use execution means executes the determined emergency disaster use and presents it to the passenger.

3. The autonomous vehicle according to claim 1 or 2.

4. When the received emergency disaster notification is an emergency earthquake notification, the emergency disaster application execution means executes moving to a shoulder of a road and stopping or parking as the driving application in the emergency disaster application. The self-driving vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. When the received emergency disaster notification is a tsunami notification, the emergency disaster application execution means executes, as the driving application in the emergency disaster application, driving to a place safe from tsunamis as a destination by a car navigation function unit. The self-driving vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. When the received emergency disaster notification is a warning of a landslide or a volcanic eruption, the emergency disaster application execution means executes, as the driving application in the emergency disaster application, by using a car navigation function unit, driving to a safe place that is not affected by a mudslide or a pyroclastic flow. The self-driving vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The emergency disaster use execution means executes a television broadcast viewing use for viewing an emergency disaster report or a radio broadcast listening use for listening to an emergency disaster report as the use other than driving in the emergency disaster use. The self-driving vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. The emergency disaster application execution means executes an application similar to the emergency disaster application not only in the event of an emergency disaster but also when a disaster and / or damage occurs continuously for several days. The self-driving vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. When the non-driving use providing unit is activated, the driving use providing unit is not activated. The self-driving vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. The vehicle is an amphibious vehicle, an amphibious vehicle, or an amphibious vehicle, The traveling use includes a navigation use, or the traveling use is separate from the navigation use. The self-driving vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. The vehicle is provided with a means for notifying the outside whether the vehicle is providing the driving purpose or the purpose other than the driving purpose. The self-driving vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. The vehicle is provided with a means for transmitting to the outside using the wireless communication means whether the vehicle is currently providing the driving use or the use other than driving, and / or a means for uploading the information to a cloud via the wireless communication means. The self-driving vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. The non-driving uses provided by the non-driving use providing unit are at least one of AV entertainment uses, game uses, massage uses, makeup uses, sleep or rest uses, eating and drinking uses, reading uses, and work or study uses. The self-driving vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. According to a predetermined use other than driving, the environment inside the vehicle is set to be suitable for the predetermined use.

14. The autonomous vehicle of claim 13.

15. Accessing a server on the Internet via the wireless communication means in accordance with a predetermined purpose other than the driving purpose 15. The autonomous vehicle according to claim 13 or 14.

16. a battery remaining amount detection means for detecting the remaining amount of battery and / or fuel of the vehicle; The available time for a predetermined purpose other than driving is notified according to the remaining amount of the battery and / or fuel detected by the battery remaining amount detection means. The self-driving vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

17. a battery remaining amount detection means for detecting the remaining amount of battery and / or fuel of the vehicle; A predetermined use is presented from the driving use and the non-driving use according to the remaining amount of the battery and / or fuel detected by the battery remaining amount detection means. The self-driving vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

18. a battery remaining amount detection means for detecting the remaining amount of battery and / or fuel of the vehicle; A recommended driving route is presented as the driving purpose according to the remaining amount of the battery and / or fuel detected by the battery remaining amount detection means. The self-driving vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 17.

19. a battery remaining capacity detection means for detecting the remaining capacity of the battery of the vehicle; When the remaining battery charge detecting means detects that the remaining battery charge is insufficient, the driver is informed that the battery should be charged while the vehicle is stopped. The self-driving vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

20. When receiving an air pollution warning or alert, including photochemical smog, yellow sand, and PM2.5, using the wireless communication means, any use that requires opening the vehicle windows is prohibited. The self-driving vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 19.

21. When an air pollution warning or alert including photochemical smog, yellow sand, and PM2.5 is received via the wireless communication means, the vehicle windows are closed. The autonomous vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 20.

22. Equipped with a camera that captures images outside the vehicle, If air pollution including sandstorms, dust storms, or yellow sand is detected through image recognition of the images captured by the camera, applications that require opening the vehicle windows are prohibited. The self-driving vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 21.

23. Equipped with a camera that captures images outside the vehicle, By recognizing the image captured by the camera, if it detects air pollution including sandstorms, dust storms, or yellow sand, it closes the vehicle's windows. The autonomous vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 22.

24. Equipped with a means for notifying the outside of the use information being provided by the vehicle The autonomous vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 23.

25. The vehicle is provided with a means for transmitting the usage information being provided by the vehicle to the outside using the wireless communication means and / or a means for uploading the usage information to the cloud via the wireless communication means. The autonomous vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 24.

26. a driving purpose providing unit including a driving drive system that provides driving purposes for the host vehicle; a non-driving use providing unit that provides uses other than driving of the vehicle; wireless communication means for performing wireless communication; The computer equipped in the self-driving car that drives autonomously is an emergency disaster use execution means for, when receiving an emergency disaster report through the wireless communication means, determining at least whether it is safe inside the vehicle, whether the vehicle should be driven, and if so, where to drive, as an emergency disaster use that takes priority over the vehicle's use uses including the driving use and uses other than the driving use, and for selecting and executing the determined emergency disaster use; A program for self-driving cars to function as a

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