vehicle

Abstract

To detect a sign of abnormality in an automated driving kit.SOLUTION: A vehicle (1) includes: an interface unit (102) which can communicate with an automated driving kit (20) capable of being attached to and detached from the vehicle, and which gives a control instruction related to automated driving control to each part of the vehicle on the basis of an instruction from the automated driving kit; and a preventive safety device (103) for implementing a preventive safety function of the vehicle. The preventive safety device includes: acquisition means (1031) for acquiring at least one of surrounding environment information related to a surrounding environment of the vehicle and in-vehicle environment information related to an environment inside the vehicle; and performance evaluation means (1032) for evaluating driving performance of the automated driving kit on the basis of the at least one of the surrounding environment information and the in-vehicle environment information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of vehicles. [Background technology]

[0002] As this type of vehicle, for example, a vehicle has been proposed that is automatically driven by outputting control instructions to a functional unit of the vehicle in accordance with instructions from an automatic driving kit that can be attached to and detached from the vehicle (see Patent Document 1).In addition, a vehicle control system has been proposed that includes a first unit that generates a target trajectory based on a driving plan for the vehicle and a second unit that controls vehicle driving so that the vehicle follows the target trajectory, and the second unit intervenes in the driving control amount so as to prevent collision between the vehicle and an obstacle (see Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-123146 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2021-062780 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a vehicle that is being driven automatically using an automatic driving kit, there is a technical problem in that if an abnormality occurs in the function of the automatic driving kit, the vehicle will be unable to continue driving automatically.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle that can detect signs of abnormalities in an autonomous driving kit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A vehicle according to one aspect of the present invention is configured to be able to communicate with an autonomous driving kit that is detachably attached to the vehicle, and is equipped with an interface unit that issues control instructions related to autonomous driving control to various parts of the vehicle based on instructions from the autonomous driving kit, and a preventive safety device that realizes a preventive safety function of the vehicle, wherein the preventive safety device is equipped with: acquisition means that acquires at least one of surrounding environment information related to the environment around the vehicle and in-vehicle environment information related to the environment inside the vehicle; and performance evaluation means that evaluates the driving performance of the autonomous driving kit based on at least one of the surrounding environment information and the in-vehicle environment information. The performance evaluation means acquires an environmental level indicating the degree of influence that at least one of the surrounding environment and the in-vehicle environment has on the driving of the vehicle based on at least one of the surrounding environment information and the in-vehicle environment information, and evaluates the driving performance of the autonomous driving kit according to the acquired environmental level. That is it. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation of the preventive safety device according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] 10 is an example of information indicating a relationship between environmental information and an environmental level. [Figure 4] 10 is an example of information indicating a relationship between a total environment level and a threshold value. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing another example of the operation of the preventive safety device according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing another example of the operation of the preventive safety device according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] An embodiment relating to a vehicle will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0009] (Vehicle configuration) In FIG. 1, a vehicle 1 includes a cruise control system 10, a drive actuator 11, a braking actuator 12, a steering actuator 13, a recognition sensor 14, a driving state sensor 15, an external environment sensor 16, an interior environment sensor 17, and a communication device 18.

[0010] An automatic driving device 20 is connected to the vehicle 1. The automatic driving device 20 is a device that is detachable from the vehicle 1 and is independent of the vehicle 1. The automatic driving device 20 may be wired to the cruise control system 10 via a detachable connector. Here, the cruise control system 10 is a system unique to the vehicle 1. The cruise control system 10 is provided by the automobile manufacturer together with the vehicle 1. In contrast, the automatic driving device 20 is often designed and developed by a separate entity from the cruise control system 10. The automatic driving device 20 may also be referred to as an Autonomous Driving Kit (ADK).

[0011] The cruise control system 10 and the automatic driving device 20 may constitute an automatic driving system for automatically driving the vehicle 1. Note that "automated driving" may mean, for example, automatic driving of level 3 or higher in the level definition of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE).

[0012] Cruise control system 10 may include one or more processors and memory coupled to the processors. Cruise control system 10 may be electrically coupled to on-vehicle actuators (e.g., drive actuator 11, braking actuator 12, and steering actuator 13), on-vehicle sensors (e.g., recognition sensor 14, driving state sensor 15, external environment sensor 16, and interior environment sensor 17), and communication device 18 via an on-vehicle network (e.g., Controller Area Network (CAN)).

[0013] The drive actuator 11 is an actuator for accelerating the vehicle 1. The braking actuator 12 is an actuator for decelerating or stopping the vehicle 1. The steering actuator 13 is an actuator for steering the vehicle 1.

[0014] The recognition sensor 14 may include at least one of a camera (i.e., an image sensor) and a radar sensor (e.g., a millimeter-wave radar or a laser radar). The recognition sensor 14 is used to detect objects (e.g., vehicles, pedestrians, bicycles, fallen objects) present around the vehicle 1 and to measure the relative position and relative speed of the detected objects with respect to the vehicle 1. The running condition sensor 15 may include at least one of a speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a yaw rate sensor. The running condition sensor 15 is used to measure at least one of physical quantities (e.g., speed, acceleration, yaw rate) and parameters indicating the running condition of the vehicle 1. The external environment sensor 16 is a sensor that acquires information about the external environment of the vehicle 1. The external environment sensor 16 may include at least one of a raindrop sensor and a temperature sensor. The interior environment sensor 17 is a sensor that acquires information about the interior environment of the vehicle 1. The interior environment sensor 17 may include at least one of a camera, a temperature sensor, and a pressure sensor.

[0015] The communication device 18 is a device that enables the vehicle 1 to perform data communication with the outside. The communication device 18 may be connected to an external communication network via wireless communication. Therefore, the vehicle 1 may be a so-called connected car.

[0016] The cruise control system 10 includes a cruise control device 101, a vehicle control interface 102, and an active safety device 103, which are implemented as logically realized functional blocks or as physically realized processing circuits. The cruise control device 101, the vehicle control interface 102, and the active safety device 103 will be described later.

[0017] The automatic driving device 20 is electrically coupled to the ADK sensor 21. The ADK sensor 21 may be configured integrally with the automatic driving device 20. The ADK sensor 21 may be detachably attached to the automatic driving device 20 or the vehicle 1. The ADK sensor 21 is a sensor for acquiring information required when the automatic driving device 20 drives the vehicle 1. For example, the ADK sensor 21 may include a camera, a radar sensor, and a GPS (Global Positioning System) sensor.

[0018] The automatic driving device 20 may have a function of formulating a driving plan. The automatic driving device 20 may calculate a target trajectory along which the vehicle 1 is to travel, based on the formulated driving plan and information acquired by the ADK sensor 21. For example, the target trajectory may include a sequence of points indicating multiple target positions of the vehicle 1, and at least one of a target speed and a target acceleration at each of the multiple target positions. The automatic driving device 20 transmits the calculated target trajectory to the cruise control system 10. Note that the automatic driving device 20 may repeatedly calculate the target trajectory and transmit the calculated target trajectory to the cruise control system 10 at a predetermined interval.

[0019] The target trajectory transmitted from the automatic driving device 20 is input to the cruise control device 101 via the vehicle control interface 102 of the cruise control system 10. For example, the cruise control device 101 calculates at least one of a drive control amount to be instructed to the drive actuator 11, a braking control amount to be instructed to the braking actuator 12, and a steering control amount to be instructed to the steering actuator 13, based on the target trajectory and the measurement results of the cruise state sensor 15.

[0020] The preventive safety device 103 is a device that intervenes in the driving control device 101 to prevent or avoid a collision between the vehicle 1 and an object. Examples of control for preventing or avoiding a collision between the vehicle 1 and an object include control for preventing the vehicle 1 from deviating from its lane (for example, lane departure prevention control, lane keeping assist control), control for maintaining a constant distance between the vehicle 1 and a preceding vehicle (for example, distance control), and control for automatically applying a braking force to the vehicle 1 when there is a high possibility of a collision between the vehicle 1 and an object (for example, collision damage mitigation brake).

[0021] An example of a method for the preventive safety device 103 to intervene in the cruise control device 101 is a method in which the preventive safety device 103 provides an intervention control amount to the cruise control device 101. In this case, the intervention control amount may include at least one of a drive control amount, a braking control amount, and a steering control amount. When an intervention control amount is provided from the preventive safety device 103 to the cruise control device 101, the cruise control device 101 prioritizes the intervention control amount over a control amount calculated from the target trajectory (specifically, at least one of a drive control amount, a braking control amount, and a steering control amount). The cruise control device 101 controls at least one of the drive actuator 11, the braking actuator 12, and the steering actuator 13 in accordance with the intervention control amount.

[0022] The automatic driving device 20 detects objects present around the vehicle 1 based on information acquired by the ADK sensor 21. The automatic driving device 20 then calculates a target trajectory so that the vehicle 1 will not collide with the detected object. Therefore, theoretically, if the cruise control device 101 calculates a control amount (specifically, at least one of a driving control amount, a braking control amount, and a steering control amount) according to the target trajectory calculated by the automatic driving device 20, a collision between the vehicle 1 and the object will not occur. However, if some abnormality occurs in the automatic driving device 20, the driving performance of the automatic driving device 20 may be permanently or temporarily degraded. For this reason, the preventive safety device 103 may be activated as a last resort to prevent or avoid a collision between the vehicle 1 and the object.

[0023] From the viewpoint of preventive safety, the preventive safety device 103 has a function as a performance evaluation device that evaluates the driving performance of the automatic driving device 20. The preventive safety device 103 may evaluate the driving performance of the automatic driving device 20 based on information obtained from at least one of the recognition sensor 14, the driving condition sensor 15, the external environment sensor 16, and the in-vehicle environment sensor 17. Details of the evaluation of the driving performance of the automatic driving device 20 will be described later. The preventive safety device 103 may take action according to the evaluation result of the driving performance of the automatic driving device 20.

[0024] (Performance evaluation method) A method for evaluating the driving performance of the automatic driving device 20 performed by the preventive safety device 103 will be described. In the flowchart of FIG. 2, the acquisition unit 1031 of the preventive safety device 103 acquires environmental information (step S101). The environmental information is information indicating the environment in which the vehicle 1 is placed. The environmental information may include information indicating the environment outside the vehicle 1 and information indicating the environment inside the vehicle 1. The preventive safety device 103 may acquire the environmental information based on information obtained from at least one of the recognition sensor 14, the driving state sensor 15, the external environment sensor 16, and the interior environment sensor 17. Note that the environmental information may include information regarding at least one of physical quantities and parameters that may affect the driving of the vehicle 1.

[0025] For example, the environmental information may include at least one of information regarding the speed of surrounding vehicles traveling around vehicle 1, information regarding the type of road on which vehicle 1 is traveling (e.g., expressway, general road), information regarding the degree of visibility due to weather, information regarding the time of day, information regarding traffic volume, information regarding the degree of blind spots, information regarding the number of people standing in vehicle 1, and information regarding the number of elderly people riding in vehicle 1. Note that the environmental information is not limited to the information listed here.

[0026] Next, the evaluation unit 1032 of the preventive safety device 103 acquires the environmental level based on information that defines the relationship between environmental information and environmental level, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, and the environmental information acquired in the processing of step S101 (step S102).

[0027] For example, if the information regarding the speed of the surrounding vehicles included in the environmental information indicates "medium," the evaluation unit 1032 sets the environmental level related to the speed of the surrounding vehicles to "2." Note that a "fast" speed may mean a speed of 80 kilometers per hour or more. A "medium" speed may mean a speed between 30 kilometers per hour and 80 kilometers per hour. A "slow" speed may mean a speed of 30 kilometers per hour or less.

[0028] For example, if the information on the type of road included in the environmental information indicates a "general road," the evaluation unit 1032 sets the environmental level related to the road type to "2." For example, if the information on the degree of visibility due to weather included in the environmental information indicates "good," the evaluation unit 1032 sets the environmental level related to the degree of visibility to "1." Note that the degree of visibility being "good" may mean that it is not raining and it is bright. The degree of visibility being "slightly poor" may mean that it is raining lightly during the day or that it is not raining at night. The degree of visibility being "poor" may mean that it is raining heavily or snowing regardless of the time of day, that it is raining or snowing at night, or that there is thick fog.

[0029] For example, if the information relating to a time period included in the environmental information indicates "rush hour," the evaluation unit 1032 sets the environmental level relating to the time period to "3." Note that "rush hour" is a concept that includes morning rush hour (e.g., 7:00 to 9:00) and evening rush hour (e.g., 18:00 to 20:00). For example, if the information relating to traffic volume included in the environmental information indicates "heavy," the evaluation unit 1032 sets the environmental level relating to traffic volume to "2."

[0030] For example, if the information on the degree of blind spots included in the environmental information indicates "few," the evaluation unit 1032 sets the environmental level related to the degree of blind spots to "1." Here, a blind spot refers to an area in front of the vehicle 1 that cannot be seen from the vehicle 1 due to obstacles, including other vehicles and structures. The degree of a blind spot may be expressed as the number of obstacles that create the blind spot. Alternatively, the degree of a blind spot may be expressed as the area of ​​the blind spot.

[0031] For example, if the information on the number of people standing in vehicle 1 included in the environmental information indicates "few," the evaluation unit 1032 sets the environmental level related to the number of people standing to "1." Note that the information on the number of people standing in vehicle 1 may be acquired only when the type of vehicle 1 is a bus. Note that a "few" number of people standing may mean that the number of people standing is two or less. A "medium" number of people standing may mean that the number of people standing is three to six. A "large" number of people standing may mean that the number of people standing is seven or more.

[0032] For example, if the information regarding the number of elderly people riding in vehicle 1 included in the environmental information indicates "few," the evaluation unit 1032 sets the environmental level related to the number of elderly people to "1." Note that "few" elderly people may mean that the number of elderly people is two or less. "Medium" elderly people may mean that the number of elderly people is three to six. "High" elderly people may mean that the number of elderly people is seven or more.

[0033] Next, the evaluation unit 1032 calculates an overall environmental level based on the environmental levels acquired in the processing of step S102 (step S103). A method for calculating the overall environmental level will be described using an example in which, in the processing of step S102, the environmental level related to the speed of nearby vehicles is "2", the environmental level related to the type of road is "2", the environmental level related to the degree of visibility is "1", the environmental level related to the time of day is "3", the environmental level related to the traffic volume is "2", the environmental level related to the degree of blind spots is "1", the environmental level related to the number of standing passengers is "1", and the environmental level related to the number of elderly people is "1".

[0034] The evaluation unit 1032 may calculate the overall environmental level by performing weighted addition on the multiple environmental levels. For example, the weight associated with the speed of the surrounding vehicles is "5," the weight associated with the type of road is "3," the weight associated with the degree of visibility is "5," the weight associated with the time of day is "1," the weight associated with the traffic volume is "1," the weight associated with the degree of blind spots is "4," the weight associated with the number of standing passengers is "2," and the weight associated with the number of elderly people is "1." The weights may be set according to the degree of impact on the driving of the vehicle 1. In this case, the overall environmental level is "33 (= 5 × 2 + 3 × 2 + 5 × 1 + 1 × 3 + 1 × 2 + 4 × 1 + 2 × 1 + 1 × 1)."

[0035] Next, the evaluation unit 1032 determines a threshold value based on information indicating the relationship between the overall environmental level and the threshold value, as shown in Fig. 4, and the overall environmental level calculated in the processing of step S103 (step S104). In Fig. 4, an overall environmental level of "large" may mean that the overall environmental level is 40 or higher. An overall environmental level of "medium" may mean that the overall environmental level is greater than 10 and less than 40. An overall environmental level of "small" may mean that the overall environmental level is 10 or lower.

[0036] If the overall environmental level calculated in the process of step S103 is "33," the evaluation unit 1032 may determine the threshold value for speed to be "legal speed - 20 kilometers per hour," the threshold value for acceleration to be "±0.3 g," the threshold value for jerk to be "±3," and the threshold value for inter-vehicle distance to be "30 m." Note that the threshold values ​​shown in FIG. 4 are merely examples, and are not limiting.

[0037] The preventive safety device 103 may repeatedly perform the operation shown in the flowchart of FIG. 2 at a predetermined cycle (for example, every 5 minutes, or every time the vehicle 1 travels 1 kilometer).

[0038] 5, the evaluation unit 1032 of the preventive safety device 103 determines whether or not at least one of the speed, acceleration, jerk, and inter-vehicle distance of the vehicle 1 has crossed a threshold value (i.e., the threshold value determined in step S104 of the flowchart in FIG. 2) based on information obtained from the recognition sensor 14 and the running condition sensor 15 (step S201). Here, "crossing a threshold value" may mean "exceeding the threshold value" for each of the speed, acceleration, and jerk of the vehicle 1, and may mean "falling below the threshold value" for the inter-vehicle distance.

[0039] If it is determined in step S201 that the threshold has been crossed (step S201: Yes), the evaluation unit 1032 decrements the evaluation value for the automatic driving device 20 by 1 (step S202). Thereafter, the processing of step S201 may be executed after a first predetermined time (e.g., several tens to several hundreds of milliseconds) has elapsed. In other words, the operation shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5 may be repeated at a period corresponding to the first predetermined time. Note that the "evaluation value for the automatic driving device 20" corresponds to an example of the "evaluation result of the driving performance of the automatic driving device 20."

[0040] Furthermore, if, in the processing of step S201, it is determined that the threshold has been crossed because at least one of the speed, acceleration, and jerk of vehicle 1 significantly exceeds the threshold, or the inter-vehicle distance significantly falls below the threshold (step S201: No), the evaluation unit 1032 may significantly reduce the evaluation value related to the automatic driving device 20 (for example, by 5).

[0041] 5 is terminated. After that, the processing of step S201 may be executed after a first predetermined time has elapsed. Note that, if it is determined in step S201 that the threshold has not been crossed (step S201: No), the evaluation unit 1032 may increase the evaluation value of the automatic driving device 20 by 0.1, provided that the evaluation value is smaller than the initial value.

[0042] Alternatively, if the evaluation value for the automatic driving device 20 is smaller than the initial value, the evaluation unit 1032 may increase the evaluation value for the automatic driving device 20 by 0.1 on the condition that the evaluation value for the automatic driving device 20 does not determine that the threshold has been crossed in the determination of step S201 within a second predetermined time (e.g., 5 seconds) after the determination of step S201 that the threshold has been crossed. The evaluation unit 1032 may set the evaluation value for the automatic driving device 20 to the initial value (i.e., reset) when the ignition of the vehicle 1 is turned off. Furthermore, the evaluation unit 1032 may set the evaluation value for the automatic driving device 20 to the initial value (i.e., reset) when the location in which the vehicle 1 is traveling switches from one predetermined area to another (e.g., when moving from an expressway to an ordinary road, or when moving from an urban area to the suburbs).

[0043] The preventive safety device 103 performs the operation shown in the flowchart of Fig. 6 in parallel with the operation shown in the flowchart of Fig. 5. In Fig. 6, threshold A is smaller than threshold B, threshold B is smaller than threshold C, and threshold C is smaller than threshold D (i.e., threshold A<threshold B<threshold C<threshold D).

[0044] 6, the preventive safety device 103 determines whether the evaluation value related to the automatic driving device 20 is smaller than the threshold value A (step S301). If it is determined in the processing of step S301 that the evaluation value related to the automatic driving device 20 is smaller than the threshold value A (step S301: Yes), the preventive safety device 103 causes the driving control device 101 to intervene so that the vehicle 1 moves to the shoulder of the road (step S305).

[0045] In the processing of step S301, if it is determined that the evaluation value related to the automatic driving device 20 is equal to or greater than threshold value A (step S301: No), the preventive safety device 103 determines whether the evaluation value related to the automatic driving device 20 is smaller than threshold value B (step S302). In the processing of step S302, if it is determined that the evaluation value related to the automatic driving device 20 is smaller than threshold value B (step S302: Yes), the preventive safety device 103 causes the driving control device 101 to intervene so as to limit the speed of the vehicle 1 (for example, so that the speed of the vehicle 1 does not exceed a predetermined speed) (step S306).

[0046] In the processing of step S302, if it is determined that the evaluation value related to the automatic driving device 20 is equal to or greater than threshold B (step S302: No), the preventive safety device 103 determines whether the evaluation value related to the automatic driving device 20 is smaller than threshold C (step S303). In the processing of step S303, if it is determined that the evaluation value related to the automatic driving device 20 is smaller than threshold C (step S303: Yes), the preventive safety device 103 relaxes the activation conditions of the preventive safety function (in other words, changes the activation conditions so that the preventive safety function is more likely to activate) (step S307).

[0047] In the processing of step S303, if it is determined that the evaluation value related to the automatic driving device 20 is equal to or greater than the threshold C (step S303: Yes), the preventive safety device 103 determines whether the evaluation value related to the automatic driving device 20 is smaller than the threshold D (step S304). In the processing of step S304, if it is determined that the evaluation value related to the automatic driving device 20 is smaller than the threshold D (step S304: Yes), the preventive safety device 103 reports to the outside of the vehicle 1 via the vehicle control interface 102 and the communication device 18 (step S308).

[0048] In the processing of step S308, the preventive safety device 103 may send a report to HELPNET. HELPNET refers to a management center for emergency response operated by at least one of the business that provides vehicle 1 and the business that maintains vehicle 1. As a result of the processing of step S308, an emergency response for vehicle 1 may be performed by an operator of HELPNET. Alternatively, as a result of the processing of step S308, an emergency response for vehicle 1 may be performed by an automatic response of the HELPNET system. For example, as an emergency response for vehicle 1, HELPNET may send a vehicle stop instruction to vehicle 1.

[0049] In the process of step S304, if it is determined that the evaluation value related to the automatic driving device 20 is equal to or greater than the threshold value D (step S304: No), the operation shown in the flowchart of Fig. 6 is ended. After that, the process of step S301 may be performed.

[0050] (Technical Effects) When the vehicle 1 is traveling according to the target trajectory calculated by the automatic driving device 20, if the speed or the like of the vehicle 1 crosses a threshold value (i.e., the threshold value determined by the processing of step S104 in the flowchart of FIG. 2), it can be interpreted that the traveling mode of the vehicle 1 is not suitable for the environment in which the vehicle 1 is placed. In this case, it can be said that the automatic driving device 20 has not calculated a target trajectory suitable for the environment in which the vehicle 1 is placed.

[0051] The preventive safety device 103 reduces the evaluation value related to the automatic driving device 20 when the speed or the like of the vehicle 1 crosses a threshold. Therefore, when the evaluation value starts to decrease, it can be interpreted as a sign that an abnormality is occurring in the automatic driving device 20. Therefore, it can be said that the vehicle 1 equipped with the preventive safety device 103 can detect signs of an abnormality in the automatic driving device 20.

[0052] Furthermore, if the evaluation value related to the automatic driving device 20 drops by a predetermined amount or more (for example, if the evaluation value falls below at least one of thresholds A, B, C, and D in the flowchart of FIG. 6), the preventive safety device 103 intervenes in the driving control device 101. Here, if the evaluation value related to the automatic driving device 20 drops by a predetermined amount or more, there is a high possibility that an abnormality has occurred in the automatic driving device 20. In this case, the preventive safety device 103 intervenes in the driving control device 101, thereby ensuring the safety of the vehicle 1.

[0053] Aspects of the invention derived from the above-described embodiments will be described below.

[0054] A vehicle according to one aspect of the invention is configured to be able to communicate with an autonomous driving kit that is detachably attached to the vehicle, and is equipped with an interface unit that gives control instructions related to autonomous driving control to each part of the vehicle based on instructions from the autonomous driving kit, and a preventive safety device that realizes the preventive safety functions of the vehicle, wherein the preventive safety device is equipped with an acquisition means that acquires at least one of surrounding environment information related to the surrounding environment of the vehicle and in-vehicle environment information related to the environment inside the vehicle, and a performance evaluation means that evaluates the driving performance of the autonomous driving kit based on at least one of the surrounding environment information and the in-vehicle environment information.

[0055] In the above-described embodiment, the "autonomous driving device 20" corresponds to an example of an "autonomous driving kit," the "vehicle control interface 102" corresponds to an example of an "interface unit," the "acquisition unit 1031" corresponds to an example of an "acquisition means," and the "evaluation unit 1032" corresponds to an example of a "performance evaluation means."

[0056] In the vehicle, the performance evaluation means may acquire an environmental level indicating the degree of impact that at least one of the surrounding environment and the in-vehicle environment has on the driving of the vehicle based on at least one of the surrounding environment information and the in-vehicle environment information, and evaluate the driving performance of the autonomous driving kit according to the acquired environmental level.

[0057] The surrounding environment information may include at least one of the following: the speed of other vehicles traveling around the vehicle, whether the road on which the vehicle is traveling is a motorway, information related to visibility of the road on which the vehicle is traveling, the time of day the vehicle is traveling, the traffic volume of the road on which the vehicle is traveling, and information indicating the degree of blind spots of the road on which the vehicle is traveling. The in-vehicle environment information may include at least one of the number of people standing in the vehicle and the number of elderly people in the vehicle.

[0058] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the claims and the gist or concept of the invention as can be read from the entire specification, and vehicles with such modifications are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0059] 1...vehicle, 10...cruising control system, 20...automatic driving device, 101...cruising control device, 102...vehicle control interface, 103...preventive safety device, 1031...acquisition unit, 1032...evaluation unit

Claims

1. A vehicle that is configured to be able to communicate with an autonomous driving kit that is detachably attached to the vehicle, and that is equipped with an interface unit that issues control instructions related to autonomous driving control to each part of the vehicle based on instructions from the autonomous driving kit, and a preventive safety device that realizes a preventive safety function of the vehicle, The preventive safety device includes: an acquisition means for acquiring at least one of surrounding environment information relating to the surrounding environment of the vehicle and in-vehicle environment information relating to the environment inside the vehicle; a performance evaluation means for evaluating the driving performance of the autonomous driving kit based on at least one of the surrounding environment information and the in-vehicle environment information; Equipped with The performance evaluation means acquiring an environment level indicating a degree of influence of at least one of the surrounding environment and the interior environment on traveling of the vehicle based on at least one of the surrounding environment information and the interior environment information; Evaluating the driving performance of the autonomous driving kit according to the acquired environmental level. A vehicle characterized by:

2. 2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the surrounding environment information includes at least one of the following: the speed of other vehicles traveling around the vehicle; whether the road on which the vehicle is traveling is a highway for motor vehicles only; information relating to the visibility of the road on which the vehicle is traveling; the time of day the vehicle is traveling; the traffic volume on the road on which the vehicle is traveling; and information indicating the degree of blind spots on the road on which the vehicle is traveling.

3. 2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle interior environment information includes at least one of the number of people standing in the vehicle and the number of elderly people in the vehicle.

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