Communication systems, automobiles, and automotive programs

Abstract

To enable a person carrying a portable terminal to safely execute a behavior such as crossing in a communication system comprising the portable terminal and an automobile including a function for wirelessly communicating with the portable terminal and having a manual driving mode and an automatic driving mode in which autonomous travel can be performed.SOLUTION: A portable terminal sends a radio communication request to an automobile. The automobile comprises switching discrimination means for discriminating whether to switch to an automatic driving mode in a case where the own vehicle is in a manual driving mode upon receiving the radio communication request from the portable terminal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

Technical Field

[0005] ,

[0004] , , , , ,

[0006]

[0001] This invention relates to a communication system having a mobile terminal and an automobile, and an automobile constituting the communication system. Further, this invention relates to a program for an automobile.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, automobiles equipped with an automatic driving mode that enables autonomous driving without driver operation have emerged (see, for example, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-48563)). As this type of automobile, in addition to those capable of switching between a manual driving mode and an automatic driving mode, it is considered that automatic driving vehicles equipped only with an automatic driving mode and automatic driving vehicles capable of autonomous driving without a driver will also emerge.

[0003] At present, the autonomous driving in the automatic driving mode of this type of automobile is often restricted, such as being permitted only in places and environments where safety can be easily ensured. However, it is推测 that in the near future, it will be possible to freely drive on public roads.

[0004] When an automobile equipped with an automatic driving mode can freely drive on public roads, a vehicle that can only be manually driven (a manual specification vehicle) and an automobile equipped with an automatic driving mode (for the sake of convenience, in the following description, an automobile equipped with an automatic driving mode will be referred to as an automatic driving vehicle) will run on the same road at the same time.

[0005] In the case of a manual specification vehicle, it is inevitable that the driver may not strictly observe traffic regulations or may act unpredictably. However, in the automatic driving mode of an automatic driving vehicle, traffic regulations are strictly observed, and it is predicted that obstacles will always be avoided during driving. That is, it is predicted that a manual specification vehicle and an automatic driving vehicle will take different driving modes.

[0006] Therefore, if it were possible to know whether the cars driving around were manual transmission vehicles or autonomous vehicles, pedestrians, drivers, and even the cars themselves could more easily predict the movements and behaviors of those vehicles, thereby increasing the likelihood of ensuring safety and taking precautions regarding their own actions and driving. This is expected to contribute to traffic safety, such as preventing accidents. In other words, knowing whether a moving car is a manual transmission vehicle or an autonomous vehicle allows drivers to use this information to determine their own actions and behaviors, which is desirable from a traffic safety perspective.

[0007] For example, Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Publication No. 2015-228152) proposes a system in which vehicles communicate with each other to determine whether their operating mode is automatic or manual, thereby enabling them to understand the operating modes of other vehicles in their vicinity. According to the technology of Patent Document 2, it is convenient that the attention paid to other vehicles in one's vicinity can be increased or decreased depending on the understood operating mode. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2012-48563 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2015-228152 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0009] By the way, the technology described in Patent Document 2 involves vehicles communicating with each other while in motion to learn each other's operating modes and to drive safely by referring to those learned operating modes. However, it does not propose any technology that can contribute to traffic safety by facilitating communication between pedestrians and vehicles.

[0010] For example, when a pedestrian attempts to cross a crosswalk, it is common practice to wait until they confirm that cars have stopped before the crosswalk before proceeding. While traffic laws mandate that cars stop before crosswalks if there are pedestrians attempting to cross, in reality, many cars fail to stop. As a result, some pedestrians, unable to wait for cars to stop, attempt to cross forcefully, often making it difficult to ensure traffic safety.

[0011] If a car is equipped with an autonomous driving mode that allows it to drive on its own without driver intervention, as mentioned above, it will comply with traffic laws and regulations, and can be expected to stop at pedestrian crossings if there are pedestrians. Therefore, if you can identify which car is operating in autonomous driving mode, you can wait for that car to stop at the pedestrian crossing and cross with peace of mind.

[0012] However, pedestrians cannot tell from appearance alone which vehicles are operating in autonomous driving mode. As a result, pedestrians may become frustrated and make dangerous crossings.

[0013] Furthermore, in areas without pedestrian crossings, even vehicles operating in autonomous driving mode may not necessarily stop to give priority to pedestrians attempting to cross. This is because the vehicle cannot determine whether a pedestrian is attempting to cross or is simply standing there.

[0014] The same applies not only to pedestrians but also to those using wheelchairs or bicycles.

[0015] In view of the above points, this invention aims to ensure that pedestrians, wheelchair users, cyclists, and others can safely perform actions such as crossing the road. [Means for solving the problem]

[0016] In order to solve the above problems, the invention according to claim 1 is A communication system having a mobile terminal and a motor vehicle that has a function of wirelessly communicating with the mobile terminal and includes a manual driving mode and an autonomous driving mode in which autonomous driving is possible, The mobile terminal Communication request sending means for sending a wireless communication request to the motor vehicle and, A terminal location detection means for detecting the current location of the terminal, The wireless communication request includes location information of the current location of the terminal detected by the terminal location detection means and information regarding the planned behavior of the terminal's owner. The motor vehicle When receiving the wireless communication request from the mobile terminal, when the vehicle is in the manual driving mode, switching determination means for determining whether to switch to the autonomous driving mode and, A means for detecting the current position of the vehicle, An involvement determination means for determining whether the vehicle is involved in the planned behavior of the mobile terminal, based on the location information of the current location of the mobile terminal and the information regarding the planned behavior of the mobile terminal included in the received wireless communication request, is provided with If the involvement determination means determines that the vehicle is involved in the planned behavior of the person carrying the device, the switching determination means is executed, and if the switching determination means determines that the vehicle will not switch to the automatic driving mode, a reply message is sent to the mobile terminal indicating that the vehicle will not perform the behavior corresponding to the planned behavior of the person carrying the device. The reply information from the vehicle includes information indicating that the vehicle is an emergency vehicle. The aforementioned mobile terminal is equipped with notification means for informing the user that the vehicle that sent the reply information is an emergency vehicle. A communication system characterized by the above is provided.

[0017] In the communication system of the invention according to claim 1 having the above-described configuration, the mobile terminal sends a wireless communication request to the motor vehicle. The motor vehicle that has received the wireless communication request, when the vehicle is in the manual driving mode, uses the switching determination means to determine whether to switch to the autonomous driving mode.

Advantages of the Invention

[0018] In the communication system according to this invention, the carrier of the mobile terminal can draw attention to his or her own presence to the motor vehicle involved in his or her planned behavior. Further, the motor vehicle that has received the wireless communication request from the mobile terminal can switch from the manual driving mode to the autonomous driving mode based on the determination result of the switching determination means, and can provide an opportunity to ensure safe driving in the autonomous driving mode for pedestrians, wheelchair users, cyclists, etc., who are the carriers of the mobile terminal.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019] [Figure 1] This is a diagram for explaining an overview of an example of an embodiment of a communication system according to this invention. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an embodiment of a mobile terminal constituting an embodiment of a communication system according to this invention. [Figure 3] This is a functional block diagram of the main part of the mobile terminal in the example of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] This is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an electronic control circuit unit of an embodiment of an automobile constituting an embodiment of a communication system according to this invention. [Figure 5] This is a functional block diagram of the main part of the electronic control circuit unit of the automobile in the example of FIG. 4. [Figure 6] This is a diagram showing a flowchart for explaining an example of the processing operation of the mobile terminal in the example of FIG. 2. [Figure 7] This is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining an example of a detailed flow of a part of the processing in the flowchart of FIG. 6. [Figure 8] This is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining an example of a detailed flow of a part of the processing in the flowchart of FIG. 6. [Figure 9] This is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining an example of a detailed flow of a part of the processing in the flowchart of FIG. 6. [Figure 10] This is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining an example of the processing operation of the electronic control circuit unit of the automobile in the example of FIG. 4. [Figure 11] This is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining an example of the processing operation of the electronic control circuit unit of the automobile in the example of FIG. 4. [Figure 12] This is a diagram showing a part of a flowchart for explaining an example of the processing operation of the electronic control circuit unit of the automobile in the example of FIG. 4. [Figure 13] This is a diagram for explaining an example of the behavior of an automobile based on a vehicle-to-automobile communication request with respect to the planned behavior of a carrier. [Figure 14]This diagram illustrates an example of how a vehicle behaves based on a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request in relation to the user's planned behavior. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0020] Hereinafter, embodiments of the communication system according to this invention will be described with reference to the figures. Figure 1 is a diagram showing an overview of an example configuration of the communication system according to this embodiment.

[0021] The communication system of this embodiment consists of a mobile terminal 1 and a car 2. The mobile terminal 1 and the car 2 are equipped with the ability to communicate wirelessly with each other. The car 2 is equipped with an autonomous driving mode that enables self-driving.

[0022] Wireless communication between the mobile terminal 1 and the automobile 2 is carried out by directly exchanging radio waves, light, etc. This naturally includes cases where a base station, such as an access point in the case of Wi-Fi® communication, is involved in creating the communication channel. The range in which wireless communication is possible may be limited, for example, to a range of several hundred meters, and it is sufficient that the person carrying the mobile terminal 1, such as a pedestrian, wheelchair user, or cyclist, transmits their planned behavior (hereinafter referred to as "planned behavior"), such as crossing the road or turning left or right, to the automobile 2 via wireless communication prior to the actual execution, and the automobile 2 transmits a corresponding behavior, such as stopping, to the mobile terminal 1, and that the behavior can be executed within that range.

[0023] In this example, mobile device 1 is a high-performance mobile phone terminal called a smartphone. In this example, mobile device 1 can connect to a navigation support server device 5 via a communication network 4 including the internet and a mobile phone network, and the user 3 can receive so-called pedestrian navigation or bicycle navigation services with the support of this navigation support server device 5. Wheelchair navigation services are also available for wheelchair users. The wheelchair navigation service provides guidance not only for road crossings and turns, as is the case for able-bodied pedestrians and cyclists, but also for behaviors unique to wheelchair users, such as riding over steps (which take time), by providing warnings before such steps, so that these behaviors can be performed safely.

[0024] Then, the mobile terminal 1 sends a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request to the vehicle 2 in response to instructions from the user 3. Furthermore, in this embodiment, in the pedestrian navigation, bicycle navigation, and wheelchair navigation services provided by the navigation support server device 5, in order to ensure the traffic safety of the user 3, the route guidance service is configured to send a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request to the vehicle 2 prior to any actions that would be dangerous for the user 3 in relation to the vehicle 2, such as crossing the road, turning left or right, or driving over a curb.

[0025] In other words, when the navigation support server device 5 receives a service request for the pedestrian navigation communication network 4 from the mobile terminal 1, it generates information on a recommended route based on the departure point, destination, and any necessary waypoints included in the service request, and provides a route guidance service along that recommended route to the mobile device 3 through the mobile terminal 1. In this embodiment, the navigation support server device 5 includes information on the location or area where a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request should be sent to the vehicle 2 in the information on the recommended route. In the case of an area, it is set to send a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request when entering that area or just before entering it. The mobile terminal 1 executes the process of sending the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request according to the processing control of this route guidance service.

[0026] On the other hand, in this embodiment, the automobile 2 is equipped with a manual driving mode and the above-described autonomous driving mode. In this embodiment, the automobile 2 is equipped with a normal autonomous driving mode in which the driver can switch to manual driving mode by performing operations such as steering, pressing the accelerator pedal, or pressing the brake pedal, and a forced autonomous driving mode in which the driver cannot switch to manual driving mode even if the aforementioned operations are performed, and the autonomous driving mode is maintained.

[0027] In this embodiment, when the vehicle 2 receives a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request from the mobile terminal 1, it determines whether the vehicle is operating in automatic driving mode or manual driving mode. If it is operating in automatic driving mode, it responds to the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request from the mobile terminal 1 and generates a wireless communication channel. If it is operating in manual driving mode, it determines whether the driver has set the vehicle not to allow switching to automatic driving mode. If it has, it responds to the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request from the mobile terminal 1 and generates a wireless communication channel.

[0028] Then, the car 2 receives information about the planned behavior of the mobile device 3 sent from the mobile terminal 1 via the generated wireless communication channel, determines whether the car is involved in that planned behavior, and if it determines that it is not involved, it sends a reply to the mobile terminal 1 to that effect and disconnects the wireless communication channel. The mobile terminal 1 receives the reply information from the car 2, analyzes it to confirm that it is not involved in the planned behavior of the mobile device 3, and disconnects the wireless communication channel.

[0029] Furthermore, when car 2 determines that it is involved in the planned behavior of mobile phone user 3, it switches itself to forced autonomous driving mode and decides to prioritize the planned behavior of mobile phone user 3 as indicated on mobile terminal 1, and controls itself to execute this. Then, car 2 sends its current location information and information for visualizing itself to mobile terminal 1, and sends a notification back to mobile terminal 1 stating that it will execute the behavior prioritizing the planned behavior of mobile phone user 3 in autonomous driving mode.

[0030] Mobile terminal 1 receives and analyzes information from vehicle 2, displays the analysis results on its screen, and notifies the user 3 by voice. Specifically, based on the current location information from vehicle 2 and identification information for visually identifying its own vehicle, mobile terminal 1 displays the location of vehicle 2, which will behave in accordance with the user 3's planned behavior, and the information based on the identification information on its screen, informing the user 3, and also notifying the user 3 of the behavior that vehicle 2 will perform in autonomous driving mode via the screen and / or voice. For visually or hearing impaired persons, notifications may be provided by vibration. In this case, it is necessary to pre-configure the system so that the identification information can be identified by the vibration pattern.

[0031] Therefore, the user 3 of the mobile device 1 can confirm on the display screen the presence of a car 2 that will stop for the planned behavior, such as crossing the road, that they intend to perform, and can also recognize that the car 2 will perform the behavior in autonomous driving mode. Thus, the user 3 can anticipate the car 2 stopping, wait for it, and safely perform the planned behavior.

[0032] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the automobile 2 receives a communication request from the mobile terminal 1, and determines that the automobile is in manual driving mode and that the driver has set it not to allow switching to automatic driving mode, it first creates a wireless communication channel with the mobile terminal 1, receives information on the planned behavior of the mobile user 3 sent from the mobile terminal 1, determines whether the automobile will participate in that planned behavior, and if it determines that it will not participate, it sends a reply to the mobile terminal 1 to that effect and disconnects the wireless communication channel.

[0033] Furthermore, when vehicle 2 determines that it is involved in the planned behavior of carrier 3, it sends its current location information, its driving speed and direction, and identification information for visually identifying the vehicle to mobile terminal 1, and also sends a message to mobile terminal 1 stating that it cannot perform the planned behavior, and then disconnects the wireless communication channel. In this embodiment, the identification information for the vehicle includes the driver's attribute information (gender, age, nationality, driving history, etc.) that is pre-stored in vehicle 2.

[0034] Mobile terminal 1 receives and analyzes information from vehicle 2, displays the analysis results on its screen, and notifies the user 3 by voice. Specifically, based on the current location information from vehicle 2 and identification information for visualizing its own vehicle, mobile terminal 1 displays on its screen the location of vehicle 2 that will behave in accordance with the user 3's planned behavior, along with the display based on the identification information, and notifies the user 3 of the behavior that vehicle 2 will perform in autonomous driving mode, both on the screen and by voice.

[0035] As described above, in this embodiment, even if the driver of vehicle 2 does not permit switching from manual driving mode to automatic driving mode, when vehicle 2 is involved in the user's planned behavior, the user can confirm that vehicle is in manual driving mode via the display screen and audio, and the driver's attributes can be determined. Therefore, the user can conveniently pay attention to vehicle 2 in manual driving mode with a level of attention appropriate to the information obtained from vehicle 2. For example, if the driver is elderly or has little driving experience, safety can be enhanced by increasing the level of attention paid to vehicle 2 in manual driving mode.

[0036] Furthermore, vehicle 2 may not have a manual driving mode and may only have an automatic driving mode (including a forced automatic driving mode).

[0037] The configuration and operation of the mobile terminal 1 and automobile 2 in the communication system of this embodiment will be described in more detail below.

[0038] [Example configuration of mobile device 1] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the mobile terminal 1 in this embodiment. The mobile terminal 1 in this embodiment has a configuration in which each part, which will be described later, is controlled by a control unit 101, which includes a computer, for example.

[0039] The control unit 101 is connected via the system bus 100 to the following: a mobile phone communication unit 102, an audio input / output unit 103, a display control unit 104, an operation input unit interface 105, a current location detection unit 106, a carrier attribute storage unit 107, a vehicle-to-vehicle wireless communication unit 108, a vehicle-to-vehicle communication control processing unit 109, a map data storage unit 110, a route search and guidance unit 111, and a voice recognition unit 112.

[0040] The mobile phone communication unit 102 communicates through base stations of the mobile phone network and is capable of performing the telephone communication functions of a normal mobile phone terminal as well as the function of accessing the cloud via the internet.

[0041] The audio input / output unit 103 is connected to a microphone 121 and a speaker 122. Under the control of the control unit 101, the audio input / output unit 103 operates so that when telephone communication is performed through the mobile phone communication unit 102, the microphone 121 acts as a transmitter and the speaker 122 acts as a receiver. The audio input / output unit 103 also operates under the control of the control unit 101 to send the audio information of the voice picked up from the microphone 121 to the voice recognition unit 112 for voice recognition. Furthermore, the audio input / output unit 103 also operates under the control of the control unit 101 to emit a predetermined voice message, which will be generated as described later, through the speaker 122.

[0042] A display unit 123, which is, for example, an LCD, is connected to the display control unit 104. An operation input unit 124, which is composed of a touch sensor superimposed on the display screen of the LCD that makes up the display unit 123, is connected to the operation input unit interface 105. The display screen of the LCD that makes up the display unit 123 displays input screens for launching pedestrian navigation apps or bicycle navigation apps by the user, as well as input screens for origin, destination, waypoints, etc. Operations on the software buttons included in these input screens are detected by the operation input unit 124, which is composed of a touch sensor, and transmitted to the control unit 101 via the operation input unit interface 105. The control unit 101 processes according to the operation input from the operation input unit 124.

[0043] The current location detection unit 106 receives radio waves from GPS (Global Positioning System) satellites and information from mobile phone base stations to detect the current location of the mobile terminal 1, and transmits the detected current location data (latitude, longitude, and altitude data) to the control unit 101. The current location detection unit 106 assists in detecting the current location of the mobile terminal 1 using a gyroscope, geomagnetic sensor, etc.

[0044] The user attribute memory unit 107 stores attribute information that has been pre-entered by the user. This attribute information includes the user's nationality, gender, age, and pre-existing medical conditions. The user attribute memory unit 107 may also store the user's stride length, walking speed (average), wheelchair movement speed (average), and bicycle riding speed (average). The walking speed, wheelchair movement speed, and bicycle riding speed can be calculated by determining the distance from the change in the current position detected by the current position detection unit 106 at predetermined time intervals, dividing that distance by the predetermined time interval, and storing it in the user attribute memory unit 107. Note that since the wheelchair's performance differs depending on whether it is a manual or electric wheelchair, the type (manual or electric), the average manual speed, and the average electric speed may also be stored in the user attribute memory unit 107. In addition, the presence or absence of a caregiver or attendant can also be stored in the user attribute memory unit 107.

[0045] The vehicle-to-vehicle radio communication unit 108 is a communication unit for communicating wirelessly with the vehicle 2. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication control processing unit 109 controls the wireless communication with the vehicle 2 through the vehicle-to-vehicle radio communication unit 108. The vehicle-to-vehicle communication control processing unit 109 will be described in detail later.

[0046] The map data storage unit 110 contains pre-stored general-purpose map data, or map data corresponding to the current location detected by the current location detection unit 106 is acquired from the navigation support server device 5 via the mobile phone communication unit 102 and stored in the unit.

[0047] The route search and guidance unit 111 is a processing unit composed of application software programs downloaded in advance from the navigation support server device 5, and works in cooperation with the navigation support server device 5 to perform services such as pedestrian navigation and bicycle navigation.

[0048] In other words, the route search and guidance unit 111 works in cooperation with the navigation support server device 5 to search for and guide (direct) a walking navigation route from the starting point to the destination set by the user 3.

[0049] When the voice recognition function is selected, for example, from the function menu of the mobile terminal 1 via the operation input unit 124, the voice recognition unit 112 receives the voice signal from the microphone 121 under the control of the control unit 101, performs voice recognition, and returns the recognition result to the control unit 101. The control unit 101 then controls the system to execute the processing instructed by the voice recognition result.

[0050] As described above, the mobile terminal 1 is configured as follows, but of the processing blocks shown in Figure 2, the processing functions of the audio input / output unit 103, the display control unit 104, the current location detection unit 106, the vehicle communication control processing unit 109, the route search guidance unit 111, and the voice recognition unit 112 can be realized as software processing performed by the control unit 101 executing a program.

[0051] [Regarding the processing functions of the vehicle communication control unit 109] Figure 3 is a diagram showing the functions performed by the vehicle communication control processing unit 109 as functional blocks. Specifically, the vehicle communication control processing unit 109 comprises a transmission trigger monitoring unit 1091, a vehicle communication request unit 1092, a communication channel generation management unit 1093, a transmission information generation and transmission unit 1094, a reply information reception and analysis unit 1095, a vehicle behavior notification unit 1096, and a confirmation notification transmission unit 1097.

[0052] When pedestrian navigation, bicycle navigation, or wheelchair navigation is not running, the transmission trigger monitoring unit 1091 detects a communication request operation from the mobile user 3 via the operation input unit 124, detects it as a transmission trigger for a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request, and notifies the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request unit 1092 of the detection result. Furthermore, when pedestrian navigation or bicycle navigation is running, the transmission trigger monitoring unit 1091 detects a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request from the navigation application as a transmission trigger for a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request, and notifies the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request unit 1092 of the detection result.

[0053] When a transmission trigger is detected by the transmission trigger monitoring unit 1091, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request unit 1092 sends a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request through the vehicle-to-vehicle wireless communication unit 108 based on that trigger.

[0054] The communication channel generation and management unit 1093 generates and manages the wireless communication channel between the mobile terminal 1 and the automobile 2. Specifically, it monitors the response from the automobile to the automobile communication request sent by the automobile communication request unit 1092, and when a response is detected, it generates a wireless communication channel. It also monitors whether a termination event has occurred for the generated wireless communication channel, and when a termination event is detected, it terminates the wireless communication channel. In the following explanation, the automobile that sends a response to the automobile communication request and generates a wireless communication channel will be referred to as the responding automobile.

[0055] The transmission information generation and transmission unit 1094 generates and transmits transmission information to be sent to the responding vehicle via the wireless communication channel. In this embodiment, the transmission information includes the current location information of the mobile terminal 1, information on the planned behavior of the carrier 3, information on whether the carrier 3 is walking, using a wheelchair, or riding a bicycle, and attribute information of the carrier 3. At this time, the transmission information generation and transmission unit 1094 may also include information on the carrier 3's walking speed, wheelchair speed, or bicycle speed, as well as information on the direction of movement, in the transmission information. The walking speed, wheelchair speed, and bicycle speed can be determined by calculating the distance traveled within a predetermined time based on the time change of the current location detected by the current location detection unit 106.

[0056] The reply information reception and analysis unit 1095 receives and analyzes the reply information from the responding vehicle. The reply information from the responding vehicle includes, as described later, information on whether or not the responding vehicle will be involved in the planned behavior of the mobile user 3, information on the behavior that the responding vehicle will perform in autonomous driving mode in relation to the planned behavior of the mobile user 3 if the responding vehicle is involved, identification information for visually identifying the responding vehicle, and its current location information. The reply information reception and analysis unit 1095 transmits the analysis results to the communication channel generation management unit 1093 and the vehicle behavior notification unit 1096.

[0057] When the communication channel generation management unit 1093 receives an analysis result from the reply information reception analysis unit 1095 indicating that the responding vehicle is involved in the planned behavior of the mobile carrier 3, it maintains the wireless communication channel. However, when it receives an analysis result indicating that the responding vehicle is not involved in the planned behavior of the mobile carrier 3, it disconnects the wireless communication that was being generated with the responding vehicle and notifies the vehicle communication request unit 1092 to send a new vehicle communication request.

[0058] When a responding vehicle is involved in the planned behavior of the user 3, the vehicle behavior notification unit 1096 notifies the user via the display screen of the display unit 123 or as an audio notification via the speaker 122 of the behavior that the responding vehicle will perform in autonomous driving mode and identification information for visualizing the responding vehicle, which are sent as analysis results from the reply information reception analysis unit 1095. The vehicle behavior notification unit 1096 also displays the current location of the responding vehicle on a map based on the current location of the responding vehicle sent as analysis results from the reply information reception analysis unit 1095 and notifies the user 3 of that location. After the vehicle behavior notification unit 1096 has finished the notification process to the user 3, it transmits this information to the confirmation notification transmission unit 1097.

[0059] When the confirmation notification transmission unit 1097 receives notification from the vehicle behavior notification unit 1096 that the notification process to the mobile phone user 3 has been completed, it sends a confirmation notification to the responding vehicle that it has confirmed the behavior. This confirmation notification may be sent after the confirmation operation has been received from the mobile phone user 3. In that case, when the confirmation notification transmission unit 1097 receives notification from the vehicle behavior notification unit 1096 that the notification process to the mobile phone user 3 has been completed, it inquires from the mobile phone user 3 via the display screen of the display unit 123 and via the speaker 122 whether or not confirmation has been received, and waits for a confirmation response operation in response to that inquiry. After the confirmation notification transmission unit 1097 has confirmed that it has received a confirmation response operation from the mobile phone user 3, it sends a confirmation notification to the responding vehicle.

[0060] [Example of an electronic control circuit in automobile 2] Figure 4 shows an example of the hardware configuration of an example of the electronic control circuit unit 20 of an automobile 2, which is an embodiment of the automobile according to this invention. In this embodiment, automobile 2 is an example of an electric vehicle. However, the battery is not shown in Figure 4.

[0061] Furthermore, the automobile 2 of this embodiment is equipped with an autonomous driving mode in which the vehicle behaves autonomously and a manual driving mode. The manual driving mode is a mode in which the vehicle can be driven in accordance with the driver's accelerator pedal operation, brake pedal operation, shift lever operation and steering operation (handlebar operation), just like a normal automobile that is not an autonomous vehicle. The autonomous driving mode is a driving mode in which the automobile 2 automatically (autonomously) changes course while avoiding obstacles, even without the driver's operation of the accelerator pedal, brake pedal operation, shift lever operation and steering operation.

[0062] The driver of vehicle 2 can switch vehicle 2 from manual driving mode to automatic driving mode by performing a predetermined operation, for example, through the touch panel 212 described later. Furthermore, when driving in automatic driving mode, if the driver performs a predetermined operation such as operating the accelerator pedal, brake pedal, shift lever, or steering wheel, vehicle 2 is configured to automatically return to manual driving mode.

[0063] As mentioned above, in addition to a normal automatic driving mode in which the vehicle 2 of this embodiment automatically returns to manual driving mode when a predetermined operation is performed, the vehicle 2 of this embodiment also includes a forced automatic driving mode in which the automatic driving mode continues even if the driver performs a predetermined operation.

[0064] As shown in Figure 4, the electronic control circuit unit 20 is connected to the control unit 201 via the system bus 200, with each of the following units being connected: wireless communication unit 202, motor drive control unit 203, steering drive control unit 204, driving mode switching control unit 205, radar group 206, camera group 207, sensor group 208, surrounding situation awareness unit 209, current position detection unit 210, display unit 211, touch panel 212, car navigation function unit 213, vehicle information storage unit 214, driving speed and direction detection unit 215, clock unit 216, terminal communication control processing unit 217, behavior control unit 218, and audio input / output unit 219.

[0065] The motor drive control unit 203 is connected to the motor drive unit 221. The steering drive control unit 204 is connected to the steering drive unit 222. The driving mode switching control unit 205 is connected to the manual driving operation detection unit 223. In addition, the car navigation function unit 213 is connected to the car navigation database 224. Furthermore, the audio input / output unit 219 is connected to the microphone 225 and the speaker 226.

[0066] The control unit 201 is equipped with a computer and controls the entire vehicle 2.

[0067] The wireless communication unit 202 is for communicating with the mobile terminal 1 and is normally in a receiving standby mode. As will be described later, the wireless communication unit 202 operates in receiving standby mode to perform wireless communication through the wireless communication path established between it and the mobile terminal 1 that initiated the receiving standby mode when it receives a vehicle communication request, in accordance with the control of the terminal communication control processing unit 217. Details of the terminal communication control processing unit 217 will be described later.

[0068] The motor drive control unit 203, under the control of the control unit 201, controls the supply of drive signals to the motor drive unit 221 of the electric vehicle 2 in this embodiment, and controls the starting of the vehicle 2, driving speed control (including brake control and accelerator control), stopping of the vehicle, etc.

[0069] The steering drive control unit 204 controls the supply of drive control signals to the steering drive unit 222 of the automobile 2 in this embodiment, under the control of the control unit 201, thereby controlling the change of direction of the automobile 2.

[0070] The driving mode switching control unit 205 controls the driving mode of the vehicle 2 to switch between manual driving mode and normal automatic driving mode in response to selection input via the touch panel 212. The driving mode switching control unit 205 also performs processing to switch to forced automatic driving mode and processing to deactivate forced automatic driving mode based on control instructions from the terminal communication control processing unit 217.

[0071] The manual driving operation detection unit 223 receives information on the driver's operation of the accelerator pedal, brake pedal, shift lever, and steering wheel, and supplies this manual driving operation information to the driving mode switching control unit 205.

[0072] When the vehicle 2 is in manual driving mode, the driving mode switching control unit 205 supplies manual driving operation information from the manual driving operation detection unit 223 to the motor drive control unit 203 and the steering drive control unit 204, and controls the motor drive unit 221 and the steering drive unit 222 in accordance with the driver's pedal operation, shift lever operation, and steering operation (handlebar operation).

[0073] Furthermore, when the vehicle 2 is in normal automatic driving mode or forced automatic driving mode, the driving mode switching control unit 205 supplies automatic driving operation information generated by the control unit 201 based on the outputs of the radar group 206, camera group 207, sensor group 208, and surrounding situation awareness unit 209 to the motor drive control unit 203 and steering drive control unit 204, as described later, to drive control the motor drive unit 221 and steering drive unit 222 according to the automatic driving operation information. In automatic driving mode and forced automatic driving mode, the car navigation function unit 213 searches for a route from the current location to a destination set by the driver or the like, and controls the vehicle to drive along the searched route.

[0074] In the case of a fully autonomous vehicle that has only an automatic driving mode and no manual driving mode, the driving mode switching control unit 205 does not have a function to switch between manual driving mode and normal automatic driving mode, nor does it have a manual driving operation detection unit 223. Furthermore, the accelerator pedal, brake pedal, shift lever, steering wheel, etc., which are necessary for manual driving, may not be present. However, for safety reasons, a brake pedal (which may be a brake button, a touch panel input corresponding to the brake, or a voice input) may be provided so that only braking can be handled manually.

[0075] The radar array 206 is used to measure the distance to people and objects around the vehicle 2, and consists of laser radar (lidar) and millimeter-wave radar. The laser radar is embedded, for example, in the roof or near the bumper, and the millimeter-wave radar is installed, for example, at the front and rear of the vehicle. Both laser radar and millimeter-wave radar may be provided, or only one of them may be provided. In addition, other radars such as submillimeter-wave radar and microwave radar may be used. Furthermore, sonar (not shown) using sound waves or ultrasound can be used for the same purpose as radar.

[0076] The camera group 207 corresponds to the camera group 207 of the first embodiment and includes one or more cameras for photographing the interior of the automobile 2 and one or more cameras for photographing the surroundings outside the automobile 2, such as the front, sides, and rear.

[0077] The sensor group 208 includes open / close detection sensors for detecting the opening and closing of doors and windows, sensors for detecting seat belt fastening, seat occupancy sensors for detecting when an occupant is seated in a seat such as the driver's seat or passenger seat, as well as a human presence sensor (infrared sensor) for detecting a person in the vicinity outside the vehicle, and various sensors for acquiring information that assists autonomous driving. Examples of sensors for acquiring information that assists autonomous driving include vibration sensors for detecting vibrations of the vehicle and tires, rotation speed sensors for detecting the rotation speed of the tires, a geomagnetic sensor for detecting direction, an acceleration sensor for detecting acceleration, and a gyro sensor (gyroscope) for detecting angle and angular velocity. In this embodiment, the sensor group 208 also includes sensors for detecting the flashing of right and left turn signals (direction indicators) and hazard lights, as well as the illumination of taillights and brake lights.

[0078] The surrounding environment awareness unit 209 uses radar group 206, sensor group 208, and images captured by camera group 207 to grasp the surrounding environment, including moving objects (including people) around the vehicle, the number of road lanes and the lane the vehicle is currently traveling in, and whether it is uphill or downhill. The surrounding environment awareness unit 209 grasps surrounding obstacles and moving objects by, for example, performing processing based on Bayesian theory. The information on the surrounding environment, surrounding obstacles and moving objects grasped by the surrounding environment awareness unit 209 is used by the terminal communication control processing unit 217 and the behavior control unit 218, described later, to determine behavior that complies with traffic laws and ensures safety.

[0079] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the surrounding situation awareness unit 209 is equipped with the function of recognizing traffic markings and signs from images of the area around the vehicle captured by the camera group 207. The traffic markings and signs recognized by the surrounding situation awareness unit 209 are used by the behavior control unit 218, which will be described later, to ensure that the vehicle behaves in accordance with traffic laws and regulations.

[0080] The current position detection unit 210 detects the vehicle's current position by receiving radio waves from GPS satellites. To further improve the accuracy of the position detected by radio waves from GPS satellites, the current position detection unit 210 uses not only the current position information detected by receiving radio waves from GPS satellites, but also one or more sensors included in the sensor group 208, as well as images captured by the radar group 206 and camera group 207 (in combination with the navigation function), and performs processing based on Bayesian theory, for example, to detect and confirm the current position with higher accuracy.

[0081] In both the normal and forced autonomous driving modes, the vehicle 2 processes various information, such as position information obtained from the radar group 206, camera group 207, sensor group 208, and radio waves from GPS satellites, using Bayesian theory and other methods. Based on this, the control unit 201 performs intelligent information processing (AI (artificial intelligence)) and control (AI (artificial intelligence)) such as changing the vehicle's course and avoiding obstacles, generating autonomous driving operation information. Based on the generated autonomous driving operation information, the motor drive control unit 203 drives the motor drive unit 221, and the steering drive control unit 204 drives the steering drive unit 222, thereby performing autonomous movement control. Therefore, in this embodiment, the autonomous movement control means consists of a control unit 201, a radar group 206, a camera group 207, a sensor group 208, a surrounding situation awareness unit 209, a current position detection unit 210, and a motor drive control unit 203, a motor drive unit 221, a steering drive control unit 204, a steering drive unit 222, and a car navigation function unit 213, which will be described later.

[0082] The display unit 211 is, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). The touch panel 212 is configured by superimposing a touch sensor that allows touch input by a finger on the display screen of the LCD display unit 211. The display screen of the display unit 211 displays an image including software buttons (including keyboard character input buttons) based on the control unit 201. When the touch panel 212 detects a finger touch on a software button displayed on the display screen, it transmits the touch to the control unit 201. The control unit 201 is configured to execute control processing corresponding to the software button. Note that the software buttons may be handled by using a separate keyboard or the like.

[0083] The car navigation database 224, which is connected to the car navigation function unit 213, has domestic maps and route guidance data pre-stored in it. The car navigation function unit 213 is a function unit that guides the vehicle 2 to move to a specified destination based on the maps and route guidance data stored in the car navigation database 224. The car navigation function unit 213 performs a route search based on the departure point, waypoints, destination, and search conditions set and entered by the user (driver or passenger), creates route guidance data, and executes route guidance processing using this route guidance data. In this embodiment, the car navigation function unit 213 is configured to perform slightly different route guidance processing in manual driving mode and automatic driving mode (normal automatic driving mode and forced automatic driving mode).

[0084] In other words, in manual driving mode, the car navigation function unit 213 displays an image on the display screen of the display unit 211 that overlays the vehicle's current position, as detected by the current position detection unit 210, onto a map that explicitly displays the route to the destination. Furthermore, as the vehicle moves, the vehicle's position (current position) on the map moves, and voice guidance is provided at intersections, junctions, and other points along the route where route guidance is needed. This is the same as a normal car navigation function.

[0085] On the other hand, in automatic driving mode (normal automatic driving mode and forced automatic driving mode), the car navigation function unit 213 notifies the behavior control unit 218 (described later) of the direction and distance of the departure when the vehicle's current position is away from the route to the destination, and when the vehicle's current position is on the route to the destination, it notifies the behavior control unit 218 of instructions to change the direction of travel along the route before reaching intersections or junctions along the route as the vehicle moves.

[0086] The behavior control unit 218, under the control of the control unit 201, generates automatic driving operation information to control the motor drive unit 221 via the motor drive control unit 203 and the steering drive unit 222 via the steering drive control unit 204, based on the information notified from the car navigation function unit 213, the current position confirmation result from the current position detection unit 210, and the understanding result from the surrounding situation understanding unit 209, so that the vehicle moves along the route as instructed.Therefore, the behavior control unit 218 generates automatic driving operation information to control the steering drive unit 222 via the steering drive control unit 204.As a result, with route guidance to the destination by the car navigation function unit 213 and the control unit 201 in automatic driving mode (normal automatic driving mode and forced automatic driving mode), the vehicle 2 can move to the destination even when there are no passengers.

[0087] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the car navigation function unit 213 also includes in the route guidance data turn signal control information, which includes information about the locations where the turn signals should flash when turning right or left, and the hazard lights should flash when making an emergency stop, as well as information about which turn signals should flash (left turn signal, right turn signal, or both), in the automatic driving mode (normal automatic driving mode and forced automatic driving mode). Based on the turn signal control information included in this route guidance data, the behavior control unit 218 executes the flashing control of the instructed turn signals at the location where the current position becomes the turn signal control point.

[0088] Furthermore, the indicator control information is not limited to information about the location where the indicator lights flash and the indicator lights to flash; it may also include information about the location where the indicator lights illuminate and the indicator lights to illuminate. For example, indicator control information regarding the location where the taillights (reverse lights) illuminate (white light) when reversing, or the brake lights (brake lights) illuminate (red light) when braking, and the indicator lights to illuminate (taillights, brake lights, or both) can also be included in the route guidance data. Similar to the case of flashing control, the behavior control unit 218 executes illumination control of the instructed indicator lights at the location where the current position becomes the indicator control point, based on the indicator control information included in this route guidance data.

[0089] The vehicle information storage unit 214 stores vehicle information consisting of mode information, which includes information on whether the vehicle has an automatic driving mode (normal automatic driving mode and forced automatic driving mode), and vehicle identification information, which is used to distinguish the vehicle from other vehicles and identify it visually. This vehicle information is entered and stored by workers at the manufacturing plant of the automobile 2. It is also entered and stored by the seller at the dealership or other sales outlet when the automobile 2 is sold. Of course, the entry of vehicle information by workers or sellers can be done directly or by downloading it from a designated server of the automobile company or other organization. Furthermore, if vehicle information is entered after the sale of the automobile 2, it is entered and stored by the owner or user of the automobile 2, or by the administrator or management company.

[0090] In this example, the mode information stored in the vehicle information storage unit 214 includes whether it is a manual transmission vehicle or an autonomous vehicle equipped with an autonomous driving mode, and if it is an autonomous vehicle, information such as whether it is one of several types, such as a type that can switch between manual and autonomous driving modes, a type that has a forced autonomous driving mode, a type that only has an autonomous driving mode, or a type that is capable of unmanned driving. Furthermore, if it is possible to identify the source and level of the AI ​​(Artificial Intelligence) installed and used in the autonomous vehicle, such as the developer and version, this information may also be included as vehicle information. In addition, since AI generally evolves through learning and improves safety and driving performance, there is a high correlation between driving time and distance and safety and driving performance that depend on the AI, so driving time and distance may also be included as vehicle information. Note that AI may be installed as hardware such as an LSI, or as software. Furthermore, information on the manufacturers and performance of the radars, cameras, and sensors used in the radar group 206, camera group 207, and sensor group 208 may be included as vehicle information.

[0091] Furthermore, it goes without saying that the identification information stored in the vehicle information storage unit 214, which is used to distinguish the vehicle 2 from other vehicles and identify it by visual inspection, may include not only information that differentiates it from other vehicles, but also information about the specifications of the vehicle 2. Examples of vehicle information stored in the vehicle information storage unit 214 include, for example, the country code (which country the car is from), the manufacturer (automobile company), the model, the name of the vehicle, the body color, the engine displacement, the drive system (gasoline vehicle, PHV (Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle), EV (Electric Vehicle), fuel cell vehicle, etc.), whether or not there is an autonomous driving mode, the number of passengers, the license plate number, whether it is a general vehicle or a special vehicle (ambulance, fire engine, police car, taxi, bus, etc.), and other manufacturer options (which can be freely set by the manufacturer).

[0092] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the vehicle information storage unit 214 stores attribute information of the driver riding in the vehicle. In this embodiment, the driver's attribute information, such as gender, age, nationality, and driving history, is registered (input) by the driver, associated with the driver's identification information, and stored in the vehicle information storage unit 214. In this example, the driver's identification information is the driver's facial image information. In this embodiment, the control unit 201 of the automobile 2 captures the driver's facial image using the camera in the camera group 207 that photographs the driver's seat, and compares it with the facial image, which is the driver's identification information stored in the vehicle information storage unit 214, to recognize which of the drivers stored in the vehicle information storage unit 214 is the person sitting in the driver's seat. Of course, if the vehicle is a fully autonomous vehicle, it can be driven without a driver, so there is no driver and no need for driver attribute information.

[0093] The speed and direction detection unit 215 detects the speed of the vehicle 2 from the sensor output of the speed sensor in the sensor group 208, or from the change in the current position detected by the current position detection unit 210 during the time change from the clock unit 216, and also detects the direction of travel of the vehicle 2 from the sensor outputs of the acceleration sensor, gyro sensor, and compass sensor in the sensor group 208.

[0094] The clock unit 216 generates time information for the year, month, day, hour, minute, and second. This time information is used by the speed and direction detection unit 215 to detect the vehicle's speed. The time information is also used to determine whether the vehicle is involved in the planned behavior when a mobile terminal 1 makes a communication request to the vehicle, taking into account the current position of the mobile user 3, the vehicle's position, the mobile user 3's walking speed and direction, and their cycling speed and direction, as well as the vehicle's speed and direction.

[0095] The terminal communication control processing unit 217 controls the reception standby operation and the operation when a vehicle communication request from the mobile terminal 1 is received, using the wireless communication unit 202 in this embodiment. The terminal communication control processing unit 217 will be described in detail later.

[0096] The behavior control unit 218 controls the execution of the vehicle's behavior in autonomous driving mode. In other words, in autonomous driving mode, the vehicle 2 of this embodiment drives while executing the behavior to be performed at the current location detected by the current location detection unit 210, according to the route guidance information to the destination determined by the route search by the car navigation function unit 213. The behavior control unit 218 is a functional unit that determines the behavior that the vehicle 2 should perform at the current location detected by the current location detection unit 210, based on the route guidance information, and controls the execution of that behavior.

[0097] Furthermore, in the automobile 2 of this embodiment, the behavior control unit 218 controls the system to prioritize the execution of the determined behavior when the behavior to be performed at that time is determined in the terminal communication control unit 217, as will be described later.

[0098] The audio input / output unit 219 takes in audio signals of ambient sounds picked up by the microphone 225 and supplies audio signals to the speaker 226 to be emitted for notification to the driver, etc. In this embodiment, among the ambient sounds picked up by the microphone 225, for example, the sound of a siren from an emergency vehicle (ambulance, fire truck, police car, etc.) is used in the behavior determination process of the terminal communication control processing unit 217 and the behavior control unit 218, and in this case the behavior is determined to prioritize the movement of the emergency vehicle. Then, in this embodiment, the necessary message audio signal to notify the driver is generated in the control unit 201, terminal communication control processing unit 217, etc., and the message audio signal is emitted through the speaker 226.

[0099] As described above, the electronic control circuit unit 20 of the automobile 2 is configured as follows, but of the processing blocks shown in Figure 4, the motor drive control unit 203, steering drive control unit 204, driving mode switching control unit 205, surrounding situation awareness unit 209, current position detection unit 210, car navigation function unit 213, driving speed and direction detection unit 215, terminal communication control processing unit 217, and behavior control unit 218 can be realized as software processing performed by the control unit 201 executing a program.

[0100] [Example configuration of the terminal communication control processing unit 217] Figure 5 is a functional block diagram illustrating the processing functions of the terminal communication control processing unit 217. In this embodiment, the terminal communication control processing unit 217 comprises, as functional units, a communication request reception monitoring unit 2171, a communication path generation management unit 2172, a received information analysis unit 2173, a behavior determination unit 2174, a reply information generation and transmission unit 2175, and a confirmation notification reception confirmation unit 2176.

[0101] The communication request reception monitoring unit 2171 constantly monitors for the reception of vehicle-to-vehicle communication requests from the mobile terminal 1, and when it confirms the reception of a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request, it notifies the communication channel generation management unit 2172 of the confirmation of reception, along with information on the vehicle's driving mode at that time.

[0102] The communication channel generation and management unit 2172 generates and manages the wireless communication channel between itself and the mobile terminal 1, taking into account the driving mode of the vehicle.

[0103] The received information analysis unit 2173 analyzes the information sent from the mobile terminal 1 through the generated wireless communication channel to recognize the current location of the mobile terminal 1's user 3, whether they are walking or cycling, and the planned behavior they are about to perform, and transmits this information to the behavior determination unit 2174.

[0104] The behavior determination unit 2174 determines whether the vehicle is involved in the planned behavior that the user 3 of the mobile terminal 1 is about to perform. If it determines that the vehicle is not involved, it notifies the communication channel generation management unit 2172 of this fact. The communication channel generation management unit 2172 notifies the mobile terminal 1 via the wireless communication channel that the vehicle is not involved in the planned behavior that the user 3 is about to perform, and then disconnects the wireless communication channel.

[0105] Furthermore, when the behavior determination unit 2174 determines that the vehicle is involved in the planned behavior that the user 3 of the mobile terminal 1 is about to perform, it determines whether the vehicle is in manual driving mode and whether the driver has refused to switch to automatic driving mode. If it determines that the driver has refused, it transmits that information to the reply information generation and transmission unit 2175.

[0106] At this time, the reply information generation and transmission unit 2175 notifies the mobile terminal 1 via the wireless communication channel that it is not possible to perform the behavior corresponding to the mobile terminal 1's planned behavior, and transmits information about the vehicle's current location, driving speed and direction, identification information to make the vehicle visible, and driver attribute information to the mobile terminal 1 via the wireless communication channel. After this transmission, the reply information generation and transmission unit 2175 transmits a communication channel connection request to the communication channel generation management unit 2172. Upon receiving this communication channel connection request, the communication channel generation management unit 2172 disconnects the wireless communication channel with the mobile terminal 1.

[0107] Furthermore, when the behavior determination unit 2174 determines that the vehicle is involved in the planned behavior that the user 3 of the mobile terminal 1 is about to perform, if the vehicle is in manual driving mode and the driver has permission to switch to automatic driving mode, or if the vehicle is in automatic driving mode when it receives a communication request to the vehicle from the mobile terminal 1, the unit determines that the vehicle should be switched to forced automatic driving mode to prioritize the planned behavior of the user 3, and causes the behavior control unit 218 to execute the determined behavior, while also transmitting information about the determined behavior to the reply information generation and transmission unit 2175.

[0108] At this time, the reply information generation and transmission unit 2175 transmits to the mobile terminal 1 via the wireless communication channel information that prioritizes the planned behavior of the mobile user 3 determined by the behavior determination unit 2174, as well as information on the current location of the vehicle, driving speed and direction of driving, and identification information to enable the vehicle to be identified by visual inspection.

[0109] The confirmation communication reception confirmation unit 2176 checks whether it has received a confirmation notification about the vehicle's behavior from the mobile terminal 1 after the mobile terminal 1 has received information from the mobile terminal 1 regarding the behavior that prioritizes the planned behavior of the mobile user 3 determined by the behavior determination unit 2174, as well as information on the vehicle's current location, driving speed and direction, and identification information to enable visual identification of the vehicle, via the reply information generation and transmission unit 2175. If it has received the notification, it forwards the confirmation notification to the behavior control unit 218 to prompt the control unit to reliably execute the determined behavior.

[0110] [Example of processing operations between mobile device 1 and automobile 2] Figures 6 to 9 are flowcharts illustrating examples of the processing flow of the mobile terminal 1 in this embodiment. Figures 10 to 12 are flowcharts illustrating examples of the processing flow of the automobile 2 in the embodiment described above. Below, examples of the processing flow of the mobile terminal 1 and automobile 2 will be explained with reference to these flowcharts.

[0111] In the following explanation, in the mobile terminal 1, the control unit 101 will be described as implementing the following processing functions of each processing block shown in Figure 2, namely the audio input / output unit 103, the display control unit 104, the current location detection unit 106, the vehicle communication control processing unit 109, the route search and guidance unit 111, and the voice recognition unit 112, as software processing by executing a program. In the automobile 2, the control unit 201 will be described as implementing the following processing functions of each processing block shown in Figure 4, namely the motor drive control unit 203, the steering drive control unit 204, the driving mode switching control unit 205, the surrounding situation awareness unit 209, the current location detection unit 210, the car navigation function unit 213, the driving speed and direction detection unit 215, the terminal communication control processing unit 217, and the behavior control unit 218, as software processing by executing a program.

[0112] <Example of processing operation of mobile device 1> Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the overall flow of processing operations primarily performed by the vehicle-to-vehicle communication control processing unit 109 of the mobile terminal 1. As mentioned above, in the following explanation, the control unit 101 of the mobile terminal 1 will be described as the entity executing each step. In the example described below, the mobile terminal 1 will be described as supporting pedestrian navigation and bicycle navigation, but it goes without saying that it can also be configured to support wheelchair navigation as mentioned above.

[0113] The control unit 101 determines whether or not the pedestrian navigation system (hereinafter referred to as "navigation") is operating on the mobile terminal 1 (step S101). If it determines that the pedestrian navigation system is not operating, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the bicycle navigation system is operating (step S102). If it determines in step S102 that the bicycle navigation system is not operating, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the user 3 has made an input operation for a vehicle communication request through the operation input unit 124 (step S103). If it determines in step S103 that no input operation for a vehicle communication request has been made, the control unit 101 returns to step S101 and repeats the process from step S101 onward.

[0114] If the control unit 101 determines in step S101 that the pedestrian navigation system is in operation, it detects the current location (step S104) and determines whether the detected current location is the trigger location for sending a communication request to a vehicle, as set in the pedestrian navigation system (step S105). If the control unit 101 determines in step S105 that it is not the trigger location for sending a communication request to a vehicle, it returns to step S101 and repeats the processing from step S101 onward.

[0115] Furthermore, if step S105 determines that it is the trigger position for sending a request for communication with an automobile, the control unit 101 executes the communication process for automobiles, as shown in Figures 7 and 8 below (step S108), and after confirming its completion (step S109), returns the process to step S101 and repeats the process from step S101 onward.

[0116] Furthermore, if step S102 determines that the bicycle navigation system is in operation, the control unit 101 detects the current location (step S106) and determines whether the detected current location is the trigger location for sending a communication request to a vehicle, as set in the bicycle navigation system (step S107). If step S107 determines that it is not the trigger location for sending a communication request to a vehicle, the control unit 101 returns to step S101 and repeats the processing from step S101 onward.

[0117] Furthermore, if step S107 determines that it is the trigger position for sending a request for communication with an automobile, the control unit 101 executes the communication process for automobiles, as shown in Figures 7 and 8 below (step S108), and after confirming its completion (step S109), returns the process to step S101 and repeats the process from step S101 onward.

[0118] Furthermore, if the mobile terminal 1 also supports wheelchair navigation, it will detect the current location, determine whether the detected current location is the trigger location for sending a communication request to a vehicle set in the wheelchair navigation system, and perform the same processing as in the case of pedestrian navigation and bicycle navigation described above based on the determination result.

[0119] Furthermore, when the control unit 101 determines in step S103 that an input operation for a vehicle communication request has been performed, it executes the vehicle communication process shown in Figures 7 and 8 (step S108), and after confirming its completion (step S109), it returns to step S101 and repeats the process from step S101 onward.

[0120] Next, the processing flow of an example of the vehicle communication processing in step S108 of Figure 6 will be explained with reference to Figures 7 and 8.

[0121] The control unit 101 sends a vehicle communication request through the vehicle wireless communication unit 108 (step S111) and determines whether or not it has received response information from a vehicle to this vehicle communication request (step S112). If, in step S112, it determines that it has not received response information from a vehicle, the control unit 101 does not create a wireless communication channel and instead displays on the display screen of the display unit 123 that there are no vehicles that can communicate, and also notifies the user by voice through the speaker 122 (step S113). Of course, the system may also notify the user that there are no vehicles that can communicate by not displaying anything on the display screen of the display unit 123. The control unit 101 then terminates this processing routine.

[0122] Furthermore, in step S112, when the control unit 101 determines that it has received response information from a vehicle, it creates a wireless communication channel with the responding vehicle (hereinafter referred to as the responding vehicle) (step S114). The control unit 101 then generates transmission information that includes the current location information of the mobile terminal 1, information on whether the user is walking or cycling, and information on the planned behavior of the user 3, and transmits it to the responding vehicle via the wireless communication channel (step S115). At this time, in step S115, the transmission information generated may also include information on the user 3's walking speed, wheelchair movement speed, or cycling speed, as well as information on the direction of movement, as described above.

[0123] Next, the control unit 101 receives reply information from the responding vehicle and analyzes the content of that reply information (step S116). Then, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the responding vehicle is involved in the planned behavior of the carrier 3 (step S117). If it determines that the vehicle is not involved, it disconnects the wireless communication channel created in step S114 (step S121 in Figure 8). Then, the control unit 101 resends the communication request to the vehicle (step S122), determines whether or not it has received reply information from the vehicle (step S123), and if it determines that it has received reply information, it returns to step S114 in Figure 7 and repeats the process from step S114 onward.

[0124] Furthermore, if step S123 determines that no response information has been received from the vehicle, the display unit 123 displays a message on its screen indicating that there is no vehicle 2 corresponding to the planned behavior of the mobile user 3, and also provides an audible notification through the speaker 122 (step S124). Of course, the display unit 123 may also be used to indicate that there are no vehicles capable of communication by not displaying anything on its screen. The control unit 101 then terminates this processing routine.

[0125] Furthermore, in step S117, if the response vehicle determines that it is involved in the planned behavior of the mobile phone user 3, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the response vehicle will perform the behavior corresponding to the planned behavior of the mobile phone user 3 (step S118).

[0126] Then, in step S118, if the control unit 101 determines that the responding vehicle will not behave in accordance with the planned behavior of the mobile phone user 3, the control unit 101 displays on the display screen of the display unit 123 that the responding vehicle will not behave in accordance with the planned behavior of the mobile phone user 3, and also notifies the mobile phone user 3 by voice through the speaker 122 (step S119). In other words, in step S119, even if the responding vehicle does not behave in accordance with the planned behavior of the mobile phone user 3, the response information from the responding vehicle includes the current location information of the responding vehicle, the identification information of the responding vehicle, the driver's attribute information, and information on the driving speed and direction of driving. Based on this information, the control unit 101 displays the location and movement of the responding vehicle on the map showing its own location, and also notifies the mobile phone user 3 of the identification information on the display screen and / or through the speaker 122.

[0127] As a result, user 3 can be aware of the existence of a vehicle that is involved in their planned behavior, even though that vehicle will not prioritize the behavior they intend to perform. They can also find out where that vehicle is currently located, what kind of vehicle it is, and what kind of driver is operating it. Therefore, they can perform their planned behavior while paying attention to that vehicle.

[0128] Of course, the response information from the responding vehicle can also include information on whether the responding vehicle is an emergency vehicle (ambulance, fire truck, police car, etc.). If the responding vehicle is an emergency vehicle, this fact can be notified to the user 3 on the display screen and / or through speaker 122, allowing the user 3 to prioritize the movement of the emergency vehicle over their own planned actions, and then carry out their planned actions after the emergency vehicle has passed.

[0129] Following step S119, the control unit 101 proceeds to step S121 in Figure 8, disconnects the wireless communication channel, and then in step S122, resends the communication request to the vehicle, repeating the process (processing from step S122 onwards) to enable the vehicle to respond in accordance with the planned behavior of the carrier 3. Although the current position of the responding vehicle is no longer transmitted when the wireless communication channel is disconnected, the driving speed and direction of travel are still transmitted. Therefore, the vehicle's position can be calculated from its last current position according to its driving speed and direction of travel, and its display on the map can continue.

[0130] Furthermore, in step S118, if the control unit 101 determines that the responding vehicle will perform the actions corresponding to the planned actions of the mobile phone user 3, the control unit 101 displays the actions that the responding vehicle is scheduled to perform in accordance with the planned actions of the mobile phone user 3 through the display screen of the display unit 123, and also notifies the mobile phone user 3 by voice through the speaker 122, and displays information about the responding vehicle through the display screen and also notifies the mobile phone user 3 by voice through the speaker 122 (step S120). The response information from the responding vehicle includes the current location information of the responding vehicle, identification information for the responding vehicle, attribute information of the driver, and information on the driving speed and direction of driving, so in step S120 as well, based on this information, the control unit 101 displays the location and movement of the responding vehicle on the map showing its own location, and also notifies the mobile phone user 3 of its identification information on the display screen and / or through the speaker 122.

[0131] As a result, user 3 can learn about the existence of a vehicle that will prioritize the planned behavior they intend to perform, as well as the current location of that vehicle, what kind of vehicle it is, and what kind of behavior it will perform. Therefore, they can safely carry out their planned behavior while paying attention to that vehicle.

[0132] In step S120, after the notification to the mobile phone user 3 is completed, the control unit 101 sends a confirmation notice to the responding vehicle (step S131 in Figure 9). As mentioned above, this confirmation notice may, of course, be sent after receiving a confirmation operation from the mobile phone user 3 regarding the notification to the mobile phone user 3.

[0133] Next, the control unit 101 determines whether the execution of the planned behavior of the mobile user 3 has finished (step S132). The completion of the planned behavior of the mobile user 3 is determined by whether the mobile user 3 has passed through the location or predetermined area where the planned behavior is to take place. If, in step S132, it is determined that the execution of the planned behavior of the mobile user 3 has not finished, the control unit 101 updates the position of its own terminal and the position of the responding vehicle displayed on the display screen of the display unit 123 based on the current location information of the mobile terminal 1 detected by the current location detection unit 106 and the current location information of the responding vehicle 2 received through the vehicle-to-vehicle radio communication unit 108 (step S133). Then, the control unit 101 returns to step S132 and repeats the processing from step S132 onward.

[0134] In step S132, when the control unit 101 determines that the execution of the planned behavior of carrier 3 has finished, it sends a notification to the responding vehicle via the wireless communication channel that the carrier's behavior has finished (step S134). Then, the control unit 101 disconnects the wireless communication channel with the responding vehicle (step S135) and terminates this processing routine.

[0135] [Example of processing operation of vehicle 2] Figures 10 to 12 are flowcharts illustrating an example of the flow of processing operations mainly performed by the terminal communication control processing unit 217 of the automobile 2 in this embodiment. As mentioned above, in the following description, the main entity executing each step will be the control unit 201 of the electronic control circuit unit 20 of the automobile 2.

[0136] The control unit 201 determines whether or not it has detected the reception of a vehicle-to-mobile communication request from the mobile terminal 1 (step S201). If it determines that it has not detected reception, it performs other processing (step S202). After the completion of that processing, it returns to step S201 and repeats the processing from step S201 onward.

[0137] In step S201, when it is determined that a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request has been received from the mobile terminal 1, the control unit 201 sends response information to the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request to the mobile terminal 1 that sent the request, and creates a communication channel between itself and the mobile terminal 1 (step S203).

[0138] Following step S203, the control unit 201 receives and analyzes the planned behavior information of the mobile user 3 from the mobile terminal 1 (step S204). Then, the control unit 201 determines from the analysis results whether or not the planned behavior of the mobile user 3, as indicated by the planned behavior information from the mobile terminal 1, is related to (influences) the behavior of the vehicle itself (step S205).

[0139] In step S205, if the control unit 201 determines that the planned behavior of carrier 3, as indicated by the planned behavior information, does not affect (is not influenced by) the behavior of the vehicle, the control unit 201 transmits a message to the mobile terminal 1 indicating that it does not affect the planned behavior of carrier 3 (step S206), and then disconnects the wireless communication path (step S207), thereby ending this processing routine.

[0140] In step S205, if the control unit 201 determines that the planned behavior of carrier 3, as indicated by the planned behavior information, is related to (influences) the behavior of the vehicle itself, it determines whether or not the vehicle is an autonomous vehicle that only has an autonomous driving mode (step S211 in Figure 11).

[0141] In step S211, if it is determined that the vehicle is not an autonomous vehicle that only has an autonomous driving mode, the control unit 201 determines whether or not it is in autonomous driving mode (step S212). In step S212, if it is determined that the vehicle is not in autonomous driving mode, the control unit 201 determines whether or not switching to autonomous driving mode is permitted (step S213). In step S213, for example, the control unit 201 asks the driver, "There is a communication request from the mobile terminal 1, is it alright to switch to autonomous driving mode?" and determines whether or not the driver has responded to the inquiry by granting permission to switch to autonomous driving mode. If the driver has previously entered a setting input for vehicle 2 indicating whether or not to allow switching to autonomous driving mode, the control unit 201 refers to that setting input to determine whether or not switching to autonomous driving mode is permitted.

[0142] Furthermore, if step S213 determines that switching to automatic driving mode is not permitted (the driver has refused to switch), the control unit 201 decides that it cannot perform the corresponding action for the planned behavior of the mobile user 3 (step S214), and generates reply information including information to that effect, information on the vehicle's current position, information on the driving speed and direction, identification information to make the vehicle visible, and driver attribute information, and transmits it to the mobile terminal 1 via the wireless communication channel (step S215). Next, the control unit 201 disconnects the wireless communication channel (step S216) and terminates this processing routine.

[0143] Then, in step S211, when it is determined that the vehicle is an autonomous vehicle that only has an autonomous driving mode, in step S212, when it is determined that the vehicle is in autonomous driving mode, and in step S213, when it is determined that switching to autonomous driving mode is permitted, the control unit 201 switches the vehicle to forced autonomous driving mode and notifies the driver of this fact through the speaker 226 (Figure 12, step S221).

[0144] Then, the control unit 201 determines the vehicle's behavior corresponding to the user's planned behavior (step S222), generates reply information including information on the determined vehicle's behavior (including that the behavior will be performed in forced automatic driving mode), information on the vehicle's current position, information on its driving speed and direction, and identification information to make the vehicle visible, and sends it to the mobile terminal 1 that initiated the vehicle communication request (step S223).

[0145] Then, the control unit 201 waits for confirmation notification from the mobile terminal 1 (step S224), and when it determines that confirmation notification has been received, it communicates to the behavior control unit 218 to execute the determined behavior of the vehicle (step S225).

[0146] Next, the control unit 201 waits for a notification from the mobile terminal 1 indicating the completion of the behavior (step S226), and when it determines that it has received the completion notification, it disconnects the wireless communication path with the mobile terminal 1 (step S227). Then, the control unit 201 releases the prohibition against switching to manual driving mode (step S228), and notifies the driver of the completion of the behavior processing via communication with the terminal via the display screen of the display unit 211 and by sound emitted from the speaker 226 (step S229). Then, the control unit 201 terminates this processing routine.

[0147] [Other examples of communication control] In the above-described embodiment, the mobile terminal 1 and the automobile 2 communicate on a one-to-one basis. However, by the following method, the mobile terminal 1 can also obtain reply information from multiple automobiles 2 in response to a communication request from the mobile terminal 1 to an automobile.

[0148] In other words, in this example, mobile terminal 1 sends a request for communication with a vehicle via broadcast or multicast, and after sending the request, waits for access to reply information from vehicle 2. In this case, the request for communication with a vehicle includes the current location information of mobile terminal 1 and information about the planned behavior of the mobile terminal. Upon receiving this request for communication with a vehicle, vehicle 2 determines whether or not it is involved in the planned behavior of the mobile terminal, and if it determines that it is involved, it generates reply information and transmits that reply information to mobile terminal 1 until mobile terminal 1 receives it.

[0149] Mobile terminal 1 notifies the user 3 of each reply information sent from a vehicle in response to a vehicle communication request. In this case, the map displayed on the display screen of mobile terminal 1 shows the location of each vehicle that sent the reply information, along with its identification information.

[0150] In this way, mobile terminal 1 can receive reply information from all vehicles involved in the planned behavior of mobile user 3 included in the vehicle communication request, and notify mobile user 3 of the behavior of each vehicle.

[0151] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, only the locations of vehicles capable of wireless communication with the mobile terminal 1 were displayed on the map. However, by doing the following, the location of vehicles that do not have wireless communication capabilities with the mobile terminal 1 can also be notified to the mobile device user 3, including their characteristics (attributes).

[0152] In other words, the vehicle sends back information to the mobile terminal 1 in response to a communication request from the mobile terminal 1, including images of its surroundings (front, rear, left, and right) captured by its own camera array. The mobile terminal 1 analyzes the received images to recognize the vehicle included in the images and estimates the position of the recognized vehicle based on the current position and direction of travel of the vehicle that sent the images. In this case, if there are multiple vehicles capable of wireless communication, the mobile terminal 1 can use the recognition results of the images from those multiple vehicles, along with the current position and direction of travel of the vehicle that sent those images, to detect the position of vehicles without wireless communication capabilities with greater accuracy.

[0153] Mobile device 1 displays the location of vehicles without wireless communication capabilities, which it has detected, on the map in addition to vehicle 2. This allows the user 3 to understand the traffic conditions around them and carry out their planned activities.

[0154] [Examples of vehicle behavior based on vehicle communication requests in response to the user's planned behavior] For convenience, the following description assumes that all automobiles have the terminal communication control processing unit 217 of the embodiment. Note that the mobile terminal 1 of the embodiment cannot communicate with automobiles that do not have the terminal communication control processing unit 217, and therefore, such automobiles are excluded from the list of vehicles whose behavior is determined in accordance with the user's planned behavior.

[0155] The example in Figure 13 shows a case where a person 3, who is carrying a mobile device 1, is walking along the right side of road 7 and intends to cross a side road 6 located straight ahead in the direction of travel. In the example in Figure 13, there are three cars 2A, 2B, and 2C on road 7, all traveling in the same direction as the person 3 is traveling.

[0156] In this case, when a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request is sent from the mobile terminal 1 held by the person carrying the device 3 at a predetermined position before the side road 6, all three vehicles 2A, 2B, and 2C can receive the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request and respond to create a wireless communication channel. However, since vehicle 2A is already traveling past the side road 6, it will not be involved in the person carrying the device 3's planned behavior of crossing the side road 6, and will send a notification to that effect back to the mobile terminal 1, thereby disconnecting the wireless communication channel. Similarly, vehicle 2C, which is traveling in the overtaking lane of the two-lane road 7, is planning to pass the location of the side road 6 and continue straight, and therefore will not be involved in the person carrying the device 3's planned behavior of crossing the side road 6. For this reason, vehicle 2C also sends a notification to the mobile terminal 1 stating that it will not be involved in the person carrying the device 3's planned behavior, and disconnects the wireless communication channel.

[0157] In this example, car 2B is scheduled to turn left from road 7 into side road 6. Therefore, car 2B determines that it is involved in the planned behavior of mobile phone user 3, and in this example, it decides to prioritize mobile phone user 3's crossing of side road 6 by using forced automatic driving mode. For example, it will stop just before turning left towards side road 6 and wait until mobile phone user 3 has finished crossing. It then sends a message to mobile terminal 1 to that effect, along with its own position and vehicle identification information.

[0158] Then, the mobile terminal 1 notifies the user 3 via its display screen and speaker that car 2B will prioritize the user's planned behavior, and also notifies the user of the current location of car 2B and its characteristics for visual identification. As a result, the user 3, who is carrying the mobile terminal 1, can visually identify car 2B and confirm its movement and behavior, allowing them to safely cross the side road 6.

[0159] The example in Figure 14 shows a scenario where person 3, who is carrying mobile device 1, exits from between buildings BL1 and BL2 onto a single-lane road 8 and plans to cross the pedestrian crossing from left to right in Figure 14. In this example, road 8 has a pedestrian crossing sign, but no traffic lights. Three cars 2D, 2E, and 2F are traveling in the right lane 8R of road 8, and two cars 2G and 2H are traveling in the left lane 8L.

[0160] In the example shown in Figure 14, it is assumed that the mobile terminal 1 can send a communication request to a vehicle, for example, via broadcast, and sequentially receive all of the replies from multiple vehicles 2.

[0161] In this case, when a mobile terminal 1 held by person 3, who is located between building BL1 and building BL2, sends a communication request to a vehicle, all five vehicles 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, and 2H can receive the request and respond to create a wireless communication channel. However, since vehicle 2F is already driving past the pedestrian crossing, it will not be involved in person 3's planned behavior of crossing the pedestrian crossing. Therefore, it will send a reply to mobile terminal 1 indicating this and disconnect the wireless communication channel.

[0162] Furthermore, although car 2E traveling in the right lane 8R of road 8 and car 2G traveling in the left lane 8L are involved in the planned behavior of mobile phone user 3 crossing the road, they determine that they are too close to the crosswalk and cannot stop before the crosswalk without applying the brakes suddenly. Therefore, they determine that they cannot prioritize the planned behavior of mobile phone user 3 and send a reply message to mobile terminal 1 to that effect, after which they disconnect the wireless communication channel.

[0163] Then, car 2E, traveling in the right lane 8R of road 8, and car 2G, traveling in the left lane 8L, are involved in the planned behavior of mobile phone user 3 crossing the road. They determine that they can take actions that prioritize the planned behavior of mobile phone user 3, and send a reply to mobile terminal 1 containing this information, and then disconnect the wireless communication channel.

[0164] In this example, mobile terminal 1 acquires reply information from all five cars 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, and 2H. The received reply information includes the current location of each car 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, and 2H, as well as identification information, driving speed, and driving direction. Mobile terminal 1 uses this information to display each of the cars 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, and 2H on the map on its display screen. Furthermore, mobile terminal 1 also notifies the carrier 3 of the behavior of each car regarding the carrier's crossing, via the display screen and / or via speaker 122.

[0165] Therefore, the user 3 can safely perform the planned action of crossing a pedestrian crossing by referring to the display screen of the mobile terminal 1 and the voice notifications emitted from the speaker 122. Of course, this is not limited to the planned action of crossing a pedestrian crossing, but can also be applied to the planned action of crossing a road without a pedestrian crossing, or the planned action of passing through places where the movement of cars is difficult to predict, such as parking lot entrances and exits or station rotary, and these planned actions can also be performed safely.

[0166] [Other embodiments or modifications] Furthermore, considering situations where vehicle 2 does not wish to respond to a communication request from mobile device 3 due to an urgent matter or other reason, it may be configured to disable the above function. In such cases, when vehicle 2 receives a request, it will send a message to mobile device 1 indicating that it cannot respond to the request and will disconnect the communication channel.

[0167] In the above-described embodiment, when the vehicle receives a vehicle-to-vehicle communication request from the mobile terminal 1, if the vehicle is operating in manual driving mode, it asks the driver whether to allow switching to automatic driving mode, and if permission is not obtained, it does not respond to the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request. However, if the person carrying the device 3, such as a pedestrian, is an elderly person, a person accompanied by an infant, a person with a disability, a wheelchair user, an elementary school student, or a child who has not yet entered elementary school, the vehicle 2 may be configured to always respond to the vehicle-to-vehicle communication request.

[0168] In other words, even when driving in manual driving mode, the system is configured to prioritize the actions of vulnerable road users by forcibly switching to normal automatic driving mode or forced automatic driving mode without contacting the driver in response to a communication request from such vulnerable road users. In this case, the communication request to the vehicle includes the attribute information of the requesting mobile phone user 3, so that the vehicle can verify it.

[0169] Furthermore, when a vehicle receives a communication request from two or more predetermined number of mobile terminals within a predetermined short time (for example, within 30 seconds), the vehicle 2 may be configured to forcibly switch to normal automatic driving mode or forced automatic driving mode to respond to the communication request, even if the driver has not previously permitted switching to automatic driving mode while the vehicle is being driven in manual driving mode, from a safety standpoint. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0170] 1...Mobile terminal, 2...Automobile, 3...Person carrying the device, 20...Electronic control circuit unit of the automobile, 106...Current location detection unit, 108...Wireless communication unit with the automobile, 109...Wireless communication control processing unit with the automobile, 202...Wireless communication unit, 205...Driving mode switching control unit, 210...Current location detection unit, 217...Wireless communication control processing unit with terminal, 218...Behavior control unit

Claims

1. A communication system comprising a mobile terminal and an automobile having a function for wireless communication with the mobile terminal, and having a manual driving mode and an autonomous driving mode capable of autonomous driving, The aforementioned mobile terminal is A communication request sending means for sending a wireless communication request to the aforementioned automobile, A terminal location detection means for detecting the current location of the terminal, The wireless communication request includes location information of the current location of the terminal detected by the terminal location detection means and information regarding the planned behavior of the terminal's owner. The aforementioned automobile, When the vehicle receives the wireless communication request from the mobile terminal, a switching determination means determines whether or not to switch to the automatic driving mode if the vehicle is in the manual driving mode, A means for detecting the current position of the vehicle, An involvement determination means for determining whether the vehicle is involved in the planned behavior of the mobile terminal, based on the location information of the current location of the mobile terminal and the information regarding the planned behavior of the mobile terminal included in the received wireless communication request, The system includes the following: If the involvement determination means determines that the vehicle is involved in the planned behavior of the person carrying the device, the switching determination means is executed; if the switching determination means determines that the vehicle will not switch to the automatic driving mode, the vehicle sends a reply to the mobile terminal indicating that it will not perform the behavior corresponding to the planned behavior of the person carrying the device. The reply information from the vehicle includes information indicating that the vehicle is an emergency vehicle. The aforementioned mobile terminal is equipped with notification means for informing the user that the vehicle that sent the reply information is an emergency vehicle. A communication system characterized by the following features.

2. A communication system comprising a mobile terminal and an automobile having a function for wireless communication with the mobile terminal, and having a manual driving mode and an autonomous driving mode capable of autonomous driving, The aforementioned mobile terminal is A communication request sending means for sending a wireless communication request to the aforementioned automobile, A terminal location detection means for detecting the current location of the terminal, The wireless communication request includes location information of the current location of the terminal detected by the terminal location detection means and information regarding the planned behavior of the terminal's owner. The aforementioned automobile, When the vehicle receives the wireless communication request from the mobile terminal, a switching determination means determines whether or not to switch to the automatic driving mode if the vehicle is in the manual driving mode, A means for detecting the current position of the vehicle, An involvement determination means for determining whether the vehicle is involved in the planned behavior of the mobile terminal, based on the location information of the current location of the mobile terminal and the information regarding the planned behavior of the mobile terminal included in the received wireless communication request, Equipped with, The information relating to the planned behavior of the person carrying the item includes information on the person's walking speed, wheelchair movement speed, or bicycle riding speed. A communication system characterized by the following features.

3. A communication system comprising a mobile terminal and an automobile having a function for wireless communication with the mobile terminal, and having a manual driving mode and an autonomous driving mode capable of autonomous driving, The aforementioned mobile terminal includes a communication request sending means for sending a wireless communication request to the aforementioned automobile, A terminal location detection means for detecting the current location of the terminal, The wireless communication request includes location information of the current location of the terminal detected by the terminal location detection means and information regarding the planned behavior of the terminal's owner. The aforementioned automobile, When the vehicle receives the wireless communication request from the mobile terminal, a switching determination means determines whether or not to switch to the automatic driving mode if the vehicle is in the manual driving mode, A means for detecting the current position of the vehicle, An involvement determination means for determining whether the vehicle is involved in the planned behavior of the mobile terminal, based on the location information of the current location of the mobile terminal and the information regarding the planned behavior of the mobile terminal included in the received wireless communication request, Equipped with, The information relating to the planned behavior of the person carrying the item includes information on the direction of movement while walking, while using a wheelchair, or while cycling. A communication system characterized by the above.

4. The information relating to the planned behavior of the person carrying the device includes information about when the person is walking, using a wheelchair, or riding a bicycle. A communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. A communication system comprising a mobile terminal and an automobile having a function for wireless communication with the mobile terminal, and having a manual driving mode and an autonomous driving mode capable of autonomous driving, The aforementioned mobile terminal is A communication request sending means for sending a wireless communication request to the aforementioned automobile, Navigation means for providing route guidance for pedestrians, wheelchair users, and / or cyclists, A route guidance execution determination means for determining whether or not the route guidance is being performed by the navigation means, Equipped with, The vehicle, upon receiving the wireless communication request from the mobile terminal, is equipped with a switching determination means for determining whether or not to switch to the automatic driving mode if the vehicle is in the manual driving mode. If the route guidance execution determination means determines that route guidance is not currently being performed, the communication request sending means sends the wireless communication request to the vehicle when the receiving means receives a sending request from the user of the mobile terminal. If the route guidance is currently being performed, the communication request sending means sends the wireless communication request to the vehicle when it determines that the vehicle has arrived at the location or area required for the wireless communication request included in the route guidance data of the navigation means. A communication system characterized by the above.

6. The switching determination means asks the driver whether it is OK to switch to the automatic driving mode, and determines whether or not to switch to the automatic driving mode based on the answer to the inquiry. A communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by the features described above.

7. The switching determination means determines whether or not to switch to the automatic driving mode by referring to the setting on whether or not to allow switching to the automatic driving mode. The communication system according to any one of claims 6, characterized in that

8. If the switching determination means determines that it is time to switch to the automatic driving mode, the system is provided with a switching means for switching to the automatic driving mode. A communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized by the features described above.

9. The automobile includes, as an automatic driving mode, a normal automatic driving mode in which the automatic driving mode can be switched to the manual driving mode in accordance with a predetermined operation, and a forced automatic driving mode in which the automatic driving mode cannot be switched to the manual driving mode even if the predetermined operation is performed. The automatic driving mode that can be switched by the switching means is the forced automatic driving mode. The communication system according to claim 8, characterized in that it is as described above.

10. The automobile includes, as an automatic driving mode, a normal automatic driving mode in which the automatic driving mode can be switched to the manual driving mode in accordance with a predetermined operation, and a forced automatic driving mode in which the automatic driving mode cannot be switched to the manual driving mode even if the predetermined operation is performed. When the vehicle receives the wireless communication request from the mobile terminal, if the vehicle is in the automatic driving mode, it switches to the forced automatic driving mode. A communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized by the features described above.

11. The communication request sending means of the mobile terminal sends the wireless communication request by broadcast or multicast. A communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized by the features described above.

12. The aforementioned mobile terminal is The system includes a receiving means for receiving transmission request operations for the aforementioned wireless communication request to the vehicle by a person carrying their own terminal, The communication request sending means sends the wireless communication request to the vehicle when the receiving means receives the transmission request operation. A communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. The aforementioned mobile terminal includes a user attribute storage unit that stores information indicating that the user is vulnerable in terms of traffic safety as attribute information of the user of the mobile terminal, The communication request sending means sends the wireless communication request including information stored in the carrier attribute storage unit indicating that the person is vulnerable in terms of traffic safety. A communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized by the features described above.

14. The aforementioned vulnerable groups in terms of traffic safety include the elderly, those accompanied by infants, people with disabilities, wheelchair users, and elementary school children or children who have not yet entered elementary school. The communication system according to feature 13.

15. The automobile comprises a mobile terminal and a mobile terminal, and is equipped with a function to communicate wirelessly with the mobile terminal and has a manual driving mode and an autonomous driving mode capable of autonomous driving, wherein the mobile terminal comprises a communication request sending means for sending a wireless communication request to the automobile and a terminal location detection means for detecting the current location of the terminal, and the wireless communication request includes location information of the current location of the terminal detected by the terminal location detection means and information regarding the planned behavior of the person carrying the terminal, in a communication system, When the vehicle receives the wireless communication request from the mobile terminal, a switching determination means determines whether or not to switch to the automatic driving mode if the vehicle is in the manual driving mode, A means for detecting the current position of the vehicle, An involvement determination means for determining whether the vehicle is involved in the planned behavior of the mobile terminal, based on the location information of the current location of the mobile terminal and the information regarding the planned behavior of the mobile terminal included in the received wireless communication request, Equipped with, If the involvement determination means determines that the vehicle is involved in the planned behavior of the person carrying the device, the switching determination means is executed. If the switching determination means determines that the vehicle will not switch to the automatic driving mode, a reply message is sent to the mobile terminal indicating that the vehicle will not perform the behavior corresponding to the planned behavior of the person carrying the device. The aforementioned reply information includes information indicating that the vehicle is an emergency vehicle. The aforementioned mobile terminal is equipped with notification means for informing the user that the vehicle that sent the reply information is an emergency vehicle. An automobile characterized by the following features.

16. The automobile comprises a mobile terminal and a mobile terminal, and is equipped with a function to communicate wirelessly with the mobile terminal and has a manual driving mode and an autonomous driving mode capable of autonomous driving, wherein the mobile terminal comprises a communication request sending means for sending a wireless communication request to the automobile and a terminal location detection means for detecting the current location of the terminal, and the wireless communication request includes location information of the current location of the terminal detected by the terminal location detection means and information regarding the planned behavior of the person carrying the terminal, in a communication system, When the vehicle receives the wireless communication request from the mobile terminal, a switching determination means determines whether or not to switch to the automatic driving mode if the vehicle is in the manual driving mode, A means for detecting the current position of the vehicle, An involvement determination means for determining whether the vehicle is involved in the planned behavior of the mobile terminal, based on the location information of the current location of the mobile terminal and the information regarding the planned behavior of the mobile terminal included in the received wireless communication request, Equipped with, The information relating to the planned behavior of the person carrying the item includes information on the person's walking speed, wheelchair movement speed, or bicycle riding speed. An automobile characterized by the following features.

17. The automobile comprises a mobile terminal and a mobile terminal, and is equipped with a function to communicate wirelessly with the mobile terminal and has a manual driving mode and an autonomous driving mode capable of autonomous driving, wherein the mobile terminal comprises a communication request sending means for sending a wireless communication request to the automobile and a terminal location detection means for detecting the current location of the terminal, and the wireless communication request includes location information of the current location of the terminal detected by the terminal location detection means and information regarding the planned behavior of the person carrying the terminal, in a communication system, When the vehicle receives the wireless communication request from the mobile terminal, a switching determination means determines whether or not to switch to the automatic driving mode if the vehicle is in the manual driving mode, A means for detecting the current position of the vehicle, An involvement determination means for determining whether the vehicle is involved in the planned behavior of the mobile terminal, based on the location information of the current location of the mobile terminal and the information regarding the planned behavior of the mobile terminal included in the received wireless communication request, Equipped with, The information relating to the planned behavior of the person carrying the item includes information on the direction of movement while walking, while using a wheelchair, or while cycling. An automobile characterized by the following features.

18. The switching determination means asks the driver whether it is OK to switch to the automatic driving mode, and determines whether or not to switch to the automatic driving mode based on the answer to the inquiry. The automobile according to any one of claims 15 to 17.

19. The switching determination means determines whether or not to switch to the automatic driving mode by referring to the setting on whether or not to allow switching to the automatic driving mode. The automobile according to any one of claims 15 to 18.

20. If the switching determination means determines that it is time to switch to the automatic driving mode, the system is provided with a switching means for switching to the automatic driving mode. The automobile according to any one of claims 15 to 19, characterized by the features described above.

21. The automatic driving modes include a normal automatic driving mode in which the automatic driving mode can be switched to the manual driving mode in accordance with a predetermined operation, and a forced automatic driving mode in which the automatic driving mode cannot be switched to the manual driving mode even if the predetermined operation is performed. The automatic driving mode that can be switched by the switching means is the forced automatic driving mode. The automobile according to feature 20.

22. The automatic driving modes include a normal automatic driving mode in which the automatic driving mode can be switched to the manual driving mode in accordance with a predetermined operation, and a forced automatic driving mode in which the automatic driving mode cannot be switched to the manual driving mode even if the predetermined operation is performed. When the vehicle receives the wireless communication request from the mobile terminal, if the vehicle is in the automatic driving mode, it switches to the forced automatic driving mode. The automobile according to any one of claims 15 to 21.

23. The mobile terminal is equipped with terminal location detection means for detecting the current location of the terminal, and the wireless communication request includes location information of the current location of the terminal detected by the terminal location detection means and information regarding the planned behavior of the terminal's carrier. A means for detecting the current position of the vehicle, The vehicle includes an involvement determination means for determining whether or not the vehicle is involved in the planned behavior of the mobile terminal, based on the location information of the current location of the mobile terminal and the information regarding the planned behavior of the mobile terminal included in the received wireless communication request. If the involvement determination means determines that the vehicle is involved in the planned behavior of the person carrying the vehicle, the switching determination means is executed. The automobile according to any one of claims 15 to 22.

24. If the switching determination means determines that the automatic driving mode will not be switched, it sends a reply message to the mobile terminal indicating that the vehicle will not perform the actions corresponding to the user's planned actions. The automobile according to feature 23.

25. The system comprises a mobile terminal and an automobile equipped with a function for wireless communication with the mobile terminal, and equipped with a manual driving mode and an autonomous driving mode capable of autonomous driving, wherein the mobile terminal comprises a communication request sending means for sending a wireless communication request to the automobile and a terminal location detection means for detecting the current location of the terminal, and the wireless communication request includes location information of the current location of the terminal detected by the terminal location detection means and information regarding the planned behavior of the person carrying the terminal, and the automobile's computer in the communication system, When the vehicle receives the wireless communication request from the mobile terminal, if the vehicle is in manual driving mode, a switching determination means determines whether or not to switch to automatic driving mode. A means for detecting the current position of the vehicle, A means for determining whether the vehicle is involved in the planned behavior of the mobile device, based on the location information of the current location of the mobile device and the information regarding the planned behavior of the mobile device included in the received wireless communication request. An automotive program designed to function as such, If the involvement determination means determines that the vehicle is involved in the planned behavior of the person carrying the device, the switching determination means is executed. If the switching determination means determines that the vehicle will not switch to the automatic driving mode, a reply message is sent to the mobile terminal indicating that the vehicle will not perform the behavior corresponding to the planned behavior of the person carrying the device. The aforementioned reply information includes information indicating that the vehicle is an emergency vehicle. The aforementioned mobile terminal is equipped with notification means for informing the user that the vehicle that sent the reply information is an emergency vehicle. An automotive program characterized by the following features.

26. The system comprises a mobile terminal and an automobile equipped with a function for wireless communication with the mobile terminal, and equipped with a manual driving mode and an autonomous driving mode capable of autonomous driving, wherein the mobile terminal comprises a communication request sending means for sending a wireless communication request to the automobile and a terminal location detection means for detecting the current location of the terminal, and the wireless communication request includes location information of the current location of the terminal detected by the terminal location detection means and information regarding the planned behavior of the person carrying the terminal, and the automobile's computer in the communication system, When the vehicle receives the wireless communication request from the mobile terminal, if the vehicle is in manual driving mode, a switching determination means determines whether or not to switch to automatic driving mode. A means for detecting the current position of the vehicle, A means for determining whether the vehicle is involved in the planned behavior of the mobile device, based on the location information of the current location of the mobile device and the information regarding the planned behavior of the mobile device included in the received wireless communication request. An automotive program designed to function as such, The information relating to the planned behavior of the person carrying the item includes information on the person's walking speed, wheelchair movement speed, or bicycle riding speed. An automotive program characterized by the following features.

27. The system comprises a mobile terminal and an automobile equipped with a function for wireless communication with the mobile terminal, and equipped with a manual driving mode and an autonomous driving mode capable of autonomous driving, wherein the mobile terminal comprises a communication request sending means for sending a wireless communication request to the automobile and a terminal location detection means for detecting the current location of the terminal, and the wireless communication request includes location information of the current location of the terminal detected by the terminal location detection means and information regarding the planned behavior of the person carrying the terminal, and the automobile's computer in the communication system, When the vehicle receives the wireless communication request from the mobile terminal, if the vehicle is in manual driving mode, a switching determination means determines whether or not to switch to automatic driving mode. A means for detecting the current position of the vehicle, A means for determining whether the vehicle is involved in the planned behavior of the mobile device, based on the location information of the current location of the mobile device and the information regarding the planned behavior of the mobile device included in the received wireless communication request. An automotive program designed to function as such, The information relating to the planned behavior of the person carrying the item includes information on the direction of movement while walking, while using a wheelchair, or while cycling. An automotive program characterized by the following features.

Images