Automatic driving control device and automatic driving control program

Abstract

This automatic driving ECU functions as an automatic driving control device, and causes a host vehicle to travel by autonomous traveling control. The automatic driving ECU recognizes an emergency vehicle approaching the host vehicle. When the approach of the emergency vehicle has been recognized, the automatic driving ECU controls the behavior of the host vehicle so as to avoid the emergency vehicle.

Description

Automatic driving control device and automatic driving control method CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is based on Patent Application No. 2023-202047 filed in Japan on November 29, 2023, and the contents of the original application are incorporated by reference in their entirety.

[0002] The disclosure of this specification relates to an automatic driving control technology that allows a vehicle to drive autonomously.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a blind spot vehicle sound detection system that can detect the direction of another vehicle that is in the blind spot of an obstruction.

[0004] JP 2012-146149 A

[0005] The inventors of the present disclosure have conceived of utilizing other vehicle detection technology such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1 to recognize emergency vehicles. In particular, responding to emergency vehicles can be a challenge for self-driving vehicles that operate under autonomous driving control. Specifically, there is a concern that the actions of the self-driving vehicle may obstruct emergency vehicles.

[0006] The present disclosure aims to provide an automatic driving control device and an automatic driving control method that can achieve automatic driving that is less likely to affect the driving of emergency vehicles.

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, one disclosed aspect is an automatic driving control device that is capable of driving a vehicle using autonomous driving control, and is equipped with an exterior recognition unit that recognizes emergency vehicles approaching the vehicle, and a behavior control unit that controls the behavior of the vehicle to avoid the emergency vehicle when the approach of the emergency vehicle is recognized.

[0008] Another disclosed aspect is an automatic driving control device that is capable of driving a vehicle using autonomous driving control, and that includes an outside-vehicle recognition unit that recognizes emergency vehicles approaching the vehicle, and an action control unit that, when the approach of an emergency vehicle is recognized, performs at least one of stop control that stops the vehicle at a position more than a predetermined distance away from the emergency vehicle, low-speed driving control that reduces the vehicle's driving speed, and reroute control that resets the vehicle's planned driving route so as to avoid the estimated driving route of the emergency vehicle.

[0009] Another disclosed aspect is an automated driving control method capable of driving a vehicle through autonomous driving control, the automated driving control method including, in processing performed by at least one processing unit, a step of recognizing an emergency vehicle approaching the vehicle, and, if the approach of the emergency vehicle is recognized, controlling the behavior of the vehicle so as to avoid the emergency vehicle.

[0010] Another disclosed aspect is an automated driving control method capable of driving a vehicle through autonomous driving control, which includes, in processing performed by at least one processing unit, steps of recognizing an emergency vehicle approaching the vehicle and, if the approach of the emergency vehicle is recognized, performing at least one of stop control, which stops the vehicle at a position more than a predetermined distance away from the emergency vehicle, low-speed driving control, which reduces the vehicle's driving speed, and reroute control, which resets the planned driving route of the vehicle so as to avoid the estimated driving route of the emergency vehicle.

[0011] In these aspects, when an emergency vehicle is recognized, the behavior of the host vehicle is controlled to avoid the emergency vehicle. This makes it less likely that the host vehicle, traveling under autonomous driving control, will get in the way of the emergency vehicle. As a result, it becomes possible to realize automated driving that is less likely to affect the traveling of the emergency vehicle.

[0012] It should be noted that the reference numbers in parentheses in the claims merely indicate an example of the correspondence with the specific configurations in the embodiments described below, and do not limit the technical scope in any way. Furthermore, claims not explicitly stated in the claims may be combined together if no particular problems arise in the combination.

[0013] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an overall picture of an in-vehicle network including an autonomous driving ECU according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing details of the autonomous driving ECU together with related configurations. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing details of an external sound recognition process performed by the autonomous driving ECU. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing details of an emergency vehicle avoidance process performed by the autonomous driving ECU, together with Figs. 5 and 6. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing details of the emergency vehicle avoidance process, together with Figs. 4 and 6. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing details of the emergency vehicle avoidance process, together with Figs. 4 and 5. Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing details of an avoidance continuation process performed by the autonomous driving ECU. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing details of an emergency information notification process performed by the autonomous driving ECU. Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing details of an abnormal vehicle avoidance process performed by the autonomous driving ECU. Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing details of a parking monitoring process performed by the autonomous driving ECU.

[0014] The functions of the autonomous driving control device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure are realized by an autonomous driving ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 50 shown in FIG. 1. The autonomous driving ECU 50 is installed in a vehicle (hereinafter, host vehicle Am). By installing the autonomous driving ECU 50, the host vehicle Am becomes an autonomous driving vehicle or an autonomously driven vehicle equipped with an autonomous driving function. The autonomous driving level in this disclosure is based on the standards defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers. In this disclosure, autonomous driving control of autonomous driving level 3 or higher by the autonomous driving ECU 50 is referred to as "autonomous driving control."

[0015] During an autonomous driving period in which the host vehicle Am is driven by autonomous driving control by the autonomous driving ECU 50, the driver may be permitted to perform a specific action other than predefined driving (hereinafter referred to as a second task). During an autonomous driving period under autonomous driving level 3, the driver is legally permitted to perform the second task until a request for a driver handover is made by the autonomous driving ECU 50 in cooperation with the HMI (Human Machine Interface) control device 100. For example, actions such as watching entertainment content such as videos, operating a device such as a smartphone, and eating are considered as second tasks.

[0016] The autonomous driving ECU 50 is communicatively connected to a communication bus 99 of an in-vehicle network 1 mounted on the host vehicle Am. The communication bus 99 is connected to a periphery monitoring sensor 30, a locator 35, a navigation ECU 38, an in-vehicle communication device 39, a cruise control ECU 40, an air conditioning ECU 42, an exterior alarm 45, an HMI control device 100, and the like. These nodes connected to the communication bus 99 can communicate with each other. Certain nodes among these ECUs, etc. may be electrically connected directly to each other and be able to communicate without going through the communication bus 99.

[0017] The perimeter monitoring sensor 30 is an autonomous sensor mounted on the host vehicle Am and monitors the environment surrounding the host vehicle Am. The perimeter monitoring sensor 30 is capable of detecting moving objects and stationary objects within a detection range around the host vehicle. The perimeter monitoring sensor 30 provides detection information of objects around the host vehicle to the autonomous driving ECU 50, etc. The perimeter monitoring sensor 30 includes a camera unit 31 and an exterior acoustic sensor 32. The perimeter monitoring sensor 30 may further include a millimeter-wave radar, a lidar, a sonar, etc.

[0018] The camera unit 31 includes a front camera module, a rear camera module, a left side camera module, and a right side camera module. The camera unit 31 includes multiple camera modules, so that it can capture images of the entire surroundings of the vehicle Am. The camera unit 31 outputs image data captured by each camera module or analysis information of the image data as detection information to the communication bus 99.

[0019] The exterior acoustic sensor 32 is primarily composed of a microphone element that converts sound into an electrical signal. The microphone element functions as a condenser microphone that outputs an electrical signal based on changes in capacitance caused by sound pressure vibrating a thin diaphragm. A MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) microphone or the like can be used as the microphone element. Alternatively, the exterior acoustic sensor 32 may be a piezoelectric microphone using a piezoelectric sensor instead of a condenser microphone. The piezoelectric sensor converts sound into an electronic signal using the piezoelectric element. The exterior acoustic sensor 32 is held on the exterior structure of the host vehicle Am with the sound collection surface of the microphone element or the like facing the exterior structure. Multiple exterior acoustic sensors 32 are provided on the front, rear, left and right sides, ceiling, etc. of the host vehicle Am. The exterior acoustic sensors 32 provided at each location can detect incoming sounds from all around the host vehicle Am. The exterior acoustic sensor 32 outputs the sound data generated by each microphone element or analysis information of the sound data as detection information to the communication bus 99 .

[0020] The locator 35 includes a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver, an inertial sensor, etc. The locator 35 sequentially determines the position and traveling direction of the host vehicle Am by combining positioning signals received from multiple positioning satellites by the GNSS receiver, measurement results from the inertial sensor, and vehicle speed information output to the communication bus 99. The locator 35 sequentially outputs position information and direction information of the host vehicle Am based on the positioning results to the communication bus 99 as locator information.

[0021] The locator 35 also has a map database that stores map data. The map database is primarily composed of a large-capacity storage medium that stores a large amount of three-dimensional map data and two-dimensional map data. The three-dimensional map data is a so-called HD (High Definition) map and includes road information necessary for autonomous driving. Specifically, the three-dimensional map data includes three-dimensional road shape information and detailed information about each lane. The locator 35 can update the three-dimensional map data and two-dimensional map data to the latest information through external communication via the on-board communication device 39. The locator 35 reads map data around the current location from the map database and provides it to the autonomous driving ECU 50, etc., along with locator information.

[0022] The navigation ECU 38 acquires information about a destination specified by a passenger such as a driver based on operation information acquired from the HMI control device 100. The navigation ECU 38 acquires vehicle position information and direction information from the locator 35, and sets a route from the current position to the destination. The navigation ECU 38 provides route information indicating the set route to the destination to the autonomous driving ECU 50, the HMI control device 100, etc. The navigation ECU 38 works in conjunction with the HMI system 10 (described later) to provide route guidance to the destination by combining screen displays and voice messages, etc., and notifying the driver of the direction of travel of the vehicle Am at intersections, branching points, etc.

[0023] Here, a user terminal such as a smartphone or tablet may be connected to the in-vehicle network 1 or the HMI control device 100. Such a user terminal may provide the autonomous driving ECU 50 with information such as vehicle position information, direction information, and map data in place of the locator 35. Furthermore, the user terminal may provide the autonomous driving ECU 50 and the HMI control device 100 with information such as route information to a destination in place of the navigation ECU 38. Furthermore, the user terminal may play video content in place of the HMI system 10 described below or together with the HMI system 10.

[0024] The in-vehicle communication device 39 is an external communication unit mounted on the host vehicle Am. The in-vehicle communication device 39 functions as a V2X (Vehicle to Everything) communication device. The in-vehicle communication device 39 transmits and receives information via wireless communication with roadside devices installed on the side of the road. As an example, the in-vehicle communication device 39 receives congestion information, traffic regulation information, and the like from the roadside devices. The congestion information and traffic regulation information are, for example, VICS (registered trademark) information. The in-vehicle communication device 39 may further receive signal information indicating the lighting patterns of traffic signals, as well as detection information of stopped vehicles, parked vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, and the like from the roadside devices. The in-vehicle communication device 39 provides the received congestion information, traffic regulation information, signal information, detection information, and the like to the navigation ECU 38, the autonomous driving ECU 50, the HMI control device 100, and the like.

[0025] The cruise control ECU 40 is an electronic control device that mainly includes a microcontroller. The cruise control ECU 40 generates vehicle speed information indicating the current traveling speed of the host vehicle Am based on detection signals from wheel speed sensors provided at the hub portions of each wheel, and sequentially outputs the generated vehicle speed information to the communication bus 99. The cruise control ECU 40 has at least the functions of a brake control ECU, a drive control ECU, and a steering control ECU. The cruise control ECU 40 continuously controls the braking force of each wheel, the output of the powertrain 41, and the steering angle based on either an operation command based on the driver's driving operation or a control command from the automatic driving ECU 50.

[0026] The powertrain 41 is mounted on the host vehicle Am and generates power for propelling the host vehicle Am. The powertrain 41 may be, for example, a hybrid power unit including multiple power sources, such as an internal combustion engine that burns fuel such as gasoline or diesel, and a drive motor generator. The powertrain 41 may include only one of the internal combustion engine and the motor generator, in other words, may be configured mainly with a single power source.

[0027] The air conditioning ECU 42 is an electronic control device that mainly includes a microcontroller. The air conditioning ECU 42 has a function of controlling an air conditioning unit (heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning) installed in the host vehicle Am. The air conditioning ECU 42 adjusts the operating state of the air conditioning unit, specifically, the temperature, air volume, and outlet direction of the conditioned air, based on operation information acquired from the HMI control device 100.

[0028] The exterior alarm 45 has an exterior display that displays information to the outside of the host vehicle Am. The exterior display may be configured to display text or may be configured to display information by changing the light emission pattern. The exterior display is installed on the front of the host vehicle Am with the display surface facing forward. As an example, the exterior display is arranged in an area between a pair of left and right headlights at the front end of the host vehicle Am. The exterior alarm 45 may have exterior displays installed on both the left and right sides of the host vehicle Am. Alternatively, the exterior alarm 45 may have an exterior display installed on the rear of the host vehicle Am with the display surface facing rearward. Furthermore, the exterior alarm 45 may have an exterior speaker that outputs audio to the outside of the vehicle.

[0029] The HMI control device 100, together with a plurality of display devices, an audio device 24, an ambient light 25, an operation device 26, etc., constitutes an HMI system 10. The HMI system 10 has an input interface function that accepts operations by a passenger such as a driver of the vehicle Am, and an output interface function that presents information to the driver.

[0030] The display devices present information to the driver's vision by displaying images, etc. The display devices include a meter display 21, a center information display (hereinafter referred to as CID) 22, and a head-up display (hereinafter referred to as HUD) 23. The CID 22 has a touch panel function and detects touch operations on the display screen by the driver, etc.

[0031] The audio device 24 has multiple speakers installed in the vehicle cabin. The audio device 24 reproduces, for example, notification sounds or voice messages through the speakers. The ambient lights 25 are provided on the instrument panel, center console, steering wheel, door trim, etc. The ambient lights 25 present information to the driver's peripheral vision through ambient displays that change the emitted light color.

[0032] The operation device 26 is an input unit that accepts user operations by the driver, etc. User operations related to activation and deactivation of the autonomous driving function, user operations related to setting a destination for route guidance, user operations related to setting air conditioning, etc. The operation device 26 includes a steering switch provided on the spokes of the steering wheel, an operation lever provided on the steering column, and a voice input device that recognizes what the passengers are saying.

[0033] The HMI control device 100 is a computer that mainly includes a control circuit equipped with a processing unit 11, a RAM 12, a storage unit 13, an input / output interface 14, and a bus connecting these. The HMI control device 100 functions as a presentation control device and comprehensively controls the presentation of information using a plurality of display devices, an audio device 24, an ambient light 25, etc. The HMI control device 100 presents information related to autonomous driving in cooperation with the autonomous driving ECU 50. For example, when the autonomous driving ECU 50 plans to end autonomous driving control, the HMI control device 100 issues a notification to the driver requesting that he or she take over driving.

[0034] The HMI control device 100 acquires operation information indicating the content of user operations from the CID 22, the operation device 26, etc. The HMI control device 100 provides operation information of user operations related to the autonomous driving function, etc. to the autonomous driving ECU 50. The HMI control device 100 also provides operation information of a user operation for setting the destination of the host vehicle Am to the navigation ECU 38. Furthermore, the HMI control device 100 provides operation information of a user operation for changing the settings of the air conditioning unit to the air conditioning ECU 42.

[0035] 1 and 2 is a computer that mainly includes a processing unit 51, a RAM 52, a storage unit 53, an input / output interface 54, and a control circuit that includes a bus connecting these components. The processing unit 51 accesses the RAM 52 to execute various processes (instructions) for implementing the autonomous driving control method according to the present disclosure. The storage unit 53 stores various programs (e.g., autonomous driving control programs) that are executed by the processing unit 51. As the processing unit 51 executes the programs, the autonomous driving ECU 50 is configured with an information linkage unit 61, an environment recognition unit 62, a behavior determination unit 63, a control execution unit 64, an equipment control unit 65, and the like as functional units for implementing the autonomous driving function and the vehicle control function.

[0036] The information linking unit 61 enables information linking between the navigation ECU 38, the in-vehicle communication device 39, the exterior alarm device 45, the HMI control device 100, etc. and the autonomous driving ECU 50. The information linking unit 61 acquires route information from the navigation ECU 38 and provides the acquired route information to the environment recognition unit 62 and the action determination unit 63. The information linking unit 61 requests the navigation ECU 38 to change (reset) the destination or the planned driving route by outputting a reroute request to the navigation ECU 38. The information linking unit 61 provides the environment recognition unit 62 with detection information received by the in-vehicle communication device 39. The information linking unit 61 has an alert request unit 71 and an information provision unit 72 as sub-functional units for information linking with other in-vehicle devices.

[0037] The notification request unit 71 outputs a request to the HMI control device 100 to perform an in-vehicle notification, thereby enabling the HMI control device 100 to perform notifications synchronized with the operating state of the autonomous driving function. The notification request unit 71 outputs requests to the HMI control device 100 to perform an emergency vehicle approach notification, a delay permission inquiry, a control duration notification, an emergency warning occurrence notification, an evacuation permission inquiry, and the like, which will be described later. In addition, the notification request unit 71 outputs a request to perform an exterior notification to the exterior alarm 45, thereby enabling notifications to other vehicles, pedestrians, and the like that are present around the host vehicle Am. The notification request unit 71 outputs a request to perform an emergency vehicle approach notification, which will be described later, to the exterior alarm 45.

[0038] The information providing unit 72 provides information collected by the vehicle Am to a destination outside the vehicle Am in cooperation with the in-vehicle communication device 39. As an example, in the parking monitoring process (see FIG. 10 ) described below, the information providing unit 72 transmits sound data collected by the exterior acoustic sensor 32 or analysis information thereof from the in-vehicle communication device 39 to a preset reporting destination. The reporting destination is, for example, a center facility under the jurisdiction of the police, a security company, or the like.

[0039] The environment recognition unit 62 recognizes the driving environment of the host vehicle Am by combining the locator information and map data acquired from the locator 35 with the detection information acquired from the perimeter monitoring sensor 30. The environment recognition unit 62 may acquire the detection information received by the on-board communication device 39 from the information linkage unit 61 and use it for recognition of the driving environment. The environment recognition unit 62 acquires vehicle speed information indicating the current driving speed from the communication bus 99 as information indicating the state of the host vehicle Am. The environment recognition unit 62 has a target recognition unit 74 and a road recognition unit 75 as sub-functional units for recognizing the driving environment.

[0040] The target recognition unit 74 recognizes the relative position and relative speed of dynamic targets around the host vehicle Am, such as other vehicles traveling around the host vehicle Am. The target recognition unit 74 recognizes approaching sounds around the host vehicle Am. The target recognition unit 74 recognizes the approach of emergency vehicles, including police vehicles, fire engines, and ambulances, to the host vehicle Am by combining detection information based on the image data from the camera unit 31 with detection information based on the sound data from the exterior acoustic sensor 32. In this disclosure, unless otherwise specified, an emergency vehicle refers to an emergency vehicle traveling for emergency purposes. By using sound data, the target recognition unit 74 recognizes the approach of an emergency vehicle sounding a siren earlier than when using only image data. In addition, the target recognition unit 74 detects abnormal vehicles emitting abnormal sounds by using detection information based on the sound data. An abnormal vehicle is another vehicle emitting abnormal sounds, such as an illegally modified vehicle or a broken-down vehicle.

[0041] The road recognition unit 75 acquires road information related to the road on which the host vehicle Am is traveling or is scheduled to travel. Based on the locator information and map data, the road recognition unit 75 determines whether the road on which the host vehicle Am is traveling has multiple lanes in each direction, whether the host vehicle lane on which the host vehicle Am is traveling is a shoulder lane adjacent to a shoulder, etc. The environment recognition unit 62 sequentially provides the information recognized by the landmark recognition unit 74 and the road recognition unit 75, i.e., the recognition results of the traveling environment, to the action determination unit 63.

[0042] When the autonomous driving ECU 50 has control of the driving operation, the behavior determination unit 63 generates a planned driving line for the host vehicle Am to travel on, based on the results of recognition of the driving environment by the environment recognition unit 62, and outputs the generated planned driving line to the control execution unit 64. The behavior determination unit 63 has an evacuation control unit 77 as a sub-functional unit for controlling the operating state of the autonomous driving function. Furthermore, the behavior determination unit 63 has a noise reduction control unit 78 as a sub-functional unit related to noise reduction control for reducing noise inside the vehicle cabin of the host vehicle Am.

[0043] When the approach of an emergency vehicle to the host vehicle Am is recognized, the evacuation control unit 77 controls the behavior of the host vehicle Am to avoid the emergency vehicle. When the approach of an emergency vehicle is recognized, the evacuation control unit 77 performs at least one of stop control, low-speed travel control, and reroute control based on the emergency vehicle avoidance process (see FIGS. 4 to 6 ) described below. The stop control is control to stop the host vehicle Am at a position at least a predetermined distance away from the emergency vehicle. The low-speed travel control is control to suppress the travel speed of the host vehicle Am. The reroute control is control to reset the planned travel route of the host vehicle Am so as to avoid the estimated travel route of the emergency vehicle. The change of the planned travel route by the reroute control may be realized by the action determination unit 63 changing the planned travel line, or may be realized by the information linkage unit 61 outputting a reroute request to the navigation ECU 38.

[0044] The silencing control unit 78 performs silencing control to reduce interior noise of the host vehicle Am so that the detection of incoming sounds from outside the vehicle by the vehicle exterior acoustic sensor 32 is not hindered by sounds inside the vehicle interior. The silencing control is interior noise control to reduce noise inside the vehicle interior of the host vehicle Am. The silencing control unit 78 requests silencing from the information linkage unit 61, the control execution unit 64, the device control unit 65, etc. in specific silencing situations where sound detection by the vehicle exterior acoustic sensor 32 is important. The silencing control unit 78 works in cooperation with the information linkage unit 61 to perform silencing control to reduce the volume of content being played. The silencing control unit 78 works in cooperation with the control execution unit 64 to perform silencing control to reduce the rotation speed of the powertrain 41 (engine, etc.). The silencing control unit 78 works in cooperation with the device control unit 65 to perform silencing control to reduce the airflow of the air conditioning.

[0045] When the autonomous driving ECU 50 has control of driving operations, the control execution unit 64 cooperates with the cruise control ECU 40 to execute acceleration / deceleration control, steering control, and the like of the host vehicle Am in accordance with the planned driving line generated by the action determination unit 63. Specifically, the control execution unit 64 generates control commands based on the planned driving line and sequentially outputs the generated control commands to the cruise control ECU 40.

[0046] The device control unit 65 controls the operation of various on-board devices mounted on the vehicle Am in association with the operation of the autonomous driving function by outputting control commands to the various on-board devices. In a noise reduction scene, the device control unit 65 temporarily suppresses the operation of the air conditioning system by outputting a control command to the air conditioning ECU 42 based on a noise reduction request obtained from the noise reduction control unit 78.

[0047] <Response control to emergency vehicles during level 3 autonomous driving periods> The autonomous vehicles described so far need to respond to emergency vehicles approaching their own vehicle Am during the autonomous driving period, regardless of the driver's judgment. If control is simply implemented to stop the autonomous vehicle in this situation, it could lead to a situation where the autonomous vehicle stops on the route the emergency vehicle is traveling, obstructing the emergency vehicle's travel, or a situation where a vehicle that stops after the autonomous vehicle obstructs the emergency vehicle's travel.

[0048] Therefore, the autonomous driving ECU 50 not only detects an emergency vehicle using acoustic recognition technology and simply stops the host vehicle Am, but also controls the behavior of the host vehicle Am to avoid collision with the emergency vehicle while understanding the status of other vehicles traveling around the host vehicle Am. In addition, the autonomous driving ECU 50 uses acoustic recognition technology to detect the occurrence of disasters such as earthquakes and the approach of abnormal vehicles, and controls the behavior of the host vehicle Am to respond to these. Furthermore, even when the host vehicle Am is parked and the occupants are away from the host vehicle Am, the autonomous driving ECU 50 can detect outside vehicle sounds such as the voice of a criminal and screams related to crime using voice recognition technology, which can be useful for crime prevention.

[0049] Below, details of the external sound recognition processing, emergency vehicle avoidance processing, avoidance continuation processing, emergency information notification processing, abnormal vehicle avoidance processing, and parking monitoring processing for realizing the above-mentioned response control using acoustic recognition technology will be explained based on Figures 3 to 10 and with reference to Figures 1 and 2.

[0050] 3, the approach of an emergency vehicle or an abnormal vehicle, or the issuance of an emergency warning, is detected by the environment recognition unit 62. The external sound recognition process is started when the autonomous driving ECU 50 is activated, and is repeatedly performed until the autonomous driving ECU 50 stops operating.

[0051] The emergency alert, such as J-Alert, is an automatic broadcast by an emergency alert system operated by the government, etc. In the emergency alert, information on natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis, as well as man-made disasters such as missile launches, is broadcast from a large number of speakers installed outdoors to areas that may be affected.

[0052] In S11 of the vehicle exterior sound recognition process, the environment recognition unit 62 acquires sound data of vehicle exterior sounds generated by the vehicle exterior acoustic sensor 32. The environment recognition unit 62 may acquire analysis information of the sound data from a data processing unit linked to the vehicle exterior acoustic sensor 32, instead of or together with the sound data. In S12, the environment recognition unit 62 determines whether or not there is an abnormal sound indicating an abnormality, based on the acquired sound data. If no abnormal sound is detected (S12: NO), the current vehicle exterior sound recognition process is temporarily terminated. Even in this case, detection of abnormal sounds continues by repeatedly performing the vehicle exterior sound recognition process.

[0053] On the other hand, if an abnormal sound is detected (S12: YES), the environment recognition unit 62 determines the type of abnormality by analyzing the sound data in S13. Specifically, the environment recognition unit 62 recognizes the approach of an emergency vehicle, the issuance of an emergency alarm, the approach of an abnormal vehicle, etc. as the type of abnormality that is occurring. The environment recognition unit 62 performs detection of the abnormality itself and detection to grasp the details of the abnormality in a stepwise manner. In the following description, for convenience, detection of the abnormality itself using sound data may be referred to as "first detection," and detection to grasp the details of the abnormality may be referred to as "second detection."

[0054] In detail, when the environment recognition unit 62 recognizes the approach of an emergency vehicle in the first detection, it determines, as the second detection, the relative position (direction and distance) of the emergency vehicle with respect to the host vehicle Am, the direction of movement of the emergency vehicle, etc. Furthermore, when the environment recognition unit 62 recognizes an emergency alert in the first detection, it determines, as the second detection, the content of the disaster warned about in the emergency alert. Furthermore, when the environment recognition unit 62 recognizes the approach of an abnormal vehicle in the first detection, it classifies the abnormal vehicle into an illegally modified vehicle (such as a vehicle owned by a motorcycle gang) or a broken-down vehicle, etc., and further determines, as the second detection, the relative position and direction of movement of the abnormal vehicle.

[0055] 4 to 6 is a process for controlling the behavior of the host vehicle Am so as to avoid an emergency vehicle. Similar to the external sound recognition process (see FIG. 3), the emergency vehicle avoidance process is started when the autonomous driving ECU 50 is activated, and is repeatedly performed until the autonomous driving ECU 50 stops operating.

[0056] In S21 of the emergency vehicle avoidance process, it is determined whether or not the sound of an emergency vehicle, such as a siren or a warning bell, has been detected by acoustic sensing performed in the external sound recognition process (see FIG. 3). If the sound of an emergency vehicle has not been detected and the approach of an emergency vehicle has not been recognized (S21: NO), the emergency vehicle avoidance process is temporarily terminated.

[0057] On the other hand, if the sound of an emergency vehicle is detected (first detection) and the approach of the emergency vehicle is recognized (S21: YES), information related to the emergency vehicle is notified both inside and outside the vehicle in S22. The notification request unit 71 outputs an implementation request to the HMI control device 100, and uses the meter display 21, CID 22, etc. to notify occupants in the vehicle cabin of the approaching emergency vehicle. The meter display 21 and CID 22 display an image indicating the approaching emergency vehicle as the emergency vehicle approaching notification. In addition, the notification request unit 71 uses the exterior alarm 45 mounted on the host vehicle Am to notify other vehicles, pedestrians, etc. present around the host vehicle Am of the approaching emergency vehicle. Based on the implementation request acquired from the notification request unit 71, the exterior alarm 45 displays a text message or the like indicating the approaching emergency vehicle as the emergency vehicle approaching notification. The emergency vehicle approach warning is sent to the outside of the vehicle before the start of the stop control and the low-speed travel control.

[0058] In addition, the emergency vehicle approach notification may be performed by playing a voice message instead of or in addition to the display of images and text messages, etc. Furthermore, in a host vehicle Am that does not have an exterior alarm 45, the emergency vehicle approach notification may not be performed to the outside of the vehicle.

[0059] In S23, the environment recognition unit 62 determines whether the relative direction of the emergency vehicle has been detected (second detection), in other words, whether the direction of the emergency vehicle can be estimated. If the relative direction of the emergency vehicle has not been detected and only the presence of the emergency vehicle has been detected (S23: NO), in S24 (see FIG. 5), the environment recognition unit 62 determines whether the emergency vehicle can be detected from the image data captured by the camera unit 31. In the following description, detection of an emergency vehicle using image data may be referred to as "third detection."

[0060] If the emergency vehicle has not entered the imaging range of the camera unit 31 and cannot be detected from the imaging data (S24: NO), the noise reduction control unit 78 performs noise reduction control in S25. The noise reduction control unit 78 appropriately performs noise reduction control, such as lowering the volume of the content being played, lowering the rotation speed of the powertrain 41 (engine, etc.), and lowering the airflow of the air conditioner. The noise reduction control reduces the likelihood of noise from inside the vehicle cabin being included in the sound data from the exterior acoustic sensor 32. The noise reduction control continues until an emergency vehicle is detected from the imaging data of the camera unit 31, in other words, until the emergency vehicle is recognized by the camera unit 31. The noise reduction control ends when the camera unit 31 recognizes the emergency vehicle. Upon termination of the noise reduction control, the sound state inside the vehicle cabin returns to the state before the noise reduction control started.

[0061] On the other hand, if an emergency vehicle is detected from the image data (S24: YES), the environment recognition unit 62 determines in S26 whether the detected emergency vehicle is related to the host vehicle Am. For example, if the emergency vehicle is traveling in an oncoming lane and there is no possibility that the estimated traveling route of the emergency vehicle will overlap with the planned traveling route of the host vehicle Am, the environment recognition unit 62 determines that the emergency vehicle is not related to the host vehicle Am. On the other hand, if there is a possibility that the estimated traveling route of the emergency vehicle will overlap with the planned traveling route of the host vehicle Am and there is an emergency vehicle traveling in the same lane as the host vehicle Am and approaching from behind, the environment recognition unit 62 determines that the emergency vehicle is related to the host vehicle Am.

[0062] If the emergency vehicle is not related to the host vehicle Am (S26: NO), the emergency vehicle avoidance process is temporarily terminated. On the other hand, if the emergency vehicle is related to the host vehicle Am (S26: YES), the evacuation control unit 77 performs immediate response control in S27. In the immediate response control, the behavior of the host vehicle Am is controlled in real time according to the latest relative position of the emergency vehicle grasped by the environment recognition unit 62. As an example, the evacuation control unit 77 immediately stops the host vehicle Am on the shoulder of the road or the like when the emergency vehicle is very close.

[0063] When stop control of the host vehicle Am is performed under the immediate response control, the notification request unit 71 starts notifying the occupants in the vehicle cabin of the control duration in S28 by outputting an implementation request to the HMI control device 100. The control duration notification is a notification that shows time information related to the stop control or the low-speed traveling control to the occupants of the host vehicle Am. In the control duration notification, the estimated remaining time for which the stop control or the low-speed traveling control will continue, in other words, the predicted timing of the control termination, is displayed on the CID 22. The remaining time presented in the control duration notification may be increased or decreased sequentially depending on the behavior of the emergency vehicle. After allowing the emergency vehicle to go ahead, the evacuation control unit 77 terminates the stop control of the host vehicle Am and restarts the host vehicle Am. As a result, the emergency vehicle avoidance process is temporarily terminated.

[0064] On the other hand, if the relative direction of the emergency vehicle can be estimated (S23: YES, see FIG. 4), the environment recognition unit 62 determines in S29 whether or not the detected emergency vehicle is related to the host vehicle Am. If the emergency vehicle is not related to the host vehicle Am (S29: NO), the emergency vehicle avoidance process is temporarily terminated. On the other hand, if the emergency vehicle is related to the host vehicle Am (S29: YES), the environment recognition unit 62 determines in S30 whether or not there is another vehicle around the host vehicle based on detection information from the camera unit 31, etc. The other vehicles detected in S30 include other vehicles in front of and behind the host vehicle Am traveling in the same lane as the host vehicle Am, and vehicles traveling alongside the host vehicle Am traveling in the same direction as the host vehicle Am in an adjacent lane adjacent to the host vehicle lane.

[0065] If another vehicle is present around the host vehicle (S30: YES), in the subsequent processing, reroute control is performed with priority over stop control and low-speed travel control. In this case, in S31, the behavior determination unit 63 determines whether reroute is possible. The behavior determination unit 63 may cooperate with the navigation ECU 38 via the information linkage unit 61 and determine whether reroute is possible in cooperation with the navigation ECU 38. The behavior determination unit 63 determines that reroute is possible when an intersection or the like where a right or left turn is possible exists within a predetermined distance ahead of the host vehicle and a planned travel route for the host vehicle Am that avoids the estimated travel route of the emergency vehicle is set. On the other hand, if there is no intersection or the like within a predetermined distance ahead of the host vehicle and it is difficult to set a planned travel route that can avoid the estimated travel route of the emergency vehicle, the behavior determination unit 63 determines that reroute is impossible.

[0066] If there are no other vehicles around the host vehicle (S30: NO), or if the behavior determination unit 63 determines that rerouting is not possible (S31: NO), the environment recognition unit 62 determines the relative position of the emergency vehicle. Specifically, in S32 (see FIG. 6 ), the environment recognition unit 62 determines whether the emergency vehicle is traveling in the same lane as the host vehicle Am and ahead of the host vehicle Am.

[0067] If an emergency vehicle is traveling in the same lane as and ahead of the host vehicle Am (S32: YES), the evacuation control unit 77 performs low-speed travel control in S33 to suppress the travel speed of the host vehicle Am within the host vehicle lane. Furthermore, when the low-speed travel control is performed, the notification request unit 71 starts notifying the passengers in the vehicle cabin of the control duration by outputting an implementation request to the HMI control device 100 in S36. In this case, the control duration notification displays the predicted end timing of the low-speed travel control on the CID 22, etc.

[0068] If the emergency vehicle is traveling in a different lane from the host vehicle Am or is traveling behind the host vehicle Am (S32: NO), the avoidance control unit 77 performs offset control or shoulder movement control in S34. The offset control is control that performs avoidance steering control in a direction away from the emergency vehicle while continuing low-speed traveling control within the host vehicle's lane. The shoulder movement control is control that causes the host vehicle Am to move away from the host vehicle's lane onto the shoulder by performing avoidance steering control in a direction away from the emergency vehicle.

[0069] In S35, the evacuation control unit 77 further performs stop control to stop the host vehicle Am at a position at least a predetermined distance away from the emergency vehicle. Then, in S36, the notification request unit 71 starts notifying the passengers in the vehicle cabin of the control duration by outputting an implementation request to the HMI control device 100. In this case, the control duration notification displays the predicted end timing of the stop control on the CID 22, etc.

[0070] Here, the evacuation control unit 77 may perform pre-evacuation control when there is another vehicle around the host vehicle. The pre-evacuation control is a driving control performed before the start of the low-speed driving control (S33) and the stop control (S34 and S35), and is a lane change control that moves the host vehicle Am to a non-congested lane. The non-congested lane is a lane with fewer other vehicles than the host vehicle lane in which the host vehicle Am is traveling, a lane with no other vehicles, or a lane (such as a shoulder lane) on which deceleration of the host vehicle Am is unlikely to affect other vehicles. Note that if the road on which the host vehicle Am is traveling is a one-lane road, the pre-evacuation control is omitted.

[0071] On the other hand, if the behavior determination unit 63 determines that rerouting is possible (S31: YES, see FIG. 4), it determines in S37 whether the scheduled arrival time at the destination will be delayed by the rerouting control. If the scheduled arrival time at the destination will be delayed (S37: YES), the notification request unit 71 outputs an execution request to the HMI control device 100 in S38 to inquire about permission for a delay to the passengers in the vehicle. On the other hand, if the scheduled arrival time at the destination will not be delayed (S37: NO), the delay permission inquiry in S38 is omitted. Moreover, the notification request unit 71 may in S38 inquire about permission for a delay only if the arrival time at the destination after the rerouting will be later than before the rerouting by more than a predetermined time.

[0072] The delay permission inquiry is performed using, for example, the CID 22. The delay permission inquiry indicates that the arrival time of the vehicle Am at the destination will be later than before the reroute due to the implementation of the reroute control. In addition, the delay permission inquiry queries the passengers as to whether or not to allow the selection of a route change that will result in a later arrival time. In response to the reroute proposal in the delay permission inquiry, the passengers, such as the driver, can allow the change to a new route that avoids the emergency vehicle by inputting an operation indicating acceptance of the proposal to the CID 22 or the operation device 26, etc.

[0073] The behavior determination unit 63 performs reroute control in S39. In this case, the behavior determination unit 63 resets the planned driving route of the host vehicle Am so as to avoid the estimated driving route of the emergency vehicle. As a result, the emergency vehicle avoidance process is temporarily terminated. Note that if the occupant of the host vehicle Am does not permit reroute in response to the delay permission inquiry in S38, the evacuation control unit 77 may perform low-speed driving control or stop control instead of reroute control.

[0074] 7 is a process for appropriately continuing the avoidance action that was started in the emergency vehicle avoidance process (see FIGS. 4 to 6) even when the emergency vehicle has stopped sounding its siren. The avoidance continuation process is started by the autonomous driving ECU 50 based on the decision to implement reroute control or low-speed travel control in the emergency vehicle avoidance process.

[0075] In S41 of the emergency vehicle avoidance processing, the environment recognition unit 62 determines, based on the sound data, whether the siren sound of the emergency vehicle has disappeared. If the siren sound is still being emitted (S41: NO), the environment recognition unit 62 waits for the siren sound to disappear. On the other hand, if the siren sound has disappeared (S41: YES), the environment recognition unit 62 estimates, in S42, the location where the emergency vehicle stopped emitting the siren sound, specifically, the relative direction and relative distance of the location where the siren sound disappeared.

[0076] In S43, the control for the avoidance action decided to be performed in the emergency vehicle avoidance processing is determined. If the execution of the reroute control is selected in the emergency vehicle avoidance processing (S43: YES), in S44, the evacuation control unit 77 resets the planned driving route of the host vehicle Am so as to avoid the avoidance area that is within a predetermined distance (for example, about several hundred meters) from the end position.

[0077] On the other hand, if the execution of low-speed travel control is selected in the emergency vehicle avoidance processing (S43: NO), the evacuation control unit 77 continues the low-speed travel control in S45 until the host vehicle Am leaves the avoidance area set based on the end position. The avoidance area is, for example, one section or several sections including the end position. As a result, the host vehicle Am can continue traveling at a low speed until it passes through the avoidance area where the emergency vehicle is stopped.

[0078] 8 is a process for notifying the occupants of the host vehicle Am of information based on an emergency alert. The emergency information notification process is started by the autonomous driving ECU 50 when the occurrence of an emergency alert is recognized in the vehicle exterior sound recognition process (see FIG. 3) and the content of the disaster or the like warned about in the emergency alert is identified (second detection).

[0079] In S51 of the emergency information notification process, the notification request unit 71 determines whether the content of the emergency alert recognized from the voice is the same as the content already notified to the occupants. If the content of the emergency alert has already been acquired and notified via a route other than the external sound recognition process (acoustic recognition technology) by the environment recognition unit 62, for example, via V2X communication by the in-vehicle communication device 39, the notification request unit 71 determines that there is no unnotified information (S51: NO). In this case, the emergency information notification process is terminated.

[0080] On the other hand, if the content of the emergency alert is information that has not yet been reported (S51: YES), the notification request unit 71 notifies the occupants in the vehicle cabin of the occurrence of an emergency alert in S52 by outputting an implementation request to the HMI control device 100. The emergency alert notification is performed using all display devices, the audio device 24, and the ambient light 25. In the emergency alert notification, the content of the recognized emergency alert is presented to the occupants by a text message, a voice message, light emitted in a warning color, etc.

[0081] In S53, the behavior determination unit 63 determines whether an evacuation destination corresponding to the content of the emergency alert has been set. If an evacuation destination has not been set (S53: NO), the emergency information notification process is terminated. On the other hand, if an evacuation destination has been set (S53: YES), in S54 the notification request unit 71 makes an evacuation permission inquiry. The evacuation permission inquiry is made using, for example, the CID 22. Note that the evacuation permission inquiry in S53 may be made even if the content of the emergency alert has already been notified.

[0082] In the evacuation permission inquiry, an evacuation destination corresponding to the content of the emergency alert is displayed on a map screen, and the occupant is suggested to set this evacuation destination as a new destination of the vehicle Am. In response to the reroute suggestion in the evacuation permission inquiry, the driver or other occupant can allow the vehicle Am to switch to a new route to the evacuation destination by inputting an operation to the CID 22 or the operation device 26, etc., indicating acceptance of the suggestion.

[0083] 9 is a process for controlling the behavior of the host vehicle Am so as to avoid an abnormal vehicle. The abnormal vehicle avoidance process is started by the autonomous driving ECU 50 when the approach of an abnormal vehicle is recognized in the external sound recognition process (see FIG. 3) and the relative position, moving direction, etc. of the abnormal vehicle are identified (second detection).

[0084] In S61 of the abnormal vehicle avoidance processing, the evacuation control unit 77 starts deceleration control. Then, in S62, the environment recognition unit 62 starts searching for an evacuation location to which the host vehicle Am should be evacuated, in cooperation with the periphery monitoring sensor 30. The environment recognition unit 62 may also be linked to the navigation ECU 38 or the locator 35 via the information linkage unit 61, and search for an evacuation location in cooperation with these components.

[0085] In S63, the evacuation control unit 77 determines whether the search for an evacuation location by the environment recognition unit 62 has been completed. If the search for an evacuation location is continuing (S63: NO), the evacuation control unit 77 waits for the search for an evacuation location to be completed. On the other hand, if the search for an evacuation location has been completed (S63: YES), the evacuation control unit 77 moves the host vehicle Am toward the searched evacuation location in S64.

[0086] In S65, the environment recognition unit 62 uses sound data acquired near the evacuation location to recognize incoming sounds (external sounds) around the host vehicle Am. Based on the incoming sounds, the environment recognition unit 62 determines whether the surrounding environment of the nearest evacuation location is suitable for evacuation. Specifically, the environment recognition unit 62 avoids stopping at an evacuation location that is inappropriate for evacuation based on whether the recognized incoming sounds meet predetermined avoidance conditions. Examples of avoidance conditions include the sound of an approaching abnormal vehicle, the detection of screams or shouts, or the detection of children's voices.

[0087] If the evacuation location does not satisfy the avoidance condition (S65: NO), the evacuation control unit 77 stops the host vehicle Am at the evacuation location in S66. On the other hand, if the evacuation location satisfies the avoidance condition (S65: YES), the environment recognition unit 62 searches for another evacuation location in S62. As a result, stopping at an evacuation location where the arriving sound satisfies the predetermined avoidance condition is avoided. As described above, the host vehicle Am can evacuate to a quiet area where occupants are less likely to feel uneasy, without remaining in an area with poor security, a noisy area, an area with a high risk of children running out into the street, or the like.

[0088] 10 is a process related to security while the host vehicle Am is parked. The parking monitoring process is started, for example, when the host vehicle Am is locked or when the security function is turned on by the manager of the host vehicle Am.

[0089] In S71 of the parking monitoring process, the environment recognition unit 62 starts detecting abnormal sounds using sound data. The environment recognition unit 62 continues collecting sound using the exterior acoustic sensor 32 mounted on the host vehicle Am, even when the host vehicle Am is parked. The environment recognition unit 62 determines whether or not an abnormal sound has been detected. An abnormal sound is an exterior sound that may be related to a crime, such as a human voice, a scream, a collision sound, or an explosion sound. If no abnormal sound is detected (S71: NO), the environment recognition unit 62 remains in a standby state waiting for the occurrence of an abnormal sound.

[0090] If the environment recognition unit 62 detects an abnormal sound (S71: YES), it analyzes the sound data in S72. If the abnormal sound is a human voice, it performs a voiceprint analysis and compares it with previously acquired voiceprint data of wanted criminals, missing persons, etc. In S73, the environment recognition unit 62 determines whether there is information to be provided to a predetermined reporting destination (hereinafter, "report information") based on the results of the sound data analysis. For example, if sound data matching the voiceprint data of wanted criminals, missing persons, etc. is detected, or if screams, collision sounds, explosion sounds, etc. are extracted, the environment recognition unit 62 determines that there is report information. If there is no report information (S73: NO), the environment recognition unit 62 continues detecting abnormal sounds in S71.

[0091] On the other hand, if there is report information (S73: YES), in S74 the information providing unit 72 reports the occurrence of an abnormality to predetermined reporting destinations, such as the police and a security company. Additionally, in S75 the information providing unit 72 transmits at least one of the sound data collected by the exterior acoustic sensor 32 and its analysis information to the reporting destinations. As a result, sound data recording the voices of wanted criminals and missing persons, the results of voiceprint analysis, and screams of passersby, etc., are provided to the police and the like as analysis information. Note that the process of analyzing the sound data, such as voiceprint analysis, may be performed at a central facility of the reporting destination, such as the police or a security company. In this case, in S75 the information providing unit 72 provides the central facility with the sound data of the exterior acoustic sensor 32, extracted so as to include the abnormal sound.

[0092] In S76, the environment recognition unit 62 determines whether the conditions for starting image capture by the camera unit 31 (hereinafter, the image capture conditions) are met. For example, if the environment recognition unit 62 detects a scream around the host vehicle Am based on sound data, the environment recognition unit 62 determines that the image capture conditions are met (S76: YES). In this case, in S77, the environment recognition unit 62 starts image capture of the surroundings of the host vehicle using the camera unit 31. The image capture data (recorded data) captured by the camera unit 31 is stored in the memory unit 53 or an external recording medium connected to the autonomous driving ECU 50. Image capture by the camera unit 31 continues for a predetermined time. When a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of image capture (S78: YES), the environment recognition unit 62 ends image capture by the camera unit 31. On the other hand, if the image capture conditions are not met (S76: NO), image capture by the camera unit 31 is not performed.

[0093] In S79, the environment recognition unit 62 determines whether the host vehicle Am has been unlocked. If the host vehicle Am has been unlocked (YES in S79), the parking monitoring process ends. On the other hand, if the host vehicle Am remains locked (NO in S79), the environment recognition unit 62 continues detecting abnormal sounds in S71.

[0094] <Summary of the embodiment> In the embodiment described so far, when an emergency vehicle is recognized, the behavior of the host vehicle Am is controlled so as to avoid the emergency vehicle. This makes it less likely that the host vehicle Am traveling under autonomous driving control will get in the way of the emergency vehicle. As a result, it becomes possible to realize automated driving that is less likely to affect the traveling of the emergency vehicle.

[0095] In more detail, the behavior determination unit 63 does not simply stop the host vehicle Am when it recognizes an emergency vehicle, but instead performs at least one of stop control to stop the host vehicle Am at a position at least a predetermined distance away from the emergency vehicle, low-speed travel control, or reroute control. This prevents the host vehicle Am from stopping on the route of the emergency vehicle, and prevents other vehicles from stopping behind the host vehicle Am when it is stopped and obstructing the emergency vehicle.

[0096] In addition, in this embodiment, if the scheduled arrival time at the destination is delayed due to reroute control, a delay permission inquiry is made. This delay permission inquiry asks the passenger of the vehicle Am whether or not to permit the implementation of reroute control. As a result, it is possible to implement behavioral control that avoids emergency vehicles while taking into consideration the convenience of the passengers.

[0097] In this embodiment, when the approach of an emergency vehicle is recognized, at least one of a stop control that stops the host vehicle Am at a position at least a predetermined distance away from the emergency vehicle and a low-speed travel control that reduces the traveling speed of the host vehicle Am is executed. Such a stop control or low-speed travel control makes it possible to avoid the emergency vehicle while minimizing delays in arrival time.

[0098] Furthermore, the evacuation control unit 77 of this embodiment moves the host vehicle Am to a non-congested lane where there are no other vehicles or where there are fewer other vehicles than the host vehicle's lane before starting stop control or low-speed travel control. When detecting an emergency vehicle using acoustic recognition technology, the host vehicle Am can recognize the approach of the emergency vehicle earlier than other vehicles around the host vehicle. On the other hand, if stop control or low-speed travel control is started at a timing when the other vehicles have not yet recognized the emergency vehicle, it is likely to cause discomfort to the other vehicles, particularly drivers of manually driven vehicles. Therefore, by performing preliminary evacuation control to move the host vehicle Am to a non-congested lane in advance, even if stop control or low-speed travel control is performed early, it is possible to suppress the discomfort felt by those around the vehicle caused by these controls.

[0099] Additionally, in this embodiment, the control duration notification provides the occupants of the vehicle Am with time information related to the stop control or the low-speed traveling control. This allows the occupants to confirm that the stop control or the low-speed traveling control is operating normally, and they can wait with peace of mind for the end of the stop control or the low-speed traveling control as the emergency vehicle moves away from the vehicle Am.

[0100] In this embodiment, when there is another vehicle around the host vehicle Am, the reroute control is executed with priority over the stop control and the slow-speed travel control. By executing the reroute control with priority, it is possible to suppress the discomfort felt by the other vehicles around the host vehicle, which may be caused by the early initiation of the stop control or the slow-speed travel control.

[0101] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the vehicle exterior alarm 45 mounted on the vehicle Am is used to notify the outside of the vehicle of information related to the emergency vehicle before the start of the stop control or the low-speed travel control. Therefore, drivers of other vehicles and pedestrians who are unaware of the approach of the emergency vehicle can be notified in advance. As a result, even if actions to avoid the emergency vehicle are initiated early, the discomfort felt by those around the vehicle due to these controls can be reduced.

[0102] Additionally, in this embodiment, the location where the emergency vehicle stopped emitting the siren sound is estimated. Then, in the reroute control, the planned driving route is reconfigured to avoid the avoidance area within a predetermined distance from the end location. It is difficult to identify the destination of the emergency vehicle solely by detecting the siren sound. Therefore, if the emergency vehicle temporarily stops emitting the siren sound and then resumes driving, there is a possibility that the vehicle will come into close contact with the emergency vehicle again. Therefore, by setting the planned driving route to avoid the avoidance area within a predetermined distance from the end location of the siren sound, it is possible to reliably avoid re-approaching the emergency vehicle.

[0103] In this embodiment, the low-speed travel control continues until the vehicle leaves the avoidance area set based on the end position. This control also makes it possible to avoid a situation where the vehicle comes close to the emergency vehicle again after the emergency vehicle has completed its evasive action.

[0104] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the content of the emergency alert can be recognized from the audio of the emergency alert broadcast around the vehicle Am. The content of the emergency alert is then notified to the occupants of the vehicle Am through an emergency alert notification. As a result, even if the occupants are inside the vehicle, they can reliably understand the content of the emergency alert notified to them outside the vehicle.

[0105] Additionally, in this embodiment, if the same content as the emergency alert has already been notified based on emergency information acquired from a route different from that of the environment recognition unit 62, the notification of the occurrence of an emergency alert based on the emergency alert is canceled. This can prevent the same content from being repeatedly notified, which would be annoying to passengers.

[0106] Furthermore, when an emergency alert is recognized by the environment recognition unit 62, the notification implementation unit of this embodiment suggests to the occupant that an evacuation destination corresponding to the content of the emergency alert be set as the destination of the host vehicle Am. As a result, the occupant of the host vehicle Am can smoothly set the host vehicle Am to head to an appropriate evacuation destination in response to an emergency that has occurred around the host vehicle Am.

[0107] Furthermore, in this embodiment, based on the first detection, noise reduction control is implemented as an interior noise control to reduce noise inside the vehicle Am. Therefore, when the second detection is performed, noise inside the vehicle that may become noise in the sound data from the exterior acoustic sensor 32 is reduced. As a result, the second detection can be performed with high accuracy.

[0108] Additionally, in this embodiment, an abnormal vehicle making an abnormal sound is detected using sound data collected by the exterior acoustic sensor 32. Then, when an abnormal vehicle is detected, the behavior of the host vehicle Am is controlled so as to avoid the abnormal vehicle. As described above, by automatically taking evasive action not only for emergency vehicles but also for abnormal vehicles, the anxiety of passengers regarding the autonomous vehicle can be reduced.

[0109] In this embodiment, the sound data is used to identify approaching sounds around the host vehicle Am. Then, when performing an evacuation action in response to the detection of an abnormal vehicle, the evacuation control unit 77 avoids stopping the host vehicle Am at an evacuation location where the approaching sound satisfies a predetermined avoidance condition. As a result, the host vehicle Am can stop at a location where external noise is quieter among possible evacuation locations. As a result, it becomes possible to avoid stopping the host vehicle Am in high-risk locations, such as unsafe areas, noisy areas, or areas with many children nearby.

[0110] Furthermore, in this embodiment, even when the host vehicle Am is parked, sound collection by the vehicle exterior acoustic sensor 32 continues. At least one of the sound data collected by the vehicle exterior acoustic sensor 32 and analysis information of the sound data is provided to a predetermined reporting destination. As a result, even while the host vehicle Am is parked, it is possible to capture external sounds related to crimes, such as the voices and screams of criminals, and use the captured sounds for crime prevention purposes.

[0111] Additionally, in this embodiment, when a scream is detected around the host vehicle Am based on the sound data, image capturing is started using the camera unit 31. As described above, it is possible to automatically store image capturing data captured by the camera unit 31 only at times when there is a possibility that some abnormality has occurred around the host vehicle Am while parked.

[0112] In this embodiment, the environment recognition unit 62 performs voiceprint analysis of the sound data. The information providing unit 72 then provides the results of the voiceprint analysis by the environment recognition unit 62 to the reporting destination as analysis information. As described above, by performing voiceprint analysis using vehicle resources, it becomes possible to efficiently collect information on criminals, missing persons, etc. from a wide area.

[0113] In the above embodiment, the camera unit 31 corresponds to the “outside-vehicle camera unit,” the outside-vehicle acoustic sensor 32 corresponds to the “outside-vehicle sound detection unit,” and the environment recognition unit 62 corresponds to the “outside-vehicle recognition unit.” In addition, the behavior determination unit 63 corresponds to the “behavior control unit,” the notification request unit 71 corresponds to the “notification implementation unit,” and the automatic driving ECU 50 corresponds to the “automatic driving control device.”

[0114] (Other Embodiments) Although one embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above, the present disclosure should not be construed as being limited to the above embodiment, and can be applied to various embodiments and combinations within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present disclosure.

[0115] In the above embodiment, the first detection (S21), the second detection (S23), and the third detection (S24) are performed in a stepwise manner, and the low-speed travel control (S33) or the stop control (S35) is performed as the "second control" after the first and second detections are completed. Also, the immediate response control (S27) is performed as the "third control" after the first and third detections are completed.

[0116] In contrast, in Modification 1 of the above embodiment, the control performed after the first detection and before the second detection is referred to as "first control." Also, the control performed after the second detection and before the third detection is referred to as "second control." Furthermore, the control performed after the third detection is referred to as "third control." In the emergency vehicle avoidance processing of Modification 1, the low-speed traveling control corresponds to the "first control," and the stop control related to the offset control or the road shoulder movement control corresponds to the "second control." Furthermore, the immediate response control corresponds to the "third control."

[0117] The avoidance control unit 77 changes at least one of the speed target value and the steering control amount of the host vehicle Am between the first control and the second control. Specifically, in the first control, control is performed to travel at a specific position within the same lane (host vehicle lane), and movement to an adjacent lane is not permitted. That is, in the first control, setting of a speed target value that would stop the host vehicle Am and setting of a steering control amount that would cause lateral movement relative to the host vehicle lane are restricted. In contrast, in the second control, steering control to offset the host vehicle Am to one side within the same lane (host vehicle lane), steering control to change lanes to the shoulder, and change of the speed target value that would stop the host vehicle Am are permitted.

[0118] The environment recognition unit 62 of the first modification described above uses sound data collected by the exterior acoustic sensor 32 to perform a first detection to detect the presence of an emergency vehicle and a second detection to further detect the relative direction of the emergency vehicle in a stepwise manner. The avoidance control unit 77 then changes at least one of the target speed value and the steering control amount of the host vehicle Am between the first control performed after the first detection and before the second detection and the second control performed after the second detection. As a result of the above, it is possible for the host vehicle Am to take a stepwise action to avoid the emergency vehicle as the emergency vehicle approaches the host vehicle Am.

[0119] Additionally, in Modification 1, as the first control, low-speed travel control is implemented to suppress the travel speed of the host vehicle Am. Then, as the second control, stop control to stop the host vehicle Am or evacuation steering control to move the host vehicle Am away from the emergency vehicle is implemented. As the first control, the travel speed of the host vehicle Am is suppressed, thereby reducing the traveling sound of the host vehicle Am. Therefore, the second detection, which further detects the relative direction of the emergency vehicle from the sound data, can be implemented with high accuracy. As a result, it becomes possible to smoothly evacuate the host vehicle Am from the route of the emergency vehicle as the emergency vehicle approaches.

[0120] Furthermore, the environment recognition unit 62 of the first modification further performs a third detection to detect an emergency vehicle using image data captured by the camera unit 31. Then, as a second control performed after the second detection and before the third detection, offset control within the host vehicle's lane or lane movement control to a shoulder lane adjacent to the shoulder is performed. Furthermore, as a third control performed after the third detection, behavioral control according to the relative position of the emergency vehicle is performed. As described above, by controlling the host vehicle Am to switch its behavior in more stages to avoid the emergency vehicle, it is possible to smoothly evacuate the host vehicle Am so as not to impede the progress of the emergency vehicle while preventing the occupants from feeling uneasy.

[0121] The autonomous driving ECU 50 of the above embodiment can perform all of the stop control, low-speed travel control, and reroute control. On the other hand, the autonomous driving ECU 50 according to the second modification of the above embodiment can perform only one of the stop control, low-speed travel control, and reroute control based on the recognition of an emergency vehicle. Furthermore, the autonomous driving ECU 50 according to the third modification of the above embodiment can perform only two of the stop control, low-speed travel control, and reroute control based on the recognition of an emergency vehicle.

[0122] In the above embodiment, the low-speed driving control is performed based on the first detection, and the stop control is performed based on the second detection. Such a stepwise transition of behavioral control does not have to be performed. Furthermore, the third detection using the image data captured by the camera unit 31 and the third control (immediate response control) based on the third detection may be omitted.

[0123] In the fourth modification of the above embodiment, the approach of an abnormal vehicle is not detected by the vehicle exterior sound recognition process. In addition, the autonomous driving ECU 50 does not perform the abnormal vehicle avoidance process. Furthermore, in the fifth modification of the above embodiment, the issuance of an emergency warning is not detected by the vehicle exterior sound recognition process. In addition, the autonomous driving ECU 50 does not perform the emergency information notification process. Furthermore, the autonomous driving ECU 50 in the sixth modification of the above embodiment does not perform the parking monitoring process. As in the fourth to sixth modifications above, each process unrelated to avoiding an emergency vehicle may be omitted as appropriate.

[0124] The autonomous driving ECU 50 in the above embodiment mainly executes autonomous driving control at autonomous driving level 3. The autonomous driving ECU 50 may be configured to execute autonomous driving control at autonomous driving level 4 or autonomous driving level 5, in which the driver does not have to take over driving. Furthermore, the autonomous driving ECU 50 may be configured to autonomously drive the host vehicle Am without a driver on board, under remote monitoring by a remote monitor.

[0125] At least some of the functions of the autonomous driving ECU 50 may be implemented in another control device provided in the in-vehicle network 1. For example, in Modification 7 of the above embodiment, a dedicated ECU (hereinafter referred to as the acoustic analysis ECU) that performs analysis processing of sound data and outputs the analysis information to the environment recognition unit 62 is provided in the in-vehicle network 1. At least one of the functions of recognizing emergency vehicles and abnormal vehicles, recognizing emergency alerts, and performing voiceprint analysis is implemented in the acoustic analysis ECU. In this Modification 7, a system including the autonomous driving ECU 50 and the acoustic analysis ECU corresponds to the "autonomous driving control device."

[0126] In an eighth modification of the above embodiment, the functions of the HMI control device 100 are integrated into the autonomous driving ECU 50. In a ninth modification of the above embodiment, the functions of the cruise control ECU 40 are integrated into the autonomous driving ECU 50. In these eighth and ninth modifications, the autonomous driving ECU 50 integrated with other ECUs also corresponds to the "autonomous driving control device."

[0127] In the above embodiments, the functions provided by the autonomous driving ECU can be provided by software and hardware that executes the software, software alone, hardware alone, or a combination of these. Furthermore, when such functions are provided by electronic circuits as hardware, the functions can also be provided by digital circuits including multiple logic circuits or analog circuits. Furthermore, the software for realizing such functions may include, at least in part, code automatically generated by, for example, a neural network or language model trained using real-world camera footage.

[0128] Each processing unit in the above embodiments is hardware for arithmetic processing coupled to a RAM. The processing unit includes at least one arithmetic core, such as a central processing unit (CPU) and a graphics processing unit (GPU). The processing unit may further include a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a neural network processing unit (NPU), and an IP core with other dedicated functions. Such processing units may be individually mounted on a printed circuit board, or may be mounted on an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an FPGA, or the like.

[0129] In the above embodiments, the form of the storage medium (non-transitory tangible storage medium) that stores various programs and the like may be changed as appropriate. Furthermore, the storage medium is not limited to a configuration provided on a circuit board, but may be provided in the form of a memory card or the like, inserted into a slot, and electrically connected to a control circuit such as an autonomous driving ECU. Furthermore, the storage medium may be an optical disk, hard disk drive, solid state drive, or the like that serves as a source from which programs are copied or distributed to the autonomous driving ECU or the like.

[0130] The vehicle equipped with the above-described autonomous driving ECU is not limited to a typical private passenger car (Personally Owned Vehicle, POV). The vehicle equipped with the autonomous driving ECU may also be a rental car vehicle, a manned taxi vehicle, a ride-sharing vehicle, a freight vehicle, a bus, etc. Furthermore, the vehicle equipped with the autonomous driving ECU may be a right-hand drive vehicle or a left-hand drive vehicle. Furthermore, the traffic environment in which the vehicle travels may be a traffic environment based on left-hand traffic or a traffic environment based on right-hand traffic. The autonomous driving control according to the present disclosure may be optimized as appropriate according to the road traffic laws of each country and region, as well as the steering wheel position of the vehicle.

[0131] The controller and methods described herein may be implemented by a special-purpose computer comprising a processor programmed to perform one or more functions embodied in a computer program. Alternatively, the apparatus and methods described herein may be implemented by special-purpose hardware logic circuitry. Alternatively, the apparatus and methods described herein may be implemented by one or more special-purpose computers comprising a processor executing a computer program in combination with one or more hardware logic circuits. Furthermore, the computer program may be stored as instructions executed by a computer on a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium.

[0132] (Disclosure of Technical Ideas) This specification discloses multiple technical ideas described in the following multiple clauses. Some clauses may be described in a multiple dependent form, with the subsequent clause alternatively referring to the preceding clause. Furthermore, some clauses may be described in a multiple dependent form, with the subsequent clause referring to another multiple dependent clause. These multiple dependent clauses define multiple technical ideas.

[0133] (Technical Idea 1) An automatic driving control device capable of driving a host vehicle (Am) by autonomous driving control, comprising: an exterior recognition unit (62) that recognizes an emergency vehicle approaching the host vehicle, and a behavior control unit (63) that, when the approach of the emergency vehicle is recognized, controls the behavior of the host vehicle to avoid the emergency vehicle. (Technical Idea 2) An automatic driving control device capable of driving a host vehicle (Am) by autonomous driving control, comprising: an exterior recognition unit (62) that recognizes an emergency vehicle approaching the host vehicle, and a behavior control unit (63) that, when the approach of the emergency vehicle is recognized, performs at least one of stop control that stops the host vehicle at a position more than a predetermined distance from the emergency vehicle, low-speed driving control that suppresses the driving speed of the host vehicle, and reroute control that resets the planned driving route of the host vehicle to avoid the estimated driving route of the emergency vehicle. (Technical Idea 3) The autonomous driving control device according to Technical Idea 1 or 2, further comprising: a behavior control unit that, when recognizing the approach of the emergency vehicle, performs reroute control to reset the planned driving route of the host vehicle so as to avoid the estimated driving route of the emergency vehicle; and a notification execution unit (71) that, when the reroute control will delay the planned arrival time at the destination, queries an occupant of the host vehicle about whether to allow the reroute control to be implemented. (Technical Idea 4) The autonomous driving control device according to Technical Idea 1, wherein, when recognizing the approach of the emergency vehicle, the behavior control unit performs at least one of stop control to stop the host vehicle at a position at least a predetermined distance away from the emergency vehicle and low-speed travel control to reduce the driving speed of the host vehicle. (Technical Idea 5) The autonomous driving control device according to Technical Idea 2 or 4, wherein, before starting the stop control or the low-speed travel control, the behavior control unit moves the host vehicle to a non-congested lane where there are no other vehicles or where there are fewer other vehicles than the host vehicle's lane. (Technical Idea 6) The automatic driving control device according to any one of Technical Ideas 2, 4, and 5, further comprising: a notification implementation unit (71) that displays time information related to the stop control or the low-speed traveling control to a passenger of the vehicle.(Technical Idea 7) The autonomous driving control device according to any one of Technical Ideas 2, and 4 to 6, wherein the behavior control unit prioritizes rerouting control, which resets a planned driving route of the host vehicle to avoid an estimated driving route of the emergency vehicle, over the stop control and the low-speed traveling control, when another vehicle is present around the host vehicle. (Technical Idea 8) The autonomous driving control device according to any one of Technical Ideas 2, and 4 to 7, further comprising an alert execution unit (71) that uses an exterior alarm mounted on the host vehicle to alert an exterior of the vehicle of information related to the emergency vehicle before the start of the stop control or the low-speed traveling control. (Technical Idea 9) The autonomous driving control device according to any one of Technical Ideas 1 to 8, wherein the vehicle exterior recognition unit estimates an end position where the emergency vehicle has stopped sounding a siren, and the action control unit, when recognizing the approach of the emergency vehicle, performs reroute control to reset a planned driving route of the host vehicle so as to avoid an estimated driving route of the emergency vehicle, and resets the planned driving route so as to avoid an avoidance area that is within a predetermined distance from the end position. (Technical Idea 10) The autonomous driving control device according to any one of Technical Ideas 1 to 9, wherein the vehicle exterior recognition unit estimates an end position where the emergency vehicle has stopped sounding a siren, and the action control unit, when recognizing the approach of the emergency vehicle, performs low-speed driving control to suppress a driving speed of the host vehicle, and continues the low-speed driving control until the host vehicle leaves an avoidance area that has been set based on the end position. (Technical Idea 11) The autonomous driving control device according to any one of Technical Ideas 1 to 10, further comprising: an alert implementation unit (71) that recognizes content of the emergency alert from the sound of the emergency alert broadcast around the host vehicle, and notifies occupants of the host vehicle of the content of the emergency alert. (Technical Idea 12) The autonomous driving control device according to Technical Idea 11, wherein the alert implementation unit cancels notification based on the emergency alert if the same content as the emergency alert has already been notified based on emergency information acquired from a route different from that of the vehicle exterior recognition unit.(Technical Idea 13) The autonomous driving control device according to Technical Idea 11 or 12, wherein, when the emergency alert is recognized by the vehicle exterior recognition unit, the notification implementation unit suggests to the occupant that an evacuation destination corresponding to the content of the emergency alert be set as a destination of the host vehicle. (Technical Idea 14) The autonomous driving control device according to any one of Technical Ideas 1 to 13, wherein the vehicle exterior recognition unit uses sound data collected by an exterior sound detection unit (32) mounted on the host vehicle to perform a first detection that detects the presence of the emergency vehicle and a second detection that further detects a relative direction of the emergency vehicle in a stepwise manner, and the behavior control unit changes at least one of a speed target value and a steering control amount of the host vehicle between a first control that is performed after the first detection and before the second detection and a second control that is performed after the second detection. (Technical Idea 15) The autonomous driving control device according to Technical Idea 14, wherein the behavior control unit performs, as the first control, low-speed travel control that suppresses the travel speed of the host vehicle, and performs, as the second control, stop control that stops the host vehicle or evasive steering control that moves the host vehicle away from the emergency vehicle. (Technical Idea 16) The autonomous driving control device according to Technical Idea 14 or 15, wherein the behavior control unit performs interior sound control to reduce noise inside the cabin of the host vehicle based on the first detection. (Technical Idea 17) An automatic driving control device according to any one of Technical Ideas 14 to 16, wherein the exterior recognition unit further performs a third detection to detect the emergency vehicle using image data captured by an exterior camera unit (31) mounted on the host vehicle, and the behavior control unit performs, as the first control, low-speed travel control to reduce the travel speed of the host vehicle, performs, as the second control performed after the second detection and before the third detection, offset control within the host vehicle's lane or lane movement control to a shoulder lane adjacent to the shoulder, and performs, as the third control performed after the third detection, behavior control according to the relative position of the emergency vehicle.(Technical Idea 18) The autonomous driving control device according to any one of Technical Ideas 1 to 17, wherein the vehicle exterior recognition unit detects an abnormal vehicle emitting an abnormal sound using sound data collected by an external sound detection unit (32) mounted on the host vehicle, and the behavior control unit controls the behavior of the host vehicle to avoid the abnormal vehicle when the abnormal vehicle is detected. (Technical Idea 19) The autonomous driving control device according to Technical Idea 18, wherein the vehicle exterior recognition unit uses the sound data to grasp incoming sounds around the host vehicle, and the behavior control unit controls the host vehicle to move to an evacuation location based on the detection of the abnormal vehicle, and avoids stopping at the evacuation location where the incoming sound satisfies a predetermined avoidance condition. (Technical Idea 20) The autonomous driving control device according to any one of Technical Ideas 1 to 19, wherein the vehicle exterior recognition unit continues collecting sound using an exterior sound detection unit (32) mounted on the host vehicle even when the host vehicle is parked, and further comprises an information providing unit (72) that provides at least one of the sound data collected by the exterior sound detection unit and analysis information of the sound data to a predetermined reporting destination. (Technical Idea 21) The autonomous driving control device according to Technical Idea 20, wherein the vehicle exterior recognition unit starts capturing images using an exterior camera unit (31) mounted on the host vehicle when it detects a scream around the host vehicle based on the sound data. (Technical Idea 22) The autonomous driving control device according to Technical Idea 20 or 21, wherein the vehicle exterior recognition unit performs a voiceprint analysis of the sound data, and the information providing unit provides the result of the voiceprint analysis by the exterior recognition unit to the reporting destination as the analysis information. (Technical Idea 23) An automatic driving control program capable of driving a host vehicle (Am) by autonomous driving control, the automatic driving control program causing at least one processing unit (51) to execute processing including: recognizing an emergency vehicle approaching the host vehicle (S13); and, when the approach of the emergency vehicle is recognized, controlling the behavior of the host vehicle so as to avoid the emergency vehicle (S33, S35, S39).(Technical Idea 24) An automatic driving control program capable of driving a host vehicle (Am) by autonomous driving control, the automatic driving control program causing at least one processing unit (51) to execute processing including: recognizing an emergency vehicle approaching the host vehicle (S13); and, when the approach of the emergency vehicle is recognized, performing at least one of stop control that stops the host vehicle at a position at least a predetermined distance away from the emergency vehicle, low-speed driving control that reduces the vehicle's driving speed, and reroute control that resets the planned driving route of the host vehicle so as to avoid the estimated driving route of the emergency vehicle (S33, S35, S39).

Claims

1. An automatic driving control device capable of driving a vehicle (Am) by autonomous driving control, an outside recognition unit (62) that recognizes an emergency vehicle approaching the vehicle; an action control unit (63) that controls the action of the host vehicle so as to avoid the emergency vehicle when the approach of the emergency vehicle is recognized, The behavior control unit When the approach of the emergency vehicle is recognized, a reroute control is performed to reset a planned travel route of the vehicle so as to avoid the estimated travel route of the emergency vehicle; The automatic driving control device further includes a notification execution unit (71) that, if the scheduled arrival time at the destination is delayed due to the reroute control, asks the passengers of the vehicle whether or not to allow the reroute control to be implemented.

2. The vehicle exterior recognition unit estimates a termination position where the emergency vehicle has stopped sounding the siren, The automatic driving control device according to claim 1 , wherein the behavior control unit resets the planned travel route so as to avoid an avoidance area that is within a predetermined distance from the end position.

3. An automatic driving control device capable of driving a vehicle (Am) by autonomous driving control, an outside recognition unit (62) that recognizes an emergency vehicle approaching the vehicle; an action control unit (63) that controls the action of the host vehicle so as to avoid the emergency vehicle when the approach of the emergency vehicle is recognized, The vehicle exterior recognition unit estimates a termination position where the emergency vehicle has stopped sounding the siren, The behavior control unit When the approach of the emergency vehicle is recognized, a reroute control is performed to reset a planned travel route of the vehicle so as to avoid the estimated travel route of the emergency vehicle; An automatic driving control device that resets the planned driving route so as to avoid an avoidance area that is within a predetermined distance from the end position.

4. The vehicle exterior recognition unit estimates a termination position where the emergency vehicle has stopped sounding the siren, The behavior control unit When the approach of the emergency vehicle is recognized, low-speed travel control is performed to suppress the travel speed of the host vehicle; The automatic driving control device according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the low-speed traveling control is continued until the vehicle leaves the avoidance area set based on the end position.

5. An automatic driving control device capable of driving a vehicle (Am) by autonomous driving control, an outside recognition unit (62) that recognizes an emergency vehicle approaching the vehicle; an action control unit (63) that controls the action of the host vehicle so as to avoid the emergency vehicle when the approach of the emergency vehicle is recognized, The vehicle exterior recognition unit estimates a termination position where the emergency vehicle has stopped sounding the siren, The behavior control unit When the approach of the emergency vehicle is recognized, low-speed travel control is performed to suppress the travel speed of the host vehicle; An automatic driving control device that continues the low-speed driving control until the vehicle leaves the avoidance area set based on the end position.

6. the vehicle exterior recognition unit recognizes the content of the emergency alert from the sound of the emergency alert broadcast around the vehicle; The automatic driving control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising: a notification unit (71) that notifies a passenger of the vehicle of the content of the emergency warning.

7. The automatic driving control device according to claim 6, wherein the notification implementation unit cancels the notification based on the emergency alert if the same content as the emergency alert has already been notified based on emergency information obtained from a route different from that of the vehicle exterior recognition unit.

8. An automatic driving control device capable of driving a vehicle (Am) by autonomous driving control, an outside recognition unit (62) that recognizes an emergency vehicle approaching the vehicle; an action control unit (63) that controls the action of the host vehicle so as to avoid the emergency vehicle when the approach of the emergency vehicle is recognized, the vehicle exterior recognition unit recognizes the content of the emergency alert from the sound of the emergency alert broadcast around the vehicle; The automatic driving control device further includes an alert implementation unit (71) that notifies the passengers of the vehicle of the contents of the emergency alert, and if the same contents as the emergency alert have already been notified based on emergency information obtained from a route different from that of the outside vehicle recognition unit, cancels the notification based on the emergency alert.

9. The automatic driving control device according to claim 8, wherein when the emergency alert is recognized by the vehicle exterior recognition unit, the notification implementation unit suggests to the occupant that an evacuation destination corresponding to the content of the emergency alert be set as the destination of the vehicle.

10. The vehicle exterior recognition unit uses sound data collected by an exterior sound detection unit (32) mounted on the vehicle to perform a first detection for detecting the presence of the emergency vehicle and a second detection for further detecting the relative direction of the emergency vehicle in a stepwise manner, The automatic driving control device according to any one of claims 1, 3, 5, and 8, wherein the behavior control unit changes at least one of the target speed value and steering control amount of the vehicle between a first control performed after the first detection and before the second detection and a second control performed after the second detection.

11. An automatic driving control device capable of driving a vehicle (Am) by autonomous driving control, an outside recognition unit (62) that recognizes an emergency vehicle approaching the vehicle; an action control unit (63) that controls the action of the host vehicle so as to avoid the emergency vehicle when the approach of the emergency vehicle is recognized, The vehicle exterior recognition unit uses sound data collected by an exterior sound detection unit (32) mounted on the vehicle to perform a first detection for detecting the presence of the emergency vehicle and a second detection for further detecting the relative direction of the emergency vehicle in a stepwise manner, The behavior control unit is an automatic driving control device that changes at least one of the target speed value and steering control amount of the vehicle between a first control performed after the first detection and before the second detection, and a second control performed after the second detection.

12. The behavior control unit As the first control, a low-speed travel control is performed to suppress a travel speed of the host vehicle; The automatic driving control device according to claim 11 , wherein the second control comprises a stop control for stopping the host vehicle or an evacuation steering control for moving the host vehicle away from the emergency vehicle.

13. The automatic driving control device according to claim 11 , wherein the behavior control unit performs interior sound control to reduce noise in a passenger compartment of the host vehicle based on the first detection.

14. The vehicle exterior recognition unit further performs a third detection to detect the emergency vehicle using image data captured by an exterior camera unit (31) mounted on the vehicle, The behavior control unit As the first control, a low-speed travel control is performed to suppress a travel speed of the host vehicle; as the second control to be performed after the second detection and before the third detection, an offset control within the own vehicle lane or a lane movement control to a shoulder lane adjacent to a road shoulder is performed; The automatic driving control device according to claim 11 , wherein a behavioral control is performed according to a relative position of the emergency vehicle as a third control performed after the third detection.

15. The vehicle exterior recognition unit detects an abnormal vehicle that is emitting an abnormal sound using sound data collected by an exterior sound detection unit (32) mounted on the vehicle, The automatic driving control device according to claim 1 , wherein the behavior control unit controls the behavior of the host vehicle so as to avoid the abnormal vehicle when the abnormal vehicle is detected.

16. The vehicle exterior recognition unit uses the sound data to recognize incoming sounds around the vehicle, The automatic driving control device according to claim 15, wherein the behavior control unit performs control to move the vehicle to an evacuation location based on the detection of the abnormal vehicle, and avoids stopping the vehicle at the evacuation location where the arriving sound satisfies a predetermined avoidance condition.

17. An automatic driving control device capable of driving a vehicle (Am) by autonomous driving control, an outside recognition unit (62) that recognizes an emergency vehicle approaching the vehicle; an action control unit (63) that controls the action of the host vehicle so as to avoid the emergency vehicle when the approach of the emergency vehicle is recognized, The vehicle exterior recognition unit detects an abnormal vehicle that is generating an abnormal sound by using sound data collected by an exterior sound detection unit (32) mounted on the vehicle, and grasps incoming sounds around the vehicle, The behavior control unit is an automatic driving control device that controls the vehicle to move to an evacuation location based on the detection of the abnormal vehicle, and avoids stopping at the evacuation location where the arriving sound meets a predetermined avoidance condition.

18. The vehicle exterior recognition unit continues to collect sound using an exterior sound detection unit (32) mounted on the vehicle even when the vehicle is parked, The automatic driving control device according to any one of claims 1, 3, 5, 8, 11, and 17, further comprising an information providing unit (72) that provides at least one of sound data collected by the vehicle external sound detection unit or analysis information of the sound data to a predetermined reporting destination.

19. An automatic driving control device capable of driving a vehicle (Am) by autonomous driving control, an outside recognition unit (62) that recognizes an emergency vehicle approaching the vehicle; an action control unit (63) that controls the action of the host vehicle so as to avoid the emergency vehicle when the approach of the emergency vehicle is recognized, The vehicle exterior recognition unit continues to collect sound using an exterior sound detection unit (32) mounted on the vehicle even when the vehicle is parked, The automatic driving control device further includes an information providing unit (72) that provides at least one of the sound data collected by the vehicle external sound detection unit or analysis information of the sound data to a predetermined reporting destination.

20. The automatic driving control device according to claim 19, wherein the outside recognition unit starts taking pictures using an outside camera unit (31) mounted on the vehicle when it detects a scream around the vehicle based on the sound data.

21. the vehicle exterior recognition unit performs a voiceprint analysis of the sound data; The automatic driving control device according to claim 19, wherein the information providing unit provides a result of the voiceprint analysis by the vehicle exterior recognition unit to the reporting destination as the analysis information.

22. The automatic driving control device according to any one of claims 3, 5, 8, 11, 17, and 19, wherein the behavior control unit, when detecting the approach of the emergency vehicle, performs at least one of stop control to stop the vehicle at a position at least a predetermined distance away from the emergency vehicle, and low-speed driving control to suppress the driving speed of the vehicle.

23. 23. The automatic driving control device according to claim 22, wherein the behavior control unit moves the host vehicle to a non-congested lane where there are no other vehicles or where there are fewer other vehicles than the host vehicle lane before starting the stop control or the low-speed traveling control.

24. The automatic driving control device according to claim 22, further comprising: a notification execution unit (71) that displays time information related to the stop control or the low-speed traveling control to a passenger in the vehicle.

25. 23. The automatic driving control device according to claim 22, wherein the behavior control unit, when there is another vehicle around the vehicle, performs reroute control, which resets the planned driving route of the vehicle so as to avoid the estimated driving route of the emergency vehicle, in priority to the stop control and the low-speed driving control.

26. 23. The automatic driving control device according to claim 22, further comprising an alarm implementation unit (71) that uses an exterior alarm mounted on the vehicle to notify the exterior of the vehicle of information related to the emergency vehicle before the start of the stop control or the low-speed traveling control.

27. An automatic driving control program capable of driving a vehicle (Am) by autonomous driving control, Recognizing an emergency vehicle approaching the vehicle (S13); When the approach of the emergency vehicle is recognized, the behavior of the host vehicle is controlled so as to avoid the emergency vehicle (S33, S35, S39). The process to be executed by at least one processing unit (51) includes the steps of: In the step of controlling the behavior, when the approach of the emergency vehicle is recognized, a reroute control is performed to reset a planned traveling route of the host vehicle so as to avoid an estimated traveling route of the emergency vehicle; An automatic driving control program that further includes a step of having the processing unit execute a step of inquiring of an occupant of the vehicle as to whether or not to permit the implementation of the reroute control if the scheduled arrival time at the destination will be delayed due to the reroute control (S38).

28. An automatic driving control program capable of driving a vehicle (Am) by autonomous driving control, Recognizing an emergency vehicle approaching the vehicle (S13); When the approach of the emergency vehicle is recognized, the behavior of the host vehicle is controlled so as to avoid the emergency vehicle (S33, S35, S39). The process to be executed by at least one processing unit (51) includes the steps of: In the step of recognizing the emergency vehicle, a termination position where the emergency vehicle has stopped emitting the siren sound is estimated, In the step of controlling the behavior, When the approach of the emergency vehicle is recognized, a reroute control is performed to reset a planned travel route of the vehicle so as to avoid the estimated travel route of the emergency vehicle; An automatic driving control program that resets the planned driving route so as to avoid avoidance areas that are within a predetermined distance from the end position.

29. An automatic driving control program capable of driving a vehicle (Am) by autonomous driving control, Recognizing an emergency vehicle approaching the vehicle (S13); When the approach of the emergency vehicle is recognized, the behavior of the host vehicle is controlled so as to avoid the emergency vehicle (S33, S35, S39). The process to be executed by at least one processing unit (51) includes the steps of: In the step of recognizing the emergency vehicle, a termination position where the emergency vehicle has stopped emitting the siren sound is estimated, In the step of controlling the behavior, When the approach of the emergency vehicle is recognized, low-speed travel control is performed to suppress the travel speed of the host vehicle; An automatic driving control program that continues the low-speed driving control until the vehicle leaves the avoidance area set based on the end position.

30. An automatic driving control program capable of driving a vehicle (Am) by autonomous driving control, Recognizing an emergency vehicle approaching the vehicle (S13); When the approach of the emergency vehicle is recognized, the behavior of the host vehicle is controlled so as to avoid the emergency vehicle (S33, S35, S39). The process to be executed by at least one processing unit (51) includes the steps of: In the step of recognizing the emergency vehicle, the content of the emergency alert is recognized from the sound of the emergency alert broadcast around the vehicle; An automatic driving control program further including a step of causing the processing unit to execute the steps of notifying the occupants of the vehicle of the contents of the emergency alert, and if the same contents as the emergency alert have already been notified based on emergency information obtained via a route different from the step of recognizing the emergency vehicle, canceling the notification based on the emergency alert (S51, S52).

31. An automatic driving control program capable of driving a vehicle (Am) by autonomous driving control, Recognizing an emergency vehicle approaching the vehicle (S13); When the approach of the emergency vehicle is recognized, the behavior of the host vehicle is controlled so as to avoid the emergency vehicle (S33, S35, S39). The process to be executed by at least one processing unit (51) includes the steps of: In the step of recognizing the emergency vehicle, a first detection for detecting the presence of the emergency vehicle and a second detection for further detecting the relative direction of the emergency vehicle are carried out in a stepwise manner using sound data collected by an external sound detection unit (32) mounted on the vehicle; An automatic driving control program in which, in the step of controlling the behavior, at least one of the target speed value and steering control amount of the vehicle is changed between a first control performed after the first detection and before the second detection, and a second control performed after the second detection.

32. An automatic driving control program capable of driving a vehicle (Am) by autonomous driving control, Recognizing an emergency vehicle approaching the vehicle (S13); When the approach of the emergency vehicle is recognized, the behavior of the host vehicle is controlled so as to avoid the emergency vehicle (S33, S35, S39). The process to be executed by at least one processing unit (51) includes the steps of: In the step of recognizing the emergency vehicle, an abnormal vehicle generating an abnormal sound is detected using sound data collected by an external sound detection unit (32) mounted on the vehicle, and an approaching sound around the vehicle is grasped; In the step of controlling the behavior, an automatic driving control program is provided that performs control to move the vehicle to an evacuation location based on the detection of the abnormal vehicle, and avoids stopping at the evacuation location where the arriving sound satisfies a predetermined avoidance condition.

33. An automatic driving control program capable of driving a vehicle (Am) by autonomous driving control, Recognizing an emergency vehicle approaching the vehicle (S13); When the approach of the emergency vehicle is recognized, the behavior of the host vehicle is controlled so as to avoid the emergency vehicle (S33, S35, S39). Even when the vehicle is parked, the outside sound detector (32) mounted on the vehicle continues to collect sound (S71), At least one of the sound data collected by the vehicle external sound detection unit and analysis information of the sound data is provided to a predetermined notification destination (S74). The automatic driving control program includes the steps of: