Automatic driving control device, automatic driving control method, and automatic driving control program

Abstract

An automated driving ECU functions as this automated driving control device for controlling traveling of a host vehicle (Am). The automated driving ECU acquires road information regarding a gate peripheral region (GA) including a plurality of gates (Gt) present in the advancing direction of the host vehicle (Am), and generates a traveling plan for the host vehicle (Am), which passes through the gate peripheral region (GA), in accordance with information on a route to a target place that is set for the host vehicle (Am). The automated driving ECU sets, in the traveling plan, a target lane (LnT) serving as a movement destination of the host vehicle (Am) from among a plurality of lanes in the gate peripheral region (GA). When a host vehicle lane (LnS) is different from the target lane (LnT), the automated driving ECU performs offset control for bringing the traveling position of the host vehicle (Am) in the host vehicle lane (LnS) closer to the target lane (LnT).

Description

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

[0001] This application is based on Patent Application No. 2024-42754 filed in Japan on March 18, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety.

[0002] The disclosure of this specification relates to an automatic driving control technology for controlling the driving of a vehicle.

[0003] Patent Literature 1 discloses an automatic driving control unit that controls a vehicle to travel along a route to a destination. This automatic driving control unit selects one target gate from multiple gates arranged in parallel, and generates a target trajectory that passes through the selected target gate.

[0004] Patent No. 6692935

[0005] As disclosed in Patent Document 1, a gate peripheral area including multiple gates has multiple lanes. Therefore, when passing through such a gate peripheral area, the vehicle needs to move to a target lane. However, it may be difficult to move the vehicle to the target lane quickly due to, for example, other vehicles traveling in the target lane obstructing the vehicle.

[0006] The present disclosure aims to provide an automatic driving control device and an automatic driving control method that can move a vehicle to a target lane early when passing through an area around a gate.

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, one disclosed aspect is an automatic driving control device that controls the driving of a vehicle, and is equipped with an information acquisition unit that acquires road information for a region surrounding a gate that includes multiple gates present in the direction of travel of the vehicle, and a behavior control unit that generates a driving plan for the vehicle that passes through the region surrounding the gate in accordance with route information to a destination set for the vehicle, wherein the behavior control unit sets a target lane to which the vehicle will move in the driving plan from among multiple lanes present in the region surrounding the gate, and if the lane in which the vehicle is driving in the region surrounding the gate differs from the target lane, the automatic driving control device performs offset control to bring the driving position of the vehicle within the lane closer to the target lane.

[0008] Another disclosed aspect is an autonomous driving control method for controlling the driving of a vehicle, the autonomous driving control method including the steps of: acquiring road information for a gate surrounding area including multiple gates present in the direction of travel of the vehicle; generating a driving plan for the vehicle passing through the gate surrounding area according to route information to a destination set for the vehicle; setting a target lane to which the vehicle will move from among multiple lanes present in the gate surrounding area in the driving plan; and, if the vehicle lane in which the vehicle is driving in the gate surrounding area differs from the target lane, performing offset control to bring the vehicle's driving position within the vehicle lane closer to the target lane, in processing performed by at least one processing unit.

[0009] In these aspects, if the host vehicle traveling in the area around the gate is unable to move into the target lane, the host vehicle's traveling position in the host vehicle lane is moved closer to the target lane by offset control. This offset control can indicate the host vehicle's intention to change lanes to move into the target lane to other vehicles traveling alongside the host vehicle in the target lane. As a result, the host vehicle can be moved into the target lane early when passing through the area around the gate.

[0010] 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.

[0011] 1 is a diagram showing an overall view of an in-vehicle system including an autonomous driving ECU according to a first 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 diagram for explaining an example of a toll gate branching scene (scene 1). FIG. 4 is a diagram showing whether automated lane changing and offset control can be performed during a period of passing through an area around a gate. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining another example of a toll gate branching scene (scene 2). FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining another example of a toll gate branching scene (scene 3). FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining an example of a toll gate branching scene (scene 4) when an emergency vehicle approaches. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing details of a gate passing process performed by the autonomous driving ECU, together with FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing details of a gate passing process, together with FIG. 8. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing details of an emergency vehicle response process performed by the autonomous driving ECU. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an example of a toll gate branching scene (scene 5) in a second embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining an example of a toll gate branching scene (scene 6). FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining an example of a toll gate branching scene (scene 7). FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining an example of a toll gate branching scene (scene 8). FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining an example of a toll gate branching scene (scene 9). 9 is a flowchart showing details of a gate passing process in the second embodiment, together with FIG. 8 .

[0012] Hereinafter, several embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that corresponding components in each embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and redundant description may be omitted. When only a portion of the configuration is described in each embodiment, the configuration of another embodiment described previously can be applied to the remaining portion of the configuration. Furthermore, in addition to the combinations of configurations explicitly stated in the description of each embodiment, configurations of several embodiments can also be partially combined together even if not explicitly stated, as long as there is no particular problem with the combination.

[0013] (First embodiment) The functions of an automatic driving control device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure are realized by an automatic driving ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 50 shown in Figures 1 and 2. The automatic driving ECU 50 is mounted on a vehicle (hereinafter, host vehicle Am). By mounting the automatic driving ECU 50, the host vehicle Am becomes an automatic driving vehicle or an autonomously traveling vehicle equipped with an automatic driving function, and is able to travel using the automatic driving function.

[0014] The autonomous driving ECU 50 is an in-vehicle ECU that realizes an autonomous driving function that can take over driving operations from the driver. The autonomous driving ECU 50 can perform advanced driving assistance or partial autonomous driving at around level 2, and autonomous driving at level 3 or higher where the system is the main control element. The autonomous driving levels in this disclosure are based on standards defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers.

[0015] Level 2 autonomous driving is an autonomous driving with a perimeter monitoring obligation (eyes-on autonomous driving), which requires the driver to visually monitor the area around the vehicle. Level 2 autonomous driving includes hands-on autonomous driving, in which the driver is required to hold the steering wheel (hereinafter referred to as the steering wheel), and hands-off autonomous driving, in which the driver is not required to hold the steering wheel.

[0016] Level 3 autonomous driving is eyes-off autonomous driving, which means that there is no need to monitor the surroundings of the vehicle and no obligation to monitor the surroundings. The autonomous driving ECU 50 may be capable of Level 4 fully autonomous driving, in which the system performs all driving tasks under certain conditions, and Level 5 fully autonomous driving, in which the system performs all driving tasks under all conditions. Level 4 autonomous driving is brain-off autonomous driving, in which there is essentially no request for the driver to take over driving. Level 5 autonomous driving is driverless autonomous driving, which does not require a driver on board.

[0017] The autonomous driving ECU 50 switches the control state of the autonomous driving function among a plurality of control states including at least autonomous driving control with a periphery monitoring obligation of Level 2 or lower, and autonomous driving control without a periphery monitoring obligation of Level 3 or higher. In the following description, autonomous driving control with Level 2 or lower will be referred to as "driving assistance control," and autonomous driving control with Level 3 or higher will be referred to as "autonomous driving control."

[0018] [Configuration of the In-Vehicle System] The autonomous driving ECU 50 is included in an in-vehicle system mounted on the host vehicle Am. The autonomous driving ECU 50 is communicatively connected to a communication bus 99 of an in-vehicle network 1 that constitutes the in-vehicle system. 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 HMI (Human Machine Interface) 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 directly electrically connected to each other and be able to communicate without going through the communication bus 99.

[0019] 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 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, a millimeter-wave radar 32, a lidar 33, and an exterior acoustic sensor 34. The perimeter monitoring sensor 30 may further include a sonar sensor, etc.

[0020] 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 provides the autonomous driving ECU 50 with image data captured by each camera module or analysis information of the image data as detection information.

[0021] The millimeter-wave radar 32 emits millimeter waves or quasi-millimeter waves toward the surroundings of the vehicle. The millimeter-wave radar 32 receives reflected waves from moving objects, stationary objects, and the like, and generates detection information, which is then provided to the autonomous driving ECU 50.

[0022] The lidar 33 emits laser light toward the surroundings of the vehicle. The lidar 33 receives the laser light reflected by moving objects and stationary objects within the irradiation range, and generates detection information (point cloud data) that is then provided to the autonomous driving ECU 50.

[0023] The exterior acoustic sensor 34 is primarily composed of a microphone element that converts sound into an electrical signal. The exterior acoustic sensor 34 is attached to the exterior structure of the host vehicle Am with the sound collection surface of the microphone element facing the exterior structure. Multiple exterior acoustic sensors 34 are provided on the front, rear, left and right sides, and ceiling of the host vehicle Am. The exterior acoustic sensors 34 provided at each location can detect incoming sounds from all around the host vehicle Am and collect environmental sounds around the host vehicle Am. For example, when an emergency vehicle Ae (see FIG. 7 ) is approaching the host vehicle Am, the exterior acoustic sensor 34 collects environmental sounds including a specific siren sound sounded by the emergency vehicle Ae and a loudspeaker sound. The exterior acoustic sensor 34 provides the autonomous driving ECU 50 with sound data of the environmental sounds generated by each microphone element or analysis information of the sound data (e.g., extracted information on the siren sound) as detection information. In this disclosure, the emergency vehicle Ae includes a police vehicle, a fire engine, and an ambulance. Unless otherwise specified, the emergency vehicle Ae is assumed to be sounding a siren for emergency purposes.

[0024] 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.

[0025] 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 high-definition (HD) 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 about the area around the current location from the map database and provides it to the autonomous driving ECU 50, the HMI control device 100, etc., along with locator information.

[0026] 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 cooperation with the HMI control device 100 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.

[0027] 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, instead 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, instead of the navigation ECU 38.

[0028] 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 between roadside devices installed on the side of the road, at toll booths, and other vehicles around the host vehicle. As an example, the in-vehicle communication device 39 receives congestion information and traffic regulation information around the current location of the host vehicle Am and in the direction of travel from the roadside devices. The congestion information and traffic regulation information are, for example, VICS (registered trademark) information.

[0029] The on-board communication device 39 may be capable of receiving gate information related to the toll gates Gt (see FIG. 3 ) from roadside devices installed at toll gates on expressways. The gate information includes information indicating the number of gates Gt installed at the toll gate, information indicating the type of each gate Gt, and information indicating whether or not each gate Gt can be passed through. The on-board communication device 39 provides the received congestion information, traffic regulation information, gate information, etc. to the autonomous driving ECU 50, the HMI control device 100, etc.

[0030] 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 on-board power source, and the steering angle based on operation commands based on the driver's driving operation or control commands from the automatic driving ECU 50.

[0031] 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 an occupant such as a driver of the host vehicle Am, and an output interface function that presents information to the driver.

[0032] 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.

[0033] The audio system 24 has multiple speakers installed in the vehicle cabin surrounding the driver's seat, and reproduces alarm sounds, voice messages, etc. through the speakers. The ambient lights 25 are provided on the instrument panel, steering wheel, etc. The ambient lights 25 present information using the driver's peripheral vision by changing the color of the emitted light.

[0034] 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, etc. are input to the operation device 26. 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 driver is saying.

[0035] The HMI control device 100 is a computer mainly including a processing unit 11, a RAM 12, a storage unit 13, an input / output interface 14, and a control circuit equipped with a bus connecting these units. The processing unit 11 accesses the RAM 12 to execute various processes (instructions) for implementing the presentation control method according to the present disclosure. The storage unit 13 stores various programs (presentation control programs, etc.) executed by the processing unit 11. The HMI control device 100 functions as a presentation control device and comprehensively controls information presentation using multiple display devices, an audio device 24, and ambient light 25.

[0036] The HMI control device 100 presents information related to autonomous driving in cooperation with the autonomous driving ECU 50. The HMI control device 100 acquires control status information indicating the operating status of the autonomous driving function and a request to present information related to the autonomous driving function from the autonomous driving ECU 50. The HMI control device 100 provides content and presents information tailored to the operating status of the autonomous driving based on the control status information and the implementation request. For example, when the autonomous driving ECU 50 plans to end autonomous driving control, the HMI control device 100 issues a notification requesting the execution of a driving operation, in other words, a notification requesting a driver takeover.

[0037] The HMI control device 100 acquires operation information indicating the content of a user operation from the CID 22, the operation device 26, etc. The HMI control device 100 provides operation information of a user operation related to the autonomous driving function to the autonomous driving ECU 50. The HMI control device 100 provides operation information of a user operation for setting a destination of the host vehicle Am to the navigation ECU 38.

[0038] [Configuration of Autonomous Driving ECU] The autonomous driving ECU 50 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 elements. 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 (autonomous driving control programs, etc.) 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, etc. as functional units for implementing the autonomous driving function.

[0039] The information linking unit 61 provides information to the HMI control device 100 and acquires information from the HMI control device 100. The information linking unit 61 enables the sharing of acquired information between the autonomous driving ECU 50 and the HMI control device 100. Specifically, the information linking unit 61 provides the HMI control device 100 with control status information indicating the operating state of the autonomous driving function and the recognition results of the surroundings of the vehicle by the environment recognition unit 62. The information linking unit 61 outputs a request to execute a notification to the HMI control device 100, thereby enabling the HMI system 10 to issue a notification that is synchronized with the operating state of the autonomous driving function. The information linking unit 61 acquires operation information related to autonomous driving from the HMI control device 100.

[0040] 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 acquires route information from the navigation ECU 38 and provides the acquired route information to the behavior determination unit 63. The environment recognition unit 62 acquires, from the communication bus 99, information indicating the state of the host vehicle Am, such as vehicle speed information indicating the current driving speed. The environment recognition unit 62 has an other vehicle recognition unit 73 and a road recognition unit 74 as sub-functional units for recognizing the driving environment.

[0041] The other vehicle grasping unit 73 grasps the size, type, relative position, relative speed, etc. of dynamic targets around the host vehicle, such as other vehicles traveling around the host vehicle Am. In a scene where the host vehicle Am passes through a gate Gt (see FIG. 3), the other vehicle grasping unit 73 grasps the presence or absence of a parallel traveling vehicle Ao (see FIG. 3) traveling parallel to the host vehicle Am, and the size, type, relative position, relative speed, etc. of the recognized parallel traveling vehicle Ao. The other vehicle grasping unit 73 determines whether the parallel traveling vehicle Ao is a large vehicle AL larger than the host vehicle Am, as the type of the parallel traveling vehicle Ao. In addition, the other vehicle grasping unit 73 detects the approach of an emergency vehicle Ae (see FIG. 7) based on acoustic recognition technology using detection information from the exterior acoustic sensor 34. The other vehicle grasping unit 73 further detects the type, relative position, relative speed, etc. of the recognized approaching emergency vehicle Ae. The other vehicle recognition unit 73 provides the behavior determination unit 63 with the recognition results relating to the parallel traveling vehicle Ao and the emergency vehicle Ae.

[0042] The road understanding unit 74 obtains road information related to the roads on which the host vehicle Am is traveling and the roads on which the host vehicle Am is scheduled to travel, based on route information obtained from the navigation ECU 38. The road understanding unit 74 provides the obtained road information to the behavior determination unit 63. In a scene in which the host vehicle Am passes through a gate Gt, the road understanding unit 74 obtains road information for a gate surrounding area GA (see FIGS. 3 and 4 ) that exists in the traveling direction of the host vehicle Am before the host vehicle Am reaches the gate surrounding area GA. Detailed road information for the gate surrounding area GA may be recorded in map data stored in a map database, or may be included in received information received by the on-board communication device 39.

[0043] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the gate surrounding area GA is a road section including multiple gates Gt. The gate surrounding area GA is a road section defined within a predetermined distance before and after a gate point where multiple gates Gt are lined up along the width direction of the road. In other words, the gate surrounding area GA includes road sections before and after the gate point. As an example, the gate surrounding area GA is a section where the road width (number of lanes) is expanded compared to the connecting roads before and after. The gate surrounding area GA may also be a laneless section where no dividing lines separating individual lanes are provided on the road surface.

[0044] The connecting road on the near side of the gate surrounding area GA is the entrance-side normal area S1. In contrast, the connecting road on the far side of the gate surrounding area GA is the post-passage normal area S2. The number of lanes in the gate surrounding area GA is greater than the number of lanes in the entrance-side normal area S1. Similarly, the number of lanes in the gate surrounding area GA may be greater than the number of lanes in the post-passage normal area S2.

[0045] The gate surrounding area GA includes a pre-gate area GS1, a gate passing area GS2, and a post-gate area GS3. The pre-gate area GS1 is a road section between the entrance-side normal area S1 and the gate passing area GS2. In the pre-gate area GS1, the road width is widened from the entrance-side normal area S1 toward the gate passing area GS2 in accordance with the number of gates Gt installed at the toll gate. The gate passing area GS2 is a toll gate section in which multiple individually separated gates Gt are installed. The post-gate area GS3 is a road section between the gate passing area GS2 and the post-passage normal area S2. In the post-gate area GS3, the road width is narrowed from the gate passing area GS2 toward the post-passage normal area S2 in accordance with the number of lanes in the post-passage normal area S2.

[0046] When the host vehicle Am is traveling in a gate surrounding area GA that includes multiple lanes, the road recognition unit 74 (see FIG. 2) identifies the position of the host vehicle lane LnS in which the host vehicle Am is traveling. In addition, the road recognition unit 74 references road information for the gate surrounding area GA to determine whether an evacuation area EA (see FIG. 7) in which the host vehicle Am can escape exists in the gate surrounding area GA. The road recognition unit 74 sets the evacuation area EA in a shoulder area close to the road edge on the outside of the road within the pre-gate area GS1 before entering the gate Gt. If the road recognition unit 74 cannot set the evacuation area EA in the pre-gate area GS1, it may set the evacuation area EA in the post-gate area GS3 after passing through the gate Gt.

[0047] The road identification unit 74 refers to road information for the gate surrounding area GA and identifies whether the gate Gt through which the host vehicle Am is scheduled to pass is a manned gate GtS. The road identification unit 74 may also identify whether the gate GtS is a manned gate GtS based on information received by an on-board communication device 39 (see FIG. 2 ) from a roadside device installed immediately before the gate Gt. A manned gate GtS is a gate Gt equipped with a manned booth SB. The manned booth SB is a work space that accommodates toll collectors who collect tolls on expressways. A manned gate GtS is a gate Gt through which vehicles without an ETC (Electronic Toll Collection, registered trademark) on-board unit can pass. In contrast, an unmanned gate GtN without a manned booth SB is a gate Gt through which only vehicles equipped with an ETC on-board unit can pass. Vehicles equipped with an ETC on-board unit can pass through not only the unmanned gate GtN but also the manned gate GtS. Expressways are expressways and roads for automobiles only, on which pedestrians, cyclists, and some small vehicles are prohibited from entering. Ordinary roads are roads other than expressways.

[0048] 2 determines the behavior of the host vehicle Am based on route information, road information, and the recognition results of the driving environment acquired from the environment recognition unit 62, when the autonomous driving ECU 50 has control over the driving operation. The behavior determination unit 63 generates a planned driving line along which the host vehicle Am will travel as a driving plan that defines the behavior of the host vehicle Am, and outputs the generated planned driving line to the control execution unit 64. The behavior determination unit 63 has a control switching unit 77 and an evacuation control unit 78 as sub-functional units.

[0049] The control switching unit 77 cooperates with the cruise control ECU 40 to switch the control state of the host vehicle Am between autonomous driving and manual driving. The control switching unit 77 switches the autonomous driving level of the autonomous driving control implemented in the host vehicle Am. For example, when the information linking unit 61 detects an input of an operation to transition to level 3 or level 4, the control switching unit 77 switches the cruise control state of the host vehicle Am from manual driving or driving assistance control of level 2 or lower to autonomous cruise control of level 3 or higher. When it is determined to end the autonomous cruise control, the control switching unit 77 switches the cruise control state from autonomous cruise control to driving assistance control or manual driving.

[0050] The evacuation control unit 78 performs adaptive travel control to accommodate the emergency vehicle Ae when the environment recognition unit 62 detects an emergency vehicle Ae (see FIG. 7) approaching the host vehicle Am. In the adaptive travel control, the evacuation control unit 78 controls the behavior of the host vehicle Am to avoid the emergency vehicle Ae while grasping the status of other vehicles traveling around the host vehicle Am. As the adaptive travel control, the evacuation control unit 78 performs stop control to stop the host vehicle Am at a position at least a predetermined distance away from the emergency vehicle Ae (for example, an evacuation area EA, see FIG. 7).

[0051] 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.

[0052] [Driving control in a tollgate branch scene using autonomous driving function] The autonomous driving ECU 50 controls the host vehicle Am to pass through one of multiple gates Gt provided in the gate surrounding area GA while continuing driving assistance control or autonomous driving control of autonomous driving level 2 (hands-on autonomous driving) or higher. Specifically, when the autonomous driving ECU 50 is driving the host vehicle Am in hands-off autonomous driving mode in the entry-side normal area S1, the autonomous driving ECU 50 also continues hands-off autonomous driving in the gate surrounding area GA. Furthermore, when the autonomous driving ECU 50 is driving the host vehicle Am in eyes-off autonomous driving mode in the entry-side normal area S1, the autonomous driving ECU 50 also continues eyes-off autonomous driving in the gate surrounding area GA.

[0053] Here, at some toll booths, there is a fork in the road after passing through the gate Gt. As one example, at a toll booth that serves as an entrance to an expressway from a general road, there may be a fork in the road after passing through the gate Gt, where the road splits into a ramp way leading to an inbound lane and a ramp way leading to an outbound lane. As another example, at a toll booth that serves as an exit from an expressway, there may be a fork in the road after passing through the gate Gt, where the road splits into a ramp way leading to a general road and a main road leading to another expressway, etc. (see Figure 3).

[0054] In a scene where there is a branch immediately after passing through a toll gate (hereinafter referred to as a toll gate branch scene), multiple connecting roads that fall into the normal area S2 after passing through, specifically a first branch road S2a and a second branch road S2b, are connected to the gate surrounding area GA. As one example, the first branch road S2a is a connecting road that leads to a general road. The second branch road S2b is a connecting road that leads to another expressway. As another example, both the first branch road S2a and the second branch road S2b may be connecting roads that lead to different expressways.

[0055] In a tollgate branch scene, the behavior determination unit 63 selects one of the first branch road S2a and the second branch road S2b along which the host vehicle Am will proceed, in accordance with route information to the destination set for the host vehicle Am. Furthermore, the behavior determination unit 63 sets a lane (hereinafter, a target lane LnT) that can lead to the selected branch road from among multiple lanes associated with multiple gates Gt. The behavior determination unit 63 generates a planned driving line that moves the host vehicle Am through the target lane LnT and leads the host vehicle Am to the selected branch road, as a driving plan for passing through the gate surrounding area GA.

[0056] Below, details of each of the multiple toll gate branching scenes (scenes 1 to 4) that run through the gate surrounding area GA connected to the first branching road S2a and the second branching road S2b will be explained based on Figures 3, 5 to 8, and with reference to Figures 2 and 4.

[0057] <Scene 1: Lane change after offset control> In scene 1 shown in Fig. 3, the second branch road S2b is the branch destination for the host vehicle Am. In the driving plan, the lane connected to the left lane (driving lane) of the second branch road S2b is set as the target lane LnT according to the route information. The host vehicle Am enters the gate surrounding area GA from the entry-side normal area S1 while maintaining a straight-ahead state. The host vehicle lane LnS in which the host vehicle Am travels after entering the gate surrounding area GA is different from the target lane LnT. The target lane LnT is adjacent to the right side of the host vehicle lane LnS.

[0058] The behavior determination unit 63 generates a driving plan (planned driving line) for performing an automated lane change from the host vehicle lane LnS to the target lane LnT in the gate surrounding area GA (preferably the gate front area GS1) and proceeding from the target lane LnT to the left lane of the second branch road S2b. However, a parallel vehicle Ao running alongside the host vehicle Am is present in the target lane LnT in the gate front area GS1. If the behavior determination unit 63 determines that there is no space in the target lane LnT in which the host vehicle Am can move, it puts the automated lane change into a standby state.

[0059] When the lane change is in a standby state, the behavior determination unit 63 performs offset control. The offset control is a control that shifts the traveling position of the host vehicle Am in the host vehicle lane LnS from a reference position (e.g., the center of the lane) toward the target lane LnT. The behavior determination unit 63 uses offset control to set a boundary LB of the host vehicle lane LnS based on road information and the recognition results. The boundary LB is a virtual dividing line that extends both edges of the drivable area within the gate Gt located in front of the host vehicle toward the near side (toward the host vehicle). The behavior determination unit 63 uses offset control to cause the host vehicle Am to travel along the boundary LB while avoiding crossing the boundary LB on the target lane LnT side.

[0060] Before starting offset control, the behavior determination unit 63 temporarily positions the host vehicle Am in the center of the host vehicle lane LnS. Specifically, the behavior determination unit 63 moves the host vehicle Am to one of the multiple lanes in the gate surrounding area GA, and then aligns the left-right position of the host vehicle Am so that the gate Gt ahead of the host vehicle is positioned directly in front of the host vehicle Am. In other words, the behavior determination unit 63 temporarily positions the host vehicle Am in the middle of the boundary LB on the host vehicle side. After aligning the gate Gt and the host vehicle Am in the left-right direction, the behavior determination unit 63 starts flashing the turn signal (blinker) on the target lane LnT side and then offsets the traveling position of the host vehicle Am toward the target lane LnT. The flashing of the turn signal continues throughout the implementation of offset control.

[0061] The behavior determination unit 63 changes the traveling speed set for the host vehicle Am depending on whether or not offset control is performed in the gate surrounding area GA. When offset control is performed in the gate surrounding area GA, the behavior determination unit 63 sets the traveling speed higher than when offset control is not performed. The behavior determination unit 63 causes the host vehicle Am to travel at a speed higher (greater) than that of the parallel traveling vehicle Ao, thereby ensuring a sufficient space for the host vehicle Am to move ahead of the parallel traveling vehicle Ao. The behavior determination unit 63 initiates an automobile lane change toward the front of the parallel traveling vehicle Ao, and moves the host vehicle Am into the target lane LnT. The behavior determination unit 63 causes the host vehicle Am to pass through the gate Gt of the target lane LnT and head toward the second branch road S2b. The behavior determination unit 63 continues traveling in the target lane LnT in the gate passing area GS2 and the post-gate area GS3, and causes the host vehicle Am to enter the left lane of the second branch road S2b.

[0062] As shown in Fig. 4, the behavior determination unit 63 permits automated lane changes and offset control in the entry-side normal area S1 and the pre-gate area GS1. The behavior determination unit 63 prohibits automated lane changes and offset control in the gate-passing area GS2, where lane changes are physically impossible. The behavior determination unit 63 permits automated lane changes and offset control if the host vehicle Am has not reached the target lane LnT in the post-gate area GS3 after passing through the gate Gt. However, if the branching point is a road that leads to a general road (see scene 3 in Fig. 6), the behavior determination unit 63 permits automated lane changes but restricts (cancels) the implementation of offset control.

[0063] 5, similar to scene 1, the second branch road S2b is set as the branch destination for the host vehicle Am. In the driving plan, of the multiple lanes present in the gate surrounding area GA, the lane leading to the left lane of the second branch road S2b is set as the target lane LnT. The behavior determination unit 63 performs a lane change from the host vehicle lane LnS to the target lane LnT in the gate surrounding area GA, and generates a planned driving line for traveling from the target lane LnT to the left lane of the second branch road S2b.

[0064] In scene 2, a large vehicle AL is present in the target lane LnT in the pre-gate area GS1 as a parallel vehicle Ao. The large vehicle AL may be a bus, a freight vehicle (truck), a trailer, or the like. The other vehicle recognition unit 73 recognizes the large vehicle AL traveling in the target lane LnT. Based on the recognition of the large vehicle AL in the pre-gate area GS1, the behavior determination unit 63 suspends movement to the target lane LnT and puts the automated lane change into a standby state.

[0065] When a large vehicle AL is present in the target lane LnT, the behavior determination unit 63 restricts the execution of offset control to move closer to the target lane LnT. The behavior determination unit 63 stops the offset control to move closer to the target lane LnT, and then moves the host vehicle Am in the host vehicle lane LnS in a direction away from the large vehicle AL. As described above, the behavior determination unit 63 prioritizes the execution of offset control to the opposite side, which ensures a distance between the host vehicle Am and the large vehicle AL, over the offset control to the target lane LnT.

[0066] If the vehicle cannot complete the lane change before the gate Gt, the behavior determination unit 63 causes the vehicle Am to enter the gate Gt in front of the vehicle while continuing to travel in the vehicle lane LnS. The behavior determination unit 63 cancels the offset control being performed before entering the gate passing area GS2. In scene 2, the gate Gt in front of the vehicle is a manned gate GtS. When the vehicle Am passes through the manned gate GtS, the behavior determination unit 63 performs offset control in a direction away from the manned booth SB (to the left). The offset amount in the offset control performed when passing through the manned gate GtS is set to be smaller than the offset amount in the offset control performed in the standby state for the vehicle Am to change lanes. The vehicle Am passes through the manned gate GtS while maintaining a distance from the manned booth SB.

[0067] The behavior determination unit 63 sets the traveling speed of the host vehicle Am when passing through the manned gate GtS to be lower than the traveling speed when passing through the unmanned gate GtN where no manned booth SB is present. As an example, when passing through the unmanned gate GtN, the behavior determination unit 63 adjusts the traveling speed of the host vehicle Am to approximately 20 km / h by decelerating before entering the gate passing area GS2. On the other hand, when passing through the manned gate GtS, the behavior determination unit 63 adjusts the traveling speed of the host vehicle Am to approximately 15 km / h by decelerating before entering the gate passing area GS2. After passing through the manned gate GtS, the behavior determination unit 63 accelerates the host vehicle Am and moves the host vehicle Am to the target lane LnT in the post-gate area GS3. This allows the host vehicle Am to proceed from the target lane LnT toward the second branch road S2b.

[0068] <Scene 3: Tollgate Branch to Public Road> In scene 3 shown in Fig. 6 , the first branch road S2a is the branch destination for the host vehicle Am. As described above, the first branch road S2a is a connecting road leading to a public road. In the driving plan, the lane connected to the left lane of the first branch road S2a is set as the target lane LnT in accordance with the route information. The host vehicle Am travels along the left road edge and enters the gate surrounding area GA from the entry-side normal area S1. The target lane LnT is located to the left of the host vehicle lane LnS, on the opposite side of the host vehicle lane LnS across the middle lane LnM.

[0069] The behavior determination unit 63 generates a driving plan (planned driving line) for performing two lane changes in the gate surrounding area GA and moving the host vehicle Am from the host vehicle lane LnS to the target lane LnT via the intermediate lane LnM. However, a parallel vehicle Ao is present in the target lane LnT in the gate front area GS1. If the behavior determination unit 63 determines that there is no space in the target lane LnT available for the host vehicle Am to move, it performs only the first lane change to move to the intermediate lane LnM in the gate front area GS1 and puts the second lane change to move to the target lane LnT in a standby state.

[0070] If the second lane change cannot be completed in the gate front area GS1, the behavior determination unit 63 causes the host vehicle Am to enter the gate Gt in front of the host vehicle while continuing to travel in the middle lane LnM. The behavior determination unit 63 cancels the offset control being performed before entering the gate passing area GS2. If the gate Gt in front of the host vehicle is a manned gate GtS, the behavior determination unit 63 performs offset control in the gate passing area GS2 in a direction away from the manned booth SB.

[0071] After entering the post-gate area GS3, the behavior determination unit 63 attempts a second lane change to move to the target lane LnT. Here, the first branch road S2a, which the host vehicle travels on after passing through the gate Gt, is a road that leads to a public road. In this case, the behavior determination unit 63 limits (cancels) the implementation of offset control when the host vehicle Am puts the host vehicle Am into a standby state after passing through the gate Gt. In other words, when the host vehicle Am heads toward a public road, the behavior determination unit 63 does not implement an active lane change accompanied by offset control.

[0072] If the behavior determination unit 63 determines that there is sufficient space in the target lane LnT for the host vehicle Am to move in the post-gate area GS3, it performs an automated lane change to move the host vehicle Am into the target lane LnT. On the other hand, if the behavior determination unit 63 determines that a parallel vehicle Ao is present in the target lane LnT in the post-gate area GS3 and that there is no sufficient space in the target lane LnT for the host vehicle Am to move in, it does not perform offset control. The behavior determination unit 63 cancels the second automated lane change and moves the host vehicle Am from the middle lane LnM to the right lane of the first branch road S2a.

[0073] 7, similar to scene 3, the first branch road S2a is set as the branch destination for the host vehicle Am. In the driving plan, of the multiple lanes present in the gate surrounding area GA, the lane leading to the left lane of the first branch road S2a is set as the target lane LnT. The behavior determination unit 63 repeatedly performs lane changes in the gate surrounding area GA and generates a planned driving line for moving the host vehicle Am to the target lane LnT.

[0074] In scene 4, an emergency vehicle Ae is approaching the host vehicle Am from behind. The other vehicle recognition unit 73 detects the approach of the emergency vehicle Ae to the host vehicle Am. The road recognition unit 74 determines, based on the detection of the approach of the emergency vehicle Ae, whether an evacuation area EA into which the host vehicle Am can escape exists in the gate surrounding area GA.

[0075] When the approach of the emergency vehicle Ae is detected in the gate peripheral area GA and an evacuation area EA is present in the gate peripheral area GA, the behavior determination unit 63 performs offset control to move the traveling position of the host vehicle Am closer to the evacuation area EA. As an example, after the behavior determination unit 63 moves the host vehicle Am to the target lane LnT, if the approach of the emergency vehicle Ae continues, the behavior determination unit 63 performs offset control to the left side of the target lane LnT where the evacuation area EA is present.

[0076] When the emergency vehicle Ae moves behind the host vehicle Am, the evacuation control unit 78 performs stop control as a response travel control. The evacuation control unit 78 causes the host vehicle Am to leave the target lane LnT in which the host vehicle Am is traveling, in other words, from in front of the emergency vehicle Ae, and stops the host vehicle Am in the evacuation area EA. On the other hand, when the emergency vehicle Ae continues traveling in a lane other than the target lane LnT, the behavior determination unit 63 continues traveling in the target lane LnT while performing offset control.

[0077] [Details of gate passing processing and emergency vehicle response processing] Next, the details of the gate passing processing performed when passing through the gate surrounding area GA described above, and the emergency vehicle response processing for responding to an emergency vehicle Ae will be explained based on Figures 8 to 10 and with reference to Figures 1 to 7.

[0078] 8 and 9 is started by the autonomous driving ECU 50 when the host vehicle Am, which is traveling under cruise control at autonomous driving level 2 or higher, reaches a position within a predetermined distance (for example, about 1 km) from the gate surrounding area GA. The autonomous driving ECU 50 maintains the autonomous driving level of the cruise control being executed while the gate passage process is being performed.

[0079] In S11 of the gate passage process, the road recognition unit 74 acquires road information for the gate surrounding area GA. In S11, the road recognition unit 74 acquires, as road information related to the gate surrounding area GA, information indicating the number of gates Gt present in the gate surrounding area GA, whether each gate Gt is a manned gate GtS, and whether there is a branch beyond the gate surrounding area GA.

[0080] In S12, the behavior determination unit 63 generates a driving plan for passing through the gate surrounding area GA in accordance with the route information. In the driving plan, the behavior determination unit 63 sets a target lane LnT, which is the destination of the host vehicle Am, from among multiple lanes present in the gate surrounding area GA. In S13, the behavior determination unit 63 determines whether the host vehicle Am has entered the gate surrounding area GA (pre-gate area GS1). If the host vehicle Am has not yet entered the gate surrounding area GA (NO in S13), the behavior determination unit 63 waits for the host vehicle Am to enter the gate surrounding area GA by repeating the determination in S13. Then, when the host vehicle Am has entered the gate surrounding area GA (YES in S13), the behavior determination unit 63 determines whether the host vehicle Am is traveling in the target lane LnT in S14.

[0081] If the host vehicle Am is traveling in the target lane LnT (S14: YES), in other words, if no further lane changes are required in the gate surrounding area GA, the behavior determination unit 63 determines in S21 whether the host vehicle Am has entered the gate passing area GS2. On the other hand, if the host vehicle Am is traveling in a lane other than the target lane LnT (S14: NO), the behavior determination unit 63 determines in S15 whether a lane change toward the target lane LnT is possible by referring to the recognition result of the surroundings of the host vehicle. If a lane change is possible (S15: YES), the behavior determination unit 63 executes a lane change toward an adjacent lane in S16. If multiple lane changes are required to move to the target lane LnT, the behavior determination unit 63 repeats the processes of S14 to S16.

[0082] If the lane change cannot be performed (S15: NO), the behavior determination unit 63 sets the lane change to a standby state. In this case, the behavior determination unit 63 changes the traveling speed set for the host vehicle Am in S17. When the lane change is in a standby state and offset control is performed, the behavior determination unit 63 sets the traveling speed (set vehicle speed) higher than when offset control is not performed.

[0083] In S18, the other vehicle recognition unit 73 determines whether a large vehicle AL is traveling in the target lane LnT (adjacent lane). If a large vehicle AL is present in the target lane LnT (S18: YES), the behavior determination unit 63 in S19 restricts the implementation of offset control to move the vehicle closer to the target lane LnT. Specifically, if offset control toward the target lane LnT has been implemented, the behavior determination unit 63 cancels the currently implemented offset control. Furthermore, the behavior determination unit 63 implements offset control in a direction away from the large vehicle AL.

[0084] On the other hand, if there is no large vehicle AL in the target lane LnT (S18: NO), the behavior determination unit 63 performs offset control in S20 to move the traveling position of the host vehicle Am in the host vehicle lane LnS closer to the target lane LnT. The behavior determination unit 63 moves the host vehicle Am to one of the multiple lanes in the gate surrounding area GA, and starts the offset control after the gate Gt in front of the host vehicle and the host vehicle Am are aligned in a straight line, in other words, after temporarily positioning the host vehicle Am in the center of the host vehicle lane LnS.

[0085] In S21, the behavior determination unit 63 determines whether the host vehicle Am has entered the gate passing area GS2. If the host vehicle Am has not yet entered the gate passing area GS2 (S21: NO), the behavior determination unit 63 repeats the processes of S14 to S20. Then, when the host vehicle Am enters the gate passing area GS2 (S21: YES), in S22, the road recognition unit 74 determines whether the gate Gt through which the host vehicle Am is scheduled to pass is a manned gate GtS.

[0086] If the host vehicle Am is scheduled to pass through the manned gate GtS (S22: YES), the behavior determination unit 63 performs offset control in a direction away from the manned booth SB (toward the opposite booth) in S23. Additionally, in S24, the behavior determination unit 63 sets the traveling speed of the host vehicle Am passing through the manned gate GtS to be lower than the traveling speed when passing through the unmanned gate GtN. This suppresses the traveling speed of the host vehicle Am traveling within the gate Gt. On the other hand, if the host vehicle Am is scheduled to pass through the unmanned gate GtN (S22: NO) and offset control is being performed on the near side of the unmanned gate GtN, the behavior determination unit 63 cancels the currently performed offset control before entering the gate passage area GS2 in S25.

[0087] In S26, the behavior determination unit 63 determines whether the host vehicle Am has entered the post-gate area GS3. If the host vehicle Am has not yet entered the post-gate area GS3 (S26: NO), the behavior determination unit 63 waits for the host vehicle Am to enter the post-gate area GS3 by repeating the determination in S26. Then, when the host vehicle Am enters the post-gate area GS3 (S26: YES), the behavior determination unit 63 again determines in S27 whether the host vehicle Am is traveling in the target lane LnT.

[0088] If the host vehicle Am is traveling in the target lane LnT (S27: YES) and no further lane changes are required in the gate surrounding area GA, the behavior determination unit 63 ends the gate passing process. On the other hand, if the host vehicle Am is traveling in a lane other than the target lane LnT (S27: NO), the behavior determination unit 63 determines in S28 whether a lane change toward the target lane LnT is possible. If a lane change is possible (S28: YES), the behavior determination unit 63 executes a lane change toward an adjacent lane in S29. The behavior determination unit 63 transitions the host vehicle Am to an acceleration state and starts lateral movement toward the adjacent lane. If multiple lane changes are required to move to the target lane LnT, the behavior determination unit 63 repeats the processes of S27 to S29.

[0089] If the vehicle Am is not able to perform the lane change (S28: NO), the behavior determination unit 63 determines in S30 whether the destination of the vehicle Am is a connecting road (first branch road S2a) that leads to a general road. If the vehicle Am is planning to proceed onto a connecting road (second branch road S2b) that leads to a highway (S30: NO), the behavior determination unit 63 puts the vehicle Am into a standby state for the lane change in S31 and performs offset control to move the vehicle Am closer to the target lane LnT. On the other hand, if the vehicle Am is planning to proceed onto a general road (S30: YES), the behavior determination unit 63 puts the vehicle Am into a standby state for the lane change and skips S31. As a result, the behavior determination unit 63 does not perform offset control in the post-gate area GS3 leading to the general road.

[0090] In S32, the behavior determination unit 63 determines whether the host vehicle Am has exited the gate surrounding area GA, in other words, whether the host vehicle Am has entered the first branch road S2a or the second branch road S2b. If the host vehicle Am is traveling in the post-gate area GS3 (S32: NO), the behavior determination unit 63 repeats the processes of S27 to S31. On the other hand, if the host vehicle Am has exited the gate surrounding area GA (S32: YES), the gate passage process is terminated.

[0091] <Emergency vehicle response processing> The emergency vehicle response processing shown in Figure 10 is initiated by the autonomous driving ECU 50 when the host vehicle Am, which is traveling using autonomous driving level 2 or higher driving control, reaches a position within a predetermined distance from the gate surrounding area GA, similar to the gate passage processing.

[0092] In S51 of the emergency response processing, the other vehicle grasping unit 73 acquires detection information from the perimeter monitoring sensor 30. In S52, the other vehicle grasping unit 73 detects the approach of an emergency vehicle Ae to the host vehicle Am based on the latest detection information acquired in S51. If the other vehicle grasping unit 73 has not detected the approach of the emergency vehicle Ae (S52: NO), the other vehicle grasping unit 73 repeats the processing of S51 and S52 to continue monitoring the approach of the emergency vehicle Ae.

[0093] On the other hand, if the approach of the emergency vehicle Ae is detected (S52: NO), in S53 the road recognition unit 74 determines whether or not an evacuation area EA exists in the gate surrounding area GA based on the road information of the gate surrounding area GA acquired in the gate passing process (see S11 in FIG. 8 ). If an evacuation area EA does not exist in the gate surrounding area GA (S53: NO), the current emergency vehicle response process is terminated.

[0094] On the other hand, if the turn-off area EA is present in the gate surrounding area GA (S53: YES), the behavior determination unit 63 performs offset control in S54 to move the traveling position of the host vehicle Am closer to the turn-off area EA. The behavior determination unit 63 performs offset control toward the turn-off area EA with priority over offset control toward the target lane LnT.

[0095] In S55, the evacuation control unit 78 determines whether evacuation to the evacuation area EA is necessary. As an example, if an emergency vehicle Ae is located behind the host vehicle Am and there is a possibility that the host vehicle Am will obstruct the progress of the emergency vehicle Ae, the evacuation control unit 78 determines that evacuation to the evacuation area EA is necessary (S55: YES). In this case, in S56, the evacuation control unit 78 executes stop control to cause the host vehicle Am to evacuate to the evacuation area EA.

[0096] On the other hand, if the emergency vehicle Ae is traveling in a different lane from the host vehicle Am and is able to overtake the host vehicle Am, the evacuation control unit 78 determines that evacuation to the evacuation area EA is not necessary (S55: NO). In this case, the other vehicle grasping unit 73 determines in S57 whether the emergency vehicle Ae has disappeared. If the emergency vehicle Ae has disappeared (S57: YES), the current emergency vehicle response process is terminated. On the other hand, if the detection of the emergency vehicle Ae continues (S57: NO), the behavior determination unit 63 determines in S58 whether the host vehicle Am has passed the evacuation area EA. If the host vehicle Am has passed the evacuation area EA and is unable to evacuate to the evacuation area EA (S58: YES), the current emergency vehicle response process is terminated. On the other hand, if the host vehicle Am is traveling to the side of the evacuation area EA and can evacuate to the evacuation area EA (S58: NO), the processing from S54 onwards continues.

[0097] (Summary of First Embodiment) In the first embodiment described so far, when the host vehicle Am traveling in the gate peripheral area GA is unable to move into the target lane LnT, the host vehicle Am's traveling position in the host vehicle lane LnS is brought closer to the target lane LnT by offset control. This offset control can indicate to the vehicle Ao traveling alongside on the target lane LnT that the host vehicle Am intends to change lanes to head toward the target lane LnT. As a result, when passing through the gate peripheral area GA, the host vehicle Am can be moved into the target lane LnT early.

[0098] Additionally, in the first embodiment, if offset control is being performed in front of the gate Gt, the offset control being performed is canceled before the vehicle Am enters the gate Gt. As a result, a situation in which the vehicle Am enters the gate Gt with its traveling position biased to the left or right can be avoided. As a result, even if offset control is performed, the anxiety of the passengers when passing through the gate Gt can be reduced.

[0099] In the first embodiment, if the road after passing through the gate Gt is a connecting road that leads to a general road, the implementation of offset control after passing through the gate Gt is restricted. If the host vehicle Am proceeds onto the general road after passing through the gate Gt, it is possible for the host vehicle Am to move to a lane for heading toward the destination after entering the general road. Therefore, even if active lane changes involving offset control are restricted in the post-gate area GS3, the host vehicle Am can travel smoothly toward the destination.

[0100] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the approach of an emergency vehicle Ae to the host vehicle Am is detected. Furthermore, whether an evacuation area EA, into which the host vehicle Am can escape, is present in the gate peripheral area GA is determined. If the approach of the emergency vehicle Ae is detected in the gate peripheral area GA and the evacuation area EA is present in the gate peripheral area GA, offset control is implemented to move the traveling position of the host vehicle Am closer to the evacuation area EA. As a result, when it is necessary to avoid the emergency vehicle Ae, the host vehicle Am can smoothly escape to the evacuation area EA.

[0101] Additionally, in the first embodiment, it is determined whether a large vehicle AL larger than the host vehicle Am is traveling in the target lane LnT. If the large vehicle AL is present in the target lane LnT, the implementation of offset control to move the host vehicle Am closer to the target lane LnT is restricted. This makes it possible to avoid a situation in which the host vehicle Am gets too close to the large vehicle AL due to the offset control, causing the occupants of the host vehicle Am to feel a strong sense of oppression.

[0102] In the first embodiment, the system determines whether the gate Gt through which the vehicle Am is scheduled to pass is a manned gate GtS equipped with a manned booth SB. When the vehicle Am passes through the manned gate GtS, offset control is performed in a direction away from the manned booth SB. As a result, a sufficient distance is secured between the vehicle Am and the manned booth SB, thereby reducing the anxiety of passengers passing through the manned gate GtS.

[0103] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the traveling speed of the vehicle Am passing through the manned gate GtS is set to be lower than the traveling speed when passing through the unmanned gate GtN where no manned booth SB exists. This also reduces the anxiety of passengers when passing through the manned gate GtS.

[0104] Additionally, in the first embodiment, if the number of lanes in the gate surrounding area GA is greater than the number of lanes in the entrance-side normal area S1 located in front of the gate surrounding area GA, the offset control is initiated after the host vehicle Am is moved to one of the lanes in the gate surrounding area GA. In this way, by controlling the host vehicle Am to align its traveling position with the gate Gt in front of the host vehicle, the occupant can understand that the offset control is not a system malfunction but a normal operation that causes the traveling position to deviate from the center. As a result, the occupant's anxiety caused by the implementation of the offset control is alleviated.

[0105] In the first embodiment, the travel speed set for the host vehicle Am is changed depending on whether or not offset control is performed in the gate peripheral area GA. As described above, the host vehicle Am can travel at an appropriate travel speed in the gate peripheral area GA depending on whether or not offset control is performed.

[0106] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, when offset control is performed in the gate peripheral area GA, the traveling speed of the host vehicle Am is set higher than when offset control is not performed. Therefore, the host vehicle Am travels faster than the vehicle Ao traveling parallel to the host vehicle Am in the adjacent lane, making it easier for the host vehicle Am to change lanes ahead of the vehicle Ao traveling parallel to the host vehicle Am. As a result, the host vehicle Am can be moved smoothly to the destination lane by effectively performing offset control.

[0107] In the above embodiment, the behavior judgment unit 63 corresponds to the "behavior control unit", the other vehicle grasping unit 73 corresponds to the "other vehicle detection unit", the road grasping unit 74 corresponds to the "information acquisition unit", the entry side normal area S1 corresponds to the "normal area", and the automatic driving ECU 50 corresponds to the "automatic driving control device".

[0108] Second Embodiment A second embodiment of the present disclosure is a modified example of the first embodiment. In the automated driving control using the gate passing process (see FIG. 16 ) of the second embodiment, the status of surrounding vehicles is checked between the deceleration state when passing through the gate Gt and the acceleration state after passing through the gate Gt, and the timing of the transition to the acceleration state is changed in accordance with the status of surrounding vehicles. Below, details of each of the multiple tollgate branch scenes (scenes 5 to 9) in which the vehicle travels through the gate surrounding area GA connected to the first branch road S2a and the second branch road S2b will be described based on FIGS. 11 to 15 and with reference to FIGS. 2 and 4.

[0109] <Scenes 5 and 6: Cut-in Wait Control After Passing Through Gate> In scene 5 shown in Fig. 11 , the second branched road S2b is set as the branched road for the host vehicle Am. Also, in scene 6 shown in Fig. 12 , the first branched road S2a is set as the branched road for the host vehicle Am. In the driving plans for scenes 5 and 6 shown in Figs. 11 and 12 , a lane connected to the left lane (driving lane) of the second branched road S2b or the first branched road S2a is set as the target lane LnT in accordance with the route information. After the host vehicle Am enters the gate surrounding area GA from the entry-side normal area S1, the behavior determination unit 63 performs a lane change to direct the host vehicle Am toward the target lane LnT so that the target lane LnT becomes the host vehicle lane LnS.

[0110] The other vehicle grasping unit 73 detects surrounding vehicles traveling around the host vehicle Am in the gate surrounding area GA. The surrounding vehicles include a parallel traveling vehicle Ao traveling in a lane other than the host vehicle lane LnS and a preceding vehicle Af traveling ahead (immediately before) the host vehicle Am (see FIG. 14 ). The other vehicle grasping unit 73 grasps the relative position and relative speed of the parallel traveling vehicle Ao traveling in an adjacent lane during a period before the host vehicle Am passes through the gate Gt while traveling in the gate pre-area GS1. The other vehicle grasping unit 73 continuously tracks the parallel traveling vehicle Ao in the gate pre-area GS1. As a result, even if the detection of the parallel traveling vehicle Ao is hindered by structures separating the gates Gt in the gate passing area GS2, the other vehicle grasping unit 73 can accurately estimate the relative position and relative speed of the parallel traveling vehicle Ao at the time of entering the gate post-area GS3 before entering the gate post-area GS3.

[0111] As described above, the behavior determination unit 63 controls the host vehicle Am to pass through the gate Gt of the target lane LnT while maintaining the deceleration state. The behavior determination unit 63 transitions the host vehicle Am, which has been in the deceleration state in order to pass through the gate Gt, to an acceleration state after passing through the gate Gt. The behavior determination unit 63 changes the timing at which the host vehicle Am transitions from the deceleration state to the acceleration state in accordance with the status of surrounding vehicles detected by the other vehicle recognition unit 73.

[0112] Specifically, in scenes 5 and 6, a parallel vehicle Ao traveling in an adjacent lane attempts to change lanes onto the planned entry route of the host vehicle Am. In this case, the other vehicle recognition unit 73 predicts that the parallel vehicle Ao traveling in the adjacent lane will change lanes into the host vehicle lane LnS. The other vehicle recognition unit 73 predicts that the parallel vehicle Ao will change lanes into the host vehicle lane LnS based on the blinking of the turn signal on the host vehicle lane LnS side and the detection of the behavior of a vehicle approaching the host vehicle lane LnS. The other vehicle recognition unit 73 may predict that the parallel vehicle Ao will change lanes into the host vehicle lane LnS through vehicle-to-vehicle communication with the parallel vehicle Ao.

[0113] When the other vehicle recognition unit 73 predicts that the parallel running vehicle Ao will change lanes ahead of the host vehicle Am, the behavior determination unit 63 continues the deceleration state of the host vehicle Am even after passing through the gate Gt and performs cut-in wait control to wait for the parallel running vehicle Ao to cut in. Furthermore, when the host vehicle Am gets too close to the parallel running vehicle Ao that has cut in to the host vehicle lane LnS, the other vehicle recognition unit 73 transitions the host vehicle Am from the deceleration state to a temporary stop state after passing through the gate Gt. As the cut-in wait control, the behavior determination unit 63 temporarily stops the host vehicle Am near the boundary between the gate passing area GS2 and the post-gate area GS3 and waits for the parallel running vehicle Ao that has cut in to the host vehicle lane LnS to pass. When the parallel running vehicle Ao has completed the lane change, the behavior determination unit 63 transitions the traveling state of the host vehicle Am from the deceleration state or the temporary stop state to an acceleration state so as to follow the parallel running vehicle Ao that has moved ahead of the host vehicle Am. The behavior determination unit 63 accelerates the host vehicle Am so as to maintain the inter-vehicle distance or inter-vehicle time with the other vehicle that has changed from the parallel traveling vehicle Ao to the preceding vehicle Af.

[0114] 13, the second branch road S2b is set as the branch destination for the host vehicle Am. In the driving plan for scene 7, the lane connected to the left lane of the second branch road S2b is set as the target lane LnT.

[0115] The behavior determination unit 63 attempts to change lanes from the host vehicle lane LnS to the target lane LnT in the pre-gate area GS1. However, a parallel vehicle Ao is present in the target lane LnT in the pre-gate area GS1. Therefore, the behavior determination unit 63 starts the blinking of the turn signal on the target lane LnT side and then starts offset control to shift the traveling position of the host vehicle Am toward the target lane LnT.

[0116] If the vehicle lane change cannot be completed before the gate Gt, the behavior determination unit 63 cancels the offset control before the vehicle enters the gate passing area GS2. The behavior determination unit 63 allows the vehicle Am to enter the gate Gt in front of the vehicle while continuing to travel in the vehicle lane LnS. If the other vehicle recognition unit 73 continues to detect the parallel vehicle Ao even after the vehicle passes through the gate Gt, the behavior determination unit 63 performs a passing wait control to transition the traveling state of the vehicle Am from a deceleration state to a temporary stop state. The behavior determination unit 63 temporarily stops the vehicle Am near the boundary between the gate passing area GS2 and the post-gate area GS3 and waits for the parallel vehicle Ao to pass. After confirming that the parallel vehicle Ao has passed, the behavior determination unit 63 performs a vehicle lane change to the target lane LnT and causes the vehicle Am to proceed from the target lane LnT to the left lane of the second branch road S2b.

[0117] 14 , the second branch road S2b is set as the destination of the host vehicle Am. In the driving plan for scene 8, the lane connected to the left lane of the second branch road S2b is set as the target lane LnT. After the host vehicle Am enters the gate surrounding area GA from the entry-side normal area S1, the behavior determination unit 63 directs the host vehicle Am toward the target lane LnT so that the target lane LnT becomes the host vehicle lane LnS.

[0118] In scene 8, a preceding vehicle Af traveling in the host vehicle lane LnS is traveling immediately before the host vehicle Am. When the preceding vehicle Af is present during a traveling period in the gate passage area GS2 (passing period through the gate Gt) when the host vehicle Am passes through the gate Gt, the behavior determination unit 63 causes the host vehicle Am to transition from a deceleration state to an acceleration state in accordance with the preceding vehicle Af. That is, when the preceding vehicle Af accelerates, the behavior determination unit 63 accelerates the host vehicle Am so that the inter-vehicle distance or inter-vehicle time from the host vehicle Am to the preceding vehicle Af is maintained.

[0119] When the host vehicle Am is caused to follow the preceding vehicle Af, the inter-vehicle distance or inter-vehicle time set in the post-gate area GS3 may be the same as or shorter than the inter-vehicle distance or inter-vehicle time set in the entry-side normal area S1 and the pre-gate area GS1. The preceding vehicle following control that causes the host vehicle Am to follow the preceding vehicle Af prevents the parallel running vehicle Ao from cutting into the host vehicle's lane LnS. The control that synchronizes the timing of transition to the acceleration state with that of the preceding vehicle Af may be performed only when the other vehicle recognition unit 73 has detected the parallel running vehicle Ao in the adjacent lane.

[0120] 15, the second branch road S2b is set as the destination of the host vehicle Am. In the driving plan for scene 9, the lane connected to the right lane of the second branch road S2b is set as the target lane LnT.

[0121] The behavior determination unit 63 attempts to change lanes to the target lane LnT in the pre-gate area GS1. However, because a parallel vehicle Ao is present in the target lane LnT in the pre-gate area GS1, the behavior determination unit 63 starts blinking of the turn signal on the target lane LnT side and then starts offset control toward the target lane LnT.

[0122] If the host vehicle Am cannot complete the lane change to the target lane LnT before the gate Gt, the behavior determination unit 63 cancels the offset control before the host vehicle Am enters the gate passing area GS2. The behavior determination unit 63 causes the host vehicle Am to enter the gate Gt in front of the host vehicle while continuing to travel in the host vehicle lane LnS. If the host vehicle Am does not reach the target lane LnT before entering the gate passing area GS2, the behavior determination unit 63 determines whether the host vehicle lane LnS is connected to any lane of the second branch road S2b. If the host vehicle lane LnS is not connected to any lane of the second branch road S2b, the host vehicle lane LnS disappears outside the gate surrounding area GA, and a parallel vehicle Ao continues to exist after passing through the gate Gt, the behavior determination unit 63 performs the passing wait control described above (see FIG. 13 ).

[0123] If the host vehicle lane LnS is connected to the lane of the second branch road S2b and a parallel vehicle Ao that is blocking the host vehicle Am from changing lanes is continuously detected, the behavior determination unit 63 resumes offset control toward the target lane LnT in the post-gate area GS3. If the behavior determination unit 63 determines that it is difficult to enter the target lane LnT, it starts flashing the turn signal for the target lane LnT and moves the traveling position of the host vehicle Am closer to the target lane LnT to make it easier to enter the target lane LnT. If the lane change to the target lane LnT is not completed in the post-gate area GS3, the behavior determination unit 63 performs a lane change to the target lane LnT when a space in the target lane LnT that allows the host vehicle Am to move is created in the target lane LnT after entering the post-gate area S2.

[0124] [Details of Gate Passage Processing] Next, details of the gate passage processing of the second embodiment will be described based on Figures 8 and 16, and with reference to Figures 1, 2, and 11 to 15. Note that steps S11 to S26 of the gate passage processing are substantially the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0125] In S27 of the gate passage processing shown in FIG. 16 , the behavior determination unit 63 determines whether the host vehicle Am is traveling in the target lane LnT in the post-gate area GS3. If the host vehicle Am is traveling in the target lane LnT (S27: YES), the other vehicle recognition unit 73 determines in S228 whether the parallel traveling vehicle Ao has changed lanes into the host vehicle's lane LnS, in other words, whether the parallel traveling vehicle Ao is about to cut in. If the other vehicle recognition unit 73 predicts that the parallel traveling vehicle Ao will cut in (S228: YES), the behavior determination unit 63 performs cut-in wait control to maintain the deceleration state or transition to a temporary stop state, thereby yielding space ahead of the host vehicle to the parallel traveling vehicle Ao that has started to cut in. Then, in S232, the behavior determination unit 63 starts follow-up control for the cutting-in vehicle that has become the leading vehicle Af.

[0126] On the other hand, if a parallel traveling vehicle Ao changing lanes toward the host vehicle lane LnS is not detected (S228: NO), the other vehicle recognition unit 73 determines whether or not there is a preceding vehicle Af in S230. If the other vehicle recognition unit 73 detects the preceding vehicle Af (S230: YES), the behavior determination unit 63 performs follow-up control for the preceding vehicle Af in S232. In S232, the host vehicle Am transitions to an acceleration state in accordance with the preceding vehicle Af.

[0127] On the other hand, if the preceding vehicle Af is not detected (S230: NO), the behavior determination unit 63 transitions the host vehicle Am from the deceleration state to the acceleration state at normal timing in S231. In this case, the host vehicle Am starts acceleration control at a point a predetermined distance from the gate Gt or when a predetermined time has elapsed since the host vehicle Am passed through the gate Gt.

[0128] If the host vehicle Am is not traveling in the target lane LnT (S27: NO), the behavior determination unit 63 determines in S28 whether an automated lane change toward the target lane LnT is possible. If an automated lane change is possible (S28: YES), the behavior determination unit 63 executes an automated lane change toward an adjacent lane in S29. Then, in S235, it is determined again whether the host vehicle Am is traveling in the target lane LnT. If the host vehicle Am is traveling in the target lane LnT (S235: YES), the gate passage process is terminated. On the other hand, if a further automated lane change is necessary to move to the target lane LnT (S235: NO), the behavior determination unit 63 repeats the processes of S27 to S29.

[0129] On the other hand, if the automated lane change cannot be performed (S28: NO), the behavior determination unit 63 determines in S233 whether the host vehicle lane LnS disappears outside the gate surrounding area GA. If the host vehicle lane LnS is a vanishing lane that disappears ahead (S233: YES), the behavior determination unit 63 performs passing wait control in S234 to wait for the parallel running vehicle Ao that is obstructing the lane change to pass. If the passing wait control causes the parallel running vehicle Ao to pass beside the host vehicle Am and the automated lane change to the adjacent lane becomes possible (S28: YES), the behavior determination unit 63 performs an automated lane change to the adjacent lane in S29.

[0130] On the other hand, if the host vehicle lane LnS is not a vanishing lane (S233: NO), the behavior determination unit 63 performs offset control in S31 to move the host vehicle Am closer to the target lane LnT. Furthermore, the behavior determination unit 63 determines in S32 whether the host vehicle Am has exited the gate surrounding area GA. If the host vehicle Am is traveling in the post-gate area GS3 (S32: NO), the behavior determination unit 63 repeats the processes of S28 to S31. If the host vehicle Am has exited the gate surrounding area GA (S32: YES), the gate passage process is terminated.

[0131] (Summary of Second Embodiment) In the second embodiment described so far, the same effect as in the first embodiment is achieved, and offset control is performed to bring the traveling position of the host vehicle Am closer to the target lane LnT. As a result, the host vehicle Am is more likely to move into the target lane LnT early by indicating to the parallel traveling vehicle Ao its intention to change lanes to head toward the target lane LnT.

[0132] Additionally, in the second embodiment, surrounding vehicles traveling around the host vehicle Am are detected in the gate surrounding area GA. Then, the timing at which the host vehicle Am, which has been decelerating in preparation for passing through the gate Gt, transitions to an accelerating state after passing through the gate Gt is changed depending on the status of the detected surrounding vehicles. In this way, by controlling the host vehicle Am to accelerate in accordance with the status of the surrounding vehicles, the host vehicle Am is less likely to be affected by the surrounding vehicles after passing through the gate Gt.

[0133] In the second embodiment, a parallel vehicle Ao traveling in a lane different from the host vehicle lane LnS (such as an adjacent lane) is detected as a nearby vehicle. When the parallel vehicle Ao is detected, the behavior determination unit 63 transitions the host vehicle Am from a deceleration state to a temporary stop state after passing through the gate Gt to wait for the parallel vehicle Ao to pass. This control allows the host vehicle Am to travel in line with the parallel vehicle Ao even when the parallel vehicle Ao is attempting to cut into the host vehicle lane LnS or when the parallel vehicle Ao is preventing the host vehicle Am from changing lanes in the target lane LnT. As a result, even when the gate surrounding area GA is relatively congested, the host vehicle Am can smoothly proceed from the post-gate area GS3 toward the branch roads S2a and S2b.

[0134] Furthermore, in the second embodiment, it is predicted that the parallel vehicle Ao traveling in the adjacent lane will change lanes into the host vehicle lane LnS. If it is predicted that the parallel vehicle Ao will change lanes ahead of the host vehicle Am, the host vehicle Am continues to decelerate even after passing through the gate Gt. This cut-in wait control allows the host vehicle Am to smoothly proceed from the post-gate area GS3 toward the branch roads S2a and S2b while yielding to the parallel vehicle Ao attempting to cut into the host vehicle lane LnS.

[0135] Additionally, in the second embodiment, a preceding vehicle Af traveling ahead of the host vehicle Am is detected as a nearby vehicle. If the preceding vehicle Af is detected during the period when the host vehicle Am passes through the gate Gt, the host vehicle Am transitions from a deceleration state to an acceleration state in accordance with the preceding vehicle Af. This preceding vehicle following control prevents the increase in the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle Am and the preceding vehicle Af. As a result, it becomes less likely that a vehicle Ao traveling parallel to the host vehicle from an adjacent lane on the left or right will cut in front of the host vehicle.

[0136] In the second embodiment, after passing through the gate Gt, if the host vehicle lane LnS is different from the target lane LnT and a parallel vehicle Ao is detected that is preventing the host vehicle Am from changing lanes toward the target lane LnT, offset control is performed. This offset control brings the host vehicle Am closer to the target lane LnT. As a result, even if the host vehicle Am cannot move into the target lane LnT in the gate peripheral area GA, the host vehicle Am can smoothly enter the intended lane in the post-passage normal area S2 after passing through the gate peripheral area GA.

[0137] (Other Embodiments) Although multiple embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure should not be construed as being limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be applied to various embodiments and combinations within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present disclosure.

[0138] In the above embodiment, the offset control is interrupted in the gate passing area GS2. In contrast, in Modification 1 of the above embodiment, the offset control is continued in the gate passing area GS2 with the offset amount relative to the lane center suppressed. As in Modification 1, the behavior determination unit 63 does not need to completely cancel the offset control that has been performed in the pre-gate area GS1 before entering the gate Gt.

[0139] In the second modification of the embodiment, when the vehicle is waiting to change lanes in the post-gate area GS3 before the first branch road S2a leading to the general road, the offset control toward the target lane LnT is performed. In the third modification of the embodiment, when the vehicle is waiting to change lanes in the post-gate area GS3 before the second branch road S2b leading to the expressway, the offset control toward the target lane LnT is stopped.

[0140] Furthermore, in the fourth modification of the above embodiment, even when the vehicle lane change is in a waiting state in the post-gate area GS3 just before the first branch road S2a leading to the general road, the offset control toward the target lane LnT is performed. The offset amount in the offset control performed in the post-gate area GS3 is set to be smaller (less) than the offset amount in the pre-gate area GS1.

[0141] In the fifth modification of the above embodiment, when a large vehicle AL is present in the target lane LnT, the offset control toward the target lane LnT is canceled, but the offset control in the direction away from the large vehicle AL (the opposite side) is not performed. Furthermore, in the sixth modification of the above embodiment, even when a large vehicle AL is present in the target lane LnT, the offset control toward the target lane LnT is continued with a reduced offset amount.

[0142] In the seventh modification of the above embodiment, offset control toward the evacuation area EA is not implemented. Furthermore, in the eighth modification of the above embodiment, the traveling speed during the offset control is adjusted according to the traveling speed of the parallel traveling vehicle Ao. For example, if the traveling speed of the parallel traveling vehicle Ao is higher than the traveling speed of the host vehicle Am, the behavior determination unit 63 adjusts the traveling speed of the host vehicle Am to decrease the traveling speed of the host vehicle Am, and moves the host vehicle Am into the space behind the parallel traveling vehicle Ao.

[0143] In the ninth modification of the above embodiment, offset control toward the side away from the manned booth SB is not performed. Furthermore, in the tenth modification of the above embodiment, the control to suppress the traveling speed at the manned gate GtS is also omitted. In addition, in the eleventh modification of the above embodiment, the process of aligning the traveling position of the host vehicle Am with the gate Gt in front of the host vehicle before starting the offset control is omitted. Therefore, in the eleventh modification, the offset control is started immediately after the host vehicle Am moves to the gate front area GS1.

[0144] In the above embodiment, offset control is performed at both the toll gates that are the entrances from the general roads to the expressway and the toll gates that are the exits from the expressway to the general road. In contrast, in the 12th modification of the above embodiment, offset control is performed only in the gate surrounding area GA that includes the toll gates that are the exits from the expressway to the general road.

[0145] In addition, in a modification 13 of the above embodiment, the execution of offset control in the pre-gate area GS1 in the tollgate surrounding area GA, which is the entrance from the general road to the expressway, is restricted (prohibited). Therefore, in the modification 13, the execution of offset control is permitted only in the post-gate area GS3 after passing through the gate Gt.

[0146] In a fourteenth modification of the above embodiment, the functions of the automatic driving ECU 50 and the HMI control device 100 are provided by a single integrated ECU. In this fourteenth modification, the integrated ECU corresponds to the "automatic driving control device." Furthermore, the automatic driving ECU 50 and the HMI control device 100 may cooperate to realize the functions of the automatic driving control device according to the present disclosure. In this embodiment, a system including the automatic driving ECU 50 and the HMI control device 100 corresponds to the "automatic driving control device."

[0147] In the above embodiment, each function provided by the autonomous driving ECU 50 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, each function 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 a neural network or language model trained using a large amount of learning data.

[0148] 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. Furthermore, the processing unit is not limited to being individually mounted on a printed circuit board. The processing unit may be mounted on an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system on chip (SoC), a chiplet integration, an FPGA, or the like.

[0149] 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.

[0150] Vehicles equipped with the above-described autonomous driving ECUs and the like are not limited to general private passenger cars (Personally Owned Vehicles, POVs). Vehicles equipped with these may also be rental cars, manned taxis, ride-sharing vehicles, freight vehicles, buses, etc. Furthermore, vehicles equipped with autonomous driving ECUs and the like may be right-hand drive vehicles or left-hand drive vehicles. 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 and information presentation 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.

[0151] 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.

[0152] (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.

[0153] (Technical Idea 1) An automatic driving control device that controls the driving of a host vehicle (Am), comprising: an information acquisition unit (74) that acquires road information of a gate peripheral area (GA) that includes a plurality of gates (Gt) present in the traveling direction of the host vehicle; and a behavior control unit (63) that generates a driving plan for the host vehicle that passes through the gate peripheral area in accordance with route information to a destination set for the host vehicle, wherein the behavior control unit sets, in the driving plan, a target lane (LnT) to which the host vehicle will move from among a plurality of lanes present in the gate peripheral area, and, when a host vehicle lane (LnS) in which the host vehicle is traveling in the gate peripheral area differs from the target lane, performs offset control to bring the driving position of the host vehicle within the host vehicle lane closer to the target lane. (Technical Idea 2) The automatic driving control device according to Technical Idea 1, wherein, when the offset control is being performed in front of the gate, the behavior control unit cancels the offset control that is being performed before the host vehicle enters the gate. (Technical Idea 3) The autonomous driving control device according to Technical Idea 1 or 2, wherein the behavior control unit limits implementation of the offset control after the host vehicle has passed through the gate if the road after passing through the gate is a connecting road that leads to a general road. (Technical Idea 4) The autonomous driving control device according to any one of Technical Ideas 1 to 3, further comprising: an other vehicle detection unit (73) that detects an approach of an emergency vehicle (Ae) to the host vehicle, wherein the information acquisition unit determines whether an evacuation area (EA) where the host vehicle can escape is present in the area surrounding the gate, and wherein the behavior control unit, when the approach of the emergency vehicle is detected in the area surrounding the gate and the evacuation area is present in the area surrounding the gate, implements the offset control to bring the traveling position of the host vehicle closer to the evacuation area. (Technical Idea 5) An automatic driving control device according to any one of Technical Ideas 1 to 4, further comprising an other vehicle detection unit (73) that determines whether a large vehicle (AL) larger than the subject vehicle is traveling in the target lane, and the behavior control unit restricts the implementation of the offset control to move closer to the target lane when the large vehicle is present in the target lane.(Technical Idea 6) The autonomous driving control device according to any one of Technical Ideas 1 to 5, wherein the information acquisition unit determines whether the gate through which the host vehicle plans to pass is a manned gate (GtS) equipped with a manned booth (SB), and the behavior control unit, when passing through the manned gate, performs the offset control in a direction away from the manned booth. (Technical Idea 7) The autonomous driving control device according to Technical Idea 6, wherein the behavior control unit sets a traveling speed of the host vehicle passing through the manned gate lower than the traveling speed when passing through an unmanned gate (GtN) without a manned booth. (Technical Idea 8) The autonomous driving control device according to any one of Technical Ideas 1 to 7, wherein, when the number of lanes in the gate peripheral area is greater than the number of lanes in a normal area (S1) on the near side of the gate peripheral area, the behavior control unit moves the host vehicle to one of the multiple lanes in the gate peripheral area and then starts the offset control. (Technical Idea 9) The autonomous driving control device according to any one of Technical Ideas 1 to 8, wherein the behavior control unit changes the traveling speed set for the host vehicle depending on whether or not the offset control is performed in the area around the gate. (Technical Idea 10) The autonomous driving control device according to Technical Idea 9, wherein the behavior control unit sets the traveling speed higher when the offset control is performed in the area around the gate than when the offset control is not performed. (Technical Idea 11) The autonomous driving control device according to any one of Technical Ideas 1 to 10, further comprising an other vehicle detection unit (73) that detects surrounding vehicles traveling around the host vehicle in the area around the gate, and wherein the behavior control unit changes the timing at which the host vehicle, which has been in a decelerating state in order to pass through the gate, transitions to an accelerating state after passing through the gate, depending on the status of the surrounding vehicles detected by the other vehicle detection unit. (Technical Idea 12) The automatic driving control device according to Technical Idea 11, wherein the other vehicle detection unit detects a parallel vehicle (Ao) traveling in a lane different from the host vehicle lane as the nearby vehicle, and the behavior control unit, when the parallel vehicle is detected by the other vehicle detection unit, transitions the host vehicle from the deceleration state to a temporary stop state after passing through the gate in order to wait for the parallel vehicle to pass.(Technical Idea 13) The autonomous driving control device according to Technical Idea 11, wherein the other vehicle detection unit predicts a lane change of a parallel traveling vehicle (Ao) traveling in a lane different from the host vehicle lane into the host vehicle lane, and the behavior control unit, when the other vehicle detection unit predicts a lane change of the parallel traveling vehicle ahead of the host vehicle, continues the deceleration state of the host vehicle even after passing through the gate. (Technical Idea 14) The autonomous driving control device according to any one of Technical Ideas 11 to 13, wherein the other vehicle detection unit detects a preceding vehicle (Af) traveling ahead of the host vehicle as the nearby vehicle, and when the preceding vehicle is detected by the other vehicle detection unit during passage through the gate, the behavior control unit transitions the host vehicle from the deceleration state to the acceleration state in accordance with the preceding vehicle. (Technical Idea 15) An automatic driving control device according to any one of Technical Ideas 11 to 14, further comprising an other vehicle detection unit (73) that detects surrounding vehicles traveling around the host vehicle in the area around the gate, wherein the behavior control unit performs the offset control to bring the host vehicle's traveling position closer to the target lane when, after passing through the gate, the host vehicle's lane is different from the target lane and the other vehicle detection unit detects a surrounding vehicle that is preventing the host vehicle from changing lanes toward the target lane. (Technical Idea 16) An autonomous driving control program for controlling the driving of a host vehicle (Am), the autonomous driving control program causing at least one processing unit (51) to execute processing including: acquiring road information of a gate surrounding area (GA) including a plurality of gates (Gt) present in the direction of travel of the host vehicle (Am) (S11); generating a driving plan for the host vehicle passing through the gate surrounding area in accordance with route information to a destination set for the host vehicle, and setting a target lane (LnT) to which the host vehicle will move in the driving plan from among a plurality of lanes present in the gate surrounding area (S12); and, if the host vehicle lane (LnS) in which the host vehicle is driving in the gate surrounding area differs from the target lane, performing offset control to bring the driving position of the host vehicle within the host vehicle lane closer to the target lane (S20, S31).

Claims

1. An automatic driving control device that controls the movement of the vehicle (Am), An information acquisition unit (74) acquires road information of the gate surrounding area (GA) including a plurality of gates (Gt) located in the direction of travel of the vehicle, The system includes a behavior control unit (63) that generates a driving plan for the vehicle to pass through the gate area according to route information to the destination set for the vehicle, The aforementioned behavior control unit, Multiple virtual lanes are set in the area surrounding the gates by extending the drivable area within the multiple gates. Among the aforementioned multiple lanes, the target lane (LnT) to which the vehicle will move is set in the driving plan. An automatic driving control device that, when the vehicle's lane (LnS) in the area surrounding the gate differs from the target lane, sets a virtual boundary line (LB) which is an extension of both edges of the drivable area within the gate located in front of the vehicle toward the vehicle, and performs offset control to bring the vehicle's position within the vehicle's lane closer to the target lane while avoiding crossing the boundary.

2. The automatic driving control device according to claim 1, wherein if the behavior control unit is performing the offset control on the side in front of the gate, the offset control being performed before entering the gate is released.

3. The automatic driving control device according to claim 1, wherein the behavior control unit restricts the implementation of the offset control after passing through the gate if the road after passing through the gate is a connecting road that leads to a public road.

4. The vehicle further includes an other vehicle detection unit (73) that detects the approach of an emergency vehicle (Ae) to the vehicle itself, The information acquisition unit determines whether or not there is an evacuation area (EA) in the area surrounding the gate where the vehicle can take refuge. The automatic driving control device according to claim 1, wherein the action control unit detects the approach of the emergency vehicle in the area surrounding the gate and the evacuation area exists in the area surrounding the gate, and performs offset control to bring the driving position of the vehicle closer to the evacuation area.

5. The system further includes an other vehicle detection unit (73) that determines whether a larger vehicle (AL) than the aforementioned vehicle is traveling in the target lane, The automatic driving control device according to claim 1, wherein the action control unit restricts the implementation of the offset control to bring the vehicle closer to the target lane when the large vehicle is present in the target lane.

6. The information acquisition unit determines whether the gate that the vehicle is scheduled to pass through is a manned gate (GtS) equipped with a manned booth (SB), The automatic driving control device according to claim 1, wherein the behavior control unit performs offset control in the direction away from the manned booth when passing through the manned gate.

7. The automatic driving control device according to claim 6, wherein the behavior control unit sets the driving speed of the vehicle passing through the manned gate to be lower than the driving speed when passing through an unmanned gate (GtN) where there is no manned booth.

8. The automatic driving control device according to claim 1, wherein if the number of lanes in the gate surrounding area is greater than the number of lanes in the normal area (S1) in front of the gate surrounding area, the action control unit moves the vehicle to one of the multiple lanes in the gate surrounding area and then starts the offset control.

9. The automatic driving control device according to claim 1, wherein the action control unit changes the driving speed set for the vehicle depending on whether or not to perform the offset control in the area surrounding the gate.

10. The automatic driving control device according to claim 9, wherein when the behavior control unit performs the offset control in the area surrounding the gate, the driving speed is set higher than when the offset control is not performed.

11. The system further includes an other vehicle detection unit (73) that detects surrounding vehicles traveling around the vehicle in the gate area, The automatic driving control device according to claim 1, wherein the behavior control unit changes the timing for transitioning the vehicle, which has been decelerated in order to pass through the gate, to an acceleration state after passing through the gate, according to the status of surrounding vehicles detected by the other vehicle detection unit.

12. The aforementioned other vehicle detection unit detects a parallel vehicle (Ao) traveling in a lane different from the vehicle's own lane as a surrounding vehicle, The automatic driving control device according to claim 11, wherein, when the other vehicle detection unit detects the parallel vehicle, the action control unit causes the vehicle to transition from the decelerating state to the temporary stop state after passing the gate in order to wait for the parallel vehicle to pass.

13. The aforementioned other vehicle detection unit predicts that a parallel vehicle (Ao) traveling in a lane different from the vehicle's lane will change lanes into the vehicle's lane. The automatic driving control device according to claim 11, wherein the behavior control unit, when it is inferred by the other vehicle detection unit that the parallel vehicle ahead of the vehicle is changing lanes, continues the deceleration state of the vehicle even after passing through the gate.

14. The aforementioned other vehicle detection unit detects a preceding vehicle (Af) traveling in front of its own vehicle as a surrounding vehicle, The automatic driving control device according to claim 11, wherein the behavior control unit, when the preceding vehicle is detected by the other vehicle detection unit during the gate passage period, causes the vehicle to transition from the deceleration state to the acceleration state in accordance with the preceding vehicle.

15. The system further includes an other vehicle detection unit (73) that detects surrounding vehicles traveling around the vehicle in the gate area, The automatic driving control device according to claim 1, wherein, after passing through the gate, if the vehicle's lane is different from the target lane and the other vehicle detection unit detects a surrounding vehicle that would obstruct the vehicle's lane change toward the target lane, the vehicle's behavior control unit performs the offset control to bring the vehicle's driving position closer to the target lane.

16. An automatic driving control method for controlling the movement of the vehicle (Am), The road information of the gate surrounding area (GA) including a plurality of gates (Gt) located in the direction of travel of the vehicle is acquired (S11), Multiple virtual lanes are set in the area surrounding the gates by extending the drivable area within the multiple gates. In accordance with the route information to the destination set for the vehicle, a driving plan for the vehicle passing through the area around the gate is generated, and in the driving plan, a target lane (LnT) is set among the multiple lanes to which the vehicle will move (S12). If the vehicle's lane (LnS) in the area surrounding the gate is different from the target lane, a virtual boundary line (LB) is set by extending both edges of the drivable area within the gate, located in front of the vehicle, toward the vehicle, and offset control is performed to bring the vehicle's position within the vehicle lane closer to the target lane without crossing the boundary (S20, S31). An automatic driving control method that includes the following step in a process performed in at least one processing unit (51).

17. An automatic driving control program for controlling the movement of the vehicle (Am), The road information of the gate surrounding area (GA) including a plurality of gates (Gt) located in the direction of travel of the vehicle is acquired (S11), Multiple virtual lanes are set in the area surrounding the gates by extending the drivable area within the multiple gates. In accordance with the route information to the destination set for the vehicle, a driving plan for the vehicle passing through the area around the gate is generated, and in the driving plan, a target lane (LnT) is set among the multiple lanes to which the vehicle will move (S12). If the vehicle's lane (LnS) in the area surrounding the gate is different from the target lane, a virtual boundary line (LB) is set by extending both edges of the drivable area within the gate, located in front of the vehicle, toward the vehicle, and offset control is performed to bring the vehicle's position within the vehicle lane closer to the target lane without crossing the boundary (S20, S31). An automatic driving control program that causes at least one processing unit (51) to perform a process including the above.