Vehicle control method, vehicle control device, and recording medium

Abstract

A vehicle control device (1) acquires at least one of surrounding environment information about the surrounding environment of a user of a vehicle that is located outside the vehicle and user information about the user, determines a type of directing control for operation of the vehicle on the basis of at least one of the surrounding environment information and the user information, and executes directing control in accordance with the determined type of directing control.

Description

Vehicle control method, vehicle control device and recording medium

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control method, a vehicle control device, and a recording medium.

[0002] A technology is known that recognizes movement instruction information from a guide instructing the vehicle on how to move from camera images acquired by an onboard camera, creates a driving plan based on the movement instruction information, and automatically drives the vehicle in accordance with the created driving plan (Patent Document 1).

[0003] Patent No. 6654118

[0004] However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 is a technology that causes a vehicle to travel based on movement instructions regarding driving operations given by a guide, and has the problem that it cannot provide users around the vehicle with a performance that is tailored to the user through the vehicle's movements.

[0005] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a vehicle control method, a vehicle control device, and a recording medium that can provide a user around the vehicle with a performance based on the vehicle's operation that is tailored to the user.

[0006] The present invention solves the above problem by acquiring at least one of ambient environment information regarding the surrounding environment of the vehicle user located outside the vehicle and user information regarding the user, determining a type of performance control that controls the performance due to the operation of the vehicle based on at least one of the ambient environment information and the user information, and executing the performance control according to the determined type of performance control.

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a user around the vehicle with a performance that uses vehicle movements tailored to the user.

[0008] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle control system including a vehicle control device 1 according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the types of performance control executed by the vehicle control method according to this embodiment. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the correspondence between user preferences and emotions and the types of performance control in this embodiment. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the processing flow of the vehicle control method executed by the vehicle control device according to this embodiment. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the processing flow of a determination method executed by the vehicle control device according to this embodiment to determine whether or not a performance is necessary.

[0009] An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a vehicle control system including a vehicle control device 1 according to this embodiment. The vehicle control system 100 of this embodiment includes the vehicle control device 1 and a mobile terminal 2. The vehicle control device 1 and the mobile terminal 2 exchange information with each other via a network that constitutes a telecommunications network. The vehicle control device 1 is an embodiment that implements a vehicle control method according to the present invention. The vehicle control device 1 is a device mounted on a vehicle and controls the operation of the vehicle. The vehicle control device 1 controls normal driving operations and performance control to provide performance to the user. The user is a vehicle user, and includes, for example, the vehicle owner, the owner's family, and acquaintances such as friends and colleagues. The performance is intended to deepen the relationship between the user and the vehicle by making the vehicle perform lively operations and to arouse the user's attachment to the vehicle. In response to a driving start signal from the user, the vehicle control device 1 drives the vehicle to the user's boarding position, and after the user boards, drives the vehicle to the user's destination (disembarkation position). In this embodiment, in a scene where the vehicle is approaching the user at the boarding position and / or a scene where the vehicle is moving away from the user at the disembarking position, the vehicle control device 1 controls the normal driving operation and also performs performance control to provide a performance to a user located outside the vehicle. In the following description, an example will be given in which the vehicle control device 1 performs performance control for a user who is waiting for the vehicle to arrive before boarding when the vehicle is approaching the user at the boarding position, but this embodiment is not limited to this. In a scene in which the vehicle is moving away from the user at the disembarking position, the vehicle control device 1 may also perform performance control for a user who has disembarked from the vehicle.

[0010] As shown in FIG. 1 , the vehicle control device 1 of this embodiment includes a sensor 11, a communication device 12, an in-vehicle device 13, a drive control device 14, and a controller 15. These devices are connected, for example, via a CAN (Controller Area Network) or other in-vehicle LAN, and can transmit and receive information to and from each other. The vehicle control device 1 acquires various information from the sensor 11 and the communication device. Based on the acquired information, the vehicle control device 1 determines the type of performance control to be executed for the user, and executes performance control according to the determined type. The performance control includes performance control using the in-vehicle device 13 and / or the drive control device 14.

[0011] The sensor 11 is a sensor for detecting various types of information. The sensor 11 detects the surrounding environment of the vehicle. The sensor 11 includes, for example, a camera that captures an image of the surrounding environment including the surrounding environment of the vehicle. Examples of the sensor 11 include a front camera that captures an image in front of the vehicle, side cameras that capture images of the left and right sides of the vehicle, and a rear camera that captures an image behind the vehicle.

[0012] The sensor 11 also includes a microphone that collects sounds around the vehicle. In this embodiment, the sensor 11 collects sounds emitted by the user. The sensor 11 may be configured to use one of the above-described multiple sensors, or may be configured to use a combination of two or more types of sensors. The detection result of the sensor 11 is output to the controller 15 at predetermined time intervals. In this embodiment, the sensor 11 detects ambient environment information related to the ambient environment including the user when the user is located around the vehicle, such as when the vehicle is approaching the user.

[0013] The communication device 12 transmits and receives information to and from the portable terminal 2 used by the user via a network. The communication device 12 receives a driving start signal from the user. The communication device 12 receives, from the portable terminal 2, the user's registration information and biometric information acquired by the portable terminal 2.

[0014] The on-vehicle devices 13 are various devices mounted on the vehicle and are operated by driver operations and control signals from the controller 15. Examples of such on-vehicle devices include a steering wheel, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, turn signals, drive equipment, wipers, lighting equipment, sound equipment, a horn, and other specific switches. The drive equipment is equipment related to the running of the vehicle, such as a suspension that controls the swaying of the vehicle body. The lighting equipment and sound equipment are installed on the exterior of the vehicle body. The lighting equipment includes headlights, mirror lights, and emblem lights. The sound equipment is an exterior speaker. When operated by the driver, the on-vehicle devices 13 output operation information to the controller 15.

[0015] In this embodiment, the in-vehicle devices 13 operate to provide a special effect to the user in addition to their normal operation. The in-vehicle devices 13 used for effect control include, for example, at least one of a suspension, an exterior speaker, lights, and wipers. These in-vehicle devices 13 operate to make the vehicle appear fun or to make the vehicle appear calm. An action that makes the vehicle appear fun is, for example, an action in which the degree of the effect is more spectacular than the degree of the effect of an action that makes the vehicle appear calm. The degree of the effect is determined by parameters such as the magnitude of the sway of the action, the volume, and the amount of light. For example, the suspension controls the sway of the vehicle body so that the vehicle sways while traveling. Specifically, the suspension controls the sway of the vehicle body so that the vehicle appears fun or to make the vehicle appear calm.

[0016] The exterior speakers output cheerful or calming sounds for dramatic effect. Cheerful sounds include sounds that make the vehicle appear to be driving cheerfully and the sound effect of the vehicle stopping. Calm sounds are sounds that can comfort a user who is in a sad state. Calm sounds may also be sounds at a volume that does not interfere with the conversation between users when they are having a conversation. The lights include headlights, mirror lights, and emblem lights. The lights may turn on in a cheerful or calm manner. The cheerful light behavior includes the headlights emitting a weak light and swaying in time with the sound from the exterior speakers. The mirror lights may also emit light, or the emblem lights may change color. Calm light behavior includes the light emitting an amount of light that does not interfere with the conversation between users. The wipers may perform a cheerful or calm swaying behavior. The performance control that operates the in-vehicle equipment 13 so that the vehicle looks fun, and the performance control that operates the in-vehicle equipment 13 so that the vehicle looks calm are examples of the "first performance control" and "second performance control" described in the claims, respectively.

[0017] The drive control device 14 controls the vehicle's running in various ways. For example, the drive control device 14 controls the operation of the drive mechanism (including the operation of the internal combustion engine in an engine vehicle, the operation of the traction motor in an electric vehicle, and the torque distribution between the internal combustion engine and the traction motor in a hybrid vehicle) and the brake operation so that the vehicle runs at a constant speed at a set speed using the autonomous speed control function. When the drive control device 14 receives a running start signal from the user, it controls the speed of the vehicle to run to the user's location. When performing performance control, the drive control device 14 causes the vehicle to run at a set speed that is slower than the set speed when performance control is not performed (during normal running). In this embodiment, slowing the vehicle's speed when performance control is performed allows the user to enjoy the performance. The drive control device 14 controls the vehicle's running using a control signal from the controller 15, which will be described later. Other known methods can also be used as the running control method used by the drive control device 14.

[0018] The controller 15 is a controller that executes vehicle control. The controller 15 is composed of a CPU 20 that executes a vehicle control program for executing vehicle control processing, a ROM 30 that stores the vehicle control program, and a RAM 40 that functions as an accessible storage device. The ROM 30 is an example of a "recording medium" as defined in the claims. The storage location of the vehicle control program is not limited to the ROM 30, and any computer-readable recording medium may be used, and the recording medium may be located inside or outside the vehicle control device 1.

[0019] The controller 15 includes, as functional blocks, an information acquisition unit 101 that acquires various information; an estimation unit 102 that estimates the user's preferences, situation, and emotions based on the acquired information; a determination unit 103 that determines the type of performance control of the vehicle's operation to be executed for the user based on the estimated user's preferences, situation, and emotions; a control unit 104 that executes the performance control based on the determined type of performance control; and a storage unit 105 that stores user information. These functions are realized by the CPU 20 executing a vehicle control program recorded in the ROM 30. That is, the vehicle control program causes the controller 15 to execute each process realized by the information acquisition unit 101, the estimation unit 102, the determination unit 103, the control unit 104, and the storage unit 105. Each functional block executes its function through cooperation between software and hardware. Note that the functional blocks of the controller 15 do not necessarily need to be divided into functional blocks as shown in FIG. 1 , and the number of functional blocks is not limited.

[0020] The information acquisition unit 101 executes an information acquisition process to acquire at least one of ambient environment information and user information. The ambient environment information includes information about the ambient environment, including a user located outside the vehicle. For example, the information acquisition unit 101 acquires ambient environment information including the user when the vehicle is located within a predetermined range from the user. The predetermined range is, for example, a detectable range of a sensor. The vehicle being located within the predetermined range from the user refers to, for example, a situation in which the vehicle is approaching the user before the user gets in or a situation in which the vehicle is moving away from the user after the user gets out. The information acquisition unit 101 acquires an ambient environment image including the user captured by the front camera, rear camera, and side camera of the sensor 11. The acquired image includes the user's face. The information acquisition unit 101 may perform image recognition processing on the image including the user's face to estimate the user's facial expression. The information acquisition unit 101 also acquires user voice information picked up by the microphone of the sensor 11. The user voice information includes, for example, the user's speech.

[0021] User information is information about the user. The information about the user includes, for example, the user's biometric information. The user's biometric information includes information about internal organs such as heart sounds and electrocardiograms. The information acquisition unit 101 acquires the user's biometric information from the mobile terminal 2 via the communication device 12. The information about the user also includes, for example, the user's registration information. The user's registration information includes information for identifying the user, such as a facial photograph of the user who is the owner. The user's registration information may also include attribute information of the user who is a passenger. The user's registration information may also include the user's preferences for performances.

[0022] In this embodiment, the information acquisition unit 101 starts the information acquisition process when it receives a driving start signal from the user. For example, the information acquisition unit 101 receives a driving start signal, such as a vehicle use request, from a communication application of the mobile terminal 2 via the communication device 12. The information acquisition unit 101 may also perform image recognition processing on an image of the user to estimate the user's behavior. The information acquisition unit 101 may receive the driving start signal when it estimates from the image that the user is making a gesture indicating a vehicle use request. The information acquisition unit 101 may also acquire voice information emitted by the user via a microphone to estimate the content of the user's speech. The information acquisition unit 101 receives the driving start signal when it estimates that the user is making a call including a vehicle use request. The driving start signal may also be transmitted when the vehicle approaches the user in manual driving mode. Note that, in this embodiment, the timing for executing the information acquisition process is not limited to when it receives a driving start signal. The information acquisition unit 101 may also execute the information acquisition process at regular intervals. The acquired information is stored in the storage unit 105.

[0023] The estimation unit 102 performs an estimation process to estimate the preferences, situation, and emotions of a user. The estimation unit 102 first estimates the number of users. The number may be one or more. For example, the estimation unit 102 estimates the number of users by performing image recognition processing on a surrounding environment image capturing the surrounding environment including the user. Next, the estimation unit 102 estimates user attributes. The user attributes include the vehicle owner, adults other than the owner, and children. Adults other than the owner include, for example, close friends of the opposite sex, superiors, and people. The user attributes may also be people who are seeing the car for the first time. The estimation unit 102 may estimate user attributes by performing image recognition processing on a surrounding environment image capturing the surrounding environment including the user, or may estimate user attributes based on attribute information included in the user's registration information. If there are multiple users, the attributes of each user are estimated.

[0024] The estimation unit 102 also estimates the user's preferences and emotions, as well as the relationship between users. The user's preferences are preferences for effects, including, for example, likes and dislikes of effects, and whether the user prefers flashy or subdued effects. The preference for effects also includes whether the user is bored with the effects. If the user is bored with the effects, the user's preference includes whether the user is bored with either flashy or subdued effects (for example, the effects that are always provided) or both. In this embodiment, the estimation unit 102 estimates the user's preferences based on the user's statements and facial expressions. For example, if the user makes a statement indicating that they are bored with the effects or looks disinterested in the effects, the estimation unit 102 estimates that the user is bored with the effects. If a user who previously said they liked the effects starts to react in a disinterested manner, the estimation unit 102 estimates that the user is bored with the effects that are always provided. Furthermore, if the user previously liked one of the presentations but now dislikes both, the estimation unit 102 estimates that the user is tired of both presentations.

[0025] The user's emotions include a normal state, a happy state, a happy state, a sad state, an angry state, and a hurry state. The estimation unit 102 estimates the user's emotions based on the user's biometric information. The correspondence between the user's biometric information and the user's emotions is grasped in advance through experiments or the like. The estimation unit 102 may also estimate a relationship between users. For example, the relationship between users includes whether the user is with a child, whether the users are having a conversation, etc.

[0026] The determination unit 103 executes a determination process to determine a type of performance control of the vehicle operation to be executed for the user based on at least one of the acquired ambient environment information and user information. Specifically, the determination unit 103 determines the type of performance control based on at least one of the user's preferences, situation, and emotions. The user's preferences, situation, and emotions are estimated by the estimation unit 102 based on at least one of the ambient environment information and the user information. Note that, in the present embodiment, the user's preferences, situation, and emotions are estimated to determine the type of performance control, but this is not limited thereto as long as the type of performance control is determined based on at least one of the ambient environment information and the user information. In other words, estimating the user's preferences, situation, and emotions is not a required configuration.

[0027] First, the determination unit 103 determines whether or not the user needs a performance. If the user does not like a performance according to the user's preferences, the determination unit 103 determines that the user does not need a performance. Furthermore, if the user is angry or in a hurry according to the user's emotions, the determination unit 103 determines that the user does not need a performance. If the determination unit 103 determines that the user needs a performance, it determines a priority user from among the users. The priority user is a user to whom a performance is preferentially provided when there are multiple users. The priority user is determined based on the user's attributes. Priorities are assigned to the user attributes in advance. The determination unit 103 determines the user with the highest priority attribute from among the multiple users as the priority user. The attributes with the highest priority are, in descending order of priority, a child, a person seeing the car for the first time, the owner of the vehicle, and an adult other than the owner of the vehicle. In this embodiment, a priority user is determined and the type of performance control is determined according to the preferences and emotions of the priority user, but determining the priority user is not a required configuration and may be included in the configuration as appropriate as needed.

[0028] After determining the priority user, the determination unit 103 determines the type of performance control according to the preferences and emotions of the priority user estimated by the estimation unit 102. There are, for example, multiple types of performance control (e.g., five types). Specific examples of the types of performance control are shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing types of performance control executed by the vehicle control method according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 lists performance controls with performance names A, B, C, D, and E. Each performance control is associated with a driving type and a vehicle performance method when the performance control is executed. The driving type includes automatic driving and / or manual driving. The vehicle performance method includes, for example, methods using vehicle behavior, speed, sound, and operation by vehicle parts. The control of vehicle behavior is control limited to automatic driving. The vehicle behavior includes swaying of the vehicle body due to the suspension. Performance control for performance A includes control of driving the vehicle with normal vehicle behavior without any performance. For example, the normal vehicle behavior is driving control of driving the vehicle to the user's location. The effect control of effect A includes control of the vehicle to travel at a normal speed. In addition, the effect control of effect A does not execute sound effects or effects using lights and wipers.

[0029] The effect control of effects B and C is a control executed during automatic driving. The effect control of effect B executes an effect with a high degree of flashiness. For example, the effect control of effect B includes control of causing the vehicle to drive while swaying in a fun-looking manner. The effect control of effect B also includes control of causing the vehicle to drive at a speed (slower than the normal speed) that allows the user to enjoy the effect. The effect control of effect B includes control of outputting fun-sounding sounds, control of turning on the lights in a fun-looking manner, and control of causing the wipers to sway in a fun-looking manner. The effect control of effect C also executes an effect that is less flashy than the flashiness of effect B. For example, the effect control of effect C includes control of causing the vehicle to drive while swaying more subtly than the effect control of effect B. In other words, the degree of swaying in effect control of effect C is smaller than the degree of swaying in effect control of effect B. The effect control of effect C also executes the effect at a speed (slower than the normal speed) that allows the user to enjoy the effect. The performance control of performance C includes control to output a calming sound and control to turn on the light with a calming action.

[0030] The effect control of effects D and E is a control executed during manual driving. The effect control of effect D includes control to output a fun sound, control to turn on the lights with a fun-looking movement, and control to make the wipers sway in a fun-looking movement. The effect control of effect E includes control to output a calming sound and control to turn on the lights with a calming movement. In this embodiment, specific aspects such as the fun-looking movement of the vehicle body and wipers, the fun-looking movement of the lights, the fun-looking sound, and the calming sound are stored in advance. For example, based on the results of evaluating the impression that specific aspects of each effect method give to users through experiments, etc., specific aspects of effect methods that have been evaluated as "fun" and "calm" are stored.

[0031] Next, a specific example of a method for determining the type of performance control based on the preference and current emotion of the priority user will be described with reference to FIG. 3 . FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the correspondence between the user's preference and emotion and the type of performance control in this embodiment. In FIG. 3 , combinations of user preference, boredom, and emotion are associated with the type of performance corresponding to each combination. The user's preference includes "prefers flashy performances (a1)" and "prefers subdued performances (a2)." The user's boredom includes "not bored with the performances (b1)," "bored with the usual performances (b2)," and "bored with both performances (b3)." The user's emotion includes "normal state (c1)," "enjoyed, happy state (c2)," and "sad state (c3)." The determination unit 103 identifies which combination the user belongs to based on the user's preference and emotion estimated by the estimation unit 102, and determines the type of performance control corresponding to the identified combination as the type of performance control to be executed on the user. Furthermore, the type of effect control is determined depending on whether the vehicle is being driven automatically or manually. For example, if the preference is "prefers flashy effects (a1)," the boredom is "not bored with effects (b1)," and the emotion is "normal state (c1)," the determination unit 103 determines effect name B or effect name C as the type of effect control. In this case, if the vehicle is being driven automatically, the type of effect control is determined to be effect B, and if the vehicle is being driven manually, the type of effect control is determined to be effect C.

[0032] The determination unit 103 selects a type of effect that matches the user's preference. For example, for a person (a1) who prefers flashy effects, the determination unit 103 determines the effect control to be effect B and D. For a person (a2) who prefers calm effects, the determination unit 103 determines the effect control to be effect C and E. Furthermore, when the priority user is in a sad state (c3), the determination unit 103 selects calm effects (effects C and E). When the user becomes bored with one of the effects, the determination unit 103 changes the type of effect control to be executed. When a person who prefers flashy effects becomes bored (b2), the determination unit 103 changes to calm effects (effects C and E). When a person who prefers calm effects becomes bored (b2), the determination unit 103 changes to flashy effects (effects B and D). Furthermore, the determination unit 103 may not change the effect depending on the user's emotions, even if the user becomes bored. For example, if the user is happy even if the user is tired of flashy effects (b2, c2), the determination unit 103 selects flashy effects. If the user is sad even if the user is tired of calm effects (b2, c3), the determination unit 103 selects calm effects (effects C and E). If the user is tired of both effects (b3), the determination unit 103 runs the vehicle without any effects (effect A).

[0033] In this embodiment, the determination unit 103 may determine the type of performance control depending on the user's situation. For example, the user's situation may include when the user is with a child, when the user is having a conversation with another user, when the user is alone, etc. The determination unit 103 may also determine the type of performance control depending on a combination of the user's preferences, situation, and emotions, or may determine the type of performance control depending on at least one of three determination factors.

[0034] The control unit 104 executes the performance control according to the determined type of performance control when the vehicle approaches or moves away from the user. Specifically, the control unit 104 outputs a control signal to the in-vehicle device 13 and / or the drive control device 14 so as to operate in the performance method determined by the type of performance control. Furthermore, when there is at least one user in a predetermined state, the control unit 104 prohibits the execution of the performance control and causes the vehicle to travel to the user's location without any performance. The predetermined state is at least one of a state of being in a hurry, a state of being angry, and a state of disliking the performance control.

[0035] The storage unit 105 stores the acquired user information when the information acquisition unit 101 acquires the user information for a certain period of time. The user information stored by the storage unit 105 includes the content of past comments made by the user. The stored user information is used to estimate the user's preferences.

[0036] The mobile terminal 2 is a terminal device used by the user. The mobile terminal 2 is a portable mobile terminal such as a mobile phone or tablet terminal used by the user. The mobile terminal 2 is equipped with a vehicle dispatch application and a communication application capable of communicating with the vehicle. The user inputs registration information such as user attribute information into the mobile terminal 2 via the dispatch application. The mobile terminal 2 is a so-called wearable device and may be equipped with a sensor that detects the user's biometric information. When the user inputs an instruction to start driving the vehicle, the mobile terminal 2 transmits a driving start signal to the vehicle's communication device 12. The mobile terminal 2 also transmits the user's registration information and biometric information to the vehicle's communication device 12.

[0037] Next, an example of a vehicle control method executed by the vehicle control device according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the processing flow of the vehicle control method executed by the vehicle control device according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, when a driving start signal is transmitted from the user, the controller 15 starts the flow from step S101.

[0038] In step S101, the controller 15 receives a driving start signal from the user. In step S102, the controller 15 determines whether or not the user requires a performance. If it is determined that the user requires a performance, the controller 15 proceeds to step S103. If it is determined that the user does not require a performance, the controller 15 proceeds to step S107. In step S103, the controller 15 determines a priority user. For example, the controller 15 determines the owner of the vehicle as the priority user. In step S104, the controller 15 estimates the preferences and current emotions of the priority user. In step S105, the controller 15 determines a type of performance control for the vehicle. In step S106, the controller 15 executes performance control according to the determined type of performance control. The vehicle drives to the user's location while executing the performance control. In step S106, the controller 15 drives the vehicle to the user's location without any performance.

[0039] Next, an example of a determination method for determining whether or not a performance is required, which is executed by the vehicle control device according to this embodiment, will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the processing flow of the determination method for determining whether or not a performance is required, which is executed by the vehicle control device according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, after step S101 shown in Fig. 4, the controller 15 starts the flow from step S201. That is, the determination method of Fig. 5 is an example of the determination processing method in step S102 described in Fig. 4.

[0040] In step S201, the controller 15 determines whether or not any of the users dislikes the presentation. For example, if there is a user who has a preference for disliking presentation, the controller 15 determines that there is a user who dislikes presentation. If it is determined that there is a user who dislikes presentation, the controller 15 returns to step S107 shown in FIG. 4. If it is determined that there is no user who dislikes presentation, the controller 15 proceeds to step S202. In step S202, the controller 15 determines whether or not any of the users is in a hurry, in accordance with the user's emotions. If it is determined that there is a user who is in a hurry, the controller 15 returns to step S107 shown in FIG. 4. If it is determined that there is no user who is in a hurry, the controller 15 proceeds to step S203. In step S203, the controller 15 determines whether or not any of the users is angry, in accordance with the user's emotions. If it is determined that there is an angry user, the controller 15 returns to step S107 shown in FIG. 4. If it is determined that no user is angry, the controller 15 returns to step S103 shown in FIG.

[0041] As described above, in the vehicle control method, vehicle control device, and recording medium according to this embodiment, the controller acquires at least one of ambient environment information about the ambient environment, including the user of the vehicle, located outside the vehicle, and user information about the user, determines a type of performance control of the vehicle's operation to be executed for the user based on at least one of the acquired ambient environment information and user information, and executes performance control according to the determined type of performance control when the vehicle approaches or moves away from the user. This makes it possible to provide users around the vehicle with performances based on the vehicle's operation that are tailored to the user.

[0042] In the vehicle control method, vehicle control device, and recording medium according to the present embodiment, the performance control includes control of at least one of lighting devices installed on the exterior of the vehicle body, audio devices installed on the exterior of the vehicle body, drive devices related to vehicle running, and wipers, thereby making it possible to provide the user with performances using various on-board devices of the vehicle.

[0043] In the vehicle control method, vehicle control device, and recording medium according to the present embodiment, the types of performance control include a plurality of types corresponding to combinations of the user's preferences, situations, and emotions, thereby making it possible to provide the user with performances that match the user's preferences, situations, and emotions.

[0044] In the vehicle control method, vehicle control device, and recording medium according to this embodiment, the types of performance control include first performance control and second performance control, and the degree of flashiness of the performance by the first performance control is greater than the degree of flashiness of the performance by the second performance control. This allows the degree of flashiness of the performance to be changed to suit the user.

[0045] Furthermore, in the vehicle control method, vehicle control device, and recording medium according to this embodiment, the controller prohibits the execution of performance control when there is at least one user in a predetermined state, the predetermined state being at least one of a state of being in a hurry, a state of being angry, and a state of disliking performance control, thereby preventing performance from being provided to users who do not need it.

[0046] In the vehicle control method, vehicle control device, and recording medium according to this embodiment, the controller acquires user information for a certain period of time, stores the acquired user information, estimates the user's preferences for performance control based on the stored user information, and determines the type of performance control according to the preferences. This allows the user to be provided with performances that match their preferences.

[0047] In the vehicle control method, vehicle control device, and recording medium according to the present embodiment, the controller acquires biometric information of the user as user information, estimates the user's emotions based on the acquired biometric information, and determines the type of performance control according to the estimated emotions, thereby providing the user with performances that match the user's emotions.

[0048] Furthermore, in the vehicle control method, vehicle control device, and recording medium according to this embodiment, when there are multiple users, the controller estimates the attributes of each of the multiple users based on at least one of the surrounding environment information and the user information, determines a priority user among the multiple users to whom performances will be preferentially provided based on the attributes of each of the multiple users, and determines the type of performance control to be executed for the determined priority user. In this way, when there are multiple users, performances tailored to a specific user can be provided.

[0049] In the vehicle control method, vehicle control device, and recording medium according to this embodiment, the controller stores user information of the priority user acquired over a certain period of time, estimates the preference of the priority user for performance control based on the stored user information of the priority user, and determines the type of performance control according to the preference. This makes it possible to provide performances that match the preference of a specific user when there are multiple users.

[0050] In addition, in the vehicle control method, vehicle control device, and recording medium according to the present embodiment, the controller estimates the emotion of the priority user based on the priority user's biometric information and determines the method of performance control according to the emotion. This makes it possible to provide performance tailored to the emotion of a specific user when there are multiple users.

[0051] Furthermore, the recording medium according to this embodiment is a recording medium on which a vehicle control program executed by a controller is recorded, and the vehicle control program causes the controller to execute processing including the steps of: acquiring ambient environment information regarding the ambient environment, including the user of the vehicle, located outside the vehicle, and user information regarding the user; determining a type of performance control of the vehicle's operation to be executed for the user based on the acquired ambient environment information and / or user information; and executing performance control according to the determined type of performance control when the vehicle approaches or moves away from the user. This allows the user around the vehicle to be provided with a performance based on the vehicle's operation that is tailored to the user.

[0052] It should be noted that the above-described embodiments have been described to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Therefore, each element disclosed in the above embodiments is intended to include all design modifications and equivalents that fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0053] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 vehicle control system 1 vehicle control device 2 mobile terminal 11 sensor 12 communication device 13 in-vehicle equipment 14 drive control device 15 controller 20 CPU 30 ROM 40 RAM 101 information acquisition unit 102 estimation unit 103 determination unit 104 control unit 105 storage unit

Claims

1. A vehicle control method executed by a controller, wherein the controller acquires at least one of ambient environment information regarding the surrounding environment including the user of the vehicle located outside the vehicle, and user information regarding the user, determines a type of performance control of the vehicle's operation to be executed for the user based on at least one of the acquired ambient environment information and user information, and executes the performance control according to the determined type of performance control when the vehicle approaches or moves away from the user.

2. A vehicle control method as described in claim 1, wherein the performance control includes control of at least one of lighting equipment installed on the exterior body of the vehicle, audio equipment installed on the exterior body of the vehicle, drive equipment related to the running of the vehicle, and windshield wipers.

3. A vehicle control method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the types of performance control include a plurality of types corresponding to combinations of the user's preferences, situations, and emotions.

4. A vehicle control method as described in claim 3, wherein the types of presentation control include first presentation control and second presentation control, and the degree of flashiness of the presentation by the first presentation control is greater than the degree of flashiness of the presentation by the second presentation control.

5. A vehicle control method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the controller prohibits the execution of the performance control when there is at least one of the users in a predetermined state, and the predetermined state is at least one of a state of being in a hurry, a state of being angry, and a state of disliking the performance control.

6. A vehicle control method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the controller acquires the user information for a certain period of time, stores the acquired user information, estimates the user's preferences for the performance control based on the stored user information, and determines the type of performance control in accordance with the preferences.

7. A vehicle control method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the controller: acquires biometric information of the user as the user information; estimates the user's emotions based on the acquired biometric information; and determines the type of performance control according to the estimated emotions.

8. A vehicle control method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the controller, when there are a plurality of users, estimates the attributes of each of the plurality of users based on at least one of the surrounding environment information and the user information, determines a priority user among the plurality of users to whom performance will be preferentially provided based on the attributes of each of the plurality of users, and determines the type of performance control to be executed for the determined priority user.

9. A vehicle control method as described in claim 8, wherein the controller stores the user information of the priority user acquired over a certain period of time, estimates the priority user's preferences for the performance control based on the stored user information of the priority user, and determines the type of performance control in accordance with the preferences.

10. A vehicle control method as claimed in claim 8 or 9, wherein the controller estimates the emotion of the priority user based on the biometric information of the priority user, and determines the method of performance control in accordance with the emotion.

11. A vehicle control device having a controller, wherein the controller acquires at least one of ambient environment information regarding the surrounding environment including the user of the vehicle located outside the vehicle and user information regarding the user, determines a type of performance control of the vehicle's operation to be executed for the user based on at least one of the acquired ambient environment information and user information, and executes the performance control according to the determined type of performance control when the vehicle approaches or moves away from the user.

12. A recording medium on which a vehicle control program executed by a controller is recorded, the vehicle control program causing the controller to execute processes including the steps of: acquiring at least one of ambient environment information regarding the surrounding environment, including the user of the vehicle, located outside the vehicle, and user information regarding the user; determining a type of performance control of the vehicle's operation to be executed for the user based on at least one of the acquired ambient environment information and user information; and executing the performance control according to the determined type of performance control when the vehicle approaches or moves away from the user.

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