Vehicle management device and vehicle management method

Abstract

When transitioning to an automatic emergency avoidance steering mode, this vehicle management device notifies the driver not to touch the steering wheel, and notifies the driver of an urgency level. The vehicle management device comprises a control unit that manages a vehicle which is operated in an automated driving mode with a driver on board, and in which a steering wheel is operated automatically. The control unit includes: an external environment recognizing unit that recognizes the external environment of the vehicle; an emergency avoidance determining unit that determines whether or not the vehicle needs to implement emergency avoidance on the basis of information relating to an obstacle in front of the vehicle, acquired by the external environment recognizing unit; and a steering vibration unit that vibrates the steering wheel to prompt the driver to release their hands from the steering wheel if the emergency avoidance determining unit determines that the vehicle needs to implement emergency avoidance. The steering vibration unit varies the way in which the steering wheel vibrates depending on the urgency level of the avoidance to be implemented by operating the steering wheel.

Description

Vehicle management device and vehicle management method

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle management device and a vehicle management method.

[0002] Patent Document 1 below discloses a technique for notifying a driver to avoid touching the steering wheel when shifting to an automatic emergency avoidance steering mode for avoiding an obstacle by controlling an electric power steering device. This notification includes vibratory notification that gives vibration to the steering wheel, or visual or auditory notification to the driver.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-192917

[0004] By the way, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 above, when shifting to the automatic emergency avoidance steering mode, it is possible to notify the driver not to touch the steering wheel, but it is not possible to notify the degree of emergency at the same time.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle management device and a vehicle management method capable of notifying a driver not to touch the steering wheel and notifying the degree of emergency when shifting to an automatic emergency avoidance steering mode.

[0006] A vehicle management device according to an aspect of the present disclosure is a vehicle management device including a control unit that manages a vehicle in which a driver rides and is operated in an automatic driving mode with the steering wheel automatically operated. The control unit includes an external recognition unit that recognizes the outside of the vehicle, an emergency avoidance determination unit that determines whether emergency avoidance of the vehicle is necessary based on information about an obstacle in front of the vehicle acquired by the external recognition unit, and a steering vibration unit that vibrates the steering wheel to prompt the driver to release their hand from the steering wheel when the emergency avoidance determination unit determines that emergency avoidance of the vehicle is necessary. The steering vibration unit varies the way of vibrating the steering wheel according to the degree of emergency of operating the steering wheel to avoid.

[0007] Furthermore, one aspect of the present disclosure is a vehicle management method in which a control unit manages a vehicle that is driven by a driver in an automatic driving mode and whose steering wheel is operated automatically, wherein the control unit obtains information about obstacles in front of the vehicle from an external environment recognition unit that recognizes the outside world of the vehicle, determines whether emergency avoidance of the vehicle is necessary based on the information about obstacles in front of the vehicle, and if it is determined that emergency avoidance of the vehicle is necessary, prompts the driver to take their hands off the steering wheel by vibrating the steering wheel, and the way in which the steering wheel is vibrated to prompt the driver to take their hands off the steering wheel varies depending on the urgency of the avoidance required by operating the steering wheel.

[0008] According to this disclosure, it is possible to provide a vehicle management device and a vehicle management method that can notify the driver not to touch the steering wheel when transitioning to automatic emergency avoidance steering mode, and also notify the degree of urgency.

[0009] This figure illustrates an example of the schematic configuration of a vehicle management system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This figure illustrates an example of the contents of the emergency level table shown in Figure 1. This figure shows the temporal change in emergency level and steering wheel vibration calculated by the steering vibration device in this first embodiment. This flowchart shows the flow of driver assistance control in the vehicle management system of the first embodiment. This figure shows an example of the contents of the emergency level table of a vehicle management system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. This figure shows the temporal change in emergency level and steering wheel vibration calculated by the steering vibration device according to the second embodiment. This figure shows an example of the contents of the emergency level table of a vehicle management system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. This figure shows the temporal change in emergency level and steering wheel vibration calculated by the steering vibration device according to the third embodiment. This figure shows an example of the contents of the emergency level table of a vehicle management system according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. This figure shows the temporal change in emergency level and steering wheel vibration calculated by the steering vibration device according to the fourth embodiment.

[0010] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiments described below are merely illustrative, and there is no intention to exclude various modifications or applications of techniques not explicitly stated below. The present invention can be implemented by various modifications (for example, by combining each embodiment) without departing from its spirit. In addition, in the following drawings, identical or similar parts are denoted by identical or similar reference numerals.

[0011] <First Embodiment> Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a vehicle management system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle management system 100 according to this first embodiment is mounted on a vehicle powered by an engine 1. The vehicle management system 100 according to this first embodiment also includes an external environment recognition device 2 (an example of an external environment recognition unit), a vehicle behavior detection device 3, a vehicle control controller 4 (an example of a control unit), a steering control device 5, a steering torque detection device 6, an electric power steering device 7, an engine control device 8, a brake control device 9, a brake system 10, and a notification unit 11.

[0012] The external environment recognition device 2, the vehicle behavior detection device 3, the steering control device 5, the engine control device 8, the brake control device 9, and the notification unit 11 are connected to the vehicle control controller 4, for example, by a CAN (Controller Area Network) or other in-vehicle LAN. The steering control device 5 is connected to the steering torque detection device 6 and the electric power steering device 7. The engine control device 8 is connected to the engine 1. The brake control device 9 is connected to the brake system 10.

[0013] The external environment recognition device 2 acquires external environment information such as the surrounding environment of the vehicle (road shape, white lines, etc.) and the current position of the vehicle from cameras, laser radar, GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receivers and map databases mounted on the vehicle. The vehicle behavior detection device 3 detects the behavior of the vehicle from various signals such as a steering angle sensor that detects the steering angle of the front wheels, a vehicle speed sensor that detects the vehicle speed, a lateral G sensor that detects lateral gravity G, a yaw rate sensor that detects the yaw rate, and turn signals. The vehicle control controller 4 executes driver assistance control when predetermined driver assistance start conditions are met, including the driver's selection of driver assistance (for example, turning on the driver assistance selection button).

[0014] During driver assistance control, the vehicle control controller 4 performs steering control and vehicle speed control so that the vehicle automatically drives according to the target driving path. Specifically, during driver assistance control, the vehicle control controller 4 calculates the target steering angle of the front wheels in steering control and the target vehicle speed in vehicle speed control based on the surrounding environment and the behavior of the vehicle.

[0015] The steering control device 5 drives the electric power steering device 7 so that the steering angle of the front wheels detected by the steering torque detection device 6 becomes the target steering angle. The engine control device 8 drives the engine 1 so that the vehicle speed becomes the target vehicle speed. The brake control device 9 drives the brake system 10 so that the vehicle speed becomes the target vehicle speed.

[0016] The vehicle management system 100 includes a steering vibration device 12 (an example of a steering vibration unit) as a notification unit 11 that notifies the driver. The steering vibration device 12 vibrates the steering wheel to provide various warnings.

[0017] In this first embodiment, the vehicle control controller 4 has an emergency avoidance determination unit 41. If the emergency avoidance determination unit 41 determines during driver assistance control that there is a possibility of collision with an obstacle ahead and that the collision cannot be avoided by the driver's evasive steering, it switches to automatic emergency avoidance steering mode. In automatic emergency avoidance steering mode, it finds escape zones on either side of the obstacle where there are no oncoming or following vehicles, sets a target driving path to guide the vehicle towards the escape zone, and drives the electric power steering device 7 so that the vehicle automatically drives along the target driving path.

[0018] In conventional steering systems, the steering wheel and the front wheels are mechanically connected. Therefore, if the driver is touching the steering wheel when the automatic emergency steering is performed, the steering of the front wheels driven by the electric power steering system 7 is obstructed by the driver. In this case, the steering angle required to achieve the target driving path cannot be obtained, which may hinder obstacle avoidance. Furthermore, if the steering angle of the front wheels changes abruptly due to the automatic emergency steering, the steering wheel rotates at a relatively high speed, which may cause the driver's arm to become entangled in the steering wheel or the driver's fingers to come into violent contact with the steering spokes.

[0019] Therefore, in this first embodiment, when the emergency avoidance determination unit 41 determines that emergency avoidance of the vehicle is necessary, the steering vibration device 12, under the control of the vehicle control controller 4, vibrates the steering wheel to prompt the driver to take their hands off the steering wheel, and also informs the driver of the urgency of the need to operate the steering wheel to avoid the situation through vibration. The notification unit 11 in this first embodiment is provided with an urgency level table 13. As shown in Figure 2, the urgency level table 13 stores data representing the correspondence between the urgency level and the amplitude value that vibrates the steering wheel. In Figure 2, urgency level Xb is higher than urgency level Xa, and urgency level Xc is higher than urgency level Xb. Also, amplitude value Ab is greater than amplitude value Aa, and amplitude value Ac is greater than amplitude value Ab.

[0020] The steering vibration device 12 calculates the degree of urgency to operate the steering wheel to avoid an obstacle, based on information output from the vehicle control controller 4 and acquired by the external environment recognition device 2. The degree of urgency is determined by the following equation 1: Degree of urgency = Relative speed to the obstacle to avoid / Distance to the obstacle to avoid (Equation 1)

[0021] The steering vibration device 12 then refers to the urgency level table 13 and adjusts the way it vibrates the steering wheel according to the calculated urgency level.

[0022] (Driving support control method of the vehicle management system) In the vehicle management system 100 of this first embodiment, with the aim of solving the above problems, the vehicle control controller 4 and the steering vibration device 12 perform the driving support control as shown below. Figure 3 is a diagram showing the temporal change in urgency and the temporal change in steering wheel vibration calculated by the steering vibration device 12. In Figure 3(a), the vertical axis shows the urgency and the horizontal axis shows time. In Figure 3(b), the vertical axis shows the amplitude value of the steering wheel vibration and the horizontal axis shows time.

[0023] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of driver assistance control in the vehicle management system 100 of this first embodiment. The vehicle management system 100 determines whether the automatic emergency avoidance steering mode is turned on or off (step ST4a). If the automatic emergency avoidance steering mode is turned off (step ST4a: No), the vehicle management system 100 switches to the driver avoidance steering mode (return).

[0024] On the other hand, if the automatic emergency avoidance steering mode is turned on (step ST4a: Yes), the vehicle management system 100 uses the external environment recognition device 2 to check for obstacles in front of the vehicle (step ST4b) and determines whether or not there are obstacles (step ST4c). If there are no obstacles (step ST4c: No), the vehicle management system 100 performs normal driving assistance control (return).

[0025] On the other hand, if there is an obstacle (step ST4c: Yes), the vehicle management system 100 calculates the steering torque using the steering control device 5 (step ST4d) and determines whether the steering torque exceeds a threshold (step ST4e). If the steering torque exceeds the threshold, that is, if the driver is gripping and operating the steering wheel or has their hands on the steering wheel (step ST4e: Yes), the vehicle management system 100 calculates the distance to the obstacle and the relative speed with the vehicle using the vehicle control controller 4 (step ST4f), calculates the degree of urgency using the steering vibration device 12 (step ST4g), and determines whether the calculated degree of urgency exceeds a threshold, that is, whether it is greater than or equal to the degree of urgency Xa in Figure 2 (step ST4h).

[0026] If the calculated urgency level does not exceed the threshold (step ST4h: No), the vehicle management system 100 proceeds to the process in step ST4e. On the other hand, if the calculated urgency level does exceed the threshold (step ST4h: Yes), the vehicle management system 100 vibrates the steering wheel with an amplitude value corresponding to the urgency level using the steering vibration device 12 to provide a vibrational notification instructing the driver to take their hands off the steering wheel (step ST4i).

[0027] After the vibrational notification, the vehicle management system 100 determines whether the steering torque exceeds a threshold using the vehicle control controller 4 (step ST4j). If the steering torque does not exceed the threshold, that is, if the driver notices the notification and takes their hands off the steering wheel (step ST4j: No), the vehicle management system 100 switches to automatic emergency avoidance steering mode (step ST4k).

[0028] On the other hand, if the steering torque exceeds the threshold, that is, if the driver does not notice the notification or if the driver notices it but is still holding and operating the steering wheel (step ST4j: Yes), the vehicle management system 100 proceeds to step ST4f and repeatedly executes steps ST4f through ST4j until the driver releases their hands from the steering wheel. Also, in step ST4e, if the steering torque does not exceed the threshold, that is, if the driver is not holding the steering wheel with their hands (step ST4e: No), the vehicle management system 100 proceeds to the automatic emergency avoidance steering mode (step ST4k).

[0029] (Processing of step ST4i) Next, the processing of step ST4i described above will be explained. The steering vibration device 12 vibrates the steering wheel under the control of the vehicle control controller 4. However, if the steering wheel is suddenly vibrated strongly while the driver is holding and operating the steering wheel, the driver will become unsettled.

[0030] Therefore, if the urgency of the current driving environment is low, that is, if the obstacle is far from the vehicle, the steering vibration device 12 vibrates the steering wheel with a small amplitude value Aa from time t11 to time t12 in Figure 3. Then, when time t12 in Figure 3 has elapsed and the vehicle is approaching the obstacle, the steering vibration device 12 calculates the urgency Xb shown in Figure 2, refers to the urgency table 13 to find the amplitude value Ab corresponding to the urgency Xb, and vibrates the steering wheel with the amplitude value Ab. Subsequently, when time t13 in Figure 3 has elapsed and the vehicle is approaching the obstacle and it is dangerous, the urgency Xc shown in Figure 2 is calculated, refers to the urgency table 13 to find the amplitude value Ac corresponding to the urgency Xc, and vibrates the steering wheel with the amplitude value Ac.

[0031] Furthermore, after avoiding a collision with an obstacle, that is, after time t11 in Figure 3 has elapsed, the steering vibration device 12 can calculate the urgency level Xa shown in Figure 2, refer to the urgency level table 13 to find the amplitude value Aa corresponding to the urgency level Xa, and vibrate the steering wheel with the amplitude value Aa. This can provide the driver with a sense of security knowing that a collision with an obstacle has been avoided.

[0032] (Effects of the first embodiment) (1) A vehicle management system 100 is provided with a vehicle control controller 4 that manages a vehicle in which a driver is seated and the vehicle is operated in an automatic driving mode, and the steering wheel is operated automatically. The vehicle control controller 4 includes an external environment recognition device 2 that recognizes the outside world of the vehicle, an emergency avoidance determination unit 41 that determines whether or not emergency avoidance of the vehicle is necessary based on information about obstacles in front of the vehicle acquired by the external environment recognition device 2, and a steering vibration device 12 that, when the emergency avoidance determination unit 41 determines that emergency avoidance of the vehicle is necessary, prompts the driver to take their hands off the steering wheel by vibrating the steering wheel. The steering vibration device 12 vibrates the steering wheel differently depending on the degree of urgency of the need to avoid the obstacle by operating the steering wheel. Therefore, when it is determined that there is a need to avoid the obstacle by operating the steering wheel, the way the steering wheel is vibrated differs depending on whether the degree of urgency is high or low. As a result, when transitioning to the automatic emergency avoidance steering mode, the driver can be notified not to touch the steering wheel, and the degree of urgency can also be notified. This ensures that the driver is prompted to take their hands off the steering wheel before the system switches to automatic emergency steering mode. In particular, it can raise the driver's alertness in high-priority situations. In lower-priority situations, it can inform the driver that a collision with an obstacle has been avoided, thereby providing the driver with a sense of security.

[0033] (2) The steering vibration device 12 calculates the degree of urgency to avoid an obstacle by operating the steering wheel based on the information acquired by the external environment recognition device 2. Therefore, since the calculation of the degree of urgency to avoid an obstacle by operating the steering wheel is performed in the steering vibration device 2, the processing load on the vehicle control controller 4 is kept low.

[0034] (3) The steering vibration device 12 increases the amplitude of the steering wheel vibration as the degree of urgency increases. By increasing the amplitude as the degree of urgency increases, the driver can intuitively recognize the level of urgency. In particular, if the steering wheel is suddenly vibrated strongly while the driver is holding and operating it, the driver will become unsettled. Therefore, the amplitude is reduced when the degree of urgency in the current driving environment is low, and the amplitude is gradually increased as the degree of urgency increases. As a result, it is possible to prevent the driver from becoming unnecessarily stressed and to guide the driver to a state suitable for safe driving by taking their hands off the steering wheel and using the automatic emergency avoidance steering mode.

[0035] <Modification of the First Embodiment> In the first embodiment described above, an example was given in which the vibration of the steering wheel was set to a large amplitude when the urgency was high. However, it is not limited to this, and the vibration of the steering wheel may also be set to a small amplitude when the urgency is high. By doing so, when the urgency in the current driving environment is low, that is, when the obstacle is far away from the vehicle, the steering wheel can be vibrated with a large amplitude, for example, to prompt the driver to be highly vigilant in advance when the vehicle is approaching an obstacle at high speed.

[0036] <Second Embodiment> The vehicle management system 100 according to the first embodiment is applicable to the vehicle management system according to the second embodiment. An example of the vehicle management system according to the second embodiment to which the vehicle management system 100 is applied will be described below.

[0037] In this second embodiment, an example will be described in which the steering vibration device 12 and the urgency table 13A are used to change the vibration frequency of the steering wheel according to the urgency.

[0038] As shown in Figure 5, the urgency level table 13A stores data representing the correspondence between the urgency level and the vibration frequency that causes the steering wheel to vibrate. In Figure 5, urgency level Xb is higher than urgency level Xa, and urgency level Xc is higher than urgency level Xb. Also, vibration frequency Fb is higher than vibration frequency Fa, and vibration frequency Fc is higher than vibration frequency Fb. Note that vibration frequency is the number of amplitudes.

[0039] Figure 6 shows the temporal change in urgency and the temporal change in steering wheel vibration calculated by the steering vibration device 12 according to the second embodiment of this figure. In Figure 6(a), the vertical axis represents urgency and the horizontal axis represents time. In Figure 6(b), the vertical axis represents the amplitude value of the steering wheel vibration and the horizontal axis represents time.

[0040] The steering vibration device 12 vibrates the steering wheel under the control of the vehicle control controller 4. However, for example, when the vehicle is traveling at high speed towards an intersection with poor visibility, the driver may not take their hands off the steering wheel because they cannot see the obstacle.

[0041] Therefore, if the urgency of the current driving environment is low, that is, if the obstacle is far from the vehicle, the steering vibration device 12 vibrates the steering wheel at frequency Fa from time t21 to time t22 in Figure 6. The amplitude value is set to a value that the driver can feel. Then, when time t22 in Figure 6 has elapsed and the vehicle is approaching the obstacle, the steering vibration device 12 calculates the urgency Xb shown in Figure 5, refers to the urgency table 13A to find the frequency Fb corresponding to the urgency Xb, and vibrates the steering wheel at frequency Fb. Subsequently, when time t23 in Figure 3 has elapsed and the vehicle is approaching the obstacle and it is dangerous, the urgency Xc shown in Figure 5 is calculated, refers to the urgency table 13A to find the frequency Fc corresponding to the urgency Xc, and vibrates the steering wheel at frequency Fc.

[0042] (Effect of the Second Embodiment) The steering vibration device 12 increases the vibration frequency of the steering wheel as the degree of emergency increases. Therefore, by increasing the vibration frequency of the steering wheel as the degree of emergency increases, the driver can intuitively recognize the high degree of emergency. In particular, when the vehicle is traveling at high speed toward an intersection with poor visibility and the driver cannot visually confirm an obstacle, etc., by gradually increasing the vibration frequency of the steering wheel from a state of low degree of emergency in the current driving environment, a high level of vigilance can be promoted in the driver.

[0043] <Third Embodiment> The vehicle management system 100 according to the first embodiment is applicable to the vehicle management system according to the third embodiment. Hereinafter, an example of the vehicle management system according to the third embodiment to which the vehicle management system 100 is applied will be described.

[0044] In this third embodiment, an example of changing the time until the next vibration of the steering wheel according to the degree of emergency using the steering vibration device 12 and the emergency degree table 13B will be described.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 7, the emergency degree table 13B stores data representing the correspondence between the degree of emergency and the time until the next vibration of the steering wheel. In FIG. 7, the degree of emergency Xb is higher than the degree of emergency Xa, and the degree of emergency Xc is higher than the degree of emergency Xb. Also, the time Tb is shorter than the time Ta, and the time Tc is shorter than the time Tb.

[0046] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the temporal change of the degree of emergency calculated by the steering vibration device 12 according to this third embodiment and the temporal change of the time until the next vibration of the steering wheel. In FIG. 8(a), the vertical axis represents the degree of emergency and the horizontal axis represents time. In FIG. 8(b), the vertical axis represents the amplitude value of the vibration of the steering wheel and the horizontal axis represents time.

[0047] When the urgency in the current driving environment is low, that is, when the obstacle is far from the host vehicle, the steering vibration device 12 vibrates the steering wheel after the time Ta has elapsed since the end of the vibration during the period from time t31 to time t32 in FIG. 8. Note that the amplitude value is set to a value that can be felt by the driver. When time t32 in FIG. 8 has elapsed and the host vehicle approaches the obstacle, the steering vibration device 12 calculates the urgency Xb shown in FIG. 7, refers to the urgency table 13B, obtains the time Tb corresponding to the urgency Xb, and vibrates the steering wheel after the time Tb has elapsed. Thereafter, when time t33 in FIG. 8 has elapsed and the host vehicle approaches the obstacle and is in danger, the urgency Xc shown in FIG. 7 is calculated, the urgency table 13B is referred to, the time Tc corresponding to the urgency Xc is obtained, and the steering wheel is vibrated after the time Tc has elapsed.

[0048] (Effect of the Third Embodiment) The steering vibration device 12 shortens the time until the next vibration of the steering wheel as the urgency increases. For this reason, by shortening the time until the next vibration of the steering wheel as the urgency increases, the driver can intuitively recognize the high level of urgency. In particular, when the urgency in the current driving environment is high, vibration can be surely transmitted to the driver, whereby the driver can be led to a state suitable for safe driving in the automatic emergency avoidance steering mode by releasing the hand from the steering wheel.

[0049] <Fourth Embodiment> The vehicle management system 100 according to the first embodiment is applicable to the vehicle management system according to the fourth embodiment. Hereinafter, an example of the vehicle management system according to the fourth embodiment to which the vehicle management system 100 is applied will be described.

[0050] In this fourth embodiment, an example of changing the time until the next vibration of the steering wheel according to the urgency using the steering vibration device 12 and the urgency table 13C will be described.

[0051] The urgency table 13C stores data representing the correspondence between urgency levels and the duration of one steering wheel vibration, as shown in Figure 9. In Figure 9, urgency level Xb is higher than urgency level Xa, and urgency level Xc is higher than urgency level Xb. Also, duration Tbb is shorter than duration Taa, and duration Tcc is shorter than duration Tbb.

[0052] Figure 10 shows the temporal change in urgency and the temporal change in the duration of one vibration of the steering wheel, calculated by the steering vibration device 12 according to the fourth embodiment of this invention. In Figure 10(a), the vertical axis represents urgency and the horizontal axis represents time. In Figure 10(b), the vertical axis represents the amplitude value of the steering wheel vibration and the horizontal axis represents time.

[0053] When the urgency of the current driving environment is low, that is, when the obstacle is far from the vehicle, the steering vibration device 12 vibrates the steering wheel for a duration Taa from time t41 to time t42 in Figure 10. The amplitude value is set to a value that the driver can feel. When time t42 in Figure 10 has elapsed and the vehicle is approaching the obstacle, the steering vibration device 12 calculates the urgency Xb shown in Figure 9, refers to the urgency table 13C to find the duration Tbb corresponding to the urgency Xb, and vibrates the steering wheel for the duration Tbb. Subsequently, when time t43 in Figure 10 has elapsed and the vehicle is approaching the obstacle and it is dangerous, the urgency Xc shown in Figure 9 is calculated, refers to the urgency table 13C to find the duration Tcc corresponding to the urgency Xc, and vibrates the steering wheel for the duration Tcc.

[0054] (Effects of the fourth embodiment) The steering vibration device 12 shortens the duration of steering wheel vibration as the degree of urgency increases. Therefore, by shortening the duration of steering wheel vibration as the degree of urgency increases, the driver can intuitively recognize the degree of urgency. In particular, when the degree of urgency in the current driving environment is low, the vibration can be reliably transmitted to the driver, thereby guiding the driver to take their hands off the steering wheel before the degree of urgency increases, and to a state suitable for safe driving using the automatic emergency avoidance steering mode.

[0055] <Other Embodiments> In the first embodiment described above, an example was described in which the steering vibration device 12 calculates the urgency of avoiding an accident by operating the steering wheel. However, this is not the only embodiment, and for example, the vehicle control controller 4 may calculate the urgency of avoiding an accident by operating the steering wheel. By doing so, the processing load of the steering vibration device 12 can be kept low.

[0056] The embodiments described above are provided to facilitate understanding of the present invention and are not intended to limit it. 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.

[0057] 1. Engine 2. External environment recognition device 3. Vehicle behavior detection device 4. Vehicle control controller 5. Steering control device 6. Steering torque detection device 7. Electric power steering device 8. Engine control device 9. Brake control device 10. Brake system 11. Notification unit 12. Steering vibration device 13, 13A, 13B, 13C. Emergency level table 41. Emergency avoidance judgment unit 100. Vehicle management system

Claims

1. A vehicle management device comprising a control unit for managing a vehicle that is driven in an automatic driving mode with a driver on board and whose steering wheel is operated automatically, wherein the control unit comprises: an external environment recognition unit for recognizing the external environment of the vehicle; an emergency avoidance determination unit for determining whether emergency avoidance of the vehicle is necessary based on information about obstacles in front of the vehicle acquired by the external environment recognition unit; and a steering vibration unit for prompting the driver to take their hands off the steering wheel by vibrating the steering wheel when the emergency avoidance determination unit determines that emergency avoidance of the vehicle is necessary, wherein the steering vibration unit varies the way it vibrates the steering wheel according to the urgency of the need to avoid the obstacle by operating the steering wheel.

2. The vehicle management device according to claim 1, wherein the steering vibration unit calculates the degree of urgency to avoid by operating the steering wheel based on information acquired by the external environment recognition unit.

3. The vehicle management device according to claim 1, wherein the steering vibration unit increases the amplitude of the steering wheel vibration as the degree of urgency increases.

4. The vehicle management device according to claim 1, wherein the steering vibration unit increases the vibration frequency of the steering wheel as the degree of urgency increases.

5. The vehicle management device according to claim 1, wherein the steering vibration unit shortens the time until the next vibration of the steering wheel as the urgency increases.

6. The vehicle management device according to claim 1, wherein the steering vibration unit shortens the duration of the steering wheel vibration as the degree of urgency increases.

7. A vehicle management method in which a control unit manages a vehicle that is driven in an automatic driving mode with a driver on board and the steering wheel is operated automatically, wherein the control unit obtains information about obstacles in front of the vehicle from an external environment recognition unit that recognizes the external environment of the vehicle, determines whether emergency avoidance of the vehicle is necessary based on the information about obstacles in front of the vehicle, and if it is determined that emergency avoidance of the vehicle is necessary, prompts the driver to release their hands from the steering wheel by vibrating the steering wheel, and the method of prompting the driver to release their hands from the steering wheel varies depending on the urgency of the need to operate the steering wheel to avoid the obstacle.

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