JP7138778B2 - Operation control device and operation control method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle operation control device and a vehicle operation control method.

Conventionally, there has been proposed a route search device that searches for and presents a route on which automatic driving is possible. For example, the route search device described in Patent Literature 1 searches for a route having continuous road links that allow automatic operation, and creates a plurality of candidate routes. Next, for each of the plurality of candidate routes, the route search device calculates the number of automatically operable road links branching from each node included in the candidate route, and presents the candidate route with a large number of road links as a recommended route. do. As a result, if an accident such as an accident occurs while the vehicle is automatically traveling on the recommended route, there is a higher possibility that there will be an alternative route on which automatic traveling can be continued.

JP 2018-17641 A

Autonomous driving technology that allows a vehicle to drive autonomously includes fully automated driving technology that does not require any driver operation by the driver under any circumstances, and fully automated driving technology that allows autonomous driving under certain circumstances, but depending on the situation. Autonomous driving technology that requires manual driving by a passenger. If the vehicle is not a vehicle to which fully automated driving technology has been applied (hereinafter referred to as a "fully automated driving vehicle"), for example, automated driving is performed only on roads where automated driving is possible and the environment is suitable for automated driving. , Manual driving is performed on other roads.

If the vehicle is not a fully automated vehicle, the route from the departure point to the destination may be a route that includes a mixture of roads that can be driven automatically and other roads. When a vehicle travels on such a route, it must switch from automatic driving to manual driving before the vehicle enters from a road on which automatic driving is possible to another road. However, in the conventional technology such as the device described in Patent Document 1, for example, the possibility that the occupant in the vehicle is in a state of being unable to drive due to poor physical condition or the like is not taken into account at the time of this switching. In this state, the vehicle cannot be switched to manual operation, so for example, the vehicle must be stopped until the passenger can operate the vehicle manually. When the vehicle is stopped, there is a problem that the arrival time at the destination is delayed by the time the vehicle is stopped.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the problems described above, and an object of the present invention is to suppress delays in arriving at a destination in consideration of the condition of the passengers.

A driving control device according to the present invention includes an occupant information acquisition unit that acquires occupant information indicating the state of an occupant on board a vehicle, and the occupant can manually drive the vehicle using the occupant information acquired by the occupant information acquisition unit. an occupant state determination unit that determines whether the occupant is not capable of manual operation and estimates the expected recovery time until the occupant becomes capable of manual operation; a switching determination unit for extending the manual operation start time for starting manual operation of the vehicle when the time is less than a predetermined time, and the occupant state determination unit extends the manual operation start time by the switching determination unit. Each time, it is determined whether or not the occupant is capable of manual operation, and the expected recovery time is estimated .

According to the present invention, when the occupant is unable to manually drive the vehicle and the expected recovery time is less than the predetermined time, the time for starting manual operation is extended, so that the occupant is able to manually drive the vehicle. Delay in arrival time at the destination can be suppressed compared to the case where the vehicle is stopped until the vehicle reaches the destination.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an operation control device according to Embodiment 1; FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation example of the operation control device according to Embodiment 1; 10 is a flow chart showing an operation example of the operation control device according to Embodiment 2 during extension of the manual operation start time. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an initial route in Embodiment 2; FIG. FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining a route change when the manual operation start time is extended for the first time in the second embodiment; FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining a route change at the second extension of the manual operation start time in Embodiment 2; FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a display example when extension of the manual operation start time is not allowed and the passenger is not allowed to manually operate the vehicle in the second embodiment; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of display when a passenger is performing a secondary activity in Embodiment 2; It is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware constitutions of the operation control device concerning each embodiment. It is a block diagram showing another example of the hardware configuration of the operation control device according to each embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, in order to describe the present invention in more detail, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an operation control device 10 according to Embodiment 1. As shown in FIG. The vehicle 1 is provided with an occupant monitoring unit 2 , a position information acquisition unit 3 , a map storage unit 4 , a vehicle control unit 5 , a display unit 6 , an audio output unit 7 , an input unit 8 and an operation control device 10 . The operation control device 10 controls switching between manual operation and automatic operation of the vehicle 1 . The operation control device 10 is connected to the occupant monitoring section 2 , the position information acquisition section 3 , the map storage section 4 , the vehicle control section 5 , the display section 6 , the audio output section 7 and the input section 8 .

The occupant monitoring unit 2 monitors at least one of the expression of each occupant on board the vehicle 1, the condition of eyes such as the degree of bloodshotness or the degree of openness of the eyes, the pulse, the exhalation, or the blood alcohol concentration, and monitors the monitoring result. is output to the occupant information acquisition unit 11 as occupant information. The occupant monitoring unit 2 is, for example, a DMS (Driver Monitoring System) that monitors the state of the driver using a camera and various sensors, or an OMS (Occupant Monitoring System) that monitors the state of the occupant using a camera and various sensors. It is composed of

The occupant includes not only the driver sitting in the driver's seat but also fellow passengers. In addition, the passenger refers to a person who has a driver's license. The operation control device 10 may use any method to determine whether or not the passenger has a driver's license.

The position information acquisition unit 3 receives radio waves from GPS (Global Positioning System) satellites and measures the position of the vehicle 1 using the received radio waves. The position information acquisition unit 3 outputs position information indicating the position of the vehicle 1 to the switching determination unit 13 and the route setting unit 14 .

The map storage unit 4 stores map information. The map information is used for route search by the route setting unit 14 . For example, each road in the map information is composed of nodes such as intersections and links that are sections connecting the nodes. In addition, each road in the map information is classified into roads on which automatic driving is possible and roads on which manual driving is required. Roads capable of automated driving are, for example, automated driving levels 0 to 5 defined by SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers), automated driving level 4 (advanced driving automation), and automated driving level 5 (complete driving automation) It shall be a road classified as Roads that require manual driving are, for example, roads classified as automated driving level 3 (conditional automated driving) or lower among automated driving levels 0 to 5 defined by SAE.
Note that the map storage unit 4 may be provided in the vehicle 1 or may be provided in an external server or the like. If the map storage unit 4 is provided in an external server or the like, the route setting unit 14 may acquire map information from the map storage unit 4 such as an external server via a communication device (not shown).

The vehicle control unit 5 controls the vehicle 1 so that the vehicle 1 autonomously travels along the route set by the route setting unit 14 . The vehicle control unit 5 starts or ends automatic driving according to instructions from the switching determination unit 13 . The automatic driving performed by the vehicle control unit 5 is automatic driving that does not require driver's operation.

The display unit 6 is a display that displays information from the switching determination unit 13 and the route setting unit 14 .

The audio output unit 7 is a speaker that outputs information from the switching determination unit 13 as audio.

The input unit 8 receives an operation by the passenger, and outputs the content of the received operation to the route setting unit 14 as operation information. The input unit 8 is configured by a touch panel, a controller, or the like. If the input unit 8 is a touch panel, this touch panel may be configured integrally with the display, which is the display unit 6 .

The operation control device 10 includes an occupant information acquisition unit 11 , an occupant state determination unit 12 , a switching determination unit 13 and a route setting unit 14 . In the first embodiment, instead of including the route setting unit 14, the operation control device 10 may use a car navigation device or the like that is separately provided in the vehicle 1 and has a route setting function.

The occupant information acquisition unit 11 acquires occupant information indicating the state of each occupant on board the vehicle 1 from the occupant monitoring unit 2 and outputs the acquired occupant information to the occupant state determination unit 12 . Further, the occupant information acquiring unit 11 acquires occupant information from the occupant monitoring unit 2 and outputs it to the occupant state determining unit 12 each time a notice of manual operation start time extension is received from the switching determining unit 13 .

The occupant state determination unit 12 uses the occupant information from the occupant information acquisition unit 11 to determine whether or not each occupant is capable of manual driving. The occupant state determination unit 12 estimates the time until manual operation becomes possible for each passenger who is not capable of manual operation (hereinafter referred to as "expected recovery time"), and determines whether manual operation is possible or not and the estimated recovery time. time and output to the switching determination unit 13 .

Here, the occupant condition determination unit 12 determines the health condition of the occupant using the facial expression, eye condition, pulse, breath, and blood alcohol concentration included in the occupant information. Health conditions include both physical and mental aspects such as poor physical condition, drowsiness, fatigue, and drunkenness. For each occupant, the occupant condition determination unit 12 scores the health condition based on the expression, scores the health condition based on the eye condition such as the degree of congestion or eye opening, assigns the health condition score based on the pulse, and gives the score based on the exhalation. Health scoring and health scoring based on blood alcohol concentration are provided. It is assumed that the scoring method is set in advance for the occupant condition determination unit 12, and that the better the health condition, the higher the score. Subsequently, the occupant condition determination unit 12 adds the facial expression score, eye condition score, pulse score, exhalation score, and blood alcohol concentration score for each occupant to obtain a total score. Evaluate the health level of each occupant based on For example, there are five levels of health condition, and level 1 is a level at which manual driving is legally impossible due to drunkenness or the like. Level 2 is a level at which manual driving is legally possible but a rest is recommended due to poor physical condition or the like. Level 3 or higher is a level at which manual operation is possible without any legal or health problems.

The occupant condition determination unit 12 uses the occupant information for each occupant whose health level is 2 or less to estimate the expected recovery time until manual operation becomes possible. It is assumed that a method for estimating the expected recovery time is set in advance for the occupant condition determination unit 12 . For example, the occupant state determination unit 12 estimates the expected recovery time for an occupant determined to be heavily intoxicated based on the blood alcohol concentration using a calculation formula for predicting temporal changes in the blood alcohol concentration. In this case, the occupant state determination unit 12 may correct the above formula using occupant information other than the blood alcohol concentration, such as facial expressions. Further, for example, the occupant state determination unit 12 uses a calculation formula for predicting a temporal change in fatigue or drowsiness for an occupant determined to be feeling fatigue or drowsiness from the degree of bloodshot eyes or the degree of eye opening. Estimate the expected time. The method of estimating the expected recovery time is not limited to the above example.

In the first embodiment, the occupant condition determination unit 12 determines that manual driving is not possible when the occupant health level is 2 or less. In addition, the occupant condition determination unit 12 considers the expected recovery time until manual driving becomes possible, the time until the health condition level becomes 3 or higher, that is, the time until recovery to a state where there are no legal or health problems. to estimate

The switching determination unit 13 determines whether to switch the vehicle 1 between automatic operation and manual operation based on the automatic operation section and the manual operation section of the route set by the route setting unit 14, and controls the vehicle control unit 5 according to the determination result. to start or end automatic operation.

In Embodiment 1, the switching determination unit 13 determines switching between automatic driving and manual driving in consideration of the state of each occupant determined by the occupant state determining unit 12 . For example, the switching determination unit 13 determines that all the occupants on board the vehicle 1 are not capable of manual operation by the occupant state determination unit 12, and the expected recovery time of all the occupants estimated by the occupant state determination unit 12. If it is less than the predetermined time, the time for starting manual operation of the vehicle 1 (hereinafter referred to as "manual operation start time") is extended. The predetermined time is, for example, the time until the scheduled time of arrival at the manual operation section start point on the premise that the currently scheduled route is traveled at the scheduled speed. The estimated time of arrival at the manual operation section start point is estimated by the route setting unit 14 . When the manual operation start time is extended, the switching determination unit 13 notifies the occupant information acquisition unit 11 to that effect.

The switching determination unit 13 may generate notification information for notifying the passenger of switching between automatic driving and manual driving. The switching determination unit 13 causes the display unit 6 to display the generated notification information or causes the audio output unit 7 to output the information as audio.

The route setting unit 14 receives, from the input unit 8, operation information indicating the starting point and the destination set by the passenger. Note that the starting point may be the current position acquired by the position information acquisition unit 3 . The route setting unit 14 uses the map information in the map storage unit 4 to search for candidate routes from the departure point to the destination. In addition, when the passenger sets the waypoint, the route setting unit 14 searches for a candidate route from the departure point to the destination via the waypoint. In addition, the route setting unit 14 searches for any candidate route, such as a candidate route with a short travel time, a candidate route with a short travel distance, or a candidate route that preferentially travels on toll roads, according to the settings of the crew. good.

The route setting unit 14 causes the display unit 6 to display one or more searched route candidates. The crew member operates the input unit 8 to select one candidate route from one or more candidate routes displayed on the display unit 6 . The route setting unit 14 receives operation information indicating the candidate route selected by the occupant from the input unit 8 and sets this candidate route as the route from the departure point of the vehicle 1 to the destination. In addition, the route setting unit 14 uses the map information in the map storage unit 4 to distinguish between an automatically operated section and a manually operated section in the set route, and also considers the current traffic conditions, the vehicle speed of the vehicle 1, and the like. Estimate the estimated time of arrival for each section. As described above, for example, the automated driving section is a road of automated driving level 4 or higher, and the manual driving section is a road of automated driving level 3 or lower. A method for estimating the estimated time of arrival may use a well-known technique, so description thereof will be omitted. The route setting unit 14 outputs, as route information, the set route, the determination result between the automatic operation section and the manual operation section, the estimated arrival time, and the like to the switching determination unit 13 .

Next, the operation of the operation control device 10 will be described.
FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing an operation example of the operation control device 10 according to the first embodiment. The operation control device 10 starts the operation shown in the flowchart of FIG. 2 after the passenger gets into the vehicle 1 and before the vehicle 1 runs.

In step ST<b>1 , the occupant information acquiring section 11 acquires occupant information of each occupant from the occupant monitoring section 2 . In step ST2, the occupant state determination unit 12 uses the occupant information acquired by the occupant information acquisition unit 11 in step ST1 to determine whether or not each occupant is currently capable of manual operation. In addition, the occupant state determination unit 12 estimates the expected recovery time until the occupant who is determined to be incapable of manual operation becomes capable of manual operation, and sets the expected recovery time based on the current time.

In step ST3, the route setting unit 14 searches for candidate routes based on the destination set by the passenger, and sets the candidate route selected by the passenger from among the searched candidate routes as the route. Further, the route setting unit 14 uses the map information to distinguish between an automatically operated section and a manually operated section in the set route. When the departure point is in an automatically operated section, the route setting unit 14 estimates the estimated time of arrival at the end point of the automatically operated section, that is, the start point of the manually operated section. The route setting unit 14 outputs route information including these pieces of information to the switching determination unit 13 .

In step ST4, if the departure point is an automatic driving section based on the route information from the route setting unit 14 (step ST4 "YES"), the switching determination unit 13 instructs the vehicle control unit 5 to start automatic driving (step ST5). The vehicle control unit 5 starts automatic operation, and the vehicle 1 autonomously travels the automatic operation section from the departure point to the manual operation section start point.

In step ST6, the occupant information acquiring section 11 acquires the latest occupant information of each occupant. In step ST7, the occupant state determination unit 12 uses the occupant information acquired by the occupant information acquisition unit 11 in step ST6 to determine whether or not each occupant is currently capable of manual operation. In addition, the occupant state determination unit 12 estimates the expected recovery time until the occupant determined to be incapable of manual operation becomes capable of manual operation, and resets the expected recovery time based on the current time.

In step ST8, the switching determination unit 13 determines whether or not there is an occupant capable of manual operation at the scheduled arrival time at the manual operation section start point estimated by the route setting unit 14 in step ST3. Specifically, when there is a crew member whose health level is determined to be 3 or higher in step ST7, the switching determination unit 13 determines that there is a crew member capable of manual driving at the scheduled time of arrival at the manual driving section start point. (Step ST8 "YES"). In addition, even if there is no crew member whose health condition level is determined to be 3 or higher in step ST7, the switching determination unit 13 compares the scheduled manual operation section arrival time with the expected recovery time, and determines the manual operation section arrival scheduled time. If it is determined that there is an occupant whose health condition level is expected to recover to 3 or higher at the time, it is determined that there is an occupant capable of manual operation at the expected time of arrival at the manual operation section start point (step ST8 "YES"). On the other hand, the switching determination unit 13 determines that there is no occupant whose health level is determined to be 3 or higher, and that there is no occupant whose health level is expected to recover to 3 or higher at the scheduled time of arrival at the manual operation section start point. , it is determined that there is no passenger capable of manual operation at the scheduled arrival time of the manual operation section (step ST8 "NO").

In step ST9, the switching determination section 13 acquires the current position information from the position information acquisition section 3, and determines whether or not the vehicle 1 has arrived at the manual operation section start point based on the acquired position information. When the vehicle 1 reaches the start point of the manual operation section, it is determined that the automatic operation should be switched to the manual operation, and the vehicle control unit 5 is instructed to end the automatic operation. In addition, the switching determination unit 13 may use at least one of the display unit 6 and the voice output unit 7 to notify the occupant of switching from automatic operation to manual operation before arriving at the manual operation section start point. . Furthermore, when an occupant capable of manual operation is seated in a seat other than the driver's seat, the switching determination unit 13 instructs the vehicle control unit 5 to stop the vehicle 1, and the display unit 6 or the voice output unit 7 may be used to notify an occupant capable of manual operation to sit in the driver's seat.

In step ST10, the switching determination unit 13 determines that the manual operation start time is Extend. For example, the switching determination unit 13 instructs the vehicle control unit 5 to reduce the vehicle speed, and delays the arrival time at the manual operation section start point to extend the manual operation start time.

When the manual operation start time is extended in step ST10, the switching determination unit 13 notifies the occupant information acquisition unit 11 of the extension of the manual operation start time, and acquires the latest occupant information from the occupant monitoring unit 2 ( step ST6). The occupant state determination unit 12 uses the latest occupant information to re-determine whether or not each occupant is capable of manual driving, and re-estimate the expected recovery time (step ST7). In addition, the switching determination unit 13 instructs the route setting unit 14 to re-estimate the estimated time of arrival in the manually operated section.

In step ST4, if the departure point is in the manually operated section based on the route information from the route setting unit 14 (step ST4 "NO"), the switching determination unit 13 determines that the health condition level is 3 or higher in step ST2. It is determined whether or not there is an occupant, that is, whether or not there is an occupant capable of manual operation (step ST11). If there is an occupant whose health level is determined to be 3 or higher (step ST11 "YES"), the switching determination unit 13 determines that the occupant whose health level is determined to be 3 or higher will start the vehicle manually (step ST12). ). In step ST12, the switching determination unit 13 uses, for example, at least one of the display unit 6 and the voice output unit 7 to notify that the passenger whose health level is 3 or higher should manually drive the vehicle.

If there is no occupant whose health level is determined to be 3 or higher (step ST11 "NO"), the switching determination unit 13 continues until at least one occupant's health level recovers to 3 or higher, that is, manual operation is possible. It is determined to wait without starting the vehicle 1 until it becomes (step ST13). In step ST13, the switching determination unit 13 uses, for example, at least one of the display unit 6 and the voice output unit 7 to restore the health level of at least one of the passengers on board the vehicle 1 to 3 or higher. It informs that it will wait until the expected recovery time.
However, if there is a candidate route whose starting point is an automatically driving section among the candidate routes searched in step ST3, the switching determination unit 13 changes the route to the candidate route whose starting point is an automatically driving section in step ST13. Alternatively, the route setting unit 14 may be instructed to do so.

Note that when the route set by the route setting unit 14 alternately includes an automatic operation section and a manual operation section, the operation control device 10 determines when the vehicle 1 enters the automatic operation section from the manual operation section. The operation after step ST5 may be performed assuming that it is the "automatic operation start" time point in step ST5 of 2.

As described above, the operation control device 10 according to Embodiment 1 includes the occupant information acquisition unit 11 , the occupant state determination unit 12 and the switching determination unit 13 . The occupant information acquisition unit 11 acquires occupant information indicating the state of the occupants on board the vehicle 1 . The occupant state determination unit 12 uses the occupant information acquired by the occupant information acquisition unit 11 to determine whether or not the occupant is capable of manual operation, and if the occupant is not capable of manual operation, the occupant becomes capable of manual operation. Estimate the expected recovery time to The switching determination unit 13 extends the manual operation start time for starting the manual operation of the vehicle 1 when the occupant is not capable of manual operation and the expected recovery time is less than a predetermined time. In this way, the operation control device 10 monitors and grasps the state of the occupant in advance, and extends the manual operation start time in a situation where switching from automatic operation to manual operation is required, thereby allowing the vehicle 1 to travel. can be continued. Thereby, the operation control device 10 can suppress the delay in the arrival time at the destination compared to the case where the vehicle 1 is stopped until the passenger can manually operate the vehicle.

Further, according to the first embodiment, the occupant state determination unit 12 determines whether the occupant is capable of manual operation and estimates the expected recovery time each time the switch determination unit 13 extends the manual operation start time. conduct. As a result, the operation control device 10 can constantly monitor and grasp the state of the occupant.

Embodiment 2.
The operation control device 10 of Embodiment 1 is configured to reduce the vehicle speed in order to extend the manual operation start time. On the other hand, the operation control device 10 of Embodiment 2 is configured to search for a route on which automatic operation can be continued in order to extend the manual operation start time.

Since the configuration of the operation control device 10 according to Embodiment 2 is the same as the configuration shown in FIG. 1 of Embodiment 1 on the drawing, FIG. 1 is used below. The operation control device 10 according to the second embodiment differs from that of the first embodiment in the operation in step ST10 among the operations shown in the flowchart of FIG. Here, FIG. 3 shows an operation example of the operation control device 10 according to the second embodiment during extension of the manual operation start time. When the switching determination unit 13 of the second embodiment extends the manual operation start time because recovery of the health level of all the passengers cannot be expected at the scheduled arrival time of the manual operation section in step ST10 of FIG. Notify 14. Upon receiving this notification, the route setting section 14 performs the operations of steps ST21 to ST24 shown in the flowchart of FIG.

In step ST21, the route setting unit 14 uses map information to search for a route that allows automatic operation to continue until the expected recovery time. For example, the route setting unit 14 searches for a route that allows automatic driving to continue until the shortest expected recovery time among the expected recovery times of the passengers on board the vehicle 1 . In addition, when searching for a route that can continue automatic driving, the route setting unit 14 may preferentially search for a route with less vibration or a less meandering route, etc., in consideration of the occupant with a low health level. good.

If there is a route on which automatic operation can be continued ("YES" in step ST22), the route setting unit 14 outputs route information on the route on which automatic operation can be continued to the switching determination unit 13 (step ST23). Upon receiving this route information, the switching determination unit 13 instructs the vehicle control unit 5 to change the route. After the switching determination unit 13 changes the route to extend the manual operation start time in step ST23, the health condition of each passenger is monitored and grasped in steps ST6 and ST7 of FIG. In subsequent step ST8, the switching determination unit 13 determines whether or not there is an occupant whose health condition level is expected to recover to 3 or higher at the new scheduled arrival time of the manually operated section on the route after the change. If there is no occupant whose health level is expected to recover to 3 or higher at the scheduled arrival time of the new manual operation section on the changed route, the route setting unit 14 can continue automatic operation to extend the manual operation start time. The route search is repeated (step ST21).

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the initial route in the second embodiment. In step ST3 of FIG. 2, the route setting unit 14 searches for the route 40 from the starting point 41 to the destination 42 shown in FIG. This route 40 is composed of an automatically operated section 44 and a manually operated section 45 . It is assumed that the state of health of all occupants cannot be expected to recover at the scheduled arrival time when the vehicle 1 arrives at the manual operation section start point 43 .

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the route change when the manual operation start time is extended for the first time in the second embodiment. In step ST21 of FIG. 3, the route setting unit 14 searches for a route 40a on which automatic driving can be continued. This route 40 a branches to the automatically operated section 54 at a branch point 51 in the middle of the automatically operated section 44 , and leads from the automatically operated section 54 to the destination 42 via the manually operated section 55 . The route setting unit 14 estimates the estimated arrival time at the manual operation section start point 53 and outputs the estimated arrival time to the switching determination unit 13 by including it in the route information of the route 40a. If the latest expected recovery time estimated by the occupant state determination unit 12 is less than the estimated time of arrival at the manual operation section start point 53 estimated by the route setting unit 14, the switching determination unit 13 sets the manual operation start time again. is extended, and the route setting unit 14 is notified to that effect.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the route change at the second extension of the manual operation start time in the second embodiment. In step ST21 of FIG. 3, the route setting unit 14 again searches for a route 40b on which automatic driving can be continued. This route 40 b branches to the automatically operated section 63 at a branch point 61 in the middle of the automatically operated section 54 , and connects the automatically operated section 63 to the destination 42 via the manually operated section 64 . The route setting unit 14 estimates the estimated arrival time at the manual operation section start point 62 and outputs the estimated arrival time to the switching determination unit 13 by including it in the route information of the route 40b. If the latest expected recovery time estimated by the occupant state determination unit 12 is less than the estimated time of arrival at the manual operation section start point 62 estimated by the route setting unit 14, the switching determination unit 13 sets the manual operation start time again. is extended, and the route setting unit 14 is notified to that effect.

When there is no route that allows automatic operation to continue in step ST22 of FIG. 2 (step ST22 "NO"), the route setting unit 14 notifies the switching determination unit 13 that there is no route that allows automatic operation to continue. In this case, since it becomes difficult for the vehicle 1 to continue automatic driving any longer, the switching determination unit 13 uses at least one of the display unit 6 and the audio output unit 7 to select options (a) and (b). Notify the crew. Option (a) is to park the vehicle 1 in a nearby place where the vehicle can be stopped and take a rest to recover the physical condition of the occupants. Option (b) is to park the vehicle 1 in a nearby place where the vehicle can be stopped, and encourage the use of nearby public transportation such as trains, buses, or taxis, thereby shortening the time of arrival at the destination as much as possible. It is to expedite. An example of the display screen of options (a) and (b) is shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a display example when the manual operation start time cannot be extended and the occupant cannot operate the manual operation according to the second embodiment. In step ST24 in FIG. 3, the switching determination section 13 generates an image as shown in FIG. 7 and causes the display section 6 to display it. When the occupant operates the input unit 8 to select "rest nearby" (that is, option (a)), the switching determination unit 13 instructs the route setting unit 14 to select possible stop locations near the current position. , and instructs to search for a route to that possible stop. Upon receiving this instruction, the route setting unit 14 uses the map information to search for a route from the current position to the possible stop location, and outputs this route to the switching determination unit 13 as route information. Based on the route information from the route setting unit 14, the switching determination unit 13 causes the display unit 6 to display a route to a place where the vehicle can be stopped. Alternatively, the switching determination unit 13 may instruct the vehicle control unit 5 to go to a place where the vehicle can stop based on the route information from the route setting unit 14 .

When the occupant operates the input unit 8 to select "public transportation" (that is, option (b)), the switching determination unit 13 instructs the route setting unit 14 to select possible stops near the current position. and to search for public transportation (eg train stations). Upon receiving this instruction, the route setting unit 14 uses the map information to search for a route from the current position to the possible stop location, searches for a route from the possible stop location to the nearest station, and uses these routes as route information. Output to the switching determination unit 13 . Based on the route information from the route setting unit 14, the switching determination unit 13 causes the display unit 6 to display the route to the possible stop location and the route from the possible stop location to the nearest station. In addition, the switching judgment unit 13 displays the time when the train can be boarded at the nearest station and the arrival time at the station near the destination, after considering the travel time of the crew from the possible stop place to the nearest station. may be displayed in Note that the switching determination unit 13 may acquire the time relating to public transportation such as railways by communicating with an external server or the like via a communication device (not shown), for example. Note that, based on the route information from the route setting unit 14, the switching determination unit 13 may instruct the vehicle control unit 5 to go to a place where the vehicle can stop.

As described above, the route setting unit 14 according to the second embodiment keeps the vehicle 1 from running until the expected recovery time elapses when the occupant cannot manually drive the vehicle and the expected recovery time is less than the predetermined time. searches for a route that allows the vehicle to continue autonomous driving. The switching determination unit 13 changes the route on which the vehicle 1 is traveling to the route searched by the route setting unit 14 . Thus, in Embodiment 2, the switching determination unit 13 extends the manual operation start time by extending the automatic operation section. With this configuration, when it is difficult to switch from automatic driving to manual driving, the operation control device 10 approaches the destination while extending the automatic driving section, thereby driving the vehicle 1 until the occupant can manually drive. Delay in arrival time at the destination can be suppressed compared to the case of stopping.

Further, according to Embodiment 2, the route setting unit 14 searches for a route that allows the vehicle 1 to continue automatic driving each time the switching determination unit 13 extends the manual driving start time. As a result, the operation control device 10 can shorten the arrival time to the destination as much as possible even when recovery of the passenger's health condition is delayed from the initial expected recovery time.

Further, according to the second embodiment, the route setting unit 14 sets a route in which the passenger cannot manually drive, the expected recovery time is less than the predetermined time, and the vehicle 1 can continue automatic driving. Search for a route that guides passengers to public transportation when there is no As a result, the operation control device 10 can shorten the arrival time to the destination compared to the case where the vehicle 1 is stopped until the passenger can manually operate the vehicle.

In the second embodiment, the route setting unit 14 selects public transportation when the expected recovery time of all passengers is less than the predetermined time and when there is no route on which the vehicle 1 can continue automatic driving. Although it was configured to search for a route to guide passengers, regardless of whether the expected recovery time of all passengers is less than a predetermined time or more, if there is no route that allows the vehicle 1 to continue automatic driving, public transport A search may be made for a route that guides the occupant to the engine.

In Embodiments 1 and 2, the occupant condition determination unit 12 determines whether manual operation is possible based on the health condition of the occupant. However, there may be cases where it is difficult to switch to manual operation due to sudden secondary activities of the occupant. A secondary activity is an action other than driving, such as operating a mobile terminal or eating. Therefore, the occupant state determination unit 12 uses occupant information such as an image of the occupant captured by the occupant monitoring unit 2 to determine whether or not the occupant (especially the occupant sitting in the driver's seat) is performing a secondary activity. to decide. When the vehicle 1 approaches the manual operation section start point and the passenger is performing a secondary activity, the switching determination unit 13 allows the passenger to select whether to extend the manual operation start time. For example, the switching determination unit 13 uses at least one of the display unit 6 and the audio output unit 7 to inform the occupant of options (c) and (d). Option (c) is to extend the manual operation start time, that is, to extend the automatic operation. Option (d) is to switch from automatic operation to manual operation as initially planned without extending the manual operation start time. An example of the display screen for options (c) and (d) is shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a display example when the passenger is performing the secondary activity in the second embodiment. When the vehicle 1 approaches the manual operation section start point, the switching determination unit 13 generates an image as shown in FIG. 8 and causes the display unit 6 to display the image. When the occupant operates the input unit 8 to select "Yes" (that is, option (c)), the switching determination unit 13 extends the manual operation start time. In this case, the switching determination unit 13 instructs the route setting unit 14 to perform the operations shown in steps ST21 to ST24 of FIG. 3, for example.

When the occupant operates the input unit 8 to select "No" (that is, option (d)), the switching determination unit 13 determines to switch from automatic operation to manual operation, and at the manual operation section start point It instructs the vehicle control unit 5 to end the automatic driving.

Finally, the hardware configuration of the operation control device 10 according to each embodiment will be described.
FIG.9 and FIG.10 is a figure which shows the hardware structural example of the operation control apparatus 10 which concerns on each embodiment. Functions of the occupant information acquisition unit 11, the occupant state determination unit 12, the switching determination unit 13, and the route setting unit 14 in the operation control device 10 are realized by a processing circuit. That is, the operation control device 10 has a processing circuit for realizing the above functions. The processing circuit may be the processing circuit 100 as dedicated hardware, or the processor 101 that executes a program stored in the memory 102 .

As shown in FIG. 9, when the processing circuit is dedicated hardware, the processing circuit 100 may be, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). ), FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or a combination thereof. The functions of the occupant information acquisition unit 11, the occupant state determination unit 12, the switching determination unit 13, and the route setting unit 14 may be realized by a plurality of processing circuits 100, or the functions of each unit may be combined into one processing circuit 100. may be realized.

As shown in FIG. 10, when the processing circuit is the processor 101, the functions of the occupant information acquisition unit 11, the occupant state determination unit 12, the switching determination unit 13, and the route setting unit 14 are software, firmware, or software. It is realized by combination with firmware. Software or firmware is written as a program and stored in memory 102 . The processor 101 reads out and executes programs stored in the memory 102 to achieve the functions of each unit. That is, the operation control device 10 includes a memory 102 for storing a program that, when executed by the processor 101, results in the steps shown in the flow charts of FIGS. 2 and 3 being executed. It can also be said that this program causes a computer to execute procedures or methods of the occupant information acquiring section 11, the occupant state determining section 12, the switching determining section 13, and the route setting section 14. FIG.

Here, the processor 101 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a processing device, an arithmetic device, a microprocessor, or the like.
The memory 102 may be a nonvolatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), or flash memory, or a hard disk or flexible disk. or an optical disc such as a CD (Compact Disc) or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc).

The functions of the occupant information acquisition unit 11, the occupant state determination unit 12, the switching determination unit 13, and the route setting unit 14 are partly realized by dedicated hardware and partly by software or firmware. may In this way, the processing circuit in the operation control device 10 can implement the functions described above using hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof.

Further, in Embodiments 1 and 2, the functions of the occupant information acquisition unit 11, the occupant state determination unit 12, the switching determination unit 13, and the route setting unit 14 are installed in the vehicle 1 or installed in the vehicle 1. Although the configuration is concentrated in the information equipment brought in, it may be distributed to a server device on the network, a mobile terminal such as a smart phone, an on-vehicle device, and the like. Also, the functions of the occupant information acquisition unit 11, the occupant state determination unit 12, the switching determination unit 13, and the route setting unit 14 may be integrated in a server device on the network.

It should be noted that, within the scope of the present invention, it is possible to freely combine each embodiment, modify any component of each embodiment, or omit any component of each embodiment.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The operation control device according to the present invention is suitable for use in an operation control device for an automatically operated vehicle that requires switching between automatic operation and manual operation.

1 vehicle, 2 occupant monitoring unit, 3 position information acquisition unit, 4 map storage unit, 5 vehicle control unit, 6 display unit, 7 audio output unit, 8 input unit, 10 operation control device, 11 occupant information acquisition unit, 12 occupant state determination unit 13 switching determination unit 14 route setting unit 40, 40a, 40b route 41 departure point 42 destination 43, 53, 62 manual operation section start point 44, 54, 63 automatic operation section 45 , 55, 64 manual operation section, 51, 61 branch point, 100 processing circuit, 101 processor, 102 memory.

Claims (4)

an occupant information acquisition unit that acquires occupant information indicating the state of an occupant on board the vehicle;
Using the occupant information acquired by the occupant information acquisition unit, it is determined whether or not the occupant is capable of manual operation, and if the occupant is not capable of manual operation, the recovery prospect until the occupant becomes capable of manual operation. an occupant state determination unit for estimating time;
a switching determination unit that extends a manual operation start time for starting manual operation of the vehicle when the occupant is not capable of manual operation and the expected recovery time is less than a predetermined time ;
The occupant state determination unit determines whether the occupant is capable of manual operation and estimates the expected recovery time each time the manual operation start time is extended by the switching determination unit. driving controller. an occupant information acquisition unit that acquires occupant information indicating the state of an occupant on board the vehicle;
Using the occupant information acquired by the occupant information acquisition unit, it is determined whether or not the occupant is capable of manual operation, and if the occupant is not capable of manual operation, the recovery prospect until the occupant becomes capable of manual operation. an occupant state determination unit for estimating time;
a switching determination unit that extends a manual operation start time for starting manual operation of the vehicle when the occupant is not capable of manual operation and the expected recovery time is less than a predetermined time;
Route setting for searching for a route that allows the vehicle to continue automatic driving until the expected recovery time elapses when the occupant is unable to manually drive and the expected recovery time is less than the predetermined time. and
The switching determination unit changes the route on which the vehicle is traveling to the route searched by the route setting unit,
The driving control device, wherein the route setting unit searches for a route that allows the vehicle to continue automatic driving each time the manual driving start time is extended by the switching determination unit. an occupant information acquisition unit that acquires occupant information indicating the state of an occupant on board the vehicle;
Using the occupant information acquired by the occupant information acquisition unit, it is determined whether or not the occupant is capable of manual operation, and if the occupant is not capable of manual operation, the recovery prospect until the occupant becomes capable of manual operation. an occupant state determination unit for estimating time;
a switching determination unit that extends a manual operation start time for starting manual operation of the vehicle when the occupant is not capable of manual operation and the expected recovery time is less than a predetermined time;
Route setting for searching for a route that allows the vehicle to continue automatic driving until the expected recovery time elapses when the occupant is unable to manually drive and the expected recovery time is less than the predetermined time. and
The switching determination unit changes the route on which the vehicle is traveling to the route searched by the route setting unit,
The route setting unit selects a public transportation route when the occupant is not capable of manual driving, the expected recovery time is less than the predetermined time, and there is no route on which the vehicle can continue automatic driving. An operation control device, characterized by searching for a route for guiding the passenger to the engine. an occupant information acquiring unit acquires occupant information indicating the state of an occupant on board the vehicle;
An occupant state determination unit determines whether the occupant is capable of manual operation using the occupant information acquired by the occupant information acquisition unit, and if the occupant is not capable of manual operation, the occupant is capable of manual operation. Estimate the expected recovery time until
A switching determination unit extends a manual operation start time for starting manual operation of the vehicle when the occupant is not capable of manual operation and the expected recovery time is less than a predetermined time ,
The occupant state determination unit determines whether the occupant is capable of manual operation and estimates the expected recovery time each time the manual operation start time is extended by the switching determination unit. control method.

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