JP7601668B2 - Driving Support Devices - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a driving assistance device that suppresses the execution of automatic stopping control by the driver's action after an emergency switch equipped in a vehicle is operated.

Recently, vehicles are equipped with an emergency switch that can make an emergency call to the outside in the event that the driver (operator) experiences an emergency, and a driver abnormality response system that controls the vehicle based on the operation of the emergency switch. When the emergency switch is operated, a call is made to, for example, an emergency medical center, and technology is known that automatically slows down and stops the vehicle on behalf of the driver as an emergency measure. However, a driver may experience an emergency situation not only when the driver becomes ill, but also when the driver is tailgated by another vehicle and puts the driver in a dangerous situation, and therefore slowing down and stopping the vehicle is not necessarily the best course of action. On the other hand, if the abnormality response system is mistakenly suppressed in the event of a driver abnormality, the system will not be able to provide its original value.

JP 2016-133963 A

Patent Literature 1 discloses a technology that automatically transmits images and voices inside and outside the vehicle, and vehicle position information to an emergency call destination based on the results of voice recognition of voices inside the vehicle, even when the driver is unable to press the emergency switch due to poor physical condition, etc. If there is no mechanism to suppress the driver abnormality response system when the emergency switch is operated or when an emergency is determined by the above-mentioned voice recognition, or if the system suppression procedure is complicated, there is a problem that, for example, even when the aggressive driving stops and the emergency is resolved, the vehicle will automatically slow down and stop, which may disrupt traffic flow.
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned background, and aims to provide a driving assistance device that suppresses the execution of automatic stopping control by a driver abnormality response system in response to multiple operations intentionally performed by the driver, and quickly responds to an abnormality depending on the driver's situation.

One aspect of the present invention is a driving assistance device mounted on a vehicle equipped with an emergency switch that is operated by an occupant to execute a report to the outside, the driving assistance device comprising: a stop control unit that executes automatic stop control to decelerate and stop the vehicle; a driver operation detection unit that detects operation of an operator of the vehicle by the driver of the vehicle; and a stop control suppression unit that suppresses execution of the automatic stop control by the stop control unit when the driver operation detection unit detects that a predetermined operation of the operator has been performed within a predetermined first period after the emergency switch has been operated, the operators include an accelerator pedal and a brake pedal that are operated by the driver to control acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle, and the stop control suppression unit suppresses execution of the automatic stop control by the stop control unit when the driver operation detection unit detects that one of the accelerator pedal or the brake pedal has been operated from a first operation state to a second operation state, and that the other of the accelerator pedal or the brake pedal has been operated to a third operation state within a predetermined period after the second operation state.

Another aspect of the present invention is a driving assistance device mounted on a vehicle equipped with an emergency switch that is operated by an occupant to execute a notification to the outside, the driving assistance device comprising: a stop control unit that executes automatic stop control to decelerate and stop the vehicle; an alarm device that issues a first alarm that is an alarm to the inside of the vehicle based on the operation of the emergency switch; a driver operation detection unit that detects operation of an operator of the vehicle by the driver of the vehicle; a stop control suppression unit that suppresses execution of the automatic stop control by the stop control unit when the driver operation detection unit detects that a predetermined operation has been performed on the operator within a predetermined first period after the emergency switch is operated; and a posture detection device that detects the posture of the driver, wherein the alarm device issues a second alarm that is an alarm to the occupant after the first period has elapsed, and if the posture of the driver meets a predetermined condition, the posture detection device suppresses the second alarm to the occupant, and the stop control unit executes the automatic stop control.

The driving assistance device described above can suppress the execution of automatic stop control at the appropriate time by combining normal driving operations without requiring special switch operations. This allows the driver to smoothly operate the emergency response system.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a driving support device. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the operator is depressed. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the depression of the operator is relaxed. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the driving assistance device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the driving assistance device according to the second embodiment.

[1-1. Configuration of driving assistance device and automatic stopping control according to the first embodiment]
Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a driving assistance device 1 according to a first embodiment. The driving assistance device 1 includes a plurality of devices mounted on a vehicle, an electronic control unit (ECU) that controls the devices, and a stop control device 3 that executes automatic stop control. A communication unit 20 of the stop control device 3 is connected to each ECU via a bus 30 for data communication. The stop control device 3 has a communication unit 20, a storage device 25, and a processing device 5. Hereinafter, the communication unit 20 can be a transceiver that communicates in accordance with the CAN (Control Area Network) standard. Hereinafter, a vehicle on which the stop control device 3 performs automatic stop control is also referred to as a host vehicle or a host vehicle.

The vehicle stopping control device 3 acquires data such as the amount of depression (operation amount) of the accelerator pedal 35 from an accelerator control ECU (AC-ECU) 47 that detects the operation of the accelerator pedal 35 by the driver, and communicates with a drive control ECU (DC-ECU) 51 that controls the operation of the drive device 43 to control the vehicle driving force generated by the drive device 43. Here, the drive device 43 can be, for example, an electric motor and/or an internal combustion engine that provides propulsion to the vehicle. Note that in this embodiment, the driver controls the driving force of the drive device 43 by operating the accelerator pedal 35, but instead of the accelerator pedal 35, an accelerator operator including any operating part such as an operating lever can be used. Specifically, the vehicle is provided with an operator 40 for the driver to operate, and the operator 40 includes an accelerator pedal 35 that operates acceleration/deceleration, and a brake pedal 37.

The vehicle stopping control device 3 also obtains information about the pressed state of the emergency switch 55 from a switch control ECU (SW-ECU) 79 that detects the pressed state of the emergency switch 55 provided in the vehicle cabin, and obtains the images via a camera control ECU (CAM-ECU) 77 that controls an imaging device 57 that captures images of the inside and outside of the vehicle. Furthermore, the vehicle stopping control device 3 communicates with a steering control ECU (STRG-ECU) 75 that controls the steering device 59, and controls the steering device 59 so that the vehicle travels within a lane in front of the vehicle that is recognized from the images obtained via the CAM-ECU 77.

The vehicle stopping control device 3 also communicates with a communication control ECU (COM-ECU) 73 that controls the external communication device 61, and for example, in an emergency, calls an emergency medical center to ensure telephone communication between the vehicle occupants and the center. The vehicle stopping control device 3 also communicates with a brake control ECU (BRK-ECU) 49 that controls the brake pedal 37 that includes a hydraulic brake and an electric parking brake, and controls the hydraulic brake to decelerate the vehicle at a desired deceleration, and when the vehicle is stopped, activates the electric parking brake to set the vehicle in a stopped state (parked state).

The parking control device 3 also communicates with an audio-visual device control ECU (AVC-ECU) 70 to output images to the display device 63, output audio to the speaker 64, and/or receive audio signals from the microphone 67. The display device 63, speaker 64, and microphone 67 are each provided within the vehicle cabin to provide image information and audio information to the driver and/or passengers, and to acquire audio from the driver and/or passengers.

Furthermore, the stopping control device 3 receives a speed detection signal from a speed sensor 45 that detects the vehicle speed via a sensor monitoring ECU (SENS-ECU) 53, and determines, for example, whether the vehicle has stopped.

The display device 63 may be provided, for example, in the instrument panel of the driver's seat. Specifically, the display device 63 is configured as a so-called multi-information display (MID: MultiInformation Display) incorporated in the meter panel.

This allows the driver to easily view the image on the display device 63 behind the steering wheel. Instead of using a multi-information display provided on the meter panel as the display device 63, a display device (not shown) of a navigation device or a so-called display audio device provided on the instrument panel can also be used as the display device 63.

An emergency switch 55 is also provided on the steering wheel or roof, for example as a push button switch. In this embodiment, when the driver finds it difficult to continue driving operations such as braking due to the sudden onset or worsening of symptoms of an illness, the driver may press the emergency switch 55 to communicate the intention to stop to the vehicle stopping control device 3. Alternatively, the posture detection unit 9 may detect an abnormality in the driver based on an image of the driver inside the vehicle captured by the imaging device 57 and execute automatic vehicle stopping control. Examples of an inability to drive include a state in which the imaging device 57 captures an image of the driver in a posture such as leaning backward, bowing, looking down, leaning forward with only the head tilted to the side, leaning to the side, or tilting to the side.

The processing device 5 of the vehicle stop control device 3 is a computer having a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory) in which a program is written, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) for temporary data storage. The processing device 5 includes a posture detection unit 9 that detects that the driver is incapable of driving, a vehicle stop control unit 11 that executes automatic vehicle stop control to decelerate and stop the vehicle based on whether the incapacity detection unit detects that the driver is incapacitated, a driver operation detection unit 7 that detects the operation state of the operator 40, a steering control unit 13 that controls the steering device 59 to move the vehicle to the side of the road during automatic vehicle stop control, and an emergency call unit 15 that makes an emergency call. Specifically, the above control is performed by the processing device 5, which is a computer, executing a program stored in the storage device 25.

The driving assistance device 1 according to this embodiment suppresses the execution of the automatic stop control if the driver operation detection unit 7 detects that the operation state of the operator 40 has changed multiple times during the transition to or execution of the automatic stop control.

Each of the above units of the processing device 5 is realized by the processing device 5, which is a computer, executing a program, and the computer program can be stored in any computer-readable storage device 25. Alternatively or in addition, all or part of each of the above units can be configured by hardware, each of which includes one or more electronic circuit components.

The stop intention detection unit 10 realized by the processing device 5 queries the SW-ECU 79 about the pressed state of the emergency switch 55 at a predetermined time interval to obtain information on the pressed state, and when the emergency switch 55 is pressed, outputs a signal (stop intention detection signal) notifying that the emergency switch 55 has been pressed to the stop control unit 11. Alternatively, when the emergency switch 55 is pressed, the SW-ECU 79 may transmit a signal (SW press signal) indicating that the emergency switch 55 has been pressed to the stop intention detection unit 10, and the stop intention detection unit 10 may output the stop intention detection signal to the stop control unit 11 in response to receiving the SW press signal. Also, when the emergency switch 55 is pressed, the stop intention detection unit 10 communicates from the external communication device 61 to the outside of the vehicle using the emergency notification unit 15. Specifically, the external communication device 61 may make an emergency call to a medical emergency center or the like by automatic voice or the like. At that time, vehicle location information, etc. may be transmitted.

The driver operation detection unit 7 obtains the amount of operation (amount of depression) of the accelerator pedal 35 at predetermined time intervals via the AC-ECU 47. The driver operation detection unit 7 also obtains the amount of operation (amount of depression) of the brake pedal 37 at predetermined time intervals via the BRK-ECU 49. When the driver operation detection unit 7 detects an operation performed by the operator 40, for example, when it detects that the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal 35 has decreased, it activates a measurement timer to determine whether the automatic stop control has been released from the time when the amount of depression has decreased. The operation of suppressing the automatic stop control by the driving assistance device 1 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 4.

The stopping control unit 11 executes automatic stopping control to control the deceleration of the vehicle and automatically stop it based on whether or not it has received a stopping intention detection signal from the stopping intention detection unit 10 and/or whether or not it has received an inoperable state detection signal from the attitude detection unit 9.

More specifically, when the vehicle stop control unit 11 receives either a vehicle stop intention detection signal from the vehicle stop intention detection unit 10 or an inoperable state detection signal from the attitude detection unit 9, the vehicle stop control unit 11 starts automatic vehicle stop control and controls the braking device (not shown) and drive device 43 via the BRK-ECU 49 and DC-ECU 51 to decelerate the vehicle.

[1-2. Operation of the control to inhibit automatic stop control]
Specific examples of operations of the operator 40 performed by the driver to suppress the automatic stop control will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG.

Figures 2 and 3 are explanatory diagrams showing how the operator 40 is depressed by the driver's leg 110. The operator 40 can be an accelerator pedal 35 or a brake pedal 37. First, consider the operator 40 as the accelerator pedal 35.

In FIG. 2, the driver steps on the operator 40 with the foot 110, and the operator 40 enters a first operating state in which the angle between the operator 40 and the floor 120 is, for example, angle θ1.

Next, in FIG. 3, the driver releases the pressure of the driver's leg 110, resulting in a second operating state in which the angle between the operator 40 and the floor 120 is, for example, angle θ2. Here, θ2 is an angle larger than θ1, and the pedal is not depressed deeply.

Now, returning to Figure 2, consider the operator 40 to be the brake pedal 37. If the driver depresses the brake pedal 37 with the driver's leg 110 within a predetermined period of time after the second operating state (Figure 2 where the operator 40 is interpreted as the brake pedal 37), the operator 40 enters a third operating state in which the angle between the operator 40 and the floor 120 is, for example, angle θ1. Of course, the angle does not need to strictly return to θ1 at this time, as long as the operator 40 is depressed deeper than a certain amount of operation.

As described above, when the driver operation detection unit 7 detects that the accelerator pedal 35 or the brake pedal 37 has shifted from the first operation state in which either the accelerator pedal 35 or the brake pedal 37 is operated to the second operation state in which either the accelerator pedal 35 or the brake pedal 37 is not operated, and then shifts to the third operation state in which the other of the accelerator pedal 35 or the brake pedal 37 is operated within a predetermined period of time, the driving support device 1 according to this embodiment suppresses the execution of the automatic stop control. Here, the second operation state in which the accelerator pedal 35 or the brake pedal 37 is not operated does not mean that the pedal is not depressed at all, but may mean that the operator 40 is not depressed deeply. In other words, the first operation state and the third operation state are states in which the pedal is depressed, and the second operation state is a state in which the pedal is not depressed easily. The predetermined period is, for example, 2 seconds.

Alternatively, when the driver operation detection unit 7 detects that the vehicle has transitioned from a first operation state in which the brake pedal 37 is operated to a second operation state in which the brake pedal 37 is not operated, and then transitioned within a predetermined period of time to a third operation state in which the accelerator pedal 35 is operated, the driving assistance device 1 may suppress the execution of the automatic stop control.

Here, we have shown a mode in which the execution of the automatic vehicle stop control is suppressed by changes in the depression of two pedals, the accelerator pedal 35 and the brake pedal 37. However, for example, the driver operation detection unit 7 may detect only changes in the depression of the brake pedal 37 and suppress the execution of the automatic vehicle stop control.

[1-3. Operation of the driving support device when suppressing automatic stop control]
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the driving support device 1 according to the first embodiment. First, the stop intention detection unit 10 detects whether the emergency switch 55 has been operated (step SA1). If it is detected that the emergency switch 55 has been operated (step SA1: YES), the emergency notification unit 15 uses the external communication device 61 to communicate with the outside of the vehicle (step SA2). The driving support device 1 then issues a first notification to the inside of the vehicle to notify that an emergency has occurred (step SA3). The first notification may be transmitted by audio information using the speaker 64, or may be transmitted by visual information by the display unit 66. The notification may be transmitted to the outside of the vehicle at the same time as the notification to the inside of the vehicle. Specifically, the driving support device 1 may perform an automatic operation such as blinking a hazard lamp (not shown) at the same time as the first notification to the inside of the vehicle. If it is not detected that the emergency switch 55 has been operated (step SA1: NO), the process returns to START.

Next, the driver operation detection unit 7 detects and determines whether the operator 40 has been operated in a predetermined manner (step SA4). The predetermined operation may mean, for example, that the driver operation detection unit 7 detects that the vehicle has transitioned from a first operation state in which either the accelerator pedal 35 or the brake pedal 37 is operated to a second operation state in which neither the accelerator pedal 35 nor the brake pedal 37 is operated, and then transitioned within a predetermined period of time to a third operation state in which the other of the accelerator pedal 35 or the brake pedal 37 is operated.

When the driver operation detection unit 7 detects that the operator 40 has been operated in a predetermined manner (step SA4: YES), the driving support device 1 suppresses notification (step SA10). Then, the stop control suppression unit 12 of the driving support device 1 suppresses the execution of automatic stop control by the stop control unit 11 (step SA11).

If the driver operation detection unit 7 detects that the operator 40 has not been operated in a predetermined manner (step SA4: NO), the driving assistance device 1 determines whether a predetermined first period has elapsed since the first notification was issued (step SA5). The first period is, for example, 5 seconds.

If the first period has not elapsed since the first notification was made, the process returns to step SA4 (step SA5: NO). If it is determined that the first period has elapsed since the first notification was made (step SA5: YES), the notification device 63 makes a second notification to the inside of the vehicle (step SA6). The second notification may be transmitted as audio information using the speaker 64, as with the first notification, or as visual information on the display unit 66.

If the driver operation detection unit 7 detects that the operator 40 has been operated in a predetermined manner after the second notification has been issued (step SA7: YES), the driving assistance device 1 suppresses the notification (step SA10). Then, the stop control suppression unit 12 of the driving assistance device 1 suppresses the execution of automatic stop control by the stop control unit 11 (step SA11).

If the driver operation detection unit 7 detects that the operator 40 has not been operated in a predetermined manner (step SA7: NO), the driving assistance device 1 determines whether a predetermined second period has elapsed since the second notification was made (step SA8). The second period is, for example, 3 seconds. It is desirable to set the second period to be shorter than the first period.

If the second period has not elapsed since the second notification was made, the process returns to step SA7 (step SA8: NO). If it is determined that the second period has elapsed since the second notification was made (step SA8: YES), the driving assistance device 1 executes automatic stopping control to decelerate and stop the vehicle (step SA9).

[2-1. Configuration of the driving assistance device according to the second embodiment and operation of the operation keys]
The second embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

The configuration of the driving assistance device 1 according to the second embodiment is the same as that of the driving assistance device 1 according to the first embodiment, so a description thereof will be omitted.

[2-2. Operation of the control to inhibit automatic stop control]
The operation of the operator according to the second embodiment is similar to the operation of the operator for suppressing the automatic stop control in the driving assistance device 1 according to the first embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[2-3. Operation of the driving support device when suppressing automatic stop control]
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the driving support device 1 according to the second embodiment. First, the stop intention detection unit 10 detects whether the emergency switch 55 has been operated (step SB1). If it is detected that the emergency switch 55 has been operated (step SB1: YES), the emergency notification unit 15 uses the external communication device 61 to communicate with the outside of the vehicle (step SB2). The driving support device 1 then issues a first notification to notify the inside of the vehicle that an emergency has occurred (step SB3). The first notification may be transmitted by audio information using the speaker 64, or may be transmitted by visual information by the display unit 66. The notification may be transmitted to the outside of the vehicle at the same time as the notification to the inside of the vehicle. Specifically, the driving support device 1 may perform an automatic operation such as blinking a hazard lamp (not shown) at the same time as the first notification to the inside of the vehicle. If it is not detected that the emergency switch 55 has been operated (step SB1: NO), the process returns to START.

Next, the driver operation detection unit 7 detects and determines whether the operator 40 has been operated in a predetermined manner (step SB4). The predetermined operation may mean, for example, that the driver operation detection unit 7 detects that the operation state has shifted from a first operation state in which either the accelerator pedal 35 or the brake pedal 37 is operated to a second operation state in which neither the accelerator pedal 35 nor the brake pedal 37 is operated, and then, within a predetermined period of time, to a third operation state in which the other of the accelerator pedal 35 or the brake pedal 37 is operated.

When the driver operation detection unit 7 detects that the operator 40 has been operated in a predetermined manner (step SB4: YES), the driving support device 1 suppresses the notification (step SB11). Then, the stop control suppression unit 12 of the driving support device 1 suppresses the execution of automatic stop control by the stop control unit 11 (step SB12).

If the driver operation detection unit 7 detects that the operator 40 has not been operated in a predetermined manner (step SB4: NO), the driving assistance device 1 determines whether a predetermined first period has elapsed since the first notification was issued (step SB5). The first period is, for example, 5 seconds.

If the first period has not elapsed since the first notification was made, the process returns to step SB4 (step SB5: NO). If it is determined that the first period has elapsed since the first notification was made (step SB5: YES), the posture detection unit 9 detects the driver's posture and determines whether the driver's posture meets a predetermined condition (step SB6). Specifically, the imaging device 57 captures an image of the driver's posture, and the posture detection unit 9 estimates the driver's state by image recognition. Examples of the predetermined condition include the driver being in a posture that indicates an inability to drive, such as leaning backward, bowing, leaning forward, with only the head tilted to the side, leaning to the side, or tilting to the side.

When the posture detection unit 9 detects the driver's posture and determines that the driver's posture meets a predetermined condition (step SB6: YES), the driving assistance device 1 uses the stop control unit 11 to execute automatic stopping control (step SB10).

When the posture detection unit 9 detects the driver's posture and determines that the driver's posture does not meet a predetermined condition (step SB6: NO), the notification device 63 issues a second notification to the inside of the vehicle (step SB7). The second notification may be transmitted as audio information using the speaker 64, as with the first notification, or may be transmitted as visual information by the display unit 66.

After the second notification, if the driver operation detection unit 7 detects that the operator 40 has been operated in a predetermined manner (step SB8: YES), the driving support device 1 suppresses the notification (step SB11). Then, the stop control suppression unit 12 of the driving support device 1 suppresses the execution of automatic stop control by the stop control unit 11 (step SB12).

If the driver operation detection unit 7 detects that the operator 40 has not been operated in a predetermined manner (step SB8: NO), the driving assistance device 1 determines whether a predetermined second period has elapsed since the second notification was made (step SB9). The second period is, for example, 3 seconds. It is desirable to set the second period to be shorter than the first period.

If the second period has not elapsed since the second notification was made, the process returns to step SB8 (step SB9: NO). If it is determined that the second period has elapsed since the second notification was made (step SB9: YES), the driving assistance device 1 executes automatic stopping control to decelerate and stop the vehicle (step SB10).

3. Other embodiments
In the above embodiment, the accelerator pedal 35 or the brake pedal 37 is operated as the operator 40 for suppressing the execution of the automatic stop control, but the present invention can use other devices as the operator. Specifically, the operator 40 is a turn signal, and when the driver operation detection unit 7 detects that the turn signal is operated to indicate one direction and then operated to indicate the other direction opposite to the one direction, it can be considered that the execution of the automatic stop control is suppressed. It is also possible to use a steering device 59 as the operator 40.

In the above embodiment, when the stopping intention detection unit 10 detects that the emergency switch 55 has been operated, the flow is described in which the emergency notification unit 15 communicates with the outside of the vehicle using the external communication device 61 and issues a first notification to the inside of the vehicle. In another embodiment, the posture detection unit 9 may detect the driver's posture and, if it determines that the driver's posture does not meet a predetermined condition, communicate with the outside of the vehicle and issue a first notification to the inside of the vehicle. Of course, detection by the stopping intention detection unit 10 and detection by the posture detection unit 9 may be performed simultaneously, and communication may be issued to the outside and a first notification may be issued to the inside of the vehicle if either or both of them meet the conditions as a result.

4. Configurations supported by the above embodiment
The above embodiment supports the following configurations.

(Configuration 1) A driving assistance device comprising: a stopping control unit 11 that executes automatic stopping control to decelerate and stop the vehicle in a vehicle provided with an emergency switch 55 that can be operated by an occupant to issue a notification to the outside; an alarm device 63 that issues a first notification, which is a notification to the inside of the vehicle, based on the operation of the emergency switch 55; an external communication device 61 that communicates to the outside of the vehicle based on the operation of the emergency switch 55; and a driver operation detection unit 7 that detects operation by the driver of the vehicle, and the stopping control unit 11 executes the automatic stopping control based on the detection result of the driver operation detection unit 7.
According to the driving support device 1 of the configuration 1, it is possible to detect the state of the vehicle occupants, particularly the driver of the vehicle, and distinguish between cases where automatic stopping control is necessary and cases where it is not necessary. For example, when the driver is unable to drive due to poor physical condition, the automatic stopping control is executed, and when the driver judges that it is dangerous to continue driving due to tailgating by other vehicles, the driver can select to only make an emergency call and not to execute the automatic stopping control.

(Configuration 2) The vehicle is provided with an operator 40 for steering or accelerating/decelerating the vehicle, and the driving assistance device described in Configuration 1 is characterized in that it has a stop control suppression unit 12 that suppresses the execution of the automatic stop control by the stop control unit 11 when the driver operation detection unit 7 detects that a predetermined operation of the operator 40 has been performed within a predetermined first period after the emergency switch 55 is operated.
In an emergency, it may be difficult for the driver to suppress the automatic stop control by operating a specially prepared device such as the emergency switch 55. In that case, if the automatic stop control is always executed, it may be contrary to the intention of the occupants and disrupt traffic flow. According to the driving assistance device 1 of configuration 2, the driver's intention can be transmitted to the driving assistance device 1 using the operation device 40 that the driver can always operate while driving, and when the driver wants to suppress the automatic stop control, the driver can easily transmit the intention to the driving assistance device 1.

(Configuration 3) The driving assistance device described in Configuration 2, characterized in that the notification device 63 issues a second notification to the occupant after the first period has elapsed, and if the driver operation detection unit 7 detects that the operator 40 has not performed a predetermined operation within a predetermined second period after the second notification, the stopping control unit 11 executes the automatic stopping control.
If the automatic stop control is executed against the driver's intention, it may cause a traffic disruption. According to the driving assistance device 1 of the configuration 3, by confirming with the driver multiple times whether or not to execute the automatic stop control, it becomes possible to provide driving assistance that accurately reflects the driver's intention.

(Configuration 4) The operating elements 40 include an accelerator pedal 35 that is operated by the driver to control the acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle, and a brake pedal 37, and when the driver operation detection unit 7 detects that one of the accelerator pedal 35 or the brake pedal 37 is operated to change from a first operation state to a second operation state, and the other of the accelerator pedal 35 or the brake pedal 37 is operated to a third operation state within a predetermined period of time after the second state is reached, the stopping control suppression unit 12 suppresses the execution of the automatic stopping control by the stopping control unit 11, in the driving assistance device described in Configuration 3.
When the body becomes stiff due to convulsions, the pedal, which is an operating element, may continue to be depressed. If the automatic stop control were to be suppressed simply by the pedal being depressed deeply, it would be difficult for the stopping control device 3 to perform the automatic stop control when the driver is in poor physical condition. According to the driving support device of configuration 4, the criterion for determining whether to suppress the automatic driving control is whether or not a continuous operation that a driver in a normal state can naturally be performed is performed, so that driving support that accurately captures the driver's intentions is possible.

(Configuration 5) The vehicle is equipped with a posture detection device that detects the posture of the driver, and when the posture of the driver meets a predetermined condition, the posture detection device suppresses the second notification to the occupants, and the stopping control unit executes the automatic stopping control, characterized in that the driving assistance device described in configuration 3 or configuration 4.
According to configuration 5, after the emergency switch 55 is operated, the driver's state is detected for the first time and a warning is issued, but if the driver is highly likely to be in a state where he or she is unable to drive as a result of subsequent posture detections, automatic vehicle stop control can be performed early.

(Configuration 6) The driving assistance device according to any one of configurations 3 to 5, wherein the second period is set to be shorter than the first period.
According to the driving assistance device of configuration 5, early automatic stopping control that takes into account the driver's intention in an emergency situation of the driver becomes possible.

As described above, the embodiments have been described as examples of the technology disclosed in this application. However, the technology in this disclosure is not limited to this, and can also be applied to embodiments in which modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc. are made. It is also possible to combine the components described in the above embodiments to create new embodiments.

For example, the step units of the control operation shown in Figures 4 and 5 are divided according to the main processing content in order to facilitate understanding of the operation of each part of the driving assistance device 1, and the present invention is not limited by the manner in which the processing units are divided or the names of the processing units. The processing units may be further divided into more step units depending on the processing content. Furthermore, one step unit may be further divided to include more processing. Furthermore, the order of the steps may be changed as appropriate within the scope of the present invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Driving assistance device 3 Stopping control device 5 Processing device 7 Driver operation detection unit 9 Posture detection unit 10 Stopping intention detection unit 11 Stopping control unit 12 Stopping control suppression unit 13 Steering control unit 15 Emergency notification unit 20 Communication unit 25 Storage device 30 Bus 35 Accelerator pedal 37 Brake pedal 40 Operator 43 Drive device 45 Speed sensor 47 AC-ECU
49 BRK-ECU
51 DC-ECU
53 SENS-ECU
55 Emergency switch 57 Imaging device 59 Steering device 61 Telephone device 63 Notification device 64 Speaker 65 Microphone 66 Display unit 70 AVC-ECU
73 COM-ECU
75 STRG-ECU
77 CAM-ECU
79 SW-ECU
110 Driver's legs 120 Floor 130 Driver's legs

Claims (4)

A driving assistance device mounted on a vehicle having an emergency switch that is operated by an occupant to execute a report to the outside,
a vehicle stop control unit that executes automatic vehicle stop control to decelerate and stop the vehicle;
A driver operation detection unit that detects an operation of an operator of the vehicle by a driver of the vehicle ;
a vehicle stop control suppression unit that suppresses execution of the automatic vehicle stop control by the vehicle stop control unit when the driver operation detection unit detects that a predetermined operation of the operating element is performed within a first predetermined period after the emergency switch is operated;
Equipped with
The operation elements include an accelerator pedal and a brake pedal that are operated by the driver to control acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle,
The stop control suppression unit suppresses execution of the automatic stop control by the stop control unit when the driver operation detection unit detects that one of the accelerator pedal or the brake pedal is operated to change from a first operation state to a second operation state, and the other of the accelerator pedal or the brake pedal is operated to a third operation state within a predetermined period after the second operation state.
A driving assistance device comprising: A driving assistance device mounted on a vehicle having an emergency switch that is operated by an occupant to execute a report to the outside,
a vehicle stop control unit that executes automatic vehicle stop control to decelerate and stop the vehicle;
an alarm device that issues a first alarm to an inside of the vehicle based on the operation of the emergency switch;
A driver operation detection unit that detects an operation of an operator of the vehicle by a driver of the vehicle;
a vehicle stop control suppression unit that suppresses execution of the automatic vehicle stop control by the vehicle stop control unit when the driver operation detection unit detects that a predetermined operation of the operating element is performed within a first predetermined period after the emergency switch is operated;
A posture detection device that detects the posture of the driver;
Equipped with
the notification device performs a second notification to the occupant after the first period has elapsed,
When the driver's posture meets a predetermined condition,
The attitude detection device suppresses the second notification to the occupant, and
The vehicle stop control unit executes the automatic vehicle stop control.
A driving assistance device comprising: The vehicle stop control unit executes the automatic vehicle stop control when the driver operation detection unit detects that the operator has not performed a predetermined operation within a second predetermined period from the second notification.
The driving assistance device according to claim 2 . 4. The driving support device according to claim 3 , wherein the second period is set to be shorter than the first period.

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