JP7626095B2 - Presentation control device, presentation control program, automatic driving control device, and automatic driving control program - Google Patents

Description

The disclosure in this specification relates to technology for controlling the presentation of information related to autonomous driving functions, and technology for enabling driving using the autonomous driving functions.

Patent document 1 describes a vehicle control device that starts automatic driving when a traffic jam of a length equal to or longer than a predetermined value occurs.

JP 2005-324661 A

In recent years, technology that enables autonomous driving without the driver's obligation to monitor the surroundings is being realized, in addition to autonomous driving with the driver's obligation to monitor the surroundings. When autonomous driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings is performed, the driver of the vehicle does not need to understand the situation around the vehicle. Therefore, for example, when the vehicle stops in a scene such as when driving in a traffic jam as in Patent Document 1, the driver may not know what to do after the vehicle stops because he or she is not aware of the situation around the vehicle. If such a scene occurs, there is a risk that the convenience of autonomous driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings will be lost.

The present disclosure aims to provide a presentation control device, a presentation control program, an autonomous driving control device, and an autonomous driving control program that can ensure the convenience of autonomous driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, one disclosed aspect is an automatic driving control device that enables driving of a host vehicle (Am) using an automatic driving function, and is equipped with a time determination unit (62) that determines whether or not the elapsed time after the host vehicle, which is driven by autonomous driving control with no obligation for the driver of the host vehicle to monitor the surroundings, stops due to traffic congestion, and a driving control unit (63) that, if the elapsed time does not exceed the predetermined time, does not require input from the driver to resume driving of the host vehicle, and, if the elapsed time exceeds the predetermined time, resumes driving of the host vehicle based on input from the driver .

One aspect disclosed is an autonomous driving control program that enables a host vehicle (Am) to travel using an autonomous driving function, and when the host vehicle, traveling using autonomous driving control with no obligation on the driver of the host vehicle to monitor the surroundings, stops due to traffic congestion, measures the elapsed time after stopping (S14), and if the elapsed time does not exceed a predetermined time, makes input by the driver unnecessary to restart the host vehicle (S15), and if the elapsed time exceeds the predetermined time, restarts the host vehicle based on input by the driver (S20, S21). This autonomous driving control program causes at least one processing unit (51) to execute processing including the following .

In these aspects, when a vehicle traveling by autonomous driving control without the driver having to monitor the surroundings is stopped due to traffic congestion, if the elapsed time after the stop does not exceed a predetermined time, the driver's input is not required to resume the traveling of the vehicle. On the other hand, if the elapsed time after the stop exceeds the predetermined time, the traveling of the vehicle is resumed based on the driver's input. According to the above, the situation around the vehicle is only required to be understood in a scene where it is easy to secure time to understand the situation around the vehicle. Therefore, the driver can take time to understand the action to be taken. Therefore, the convenience of automatic driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings can be ensured.

One aspect disclosed is an automatic driving control device that enables a host vehicle (Am) to travel using an automatic driving function, and includes a time determination unit (62) that determines whether the elapsed time after the host vehicle, traveling using autonomous driving control with no obligation on the driver of the host vehicle to monitor the surroundings, stops due to traffic congestion, and a driving control unit (63) that transitions the autonomous driving control to a standby state when the elapsed time exceeds the duration limit .

Also, one disclosed aspect is an automatic driving control device that enables driving of a host vehicle (Am) using an automatic driving function, and includes a time determination unit (62) that determines whether or not the elapsed time after the host vehicle, which is driven by autonomous driving control with no obligation on the driver of the host vehicle to monitor the surroundings, stops due to traffic congestion, and a driving control unit (63) that releases the autonomous driving control if the elapsed time exceeds the duration limit, and the driving control unit is an automatic driving control device that, when it is detected that the driver has input a specific resume operation after the autonomous driving control is released, returns the driving control state of the host vehicle to the autonomous driving control state without passing through a driving assistance control state in which the driver is obligated to monitor the surroundings .

One aspect disclosed is an autonomous driving control program that enables a host vehicle (Am) to travel using an autonomous driving function, and that, when the host vehicle travelling using autonomous driving control without the driver of the host vehicle having to monitor the surroundings stops due to traffic congestion, causes at least one processing unit (51) to execute processing including determining whether the elapsed time since the host vehicle stopped exceeds a duration limit (S421), and, if the elapsed time exceeds the duration limit, transitioning the autonomous driving control to a standby state (S423).

Also, one disclosed aspect is an autonomous driving control program that enables a host vehicle (Am) to travel using an autonomous driving function, and when the host vehicle, traveling using autonomous driving control in which the driver of the host vehicle is not required to monitor the surroundings, stops due to traffic congestion, the program causes at least one processing unit (51) to execute processing including: determining whether the elapsed time since the host vehicle stopped exceeds a duration limit time (S521); if the elapsed time exceeds the duration limit time, canceling the autonomous driving control (S522, S523); and, if it is detected that the driver has input a specific resume operation after the autonomous driving control is released, returning the host vehicle's driving control state to an autonomous driving control state without passing through a driving assistance control state in which the driver is required to monitor the surroundings (S532) .

In these aspects, if the elapsed time after the stop due to traffic congestion exceeds the continuation time limit, the autonomous driving control transitions to a standby state or is set to a release state in which the autonomous driving control can be returned to by the driver inputting a specific restart operation. As a result, the autonomous driving control can resume driving of the vehicle without requiring complicated operations by the driver, so that a situation in which the driver does not know what to do after stopping can be avoided. Therefore, the convenience of autonomous driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings can be ensured.

Also, one disclosed aspect is an automatic driving control device that enables driving of a host vehicle (Am) using an automatic driving function, and includes a first driving control unit (50a) that controls driving of the host vehicle using driving assistance control that requires the driver of the host vehicle to monitor the surroundings, a second driving control unit (63) that controls driving of the host vehicle using autonomous driving control that does not require the driver to monitor the surroundings, and a monitoring and grasping unit (61) that grasps whether or not the driver is monitoring the surroundings. When the host vehicle running using driving assistance control is stopped due to congestion, the first driving control unit requires input from the driver to restart the host vehicle on the condition that the elapsed time since the vehicle stopped exceeds a predetermined time, and when the host vehicle running using autonomous driving control is stopped due to congestion, even if the elapsed time exceeds a predetermined time, the second driving control unit does not require input from the driver to restart the host vehicle, and when the host vehicle running using autonomous driving control is stopped for emergency avoidance, the automatic driving control device resumes driving of the host vehicle using autonomous driving control on the condition that the driver is monitoring the surroundings .

Also, one disclosed aspect is an autonomous driving control program that enables a host vehicle (Am) to travel using an autonomous driving function, and that, when a host vehicle traveling using driving assistance control in which the driver of the host vehicle is obligated to monitor the surroundings is stopped due to congestion, input by the driver is required to restart the host vehicle on condition that the elapsed time since the host vehicle stopped exceeds a predetermined time (S37); when a host vehicle traveling using autonomous driving control in which the driver is not obligated to monitor the surroundings is stopped due to congestion, even if the elapsed time exceeds a predetermined time, input by the driver is not required to restart the host vehicle (S54); when a host vehicle traveling using autonomous driving control is stopped for emergency avoidance, determining whether or not the driver is monitoring the surroundings, and resuming traveling of the host vehicle using autonomous driving control on condition that the driver is monitoring the surroundings (S66, S67).

In these aspects, when a vehicle traveling under autonomous driving control without the obligation to monitor the surroundings stops due to congestion, even if the time that has elapsed since the vehicle stopped exceeds a predetermined time, no input from the driver is required to restart the vehicle. As a result, after the vehicle stops, the driver is also not required to take action to grasp the situation around the vehicle. Therefore, the convenience of automated driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings can be ensured.

Also disclosed is a presentation control device that is used in a host vehicle (Am) capable of driving using an autonomous driving function, and controls the presentation of information related to the autonomous driving function, and includes a control grasping unit (82) that grasps whether autonomous driving control, in which the driver of the host vehicle is not required to monitor the surroundings, is being executed by the autonomous driving function, a notification control unit (88) that notifies the host vehicle of driving resumption information regarding the resumption of driving of the host vehicle when the host vehicle driving using autonomous driving control stops, and a monitoring grasping unit (81) that grasps whether the driver is monitoring the surroundings, and the notification control unit is a presentation control device that notifies the driving resumption information if the driver is not monitoring the surroundings, and omits the notification of the driving resumption information if the driver is monitoring the surroundings .
Also disclosed is a presentation control device that is used in a host vehicle (Am) capable of driving using an autonomous driving function, and controls the presentation of information related to the autonomous driving function, and includes a control grasping unit (82) that grasps whether autonomous driving control, in which the driver of the host vehicle is not required to monitor the surroundings, is being executed by the autonomous driving function, and a notification control unit (88) that notifies the host vehicle of driving resumption information regarding the resumption of driving of the host vehicle when the host vehicle driving using the autonomous driving control stops, and the notification control unit is a presentation control device that starts notifying the host vehicle of driving resumption information before the host vehicle stops when it is predicted that the host vehicle driving using the autonomous driving control will stop.
Also, one disclosed aspect is a presentation control device that is used in a host vehicle (Am) capable of driving using an autonomous driving function, and controls the presentation of information related to the autonomous driving function, and includes a control grasping unit (82) that grasps whether autonomous driving control, for which the driver of the host vehicle is not obligated to monitor the surroundings, is being executed by the autonomous driving function, and a notification control unit (88) that notifies the host vehicle of driving resumption information regarding the resumption of driving of the host vehicle when the host vehicle driving using autonomous driving control stops, and the notification control unit is a presentation control device that requests driver input to restart the host vehicle based on the elapse of a predetermined time since the host vehicle stopped when the host vehicle driving using driving assistance control, for which the driver is obligated to monitor the surroundings, stops due to congestion, and stops the request for driver input when the host vehicle driving using autonomous driving control stops due to congestion.
Also, one disclosed aspect is a presentation control device that is used in a host vehicle (Am) capable of driving using an autonomous driving function, and controls the presentation of information related to the autonomous driving function, and is equipped with a control grasping unit (82) that grasps whether autonomous driving control, in which the driver of the host vehicle is not obligated to monitor the surroundings, is being executed by the autonomous driving function, and a notification control unit (88) that notifies the host vehicle of driving resumption information regarding the resumption of driving of the host vehicle when the host vehicle driving using autonomous driving control stops, in which the control grasping unit grasps the magnitude of acceleration in the deceleration direction that has occurred in the host vehicle when the host vehicle stops, and the notification control unit notifies the driving resumption information when the acceleration exceeds a notification threshold, and omits the notification of the driving resumption information when the acceleration is below the notification threshold.

Another disclosed aspect is a presentation control program used in a host vehicle (Am) capable of driving using an autonomous driving function, which controls the presentation of information related to the autonomous driving function, and causes at least one processing unit (11) to execute processing including determining whether autonomous driving control, in which the driver of the host vehicle is not required to monitor the surroundings, is being executed by the autonomous driving function (S101, S201), determining whether the driver is monitoring the surroundings when the host vehicle driving using autonomous driving control is stopped, and if the driver is not monitoring the surroundings, notifying the host vehicle of driving resumption information regarding the resumption of driving, and if the driver is monitoring the surroundings, omitting the notification of the driving resumption information (S108 to S110, S207 to S209) .
Another disclosed aspect is a presentation control program used in a host vehicle (Am) capable of driving using an autonomous driving function, which controls the presentation of information related to the autonomous driving function, and causes at least one processing unit (11) to execute processing including determining whether autonomous driving control, in which the driver of the host vehicle is not required to monitor the surroundings, is being executed by the autonomous driving function (S201), and when the host vehicle driving using the autonomous driving control stops, notifying the host vehicle of driving resumption information regarding the resumption of driving (S207 to S209), and when it is predicted that the host vehicle driving using the autonomous driving control will stop, starting to notify the host vehicle of driving resumption information before the host vehicle stops.
Another disclosed aspect is a presentation control program used in a host vehicle (Am) capable of driving using an autonomous driving function, which controls the presentation of information related to the autonomous driving function, and causes at least one processing unit (11) to execute processes including: determining whether autonomous driving control, which does not require the driver of the host vehicle to monitor the surroundings, is being executed by the autonomous driving function (S101, S201); when the host vehicle driven by autonomous driving control is stopped, notifying driving resumption information regarding the resumption of driving of the host vehicle (S108 to S110, S207 to S209); when the host vehicle driven by driving assistance control, which requires the driver to monitor the surroundings, is stopped due to congestion, requesting driver input to restart the host vehicle based on the elapse of a predetermined time since the vehicle stopped; and when the host vehicle driven by autonomous driving control is stopped due to congestion, canceling the request for driver input.
Another disclosed aspect is a presentation control program used in a host vehicle (Am) capable of driving using an autonomous driving function, which controls the presentation of information related to the autonomous driving function, and causes at least one processing unit (11) to execute processing including determining whether autonomous driving control, in which the driver of the host vehicle is not required to monitor the surroundings, is being executed by the autonomous driving function (S101, S201), and, when the host vehicle driving using autonomous driving control stops, notifying driving resumption information regarding the resumption of driving of the host vehicle (S108 to S110, S207 to S209), and, when the host vehicle stops, determining the magnitude of acceleration in the deceleration direction that has occurred in the host vehicle, and, if the acceleration exceeds a notification threshold, notifying the driving resumption information, and, if the acceleration is less than the notification threshold, omitting the notification of the driving resumption information (S609, S610).

In these aspects, when the vehicle traveling under the autonomous driving control stops, the vehicle restart information is notified regarding the restart of the vehicle. Therefore, even if the driver is not aware of the situation around the vehicle, the driver can know the behavior after the vehicle stops from the driving restart information. As a result, the convenience of the autonomous driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings can be ensured.

The reference numbers in parentheses above and in the claims merely indicate an example of the correspondence with the specific configurations in the embodiments described below, and do not limit the technical scope in any way.

1 is a diagram showing an overall view of an in-vehicle network including an HCU according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing details of an autonomous driving ECU. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing details of an HCU. 11 is a table showing details of restart control and information presentation. 7 is a flowchart showing details of a start control process executed by the automatic driving ECU together with FIG. 6 . 6 is a flowchart showing details of the start control process together with FIG. 5 . 5 is a flowchart showing details of a start control process executed by a driving assistance ECU. 11 is a flowchart showing details of a notification control process performed by an HCU or the like. 13 is a table showing details of restart control and information presentation according to a second embodiment. 5 is a flowchart showing details of a start control process. 10 is a flowchart showing details of a notification control process. 13 is a table showing details of restart control and information presentation according to a third embodiment. 13 is a table showing details of restart control and information presentation according to the fourth embodiment. 6 is a flowchart showing details of the start control process together with FIG. 5 . 13 is a flowchart showing details of a level 3 return process. 13 is a flowchart showing details of an alert execution process prepared for level 2. 13 is a flowchart showing details of a notification execution process prepared for congestion level 3; 13 is a flowchart showing details of a start control process according to a fifth embodiment, together with FIG. 5; 13 is a flowchart showing details of a level 3 return process. 13 is a table showing details of restart control and information presentation according to the sixth embodiment. 5 is a flowchart showing details of a start control process. 10 is a flowchart showing details of a notification control process. 11 is a flowchart showing details of a notification execution process prepared for stopping due to low-G emergency avoidance control or stopping in a traffic jam. 11 is a flowchart showing details of a notification execution process prepared for a stop due to high-G emergency avoidance control. 13 is a flowchart showing details of a start control process according to a seventh embodiment; 10 is a flowchart showing details of a notification control process.

Below, several embodiments are described based on the drawings. Note that in each embodiment, corresponding components are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions may be omitted. When only a part of the configuration is described in each embodiment, the configuration of the other embodiment described above can be applied to the other parts of the configuration. In addition to the combinations of configurations explicitly stated in the description of each embodiment, configurations of several embodiments can be partially combined even if not explicitly stated, as long as there is no particular problem with the combination.

First Embodiment
1 to 3, a human machine interface control unit (HCU) according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure is an interface control device used in a vehicle (hereinafter, the host vehicle Am). The HCU 100 constitutes a human machine interface (HMI) system 10 of the host vehicle Am together with a plurality of input/output devices. The HMI system 10 has an input interface function for accepting operations by a driver or other occupant of the host vehicle Am, and an output interface function for presenting information to the driver.

The HCU 100 is communicatively connected to a communication bus 99 of an in-vehicle network 1 mounted on the vehicle Am. The HCU 100 is one of a number of nodes provided in the in-vehicle network 1. A driver monitor 29, a surroundings monitoring sensor 30, a locator 35, a driving control ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 40, a driving assistance ECU 50a, and an autonomous driving ECU 50b are connected to the communication bus 99 of the in-vehicle network 1. These nodes connected to the communication bus 99 can communicate with each other. Certain nodes among these devices and ECUs may be directly electrically connected to each other and can communicate without going through the communication bus 99.

The driver monitor 29 includes a near-infrared light source, a near-infrared camera, and a control unit that controls them. The driver monitor 29 is installed, for example, on the top surface of the steering column or the top surface of the instrument panel, with the near-infrared camera facing the headrest of the driver's seat. The driver monitor 29 uses the near-infrared camera to capture an image of the driver's head illuminated with near-infrared light from the near-infrared light source. The image captured by the near-infrared camera is analyzed by the control unit. The control unit extracts information such as the driver's facial direction, eye point position, and line of sight from the captured image. The driver monitor 29 provides the facial direction information, eye point position information, line of sight direction information, etc. extracted by the control unit to the HCU 100, etc., as driver status information.

The perimeter monitoring sensor 30 is an autonomous sensor that monitors the environment surrounding the vehicle Am. The perimeter monitoring sensor 30 includes, for example, one or more of a camera unit 31, a millimeter wave radar 32, a lidar 33, and a sonar 34. The perimeter monitoring sensor 30 is capable of detecting moving objects and stationary objects within a detection range around the vehicle. The perimeter monitoring sensor 30 provides detection information of objects around the vehicle to the driving assistance ECU 50a, the autonomous driving ECU 50b, etc.

The locator 35 includes a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver and an inertial sensor. The locator 35 further includes a map database 36 that stores three-dimensional map data and two-dimensional map data. The locator 35 reads map data of the area around the current position from the map database 36, and provides this data, together with the position information and direction information of the host vehicle Am, as locator information to the driving assistance ECU 50a, the autonomous driving ECU 50b, etc.

The driving control ECU 40 is an electronic control device that mainly includes a microcontroller. The driving control ECU 40 has at least the functions of a brake control ECU, a drive control ECU, and a steering control ECU. The driving control ECU 40 continuously controls the brake force of each wheel, the output control of the on-board power source, and the steering angle control based on one of the operation commands based on the driver's driving operation, the control commands of the driving assistance ECU 50a, and the control commands of the automatic driving ECU 50b.

The driving assistance ECU 50a and the automatic driving ECU 50b constitute the automatic driving system 50 of the host vehicle Am. By installing the automatic driving system 50, the host vehicle Am becomes an automatic driving vehicle equipped with an automatic driving function, and is capable of running using the automatic driving function.

The driving assistance ECU 50a realizes a driving assistance function that assists the driver in driving operations in the automated driving system 50. The driving assistance ECU 50a enables advanced driving assistance or partial automated driving at about level 2 in the automated driving levels defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers. The automated driving performed by the driving assistance ECU 50a is automated driving with a surrounding monitoring obligation, which requires the driver to visually monitor the area around the vehicle.

The autonomous driving ECU 50b can take over driving operations from the driver and can perform autonomous driving at level 3 or higher, where the system is the main controller, according to the autonomous driving levels stipulated by the Society of Automotive Engineers. The autonomous driving performed by the autonomous driving ECU 50b does not require monitoring of the area around the vehicle, i.e., it is eyes-off autonomous driving with no obligation to monitor the surroundings.

In the above-described autonomous driving system 50, the driving control state of the autonomous driving function is switched among a number of states including at least driving assistance control by the driving assistance ECU 50a, which requires monitoring of the surroundings, and autonomous driving control by the autonomous driving ECU 50b, which does not require monitoring of the surroundings. In the following description, autonomous driving control of level 2 or lower by the driving assistance ECU 50a is referred to as "driving assistance control," and autonomous driving control of level 3 or higher by the autonomous driving ECU 50b is referred to as "autonomous driving control."

During the autonomous driving period when the vehicle Am is driven by the autonomous driving control, the driver may be permitted to perform a specific action other than driving that is predefined (hereinafter, the second task). The second task is legally permitted to the driver until a request to perform driving operations performed in cooperation with the autonomous driving ECU 50b and the HCU 100, that is, a request to take over driving, occurs. For example, actions such as watching entertainment content such as video content, operating a device such as a smartphone, and eating are assumed as second tasks.

The driving assistance ECU 50a is a computer that mainly includes a control circuit equipped with a processing unit 151, RAM, a storage unit 153, an input/output interface, and a bus connecting these. The driving assistance ECU 50a realizes driving assistance functions such as ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) and LTC (Lane Trace Control) by executing a program in the processing unit 151. The driving assistance ECU 50a performs driving assistance control that drives the host vehicle Am along the host vehicle's lane by coordinating the ACC and LTC functions. In addition, the driving assistance ECU 50a provides the automatic driving ECU 50b with control status information indicating the state of the driving assistance control.

The autonomous driving ECU 50b has a higher computing power than the driving assistance ECU 50a and can at least perform driving control equivalent to ACC and LTC. The autonomous driving ECU 50b may be capable of performing driving assistance control in which the driver is responsible for monitoring the surroundings in place of the driving assistance ECU 50a in a scene in which the autonomous driving control is temporarily suspended. The autonomous driving ECU 50b is a computer that mainly includes a control circuit equipped with a processing unit 51, a RAM 52, a storage unit 53, an input/output interface 54, and a bus connecting these. The processing unit 51 executes various processes for realizing the autonomous driving control method of the present disclosure by accessing the RAM 52. The storage unit 53 stores various programs (autonomous driving control program, etc.) executed by the processing unit 51. By executing the program by the processing unit 51, the autonomous driving ECU 50b is constructed with an information linking unit 61, an environment recognition unit 62, an action determination unit 63, a control execution unit 64, etc. as multiple functional units for realizing the autonomous driving function (see FIG. 2).

The information linking unit 61 provides information to the information linking unit 82 of the HCU 100 and acquires information from the information linking unit 82. Through the cooperation of the information linking units 61 and 82, the automatic driving ECU 50b and the HCU 100 share the information acquired by each of them. The information linking unit 61 generates control status information indicating the operation state of the automatic driving function and provides the generated control status information to the information linking unit 82. In addition, the information linking unit 61 enables the HCU 100 to notify in synchronization with the operation state of the automatic driving function by outputting a request for notification to the information linking unit 82. On the other hand, the information linking unit 61 acquires the driver's operation information and behavior information, etc., described later, from the information linking unit 82. The information linking unit 61 grasps the driver's operation input to the HMI system 10, etc., based on the operation information. Furthermore, the information linking unit 61 grasps whether the driver is monitoring the surroundings based on the behavior information. The information linking unit 61 may also obtain driver status information from the driver monitor 29 to determine whether or not the driver is monitoring the surroundings.

The environment recognition unit 62 recognizes the driving environment of the host vehicle Am by combining locator information acquired from the locator 35 and detection information acquired from the surrounding monitoring sensor 30. Specifically, the environment recognition unit 62 grasps information about the road on which the host vehicle Am is traveling, and the relative positions and relative speeds of dynamic targets (other vehicles, etc.) around the host vehicle. In addition, the environment recognition unit 62 acquires vehicle information indicating the state of the host vehicle Am from the communication bus 99. As an example, the environment recognition unit 62 acquires vehicle speed information indicating the current driving speed of the host vehicle Am.

The environment recognition unit 62 combines information about other vehicles around the vehicle with vehicle speed information, etc. to grasp the congestion around the vehicle Am. When the current traveling speed of the vehicle Am is equal to or lower than the congestion speed (e.g., about 30 km/h) and there are both vehicles ahead and behind the vehicle traveling in the vehicle lane, the environment recognition unit 62 determines that the area around the vehicle is in a congestion state.

The environment recognition unit 62 determines whether the road on which the vehicle Am is traveling or is scheduled to travel is a pre-defined area where automatic driving is possible (hereinafter, AD area) or a restricted AD area. Information indicating whether the area is an AD area or a restricted AD area may be recorded in the map data stored in the map database 36, or may be included in the received information received by the vehicle-mounted communication device.

The AD area and the restricted AD area may correspond to an operational design domain in which autonomous driving without the driver's obligation to monitor the surroundings is legally permitted. Autonomous driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings includes, as a plurality of control modes, congestion-limited control (hereinafter, congestion level 3), which is implemented only during driving in congestion, and area-limited control (hereinafter, area level 3), which is implemented only within a specific area (AD area). On roads within an AD area, both congestion level 3 and area level 3 are permitted to be implemented, and on roads within a restricted AD area, only congestion level 3 is permitted to be implemented. In a manual driving area (hereinafter, MD area) that is not included in either an AD area or a restricted AD area, driving with level 3 autonomous driving control is generally prohibited. In an MD area, driving with level 2 or higher autonomous driving may be prohibited. An AD area or a restricted AD area is set, for example, on a highway or a motorway. Furthermore, specific public roads whose road environment has been improved so that automated driving can be performed without the obligation to monitor the surrounding area may be designated as AD areas or restricted AD areas.

The behavior determination unit 63 cooperates with the driving assistance ECU 50a and the HCU 100 to control the autonomous driving system 50 and the driver's driving handover. When the autonomous driving system 50 has control of the driving operation, the behavior determination unit 63 generates a planned driving line for the host vehicle Am to travel on, based on the results of the recognition of the driving environment by the environment recognition unit 62, and outputs the generated planned driving line to the control execution unit 64. The behavior determination unit 63 has a control switching unit 77 and an emergency avoidance control unit 78 as sub-functional units for controlling the operating state of the autonomous driving function.

The control switching unit 77 cooperates with the driving assistance ECU 50a to control the start and end of driving assistance control in which the driver is obligated to monitor the surroundings. In addition, the control switching unit 77 cooperates with the driving assistance ECU 50a to switch between driving assistance control in which the driver is obligated to monitor the surroundings and autonomous driving control in which the driver is not obligated to monitor the surroundings. In detail, the control switching unit 77 has multiple transition conditions (hereinafter, level 3 start conditions) set for allowing the transition to autonomous driving control. The level 3 start conditions include requirements regarding the driver of the vehicle Am, requirements regarding the driving state of the vehicle Am, and requirements regarding the driving environment around the vehicle. For example, the level 3 start conditions include driving in an AD area, and congestion around the vehicle being recognized. The control switching unit 77 allows the transition from driving assistance control to autonomous driving control based on the establishment of some or all of the multiple level 3 start conditions. Furthermore, when the host vehicle Am is driven by autonomous driving control, the control switching unit 77 switches the control mode of the autonomous driving control among a number of modes including congestion level 3 and area level 3.

The emergency avoidance control unit 78 automatically executes at least braking control when it predicts a collision with an object in front of the vehicle. That is, the emergency avoidance control unit 78 is a functional unit that realizes an Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) function. As an example, the emergency avoidance control unit 78 starts emergency braking when the time to collision (Time-To-Collision, TTC) becomes equal to or less than a predetermined time. The braking control by the emergency avoidance control unit 78 is executed with priority over the driving assistance control by the driving assistance ECU 50a and the autonomous driving control by the control switching unit 77. The function of the emergency avoidance control unit 78 may be implemented in the driving assistance ECU 50a.

When the autonomous driving ECU 50b has control of the driving operation, the control execution unit 64 cooperates with the cruise control ECU 40 to execute acceleration/deceleration control and steering control of the host vehicle Am according to the planned driving line generated by the action determination unit 63. Specifically, the control execution unit 64 generates control commands based on the planned driving line and sequentially outputs the generated control commands to the cruise control ECU 40.

Next, we will explain the details of the multiple display devices, audio device 24, ambient light 25, operation device 26, and HCU 100 included in the HMI system 10 in order.

The display device presents information to the driver's vision by displaying images, etc. The display device includes a meter display 21, a center information display (hereafter, CID) 22, and a head-up display (hereafter, HUD) 23, etc. The CID 22 has a touch panel function and detects touch operations on the display screen by the driver, etc.

The audio device 24 has multiple speakers installed in the vehicle cabin in an arrangement surrounding the driver's seat, and reproduces notification sounds, voice messages, etc., through the speakers into the vehicle cabin. The ambient lights 25 are provided on the instrument panel, steering wheel, etc. The ambient lights 25 present information using the driver's peripheral vision through an ambient display that changes the light color.

The operation device 26 is an input unit that accepts user operations by a driver or the like (hereinafter, driver operations). Driver operations related to activation and deactivation of an autonomous driving function, for example, are input to the operation device 26. As an example, a driver operation to command the start of driving assistance control (hereinafter, level 2 transition operation), a driver operation to command the transition from driving assistance control to autonomous driving control (hereinafter, level 3 transition operation), etc. are input to the operation device 26. The operation device 26 includes a steer switch provided on the spokes of the steering wheel, an operation lever provided on the steering column, and a voice input device that recognizes the contents of the driver's speech, etc.

The HCU 100 is an information presentation device that comprehensively controls the presentation of information using multiple display devices, an audio device 24, and an ambient light 25. The HCU 100 controls the presentation of information related to autonomous driving in cooperation with the autonomous driving system 50. The HCU 100 is a computer that mainly includes a control circuit equipped with a processing unit 11, a RAM 12, a storage unit 13, an input/output interface 14, and a bus connecting these. The processing unit 11 executes various processes for the presentation control process by accessing the RAM 12. The RAM 12 may be configured to include a video RAM for generating video data. The storage unit 13 is configured to include a non-volatile storage medium. The storage unit 13 stores various programs (such as a presentation control program) executed by the processing unit 11. The HCU 100 constructs multiple functional units by executing the programs stored in the storage unit 13 with the processing unit 11. The HCU 100 is constructed with functional units such as an information acquisition unit 81, an information linking unit 82, and a presentation control unit 88 (see FIG. 3).

The information acquisition unit 81 acquires vehicle information (e.g., vehicle speed information, etc.) indicating the state of the host vehicle Am from the communication bus 99. Based on the vehicle speed information, the information acquisition unit 81 determines whether the host vehicle Am is stopped or not. In addition, the information acquisition unit 81 acquires operation information indicating the contents of the driver's operation from the CID 22, the operation device 26, etc. Furthermore, the information acquisition unit 81 acquires driver status information from the driver monitor 29. Based on the driver status information, the information acquisition unit 81 continuously determines whether the driver is monitoring the surroundings.

The information linking unit 82 links with the autonomous driving ECU 50b to enable information sharing between the autonomous driving system 50 and the HCU 100. The information linking unit 82 provides the autonomous driving ECU 50b with operation information grasped by the information acquisition unit 81 and behavioral information indicating whether or not surrounding monitoring is being performed. In addition, the information linking unit 82 acquires from the autonomous driving ECU 50b a request to present information related to the autonomous driving function and control status information indicating the state of the autonomous driving function.

The information linking unit 82 grasps the operating state of the autonomous driving by the autonomous driving system 50 based on the control status information. Specifically, the information linking unit 82 grasps whether the driving control being performed is driving assistance control or autonomous driving control, that is, whether autonomous driving control in which the driver is not required to monitor the surroundings is being performed by the autonomous driving function. When the host vehicle Am is traveling in a state in which the driver is not required to monitor the surroundings, the information linking unit 82 further grasps the control mode of the autonomous driving control.

When the automatic driving system 50 is driving the host vehicle Am by driving assistance control or autonomous driving control, the information linking unit 82 grasps that the host vehicle Am has stopped based on the control status information. The information linking unit 82 may grasp that the host vehicle Am has stopped by referring to the result of the stop determination based on the vehicle speed information by the information acquisition unit 81. When the information linking unit 82 grasps that the host vehicle Am has stopped, it further grasps the reason for the current stop of the host vehicle Am based on the control status information. The reason for the stop may be that the host vehicle Am, which is driving in a traffic jam due to following driving, has stopped following a vehicle ahead, or that the host vehicle Am has stopped due to the operation of the automatic emergency brake associated with the emergency avoidance control of the emergency avoidance control unit 78, etc.

The presentation control unit 88 provides information to the driver using each display device, the audio device 24, and the ambient light 25 (hereinafter, information presentation devices) in an integrated manner. The presentation control unit 88 provides content and presents information according to the operating state of the autonomous driving, based on the control status information and implementation request acquired by the information linking unit 82. When the information linking unit 82 determines that autonomous driving control is being performed with eyes off, the presentation control unit 88 enables the playback of video content, etc. In addition, the presentation control unit 88 requests the driver to take over driving, etc., based on the implementation request acquired by the information linking unit 82.

When the information linking unit 82 detects that the host vehicle Am has stopped while traveling due to driving assistance control or autonomous driving control, the presentation control unit 88 uses the information presentation device to notify the host vehicle Am of resuming traveling. The presentation control unit 88 changes the content of the traveling resumption information according to the reason for the stop of the host vehicle Am detected by the information linking unit 82.

In more detail, when the host vehicle Am is automatically stopped, the restart control (hereinafter, restart control) that restarts the host vehicle Am will differ depending on the content of the driving control that was performed before the vehicle Am was stopped. In addition, different restart controls will be performed depending on whether the reason for stopping the host vehicle Am was emergency avoidance control or normal stopping in a traffic jam. The presentation control unit 88 presents driving resumption information with content according to the driving control and the reason for stopping, thereby appropriately informing the driver of the content of the restart control that changes depending on the driving control and the reason for stopping.

Below, based on Figure 4 and with reference to Figures 1 to 3, we will explain the details of the restart control and information presentation that differ depending on the driving control and the reason for stopping, divided into four scenes.

<1. Scenes where the vehicle stops due to emergency avoidance control>
When the host vehicle Am stops due to the operation of the emergency avoidance control (automatic emergency brake), the driving assistance control and the autonomous driving control are temporarily terminated. That is, when the host vehicle Am stops due to the operation of the automatic emergency brake, the driving control state of the host vehicle Am is forcibly shifted to manual driving. Therefore, the driver needs to restart the host vehicle Am by operating the accelerator. In this way, regardless of the driving control that was being executed when the host vehicle Am was stopped, when the automatic emergency brake is activated, the driver needs to restart the host vehicle Am by manual driving.

In response to the above restart control, if the reason for the stop is due to the operation of emergency avoidance control (automatic emergency braking), the notification control unit 88 notifies the driver of the actions required to resume driving by manual driving by notifying the driver of driving resumption information, regardless of the content of the driving control that was being performed. Specifically, the notification control unit 88 uses the meter display 21 and the HUD 23 to notify that the control state of the host vehicle Am has transitioned to manual driving. In addition, the notification control unit 88 sequentially issues a notification encouraging the driver to check the situation around the host vehicle and a notification suggesting the start of accelerator operation (see FIG. 8, S108).

<2. Scenes where the vehicle stops due to traffic congestion under driving assistance control>
When the host vehicle Am, which has been traveling under driving assistance control (ACC function) at autonomous driving level 2 or lower, stops in a traffic jam, the driving assistance ECU 50a continues the operation of the driving assistance control. If the elapsed time after the stop does not exceed a predetermined time (e.g., 30 seconds), the ACC function automatically restarts the host vehicle Am so as to follow the restarted vehicle ahead without requiring the driver to input an operation (hereinafter, a restart trigger). On the other hand, if the elapsed time after the stop exceeds a predetermined time, the ACC function restarts the host vehicle Am based on the input of the restart trigger by the driver, and resumes the following running. For example, a push operation on a steering switch (resume button, set button, etc.) or an operation of temporarily depressing the accelerator pedal is set as the restart trigger. The driver operation corresponding to such a restart trigger may be changed as appropriate.

In response to the above restart control, the presentation control unit 88 notifies, as driving restart information, that automatic restart will be performed using the ACC function if the reason for stopping is stopping in a traffic jam and the elapsed time since stopping is within a predetermined time. In this case, the driving restart information is notified by presenting information such as content with reduced visibility, such as an icon or a text message, on the meter display 21 or HUD 23. Furthermore, the presentation control unit 88 may omit the notification of the driving restart information when automatic restart will be performed using the ACC function.

On the other hand, if the reason for stopping is stopping in a traffic jam and the elapsed time since the stop exceeds a predetermined time, the presentation control unit 88 issues a notification suggesting or urging the input of a restart trigger. The notification urging the input of a restart trigger corresponds to the notification of driving resumption information indicating the driver's action required for restarting. In this case, the presentation control unit 88 displays content suggesting the input of a restart trigger on the meter display 21, HUD 23, etc. (see S106 in FIG. 8).

<3. Scene of stopping due to traffic jam under Level 3 traffic jam control>
When the host vehicle Am that has been traveling under autonomous driving control of autonomous driving level 3 or higher stops in a traffic jam, the autonomous driving ECU 50b changes the content of the restart control according to the control mode of the autonomous driving control that was being executed. When the host vehicle Am that has been traveling under autonomous driving control of autonomous driving level 3 in a traffic jam stops in a traffic jam, the autonomous driving ECU 50b continues the operation of autonomous driving level 3 in a traffic jam. As with the ACC function of the driving assistance ECU 50a, the autonomous driving ECU 50b does not require the driver to input a restart trigger if the elapsed time after the stop does not exceed a predetermined time (e.g., 30 seconds). The autonomous driving ECU 50b automatically restarts the host vehicle Am so as to follow the restarted vehicle ahead. On the other hand, when the elapsed time after the stop exceeds a predetermined time, the autonomous driving ECU 50b restarts the host vehicle Am based on the input of the restart trigger by the driver and resumes following driving. The restart trigger that restarts the autonomous driving control may be the same as the restart trigger that restarts the driving assistance control.

In response to the above restart control, the presentation control unit 88 notifies, as driving resumption information, that automatic restart will be performed by continuing operation of traffic jam level 3 if the reason for stopping is stopping in traffic jam and the elapsed time since stopping is within a predetermined time. Even in this case, an icon or text message notifying automatic restart is displayed by the meter display 21 or HUD 23. On the other hand, if the reason for stopping is stopping in traffic jam and the elapsed time since stopping exceeds a predetermined time, the presentation control unit 88 causes the meter display 21, HUD 23, etc. to display content suggesting or encouraging input of a restart trigger.

The driving assistance ECU 50a and the autonomous driving ECU 50b can change the predetermined time for which the necessity for a restart trigger is changed depending on the type of road on which the vehicle Am is traveling. As an example, when the vehicle Am is traveling on a highway or a motorway, the predetermined time is set to about 30 seconds as described above. On the other hand, when the vehicle Am is traveling on a general road, the predetermined time is set to about 3 seconds. As described above, the predetermined time when traveling on a highway or a motorway is set longer than the predetermined time when traveling on a general road (see S109 in FIG. 8).

<4. Scene of traffic jam under Area Level 3 control>
When the host vehicle Am, which has been traveling under the autonomous driving control of area level 3, stops in a traffic jam, the autonomous driving ECU 50b stops the operation of area level 3. In an operation scene of area level 3, the traveling speed of the host vehicle Am and other vehicles around the host vehicle tends to be higher than in an operation scene of traffic jam level 3. Therefore, when the host vehicle Am stops while area level 3 is being executed, the autonomous driving ECU 50b ends area level 3 and switches the driving control state of the host vehicle Am to manual driving. When switching from area level 3 to manual driving, the driver needs to operate the accelerator to restart the host vehicle Am.

In response to the above restart control, when the vehicle Am stops under the control of area level 3, the notification control unit 88 notifies the driver of the actions required to resume driving by manual driving by notifying the driver of driving resumption information. Even in this case, the notification control unit 88 notifies the driver that the control state of the vehicle Am has transitioned to manual driving, and sequentially notifies the driver to check the situation around the vehicle and suggests the driver to start operating the accelerator (see FIG. 8, S110).

When congestion around the vehicle is detected, the control switching unit 77 normally switches the control mode from area level 3 to congestion level 3. Therefore, situations in which the vehicle stops in congestion while maintaining area level 3 are limited to rare cases, such as when a sudden congestion occurs and the control transition to congestion level 3 is not completed in time.

Next, the details of the start control process that realizes the restart control described above and the notification control process that realizes the notification of the travel restart information will be described below based on Figures 5 to 8 and with reference to Figures 1 to 4.

The start control process shown in Figures 5 and 6 is started by the autonomous driving ECU 50b based on the completion of the transition to autonomous driving control, and is continuously performed until the autonomous driving control ends.

In S11, the environment recognition unit 62 determines whether the host vehicle Am, which is traveling under autonomous driving control, has stopped. If the host vehicle Am has not stopped, the determination in S11 is repeated. If it is determined in S11 that the host vehicle Am has stopped, the process proceeds to S12.

In S12, the behavior determination unit 63 determines the reason for the current stop of the host vehicle Am. If it is determined in S12 that the current stop of the host vehicle Am is not due to a stop in a traffic jam but is due to emergency avoidance control, the process proceeds to S22, where the autonomous driving control (automated driving) currently being executed is terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined in S12 that the current stop of the host vehicle Am is due to a stop in a traffic jam, the process proceeds to S13.

In S13, the behavior determination unit 63 determines the control mode of the autonomous driving control currently being executed. If area level 3 is being executed, the process proceeds to S22, where the currently executed autonomous driving of area level 3 is terminated. On the other hand, if congestion level 3 is being executed, the process proceeds to S14. In S14, measurement of the elapsed time since the host vehicle Am stopped in the congestion is started, and the process proceeds to S15. In S15, the operation for restarting (restart trigger) is set to a state where it is not necessary, and the process proceeds to S16.

In S16, the environment recognition unit 62 determines whether the time that has elapsed since the vehicle stopped has exceeded a predetermined time. If it is determined in S16 that the predetermined time has not yet elapsed, the process proceeds to S17. In S17, it determines whether the starting conditions for the vehicle Am are met. For example, the starting condition is set to be that a predetermined time (several seconds) has elapsed after the vehicle ahead has started. If it is determined in S17 that the starting conditions are met, the process proceeds to S21, where the vehicle Am is automatically restarted while continuing autonomous driving control at level 3 during traffic jams. On the other hand, if it is determined in S17 that the starting conditions are not met, the process returns to S16.

If it is determined in S16 that the elapsed time since the vehicle stopped has exceeded a predetermined time, the process proceeds to S18. In S18, a restart trigger is set to a state required for restarting the vehicle, and the process proceeds to S19. In S19, as in S17, it is determined whether the start conditions for the vehicle Am are met. If it is determined in S19 that the start conditions for the vehicle Am are met, the process proceeds to S20.

In S20, it is determined whether or not there is a driver operation that triggers restarting. The driver operation that triggers restarting is, for example, a pressing operation of the operation device 26, or an operation of temporarily depressing the accelerator pedal. If it is determined in S20 that there is a driver operation that triggers restarting, the process proceeds to S21, where the host vehicle Am is automatically restarted while continuing autonomous driving control at level 3 in traffic jams.

According to the above-described start control process, in a scene where the vehicle Am stops due to congestion while congestion level 3 is being executed, if the elapsed time does not exceed a predetermined time, no input from the driver is required to restart the vehicle Am. On the other hand, if the elapsed time after stopping exceeds the predetermined time, the vehicle Am restarts based on the driver's input and resumes driving at congestion level 3.

The starting control process shown in FIG. 7 is started by the driving assistance ECU 50a based on the activation of the driving assistance control, and is executed continuously until the driving assistance control ends. Each process of S31 to S41 in the starting control process executed by the driving assistance ECU 50a is substantially the same as S11, S12, and S14 to S22 (see FIG. 5) in the starting control process executed by the automatic driving ECU 50b.

According to the above-described start control process, in a scene where the host vehicle Am stops due to traffic congestion while driving assistance control is being performed, if the elapsed time does not exceed a predetermined time, no input from the driver is required to restart the host vehicle Am. On the other hand, if the elapsed time after stopping exceeds the predetermined time, the host vehicle Am restarts based on the driver's input and resumes driving under driving assistance control.

The notification control process shown in FIG. 8 is started by the HCU 100 based on the start of driving assistance control or autonomous driving control by the automated driving system 50. The notification control process is started repeatedly until the driving assistance control or autonomous driving control is terminated.

In S101, the information linking unit 82 grasps the control state of the driving control executed by the autonomous driving system 50, and proceeds to S102. In S101, it is grasped whether autonomous driving control, in which the driver is not required to monitor the surroundings, is being executed by the autonomous driving ECU 50b, and whether driving assistance control, in which the driver is required to monitor the surroundings, is being executed by the driving assistance ECU 50a. If autonomous driving control is being executed by the autonomous driving ECU 50b, in S101, the control mode being executed is further grasped.

In S102, the information acquisition unit 81 or the information linking unit 82 determines whether the host vehicle Am has stopped. If it is determined in S102 that the host vehicle Am has stopped, the process proceeds to S103. In S103, the information linking unit 82 determines the reason for the current stop of the host vehicle Am, and the process proceeds to S104.

In S104, the information linking unit 82 determines whether the reason for the current stop identified in S103 is a stop during traffic congestion. If it is determined in S104 that the current stop of the vehicle Am is due to emergency avoidance control, the process proceeds to S108. In S108, the driver is notified of the request to resume driving by manual driving as driving resumption information, and the current notification control process ends.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S104 that the current stop of the host vehicle Am is due to a stop in a traffic jam, the process proceeds to S105. In S105, it is determined whether or not level 3 autonomous driving control was being executed. If it is determined in S105 that the host vehicle Am, which is driven by driving assistance control of level 2 or lower, has stopped, the process proceeds to S106. In S106, a notification of driving resumption information corresponding to level 2 driving assistance control is made, and the current notification control process ends. In S106, the fact that automatic restart will be performed by the ACC function, or that a restart trigger is required to restart driving by the ACC function is notified as driving resumption information.

If it is determined in S105 that the host vehicle Am traveling under autonomous driving control has stopped, the process proceeds to S107. In S107, it is determined whether the control mode being executed was congestion level 3. If it is determined in S107 that the host vehicle Am traveling under congestion level 3 has stopped, the process proceeds to S109. In S109, a notification of traveling resumption information corresponding to congestion level 3 is made, and the notification control process is terminated. In S109, the fact that automatic restart under autonomous driving control will be performed, or that a restart trigger is required to resume operation under congestion level 3 is notified as traveling resumption information.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S107 that the vehicle Am, which is traveling in area level 3, has stopped, the process proceeds to S110. In S110, a notification of driving resumption information corresponding to area level 3 is made, and the notification control process ends. In S110, information is presented to the driver requesting that the vehicle resume driving by manual driving as a notification of driving resumption information.

The above notification control process may be performed mainly by the autonomous driving ECU 50b. That is, the timing of the notification may be determined by the autonomous driving ECU 50b, and the HCU 100 may simply perform each notification and request based on the implementation request provided by the information linkage unit 61.

In the first embodiment described so far, when the host vehicle Am that is traveling by autonomous driving control stops, travel resumption information regarding the resumption of travel of the host vehicle Am is notified. Therefore, even if the driver is not aware of the situation around the host vehicle, the travel resumption information allows the driver to know the behavior after the vehicle stops. As a result, the convenience of automated driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings can be ensured.

In addition, in the first embodiment, when the host vehicle Am stops, the reason for this stop is understood. Then, the presentation control unit 88 changes the content of the driving restart information according to the reason for the stop. Therefore, even if restart control according to the reason for the stop is performed by the autonomous driving ECU 50b, the presentation control unit 88 can provide the driver with driving restart information whose content corresponds to the current restart control. As a result, the driver can properly understand the control content of the autonomous driving. Therefore, the convenience of the autonomous driving is further ensured.

In addition, in the first embodiment, if the reason for stopping is the operation of the automatic emergency brake, driving resumption information indicating resumption of driving by manual driving is notified. Therefore, in a complex driving environment in which the automatic emergency brake is activated, it is possible to smoothly transfer control of driving operations to the driver. On the other hand, if the host vehicle Am traveling in a traffic jam stops following a vehicle ahead, driving resumption information indicating resumption of driving by autonomous driving control is notified. By notifying the driver of such information, the driver can continue to use the autonomous driving control with peace of mind. Therefore, the convenience of autonomous driving can also be ensured.

Furthermore, when another vehicle cuts in during a traffic jam, it is difficult for the driver to distinguish whether the current stop of the vehicle Am is a normal stop in a traffic jam or a stop due to the activation of the automatic emergency brake. Therefore, if the content of the driving resumption information is changed as described above, the driver can properly understand the situation in which the vehicle Am has stopped and smoothly begin taking action to restart.

In addition, in the first embodiment, the control mode of the autonomous driving control is switched among a number of modes including congestion level 3 and area level 3, and the information linking unit 82 grasps the control mode of the autonomous driving control executed by the autonomous driving ECU 50b. Then, if the host vehicle Am stops while driving at congestion level 3, driving resumption information indicating the resumption of driving at congestion level 3 is notified. Therefore, the driver can continue to use the autonomous driving at congestion level 3 with peace of mind.

On the other hand, if the vehicle Am stops while driving in area level 3, driving resumption information indicating the resumption of driving by manual driving is notified, so the driver can smoothly take over control of the driving operation. As a result, even in a driving scene where the driving speed of other vehicles around the vehicle is relatively high, the driver can quickly resume driving the vehicle Am by driving it himself.

The driving restart information of the first embodiment also includes information indicating the driver's actions required to restart the host vehicle Am. Specifically, the driving restart information indicates the implementation of surrounding monitoring, accelerator operation, and input of a restart trigger. In this way, when the driver's action is required to restart the host vehicle Am, the driver is notified of the required action each time. As a result, even if the driver's action is required to restart the host vehicle Am, the driver can easily understand the action to be taken. As a result, convenience for the driver can be ensured.

In the first embodiment, when the host vehicle Am, which is traveling under autonomous driving control at level 3 during congestion and does not have to monitor the surroundings, stops due to congestion, if the elapsed time since the vehicle stopped does not exceed a predetermined time, no input from the driver is required to resume the traveling of the host vehicle Am. On the other hand, if the elapsed time since the vehicle stopped exceeds the predetermined time, the traveling of the host vehicle Am is resumed based on the driver's input. As a result, the need to grasp the situation around the host vehicle may be limited to situations where it is easy to secure time to grasp the situation around the host vehicle. Therefore, the driver can take time to grasp the action to be taken. Therefore, the convenience of automated driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings can be ensured.

Furthermore, in the first embodiment, in response to the fact that no driver operation is required to restart the host vehicle Am until a predetermined time has elapsed since the host vehicle Am was stopped, the presentation control unit 88 starts presenting the driving restart information after the predetermined time has elapsed since the host vehicle Am was stopped. As a result, the presentation of driving restart information starts at the timing when the driver's operation becomes necessary, making it possible to present information that is less likely to be perceived as bothersome by the driver. This makes it easier to ensure the convenience of automated driving.

In the first embodiment, the environment recognition unit 62 corresponds to a "time determination unit", the action determination unit 63 corresponds to a "driving control unit", the information linkage unit 82 corresponds to a "control understanding unit", and the presentation control unit 88 corresponds to an "alert control unit". Furthermore, the HCU 100 corresponds to a "presentation control device", and the autonomous driving ECU 50b corresponds to an "autonomous driving control device".

Second Embodiment
The second embodiment of the present disclosure is a modified example of the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, the restart control when traffic congestion level 3 is executed is different from that in the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the details of the restart control and the presentation of the traveling restart information in the second embodiment will be described based on Figures 9 to 11 and with reference to Figures 1 to 3.

As shown in FIG. 9, when the host vehicle Am stops while traveling under autonomous driving control at level 3 in congestion, the autonomous driving ECU 50b continues operation at level 3 in congestion, just as when the host vehicle Am stops due to congestion, even if the reason for the stop is the activation of emergency avoidance control. Therefore, even if emergency avoidance control is activated due to an intrusion by another vehicle while traveling in a congested section, the autonomous driving ECU 50b automatically restarts the host vehicle Am without requiring the driver to input a restart trigger, just as when the host vehicle stops in a normal traffic jam.

In addition, when the host vehicle Am, which is traveling under autonomous driving control at level 3 during congestion, stops due to congestion, the autonomous driving ECU 50b does not require the input of a restart trigger to restart the host vehicle Am, regardless of the time that has elapsed since the host vehicle stopped. Therefore, even if the host vehicle Am remains stopped for a long time (for example, for more than 30 seconds), the autonomous driving ECU 50b automatically restarts the host vehicle Am so that it follows the vehicle ahead that has restarted.

In response to the above restart control, the presentation control unit 88 notifies, as driving resumption information, that when the host vehicle Am, which is driving under autonomous driving control at traffic jam level 3, stops, automatic restart will be performed due to continued operation of traffic jam level 3. In this case, an icon or text message notifying the automatic restart is displayed by the meter display 21 or HUD 23. In addition, when the host vehicle Am stops due to emergency avoidance control, a voice message notifying the automatic restart is played by the audio device 24.

Furthermore, if the reason for the stop is the operation of emergency avoidance control, the presentation control unit 88 omits the notification of driving restart information indicating the implementation of automatic restart based on the behavioral information grasped by the information acquisition unit 81. In detail, if the driver is not performing peripheral monitoring, the presentation control unit 88 notifies the driving restart information. This driving restart information may include a notification encouraging peripheral monitoring. On the other hand, if the driver is performing peripheral monitoring, the presentation control unit 88 omits the notification of the driving restart information so as not to interfere with the peripheral monitoring that is being performed. However, if the elapsed time after the stop exceeds a predetermined time (e.g., 30 seconds), the presentation control unit 88 may notify the driving restart information even if the driver is performing peripheral monitoring.

In addition, the presentation control unit 88 can start notifying the driver of the driving restart information before the vehicle Am stops. In detail, the information linking unit 82 can grasp not only the stop of the vehicle Am but also the prediction of the stop of the vehicle Am based on the control status information. When the information linking unit 82 grasps the prediction of the stop of the vehicle Am, the presentation control unit 88 starts notifying the driver of the driving restart information even if the vehicle Am is not stopped. The presentation control unit 88 can notify the driver that the driver does not need to input a restart trigger before the vehicle Am stops, and that the vehicle will automatically restart.

Next, the details of the start control process and the notification control process of the second embodiment will be described below based on Figures 10 and 11, and with reference to Figures 1 to 3 and 9.

The processes of S51 to S53 and S57 of the start control process shown in FIG. 10 are substantially the same as S11 to S13 and S22 (see FIG. 5) of the first embodiment. When the autonomous driving ECU 50b determines that traffic jam level 3 is being executed (S53: YES), it sets a state in which the input of a restart trigger is not required (S54). Based on the establishment of the start condition of the host vehicle Am (S55: YES), the autonomous driving ECU 50b automatically restarts the host vehicle Am while continuing autonomous driving control of traffic jam level 3 (S56).

In S201 of the notification control process shown in FIG. 11, the control state of the driving control executed by the autonomous driving system 50 is grasped. In S202, in addition to the stopping of the host vehicle Am, the prediction of the stopping of the host vehicle Am is grasped. If the stopping or the prediction of the stopping of the host vehicle Am is grasped in S202, the reason for the current stop is further grasped in S203.

In S204, the information linking unit 82 determines whether or not congestion level 3 is being implemented. If it is determined in S204 that congestion level 3 is being implemented, the presentation control unit 88 issues a notification of driving resumption information corresponding to congestion level 3 in S208. In this case, the driver is notified of the schedule for automatic restart due to the continuation of congestion level 3. However, if the stop is due to emergency avoidance control and the driver is monitoring the surroundings, the notification indicating the schedule for automatic restart is canceled.

In S205, the reason for this stop is determined. If it is determined in S205 that the stop is due to emergency avoidance control, the presentation control unit 88 requests the driver to resume manual driving in S207. On the other hand, if it is determined in S205 that the stop is due to a normal stop in a traffic jam, the information linking unit 82 determines in S206 whether or not area level 3 was being executed.

If it is determined in S206 that area level 3 is being executed, the presentation control unit 88 notifies the driver in S209 of driving resumption information corresponding to area level 3. In this case, the driver is requested to resume driving by manual driving. On the other hand, if it is determined in S206 that driving assistance control is being executed instead of area level 3, the presentation control unit 88 notifies the driver in S210 of driving resumption information corresponding to driving assistance control. In this case, the driving resumption information notifies the driver that automatic restart will be performed by the ACC function, or that a restart trigger is required to resume driving by the ACC function.

The second embodiment described so far also has the same effect as the first embodiment, and the driver can know the behavior after stopping under the control of the autonomous driving system 50 by the driving resumption information. Therefore, the convenience of autonomous driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings can be ensured.

In addition, in the second embodiment, if the vehicle Am stops while congestion level 3 is being executed, the driver is notified of the schedule for automatically resuming driving at congestion level 3, regardless of whether the reason for the stop is the operation of emergency avoidance control or not. This simplification of the restart control allows the driver to use automatic driving by the autonomous driving control with peace of mind.

In the second embodiment, when the host vehicle Am is predicted to stop, the driving resumption information is notified earlier than the host vehicle Am stops. Therefore, the driver can quickly understand the actions to be taken after the host vehicle Am stops. As a result, in a scene where the autonomous driving control is released, it becomes easier to secure time to check the situation around the host vehicle, so the convenience of the automated driving is less likely to be impaired.

Furthermore, in the second embodiment, when the host vehicle Am, which is traveling under autonomous driving control at level 3 during congestion, stops due to congestion, no input from the driver is required to restart the host vehicle Am, even if the time since the host vehicle Am stopped exceeds a predetermined time. As a result, after the host vehicle Am stops, the driver is not required to take any action to grasp the situation around the host vehicle, so there is virtually no risk of the driver not knowing what to do. Therefore, the convenience of automated driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings can be ensured.

In the second embodiment, the driving assistance ECU 50a corresponds to the "first driving control unit", the behavior determination unit 63 corresponds to the "driving control unit" and the "second driving control unit", and the information acquisition unit 81 corresponds to the "monitoring and grasping unit".

Third Embodiment
The third embodiment of the present disclosure is another modified example of the first embodiment. In the third embodiment, the restart control in the case where the congestion level 3 and the area level 3 are executed is different from that in the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 12, when the host vehicle Am, which is traveling under autonomous driving control at level 3 during congestion, stops due to congestion, the autonomous driving ECU 50b does not require input of a restart trigger to restart the host vehicle Am, regardless of the time that has elapsed since the vehicle stopped, as in the second embodiment. Therefore, even if the time that has elapsed since the vehicle stopped exceeds a predetermined time, the autonomous driving ECU 50b continues operation at level 3 during congestion and automatically restarts the host vehicle Am.

When the host vehicle Am, which is traveling under area level 3 autonomous driving control, stops due to congestion, the autonomous driving ECU 50b transitions to driving assistance control by the driving assistance ECU 50a (or the autonomous driving ECU 50b). The driving assistance ECU 50a requires the input of a restart trigger to restart the host vehicle Am, regardless of the time that has elapsed since the vehicle stopped. The driving assistance ECU 50a starts driving using the ACC function based on the input of a restart trigger by the driver who has confirmed the situation around the host vehicle.

In response to the above restart control, the presentation control unit 88 omits the notification of driving resumption information when the host vehicle Am, which is traveling under autonomous driving control at level 3 during congestion, stops. Therefore, even if a predetermined time has passed since the host vehicle Am stopped due to congestion, the notification of driving resumption information is not implemented. On the other hand, when the host vehicle Am, which is traveling under autonomous driving control at area level 3, stops, the presentation control unit 88 implements a notification that suggests or prompts the input of a restart trigger.

In the third embodiment described so far, as in the first embodiment, the driver can learn the behavior of the vehicle after it has been stopped under the control of the autonomous driving system 50 through the driving resumption information. In addition, in the third embodiment, as in the second embodiment, when the vehicle Am, which is driven under autonomous driving control at level 3 in a traffic jam, is stopped due to a traffic jam, no input from the driver is required to restart the vehicle Am, regardless of the time that has elapsed since the vehicle was stopped. As a result, the convenience of autonomous driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings can be ensured in the third embodiment as well.

In addition, in the third embodiment, when the host vehicle Am traveling under driving assistance control stops due to traffic congestion, the driver is requested to input a restart trigger as a driver input for restarting the host vehicle Am based on the passage of a predetermined time since the vehicle stopped. On the other hand, when the host vehicle Am traveling under autonomous driving control at traffic congestion level 3 stops due to traffic congestion, the notification of the travel resumption information is omitted, and the request to input a restart trigger is also canceled. As a result of the above, if the host vehicle Am stops due to traffic congestion while performing traffic congestion level 3, the driver may continue the second task. This further improves the convenience of automated driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings.

(Fourth embodiment)
The fourth embodiment of the present disclosure is yet another modified example of the first embodiment. In the fourth embodiment, a continuation limit time is set in addition to the above-mentioned predetermined time (hereinafter, semi-automatic transition time) as a threshold time to be compared with the elapsed time after stopping in a traffic jam. Details of the restart control and the presentation of information related to the control in the fourth embodiment will be described below based on Figs. 13 to 17, and with reference to Figs. 1 to 3, 5, and 8. Note that the table shown in Fig. 13 omits descriptions regarding the control in a scene where the vehicle is stopped by emergency avoidance control. The control of the fourth embodiment in a scene where the vehicle is stopped by emergency avoidance control is substantially the same as the control of the first embodiment (see Fig. 4).

<Scene of the car stopping in a traffic jam under driving assistance control>
When the host vehicle Am, which is driven by the driving assistance control (ACC function) of the autonomous driving level 2 or lower, stops in a traffic jam, the driving assistance ECU 50a judges whether or not the elapsed time after the host vehicle Am has stopped exceeds the continuation limit time. The continuation limit time is set to a time (for example, about 60 seconds) longer than the semi-automatic transition time.

If the time elapsed since the vehicle stopped has exceeded the semi-automatic transition time and has not yet elapsed the duration limit time, the driving assistance ECU 50a restarts the host vehicle Am and resumes following driving based on the input of a restart trigger by the driver, as in the first embodiment. On the other hand, if the time elapsed since the vehicle stopped exceeds the duration limit time, the driving assistance ECU 50a cancels the driving assistance control. The release state of the driving assistance control is a state in which restarting is not performed at least by inputting a restart trigger. In the fourth embodiment, the cancellation of the driving assistance control causes the driving control state of the host vehicle Am to transition to a manual driving state. As a result, normal accelerator operation different from the restart trigger is required to restart the host vehicle Am.

Corresponding to the above-mentioned cancellation process of the driving assistance control, the presentation control unit 88 notifies the end (cancellation) of the driving assistance control before the elapsed time after stopping exceeds the duration limit (see S467 in FIG. 16). The notification of the end of the driving assistance control starts, for example, several to 10 seconds before the duration limit. The notification of the end of the driving assistance control is a notification that the driving assistance control will end due to continued stopping in a traffic jam. In the notification of the end of the driving assistance control, a message such as "Manual driving will be started shortly" is displayed on the meter display 21 and the HUD 23. Furthermore, if the elapsed time after stopping exceeds the duration limit, the presentation control unit 88 uses the meter display 21 and the HUD 23 to notify that the control state of the host vehicle Am has been switched to manual driving.

<Scene of the autonomous driving control system stopping due to traffic congestion>
When the host vehicle Am traveling under the autonomous driving control at the congestion level 3 stops in a traffic jam, the environment recognition unit 62 determines whether or not the elapsed time since the vehicle stopped exceeds the continuation time limit. The continuation time limit set for the autonomous driving control may be the same as the continuation time limit set for the driving assistance control, and is set to, for example, about 60 seconds.

If the elapsed time after the stop is before the continuation limit time has elapsed, the automatic driving ECU 50b restarts the host vehicle Am based on the input of a restart trigger by the driver, as in the first embodiment, and resumes the following driving at congestion level 3. On the other hand, if the elapsed time after the stop exceeds the continuation limit time, the automatic driving ECU 50b transitions the autonomous driving control to a standby state. The standby state of the autonomous driving control is a state in which at least the driver's surrounding monitoring is required to resume driving, and is an interrupted state in which the vehicle is waiting for permission to start based on the driver's instruction. In the standby state of the autonomous driving control, for example, the recognition of the driving environment around the vehicle is continued. In the fourth embodiment, when the autonomous driving control transitions to a standby state, the host vehicle Am is stopped and held by the driving assistance control (ACC function) by the automatic driving ECU 50b or the driving assistance ECU 50a. The driver can restart the host vehicle Am and resume following driving at congestion level 3 by inputting a restart trigger after monitoring the surroundings.

Corresponding to the above standby transition process of the autonomous driving control, the presentation control unit 88 notifies the end of the autonomous driving control (standby transition) before the elapsed time after stopping exceeds the duration limit time (see FIG. 17 S497). The autonomous driving control end notice is started several to 10 seconds before the duration limit time, similar to the driving assistance control end notice. The autonomous driving control end notice is a notice requesting the driver to end the second task, so the notice intensity is set higher than that of the driving assistance control end notice. Specifically, in the autonomous driving control end notice, a message such as "Automatic driving will end soon" is displayed on the meter display 21 and the HUD 23 in a more emphasized manner than the driving assistance control end notice. In addition, when content related to the second task is displayed on the CID 22, a message notifying the end of the autonomous driving control may be presented in a manner that prevents the content being displayed from being viewed. Furthermore, a voice message notifying the end of the autonomous driving control may be played by the audio device 24. If the time that has elapsed since the vehicle stopped exceeds the time limit, the notification control unit 88 uses the meter display 21 and HUD 23 to notify the driver that it is necessary to check the surroundings of the vehicle and to input a restart trigger.

In the fourth embodiment, if the host vehicle Am, which is traveling under the autonomous driving control of area level 3, stops in a traffic jam, the autonomous driving ECU 50b stops the operation of area level 3 and switches the driving control state of the host vehicle Am to manual driving. In other words, if the host vehicle Am was traveling in area level 3, the comparison of the elapsed time after stopping with the semi-automatic transition time and the continuation limit time may be omitted.

The driving assistance ECU 50a and the autonomous driving ECU 50b can change the duration limit time according to the type of road on which the vehicle Am is traveling, similar to the semi-autonomous transition time. As an example, when the vehicle Am is traveling on an expressway or a motorway, the duration limit time is set to about 60 seconds as described above. On the other hand, when the vehicle Am is traveling on a general road, the duration limit time is set to a longer time than when the vehicle Am is traveling on an expressway, etc., specifically, to about several minutes to 10 minutes. Furthermore, the duration limit time set for the autonomous driving control may be different from the duration limit time set for the driving assistance control. Specifically, the duration limit time associated with the autonomous driving control may be longer than the duration limit time associated with the driving assistance control, or may be shorter than the duration limit time associated with the driving assistance control.

Next, the details of the start control process and level 3 recovery process that realize the restart control described above, and the notification execution process that implements notifications related to the control, will be described below based on Figures 5, 14 to 17, and with reference to Figures 1 to 3 and 8.

In the start control process shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 14, each process from S11 to S18 (see FIG. 5) is substantially the same as that in the first embodiment. After the time elapsed since the vehicle was stopped due to congestion exceeds the semi-automatic transition time (S16: YES) and a restart trigger is set to a state where it is necessary to restart the vehicle, the environment recognition unit 62 determines in S19 whether the start conditions for the vehicle Am are met. If it is determined in S19 that the start conditions for the vehicle Am are not met, the process proceeds to S421.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S19 that the starting condition is met, the process proceeds to S20, where the information linking unit 61 or the behavior determining unit 63 determines whether or not a driver operation that triggers restarting has been input. If it is determined in S20 that a driver operation that triggers restarting has been input, the process proceeds to S21, where the host vehicle Am is restarted while continuing autonomous driving control at level 3 in traffic jams. On the other hand, if it is determined that a driver operation that triggers restarting has not been input, the process proceeds from S20 to S421.

In S421, the environment recognition unit 62 determines whether the time elapsed since the vehicle stopped exceeds the duration limit time. If it is determined in S421 that the duration limit time has not yet elapsed, the process returns to S19. On the other hand, if it is determined in S421 that the duration limit time has elapsed, the level 3 return process (see FIG. 15) is started in S422. Then, in S423, the behavior determination unit 63 transitions the driving control state of the host vehicle Am to a standby state for autonomous driving control.

In S431 of the level 3 return process shown in FIG. 15, the information linking unit 61 or the behavior determining unit 63 determines whether or not there is a driver operation that triggers restarting. The restart trigger identified in S431 may be a driver operation that causes semi-automatic restarting, specifically, a push operation on the resume button or the set button, or an operation of temporarily depressing the accelerator pedal. In addition, in S431, it may be further determined whether or not the driver has performed surrounding monitoring, for example, based on information from a driver monitoring device.

If it is determined in S431 that a driver operation that triggers a restart has been detected, in S432 the behavior determination unit 63 starts the process of returning to traffic jam level 3. As a result, the behavior determination unit 63 ends the standby state of the autonomous driving control and resumes operation of the autonomous driving control. As a result, following driving at traffic jam level 3 is resumed.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S431 that the driver's operation that triggers restart has not been grasped, the process proceeds to S433. In S433, the behavior determination unit 63 determines whether the termination condition is satisfied. For example, if a time longer than the continuation limit time (e.g., 15 minutes or more) has passed since the vehicle was stopped due to traffic congestion, or if the vehicle ahead of the vehicle to be followed cannot be detected, the behavior determination unit 63 determines whether the termination condition is satisfied. If it is determined in S433 that the termination condition is not satisfied, the process returns to S431. On the other hand, if it is determined in S433 that the termination condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to S434. In S434, the behavior determination unit 63 terminates the autonomous driving control at level 3 during traffic congestion, which has been in a standby state. As a result, the host vehicle Am transitions to a manual driving state.

The notification execution processes shown in FIG. 16 and FIG. 17 are executed as sub-processes of the notification control process (see FIG. 8) by cooperation between the HCU 100 and the driving assistance ECU 50a. In detail, the notification execution process shown in FIG. 16 is started based on the notification control process deciding to present information corresponding to level 2 driving assistance control (see S106). Similarly, the notification execution process shown in FIG. 17 is started based on the notification control process deciding to present information corresponding to level 3 congestion (see S109). Each notification execution process may be mainly executed by the driving assistance ECU 50a or the autonomous driving ECU 50b (information cooperation unit 61), or may be mainly executed by the presentation control unit 88 of the HCU 100.

In S461 of the notification execution process shown in FIG. 16, it is determined whether the time elapsed since stopping due to congestion has exceeded the semi-automatic transition time. If it is determined in S461 that the semi-automatic transition time has not yet elapsed, the process proceeds to S462. In S462, it is determined whether the starting conditions have been met. If it is determined in S462 that the starting conditions have not been met, the process returns to S461. On the other hand, if it is determined in S462 that the starting conditions have been met, the process proceeds to S463. In S463, the implementation of automatic restart using the ACC function is notified as driving resumption information.

If it is determined in S461 that the semi-automatic transition time has elapsed, the process proceeds to S464. In S464, it is determined whether the continuation limit time is about to elapse, in other words, whether the timing is a few to 10 seconds before the continuation limit time. If it is determined in S464 that there is time before the continuation limit time elapses, the process proceeds to S465. In S465, as in S462, it is determined whether the starting conditions are met. If it is determined in S465 that the starting conditions are not met, the process returns to S464. On the other hand, if it is determined in S465 that the starting conditions are met, the process proceeds to S466. In S466, a notification is issued indicating that a restart trigger needs to be input in order to resume driving using the ACC function.

In S464, if it is determined that the duration limit is approaching and the elapsed time since the vehicle stopped is approaching the duration limit, the process proceeds to S467. In S467, the end of the driving assistance control is notified. As described above, the notification intensity of the notification of the end of the driving assistance control is set to be weaker than the notification intensity of the notification of the end of the autonomous driving control (see S497 in FIG. 17) (see FIG. 13).

In S491 of the notification execution process shown in FIG. 17, it is determined whether the time elapsed since stopping due to congestion has exceeded the semi-automatic transition time. If it is determined in S491 that the semi-automatic transition time has not yet elapsed, it is determined in S492 whether the starting conditions have been met. If it is determined in S492 that the starting conditions have not been met, the process returns to S491. On the other hand, if it is determined that the starting conditions have been met, the notification related to automatic restart is omitted (S493), and the notification execution process ends.

If it is determined in S491 that the semi-automatic transition time has elapsed, the process proceeds to S494. In S494, it is determined whether the continuation limit time is about to elapse, and if it is determined that there is time before the continuation limit time elapses, the process proceeds to S495. In S495, it is determined whether the starting conditions are met, and if it is determined that the starting conditions are not met, the process returns to S494. On the other hand, if it is determined in S495 that the starting conditions are met, a notification is issued in S496 suggesting that a restart trigger needs to be input.

If it is determined in S494 that the time elapsed since the stop due to traffic congestion is approaching the continuation time limit, the process proceeds to S497. In S497, a notice is given of the end of autonomous driving control at traffic congestion level 3. This notice of the end serves as a notice of the end of the second task as well. As described above, the notice strength of the notice of the end of autonomous driving control is set to be stronger than the notice strength of the notice of the end of driving assistance control (see FIG. 13).

The fourth embodiment described so far also has the same effect as the first embodiment, and the convenience of autonomous driving can be ensured. In detail, in the fourth embodiment, if the elapsed time after stopping due to traffic congestion exceeds the continuation time limit, the autonomous driving control transitions to a standby state. Therefore, the autonomous driving control can resume driving of the host vehicle Am without requiring complicated operations by the driver. As a result, a situation in which the driver does not know what to do after stopping can be avoided. Therefore, the convenience of autonomous driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings can be ensured.

In addition, in the fourth embodiment, if the driver inputs a specific restart trigger after transitioning to the standby state, the behavior determination unit 63 ends the standby state and resumes operation of the autonomous driving control. By setting such a restart trigger, the driver can easily resume driving the host vehicle Am using the autonomous driving control. Therefore, the convenience of autonomous driving can be further ensured.

In addition, in the fourth embodiment, a warning is given to the driver that autonomous driving control will end before the time elapsed since the vehicle was stopped due to traffic congestion exceeds the continuation time limit. Therefore, even if the driver is performing a second task and is not focused on driving, the driver can respond to the transition of autonomous driving control to a standby state with ample time.

Furthermore, in the fourth embodiment, the notification announcing the end of autonomous driving control is emphasized more than the notification announcing the end of driving assistance control, which requires the driver to monitor the surroundings. Therefore, even if the driver's attention is more likely to be distracted from driving during autonomous driving control than during driving assistance control, it is possible to direct the driver's attention to driving before the continuation time limit elapses. As a result, the driver can quickly respond to the transition of autonomous driving control to a standby state. Therefore, the convenience of automated driving can be further ensured.

In the fourth embodiment, the information linking unit 61 corresponds to the "notification control unit," and the specific driver operation of S431 that is recognized as a restart trigger corresponds to the "restart operation."

Fifth Embodiment
The fifth embodiment of the present disclosure is a modified example of the fourth embodiment. In the fifth embodiment, when the elapsed time after the vehicle is stopped due to traffic congestion exceeds the continuation time limit, the autonomous driving control is released. Details of the start control process and the level 3 return process of the fifth embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. 5, 18, and 19, and with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

In the start control process shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 18, the processes of S11 to S18 (see FIG. 5) and S19, S20 are substantially the same as those in the first and fourth embodiments. If it is determined in S19 that the start condition of the host vehicle Am is not satisfied, or if it is determined in S20 that a driver operation that will trigger a restart has not been input, in S521, the environment recognition unit 62 compares the elapsed time since the vehicle was stopped due to traffic congestion with the continuation time limit.

If it is determined in S521 that the duration limit time has elapsed, the action determination unit 63 cancels the autonomous driving control. The autonomous driving control is released when the autonomous driving control is terminated after the level 3 return process (see FIG. 19) is performed. In the state in which the autonomous driving control is released (terminated), processing such as environmental recognition around the vehicle is stopped. If it is determined in S521 that the elapsed time since stopping has exceeded the duration limit time, the level 3 return process is started in S522. Furthermore, the level 3 autonomous driving control in a traffic jam is terminated in S523. As a result, the driving control state of the host vehicle Am transitions to a manual driving state. The level 3 return process may be performed after the process of terminating the autonomous driving control.

In S531 of the level 3 return process shown in FIG. 19, the presence or absence of a driver operation that triggers restart is determined. If the input of a restart trigger is not detected in S531, the autonomous driving ECU 50b determines whether the end condition is satisfied in S533. If it is determined in S533 that the end condition is satisfied, the autonomous driving ECU 50b terminates the level 3 return process.

On the other hand, if the input of a restart trigger is detected in S531, the behavior determination unit 63 starts the process of returning to traffic jam level 3 in S532. The behavior determination unit 63 returns the driving control state of the host vehicle Am from the manual driving state to the autonomous driving control state without passing through the driving assistance control state. As a result, following driving at traffic jam level 3 is resumed.

The fifth embodiment described so far also achieves the same effects as the fourth embodiment. More specifically, in the fifth embodiment, if the time elapsed after stopping due to traffic congestion exceeds the continuation time limit, the autonomous driving control is released so that the autonomous driving control can be restored by the driver inputting a specific restart trigger. Therefore, the host vehicle Am can resume driving under the autonomous driving control without requiring complicated operations by the driver. As a result, a situation in which the driver does not know what to do after stopping can be avoided.

As described above, in the fifth embodiment, although the processing by the autonomous driving ECU 50b when the continuation time limit is exceeded differs from that in the fourth embodiment, the driver can resume driving at traffic jam level 3 by implementing periphery monitoring and inputting a restart trigger. Therefore, the convenience of autonomous driving without the obligation to monitor the periphery can be ensured.

Sixth Embodiment
The sixth embodiment of the present disclosure is another modified example of the second embodiment. In the sixth embodiment, the function of the autonomous driving ECU 50b for switching the control mode of the autonomous driving control is omitted. The autonomous driving ECU 50b enables autonomous driving by the autonomous driving control on expressways and general roads where the use of the level 3 autonomous driving function is permitted without switching the control mode. In addition, in the sixth embodiment, when the host vehicle Am traveling by the autonomous driving control stops, the behavior information indicating whether or not the driver has performed surrounding monitoring is used for the restart control of the host vehicle Am and the notification of the traveling resumption information. Hereinafter, the details of the restart control and the presentation of information related to the control in the sixth embodiment will be described based on FIG. 20 to FIG. 24 and with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3.

The autonomous driving ECU 50b grasps the magnitude of the acceleration in the deceleration direction (hereinafter, deceleration G) that occurs in the host vehicle Am when the host vehicle Am stops for emergency avoidance (hereinafter, emergency stop) due to a risk target that has appeared around the host vehicle, such as a sudden cut-in by another vehicle. Acceleration information indicating the deceleration G is measured by an acceleration sensor or an IMU (inertial measurement unit) mounted on the host vehicle Am, and is provided to the autonomous driving ECU 50b and the HCU 100, etc. The autonomous driving ECU 50b acquires the acceleration information in the environment recognition unit 62, and grasps the magnitude of the deceleration G when the host vehicle Am stops.

The autonomous driving ECU 50b changes the restart control by the behavior determination unit 63 depending on whether the deceleration G is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The predetermined value is determined based on the deceleration G that occurs when the emergency avoidance control unit 78 activates the automatic emergency brake. As an example, the predetermined value is set to 1 G. The predetermined value is compared with the maximum value of deceleration G that occurs during an emergency stop. If the absolute value of the maximum value of deceleration G, which is the acceleration in the negative direction, is equal to or greater than 1 G, the behavior determination unit 63 determines that the vehicle has stopped due to high-G emergency avoidance control. In this case, the behavior determination unit 63 allows the host vehicle Am to resume driving using autonomous driving control, based on the behavior information grasped by the information linkage unit 61, on the condition that the driver is monitoring the surroundings.

On the other hand, if the maximum deceleration G value does not exceed 1G, the behavior determination unit 63 determines that the vehicle has stopped due to low-G emergency avoidance control. In this case, the behavior determination unit 63 performs restart control similar to when the vehicle has stopped following a vehicle ahead during a traffic jam, etc., and allows the host vehicle Am to resume traveling using autonomous driving control regardless of whether the driver is monitoring the surroundings.

Here, if the emergency avoidance control unit 78 activates the automatic emergency brake, it may be determined that the stop is due to high-G emergency avoidance control in which the deceleration G is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. In this embodiment, if the emergency avoidance control unit 78 does not activate the automatic emergency brake and the host vehicle Am is stopped by normal deceleration control, the behavior determination unit 63 determines that the stop is due to low-G emergency avoidance control. Note that if the deceleration G is the same as the predetermined value, it may be determined that the stop is due to high-G emergency avoidance control as described above, or may be allocated to low-G emergency avoidance control.

The HCU 100 corresponds to the restart control of the autonomous driving ECU 50b described above, and changes the control content of the information presentation that notifies the driver of the driving restart information depending on whether the deceleration G exceeds a predetermined value and whether the driver is monitoring the surroundings. In detail, the information linking unit 82 grasps the magnitude of the deceleration G when the host vehicle Am stops based on the control status information provided by the autonomous driving ECU 50b, and determines whether the current stop of the host vehicle Am is due to high G emergency avoidance control.

If the deceleration G exceeds the above-mentioned predetermined value (hereinafter, the notification threshold value) and the emergency stop is a stop due to high-G emergency avoidance control, the presentation control unit 88 notifies the implementation of automatic restart by autonomous driving control as driving resumption information. If autonomous driving control continues after automatic restart, the notification as driving resumption information does not include a hands-on notification. A hands-on notification is implemented, for example, when the autonomous driving level transitions to hands-on driving assistance control or below, and requests the driver to hold the steering wheel (steering unit). In the hands-on notification, content including an icon modeled after a steering wheel is displayed on the display device.

On the other hand, if the current stop of the vehicle Am is due to low-G emergency avoidance control, or if the vehicle is stopped in a traffic jam, the presentation control unit 88 omits the presentation of the driving resumption information until the elapsed time after the stop exceeds a predetermined time (hereinafter, the notification start time). The notification start time is set to about 30 seconds, similar to the predetermined time in the first embodiment and the semi-automatic transition time in the fourth embodiment. Then, when the elapsed time after the stop exceeds the notification start time, the presentation control unit 88 notifies the implementation of automatic restart by autonomous driving control as driving resumption information. However, if the driver is monitoring the surroundings, the presentation of the driving resumption information may be omitted even if the elapsed time after the stop exceeds the notification start time.

Next, the details of the start control process that realizes the restart control described above, and the notification control process and notification execution process that implement notifications related to the start control process will be described below based on Figures 21 to 24, with reference to Figures 1 to 3 and 20.

In S61 of the start control process shown in FIG. 21, when the environment recognition unit 62 determines that the host vehicle Am traveling under autonomous driving control has stopped, in S62, it grasps the magnitude of deceleration G that occurred when the host vehicle Am stopped. In S63, the environment recognition unit 62 determines whether the elapsed time since the host vehicle stopped has exceeded the duration limit time. The duration limit time may be set to about 60 seconds, or may be set to about several minutes to 10 minutes. If the elapsed time since the host vehicle stopped has exceeded the duration limit time, the process proceeds to S68, and the autonomous driving control (automatic driving) currently being executed is terminated.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S63 that the elapsed time since the stop has not exceeded the duration limit time, the environment recognition unit 62 determines in S64 whether the start condition for the host vehicle Am has been met. If it is determined in S64 that the start condition has not been met, the process returns to S63, and the fulfillment of the start condition is awaited. On the other hand, if it is determined in S64 that the start condition has been met, the environment recognition unit 62 determines in S65 whether the current stop of the host vehicle Am is due to high-G emergency avoidance control.

If it is determined in S65 that the current stop of the host vehicle Am is due to high-G emergency avoidance control, the information linking unit 61 determines in S66 whether or not the driver is monitoring the surroundings based on the behavior information. If it is determined in S66 that the surroundings are not being monitored, the process returns to S63, and the driver is awaited to start monitoring the surroundings. On the other hand, if it is determined in S65 that the current stop of the host vehicle Am is not due to high-G emergency avoidance control, the determination in S66 is skipped. Then, in S67, the behavior determining unit 63 automatically restarts the host vehicle Am while continuing level 3 autonomous driving control.

When the control state of the driving control executed by the autonomous driving system 50 is grasped by the information linking unit 82 in S601 of the notification control process shown in FIG. 21, the information acquisition unit 81 or the information linking unit 82 waits for the host vehicle Am to stop in S602. When it is determined in S602 that the host vehicle Am has stopped, the information linking unit 82 determines in S603 the magnitude of the deceleration G that has occurred in the host vehicle Am. Furthermore, the information linking unit 82 determines in S604 whether level 3 autonomous driving control is being executed.

When driving assistance control of level 2 or lower is being executed, the information linking unit 82 determines in S605 whether the current stop of the host vehicle Am is due to high-G emergency avoidance control. When the stop is due to low-G emergency avoidance control or a normal stop due to following a vehicle ahead in a traffic jam, etc., the presentation control unit 88 issues a notification of driving resumption information corresponding to level 2 driving assistance control (see FIG. 16) in S606. On the other hand, when the stop is due to high-G emergency avoidance control, the presentation control unit 88 issues a behavioral presentation requesting the driver to resume driving by manual driving as driving resumption information in S607.

Even if level 3 autonomous driving control is being executed, the information linking unit 82 determines in S608 whether the current stop of the host vehicle Am is a stop due to high G emergency avoidance control. If the stop is due to low G emergency avoidance control or a normal stop following a vehicle ahead in a traffic jam, etc., the presentation control unit 88 starts in S609 a notification execution process (see FIG. 23) prepared for a stop due to low G emergency avoidance control or a stop in a traffic jam. This results in a notification of driving resumption information corresponding to normal stopping control.

In S621 of the notification execution process performed in S609, it is determined whether the time elapsed since stopping has exceeded the notification start time. If it is determined in S621 that the notification start time has not yet elapsed, it is determined in S622 whether the starting condition has been met. If it is determined in S622 that the starting condition has not been met, the process returns to S621. On the other hand, if it is determined that the starting condition has been met, the notification related to automatic restart is omitted (S623), and the notification execution process ends. With this process, the implementation of the notification for automatic restart is suspended until the notification start time has elapsed.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S621 that the notification start time has elapsed, it is determined in S624 whether the duration limit time is about to elapse. If it is determined in S624 that the elapsed time is approaching the duration limit time, a notice is given of the end of level 3 autonomous driving in S628. On the other hand, if it is determined in S624 that there is time before the duration limit time elapses, it is determined in S625 whether the starting conditions are met, as in S622. If it is determined that the starting conditions are met, it is determined in S626 whether the driver is monitoring the surroundings. If the driver is monitoring the surroundings, the notification related to automatic restart is omitted (S623). On the other hand, if the driver is not monitoring the surroundings, the implementation of automatic restart by autonomous driving control is notified as driving resumption information in S627.

On the other hand, if the current stop of the host vehicle Am is due to high-G emergency avoidance control, the presentation control unit 88 starts, in S610, a notification execution process (see FIG. 24) prepared for a stop due to high-G emergency avoidance control. This causes a notification of driving resumption information corresponding to a high-G emergency stop to be implemented.

In S631 of the notification execution process performed in S610, it is determined whether the duration limit time is about to expire. If it is determined in S631 that the elapsed time is approaching the duration limit time, a notice of the end of level 3 autonomous driving is issued in S635. On the other hand, if it is determined in S631 that there is still time before the duration limit time expires, it is determined in S632 whether the starting conditions are met. If it is determined that the starting conditions are met, it is determined in S633 whether the driver is monitoring the surroundings.

Here, in the case of a stop due to high-G emergency avoidance control, automatic restart of the host vehicle Am is not permitted not only when the starting condition is not satisfied, but also when the driver is not monitoring the surroundings. Therefore, if the driver is not monitoring the surroundings, the process of S631 to S633 is repeated to wait for the driver to start monitoring the surroundings. Then, if it is determined in S633 that the driver is monitoring the surroundings, the implementation of automatic restart by autonomous driving control is notified as driving resumption information in S634. In this case, the notification of automatic restart does not include the hands-on notification as described above.

The sixth embodiment described so far also has the same effect as the above embodiments, and the convenience of automatic driving can be ensured. In detail, in the notification control process of the sixth embodiment, the magnitude of the deceleration G occurring in the host vehicle Am is grasped. Then, in the notification execution process (see FIG. 24) when the deceleration G exceeds the notification threshold, the implementation of automatic restart is notified as the traveling restart information. On the other hand, in the notification execution process (see FIG. 23) when the deceleration G is less than the notification threshold, the notification of automatic restart is omitted. Therefore, even if the host vehicle Am stops due to the cut-in of another vehicle, etc., if the stop is not so severe that the driver is surprised, the notification of automatic restart can be omitted. According to the above, the notification of automatic restart is not likely to be felt as an annoyance, and the convenience of automatic driving can be ensured.

In addition, in the sixth embodiment, even if the deceleration G during an emergency stop exceeds the notification threshold, if the start condition is met and the driver is monitoring the surroundings, the autonomous driving ECU 50b can restart the host vehicle Am while continuing autonomous driving control. In line with this restart control, the notification of automatic restart when the deceleration G exceeds the notification threshold does not include a hands-on notification that requests the driver to hold the steering wheel. Therefore, it becomes less likely that the driver will start steering even though autonomous driving control can continue. As a result, the convenience of autonomous driving can be further ensured.

In the sixth embodiment, the information acquisition unit 81 determines whether the driver is monitoring the surroundings. In a stopping scene due to low-G emergency avoidance control or the like, if the driver is not monitoring the surroundings, the automatic restart is notified as driving resumption information. On the other hand, even in such a stopping scene, if the driver is monitoring the surroundings, the notification of automatic restart is omitted. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the driver is prevented from monitoring the surroundings by the notification of automatic restart. As a result, the convenience of automated driving is less likely to be impaired.

Furthermore, in the sixth embodiment, when the host vehicle Am is scheduled to resume traveling using autonomous driving control, the notification of automatic restart is suspended until the notification start time has elapsed since the vehicle stopped. Then, after the notification start time has elapsed, the notification of automatic restart is started. Therefore, in a scene in which the host vehicle Am repeatedly starts and stops in a congested traffic environment, frequent notification of automatic restart can be suppressed. As a result, the notification of automatic restart is less likely to be felt as an annoyance, and the convenience of autonomous driving can be ensured.

In addition, in the sixth embodiment, when the host vehicle Am traveling under autonomous driving control stops due to high-G deceleration for emergency avoidance, the behavior determination unit 63 resumes traveling of the host vehicle Am under autonomous driving control, provided that the driver is monitoring the surroundings. In this way, even if autonomous driving control can be continued without the obligation to monitor the surroundings, the driver's sense of security can be fostered by deliberately requesting the driver to monitor the surroundings. As a result, it is possible to realize automated driving that is easily trusted by the driver.

In the sixth embodiment, the information linking unit 61 and the information acquiring unit 81 correspond to the "monitoring and grasping unit" in the autonomous driving ECU 50b and the HCU 100, respectively.

Seventh Embodiment
The seventh embodiment of the present disclosure shown in Fig. 25 and Fig. 26 is a modified example of the sixth embodiment. In the seventh embodiment, a part of the starting control process and the notification control process is different from the sixth embodiment. Hereinafter, each process in the seventh embodiment will be described in detail.

In the start control process shown in FIG. 25, if the elapsed time after stopping exceeds the continuation time limit (S73: YES), the behavior determination unit 63 performs reverse control (S79). The behavior determination unit 63 determines whether the host vehicle Am can reverse in the reverse control. If the behavior determination unit 63 determines that reverse is possible, the host vehicle Am is caused to reverse a certain distance (for example, about 5 m). The behavior determination unit 63 can adjust the amount of backward movement according to the recognition result of the surroundings of the host vehicle. The behavior determination unit 63 determines whether the host vehicle Am can move forward again after reverse. If the behavior determination unit 63 determines that forward movement is possible, the host vehicle Am is caused to move forward again.

When performing the above reverse control, the notification control unit 88 issues a notification to prompt the driver to monitor the rear of the vehicle Am. In addition, to restart the vehicle Am after reversing, the driver may be required to input a restart trigger. Furthermore, when reverse control cannot be performed, the behavior determination unit 63 terminates the autonomous driving, as in the sixth embodiment.

In addition, when the vehicle is stopped due to emergency avoidance control at high G (S75: YES), if the predetermined time has not elapsed (S76: NO), the behavior determination unit 63 allows the vehicle to be restarted even if the driver is not monitoring the surroundings. The predetermined time is set to about 30 seconds, the same as the notification start time. Note that S71 to S75, S77, and S78 in the start control process of the seventh embodiment are substantially the same as S61 to S67 in the sixth embodiment (see FIG. 21).

In the notification control process shown in FIG. 26, when the host vehicle Am stops during level 3 autonomous driving control (S704: YES), the same notification execution process (S708) is performed regardless of whether the stop is due to high-G emergency avoidance control. If the notification start time has not elapsed, the presentation control unit 88 omits the notification of the driving restart information. On the other hand, after the notification start time has elapsed and before the continuation limit time has elapsed, a notification of automatic restart is performed. Note that S701 to S707 in the notification control process of the seventh embodiment are substantially the same as S601 to S607 in the sixth embodiment (see FIG. 22).

The seventh embodiment described so far also has the same effect as the sixth embodiment, and if the stop is to a degree that does not startle the driver, the automatic restart notification can be omitted. As a result, the automatic restart notification is less likely to be felt as an annoyance, and the convenience of automatic driving can be ensured.

In the seventh embodiment, reverse control is implemented if the time elapsed since the vehicle stopped exceeds the continuation time limit. This reverse control makes it possible to avoid obstacles in front of the vehicle that cannot be avoided by simple steering control alone by driving around them. As a result, the convenience of automated driving can be further improved.

Other Embodiments
Although several embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the present disclosure should not be construed as being limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be applied to various embodiments and combinations within the scope not departing from the gist of the present disclosure.

The autonomous driving system 50 of the first modified example of the above embodiment performs the same restart control whether the vehicle is stopped due to emergency avoidance control or after following a vehicle ahead. Therefore, in the first modified example, the process of determining the reason for stopping the host vehicle Am and the process of changing the content of the driving resumption information depending on the reason for stopping are omitted.

In the autonomous driving ECU 50b of the second modification of the above embodiment, the autonomous driving control of area level 3 is not performed. When the autonomous driving ECU 50b is in an AD area and detects congestion around the vehicle, it performs autonomous driving control equivalent to the congestion level 3 of the above embodiment. Even in this second modification, the presentation control unit 88 notifies the driver of driving resumption information whose contents correspond to the restart control executed by the autonomous driving ECU 50b.

The manner in which the driving restart information is notified in the above embodiment may be changed as appropriate. As an example, the presentation control unit 88 uses the HUD 23 when indicating driver action for restarting, and does not use the HUD 23 when no driver action is required. The presentation control unit 88 can also emphasize the presentation of information when driver action is required by providing differences in the display color, display size, display brightness, and the presence or absence of animation and blinking of the content used to notify the driving restart information. Furthermore, when driver action is required, a voice message may be played as appropriate.

The predetermined time (semi-automatic transition time) and duration limit time in the above embodiment may be changed as appropriate. In the third modification of the above embodiment, the semi-automatic transition time when driving on a highway or the like (e.g., 30 seconds) is set shorter than the semi-automatic transition time when driving on a general road (e.g., 60 seconds). In the fourth modification of the above embodiment, the duration limit time when driving on a highway or the like (e.g., about several minutes) is set longer than the duration limit time when driving on a general road (e.g., about 60 seconds).

In variant 5 of the fifth embodiment, when the autonomous driving control at level 3 during traffic jams is released, the driving control state transitions to driving assistance control. That is, the ACC function is put into a standby state, and the host vehicle Am is held stopped by the ACC function. In variant 5, when the time elapsed since the vehicle was stopped exceeds the continuation time limit, the autonomous driving ECU 50b starts the host vehicle Am in a driving assistance control state based on the input of a restart trigger by the driver. Furthermore, the autonomous driving ECU 50b transitions from driving assistance control to autonomous driving control based on the establishment of a predetermined level 3 transition condition.

In the sixth and seventh modified examples of the fifth embodiment, when the autonomous driving control at level 3 during congestion is released, the host vehicle Am enters a state of manual driving. In the sixth modified example, when the host vehicle Am is restarted after the continuation time limit has elapsed, the input of multiple driver operations is required as a restart trigger. In the seventh modified example, a function for restoring the autonomous driving control is not provided. After the driver starts the host vehicle Am by normal driving operations, the driver activates the driving assistance control (ACC function) as necessary.

In variant 8 of the above embodiment, the functions of the driving assistance ECU 50a and the automatic driving ECU 50b are provided by a single automatic driving ECU. That is, the automatic driving ECU 50b of variant 8 is implemented with the functions of the driving assistance ECU 50a. In variant 8, the integrated automatic driving ECU corresponds to the "automatic driving control device." Furthermore, in variant 9 of the above embodiment, the functions of the HCU 100 are implemented in the automatic driving ECU 50b. In this form, the automatic driving ECU corresponds to the "automatic driving control device" and the "presentation control device."

Furthermore, when the autonomous driving control and presentation control according to the present disclosure are implemented through cooperation between the autonomous driving ECU 50b and the HCU 100, the system including these corresponds to the "autonomous driving control device" and the "presentation control device."

In the tenth modified example of the seventh embodiment, the autonomous driving ECU 50b has a function of switching between congestion level 3 and area level 3. When the host vehicle Am stops while traveling at congestion level 3, the autonomous driving ECU 50b permits automatic restart regardless of the magnitude of deceleration G, as in the seventh embodiment. On the other hand, when the host vehicle Am stops due to high-G emergency avoidance control while traveling at area level 3, the autonomous driving ECU 50b switches to manual driving. Also, when the host vehicle Am stops due to low-G emergency avoidance control while traveling at area level 3, the autonomous driving ECU 50b permits automatic restart only if the driver is monitoring the surroundings.

In the sixth and seventh embodiments, the magnitude of deceleration G compared with the predetermined value is not limited to the maximum value. For example, the average value or time integral value of the acceleration in the deceleration direction that occurs during an emergency stop may be compared with the predetermined value to switch whether or not to omit the notification. Furthermore, the predetermined value for evaluating the magnitude of deceleration G is not limited to 1 G and may be changed as appropriate. The predetermined value may also be changeable by the driver.

In the above embodiments, each function provided by the driving assistance ECU, the autonomous driving ECU, and the HCU can also be provided by software and the hardware that executes it, by software alone, by hardware alone, or by a combination of these. Furthermore, when such functions are provided by electronic circuits as hardware, each function can also be provided by digital circuits including multiple logic circuits, or analog circuits.

Each processing unit in the above embodiment is hardware for arithmetic processing coupled to a RAM. The processing unit includes at least one arithmetic core such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The processing unit may further include an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), an NPU (Neural network Processing Unit), and an IP core with other dedicated functions. Such a processing unit may be individually implemented on a printed circuit board, or may be implemented in an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) and an FPGA, etc.

The form of the storage medium (non-transitory tangible storage medium) that stores various programs and the like may also be changed as appropriate. Such storage media are not limited to being provided on a circuit board, but may be provided in the form of a memory card or the like, inserted into a slot, and electrically connected to a control circuit such as an autonomous driving ECU or HCU. Furthermore, the storage medium may be an optical disk or hard disk drive that is used to copy programs to the autonomous driving ECU or HCU.

The vehicle equipped with the above-mentioned autonomous driving system and HMI system is not limited to a general private passenger car, but may be a rental car vehicle, a manned taxi vehicle, a ride-sharing vehicle, a freight vehicle, a bus, etc. In addition, the vehicle equipped with the autonomous driving system and HMI system may be a right-hand drive vehicle or a left-hand drive vehicle. Furthermore, the traffic environment in which the vehicle travels may be a traffic environment based on left-hand traffic or a traffic environment based on right-hand traffic. The information presentation control and autonomous driving control according to the present disclosure may be appropriately optimized according to the road traffic laws of each country and region, and further the steering wheel position of the vehicle, etc.

The control unit and the method described herein may be implemented by a special-purpose computer having a processor programmed to execute one or more functions embodied in a computer program. Alternatively, the device and the method described herein may be implemented by a special-purpose hardware logic circuit. Alternatively, the device and the method described herein may be implemented by one or more special-purpose computers configured by a combination of a processor that executes a computer program and one or more hardware logic circuits. The computer program may also be stored in a computer-readable non-transitory tangible recording medium as instructions to be executed by the computer.
The technical ideas understood from the embodiment and the modified examples described so far will be described below as supplementary notes.
(Appendix 1-1)
A presentation control device that is used in a vehicle (Am) that can run by an automatic driving function and controls the presentation of information related to the automatic driving function,
A control grasping unit (82) that grasps whether or not autonomous driving control in which the driver of the vehicle is not required to monitor the surroundings is being executed by the automatic driving function;
a notification control unit (88) that notifies, when the vehicle traveling under the autonomous traveling control stops, travel resumption information regarding the resumption of traveling of the vehicle;
A presentation control device comprising:
(Appendix 1-13)
A presentation control program for use in a vehicle (Am) capable of traveling by an automatic driving function, and for controlling presentation of information related to the automatic driving function,
It is determined whether or not autonomous driving control in which the driver of the vehicle is not required to monitor the surroundings is being executed by the automatic driving function (S101, S201);
When the host vehicle traveling under the autonomous traveling control is stopped, traveling resumption information regarding the resumption of traveling of the host vehicle is notified (S108 to S110, S207 to S209).
A presentation control program that causes at least one processing unit (11) to execute a process including the steps of:
(Appendix 1-16)
An automatic driving control device that enables a vehicle (Am) to travel using an automatic driving function,
A first driving control unit (50a) that controls driving of the vehicle by driving assistance control that requires a driver of the vehicle to monitor the surroundings;
A second driving control unit (63) that controls driving of the vehicle by autonomous driving control in which the driver is not required to monitor the surroundings,
the first travel control unit, when the host vehicle traveling under the driving assistance control is stopped due to traffic congestion, requires an input by the driver to restart the host vehicle on condition that an elapsed time after the host vehicle has stopped exceeds a predetermined time,
The second driving control unit is an automatic driving control device that, when the vehicle traveling under the autonomous driving control stops due to traffic congestion, does not require input from the driver to restart the vehicle even if the elapsed time exceeds the predetermined time.
(Appendix 1-18)
An automatic driving control program that enables a vehicle (Am) to travel using an automatic driving function,
When the vehicle, which is driven by a driving assistance control in which the driver of the vehicle is obliged to monitor the surroundings, stops due to traffic congestion, an input by the driver is required to restart the vehicle, on condition that the elapsed time after the vehicle has stopped exceeds a predetermined time (S37).
When the vehicle, which is driven by an autonomous driving control in which the driver is not required to monitor the surroundings, stops due to traffic congestion, no input by the driver is required to restart the vehicle even if the elapsed time exceeds the predetermined time (S54).
An automatic driving control program that causes at least one processing unit (51, 151) to execute a process including the steps of:

Am Vehicle, 11, 51, 151 Processing unit, 50a Driving assistance ECU (first driving control unit), 50b Autonomous driving ECU (Autonomous driving control device), 61 Information cooperation unit (monitoring and grasping unit, notification control unit), 62 Environment recognition unit (time determination unit), 63 Action judgment unit (driving control unit, second driving control unit), 81 Information acquisition unit (monitoring and grasping unit), 82 Information cooperation unit (control and grasping unit), 88 Presentation control unit (notification control unit), 100 HCU (presentation control device)

Claims (31)

An automatic driving control device that enables a vehicle (Am) to travel using an automatic driving function,
a time determination unit (62) that, when the vehicle, which is driven by an autonomous driving control in which the driver of the vehicle is not required to monitor the surroundings, stops due to a traffic jam, determines whether or not a time that has elapsed since the vehicle stopped exceeds a predetermined time;
a driving control unit (63) that, when the elapsed time does not exceed the predetermined time, does not require an input by the driver to resume driving of the vehicle, and, when the elapsed time exceeds the predetermined time, resumes driving of the vehicle based on the input by the driver;
An automatic driving control device equipped with the above. An automatic driving control program that enables a vehicle (Am) to travel using an automatic driving function,
When the vehicle, which is driven by an autonomous driving control in which the driver of the vehicle is not required to monitor the surroundings, stops due to traffic congestion, the elapsed time after the vehicle has stopped is measured (S14);
If the elapsed time does not exceed a predetermined time, no input by the driver is required to restart the host vehicle (S15).
When the elapsed time exceeds the predetermined time, the host vehicle is restarted based on an input by the driver (S20, S21).
An automatic driving control program that causes at least one processing unit (51) to execute a process including the steps of: An automatic driving control device that enables a vehicle (Am) to travel using an automatic driving function,
a time determination unit (62) that, when the vehicle, which is driven by autonomous driving control in which the driver of the vehicle is not required to monitor the surroundings, stops due to congestion, determines whether or not a time that has elapsed since the vehicle stopped exceeds a continuation limit time;
a driving control unit (63) that transitions the autonomous driving control to a standby state when the elapsed time exceeds the continuation limit time;
An automatic driving control device equipped with the above. The automatic driving control device according to claim 3, wherein the driving control unit terminates the standby state and resumes operation of the autonomous driving control when a specific restart operation is detected as being input by the driver after the transition to the standby state. An automatic driving control device that enables a vehicle (Am) to travel using an automatic driving function,
a time determination unit (62) that, when the vehicle, which is driven by autonomous driving control in which the driver of the vehicle is not required to monitor the surroundings, stops due to congestion, determines whether or not a time that has elapsed since the vehicle stopped exceeds a continuation limit time;
A driving control unit (63) that releases the autonomous driving control when the elapsed time exceeds the continuation limit time,
The driving control unit is an automatic driving control device that, when it detects that the driver has input a specific resume operation after the autonomous driving control is released, returns the driving control state of the vehicle to the autonomous driving control state without passing through a driving assistance control state in which the driver is obligated to monitor the surroundings. The automatic driving control device according to any one of claims 3 to 5 , further comprising: a notification control unit (61) that issues a notification informing the user of the end of the autonomous driving control before the elapsed time exceeds the continuation limit time. The automatic driving control device according to claim 6 , wherein the notification informing the driver of the end of the autonomous driving control is emphasized more than the notification informing the driver that the driving assistance control, which requires the driver to monitor the surroundings, will be terminated due to continued stopping in a traffic jam. An automatic driving control program that enables a vehicle (Am) to travel using an automatic driving function,
When the vehicle, which is driven by an autonomous driving control in which the driver of the vehicle is not required to monitor the surroundings, stops due to traffic congestion, it is determined whether or not the elapsed time since the vehicle stopped exceeds a continuation limit time (S421);
If the elapsed time exceeds the continuation time limit, the autonomous driving control is transitioned to a standby state (S423).
An automatic driving control program that causes at least one processing unit (51) to execute a process including the steps of: An automatic driving control program that enables a vehicle (Am) to travel using an automatic driving function,
When the vehicle, which is driven by an autonomous driving control in which the driver of the vehicle is not required to monitor the surroundings, stops due to traffic congestion, it is determined whether or not the elapsed time since the vehicle stopped exceeds a continuation limit time (S521);
If the elapsed time exceeds the continuation time limit, the autonomous driving control is released (S522, S523).
When a specific restart operation input by the driver is detected after the autonomous driving control is released, the driving control state of the host vehicle is returned to the autonomous driving control state without passing through a driving assistance control state in which the driver has a duty to monitor the surroundings (S532).
An automatic driving control program that causes at least one processing unit (51) to execute a process including the steps of: An automatic driving control device that enables a vehicle (Am) to travel using an automatic driving function,
A first driving control unit (50a) that controls driving of the vehicle by driving assistance control that requires a driver of the vehicle to monitor the surroundings;
A second driving control unit (63) that controls driving of the vehicle by autonomous driving control in which the driver is not required to monitor the surroundings;
A monitoring grasp unit (61) that grasps whether or not the driver is monitoring the surroundings ,
the first travel control unit, when the host vehicle traveling under the driving assistance control is stopped due to traffic congestion, requires an input by the driver to restart the host vehicle on condition that an elapsed time after the host vehicle has stopped exceeds a predetermined time,
The second travel control unit is
When the vehicle traveling under the autonomous driving control is stopped due to traffic congestion, even if the elapsed time exceeds the predetermined time, no input by the driver is required to restart the vehicle;
An automatic driving control device that, when the vehicle traveling under the autonomous driving control stops for emergency avoidance, resumes traveling of the vehicle under the autonomous driving control, provided that the driver is monitoring the surroundings . An automatic driving control program that enables a vehicle (Am) to travel using an automatic driving function,
When the vehicle, which is driven by a driving assistance control in which the driver of the vehicle is obliged to monitor the surroundings, stops due to traffic congestion, an input by the driver is required to restart the vehicle, on condition that the elapsed time after the vehicle has stopped exceeds a predetermined time (S37).
When the vehicle, which is driven by autonomous driving control in which the driver does not have a duty to monitor the surroundings, stops due to traffic congestion, no input by the driver is required to restart the vehicle even if the elapsed time exceeds the predetermined time (S54).
When the host vehicle traveling under the autonomous driving control is stopped for emergency avoidance, whether or not the driver is monitoring the surroundings is determined, and, on the condition that the driver is monitoring the surroundings, the host vehicle is allowed to resume traveling under the autonomous driving control (S66, S67).
An automatic driving control program that causes at least one processing unit (51, 151) to execute a process including the steps of: A presentation control device that is used in a vehicle (Am) that can run by an automatic driving function and controls the presentation of information related to the automatic driving function,
A control grasping unit (82) that grasps whether or not autonomous driving control in which the driver of the vehicle is not required to monitor the surroundings is being executed by the automatic driving function;
a notification control unit (88) that notifies, when the vehicle traveling under the autonomous traveling control stops, travel resumption information regarding the resumption of traveling of the vehicle;
A monitoring determining unit (81) that determines whether or not the driver is monitoring the surroundings ,
The notification control unit is
When the driver is not monitoring the surroundings, the driving resumption information is notified.
A presentation control device that omits the notification of the driving restart information when the driver is monitoring the surroundings . The presentation control device according to claim 12 , wherein the notification control unit, when it is predicted that the host vehicle traveling under the autonomous driving control will stop, starts notifying the host vehicle of the driving resumption information before the host vehicle stops. A presentation control device that is used in a vehicle (Am) that can run by an automatic driving function and controls the presentation of information related to the automatic driving function,
A control grasping unit (82) that grasps whether or not autonomous driving control in which the driver of the vehicle is not required to monitor the surroundings is being executed by the automatic driving function;
and a notification control unit (88) that notifies the vehicle when the vehicle traveling under the autonomous traveling control stops, the vehicle resuming traveling information regarding the resumption of traveling of the vehicle ,
The notification control unit is a presentation control device that, when it is predicted that the vehicle traveling under the autonomous driving control will stop, begins to notify the driver of the driving resumption information before the vehicle stops . The notification control unit is
A presentation control device as described in any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein when the vehicle is scheduled to resume driving using the autonomous driving control, notification of the driving resumption information is suspended until a predetermined time has elapsed since the vehicle was stopped, and notification of the driving resumption information is started after the predetermined time has elapsed since the vehicle was stopped. The presentation control device according to any one of claims 12 to 14 , wherein the notification control unit, when the vehicle traveling under the autonomous driving control stops due to traffic congestion, starts notifying the vehicle of the driving resumption information after a predetermined time has elapsed since the vehicle stopped. The notification control unit is
When the vehicle, which is driven by a driving assistance control in which the driver is required to monitor the surroundings, is stopped due to traffic congestion, a driver input is requested to restart the vehicle based on the passage of a predetermined time since the vehicle stopped;
The presentation control device according to claim 12 , wherein the request for the driver input is discontinued when the host vehicle traveling under the autonomous driving control is stopped due to traffic congestion. A presentation control device that is used in a vehicle (Am) that can run by an automatic driving function and controls the presentation of information related to the automatic driving function,
A control recognition unit (82) that recognizes whether or not autonomous driving control in which the driver of the vehicle is not required to monitor the surroundings is being executed by the automatic driving function;
and a notification control unit (88) that notifies the vehicle of resumption of travel when the vehicle traveling under the autonomous travel control stops ,
The notification control unit is
When the vehicle, which is driven by a driving assistance control in which the driver is obligated to monitor the surroundings, is stopped due to traffic congestion, a driver input is requested to restart the vehicle based on the passage of a predetermined time from the stop,
A presentation control device that stops the request for driver input when the vehicle traveling under the autonomous driving control stops due to traffic congestion . The control understanding unit understands a reason for stopping the host vehicle when the host vehicle stops,
The presentation control device according to any one of claims 12 to 18 , wherein the notification control unit changes the content of the traveling restart information depending on the reason for the stop. The notification control unit is
When the vehicle is stopped due to the operation of an automatic emergency brake, the driving resumption information indicating the resumption of driving by manual driving is notified;
The presentation control device according to claim 19 , wherein, when the host vehicle traveling in a traffic jam stops following a vehicle ahead, the driving resumption information indicating resumption of driving under the autonomous driving control is notified. The autonomous driving function is capable of switching the control mode of the autonomous driving control among a plurality of control modes including at least a congestion limited control that is implemented only when driving in a congestion and an area limited control that is implemented only within a specific area;
The control grasping unit grasps the control mode of the autonomous driving control executed by the automatic driving function,
The notification control unit is
When the host vehicle stops while traveling under the congestion limiting control, the traveling resumption information indicating the resumption of traveling under the congestion limiting control is notified,
The presentation control device according to claim 12 , wherein, when the host vehicle stops while traveling under the area limiting control, the driving resumption information indicating resumption of driving under manual driving is notified. The control grasping unit grasps a magnitude of acceleration in a deceleration direction occurring in the host vehicle when the host vehicle stops,
The notification control unit is
When the acceleration exceeds a notification threshold, the traveling restart information is notified.
The presentation control device according to any one of claims 12 to 18 , wherein when the acceleration is less than the notification threshold, notification of the traveling restart information is omitted. A presentation control device that is used in a vehicle (Am) that can run by an automatic driving function and controls the presentation of information related to the automatic driving function,
A control grasping unit (82) that grasps whether or not autonomous driving control in which the driver of the vehicle is not required to monitor the surroundings is being executed by the automatic driving function;
and a notification control unit (88) that notifies the vehicle when the vehicle traveling under the autonomous traveling control stops, the vehicle resuming traveling information regarding the resumption of traveling of the vehicle ,
The control grasping unit grasps a magnitude of acceleration in a deceleration direction occurring in the host vehicle when the host vehicle stops,
The notification control unit is
When the acceleration exceeds a notification threshold, the traveling restart information is notified.
When the acceleration is less than the notification threshold, the presentation control device omits notification of the traveling restart information . The notification control unit is
The presentation control device according to claim 23, wherein when the vehicle is scheduled to resume driving using the autonomous driving control, notification of the driving resumption information is suspended until a predetermined time has elapsed since the vehicle was stopped, and notification of the driving resumption information is started after the predetermined time has elapsed since the vehicle was stopped. The presentation control device according to claim 23 , wherein the notification control unit, when the vehicle traveling under the autonomous driving control stops due to traffic congestion, starts notifying the driver of the driving resumption information after a predetermined time has elapsed since the vehicle stopped. The notification control unit is
When the driver needs to grip the steering unit to resume driving of the vehicle, a hands-on notification requesting the driver to grip the steering unit is included in the notification of the driving resumption information,
A presentation control device as described in any one of claims 23 to 25, wherein the notification of the driving resumption information indicating the resumption of driving by the autonomous driving control even when the acceleration exceeds the notification threshold does not include the hands-on notification. The presentation control device according to any one of claims 12 to 26 , wherein the travel resumption information includes at least information indicating an action of the driver required to restart the host vehicle. A presentation control program for use in a vehicle (Am) capable of traveling by an automatic driving function, and for controlling presentation of information related to the automatic driving function,
It is determined whether or not autonomous driving control in which the driver of the vehicle is not required to monitor the surroundings is being executed by the automatic driving function (S101, S201);
When the vehicle traveling under the autonomous driving control stops , whether or not the driver is monitoring the surroundings is determined , and when the driver is not monitoring the surroundings, driving resumption information regarding the resumption of the traveling of the vehicle is notified, and when the driver is monitoring the surroundings, the notification of the driving resumption information is omitted (S108 to S110, S207 to S209).
A presentation control program that causes at least one processing unit (11) to execute a process including the steps of: A presentation control program for use in a vehicle (Am) capable of traveling by an automatic driving function, and for controlling presentation of information related to the automatic driving function,
It is determined whether or not autonomous driving control in which the driver of the vehicle is not required to monitor the surroundings is being executed by the automatic driving function ( S201);
When the vehicle traveling under the autonomous traveling control stops, traveling restart information regarding the restart of the traveling of the vehicle is notified ( S207 to S209);
When a stop of the host vehicle traveling under the autonomous traveling control is predicted, a notification of the traveling restart information is started before the host vehicle stops.
A presentation control program that causes at least one processing unit (11) to execute a process including the steps of: A presentation control program for use in a vehicle (Am) capable of traveling by an automatic driving function, and for controlling presentation of information related to the automatic driving function,
It is determined whether or not autonomous driving control in which the driver of the vehicle is not required to monitor the surroundings is being executed by the automatic driving function (S101, S201);
When the vehicle traveling under the autonomous traveling control stops, traveling restart information regarding the restart of the traveling of the vehicle is notified (S108 to S110, S207 to S209);
When the vehicle, which is driven by a driving assistance control in which the driver is obligated to monitor the surroundings, is stopped due to traffic congestion, a driver input is requested to restart the vehicle based on the passage of a predetermined time from the stop,
When the host vehicle traveling under the autonomous driving control is stopped due to traffic congestion, the request for the driver input is stopped.
A presentation control program that causes at least one processing unit (11) to execute a process including the steps of: A presentation control program for use in a vehicle (Am) capable of traveling by an automatic driving function, and for controlling presentation of information related to the automatic driving function,
It is determined whether or not autonomous driving control in which the driver of the vehicle is not required to monitor the surroundings is being executed by the automatic driving function (S101, S201);
When the host vehicle traveling under the autonomous traveling control is stopped, traveling resumption information regarding the resumption of traveling of the host vehicle is notified (S108 to S110, S207 to S209).
When the vehicle stops, the magnitude of acceleration in the deceleration direction occurring in the vehicle is grasped, and when the acceleration exceeds a notification threshold, the traveling restart information is notified, and when the acceleration is less than the notification threshold, the notification of the traveling restart information is omitted (S609, S610).
A presentation control program that causes at least one processing unit (11) to execute a process including the steps of:

Images