JP7334768B2 - Presentation control device and presentation control program - Google Patents

Description

The disclosure in this specification relates to a presentation control device and a presentation control program for presenting information related to automatic driving.

In the automatic driving system disclosed in Patent Document 1, the driver is permitted to perform a second task such as operating a smartphone and watching television during automatic driving. When the reliability of the automatic driving system becomes low, it is determined that the automatic driving cannot be continued, and a warning is issued to the driver.

JP 2017-107502 A

As disclosed in Patent Document 1, automatic driving in which the driver is permitted to perform the second task is automatic driving in which the driver is not obligated to monitor the surroundings. In recent years, it has been considered to set multiple implementation patterns for automatic driving without the obligation of the driver to monitor the surroundings. In this way, when a plurality of implementation patterns are set for automatic driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings, a scene may occur in which the state of the implementation pattern changes while the automatic driving system continues the automatic driving. In such a scene, there was a concern that the driver's inability to perceive the state of the current implementation pattern would impair the convenience of automatic driving.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a presentation control device and a presentation control program that can ensure the convenience of automatic driving.

In order to achieve the above object, one disclosed aspect is used in a vehicle (A) equipped with an automatic driving function capable of performing automatic driving without the driver's obligation to monitor the surroundings, and presenting information related to automatic driving. A presentation control device to control, a state grasping unit (72) for grasping the state of implementation in the automatic driving function for a plurality of implementation patterns included in automatic driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings, and an automatic operation without the obligation to monitor the surroundings a state notification unit (77) for notifying a change in the state of the implementation pattern when the state of the implementation pattern changes while the operation is continued , wherein the state notification unit notifies the state change of the implementation pattern before reporting the state change of the implementation pattern. Secondly, it is a presentation control device that notifies in advance the schedule of the state change of the implementation pattern .
In addition, one disclosed aspect is a presentation control device that is used in a vehicle (A) equipped with an automatic driving function capable of performing automatic driving without the driver's obligation to monitor the surroundings, and controls the presentation of information related to automatic driving. There is a state grasping unit (72) that grasps the state of implementation with the automatic driving function for multiple implementation patterns included in automatic driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings, and automatic driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings is continued. and a state notification unit (77) that notifies a change in the state of the implementation pattern when the state of the pattern changes. The status notification unit grasps the switching of the implementation pattern to the area-limited control that is implemented only in the area (SeA), and provides notification of the status change of the implementation pattern when the congestion-limited control is switched to the area-limited control. Control device.

In addition, one disclosed aspect is a presentation control program that is used in a vehicle (A) equipped with an automatic driving function that can perform automatic driving without the driver's obligation to monitor the surroundings, and controls the presentation of information related to automatic driving. At least one processing unit (11) grasps the state of implementation in the automatic driving function for a plurality of implementation patterns included in automatic driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings (S51). When the state of the execution pattern changes while the operation is continued, the state change of the execution pattern is notified (S58 to S60) , and the schedule of the state change of the execution pattern is announced before the state change of the execution pattern is notified. It is a presentation control program that executes a process including giving advance notice (S55) .
In addition, one disclosed aspect is a presentation control program that is used in a vehicle (A) equipped with an automatic driving function that can perform automatic driving without the driver's obligation to monitor the surroundings, and controls the presentation of information related to automatic driving. At least one processing unit (11) grasps the state of implementation in the automatic driving function for a plurality of implementation patterns included in automatic driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings (S51), and limits it to driving in traffic jams. Detects the switching of the implementation pattern from congestion-limited control that is implemented as a limited area to area-limited control that is implemented only in a specific area (SeA) (S57), and continues automatic driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings. When the state of the pattern changes, the state change of the implementation pattern is notified (S58 to S60), and when the congestion limited control is switched to the area limited control, the state change of the implementation pattern is notified. It is a presentation control program that allows

According to these aspects, even if a plurality of implementation patterns are included in the automatic driving without the duty of monitoring the surroundings by the driver, the passenger such as the driver can perceive the state of the current implementation pattern by the automatic driving function. According to the above, since it becomes easy to grasp what kind of automatic driving will be performed, it is possible to ensure the convenience of automatic driving.

In addition, one disclosed aspect is a presentation control device that is used in a vehicle (A) equipped with an automatic driving function capable of performing automatic driving without the driver's obligation to monitor the surroundings, and controls the presentation of information related to automatic driving. There is, for automatic driving that includes an area limited control that is limited to a specific area (SeA) and a congestion limited control that is limited to driving in traffic jams in the implementation pattern, implementation by the automatic driving function A state grasping unit (72) that grasps the state, and a monitoring promotion unit (77) that notifies the driver to monitor the surroundings when the execution pattern of automatic driving switches from one of area-limited control and congestion-limited control to the other. and a presentation control device.

In addition, one disclosed aspect is a presentation control device that is used in a vehicle (A) equipped with an automatic driving function capable of performing automatic driving without the driver's obligation to monitor the surroundings, and controls the presentation of information related to automatic driving. In at least one processing unit (11), an execution pattern includes an area-limited control that is limited to a specific area (SeA) and a congestion-limited control that is limited to traveling in a traffic jam. Regarding automatic driving, the state of implementation by the automatic driving function is grasped (S51), and when the implementation pattern of automatic driving switches from one of area limited control and congestion limited control to the other, the driver is notified to monitor the surroundings. (S58-S60), it is a presentation control program for executing the processing including.

According to these aspects, when the execution pattern of automatic driving changes between the area-limited control that is limited to a specific area and the congestion-limited control that is limited to driving in traffic jams, , a driver or other occupant is urged to monitor the surroundings. In the absence of obligation to monitor the surroundings, if a notification is given to encourage the monitoring of the surroundings, the occupants will be more likely to perceive the state of the current implementation pattern. As a result, the occupant can flexibly respond to changes in vehicle behavior caused by changes in the operating pattern. Therefore, the convenience of automatic driving can be ensured.

In addition, one disclosed aspect is a presentation control device that controls presentation of information related to automatic driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings by the driver, and includes: A status grasping unit (72) that grasps the schedule for switching the implementation pattern to be implemented in the non-permission area (SeM) where driving in automatic driving without the duty of monitoring the surroundings is not permitted. An area grasping unit (74) that grasps the schedule to move to the permitted areas (SeD, SeA) where driving is permitted, and the schedule for switching the implementation pattern during automatic driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings. and a notification control unit (77) for performing advance notification of switching to the driver, and the notification control unit grasps the schedule to move to the permitted area when traveling in the non-permitted area in a state of traffic congestion. A presentation control device is provided that makes the aspect of the area advance notification that indicates to the driver that the change has been made different from the aspect of the switching advance notification.

In addition, one aspect disclosed is a presentation control device for controlling presentation of information related to automatic driving without perimeter monitoring obligation by a driver, wherein at least one processing unit (11) includes an automatic driving without perimeter monitoring obligation The schedule for switching the implementation pattern to be implemented among the multiple implementation patterns included in driving is grasped (S51, S53), and the non-permission area (SeM) where driving in automatic driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings is not permitted. (S71, S72), grasp the schedule to move to the permission area (SeD, SeA) where driving in automatic driving without surrounding monitoring obligation is permitted (S71, S72), and implement pattern during driving in automatic driving without surrounding monitoring obligation (S55), and if the driver is traveling in a non-permitted area in a congested state, the driver is notified that the schedule to move to the permitted area is ascertained. The presenting control program is a presentation control program for executing a process including setting the mode of area prior notification to be shown to be a mode different from the mode of switching prior notification (S77 to S79).

In these aspects, since the aspect of the area advance notification indicating to the driver that the driver is scheduled to move to the permitted area is different from the aspect of the switching advance notification indicating to the driver that the automatic driving implementation pattern will be switched, the area advance notification is different from the area prior notification. It can be distinguished from announcing. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the area advance notification, which is performed while driving in a traffic jam in a non-permitted area, is misunderstood as enabling the use of automatic driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings. As described above, the state of automatic driving can be easily grasped, and the convenience of automatic driving can be ensured.

In addition, one disclosed aspect is a presentation control device that controls presentation of information related to automatic driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings by the driver, and driving in automatic driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings is not permitted. An area grasping unit (74) that grasps the movement schedule from the permitted area (SeM) to the permitted area (SeD, SeA) where automatic driving is permitted without the obligation to monitor the surroundings, and while driving in the unauthorized area When the schedule to move to the permitted area is known and the surrounding area of the vehicle is in a traffic jam, it indicates that the vehicle is in a traffic jam, but it also indicates that the vehicle is not permitted to run in automated driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings. and a notification control unit (77) that performs permission area notification.

In addition, one aspect disclosed is a presentation control device for controlling presentation of information related to automatic driving without perimeter monitoring obligation by a driver, wherein at least one processing unit (11) includes an automatic driving without perimeter monitoring obligation The movement schedule is grasped from the non-permitted area (SeM) where driving is not permitted to the permitted area (SeD, SeA) where autonomous driving without surrounding monitoring obligation is permitted (S71, S72). , When the schedule to move to the permitted area is grasped while driving in the non-permitted area, and the surroundings of the vehicle are in a state of traffic congestion, while indicating that the vehicle is in traffic, it is possible to run in automatic driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings. It is a presentation control program that executes a process including executing a non-permission area notification indicating that it is not permitted (S74).

In these aspects, when a plan to move to a permitted area is grasped while driving in a traffic jam in a prohibited area, driving in automatic driving without surrounding monitoring obligation is not permitted due to notification of the prohibited area. It is made clear to the driver that Therefore, it is possible to avoid a situation in which it is misunderstood that automatic driving, which is not obligated to monitor the surroundings, has become possible due to a traffic jam even before entering the permitted area. As described above, the state of automatic driving can be easily grasped, and the convenience of automatic driving can be ensured.

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

1 is a diagram showing an overview of an in-vehicle network including HCUs according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the layout of the interface around a driver's seat. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the details of a propriety determination process for judging propriety of automatic driving at level 3 during congestion. FIG. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing details of a propriety determination process for determining propriety of automatic driving at area level 3; FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing details of a control switching process for switching an implementation pattern of automatic driving with eyes off; FIG. 10 is a time chart showing the details of control in a scene in which the vehicle enters a permitted area while automatically driving at level 3 during traffic congestion; FIG. 4 is a time chart showing details of control in a scene in which a vehicle travels in a congested section within a permitted area; 4 is a time chart showing the details of control in a scene in which the vehicle exits from the permitted area while the automatic driving at traffic jam level 3 is maintained. 4 is a flowchart showing details of notification control processing for controlling change notification, perimeter monitoring notification, and the like; FIG. 11 is a time chart showing details of control in a scene in which automatic driving at congestion time level 3 is maintained while entering a permitted area in the second embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an overview of an in-vehicle network including HCUs according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure; 4 is a time chart showing the details of control in a scene in which a vehicle enters a limited permitted area from a restricted permitted area in heavy traffic; It is a flow chart which shows the details of information control processing which controls level 3 impossibility information, advance information, etc.

A plurality of embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below based on the drawings. Note that redundant description may be omitted by assigning the same reference numerals to corresponding components in each embodiment. When only a part of the configuration is described in each embodiment, the configurations of other embodiments previously described can be applied to other portions of the configuration. Moreover, not only the combinations of the configurations explicitly specified in the description of each embodiment, but also the configurations of a plurality of embodiments can be partially combined even if they are not specified unless there is a particular problem with the combination. Also, unspecified combinations of configurations described in a plurality of embodiments and modifications are also disclosed by the following description.

(First embodiment)
The functions of the presentation control device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure are realized by an HCU (Human Machine Interface Control Unit) 100 shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the HCU 100 constitutes an HMI (Human Machine Interface) system used in the vehicle A together with a plurality of display devices, an audio device 24, an operation device 26, and the like. The HMI system has an input interface function for accepting operations by a passenger (eg, driver) of vehicle A and an output interface function for presenting information to the driver.

The HCU 100 is communicably connected to a communication bus 99 of an in-vehicle network mounted on the vehicle A. HCU 100 is one of a plurality of nodes provided in an in-vehicle network. The communication bus 99 is connected to a driver monitor 29, a surrounding monitoring sensor 30, a locator 35, a V2X communication device 39, a travel control ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 40, a driving support ECU 50a, an automatic driving ECU 50b, and the like. These nodes connected to the communication bus 99 of the vehicle network can communicate with each other. Certain nodes of these devices and ECUs may be directly electrically connected to each other and be able to 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 for controlling them. The driver monitor 29 is installed, for example, on the upper surface of the steering column or the upper surface of the instrument panel 9 with the near-infrared camera facing the headrest portion of the driver's seat. The near-infrared camera may be configured integrally with a meter display 21 or a center information display (hereinafter referred to as CID) 22, which will be described later, and may be provided on either screen.

The driver monitor 29 uses a near-infrared camera to photograph the driver's head irradiated with near-infrared light from the near-infrared light source. An image captured by the near-infrared camera is image-analyzed by the control unit. The control unit extracts information such as the driver's eye point position and line-of-sight direction from the captured image. The driver monitor 29 provides driver status information extracted by the control unit to the HCU 100, the automatic driving ECU 50b, and the like through the communication bus 99.

The surroundings monitoring sensor 30 is an autonomous sensor that monitors the surrounding environment of the vehicle A. As shown in FIG. The surroundings monitoring sensor 30 can detect predetermined moving objects and stationary objects from the detection range around the vehicle. The surroundings monitoring sensor 30 can detect at least a forward vehicle, a rearward vehicle, a side vehicle, and the like traveling around the own vehicle. The surroundings monitoring sensor 30 provides detection information of objects around the own vehicle to the driving support ECU 50a, the automatic driving ECU 50b, and the like through the communication bus 99. FIG.

The perimeter monitoring sensor 30 includes, for example, a camera unit 31 and a millimeter wave radar 32 . The camera unit 31 may be configured to include a monocular camera, or may be configured to include a compound eye camera. The camera unit 31 is mounted on the vehicle A so as to be able to photograph a range in front of the vehicle A. A camera unit 31 capable of photographing the lateral range and the rear range of the vehicle A may be mounted on the vehicle A. The camera unit 31 outputs, as detection information, at least one of imaging data obtained by photographing the surroundings of the vehicle and analysis results of the imaging data. The millimeter wave radar 32 emits millimeter waves or quasi-millimeter waves toward the surroundings of the vehicle. The millimeter wave radar 32 outputs detection information generated by a process of receiving reflected waves reflected by moving and stationary objects. The perimeter monitoring sensor 30 may further comprise sensing arrangements such as lidar and sonar.

The locator 35 is configured to include a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver, an inertial sensor, and the like. The locator 35 combines the positioning signal received by the GNSS receiver, the measurement result of the inertial sensor, the vehicle speed information output to the communication bus 99, etc., and sequentially locates the own vehicle position and traveling direction of the vehicle A. The locator 35 sequentially outputs the position information and direction information of the vehicle A based on the positioning result to the communication bus 99 as locator information.

The locator 35 further has a high-precision map database (hereinafter referred to as high-precision map DB) 36 . The high-precision map DB 36 is mainly composed of a large-capacity storage medium storing a large amount of three-dimensional map data and two-dimensional map data. The three-dimensional map data is so-called HD (High Definition) map data, and includes road information necessary for automatic driving control. The 3D map data includes information necessary for advanced driving assistance and automatic driving, such as 3D shape information of roads and detailed information of each lane. The locator 35 reads map data around the current position from the high-precision map DB 36, and provides the driving support ECU 50a, the automatic driving ECU 50b, and the like with locator information.

A V2X (Vehicle to Everything) communication device 39 is an external communication unit mounted on the vehicle A. The V2X communication device 39 transmits and receives information to and from a roadside device installed on the side of the road by wireless communication. As an example, the V2X communication device 39 receives traffic congestion information around the current position of the vehicle A and in the traveling direction from the roadside device. The congestion information is VICS (registered trademark) information or the like. The V2X communication device 39 provides the received traffic jam information to the automatic driving ECU 50b, the HCU 100, and the like.

The travel control ECU 40 is an electronic control device that mainly includes a microcontroller. The travel control ECU 40 has at least the functions of a brake control ECU, a drive control ECU, and a steering control ECU. The travel control ECU 40 controls the braking force of each wheel, the output control of the on-vehicle power source, and the steering based on one of the operation command based on the driving operation of the driver, the control command of the driving support ECU 50a, and the control command of the automatic driving ECU 50b. Angle control is continuously implemented. In addition, the traveling control ECU 40 generates vehicle speed information indicating the current traveling speed of the vehicle A based on the detection signal of the wheel speed sensor 41 provided at the hub portion of each wheel, and transmits the generated vehicle speed information to the communication bus 99. Output sequentially.

The driving support ECU 50 a and the automatic driving ECU 50 b are mounted on the vehicle A as in-vehicle ECUs that constitute the automatic driving system 50 . By installing the automatic driving system 50, the vehicle A becomes an automatic driving vehicle having an automatic driving function.

The driving assistance ECU 50 a is an in-vehicle ECU that implements a driving assistance function that assists the driving operation of the driver in the automatic driving system 50 . The driving assistance ECU 50a enables advanced driving assistance of about level 2 or partial automatic driving control in the automatic driving level defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers of America. Automatic driving performed by the driving support ECU 50a is automatic driving in which the driver is obligated to monitor the surroundings.

The driving support ECU 50a is a computer that mainly includes a control circuit including a processing unit, a RAM, a storage unit, an input/output interface, and a bus that connects them. The driving assistance ECU 50a has a plurality of functional units that implement advanced driving assistance by executing a program by a processing unit. Specifically, the driving assistance ECU 50a has an ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) function section, an LTC (Lane Trace Control) function section, and an LCA (Lane Change Assist) function section.

The automatic driving ECU 50b is an in-vehicle ECU that realizes an automatic driving function capable of acting for the driving operation of the driver in the automatic driving system 50 . The automatic driving ECU 50b can implement autonomous driving of level 3 or higher in which the system is the main control. The automatic driving performed by the automatic driving ECU 50b is an eyes-off automatic driving that does not require the driver to visually monitor the surroundings of the vehicle and does not have an obligation to monitor the surroundings. In addition, the automatic driving ECU 50b may be capable of implementing an automatic driving function of level 4 or higher.

In the automatic driving system 50, the driving control state of the automatic driving function is switched among a plurality of at least including automatic driving control with the obligation to monitor the surroundings by the driving support ECU 50a and automatic driving control without the obligation to monitor the surroundings by the automatic driving ECU 50b. be done. In the following description, automatic driving control of level 2 or lower by the driving support ECU 50a may be referred to as "driving support control", and automatic driving control of level 3 or higher by the automatic driving ECU 50b may be referred to as "autonomous driving control".

The automatic driving ECU 50b is a computer that mainly includes a control circuit having a processing unit 51, a RAM 52, a storage unit 53, an input/output interface 54, and a bus connecting them. The automatic driving ECU 50b has higher computing power than the driving support ECU 50a, and can perform at least driving control corresponding to ACC, LTC, and LCA. The automatic driving ECU 50b may be capable of implementing driving support control that obligates the driver to monitor the surroundings instead of the driving support ECU 50a in a scene where the autonomous driving control is temporarily interrupted. The automatic driving ECU 50b has an environment recognition unit 61, an action determination unit 62, and a control execution unit 63 as a plurality of functional units that realize eyes-off automatic driving (autonomous driving control) by executing a program by the processing unit 51.

The environment recognition unit 61 recognizes the driving environment of the vehicle A based on the locator information and map data acquired from the locator 35 and the detection information acquired from the surroundings monitoring sensor 30 . Specifically, the environment recognizing unit 61 grasps the position of the vehicle lane in which the vehicle is traveling among a plurality of lanes, the lane shape of the vehicle lane, the relative positions and relative speeds of other vehicles around the vehicle, and the like. . Note that the locator 35 may be used to specify the position of the own vehicle lane.

The environment recognition unit 61 has a traffic congestion recognition unit 65 and an area recognition unit 66 as sub-function units. The traffic congestion recognition unit 65 recognizes traffic congestion around the vehicle. Based on the vehicle speed information acquired from the communication bus 99, the traffic congestion recognition unit 65 detects that the vehicle A is traveling in traffic congestion when the traveling speed of the vehicle A is equal to or lower than a predetermined speed (hereinafter referred to as a traffic congestion determination speed). (See S11 in FIG. 3). The congestion determination speed is set to, for example, about 10 km/h. The congestion recognizing unit 65 may use the result of determining whether or not there are vehicles ahead and on the side based on the detection information, congestion information received by the V2X communication device 39, and the like for determining congestion.

The area recognizing unit 66 determines whether or not the road on which the vehicle is traveling or the road on which the vehicle is scheduled to travel is a preset permitted area SeA (see S21 in FIG. 4). Furthermore, the area recognition unit 66 determines whether or not the road on which the vehicle is traveling or the road on which the vehicle is scheduled to travel is a preset limited permitted area SeD. The permitted area SeA and the limited permitted area SeD may be limited areas (Operational Design Domain, ODD) where eyes-off automatic driving is legally permitted without the driver's obligation to monitor the surroundings. As an example, a permitted area SeA and a restricted permitted area SeD are set on a main roadway such as an expressway including a motorway. On the other hand, on roads that are neither permitted area SeA nor limited permitted area SeD, such as general roads (hereinafter referred to as non-permitted area SeM, see FIG. 12), driving with eyes-off automatic driving without surrounding monitoring obligation is not allowed.

Information as to whether or not the permitted area SeA and restricted permitted area SeD may be recorded in the map data stored in the high-precision map DB 36, and may be included in the reception information received by the V2X communication device 39. good too. The area recognition unit 66 appropriately combines the current position information, the map data, the received information, etc., and determines whether or not it is the allowed area SeA or the restricted allowed area SeD. It should be noted that the recognition of whether or not the permitted area SeA and restricted permitted area SeD may be performed by the locator 35 instead of the area recognition unit 66 . In such a form, the area recognition unit 66 acquires from the locator 35 area recognition results for the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling and the road on which the vehicle is scheduled to travel.

The behavior determination unit 62 cooperates with the HCU 100 to control the automatic driving system 50 and driving changes between drivers. When the automatic driving system 50 has the right to control the driving operation, the action determination unit 62 generates a driving plan for driving the vehicle A based on the recognition result of the driving environment by the environment recognition unit 61 .

The behavior determination unit 62 has a pattern switching unit 67 and an information linking unit 68 as sub-function units. The pattern switching unit 67 switches the implementation pattern of the eyes-off automatic operation among a plurality of implementation patterns. The plurality of implementation patterns include limited traffic congestion control (hereinafter referred to as traffic congestion level 3) that is implemented only when driving in traffic congestion, and area limited control ( Below, area level 3) is included. In the traffic congestion level 3 automatic driving control, a travel plan is generated to cause the vehicle A to follow the preceding vehicle while ensuring a distance to the preceding vehicle. In the area level 3 automatic driving control, a driving plan is generated to cause the vehicle A to follow the preceding vehicle or to make the vehicle A cruise along the own vehicle lane at a constant speed. As an example, in congestion time level 3 automatic driving control, traveling with a narrower inter-vehicle distance than in area level 3 automatic driving control is permitted. On the other hand, in area level 3 automatic driving control, traveling at a higher speed (maximum speed is, for example, 60 km/h) than in traffic congestion level 3 automatic driving control is permitted.

The pattern switching unit 67 performs a permission/prohibition determination process (see FIG. 3) for determining permission/prohibition of automatic driving at congestion level 3, a permission/prohibition determination process (refer to FIG. 4) for determining permission/prohibition of automatic driving at area level 3, and automatic driving. A control switching process (see FIG. 5) for switching the implementation pattern of is performed. Each propriety determination process is started based on an instruction to start automatic driving with eyes off based on a driver's operation, and is repeatedly performed until automatic driving with eyes off ends. Each propriety determination process may be suspended while the vehicle is traveling in the non-permission area SeM.

In the traffic congestion level 3 determination process (see FIG. 3), the pattern switching unit 67 refers to the result of traffic congestion recognition by the traffic congestion recognition unit 65, and determines whether or not the traveling speed of the own vehicle is equal to or lower than the traffic congestion determination speed. (see S11). Further, the pattern switching unit 67 determines whether or not the driver monitor 29 is normally monitoring the driver based on the driver status information received by the information linking unit 68 (see S12). If the traveling speed of the own vehicle is equal to or lower than the congestion judgment speed and the driver monitoring by the driver monitor 29 is operating normally, the pattern switching unit 67 permits implementation of automatic driving at traffic jam level 3 (S13 reference). On the other hand, if the traveling speed of the own vehicle exceeds the traffic congestion determination speed, or if the driver monitoring is not operating normally, the pattern switching unit 67 disallows implementation of level 3 automatic driving during traffic congestion. (See S14).

In the permission/prohibition determination process of area level 3 (see FIG. 4), the pattern switching unit 67 refers to the recognition result of the permitted area SeA by the area recognition unit 66, and determines whether or not the vehicle is traveling within the permitted area SeA. Determine (see S21). The pattern switching unit 67 may further determine whether the vehicle is scheduled to enter the permitted area SeA or to exit from the permitted area SeA. Based on the driver status information received by the information linking section 68, the pattern switching section 67 determines whether or not the driver monitoring is operating normally (see S22). If the vehicle is traveling within the permitted area SeA and driver monitoring by the driver monitor 29 is operating normally, the pattern switching unit 67 permits implementation of area level 3 automatic driving (see S23). ). On the other hand, if the own vehicle is traveling outside the permitted area SeA, or if the driver monitoring is not operating normally, the pattern switching unit 67 disallows the implementation of area level 3 automatic driving (S24 reference).

In the execution pattern control switching process (see FIG. 5), the pattern switching unit 67 determines whether level 3 during congestion is permitted based on the determination result of the process for determining whether congestion level 3 is possible. (See S31). The pattern switching unit 67 sets the traffic jam level 3 to the execution pattern of the eyes-off automatic driving when the traffic jam level 3 is in the permitted state (see S32). On the other hand, if the area level 3 is not in the permitted state, the pattern switching unit 67 determines whether or not the area level 3 is in the permitted state based on the determination result of the permission determination processing for the area level 3 (see S33). . If the area level 3 is in the permitted state, the pattern switching unit 67 sets the area level 3 as the execution pattern of the eyes-off automatic driving (see S34). On the other hand, if both congestion time level 3 and area level 3 are not permitted, the eyes-off automatic driving is terminated (see S35). In this case, the automatic driving system 50 switches to automatic driving in which the driver is obligated to monitor the surroundings.

The information cooperation unit 68 carries out information cooperation with the automatic driving ECU 50b, the driver monitor 29, and the like. The information linking unit 68 provides the HCU 100 with control status information indicating the state of implementation of automatic driving in the automatic driving system 50 . Specifically, the information coordinating unit 68 outputs to the HCU 100 whether or not the eyes-off automatic driving is to be continued, the schedule of the state change of the implementation pattern, and the traffic jam level 3 and area level 3 permission/prohibition states.

The information linking unit 68 receives driver status information detected by the driver monitor 29 . The driver status information includes operation information indicating whether or not driver monitoring is operating normally, and action information indicating whether or not the driver is properly monitoring the surroundings. The behavior information does not affect the switching of the execution pattern of the eyes-off automatic driving by the pattern switching unit 67 . That is, even when the information linking unit 68 recognizes that the driver does not monitor the surroundings, the pattern switching unit 67 permits switching of the implementation pattern. The action information may be generated by the HCU 100 (driver grasping unit 73 described later) based on information detected by the driver monitor 29 . In such a form, the information cooperation unit 68 is also capable of information cooperation with the HCU 100 .

When the automatic driving system 50 has the right to control the driving operation, the control execution unit 63 performs acceleration/deceleration control and steering control of the vehicle A according to the travel plan generated by the action determination unit 62 in cooperation with the travel control ECU 40. etc. Specifically, the control execution unit 63 generates control commands based on the travel plan, and sequentially outputs the generated control commands to the travel control ECU 40 .

Next, the details of each of the display devices, the audio device 24, the operation device 26 and the HCU 100 included in the HMI system will be described in order.

The multiple display devices include a meter display 21, a CID 22, a head-up display (hereinafter referred to as HUD) 23, and the like. The plurality of display devices may further include respective displays EMB, EML and EMR (see FIG. 2) of the electronic mirror system.

The meter display 21, CID 22 and HUD 23 present information through the driver's vision. The meter display 21 and the CID 22 are mainly composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display or an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) display. The CID 22 has a touch panel function and detects a touch operation on the display screen by a driver or the like. The HUD 23 allows the driver to visually recognize a virtual image overlapping the foreground of the vehicle A by projecting light of an image formed in front of the driver onto a projection area PA defined on the windshield WS or the like.

The audio device 24 presents information through the driver's sense of hearing. The audio device 24 has a plurality of speakers installed inside the vehicle so as to surround the driver's seat.

The operation device 26 is an input unit that receives user operations by a driver or the like. The operation device 26 receives, for example, user operations related to activation and deactivation of the automatic driving function. The operation device 26 includes a steer switch provided on the spoke portion of the steering wheel, an operation lever provided on the steering column portion, a voice input device for recognizing the utterance content of the driver, and the like.

HCU 100 is an in-vehicle computer that controls meter display 21, CID 22, HUD 23 and audio device 24 in the HMI system. The HCU 100 functions as a presentation control device that comprehensively manages presentations directed to the driver, such as information related to automatic driving. The HCU 100 mainly includes a control circuit having a processing unit 11, a RAM 12, a storage unit 13, an input/output interface 14, and a bus connecting them.

The processing unit 11 is hardware for arithmetic processing coupled with the RAM 12 . The processing unit 11 includes at least one arithmetic core such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The processing unit 11 may be configured to further include an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), an NPU (Neural network Processing Unit), an IP core having other dedicated functions, and the like. The RAM 12 may be configured to include a video RAM for generating video data. The processing unit 11 accesses the RAM 12 to execute various processes for implementing the presentation control method of the present disclosure. The storage unit 13 is configured to include a nonvolatile storage medium. The storage unit 13 stores various programs (presentation control program, etc.) executed by the processing unit 11 .

The HCU 100 has a plurality of functional units that integrally control presentation of information to the driver using each display device and the audio device 24 by executing the presentation control program stored in the storage unit 13 by the processing unit 11 . Specifically, in the HCU 100, functional units such as an information acquisition unit 71, an automatic driving comprehension unit 72, a driver comprehension unit 73, and a provision control unit 77 are constructed.

The information acquisition unit 71 acquires vehicle information indicating the state of the vehicle A from the communication bus 99 . The vehicle information includes, for example, vehicle speed information and control status information indicating the state of the automatic driving function. The information acquisition unit 71 acquires operation information indicating details of user operation from the CID 22, the operation device 26, and the like. The information acquisition unit 71 acquires driver status information indicating the state of the driver from the driver monitor 29 .

The automatic driving grasping unit 72 grasps the implementation state of automatic driving by the automatic driving system 50 based on the control status information acquired by the information acquiring unit 71 . The automatic driving comprehending unit 72 comprehends the currently implemented pattern among a plurality of implementation patterns included in the eyes-off automatic driving, that is, level 3 during congestion and area level 3. The automatic driving comprehension unit 72 may be able to comprehend not only the current implementation pattern but also the implementation schedule up to a predetermined time ahead. Specifically, the automated driving grasping unit 72 grasps a change in the implementation pattern from level 3 to area level 3 during congestion, a change in implementation pattern from area level 3 to level 3 during congestion, and the like. Furthermore, the automatic driving grasping unit 72 grasps the entry and exit from the permission area SeA in the automatic driving at level 3 during congestion.

Based on the driver status information acquired by the information acquisition unit 71, the driver grasping unit 73 grasps whether or not the driver is monitoring the surroundings. Specifically, when the eyes-off automatic driving is scheduled to end, and when the surroundings monitoring notification (described later) based on the switching schedule of the execution pattern of the eyes-off automatic driving is performed, the driver grasping unit 73 detects whether the driver is in the surroundings. Determine whether or not monitoring has been carried out.

The provision control unit 77 integrally controls provision of information to the driver using each display device and the audio device 24 . The provision control unit 77 has an arbitration function that arbitrates information to be presented to the driver, and a data generation function that generates video data and audio data based on the arbitration result.

As an arbitration function, the provision control unit 77 sets a priority to each content that is a provision candidate based on various pieces of information acquired by the information acquisition unit 71 . The provision control unit 77 selects the content determined to have a high priority to be provided to the driver. As a data generation function, the provision control unit 77 generates video data to be provided to each display device, audio data to be provided to the audio device 24, and the like based on the content selection result.

Here, the automatic driving ECU 50b and the HCU 100 temporarily allow the driver to perform actions other than driving. More specifically, during the automatic driving period in which the vehicle A automatically runs by the level 3 automatic driving function of the automatic driving ECU 50b, the driver is given an action other than driving, which is a predetermined specific action (hereinafter referred to as a second task ) may be allowed.

The second task can be legally permitted to the driver until a request to perform a driving operation by the automatic driving system 50, that is, a request to change driving (Take Over Request, see time t13 in FIG. 8) is generated. A second task is also called a secondary activity or other activity. The second task should not prevent the driver from responding to a request to take over the driving operation from the automatic driving system 50 . For example, watching entertainment content such as video content, operating a smartphone, and eating are assumed to be second tasks.

During the period in which the above second task is permitted, the provision control unit 77 displays the automatic driving status presenting information related to the eyes-off automatic driving. The automatic driving status may be displayed on a display device (eg, CID 22) that displays video content, or may be displayed on a display device (eg, meter display 21) different from the video content. As an example, the automatic driving status is a bird's-eye display mainly composed of an image that reproduces the driving environment around the own vehicle using the own vehicle icon, other vehicle icons, lane images, and the like. The provision control unit 77 additionally displays a message window, an icon, and the like to the automatic driving status to perform change notification, advance notification, perimeter monitoring notification, and the like. Note that the change notification, advance notification, and perimeter monitoring notification may include reproduction of a message or notification sound by the audio device 24 .

The change notification is notification indicating a state change in the execution pattern of the eyes-off automatic operation. The change notification is performed when the state of the implementation pattern changes while automatic operation is continued. A change in the state of the implementation pattern means switching to the level 3 permission state during congestion and switching to the permission state of area level 3 under the level 3 permission state during congestion. Therefore, four state change scenes of implementation patterns are set in the provision control unit 77 .

The first scene (hereafter referred to as scene 1) is a scene in which congestion level 3 is permitted while area level 3 continues, and control is switched from area level 3 to congestion level 3 (time t6, t6 in FIG. 7). (see time t10 in FIG. 8). The second scene (hereafter referred to as scene 2) is a scene in which traffic jam level 3 becomes a non-permission state in permission area SeA, and control is switched from traffic jam level 3 to area level 3 (see time t8 in FIG. 7). ). The third scene (hereafter referred to as scene 3) is a scene in which the area level 3 transitions to the permitted state in the background as the vehicle enters the permitted area SeA while the congestion level 3 continues (Fig. 6 Time t3). In scene 3, after entering the permitted area SeA, the control is scheduled to switch from traffic jam level 3 to area level 3 as in scene 2. FIG. The fourth scene (hereinafter referred to as scene 4) is a scene in which the area level 3 transitions to the non-permission state in the background as the user exits from the permitted area SeA while the congestion level 3 continues (see FIG. 8). See time t12). The provision control unit 77 omits change notification in scene 1 where control is switched from area level 3 to traffic jam level 3 among scenes 1 to 4 of the state change described above.

Advance notification is notification indicating a schedule for a state change of the implementation pattern prior to change notification. The advance notification is started at a timing earlier than the change notification by a predetermined time (for example, about several seconds) and ends before the start of the change notification. Prior notification is also performed in scene 1 in which change notification is omitted.

The perimeter monitoring notification is content that notifies the driver to monitor the perimeter. Surroundings monitoring notification is performed in each scene in which the implementation pattern changes from one of area level 3 and traffic congestion level 3 to the other in the same manner as the change notification described above. The provision control unit 77 emphasizes the perimeter monitoring notification in scene 1 in which the implementation pattern changes from area level 3 to congestion level 3, rather than in scene 2 in which the implementation pattern changes from congestion level 3 to area level 3. Further, the provision control unit 77 emphasizes the perimeter monitoring notification in scene 4, in which traffic jam level 3 continues and exits from permitted area SeA, than in scene 3, in which traffic jam level 3 continues and permit area SeA is entered. do.

The provision control unit 77 emphasizes the surroundings monitoring information by increasing the information amount of traffic congestion information additionally displayed as the surroundings monitoring information in the automatic driving status. Specifically, in the emphasis of the perimeter monitoring notification in scene 1, a display change is performed to increase the number of other vehicle icons displayed in the automatic driving status. In scene 4, emphasis is placed on perimeter monitoring notification, based on the congestion information received by the V2X communication device 39, the display is changed to notify the end position of the congestion. For example, a message such as "The congested section will end soon" is added to the automated driving status. In the above-described highlighting display, a display change or the like that widens the range of bird's-eye view display may be performed together. On the other hand, in scenes 2 and 3 in which perimeter monitoring notification is not emphasized, the amount of traffic congestion information is reduced. With such a display change, the provision control unit 77 suggests to the occupant that the vehicle is scheduled to leave the congested section SeJ while simplifying the display configuration of the automatic driving status.

Next, the details of the control in each scene in which the state of the implementation pattern of the eyes-off automatic operation changes will be described below based on FIGS. 6 to 8 and with reference to FIGS.

In the series of scenes shown in FIG. 6, the vehicle A enters the congested section SeJ in the restricted permission area SeD (time t1). The automatic driving ECU 50b starts eyes-off automatic driving at congestion level 3 based on the congestion recognition by the congestion recognition unit 65 in the restricted permission area SeD. The automatic driving ECU 50b enters the permission area SeA while continuing the eyes-off automatic driving at congestion time level 3 (time t3). The automatic driving ECU 50b permits execution of area level 3 eyes-off automatic driving based on entry into the permission area SeA. When the automatic driving ECU 50b recognizes that the traffic congestion around the own vehicle has been resolved within the permission area SeA, it disallows traffic jam level 3 (time t4). As a result, the implementation pattern of eyes-off automatic driving switches from level 3 during congestion to area level 3.

The provision control unit 77 sets the execution timings of advance notification, change notification, and perimeter monitoring notification corresponding to the state changes in the above implementation patterns. When the automatic driving at congestion level 3 is continued after entering the permission area SeA, the provision control unit 77 sets the time t3 when the permission area SeA is reached, not the time t4 when the traffic congestion level 3 is switched to the area level 3. This is the start timing of the change notification and perimeter monitoring notification. In other words, the notification of the state change in which congestion level 3 is not permitted is combined with the state change notification in which area level 3 is permitted, and is performed when entering the permitted area SeA.

Further, the provision control unit 77 sets the advance notification start timing (time t2) before time t3. As described above, the provision control unit 77 starts advance notification at time t2, and then starts change notification and perimeter monitoring notification at time t3. In other words, the change notification and perimeter monitoring notification, which are originally carried out at time t4, are issued early at time t3 (scene 3). The change notification at time t3 can notify that the vehicle A has entered the permitted area SeA in addition to notifying the state change of the implementation pattern.

In the series of scenes shown in FIG. 7, the vehicle A enters the congested section SeJ in the permitted area SeA (time t6). The automatic driving ECU 50b switches the implementation pattern of eyes-off automatic driving from area level 3 to traffic jam level 3 based on traffic congestion recognition by the traffic congestion recognition unit 65 . Furthermore, at the timing (time t8) when the vehicle A leaves the congested section SeJ, the automatic driving ECU 50b changes the execution pattern of eyes-off automatic driving from level 3 during congestion to area level 3 based on the recognition by the congestion recognition unit 65 that the congestion is resolved. switch.

The provision control unit 77 sets the execution timings of advance notification, change notification, and perimeter monitoring notification based on the above-described state change schedule of the implementation pattern grasped by the automatic driving grasping unit 72 . Specifically, the provision control unit 77 sets the advance notification start timing (time t5, t7) a predetermined time before each time t6, t8 at which control is switched between area level 3 and traffic congestion level 3. . Based on these settings, the provision control unit 77 starts advance notification at time t5, and then starts perimeter monitoring notification in the emphasis mode at time t6 (scene 1). At this time t6, change notification is omitted. Further, after starting advance notification at time t7, the provision control unit 77 starts perimeter monitoring notification in the normal mode at time t8 (scene 2).

In the series of scenes shown in FIG. 8, the vehicle A enters the congested section SeJ in the permission area SeA (time t10). The automatic driving ECU 50b switches the implementation pattern of the eyes-off automatic driving from area level 3 to traffic jam level 3 based on the traffic congestion recognition in the permission area SeA. The automatic driving ECU 50b exits the permission area SeA while continuing the eyes-off automatic driving at congestion time level 3 (time t12). Furthermore, when the automatic driving ECU 50b recognizes that the congestion around the vehicle has been resolved in the restricted permission area SeD, it ends the eyes-off automatic driving and switches to automatic driving with perimeter monitoring notification (time t13).

The provision control unit 77 sets the execution timings of advance notification, change notification, and perimeter monitoring notification based on the state change schedule of the implementation pattern described above. Specifically, the provision control unit 77 sets the advance notification start timing (time t9, t11 ). Based on these settings, the provision control unit 77 starts advance notification at time t9, and then starts perimeter monitoring notification in the normal mode at time t10 (scene 1). Further, after starting advance notification at time t11, the provision control unit 77 starts change notification and perimeter monitoring notification in the emphasis mode at time t12 (scene 4). In addition to notifying the state change of the implementation pattern, the change notification described above can also notify that the vehicle A has left the permission area SeA.

Next, the details of the notification control process for controlling each notification described above will be described below based on FIG. 9 with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 6 to 8. FIG. The notification control process is started by the automatic driving grasping unit 72 and the providing control unit 77 based on the start of the eyes-off automatic operation in the automatic driving ECU 50b, and continues until the eyes-off automatic operation ends.

In S51, the latest control status information is acquired, the state of implementation of eyes-off automatic driving in the automatic driving ECU 50b is grasped, and the process proceeds to S52. In S52, it is determined whether or not the automatic operation with the eyes off will be terminated based on the implementation state of the automatic operation with the eyes off grasped in S51. If it is determined in S51 that the eyes-off automatic operation will end, the process proceeds to S61. In S61, the automatic driving status displayed on the display is hidden, and the notification control process ends. In S61, a request for driving change may be made to the driver.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S52 that the eyes-off automatic operation will continue, the process proceeds to S53. In S53, it is determined whether or not a continuous change in the state of the implementation pattern is planned. If it is determined that a continuous change in the state of the implementation pattern is not scheduled, the process returns to S51. In this case, the repetition of S51 to S53 waits for the continuous change of the implementation pattern to occur. If it is determined in S53 that there is a continuous change in the implementation pattern, the process proceeds to S54.

In S54, the scene of the state change is determined and the start timing of each notification is set, and the process proceeds to S55. In S55, advance notification is started based on the start timing set in S54, and the process proceeds to S56. In S56, based on the scene determination result in S54, it is determined whether or not it is a scene (scene 4) in which the vehicle exits from the permitted area SeA. If it is determined in S56 that the scene is for leaving the permitted area SeA, the process proceeds to S58. In S58, when the vehicle A leaves the permitted area SeA, the change notification and the perimeter monitoring notification in the emphasis mode are started, and the process returns to S51.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S56 that the scene is not for exiting the permission area SeA, the process proceeds to S57. In S57, it is determined whether or not there is a scene (scene 1) in which the eyes-off automatic driving control is switched from area level 3 to traffic jam level 3. If it is determined in S57 that the scene changes from area level 3 to traffic jam level 3, the process proceeds to S59. In S59, the perimeter monitoring notification in the emphasis mode is started at the timing when the automatic driving control is switched, and the process returns to S51. When the area level changes from area level 3 to traffic jam level 3, no change notification is given to notify that the implementation pattern has changed.

Further, when it is determined in S57 that the scene is not a switching scene from area level 3 to traffic congestion level 3, the process proceeds to S60. In S60, based on the start timing set in S54, change notification for notifying a state change from congestion level 3 to area level 3 and perimeter monitoring notification in normal mode are started, and the process returns to S51. The change notification and perimeter monitoring notification by S60 are performed at the timing when the vehicle A enters the permission area SeA (Scene 3) or at the timing when the congestion level 3 ends within the permission area SeA (Scene 2).

According to the first embodiment described so far, even if a plurality of implementation patterns are included in the eyes-off automatic driving in which the driver is not obligated to monitor the surroundings, the passenger such as the driver can follow the current implementation pattern in the automatic driving system 50. The state can be perceived by the change notification. According to the above, since it becomes easy to grasp what kind of automatic driving will be performed, it is possible to ensure the convenience of automatic driving.

In addition, in the first embodiment, a change in the state of the implementation pattern from level 3 during traffic congestion, which is implemented only for driving in traffic congestion, to area level 3, which is implemented only for permitted area SeA, is notified ( See Figure 6 Scene 3 and Figure 7 Scene 2). Therefore, even when the vehicle A automatically accelerates after exiting the congested section SeJ, the occupants are aware of the switching of the control, so they are less likely to feel uneasy about changes in the behavior of the vehicle A.

Further, in the first embodiment, when the eyes-off automatic driving at congestion level 3 is continued after entering the permission area SeA, the change notification is issued early, and the driver enters the permission area SeA during the duration of the traffic congestion level 3. is reported. Specifically, change notification is performed at the timing of entering the permitted area SeA (see scene 3 in FIG. 6). The change notification described above can notify the occupant of not only the state change of the implementation pattern but also the entry of the vehicle A into the permission area SeA. In this way, if a plurality of pieces of information can be notified by one change notification, the troublesomeness of information presentation can be reduced. As a result, it becomes difficult to interfere with the second task performed by the occupant, thereby further improving convenience.

Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the notification of the state change of the implementation pattern from area level 3 to congestion time level 3 is omitted (see scene 1 in FIG. 7). In the scene where the automatic driving control is switched from the area level 3 to the traffic jam level 3, since the automatic driving only transitions to the low-speed automatic driving, it is difficult to take advantage of the occupant's anxiety. Therefore, omitting the change notification and prioritizing the reduction of annoyance facilitates the continuation of the second task. Therefore, the convenience can be further improved.

In addition, in the first embodiment, prior to the change notification for notifying the state change of the implementation pattern, the scheduled change of the implementation pattern is notified in advance. Such prior notification makes it difficult for the occupant to miss the notification of changes in the execution pattern, so that the crew can more reliably perceive the current state of the execution pattern. Therefore, highly convenient change notification is realized.

Further, in the first embodiment, when the implementation pattern of automatic driving changes between area level 3, which is implemented only in the permitted area SeA, and congestion time level 3, which is implemented only during traffic congestion. In this case, a passenger such as a driver is urged to monitor the surroundings. In the absence of obligation to monitor the surroundings, if a notification is given to encourage the monitoring of the surroundings, the occupants will be more likely to perceive the state of the current implementation pattern. As a result, the occupant can flexibly respond to changes in vehicle behavior caused by changes in the operating pattern. Therefore, the convenience of automatic driving can be ensured.

Furthermore, in the first embodiment, surroundings monitoring is encouraged in a scene where acceleration or deceleration is assumed due to changes in the implementation pattern. In this way, if a part of the occupant's awareness is directed to driving by implementing surroundings monitoring, it is less likely that anxiety about acceleration and deceleration will be caused.

In addition, in the first embodiment, even when it is determined that the driver does not monitor the surroundings, the automatic driving ECU 50b permits the implementation pattern to change. In this way, by only recommending the implementation of surroundings monitoring, it is possible to avoid complicated switching control of implementation patterns. As a result, it becomes possible to implement automatic driving that ensures convenience.

Further, in the first embodiment, the perimeter monitoring notification in scene 1 when the area level changes from level 3 to traffic congestion level 3 is emphasized rather than the perimeter monitoring notification in scene 2 when traffic congestion level 3 changes to area level 3. According to the above, it is possible to reduce the possibility of overlooking surroundings monitoring information, so that the occupant can perceive that the vehicle is traveling in the congested section SeJ. As a result, even if the behavior of the vehicle changes due to a side vehicle cutting in from an adjacent lane, it is possible to reduce the anxiety of the occupants.

Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the amount of traffic congestion information provided to the driver is increased in a scene where area level 3 changes to traffic congestion level 3 . Emphasizing traffic congestion information by increasing the amount of information makes it easier for the driver to recognize the driving environment around the vehicle. Therefore, highly convenient perimeter monitoring notification is realized.

In addition, in the first embodiment, in a scene where traffic congestion level 3 changes to area level 3, the amount of traffic congestion information provided to the driver is reduced. Such simplification of traffic jam information makes it easier for drivers to understand surroundings monitoring information. Therefore, highly convenient perimeter monitoring notification is realized.

Furthermore, in the first embodiment, when the vehicle A exits the permission area SeA while continuing automatic driving at congestion level 3, the provision control unit 77 emphasizes the content of the perimeter monitoring notification. In such a scene, after leaving the permission area SeA, the eyes-off automatic driving is ended when the traffic jam section SeJ ends. Therefore, it is possible to smoothly implement a driver change by performing surroundings monitoring notification while the eyes-off automatic driving is continuing to make the occupants turn their attention to driving at an early stage.

In the above embodiment, the automatic driving grasping unit 72 corresponds to the "state grasping unit", the provision control unit 77 corresponds to the "state reporting unit" and the "monitoring promotion unit", and the permitted area SeA is the "specific area". , and the HCU 100 corresponds to the “presentation control device”. Further, the automatic driving control at traffic jam level 3 corresponds to "congestion limited control", and the automatic driving control at area level 3 corresponds to "area limited control".

(Second embodiment)
The second embodiment of the present disclosure shown in FIG. 10 is a modification of the first embodiment. In a series of scenes shown in FIG. 10, the automatic driving ECU 50b continues automatic driving at traffic jam level 3 after entering permission area SeA, and at time t4, the automatic driving control is changed from traffic jam level 3 to area level 3. switch.

The provision control unit 77 sets the time t4 at which the implementation pattern switches from level 3 during congestion to area level 3 as the implementation timing of the change notification and perimeter monitoring notification. Further, the provision control unit 77 sets time t3a, which is a predetermined time before time t4, as the execution timing of advance notification.

As described above, the provision control unit 77 does not perform change notification and perimeter monitoring notification at the timing of entering the permitted area SeA (time t3). The provision control unit 77 starts advance notification at time t3a after entering the permission area SeA. At the timing (time t4) when automatic driving at congestion time level 3 ends (time t4), the provision control unit 77 performs change notification for notifying the state change of the implementation pattern from congestion time level 3 to area level 3, and perimeter monitoring notification. and

In the second embodiment described so far, when entering the permission area SeA in the state of congestion level 3, the notification corresponding to scene 3 (see FIG. 6) in the first embodiment is omitted, and the notification of scene 2 is performed. be implemented. Such a second embodiment also has the same effects as the first embodiment, and the passenger can grasp the state of the current implementation pattern in the automatic driving system 50 . Therefore, the convenience of automatic driving can be ensured.

In addition, in the second embodiment, the notification of the change after entering the permission area SeA is performed at the end timing of level 3 during congestion. Such a change notification can notify the occupant of the occurrence of a change in vehicle behavior accompanying control switching from congestion level 3 to area level 3 at appropriate timing. Therefore, highly convenient information presentation leading to a sense of security for the occupants is realized.

(Third embodiment)
The third embodiment of the present disclosure, shown in FIGS. 11-13, is another variation of the first embodiment. In the third embodiment, information is presented so as not to mislead the driver that eyes-off automatic driving is enabled in the scene of driving in the non-permission area SeM (see FIG. 12). In order to realize such information presentation, the HCU 100 further includes an area grasping section 74 as a functional section based on the presentation control program. Hereinafter, details of the automatic driving grasping unit 72, the area grasping unit 74, and the provision control unit 77 provided in the HCU 100 of the third embodiment will be described in order.

Based on the control status information acquired by the information acquisition unit 71, the automatic driving grasping unit 72 grasps whether traffic congestion around the vehicle is recognized by the traffic congestion recognition unit 65 of the automatic driving ECU 50b. Further, the automatic driving comprehension unit 72 comprehends the implementation schedule up to a predetermined time ahead based on the control status information, in addition to the currently implemented autonomous driving control implementation pattern. Thereby, the automatic driving comprehension unit 72 comprehends the switching schedule of the implementation pattern to be implemented among the plurality of implementation patterns included in the eyes-off automatic driving.

Based on the control status information acquired by the information acquisition unit 71, the area grasping unit 74 determines whether the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling or the road on which the vehicle is to be traveled is any of the non-permission area SeM, the permitted area SeD with restrictions, and the permitted area SeA. figure out what Based on the locator information or the three-dimensional map data provided from the locator 35 to the information acquisition unit 71, the area grasping unit 74 grasps which of the above areas the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling and the road on which the vehicle is scheduled to travel belong. good. Thereby, the area grasping unit 74 grasps the movement schedule from the non-permission area SeM to the permission area SeA or the restricted permission area SeD. In the following description, both the permitted area SeA and the restricted permitted area SeD may be collectively referred to as “permitted areas SeA, SeD, etc.”.

The presentation control unit 77 can use the ambient light 25 for information presentation in addition to the plurality of display devices and the audio device 24 . The ambient light 25 is provided on the instrument panel 9 (see FIG. 2), the steering wheel, and the like. The ambient light 25 presents information using the driver's peripheral vision by ambient display that changes the color of emitted light. The ambient light 25 notifies the driver that the eyes-off automatic operation has become possible and that the eyes-off automatic operation is scheduled to end, for example, by changing the emission color.

As in the first embodiment, the provision control unit 77 performs change notification, prior notification, perimeter monitoring notification, and the like related to switching of the execution pattern of the eyes-off automatic operation. In addition, the provision control unit 77 carries out level 3 impossibility notice, traffic jam notice, advance notice, level 3 possibility notice, etc., as the notices related to entry into the permission areas SeA, SeD, and the like. The provision control unit 77 performs level 3 impossibility notification, traffic congestion notification, advance notification, level 3 possible notification, and the like by additionally displaying a message window, an icon, and the like to the automatic driving status. These announcements may include the playback of messages or alert sounds by the audio device 24 . For the sake of convenience, the prior notification (see time t2 in FIG. 6, etc.) that is performed prior to the switching of the implementation pattern is referred to as "pre-switching notification", and is performed along with the approach to the permitted areas SeA, SeD, etc. This advance notification is referred to as “area advance notification”.

The level 3 impossibility notification and traffic congestion notification are given by the traffic congestion recognition unit 65 when the vehicle A is traveling in the non-permission area SeM and the vehicle A is scheduled to move to the permission areas SeA, SeD, etc. This notification is made when the surrounding traffic jam state is grasped. Even if the schedule to move to the permitted areas SeA, SeD, etc. is grasped, if there is no traffic jam around the own vehicle, the provision control unit 77 omits the execution of the level 3 impossibility notification and traffic congestion notification.

The level 3 impossibility notification indicates that the vehicle is not permitted to travel in eyes-off automatic driving because the vehicle is still traveling in the non-permission area SeM before entering the permitted areas SeA and SeD. The level 3 impossible notification makes it clear to the driver that the Eyes Off Autonomous Driving feature has not yet been enabled. In the level 3 impossibility notification, for example, a message such as "2nd task cannot be used" is additionally displayed on the automatic operation status of the meter display 21. FIG. The level 3 impossibility notification functions to prevent the driver from erroneously thinking that eyes-off automatic driving can be used in a scene approaching permitted areas SeA, SeD, and the like.

Congestion notification is performed together with level 3 impossibility notification, and is notification indicating that the surroundings of the vehicle are congested. Congestion notification clearly indicates to the driver that the automatic driving system 50 correctly recognizes traffic congestion around the vehicle, and eyes-off automatic driving cannot be used because the automatic driving system 50 cannot recognize traffic congestion. It exerts a function to eliminate the driver's suspicion that there is.

The area advance notification is notification to the driver that the area grasping unit 74 has grasped the planned movement to the permitted areas SeA, SeD, and the like. The provision control unit 77 grasps the scheduled entry time into the permitted areas SeA, SeD, etc., and starts the area advance notification at a timing earlier than the scheduled entry time by a predetermined time (for example, several seconds). The provision control unit 77 terminates the area advance notification before the vehicle A enters the permitted areas SeA, SeD, and the like.

The provision control unit 77 makes the mode of the switching advance notification (see time t2 in FIG. 6, etc.) when the state of the execution pattern of the eyes-off automatic operation changes, and the mode of the area prior notification described above. The provision control unit 77 makes the amount of information provided to the driver in the area advance notification larger than the information amount provided to the driver in the switching advance notification.

Specifically, the number of contents (images) presented in the area prior notification is set larger than the number of contents presented in the switching prior notification. As an example, in advance notification of switching, a change in the icon displayed in the automatic driving status notifies the switching of the implementation pattern between Level 3 during congestion and Level 3 in area. On the other hand, in the area advance notification, for example, a message window saying "The second task will be available soon" and a blinking icon indicating the second task are additionally displayed in the automatic operation status, so that the permitted areas SeA, SeD, etc. advance notice of entry into

In addition, the provision control unit 77 makes the display duration of the area preliminary notification longer than the display duration of the preliminary switching notification, thereby making the amount of information of the preliminary area notification larger than the amount of information of the preliminary switching notification. In addition, the provision control unit 77 sets the start timing of area advance notification to be later than the start timing of switch advance notification. As described above, the area advance notification is started a predetermined time (hereinafter referred to as the first start time) before the scheduled entry time from the disallowed area SeM to the permitted area SeA etc. , the first end time). On the other hand, the pre-switching notification is started a predetermined time (hereinafter referred to as the second start time) before the scheduled movement time from one of the permitted area SeA and the restricted permitted area SeD to the other, and a predetermined time (hereinafter referred to as the second start time) before the scheduled movement time. , second end time). The provision control unit 77 sets the second start time longer than the first start time and sets the second end time longer than the first end time. Further, the provision control unit 77 sets the period from the first start time to the first end time longer than the period from the second start time to the second end time. With the above settings, the area pre-notification is started later than the switch pre-notification and continues longer than the switch pre-notification.

The level 3 possible notification is a notification that indicates to the driver that the eyes-off automatic driving function has become available. The provision control unit 77 carries out level 3 possibility notification based on the recognition of entry into the permitted areas SeA, SeD, and the like. In the level 3 possible notification, for example, a message such as "the second task is now available" is additionally displayed on the automatic operation status of the meter display 21. FIG.

Next, a specific scene in which each of the above notifications is performed will be described. FIG. 12 shows a scene in which, for example, a vehicle passes through an ETC (registered trademark) gate that serves as an entrance to an expressway and merges with the main roadway of the expressway. The main roadway of the expressway is a restricted permission area SeD in which the use of traffic jam level 3 is permitted. The main roadway may be the permitted area SeA. On the other hand, the rampway from the ETC gate to the main roadway is a non-permission area SeM where eyes-off automatic driving is prohibited.

In the scene shown in FIG. 12, the area grasping unit 74 grasps the movement schedule from the non-permission area SeM to the restricted permitted area SeD based on the passage of the vehicle A through the ETC gate. After that, the vehicle A enters the congested section SeJ while traveling on the rampway (time t1). At this time, the use of traffic jam level 3 remains prohibited. The provision control unit 77 starts level 3 impossibility notification and traffic congestion notification based on the traffic congestion recognition by the traffic congestion recognition unit 65 (time t2). The level 3 impossibility notification and the traffic congestion notification may be terminated after a predetermined period of time has elapsed, or may be continued until the area advance notification is started.

At the timing when the vehicle A approaches the main roadway and the first start time before the scheduled time (time t4) for entering the restricted permission area SeD, the provision control unit 77 starts the area advance notification (time t3). . The area advance notification is continued until the first end time before the scheduled approach time. Note that the start and end of the area advance notification may be controlled based on the distance to the restricted permission area SeD. That is, the area advance notification is started at a position a predetermined distance (for example, several hundred meters) before the entry position into the restricted permitted area SeD, and ends at a position a predetermined distance (for example, several tens of meters) from the entry position. may be

Further, when the vehicle A merges with the main road, the automatic driving ECU 50b, which recognizes the entry into the limited permission area SeD, permits the use of traffic jam level 3 (time t4). Based on the control status information, the provision control unit 77 grasps that the use of level 3 during congestion is permitted, and starts level 3 availability notification (time t5). After implementation of the level 3 possible notification, the autonomous driving control at congestion time level 3 is started based on the driver's operation or automatically.

Next, the details of the notification control process for controlling each notification described above will be described below based on FIG. 13 and with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. FIG. The notification control process is started by the HCU 100 based on the start of running of the vehicle A, and is continuously performed while the eyes-off automatic driving is not performed.

In S71, based on control status information, three-dimensional map data, etc., information (hereinafter referred to as area information) is acquired as to whether or not the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling and the road on which the vehicle is to travel is in an area where eyes-off automatic driving is permitted. , S72. In S72, based on the area information acquired in S71, it is determined whether there is a plan to move from the non-permitted area SeM to the permitted areas SeA, SeD, and the like. If it is determined in S72 that there is no plan to move to the permitted areas SeA, SeD, etc., the process returns to S71. On the other hand, if it is determined in S72 that the schedule to move to the permitted areas SeA, SeD, etc. is known, the process proceeds to S73.

In S73, it is determined whether or not there is a traffic jam around the vehicle. If it is determined in S73 that there is no traffic jam around the vehicle, the process returns to S71. On the other hand, when it is determined in S73 that there is a traffic jam around the vehicle, the process proceeds to S74. In S74, a traffic congestion notification indicating that the vehicle is in a traffic jam and a level 3 impossibility notification indicating that driving in eyes-off automatic driving is not permitted are performed, and the process proceeds to S75.

In S75, it is determined whether or not the vehicle is being driven by driving support control at automatic driving level 2. If it is determined in S75 that driving support control at level 2 is not being performed, in other words, driving support control at automatic driving level 1 is being performed or manual driving is being performed, the process proceeds to S77. In S77, an area advance notification (hereinafter referred to as area advance notification for manual operation, etc.) associated with level 1 driving support control or manual operation is performed.

On the other hand, when it is determined in S75 that level 2 driving support control is being performed, the process proceeds to S76. In S76, it is determined whether or not the driving support control being performed is hands-off control in which the driver is not obliged to hold the steering wheel. When it is determined in S76 that the hands-off control is being performed, the process proceeds to S79. In S79, area advance notification (hereinafter referred to as area advance notification for hands-off) associated with hands-off control is performed. On the other hand, if it is determined in S76 that hands-on control is being performed in which the driver is obliged to hold the steering wheel, the process proceeds to S78. In S78, area advance notification (hereinafter referred to as area advance notification for hands-on) associated with hands-on control is performed.

Here, the area pre-notification for manual driving, etc., the area pre-notification for hands-off, and the area pre-notification for hands-on are supposed to be notifications in different modes. For example, each area prior notification for hands-off and hands-on is emphasized more than the area prior notification for manual driving or the like. The area advance notification for manual driving or the like may be omitted. Furthermore, the hands-on area pre-announcement may be more emphasized than the hands-off area pre-announcement, or may be less attractive than the hands-off area pre-announcement. As an example, among the area advance notifications for hands-on and hands-off, only the area advance notification for hands-off is notified by a change in the emission color of the ambient light 25 .

In S80, based on the latest locator information, it is determined whether or not the vehicle A has entered the permitted areas SeA, SeD, and the like. When it is determined in S80 that the vehicle A has entered the permitted areas SeA, SeD, etc., the process proceeds to S81. In S81, level 3 possible notification is carried out. After the execution of the level 3 possible notification, the series of notification control processing ends.

Even in the third embodiment described so far, the same effect as the first embodiment is obtained, and the state of the current implementation pattern in the automatic driving system 50 can be easily grasped, so the convenience of automatic driving is ensured. be possible.

Specifically, in the third embodiment, the aspect of advance area notification that indicates to the driver that the driver is scheduled to move to the permitted areas SeA, SeD, etc. differs from the aspect of the area advance notification that indicates to the driver that the automatic operation pattern will be switched. ing. Therefore, area pre-announcement can be distinguished from switch pre-announcement. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the area advance notification, which is performed while the vehicle is traveling in the non-permission area SeM, etc. in a state of traffic congestion, is misunderstood as enabling the use of automatic driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings. As described above, the state of automatic driving can be easily grasped, and the convenience of automatic driving can be ensured.

In addition, in the third embodiment, the amount of information provided to the driver in the area advance notification is made larger than the amount of information provided to the driver in the switching advance notification. Therefore, the area pre-notification can be more easily distinguished from the switching pre-notification, and the content of the information can be easily understood. According to the above, it is possible to further reduce the possibility that the area advance notification is misidentified as the notification indicating that the eyes-off automatic driving has become available, so that the convenience of automatic driving is less likely to be impaired.

Further, in the third embodiment, the start timing of the area advance notification is set later than the start timing of the switch advance notification. As a result, the time from the start of area advance notification to the time congestion level 3 can be used is shortened. Therefore, even if the driver believes that it is possible to drive at traffic jam level 3 and continues to misunderstand the area advance notification as a notification indicating that traffic jam level 3 can be used, the driver's sense of discomfort is suppressed. becomes possible.

Furthermore, in the third embodiment, when a plan to move to the permitted areas SeA, SeD, etc. is detected while traveling in the non-permitted area SeM in a congested state, level 3 impossibility notification and traffic congestion notification are carried out. Then, the level 3 impossibility notification and traffic congestion notification make it clear to the driver that the vehicle is in a state in which the eyes-off automatic driving is not permitted. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a situation in which it is misunderstood that eyes-off automatic driving is enabled due to a traffic jam even before entering the permitted areas SeA, SeD, and the like. As described above, the state of automatic driving can be easily grasped, and the convenience of automatic driving can be ensured.

In addition, in the third embodiment, when there is no traffic jam around the vehicle, the level 3 impossibility notification and traffic congestion notification are omitted. In this way, in a scene where the possibility of driver misidentification is low, omitting each notification can reduce the annoyance of information presentation.

In addition, in the third embodiment, area advance notification for hands-on when shifting from congestion following to congestion time level 3 by hands-on control, and hands-off area notification when moving from congestion following to congestion time level 3 by hands-off control Area pre-notification is implemented in a different manner. Therefore, easy-to-recognize area advance notification can be implemented according to the state of each driver in hands-on control and hands-off control.

In the third embodiment, the provision control unit 77 corresponds to the "notification control unit", and the level 3 impossibility information and the traffic congestion information correspond to the "non-permission area information". Furthermore, in addition to the permitted area SeA, the limited permitted area SeD corresponds to the “permitted area”.

(Other embodiments)
A plurality of embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, but the present disclosure is not to be construed as being limited to the above embodiments, and can be applied to various embodiments and combinations within the scope of the present disclosure. can do.

In the modified example 1 of the above-described embodiment, the execution pattern of automatic driving level 4 or higher is set in the automatic driving ECU 50b. In Modification 1, not only switching between level 3 and area level 3 during congestion but also switching between automatic driving at level 3 and automatic driving at level 4 is notified to the driver or the like by change notification.

In the modified example 2 of the above-described embodiment, in addition to level 3 and area level 3 at the time of congestion, implementation patterns of level 3 automatic driving are set. In addition to the vehicle speed and the operation information of the driver monitor 29, the automatic driving ECU 50b of the modified example 2 determines whether the road is a motorway or a highway, determines whether there is a median strip, or the like, to perform eyes-off automatic driving. Decide whether to accept or reject. The automatic driving ECU 50b selects an implementation pattern to be executed from among a plurality of implementation patterns based on each determination result. The HCU 100, which cooperates with the automatic driving ECU 50b, sequentially notifies switching among three or more implementation patterns including traffic jam level 3 and area level 3. It should be noted that, in Modification 2, at least one implementation pattern of level 3 during congestion and area level 3 may be omitted.

In the modification 3 of the above-described embodiment, even in the scene 1 where the implementation pattern is switched from the area level 3 to the traffic jam level 3 in the permitted area SeA, the change notification of the implementation pattern is performed. Further, in Modification 4 of the above-described embodiment, advance notification is omitted.

In Modified Example 5 of the above-described embodiment, when both congestion level 3 and area level 3 are in the permitted state, area level 3 control is preferentially selected. Therefore, when the vehicle enters the permitted area SeA in traffic congestion level 3 automatic driving, the traffic congestion level 3 continuously changes to area level 3 (see scene 3 in FIG. 6). The provision control unit 77 performs change notification and perimeter monitoring notification at time t3 when traffic congestion level 3 is switched to area level 3 . In this modification 4, change notification and perimeter monitoring notification are not performed at time t4 when traffic jam level 3 becomes disallowed in the background.

In Modified Example 6 of the above-described embodiment, the emphasis of the perimeter monitoring notification in scenes 1 and 4 due to an increase in traffic congestion information is omitted. In addition, in Modified Example 6, the information amount of traffic jam information is maintained in Scene 2 and Scene 3 as well. That is, in each scene of Modified Example 6, the display content of the automatic driving status is not substantially changed.

In the seventh modification of the above-described embodiment, rather than the surrounding monitoring notification in scene 1 in which the implementation pattern switches from area level 3 to congestion level 3, the surrounding area in scene 2 in which the implementation pattern switches from congestion level 3 to area level 3 Surveillance notifications are emphasized. Emphasis of such perimeter monitoring information may be implemented, for example, by changing the display color and display brightness, displaying an animation, additionally displaying a message window, switching the display device from the meter display 21 to the HUD 23, and the like. According to Modified Example 7 described above, it is easier for the driver to know that the automatic driving is at area level 3, where the driving speed is higher than that in the congested section SeJ and the possibility of driving changes due to changes in surrounding conditions is high.

In the eighth modified example of the third embodiment, when the vehicle A is traveling in the traffic jam in the non-permission area SeM and it is determined that the vehicle A is moving to the limited permission area SeD, the provision control unit 77 , omit the area pre-notification. More specifically, when the traffic jam is resolved immediately after moving to the restricted permission area SeD, it becomes difficult to start the autonomous driving control at level 3 during traffic congestion. In Modification 8, considering that it is unknown how long the traffic jam will continue, if the road in front of the vehicle is the restricted permitted area SeD, the area advance notification is canceled. As in Modified Example 8 above, the area prior notification and the switching prior notification may be made different from each other by stopping the area prior notification.

In the ninth modification of the third embodiment, the amount of information in the pre-switching notification is made larger than that in the area pre-notification. Further, in Modification 10 of the above-described third embodiment, the start timing of pre-switching notification is later than the start timing of area pre-notification. Furthermore, in the eleventh modification of the above-described embodiment, when a plan to move to the permitted areas SeA, SeD, etc. is grasped while traveling in the non-permitted area SeM in a congested state, , only the level 3 impossibility notification is implemented.

Each function provided by the automatic driving ECU and HCU in the above embodiment can be provided by software and hardware for executing it, only software, only hardware, or a complex combination thereof. Furthermore, if such functions are provided by electronic circuits as hardware, each function can also be provided by digital circuits, including numerous logic circuits, or analog circuits.

Each processing unit in the above-described embodiments may be configured to be individually mounted on a printed circuit board, or may be configured to be mounted on an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA, or the like. Also, the form of the storage medium that stores the program or the like that can implement the presentation control method may be changed as appropriate. For example, the storage medium is 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 the control circuit of the HCU. . Furthermore, the storage medium may be an optical disc or a hard disk drive, etc., from which programs are copied to the HCU.

The vehicle equipped with the HMI system is not limited to a general private passenger car, and may be a rental car vehicle, a manned taxi vehicle, a ride-sharing vehicle, a freight vehicle, a bus, or the like. Furthermore, HMI systems including HCUs may be installed in driverless vehicles used for mobility services.

A vehicle equipped with an 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 assuming left-hand traffic or a traffic environment assuming right-hand traffic. Each content display for driving assistance according to the present disclosure is appropriately optimized according to the road traffic laws of each country and region, the position of the steering wheel of the vehicle, and the like.

The controller and techniques described in this disclosure may be implemented by a special purpose computer comprising a processor programmed to perform one or more functions embodied by a computer program. Alternatively, the apparatus and techniques described in this disclosure may be implemented by dedicated hardware logic circuitry. Alternatively, the apparatus and techniques described in this disclosure may be implemented by one or more special purpose computers configured in combination with a processor executing a computer program and one or more hardware logic circuits. The computer program may also be stored as computer-executable instructions on a computer-readable non-transitional tangible recording medium.
[Technical feature 1]
A presentation control device that is used in a vehicle (A) equipped with an automatic driving function capable of performing automatic driving without the driver's obligation to monitor the surroundings, and controls the presentation of information related to automatic driving,
A state grasping unit (72) that grasps the state of implementation in the automatic driving function for a plurality of implementation patterns included in the automatic driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings;
a state notification unit (77) for notifying a change in the state of the implementation pattern when the state of the implementation pattern changes while the automatic operation without monitoring the surroundings is continued;
A presentation control device comprising:
[Technical Feature 7]
A presentation control program that is used in a vehicle (A) equipped with an automatic driving function capable of performing automatic driving without the driver's obligation to monitor the surroundings, and controls the presentation of information related to automatic driving,
in at least one processing unit (11),
Grasping the state of implementation in the automatic driving function for a plurality of implementation patterns included in the automatic driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings (S51),
When the state of the implementation pattern changes while the automatic operation without surrounding monitoring obligation is continued, the state change of the implementation pattern is notified (S58 to S60);
A presentation control program that causes a process including:

A vehicle, SeA permitted area (specific area), SeD restricted permitted area (permitted area), SeM non-permitted area, 11 processing unit, 72 automatic driving grasping unit (status grasping unit), 73 driver grasping unit, 74 area grasping unit , 77 provision control unit (state notification unit, monitoring promotion unit, notification control unit), 100 HCU (presentation control unit)

Claims (24)

A presentation control device that is used in a vehicle (A) equipped with an automatic driving function capable of performing automatic driving without the driver's obligation to monitor the surroundings, and controls the presentation of information related to automatic driving,
A state grasping unit (72) that grasps the state of implementation in the automatic driving function for a plurality of implementation patterns included in the automatic driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings;
a state notification unit (77) that notifies the state change of the implementation pattern when the state of the implementation pattern changes while the automatic operation without surrounding monitoring obligation is continued ,
The presentation control device, wherein the state notification unit notifies in advance of the schedule of the state change of the implementation pattern before reporting the state change of the implementation pattern. The state grasping unit grasps the switching of the execution pattern from limited traffic congestion control that is limited to running in traffic congestion to area limited control that is limited to a specific area (SeA),
2. The presentation control device according to claim 1, wherein the state notification unit notifies a state change of the implementation pattern when switching from the congestion limited control to the area limited control. A presentation control device that is used in a vehicle (A) equipped with an automatic driving function capable of performing automatic driving without the driver's obligation to monitor the surroundings, and controls the presentation of information related to automatic driving,
A state grasping unit (72) that grasps the state of implementation in the automatic driving function for a plurality of implementation patterns included in the automatic driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings;
a state notification unit (77) that notifies the state change of the implementation pattern when the state of the implementation pattern changes while the automatic operation without surrounding monitoring obligation is continued ,
The state grasping unit grasps the switching of the execution pattern from limited traffic congestion control that is limited to running in traffic congestion to area limited control that is limited to a specific area (SeA),
The presentation control device, wherein the state notification unit notifies a state change of the execution pattern when the congestion limited control is switched to the area limited control . The state grasping unit grasps entry into the specific area in the automatic driving by the congestion limitation control,
4. The state notification unit notifies entry into the specific area during a duration of the congestion limit control when the automatic driving under the congestion limit control is continued after entering the specific area. The presentation control device according to . The state grasping unit grasps entry into the specific area in the automatic driving by the congestion limitation control,
5. The presentation control device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the state notification unit notifies the state change of the implementation pattern at a timing when the limited traffic congestion control is terminated after entering the specific area. The state grasping unit grasps the switching of the execution pattern from the area-limited control to the congestion-limited control,
6. The presentation control device according to any one of claims 2 to 5 , wherein the state notification unit omits notification of the state change of the implementation pattern when the area-limited control is switched to the congestion-limited control. A presentation control program that is used in a vehicle (A) equipped with an automatic driving function capable of performing automatic driving without the driver's obligation to monitor the surroundings, and controls the presentation of information related to automatic driving,
in at least one processing unit (11),
Grasping the state of implementation in the automatic driving function for a plurality of implementation patterns included in the automatic driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings (S51),
when the state of the implementation pattern changes while the automatic operation without surrounding monitoring duty is continued, the state change of the implementation pattern is notified (S58 to S60) ;
Before notifying the state change of the implementation pattern, advance notification of the schedule of the state change of the implementation pattern is performed (S55);
A presentation control program that causes a process including: A presentation control program that is used in a vehicle (A) equipped with an automatic driving function capable of performing automatic driving without the driver's obligation to monitor the surroundings, and controls the presentation of information related to automatic driving,
in at least one processing unit (11),
Grasping the state of implementation in the automatic driving function for a plurality of implementation patterns included in the automatic driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings (S51),
Grasping the switching of the execution pattern from traffic congestion limited control that is limited to traveling in traffic congestion to area limited control that is limited to a specific area (SeA) (S57),
When the state of the implementation pattern changes while the automatic driving without surrounding monitoring duty is continued, the state change of the implementation pattern is notified (S58 to S60), and the congestion limited control is switched to the area limited control. , to notify the state change of the implementation pattern,
A presentation control program that causes a process including: A presentation control device that is used in a vehicle (A) equipped with an automatic driving function capable of performing automatic driving without the driver's obligation to monitor the surroundings, and controls the presentation of information related to automatic driving,
The state of implementation by the automatic driving function with respect to the automatic driving including the area limited control that is limited to the specific area (SeA) and the congestion limited control that is limited to driving in traffic jams in the execution pattern. a state grasping unit (72) for grasping
a monitoring promotion unit (77) that notifies the driver to monitor surroundings when the implementation pattern of the automatic driving is switched from one of the area limited control and the congestion limited control to the other;
A presentation control device comprising: further comprising a driver grasping unit (73) for grasping whether or not the driver is monitoring the surroundings,
10. The presentation control device according to claim 9 , wherein switching of said implementation pattern in said automatic driving function is permitted even when said driver grasping unit grasps non-implementation of surroundings monitoring. The monitoring promotion unit emphasizes notification in a scene in which the execution pattern is switched from the area-limited control to the congestion-limited control rather than notification in a scene in which the implementation pattern is switched from the congestion-limited control to the area-limited control. The presentation control device according to claim 9 or 10 . 12. The presentation control device according to claim 11 , wherein the monitoring promotion unit increases the amount of traffic jam information to be provided to the driver in a scene where the implementation pattern is switched from the area-limited control to the congestion-limited control. 13. The presentation control device according to claim 11 or 12 , wherein the monitoring promotion unit maintains or reduces the amount of traffic congestion information provided to the driver in a scene where the implementation pattern is switched from the congestion limited control to the area limited control. The monitoring promotion unit emphasizes notification in a scene in which the execution pattern is switched from the congestion limited control to the area limited control rather than notification in a scene in which the implementation pattern is switched from the area limited control to the congestion limited control. The presentation control device according to claim 9 or 10 . 15. According to any one of claims 9 to 14 , wherein the monitoring promotion unit emphasizes the content of the notification that prompts monitoring of the surroundings when the vehicle leaves the specific area while continuing the automatic driving under the traffic congestion limitation control. A presentation control device as described. A presentation control device that is used in a vehicle (A) equipped with an automatic driving function capable of performing automatic driving without the driver's obligation to monitor the surroundings, and controls the presentation of information related to automatic driving,
in at least one processing unit (11),
The state of implementation by the automatic driving function with respect to the automatic driving including the area limited control that is limited to the specific area (SeA) and the congestion limited control that is limited to driving in traffic jams in the execution pattern. (S51),
When the implementation pattern of the automatic driving is switched from one of the area limited control and the congestion limited control to the other, the driver is notified to monitor the surroundings (S58 to S60),
A presentation control program that causes a process including: A presentation control device that controls the presentation of information related to automatic driving without the driver's obligation to monitor the surroundings,
a state grasping unit (72) for grasping a switching schedule of the implementation pattern to be implemented among the plurality of implementation patterns included in the automatic driving without surrounding monitoring obligation;
Scheduled to move from the non-permission area (SeM) where automatic driving is not permitted without the obligation to monitor the surroundings to the permitted area (SeD, SeA) where automatic driving is permitted without the obligation to monitor the surroundings. an area grasping unit (74) for grasping
A notification control unit (77) that performs pre-switching notification that indicates to the driver that the scheduled switching of the implementation pattern has been grasped while traveling in the automatic operation without the obligation to monitor the surroundings,
When the driver is traveling in the non-permitted area in a state of traffic congestion, the notification control unit adjusts the mode of the area prior notification indicating to the driver that the scheduled movement to the permitted area has been grasped. A presentation control device that differs from the aspect of The presentation control device according to claim 17 , wherein the notification control unit makes the amount of information provided to the driver in the area advance notification larger than the information amount provided to the driver in the switching advance notification. The presentation control device according to claim 17 or 18 , wherein the notification control unit sets the start timing of the area advance notification later than the start timing of the switch advance notification. 20. The presentation control device according to any one of claims 17 to 19 , wherein the notification control unit omits implementation of the area advance notification when the vehicle is traveling in the non-permission area in a congested state. A presentation control device that controls the presentation of information related to automatic driving without the driver's obligation to monitor the surroundings,
in at least one processing unit (11),
Grasping the switching schedule of the implementation pattern to be implemented among the plurality of implementation patterns included in the automatic driving without surrounding monitoring obligation (S51, S53),
Scheduled to move from the non-permission area (SeM) where automatic driving is not permitted without the obligation to monitor the surroundings to the permitted area (SeD, SeA) where automatic driving is permitted without the obligation to monitor the surroundings. (S71, S72),
performing switching prior notification indicating to the driver that the scheduled switching of the implementation pattern has been grasped while the vehicle is traveling in the automatic driving mode without the obligation to monitor the surroundings (S55);
When driving in the non-permitted area in a state of traffic congestion, the mode of the area prior notification indicating to the driver that the scheduled movement to the permitted area is grasped is different from the mode of the switching prior notification. (S77-S79),
A presentation control program that causes a process including: A presentation control device that controls the presentation of information related to automatic driving without the driver's obligation to monitor the surroundings,
Scheduled to move from the non-permission area (SeM) where automatic driving is not permitted without the obligation to monitor the surroundings to the permitted area (SeD, SeA) where automatic driving is permitted without the obligation to monitor the surroundings. an area grasping unit (74) for grasping
When the schedule to move to the permitted area is grasped while the vehicle is traveling in the non-permitted area, and the surrounding area of the vehicle is in a state of traffic congestion, the state of traffic congestion is indicated, and the automatic driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings is performed. A notification control unit (77) for notifying a non-permitted area indicating that the vehicle is not permitted to travel;
A presentation control device comprising: 23. The presentation control device according to claim 22 , wherein the notification control unit omits execution of the disallowed area notification when there is no traffic jam around the vehicle. A presentation control device that controls the presentation of information related to automatic driving without the driver's obligation to monitor the surroundings,
in at least one processing unit (11),
Scheduled to move from the non-permission area (SeM) where automatic driving is not permitted without the obligation to monitor the surroundings to the permitted area (SeD, SeA) where automatic driving is permitted without the obligation to monitor the surroundings. (S71, S72),
When the schedule to move to the permitted area is grasped while the vehicle is traveling in the prohibited area, and the surrounding area of the vehicle is in a traffic jam state, the traffic jam is indicated, and the automatic driving without the obligation to monitor the surroundings is performed. is not permitted to travel (S74),
A presentation control program that causes a process including:

Images