JP2019064460A - Operation control device during automatic operation - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to suppress a situation in which an accident is likely to occur.
An automatic driving control apparatus is provided with an automatic driving control apparatus as a main subject during a risk avoiding control under a condition where it is determined that the seat position is not appropriate during the automatic driving at a driving main level. During the accident, the danger avoidance control can be performed when the situation is highly likely to cause an accident, by performing the danger avoidance control on the condition that an abnormality has occurred during automatic driving. It is possible to prevent the situation that is likely to occur.
[Selected figure] Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to an operation control device and the like during automatic operation for securing safety during automatic operation.

  In recent years, with the development of AI, research on autonomous driving vehicles that perform automatic driving by AI is in progress. A self-driving car is a car that helps the driver drive a car, or at least a part of the driving is performed by the AI instead of the driver.

  For example, in an automatic driving system using AI, AI performs at least a part of its operation for acceleration, steering, and braking, and AI assists the driver's operation, or basically AI performs the operation, Furthermore, when the AI is actively operating, the AI requests the driver to operate in accordance with the driving condition, the traffic condition, and the like.

International Publication No. WO 2015/011866

  However, when the AI is assisting the driving, the driver may over-assert the automatic driving system by the AI, the driver's attention may be delayed, and an accident may occur. In addition, during automatic driving, there is a possibility that an automatic driving system including AI and an abnormality occur in the vehicle, so that appropriate automatic driving can not be maintained, and the possibility of an accident may increase.

  In order to solve the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to suppress the situation in which an accident is likely to occur.

  In order to achieve the above object, the operation control apparatus during automatic operation in one embodiment of the present invention is an operation control apparatus during automatic operation that performs dangerous state avoidance control for avoiding a dangerous state. Alternatively, the automatic driving control device mounted on a vehicle capable of automatic driving at a plurality of automation levels and controlling the driving of the vehicle during the automatic driving, a driver seat sensor for detecting the seat position of the driver, and It has an automatic driving switching means for switching between the automatic driving and the non-automatic driving, and an automation level setting means for setting the automation level of the automatic driving, and the automatic driving control device is a level at which the driver becomes the main driver. During the above-mentioned automatic operation, it is judged whether or not the seat position detected by the driver's seat sensor is the proper position for driving, and it is determined that the seat position is not the proper position. To perform the danger avoidance control on the condition that an abnormality has occurred during the automatic operation, while performing the danger avoidance control on the condition that It features.

  As described above, during the automatic operation at the level at which the driver is the main driver, the danger avoidance control is performed on the condition that it is determined that the seat position is not appropriate, and the automatic drive at the level at the main operation By performing danger avoidance control on the condition that an abnormality has occurred during automatic driving, it is possible to suppress reaching a situation in which an accident is likely to occur.

  As described above, it is possible to suppress a situation in which an accident is likely to occur.

It is a figure which illustrates the device composition of the operation control device under automatic operation in an embodiment. It is a flow figure explaining the control process in the operation control device under automatic operation of an embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining the control process at the time of level 2 in the operation control apparatus during automatic driving | operation of embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining the control process at the time of the level 3 in the operation control apparatus during automatic driving | operation of embodiment.

  First, the level of automation of automatic driving will be described. The government or the like defines the level of automation of autonomous driving, and six levels of level 0 to level 5 are defined in ascending order of the level of automation by the autonomous driving system. Level 0 is defined as the driver performs all operations, level 1 is driving assistance, level 2 is partial automatic operation, level 3 is conditional automatic operation, level 4 is advanced automatic operation, and level 5 is fully automatic operation. ing. For example, level 2 is a state in which the system simultaneously performs a plurality of operations among acceleration, steering, and braking while observing the driving environment, and the driver needs to constantly monitor and operate the driving situation. Level 3 is that the system accelerates, steers and brakes only in limited environments or traffic conditions, and the driver has to respond when the system requests it.

  In such automatic driving, the operation control apparatus during automatic driving according to the present invention confirms the driver's condition, the operating condition of the automatic driving system, etc., and an accident may occur if it is an inappropriate condition. Judging that it is a high situation, depending on the level of automation, perform danger avoidance control such as warning or cancellation of automatic driving, forced change of driver's condition, etc., and may lead to a situation where an accident is likely to occur To avoid.

  Hereinafter, the operation control apparatus during automatic operation of the present invention will be described by taking an example of performing operation control during automatic operation at level 2 and level 3 as an embodiment.

Embodiment
The operation control device during automatic operation in the present embodiment will be described using FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. 1 is a view illustrating an apparatus configuration of an operation control apparatus during automatic operation in the embodiment, FIG. 2 is a flow chart explaining control steps in the operation control apparatus during automatic operation of the embodiment, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a flow chart for explaining the control process at level 2 in the operation control apparatus during automatic operation of the embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the control process at level 3 in the operation control apparatus during automatic operation of the embodiment .

  First, the device configuration of the operation control device during automatic operation in the embodiment will be described using FIG. 1.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the operation control device 1 during automatic driving includes an automatic driving ECU 2, steering ECU 3, brake ECU 4, engine ECU 5, transmission ECU 6, radar 7, camera 8, position information ECU 9, automatic driving switch 10, driver's seat. The seat sensor 11, the GPS 12, the external communication device 13, the storage device 14 and the like are included.

  The autonomous driving ECU 2 functions as an autonomous driving control device that controls the autonomous driving. The autonomous driving ECU 2 is connected to the steering ECU 3, the brake ECU 4, the engine ECU 5, the transmission ECU 6, and the storage device 14 in a mutually communicable manner. The automatic driving ECU 2 is connected to the radar 7, the camera 8, the position information ECU 9, the automatic driving switch 10, and the driver's seat sensor 11, and can receive signals from these devices.

  The position information ECU 9 receives information from at least one of the GPS 12 and the external communication device 13, analyzes the position information, and transmits the information to the automatic driving ECU 2. The autonomous driving ECU 2 includes an AI or the like and controls the autonomous driving. From the steering ECU 3, the brake ECU 4, the engine ECU 5, the transmission ECU 6, the radar 7, the camera 8, the position information ECU 9, the automatic driving switch 10, the driver seat sensor 11, the GPS 12, the external communication device 13, and the storage device 14 Information related to the driving situation is obtained, various calculations are performed, and automatic driving is controlled by controlling the steering ECU 3, the brake ECU 4, the engine ECU 5, the transmission ECU 6, and the like. When controlling the automatic driving, the automatic driving ECU 2 outputs information related to the control to the steering ECU 3, the brake ECU 4, the engine ECU 5, the transmission ECU 6, and the like.

  The steering ECU 3 transmits steering information to the automatic driving ECU 2 and controls the steering according to a control signal received from the automatic driving ECU 2. The brake ECU 4 transmits brake information to the automatic driving ECU 2 and controls the brake according to a control signal received from the automatic driving ECU 2. The engine ECU 5 transmits information of the engine to the automatic driving ECU 2 and controls the engine according to a control signal received from the automatic driving ECU 2. The transmission ECU 6 transmits information on the transmission to the automatic driving ECU 2 and controls the transmission according to a control signal received from the automatic driving ECU 2.

  The radar 7 detects an obstacle or the like around the vehicle and transmits the information to the autonomous driving ECU 2. The camera 8 captures an image of the surroundings of the vehicle or the driver, detects an obstacle or the like around the vehicle, analyzes the driving condition of the driver, and transmits the information to the automatic driving ECU 2. The position information ECU 9 analyzes the position information of the vehicle and transmits the information to the automatic driving ECU 2.

  The automatic driving switch 10 switches non-automatic driving or automatic driving without automatic driving, and sets an automation level of the automatic driving. The automatic driving switch 10 switches to the automatic driving, and when the automation level is set, the automatic driving ECU 2 controls the automatic driving according to the set automation level. The automatic operation switch 10 may be configured of a plurality of switches. For example, switching between non-automatic operation and automatic operation can be performed by the automatic operation switching switch, and setting of the automation level can be performed by another automation level setting switch. In addition to the physical switches, the automatic operation switch 10 is a concept including all switches that can switch between non-automatic operation and automatic operation, such as switches displayed on a liquid crystal panel or the like.

  The driver's seat sensor 11 detects the seat position and the like of the driver's seat, and transmits the information to the automatic driving ECU 2. The GPS 12 receives signals from GPS satellites and transmits position information to the autonomous driving ECU 2. The external communication device 13 receives position information from the outside, and transmits the position information to the autonomous driving ECU 2. The storage device 14 acquires information such as the seat position of the driver's seat from the automatic driving ECU 2, stores the seat position and the like, and transmits the seat position and the like to the automatic driving ECU 2 in response to a request from the automatic driving ECU 2.

The various ECUs 3 to 6 can be reduced in part according to the necessity without being limited to the above configuration, and another ECU that controls some device can be further added as needed. In addition to the driver's seat sensor 11, other sensors can be mounted and connected to the automatic driving ECU 2, and further, other measuring devices can be connected to the automatic driving ECU 2. Further, the various ECUs 3 to 6 may be individually provided, or may be a combination of a part or all of them in one ECU.
The steering ECU 3, brake ECU 4, engine ECU 5, transmission ECU 6, radar 7, camera 8, position information ECU 9, driver seat sensor 11, other sensors, and other measuring instruments are the driving condition and the automatic driving operation condition of the automatic driving system It functions as a situation detector that detects etc. Further, each component described above is not limited to being used only for the operation control device 1 during automatic driving, and may be shared with components used for normal control in a car. For example, in addition to the control of the automatic driving, the steering ECU 3 may be configured to simultaneously receive the operation of the steering during the non-automatic driving and simultaneously control the steering according to the operation.

  Next, processing steps of operation control during automatic operation in the present embodiment will be described using FIGS. 1 to 4.

<Automatic operation level judgment processing>
FIG. 2 is a flow for performing level determination of automatic driving. In the flow of FIG. 2, first, in step 1-1, the automatic driving ECU 2 determines whether the automatic driving switch 10 has been operated and switching to automatic driving at any of the automation levels. This process is repeated until the automatic operation switch 10 is switched from the OFF state (step 1-1). In a vehicle equipped with the system exemplified in this embodiment, the automatic driving switch 10 is in the OFF state at the start of driving, etc., and the driver is in the non-automatic driving mode in which the automatic driving is not performed. There is a normal driving that controls the vehicle completely. Therefore, in this vehicle, immediately after the start of driving, level determination of automatic driving is repeatedly performed according to the flow shown in FIG.

  Next, when it is determined in step 1-1 that the automatic driving switch 10 has been switched, the automatic driving ECU 2 determines whether the automation level is set to level 2 (step 1-2).

  Next, in step 1-2, when it is determined that the automation level is set to level 2, the autonomous driving ECU 2 starts the level 2 automatic operation transition processing, as will be described later in detail in FIG. The process of FIG. 2 ends. Then, during the level 2 automatic driving, the automatic driving ECU 2 performs operation control during the automatic driving corresponding to the level 2 automatic driving (step 1-3).

  Next, when it is determined in step 1-2 that the automation level is not set to level 2, the autonomous driving ECU 2 determines whether the automation level is set to level 3. If it is determined that the automation level is set to level 3, the process proceeds to step 1-5. If it is determined that the automation level is not set to level 3, the process of FIG. 2 is ended. When the process of FIG. 2 is completed, the description is omitted, but it is determined which automation level is set, and when it is set to any automation level, the automation levels other than level 2 and level 3 are determined. Automatic operation is implemented. Also in this case, operation control may be performed during automatic operation according to the automation level. (Step 1-4).

  Next, in step 1-4, when it is determined that the automation level is set to level 3, the autonomous driving ECU 2 starts the level 3 automatic operation transition processing, as will be described later in detail in FIG. The process of FIG. 2 ends. Then, during the level 3 automatic driving, the automatic driving ECU 2 performs operation control during the automatic driving corresponding to the level 3 automatic driving (step 1-5).

  In the above description, the step 1-1 starts from the non-automatic operation, but can also start from the automatic operation of any automation level. In this case, it may be determined in step 1-1 whether the setting of the automation level of the automatic operation switch 10 has been switched. For example, when the automation level is switched from level 2 to level 3, it is possible to start from level 2 automatic operation.

<Automatic operation shift processing at level 2>
Subsequently, the automatic operation shift process at level 2 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  In the automatic driving transition process at level 2, the automatic driving ECU 2 first determines whether the seat position of the driver's seat is normal (step 2-1).

  Although the automatic driving at level 2 is assisted by the automatic driving ECU 2, the driver mainly drives the vehicle. Therefore, during automatic operation at level 2, the driver needs to take an appropriate seat position. Therefore, it is determined whether or not the seat position is normal. If it is determined that the process is normal, the process proceeds to step 2-2. If it is determined not to be normal, the process proceeds to step 3.

  Here, whether or not the seat position is normal may be determined based on the inclination angle of the seat detected by the driver seat sensor 11. Alternatively, it may be determined by photographing the driver's face with the camera 8 and analyzing the photographed image to determine whether the angle of the driver's face is in the direction in which the driver can watch the traveling direction. In this case, it is also possible to comprehensively refer to the direction of the line of sight, the angle of the face and the neck, and the like. Alternatively, it may be determined based on whether or not the user is merely touching the steering wheel, and it may be determined whether or not the seat position is normal, in addition to the fact that the user is touching the steering wheel. Furthermore, the seat position of the driver may be stored during normal operation during non-automatic operation, and determination may be made by comparison with the seat position when the automatic operation switch 10 is turned on.

  Thus, by confirming whether or not the seat position is normal at the start of the automatic operation, by limiting the shift to the automatic operation when the seat position is not appropriate at level 2 as danger avoidance control. It is possible to avoid leading to a situation where an accident is likely to occur.

  Next, when it is determined in step 2-1 that the seat position is normal, the automatic driving ECU 2 starts automatic driving start at level 2 (step 2-2).

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step 2-1 that the seat position is not normal, the autonomous driving ECU 2 requests the driver to reset. Specifically, the automatic driving ECU 2 requests the driver to set the seat position to a normal state, and then set the automatic driving switch 10 to the OFF state and then to the level 2 automatic driving again. When the process of step 2-3 is completed, the level 2 automatic operation shift process is ended. If the sheet position is moved to the normal position according to the request of step 2-3 and the automatic operation of level 2 is set again, the process is continued from step 1-2 of FIG. 2 again, and the sheet position is normal. It is not transferred to level 2 automatic operation unless it is moved to the proper position (step 2-3). In Step 2-3, if it is determined that the sheet position is not normal, a request is made to move the sheet position to the normal position, but such a request is not made, and only the level 2 automatic operation is performed. You may interrupt the transition to driving.

  When the level 2 automatic operation is started in step 2-2 described above, the control flow is advanced to step 2-4. In step 2-4, the automatic driving ECU 2 determines whether or not the seat position is normal as operation control during automatic driving, and confirms that the seat position is not moved to an inappropriate position. .

  Next, if it is determined in step 2-4 that the seat position is not normal, the automatic driving ECU 2 warns the driver of moving the seat position to a normal position as danger avoidance control (step 2-5).

  Thereafter, in step 2-6, the automatic driving ECU 2 issues a warning in step 2-5 described above, and then determines whether or not the seat position is normal when a predetermined grace period has passed. Thus, it is determined whether the sheet position has been moved to the normal position in accordance with the above-mentioned warning (step 2-6). If the grace period is too long, an accident or the like will occur during that time. Therefore, it is preferable to set the grace period to the minimum time necessary to change the sheet position immediately after the warning.

  If it is determined in step 2-6 that the seat position has not been moved to the normal position, the automatic driving ECU 2 performs processing for canceling the automatic driving. Then, the subroutine of the level 2 automatic operation shift process is ended (step 2-7). In this case, warning is given as danger avoidance control and it is determined whether the seat position has been moved to the normal position and then the automatic operation is canceled. However, the warning is not given, and the seat position is not detected during the automatic operation. When it is determined that is moved to an inappropriate position (Step 2-4 = No), the automatic operation may be canceled as danger avoidance control. At this time, if necessary, the seat may be changed to a predetermined position. Also, instead of canceling the automatic driving, the level of the automatic driving may be raised to, for example, level 4 or higher. Further, only the warning in step 2-5 may be employed, and the automatic operation may not be canceled. In this case, instead of canceling the automatic driving, the vehicle speed may be gradually reduced.

  As described above, in automatic driving at level 2, the driver's seat position needs to be always appropriate. Therefore, it is necessary to confirm that the seat position is normal at any time or periodically during automatic operation at level 2 in step 2-4. While the seat position is normal, the automatic operation at level 2 is continued, and when it is not normal, a warning is issued as danger avoidance control. The warning is issued by informing the driver that the seat position should be returned to the normal position. The determination as to whether or not the seat position is normal can also be performed as in step 2-1, but it is simply monitored whether the seat position has been moved, and if it has been moved, the sheet position is You may judge that it is not normal.

  When it is determined in steps 2-4 and 2-6 that the seat position is normal, the control flow is advanced to step 2-8. In step 2-8, the automatic driving ECU 2 continues the level 2 automatic driving, and repeats the processing from step 2-4 until the driver cancels the level 2 automatic driving.

  In this way, during automatic operation at level 2, as operation control during automatic operation, whether or not the seat position is changed to an inappropriate position is monitored, and if changed, warning as danger avoidance control By taking appropriate measures such as, it is possible to suppress the situation in which an accident is likely to occur.

  Here, although it was determined whether or not the appropriate driving state in automatic driving at level 2 was determined based on the seat position, the level may be determined depending on whether the steering is operable or the driver's posture. It is also possible to determine whether or not the appropriate driving state in the automatic driving in 2.

  In addition, in the explanation in FIG. 3, it is checked whether the seat position is normal before starting the automatic operation at level 2, but at level 2, the seat position is normal before starting the automatic operation It is also possible to check whether or not the seat position has been moved to an inappropriate position only during automatic operation without checking whether or not it is not. This is because at the start of automatic operation at level 2, it is difficult to operate without an appropriate sheet position, so it is judged that the operation has been started at an appropriate sheet position at least at the beginning of automatic operation. It is Then, it is determined whether or not the seat position is appropriate only when the seat position is moved during the automatic operation.

<Automatic operation shift processing at level 3>
Subsequently, the automatic operation shift process at level 3 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In the level 3 automatic operation shift process, as shown in FIG. 4, first, in step 3-1 to step 3-3, it is determined whether or not the sheet position is appropriate, and the sheet position is stored.

  Specifically, first, the automatic driving ECU 2 determines whether or not the steering is held (step 3-1).

  Next, when it is determined in step 3-1 that the steering is held, the automatic driving ECU 2 determines whether the seat position is within an appropriate range to perform a normal operation ( Step 3-2).

  Next, when it is determined in step 3-2 that the seat position is within the appropriate range, the automatic driving ECU 2 stores the seat position in the storage device 14 (step 3-3). Thus, prior to automatic operation at level 3, a normal seat position is stored. The normal seat position allows the driver to properly drive the vehicle even under normal conditions. The normal seat position is a position where the steering can be grasped as confirmed in step 3-1, and further, as confirmed in step 3-2, a range in which the position and tilt angle of the seat are predetermined. And within. If it is determined in steps 3-1 and 3-2 that the sheet position is normal, the sheet position is stored in the storage unit 14. The normal sheet position may be confirmed by the method described in step 3-1 of FIG.

  Next, the automatic driving ECU 2 starts automatic driving at level 3 (step 3-4). During automatic driving at level 3, the automatic driving ECU 2 mainly drives the vehicle. Therefore, during automatic operation at level 3, the seat position may be moved to an arbitrary state.

  Next, the autonomous driving ECU 2 determines whether the system is operating normally. Specifically, the automatic driving ECU 2 determines whether the automatic driving ECU 2 or the like is operating normally (step 3-5). For example, at least one of the ECUs 3 to 6 such as the steering ECU 3 always communicates with the automatic driving ECU 2 to determine whether or not normal communication is performed, whereby the automatic driving ECU 2 or the like operates normally. Can be determined. Alternatively, an abnormality diagnosis device may be separately connected to the automatic driving ECU 2, and the presence or absence of an abnormality may be determined by the abnormality diagnosis device.

  Next, when it is determined in step 3-5 that the system is normal, the automatic driving ECU 2 continues the level 3 automatic driving and continues the step 3-3 until the driver cancels the level 3 automatic driving. The processes after 5 are repeated (step 3-6).

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step 3-5 that the system is not normal and abnormality has occurred, the automatic operation ECU 2 returns the seat position to the position stored in the storage device 14 as danger avoidance control (step 3) -7). If it is determined in step 3-5 that an abnormality has occurred in the system, it is necessary to cancel the automatic operation. This is because if there is an abnormality in the automatic driving ECU 2, normal automatic driving is not performed, and an accident is likely to occur. Then, when the automatic operation is canceled, the driver needs to perform the operation, so it is necessary to return the seat position to a position suitable for the operation. Therefore, if it is determined in step 3-5 that an abnormality has occurred in the system, the sheet position is returned to the sheet position stored in the storage device 14.

  Then, after the seat position is returned to the position suitable for driving in step 3-7, the automatic driving ECU 2 cancels the level 3 automatic driving, and ends the level 3 automatic driving transition process. If it is determined in step 3-1 that the steering is not held, or if it is determined in step 3-2 that the seat position is not within the appropriate range, the autonomous driving ECU 2 performs level 3 automatic operation. The setting of the driving is canceled, and the level 3 automatic driving shift process is ended without shifting to the level 3 automatic driving (step 3-8).

  Thus, as the operation control during the automatic operation at the time of the automatic operation at the level 3, the sheet position suitable for the operation is stored in the storage device 14 before the start of the automatic operation at the level 3. If an abnormality occurs in the system during the automatic operation, the seat position is moved to the appropriate sheet position stored in the storage unit 14 as danger avoidance control, and the automatic operation is canceled after the movement. As a result, even if a system failure occurs and normal automatic driving is not performed, and a situation in which an accident is likely to occur is reached, the driver moves to an appropriate seat position stored in advance, and the driver takes the lead Since automatic driving can be canceled after the vehicle is in a drivable condition, it is possible to avoid the situation where an accident is likely to occur and continue the driving safely.

  In the present embodiment, the operation control apparatus during automatic operation at level 2 and level 3 has been described, but control according to the level can be performed at other levels. In addition, although the operation control device during automatic operation performed for level 2 and level 3 has been described, the operation control device during automatic operation performed for a combination including at least one of level 1 to level 5 It can also be done.

  In addition, vehicles that perform automatic driving are not limited to automobiles, and may include various vehicles such as construction vehicles and trains.

1 Operation control device during automatic operation 2 Automatic operation ECU
3 Steering ECU
4 Brake ECU
5 Engine ECU
6 Transmission ECU
7 Radar 8 Camera 9 Position Information ECU
10 Automatic driving switch 11 Driver's seat sensor 12 GPS
13 External communication device 14 Storage device

Claims (1)

An operation control apparatus during automatic operation that performs dangerous state avoidance control to avoid dangerous states,
Mounted on vehicles capable of autonomous driving at one or more automation levels,
An automatic driving control device for controlling the driving of the vehicle during the automatic driving;
A driver's seat sensor that detects the driver's seat position;
Automatic driving switching means for switching between the automatic driving and the non-automatic driving;
And automation level setting means for setting the automation level of the automatic driving,
The automatic operation control device
During the automatic driving of the level at which the driver is the main driver, it is determined whether the seat position detected by the driver's seat sensor is the proper position for driving, and it is determined that it is not the proper position. Perform the above-mentioned hazard avoidance control on condition of
An operation control apparatus in an automatic operation, wherein the danger avoidance control is performed on the condition that an abnormality has occurred during the automatic operation during the automatic operation at a level mainly composed of the automatic operation control device.

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