JP7616185B2 - Automatic Operation Device - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to technology for autonomous driving near junctions.

Patent Document 1 describes an automatic operation device that prohibits the start of automatic driving mode when the vehicle is traveling within a section that includes a merging point or a branching point. Patent Document 1 also discloses a configuration that allows the start of automatic driving even when the vehicle is traveling near a merging point if there is no merging vehicle or if the time to collision with the merging vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

Patent No. 6817334

The configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1 is based on the assumption that the vehicle is in a state before autonomous driving has started, i.e., during manual driving. Patent Document 1 does not mention anything about the system's response policy to merging vehicles after autonomous driving has started, i.e., while autonomous driving is being performed.

The present disclosure has been made with a focus on novel situations such as when a merging vehicle is encountered during automated driving, and one of its objectives is to provide an automated driving device that can respond appropriately to a merging vehicle.

The first automatic operation device disclosed herein includes a vehicle control unit (Fn) that executes automatic driving control to autonomously drive the vehicle along a predetermined planned driving route based on a signal from a perimeter monitoring sensor; a merging point recognition unit (F21) that recognizes a merging point where the road on which the vehicle is traveling is a main line based on at least one of map data, detection results of the perimeter monitoring sensor, and data acquired by wireless communication from an external device; and a surrounding vehicle recognition unit (F22) that recognizes a merging vehicle, which is another vehicle that is about to merge onto the main line at the merging point, based on the detection results of the perimeter monitoring sensor or data acquired by wireless communication from an external device. The vehicle control unit executes control to change the driving position of the vehicle relative to surrounding vehicles on the main line based on the remaining distance to the merging point becoming less than a predetermined value while the automatic driving control is being executed, and the control to change the driving position of the vehicle relative to surrounding vehicles on the main line includes control to temporarily increase the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle by a predetermined amount based on the presence of a merging vehicle being recognized by the surrounding vehicle recognition unit while the automatic driving control is being executed.
A second automatic operation device included in the present disclosure includes a vehicle control unit (Fn) that executes automatic driving control to autonomously drive the vehicle along a predetermined planned driving route based on a signal from a perimeter monitoring sensor, a merging point recognition unit (F21) that recognizes a merging point where the road on which the vehicle is traveling is a main line based on at least one of map data, detection results of the perimeter monitoring sensor, and data acquired by wireless communication from an external device, and a surrounding vehicle recognition unit (F22) that recognizes a merging vehicle that is another vehicle that is about to merge into the main line at the merging point based on the detection results of the perimeter monitoring sensor or data acquired by wireless communication from an external device, and the vehicle control unit: This control changes the vehicle's driving position relative to surrounding vehicles on the main line based on the fact that the remaining distance to the merging point becomes less than a predetermined value while automatic driving control is being executed. The control to change the vehicle's driving position relative to surrounding vehicles on the main line includes executing forward space shortening control, which is a control for temporarily shortening the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle by a predetermined amount, based on the presence of a merging vehicle being recognized by the surrounding vehicle recognition unit while automatic driving control is being executed. If there is no traffic jam, forward space shortening control is executed, and if there is traffic jam, forward space expansion control is executed, which is a control for increasing the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle by a predetermined amount based on the detection of a merging vehicle.
A third automatic operation device included in the present disclosure includes a vehicle control unit (Fn) that executes automatic driving control to autonomously drive the vehicle along a predetermined planned driving route based on a signal from a perimeter monitoring sensor; a merging point recognition unit (F21) that recognizes a merging point on the main line of the road on which the vehicle is traveling, based on at least one of map data, detection results of the perimeter monitoring sensor, and data acquired by wireless communication from an external device; and a surrounding vehicle recognition unit (F22) that recognizes a merging vehicle that is another vehicle that is about to merge into the main line at the merging point, based on the detection results of the perimeter monitoring sensor or data acquired by wireless communication from an external device. The vehicle control unit executes control to change the driving position of the vehicle relative to surrounding vehicles on the main line based on the fact that the remaining distance to the merging point becomes less than a predetermined value while the automatic driving control is being executed on a general road, when the surrounding vehicle recognition unit recognizes a merging vehicle, the vehicle control unit executes merging promotion control, which is control to encourage the merging vehicle to enter in front of the vehicle, while when the automatic driving control is being executed on a motor vehicle-only road, the vehicle control unit does not execute the merging promotion control.
A fourth automatic operation device included in the present disclosure includes a vehicle control unit (Fn) that executes automatic driving control to autonomously drive the vehicle along a predetermined planned driving route based on a signal from a perimeter monitoring sensor, a merging point recognition unit (F21) that recognizes a merging point where the road on which the vehicle is traveling is a main line based on at least one of map data, detection results of the perimeter monitoring sensor, and data acquired by wireless communication from an external device, a surrounding vehicle recognition unit (F22) that recognizes a merging vehicle that is another vehicle that is about to merge into the main line at the merging point based on the detection results of the perimeter monitoring sensor or the data acquired by wireless communication from an external device, and a surrounding vehicle recognition unit (F23) that recognizes a merging vehicle that is another vehicle that is about to merge into the main line at the merging point based on the detection results of the perimeter monitoring sensor or the data acquired by wireless communication from an external device. and a driver state determination unit (F6) that determines whether the driver is performing a second task based on the image of the driver captured by the vehicle control unit.The vehicle control unit performs control to change the driving position of the vehicle relative to surrounding vehicles on the main line based on the fact that the remaining distance to the merging point becomes less than a predetermined value while automatic driving control is being executed.When the surrounding vehicle recognition unit recognizes a merging vehicle while automatic driving control is being executed and the driver is performing the second task, merging promotion control is executed, which is a control to encourage the merging vehicle to move in front of the vehicle, but when the driver is not performing the second task, merging promotion control is not executed .

In the above device , control is executed to change the driving position of the vehicle relative to surrounding vehicles on the main line based on the fact that the remaining distance to the merging point is less than a predetermined value. Therefore, a space is created in front of/behind/beside the vehicle where the merging vehicle can easily merge. This allows the merging vehicle to merge while maintaining a sufficient inter-vehicle distance from the vehicle, and the number of merging vehicles that may affect the driving of the vehicle can be reduced in advance. In addition, the occurrence of vehicles that try to forcibly merge in front of or behind the vehicle from the merging road can be suppressed. Therefore, the risk of the driving environment reaching a state where it is difficult to continue autonomous driving (so-called system limit) can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to improve the continuity of autonomous driving and, ultimately, the convenience of autonomous driving.

Note that the reference characters in parentheses in the claims indicate the correspondence with the specific means described in the embodiments described below as one aspect, and do not limit the technical scope of this disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an autonomous driving system. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a road structure at a junction. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of an autonomous driving ECU. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a merging vehicle response process. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a deceleration notification image. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a response policy confirmation process for a merging vehicle. 13 is a flowchart showing another example of the merging vehicle response process. 13 is a flowchart showing another example of the merging vehicle response process. 13 is a flowchart showing another example of the merging vehicle response process. 13 is a flowchart showing another example of the merging vehicle response process. 13 is a flowchart showing another example of the merging vehicle response process. 13 is a flowchart showing another example of the merging vehicle response process. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of a processor for changing the allowable meeting number. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen for a response policy for a merging vehicle.

<Introduction>
An example of an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiment, and can be implemented with various modifications within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, various supplements and modifications can be implemented in appropriate combinations within the scope of no technical contradiction. Members having the same function may be assigned the same reference numerals and their description may be omitted. In addition, when only a part of the configuration is mentioned, the previous description may be applied to the other parts.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of the autonomous driving system Sys according to the present disclosure. The autonomous driving system Sys can be mounted on a vehicle capable of traveling on a road. The vehicle to which the autonomous driving system Sys is applied may be a four-wheeled vehicle, a two-wheeled vehicle, a three-wheeled vehicle, a bus, a truck, a tanker truck, or the like. The vehicle to which the autonomous driving system Sys is applied may be a privately owned car, a shared car, or a rental car. A shared car is a vehicle provided for a car sharing service, and a rental car is a vehicle provided for a vehicle rental service. Hereinafter, a vehicle equipped with the autonomous driving system Sys is also referred to as a self-vehicle. The autonomous driving system Sys described below can be modified as appropriate to conform to the laws and customs of the region in which it is used, the characteristics/equipment of the vehicle, etc. The system in the following refers to the autonomous driving system Sys unless otherwise specified.

Here, as an example, the host vehicle is an electric vehicle. The host vehicle may be an engine vehicle. Electric vehicles can include not only electric vehicles, but also plug-in hybrid vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and fuel cell vehicles. Engine vehicles are vehicles that have only an engine as a driving source, and correspond to vehicles that run on fuel such as gasoline or diesel. Electric vehicles refer to vehicles that have only a motor as a driving source. Plug-in hybrid vehicles and hybrid vehicles refer to vehicles that have both an engine and a motor as power sources.

In this disclosure, the driver refers to a person who sits in the driver's seat, regardless of whether or not he or she is actually driving, that is, a driver's seat occupant. For example, the driver in this disclosure may refer to a person who is to receive the authority and responsibility for driving operations from the autonomous driving system Sys when autonomous driving ends. The term "driver" in this disclosure can be replaced with "driver's seat occupant." The vehicle may be a remotely operated vehicle that is remotely operated by an operator outside the vehicle. The person who takes over the driving operations from the autonomous driving system Sys may be an operator outside the vehicle. The operator here refers to a person who has the authority to control the vehicle by remote control from outside the vehicle. The operator may also be included in the concept of a driver/driver's seat occupant. The person to whom the system notifies various information may be the operator.

The automated driving system Sys provides a so-called automated driving function that allows the vehicle to drive autonomously along a specified route. There can be multiple levels of automation of driving operations (hereafter referred to as automation levels), as defined, for example, by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE International). Automation levels can be divided into six levels, for example, from level 0 to level 5.

Level 0 is a level where the driver performs all driving tasks without system intervention. Driving tasks include, for example, steering and acceleration/deceleration. Driving tasks also include monitoring the vehicle's surroundings, such as the area in front of the vehicle. Level 0 corresponds to the so-called fully manual driving level. Level 1 is a level where the system supports either steering or acceleration/deceleration. Level 2 refers to a level where the system supports both steering and acceleration/deceleration operations. Levels 1 and 2 correspond to so-called driving assistance levels.

Level 3 refers to a level where the system performs all driving tasks within the operational design domain (ODD), but in the event of an emergency, operational authority is transferred from the system to the driver. ODD specifies the conditions under which autonomous driving can be performed, such as the driving location being on a motorway. Level 3 corresponds to so-called conditional autonomous driving.

Level 4 is a level where the system performs all driving tasks except under certain circumstances such as on certain unmanageable roads or in extreme environments. Level 4 corresponds to the level where the system performs all driving tasks within the ODD. Level 4 corresponds to so-called highly automated driving. Level 5 is a level where the system can perform all driving tasks in any environment. Level 5 corresponds to so-called fully automated driving.

Automation levels 3 to 5 are automation levels where the driver does not need to monitor the surroundings, in other words, levels that correspond to autonomous driving. The autonomous driving system Sys is configured to be able to implement autonomous driving control equivalent to automation level 3. Of course, the autonomous driving system Sys may also be configured to be able to implement autonomous driving control equivalent to automation level 4 or 5.

In this disclosure, a preceding vehicle refers to a vehicle that is in front of the host vehicle, travels in the same lane as the host vehicle, and is the closest vehicle to the host vehicle. In this disclosure, the road on which the host vehicle is traveling is referred to as the host vehicle road. In the following, the term host vehicle lane refers to the lane on which the host vehicle is traveling among the lanes of the host vehicle road. The host vehicle lane can also be called the ego lane.

Furthermore, a merging point in this disclosure is a point where roads merge. Of the two roads that connect at a merging point, the road that continues to exist after the merging point corresponds to the main line (in other words, the merging road). The road that disappears after the merging point corresponds to the merging road. The merging road can be interpreted as a branch line or a secondary line. Another vehicle traveling on the merging road corresponds to a merging vehicle. The following mainly describes the case where the vehicle's travel path corresponds to the main line. Note that whether the vehicle's travel path corresponds to the main line can be determined based on map data, etc. In general, the road with the larger road structure, such as the road width, can be the main line.

As shown in FIG. 2, a merging road may have a parallel section that runs alongside the main road. The parallel section may also be called an acceleration section or a deceleration section. Due to the above section, the merging point may be realized as a merging section having a certain length to realize a smooth merging. In this disclosure, the term merging point includes the concept of a section or area having a certain length.

In this disclosure, as an example, the start of the parallel running section is referred to as the merging start point Ps, and the end of the parallel running section is referred to as the merging end point Pe. If a pole or the like is placed at the boundary between the parallel running section and the main line to encourage merging at the end of the parallel running section (the so-called zipper method), the end of the section where the pole is placed corresponds to the merging start point Ps. The zipper method can also be referred to as the fastener method.

When the merging point is realized as a section having a predetermined length, the position coordinates of the merging start point Ps, for example, can be used as the coordinates that representatively indicate the position of the merging point. In another embodiment, the center of the merging section, in other words, the midpoint Pm between the merging start point Ps and the merging end point Pe, may be considered as the representative position of the merging point. In addition, the representative position of the merging point may be a point 5 m before the merging end point Pe. In this disclosure, before corresponds to the opposite side of the traveling direction set on the road.

Figure 2 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of a road structure near a merging point. Ds in Figure 2 indicates the remaining distance from the vehicle to the merging start point Ps. De indicates the remaining distance from the vehicle to the merging end point Pe. Note that Figure 2 shows an embodiment in which the point where the lane width of the parallel running section starts to decrease is set as the merging end point Pe. In another embodiment, the point where the parallel running section completely disappears may be used as the merging end point, as shown by Pf in Figure 2. Also, a point 5 m before the point where the parallel running section completely disappears may be used as the merging end point. The coordinates of the merging point used in the various controls described below may be any of the merging start point Ps, merging end point Pe, and representative position.

<Overall configuration of the autonomous driving system Sys>
The autonomous driving system Sys includes various components as shown in Fig. 1 as an example. That is, the autonomous driving system Sys includes a surroundings monitoring sensor 11, a vehicle state sensor 12, a locator 13, a map storage unit 14, a wireless communication device 15, an occupant state sensor 16, a body ECU 17, an external display device 18, and a driving actuator 19. The autonomous driving system Sys also includes an in-vehicle HMI 20 and an autonomous driving ECU 30. Note that ECU is an abbreviation for Electronic Control Unit, which means an electronic control device. HMI is an abbreviation for Human Machine Interface.

The autonomous driving ECU 30 is connected to each of the above devices/sensors, such as the perimeter monitoring sensor 11, via an in-vehicle network IvN so that they can communicate with each other. The in-vehicle network IvN is a communication network built inside the vehicle. Various standards can be adopted for the in-vehicle network IvN, such as Controller Area Network (hereinafter, CAN: registered trademark) and Ethernet (registered trademark). In addition, some of the devices/sensors may be directly connected to the autonomous driving ECU 30 by dedicated signal lines. The connection form between the devices can be changed as appropriate.

The perimeter monitoring sensor 11 is an autonomous sensor that monitors the environment around the vehicle. The perimeter monitoring sensor 11 can detect predefined moving objects and stationary objects from a detection range around the vehicle. The autonomous driving system Sys may be equipped with multiple types of perimeter monitoring sensors 11. The autonomous driving system Sys is equipped with, for example, a camera 111 and a millimeter wave radar 112 as the perimeter monitoring sensors 11.

The camera 111 is a so-called forward camera that is arranged to capture an image of the front of the vehicle at a predetermined angle of view. The camera 111 is arranged on the upper end of the windshield on the interior side of the vehicle, on the front grill, on the roof top, etc. The camera 111 may include a camera ECU that detects a predetermined detection target by performing recognition processing on the image frame in addition to a camera main body that generates an image frame. The camera main body includes at least an image sensor and a lens. The camera ECU is mainly composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The camera ECU detects and identifies objects registered as detection targets using, for example, a classifier to which deep learning is applied. Note that CNN (Convolutional Neural Network) and DNN (Deep Neural Network) can be adopted as a deep learning method.

Objects detected by the camera 111 include, for example, moving objects such as pedestrians and other vehicles. Objects detected by the camera 111 also include features such as road edges, road markings, and structures installed along the road. Road markings include lane markings that indicate lane boundaries, crosswalks, stop lines, navigation strips, safety zones, and regulatory arrows. Structures installed along the road include road signs, guardrails, curbs, utility poles, and traffic lights. The camera 111 can also detect the illumination status of lighting devices such as hazard lights and turn signals on the vehicle ahead.

The autonomous driving system Sys may include multiple cameras 111. For example, the autonomous driving system Sys may include, as the cameras 111, a side camera that captures images of the sides of the vehicle and a rear camera that captures images of the rear of the vehicle, in addition to a front camera. The function of detecting a detection target object by analyzing camera images may be provided by another ECU, such as the autonomous driving ECU 30. The functional layout within the autonomous driving system Sys can be changed as appropriate. The camera 111 outputs at least one of the image data capturing the surroundings of the vehicle and the analysis results of the image data as detection information to the in-vehicle network IvN. The data flowing through the in-vehicle network IvN is referenced by the autonomous driving ECU 30 as appropriate.

The millimeter wave radar 112 is a device that detects the relative position and relative speed of an object with respect to the vehicle by transmitting a search wave such as a millimeter wave or a quasi-millimeter wave in a predetermined direction and analyzing the received data of the reflected wave that is reflected by the object. The autonomous driving system Sys may be equipped with multiple millimeter wave radars 112 that detect different areas. For example, the autonomous driving system Sys is equipped with a forward millimeter wave radar and a rear millimeter wave radar as the millimeter wave radar 112. The forward millimeter wave radar 112 is a millimeter wave radar 112 that transmits a search wave toward the front of the vehicle and is installed, for example, on the front grill or the front bumper. The rear millimeter wave radar 112 is a millimeter wave radar 112 that transmits a search wave toward the rear of the vehicle and is installed, for example, on the rear bumper. Each millimeter wave radar 112 generates data indicating the relative position and relative speed of the detected object and outputs the detection result to the autonomous driving ECU 30 or the like. Objects detected by the millimeter wave radar 112 can include other vehicles, pedestrians, manholes (iron plates), three-dimensional structures as landmarks, etc.

The autonomous driving system Sys may include, as the perimeter monitoring sensor 11, a LiDAR, a sonar, etc., in addition to the camera 111 and the millimeter wave radar 112. LiDAR is an abbreviation for Light Detection and Ranging or Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging. LiDAR is a device that generates three-dimensional point cloud data indicating the position of a reflection point for each detection direction by irradiating laser light. LiDAR is also called a laser radar. A sonar is a device that transmits ultrasonic waves in a specified direction and detects the relative position and relative speed of an object with respect to the vehicle by analyzing the received data of the reflected wave that is returned after the transmitted wave is reflected by an object. The autonomous driving system Sys may also include multiple LiDARs and sonars. Note that the camera 111 and the millimeter wave radar 112 are examples of the perimeter monitoring sensor 11 and are not essential elements. The combination of the perimeter monitoring sensors 11 included in the autonomous driving system Sys can be changed as appropriate. The detection results of each surroundings monitoring sensor 11 are input to the autonomous driving ECU 30.

The vehicle state sensor 12 is a group of sensors that detect information related to the state of the host vehicle. The vehicle state sensor 12 includes a vehicle speed sensor, a steering angle sensor, an acceleration sensor, a yaw rate sensor, an accelerator pedal sensor, and the like. The vehicle speed sensor is a sensor that detects the vehicle speed of the host vehicle. The steering angle sensor is a sensor that detects the steering angle. The acceleration sensor is a sensor that detects the acceleration acting in the forward/rearward direction of the host vehicle, the lateral acceleration acting in the left/right direction, and the like. The yaw rate sensor is a sensor that detects the angular velocity of the host vehicle. The accelerator pedal sensor is a sensor that detects the depression amount/depression force of the accelerator pedal. The vehicle state sensor 12 outputs data indicating the current value (i.e., the detection result) of the physical state quantity to be detected to the in-vehicle network IvN. The type of sensor used by the autonomous driving system Sys as the vehicle state sensor 12 may be designed appropriately, and it is not necessary to have all of the above-mentioned sensors.

The locator 13 is a device that calculates and outputs the position coordinates of the vehicle using navigation signals transmitted from positioning satellites that make up the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). The locator 13 includes a GNSS receiver and an inertial sensor. The locator 13 combines the navigation signals received by the GNSS receiver, the measurement results of the inertial sensor, and the vehicle speed information flowing through the in-vehicle network IvN, to sequentially calculate the vehicle's own position and traveling direction, etc., and outputs this as locator information to the autonomous driving ECU 30.

The map memory unit 14 is a storage device that stores so-called HD (High Definition) map data, including road information necessary for autonomous driving control. The map data stored in the map memory unit 14 includes the three-dimensional shape of roads, the installation positions of road markings such as lane markings, the installation positions of traffic signs, etc., with the accuracy required for autonomous driving, etc.

The map data stored in the map memory unit 14 can be updated, for example, by data received by the wireless communication device 15 from a map server. The map server is a server that distributes map data and is located outside the vehicle. The map memory unit 14 may be a storage device that temporarily holds the map data received by the wireless communication device 15 from the map server until the validity period of the data expires. The map data held by the map memory unit 14 may be navigation map data, which is map data for navigation, provided that the map data includes data on features such as junctions, traffic lights, and landmarks. The function of the locator 13 may be provided by the navigation ECU.

The wireless communication device 15 is a device that enables the vehicle to perform wireless communication with other devices. The wireless communication device 15 is configured to be capable of performing cellular communication. Cellular communication is wireless communication that complies with a specific wide-area wireless communication standard. Various wide-area wireless communication standards can be used here, such as LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G, and 5G.

By installing the wireless communication device 15, the vehicle becomes a connected car that can connect to the Internet. For example, the autonomous driving ECU 30 can download map data corresponding to the current location from a map distribution server in cooperation with the wireless communication device 15 and use the map data. Note that the wireless communication device 15 may be configured to be able to perform wireless communication directly with other devices without going through a wireless base station, using a method that complies with a wide-area wireless communication standard. In other words, the wireless communication device 15 may be configured to perform cellular V2X (PC5/SideLink/Uu).

The wireless communication device 15 is also configured to be capable of performing short-range communication. In this disclosure, short-range communication refers to wireless communication in which the communication distance is limited to within several hundred meters. For example, standards for short-range communication can be DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communications) corresponding to the IEEE 802.11p standard, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), or the like. The short-range communication method may be the aforementioned Cellular V2X. The wireless communication device 15 may be configured to perform only one of cellular communication and short-range communication. The wireless communication device 15 may be configured to perform communication compliant with standards such as BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy).

The wireless communication device 15 can receive dynamic map data related to the vehicle's driving route from external devices such as a map server, a traffic information center, a roadside device, or another vehicle. Roadside devices are wireless communication equipment installed along roads. Dynamic map data is data about elements whose status or position can change in units of one second, one minute, or one hour. For example, information indicating the position and speed of a merging vehicle corresponds to dynamic map data. In addition, road surface conditions and weather at each point, fallen objects, lane restrictions, construction sections, and congested sections also correspond to dynamic map elements. Data about dynamic map elements may be received from the map server in the form of streaming distribution along with static map data.

The dynamic map data acquired by the wireless communication device 15 is once stored in the map storage unit 14, and then read out by the locator 13 as appropriate and output to the autonomous driving ECU 30. The dynamic map data acquired by the wireless communication device 15 may be provided to the autonomous driving ECU 30 without going through the locator 13 or the map storage unit 14. In addition, the wireless communication device 15 may receive vehicle information from surrounding vehicles through vehicle-to-vehicle communication. The vehicle information may include speed, current position, turn signal operation status, acceleration, and the like. The surrounding vehicles here refer to vehicles that are within a range where vehicle-to-vehicle communication is possible, for example, vehicles that are within 200 m of the vehicle.

The occupant status sensor 16 is a sensor that detects the driver's status. The autonomous driving system Sys may be equipped with multiple types of occupant status sensors 16. For example, the autonomous driving system Sys may be equipped with a driver status monitor (hereinafter, DSM). The DSM is a sensor that sequentially detects the driver's status based on the driver's facial image. Specifically, the DSM uses a near-infrared camera to capture the driver's face, and performs image recognition processing on the captured image to sequentially detect the driver's facial direction, line of sight, degree of eyelid opening, etc. The infrared camera of the DSM is arranged on the top surface of the steering column cover, the top surface of the instrument panel, the top end of the windshield, etc., with the optical axis facing the headrest of the driver's seat, so that the driver's face can be captured. The DSM as the occupant status sensor 16 sequentially outputs information indicating the driver's face direction, line of sight, eyelid opening degree, etc., identified from the captured image, as driver status data to the in-vehicle network IvN. The camera constituting the DSM may be a visible light camera.

The body ECU 17 is an ECU that comprehensively controls the body-related on-board devices mounted on the vehicle. The body-related on-board devices include, for example, an external display device 18, lighting devices such as headlights, and door lock motors. The external display device 18 is, for example, a projector that projects an image onto the road surface or window glass to facilitate communication with drivers of other vehicles. The external display device 18 is installed, for example, on the ceiling of the vehicle interior (for example, near the upper end of the window frame) in a position where the irradiated light hits the side window. The external display device 18 may be installed on a side mirror so as to project an image onto the road surface near the vehicle. The headlights may be configured to operate as the external display device 18. The external display device 18 may be a liquid crystal display or the like arranged with the display surface facing the side or rear of the vehicle.

Images for communicating with the driver of the other vehicle may include an entry permission image indicating an intention to give way at a merging point, and an entry prohibition image encouraging the driver to enter behind the vehicle. The entry permission image is an image indicating that the driver is permitted to enter between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle. The entry prohibition image corresponds to an image indicating that the driver is not permitted to enter between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle. The intention here may be determined by driver input, or may be a control policy of the autonomous driving system Sys. With the above configuration, communication between the autonomous driving vehicle and the other vehicle becomes smooth, and the risk of the distance between the vehicles becoming smaller than a predetermined value (e.g., 1 m) can be reduced.

The external display device 18 may be a device that indicates the intention to allow/prohibit cutting in by the color of light it outputs. For example, it may be configured to output a green or blue light when cutting in is permitted, and emit a yellow or red light when a request to cancel cutting in is made. Changing the display image/lighting color of the external display device 18 corresponds to changing the operating mode of the external display device 18. The external display device 18 may be a device for informing other traffic, such as other vehicles and pedestrians, whether or not the vehicle is in automatic driving mode. The external display device 18 may be one of the devices that make up the in-vehicle HMI 20.

The in-vehicle HMI 20 is a group of interfaces for exchanging information between the occupant and the autonomous driving system Sys. The in-vehicle HMI 20 includes a display 21 and a speaker 22 as notification devices that notify the driver of information. The in-vehicle HMI 20 also includes an input device 23 as an input interface that accepts operations from the occupant.

The autonomous driving system Sys includes one or more of a head-up display (HUD), a meter display, and a center display as the display 21. The HUD is a device that projects image light onto a specific area of the windshield to display a virtual image that can be perceived by the driver. The meter display is a display arranged in an area of the instrument panel located in front of the driver's seat. The center display is a display provided in the center of the instrument panel in the vehicle width direction. The meter display and center display can be realized using a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. The display 21 displays an image according to the input signal based on the control signal and video signal input from the autonomous driving ECU 30.

The speaker 22 is a device that outputs a sound corresponding to a signal input from the autonomous driving ECU 30. The term "sound" includes notification sounds, voice, music, and the like. The autonomous driving system Sys may also include a vibrator or ambient light as an alert device. The ambient light is a lighting device that can adjust the light emission color and light emission intensity and is realized by multiple LEDs (light emitting diodes), and is provided on the instrument panel, steering wheel, etc.

The input device 23 is a device for receiving the driver's instruction operation to the automatic driving system Sys. As the input device 23, a steering switch provided on the spoke part of the steering wheel, an operation lever provided on the steering column, a touch panel stacked on the center display, etc. can be adopted. The automatic driving system Sys may be equipped with the above-mentioned multiple types of devices as the input device 23. The input device 23 outputs an electric signal corresponding to the driver's operation as an operation signal to the in-vehicle network IvN. The operation signal includes information indicating the operation content of the driver. The automatic driving system Sys receives instructions regarding the start and end of automatic driving via the input device 23. In addition, the automatic driving system Sys receives instructions regarding permission/prohibition of merging via the input device 23. The automatic driving system Sys may be configured to be able to obtain various instructions from the driver, including instructions to start/end automatic driving, by voice input. A device related to voice input such as a microphone can also be included in the input device 23. In addition, for example, an HCU (HMI Control Unit) may be interposed between the in-vehicle HMI 20 and the autonomous driving ECU 30. The HCU is a device that comprehensively controls the notification of information to the driver.

The autonomous driving ECU 30 is an ECU that performs some or all of the driving operations on behalf of the driver by controlling the driving actuator 19 based on the detection results of the surrounding monitoring sensor 11. The autonomous driving ECU 30 is also called an autonomous driving device. The driving actuator 19 includes, for example, a brake actuator as a braking device, an electronic throttle, a steering actuator, and the like. The steering actuator includes an EPS (Electric Power Steering) motor. Note that other ECUs may be interposed between the autonomous driving ECU 30 and the driving actuator 19, such as a steering ECU that performs steering control, a power unit control ECU that performs acceleration/deceleration control, and a brake ECU.

The autonomous driving ECU 30 is mainly composed of a computer including a processor 31, a memory 32, a storage 33, a communication interface 34, and a bus connecting these. The memory 32 is a rewritable volatile storage medium. The memory 32 is, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory). The storage 33 is, for example, a rewritable non-volatile memory such as a flash memory. The storage 33 stores a vehicle control program, which is a program executed by the processor 31. The vehicle control program also includes a merging vehicle response program that plans a system response to a merging vehicle. The execution of the vehicle control program by the processor 31 corresponds to the execution of a merging vehicle response control method. The processor that executes the processing related to the driving assistance may be provided separately from the processor that executes the processing related to the autonomous driving. The autonomous driving ECU 30 may include multiple processors 31.

The autonomous driving ECU 30 has multiple operating modes with different automation levels. As an example, the autonomous driving ECU 30 is configured to be switchable between a fully manual mode, a driving assistance mode, and an autonomous driving mode. Each operating mode has a different range of driving tasks that the driver is responsible for, in other words, the range of driving tasks in which the system intervenes. As mentioned above, the system here refers to the autonomous driving system Sys. The term system can also be read as autonomous driving ECU 30. The operating mode can be rephrased as the driving mode.

Fully manual mode is an operating mode in which the driver performs all driving tasks. Fully manual mode corresponds to automation level 0. Driving assistance mode is an operating mode in which the system performs at least one of acceleration/deceleration and steering operations. In driving assistance mode, the driver is the main actor in performing steering operations, and the driver must at least monitor the surroundings, such as the area in front of the vehicle. Fully manual mode and driving assistance mode are driving modes in which the driver performs at least some of the driving tasks. Therefore, in this disclosure, when there is no need to distinguish between the fully manual mode and the driving assistance mode, they are also referred to as occupant-involved mode. The occupant-involved mode can also be called a manual driving mode, which is the antonym of the automated driving mode.

The autonomous driving mode is an operating mode in which the system executes all driving tasks. Here, as an example, the autonomous driving mode is an operating mode that executes control equivalent to automation level 3. The autonomous driving mode corresponds to an operating mode in which the driver is permitted to execute a second task. The second task permitted in level 3 autonomous driving may be limited to one that allows immediate return to driving operations, such as reading or operating a smartphone. The manual driving mode can be switched to the autonomous driving mode based on an operation signal input from the input device 23.

In the autonomous driving mode, the autonomous driving ECU 30 automatically steers, accelerates, and decelerates (in other words, brakes) the vehicle so that the vehicle travels along a planned driving route toward the destination set by the driver. The autonomous driving mode is terminated due to driver operation (so-called override), system limitations, exiting the ODD, etc. The autonomous driving ECU 30 may be a device that performs autonomous driving up to a planned authority transfer point that is set along the planned driving route toward the destination. The planned authority transfer point corresponds to a planned exit point of the ODD.

ODD includes, for example, (a) the road is an expressway or a motor vehicle-only road with a median strip and guardrails, (b) the amount of rainfall is below a predetermined threshold, and (c) the vehicle is in a congested state. A motor vehicle-only road is a road where pedestrians and bicycles are prohibited from entering, and includes, for example, toll roads such as expressways. A congested state is, for example, a state where the driving speed is below a congestion judgment value (for example, about 30 km/h) and there are other vehicles within a predetermined distance (for example, 20 m) in front of and behind the vehicle. Other conditions that can be included in ODD include (d) all/a predetermined number or more of the surrounding monitoring sensors 11 are operating normally, and (e) there are no parked vehicles on the road. The conditions for determining whether autonomous driving is possible/not possible, in other words, the detailed conditions that define ODD, can be changed as appropriate.

<Configuration of the Autonomous Driving ECU 30>
The autonomous driving ECU 30 has the functional units shown in Fig. 3 which are realized by executing an autonomous driving program. That is, the autonomous driving ECU 30 has an information acquisition unit F1, an environment recognition unit F2, a mode control unit F3, a planning unit F4, and a control execution unit F5.

The information acquisition unit F1 is configured to acquire various information for implementing vehicle control such as autonomous driving and driving assistance. In this disclosure, "acquisition" also includes generation/detection by internal calculation based on data input from other devices/sensors. This is because the functional layout within the system is subject to change as appropriate.

For example, the information acquisition unit F1 acquires detection results (i.e., sensing information) from various surrounding monitoring sensors 11 including a camera 111. The sensing information includes the positions, moving speeds, and types of other moving objects, features, obstacles, etc. present around the vehicle. The information acquisition unit F1 also acquires the vehicle's running speed, acceleration, yaw rate, external illuminance, etc. from the vehicle state sensor 12. Furthermore, the information acquisition unit F1 acquires vehicle position information from the locator 13. The information acquisition unit F1 acquires surrounding map information by referring to the map storage unit 14.

The information acquisition unit F1 can acquire vehicle information transmitted from a vehicle ahead via vehicle-to-vehicle communication in cooperation with the wireless communication device 15. The information acquisition unit F1 also acquires dynamic map data for a road section that the vehicle is scheduled to pass through within a predetermined time in cooperation with the wireless communication device 15. The dynamic map data here includes congestion information, merging vehicle information, and the like.

The information acquisition unit F1 also acquires driver operations for the autonomous driving system Sys based on signals from the input device 23. For example, the information acquisition unit F1 acquires occupant instruction signals related to the start and end of autonomous driving from the input device 23. The information acquisition unit F1 acquires driver state data such as eye opening and line of sight from the occupant state sensor 16.

The various pieces of information sequentially acquired by the information acquisition unit F1 are stored in a temporary storage medium such as memory 32, and are used by the environment recognition unit F2, the mode control unit F3, and the like. The various pieces of information may be classified by type and stored in memory 32. The various pieces of information may also be sorted and stored, for example, with the most recent data at the top. Data that has been acquired for a certain amount of time may be discarded.

The environment recognition unit F2 recognizes the driving environment of the vehicle based on the vehicle position information, surrounding object information, and map data acquired by the information acquisition unit F1. For example, the environment recognition unit F2 recognizes the driving environment of the vehicle by a sensor fusion process that integrates the detection results of multiple surrounding monitoring sensors 11, such as the camera 111 and millimeter wave radar 112, with a predetermined weighting.

The driving environment includes the curvature of the road, the number of lanes, the vehicle's lane number, weather, road surface conditions, whether the vehicle is in a congested section, etc. The vehicle's lane number indicates which lane the vehicle is traveling in from the left or right edge of the road. The vehicle's lane number may be identified by the locator 13. Weather and road surface conditions can be identified by combining the recognition results of the camera 111 with weather information acquired by the information acquisition unit F1. The road structure may be identified using static map data in addition to the recognition results of the camera 111.

The environment recognition unit F2 acquires information related to the road structure, such as the curvature of the travel path, based on at least one of the recognition results of the camera 111, the detection results of the LiDAR, and the map data. The road structure includes the presence or absence of a merging point, whether the vehicle's travel path corresponds to the main line at the merging point, the remaining distance to the merging point, the length of the parallel running section, and the like. In addition, the environment recognition unit F2 acquires the position coordinates of the merging start point Ps and the merging end point Pe, and the remaining distance to them, as detailed information related to the merging point. The remaining distance to the merging point may be identified by recognizing a guide sign included in the camera image. The existence of the merging point itself may be detected based on the recognition of a traffic sign that warns of a merging point/a decrease in the number of lanes by the front camera. The functional unit that acquires information related to the merging point in the environment recognition unit F2 corresponds to the merging point recognition unit F21.

The driving environment includes the positions, types, and moving speeds of objects around the vehicle. In other words, the environment recognition unit F2 acquires information related to the preceding vehicle, merging vehicle, and following vehicle based on at least one of communication with an external device and the detection results of the surrounding monitoring sensor 11. The environment recognition unit F2 that recognizes surrounding vehicles such as the preceding vehicle, merging vehicle, and following vehicle corresponds to the surrounding vehicle recognition unit F22. In addition, the environment recognition unit F2 acquires outside vehicle environment information related to the ODD and driver state data.

The mode control unit F3 controls the operation mode of the automatic driving ECU 30 based on various information acquired by the information acquisition unit F1. For example, when the mode control unit F3 is in the occupant involvement mode and the driving environment satisfies ODD, and an instruction signal to start automatic driving is input from the input device 23, the mode control unit F3 decides to transition to the automatic driving mode. Then, the mode control unit F3 outputs a signal requesting transition to the automatic driving mode to the planning unit F4. Also, during the automatic driving mode, when the driving environment recognized by the environment recognition unit F2 no longer satisfies ODD, or when it is predicted that it will no longer be satisfied within a predetermined time, the mode control unit F3 decides to transition to the occupant involvement mode and notifies the planning unit F4 of that effect.

Furthermore, when an operation signal for terminating the automatic driving mode from the input device 23 or an override operation by the driver is detected during the automatic driving mode, the mode control unit F3 decides to terminate the automatic driving mode. Then, a signal indicating switching to manual driving is output to the planning unit F4 and the control execution unit F5. Here, manual driving includes semi-manual driving in which a driving assistance function is activated. An override operation refers to an operation by an occupant on an operating member such as a steering wheel/pedals. When the automatic driving ECU 30 detects that an override operation has been performed by the driver, it promptly transfers driving authority to the driver and notifies the driver by voice output or the like that the driving has been switched to manual driving. Note that the operation mode to which the automatic driving mode is transitioned at the end of the automatic driving mode may be a fully manual mode or a driving assistance mode. The transition destination at the end of the automatic driving mode may be dynamically determined according to the situation, or may be registered in advance by the driver.

The planning unit F4 is configured to plan the control content to be executed as driving assistance or autonomous driving. For example, when the autonomous driving mode is applied, the planning unit F4 generates a driving plan for autonomous driving based on the results of the driving environment recognition by the environment recognition unit F2. The driving plan can also be called a control plan. The driving plan includes the driving position for each time, the target speed, the steering angle, etc. In other words, the driving plan can include schedule information for acceleration and deceleration for speed adjustment on the calculated route, and schedule information for the steering amount.

For example, the planning unit F4 performs a route search process as a medium- to long-term driving plan, and determines a planned driving route from the vehicle's position to the destination. At that time, the planning unit F4 calculates an estimated arrival time, which is the estimated time of arrival at the destination. In addition, the planning unit F4 generates a driving plan for lane change, a driving plan for driving in the center of the lane, a driving plan for following the preceding vehicle, and a driving plan for obstacle avoidance as a short-term control plan for driving in accordance with the medium- to long-term driving plan. For example, the planning unit F4 generates a driving plan for driving in the center of the recognized lane of the vehicle as a short-term control plan, or generates a driving plan for a route that follows the behavior or driving trajectory of the recognized preceding vehicle as a driving plan. The planning unit F4 creates a control plan for starting/ending automatic driving based on an input signal from the mode control unit F3. The control plan created by the planning unit F4 is input to the control execution unit F5.

In addition to control plans directly related to the vehicle's driving, the planning unit F4 also formulates plans related to notification processing for the occupants using notification devices such as the display 21. For example, the planning unit F4 determines the timing of behavior notices indicating planned vehicle behavior such as lane changes, overtaking, and deceleration, and notifications of merging vehicles, etc., taking into account the situation. In other words, the planning unit F4 also creates a control plan for notification devices related to notifications of merging vehicles.

The control execution unit F5 generates control commands based on the control plan formulated by the planning unit F4, and sequentially outputs them to the driving actuator 19, the display 21, etc. The control execution unit F5 also controls the lighting state of the turn signals, headlights, hazard lights, etc. according to the driving plan and the external environment, based on the plan of the planning unit F4 and the external environment.

The control execution unit F5 includes a notification processing unit F51 as a sub-functional unit for notifying/suggesting to the occupants using notification devices such as the display 21 and the speaker 22. Various notifications/suggestions can be realized by displaying an image on the display 21 or outputting a voice message from the speaker 22. For example, the notification processing unit F51 notifies information indicating the planned response of the vehicle to a merging point that is to be reached within a predetermined time, using at least one of the display 21 and the speaker 22, at the timing set by the planning unit F4. A response to a merging point is, for example, a temporary increase in the distance between the vehicles, deceleration, or giving way to a merging vehicle (so-called allowance for cutting in), as described below. A response to a merging point can also be called a response to a merging vehicle.

The response policy for a merging vehicle can be dynamically changed according to the number of merging vehicles between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle, the behavior of the preceding vehicle, and the behavior of the following vehicle, as described below. When the response policy for a merging vehicle is changed, it is preferable that the notification processing unit F51 presents the changed response policy. The notification mode for the merging point/merging vehicle may be determined by the planning unit F4. The functional arrangement of the notification processing unit F51 and the planning unit F4 can be changed as appropriate. A configuration including the planning unit F4 and the control execution unit F5 corresponds to a configuration that executes processing for adjusting the inter-vehicle distance based on the presence of a merging vehicle. A module including the planning unit F4 and the control execution unit F5 corresponds to the vehicle control unit Fn.

<Responding to junctions during automated driving>
Here, the merging vehicle response process performed by the autonomous driving ECU 30 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 4. The merging vehicle response process corresponds to a process for determining a control policy when traveling within a predetermined distance from a merging point during autonomous driving. The merging vehicle response process may include a process for temporarily changing autonomous driving parameters, which are control parameters for performing autonomous driving, based on the presence of a merging vehicle. The autonomous driving parameters may include, for example, a target value for the distance between vehicles, a target value for the traveling speed, and an upper limit of allowable acceleration.

The merging vehicle response process may be executed when the remaining distance to the merging point becomes less than a predetermined preparation start threshold while the automatic driving control is being executed. For example, the merging vehicle response process may be executed on the condition that the remaining distance to the merging point is less than 500 m. The preparation start threshold may be 250 m, 750 m, or the like. The preparation start threshold may be dynamically determined according to the driving speed or the type of driving road. The merging vehicle response process may be executed on the condition that the remaining time until the merging point is reached is less than a predetermined value. In other words, the preparation start threshold may be defined in terms of the length of time until the vehicle reaches the merging start point Ps. For example, the preparation start threshold may be set to 10 seconds, 15 seconds, or the like. The preparation start threshold may be set to 10 seconds, 15 seconds, or the like.

The merging vehicle response process shown in FIG. 4 includes steps S101 to S109. The various flowcharts shown in this disclosure are merely examples, and the number of steps constituting the flowcharts and the order in which the processes are executed can be changed as appropriate.

First, step S101 is a step in which the information acquisition unit F1 acquires various information to be used in subsequent processing. For example, information on surrounding vehicles, the behavior of the vehicle itself, and the remaining distance to the merging point are acquired. Information on surrounding vehicles includes the distance to the vehicle ahead and the relative speed. Information on surrounding vehicles also includes the positions and speeds of vehicles other than the vehicle ahead.

In step S102, the surrounding vehicle recognition unit F22 determines whether or not a merging vehicle is present based on the information acquired in step S101. As described above, the output of the surrounding monitoring sensor 11, data received from roadside devices, data received from the merging vehicle/preceding vehicle, etc. can be used as information for determining whether or not a merging vehicle is present.

If a merging vehicle is present (S102 YES), the processor 31 executes step S103. On the other hand, if a merging vehicle is not present (S102 NO), this flow ends. When this flow ends, if a predetermined pause time has elapsed since the end point and the vehicle has not yet passed the merging point, this flow may be executed again. Passing the merging point corresponds to passing the merging end point Pe. The pause time may be set to, for example, 500 milliseconds, 1 second, 2 seconds, etc.

The merging vehicle to be determined to be present in step S102 is preferably a vehicle that will have a moment when the distance between the vehicle and the vehicle at the merging point is less than a predetermined value, in other words, a vehicle that may be between the vehicle and the vehicle ahead. In other words, step S102 can be a step for determining whether or not there is a merging vehicle that requires attention. In consideration of the relative speed and relative position of the merging vehicle, the processor 31 may exclude vehicles that are clearly likely to be coming behind the vehicle from the determination in S102. A vehicle that is clearly likely to be coming behind the vehicle is, for example, a vehicle that is predicted to be located a predetermined distance or more behind the vehicle when the vehicle reaches the merging start point Ps.

In addition, the processor 31 may exclude merging vehicles that are clearly going to be ahead of the preceding vehicle in consideration of the relative speed and relative position from the judgment in S102. A vehicle that is clearly going to be ahead of the preceding vehicle is, for example, a vehicle that is located at a position on the merging road that is a predetermined distance or more ahead of the preceding vehicle and whose speed is greater than the preceding vehicle by a predetermined value or more. Note that during traffic congestion, depending on the customs of the area where the automatic driving system Sys is used, all merging vehicles that are ahead of the merging start point Ps can be considered to be merging vehicles that require caution.

Step S103 executes control to temporarily increase the distance from the preceding vehicle by a predetermined amount from a point that is an arbitration distance before the merging point. The arbitration distance is set, for example, to be the same as the preparation start threshold or shorter than the preparation start threshold. The arbitration distance may be adjusted according to the traveling speed. For example, when traveling at 100 km/h, the arbitration distance is set to, for example, 500 m or 400 m.

The control for temporarily increasing the distance from the preceding vehicle by a predetermined amount can be, for example, deceleration control that reduces the driving speed by a predetermined amount from the current value. Deceleration control can also be achieved by lowering the set value of the target speed in autonomous driving by a predetermined amount from the original value. The normal target speed, which is the original target value for the driving speed, is a set value that is applied when driving in a section that is a predetermined distance or more away from the merging point, and refers to, for example, a value set by the driver, a design value, or a value determined according to the speed of the preceding vehicle.

The deceleration amount as a response to a merging vehicle may be a fixed amount such as 3 km/h, 5 km/h, or 10 km/h. The deceleration amount may also be a value dynamically determined according to the normal target speed, such as 5% or 10% of the normal target speed. The deceleration control as a response to a merging vehicle may decelerate to a preset degenerate speed. The degenerate speed may be set according to the road type, and may be, for example, 60 km/h on a highway and 40 km/h on a general road. In this disclosure, the target speed suppressed as a response to a merging vehicle is also referred to as a temporary target speed. By lowering the target value of the traveling speed by a predetermined amount, the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle will naturally increase. Setting the target value of the traveling speed in automatic driving to a value lower than the normal target speed by a predetermined amount corresponds to an example of forward space expansion control. In this disclosure, the forward space is the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle. The forward space can be read as the forward distance.

In addition, when the processor 31 decides to suppress the vehicle speed toward the merging point, the processor 31 may cooperate with the in-vehicle HMI 20 to perform a process of notifying the driver that the vehicle speed will be suppressed. For example, the notification processing unit F51 displays the deceleration notification image shown in FIG. 5 on the display 21. The notification regarding deceleration may be performed by outputting a predetermined voice message from the speaker 22. The timing of the notification regarding the speed suppression may be the timing when the automatic driving ECU 30 actually starts deceleration, or may be one second or three seconds before the deceleration starts. For example, the notification processing unit F51 may display the deceleration notification image as a notice from a predetermined time before the start of deceleration. In addition to the deceleration icon E1, which is an icon indicating deceleration, the deceleration notification image may include an element image E2 indicating the deceleration amount and a merging vehicle icon E3 indicating the presence of a merging point/merging vehicle. Of course, the deceleration notification image does not have to include the merging vehicle icon E3, and may be only the deceleration icon E1.

By including supplemental information such as the amount of deceleration in the deceleration notification image, it is expected that the driver's acceptance/agreement with deceleration can be increased. As another aspect, the notification processing unit F51 may inquire of the driver whether it is OK to decelerate before starting deceleration. In this case, it may be confirmed that deceleration will be performed if the driver allows the vehicle speed to be suppressed. The driver's response to the inquiry may be acquired via the input device 23. Furthermore, the processor 31 may automatically determine that deceleration is permitted if there is no input (response) from the driver even after a predetermined response waiting time has elapsed since making an inquiry about whether deceleration is permitted. Of course, if there is no input (response) from the driver even after a predetermined response waiting time has elapsed since making an inquiry about whether deceleration is permitted, it may automatically determine that deceleration is rejected.

The control for temporarily increasing the distance from the preceding vehicle by a predetermined amount may be a process for increasing the set value of the distance from the preceding vehicle, which is the control target in autonomous driving, by a predetermined amount from the original target value. The normal distance, which is the original target value for the distance, is a set value that is applied when traveling in a section that is a predetermined distance or more away from the merging point, and refers to, for example, a value set by the driver, a design value, or a value determined according to the speed of the preceding vehicle.

The amount of expansion of the inter-vehicle distance in response to a merging vehicle can be a fixed amount, such as 100 m or 50 m. The amount of expansion may also be a value that is dynamically determined according to the normal inter-vehicle distance, such as 50%, 75%, or 100% of the normal inter-vehicle distance. In this disclosure, the inter-vehicle distance expanded in response to a merging vehicle is also referred to as a temporary inter-vehicle distance. Changing the target inter-vehicle distance in autonomous driving to a value larger than the normal inter-vehicle distance corresponds to another example of forward space expansion control.

Since different values are applied to the normal inter-vehicle distance depending on whether or not there is a traffic jam, different values are also applied to the temporary inter-vehicle distance depending on whether or not there is a traffic jam. If the normal inter-vehicle distance during a traffic jam is 5 m, the temporary inter-vehicle distance during a traffic jam is set to 10 m or 15 m, etc. The amount of extension of the inter-vehicle distance during a traffic jam may be dynamically determined according to the size or type of the other vehicle that is about to merge. The amount of extension is 5 m or 10 m when the merging vehicle is a passenger car, while the amount of extension is 15 m or 20 m when the merging vehicle is a truck or a bus. The amount of extension may be determined according to the size of the merging vehicle detected by the surrounding monitoring sensor 11. By increasing the target value of the inter-vehicle distance by a predetermined amount, the inter-vehicle distance with the preceding vehicle in real space will naturally increase. The inter-vehicle distance may be expressed as a time distance. For example, if the normal inter-vehicle distance is set to 2 seconds, the temporary inter-vehicle distance may be set to 3 seconds, etc. The time distance for the preceding vehicle corresponds to the length of time until the host vehicle passes a point where the preceding vehicle has passed.

By executing control to increase the inter-vehicle distance in advance toward the merging point in step S103, it becomes easier for the merging vehicle to get between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle itself. As a result, it is possible to reduce the risk of the merging vehicle approaching the vehicle from the side. As a result, it is possible to reduce the risk of encountering a forceful cut-in. With the above configuration, it is possible to reduce the risk that a high level of judgment is required regarding a cutting-in vehicle, and to increase safety.

Step S104 is a step in which the processor 31 determines whether the remaining distance Ds to start merging, recognized by the environment recognition unit F2, is less than a predetermined reconfirmation threshold Ths. The reconfirmation threshold Ths is set to a value smaller than the preparation start threshold, such as 100 m or 200 m. The reconfirmation threshold Ths is set to a value that allows the vehicle to stop/quasi-stop at the merging start point Ps when decelerating at a predetermined acceleration such as -1.0 m/s^2 or -1.5 m/s^2. If the deceleration toward stopping at the merging start point Ps is α and the current speed is Vo, Ths is determined as Vo^2/(2α). Vo can be the speed for maintaining the temporary inter-vehicle distance or the temporary target speed. The quasi-stop state refers to a state in which the vehicle can immediately stop (so-called slow-moving state), for example, a state in which the speed is less than 5 km/h. The target stop position may be a point a predetermined distance (e.g., 5 m) before the merging start point Ps. If the merging start remaining distance Ds is less than the predetermined reconfirmation threshold Ths, the processor 31 executes step S105. On the other hand, if the merging start remaining distance Ds is still equal to or greater than the predetermined reconfirmation threshold Ths, the determination of step S105 is executed at predetermined time intervals, such as every 500 milliseconds or 1 second.

Step S105 is a step in which the environment recognition unit F2 determines whether any merging vehicles remain based on the same information as in step S102. As in step S102, the merging vehicles to be determined whether they exist in step S105 may be limited to merging vehicles that require caution. During a traffic jam, all vehicles that exist on the merging road, or all vehicles that exist on the merging road within a specified distance from the merging end point Pe, can be considered to be vehicles that require caution.

If it is determined in step S105 that a merging vehicle remains, the processor 31 executes step S107. On the other hand, if it is determined that no merging vehicle exists, the processor 31 executes step S106.

Step S106 is a step in which the control parameters that the planning unit F4 changed as part of the merging vehicle response process are returned to their original values. For example, if the driving speed has been suppressed, the target speed used in the subsequent control plan is switched from the temporary target speed to the normal target speed. Also, if the inter-vehicle distance has been extended, the target inter-vehicle distance used in the subsequent control plan is switched from the temporary inter-vehicle distance to the normal inter-vehicle distance. In this disclosure, the state in which the control setting for increasing the inter-vehicle distance in response to a merging vehicle is applied is referred to as the temporary mode. Also, the state in which the control setting for increasing the inter-vehicle distance in response to a merging vehicle is not applied is referred to as the normal mode. The normal mode corresponds to the automated driving mode when the vehicle is at a predetermined distance or more away from the merging point. The temporary mode corresponds to the automated driving mode when the vehicle is traveling within a predetermined distance from the merging point or when a merging vehicle is present diagonally ahead of the vehicle.

Step S107 is a step in which the processor 31 starts deceleration control to stop the vehicle at a predetermined distance before the merging start point Ps so that the vehicle does not proceed beyond the merging start point Ps. For example, the planning unit F4 sets a point 2 m before the merging start point Ps as a tentative planned stop position, and creates a speed adjustment schedule to stop the vehicle at the planned stop position. The control execution unit F5 starts deceleration control according to the plan generated by the planning unit F4. As long as the vehicle is in front of the merging start point Ps, the merging vehicle will not approach the vehicle from the side of the vehicle. In addition, by decelerating the vehicle to stop, a space is created between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle, and the merging vehicle can enter in front of the vehicle. By executing step S107, the possibility that the merging vehicle will approach the vehicle from the side of the vehicle can be reduced. When the processor 31 determines to start deceleration control for stopping at the planned stop position, the processor 31 may notify the driver via a notification device such as the display 21 that the vehicle will stop temporarily at the junction.

Step S108 is a step for determining whether the number of merging vehicles between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined merging allowance number. The preceding vehicle here is a preceding vehicle that was recognized before the merging vehicle entered in front of the vehicle, for example, a preceding vehicle that was identified when the merging start remaining distance Ds became the preparation start threshold or the reconfirmation threshold Ths. Note that the actual preceding vehicle may change every time a merging vehicle enters in front of the vehicle. The merging vehicle that entered in front of the vehicle may become a new preceding vehicle. In order to distinguish from a preceding vehicle that has been changed due to merging, in this disclosure, the preceding vehicle that was identified when the merging start remaining distance Ds became the preparation start threshold or the reconfirmation threshold Ths is also referred to as an initial preceding vehicle. The automatic driving ECU 30 identifies the number of merging vehicles, which is the number of vehicles that entered between the initial preceding vehicle and the vehicle, from the detection results of the surrounding monitoring sensor 11. For example, the automatic driving ECU 30 may identify the number of merging vehicles based on the number of times the preceding vehicle has changed after step S101 or step S104. Whether or not the preceding vehicle has changed can be identified by a sudden change in the distance between the preceding vehicle, a change in the color of the preceding vehicle, or the preceding vehicle changing lanes/cutting in. The number of merging allowances can be set to, for example, 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. The specific value of the number of merging allowances may be configured so that the driver can register/change it via a specified setting change screen.

When the number of merging vehicles between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle (i.e., the number of merging vehicles) is equal to or greater than the merging allowable number, the processor 31 executes step S109. Step S109 is a step of executing a driving change request that requests the driver to take over driving operations. The driving change request includes a process of outputting a message requesting the driver to perform driving operations from at least one of the display 21 and the speaker 22. In step S109, the processor 31 may display an entry prohibition image on the external display device 18 instead of/in addition to the driving change request. Also, when the number of merging vehicles is less than the merging allowable number, the processor 31 may display an entry permission image on the external display device 18. Communication with other vehicles regarding permission/prohibition of merging may be performed by vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

<Problems to be Solved by the Above Configuration>
The configuration disclosed in Patent Literature 1 is based on the premise that the vehicle is in a state before automatic driving is started, i.e., during manual driving. Patent Literature 1 does not consider at all whether automatic driving should be interrupted or continued depending on whether a merging vehicle is present during automatic driving.

One possible configuration for an automated driving device is one that ends/temporarily pauses automated driving when it detects the presence of a merging vehicle while the device is in automated driving mode. This is because if the merging vehicle tries to forcibly (forcefully) merge in front of the vehicle, it may be difficult for the automated driving device to determine the appropriate response.

However, if autonomous driving is interrupted every time a merging vehicle is detected, the duration of autonomous driving will be shortened. This will result in situations where the driver needs to monitor the surroundings and operate the vehicle more frequently. As a result, the convenience of autonomous driving may be compromised.

Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration that allows the start of autonomous driving when there is no merging vehicle or when the time to collision with the merging vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, but both of these are assumed to be accidental cases. Patent Document 1 does not contain any technical ideas for intentionally creating the above situations to improve the continuity of autonomous driving.

<Effects of this embodiment>
According to the configuration of the above embodiment, when the automatic driving ECU 30 detects the presence of a merging vehicle ahead of the vehicle, it increases the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle before the vehicle reaches the merging point. Therefore, a space is formed in front of the vehicle for the merging vehicle to smoothly enter the main line. This allows the merging vehicle to merge with the vehicle while maintaining a sufficient distance from the vehicle, and the number of merging vehicles that may affect the running of the vehicle can be reduced in advance. In addition, the occurrence of vehicles that try to forcibly merge in front of or behind the vehicle from the merging road can be suppressed. As a result, the risk of the system reaching its limit and requesting the driver to take over driving or performing an emergency stop (so-called MRM: Minimal Risk Maneuver) can be reduced.

In addition, if the remaining distance to the merging start point Ps is less than a predetermined value but there is still a merging vehicle, the vehicle begins to decelerate in preparation for a temporary stop just before the merging start point Ps. This configuration allows the remaining merging vehicles to also smoothly merge onto the main line, reducing the risk of the merging vehicle coming too close to the vehicle.

Furthermore, the autonomous driving ECU 30 requests a driver handover when the number of merging vehicles ahead of the vehicle exceeds a predetermined value. This configuration reduces the risk of causing discomfort to the driver of the vehicle and the drivers of following vehicles by allowing excessive merging vehicles to enter.

For example, in step S107 or later, when the vehicle reaches the planned stop position, or when the remaining distance to the planned stop position becomes equal to or less than a predetermined update threshold, the processor 31 may reset the planned stop position to a position further forward by a predetermined distance than the current planned stop position. In this case, the processor 31 resumes automatic driving toward the reset planned stop position. The update threshold may be 3 m or 10 m, for example. The update threshold may be 0 m. The reset planned stop position may be a point 5 m or 10 m further forward (in the direction of travel) from the current set position. The set interval of the planned stop position may be changed as appropriate. It is preferable to maintain a speed at which the vehicle can be stopped immediately, such as 5 km/h, as the travel speed toward the planned stop position. The above control may, overall, move the vehicle slowly without stopping completely, or may repeat stopping and moving forward a predetermined amount. In accordance with the above, the processor 31 may change the display of the external display device 18. For example, an entry permission image may be displayed when the vehicle is stopped, while an entry prohibition image may be displayed when the vehicle is moving forward. Moving forward from a stop may be performed each time a vehicle joins. This configuration can reduce the risk of multiple vehicles cutting in front of the vehicle in succession. This reduces the risk of causing discomfort to the drivers of the vehicle and the following vehicles. In other words, the configuration of the present disclosure can increase the convenience of automated driving.

Note that starting from a stop during autonomous driving may require driver operation. When the vehicle stops before the merging start point Ps/end point Pe, the processor 31 may resume autonomous driving in response to the driver operating a switch or depressing the accelerator pedal. Such a configuration allows the driver to resume autonomous driving with a single action, improving convenience. Note that autonomous driving may be resumed on the condition that it is confirmed that the driver is looking ahead of the vehicle, based on an input signal from the occupant status sensor 16.

The processor 31 may automatically determine whether or not to execute deceleration control to stop before the merging start point Ps depending on whether the driving environment is congested. If deceleration control is executed to stop before the merging start point Ps when there is no congestion, it may disrupt the traffic flow. Due to such concerns, the processor 31 may be configured not to execute the deceleration control to stop when it is determined that the driving environment is not congested. The scene in which deceleration control to stop before the merging point is executed may be limited to the case in which the driving environment is determined to be congested.

If the presence of a merging vehicle is detected when the remaining merging start distance Ds reaches the preparation start threshold or the reconfirmation threshold Ths, the processor 31 may display an image or output a voice message indicating that there is a possibility of stopping before the merging point. With such a configuration, the driver can recognize in advance the possibility of stopping to accommodate a merging vehicle. This allows the driver to consider measures such as voluntarily overriding the vehicle.

The above describes the operation of the automatic driving ECU 30 when an initial preceding vehicle exists, but of course, in a real environment, there may be cases where an initial preceding vehicle does not exist. When there is no preceding vehicle, it corresponds to, for example, when there is no other vehicle traveling in the same lane within 300 m ahead of the vehicle. When there is a merging vehicle and no preceding vehicle, the processor 31 may determine whether to maintain or decelerate the current speed according to the relative position and relative speed of the merging vehicle with respect to the vehicle. For example, when it is clear that a merging vehicle will enter behind the vehicle based on the relative position and relative speed of the merging vehicle, the current speed is maintained. At that time, the processor 31 may display an image on the external display device 18 requesting the vehicle to enter behind the vehicle. Also, when there is a possibility that the vehicle and the merging vehicle will run side by side near the merging start point based on the relative position and relative speed of the merging vehicle, or when there is a possibility that the merging vehicle will enter in front of the vehicle, control to decelerate by a predetermined amount may be started. At that time, the processor 31 may display an image indicating that the merging vehicle should give way to the merging vehicle on the external display device 18.

The above describes a configuration that executes processing to increase the distance between vehicles on the condition that a merging vehicle is present (S102 YES), but it may be difficult for the perimeter monitoring sensor 11 to determine whether or not a merging vehicle is present from a point away from the merging start point Ps. Therefore, the processor 31 may start control to temporarily increase the distance between vehicles based on the fact that the remaining merging start distance Ds falls below a predetermined value, without determining whether or not a merging vehicle is present.

Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the processor 31 when starting forward space expansion control based on the fact that the remaining distance Ds to start merging is less than a predetermined value. According to the control example shown in Figure 7, the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle can be expanded in an area where the merging vehicle is likely to exist, without performing a calculation process to recognize the merging vehicle. As a result, the same effect as the above embodiment can be achieved. Step S301 shown in Figure 7 is a step of determining whether the remaining distance Ds to start merging for the next merging point is less than a predetermined confirmation threshold Thx. Step S302 is a step of starting forward space expansion control. Step S303 is a step of determining whether the merging point has been passed. Based on the fact that the merging point has been passed, the processor 31 performs control in step S304 to return the target value of the inter-vehicle distance or the target value of the driving speed to the original value according to the driver's settings, etc.

The processor 31 may set the deceleration amount/inter-vehicle distance increase amount when the presence of a merging vehicle has not been confirmed to be smaller than the deceleration amount/inter-vehicle distance increase amount when the merging vehicle is recognized. For example, the processor 31 sets the inter-vehicle distance increase amount to 150 m when the merging vehicle is recognized. On the other hand, the inter-vehicle distance increase amount may be about 50 m or 100 m when the merging start remaining distance Ds is less than the preparation start threshold but the periphery monitoring sensor 11 cannot confirm whether or not a merging vehicle exists. In this way, the deceleration amount/inter-vehicle distance increase amount may be adjusted according to the recognition status of the merging vehicle by the periphery monitoring sensor 11. According to this disclosure, it is possible to reduce the risk of excessively increasing the inter-vehicle distance/decelerating even when there is no merging vehicle. In addition, when a merging vehicle actually exists, it is possible to smoothly bring the vehicle state closer to the control target state when a merging vehicle exists.

The processor 31 may perform a response policy confirmation process, which is a process of inquiring of the driver about the system's response policy to a merging vehicle, based on the start of automated driving or the remaining distance to the merging point becoming equal to or less than a predetermined value. The response policy confirmation process includes, for example, displaying on the display 21 a response policy selection screen that allows the driver to select whether to reduce the speed and continue automated driving, or to have the driver drive temporarily, as the system response when a merging vehicle is detected. The response policy confirmation process also includes obtaining the driver's selection result based on a signal from the input device 23 while the response policy selection screen is being displayed.

If no driver input is obtained even after a predetermined input waiting time has elapsed since the response policy selection screen was displayed, a predetermined basic policy can be considered to have been selected. The basic policy is, for example, to continue automated driving while reducing the speed. The response policy selection process may be configured so that the driver can select the number of merging allowed and whether or not to allow a final stop near the merging start point Ps as detailed options for continuing automated driving while reducing the speed. Such a response policy confirmation process corresponds to a process that requests the driver to select whether to stop before the merging point or to take over driving operation when a merging vehicle is present.

Figure 6 is a flowchart for explaining the response policy confirmation process that embodies the above technical concept. Figure 6 can be executed at a predetermined cycle, for example, during autonomous driving. Note that the response policy confirmation process can be controlled so that it is not executed multiple times for the same junction. The response policy confirmation process can be executed for each junction and for each trip. A trip here refers to a series of trips from when the driving power source is turned on until it is set to off.

The response policy confirmation process shown in FIG. 6 includes steps S201 to S203. This process flow can be performed in parallel with, in combination with, or in place of the various processes described above.

First, step S201 is a step for determining whether the remaining merging start distance Ds for the next merging point is less than a predetermined confirmation threshold Thx. The confirmation threshold Thx is set to a length that provides a remaining time of 20 to 30 seconds until the merging start point Ps is reached. The confirmation threshold Thx may be dynamically determined according to the current vehicle speed or the normal target speed. If the remaining merging start distance Ds for a merging point for which the response policy confirmation process has not been performed is less than the predetermined confirmation threshold Thx, the processor 31 executes step S202. The confirmation threshold Thx may be the same as the preparation start threshold described above.

Step S202 is a step of requesting input of a response policy in cooperation with the in-vehicle HMI 20. For example, step S202 may include displaying a response policy selection screen. Step S203 is a step of applying control settings corresponding to the response policy selected by the driver. Note that performing the response policy confirmation process for each junction may be cumbersome for the driver. In view of such concerns, the processor 31 may be configured to apply the response policy input at that time to other junctions during the trip when the response policy confirmation process is performed once.

In addition, the processor 31 may be configured to temporarily stop a predetermined distance before the merging end point Pe if there is still a merging vehicle in the section diagonally ahead of the vehicle on the merging road even when the remaining merging end distance De is less than a predetermined value (e.g., 10 m). For example, in the above case, the processor 31 may temporarily stop the vehicle 5 m before the merging end point Pe. The temporary stop position may be adjusted according to the size of the merging vehicle diagonally ahead of the vehicle. By temporarily stopping before the merging end point Pe, the merging vehicle at the end of the merging road can smoothly enter the main road.

The merging vehicle response process described above may be executed on the condition that the vehicle's lane is a merged lane. The merged lane here refers to the lane that is closest to the merging road among the lanes that make up the main line, in other words, the lane to which the merging road connects. If the vehicle's lane is not a merged lane, there is less risk of being affected by a merging vehicle compared to when the vehicle's lane is a merged lane. The processor 31 may be configured not to execute control to increase the distance between vehicles if the vehicle's lane is not a merged lane.

The above describes a pattern in which processor 31 performs forward space expansion control when it detects a merging vehicle, but conversely, processor 31 may perform forward space reduction control based on the detection of a merging vehicle. Forward space reduction control is control for temporarily reducing the distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle. Forward space reduction control may, for example, be to set the target value of the traveling speed in autonomous driving to a value that is a predetermined amount greater than the normal target speed. Forward space reduction control may also be to change the target value of the inter-vehicle distance in autonomous driving to a value that is a predetermined amount smaller than the normal inter-vehicle distance.

When the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle (i.e., the forward space) becomes smaller, it becomes difficult for a merging vehicle to enter in front of the vehicle. Also, when the forward space becomes smaller, the rear space, which is the distance between the vehicle and the following vehicle, can naturally increase. As a result, the possibility that the merging vehicle will merge onto the main line behind the vehicle increases. According to a configuration in which the processor 31 performs forward shortening control in response to a merging vehicle, it is expected that the effect of encouraging the merging vehicle to merge behind the vehicle can be expected. The forward space shortening control can be interpreted as control that encourages the merging vehicle to enter the main line behind the vehicle by extending the rear space. The forward space shortening control can also be interpreted as rear space expansion control. The rear space can be interpreted as the rear vehicle distance.

Figure 8 is a flowchart corresponding to the case where the processor 31 performs the forward space shortening control instead of the forward space expanding control, and includes, for example, steps S401 to S405. Steps S401 to S402 are the same as S101 to S102. Step S403 is a step that is performed when a merging vehicle is present. The processor 31 executes the forward space shortening control in step S403. The processor 31 may immediately start the forward space shortening control as soon as the processor 31 detects the merging vehicle. The processor 31 may also start the forward space shortening control from a point that is a predetermined distance before the merging start point Ps. The predetermined distance here may be a constant value, for example, 200 m, or may be a value obtained by multiplying the traveling speed by a predetermined conversion coefficient.

Step S404 is a step for determining whether or not the merging point has been passed. Based on the fact that the merging point has been passed, the processor 31 ends the forward space reduction control in step S405. That is, the processor 31 returns the target value of the inter-vehicle distance or the target value of the traveling speed to the original value according to the driver's settings, etc.

The processor 31 may start the front space shortening control based on the fact that the remaining distance Ds to start merging is less than a predetermined value, regardless of the presence or absence of a merging vehicle. The processor 31 may also select whether to implement the front space expansion control or the front space shortening control depending on the number, position, relative speed, and vehicle type of the detected merging vehicles. For example, the processor 31 may adopt the front space expansion control when two or more merging vehicles are detected, and adopt the front space shortening control when there is only one merging vehicle. The processor 31 may also determine whether the merging vehicle will reach the merging end point before the vehicle itself based on the relationship between the relative speed between the detected merging vehicle and the vehicle itself and their respective current positions, and change the response policy based on the result. For example, the processor 31 may select the front space expansion control when it is predicted that the merging vehicle will reach the merging end point before the vehicle itself, and may select the front space shortening control when it is predicted that the vehicle itself will reach the merging end point before the merging vehicle.

The processor 31 may also determine a response policy when a merging vehicle is detected during automated driving depending on whether or not the vehicle is in a traffic jam. For example, the processor 31 may perform forward space expansion control based on the detection of a merging vehicle when the vehicle is in a traffic jam as shown in FIG. 9, while performing forward space reduction control when the vehicle is not in a traffic jam. Step S501 shown in FIG. 9 is a step of determining whether or not a merging vehicle is present. Step S502 is a step of determining whether or not the surrounding environment is in a traffic jam when a merging vehicle is detected. Step S503 is a step of performing forward space expansion control based on the detection of a merging vehicle during a traffic jam. Step S504 corresponds to a step of performing forward space reduction control based on the detection of a merging vehicle when the vehicle is not in a traffic jam.

Note that the behavior of a merging vehicle may differ depending on whether the vehicle is in a traffic jam or in a flowing traffic state. For example, in a traffic jam, the possibility that a merging vehicle will slowly and aggressively (actively) cut in may be high. On the other hand, in a flowing traffic state, since there is a reasonable amount of space in front of and behind the vehicle, the possibility that a merging vehicle will forcibly cut in front of the vehicle is relatively low. The above configuration was created based on this idea. With the above configuration, the system response to a merging vehicle in a traffic jam may be more appropriate. In addition, by setting the front space reduction control to have priority during cruising, the risk of the driver feeling stressed can be reduced. Note that the front space expansion control in a traffic jam state where the vehicle repeatedly stops and starts may be a control that maintains the stopped state of the vehicle even if the preceding vehicle moves forward until a predetermined time has passed, the distance between the vehicles ahead reaches a predetermined value, or until one merging vehicle enters. The processor 31 may be configured to execute the front space reduction control on the condition that the vehicle is not in a traffic jam.

The processor 31 may perform forward space expansion control based on the driver's instructions or pre-set data even when there is no traffic jam. The processor 31 may also be configured not to perform either forward space expansion control or forward space reduction control in response to the detection of a merging vehicle when there is no traffic jam. In other words, step S504 may be omitted. The control sequence shown in FIG. 9 corresponds to an example of a setting for performing forward space reduction control on the condition that there is no traffic jam.

The frequency of appearance of merging vehicles and the behavior of merging vehicles may differ depending on the road type, such as a general road or a freeway. For example, on a general road, a merging vehicle is expected to merge into the main road after temporarily stopping. On the other hand, on a highway, except during congestion, a merging vehicle will attempt to enter the main road at a speed above a certain level. In addition, it is possible that the system response to a merging vehicle desired by the driver differs depending on the road type. For this reason, the processor 31 may change the response policy when a merging vehicle is detected depending on the type of road on which the vehicle is traveling. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the processor 31 may be configured to implement a predetermined merging promotion control when a merging vehicle is detected during automatic traveling on a general road, but not to implement the merging promotion control when a merging vehicle is detected while traveling on a freeway.

The merging promotion control here is a control that encourages/assists a merging vehicle to enter in front of the vehicle. The merging promotion control may be the forward space expansion control described above. The merging promotion control may also be turning off the headlights or temporarily stopping the vehicle. The merging promotion control when the headlights are originally off may be a control that turns on the headlights momentarily (so-called passing). The merging promotion control may also be a process that displays an entry permission image on the external display device 18. The merging promotion control may also be a control that outputs a predetermined pattern of light or sound to the outside of the vehicle to convey that merging in front of the vehicle is permitted. The merging promotion control may also be a process that transmits a message that merging is permitted through vehicle-to-vehicle communication. The merging promotion control may also be a control that actively gives up the right to travel in front of the vehicle to the merging vehicle, or a control that gives up the road in front of the vehicle in advance/voluntarily to the merging vehicle without the merging vehicle taking any explicit action to merge.

Step S601 in FIG. 10 is a step for determining whether or not a merging vehicle is present. Step S602 is a step for determining whether or not the vehicle is traveling on a general road when a merging vehicle is detected. Step S603 is a step for executing merging promotion control based on the detection of a merging vehicle while traveling on a general road. Step S604 is a step for halting the execution of merging promotion control if the vehicle is traveling on a motorway when a merging vehicle is detected.

Step S604 may not only not implement merging promotion control, but also may implement cut-in prevention control. Cut-in prevention control can be understood as control for encouraging a merging vehicle to merge behind the vehicle, not in front of the vehicle. Cut-in prevention control can be called rear merging guidance control. The processor 31 may implement the above-mentioned front space shortening control as the cut-in prevention control. The cut-in prevention control may be displaying a no-entry image on the external display device 18, or may be transmitting a message requesting the vehicle to enter the rear of the vehicle by vehicle-to-vehicle communication. The cut-in prevention control may be a process for displaying a no-entry image on the external display device 18. The cut-in prevention control may be control for outputting a predetermined pattern of light or sound to the outside of the vehicle, requesting the vehicle to merge behind the vehicle. Note that even if the cut-in prevention control is being executed, if the possibility of contact between the merging vehicle and the vehicle increases, the processor 31 may naturally perform deceleration to reduce the risk of contact and form a space for the merging vehicle in front of the vehicle. Cut-in prevention control can also be interpreted as control that passively gives way to the merging vehicle on the road in front of the vehicle after receiving an explicit action from the merging vehicle to merge.

According to the above configuration, the system operates to allow merging vehicles to be in front of the vehicle as much as possible on general roads, making it possible to realize a smooth traffic society. Of course, in another aspect, the processor 31 may be configured not to implement merging promotion control when a merging vehicle is detected during automatic driving on a general road, but to implement merging promotion control when a merging vehicle is detected while driving on a motorway. This configuration can further reduce the risk of vehicles moving at high speeds getting too close to each other. Also, by not implementing merging promotion control on general roads, the risk of causing stress to the driver of the following vehicle can be reduced.

The frequency of appearance and behavior of merging vehicles may vary not only depending on the road type but also on the region. Therefore, the processor 31 may change the response policy when a merging vehicle is detected depending on the region in which the vehicle is traveling. For example, the processor 31 may be configured to implement a predetermined merging promotion control when a merging vehicle is detected while traveling in a specific region, but not to implement the merging promotion control when a merging vehicle is detected while traveling outside the specific region. The specific region for which the merging promotion control is implemented may be registered in advance in the storage 33, etc., as part of the map data.

However, at automation level 3 or higher, the driver's second task during autonomous driving may be permitted. The second task is a predefined action other than driving that is permitted for the user to perform. The second task may be called a secondary activity or other activity. For example, watching content such as videos, operating a smartphone, reading e-books, and eating with one hand are assumed as second tasks. The actions that can be performed as the second task and the actions that are prohibited are set based on the automation level and the laws and regulations of the area where the vehicle is used. The occupant status sensor 16 such as the DSM may determine whether the driver is performing the second task and output a signal indicating the determination result to the autonomous driving ECU 30. The information acquisition unit F1 may acquire data indicating whether the driver is performing the second task from the occupant status sensor 16 as driver status data.

The processor 31 may change the response policy when a merging vehicle is detected depending on whether the driver is performing the second task during automatic driving. This is because it is assumed that the system response to a merging vehicle desired by the driver may differ between when the second task is being performed and when the second task is not being performed. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the processor 31 may perform merging promotion control when the driver is performing the second task when a merging vehicle is detected, and may perform interruption prevention control when the driver is not performing the second task. Since the driver is not concerned about the surroundings while performing the second task, it is expected that the driver will be tolerant of the interruption of a merging vehicle. According to a configuration in which the merging promotion control is performed on the condition that the second task is being performed, it is possible to make the traffic flow smoother while reducing the risk of causing discomfort to the driver. Note that step S701 shown in FIG. 11 is a step of determining whether a merging vehicle exists. Step S702 is a step of determining whether the driver is performing the second task. Step S703 is a step of executing merging promotion control based on the fact that a merging vehicle is detected while the driver is performing the second task. Step S704 corresponds to a step of executing cut-in prevention control when a merging vehicle is detected in a situation where the driver is not performing a second task. Of course, step S704 may be a step in which neither merging promotion control nor cut-in prevention control is executed. Step S704 may be omitted.

When the processor 31 detects a merging vehicle/merging point while the driver is performing the second task, the processor 31 may perform a process of inquiring the driver about a response policy for the merging vehicle. For example, the processor 31 may display three options, merging promotion control, cut-in prevention control, and maintaining the current state, on the display 21 as the inquiry process. The driver's response to the inquiry may be obtained via the input device 23. If there is no input (response) from the driver even after a predetermined response waiting time has elapsed since the processor 31 inquired about the response policy, the processor 31 may automatically determine that the merging promotion control is permitted. Note that maintaining the current state corresponds to not performing either the merging promotion control or the cut-in prevention control. Maintaining the current state means performing the same control as when the vehicle is at a distance of a predetermined distance or more from the merging point, that is, maintaining the normal vehicle distance and normal target speed. Note that the processor 31 may perform the above inquiry process on the condition that the merging vehicle/merging point is detected while the driver is not performing the second task. The processor 31 may automatically select merge promotion control or interrupt prevention control according to a pre-registered policy while the driver is performing the second task.

The processor 31 may change the response policy depending on the type/size of the vehicle that is about to merge. For example, the processor 31 may implement merge promotion control when the merging vehicle is a passenger vehicle, but may implement cut-in prevention control when the merging vehicle is a large vehicle such as a truck, bus, or tanker truck. This is because when a large vehicle is the preceding vehicle, visibility ahead is poor and the recognition performance of lane markings/road shape may deteriorate. On the other hand, when the preceding vehicle is a large vehicle, the risk of losing the preceding vehicle can be reduced. In addition, since large vehicles are expected to accelerate and decelerate slowly, it is also expected that the effect of improving driving stability can be achieved by having a large vehicle as the preceding vehicle. Therefore, the processor 31 may be set to implement merge promotion control when the merging vehicle is a large vehicle.

The processor 31 may be configured to implement merging promotion control on the condition that the merging vehicle is an advanced vehicle. An advanced vehicle here refers to a vehicle equipped with advanced safety equipment at a predetermined level or higher, such as an autonomous vehicle. With this configuration, advanced vehicles, including the vehicle itself, travel in groups more frequently. As a result, the safety, stability, fuel efficiency (electricity cost), etc. of autonomous driving may be improved. The processor 31 may determine whether the merging vehicle is an advanced vehicle based on the results of identifying the vehicle model by image recognition or the contents of a message received by vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

The processor 31 may be configured to execute the merge promotion control on the condition that the host vehicle is stopped. Merging while the host vehicle is stopped may be safer than merging when both the host vehicle and the merging vehicle are moving. This configuration makes it possible to improve the safety of other vehicles merging. FIG. 12 is a flowchart corresponding to this technical idea. Steps S801 to S802 shown in FIG. 12 are the same as S101 to S102 above. Step S803 is a step for determining whether the host vehicle is stopped. Steps S804 and after are a sequence that may be executed when the host vehicle is stopped, and include step S804 for executing the merge promotion control. Step S805 is a step for determining whether the number of merging vehicles between the initial preceding vehicle and the host vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The predetermined value here may be the aforementioned merge allowable number. As shown in step S806 in FIG. 12, the processor 31 may execute the cut-in prevention control when the host vehicle is not stopped and when the number of merging vehicles reaches the merge allowable number.

Note that the merging allowance number may be set to a different value depending on the scene. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, the processor 31 may change the merging allowance number depending on whether or not a following vehicle is present. That is, when a following vehicle is present (step S901 YES), the processor 31 sets the merging allowance number to 1 (step S902). On the other hand, when no following vehicle is present (step S901 NO), the processor 31 may set the merging allowance number to 2 or 3, for example. That is, when no following vehicle is present, the processor 31 may be configured to apply a larger value as the merging allowance number compared to when a following vehicle is present. "Alwbl_Num" shown in FIG. 13 is a parameter that indicates the merging allowance number.

According to the above configuration, an appropriate merging allowance number is applied according to the driving scene. As a result, a smoother traffic society can be realized. In addition, the processor 31 may change the merging allowance number depending on whether or not there is a traffic jam. Specifically, the processor 31 may set the merging allowance number during a traffic jam to 1, while setting the merging allowance number during cruising to 2 or more. It is preferable that the merging allowance number is set before the initial preceding vehicle or the vehicle itself reaches the merging start point.

The driver may pre-register via a predetermined setting screen whether to adopt merge promotion control or cut-in prevention control depending on the scene. The processor 31 may operate according to the pre-registered policy. FIG. 14 is an example of a setting screen related to a response policy to a merging vehicle, and may include a button for selecting whether to actively give way or to passively give way for each scene. The control of actively giving way to a merging vehicle corresponds to merge promotion control. The control of passively giving way to a merging vehicle corresponds to cut-in prevention control or maintaining a normal inter-vehicle distance or a normal target speed. FIG. 14 shows a screen in which the driver selects to implement a passive response to a merging vehicle when there is a following vehicle, and to implement a control of actively giving way to a merging vehicle in other cases. The setting screen may be displayed on the display 21 based on a signal from the input device 23.

The above describes a configuration in which the processor 31 executes control to change the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle or the following vehicle, in other words, the traveling position of the vehicle in the longitudinal direction, when the processor 31 recognizes a merging vehicle and approaches the merging point. In addition, the processor 31 may start control to temporarily move from the first lane to the second lane when the processor 31 recognizes a merging vehicle and approaches the merging point. Lateral movement is also included in the control to change the traveling position of the vehicle relative to surrounding vehicles on the main line. The merging promotion control may be control to move from the first lane to the second lane. Here, the first lane refers to a lane that connects to the merging road among the lanes that make up the main line. The first lane can also be called a merging lane. The second lane refers to a lane other than the first lane among the lanes that make up the main line.

<Additional remarks (1)>
The scope of the present disclosure also includes a program for causing a computer to function as the automatic driving ECU 30, and a non-transient physical recording medium such as a semiconductor memory on which this program is recorded. The present disclosure also includes the following technical ideas related to an automatic driving device. Furthermore, the present disclosure also includes a merging vehicle response control method, control program, system, etc. corresponding to the following automatic driving device. The merging vehicle response control method refers to a method corresponding to a control sequence executed by the automatic driving ECU 30.

[Technical idea A1]
A vehicle control unit (Fn) that executes automatic driving control to autonomously drive the vehicle along a predetermined planned driving route based on a signal from a surrounding monitoring sensor;
a junction recognition unit (F21) that recognizes a junction with the road on which the vehicle is traveling as a main line based on at least one of map data, a detection result of the periphery monitoring sensor, and data acquired from an external device by wireless communication,
The vehicle control unit is an automatic driving device that performs control to change the driving position of the vehicle relative to surrounding vehicles on the main line based on the remaining distance to the merging point becoming less than a predetermined value while the automatic driving control is being executed.

[Technical idea A2]
A surrounding vehicle recognition unit (F22) that recognizes a merging vehicle that is another vehicle that is about to merge into the main line at the merging point based on the detection result of the surrounding monitoring sensor or data acquired by wireless communication from the external device,
The automatic driving device described in technical idea A1, wherein the vehicle control unit, while executing the automatic driving control, executes control to temporarily increase the distance from the preceding vehicle by a predetermined amount based on the recognition by the surrounding vehicle recognition unit of the presence of the merging vehicle.

[Technical idea A3]
The automatic driving device described in technical idea A2, in which, when the merging vehicle is recognized by the surrounding vehicle recognition unit while the automatic driving control is being executed, the vehicle control unit executes deceleration control to stop the vehicle a predetermined distance before the merging point until at least one of the merging vehicles is between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle or until there are no more merging vehicles.

[Technical idea A4]
The vehicle control unit includes:
When the merging vehicle is recognized by the surrounding vehicle recognition unit while the automatic driving control is being executed, a planned stop position is set before the merging point;
executing deceleration control for stopping at the planned stop position;
resetting the planned stop position to a position a predetermined distance ahead of a currently set position based on the fact that the vehicle has arrived at the planned stop position or that a remaining distance to the planned stop position has become equal to or less than a predetermined value;
The automatic driving device described in Technical Idea A3 is configured to execute the following: resuming automatic driving toward the reset planned stop position.

[Technical idea A5]
The automatic driving device described in Technical Idea A3 or A4, wherein the vehicle control unit displays an image or outputs audio of a message indicating that there is a possibility of stopping before the merging point when the merging vehicle is recognized by the surrounding vehicle recognition unit while the automatic driving control is being executed.

[Technical idea A6]
The vehicle control unit is configured to use a display or speaker mounted on the vehicle to execute a response policy confirmation process to inquire of the driver as to whether it is acceptable to stop a predetermined distance before the merging point as a response policy in the event that a merging vehicle occurs while the automatic driving control is being executed.An automatic driving device as described in any one of technical ideas A3 to A5.

[Technical idea A7]
An environment recognition unit (F2) that determines whether the driving environment is a traffic jam state,
The vehicle control unit is configured to, when the merging vehicle is recognized while executing the automatic driving control, execute control to temporarily stop a predetermined distance before the merging point if it is determined that the driving environment is in the congested state, but not to execute control to temporarily stop a predetermined distance before the merging point if it is determined that the driving environment is not in the congested state.An automatic driving device described in any one of technical ideas A3 to A5.

[Technical idea A8]
The vehicle control unit is configured to resume driving under the automatic driving control in response to a signal corresponding to a switch operation or depression of an accelerator pedal by the driver when the vehicle stops within a predetermined distance from the junction while the automatic driving control is being executed.

[Technical idea A9]
The automatic driving device described in any one of technical ideas A2 to A8, wherein the vehicle control unit, while executing the automatic driving control, requests the driver's seat occupant to take over driving operations if a predetermined number of merging vehicles enter between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle, but there are still merging vehicles remaining.

[Technical philosophy A10]
The automatic operation device according to any one of technical ideas A2 to A9 is used in connection with an external display device (18) that displays an image in an area visible to the driver of the merging vehicle,
The vehicle control unit is configured to change an operation mode of the exterior display device according to the number of merging vehicles that have entered between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle during execution of the automatic driving control. An automatic driving device.

[Technical philosophy A11]
When the merging vehicle is recognized by the surrounding vehicle recognition unit during execution of the automatic driving control, the vehicle control unit temporarily sets a set value of the inter-vehicle distance as a control target in the automatic driving control. The automatic operation device according to any one of technical ideas A2 to A10, wherein the length is increased by a predetermined amount.

[Technical philosophy A12]
Any one of technical ideas A2 to A11, wherein the vehicle control unit temporarily decelerates by a predetermined amount when the merging vehicle is recognized by the surrounding vehicle recognition unit during execution of the automatic driving control. Item 2. An automatic operation device as described in item 1.

[Technical philosophy A13]
the surrounding vehicle recognition unit is configured to recognize the preceding vehicle based on an input signal from the surrounding monitoring sensor,
The vehicle control unit performs control to increase a vehicle-to-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle by a predetermined amount when the preceding vehicle is present in a situation in which the merging vehicle is recognized while the automatic driving control is being executed. On the other hand, when the preceding vehicle does not exist, the present vehicle selects whether to maintain or decelerate the current speed depending on the relative position and relative speed of the merging vehicle with respect to the vehicle. 2. The automatic operation device according to claim 1.

[Technical philosophy A14]
a surrounding vehicle recognition unit ( F22),
The vehicle control unit, during execution of the automatic driving control, based on the fact that the surrounding vehicle recognition unit recognizes the presence of the merging vehicle, temporarily shortens the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle by a predetermined amount. An automatic driving device described in any one of technical ideas A1 to A13, which executes a forward space shortening control, which is a control of the forward space shortening control.

[Technical philosophy A15]
The vehicle control unit includes:
Executing the front space shortening control on the condition that there is no traffic jam,
When the vehicle is in a traffic jam, a forward space expansion control is executed based on the detection of the merging vehicle, which is a control for increasing the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle by a predetermined amount. Device.

[Technical philosophy A16]
a surrounding vehicle recognition unit ( F22),
The vehicle control unit changes a response policy when the surrounding vehicle recognition unit recognizes the merging vehicle while the automatic driving control is being executed, depending on a type or area of a road on which the vehicle is traveling. An automatic operation device described in any one of technical ideas A1 to A15.

[Technical philosophy A17]
The vehicle control unit includes:
When the surrounding vehicle recognition unit recognizes the merging vehicle while the automatic driving control is being executed on a general road, a merging promotion control is executed, which is a control to encourage the merging vehicle to enter in front of the vehicle. On the other hand,
The automatic driving device according to technical idea A16, wherein the merging promotion control is not performed when the automatic driving control is being executed on a motorway.

[Technical philosophy A18]
a surrounding vehicle recognition unit ( F22) and
and a driver state determination unit (F6) that determines whether or not the driver is performing a second task based on an image of the driver captured by the vehicle interior camera.
The vehicle control unit includes:
When the surrounding vehicle recognition unit recognizes the merging vehicle while the automatic driving control is being executed and the driver is performing the second task, the surrounding vehicle recognition unit notifies the driver that the merging vehicle is entering in front of the vehicle. While implementing merging promotion control, which is a control to encourage
An automatic driving device according to any one of technical ideas A1 to A17, wherein the merging promotion control is not performed when the driver is not performing the second task.

[Technical philosophy A19]
a surrounding vehicle recognition unit ( F22) and
and a driver state determination unit (F6) that determines whether or not the driver is performing a second task based on an image of the driver captured by the vehicle interior camera.
The vehicle control unit includes:
When the surrounding vehicle recognition unit recognizes the merging vehicle in a situation where the driver is performing the second task while the automatic driving control is being executed, a control for prompting the merging vehicle to enter in front of the own vehicle is performed. The automatic operation device according to any one of technical ideas A1 to A18, further comprising: a process for inquiring of the driver as to whether or not it is acceptable to implement merging promotion control.

[Technical philosophy A20]
a surrounding vehicle recognition unit ( F22),
The vehicle control unit includes:
When the surrounding vehicle recognition unit recognizes the merging vehicle while the automatic driving control is being executed, a merging promotion control is executed, which is a control that prompts the merging vehicle to enter in front of the vehicle.
Counting the number of merging vehicles, which is the number of the merging vehicles that have entered in front of the vehicle;
An automatic operation device described in any one of technical ideas A1 to A19, wherein the merging promotion control is stopped when the number of merging vehicles reaches a predetermined merging allowable number.

[Technical philosophy A21]
a surrounding vehicle recognition unit ( F22),
The vehicle control unit includes:
A control for prompting the merging vehicle to enter in front of the vehicle on condition that the vehicle is stopped in a situation in which the surrounding vehicle recognition unit recognizes the merging vehicle while the automatic driving control is being executed. An automatic operation device according to any one of technical ideas A1 to A20, which implements merging promotion control.

[Technical philosophy A22]
The vehicle control unit controls to change the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle or the following vehicle based on the fact that the remaining distance to the junction becomes less than a predetermined value while the automatic driving control is being executed. An automatic driving device according to any one of technical ideas A1 to A21, which executes vehicle distance adjustment control.

[Technical philosophy A23]
The vehicle control unit temporarily reduces a set value of a vehicle-to-vehicle distance that is a control target in the automatic driving control based on the fact that a remaining distance to the junction becomes less than a predetermined value during execution of the automatic driving control. An automatic operation device according to any one of technical ideas A1 to A22, wherein the length of the automatic operation device is increased.

[Technical philosophy A24]
The vehicle control unit temporarily reduces a set value of a vehicle-to-vehicle distance that is a control target in the automatic driving control based on the fact that a remaining distance to the junction becomes less than a predetermined value during execution of the automatic driving control. An automatic operation device according to any one of technical ideas A1 to A23, which shortens the

[Technical philosophy A25]
A screen for setting a response policy when a merging vehicle is detected based on a signal from an input device is displayed on a display, and data indicating a response policy for the merging vehicle for each scene is displayed based on an operation of the driver on the screen. A setting acquisition unit for acquiring a response policy setting data,
When the vehicle control unit recognizes the presence of a merging vehicle while executing the automatic driving control, the vehicle control unit refers to the response policy setting data and performs control according to the current scene. An automatic operation device described in any one of A24.

[Technical philosophy A26]
A vehicle control unit (Fn) that executes automatic driving control to autonomously drive the vehicle along a predetermined planned driving route based on a signal from a surrounding monitoring sensor;
A merging point that recognizes a merging point with the road on which the vehicle is traveling as a main line based on at least one of map data, a detection result of the surrounding monitoring sensor, and data acquired by wireless communication from an external device. A location recognition unit (F21);
a surrounding vehicle recognition unit ( F22),
The vehicle control unit, during execution of the automatic driving control, based on the fact that the surrounding vehicle recognition unit recognizes the presence of the merging vehicle, temporarily shortens the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle by a predetermined amount. An automatic driving device that performs forward space shortening control, which is a type of control.

[Technical philosophy A27]
A vehicle control unit (Fn) that executes automatic driving control to autonomously drive the vehicle along a predetermined planned driving route based on a signal from a surrounding monitoring sensor;
A merging point that recognizes a merging point with the road on which the vehicle is traveling as a main line based on at least one of map data, a detection result of the surrounding monitoring sensor, and data acquired by wireless communication from an external device. A location recognition unit (F21);
a surrounding vehicle recognition unit ( F22),
The vehicle control unit changes a response policy when the surrounding vehicle recognition unit recognizes the merging vehicle while the automatic driving control is being executed, depending on a type or area of a road on which the vehicle is traveling. An automatic operating device.

[Technical philosophy A28]
A vehicle control unit (Fn) that executes automatic driving control to autonomously drive the vehicle along a predetermined planned driving route based on a signal from a surrounding monitoring sensor;
A merging point that recognizes a merging point with the road on which the vehicle is traveling as a main line based on at least one of map data, a detection result of the surrounding monitoring sensor, and data acquired by wireless communication from an external device. A location recognition unit (F21);
a surrounding vehicle recognition unit ( F22) and
a driver state determination unit (F6) that determines whether or not the driver is performing a second task based on an image of the driver captured by an in-vehicle camera,
The vehicle control unit includes:
When the surrounding vehicle recognition unit recognizes the merging vehicle while the automatic driving control is being executed and the driver is performing the second task, the surrounding vehicle recognition unit notifies the driver that the merging vehicle is entering in front of the vehicle. While implementing merging promotion control, which is a control to encourage
The automatic operation device according to claim 1, wherein the merging promotion control is not performed when the driver is not performing the second task.

[Technical philosophy A29]
A vehicle control unit (Fn) that executes automatic driving control to autonomously drive the vehicle along a predetermined planned driving route based on a signal from a surrounding monitoring sensor;
A merging point that recognizes a merging point with the road on which the vehicle is traveling as a main line based on at least one of map data, a detection result of the surrounding monitoring sensor, and data acquired by wireless communication from an external device. A location recognition unit (F21);
a surrounding vehicle recognition unit ( F22),
The vehicle control unit includes:
When the surrounding vehicle recognition unit recognizes the merging vehicle while the automatic driving control is being executed, a merging promotion control is executed, which is a control that prompts the merging vehicle to enter in front of the vehicle.
Counting the number of merging vehicles, which is the number of the merging vehicles that have entered in front of the vehicle;
An automatic operation device that stops the merging promotion control when the number of merging vehicles reaches a predetermined merging allowable number.

[Technical philosophy A30]
A vehicle control unit (Fn) that executes automatic driving control to autonomously drive the vehicle along a predetermined planned driving route based on a signal from a surrounding monitoring sensor;
A merging point that recognizes a merging point with the road on which the vehicle is traveling as a main line based on at least one of map data, a detection result of the surrounding monitoring sensor, and data acquired by wireless communication from an external device. A location recognition unit (F21);
a surrounding vehicle recognition unit ( F22),
The vehicle control unit includes:
A control for prompting the merging vehicle to enter in front of the host vehicle on condition that the host vehicle is stopped in a situation in which the surrounding vehicle recognition unit recognizes the merging vehicle while the automatic driving control is being executed. An automatic driving device that implements merging promotion control.

[Technical philosophy A31]
A vehicle control unit (Fn) that executes automatic driving control to autonomously drive the vehicle along a predetermined planned driving route based on a signal from a surrounding monitoring sensor;
A merging point that recognizes a merging point with the road on which the vehicle is traveling as a main line based on at least one of map data, a detection result of the surrounding monitoring sensor, and data acquired by wireless communication from an external device. A location recognition unit (F21);
a surrounding vehicle recognition unit ( F22) and
The vehicle control unit, during execution of the automatic driving control, based on the fact that the surrounding vehicle recognition unit recognizes the presence of the merging vehicle, temporarily increases the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle by a predetermined amount. An automatic operating device that controls the system.

<Additional remarks (2)>
The device, system, and method described in the present disclosure may be realized by a dedicated computer that configures a processor programmed to execute one or more functions embodied by a computer program. The device and method described in the present disclosure may also be realized using a dedicated hardware logic circuit. Furthermore, the device and method described in the present disclosure may be realized by one or more dedicated computers configured by a combination of a processor that executes a computer program and one or more hardware logic circuits. For example, some or all of the functions of the processor 31 may be realized as hardware. The embodiment in which a certain function is realized as hardware includes an embodiment in which it is realized using one or more ICs. As the processor (computation core), a CPU, an MPU, a GPU, a DFP (Data Flow Processor), etc. can be adopted. Furthermore, some or all of the functions of the processor 31 may be realized by combining multiple types of computation processing devices. Some or all of the functions of the processor 31 may be realized by using a system-on-chip (SoC), an FPGA, an ASIC, etc. FPGA is an abbreviation for Field-Programmable Gate Array. ASIC is an abbreviation of Application Specific Integrated Circuit. The computer program may be stored in a computer-readable non-transitive tangible storage medium as instructions executed by a computer. The program may be stored in a hard-disk drive (HDD), a solid-state drive (SSD), a flash memory, or the like.

Sys Autonomous driving system, 11 Surrounding monitoring sensor, 18 External display device, 20 In-vehicle HMI, 21 Display, 22 Speaker, 30 Autonomous driving ECU, 31 Processor, F2 Environment recognition unit, F21 Merging point recognition unit, F22 Surrounding vehicle recognition unit, Fn Vehicle control unit, F4 Planning unit, F5 Control execution unit, F51 Notification processing unit

Claims (8)

A vehicle control unit (Fn) that executes automatic driving control to autonomously drive the vehicle along a predetermined planned driving route based on a signal from a surrounding monitoring sensor;
a junction recognition unit (F21) that recognizes a junction with the road on which the vehicle is traveling as a main line based on at least one of map data, a detection result of the periphery monitoring sensor, and data acquired by wireless communication from an external device;
A surrounding vehicle recognition unit (F22) that recognizes a merging vehicle that is another vehicle that is about to merge into the main line at the merging point based on the detection result of the surrounding monitoring sensor or data acquired by wireless communication from the external device,
The vehicle control unit includes:
A control is implemented to change a traveling position of the vehicle relative to surrounding vehicles on the main line based on the fact that the remaining distance to the junction becomes less than a predetermined value while the automatic driving control is being executed,
the control for changing a traveling position of the host vehicle relative to surrounding vehicles on the main line includes control for temporarily increasing a distance between the host vehicle and a preceding vehicle by a predetermined amount based on the surrounding vehicle recognition unit recognizing the presence of the merging vehicle while the automatic driving control is being executed,
The vehicle control unit, while executing the automatic driving control, requests a driver to take over driving operations if a predetermined number of merging vehicles are between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle, but there are still merging vehicles remaining. 2. The automatic operation device according to claim 1, wherein the automatic operation device is connected to an external display device (18) that displays an image in an area visible to the driver of the merging vehicle,
The vehicle control unit is an automatic driving device configured to change the operating mode of the exterior display device depending on the number of merging vehicles that have entered between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle while the automatic driving control is being executed. The automatic operation device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the vehicle control unit temporarily increases the set value of the inter-vehicle distance as the control target in the automatic driving control by a predetermined amount when the merging vehicle is recognized by the surrounding vehicle recognition unit during execution of the automatic driving control. The automatic operation device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the vehicle control unit temporarily decelerates by a predetermined amount when the surrounding vehicle recognition unit recognizes the merging vehicle while the automatic driving control is being executed. the surrounding vehicle recognition unit is configured to recognize the preceding vehicle based on an input signal from the surrounding monitoring sensor,
3. The automatic driving device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, during execution of the automatic driving control, in a situation in which the merging vehicle is recognized, if the preceding vehicle is present, the vehicle control unit performs control to increase the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle by a predetermined amount, while, when the preceding vehicle is not present, selecting whether to maintain or decelerate the current speed depending on the relative position and relative speed of the merging vehicle with respect to the vehicle, A vehicle control unit (Fn) that executes automatic driving control to autonomously drive the vehicle along a predetermined planned driving route based on a signal from a surrounding monitoring sensor;
a junction recognition unit (F21) that recognizes a junction with the road on which the vehicle is traveling as a main line based on at least one of map data, a detection result of the periphery monitoring sensor, and data acquired by wireless communication from an external device;
A surrounding vehicle recognition unit (F22) that recognizes a merging vehicle that is another vehicle that is about to merge into the main line at the merging point based on the detection result of the surrounding monitoring sensor or data acquired by wireless communication from the external device,
The vehicle control unit includes:
A control is implemented to change a traveling position of the vehicle relative to surrounding vehicles on the main line based on the fact that the remaining distance to the junction becomes less than a predetermined value while the automatic driving control is being executed,
When the vehicle is not in a traffic jam, a front space shortening control is executed, which is a control for temporarily shortening the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle by a predetermined amount, based on the fact that the surrounding vehicle recognition unit recognizes the presence of the merging vehicle while the automatic driving control is being executed,
When there is congestion, an automatic driving device executes forward space expansion control, which is a control for increasing the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle by a predetermined amount, based on the detection of the merging vehicle. A vehicle control unit (Fn) that executes automatic driving control to autonomously drive the vehicle along a predetermined planned driving route based on a signal from a surrounding monitoring sensor;
a junction recognition unit (F21) that recognizes a junction with the road on which the vehicle is traveling as a main line based on at least one of map data, a detection result of the periphery monitoring sensor, and data acquired by wireless communication from an external device;
A surrounding vehicle recognition unit (F22) that recognizes a merging vehicle that is another vehicle that is about to merge into the main line at the merging point based on the detection result of the surrounding monitoring sensor or data acquired by wireless communication from the external device,
The vehicle control unit includes:
A control is implemented to change a traveling position of the vehicle relative to surrounding vehicles on the main line based on the fact that the remaining distance to the junction becomes less than a predetermined value while the automatic driving control is being executed,
When the surrounding vehicle recognition unit recognizes the merging vehicle while the automatic driving control is being executed on a general road, a merging promotion control is executed, which is a control to encourage the merging vehicle to enter in front of the vehicle.
An automatic driving device that does not implement the merging promotion control when the automatic driving control is being executed on a motorway. A vehicle control unit (Fn) that executes automatic driving control to autonomously drive the vehicle along a predetermined planned driving route based on a signal from a surrounding monitoring sensor;
a junction recognition unit (F21) that recognizes a junction with the road on which the vehicle is traveling as a main line based on at least one of map data, a detection result of the periphery monitoring sensor, and data acquired by wireless communication from an external device;
A surrounding vehicle recognition unit (F22) that recognizes a merging vehicle that is another vehicle that is about to merge into the main line at the merging point based on the detection result of the surrounding monitoring sensor or data acquired by wireless communication from the external device;
a driver state determination unit (F6) that determines whether or not the driver is performing a second task based on an image of the driver captured by an in-vehicle camera,
The vehicle control unit includes:
A control is implemented to change a traveling position of the vehicle relative to surrounding vehicles on the main line based on the fact that the remaining distance to the junction becomes less than a predetermined value while the automatic driving control is being executed,
When the surrounding vehicle recognition unit recognizes the merging vehicle while the automatic driving control is being executed and the driver is performing the second task, a merging promotion control is executed to encourage the merging vehicle to enter in front of the vehicle.
The automatic driving device does not execute the merging promotion control when the driver is not executing the second task.

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