CN110182212B - Vehicle control device - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a vehicle control device (10) which controls the relative movement of a steering wheel (120) as follows: the distance separating the position of the steering wheel (120) from the driver (122) is increased in the 2 nd driving state relative to the 1 st driving state, and the distance separating the position of the steering wheel (120) from the driver (122) is increased in the 3 rd driving state relative to the 2 nd driving state. A steering wheel relative movement control unit (82) controls the driving of at least one of the tilt mechanism (110), the telescopic mechanism (112), the seat slide mechanism (114), and the seat reclining mechanism (116) on the basis of the mode conversion information from the mode conversion processing unit (80). Accordingly, the relative position of the steering wheel can be moved to an appropriate position according to the automatic driving level, and it is also possible to respond to a manual operation request, override control, and take over, for example.

Description

Vehicle control device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a vehicle control device that performs at least semi-automatically running control of a host vehicle by automatic driving.

Background

In japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2016-.

In order to solve this problem, in japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2016-. Specifically, when the automatic driving control unit switches from the manual driving to the automatic driving, the vehicle moves to the 2 nd position which is a relaxing posture relaxed from the 1 st position, wherein the 1 st position is a predetermined position suitable for driving during the manual driving. When the automatic driving control unit switches from the automatic driving to the manual driving, the vehicle moves to the 1 st position. Accordingly, whether or not the vehicle can travel by the automatic driving control can be accurately determined in consideration of the traffic information.

Disclosure of Invention

As described above, the control device described in japanese patent laid-open publication 2016-. In this case, it is impossible to cope with a case where there are a plurality of automatic driving levels. For example, when there are a plurality of automatic driving levels, it is necessary to consider whether or not there is a manual operation (hand-on) request (a request to hold the steering wheel of the driver), a wide time period until the driver switches (takes over) to drive (override) or take over (take over)), and the like, but such a case cannot be handled.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a vehicle control device capable of moving the relative position of a steering wheel to an appropriate position in accordance with an automatic driving level, and capable of coping with, for example, a manual operation request, override control, and take-over.

The invention according to claim 1 comprises an outside recognition means provided in a vehicle and a travel control device; the travel control device performs vehicle control based on an output of the environment recognition means, and is capable of controlling a 1 st driving state, a 2 nd driving state, and a 3 rd driving state, wherein the 1 st driving state is a driving state in which a driver needs to perform periphery monitoring and the driver needs to hold a steering wheel; the 2 nd driving state is a driving state in which the driver needs to perform periphery monitoring and the driver does not need to hold a steering wheel; the 3 rd driving state is a driving state in which the driver does not need to perform peripheral monitoring and does not need to hold a steering wheel, and the relative movement control of the steering wheel is performed as follows: the method further includes expanding a separation distance between the position of the steering wheel and the driver in the 2 nd driving state relative to the 1 st driving state, and expanding a separation distance between the position of the steering wheel and the driver in the 3 rd driving state relative to the 2 nd driving state.

According to the present invention, the relative position of the steering wheel can be moved to an appropriate position according to the automatic driving level, and it is also possible to respond to a manual operation request, override control, and take over, for example.

The above objects, features and advantages should be readily understood from the following description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle equipped with a vehicle control device according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the travel control processing unit and a relative movement mechanism of the steering wheel.

Fig. 3A is an explanatory diagram showing the tilt angle of the steering wheel in the 1 st driving state.

Fig. 3B is an explanatory diagram showing the tilt angle of the steering wheel in the 2 nd driving state.

Fig. 3C is an explanatory diagram showing the tilt angle of the steering wheel in the 3 rd driving state.

Fig. 4A is an explanatory diagram showing the position of the steering wheel in the 1 st driving state.

Fig. 4B is an explanatory diagram showing the position of the steering wheel in the 2 nd driving state.

Fig. 4C is an explanatory diagram showing the position of the steering wheel in the 3 rd driving state.

Fig. 5A is an explanatory view showing a position of a seat cushion (cushionseat) in the 1 st driving state.

Fig. 5B is an explanatory diagram showing the position of the seat cushion in the 2 nd driving state.

Fig. 5C is an explanatory diagram showing the position of the seat cushion in the 3 rd driving state.

Fig. 6A is an explanatory diagram showing a position of the seat back in the 1 st driving state.

Fig. 6B is an explanatory diagram showing a position of the seat back in the 2 nd driving state.

Fig. 6C is an explanatory diagram showing the position of the seat back in the 3 rd driving state.

Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing a relative movement process of the steering wheel in response to the switching of the driving mode.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing a process of setting a transition time from the 3 rd driving state or the 2 nd driving state to the 1 st driving state.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing the 1 st specific processing operation (stop of the relative movement of the steering wheel) performed by the steering wheel relative movement control unit.

Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing the 2 nd specific processing operation (processing based on the history of the driver) performed by the steering wheel relative movement control unit.

Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing the 3 rd specific processing operation (processing based on normal transition and specific transition) performed by the steering wheel relative movement control unit.

Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing the 4 th specific processing operation (processing based on the forcible change of the relative position of the steering wheel) performed by the steering wheel relative movement control unit.

Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the steering wheel relative movement control unit after the 4 th specific processing operation is executed.

Detailed Description

Next, an example of an embodiment of a vehicle control device according to the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 1 to 13.

The vehicle control device 10 according to the present embodiment is incorporated in the host vehicle 100, and performs travel control of the vehicle by automatic driving or manual driving. In this case, "automatic driving" is a concept including not only "full-automatic driving" in which travel control of the vehicle is performed fully automatically, but also "semi-automatic driving" in which travel control is performed semi-automatically.

The vehicle control device 10 is basically configured by an input system device group, a control system 12, and an output system device group. The respective devices constituting the input system device group and the output system device group are connected to the control system 12 through communication lines.

The input system device group includes an external sensor 14, a communication device 16, a navigation device 18, a vehicle sensor 20, an automatic drive switch 22, an operation detection sensor 26 connected to an operation device 24, and an in-vehicle camera 28 that detects the state of a driver 122 riding in a driver's seat.

The output system device group includes: a driving force device 30 that drives wheels, not shown; a steering device 32 that steers the wheels; a brake device 34 that brakes the wheel; and a notification device 36 that notifies the driver 122 mainly visually and aurally.

The outside world sensor 14 acquires information indicating an outside world state of the vehicle (hereinafter, referred to as outside world information), and outputs the outside world information to the control system 12. Specifically, the environment sensor 14 includes a plurality of cameras 38, a plurality of radars 40, and a plurality of LIDAR42(Light Detection and Ranging; Light Detection and Ranging/Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging; Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging).

The communication device 16 is configured to be capable of communicating with roadside equipment, other vehicles, and an external device including a server, and is configured to transmit and receive information related to traffic equipment, information related to other vehicles, probe information, or latest map information 44, for example. The map information 44 is stored in a predetermined storage area of the storage device 46 or stored in the navigation device 18.

The navigation device 18 is configured to include a satellite positioning device capable of detecting the current position of the vehicle and a user interface (e.g., a touch screen display, a speaker, and a microphone). The navigation device 18 calculates a route to a specified destination from the current position of the vehicle or a specified position specified by the user, and outputs the route to the control system 12. The route calculated by the navigation device 18 is stored as the planned travel route information 48 in a predetermined storage area of the storage device 46.

The vehicle sensors 20 include a vehicle speed sensor that detects a running speed V (vehicle speed) of the host vehicle 100, an acceleration sensor that detects acceleration, a lateral acceleration sensor that detects lateral acceleration (lateral G), a yaw rate sensor that detects an angular velocity of rotation about a vertical axis, an orientation sensor that detects an orientation and an orientation, and an inclination sensor that detects inclination, and outputs detection signals from the respective sensors to the control system 12. These detection signals are stored as the vehicle information 50 in a predetermined storage area of the storage device 46.

The automatic driving switch 22 is, for example, a push switch provided in the instrument panel. The automatic driving switch 22 is configured to be capable of switching between a plurality of driving modes by manual operation of a user including the driver 122.

The operating device 24 is configured to include an accelerator pedal, a steering wheel 120, a brake pedal, a shift lever, and a direction indicator lever. The operation device 24 is provided with an operation detection sensor 26, and the operation detection sensor 26 detects the presence or absence of an operation by the driver 122, an operation amount, and an operation position.

The operation detection sensor 26 outputs an accelerator depression amount (accelerator opening degree), a steering wheel operation amount (steering amount), a brake depression amount, a shift position, a left-right turning direction, and the like to the vehicle control unit 60 as detection results.

The driving force device 30 is constituted by a driving force ECU (Electronic Control Unit) and a driving source including an engine and/or a driving motor. The driving force device 30 generates a running driving force (torque) of the vehicle in accordance with a vehicle control value input from the vehicle control unit 60, and transmits the running driving force to the wheels through a transmission or directly.

The steering device 32 is constituted by an EPS (electric power steering) ECU and an EPS device. The steering device 32 changes the direction of the wheels (steered wheels) in accordance with a vehicle control value input from the vehicle control unit 60.

The brake device 34 is, for example, an electric servo brake using a hydraulic brake in combination, and is composed of a brake ECU and a brake actuator. The brake device 34 brakes the wheels in accordance with the vehicle control value input from the vehicle control unit 60.

The notification device 36 is composed of a notification ECU, a display device, and an audio device. The notification device 36 performs a notification operation (including TOR described later) related to automatic driving or manual driving in accordance with a notification command output from the control system 12 (specifically, the mode conversion processing unit 80 described later).

Here, the following are set: each time the automatic driving switch 22 is pressed, it is sequentially switched to "1 st driving mode" → "2 nd driving mode" → "3 rd driving mode" → "2 nd driving mode" → "1 st driving mode".

When the 1 st driving mode is selected, the control system 12 controls the host vehicle 100 to the 1 st driving state in which the driver 122 (see fig. 3A) needs to monitor the surroundings and the driver 122 needs to hold the steering wheel 120. When the 2 nd driving mode is selected, the control system 12 controls the host vehicle 100 to the 2 nd driving state in which the driver 122 needs to perform the periphery monitoring and the driver 122 does not need to hold the steering wheel 120 in the 2 nd driving state. When the 3 rd driving mode is selected, the control system 12 controls the host vehicle 100 to the 3 rd driving state in which the driver 122 does not need to perform the periphery monitoring and the driver 122 does not need to hold the steering wheel 120.

The 3 rd driving mode is a driving mode in which the host vehicle 100 travels under the control of the control system 12 in a state where the driver 122 does not operate the operation devices 24 (specifically, the accelerator pedal, the steering wheel 120, and the brake pedal). In other words, the 3 rd driving mode is a driving mode in which the control system 12 controls a part or all of the driving force device 30, the steering device 32, and the braking device 34 according to an action plan created in sequence.

In addition, when the driver 122 performs a prescribed operation using the operation device 24 while the 3 rd driving mode (3 rd driving state) is being executed, the 3 rd driving mode is automatically canceled, and is switched to a driving mode in which the degree of automation of driving is relatively low (e.g., the 2 nd driving mode or the 1 st driving mode). Hereinafter, a case where the driver 122 operates the automatic driving switch 22 or the operation device 24 to switch from the 3 rd driving mode to the 2 nd driving mode, or from the 3 rd driving mode to the 1 st driving mode, or from the 2 nd driving mode to the 1 st driving mode is also referred to as "override operation". The information on the current driving pattern is stored in a driving pattern memory, not shown.

The control system 12 is constituted by 1 or a plurality of ECUs, and has various function realization units in addition to the above-described storage device 46. In the present embodiment, the function realizing unit is a software function unit that realizes a function by a CPU (central processing unit) executing a program stored in the storage device 46, but may be a hardware function unit that is configured by an integrated circuit such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array).

The control system 12 is configured to include an external world identification unit 62, an action plan creation unit 64, a travel control processing unit 66, a trajectory generation unit 68, and an information acquisition unit 70, in addition to the storage device 46 and the vehicle control unit 60.

The environment recognition unit 62 recognizes lane markings (white lines) located on both sides of the vehicle using various information (e.g., environment information from the environment sensor 14) input by the input system device group, and generates "static" environment recognition information including position information of a stop line and traffic lights, or a travelable region. The environment recognition unit 62 generates "dynamic" environment recognition information including an obstacle such as a parked vehicle, a traffic participant such as a person or another vehicle, or the color of a traffic light, using the input various information.

The action plan creation unit 64 creates an action plan (a sequence of events) for each travel route section based on the recognition result recognized by the external recognition unit 62, and updates the action plan as necessary. Examples of the type of event include deceleration, acceleration, branching, merging, lane keeping, lane changing, and overtaking. Here, "deceleration" and "acceleration" are events that cause the vehicle to decelerate or accelerate. "branching" and "merging" are events that allow the vehicle to smoothly travel at a branching point or a merging point. A "lane change" is an event that changes the driving lane of the vehicle. "overtaking" is an event that causes a vehicle to overrun a vehicle traveling ahead.

The "lane keeping" is an event for causing the vehicle to travel without departing from the travel lane, and is detailed by combining the travel pattern. Specifically, the driving method includes a constant speed drive, a follow-up drive, a deceleration drive, a curve drive, or an obstacle avoidance drive.

The trajectory generation unit 68 generates a travel trajectory (sequence of target behaviors) according to the action plan generated by the action plan generation unit 64, using the map information 44, the planned travel route information 48, and the vehicle information 50 read out from the storage device 46. Specifically, the travel locus is a time-series data set having a position, an attitude angle, a speed, an acceleration, a curvature, a yaw rate, and a steering angle as a data unit.

The information acquisition unit 70 acquires information necessary for a determination process of a condition (hereinafter referred to as an environmental condition) relating to a running environment of the vehicle. As a specific example, the necessary information may be time information (for example, current time, time zone, and expected arrival time), geographic information (for example, latitude, longitude, altitude, topography, and altitude difference), and weather information (for example, weather, temperature, humidity, and forecast information).

The vehicle control unit 60 determines each vehicle control value for controlling the travel of the vehicle in accordance with the travel locus (timing of the target behavior) generated by the locus generation unit 68. Then, the vehicle control unit 60 outputs the obtained vehicle control values to the driving force device 30, the steering device 32, and the brake device 34.

On the other hand, as shown in fig. 2, the travel control processing unit 66 includes a mode switching processing unit 80 and a steering wheel relative movement control unit 82.

The mode conversion processing unit 80 performs a process of converting the driving mode, and outputs a signal to the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82, the action plan creation unit 64 (see fig. 1), and the notification device 36 (see fig. 1). The mode conversion processing unit 80 includes a traveling environment acquisition unit 84, a switching request unit 86, a switching request point setting unit 88, a switching time setting unit 90, a driving difficulty level acquisition unit 92, a driver state acquisition unit 94, and a switching operation unit 96.

The running environment acquisition unit 84 acquires the running environment of the vehicle 100. The running environment includes the recognition result that has been recognized most recently by the external recognition unit 62, or the acquisition information (for example, the time information, the geographical information, and the weather information) from the information acquisition unit 70.

The switching request unit 86 performs a request operation for requesting the driver 122 to switch to the manual driving. Accordingly, the notification device 36 notifies the driver 122 of a manual operation request and a notification that switching should be performed to the driving of the driver 122 in accordance with a request operation (notification command) from the switching request unit 86.

The switching request point setting unit 88 sets a switching start scheduled point where a switching request requesting a manual driving switching to the driver 122 is possible and a manual switching completion point indicating completion of the switching to the manual driving among the scheduled travel routes of the host vehicle 100 indicated by the scheduled travel route information 48 while the host vehicle 100 is traveling.

The manual switching completion point is set in the vicinity of a point where the driving difficulty is high. Accordingly, the driver 122 can travel at a place where driving is difficult and easy by manual driving. The points with high driving difficulty include points such as junctions, branches, lane changes, intersections, and traffic jams, and Toll stations (including Electronic Toll Collection systems) for highways.

The driving difficulty level acquiring unit 92 acquires the driving difficulty level of the travel route on which the host vehicle 100 travels after the manual switching completion point while the host vehicle 100 is traveling. The driving difficulty level is evaluated based on index values for the surrounding environment (backlight, fog, rain, night, etc.) during manual driving, the surrounding vehicle conditions (congestion, speed of other vehicles, etc.), the road environment (curve, inclination, visibility, etc.), and the like.

The driver state acquisition unit 94 monitors the state of the driver 122, and numerically determines whether or not the state is quickly switchable to manual driving, based on the image data of the driver 122 captured by the in-vehicle camera 28, detection signals from various sensors such as the driver 122 touching the steering wheel 120, and the like, and indexes the state. For example, the driver 122 is performing periphery monitoring, dozing, operating the mobile information terminal, reading, and the like, and index them to perform numerical determination.

The steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 controls and drives at least one of the reclining mechanism 110, the telescopic mechanism 112, the seat slide mechanism 114, and the seat reclining mechanism (seat reclining mechanism)116 based on the mode conversion information from the mode conversion processing unit 80.

If the current driving mode is the 1 st driving mode and the mode switching information is the 2 nd driving mode, the steering wheel relative movement control section 82 drive-controls at least one of the various mechanisms described above so that the position of the steering wheel 120 is away from the driver 122 at stage 1, as shown in fig. 3A and 3B, for example.

Similarly, if the current driving mode is the 2 nd driving mode and the mode switching information is the 3 rd driving mode, the steering wheel relative movement control section 82 drive-controls at least one of the various mechanisms described above so that the position of the steering wheel 120 is away from the driver 122 at the 2 nd stage, as shown in fig. 3B and 3C, for example.

Similarly, if the current driving mode is the 1 st driving mode and the mode switching information is the 3 rd driving mode, the steering wheel relative movement control section 82 drive-controls at least one of the various mechanisms described above so that the position of the steering wheel 120 is away from the driver 122 at the 3 rd stage, as shown in fig. 3A and 3C, for example.

Here, as shown in fig. 3A to 6C, the 1 st stage, the 2 nd stage, or the 3 rd stage of the steering wheel 120 being away from the driver 122 differs according to various mechanisms.

First, the 1 st stage in which the steering wheel 120 is away from the driver 122 means that, in the case of the reclining mechanism 110, the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 rotates the steering column 124 of the steering wheel 120 upward by the 1 st reclining angle H θ 1 as shown in fig. 3B from the initial state (the inclination in the 1 st driving mode) shown in fig. 3A.

In the case of the telescopic mechanism 112, the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 drives the steering column 124 of the steering wheel 120 to move in parallel the 1 st separation distance Hd1 toward the front of the host vehicle 100 from the initial state (the pulled-out position in the 1 st driving mode) shown in fig. 4A as shown in fig. 4B.

In the case of the seat slide mechanism 114, the steering wheel relative movement control portion 82 drives the seat cushion 126 from the initial state (position at the time of the 1 st driving mode) shown in fig. 5A to move in parallel toward the rear of the host vehicle 100 by the 1 st separation distance Sd1 as shown in fig. 5B.

In the case of the seat reclining mechanism 116, the steering wheel relative movement control portion 82 drives the seat back 128 to rotate by the 1 st reclining angle S θ 1 rearward of the host vehicle 100 as shown in fig. 6B from the initial state (the inclination in the 1 st driving state) shown in fig. 6A.

Next, the 2 nd stage in which the steering wheel 120 is away from the driver 122 means that, in the case of the reclining mechanism 110, the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 rotates the steering column 124 of the steering wheel 120 upward by the 2 nd inclination angle H θ 2 as shown in fig. 3C from the inclination in the 2 nd driving state (see fig. 3B). Here, the relationship between the 1 st inclination angle H θ 1 and the 2 nd inclination angle H θ 2 may be H θ 1 — H θ 2, H θ 1 > H θ 2, or H θ 1 < H θ 2. Of course, H θ 1 may be H θ 2 (preset 1 st predetermined amount). Alternatively, when the maximum tilt angle of the steering column 124 is H θ max, H θ 1 may be H θ 2 — H θ max/2.

In the case of the telescopic mechanism 112, the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 drives the steering column 124 of the steering wheel 120 to move in parallel the 2 nd separation distance Hd2 toward the front of the host vehicle 100 from the pulled-out position in the 2 nd driving state (see fig. 4B) as shown in fig. 4C. The relationship between the 1 st separation distance Hd1 and the 2 nd separation distance Hd2 may be Hd1 ═ Hd2, Hd1 > Hd2, or Hd1 < Hd 2. Of course, Hd1 may be Hd2 may be Hd (predetermined 2 nd amount). Alternatively, when the maximum pull-out amount of the steering column 124 is Hdmax, Hd1 may be Hd2 Hdmax/2.

In the case of the seat slide mechanism 114, the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 drives the seat cushion 126 to move in parallel toward the rear of the host vehicle 100 by the 2 nd separation distance Sd2 from the position in the 2 nd driving state (see fig. 5B) as shown in fig. 5C. The relationship between the 1 st separation distance Sd1 and the 2 nd separation distance Sd2 may be Sd1 equal to Sd2, Sd1 > Sd2, or Sd1 < Sd 2. Of course, Sd1 may be Sd2 may be S θ (predetermined 3 rd predetermined amount). Alternatively, when the maximum moving amount of the seat cushion 126 is sdma, Sd 1-Sd 2-sdma/2 may be used.

In the case of the seat reclining mechanism 116, the steering wheel relative movement control portion 82 drives the inclination of the seat back 128 from the 2 nd driving state (see fig. 6B) to rotate the 2 nd reclining angle S θ 2 rearward of the host vehicle 100 as shown in fig. 6C. The relationship between the 1 st inclination angle S θ 1 and the 2 nd inclination angle S θ 2 may be S θ 1 equal to S θ 2, S θ 1 > S θ 2, or S θ 1 < S θ 2. Of course, S θ 1 may be set to S θ 2 and S θ (a preset 4 th predetermined amount). Alternatively, when the maximum reclining angle of the seat back 128 is S θ max, S θ 1 may be S θ 2 may be S θ max/2.

Next, the 3 rd stage in which the steering wheel 120 is away from the driver 122 means that, in the case of the reclining mechanism 110, the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 rotates the inclination (see fig. 3A) of the steering column 124 of the steering wheel 120 upward from the 1 st driving state by the 3 rd reclining angle H θ 3 (i.e., the 1 st reclining angle H θ 1+ the 2 nd reclining angle H θ 2) as shown in fig. 3C.

In the case of the telescopic mechanism 112, the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 drives the steering column 124 of the steering wheel 120 to move the 3 rd separation distance Hd3 (1 st separation distance Hd1+ 2 nd separation distance Hd2) in parallel toward the front of the host vehicle 100 from the pulled-out position in the 1 st driving state (see fig. 4A) as shown in fig. 4C.

In the case of the seat slide mechanism 114, the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 drives the seat cushion 126 to move the 3 rd separation distance Sd3 (1 st separation distance Sd1+ 2 nd separation distance Sd2) in parallel to the rear of the host vehicle 100 from the position in the 1 st driving state (see fig. 5A) as shown in fig. 5C.

In the case of the seat reclining mechanism 116, the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 drives the inclination of the seat back 128 from the 1 st driving state (see fig. 6A) to rotate the 3 rd reclining angle S θ 3 (1 st reclining angle S θ 1+ 2 nd reclining angle S θ 2) rearward of the vehicle 100 as shown in fig. 6C.

Preferably, the following components are used: the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 that relatively moves the steering wheel 120 away from the driver 122 at the 1 st stage, the 2 nd stage, or the 3 rd stage performs control in consideration of the position of the seat on which the driver 122 sits.

For example, when the seat cushion 126 is positioned at the most forward position and the seat reclining mechanism 116 is positioned at the initial position (the position where the seat cushion is not tilted forward or rearward of the vehicle 100), the reclining angle and the separation distance are not corrected.

Further, the tilt angle or the separation distance may be corrected in accordance with the following movement amount: a movement amount of the seat cushion 126 in the front-rear direction adjustment performed when the driver 122 sits on the vehicle 100 and sits on the seat, and a movement amount of the seat back 128 in the front-rear direction corresponding to the rotation angle in accordance with the adjustment of the seat reclining angle.

For example, assuming that the amount of movement of the seat cushion 126 in the front-rear direction, for example, the amount of movement to the rear of the host vehicle 100 is Δ S1, and the amount of movement to the rear direction due to the rotation angle accompanying the adjustment of the seat reclining mechanism 116 is Δ S2, and the amount of movement to the front direction of the steering wheel 120 based on the rotation angle at which the steering wheel 120 is rotated by the reclining mechanism 110 is Δ H, if Δ H- (Δ S1+ Δ S2) + Δ H, the steering wheel 120 is rotated upward by the rotation angle corresponding to Δ H. If Δ H- (Δ S1+ Δ S2) ≦ 0, upward rotation of the steering wheel 120 by the tilt mechanism 110 is not performed.

The same applies to the other telescoping mechanisms 112, seat slide mechanisms 114, and seat reclining mechanisms 116.

When it is assumed that the amount of movement for moving the steering wheel 120 forward by the plurality of mechanisms is Δ H when the plurality of mechanisms are combined to perform the relative movement of the steering wheel 120, if Δ H- (Δ S1+ Δ S2) + Δ H, the steering wheel 120 is moved forward by Δ H by the plurality of mechanisms. If Δ H- (Δ S1+ Δ S2) ≦ 0, the relative movement of the steering wheel 120 by the plurality of mechanisms is not performed.

On the other hand, the switching operation unit 96 performs a switching operation for switching from the 3 rd driving state to the 1 st driving state or from the 2 nd driving state to the 1 st driving state. The switching operation unit 96 acquires the transition time (transition time) from the switching time setting unit 90, and assists the driver 122 in completing the switching to the various driving states described above during the transition time.

For example, the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 performs a movement operation opposite to the operation of relatively moving the steering wheel 120 in a direction away from the driver 122, that is, performs an operation of relatively moving the steering wheel 120 in a direction toward the driver 122, and performs, for example, a TOR (display, voice output, or the like) for urging the driver 122 to perform manual driving. After that, the automatic driving related to steering, acceleration, deceleration, and the like is canceled in accordance with the override operation performed by the driver 122.

The switching time setting portion 90 sets the transition time T32 from the 3 rd driving state to the 2 nd driving state and the transition time T21 from the 2 nd driving state to the 1 st driving state to be shorter than the transition time T31 from the 3 rd driving state to the 1 st driving state, respectively.

This is because the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 sets the relative distance between the driver 122 and the steering wheel 120 to the maximum in the 3 rd driving state, to the minimum in the 1 st driving state, and to the intermediate distance in the 2 nd driving state, and therefore the above-described transition time is set in consideration of the time required for the steering wheel 120 to move to a position where the driver 122 can grip the steering wheel 120.

Of course, when the respective moving speeds of the reclining mechanism 110, the telescopic mechanism 112, the seat slide mechanism 114, and the seat reclining mechanism 116 can be adjusted according to the relative distance of the steering wheel 120, the various types of transition time described above may be made the same, or some of the transition times may be made the same.

Further, when the current driving mode is the 1 st driving mode and the mode transition information is the 2 nd driving mode (when the 1 st driving mode is changed to the 2 nd driving mode), and when the host vehicle 100 is changed to the parking mode or when the maximum speed is low within a certain period, that is, when the vehicle speed from the vehicle speed sensor of the host vehicle 100 is equal to or less than the threshold value within a certain period, the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 does not relatively move the steering wheel 120 and maintains the steering wheel position in the 1 st driving state.

Further, when the relative movement control of the steering wheel 120 is performed in which the current driving mode is the 1 st driving mode or the 2 nd driving mode, if the driving difficulty level acquired by the driving difficulty level acquisition unit 92 is equal to or higher than a predetermined index value, the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 decreases the relative movement amount of the steering wheel 120.

For example, if the current driving mode is the 1 st driving mode or the 2 nd driving mode and the mode switching information is the 3 rd driving mode, in the case of the tilt mechanism 110, the steering wheel relative movement control portion 82 rotates the steering column 124 of the steering wheel 120 upward by the 3 rd tilt angle H θ 3- Δ θ or the 2 nd tilt angle H θ 2- Δ θ (see fig. 3C) from the tilt in the 1 st driving state (see fig. 3A) or the tilt in the 2 nd driving state (see fig. 3B). Similarly, if the current driving mode is the 1 st driving mode and the mode switching information is the 2 nd driving mode, the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 rotates the steering column 124 of the steering wheel 120 upward by the 1 st inclination angle H θ 1 to Δ θ (see fig. 3B) from the inclination in the 1 st driving state (see fig. 3A). Accordingly, the position of the steering wheel 120 after the relative movement of the steering wheel 120 is located closer to the driver 122 than the predetermined relative movement.

This is the same for the telescoping mechanism 112, seat slide mechanism 114, and seat recliner mechanism 116, and therefore, the description thereof is omitted.

The above-described control of the relative movement of the steering wheel 120 (including the control of the corrected relative movement) may be performed in accordance with the history of the driver 122. That is, the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 acquires, for example, a travel time or a travel distance in the 2 nd driving state or the 3 rd driving state of the driver 122 as data and stores the data in the memory. If the travel time stored in the memory is equal to or longer than a predetermined time or the travel distance is equal to or longer than a predetermined distance, it is determined that the driver is familiar with the automated driving, and the relative movement control of the steering wheel 120 is performed. On the other hand, if the travel time is not longer than the predetermined time and the travel distance is not longer than the predetermined distance, the relative movement control of the steering wheel 120 is not performed. That is, since the relative movement control of the steering wheel 120 is not performed while the travel time is not longer than the predetermined time or the travel distance is not longer than the predetermined distance, the position of the steering wheel 120 is kept constant regardless of the driving state.

Of course, since the driver 122 may be riding in various vehicles, the degree of learning associated with the identification information of the driver 122, particularly the travel time or the travel distance of the driver 122 in the 2 nd driving state or the 3 rd driving state, may be acquired from the cloud (cloud service) or the like, and the travel time or the travel distance for each vehicle stored in the memory may be added to determine whether or not to perform the relative movement control of the steering wheel 120.

The above-described control of the relative movement of the steering wheel 120 may be performed by changing the relative movement amount of the steering wheel 120 or the relative movement speed of the steering wheel 120 between a case where a predetermined normal shift is performed and a case where a specific shift other than the normal shift is performed.

The normal transition as the reservation can be a transition to the 1 st driving mode due to the approach to the destination, a transition to the 1 st driving mode due to the driver 122 cancelling the automated driving, or the like. The specific transition other than the normal transition includes, for example, a transition to the 1 st driving mode due to a system defect of the host vehicle 100, a performance degradation of the system, or the like.

As described above, the relative movement control of the steering wheel 120 is performed when the 1 st driving state is shifted to the 2 nd driving state, when the 1 st driving state is shifted to the 3 rd driving state, or the like. However, when the position of the steering wheel 120 is manually changed by the driver 122, the position of the steering wheel 120 may be stored in the memory. After that, when the vehicle is switched from the 1 st driving state to the 2 nd driving state or from the 1 st driving state to the 3 rd driving state, the position of the steering wheel 120 may be read from the memory, and the relative movement control of the steering wheel 120 may be performed so that the steering wheel 120 reaches the position. Of course, the position of the steering wheel 120 may be stored in a memory in time series, and the position of the steering wheel 120 that is preferable for the driver 122 may be learned.

Next, the processing operation of the vehicle control device 10 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of fig. 7 to 13.

First, in step S1 of fig. 7, the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 acquires the current driving pattern.

In step S2, the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 acquires mode switching information from the mode switching processing unit 80, that is, acquires information on the driving mode to be switched next.

In step S3, the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 determines whether or not to switch from the 1 st driving mode to the 2 nd driving mode, that is, whether or not the current driving mode is the 1 st driving mode and the mode switching information is the 2 nd driving mode. If the determination result is positive (step S3: YES), in step S4, the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 sets the relative movement amount of the steering wheel 120 for moving the position of the steering wheel 120 away from the 1 st stage (the description is omitted because of the above description) of the driver 122.

When the driver 122 is sitting in the vehicle 100 and performs adjustment of the movement of the seat cushion 126 in the front-rear direction and adjustment of the seat tilt angle, the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 sets the relative movement amount of the steering wheel 120 in consideration of the movement amount (adjustment movement amount) associated with the adjustment, as described above. The same applies to the following.

On the other hand, if the result of the determination in the above step S3 is negative (step S3: no), the process proceeds to step S5, where it is determined whether or not the current driving mode is the 2 nd driving mode, that is, whether or not the current driving mode is the 3 rd driving mode, and the mode transition information is the 3 rd driving mode. If the determination result is positive (yes in step S5), the process proceeds to step S6, and the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 sets the relative movement amount of the steering wheel 120 for moving the position of the steering wheel 120 away from the 2 nd stage of the driver 122 (the description is omitted because of the description above).

If the result of the determination in the above step S5 is negative (step S5: no), the process proceeds to step S7, where it is determined whether or not the 1 st driving mode is switched to the 3 rd driving mode, that is, whether or not the current driving mode is the 1 st driving mode and the mode switching information is the 3 rd driving mode. If the determination result is positive, the process proceeds to step S8, and the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 sets the relative movement amount of the steering wheel 120 for moving the position of the steering wheel 120 away from the 3 rd stage of the driver 122 (the description is omitted because of the above description).

At the time point when the processing in step S4, step S6, or step S8 is completed, the process proceeds to step S9, and the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 determines whether or not the driving difficulty acquired by the driving difficulty acquisition unit 92 is equal to or higher than a predetermined index value. If the driving difficulty level is equal to or higher than the predetermined index value, the process proceeds to step S10, and the set relative movement amount of the steering wheel 120 is decreased.

When it is determined at the end of the processing at step S10 or when it is determined at step S9 that the driving difficulty level is lower than the predetermined index value, the process proceeds to step S11, where the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 drives and controls at least one of the reclining mechanism 110, the telescopic mechanism 112, the seat sliding mechanism 114, and the seat reclining mechanism 116 to move the steering wheel 120 by the set relative movement amount.

At this stage or when the result of determination at step S7 is negative (no at step S7), the relative movement process of the steering wheel 120 is once ended, but at the stage when the driving mode is switched, the relative movement process of the steering wheel 120 is started again at step S1.

Next, the joint operation of the switching time setting unit 90, the switching operation unit 96, and the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 will be described with reference to fig. 8.

First, in step S101 of fig. 8, the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 acquires the current driving mode.

In step S102, the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 acquires the mode switching information from the mode switching processing unit 80, that is, acquires the information of the driving mode to be switched next.

In step S103, the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 determines whether or not to switch from the 3 rd driving mode to the 1 st driving mode, that is, whether or not the current driving mode is the 3 rd driving mode and the mode switching information is the 1 st driving mode. If the determination result is affirmative (step S103: yes), the process proceeds to step S104, and the switching time setting unit 90 sets a transition time T31 for the transition from the 3 rd driving state to the 1 st driving state.

If the result of the determination in step S103 is negative (no in step S103), the process proceeds to step S105, and the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 determines whether or not to switch from the 2 nd driving mode to the 1 st driving mode. If the determination result is positive, the process proceeds to step S106, and the switching time setting unit 90 sets a transition time T21 (< transition time T31) for the transition from the 2 nd driving state to the 1 st driving state.

When the processing in step S104 or step S106 is completed, the process proceeds to step S107, and the switching operation unit 96 performs a switching operation for switching from the 3 rd driving state to the 1 st driving state or from the 2 nd driving state to the 1 st driving state. The switching operation unit 96 acquires the transition time from the switching time setting unit 90, and assists the driver 122 in completing the switching to the various driving states described above during the transition time.

That is, in step S108, the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 performs an operation of relatively moving the steering wheel 120 in a direction approaching the driver 122 during the transition time, and performs, for example, TOR (display, voice output, etc.) for urging the driver 122 to perform manual driving. After that, the automatic driving related to steering, acceleration, deceleration, and the like is canceled in accordance with the override operation performed by the driver 122. After that, the process is repeated from step S101 after a predetermined time has elapsed. If the result of the determination in step S105 is negative (no in step S105), the process is repeated from step S101 even after a predetermined time has elapsed.

Next, the 1 st specific processing operation (stopping of the relative movement of the steering wheel 120) performed by the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 will be described with reference to fig. 9.

First, in step S201, the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 acquires the current driving mode.

In step S202, the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 acquires the mode switching information from the mode switching processing unit 80, that is, the information of the driving mode to be switched next.

In step S203, the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 determines whether or not to switch from the 1 st driving mode to the 2 nd driving mode or the 3 rd driving mode. If the determination result is positive (yes in step S203), the process proceeds to step S204, and the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 determines whether the host vehicle 100 is in a state of switching to parking or in a state of low maximum speed for a certain period of time, based on information from the external recognition unit 62 or the like.

If the result of the determination in step S204 is affirmative (yes in step S204), the process proceeds to step S205, where the steering wheel 120 is not relatively moved and the steering wheel position in the 1 st driving mode is maintained. If the result of the determination in step S204 is negative (no in step S204), the process proceeds to step S206, and the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 drives and controls at least one of the various mechanisms described above so that the steering wheel is positioned away from the 1 st stage or the 3 rd stage of the driver 122. After that, the process is repeated from step S201 after a prescribed time has elapsed. If the result of the determination in step S204 is negative (no in step S204), the process is repeated from step S201 even after the predetermined time has elapsed.

Next, the 2 nd specifying processing operation (processing based on the history of the driver 122) performed by the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 will be described with reference to fig. 10.

First, in step S301, the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 acquires a history of the driver 122. As described above, the history may include the travel time or the travel distance of the driver 122 in the 2 nd driving state or the 3 rd driving state, or the travel time or the travel distance of the driver 122 in the 2 nd driving state or the 3 rd driving state, which is obtained based on the learning degree associated with the identification information of the driver 122.

In step S302, it is determined whether or not the history (travel time or travel distance) of the driver 122 exceeds a predetermined travel time or a predetermined travel distance. If the result of the determination in step S302 is positive (yes in step S302), the process proceeds to step S303, and the steering wheel 120 is relatively moved by the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 as described above.

If the result of the determination in step S302 is negative (no in step S302), the process proceeds to step S304, and the relative movement process of the steering wheel 120 by the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 is not performed. After that, the process is repeated from step S301 after a predetermined time has elapsed.

Next, the 3 rd specific processing operation (processing based on normal transition and specific transition) performed by the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 will be described with reference to fig. 11.

First, in step S401 in fig. 11, the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 acquires the current driving mode.

In step S402, the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 acquires the mode switching information from the mode switching processing unit 80, that is, the information of the driving mode to be switched next.

In step S403, the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 determines whether or not to switch from the 3 rd driving mode to the 1 st driving mode. If the determination result is affirmative (step S403: yes), the process proceeds to step S404, and the relative movement amount or the relative movement speed of the steering wheel 120 for the normal shift from the 3 rd driving mode to the 1 st driving mode is set.

Thereafter, in step S405, the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 determines whether or not the specific shift is other than the normal shift. The determination is made, for example, based on whether the system inspection result is a system defect or a performance degradation of the system, and if the system inspection result is a system defect or a performance degradation of the system, the determination is made as a specific transfer.

If the determination result in step S405 is the specific transition, the process proceeds to step S406, and the relative movement amount or the relative movement speed for the specific transition from the 3 rd driving mode to the 1 st driving mode is changed. That is, the relative movement amount is made smaller than the relative movement amount of the normal shift, or the relative movement speed is made faster than the relative movement speed of the normal shift.

On the other hand, if the determination result in step S403 is negative (no in step S403), the process proceeds to step S407, and the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 determines whether or not to switch from the 2 nd driving mode to the 1 st driving mode. If the determination result is affirmative (step S407: yes), the process proceeds to step S408, and the relative movement amount or the relative movement speed of the steering wheel 120 for the normal shift from the 2 nd driving mode to the 1 st driving mode is set.

After that, in step S409, the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 determines whether or not the shift is the specific shift. If the determination result is the specific transition, the process proceeds to step S410, and the relative movement amount or the relative movement speed for the specific transition from the 2 nd driving mode to the 1 st driving mode is changed. That is, the relative movement amount is made smaller than the relative movement amount of the normal shift, or the relative movement speed is made faster than the relative movement speed of the normal shift.

Then, when the processing in step S406 is completed, or when it is determined that the vehicle is not a specific travel in step S405, or when the processing in step S410 is completed, or when it is determined that the vehicle is not a specific travel in step S409, the process proceeds to step S411, in which the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 drives and controls at least one of the various mechanisms described above, and drives the steering wheel 120 at the set relative movement speed by the set relative movement amount. After that, the process is repeated from step S401 after a predetermined time has elapsed. If the result of the determination in step S407 is negative (no in step S407), the process is repeated from step S401 after a predetermined time has elapsed.

Next, the 4 th specific processing operation (processing based on the forced change of the relative position of the steering wheel 120) performed by the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 will be described with reference to fig. 12.

First, in step S501 in fig. 12, the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 acquires the current driving mode.

In step S502, the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 acquires the mode switching information from the mode switching processing unit 80, that is, acquires the information of the driving mode to be switched next.

In step S503, the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 determines whether or not to switch from the 1 st driving mode to the 2 nd driving mode. If the result of the determination is positive (step S503: YES), in step S504, the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 sets the relative movement amount of the steering wheel 120 for moving the position of the steering wheel 120 away from the 1 st stage of the driver 122.

If the determination result in the above step S503 is negative (step S503: no), the process proceeds to step S505, and it is determined whether or not the 1 st driving mode is switched to the 3 rd driving mode. If the result of the determination is positive (step S505: yes), in step S506, the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 sets the relative movement amount of the steering wheel 120 for moving the position of the steering wheel 120 away from the 3 rd stage of the driver 122.

When the process at step S504 or the process at step S506 ends, the process proceeds to step S507, and the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 controls at least one of the various mechanisms described above to drive the steering wheel 120 by the set relative movement amount.

After that, in step S508, it is determined whether or not the relative position of the steering wheel 120 after the movement is forcibly changed. This determination is made based on whether or not any one of the tilt angle of the steering column 124 adjusted by the tilt mechanism 110, the pull-out position of the steering column 124 adjusted by the telescopic mechanism 112, the slide position of the seat cushion 126 adjusted by the seat slide mechanism 114, and the tilt angle of the seat back 128 adjusted by the seat reclining mechanism 116 is forcibly changed.

If either one of the positions is changed, the process proceeds to step S509, and the relative position (the tilt angle, the pull-out position, the slide position, etc.) of the steering wheel 120 after the change is stored in the memory. After that, the process is repeated from step S501 after a predetermined time has elapsed.

When the changed relative position of the steering wheel 120 is stored in the memory, the 4 th specific processing operation performed by the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 is changed as follows.

That is, in step S601 in fig. 13, the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 acquires the current driving mode.

In step S602, the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 acquires the mode switching information from the mode switching processing unit 80, that is, the information of the driving mode to be switched next.

In step S603 and step S604, the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 determines whether or not to switch from the 1 st driving mode to the 2 nd driving mode, or whether or not to switch from the 1 st driving mode to the 3 rd driving mode. If the determination result is affirmative (yes in step S603 or yes in step S604), the process proceeds to step S605 to determine whether the relative position of the steering wheel 120 is stored in the memory. If the relative position of the steering wheel 120 is stored (yes in step S605), the process proceeds to step S606, where the relative position of the steering wheel 120 is moved to the relative position stored in the memory. If the relative position of the steering wheel 120 is not stored, the process proceeds to step S607, and the steering wheel relative movement control unit 82 drives and controls at least one of the various mechanisms described above so that the steering wheel position is away from the 1 st stage or 3 rd stage of the driver 122. Here, the process is repeated from step S601 after a predetermined time has elapsed.

As described above, the vehicle control device 10 according to the present embodiment includes: an external recognition unit 62 provided in the host vehicle 100; and a travel control device 66 that performs vehicle control based on the output of the external recognition unit 62. The travel control device 66 is capable of controlling a 1 st driving state, a 2 nd driving state, and a 3 rd driving state, where the 1 st driving state is a driving state in which the driver 122 needs to perform periphery monitoring and the driver 122 needs to grip the steering wheel 120; the 2 nd driving state is a driving state in which the driver 122 needs to perform periphery monitoring and the driver 122 does not need to hold the steering wheel 120; the 3 rd driving state is a driving state in which the driver 122 does not need to perform periphery monitoring and the driver 122 does not need to hold the steering wheel 120. The travel control device 66 performs relative movement control of the steering wheel 120 as follows: the distance separating the position of the steering wheel 120 from the driver 122 is increased in the 2 nd driving state relative to the 1 st driving state, and the distance separating the position of the steering wheel 120 from the driver 122 is increased in the 3 rd driving state relative to the 2 nd driving state.

By setting the steering wheel 120 to an appropriate position in accordance with the automatic driving level, the steering wheel 120 can be shifted to an optimal position with respect to the manual operation request, the override control, and the take-over. For example, the setting to the intermediate position in the 2 nd driving state is advantageous in that the driver can stop at a position where the manual operation, the override control, and the take-over can be performed in consideration of the frequency of the manual operation request, the override control, and the take-over, and the feeling of reassurance of the driver 122 on the automatic driving can be improved.

The "distance between the driver 122 and the position of the steering wheel 120 is increased" may be, for example, a distance between the driver 122 and the position of the steering wheel 120 that is increased, a distance between the driver 122 and the seat that the driver 122 sits on, a distance between the driver and the seat that the driver 122 sits on, and a distance between the driver and the seat that the driver 122 sits on, or a distance between the driver and the vehicle 100 that is decreased.

In the present embodiment, the transition time from the 2 nd driving state to the 1 st driving state is set to be shorter than the transition time from the 3 rd driving state to the 1 st driving state (time from TOR to override control).

Accordingly, the relative distance from the driver 122 to the steering wheel 120 can be set in accordance with the transition time. That is, it is possible to set: the longer the transfer time, the greater the relative distance from the driver 122 to the steering wheel 120, and the shorter the transfer time, the shorter the relative distance from the driver 122 to the steering wheel 120.

In the present embodiment, when the vehicle is in the parking state or the state in which the maximum speed is low when the vehicle is shifted from the 1 st driving state to the 2 nd driving state, the steering wheel position in the 1 st driving state is not changed.

In contrast to automatic driving on a traveling road, there are driving alternation (override or take-over) to the driver 122, emergency avoidance, and the like at the time of Automatic Parking (AP), and since the driving operation time can be completed in a short time, it is preferable and reasonable not to change the steering wheel position at the time of the 1 st driving state.

In the present embodiment, the relative movement amount of the steering wheel 120 when the 1 st driving state is shifted to the 2 nd driving state and the relative movement amount of the steering wheel 120 when the 2 nd driving state is shifted to the 3 rd driving state are predetermined amounts.

When the driving state is shifted from the 1 st driving state to the 2 nd driving state, the steering wheel 120 is relatively moved by a predetermined amount, and when the driving state is shifted from the 2 nd driving state to the 3 rd driving state, the steering wheel 120 is also relatively moved by a predetermined amount. That is, since the steering wheel 120 is relatively moved in the same manner regardless of the riding, the occupant can feel a sense of security with respect to the relative movement of the steering wheel 120.

In the present embodiment, when the position of the steering wheel 120 in the 3 rd driving state is set to the maximum accommodation state, an intermediate position between the position of the steering wheel 120 in the 1 st driving state and the maximum accommodation state is set to the position of the steering wheel 120 in the 2 nd driving state.

By setting the steering wheel position in the 3 rd driving state to the maximum accommodation state, the feeling of pressure on the driver 122 in the 3 rd driving state can be relaxed, the driver 122 can feel a sense of freedom from driving with a sense of spatial openness.

In the present embodiment, the relative movement control of the steering wheel 120 is performed when the travel time or the travel distance in the 2 nd driving state or the 3 rd driving state, or the learning degree (travel time, travel distance, etc.) associated with the identification information of the driver 122 is a predetermined value or more (for example, 50 hours or more, for example, 500km or more), and the relative movement control of the steering wheel 120 is not performed when the travel time or the travel distance, or the learning degree associated with the identification information of the driver 122 is a predetermined value or less.

When the steering wheel 120 is relatively moved according to the driving state, the driver 122 may be given a sense of unease when the driver is not accustomed to the automatic driving. Therefore, when the driver is not accustomed to the automatic driving, the relative movement control of the steering wheel 120 is not performed, and the relative position of the steering wheel 120 is set to a position where the override control or the take-over is easy to perform, whereby the feeling of reassurance to the automatic driving is improved. Then, the relative movement of the steering wheel 120 based on the driving state is performed in a stage where the autonomous driving is used. The learning degree associated with the identification information of the driver 122 may be a total of learning times (travel time, travel distance, and the like) of autonomous driving in various vehicles, in addition to 1 vehicle.

In the present embodiment, the relative movement control of the steering wheel 120 is performed in accordance with the seat position of the driver 122. By performing the relative movement of the steering wheel 120 in accordance with the seat position, it is possible to avoid the situation where the steering wheel 120 is not touched by hand at the time of the manual operation request, the override control, and the take-over.

In the present embodiment, when the 3 rd driving state is shifted to the 2 nd driving state or the 1 st driving state, the shift amount or the shift speed is changed between when a predetermined normal shift (approach to the destination, cancel operation by the driver 122) is performed and when a specific shift other than the normal shift (system failure, performance degradation, or the like) is performed.

By changing the movement amount or the movement speed between the normal state and the abnormal state (in the abnormal state, the movement amount or the movement speed is larger than a predetermined movement amount or movement speed), the driving alternation to the driver 122 can be performed promptly (override control or take over).

In the present embodiment, when the relative movement control of the steering wheel 120 in the 3 rd driving state or the 2 nd driving state is performed, the driving difficulty level is detected, and when a predetermined condition is satisfied, the relative movement amount of the steering wheel 120 is reduced.

When the driving difficulty level is equal to or higher than a predetermined index value when the driving state is shifted from the 3 rd driving state to the 2 nd driving state, or the driving state is shifted from the 3 rd driving state to the 1 st driving state, the relative movement amount of the steering wheel 120 is increased in consideration of the possibility of the driver 122 performing the override control, and the steering wheel 120 can be moved forward of the driver 122. Accordingly, the feeling of ease of override is improved, and the ease of operation of the override is also improved.

The vehicle control device 10 according to the present embodiment includes: an external recognition unit 62 provided in the host vehicle 100; and a travel control device 66 that performs vehicle control based on the output of the external world identification unit 62. The travel control device 66 is capable of controlling a 1 st driving state and a 2 nd driving state, wherein the 1 st driving state is a driving state in which the driver 122 needs to hold the steering wheel; the 2 nd driving state refers to a driving state in which the driver 122 does not need to hold the steering wheel. The relative movement control of the steering wheel 120 is performed such that the steering wheel position is separated from the driver 122 in the 2 nd driving state with respect to the 1 st driving state, and when the position of the steering wheel 120 is changed in the 2 nd driving state, the position is stored, and when the driving state is shifted from the 1 st driving state to the 2 nd driving state again, the steering wheel 120 is controlled to move to the stored position.

By learning the position of the steering wheel 120 when performing automated driving, the steering wheel 120 can be positioned to facilitate override control and take over for the driver 122, and the driver 122 can be given a sense of reassurance. Of course, there are also cases where the driver 122 wants to keep the steering wheel 120 at the position of the steering wheel 120 in the 1 st driving state so that the override control or take over can be performed at any time even in the 2 nd driving state. In such a case, when the vehicle shifts to the 2 nd driving state, the control of the relative movement of the steering wheel 120 can be stopped, and unintended control of the movement of the steering wheel 120 can be suppressed.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it is needless to say that the present invention can be freely modified within a range not departing from the gist of the present invention.

Claims (10)

1. A vehicle control device characterized in that,

having an environment detection means (62) and a travel control device (66), wherein,

the environment recognition means (62) is provided in a vehicle (100);

the travel control device (66) performs vehicle control based on the output of the environment recognition means,

the running control means is capable of controlling a 1 st driving state, a 2 nd driving state, and a 3 rd driving state, wherein,

the 1 st driving state is a driving state in which a driver needs to perform periphery monitoring and the driver needs to hold a steering wheel (120);

the 2 nd driving state is a driving state in which the driver needs to perform periphery monitoring and the driver does not need to hold a steering wheel;

the 3 rd driving state is a driving state in which peripheral monitoring by the driver is not required and gripping of a steering wheel by the driver is not required,

performing relative movement control of the steering wheel in such a manner as to enlarge a separation distance of the position of the steering wheel from the driver when shifting from the 1 st driving state to the 2 nd driving state,

performing relative movement control of the steering wheel to further expand a separation distance of the position of the steering wheel from the driver when shifting from the 2 nd driving state to the 3 rd driving state.

2. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1,

the transition time from the 2 nd driving state to the 1 st driving state is set to be shorter than the transition time from the 3 rd driving state to the 1 st driving state.

3. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1,

when shifting from the 1 st driving state to the 2 nd driving state, the position of the steering wheel in the 1 st driving state is not changed when parking or the maximum speed is low.

4. The vehicle control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the relative movement amount of the steering wheel when the vehicle is shifted from the 1 st driving state to the 2 nd driving state and the relative movement amount of the steering wheel when the vehicle is shifted from the 2 nd driving state to the 3 rd driving state are predetermined amounts.

5. The vehicle control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

when the position of the steering wheel set in the 3 rd driving state is a maximum accommodation state, an intermediate position between the position of the steering wheel in the 1 st driving state and the maximum accommodation state is set as the position of the steering wheel in the 2 nd driving state.

6. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1,

performing relative movement control of the steering wheel when a travel time or a travel distance in the 2 nd driving state or the 3 rd driving state or a learning degree associated with the identification information of the driver is equal to or more than a predetermined value,

when the travel time or the travel distance or the learning degree associated with the driver identification information is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the relative movement control of the steering wheel is not performed.

7. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1,

the control of the relative movement of the steering wheel is controlled in accordance with the position of the driver's seat.

8. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1,

when the 3 rd driving state is shifted to the 2 nd driving state or the 1 st driving state, the amount of movement or the speed of movement is changed between a case where a normal shift is performed as predetermined and a case where a specific shift other than the normal shift is performed.

9. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1,

when the relative movement control of the steering wheel in the 3 rd driving state or the 2 nd driving state is performed, a driving difficulty level is detected, and when the driving difficulty level satisfies a predetermined condition, the relative movement amount of the steering wheel is reduced.

10. A vehicle control device characterized in that,

having an environment recognition means (62) and a travel control device (66), wherein,

the environment recognition means (62) is provided in a vehicle (100);

the travel control device (66) performs vehicle control based on the output of the environment recognition means,

the travel control device is capable of controlling a 1 st driving state in which gripping of a steering wheel (120) by a driver is required and a 2 nd driving state in which gripping of the steering wheel by the driver is not required,

performing relative movement control of the steering wheel in such a manner that the position of the steering wheel is distanced from the driver when shifting from the 1 st driving state to the 2 nd driving state,

in the case where the position of the steering wheel is changed in the 2 nd driving state, the position is stored,

and controlling the steering wheel to move to the stored position when the 1 st driving state is shifted to the 2 nd driving state again.

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