Vehicle control system, vehicle control method and vehicle control program

A vehicle control system comprising:

• a windshield provided in the front side of a vehicle, the windshield always blocking visual light from outside to inside of the vehicle, and
• a camera for imaging a front of the vehicle;
• a display controller for displaying an image captured by the camera on the windshield;
• an automated driving controller for executing any of a plurality of driving modes which include an automated driving mode for automatically performing at least one of speed control and steering control of the vehicle and a manual driving mode for performing both of the speed control and the steering control based on operation of an occupant of the vehicle;
• and
• a visual field condition controller for controlling a front visual field condition of the vehicle in accordance with the driving mode executed by the automated driving controller such that the front visual field condition is in either a visible condition or a visual difficulty condition, the visual difficulty condition having lower visibility than the visible condition,
• wherein the visual field condition controller controls the front visual field condition of the vehicle from the visual difficulty condition to the visible condition by displaying on the windshield the image captured by the camera by using the display controller.

A vehicle control method implemented by an on-vehicle computer equipped on a vehicle, comprising steps of:

• (i) executing any of a plurality of driving modes which include an automated driving mode for automatically performing at least one of speed control and steering control of a vehicle and a manual driving mode for performing both of the speed control and the steering control based on operation of an occupant of the vehicle;
• and
• (ii) controlling a front visual field condition of the vehicle in accordance with the executed driving mode such that the front visual field condition is in either a visible condition or a visual difficulty condition, the visual difficulty condition having lower visibility than the visible condition,
• wherein the vehicle comprises:
• a windshield provided on a front side of a vehicle;
• a camera for imaging a front of the vehicle;
• and
• a display controller for displaying an image captured by the camera on the windshield,
• wherein when the front visual field condition of the vehicle is switched from the visual difficulty condition to the visible condition through transition time between the visual difficulty condition to the visible condition, the step (ii) displays the image captured by the camera on the windshield by using the display controller during the transition time.

A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a vehicle control program which causes an on-board computer equipped on a vehicle to:

• execute any of a plurality of driving modes which include an automated driving mode for automatically performing at least one of speed control and steering control of a vehicle and a manual driving mode for performing both of the speed control and the steering control based on operation of an occupant of the vehicle;
• and
• control a front visual field condition of the vehicle in accordance with the executed driving mode such that the front visual field condition is in either a visible condition or a visual difficulty condition, the visual difficulty condition having lower visibility than the visible condition,
• wherein the vehicle comprises:
• a windshield provided on a front side of a vehicle;
• a camera for imaging a front of the vehicle;
• and
• a display controller for displaying an image captured by the camera on the windshield,
• wherein when the front visual field condition of the vehicle is switched from the visual difficulty condition to the visible condition through transition time between the visual difficulty condition to the visible condition, the on-board computer displays the image captured by the camera on the windshield by using the display controller during the transition time.