JP2002264687A - Vehicle-to-vehicle distance control device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle-to-vehicle distance control device that can omit switch operation even when travel environment changes. SOLUTION: A plurality of detected environmental states detected by an environmental state detecting means 10 in the past are stored as environmental sets based on the degree of similarity in a similar set storage means 15. A similar set determining means 11 determines the most similar set out of the environmental sets to new detected environmental states newly detected by the environmental state detecting means 10. A setting changing means 12 refers to a setting change rule storage means 19 on the basis of the similar set and changes the setting of a vehicle-to-vehicle distance control means 13. A driver's reaction determining means 17 determines a driver's reaction (affirmative or negative) to the control of the vehicle-to-vehicle distance control device 13 from the detected result of the driver's state detecting means 16. According to the determined result, a setting change rule updating means 18 updates the setting change rule stored in the setting change rule storage means 19.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an inter-vehicle distance control apparatus, and more particularly, to a method of detecting a driver's reaction to control of the inter-vehicle distance control apparatus and automatically updating a setting change rule, thereby improving characteristics and characteristics of the driver. The present invention relates to an inter-vehicle distance control device that learns a setting change rule adapted to tastes.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An inter-vehicle distance control device has been developed for the purpose of improving the traveling safety of a vehicle and reducing the burden on the driver in driving operation. This inter-vehicle distance control device performs control to maintain the target set inter-vehicle distance when the preceding vehicle is present and to run the vehicle at a target set speed when there is no preceding vehicle. Control, and when the vehicle departs from the target set inter-vehicle distance or set speed, a target acceleration / deceleration is set, and an acceleration / deceleration corresponding to the target acceleration / deceleration is generated. Control to achieve the following.

[0003] In recent years, the development of such an inter-vehicle distance control device has been accompanied by the development of technology for reducing the operation burden of switches and the like in order to provide more comfortable and safer assistance to the driver, and furthermore, in response to changes in the environment. The development of technology for reducing the operational burden by automatically changing the control law in response to the change, and for providing inter-vehicle distance control that matches the driver's senses, has been active.

For example, the automatic cruise control device and the storage medium described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-177427 operate a coast switch in order to enable the vehicle speed to be changed to the set vehicle speed intended by the driver. When the switch operation time is shorter than the predetermined time, the accelerator is decelerated with the accelerator off, but when the switch is operated for the predetermined time or longer, the deceleration is performed by performing a downshift that has a larger deceleration effect than the accelerator off. Is going. With the development of such technology, the operational burden on the driver until the vehicle speed changes to the set vehicle speed intended by the driver is reduced.

In the vehicle control device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-329657, a driving environment condition is estimated from GPS and map information, and an appropriate throttle opening and transmission are automatically determined on an uphill or downhill. By making a selection, the driving feeling is improved.

[0006]

However, in the former prior art, the switch operation for a long time is certainly eliminated, but the setting of the setting can be made when the driving environment changes or by the driver's judgment at each time. The problem remains that the change has to be made by a switch operation.

Further, according to the latter prior art, the throttle opening and the control law of the transmission are changed only when the environment appears under a predetermined environment setting such as uphill or downhill or curve. Although the former switch operation is avoided and the driving feeling is improved, the type of environment originally changes dynamically and dynamically, such as weather and the situation of surrounding vehicles. Therefore, it is not sufficient to set only a limited road environment such as uphill or downhill. Furthermore, there are individual differences in driver preferences, and even when the same control is performed in the same environment, some people may feel comfortable, but some people may feel uncomfortable. There was a problem.

[0008] In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an inter-vehicle distance control device that can omit a switch operation even when the traveling environment changes.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an inter-vehicle distance control apparatus which can omit a switch operation by automatically changing a control setting rule according to a diversified and dynamically changing driving environment. It is.

A further object of the present invention is to automatically change the control setting rule according to the characteristics and preferences of the driver,
An object of the present invention is to provide an inter-vehicle distance control device that can omit a switch operation.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, when a preceding vehicle is present, control is performed to maintain the target set inter-vehicle distance so that the vehicle travels. When the vehicle does not exist, control is performed to make the vehicle run at a target set speed, and when the vehicle departs from the set inter-vehicle distance or the set speed, a target acceleration / deceleration is set, and the acceleration / deceleration according to the target acceleration / deceleration is set. Is generated, an inter-vehicle distance control unit that performs control to achieve the set inter-vehicle distance or the set speed, an environment state detection unit that detects a state of an environment in which the vehicle is traveling, and the environment state detection unit A similar set storage unit that classifies and stores a plurality of detected environment states detected in the above as one or more environment sets based on the degree of similarity, and a new detection state newly detected by the environment state detection unit. A similar set determining means for determining a similar set most similar to the environmental set in the environment set; and a setting change rule storing means for storing a setting change rule of the inter-vehicle distance control means corresponding to the environment set. And a setting change unit that changes the setting of the inter-vehicle distance control unit with reference to the setting change rule storage unit based on the similar set,
A similar set updating unit for assigning the newly detected environment state to the similar set; a driver state detecting unit for detecting a driver state; and the inter-vehicle distance based on the driver state detected by the driver state detecting unit. A driver response determining unit that determines a driver's response to the control of the distance control device, and a setting that updates the setting change rule stored in the setting change rule storage unit based on a determination result of the driver response determining unit. And a change rule updating means.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an inter-vehicle distance control apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the setting of the inter-vehicle distance control means changed by the setting change means is the set inter-vehicle distance, The gist is that the speed is one of the set speed and the target acceleration / deceleration.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an inter-vehicle distance control apparatus according to the first or second aspect, wherein the similar set updating means assigns the newly detected environment state to the similar set. As a result, when the similarity between the plurality of environmental states belonging to the similar set is lower than a predetermined value, the similar set is divided into a plurality of similar sets,
Further, the gist of the present invention is to include a similar set division / merging unit that merges with another similar set when the similarity between a plurality of environmental states belonging to the similar set becomes higher than a predetermined value.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an inter-vehicle distance control apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the driver reaction determining means includes:
The support / non-support of the driver for the control of the inter-vehicle distance control means is determined, and if the determination result is unsupported, the setting change rule updating means sets the setting stored in the setting change rule holding means. The gist is to change the change rule.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the inter-vehicle distance control device according to the fourth aspect, wherein the driver state detecting means detects a physical state of the driver. Wherein the driver reaction determining means determines that the driver is unsupported when the driver's tension state based on the detection result of the tension state detecting means is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. Make a summary.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an inter-vehicle distance control apparatus according to the fifth aspect, wherein the tension detecting means includes a driver's electrocardiographic sensor, a respiratory curve sensor, a pressure sensor, and a skin. The gist of the present invention is to include any of the potential sensors.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an inter-vehicle distance control apparatus according to any one of the fourth to sixth aspects, wherein the driver state detecting means comprises:
It has operation history detection means for detecting the operation history of the driver,
The driver reaction determination means determines that the driver is unsupported when the operation history of the driver by the operation history detection means is an operation history against the control of the following distance control device. Make a summary.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention according to claim 8 is the vehicle-to-vehicle distance control device according to claim 7, wherein the operation history detecting means comprises: an operation amount of a driver's accelerator pedal; The gist of the present invention is to detect at least one of an operation amount, a driver's brake depressing force, a state of a following distance setting switch that sets the set inter-vehicle distance, and a state of a vehicle speed setting switch that sets the set vehicle degree. .

[0019]

According to the first aspect of the invention, when a preceding vehicle is present, control is performed to maintain the target set inter-vehicle distance and the vehicle is driven, and when there is no preceding vehicle, the target set speed is set. In the case of departure from the set inter-vehicle distance or the set speed, a target acceleration / deceleration is set, and an acceleration / deceleration corresponding to the target acceleration / deceleration is generated, whereby the set inter-vehicle distance is set. Inter-vehicle distance control means for controlling the distance and the set speed; environmental state detecting means for detecting the state of the environment in which the vehicle is traveling; and a plurality of detected environments previously detected by the environmental state detecting means. A similar set storage unit for classifying and storing states as one or more environment sets based on similarity, and the environment set for a newly detected environment state newly detected by the environment state detection unit. A similarity set determining means for determining a similarity set that is the most similar among them; a setting change rule storage means for storing a setting change rule of the inter-vehicle distance control means corresponding to the environment set; and A setting change unit that changes the setting of the inter-vehicle distance control unit, a similar set updating unit that assigns the new detection environment state to the similar set, and a state of the driver with reference to the setting change rule storage unit. Driver state detecting means, driver response determining means for determining a driver's response to the control of the inter-vehicle distance control device based on the driver state detected by the driver state detecting means, and driver response determining Setting change rule updating means for updating the setting change rule stored in the setting change rule storage means based on the determination result of the means. Will be able to update the configuration changes law to determine the reaction of the person, there is an effect that it is possible to provide the control that matches the preference of the driver regardless of the operating environment.

According to the second aspect of the invention, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, the setting of the inter-vehicle distance control means changed by the setting change means includes the set inter-vehicle distance, the set speed, Since any one of the target acceleration / deceleration is set, it is possible to follow the configuration of the conventional inter-vehicle distance control device, and there is an effect that the device can be realized at low cost.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the first or second aspect, the similar set updating means assigns the new detection environment state to the similar set. If the degree of similarity between the plurality of environmental states belonging to the similar set is lower than a predetermined value, the similar set is divided into a plurality of similar sets, and the plurality of environments belonging to the similar set. When the similarity between the states becomes higher than a predetermined value, a similar set dividing and merging means for merging with another similar set is provided, so that the environment set can be dynamically changed, and when the driving environment changes, However, there is an effect that appropriate inter-vehicle distance control can be provided.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effects of the first to third aspects of the present invention, the driver's reaction determining means supports the driver with respect to the control of the inter-vehicle distance control means. It is determined that the setting is not supported, and if the determination result is not supported, the setting change rule updating unit changes the setting change rule held in the setting change rule holding unit. There is an effect that inter-vehicle distance control that matches taste can be realized.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, in addition to the effect of the fourth aspect of the invention, the driver state detecting means includes:
It has a tension state detecting means for detecting a physical tension state of the driver, the driver reaction determination means, when the driver's tension state based on the detection result of the tension state detection means is a predetermined value or more Has determined that the driver is unsupported, so that it is possible to accurately detect the tension state without being influenced by individual differences of the driver and accurately determine support / non-support of the control. This has the effect.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the fifth aspect of the present invention, the tension detecting means includes a driver's electrocardiographic sensor, respiratory curve sensor, pressure sensor, and skin potential sensor. Either of them has an effect that the tension state of the driver can be detected with a simple configuration.

According to the seventh aspect of the invention, in addition to the effects of the fourth to sixth aspects, the driver state detecting means includes an operation history detecting means for detecting an operation history of the driver. The driver reaction determination means determines that the driver is unsupported when the operation history of the driver by the operation history detection means is an operation history against the control of the inter-vehicle distance control device. Therefore, there is an effect that the support / non-support of the control can be accurately determined.

According to the invention described in claim 8, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 7, the operation history detecting means includes a driver's operation amount of an accelerator pedal, a driver's operation amount of a brake pedal, Since at least one of the driver's brake depressing force, the following inter-vehicle distance setting switch that sets the set inter-vehicle distance, and the state of the vehicle speed setting switch that sets the set vehicle speed is detected, it is simple and inexpensive. The configuration has an effect that the operation history of the driver can be detected.

[0027]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a first embodiment of an inter-vehicle distance control device according to the present invention. In the figure, an inter-vehicle distance control device performs control to maintain a target set inter-vehicle distance when a preceding vehicle is present and to run at a target set speed when there is no preceding vehicle. Control, and when the vehicle departs from the set inter-vehicle distance or the set speed, a target acceleration / deceleration is set, and an acceleration / deceleration corresponding to the target acceleration / deceleration is generated. Distance control means 1 for performing control for achieving
3, an environment state detecting means 10 for detecting the state of the environment in which the vehicle is traveling, and one or more environment sets based on the similarity between a plurality of detected environment states detected by the environment state detecting means 10 in the past. Similar set storage means 1 for classifying and storing as
5, a similar set determining unit 11 for determining a similar set which is the most similar to the newly detected environmental state newly detected by the environmental state detecting unit 10 in the environmental set, and an inter-vehicle distance corresponding to the environmental set. A setting change rule storage means 19 for storing a change rule of the setting of the control means 13, and an inter-vehicle distance control means 1 referring to the setting change rule storage means 19 based on the similar set;
Setting changing means 12 for changing the setting of the third setting; and similar set updating means 1 for assigning the new detection environment state to the similar set.
4 and driver state detecting means 16 for detecting the state of the driver
And a driver response determining unit 17 for determining a driver's response to the control of the following distance control device based on the driver's state detected by the driver state detecting unit 16; Based on the setting change rule storage means 19
And a setting change rule updating means 18 for updating the setting change rule stored in the storage device.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration embodying the inter-vehicle distance control device. In FIG. 2, the following distance control device includes a following distance control circuit 26, an acceleration setting change circuit 25, a following distance detecting device 20 for detecting a following distance between the vehicle running ahead, and an illuminance around the vehicle. An illuminance detecting device 21 for detecting, a lane width detecting device 22 for detecting a width of a lane in which the vehicle travels, a congestion degree detecting device 23 for detecting a congestion degree around the vehicle, a similar set determination circuit 24, and a similar set update A circuit 27, an accelerator pedal operation amount detection device 29, a brake depression force detection device 30, a following inter-vehicle distance setting switch detection device 31, a vehicle speed setting switch detection device 32, a driver response determination circuit 33, and a setting change rule An update circuit 34, a first storage device 28, and a second storage device 35 are provided.

The inter-vehicle distance detecting device 20 calculates the inter-vehicle distance by measuring a reciprocating time of an energy beam to a preceding vehicle using, for example, a laser radar or an ultrasonic sensor. The lane width detection device 22 obtains a lane width by performing image processing on a forward image captured by a vehicle-mounted camera. The congestion degree detection device 23 detects a vehicle passing by the side of the vehicle with an ultrasonic sensor or the like, estimates the congestion degree based on the number of vehicles passing per unit time, or detects the congestion degree based on the frequency of vehicles that interrupt ahead. There are things to estimate.

The accelerator pedal operation amount detection device 29 detects the operation amount of the accelerator pedal by the driver. The brake depression force detection device 30 detects the driver's depression on the brake. The following inter-vehicle distance setting switch detecting device 31 detects a state of a following inter-vehicle distance setting switch for the driver to set the following inter-vehicle distance. The vehicle speed setting switch detecting device 32 detects a state of a vehicle speed setting switch for setting a traveling vehicle speed when traveling at a constant vehicle speed.

The accelerator pedal operation amount detecting device 29, the brake pedal force detecting device 30, the following inter-vehicle distance setting switch detecting device 31, and the vehicle speed setting switch detecting device 32
An operation history detecting means for detecting the operation history of the driver is constituted, and the operation history of the driver based on these detection signals is determined by the driver reaction determination circuit 33, and the operation history against the control state of the following distance control device is obtained. In this case, the driver determines that the driver is not supported by the control state (claims 7 and 8).

The correspondence between the components in FIG. 2 and the components in the claim correspondence diagram shown in FIG. 1 is as follows. Inter-vehicle distance detection device 20, illuminance detection device 21, lane width detection device 2
2, and the congestion degree detection device 23
Is configured. The similar set determining circuit 24 includes the similar set determining unit 11, the acceleration setting changing circuit 25 includes the setting changing unit 12, and the inter-vehicle distance control circuit 26 includes the inter-vehicle distance controlling unit 13.
The similar set updating circuit 27 sets the similar set updating unit 14 to
The setting change rule updating circuit 34 constitutes the setting change rule updating means 18. Further, the accelerator pedal operation amount detecting device 29, the brake pedal force detecting device 30, the following inter-vehicle distance setting switch detecting device 31, and the vehicle speed setting switch detecting device 32 constitute the driver state detecting means 16, and the driver reaction determining circuit 33 The second storage device 35 constitutes the driver reaction determination means 17. The first storage device 28 constitutes the similar set storage means 15 and the setting change rule storage means 19.

Next, referring to the flowchart of FIG.
The processing flow of the first embodiment will be described step by step. First, in step S101, the inter-vehicle distance control circuit 26 detects a scene in which acceleration is generated, and proceeds to step S102.

In step S102, the similar set determination circuit 2
Numeral 4 detects environmental information around the vehicle via an inter-vehicle distance detecting device 20, an illuminance detecting device 21, a lane width detecting device 22, and a congestion degree detecting device 23. Here, the detected environmental information S {vehicle distance, illuminance, lane width, degree of congestion} = _{S {s} 1, _s
2 , s ₃ , s ₄ }.

In step S103, the similar set determination circuit 24 refers to the first storage device 28 and executes step S104.
A set of environment information that is most similar to the environment information S obtained in step is selected. The first storage device 28 stores a plurality of sets of similar environmental information of scenes in which acceleration has occurred in the past as one set, and furthermore, in the present embodiment, environmental information belonging to each set. , The average value of each attribute is held as the feature value of each set. now,
The feature values of the environment set C _i are defined as G _i ｛g _i1 , g _i2 ,
g _i3 , g _i4 }, the environment information S and the environment set C _i
The similarity R _i of

(Equation 1) It can be expressed by equation (1).

An environment set C most similar to the environment information S
_m indicates a value having the minimum similarity R _i . Step S103
Ends here, and thereafter, the process branches into a sub-process 1 (S200) for processing the acceleration and a sub-process 2 (S220) for processing a set of environmental conditions. Alternatively, these may be processed in parallel.

Next, the sub-process 1 for performing the acceleration process (S2
00) will be described step by step with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Steps S204 to S20 in FIG.
The processing of No. 8 corresponds to claim 4.

In step S201, the acceleration setting change circuit 25 obtains a target acceleration value with reference to an acceleration table in which the environment set and the acceleration value stored in the first storage device 28 are associated. For example, when the acceleration table shown in FIG. 5 is stored, since the most similar environment set obtained in step S103 was C _m, the target acceleration a is a =
0.1 G (gravity acceleration G = 9.81 [m / s ² ]).

In step S202, the inter-vehicle distance control circuit 26 performs control to generate an acceleration based on the target acceleration a obtained in step S201.

In step S203, the driver response determination circuit 33 collects information on the driver's response to the acceleration generated by the following distance control circuit 26. This information
The information is collected via an accelerator pedal operation amount detection device 29, a brake depression force detection device 30, a following inter-vehicle distance setting switch detection device 31, and a vehicle speed setting switch detection device 32.

The following inter-vehicle distance setting switch detecting device 31 in this embodiment is of a type that transmits +1 when the inter-vehicle distance is operated in the reduction direction, -1 when the inter-vehicle distance is operated in the enlargement direction, and 0 when no operation is performed. The vehicle speed setting switch detection device 32 is of a type that transmits +1 when operated in the direction of accelerating the vehicle speed, -1 when operated in the deceleration direction, and 0 when not operated. Here, the detected driver's reaction information is assumed to be B {accelerator pedal operation amount, brake depression force, following inter-vehicle distance setting switch, vehicle speed setting switch} = B {b ₁ , b ₂ , b ₃ , b ₄ }.

In step S204, step S203
With reference to the driver response determination table stored in the second storage device 35, the driver's response information obtained in step (1) is determined. The determination of the driver's reaction is made in step S205 as to whether or not the acceleration generated in S202 is affirmative.
When it is not affirmative (negative), it is determined in step S206 whether or not it is negative in the acceleration direction.

For example, the driver response determination table is given in the format shown in FIG.
Suppose that it was 5,0.0,0,0 °. At this time, referring to the driver reaction determination table, "No in the acceleration direction"
Vehicle speed result. It is considered that the driver accelerated against the acceleration of the control, that is, it is considered that the driver wants more acceleration in this situation. Therefore, in the present embodiment, such a state is determined as “negation in the acceleration direction” for the control.

On the other hand, if the driver's reaction information is B ｛0.0,
0.0, 0, -1}. At this time, referring to the driver reaction determination table, a result of “negative in the deceleration direction” is obtained. It is considered that the driver performed an operation to decelerate against the acceleration of the control, that is, in the current situation, the driver did not want the acceleration enough to be instructed by the inter-vehicle distance control circuit. Can be
Therefore, in the present embodiment, such a situation is determined to be “negative in the deceleration direction” for the control. Furthermore, if no change is found in the driver's reaction information, the control is determined to be "yes." When it is determined that “negative in the deceleration direction”, the process proceeds to step S207, and when it is determined that “negative in the deceleration direction”, the process proceeds to step S208.
In the case of "affirmative", the sub-process 1 ends, and returns to step S104 shown in FIG.

In step S207, step S204
Since the reaction of the driver is "negative acceleration direction" in, in the acceleration table referred to in step S201, updates the direction of increasing the acceleration value corresponding to the environmental set C _m. The update process follows the acceleration change rule held in the first storage device 28. For example, if the acceleration change rule is given in the form shown in FIG. 7, the acceleration value a = 0 in the acceleration table This is realized by adding 0.01 G to .1 G to set a = 0.11 G. This processing is performed by the setting change rule updating circuit 34 referring to the first storage device 28. With this step, the sub-process 1 ends, and the step S shown in FIG.
Return to 104.

In step S208, step S204
Since the reaction of the driver is "negative in the deceleration direction" in, in the acceleration table referred to in step S201, the update in a direction to reduce the acceleration value corresponding to the environmental set C _m. The update process follows the acceleration change rule held in the first storage device 28. For example, if the acceleration change rule is given in the form shown in FIG. 7, the acceleration value a = 0 in the acceleration table This is realized by subtracting 0.01 G from .1 G to set a = 0.09 G.
This processing is performed by the setting change rule updating circuit 34 referring to the first storage device 28. With this step, the sub-process 1 ends, and the process returns to step S104 shown in FIG.

Next, sub-process 2 for processing the environment set
The processing flow of (S220) will be described step by step with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. Step S22 in FIG.
2 to S225 correspond to claim 3.

In step S221, step S102
In the environmental information S has been detected to add to the environmental set C _m of environmental information S is most similar. Additional work in the interior of the first storage device 28, in addition to storing the environmental information S by adding the index of the environment set C _m, the characteristic values of the environment set C _m G _{m =} {g
_{m1, g m2, g m3,} g m4} , and the environment set _C the standard deviation of the environmental information contained in _{m Σ m = {σ m1,} σ m2, σ
_m3 , _σm4 }.

In this embodiment, the characteristic value G _m is an average value of all pieces of environment information belonging to the environment set C _m . That is, if the number of environment information belonging to the environment set C _m is n,

[Number 2] _{{g m1, g m2, g} m3, g m4} = {(S m11 + S m12 + S m13 ... + S m1n) / n, (S m21 + S m22 + S m23 ... + S m2n) / n, (S m31 _{+ S m32 + S m33 ... +} S m3n) / n, and calculates the feature value _{G m} by _{(S m41 + S m42 + S} m43 ... + S m4n) / n} ... (2) equation (2). In addition, the standard deviation Σ _m of the environment set,

(Equation 3) It is calculated by equation (3).

[0050] In subsequent processing, updates the structural environment set _{C m} standard deviation sigma _m environment set _{C m} calculated in step S221 as an indication. This processing is performed by the similar set updating circuit 27.
Done by

In step S222, the standard deviation Σ_mEach of
Attribute ｛σ_m1, Σ_m2, Σ_m3, Σ _m4Less of｝
And one attribute is Σ_mzx｛Σ_max1,
σ_max2, Σ _max3, Σ_max4Greater than｝
Determine if there is. If the value is large, the environment set C
_mOf the environment information that should be included in multiple environment sets
Assuming that the environment has been
Set C_mIs performed. All attributes are small
If a value is obtained, the process proceeds to step S224 shown in FIG.
No.

In step S223, the environment set is divided. The division of the environment set is the attribute that caused the division, that is, the ith attribute (i = 1, σ _mi > σ _maxi ) where σ _mi > σ _maxi
A method of performing division based on (2, 3, 4) can be considered.
Further, as a division algorithm at that time, an EM algorithm or the like, which is an algorithm for dividing a set in which two normal distribution data groups are mixed into two sets, can be used. When the division processing ends, the processing of the sub-processing 2 ends, and the process returns to step S104 shown in FIG.

In step S224, the standard deviation Σ_mEach of
Attribute ｛σ_m1, Σ_m2, Σ_m3, Σ _m4All of Σ
_min｛Σ_min1, Σ_min2, Σ_min3, Σ
_min4｝ Determine if the value is smaller than｝. small
If it takes a value, the environment set C_mContent is too uniform
In addition to being a special set as an environment set,
The process of step S103 etc. is to leave many environment sets
Step S225
Process to integrate with other nearby environment sets.
U. If all attributes take large values,
2 ends and returns to step S104 shown in FIG.
You.

In step S225, the environment sets are integrated. Integrated Environmental set is performed based on the feature value _{G m} obtained in step S221, _{G m} and other environmental set _{C i} characteristic value _G i of _{{g i1, g i2, g} i3, g i4} (i =
1,2, ..., p: p is the total number of environment sets)
_The environment sets that minimize _i are integrated. Here, the similarity R _i
Is represented by equation (4).

[0055]

(Equation 4)

[0056] Now, when the environment set to integrate with C _x, procedures integration by adding a new index (y) to the new environment set with a C _y, all included in C _m and C _x For the environmental information, the feature value is calculated by the above equation (2) and the standard deviation is calculated by the equation (3).
This is realized by rewriting the contents of the storage means 28. The acceleration value referred to the acceleration table may be the acceleration value of C _y by averaging the acceleration value corresponding to the acceleration table C _m and C _x. Sub-process 2 ends with this step, and the process returns to step S104.

In step S104, the processing results of sub-processing 1 and sub-processing 2 are waited. When both processes are completed, the process of the first embodiment is completed.

As described above, according to the present embodiment,
Since the acceleration is generated in accordance with the environment around the vehicle, it is possible to control the distance between vehicles to generate an appropriate acceleration without performing a special operation even when the environment changes during traveling. Further, when the driver operates an accelerator, a brake, a switch, or the like, the operation information updates the determination rule of the generated acceleration. Thus, it is possible to generate a non-intrusive acceleration that matches the driver's preference. Further, since the structure of the environment set is made variable according to the environment information included in the set, it is possible to flexibly cope with a change in environment.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an inter-vehicle distance control device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In this figure, the basic configuration is the same as the block configuration diagram of the first embodiment of FIG. 2 described above, and the same reference numerals are given and duplicate explanations are omitted.

This inter-vehicle distance control device includes an electrocardiographic signal analyzer 37, in order to detect a driver's physical tension.
Respiratory curve analyzer 38, skin potential analyzer 39, electrocardiogram signal sensor 41, respiratory curve sensor 42, skin potential sensor 4
There are three. These constitute the driver state detecting means 16 in the claim correspondence diagram shown in FIG. 1 (claim 6).

The driver response determination circuit 40 determines the driver's tension based on the signals detected by the electrocardiographic signal sensor 41, the respiration curve sensor 42, and the skin potential sensor 43, and determines whether the tension is predetermined. If the value is not less than the value, the driver determines that the control state of the following distance control device is not supported by the driver (claim 5).

The processing of the electrocardiographic analyzer 37 will be described in detail. The electrocardiographic analyzer 37 determines the driver's driving load based on each signal detected by the electrocardiographic signal sensor 41. When determining the driving load from the electrocardiogram signal detected by the electrocardiogram signal sensor 41, first, an R wave is extracted from the electrocardiogram signal, and a time interval (RRI) of the R wave is obtained. Then, if the RRI indicates a relatively small value, the operating load is high, and if the RRI indicates a relatively large value, the operating load is determined to be low, and the variance (RRV) of the time interval of the R wave is determined. , RRV indicates a relatively small value, the operation load is high, and if the RRV indicates a relatively small value, the operation load is determined to be low. The high frequency component (HF) and the low frequency component ( LF)
According to the ratio (LH = LF / HF), a method of determining that the operating load is high if LH indicates a relatively large value and that the operating load is low if LH indicates a relatively small value, or the like can be applied. .

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the in-vehicle arrangement of an electrocardiographic sensor, a respiratory curve sensor, and a skin potential sensor as tension state detecting means and the sitting posture of the driver.
As an electrocardiographic signal sensor 41 for transmitting a heartbeat signal to the electrocardiographic analyzer 37 in FIG. 9, an ultrasonic sensor 51 is used in FIG. 13 to detect a heart beat. Since the heartbeat signal to be detected is not for accurate ECG waveform diagnosis,
As shown in FIG. 13, the heartbeat signal can be detected by incorporating the ultrasonic sensor 51 in the seat 52. Further, after performing the above-described analysis method, in the present embodiment, +1 is output when the operating load is relatively high, −1 when the operating load is relatively low, and 0 when the operating load is close to the normal state. Shall be.

The processing of the respiratory curve analyzer 38 will be described in detail. When the driving load of the driver is determined from the respiratory curve detected by the respiratory curve sensor 42, the respiratory frequency is determined by the respiratory frequency obtained by analyzing the frequency of the respiratory curve. A method of determining that the operating load is high if a relatively small value is shown, and that the operating load is low if a relatively large value is shown. The variance of the respiratory frequency obtained by frequency analysis of the respiratory curve is obtained. It is possible to apply a method of determining that the operating load is high if a relatively large value is indicated, and low if the relatively small value is indicated.

In FIG. 13, as the respiration curve sensor 42,
A strain gauge 53 is used, and a respiratory motion is detected as a waveform by the expansion and contraction of the strain gauge 53. As shown in FIG. 13, by incorporating the strain gauge 53 in the seat belt 50, the expansion and contraction of the driver's chest, that is, the respiration curve can be detected. Further, after performing the above-described analysis method, in the present embodiment, +1 when the operating load is relatively high, −1 when the operating load is relatively low, and 0 when the operating load is close to the normal state.
Shall be output.

The processing of the skin potential analyzing device 39 will be described in detail. When the driving load is determined from the skin potential detected by the skin potential sensor 43, the determination may be made directly by the value of the potential. That is, if the potential indicates a relatively high value, the driving load of the driver is high, and if the potential indicates a relatively low value, the driving load of the driver is low. In addition, the skin potential analysis apparatus according to the present embodiment uses the above-described method to provide +1 when the operating load is high, −1 when the operating load is low, and 0 when the operating load is normal.
Shall be output. As the skin potential sensor 43,
For example, if electrodes are provided on the surface of the steering wheel 54 in FIG. 13, the potential of the driver's palm can be detected as the skin potential.

Further, the steering wheel 54 includes
A grip force sensor can be provided. That is, it is known that the grip force of the driver holding the steering wheel increases when the driving load is high and decreases when the driving load is low. Therefore, if a fluid is sealed in the steering wheel 54 and a pressure sensor for detecting the pressure of the fluid is provided, a grip force sensor for detecting the grip force of the driver can be provided (claim 6).

The inter-vehicle distance control device is provided with an inter-vehicle distance setting change circuit 36, which constitutes the setting change means 12 in the overall diagram shown in FIG. further,
This inter-vehicle distance control device is provided with a driver response determining circuit 40, which constitutes a driver response determining means 17 in the overall view shown in FIG.

Next, the processing flow of this embodiment will be described step by step with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In this figure, the basic processing flow is the same as the processing flow of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 3, and the same reference numerals are given and duplicate explanations are omitted.

Steps S102, S301, and S302 are repetitive processes, and the process is repeated until an environment set similar to the detected environmental state changes. Hereinafter, the current number of processes is referred to as the n-th process.

In step S301, a similar set determination circuit
Reference numeral 24 denotes the most similar environment with reference to the first storage device 28.
Select a set. The first storage device 28 stores a plurality of similar storage devices.
Environmental information of scenes where acceleration occurred in the past is stored as an example.
Stored as a set of
In the form, the average value of each attribute of the case belonging to each set is
It is held as the feature value of each set. Now, Environment Set C
_{i '}The feature value of G_{i '}｛G_i'1, G_i'2,
g_i'3, G_i'4Let 、 be the similarity shown in equation (5)
R _{i '}Can be represented by

[0072]

(Equation 5)Where W_j(Σ_jW_j= 1) is a weighting factor,
The environmental conditions such as the following distance, illuminance, lane width, and congestion
Is multiplied in accordance with the degree of influence on. What
The most similar environment set is C_{m '}Then the environment set
C_{m '}Is the similarity R _{i '}Indicates the minimum value.

In step S302, step S102
And based on the environment information and similar environmental information obtained in step S301, (n-1) th determined similar environmental information (C _{m) n-1} and determined similar environment information calculated in the n-th (C _{m) When n} is the same, that is, (C _m ) _n = (C _m )
_{When n-1,} the process returns to step S102. When the similar environment information (C _m ) _n−1 and the similar environment information (C _m ) _n are different, it is considered that the environment around the vehicle has changed, and thereafter,
Branching into a sub-process 3 (S400) for processing the inter-vehicle distance and a sub-process 4 (S420) for processing a set of environmental conditions, either one of which may be processed first, or these may be processed in parallel. You may.

Next, a sub-process 3 (S
The flow of the process 400) will be sequentially described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

In step S401, the inter-vehicle distance changing circuit 36 obtains a target inter-vehicle distance value with reference to the inter-vehicle distance table that stores the environment set and the inter-vehicle distance value stored in the first storage device 28. For example, if the inter-vehicle distance table shown in FIG. 12 is stored, because the most similar environment set obtained in step S103 was C _m, the target inter-vehicle distance d [m], the running measure of the vehicle v [ m / s], then d
= 1.5 × v.

In step S402, the inter-vehicle distance control circuit 26 sets the target inter-vehicle distance d obtained in step S401.
Is performed to generate acceleration based on.

In step S403, the driver response determination circuit 40 collects information on the driver's response to the following distance generated by the following distance control circuit 26. This information is
An electrocardiographic analyzer 37 for detecting a driver's electrocardiographic signal and analyzing the signal to estimate the driver's driving load, and detecting and analyzing the driver's breathing curve to detect the driver's driving load. Are collected through a respiration curve analyzer 38 for estimating the driving load of the driver and a skin potential analyzer 39 for estimating the driving load of the driver by analyzing the potential value on the palm of the driver.

[0078] above, B reaction information of the driver detected in step S403 '{electrocardiograph analysis value, respiration curve analysis values, skin potential analysis _{result} = B' {b '1} , b' 2, b '3} As
The process proceeds to step S404 shown in FIG.

In step S404, step S403
The driver's reaction information is obtained by referring to the driver reaction determination table stored in the second storage device 35 to determine the driver's response. The determination of the driver's reaction is made in step S402 as to whether or not the correction of the following distance performed in S402 is affirmative.
When it is determined at 405 that the answer is not affirmative (negative), it is determined at step S406 whether or not the answer is negative in the headway widening direction.

For example, the driver determination table is shown in FIG.
And the reaction information of the driver is B '｛0,
Suppose it was 1,1｝. At this time, referring to the driver reaction table, a result of "negative in the inter-vehicle enlargement direction" is obtained. In this situation, the driver is considered to be maintaining a nervous state with a high driving load due to the change in the target inter-vehicle distance of the inter-vehicle distance control, that is, in the present situation, the driver has increased the inter-vehicle distance. It is thought that driving in a state is more mentally stable. Therefore, in the present embodiment, such a state is determined to be “negative in the inter-vehicle enlargement direction” for the control.

On the other hand, the driver's reaction information is B '｛-1,
Suppose it was 0,0 °. At this time, referring to the driver reaction table, a result of “negative in the headway reduction direction” is obtained. In this situation, it is considered that the driver has a low driving load due to the change in the target inter-vehicle distance of the inter-vehicle distance control, and the driver has shifted to a loose state. Therefore, in this situation, it is better to reduce the inter-vehicle distance. Therefore, in the present embodiment, such a situation is referred to as “negative in the vehicle headway reduction direction” for the control.
Is determined. Furthermore, if no change is found in the driver's reaction information, the control is determined to be "yes."
When it is determined that “no in the inter-vehicle expanding direction”, the process proceeds to step S407, and when it is determined that “no in the inter-vehicle reducing direction”, the process proceeds to step S408. In the case of "affirmative", the sub-process 3 ends, and returns to step S104 shown in FIG.

In step S407, step S404
Is negative in the inter-vehicle enlarging direction, the inter-vehicle distance table corresponding to the environment set _{Cm '} is updated in the inter-vehicle distance value in the enlarging direction in the inter-vehicle distance table referred to in step S401. The updating process is based on the following distance changing rule stored in the first storage device 28. For example, when the following distance changing rule is given in the form shown in FIG. 15, the following distance of the following distance table is given. Value d = 1.5 × v
0.1 [sec] is added to the calculation time of [m], and d = 1.
This is realized by setting 6 × v [m]. This processing is performed by the setting change rule update circuit 34 in the first storage device 2.
8 is performed. With this step, sub-process 3 is completed, and step S10 shown in FIG.
Return to 4.

In step S408, step S404
Is negative in the inter-vehicle reduction direction, the inter-vehicle distance table referred to in step S401 is updated in the direction to reduce the inter-vehicle distance value corresponding to the environment set _{Cm '} . The updating process is based on the following distance changing rule stored in the first storage device 28. For example, when the following distance changing rule is given in the form shown in FIG. 15, the following distance of the following distance table is given. Value d = 1.5 × v
0.1 [sec] is subtracted from the calculation time of [m], and d =
This is realized by setting 1.4 × v [m]. This processing is performed by the setting change rule updating circuit 34 referring to the first storage device 28. With this step, the sub-process 3 ends, and the process returns to the step S104 shown in FIG.

Next, the sub-process 4 (S420) will be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described step by step with the flowchart of FIG. In this figure, the basic processing flow is to replace the flow of the sub-processing 2 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the environment set C _m with C _{m ′,} and replace the feature value G _m with G _{m ′.} Other than the above, the same reference numerals are given and duplicate explanations are omitted.

In step S421, environment sets are integrated. The integration of the environment sets is performed based on the feature value Gm _′ obtained in step S221, and Gm _′ and another environment set C
_{i 'feature} values of _{G i' {g i'1, g} i'2, g i'3,
An environment set that minimizes the similarity R _{i ′} with g _i′4 ｝ (i = 1, 2,..., p ′) is integrated. Where the similarity R
_{i ′} is represented by equation (6).

[0086]

(Equation 6) It is to be _{W j (Σ j W j =} 1) is the weighting factor, one that multiplies in accordance with the degree of influence with respect to the inter-vehicle distance, illuminance, lane width, degree of congestion of the driver, identical to the value used in step S301 May be. Now, assuming that the environment set to be integrated is _{Cx ′} , the integration procedure adds a new index (y ′) to the new environment set to make it _{Cy ′,} and _{Cm ′}
And all the environmental information included in C _{x ′} are calculated by calculating the characteristic value according to the above equation (2) and the standard deviation according to the above equation (3), and rewriting the contents of the first storage unit 28. In addition, the acceleration value described in the acceleration table may be an average of the acceleration values corresponding to the acceleration tables C _{m ′} and C _{x ′} to obtain an acceleration value of Cy _′ . Sub-process 4 ends with this step, and the process returns to step S104.

As described above, according to the present embodiment,
Since the inter-vehicle distance is maintained according to the environment around the vehicle, the inter-vehicle distance can be controlled by an appropriate inter-vehicle distance without any special operation even when the environment changes during traveling. Furthermore, since the determination rule of the generated inter-vehicle distance is updated based on the driver's electrocardiographic signal, respiratory curve, biological information such as skin potential, etc., driving while using the inter-vehicle distance control device of the present invention. It is possible to generate an inconvenient inter-vehicle distance that matches the user's preference. Further, since the structure of the environment set is made variable according to the environment information included in the set, it is possible to flexibly cope with a change in environment.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall view showing a configuration of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a calculation processing procedure in the following distance control apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an arithmetic processing procedure of sub-processing 1 in the following distance control apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of an acceleration table stored in a first storage unit of the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a driver reaction determination table stored in a second storage unit of the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of an acceleration change rule stored in a first storage unit of the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a calculation processing procedure of sub-processing 2 in the following distance control apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a calculation processing procedure in the following distance control apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a calculation processing procedure of sub-processing 3 in the following distance control apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of an inter-vehicle distance table stored in a first storage unit of the embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of mounting the electrocardiographic signal sensor and the respiration curve sensor of the embodiment.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of a driver reaction determination table stored in a second storage unit of the embodiment.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of an inter-vehicle distance changing rule stored in a first storage unit of the embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a calculation processing procedure of sub-processing 4 in the following distance control apparatus of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Environmental state detection means 11 Similar set determination means 12 Setting change means 13 Inter-vehicle distance control means 14 Similar set update means 15 Similar set storage means 16 Driver state detection means 17 Driver reaction determination means 18 Setting change rule updating means 19 Setting change Rule storage means

Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat II (reference) B60R 21/00 624 B60R 21/00 624G F02D 29/02 301 F02D 29/02 301D G08G 1/16 G08G 1/16 EF Term (reference) 3D037 FA10 3D044 AA01 AA03 AA04 AA11 AA12 AA14 AA21 AA25 AB01 AC03 AC15 AC24 AC26 AC51 AC56 AC59 AD04 AD21 AE01 AE03 AE15 3G093 AA01 BA23 BA24 BA27 CB10 DA06 DB05 DB15 DB16 FA01 CC03 FA03 CC03 LL04 LL09

Claims (8)

[Claims] When there is a preceding vehicle, control is performed to maintain the target set inter-vehicle distance and allow the vehicle to travel.
When there is no preceding vehicle, control is performed to cause the vehicle to run at the target set speed.When the vehicle departs from the set inter-vehicle distance or the set speed, a target acceleration / deceleration is set. An inter-vehicle distance control unit that performs control to achieve the set inter-vehicle distance or the set speed by generating a corresponding acceleration / deceleration; an environment state detection unit that detects a state of an environment in which the vehicle is traveling; A similar set storage unit that classifies and stores a plurality of detected environment states detected by the detection unit in the past as one or more environment sets based on the similarity; and a new detection environment newly detected by the environment state detection unit. A similar set determining means for determining a similar set most similar to the state in the environment set; and a setting for storing a change rule of the setting of the inter-vehicle distance control means corresponding to the environment set. Change rule storage means, setting change means for changing the setting of the inter-vehicle distance control means with reference to the setting change rule storage means based on the similar set, and assigning the new detection environment state to the similar set. Similar set updating means, driver state detecting means for detecting the state of the driver, and determining the response of the driver to the control of the inter-vehicle distance control device based on the driver state detected by the driver state detecting means. And a setting change rule updating unit that updates the setting change rule stored in the setting change rule storage unit based on the determination result of the driver reaction determining unit. Inter-vehicle distance control device. 2. The inter-vehicle distance according to claim 1, wherein the setting of the inter-vehicle distance control means changed by the setting change means is any of the set inter-vehicle distance, the set speed, and the target acceleration / deceleration. Distance control device. 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the similar set updating unit assigns the newly detected environment state to the similar set, and as a result, a similarity between the plurality of environmental states belonging to the similar set becomes lower than a predetermined value. The similar set is divided into a plurality of similar sets, and when the similarity between a plurality of environmental states belonging to the similar set becomes higher than a predetermined value, a similar set which merges with another similar set. 3. The inter-vehicle distance control device according to claim 1, further comprising a split / merge unit. 4. The driver response determination means determines whether the driver supports or disagrees with the control of the inter-vehicle distance control means, and if the determination result is unsupported, the setting change rule updating means. The inter-vehicle distance control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the controller changes the setting change rule held in the setting change rule holding means. 5. The driver state detecting means includes a tension state detecting means for detecting a physical tension state of a driver, and the driver reaction determining means performs driving based on a detection result of the tension state detecting means. 5. The inter-vehicle distance control device according to claim 4, wherein when the nervous state of the driver is equal to or more than a predetermined value, it is determined that the driver is unsupported. 6. The inter-vehicle distance control device according to claim 5, wherein the tension state detecting means includes one of a driver's electrocardiographic sensor, a respiration curve sensor, a pressure sensor, and a skin potential sensor. 7. The driver state detecting means includes an operation history detecting means for detecting an operation history of the driver, and the driver response determining means determines whether or not the operation history of the driver by the operation history detecting means is the same. The inter-vehicle distance control device according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein when the operation history is against the control of the inter-vehicle distance control device, the driver is determined to be unsupported. . 8. The state of a following inter-vehicle distance setting switch for setting a driver's operation amount of an accelerator pedal, a driver's operation amount of a brake pedal, a driver's brake depression force, and the set inter-vehicle distance. 8. The inter-vehicle distance control device according to claim 7, wherein at least one of a state of a vehicle speed setting switch for setting the set vehicle degree is detected.