JP2008049959A - Device for supporting contact avoidance of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent contact with an obstacle caused by the early timing of starting steering when generating an alarm for urging a driver to steer to avoid the contact with the obstacle. <P>SOLUTION: When an ultrasonic sensor Sa and a television camera Sb detect a distance from a vehicle to an obstacle and a contact avoidance area where contact with the obstacle can be avoided, an alarm means 12 generates an alarm for urging the driver to steer toward the contact avoidance area, and the driver steers to the contact avoidance area to avoid the contact, and the contact with the obstacle can be thereby prevented. A delay time computing means M3 for computing based on a lateral position and a delay time computing means N4 for computing based on the vehicle speed change timing of alarm generation by the alarm means 12 according to the lateral distance D from the one's own vehicle to the obstacle and the vehicle speed V of the one's own vehicle. By this structure, even if the timing of steering by the driver to avoid contact according to the alarm is earlier, a difference of inner wheels can prevent the side contact of the vehicle with the obstacle. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle contact avoidance support device that detects a situation of an obstacle around a vehicle and issues a warning prompting a driver to perform a contact avoidance operation for avoiding contact with the obstacle according to the situation.

It consists of the output of a vehicle body sensor consisting of a wheel rotation number detector, a wheel rotation direction detector and a steering angle detector, an output of an environmental sensor consisting of a TV camera and a distributed proximity sensor, a vehicle size storage device and a map information storage device. There are those that determine the risk of contact with obstacles around the vehicle based on the output of the in-vehicle storage device, and prompt the driver's voluntary contact avoidance operation by displaying the determination result on the display device This is known from Patent Document 1 below.
JP-A-6-267000

  By the way, in order to avoid contact with an obstacle, when steering is performed so as to turn the vehicle toward the contact avoidance space detected at the right front or left front of the host vehicle, the timing of starting the steering is early. If it passes, there is a possibility that the side surface inside the turning direction of the vehicle approaches and comes into contact with the obstacle due to the inner ring difference. With respect to this point, the one described in Patent Document 1 does not consider the timing for displaying the determination result of the contact risk level on the display device, so the start of the contact avoidance steering performed by the driver according to the display If the timing is too early, steering for avoiding contact may cause contact with an obstacle unexpectedly.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and when issuing an alarm for prompting the driver to steer to avoid contact with an obstacle, the steering start timing is too early and contact with the obstacle is caused. Its purpose is to prevent triggering.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a contact avoidance operation for detecting the situation of an obstacle around the vehicle and avoiding contact with the obstacle according to the situation. An obstacle avoidance assistance device for a vehicle that issues an alarm prompting a driver to detect a distance from the vehicle to an obstacle and a contact avoidance area for avoiding contact with the obstacle, and the contact avoidance area Vehicle contact avoidance comprising alarm means for issuing an alarm prompting the driver to steer to the vehicle side, and alarm timing changing means for changing an alarm timing at which the alarm means issues an alarm according to the situation of the vehicle A support device is proposed.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, the alarm timing changing means delays the alarm timing as the lateral distance between the vehicle and the obstacle sandwiching the contact avoidance area is smaller. A vehicle contact avoidance support device is proposed.

  According to a third aspect of the invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, a warning avoidance support device for a vehicle is proposed in which the warning timing changing means delays the warning timing as the vehicle speed decreases. The

  According to a fourth aspect of the invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, the warning means is means for generating a steering assist torque in a direction to avoid contact with an obstacle. A vehicle contact avoidance support device is proposed.

  The ultrasonic sensor Sa and the television camera Sb of the embodiment correspond to the obstacle sensor of the present invention, and the delay time calculation means M3 based on the lateral position and the delay time calculation means M4 based on the vehicle speed of the embodiment are alarms of the present invention. Corresponds to the timing changing means.

  According to the configuration of the first aspect, when the obstacle sensor detects the distance from the vehicle to the obstacle and the contact avoidance area that avoids contact with the obstacle, the alarm means performs steering to the contact avoidance area side. Therefore, the driver can avoid contact with an obstacle by performing contact avoidance steering on the contact avoidance area side in response to the alarm. At this time, since the alarm timing changing means changes the alarm timing for issuing an alarm according to the vehicle situation, even if the timing at which the driver performs contact avoidance steering is too early according to the alarm, the side surface of the vehicle is It is possible to prevent a situation where an obstacle comes into contact.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the warning timing is delayed as the lateral distance between the vehicle and the obstacle that sandwiches the contact avoidance area is smaller. Therefore, the driver immediately steers to the contact avoidance area in response to the alarm. Even if it goes, the situation where the side surface of the vehicle comes into contact with the obstacle due to the difference between the inner rings can be reliably prevented.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the alarm timing is delayed as the vehicle speed decreases. Therefore, even if the driver immediately steers to the contact avoidance area in response to the alarm, the side surface of the vehicle is obstructed by the inner wheel difference. It is possible to surely prevent the situation of touching.

  According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the alarm means generates a steering assist torque in a direction to avoid contact with the obstacle, thereby warning the driver that there is a possibility of contact with the obstacle. be able to.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  1 to 5 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a view showing a vehicle equipped with a contact avoidance support device, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an electronic control unit, and FIG. 3 is a delay time depending on a lateral position. FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the calculation means, FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the delay time calculation means based on the vehicle speed, and FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a four-wheeled vehicle includes a plurality of (six in the embodiment) ultrasonic sensors Sa for detecting obstacles in front of the vehicle on a front bumper, A plurality of (two in the embodiment) television cameras Sb and Sb that detect the obstacle. Further, left and right front wheels WFL, WFR and left and right rear wheels WRL, WRR are provided with vehicle speed sensors Sc for detecting the vehicle speed V. These ultrasonic sensors Sa ..., television cameras Sb, Sb, and vehicle speed sensors Sc ... are connected to the electronic control unit U.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the electronic control unit U controls the operation of the alarm means 12 and the electric power steering device (EPS) 14, and depends on the contact avoidance area detection means M1, the delay time setting means M2, and the lateral position. A delay time calculating means M3, a delay time calculating means M4 based on the vehicle speed, and an adding circuit 11 are provided.

  The contact avoidance area detection means M1 detects that the own vehicle has an obstacle based on the obstacle data detected mainly by the ultrasonic sensors Sa ... and the obstacle data detected mainly by the TV cameras Sb and Sb. An area that can proceed while avoiding contact with an object, that is, a contact avoidance area is detected.

  When the contact avoidance area is on the right side of the traveling direction of the host vehicle, the steering wheel is operated to the right to avoid contact with an obstacle, and when the contact avoidance area is on the left side of the traveling direction of the host vehicle, steering is performed. Although the wheel will be operated to the left to avoid contact with obstacles, the appropriate timing to start turning the steering wheel differs depending on whether the distance to the contact avoidance area is short or far, so the delay time setting means M2 sets the appropriate timing according to the distance to the contact avoidance area. Then, the warning means 12 such as a lamp, chime, buzzer, speaker, etc. outputs a warning that prompts the driver to perform a spontaneous steering operation to avoid contact with an obstacle.

  Simultaneously with the output of this alarm, the electric power steering device (EPS) 14 assists contact avoidance. That is, the target current calculation unit 13 calculates a target current for assisting according to an appropriate timing output by the delay time setting unit M2. On the other hand, the EPS current calculation means 15 of the electric power steering device 14 calculates an EPS current for operating the electric power steering device 14 based on the steering torque input to the steering wheel by the driver, and the adder circuit 16 outputs the target current and the target current. By driving the EPS motor 17 based on the added value obtained by adding the EPS current, the steering operation of the driver is assisted by the steering torque generated by the EPS motor 17, thereby making it easier to avoid contact with an obstacle. Can do.

  In the present invention, the contact avoidance assistance by the electric power steering device 14 is not always necessary and can be omitted. Further, the alarm means 12 includes causing the electric power steering device 14 to generate a steering assist torque in a direction to avoid contact with an obstacle. That is, by generating a steering assist torque in a direction to avoid contact with an obstacle by the electric power steering device 14, it is possible to warn the driver that there is a possibility of contact with the obstacle.

  Now, the optimum delay time of the alarm output timing with respect to a predetermined contact avoidance area is not always constant, and changes depending on the positional relationship between the own vehicle and the obstacle and the vehicle speed of the own vehicle. Is for correcting the delay time according to the distance of the obstacle in the lateral direction of the own vehicle, and the delay time calculating means M4 based on the vehicle speed is for correcting the delay time according to the vehicle speed of the own vehicle.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the lateral position delay time calculation unit M3 includes an obstacle distance detection unit 18, a first delay time calculation unit 19, a correction coefficient calculation unit 20, and a multiplication unit 21.

  When the contact avoidance area is on the right front side, the obstacle distance detection means 18 detects the lateral distance D to the obstacle on the right side of the vehicle by using the ultrasonic sensor Sa... Or the television cameras Sb and Sb. Is on the left front side, the lateral distance D to the obstacle on the left side of the vehicle is detected by the ultrasonic sensor Sa... Or the television cameras Sb and Sb. The first delay time calculation means 19 searches the map for the first delay time using the lateral distance D as a parameter. The first delay time is set to increase as the lateral distance D decreases.

  The reason is as follows. When the steering operation is performed toward the contact avoidance area in response to the alarm, the vehicle turns in a direction approaching one of the left and right obstacles, so that the driver starts the steering operation when the lateral distance D to the obstacle is small. If the timing is too early, the side surface of the vehicle body may come into contact with an obstacle due to the inner ring difference. Therefore, when the lateral distance D to the obstacle is small, it is necessary to prevent the contact with the obstacle in advance by increasing the delay time and delaying the timing at which the alarm is issued.

  On the other hand, the correction coefficient calculation means 20 searches the map for the correction coefficient using the vehicle speed V detected by the vehicle speed sensor Sc as a parameter, and the multiplication means 21 multiplies the correction coefficient to correct the first delay time. The correction coefficient is 1 when the vehicle speed V is low, but decreases toward 0 as the vehicle speed V increases. The reason is that when the vehicle speed V is high, the side surface of the vehicle body can pass through the obstacle before it contacts the obstacle. Therefore, even if the delay time is corrected to be small, the side surface of the vehicle body may contact the obstacle. Because there is no.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the delay time calculation means M4 based on the vehicle speed searches the map for the second delay time using the vehicle speed V detected by the vehicle speed sensor Sc as a parameter. The second delay time is set larger as the vehicle speed V is smaller. The reason is as follows. If the time from when the warning is issued until the driver starts operating the steering wheel is constant, the time from when the warning is issued until the driver starts operating the steering wheel as the vehicle speed V decreases. The forward moving distance of the vehicle is reduced, and the possibility of contact with an obstacle due to the inner ring difference is increased. Therefore, the contact with the obstacle can be avoided by increasing the delay time as the vehicle speed V decreases.

  Returning to FIG. 2, the correction value by the correction factor of the first delay time calculated by the delay time calculating means M3 based on the lateral position and the second delay time calculated by the delay time calculating means M4 based on the vehicle speed are mutually added by the adder circuit 11. The basic delay time set by the delay time setting means M2 is corrected by the added value. Therefore, the delay time output by the delay time setting means M2 is appropriate considering the lateral distance D and the vehicle speed V of the obstacle, and the alarm means 12 outputs an alarm according to this delay time, so that the obstacle and Can be more reliably avoided.

  FIG. 5 illustrates the operation when a vehicle equipped with the contact avoidance assistance device of the present embodiment passes through a narrow crank-shaped alley.

  When the vehicle reaches the position A at the entrance of the crank-shaped alley, a front obstacle a and a right obstacle b are detected, and a contact avoidance area c is detected diagonally forward to the right. Since the lateral distance D with the right-side obstacle b is sufficiently large at the A position, there is no possibility that the right side surface of the vehicle will come into contact with the obstacle b even if an alarm is issued to prompt the right steering start at the A position.

  On the other hand, when the vehicle travels a little more to the right, the lateral distance D ′ with the obstacle b on the right side is insufficient, so that the timing for issuing an alarm is delayed to the B position (shown with a chain line). As a result, the vehicle can pass through the C position at the exit of the crank-shaped alley without bringing its right side surface into contact with the obstacle b.

  The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but various design changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  For example, although ultrasonic sensors Sa ... and television cameras Sb, Sb are employed as the obstacle sensors in the embodiment, sensors having any other structure can be employed.

A diagram showing a vehicle equipped with a contact avoidance support device Block diagram of electronic control unit Block diagram of delay time calculation means by lateral position Block diagram of delay time calculation means by vehicle speed Action diagram when the vehicle passes through a crank-shaped alley

Explanation of symbols

12 Alarm means M3 Delay time calculation means by means of lateral position (alarm timing change means)
M4 Delay time calculation means based on vehicle speed (alarm timing change means)
Sa Ultrasonic sensor (obstacle sensor)
Sb TV camera (obstacle sensor)
D Horizontal distance between vehicle and obstacle V Vehicle speed

Claims (4)

A vehicle contact avoidance assist device that detects a situation of an obstacle around the vehicle and issues a warning prompting the driver to perform a contact avoidance operation to avoid contact with the obstacle according to the situation,
Obstacle sensors (Sa, Sb) for detecting a distance from the vehicle to an obstacle and a contact avoidance area for avoiding contact with the obstacle;
Alarm means (12) for issuing an alarm to prompt the driver to steer to the contact avoidance area side;
Alarm timing changing means (M3, M4) for changing the alarm timing at which the alarm means (12) issues an alarm according to the situation of the vehicle;
A vehicle contact avoidance assistance device comprising:   The vehicle contact avoidance according to claim 1, wherein the alarm timing changing means (M3) delays the alarm timing as the lateral distance (D) between the vehicle and the obstacle sandwiching the contact avoidance area decreases. Support device.   The vehicle contact avoidance assisting device according to claim 1, wherein the alarm timing changing means (M4) delays the alarm timing as the vehicle speed (V) decreases. The vehicle contact avoidance assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the warning means (12) is a means for generating a steering assist torque in a direction to avoid contact with an obstacle.

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