JP2010254050A - Control device of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To terminate the direction indicating operation of a direction indicator with exact timing in a vehicle mounted with a steering mechanism having a variable relation between a steering angle and an actual steering angle. <P>SOLUTION: The vehicle includes the steering mechanism, an EPS actuator, and a VGRS actuator, and variably controls the relation between the steering angle MA and the actual steering angle δst by the cooperative control of them. An ECU carries out winker-off control. In the control, when a winker lever is operated, an actual steering corresponding angle δ is calculated based on a steering gear ratio n, a wheelbase L, a stability factor KH, a yaw rate γ, and vehicle speed V. When the calculated actual steering corresponding angle δ exceeds a preset threshold to a decreasing side, the ECU carries out winker-off processing including returning to a neutral position by the release of the winker lever and the termination of the blinking control of a direction indicating light. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technical field of a vehicle control device that controls a vehicle including a steering mechanism such as an active steering mechanism.

  As this type of device, a device capable of automatic steering not depending on a driver's operation to avoid a collision with an obstacle has been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 1). According to the vehicle automatic steering apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the driver inputs an overtaking direction before the start of automatic steering, automatic steering is performed only in the overtaking direction. The overtaking direction indicated by the indicator is not different from the automatic steering direction.

  It has been proposed to determine whether or not to continue driving assistance based on whether or not various driver operations such as steering operation, brake operation, or winker operation have been performed (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

  In addition, there has been proposed a technique in which the end timing of the lane departure prevention control is advanced as the yaw angle between the traveling lane and the vehicle detected at the start of the lane departure prevention control is smaller (see, for example, Patent Document 3).

  In addition, there has been proposed one that controls a steering mechanism based on a lane change control amount that is set based on a lateral offset from a predetermined position and a lane width (see, for example, Patent Document 4).

JP-A-5-050936 JP 2008-222230 A JP 2008-033807 A JP 2008-012989 A

  In the above-described automatic steering, lane departure prevention control, and the like, the steering mechanism is controlled regardless of the steering angle (that is, the rotation angle of the steering wheel). On the other hand, since the direction indicator such as a winker is generally controlled with the steering angle as a criterion, the end timing of the direction indicating operation is controlled. Thus, the steering mechanism is controlled regardless of the steering angle. In a vehicle that can be operated, the direction indicating operation does not end even when the target vehicle behavior change is completed, or conversely, the direction indicating operation ends before the target vehicle behavior change is completed. And other problems occur. The conventional technical ideas exemplified in the above-mentioned various patent documents do not provide a suggestion for such a problem. In other words, in the conventional technology, in a vehicle equipped with a steering mechanism that can change the relationship between the steering angle and the steering angle, the driver feels uncomfortable because it is difficult to accurately end the direction indicating operation of the direction indicator. There is a technical problem that may occur.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and provides a vehicle control device capable of ending a direction indicating operation in a direction indicator at an accurate timing in a vehicle including this type of steering mechanism. Is an issue.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a vehicle control device according to the present invention is a vehicle control device including a steering mechanism capable of changing a relationship between a steering angle and an actual steering angle. The direction instruction so as to end the direction indicating operation according to the acquired actual rudder equivalent value when the obtaining means for obtaining a predetermined actual rudder equivalent value defining the yaw response and the direction indicator are operated. And a control means for controlling the device.

  The vehicle according to the present invention has a steering angle (that is, an operation angle or a rotation angle of a means for prompting a driver's steering operation such as a steering wheel) and an actual steering angle (an actual steering angle of a steering wheel or a steered wheel). It is a vehicle provided with the steering mechanism which can change the relationship. The vehicle control device according to the present invention is a control device, for example, one or a plurality of CPUs (Central Processing Units), MPUs (Micro Processing Units), various processors or various controllers, or ROM (Read Only Memory). ), RAM (Random Access Memory), various memory units such as buffer memory or flash memory, etc., various processing units such as single or multiple ECUs (Electronic Controlled Units), various controllers, microcomputer devices, etc. It may take the form of a computer system or the like.

  Here, various practical aspects of the steering mechanism according to the present invention may exist. For example, the steering mechanism according to the present invention is (1) steer-by-wire that can give a steering force that directly or indirectly changes the actual steering angle to the steering wheel regardless of the steering angle. (Hereinafter, abbreviated as “SBW” where appropriate) or the like. (2) For example, a rotational movement of a steering shaft or a pinion gear or a rack bar meshing with the pinion gear The so-called EPS (Electronic Controlled Power Steering) that assists the linear motion of the motor with a rotating electrical machine such as a motor, and the change ratio of the actual steering angle to the steering angle, that is, the steering angle transmission ratio (for example, steering) A mechanism including a transmission ratio variable device such as VGRS (Variable Gear Ratio Steering), which can be variable) Other mechanisms may be used.

  On the other hand, a direction indicator generally referred to as a winker provided in a vehicle is generally composed of an operation means and a direction indicator lamp, and this type of lever can be in the form of an operation lever installed on the side of a steering wheel unit, for example. In general, the direction indicator lamps installed inside and outside the vehicle are blinked and lit in response to an electrical input generated by operating the operation means by a predetermined amount from the neutral position to the left or right desired direction. . This series of direction indicating operations is normally terminated when the steering angle is turned to the decreasing side after the steering angle is turned to the increasing side (for example, return to the neutral position of the operating means and the accompanying direction indicating lamp). This means that the light is turned off.

  However, as in the steering mechanism according to the present invention, whether the relationship between the steering angle and the actual steering angle can be made variable, whether it is constant or limited (that is, it means that some condition judgment is involved). In the case of a vehicle equipped with a mechanism, in an extreme case, even if the steering angle remains at or near the minimum range, the actual steering angle is changed by a desired amount, and the vehicle behavior intended by the driver (for example, right / left turn) Lane change or overtaking, or turning or turning associated therewith). Therefore, as described above, in the configuration in which the direction instruction operation is uniquely ended according to the steering angle, the progress state of the vehicle behavior intended by the driver and the end timing of the direction instruction operation are not consistent in some cases. The direction indication operation will not end at the appropriate timing. At this time, when the end of the direction indicating operation is delayed, the driver needs to end the direction indicating operation by operating the operating means by himself / herself. It is necessary to operate the means to perform the direction indicating operation, and in any case, there is a high possibility that the driver will feel uncomfortable.

  Therefore, the vehicle control device according to the present invention is configured such that when the direction indicator is operated, the control unit ends the direction indicating operation according to the actual rudder equivalent value acquired by the acquisition unit. . In addition, “acquisition” according to the present invention includes concepts such as detection, calculation, derivation, estimation, identification, and selection in addition to the actions generally associated with the term “acquisition”, and is a finally referenceable value. Means to be confirmed. At this time, the acquisition means may acquire the actual rudder equivalent value through any process.

  Here, “actual rudder equivalent value” means that the change in the vehicle behavior corresponding to the direction indicating operation includes at least a yaw response that is a behavior change in the yaw direction (rotation direction), and is experimental in advance. In addition, a physical quantity, a control quantity, or an index determined so as to have a one-to-one, one-to-many, many-to-one, or many-to-many correspondence with the yaw response of the vehicle based on experience, theory, or simulation. It is a value that can quantitatively represent the progress state relating to the actual behavior change of the vehicle regardless of the steering angle.

  Therefore, according to the present invention, the direction indicating operation can be ended when the vehicle exhibits a constant yaw response regardless of the steering angle, and the end timing of the direction indicating operation greatly deviates from the driver feeling. It is prevented. That is, the direction indicating operation of the direction indicator can be ended at an accurate timing.

  In one aspect of the vehicle control apparatus according to the present invention, the acquisition unit acquires the actual rudder equivalent value based on a yaw rate or a target yaw rate of the vehicle.

  According to this aspect, for example, the actual rudder equivalent value is acquired based on the actual yaw rate detected by the detecting means such as the yaw rate sensor or the target yaw rate that is the control target value. It can more accurately represent the yaw response of the vehicle. Accordingly, the direction indicating operation of the direction indicator can be terminated at a more accurate timing.

  In another aspect of the vehicle control apparatus according to the present invention, the control means is configured such that the current value of the acquired actual rudder equivalent value is less than a reference value and the previous value of the acquired actual rudder equivalent value is the value. If it is equal to or greater than the reference value, the direction indicating operation is terminated.

  According to this aspect, the direction indicating operation can be terminated when the yaw response of the vehicle converges without excess or deficiency in consideration of the absolute value of the actual rudder equivalent value and the change direction. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the driver from feeling uncomfortable.

  In another aspect of the vehicle control apparatus according to the present invention, the vehicle executes predetermined lane keeping control via the steering mechanism in response to a lane keeping request and a predetermined steering input representing a driver's steering intention. A lane keeping device that terminates the lane keeping control in response to the lane keeping control, and the control means terminates the lane keeping control when the direction indicator is operated as the steering input during the execution of the lane keeping control. After a lapse of a predetermined delay time from the time, the direction indicating operation is terminated according to the acquired actual rudder equivalent value.

  According to this aspect, the lane keeping function such as LKA (Lean Keep Assist) is added to the vehicle by the lane keeping device using the steering mechanism according to the present invention. The lane keeping control by this lane keeping device is conceptually based on an object (for example, a white line (which does not mean that the color is simply white), a lane marker, etc.) by appropriate detection means (for example, an in-vehicle camera). Recognize and automatically adjust the actual steering angle so that the lane of the vehicle is maintained in the lane defined by the object (in other words, the vehicle does not deviate from the object). Means to control. This lane keeping control is terminated without delay for the purpose of giving priority to the driver's intention when the driver's steering intention is indicated by a steering input (including steering operation, braking operation, direction indicator operation, etc.). (That is, the driver's steering input is basically not involved in performing the lane keeping control).

  Here, in view of the point that the lane keeping control is performed without any delay when the driver steering input is generated, and is finished without delay, the steering force is applied to the steered wheels by the steering mechanism immediately before the lane keeping control is finished. In such a situation, a kind of yaw response may occur in the vehicle when the application of the steering force is stopped according to the driver steering input. Therefore, when the direction indicating operation is terminated based on the actual rudder equivalent value that defines the yaw response of the vehicle, the actual rudder equivalent value that prompts the end of the direction indicating operation is satisfied as a result of the lane keeping control being terminated by the direction indicating operation. As a result, an undesirable situation may occur in which the direction indicating operation is also terminated.

  Therefore, according to this aspect, when the direction indicator is operated as a steering input during the execution period of the lane keeping control, the control unit waits for the delay time to elapse from the end time of the lane keeping control. Then, the direction control operation end control based on the actual rudder equivalent value is executed or started. For this reason, it becomes possible to prevent a situation in which the yaw response of the vehicle resulting from the end of the control of the actual rudder angle by the end of the lane keeping control has an influence on the end determination of the direction instruction operation, and the inappropriate direction instruction operation. In addition, it is possible to prevent erroneous termination that is completely meaningless.

  This delay time is, for example, the vehicle yaw response that occurs when the lane keeping control is terminated according to the operation of the direction indicator based on, for example, experimentally, empirically, theoretically or based on simulation. The time required for convergence to an extent that does not affect the end determination of the direction indicating operation may be set.

  In this aspect, the vehicle may further include setting means for setting the delay time according to the speed of the vehicle.

  As a preferred form, the lane keeping control is performed to control the vehicle speed (that is, the vehicle speed) in order to suppress a sudden change in the behavior of the vehicle before and after the end thereof (that is, such a behavior change may impair drivability). Accordingly, the end mode (in short, the mode of gradually decreasing the steering force applied to the steered wheels) associated with the steering input is often made variable. Even if this kind of end mode variable control is not performed, if the steering force to be eliminated at the end of the lane keeping control is equal, the yaw response generated at the end becomes larger and the convergence time becomes longer as the vehicle speed increases. obtain. In view of these points, it is possible to more suitably prevent the erroneous end of the direction indicating operation by setting the delay time that defines the end timing of the direction indicating operation according to the vehicle speed.

  Such an operation and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the embodiments described below.

  Hereinafter, various embodiments according to a vehicle control apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram conceptually illustrating a configuration of a vehicle according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart of the blinker off control performed in the vehicle of FIG. It is a schematic block diagram which represents notionally the structure of the vehicle which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart of the winker off control which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. FIG. 5 is a schematic characteristic diagram showing a relationship between a delay timer value Tth referred to in the winker off control of FIG. 4 and a vehicle speed V. It is a schematic block diagram which represents notionally the structure of the vehicle which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. First Embodiment <Configuration of Embodiment> First, the configuration of a vehicle 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram conceptually showing the configuration of the vehicle 10.

  In FIG. 1, a vehicle 10 includes a pair of left and right front wheels FL and FR as steering wheels, and is configured to be able to travel in a desired direction by turning these front wheels. The vehicle 10 includes an ECU 100, a steering mechanism 200, an EPS actuator 300, an EPS driving device 400, a VGRS actuator 500, and a VGRS driving device 600.

  The ECU 100 is an electronic control unit that includes a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM (not shown) and is configured to be able to control the entire operation of the vehicle 10, and is an example of the “vehicle control device” according to the present invention. The ECU 100 is configured to be able to execute a winker-off control described later according to a control program stored in the ROM.

  The ECU 100 is an integrated electronic control unit configured to function as an example of each of the “acquisition unit” and the “control unit” according to the present invention, and operations related to these units are all executed by the ECU 100. It is comprised so that. However, the physical, mechanical, and electrical configurations of each of the units according to the present invention are not limited to this. For example, each of these units includes a plurality of ECUs, various processing units, various controllers, a microcomputer device, and the like. It may be configured as various computer systems.

  The steering mechanism 200 is a transmission mechanism that transmits a driver's steering operation to each steering wheel, and includes a steering wheel 210, a steering column 220, an upper steering shaft 230, a lower steering shaft 240, a pinion gear 250, and a rack bar 260.

  The steering wheel 210 is an operation means for prompting a steering operation by a driver.

  The steering column 220 is a case unit that accommodates the rotating shaft of the steering wheel 210.

  The upper steering shaft 230 is a steering input shaft connected to the steering wheel 210 via the steering column 220, and is configured to rotate substantially integrally with the steering wheel 210.

  The lower steering shaft 240 is a steering output shaft having one end connected to the upper steering shaft 230 via a VGRS actuator 500 described later. The other end of the lower steering shaft 240 is connected to a pinion gear 250 housed in a steering gear box (not shown). In addition, the lower steering shaft 240 and the pinion gear 250 may be directly connected, or may be indirectly connected via an appropriate intervening mechanism.

  The pinion gear 250 is a gear component that is configured to rotate substantially integrally with the lower steering shaft 240 and has gear teeth formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof, and meshes with the gear teeth formed on the surface of the rack bar 260. .

  The rack bar 260 is a rod member for transmitting a steering force that extends in the lateral direction of the vehicle. The gear teeth formed on the surface of the rack bar 260 mesh with the gear teeth on the pinion gear 250 side, and the rotation of the pinion gear 250 is performed. The movement can be converted into a linear movement in the lateral direction of the vehicle. On the other hand, a tie rod and a knuckle (not shown) are connected to both ends of the rack bar 260, and the respective steered wheels are connected via these. Therefore, each steered wheel can be steered in the left and right steered directions by the linear motion of the rack bar 260 along the lateral direction of the vehicle. That is, in the steering mechanism 200, a so-called rack and pinion type steering system is realized by the pinion gear 250 and the rack bar 260.

  The EPS actuator 300 is an electric actuator provided with an EPS motor (not shown) as a DC brushless motor including a rotor (not shown) as a rotor to which a permanent magnet is attached and a stator as a stator surrounding the rotor. is there. This EPS motor is configured to be capable of generating an assist torque TA in the rotation direction when the rotor is rotated by the action of a rotating magnetic field formed in the EPS motor by energizing the stator via the EPS driving device 400. ing.

  On the other hand, a reduction gear (not shown) is fixed to the motor shaft that is the rotation shaft of the EPS motor, and this reduction gear is also meshed with the pinion gear 250. For this reason, the assist torque TA generated from the EPS motor functions as a torque that assists the rotation of the pinion gear 25-. The pinion gear 250 is connected to the lower steering shaft 240 as described above, and the lower steering shaft 240 is connected to the upper steering shaft 230 via the VGRS actuator 500. Accordingly, the steering torque MT applied to the upper steering shaft 230 via the steering wheel 210 is transmitted to the rack bar 260 in an appropriately assisted manner by the assist torque TA, and the steering burden on the driver is reduced. It has become.

  The EPS drive device 400 is an electric drive circuit including a PWM circuit, a transistor circuit, an inverter, and the like that are configured to be energized to the stator of the EPS motor. The EPS driving device 400 is electrically connected to a battery (not shown), and is configured to be able to supply a driving voltage to the EPS motor with electric power supplied from the battery. Further, the EPS driving device 400 is electrically connected to the ECU 100, and its operation is controlled by the ECU 100.

  In the present embodiment, the EPS actuator 300 and the EPS drive device 400 constitute a kind of electronically controlled power steering device. The configuration of this type of power steering device that assists the steering torque is illustrated here. For example, the assist torque TA output from the EPS motor may be directly transmitted to the lower steering shaft 240 with a reduction in rotational speed by a reduction gear (not shown), or the rack bar 260 may be used. May be applied as a force for assisting the reciprocating motion.

  The VGRS actuator 500 is a steering angle transmission ratio variable device including a housing, a VGRS motor, and a speed reduction mechanism (all not shown).

  The housing is a case that houses the VGRS motor and the speed reduction mechanism. An end portion of the upper steering shaft 230 on the downstream side is fixed to the housing, and the housing and the upper steering shaft 230 can rotate substantially integrally.

  The VGRS motor is a DC brushless motor having a rotor as a rotor, a stator as a stator, and a rotation shaft as a driving force output shaft. The stator is fixed inside the housing, and the rotor is rotatably held inside the housing. The rotating shaft is fixed so as to be coaxially rotatable with the rotor, and the downstream end thereof is connected to the speed reduction mechanism.

  The speed reduction mechanism is a planetary gear mechanism having a plurality of rotational elements (sun gear, carrier, and ring gear) that can be differentially rotated. Among the plurality of rotating elements, the sun gear as the first rotating element is connected to the rotating shaft of the VGRS motor, and the carrier as the second rotating element is connected to the housing. A ring gear as a third rotating element is connected to the lower steering shaft 240.

  According to the speed reduction mechanism having such a configuration, the rotation angle of the upper steering shaft 230 (that is, the rotation angle of the housing connected to the carrier) corresponding to the steering angle MA that is the operation angle of the steering wheel 210, and the VGRS motor The rotation angle of the lower steering shaft 240 connected to the ring gear which is the remaining one rotation element is uniquely determined by the rotation angle (that is, the rotation angle of the rotation shaft connected to the sun gear).

  At this time, the rotational speed of the lower steering shaft 240 can be controlled to increase / decrease by controlling the rotational speed of the VGRS motor to increase / decrease by the differential action between the rotating elements. That is, the upper steering shaft 230 and the lower steering shaft 240 can be rotated relative to each other by the action of the VGRS motor and the speed reduction mechanism. Further, due to the configuration of each rotary element in the speed reduction mechanism, the rotation speed of the VGRS motor is transmitted to the lower steering shaft 240 in a state where the speed is reduced according to a predetermined reduction ratio determined according to the gear ratio between the respective rotary elements.

  As described above, in the vehicle 10, the upper steering shaft 230 and the lower steering shaft 240 can rotate relative to each other, so that the steering angle MA corresponding to the rotation angle of the upper steering shaft 230 and the rotation angle of the lower steering shaft 240 are determined. The steering angle transmission ratio (which is also related to the gear ratio of the rack and pinion mechanism described later) and the actual steering angle δr of the steered wheels (however, it may be specified in practice) Here, it is defined as MA / δr) is continuously variable within a predetermined range.

  Note that the speed reduction mechanism is not limited to the planetary gear mechanism exemplified here, but may be connected to other modes (for example, a gear having a different number of teeth may be connected to the upper steering shaft 230 and the lower steering shaft 240, and a part of each gear may be contacted. A mode in which a flexible gear is installed and the upper steering shaft 230 and the lower steering shaft 240 are rotated relative to each other by rotating the flexible gear with a motor torque transmitted via a wave generator. The planetary gear mechanism may have a physical, mechanical, or mechanical aspect different from the above.

  The VGRS drive device 600 is an electric drive circuit including a PWM circuit, a transistor circuit, an inverter, and the like that is configured to be energized with respect to the stator of the VGRS motor, and transmits the steering angle together with the VGRS actuator 500 by driving the VGRS actuator 200. Functions as a variable ratio device. The VGRS driving device 600 is electrically connected to a battery (not shown), and is configured to be able to supply a driving voltage to the VGRS motor with electric power supplied from the battery. Further, the VGRS driving device 600 is electrically connected to the ECU 100, and its operation is controlled by the ECU 100.

  Here, the steering mechanism 200 according to the present embodiment is an example of the “steering mechanism capable of changing the relationship between the steering angle and the actual steering angle” according to the present invention, together with the EPS actuator 300 and the VGRS actuator 500. ing. More specifically, the EPS actuator 300 can apply a steering force for urging the steered wheels to steer, but the rotation of the pinion gear 250 that causes the linear motion of the rack bar 260 remains as it is as the lower steering. Since the shaft 240 is also rotated, the relationship between the steering angle MA and the steering angle δst does not change under a certain steering angle transmission ratio. That is, the steering wheel can be steered regardless of the driver's intention, but as a result, the steering wheel 210 also rotates regardless of the driver's intention.

  Therefore, the VGRS actuator 500 is driven in synchronization with the control of the EPS actuator 300. More specifically, the VGRS actuator 500 reduces the steering angle transmission ratio when changing the steered wheels regardless of the driver's intention by applying the driving force (assist torque TA) from the EPS actuator 300. That is, in the above definition, the VGRS motor is controlled so that the steering angle MA (or the actual steering angle δst) required to obtain one actual steering angle δst (or the steering angle MA) decreases (or increases). The As a result, even if the EPS actuator 300 changes the actual steering angle δst of the steered wheels, the accompanying rotation of the lower steering shaft 240 becomes difficult to be transmitted to the upper steering shaft 230, and the steering wheel 210 is caused to rotate. It will disappear.

  Supplementally, the VGRS actuator 300 has a shape in which the VGRS motor floats in the air. When this type of steering is realized by using only the VGRS actuator 500, the steering wheel 210 instead of the steered wheel turns. It will be steered in the opposite direction. Accordingly, it may be difficult to practice the provision of the steering force to the steered wheels by the VGRS actuator 500. In other words, this kind of steering is suitably realized by cooperatively controlling the EPS actuator 300 and the VGRS actuator 500.

  On the other hand, the vehicle 10 includes a steering angle sensor 11, a steering torque sensor 12, a vehicle speed sensor 13, a yaw rate sensor 14, a direction indicator lamp 15, and a winker lever 16.

  The steering angle sensor 11 is a sensor configured to be able to detect a steering angle MA that represents the amount of rotation of the upper steering shaft 230. The steering angle sensor 11 is electrically connected to the ECU 100, and the detected steering angle MA is referred to by the ECU 100 at a constant or indefinite period.

  The steering torque sensor 12 is a sensor configured to be able to detect a steering torque MT applied from the driver via the steering wheel 11. More specifically, the upper steering shaft 230 is divided into an upstream portion and a downstream portion, and has a configuration in which they are connected to each other by a torsion bar (not shown). Rings for detecting a rotational phase difference are fixed to both upstream and downstream ends of the torsion bar. The torsion bar is configured to be twisted in the rotational direction in accordance with the steering torque transmitted through the upstream portion of the upper steering shaft 230 when the driver of the vehicle 10 operates the steering wheel 210. The steering torque can be transmitted to the downstream portion while generating Therefore, when the steering torque is transmitted, a rotational phase difference is generated between the above-described rings for detecting the rotational phase difference. The steering torque sensor 12 is configured to detect the rotational phase difference and to convert the rotational phase difference into a steering torque and output it as an electrical signal corresponding to the steering torque MT. Further, the steering torque sensor 12 is electrically connected to the ECU 100, and the detected steering torque MT is referred to by the ECU 100 at a constant or indefinite period.

  The vehicle speed sensor 13 is a sensor configured to be able to detect the vehicle speed V, which is the speed of the vehicle 10. The vehicle speed sensor 13 is electrically connected to the ECU 100, and the detected vehicle speed V is referred to by the ECU 100 at a constant or indefinite period.

  The yaw rate sensor 14 is a sensor configured to be able to detect the yaw rate γ, which is the speed of the vehicle 10 in the yaw direction. The yaw rate sensor 14 is electrically connected to the ECU 100, and the detected yaw rate γ is referred to by the ECU 100 at a constant or indefinite period.

  The direction indicator lamps 15 are direction indication indicators that are provided in a pair of left and right in the front and rear parts of the vehicle 10, the door mirror unit, and the meter hood in front of the driver's seat to notify the traveling direction of the vehicle 10 to the surroundings. is there. The direction indicator lamp 15 is connected to a lighting drive unit electrically connected to a battery (not shown), and is configured to flash and light at an appropriate time interval by supplying power from the lighting drive unit.

  The winker lever 16 is an operating means fixed to the left side portion of the steering column 220 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction. The winker lever 16 corresponds to the upper side in the right direction and the lower side in the left direction when the steering wheel 210 is viewed from the front (in some vehicles, the winker lever 16 is installed on the right side of the steering column 220. The upper and lower directions may correspond to the left direction and the right direction, respectively), and the direction indicator lamp 15 corresponding to the rotation direction is flashed when operated to the lock position in one rotation direction. In addition, the direction indicator lamp 15 and its operation are configured to cooperate with each other. Further, when the winker lever 16 returns from the locked position to the neutral position, the blinking lighting of the direction indicator lamp 15 is also terminated accordingly.

  On the other hand, the winker lever 16 operated to the lock position is configured to be physically locked at the lock position by a lock mechanism installed in the steering column 220. The lock of the winker lever 16 is released when the winker lever 16 is forcibly returned to the neutral position by the driver or when the winker off process related to the winker off control described later is executed.

  In addition, the lighting drive part of the direction indicator lamp 15 and the lock mechanism described above are electrically connected to the ECU 100 and are configured to be driven and controlled by the ECU 100, respectively. The winker lever 16 (including the lock mechanism) and the direction indicator lamp 15 (including the lighting drive unit) are an example of the “direction indicator” according to the present invention that constitutes a so-called winker device. Hereinafter, when these are collectively referred to, the term “direction indicator” will be used as appropriate.

<Operation of Embodiment>
As described above, the vehicle 10 according to the present embodiment can freely control the steering angle δst regardless of the steering angle MA by the action of the steering mechanism 200, the EPS actuator 300, and the VGRS actuator 500. For this reason, the end timing of the direction indicating operation of the direction indicating device including the unlocking of the locking mechanism, the return to the neutral position of the blinker lever 16 and the end of blinking lighting of the direction indicating lamp 15 is the steering angle MA. Accordingly, if the vehicle 10 has changed the behavior reflecting the driver's intention, the direction indicating operation does not end, or the vehicle 10 still has the behavior change reflecting the driver's intention. A situation occurs in which the direction indicating operation ends although it has not started or is in the process of being performed, leading to a decrease in drivability. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the ECU 100 is configured to end the direction indicating operation of the direction indicator by the winker off control described below.

  Here, the details of the blinker-off control will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a flowchart of the blinker off control.

  In FIG. 2, the ECU 100 determines whether or not the winker lever 16 has been operated to the lock position (that is, whether or not the winker lever 16 is locked) (step S101). When the winker lever 16 is not locked, the ECU 100 advances the process to step S105. Whether or not the winker lever 16 is locked is determined by the operating state of a lock switch (not shown in FIG. 1). The lock switch is an operation switch of the lock mechanism, and is automatically turned on when the winker lever 16 is operated to the lock position, and an electric signal indicating that is supplied to the ECU 100. The ECU 100 that has received this electrical signal controls the lighting drive unit of the direction indicator lamp 15 to turn on and turn off the direction indicator lamp in the corresponding direction.

  When the winker lever 16 is locked (step S101: YES), the ECU 100 calculates the actual rudder equivalent angle δ according to the following equation (1) (step S102). Stored in RAM over the past several times.

δ = n * L * ((1 + KH) * V ² ) * γ / V (1)
Here, n is a steering gear ratio, L is a wheel base, KH is a stability factor, γ is a yaw rate, and V is a vehicle speed. The steering gear ratio n is grasped by the ECU 100 as a control amount of the VGRS actuator 500, and the wheel base L and the stability factor KH are fixed values previously stored in the ROM. Further, the yaw rate γ and the vehicle speed V are acquired from the yaw rate sensor 14 and the vehicle speed sensor 13, respectively.

  Here, the actual rudder equivalent angle δ is an example of the “actual rudder equivalent value” according to the present invention, which can quantitatively represent the progress state of the behavior change of the vehicle 10 corresponding to the operation of the direction indicator. The actual rudder equivalent angle δ does not depend on the steering angle MA, but how much the behavior change corresponding to the direction indicating operation accompanied by the yaw response, such as turning left and right, changing lanes, overtaking, turning or turning operation, in the vehicle 10 progresses. It is a value constructed so that it can be expressed.

  When the actual rudder equivalent angle δ is calculated, the ECU 100 refers to the previous value δ (i−1) of the actual rudder equivalent angle δ and the present value δ of the actual rudder equivalent angle δ calculated as follows (2 ) And (3) is determined whether or not the relationship shown is established (step S103).

δ (i−1)> δth (2)
δ (i) <δth (3)
Here, δth is a threshold value of the actual rudder equivalent angle δ. That is, the above (2) and (3) are discriminants for discriminating whether or not the actual rudder equivalent angle δ exceeds the threshold value δth to the decreasing side. This threshold value δth may be an adapted value that is experimentally determined in advance because the actual steering equivalent angle δ itself is associated with the behavior change of the vehicle 10.

  If the actual rudder equivalent angle δ does not satisfy the discriminant (step S103: NO), the ECU 100 returns the process to step S101. If the operation of the winker lever 16 is continued when the processing returns to step S101, the actual steering equivalent angle δ is calculated (step S102) and compared with a threshold value (step S103).

  On the other hand, when the actual rudder equivalent angle δ cuts the threshold value δth to the decrease side (step S103: YES), that is, when the behavior change of the vehicle 10 accompanying the direction indicating operation converges to a level defined by the threshold value δth, or When the operation of the winker lever 16 is finished by forcibly operating the winker lever 16 (step S101: NO), the ECU 100 executes a winker off process (step S104). The winker off process refers to unlocking of the winker lever 16 by controlling a lock mechanism that locks the winker lever 16 and the end of blinking lighting of the direction indicator lamp 15 associated therewith. If the winker-off process has already been executed, step S104 is substantially skipped. When the blinker off process is executed, the process returns to step S101.

Thus, according to the winker off control according to the present embodiment, when the winker lever 16 is operated, the direction indicating operation of the direction indicator is not completed at the end timing based on the actual steering equivalent angle δ but on the steering angle MA. finish. For this reason, when the change of the actual steering angle δst with respect to the steering angle MA is set to have any characteristic, when the behavior of the vehicle 10 reaches a certain convergence state, the direction indicating operation can be accurately terminated. it can.
<Second Embodiment>
<Configuration of Embodiment>
Next, the configuration of the vehicle 20 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram conceptually showing the configuration of the vehicle 20. In the figure, the same reference numerals are given to the portions overlapping with those in FIG.

  In FIG. 3, the vehicle 20 is different from the vehicle 10 according to the first embodiment in that the vehicle 20 includes the in-vehicle camera 17.

  The in-vehicle camera 17 is an imaging device that is installed in a front nose or a front bumper of the vehicle 20 and configured to image a predetermined area in front of the vehicle 20. The vehicle-mounted camera 17 is electrically connected to the ECU 100, and the captured front area is sent to the ECU 100 as image data at a constant or indefinite period. The ECU 100 can analyze the image data and acquire various data necessary for LKA control described later.

<Operation of Embodiment>
<Details of LKA control>
In the vehicle 20 according to the second embodiment, LKA control is executed as one of the vehicle travel support controls. The LKA control is control for causing the vehicle 20 to follow the target travel path (lane), and is control for realizing a part of the travel support system that the vehicle 20 has. The LKA control is generally performed as follows.

  The ECU 100 determines whether or not the LKA mode is selected as a result of, for example, an operation button for activating LKA control previously installed in the passenger compartment of the vehicle 20 being operated by the driver. When the LKA mode is selected, the ECU 100 is based on a white line (which does not have to be white) that defines the LKA target travel path, which is detected using image data sent from the in-vehicle camera 17. Thus, various road surface information necessary for causing the vehicle 20 to follow the target traveling road is calculated. As the road surface information, the curvature R (that is, the reciprocal of the radius) of the target traveling road, the lateral deviation Y between the white line and the vehicle 20, the yaw angle deviation φ between the white line and the vehicle 20, and the like are calculated. The It should be noted that various modes including a known image recognition algorithm can be applied to the calculation mode of the information required for the follow-up control of this type of target driving path, and since the correlation with the essential part of the invention is weak, it is touched here. Suppose there is nothing.

  When these various road surface information is calculated, the ECU 100 calculates a target lateral acceleration necessary for causing the vehicle 20 to follow the target travel path. At this time, the target lateral acceleration may be calculated according to various known algorithms or arithmetic expressions, or the curvature R, lateral deviation Y and yaw angle deviation φ stored in advance in appropriate storage means such as a ROM. Reference may be made to a target lateral acceleration map using as a parameter. When the target lateral acceleration is calculated, the ECU 100 calculates the LKA target assist torque, and controls the EPS actuator 300 based on the calculated LKA target assist torque, thereby assisting torque corresponding to the LKA target assist torque. TA is generated.

  At this time, the VGRS actuator 500 is driven so that a change in the steering angle δst for causing the vehicle 20 to follow the target travel path does not appear as a change in behavior of the steering wheel 210 (that is, a change in the steering angle MA). Be controlled. As a result, the driver only needs to hold the steering wheel 210, and the vehicle 20 can travel following the target travel path in a state in which the occurrence of uncomfortable feeling is suppressed. Note that such LKA control is merely an example of control for causing the vehicle 20 to follow the target travel path, and its practical aspect is intended to adopt various known aspects.

  On the other hand, since this type of driving support function is not performed beyond the intention of the driver, the ECU 100 is configured to stop this type of driving support without delay when the driver indicates the steering intention. It has become. Regarding the LKA control, the ECU 100 ends the LKA control when the steering wheel 210, the brake pedal, or the winker lever 16 is operated. When ending the LKA control, the assist torque TA supplied by the EPS actuator 300 at that time is gradually reduced according to the vehicle speed V. That is, the gradually decreasing period becomes longer as the speed increases. Thus, by performing the gradual reduction process according to the vehicle speed V, the vehicle behavior is prevented from becoming unstable before and after the end of the LKA control.

  On the other hand, when the winker off control according to the first embodiment is applied during the period in which the LKA control is performed in this way, an undesired phenomenon exemplified below may occur in some cases.

  That is, when the supply of the steering force (assist torque TA) is gradually reduced, naturally, the behavior change of the vehicle 20 may occur. For example, when the assist torque TA is applied in the right turning direction in maintaining the vehicle 20 on the target travel path (that is, when the vehicle 20 is deflected to the left with respect to the target travel path), the blinker lever 16 In the process in which the assist torque TA gradually decreases with the operation, the behavior change in the left turning direction occurs in the vehicle 20. This behavior change corresponds to the above-mentioned actual rudder equivalent angle δ. In some cases, the actual rudder equivalent angle δ satisfies the end condition according to step S103, and thus the winker-off process is executed. That is, in this case, the winker-off process is contrary to the driver's intention, and causes a wasteful process flow of operation of the winker lever 16 → end of LKA → winker off process → operation of the winker lever 16 again.

<Details of turn-off control>
Such a problem is preferably solved in the turn-off control according to the second embodiment. Here, with reference to FIG. 4, the details of the turn-off control according to the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the turn-off control according to the second embodiment. In the figure, the same reference numerals are given to the same portions as those in FIG. 2, and the description thereof is omitted as appropriate.

  In FIG. 4, when the winker lever 16 is operated (step S101: YES), the ECU 100 determines whether or not the LKA control is being executed (step S201). When the LKA control is not executed (step S201: NO), the direction indicating operation of the direction indicator is ended based on the actual steering equivalent angle δ as in the first embodiment. On the other hand, when the LKA control is being executed (step S201: YES), the ECU 100 executes a delay process (step S202).

  In the delay process, first, a delay timer value Tth is acquired. When the delay timer value Tth is acquired, the ECU 100 temporarily waits for processing until a time corresponding to the delay timer value Tth elapses. When the time corresponding to the delay timer value Tth elapses, the ECU 100 advances the process to step S102 and ends the direction indicating operation of the direction indicator as in the first embodiment.

  Here, the delay timer value Tth will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic characteristic diagram illustrating the relationship between the delay timer value Tth and the vehicle speed V.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the delay timer value Tth is an increasing function with respect to the vehicle speed V. As described above, the gradual decrease time related to the gradual decrease process of the assist torque TA when ending the LKA control increases according to the vehicle speed V. Accordingly, the delay timer value Tth is set according to the vehicle speed V so that the actual steering equivalent angle δ due to the gradual decrease of the assist torque TA is sufficiently reduced at the time when the time corresponding to the delay timer value Tth has passed. -ing

As described above, according to the winker off control according to the second embodiment, when the win cover 16 is operated during the LKA control, the vehicle 20 that may occur when the LKA is terminated by the operation of the win cover 16 is performed. A delay timer value Tth that can sufficiently reduce the actual rudder equivalent angle δ is set so that the end condition related to the direction indicating operation of the direction indicator is not satisfied by the behavior change, and the direction based on the actual rudder equivalent angle δ is set. The process related to the end control of the instruction operation is delayed. For this reason, the winker off process is executed at an incorrect timing, so that the driver does not need to re-operate the win cover 16, and the uncomfortable feeling given to the driver is suitably reduced.
<Third Embodiment>
In the first and second embodiments, the vehicle response independent of the steering angle MA is realized by cooperative control of the EPS actuator 300 and the VGRS actuator 500. However, such a vehicle response independent of the steering angle MA is of this type. This is not limited to the steering mechanism. Here, with reference to FIG. 6, the structure of the vehicle 30 which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram conceptually showing the configuration of the vehicle 30. In the figure, the same reference numerals are given to the same portions as those in FIG. 3, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

  In FIG. 3, the vehicle 30 includes a steering mechanism 700, an SBW actuator 800 and an SBW driving device 900.

  The steering mechanism 700 is a transmission mechanism including a steering shaft 710, a reaction force device 720, and a steering shaft 730.

  The steering shaft 710 is a shaft body that is connected at one end to the steering wheel 210 and is rotatable in conjunction with the rotation of the steering wheel 210. The other end of the steering shaft 710 is connected to the reaction force device 720.

  The reaction force device 720 is a device that generates a reaction force torque with respect to the steering torque applied to the steering wheel 210. The driver operating the steering wheel 210 can always obtain an appropriate steering feeling by the reaction force torque from the reaction force device 720.

  Similar to the rack bar 260 according to the first and second embodiments, the steering shaft 730 is a shaft in which steering wheels are connected to both ends via tie rods and knuckles.

  The SBW actuator 800 is a known direct acting actuator that can convert the rotational force of an SBW motor (not shown) into a linear motion of a shaft that meshes with the rotational shaft of the SBW motor via a predetermined gear. This shaft body is connected to the steering shaft 730, and when the SBW motor is rotated by the SBW actuator 800, a steering force is applied to the steering wheel.

  The SBW drive device 900 is an electric drive circuit including a PWM circuit, a transistor circuit, an inverter, and the like that can be energized to the stator of the SBW motor. It functions as a variable angle mechanism. The SBW driving device 900 is electrically connected to a battery (not shown), and is configured to be able to supply a driving voltage to the SBW motor with electric power supplied from the battery. Further, the SBW driving device 900 is electrically connected to the ECU 100, and its operation is controlled by the ECU 100.

  Thus, in the vehicle 30 according to the third embodiment, the steering input system of the driver and the drive system of the steered wheels are separated, and the steering mechanism 700, the SBW actuator 800, and the SBW drive device 900 are used to steer by.・ Electric rudder angle variable function called wire is realized. Therefore, the relationship between the steering angle MA and the actual steering angle δst can be more free than in the first and second embodiments, and the winker off control according to the present invention can function beneficially over a wider range of operating conditions.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist or concept of the invention that can be read from the claims and the entire specification. The apparatus is also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  For example, when a driver generates a certain steering angle at a certain vehicle speed, the theory, experience, and experimentation that it is desirable or optimal to achieve such a yaw rate and lateral acceleration as the steering feel and vehicle behavior characteristics. The present invention can also be applied to an active steering system in which an auxiliary steering angle is given to a steered wheel based on a result or a simulation result.

  The present invention can be used for steering control of a vehicle in which the relationship between the steering angle and the actual steering angle is variable.

  FL, FR ... steering wheel, 10 ... vehicle, 11 ... steering angle sensor, 12 ... steering torque sensor, 13 ... vehicle speed sensor, 14 ... yaw rate sensor, 15 ... direction indicator lamp, 16 ... winker lever, 17 ... vehicle camera (first) 2 embodiment), 20 ... vehicle (second embodiment), 30 ... vehicle (third embodiment), 100 ... ECU, 200 ... steering mechanism, 210 ... steering wheel, 220 ... steering column, 230 ... upper steering shaft, 240 ... Lower steering shaft, 250 ... Pinion gear, 260 ... Rack bar, 300 ... EPS actuator, 400 ... EPS driving device, 500 ... VGRS actuator, 600 ... VGRS driving device, 700 ... Steering mechanism (third embodiment), 710 ... Steering shaft, 720 ... Reaction force device, 800 ... SBW act Eta (Third Embodiment), 900 ... SBW drive (third embodiment).

Claims (5)

A vehicle control device including a steering mechanism capable of changing a relationship between a steering angle and an actual steering angle,
Obtaining means for obtaining a predetermined actual rudder equivalent value defining the yaw response of the vehicle;
Control means for controlling the direction indicator so that the direction indication operation is terminated according to the acquired actual rudder equivalent value when the direction indicator is operated. apparatus. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit acquires the actual rudder equivalent value based on a yaw rate or a target yaw rate of the vehicle. The control means ends the direction indicating operation when a current value of the acquired actual rudder equivalent value is less than a reference value and a previous value of the acquired actual rudder equivalent value is equal to or greater than the reference value. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein: The vehicle executes a predetermined lane keeping control via the steering mechanism in response to a lane keeping request, and a lane keeping device that terminates the lane keeping control in accordance with a predetermined steering input representing a driver's steering intention. Prepared,
When the direction indicator is operated as the steering input during execution of the lane keeping control, the control means is configured to obtain the actual steering obtained after a predetermined delay time has elapsed from the end time of the lane keeping control. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the direction indicating operation is terminated according to an equivalent value. The vehicle control device according to claim 4, further comprising setting means for setting the delay time according to the speed of the vehicle.

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