JP2013089136A - Road shape estimation device of vehicle, and vehicle travel control device including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a road shape estimation device of vehicles configured to estimate a road shape ahead of the route of a vehicle on the basis of information on another vehicle detected by inter-vehicle communication, and a vehicle travel control device including the same.SOLUTION: The road shape estimation device includes road shape estimation means 18 that, when another vehicle determination means 18a determines that another vehicle 2 is present ahead of the route of a vehicle 1, estimates the road shape ahead of the route of the vehicle 1 on the basis of vehicle speed information on another vehicle 2 and driving operation information on another vehicle 2 acquired from another vehicle information acquiring means 10. The driving operation information includes information on an accelerator opening degree of another vehicle 2. When the accelerator opening degree of another vehicle 2 is held constant and the vehicle speed of another vehicle increases, or when the vehicle speed of another vehicle 2 is held constant and the accelerator opening degree of another vehicle 2 decreases, the road shape estimation means 18 estimates that there is a downhill road ahead of the route of the vehicle 1.

Description

  The present invention is based on a road shape prediction device that predicts a road shape in front of a vehicle using driving operation information of another vehicle in front of the vehicle obtained by communication, and a road shape predicted in the road shape prediction device. The present invention relates to a vehicle travel control device that performs control related to vehicle travel.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, techniques have been developed for detecting and acquiring various information by communicating between an automobile (hereinafter also referred to as a vehicle) and the outside thereof. Patent Documents 1 and 2 are examples of using such a technique.

In the technology of Patent Document 1, when controlling the traveling of the host vehicle so as to trace the traveling locus of a vehicle preceding the host vehicle (also simply referred to as the preceding vehicle), a communication device equipped on the preceding vehicle and the host vehicle is used. By performing inter-vehicle communication between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle via the vehicle, a log of the traveling point detected by the GPS module equipped on the preceding vehicle is acquired as a traveling locus of the preceding vehicle in the own vehicle.
In the technique of Patent Document 2, map information is acquired in the host vehicle by performing communication between the information communication center and the host vehicle via a wireless communication network (mobile phone network) by a communication device installed in the host vehicle. To do.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-10078 JP 2005-38238 A

However, in the technique of Patent Document 1, since the traveling locus of the preceding vehicle is grasped by using the information on the traveling point of the preceding vehicle detected by the GPS module, the accuracy of the traveling locus of the preceding vehicle is equivalent to the positioning accuracy of the GPS module. Will depend. Therefore, when the GPS module of the preceding vehicle is a point where the reception accuracy of the radio wave from the artificial satellite is low, the traveling point of the preceding vehicle cannot be accurately detected. In such a case, even if the traveling point of the preceding vehicle detected by the GPS module in the preceding vehicle is supplemented and estimated by so-called autonomous navigation, basically the traveling position of the preceding vehicle depends on the positioning accuracy of the GPS module. It is difficult to ensure point detection accuracy.
Further, in the technique of Patent Document 2, since communication is performed via a wireless communication network, communication cannot be performed at a point where infrastructure such as the outside of the wireless communication network is not established, and information is acquired in the own vehicle. I can't.

  As a result, road information is stored in order to efficiently or accurately control vehicle travel even at locations where the accuracy of receiving radio waves from satellites of the GPS module is low or where infrastructure is not established. It is required to predict the road shape in front of the vehicle with a simple configuration without mounting or reading the vehicle.

  In this regard, in vehicle-to-vehicle communication, various types of information can be transmitted and received without being limited to information on the travel point of the vehicle. Such information includes various information such as driving operation information such as vehicle accelerator opening information and steering angle information and vehicle speed information. In addition, if the road shape ahead of the vehicle can be predicted in advance, the traveling control of the vehicle can be performed efficiently or accurately.

  The present invention was devised in view of such problems, and is based on the information on other vehicles detected by inter-vehicle communication, and can be used to predict the road shape ahead of the course of the vehicle. It is an object of the present invention to provide a shape prediction device and a vehicle travel control device including the shape prediction device.

  In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle road shape prediction apparatus of the present invention comprises other vehicle information acquisition means for acquiring information of other vehicles in the vicinity of the vehicle by communication, and is acquired by the other vehicle information acquisition means. The information includes at least position information of the other vehicle, vehicle speed information of the other vehicle, and driving operation information of the other vehicle. Based on at least the position information of the other vehicle, the other vehicle The other vehicle determination means for determining whether or not the vehicle is ahead of the course, and the other vehicle information acquisition means when the other vehicle determination means determines that the other vehicle is ahead of the course of the vehicle. Road shape predicting means for predicting a road shape in front of the course of the vehicle based on vehicle speed information of the other vehicle and the driving operation information of the other vehicle. The course of the vehicle when the accelerator opening of the other vehicle is constant and the vehicle speed of the other vehicle increases, or when the vehicle speed of the other vehicle is constant and the accelerator opening of the other vehicle decreases. It is characterized by predicting that there is a downhill road ahead.

  The other vehicle determination means determines whether the other vehicle is on a road ahead of the course of the vehicle based on position information of the other vehicle, position information of the vehicle, and road map information provided in the vehicle. Is preferably determined.

  The road shape prediction means is configured such that the accelerator opening of the other vehicle is constant and the vehicle speed of the other vehicle is increasing, or the vehicle speed of the other vehicle is constant and the accelerator opening of the other vehicle is When the vehicle is decreasing, it is predicted that there is a start point of a downhill road ahead of the course of the vehicle, and when the start point is predicted, the accelerator opening of the other vehicle is constant and the vehicle speed of the other vehicle increases. Or when the vehicle speed of the other vehicle is constant and the accelerator opening degree of the other vehicle is lowered, the downhill road with a constant slope ahead of the course of the vehicle. If the downhill road with the constant gradient is predicted, the accelerator opening of the other vehicle is constant and the vehicle speed of the other vehicle is decreasing from the increased state, or the other vehicle The other vehicle has a constant vehicle speed Of when the accelerator opening increases from a degraded state, it is preferable to predict that there is a termination point of the downhill road in the path ahead of the vehicle.

  According to the present invention, there is provided a vehicle travel control device that performs travel control of the vehicle by using the road shape prediction device of the vehicle and information on a downhill road predicted by the road shape prediction unit. The travel control by the travel control means includes constant speed travel control for maintaining the vehicle speed of the vehicle, inter-vehicle control for maintaining an inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle and the other vehicle in front of the vehicle, and the vehicle It is characterized by at least one of inertial traveling control for traveling by inertia.

  The road shape prediction device for a vehicle according to the present invention predicts the road shape in front of the course of the vehicle based on the vehicle speed information of the other vehicle and the driving operation information of the other vehicle by the road shape prediction means. The road shape ahead of the course of the vehicle can be predicted even at a point where the reception accuracy of radio waves is low, a point where such radio waves cannot be received, or a point where infrastructure is not established. Moreover, since the road shape ahead of the course of the vehicle is predicted based on the real-time information of the other vehicle ahead of the course of the vehicle, the road shape that ensures real-time performance can be predicted.

When the accelerator opening of the other vehicle is constant and the vehicle speed of the other vehicle increases, or when the vehicle speed of the other vehicle is constant and the accelerator opening of the other vehicle decreases, the downhill road ahead of the course of the vehicle If it is predicted that there is, the downhill road ahead of the course of the vehicle can be predicted with a simple configuration.
Furthermore, when the accelerator opening of the other vehicle is constant and the vehicle speed of the other vehicle is increasing, or when the vehicle speed of the other vehicle is constant and the accelerator opening of the other vehicle is decreasing, the course of the vehicle If it is predicted that there is a starting point of a downhill road ahead, and the starting point of the downhill road is predicted, the accelerator opening of the other vehicle is constant and the vehicle speed of the other vehicle is maintained, or When the vehicle speed of the other vehicle is constant and the accelerator opening degree of the other vehicle is kept low, it is predicted that there is a downhill road with a constant slope ahead of the course of the vehicle. If predicted, the accelerator opening of the other vehicle is constant and the vehicle speed of the other vehicle is decreasing from the increased state, or the vehicle speed of the other vehicle is constant and the accelerator opening of the other vehicle is decreased. When increasing from the downhill road ahead of the course of the vehicle It can be predicted that there is an end point. Moreover, the start point of the downhill road ahead of the course of these vehicles, the section | slope of a fixed gradient, and the end point can be estimated by simple structure, without using the detailed map information on which the gradient etc. were recorded.

  In this way, the existence of the downhill road and its start point and end point are determined under the condition that the accelerator opening is constant, or the existence of the downhill road and this start point and end point are determined under the condition where the vehicle speed is constant. As a result, it is possible to ensure the accuracy required to predict the road shape with extremely simple logic.

  In addition, according to the vehicle travel control apparatus of the present invention, since the vehicle travel control is performed by the travel control means using the road shape predicted by the road shape prediction means, the radio wave reception accuracy from the GPS artificial satellite is achieved. Even at a low point or a point where infrastructure is not maintained, it is possible to efficiently or accurately perform vehicle travel control such as constant speed travel control, inter-vehicle control, and inertial travel control with a simple configuration.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a vehicle road shape prediction apparatus and a vehicle travel control apparatus including the same according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure explaining the judgment of the uphill road of the road shape prediction device of the vehicle concerning one embodiment of the present invention, and the vehicle speed and the accelerator opening of the other vehicle according to the traveling road of the own vehicle and the other vehicle and the other vehicle. (A) shows a travel route, (b) shows a first example of the vehicle speed and accelerator opening in another vehicle traveling on the travel route shown in (a), and (c) shows in (a). The 2nd example of the vehicle speed and accelerator opening in the other vehicle which is drive | working a travel path is shown. It is a figure explaining the judgment of the downhill road of the road shape prediction device of the vehicle concerning one embodiment of the present invention, and the vehicle speed and the accelerator opening of the other vehicle according to the traveling road of the own vehicle and the other vehicle and the other vehicle. (A) shows a travel route, (b) shows a first example of the vehicle speed and accelerator opening in another vehicle traveling on the travel route shown in (a), and (c) shows in (a). The 2nd example of the vehicle speed and accelerator opening in the other vehicle which is drive | working a travel path is shown. It is a figure explaining the judgment of the curve road of the road shape prediction device of vehicles concerning one embodiment of the present invention, and shows the vehicle speed and steering angle of other vehicles according to the runway of the own vehicle and other vehicles, and other vehicles. , (A) shows the traveling road, (b) shows a first example of the vehicle speed and steering angle in the other vehicle traveling on the traveling road shown in (a), and (c) shows the traveling road shown in (a). 2 shows a second example of the vehicle speed and the ON / OFF state of the brake switch in another vehicle traveling on the road. It is a flowchart which shows the road shape prediction of the uphill road and downhill road ahead of the course of a vehicle implemented in the road shape prediction apparatus of the vehicle concerning one Embodiment of this invention, and the travel control apparatus of a vehicle provided with the same. It is a flowchart which shows the road shape prediction of the curve road ahead of the course of the vehicle implemented in the road shape prediction apparatus of the vehicle concerning one Embodiment of this invention, and the travel control apparatus of a vehicle provided with the same. It is a model figure explaining the road shape prediction in the road shape prediction apparatus of the vehicle concerning the Example of this invention, (a) shows two driving | running | working routes which other vehicles drive ahead of the course of a vehicle, (b) is. The vehicle speed, accelerator opening, and steering angle of the other vehicle traveling on one travel route are shown, and (c) shows the vehicle speed, accelerator opening, and steering angle of the other vehicle traveling on the other travel route.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
<One Embodiment>
[Constitution]
First, a configuration of a vehicle road shape prediction apparatus and a vehicle travel control apparatus including the same according to an embodiment will be described. The vehicle according to the present embodiment is a so-called large or medium-sized automobile such as a truck or a bus.

As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle (own vehicle) 1 is connected to an antenna 10 a, and an inter-vehicle communication device (another vehicle information acquisition unit) 10 that acquires information on another vehicle 2 around the vehicle 1, Sensors and a travel control ECU (travel control means) 16 that performs control related to travel of the vehicle 1 are provided.
The inter-vehicle communication device 10 and the travel control ECU 16 are connected, and the travel control ECU 16 and various sensors are connected.

  The inter-vehicle communication device 10 communicates information with another vehicle 2 around the vehicle 1, and the vehicle 1 acquires information on the other vehicle through this communication. The inter-vehicle communication device 10 is connected to an antenna 10a for communicating with another vehicle 2 in the vicinity, and is connected to the travel control ECU 16 to transmit information on the other vehicle 2 acquired by communication.

Here, the structure of the other vehicle 2 which is the communication object by the vehicle-to-vehicle communication of the vehicle 1 is demonstrated.
As shown in FIG. 1, the other vehicle 2 is connected to the antenna 20 a, and the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 20 that transmits information to the vehicle 1 around the other vehicle 2 and various types of vehicles connected to the vehicle-to-vehicle communication device 20. And sensors.
Various sensors provided in the other vehicle 2 include a GPS 21, a vehicle speed sensor 22, a steering angle sensor 23, a winker switch (SW) 24, an accelerator position sensor (APS) 25, and a brake switch (SW) 26. Hereinafter, these sensors will be described.

  The GPS 21 detects position information of the other vehicle 2. The GPS 21 detects information on the latitude and longitude of the other vehicle 2 as position information of the vehicle 2 via a GPS antenna (not shown). The latitude / longitude information is complemented by so-called autonomous navigation in which information detected by a vehicle speed sensor 22, a steering angle sensor 23, etc., which will be described later, is accumulated to detect the direction, and handled as position information of the other vehicle 2. be able to. Further, the position information of the other vehicle 2 detected by the GPS 21 is transmitted to the inter-vehicle communication device 20.

  The detection of position information in the other vehicle 2 is not limited to this. For example, by using a road-to-vehicle communication device installed in another vehicle 2, communication between the communication device installed on the roadside (also referred to as a roadside device) and the other vehicle 2 is performed, thereby acquiring position information of the roadside device. Then, the position information of the other vehicle 2 can be detected, and the position information of the other vehicle 2 detected by the GPS 21 can be supplemented by the position information acquired by communication with the roadside device.

  The vehicle speed sensor 22 detects the vehicle speed of the other vehicle 2. As the vehicle speed sensor 22, for example, a wheel speed sensor that detects the rotational speed of each driven wheel can be applied. In the case of this wheel speed sensor, the average speed of the detected rotational speed of each driven wheel is calculated. Thus, the vehicle speed can be detected. Information on the vehicle speed of the other vehicle 2 detected by the vehicle speed sensor 22 is transmitted to the inter-vehicle communication device 20.

The steering angle sensor 23 detects a steering angle (steering angle) θ _ST of a steering wheel (not shown) of the other vehicle 2. Here, the steering angle θ _ST takes a positive value when the steering wheel is turned to the right and takes a negative value when the steering wheel is turned to the left. For example, as the steering angle sensor 23, an electromagnetic induction type or encoder type attached near the steering shaft connected to the steering wheel at its end can be used. In addition, information on the steering angle θ _ST detected by the steering angle sensor 23 is transmitted to the inter-vehicle communication device 20.

  The turn signal switch 24 is connected to a turn signal (direction indicator) (not shown) and blinks the turn signal. If the blinker is blinking, the turn signal is instructed. That is, if the turn signal is operated, the other vehicle 2 is scheduled to change lanes or turn left or right, and if the turn signal is not operated, the other vehicle 2 is not scheduled to change lanes. Further, the operation information of the turn signal switch 24 is transmitted to the inter-vehicle communication device 20.

The accelerator position sensor 25 detects the accelerator opening θ _ACC corresponding to the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal by the driver of the other vehicle 2. Information on the accelerator opening θ _ACC detected by the accelerator position sensor 25 is transmitted to the inter-vehicle communication device 20.

  The brake switch 26 detects whether or not a foot brake operation is performed by a driver of the other vehicle 2. The foot brake switch 26 is turned on when there is a foot brake operation, and is turned off when there is no foot brake operation. The ON / PFF information of the brake switch 26 is transmitted to the inter-vehicle communication device 20.

Various information to be transmitted to the inter-vehicle communication device 20 is transmitted from the other vehicle 2 to the surrounding vehicles 1 at a predetermined cycle by communication. As described above, the various information transmitted to the inter-vehicle communication device 20 includes the position information and vehicle speed information of the other vehicle 2, the steering angle θ _ST information, the blinker operation information, the accelerator opening θ _ACC information, and Driving operation information such as ON / PFF information of the brake switch 26 is included, and further information relating to the vehicle specifications of the other vehicle 2 is included. Examples of the vehicle specification information include the steering gear ratio of the other vehicle 2 and vehicle type information such as a passenger car and a truck.

  As described above, the other vehicle 2 includes the inter-vehicle communication device 20, and the vehicle 1 includes the inter-vehicle communication device 10, whereby various types of information on the other vehicle 2 can be transmitted to the vehicle 1. Various information of the other vehicle 2 can be acquired. The acquisition of the information of the other vehicle 2 is always periodically performed during inter-vehicle communication, that is, during the start of the vehicle 1.

Hereinafter, details of the configuration of the vehicle 1 will be described.
Various sensors provided in the vehicle 1 include a GPS 11, a vehicle speed sensor 12, a steering angle sensor 13, a winker switch (SW) 14, and a gradient sensor 15. Hereinafter, these sensors will be described.
The GPS 11 detects position information of the vehicle 1. Other configurations of the GPS 11 are the same as the GPS 21 of the other vehicle 2. Further, the position information of the vehicle 1 detected by the GPS 11 is transmitted to the travel control ECU 16.

  The vehicle speed sensor 12 detects the vehicle speed of the vehicle 1. Other configurations of the vehicle speed sensor 12 are the same as the vehicle speed sensor 22 of the other vehicle 2. Information on the vehicle speed of the vehicle 1 detected by the vehicle speed sensor 12 is transmitted to the travel control ECU 16.

The steering angle sensor 13 detects a steering angle (steering angle) θ _ST of a steering wheel (not shown) of the vehicle 1. Other configurations of the steering angle sensor 13 are the same as those of the steering angle sensor 23 of the other vehicle 2. In addition, information on the steering angle θ _ST detected by the steering angle sensor 13 is transmitted to the travel control ECU 16.

  The turn signal switch 14 is connected to a turn signal (direction indicator) (not shown) and blinks the turn signal. The other configuration of the winker switch 14 is the same as that of the winker switch 24 of the other vehicle 2. The operation of the winker switch 14 is controlled by the travel control ECU 16.

The gradient sensor 15 detects the gradient of the travel path on which the vehicle 1 is currently traveling as the gradient value θ _s . As this gradient sensor 15, an inclination sensor can be applied. In this case, if the inclination of the vehicle with respect to the road surface (forward rise, backward rise, etc.) is estimated, and the value detected by the inclination sensor is corrected thereby, The gradient value θ _s can be detected with higher accuracy.

A positive gradient value θ _s detected by the gradient sensor 15 indicates that the traveling road is an uphill road, and a negative gradient value θ _s indicates that the traveling road is a downhill road. Further, information on the gradient value θ _s detected by the gradient sensor 15 is transmitted to the travel control ECU 16.

  Various information on the other vehicle 2 acquired by the inter-vehicle communication device 10 and information on various sensors mounted on the vehicle 1 as described above are transmitted to the travel control ECU 16 at a predetermined cycle. The travel control ECU 16 performs control related to travel of the vehicle 1 at a predetermined cycle by using the transmitted information. The travel control ECU 16 is an electronic control device configured as an LSI device or an embedded electronic device in which a microprocessor, a ROM, a RAM, and the like are integrated, for example.

  Further, the travel control ECU 16 includes a peripheral road detection unit (peripheral road detection unit) 17 capable of reading map information around the vehicle 1 from the map information database 17a, an other vehicle determination unit (other vehicle determination unit) 18a, a road A shape prediction unit (road shape prediction unit) 18 and a travel control unit (travel control unit) 19 are included.

The map information database 17a is a record of road data associated with latitude / longitude information. As this road data, for example, a map is formed by connecting a plurality of nodes such as intersections with links, and corresponds to the coordinates of the start and end points of the link corresponding to the coordinates of the intersection, and the distance between the intersections. The link length indicating the length of the link to be recorded, the link road type (toll road, etc.), the lane information of the link, etc. can be used.
The surrounding road information detection unit 17 detects road information around the vehicle 1 based on the position information of the vehicle 1 detected by the GPS 11 and the map information database 17a, and detects the road on which the vehicle 1 is located and travels. .

  The other vehicle determination unit 18a determines whether or not the other vehicle 2 is in front of the course of the host vehicle 1. For example, the other vehicle determination unit 18 a determines whether or not the other vehicle 2 is ahead of the course of the host vehicle 1 based on the position information of the other vehicle 2 and road information around the host vehicle 1. In addition, the course in this case is a part into which the own vehicle 1 will approach from the road where the own vehicle 1 travels.

Here, the other vehicle determination unit 18a determines whether or not the position of the other vehicle 2 is ahead of the course of the host vehicle 1 based on the road information detected by the surrounding road detection unit 17 using the map information database 17a. Instead, the other vehicle determination unit 18a uses the position of the other vehicle 2 transmitted through the inter-vehicle communication device 10 without using either the map information database 17a or the surrounding road detection unit 17. Based on the information and the position information of the host vehicle 1, it may be determined whether or not the position of the other vehicle 2 is ahead of the course of the host vehicle 1. In this case, the traveling direction of the host vehicle 1 is estimated from the history of the position information of the host vehicle 1, and the other vehicle that is on the estimated traveling direction side of the host vehicle 1 (the region where there is no position information history of the host vehicle 1) 2 can be determined as being in front of the course of the host vehicle 1. Therefore, the map information database 17 a and the surrounding road detection unit 17 are not essential components for the vehicle 1.
The road shape prediction unit 18 determines changes in the vehicle speed information and driving operation information of the other vehicle 2 (also simply referred to as information of the other vehicle 2). Hereinafter, the determination of the change by the road shape prediction unit 18 will be described.

The road shape prediction unit 18 stores a history of information on the other vehicle 2 and determines a change in vehicle speed or driving operation information from the history of information on the other vehicle 2. The determination of this change is made when there is a change in the information of the other vehicle 2 over a predetermined time, and there is no change (a constant when the information of the other vehicle 2 is constant over a predetermined time). ). This predetermined time refers to a time during which the driver's intention to continue driving is recognized, for example, several seconds (3 seconds or 5 seconds). A change is determined for each of the vehicle operation information such as the vehicle speed information of the other vehicle 2 and the accelerator opening θ _ACC and the steering angle θ _ST .
The road shape prediction unit 18 uses the determination result of the information change of the other vehicle 2 in the prediction of the road shape.

Hereinafter, prediction of the road shape in front of the course of the vehicle 1 by the road shape prediction unit 18 will be described.
When the other vehicle determination unit 18a determines that the other vehicle 2 is ahead of the course of the host vehicle 1, the road shape prediction unit 18 detects the vehicle speed information of the other vehicle 2 detected via the inter-vehicle communication device 10 and Based on driving operation information such as information on the accelerator opening θ _ACC of the other vehicle 2 and information on the steering angle θ _ST , the road shape ahead of the course of the vehicle 1 is predicted.

The road shape prediction unit 18 performs first road shape prediction for predicting the presence of an uphill road or a downhill road ahead of the course of the vehicle 1 based on the information on the accelerator opening θ _ACC of the other vehicle 2 and the vehicle speed information. Based on the information on the steering angle θ _ST of the vehicle 2 and the vehicle speed information or the ON / OFF information of the brake switch 14, the second road shape prediction for predicting the existence of a curved road ahead of the course of the vehicle 1 is performed.

First, the first road shape prediction by the road shape prediction unit 18 will be specifically described.
The first road shape prediction is for predicting the presence of an uphill road or a downhill road ahead of the vehicle 1 based on the information of the other vehicle 2.
When the other vehicle 2 enters the uphill road from the flat road, it is necessary to increase the accelerator opening θ _ACC so far to maintain the vehicle speed until then, and conversely, the accelerator opening θ until then _{If the ACC} is held constant, the vehicle speed up to that point cannot be maintained, and the vehicle speed decreases.

Therefore, when the accelerator opening θ _ACC is increasing despite the vehicle speed being constant, the road shape prediction unit 18 determines that the vehicle speed information has not changed (constant), and information on the accelerator opening θ _ACC It is determined that there is a change (increase), and it can be predicted that the other vehicle 2 has entered the uphill road from the flat road. Even when the accelerator opening degree θ _ACC is constant and the vehicle speed is decreasing, the road shape prediction unit 18 determines that the vehicle speed information has changed (decreased) and information on the accelerator opening degree θ _ACC . It is determined that there is no change (constant), and a point where the other vehicle 2 enters the uphill road from the flat road (starting point of the uphill road) can be predicted.

If the slope of the uphill road where the vehicle has entered is substantially constant, the accelerator opening θ _ACC can be set to keep the vehicle speed constant while the vehicle is traveling on the uphill road after entering the uphill road. It is necessary to keep the state increased to a magnitude corresponding to the slope of the uphill road, and if the accelerator opening θ _ACC is constant, the vehicle speed will be kept down to a speed corresponding to the slope of the uphill road. Become.

Therefore, after the other vehicle 2 enters the uphill road, if the vehicle speed is kept constant and the accelerator opening θ _ACC is kept in a state that increases to a magnitude corresponding to the slope of the uphill road, the road shape prediction unit 18 The vehicle speed information is determined to be unchanged (constant), and the accelerator opening θ _ACC information is determined to be unchanged (maintained) in an increased state, and the other vehicle 2 is predicted to be traveling on an uphill road with a constant slope. If the accelerator opening θ _ACC is held constant and the vehicle speed is reduced after the other vehicle 2 enters the uphill road, the vehicle shape information is similarly reduced by the road shape prediction unit 18. It is determined that there is no change (maintained) in the state, and information on the accelerator opening θ _ACC is determined to be no change (constant), and it can be predicted that the vehicle 1 is traveling on an uphill road having a constant slope.

When the other vehicle 2 enters the flat road from the uphill road, it is necessary to reduce the accelerator opening θ _ACC on the uphill road so far, in order to maintain the vehicle speed up to that time. If the accelerator opening θ _ACC is kept constant, the vehicle speed decreased on the uphill road gradually increases and recovers to the speed corresponding to the flat road.

Therefore, after the other vehicle 2 enters the uphill road, if the accelerator opening θ _ACC is decreased while the vehicle speed is kept constant, the road shape prediction unit 18 determines that the vehicle speed information has not changed (constant). The information on the accelerator opening θ _ACC is determined to be changed (decreased), and the point at which the other vehicle 2 enters the flat road from the uphill road (end point of the uphill road) can be estimated. When the accelerator opening θ _ACC is kept constant and the vehicle speed is increased and recovered after entering the vehicle, the road shape predicting unit 18 determines that the information on the accelerator opening θ _ACC has not changed (constant) and the vehicle speed information has changed ( It is determined that there is an increase), and the point at which the other vehicle 2 enters the flat road from the uphill road (end point of the uphill road) can be estimated.

On the other hand, when the other vehicle 2 enters the downhill road from the flat road, in order to maintain the vehicle speed up to that time, it is necessary to lower the accelerator opening θ _ACC so far. If the opening degree θ _ACC is kept constant, the vehicle speed up to that point cannot be maintained, and the vehicle speed increases.

Therefore, when the accelerator opening θ _ACC decreases despite the vehicle speed being constant, the road shape prediction unit 18 determines that the vehicle speed information has not changed (constant), and information on the accelerator opening θ _ACC is It is determined that there is a change (decrease), and the point at which the other vehicle 2 enters the downhill road from the flat road (starting point of the downhill road) can be predicted. Similarly, when the vehicle speed increases despite the accelerator opening θ _ACC being constant, the road shape prediction unit 18 similarly determines that the vehicle speed information has changed (increased), and the accelerator opening θ _ACC The information is determined to be unchanged (constant), and the point where the other vehicle 2 enters the downhill road from the flat road (starting point of the downhill road) can be predicted.

If the slope of the downhill road into which the vehicle has entered is substantially constant, the accelerator opening θ _ACC must be reduced to keep the vehicle speed constant while traveling on this downhill road after the vehicle has entered the downhill road. It is necessary to maintain a state where the slope is lowered to the magnitude corresponding to the slope of the slope, and if the accelerator opening θ _ACC is constant, the vehicle speed is kept to the speed corresponding to the slope of the descending slope. .

Therefore, when the state where the accelerator opening degree θ _ACC is lowered is maintained even though the vehicle speed is constant, the road shape prediction unit 18 determines that the vehicle speed information does not change (constant) and the accelerator opening degree. The information of θ _ACC is determined to be unchanged (maintained) in a lowered state, and it can be predicted that the other vehicle 2 is traveling on a downhill road having a constant slope. Similarly, even when the accelerator opening degree θ _ACC is constant, the vehicle speed increases, but the road shape prediction unit 18 similarly determines that the information on the accelerator opening degree θ _ACC does not change (constant). As the vehicle speed information increases, it is determined that the vehicle speed information has not changed (maintained), and it can be predicted that the other vehicle 2 is traveling on a downhill road having a constant slope.

When the other vehicle 2 enters the flat road from the downhill road, in order to maintain the vehicle speed up to that time, it is necessary to increase the accelerator opening θ _ACC on the downhill road until then. If the accelerator opening θ _ACC is kept constant until then, the increased vehicle speed on the downhill road gradually decreases and recovers to a speed corresponding to the flat road.

Accordingly, after the other vehicle 2 enters the downhill road, if the vehicle speed decreases while the accelerator opening θ _ACC is kept constant, the road shape prediction unit 18 determines that the information on the accelerator opening θ _ACC has not changed (constant). At the same time, it is determined that the vehicle speed information has changed (decreased), and the point at which the other vehicle 2 enters the flat road from the downhill road (end point of the downhill road) can be predicted. Further, after the other vehicle 2 enters the downhill road, if the accelerator opening θ _ACC is increased while the vehicle speed is kept constant, the information on the accelerator opening θ _ACC is also changed (increased) by the road shape prediction unit 18. ) And the vehicle speed information is determined to be unchanged (constant), and the point at which the other vehicle 2 enters the flat road from the downhill road (end point of the downhill road) can be predicted.

  From these, the road shape prediction unit 18 can predict the point that entered the flat road from the uphill road as the top where the uphill road ahead ends, and the downhill road ends the point that entered the flat road from the downhill road. Can be predicted as the bottom.

As described above, the road shape prediction unit 18 determines whether the accelerator opening θ _ACC of the other vehicle 2 is constant and the vehicle speed of the other vehicle 2 decreases, or the vehicle speed of the other vehicle 2 is constant and the other vehicle 2 It is predicted that there is an uphill road ahead of the vehicle 1 when the accelerator opening θ _ACC increases.

The road shape prediction unit 18 also determines that the accelerator opening θ _ACC of the other vehicle 2 is constant and the vehicle speed of the other vehicle 2 increases, or that the vehicle speed of the other vehicle 2 is constant and the accelerator of the other vehicle 2 is When the opening degree θ _ACC decreases, it is predicted that there is a downhill road ahead of the vehicle 1.

Here, the constant accelerator opening θ _ACC means that the accelerator opening θ _ACC is held constant for a predetermined time. The fact that the accelerator opening θ _ACC is kept constant means that a small change in the amount of depression (noise component) that is less than or equal to a predetermined small amount of change per unit time is ignored.

Also, the constant vehicle speed here means that the vehicle speed is kept constant for a predetermined time or more. In addition, the vehicle speed being kept constant means that a small accelerator opening θ _ACC corresponding to a slight change in vehicle speed (noise component) such as a change in vehicle speed that occurs during so-called auto-cruise control that maintains the vehicle speed, for example. Change means to ignore.

These noise components in the vehicle speed and accelerator opening θ _ACC information can be removed by a low-pass filter. As this low-pass filter, information on the vehicle speed and accelerator opening θ _ACC at the time of information acquisition is I (n), a differential value of this information I (n) is d (n), and one cycle immediately before this information acquisition time. If the differential value of the vehicle speed and accelerator opening θ _ACC information is d (n−1) and the filter coefficient is k, it can be expressed by the following equation (1).
I (n) = k.I (n) + (1-k) .d (n-1) (1)

The road shape prediction unit 18 also predicts the slope of the uphill road or downhill road ahead of the vehicle 1. Hereinafter, prediction of this gradient will be described.
The road shape prediction unit 18 stores the history of the accelerator opening θ _ACC and the vehicle speed of the other vehicle 2 in front of the vehicle 1, and the gradient sensor of the host vehicle 1 when the host vehicle 1 passes through the point where the history is stored. 15 stores the gradient values theta _s by, based on the relationship between the gradient values theta _s in the accelerator opening theta _ACC and the vehicle speed and the vehicle 1 of the other vehicle 2 in the same point, uphill or downhill 1 forward future vehicle Predict the slope of.

Next, the second road shape prediction by the road shape prediction unit 18 will be specifically described.
The second road shape prediction is to predict the presence of a curved road ahead of the vehicle 1 based on the information of the other vehicle 2. The curved road here refers to a road having a curvature that requires deceleration or braking when entering. That is, it can be said that the road shape prediction unit 18 predicts a specific curved road having a high control request for the vehicle 1.
When the other vehicle 2 enters the curved road from the straight road, the vehicle needs to be decelerated or braked together with the steering operation to travel along the curved road.

Therefore, when the vehicle speed is decreasing or the brake switch is in the ON state and the steering angle θ _ST is equal to or larger than the predetermined angle, the road shape prediction unit 18 determines that the information on the steering angle θ _ST is changed, It can be predicted that the other vehicle 2 has entered the curved road from the straight road.
As described above, the road shape prediction unit 18 predicts that there is a curved road ahead of the vehicle 1 when the vehicle speed of the other vehicle 2 decreases and the vehicle steering angle θ _ST is equal to or greater than a predetermined angle.

Here, the steering angle θ _ST is a predetermined angle that is larger than a minute angle used for ignoring information (noise component) of the minute steering angle θ _ST that the driver does not intend to steer. This noise component can also be removed using a low-pass filter. Further, the steering angle θ _ST here is equal to or larger than a predetermined angle, which means that the steering angle θ _ST is equal to or larger than a positive predetermined angle or equal to or smaller than a negative predetermined angle.

  The road shape prediction unit 18 also predicts the curvature of a curved road. The prediction of the curvature is performed by predicting the curvature when the information regarding the vehicle specifications of the other vehicle 2 is detected in the vehicle 1 and when the information regarding the vehicle specifications of the other vehicle 2 is not detected by the vehicle 1. .

When the information related to the vehicle specifications of the other vehicle 2 is detected in the vehicle 1, the road shape prediction unit 18 detects the information related to the vehicle specifications such as the detected steering gear ratio of the other vehicle 2, and Based on the vehicle speed information and the steering angle θ _ST information, the curvature of the curved road is directly predicted.

When the information relating to the vehicle specifications of the other vehicle 2 is not detected in the vehicle 1, the road shape prediction unit 18 stores the history of the steering angle θ _ST and the vehicle speed of the other vehicle 2 and automatically determines the point where this history is stored. A curvature is calculated based on the steering angle θ _ST detected by the steering angle sensor 13 of the host vehicle 1 when the vehicle 1 passes, the vehicle speed of the host vehicle 1, the steering gear ratio, and the like, and the calculated curvature of the same point. The curvature of the future curved road is predicted by estimating the steering gear ratio of the other vehicle 2 based on the relationship between the steering angle θ _{ST of the} vehicle 2 and the vehicle speed.

The road shape prediction unit 18 also predicts a flat road ahead of the vehicle 1 based on the information on the accelerator opening θ _ACC of the other vehicle 2 and the vehicle speed information.
When the accelerator opening θ _ACC of the other vehicle 2 is constant and the vehicle speed of the other vehicle 2 is constant, the road shape prediction unit 18 predicts that there is a flat road ahead of the vehicle 1.
The road shape prediction unit 18 determines the distance or arrival from the current vehicle 1 to the uphill road, downhill road, curved road, and flat road from the current vehicle 1 based on the position of the other vehicle 2, the position of the own vehicle 1, and the vehicle speed. Time can be calculated.

The road shape prediction unit 18 uses different road shape prediction logic depending on the vehicle type when information on vehicle specifications such as passenger cars and trucks is detected.
For example, in a vehicle type such as a truck that is heavier than a passenger car, the response of the vehicle behavior to a driving operation such as an acceleration operation by a driver's depression of an accelerator pedal is relatively poor. In the case of using driving operation information acquired from a heavy type vehicle, it is corrected that the vehicle speed changes with a greater delay than the passenger car with respect to changes in the accelerator opening, and the road shape is predicted.

  The travel control unit 19 performs travel control of the vehicle 1 using the road shape predicted by the road shape prediction unit 18. The travel control performed by the travel control unit 19 includes, for example, constant speed travel control that maintains the vehicle speed at the target vehicle speed, inter-vehicle control that maintains the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle 1 and the other vehicle 2 in front of the vehicle 1, and a curve. Examples include approach deceleration control, and inertia traveling control that performs inertia traveling before the top of the uphill road or before the bottom of the downhill road.

  In the conventional technology, the constant speed traveling control and the inter-vehicle distance control perform feedback control of driving and braking by operating a fuel injection valve, a brake actuator, and the like. Feedforward control can be used in combination with constant-speed traveling control and inter-vehicle distance control.

  For example, when it is predicted that there is an uphill road ahead of the vehicle 1, in the constant speed running control by the running control unit 19, the driving force is increased from before the uphill road ahead of the vehicle 1, or the uphill road ahead of the vehicle 1. Increase the feedback gain from the front. Thereby, the fluctuation | variation of the vehicle speed in constant speed traveling control can be suppressed, and traveling control of the vehicle 1 can be implemented efficiently or accurately.

  Further, when it is predicted that there is a downhill road ahead of the vehicle 1, in the inter-vehicle control by the traveling control unit 19, the feedback gain is increased from before the downhill road ahead of the vehicle 1. Thereby, the fluctuation | variation of the inter-vehicle distance in inter-vehicle control can be suppressed, and traveling control of the vehicle 1 can be implemented efficiently or accurately.

  The curve approach deceleration control is control that ensures the safety of the vehicle 1 by decelerating the vehicle 1 when entering a curved road. In order to perform the curve approach deceleration control, it is necessary to determine that the current vehicle is in front of the curve road. Even if the vehicle 1 does not include the map information database 17a and the surrounding road detection unit 17, or does not include the detailed map information database in which the curvature information of the curved road is recorded, the forward curved road Therefore, the curve approach deceleration control can be performed with a simple configuration.

  The inertia traveling control is control for improving fuel efficiency by performing inertia traveling before the top of the uphill road or before the bottom of the downhill road. In order to carry out this inertial running control, it is necessary to determine that the current vehicle is in front of the top of the uphill road or in front of the bottom of the downhill road. Even if the vehicle 1 does not include the map information database 17a and the surrounding road detection unit 17 or does not include a detailed map information database in which road gradient information is recorded, the top of the uphill road ahead Moreover, since the valley of the downhill road can be predicted, inertial running control can be performed with a simple configuration.

[Action / Effect]
Since the vehicle road shape prediction device and the vehicle travel control device including the vehicle road prediction device according to an embodiment of the present invention are configured as described above, the following control is performed in the situation illustrated in FIG. carry out.
FIG. 2A shows a situation where another vehicle 2 is traveling in front of the host vehicle 1. In the host vehicle 1, the other vehicle 2 is determined by the other vehicle determination unit 18 a to be ahead of the course of the host vehicle 1, and the road shape prediction unit 18 detects the other vehicle detected via the inter-vehicle communication device 10. Based on the information of 2, the road shape in front of the vehicle 1 is predicted. The host vehicle 1 and the other vehicle 2 travel from the left to the right in the drawing.

First, the situation illustrated in FIG. 2B will be described.
From point P ₁ to point P ₂ is a flat road. Both the accelerator opening θ _ACC and the vehicle speed v of the other vehicle 2 traveling in this section are constant. For this reason, the road shape prediction unit 18 predicts a flat road ahead of the course of the vehicle 1.

The point P ₂ is a point that changes from a flat road to an uphill road (starting point of the uphill road), and the points P ₂ to P ₈ are uphill roads. In addition, the gradient of the travel path increases from the point P ₂ to the point P ₄ .
The accelerator opening θ _ACC of the other vehicle ₂ from the point P ₂ to the point P ₄ is constant, and the vehicle speed v of the other vehicle 2 is decreasing. For this reason, the road shape prediction unit 18 predicts the starting point of the uphill road ahead of the course of the vehicle 1.

The point P ₄ is a point where the gradient of the traveling road does not change, and the point P ₄ to the point P ₆ are uphill roads with a constant gradient. The accelerator opening θ _ACC of the other vehicle 2 from the point P ₄ to the point P ₆ is constant, and the vehicle speed v of the other vehicle 2 is kept in a reduced state. For this reason, the road shape prediction unit 18 predicts an uphill road with a certain gradient ahead of the course of the vehicle 1.
Gradient of the road is reduced towards the point P ₈ from the point P _6. The accelerator opening θ _ACC of the other vehicle 2 traveling in this section is constant, and the vehicle speed v of the other vehicle 2 is increasing. For this reason, the road shape prediction unit 18 predicts the end point of the uphill road ahead of the course of the vehicle 1.

Next, the situation illustrated in FIG. Note that the travel path is the same as described above with reference to FIG.
The accelerator opening θ _ACC and the vehicle speed v of the other vehicle 2 from the point P ₁ to the point P ₂ are both constant. For this reason, the road shape prediction unit 18 predicts a flat road ahead of the course of the vehicle 1.
The vehicle speed of the other vehicle ₂ from the point P ₂ to the point P ₄ is constant, and the accelerator opening θ _ACC of the other vehicle 2 is decreasing. For this reason, the road shape prediction unit 18 predicts the starting point of the uphill road ahead of the course of the vehicle 1.

The accelerator opening θ _ACC of the other vehicle 2 from the point P ₄ to the point P ₆ is maintained in an increased state, and the vehicle speed v of the other vehicle 2 is constant. For this reason, the road shape prediction unit 18 predicts an uphill road with a certain gradient ahead of the course of the vehicle 1.
The accelerator opening θ _ACC of the other vehicle 2 from the point P ₆ to the point P ₈ is decreasing, and the vehicle speed v of the other vehicle 2 is constant. For this reason, the road shape prediction unit 18 predicts the end point of the uphill road ahead of the course of the vehicle 1.

In the situation illustrated in FIG. 3, the following control is performed.
FIG. 3A shows a situation where the other vehicle 2 is traveling in front of the course of the host vehicle 1. In the host vehicle 1, the other vehicle 2 is determined by the other vehicle determination unit 18 a to be ahead of the course of the host vehicle 1, and the road shape prediction unit 18 detects the other vehicle detected via the inter-vehicle communication device 10. Based on the information of 2, the road shape in front of the host vehicle 1 is predicted. The host vehicle 1 and the other vehicle 2 travel from the left to the right in the drawing.

First, the situation illustrated in FIG. 3B will be described.
Point P ₁₂ from the point P ₁₁ is a flat road. Both the accelerator opening θ _ACC and the vehicle speed v of the other vehicle 2 traveling in this section are constant. For this reason, the road shape prediction unit 18 predicts a flat road ahead of the course of the vehicle 1.
Point P ₁₂ is a point that changes from a flat road to a downhill road (starting point of the downhill road), and points P ₁₂ to P ₁₈ are downhill roads. Further, the gradient of the traveling road is decreased toward the point P ₁₂ to a point P _14.

The accelerator opening θ _ACC of the other vehicle 2 from the point P ₁₂ to the point P ₁₄ is constant, and the vehicle speed v of the other vehicle 2 is increasing. For this reason, the road shape prediction unit 18 predicts the start point of the downhill road ahead of the course of the vehicle 1.
Point P ₁₄ is the point at which the gradient of the road does not change, the point P ₁₆ from the point P ₁₄ is a downhill slope is constant. The accelerator opening θ _ACC of the other vehicle 2 from the point P ₁₄ to the point P ₁₆ is constant, and the vehicle speed v of the other vehicle 2 increases and maintains the state. For this reason, the road shape prediction unit 18 predicts a downhill road with a certain gradient ahead of the course of the vehicle 1.

The gradient of the traveling road increases toward the point P ₁₈ from the point P _16. The accelerator opening θ _ACC of the other vehicle 2 traveling in this section is constant, and the vehicle speed v of the other vehicle 2 is increasing. Therefore, the road shape prediction unit 18 predicts the end point of the downhill road ahead of the course of the vehicle 1.

Next, the situation illustrated in FIG. Note that the travel path is the same as described above with reference to FIG.
The accelerator opening θ _ACC and the vehicle speed v of the other vehicle 2 from the point P ₁₁ to the point P ₁₂ are both constant. For this reason, the road shape prediction unit 18 predicts a flat road ahead of the course of the vehicle 1.
The vehicle speed of the other vehicle 2 from the point P ₁₂ to the point P ₁₄ is constant, and the accelerator opening θ _ACC is decreasing. For this reason, the road shape prediction unit 18 predicts the start point of the downhill road ahead of the course of the vehicle 1.

Vehicle speed v of the other vehicle 2 points P ₁₆ from the point P ₁₄ is constant, the accelerator opening theta _ACC of the other vehicle 2 holding the reduced state. For this reason, the road shape prediction unit 18 predicts a downhill road with a certain gradient ahead of the course of the vehicle 1.
The accelerator opening θ _ACC of the other vehicle 2 from the point P ₁₆ to the point P ₁₈ is constant, and the vehicle speed v of the other vehicle 2 is increasing. Therefore, the road shape prediction unit 18 predicts the end point of the downhill road ahead of the course of the vehicle 1.

In the situation illustrated in FIG. 4, the following control is performed.
FIG. 4A shows a situation where the other vehicle 2 is traveling ahead of the course of the host vehicle 1.
First, the situation illustrated in FIG. 4B will be described.
Point P ₂₂ from the point P ₂₁ is a straight road. The steering angle θ _ST of the other vehicle 2 traveling in this section is less than a predetermined angle, and the vehicle speed v is decreasing.

The point P ₂₂ to the point P ₂₅ are curved roads having a curvature, and this curved road has a section from the point P ₂₂ (starting point of the curve road) to the point P ₂₃ of the curved road having a gradually increasing curvature. curvature is composed of a constant arc curved shape of the curved road section from the point P ₂₃ of the point P ₂₅ of the.

The steering angle θ _ST of the other vehicle 2 from the point P ₂₂ to the point P ₂₃ increases to a predetermined angle or more, and the vehicle speed v is kept in a reduced state. For this reason, the road shape prediction unit 18 predicts the start point of the curved road ahead of the course of the vehicle 1.
The steering angle θ _ST of the other vehicle 2 from the point P ₂₃ to the point P ₂₅ is maintained at a predetermined angle or more, and the vehicle speed v is maintained at a reduced state. For this reason, the road shape predicting unit 18 can predict a curved road having a constant curvature that requires deceleration in front of the vehicle 1.

Next, the situation illustrated in FIG. 4C will be described. The travel path is the same as that described above with reference to FIG.
The steering angle θ _ST of the other vehicle 2 from the point P ₂₁ to the point P ₂₂ is less than a predetermined angle, and the brake switch 24 is in the ON state.

Further, the steering angle θ _ST of the other vehicle 2 from the point P ₂₂ to the point P ₂₃ increases to a predetermined angle or more, and the brake switch 24 is in the OFF state. Further, the steering angle θ _ST of the other vehicle 2 from the point P ₂₃ to the point P ₂₅ is maintained at a predetermined angle or more, and the brake switch 24 is in the OFF state. For this reason, the road shape prediction unit 18 can predict a curved road having a constant curvature that requires braking ahead of the course of the vehicle 1.

Next, the control flow concerning the road shape prediction of the uphill road or the downhill road by the road shape prediction unit 18 will be described with reference to FIG. This control flow is periodically executed by the road shape prediction unit 18.
In step S1, driving operation information such as vehicle speed information and accelerator opening information of the other vehicle 2 is acquired. Then, the process proceeds to step S10.

In step S10, it is determined whether the accelerator opening θ _ACC of the other vehicle 2 is constant. Accelerator opening theta _ACC of the other vehicle 2 goes to step S12 if a certain accelerator opening theta _ACC of the other vehicle 2 moves to step S16 if the increase or decrease.
In step S12, it is determined whether the vehicle speed v of the other vehicle 2 is decreasing. If the vehicle speed v of the other vehicle 2 is decreasing, the process proceeds to step S14, and if the vehicle speed v of the other vehicle 2 is constant or increasing, the process proceeds to step S20.

In step S14, it is predicted that there is an uphill road ahead of the host vehicle 1. Then, the current control cycle ends (end).
The determinations in steps S10 and S12 correspond to the road shape prediction in the situation shown in FIG.

In step S16, it is determined whether the accelerator opening θ _ACC of the other vehicle 2 has increased. If the accelerator opening θ _ACC of the other vehicle 2 has increased, the process proceeds to step S18, and if the accelerator opening θ _ACC of the other vehicle 2 has decreased, the process proceeds to step S24.

In step S18, it is determined whether the vehicle speed v of the other vehicle 2 is constant. If the vehicle speed v of the other vehicle 2 is increased or decreased, the current control cycle is ended (ended).
Note that these determinations in steps S16 and S18 correspond to the road shape prediction in the situation shown in FIG.
In step S20, it is determined whether the vehicle speed v of the other vehicle 2 has increased. If the vehicle speed v of the other vehicle 2 increases, the process proceeds to step S22. If the vehicle speed v of the other vehicle 2 is constant, the current control cycle ends (end).

The determinations in steps S10 and S20 correspond to the road shape prediction in the situation shown in FIG.
In step S22, it is predicted that there is a downhill road ahead of the host vehicle 1. Then, the current control cycle ends (end).

In step S24, it is determined whether the vehicle speed v of the other vehicle 2 is constant. If the vehicle speed v of the other vehicle 2 is constant, the process proceeds to step S26, and if the vehicle speed v of the other vehicle 2 increases or decreases, the current control cycle ends (end).
Note that the determinations in steps S16 and S24 correspond to the road shape prediction in the situation shown in FIG.

In step S26, it is predicted that there is a downhill road ahead of the host vehicle 1. Then, the current control cycle ends (end).
Note that the control flow shown in FIG. 5 is an example, and the control flow is not limited to this as long as it can be predicted that there are an uphill road and a downhill road ahead of the vehicle 1.

  After step S1, for example, only steps S10 and S14 may be determined, or only steps S16 and S18 may be determined to predict that there is an uphill road ahead of the course of the vehicle 1. Further, after step S1, only step S10 and step S20 may be determined, or only step S16 and step S24 may be determined, and it may be predicted that there is a downhill road ahead of the course of the vehicle 1. The determination flow for predicting these uphill roads or downhill roads can be performed independently and in parallel.

Next, the control flow concerning the road shape prediction of the curved road by the road shape prediction unit 18 will be described with reference to FIG. This control flow is periodically executed by the road shape prediction unit 18.
In step A1, the vehicle speed information of the other vehicle 2, the information of the steering angle _θST , and the ON / OFF information of the brake switch 24 are acquired.

In step A10, it is determined whether the steering angle θ _ST of the other vehicle 2 is greater than or equal to a predetermined angle. If the steering angle θ _ST of the other vehicle 2 is greater than or equal to the predetermined angle, the process proceeds to step A12, and if the steering angle θ _ST of the other vehicle 2 is less than the predetermined angle, the process proceeds to step A16.
In step A12, it is determined whether the vehicle speed v of the other vehicle 2 is decreasing. If the vehicle speed v of the other vehicle 2 is decreasing, the process proceeds to step A14, and if the vehicle speed v of the other vehicle 2 is constant or increasing, the process proceeds to step A16.

In step A14, it is predicted that there is a curved road ahead of the host vehicle 1. Then, the current control cycle ends (end).
The determinations in steps A10 and A12 correspond to the road shape prediction in the situation shown in FIG.

In step A16, it is determined whether the brake switch 26 of the other vehicle 2 is in the ON state. If the brake switch 26 of the other vehicle 2 is in the ON state, the process proceeds to step A14. If the brake switch 26 of the other vehicle 2 is in the OFF state, the current control cycle is ended (end).
The determinations in steps A10 and A12 correspond to the road shape prediction in the situation shown in FIG.

The control flow shown in FIG. 6 is an example, and is not limited to this as long as it can be predicted that there is a curved road ahead of the course of the vehicle 1.
After step A1, for example, only steps A10 and A12 may be determined, or only steps A10 and A16 may be determined, and it may be predicted that there is a curved road ahead of the course of the vehicle 1. The determination flow relating to the prediction of the curved road can be performed independently and in parallel.

Therefore, according to the road shape prediction device for a vehicle and the travel control device for a vehicle equipped with the same according to the present invention, the road shape prediction unit 18 does not have the road information database 17a and the surrounding road information detection unit 17 as essential components. Predicts the road shape ahead of the vehicle 1 based on the vehicle speed information of the other vehicle 2, the accelerator opening θ _ACC information of the other vehicle 2, the steering angle θ _ST information, and the driving operation information such as the ON / OFF information of the brake switch 26. Therefore, for example, the road shape ahead of the course of the vehicle 1 can be predicted even at a point where reception accuracy of radio waves from a GPS artificial satellite is low or a point where infrastructure is not provided. Further, since the road shape ahead of the course of the vehicle 1 is predicted based on the real-time information of the other vehicle 2 ahead of the course of the vehicle 1, details such as an uphill road, a downhill road, a curved road, or a flat road while ensuring real-time performance. Can be predicted.

When the accelerator opening θ _ACC of the other vehicle 2 is constant and the vehicle speed v of the other vehicle 2 decreases, or the vehicle speed v of the other vehicle 2 is constant and the accelerator opening θ _ACC of the other vehicle 2 increases. In this case, if it is predicted that there is an uphill road ahead of the vehicle 1, the uphill road ahead of the vehicle 1 can be predicted with a simple configuration.

Further, when the accelerator opening θ _ACC of the other vehicle 2 is constant and the vehicle speed of the other vehicle 2 increases, or the vehicle speed of the other vehicle 2 is constant and the accelerator opening θ _ACC of the other vehicle 2 decreases. In this case, if it is predicted that there is a downhill road ahead of the course of the host vehicle 1, the downhill road ahead of the course of the vehicle 1 can be predicted with a simple configuration.

Further, when the accelerator opening θ _ACC of the other vehicle 2 is constant and the vehicle speed of the other vehicle 2 is decreasing, or the vehicle speed of the other vehicle 2 is constant and the accelerator opening θ _ACC of the other vehicle 2 is increased. When the vehicle 1 is in the middle, it is predicted that there is a starting point of the uphill road ahead of the course of the vehicle 1, and when the starting point of the uphill road is predicted, the accelerator opening θ _ACC of the other vehicle 2 is constant and the other vehicle 2 When the state where the vehicle speed is reduced is maintained, or when the vehicle speed of the other vehicle 2 is constant and the accelerator opening θ _ACC of the other vehicle 2 is maintained increased, the vehicle 1 is constant ahead of the course. If it is predicted that there is an uphill road with a certain slope, and the uphill road with a constant slope is predicted, the accelerator opening θ _ACC of the other vehicle 2 is constant and the vehicle speed of the other vehicle 2 is increasing from the reduced state or a vehicle speed of the other vehicle 2 is constant and increasing accelerator opening theta _ACC of the other vehicle 2 When reduced from a state, it can be predicted that the forward path of the vehicle 1 is the end point of the uphill road.

Further, when the accelerator opening θ _ACC of the other vehicle 2 is constant and the vehicle speed of the other vehicle 2 is increasing, or the vehicle speed of the other vehicle 2 is constant and the accelerator opening θ _ACC of the other vehicle 2 is decreased. If the vehicle 1 is predicted to have a start point of a downhill road ahead of the course of the vehicle 1 and the start point of the downhill road is predicted, the accelerator opening θ _ACC of the other vehicle 2 is constant and the other vehicle 2 When the state where the vehicle speed is increased is maintained, or when the vehicle speed of the other vehicle 2 is constant and the state where the accelerator opening θ _ACC of the other vehicle 2 is decreased is constant, the vehicle 1 is constant ahead of the course. If it is predicted that there is a downhill road with a certain slope, and if a downhill road with a constant slope is predicted, the accelerator opening θ _ACC of the other vehicle 2 is constant and the vehicle speed of the other vehicle 2 is decreasing from the increased state. or a vehicle speed of the other vehicle 2 is constant and the accelerator opening theta _ACC of the other vehicle 2 is reduced When increasing from the state, it can be predicted that there is an end point of the downhill road ahead path of the vehicle 1.
The starting point of the uphill road and the downhill road ahead of the course of these vehicles, the section of the constant slope, and the end point can be predicted with a simple configuration without using detailed map information in which the slope is recorded.

In this way, it is possible to determine the existence of uphill roads and downhill roads under conditions where the accelerator opening θ _ACC is constant and the start and end points thereof, and the presence of uphill roads and downhill roads under conditions where the vehicle speed is constant. By determining the start point and the end point, it is possible to ensure the accuracy of the road shape prediction with extremely simple logic.

In order to predict that there is a curved road ahead of the course of the vehicle 1 when the steering angle θ _ST of the other vehicle 2 is equal to or greater than a predetermined angle and the vehicle speed is reduced or the brake switch 24 is in the ON state in the other vehicle 2, It is possible to predict a curved road that requires deceleration and braking with a simple configuration, that is, a specific curved road that requires high control of the vehicle 1.

  Further, according to the vehicle travel control apparatus of the present invention, since the travel control of the vehicle 1 is performed by the travel control unit 19 using the road shape predicted by the road shape prediction unit 18, the radio wave from the GPS artificial satellite is used. Even in locations where the reception accuracy is low or where infrastructure is not established, the vehicle's travel control such as constant speed travel control, inter-vehicle control, inertial travel control and curve approach deceleration control can be performed efficiently or accurately with a simple configuration. can do.

<Example>
Hereinafter, the embodiment according to the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.
First, one traveling route shown in FIG. 7A will be described.
Other vehicles 2 traveling on one of the travel route, the passing point P _a, the point P _b, point P _c, point P _d, the point P _e, in the order of the point P _f each of these points.

From point P _a to point P _b is a flat straight route, from point P _b to point P _c is a straight climbing route, from point P _c to point P _d is a route that turns right on a flat road, and point P the _d et a point P _e is a straight downhill routes, point P _f from the point P _e is a flat straight routes.
FIG. 7B shows information on the vehicle speed v, information on the accelerator opening θ _ACC , and information on the steering angle θ _ST of the other vehicle 2 traveling on this one travel route.

In point P _b from the point P _a, the vehicle speed v and the accelerator opening theta _ACC of the other vehicle 2 is constant, the steering angle theta _ST is less than the predetermined angle. From this, the road shape prediction unit 18 predicts a flat path section between the point P _b from the point P _a on the basis of the information of the vehicle speed v and the accelerator opening theta _ACC.
From the point P _b to the point P _c , the vehicle speed v and the steering angle θ _ST of the other vehicle 2 are less than the predetermined angle, and the accelerator opening θ _ACC of the other vehicle 2 increases. From this, the road shape prediction unit 18 predicts the section between the point P _c uphill road from point P _b on the basis of the information of the vehicle speed v and the accelerator opening theta _ACC.

From the point P _c to the point P _d , the vehicle speed v and the accelerator opening θ _ACC of the other vehicle 2 are constant, and the steering angle θ _ST of the other vehicle 2 is greater than or equal to a predetermined angle. In this case, the road shape prediction unit 18 does not predict the section from the point P _c to the point P _d as a curved road that requires deceleration or the like. The road shape prediction unit 18 can predict that the other vehicle 2 has changed the lane based on the information of the turn signal switch 24 of the other vehicle 2.

From the point P _d to the point _Pe , the accelerator opening θ _ACC of the other vehicle 2 is constant, the steering angle θ _ST is less than a predetermined angle, and the vehicle speed v of the other vehicle 2 increases. From this, the road shape prediction unit 18 predicts a downhill slope the section between the point P _c from the point P _b on the basis of the information of the vehicle speed v and the accelerator opening theta _ACC.
From the point _Pe to the point _Pf , the vehicle speed v and the accelerator opening θ _ACC of the other vehicle 2 are constant, and the steering angle θ _ST is less than a predetermined angle. From this, the road shape prediction unit 18 predicts a flat path section between the point P _f from the point P _e based on the information of the vehicle speed v and the accelerator opening theta _ACC.

Next, the other travel route shown in FIG.
Other vehicles 2 traveling the other travel route passes through the point P _a, the point P _b, point P _c, point P _g, the point P _h, in the order of the point P _i of each of these points.
From point P _a to point P _c is the same as one travel route, from point P _c to point P _g is a flat straight route, from point P _g to point P _h is a straight uphill route, A point P _i from P _h is a flat curve.

FIG. 7C shows information on the vehicle speed v of the other vehicle 2 traveling on the other travel route, information on the accelerator opening θ _ACC , and information on the steering angle θ _ST .
From point P _a to point P _c is the same as described above with reference to FIG. 7B. From point P _c to point P _g , the vehicle speed v and accelerator opening θ _ACC of the other vehicle 2 are constant, and steering is performed. The angle θ _ST is less than a predetermined angle. Thus, the road shape prediction unit 18 predicts the section from the point P _c to the point P _g as a flat road based on the information on the vehicle speed v and the accelerator opening θ _ACC .

In point P _h from the point P _g, the vehicle speed v of the other vehicle 2 is constant, the steering angle theta _ST is less than the predetermined angle, the accelerator opening theta _ACC of the other vehicle 2 increases. From this, the road shape prediction unit 18 predicts the section between the point P _c uphill road from point P _b on the basis of the information of the vehicle speed v and the accelerator opening theta _ACC.

From the point _Ph to the point _Pi , the vehicle speed v and the accelerator opening θ _ACC of the other vehicle 2 are decreased, and the steering angle θ _ST of the other vehicle 2 is less than a predetermined angle. In this case, the road shape prediction unit 18, a section of the point P _i is slowdown predict the required curved road from the point P _h on the basis of the information of the vehicle speed v and steering angle theta _ST.

[Others]
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
In the above-described embodiment, the other vehicle determination unit has shown that the map information is used to determine that the other vehicle is ahead of the course of the host vehicle. It may be determined that the other vehicle is ahead of the course of the own vehicle by comparing the travel history) and the position information history (travel history) of the own vehicle. In this case, the other vehicle determination unit can determine that the other vehicle is ahead in the course of the own vehicle when the traveling history of the other vehicle and the traveling history of the own vehicle overlap.

Further, the number of other vehicles from which information is acquired in the host vehicle is not limited to one, and a plurality of other vehicles may be used. In this case, the accuracy of prediction by the road shape prediction unit can be improved by combining information on a plurality of other vehicles.
Further, the road shape prediction unit determines that the turn signal switch of the other vehicle is OFF and the turn signal switch of the own vehicle is OFF based on the ON / OFF information of the turn signal switch of the other vehicle and the ON / OFF information of the turn signal switch of the own vehicle. The road shape may be predicted in the state, and the road shape may not be predicted if the blinker switch of only one of the own vehicle and the other vehicle is in the ON state or the OFF state. According to this, both the own vehicle and the other vehicle are not scheduled to turn right or left, and the own vehicle is more likely to travel on the traveling path of the other vehicle. The road shape at can be predicted.

  The vehicle travel control device of the present invention can be applied not only to large or medium-sized automobiles such as trucks or buses but also to small automobiles such as passenger cars.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Own vehicle 2 Other vehicle 10 Inter-vehicle communication apparatus (Other vehicle information detection means)
10a Antenna 11 GPS
12 Vehicle speed sensor 13 Steering angle sensor 14 Blinker switch 15 Gradient sensor 16 Travel control ECU (travel control means)
17 Peripheral road information detection unit (peripheral road information detection means)
17a Map information database 18 Road shape prediction unit (road shape prediction means)
18a Other vehicle determination unit (other vehicle determination means)
19 Travel control unit (travel control means)
20 Inter-vehicle communication device 20a Antenna 21 GPS
22 Vehicle speed sensor 23 Steering angle sensor 24 Blinker switch 25 Accelerator opening sensor 26 Brake switch

Claims (4)

Other vehicle information acquisition means for acquiring information of other vehicles around the vehicle by communication,
The information acquired by the other vehicle information acquisition means includes at least position information of the other vehicle, vehicle speed information of the other vehicle, and driving operation information of the other vehicle,
Other vehicle determination means for determining whether or not the other vehicle is ahead of the course of the vehicle based on at least position information of the other vehicle;
When it is determined by the other vehicle determination means that the other vehicle is ahead in the course of the vehicle, the vehicle speed information of the other vehicle and the driving operation information of the other vehicle acquired by the other vehicle information acquisition means Based on the road shape prediction means for predicting the road shape ahead of the course of the vehicle,
The driving operation information includes information on the accelerator opening of the other vehicle,
The road shape prediction means is configured such that the accelerator opening of the other vehicle is constant and the vehicle speed of the other vehicle increases, or the vehicle speed of the other vehicle is constant and the accelerator opening of the other vehicle decreases. When it does, it predicts that there is a downhill road ahead of the course of the said vehicle, The road shape prediction apparatus of the vehicle characterized by the above-mentioned. The other vehicle determination means determines whether the other vehicle is on a road ahead of the course of the vehicle based on position information of the other vehicle, position information of the vehicle, and road map information provided in the vehicle. The vehicle road shape prediction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The road shape prediction means
When the accelerator opening of the other vehicle is constant and the vehicle speed of the other vehicle is increasing, or when the vehicle speed of the other vehicle is constant and the accelerator opening of the other vehicle is decreasing, Predict that there is a downhill starting point ahead of the vehicle ’s path,
If the start point is predicted, the accelerator opening of the other vehicle is constant and the vehicle speed of the other vehicle is increased, or the vehicle speed of the other vehicle is constant and the other vehicle Predicting that there is a downhill road with a certain slope ahead of the course of the vehicle,
If the downhill road with the constant slope is predicted, the accelerator opening of the other vehicle is constant and the vehicle speed of the other vehicle is decreasing from the increased state, or the vehicle speed of the other vehicle is constant. 3. The vehicle road according to claim 1, wherein when the accelerator opening of the other vehicle increases from a reduced state, it is predicted that there is an end point of a downhill road ahead of the course of the vehicle. Shape prediction device. The vehicle road shape prediction apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Using the information on the downhill road predicted by the road shape prediction means, a travel control means for performing the travel control of the vehicle,
The travel control by the travel control means is a constant speed travel control that maintains the vehicle speed of the vehicle, a vehicle distance control that maintains a distance between the vehicle and the other vehicle in front of the vehicle, and travel by inertia of the vehicle. A vehicle travel control device, wherein the vehicle travel control device is at least one of inertial travel control.

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