JP2023056333A - Device for supporting leading vehicle follow up running - Google Patents

Abstract

To suppress the occurrence of such a problem that processing load of a processing unit becomes comparatively high when starting support for leading vehicle follow up running.SOLUTION: A device for supporting leading vehicle follow up running is provided, mounted on a vehicle and supporting leading vehicle follow up running in which an own vehicle is made to follow a leading vehicle, the device comprises: a memorizing unit which memorizes a matching vehicle which is the other vehicle having operation characteristics matching that of the own vehicle, out of arbitrary other vehicles; and a processing unit which when instructed to execute the leading vehicle follow up running, sets the matching vehicle as a candidate vehicle which is a candidate for the leading vehicle and notifies a driver in the own vehicle of the candidate vehicle or sets the matching vehicle as the leading vehicle, when the matching vehicle memorized in the memorizing unit exists in a range of a predetermined distance away from the own vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a follow-up driving support device.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this type of follow-up driving support device, in a follow-up driving support device that follows and travels a selected other vehicle, a controller acquires characteristics of the driving operation of the own vehicle and It acquires the driving characteristics of other vehicles running on the road, compares the driving characteristics of the own vehicle with the driving characteristics of other vehicles, determines the degree of approximation of each characteristic, and selects other vehicles with a high degree of approximation. There has been proposed a system that selects a vehicle to be recommended to follow and notifies the driver of the vehicle of the selected vehicle to be recommended to follow (for example, see Patent Document 1).

JP 2018-176859 A

In the above-mentioned follow-up driving support system, it is necessary to acquire the characteristics of the driving operation of the own vehicle and the other vehicle while the own vehicle and the other vehicle are running, and to compare the acquired characteristics to obtain approximate characteristics of each characteristic. There is Therefore, there is a possibility that the processing load on the processing unit (controller) becomes relatively high when starting support for follow-up running.

A main object of the follow-up driving assistance device of the present invention is to prevent the processing load of the processing unit from becoming relatively high when starting the follow-up driving assistance.

The follow-up driving support system of the present invention employs the following means in order to achieve the above main object.

The follow-up driving support device of the present invention includes:
A follow-up driving support device that is mounted on a vehicle and supports follow-up driving to cause the own vehicle to follow a preceding vehicle,
a storage unit that stores a matching vehicle, which is the other vehicle whose driving characteristics match those of the own vehicle among arbitrary other vehicles;
If the matching vehicle stored in the storage unit is within a predetermined distance from the own vehicle when the execution of the follow-up run is instructed, the matching vehicle is designated as a candidate vehicle that is a candidate for the preceding vehicle. a processing unit that sets and notifies the driver of the own vehicle, or sets the matching vehicle as the preceding vehicle;
The gist is to provide

The follow-up driving support device of the present invention includes a storage section and a processing section. The storage unit stores matching vehicles, which are other vehicles whose driving characteristics match those of the host vehicle, among arbitrary other vehicles. The processing unit sets the matching vehicle as a candidate vehicle, which is a candidate for the preceding vehicle, when the matching vehicle stored in the storage unit is within a predetermined distance from the host vehicle when execution of follow-up running is instructed. or set the matching vehicle as the preceding vehicle. As a result, it is possible to prevent the processing load on the processing unit from becoming relatively high at the time of starting support for follow-up running.

In the follow-up driving support system of the present invention, the driving characteristic is the driving characteristic of the own vehicle when the execution of the follow-up traveling is not instructed and the other vehicle exists within the predetermined distance in front of the own vehicle. The amount of accelerator operation when accelerating, the amount of brake operation when decelerating the own vehicle, the vehicle speed when the own vehicle is traveling at a constant speed, the own vehicle when the own vehicle is traveling at a constant speed, and the preceding distance to another vehicle, and at least one of the following.

1 is a configuration diagram showing an outline of the configuration of an automobile 20 equipped with a follow-up driving support device as one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing an example of a processing routine executed by an electronic control unit 50;

Next, a mode for carrying out the present invention will be described using examples.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing the outline of the configuration of an automobile 20 equipped with a follow-up driving support system as one embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated, the automobile 20 of the embodiment is configured as an automobile that runs with power from a driving device 62 having an engine, a motor, and the like.

In addition to the driving device 62, the automobile 20 of the embodiment includes an ignition switch 22, a GPS (Global Positioning System, Global Positioning Satellite) 24, a front camera 26, an indoor camera 28, a vehicle speed sensor 30, an acceleration sensor 32, and a millimeter wave radar 34. , accelerator sensor 36, brake sensor 38, cruise control switch 40, electronic control unit 50, drive actuator 60, brake actuator 64, braking device 66, steering actuator 68, steering device 70, holographic optical device 72, front window 74, meters 76, a navigation system 80, a DCM (Data Communication Module) 86, and the like. The electronic control unit 50 corresponds to the follow-up driving support device of the embodiment.

The GPS 24 is a device that detects the position of the vehicle based on signals transmitted from multiple GPS satellites. The front camera 26 is a camera that is attached to the upper part of the front center of the passenger compartment and arranged to photograph the front of the vehicle through the front window 74 . The interior camera 28 is a camera that is attached to the upper part of the front center of the passenger compartment and arranged so as to photograph the inside of the passenger compartment. Vehicle speed sensor 30 detects the vehicle speed based on wheel speed and the like. The acceleration sensor 32 detects, for example, acceleration in the front-rear direction of the vehicle and acceleration in the left-right direction (lateral direction) of the vehicle. The millimeter wave radar 34 detects the inter-vehicle distance and relative speed between the vehicle and the vehicle ahead, and detects the inter-vehicle distance and relative speed between the vehicle and the vehicle behind.

The accelerator sensor 36 detects the degree of opening of the accelerator, which is the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal by the driver. A brake sensor 38 detects a brake position or the like as the amount of depression of the brake pedal by the driver. The cruise control switch 40 is arranged near the steering wheel of the driver's seat and is a switch for switching between execution and non-execution of cruise control. Examples of cruise control include vehicle speed control in which the host vehicle travels while maintaining a substantially constant vehicle speed, and vehicle distance control in which the host vehicle travels while maintaining a substantially constant inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle.

The electronic control unit 50 includes a microcomputer having a CPU 51, ROM 52, RAM 53, flash memory 54, input/output ports, and communication ports. When the cruise control switch 40 is off, the electronic control unit 50 is based on the accelerator opening from the accelerator sensor 36, the brake position from the brake sensor 38, the vehicle speed from the vehicle speed sensor 30, and the like. A torque and a required braking force required for the brake device are set, and the set required torque is transmitted to the drive actuator 60 and the set required braking force is transmitted to the brake actuator 64 .

When the cruise control switch 40 is on, the electronic control unit 50 sets the required driving force and required braking force so that the vehicle speed of the host vehicle becomes the target vehicle speed in the case of vehicle speed control, and sets the required braking force in the case of vehicle distance control. The required driving force and required braking force are set so that the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle is the target inter-vehicle distance, the set required torque is transmitted to the drive actuator 60, and the set required braking force is transmitted to the brake actuator. 64.

The drive actuator 60 drives and controls the drive device 62 so that the required torque set by the electronic control unit 50 is output from the drive device 62 to the drive shaft.

The brake actuator 64 controls the brake device 66 so that the required braking force set by the electronic control unit 50 is applied to the vehicle by the brake device 66 .

The steering actuator 68 drives and controls the steering device 70 so that the steering position of the steering device 70 becomes the target steering position set by the electronic control unit 50 .

The holographic optical device 72 is configured as an AR (Augmented Reality) device that displays various holograms on the front window 74, and is incorporated in the dashboard of the vehicle.

The navigation system 80 is a system that guides the vehicle to a set destination, and includes a map information database 82 and a display section 84 . The map information database 82 stores, as map information, road distance information, road width information, type information (general road, expressway), legal speed information, etc. in each section. The display unit 84 displays map information and the like. When the destination is set, the navigation system 80 determines the travel route based on the information on the destination, the information on the current location (the current position of the own vehicle) acquired by the GPS 24, and the information stored in the map information database 82. is set, and the set travel route is displayed on the display unit 84 for route guidance.

DCM 86 is a communication device for electronic control unit 50 and navigation system 80 to communicate with cloud server CS and the like. The vehicle information of the own vehicle transmitted from the electronic control unit 50 and the navigation system 80 to the cloud server CS via the DCM 86 includes, for example, the travel history of the own vehicle (for example, the position of the own vehicle at each time, the vehicle speed, the driving force, on/off of the cruise control switch 40, etc.) and parking history (for example, parking position, parking time, etc.).

The cloud server CS is configured to be able to communicate wirelessly with each vehicle. The cloud server CS stores vehicle information of each vehicle, information similar to the map information database 82 described above, and the like. The cloud server CS sequentially selects a target vehicle from each vehicle, and based on the vehicle information (driving characteristics) of each vehicle, the target vehicle determines which of the other vehicles (drivers) has the driving characteristics of the target vehicle (driver ) is set and transmitted to the target vehicle, and the CPU 51 of the electronic control unit 50 of the target vehicle stores the matching vehicle in the flash memory 54 while the target vehicle is stopped. The driving characteristics of each vehicle include, for example, when the cruise control switch 40 is off and there is another vehicle within a predetermined distance in front of the vehicle, the opening of the accelerator when the vehicle is accelerated, and the driving characteristics of the vehicle. Examples include the brake position when decelerating, the vehicle speed when the own vehicle is traveling at a constant speed, and the inter-vehicle distance between the own vehicle and another vehicle ahead when the own vehicle is traveling at a constant speed. When there are a plurality of matching vehicles, it is preferable to give priority according to the degree of matching. For example, among multiple matching vehicles, the higher the number of times the vehicle is set as the leading vehicle in cruise control's inter-vehicle distance control, the more likely it is that the driving time zone and driving area are similar to the own vehicle. can be considered.

Next, the operation of the automobile 20 of the embodiment configured as described above, in particular, the operation when setting the preceding vehicle for vehicle-to-vehicle distance control of cruise control will be described. FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing an example of a processing routine executed by the electronic control unit 50. As shown in FIG. This routine is repeatedly executed when the vehicle distance control of the cruise control is not executed.

When the processing routine of FIG. 2 is executed, the electronic control unit 50 first determines whether the cruise control switch 40 is on (step S100), and determines that the cruise control switch 40 is off. Sometimes the routine ends.

When it is determined in step S100 that the cruise control switch 40 is on, it is determined whether or not the matching vehicle stored in the flash memory 54 is within a predetermined distance from the own vehicle (automobile 20) (step S110). .

When it is determined in step S110 that the matching vehicle does not exist within the predetermined distance from the own vehicle, this routine ends. In this case, for example, when there is another vehicle within a predetermined distance in front of the own vehicle, the other vehicle (when there are multiple other vehicles, for example, the closest other vehicle) is set as the preceding vehicle and the vehicle distance control is executed. However, when there is no other vehicle within a predetermined distance ahead of the own vehicle, it is conceivable to execute vehicle speed control.

When it is determined in step S110 that the matching vehicle exists within the predetermined distance from the own vehicle, the matching vehicle is set as the preceding vehicle to be followed (step S120), and this routine ends. Here, when there are a plurality of matching vehicles within a predetermined distance from the own vehicle, the one with the highest priority may be set as the preceding vehicle. In this case, it is preferable to notify the driver by, for example, displaying a hologram (image) for marking the preceding vehicle on the front window 74 by the holographic optical device 72 . When the preceding vehicle is set in this way, the vehicle distance control is executed so as to follow the preceding vehicle. In this way, by setting the matching vehicle whose driving characteristics match the own vehicle as the preceding vehicle, the time interval control is executed compared to the case where other vehicles other than the matching vehicle are set as the preceding vehicle. driving characteristics can be brought closer to the driver's preference.

In this embodiment, the matching vehicle stored in the flash memory 54 is used to determine whether or not the matching vehicle exists within a predetermined distance from the own vehicle. Compared to receiving driving characteristics from other vehicles and comparing the driving characteristics of the own vehicle with the driving characteristics of other vehicles to determine whether or not the other vehicle corresponds to the matching vehicle, the matching vehicle is the preceding vehicle. , it is possible to prevent the processing load of the CPU 51 of the electronic control unit 50 from becoming relatively high when starting the execution of the vehicle distance control.

In the electronic control unit 50 as the follow-up driving support device mounted on the automobile 20 of the embodiment described above, the CPU 51 controls the matching vehicle stored in the flash memory 54 when the cruise control switch 40 is turned on. When the matching vehicle is within a predetermined distance from the own vehicle (automobile 20), the matching vehicle is set as the preceding vehicle of the following vehicle, and the vehicle distance control is executed so as to follow the preceding vehicle. As a result, it is possible to prevent the processing load of the CPU 51 of the electronic control unit 50 from becoming relatively high when the matching vehicle is set as the preceding vehicle and execution of the vehicle distance control is started.

In the electronic control unit 50 of the embodiment, when the cruise control switch 40 is turned on and the matching vehicle stored in the flash memory 54 is within a predetermined distance from the own vehicle (automobile 20), the matching vehicle is selected. It is set to the preceding vehicle to be followed. However, at this time, the matching vehicle is set as a candidate vehicle for the preceding vehicle, and the driver of the own vehicle is notified to request the driver to determine whether or not to set the candidate vehicle as the preceding vehicle. When an instruction to set the candidate vehicle as the preceding vehicle is issued by , the candidate vehicle may be set as the preceding vehicle. As a method of notifying the candidate vehicle, for example, it is conceivable to display a hologram (image) for marking the candidate vehicle on the front window 74 by the holographic optical device 72 .

In the embodiment, the cloud server CS shall set a matching vehicle for each vehicle based on the vehicle information (driving characteristics) of each vehicle. However, in addition to driving characteristics, the vehicle's body type, scheduled driving time zone, scheduled driving area (scheduled departure and destination, driving route, etc.) are also taken into account to set matching vehicles for each vehicle. It can be a thing. The body type of the car can be obtained from each vehicle. Further, with regard to the scheduled travel time zone and the planned travel area, data can be obtained from the navigation system 80 of each vehicle, posted information on a social network service (SNS), and the like.

In the embodiment, the cloud server CS sets a matching vehicle for each vehicle and transmits it to each vehicle, and the CPU 51 of the electronic control unit 50 of each vehicle stores the matching vehicle in the flash memory 54 while the target vehicle is stopped. I assumed. However, instead of setting the matching vehicle by the cloud server CS, the matching vehicle may be set while each vehicle is stopped.

The correspondence relationship between the main elements of the embodiments and the main elements of the invention described in the column of Means for Solving the Problems will be described. In the embodiment, the flash memory 54 corresponds to the "storage section" and the CPU 51 corresponds to the "processing section".

Note that the correspondence relationship between the main elements of the examples and the main elements of the invention described in the column of Means for Solving the Problems is the Since it is an example for specifically explaining the mode for solving the problem, it does not limit the elements of the invention described in the column of the means for solving the problem. That is, the interpretation of the invention described in the column of Means to Solve the Problem should be made based on the description in that column, and the Examples are based on the description of the invention described in the column of Means to Solve the Problem. This is only a specific example.

Although the embodiments for carrying out the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to such embodiments at all, and can be modified in various forms without departing from the scope of the present invention. Of course, it can be implemented.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is applicable to industries such as the manufacturing industry of follow-up driving support devices.

20 automobile, 22 ignition switch, 24 GPS, 26 front camera, 28 interior camera, 30 vehicle speed sensor, 32 acceleration sensor, 34 millimeter wave radar, 36 accelerator sensor, 38 brake sensor, 40 cruise control switch, 50 electronic control unit, 51 CPU, 52 ROM, 53 RAM, 54 flash memory, 60 drive actuator, 62 drive device, 64 brake actuator, 66 brake device, 68 steering actuator, 70 steering device, 72 holographic optical device, 74 front window, 76 meter, 80 navigation system, 82 map information database, 84 display unit, 86 DCM.

Claims (1)

A follow-up driving support device that is mounted on a vehicle and supports follow-up driving to cause the own vehicle to follow a preceding vehicle,
a storage unit that stores a matching vehicle, which is the other vehicle whose driving characteristics match those of the own vehicle among arbitrary other vehicles;
If the matching vehicle stored in the storage unit is within a predetermined distance from the own vehicle when the execution of the follow-up run is instructed, the matching vehicle is designated as a candidate vehicle that is a candidate for the preceding vehicle. a processing unit that sets and notifies the driver of the own vehicle, or sets the matching vehicle as the preceding vehicle;
A follow-up driving support device.

Images